"After we left the Citadel, we travelled towards the planet of Berkenstein, 'the human's Illium' as it is sometimes known as. Kasumi wanted to steal something from the wealthy Donovan Hock; a greybox that belonged to her deceased lover Keiji Okuda. We had to sneak in, break into the vault, take the greybox and get out. Sounds easy right?"
"Why the hell am I in a dress?"
"This is a wealthy socialite party, you would look very out of place in armour."
"I never said I would wear armour." Kacey said begrudgingly, "I would wear something a bit more…practical than this."
"Practical? You mean jeans? Oversized t-shirts?" Kasumi giggled, "Oh hun, that isn't what you wear to one of these events."
"What can I say? I don't usually attend events like this." Kacey replied, "Plus, I don't wear oversized t-shirts."
"You sound defensive." Kasumi teased, "You look stunning, Miss Alison Gunn. No one, not even Hock will be able to keep their eyes off you."
"Miss Alison Gunn?" Kacey said while blushing furiously, "That's my cover?"
"Yes. You run a small but incredibly talented mercenary band out in the Terminus Systems. Precisely the type of person Hock respects." Kasumi explained, smirking, "I took the liberty of giving you a reputation