Kacey made her way to the Main Battery quickly. She intended to speak with Garrus before arriving at Korlus. She didn't know what she was going to say to the turian; their last conversation didn't leave her with much reassurance. Unlike the other squad-mates, she truly trusted Garrus, and his presence on the ship put her at ease. But something was eating away at the scarlet-haired commander. Garrus had changed. For better or worse, she hadn't a clue yet, but she intended to.

When she first met the turian, he was a risk-taker. And not in a good way. He would risk the lives of hostages to catch the criminal, shoot criminals instead of restraining them. He took many dangerous risks that made him seem naïve and inexperienced. But, through their ordeal chasing Saren, he grew and improved.

Their friendship had an odd dynamic; it started as a mentor and protégée relationship, before developing into a true friendship. The dynamic still remained, but the gap had ever narrowed. Garrus used to take after Kacey, observing her actions and following her lead. And now, it seemed that Garrus was able to follow his own lead, and Kacey was curious as to which path, he had chosen.

"Hey Garrus," Kacey said as she entered the Main Battery, "Got a minute?"

"Sure." Garrus replied, turning to face Kacey, "Just checking the weapons systems. You can never be too careful. I thought I'd seen every weapon in the galaxy in our fight against Saren. Mercenary work showed me otherwise. And now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot. I wish we'd joined up with them sooner."

"I hope you're not serious." Kacey said to which Garrus laughed in response, "We haven't joined Cerberus. They're funding the mission. That's all."

"And blackmailing you."

"No need to remind me."

"Relax." Garrus replied, "I don't doubt you or your judgement. Not after I got my own squad killed."

"Since when did Garrus have a squad?" Kaidan asked.

"Since he arrived on Omega, I think." Kacey replied, "The squad's demise really weighed heavily on Garrus you know."

"How did those mercenary gangs take down your team?"

"It was my own damn fault." Garrus replied solemnly, "One of my people betrayed me. A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacked my squad, then he disappeared. Everyone except me is dead because of him. And because I didn't see it coming."

"What exactly happened, Garrus?" Kacey replied, worried.

Garrus sighed, "Sidonis asked for my help with a job. When I got to the meeting point, nobody was there. By the time I got back to our hideout, the mercs had killed all but two of my squad. And they didn't last long."

"Garrus," Kacey hesitated, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault, Shepard."

"Have you found him?"

"No. His trail vanishes after he leaves Omega. But I'll keep hunting. I lost my whole team, except for Sidonis. One day I'll find him…and correct that."

…

The shuttle landed on the planet quicker than Kacey anticipated. She decided to take both Garrus and Mordin with her; solely to keep an eye on the former and to observe the skills of the latter. Plus, she wanted to get away from Jacob and Miranda for a bit.

The trio immediately moved into cover as gunfire could be heard in the distance.

"The dossier didn't say that Okeer is on this planet by choice." Kacey said, "Assume hostiles."

Kacey was forced to cover her ears as a cackle from a loudspeaker rang throughout the area.

"There is only one measure of success: kill or be killed! Perfection is your goal." A woman screeched over the speaker.

"Loudspeakers? Someone likes the sound of their voice." Garrus quipped.

"No kidding." Kacey replied, "Stay focused though. We're looking for a krogan warlord."

The place was one massive junkyard that was as rancid as the air itself. Thick plumes of smoke hung over the horizon as the continuous smell of burning metal floated through the air. The landscape was nothing more than the wreckage of several ships and vessels that had crashed on the planet over the centuries. The sky was an odd and putrid shade of orange and as far as Kacey was concerned, she would rather leave as soon as possible.

"Being hired is merely the beginning." The woman screeched again, "You must earn your place in the mighty army we are building!"

"I swear, if this keeps up…" Kacey mumbled.

"It probably will." Garrus said, "Knowing our luck, they'll keep this up the whole time."

"Lookout position, equipped for combat" Mordin said as the trio reached the top of the steps.

A small, makeshift lookout post was positioned around the corner, with serval clumps of metal acting as makeshift barricades. Two Blue Suns Mercenaries stood at the lookout post.

The fight was over quickly. Garrus simply shot both parties in the head with is sniper rifle before either had time to react. While Kacey wasn't going to complain with the results, she was concerned with the way it was done. The shots were quick and decisive, but also placed right between the eyes of the mercs. Garrus' aim had improved significantly with his sniper rifle, and she had a suspicion as to why.

She headed through the lookout post, with Garrus and Mordin close behind. She raised her assault rifle as she heard laboured breathing. Someone was really badly hurt and weren't going to last long.

Kacey scanned the area and noticed a wounded merc on the ground. The human tried to pick themselves up from the ground but failed repeatedly.

"Shit. Shit!" The man complained, "It won't stop bleeding…I'm gonna…son of a bitch!"

"Doesn't look that bad, actually." Garrus mused.

Kacey had to agree; the injury wasn't as severe as others she had seen on the field before.

"He doesn't need to know that." Kacey replied, bringing a finger to her lips.

"Are you serious?" Kaidan laughed, "Since when was Garrus firing off quips?"

"Since I found him on Omega, I think." Kacey mused, "I assume being on Omega had something to do with it. And besides, it was a graze. We've seen worse."

"I'll take your word for it." Kaidan replied.

Garrus nodded as the merc finally noticed the trio.

"I knew it wasn't berserkers." He spat, "Not at range. You're mercs. Or Alliance. I'm not…I'm not telling you anything."

"I've got a nice application of medi-gel ready to go." Kacey scoffed, "But if you'd rather I just keep walking…"

"Son of a…I just, I don't know anything. I just shoot the overflow from the labs. The old krogan up there, he's really been cleaning house lately. Jedore hired him to make her an army, but the krogan he creates are insane, so we use them for live ammo training. It's all crap; I don't get paid enough to goddamn bleed out!"

"Outpost Four!" A very agitated sergeant shouted through the merc's comms, "Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that krogan pack."

Kacey quickly leaned towards the merc, putting her face right in his, "I want your friends gone. Understand?"

She stepped away as the merc answered the sergeant, "Uh, patrol? The last group…dispersed. Lost sight five minutes ago."

"Dispersed? Jedore will be pissed. She wanted a show."

"You asked for a report, you got it. Dispersed."

"Understood. Returning to the labs."

"There." The merc said, closing the comms, "You see? I'm helping."

"Well, if you start limping now, you might find a shady spot before you bleed out." Kacey replied."

The merc hobbled away, muttering "Shit" multiple times. Once he was out of earshot, Kacey turned to face her squad.

"Adding insult to injury. Literally." Mordin mused, "Necessary?"

"Maybe not. Felt good though." Kacey replied, "Come on. Our warlord is somewhere in Jedore's lab."

"Training is part of your contract." Jedore's voice rang through the loudspeaker, "Failure to perform means liquidation, legal and otherwise."

"Hostiles. Stay sharp!" Garrus said.

Kacey was already in cover by the time the mercenaries noticed them. She quickly opened fire on the mercenaries, keeping a close eye on Garrus and Mordin. She was quick to notice how brutal Garrus was being; he was quite literally on the line between merciful and complete brutally.

"I knew a lot was going through his mind then. And how much his squad's death had an impact on him."

"Team Four, do you read? Team Four!" A merc shouted through one of the dead mercenary's comms, "Comm, tell Jedore we have a problem. Patrols are going dark. Either the krogan are pushing or we're being raided!"

"Well shit, they're on to us now!" Kacey said, firing at the mercs closest to her.

Mordin was more methodical than she gave him credit for. While Garrus primarily focused on the snipers, and she focused on those on the ground, Mordin seemed to cover both of them by carefully picking off any stragglers with perfectly timed, accurately aimed headshots. Kacey was impressed; she didn't expect that from a doctor, but then again, Mordin wasn't your typical doctor.

"The krogan are your example and your warning! As ferocious as they are, failures are expenda—"

BANG!

Just as the last merc dropped dead, Kacey fired her rifle at the loudspeaker, destroying it.

"Was that really necessary?" Garrus said.

"Yes. And I'm gonna shoot every one of them." Kacey replied.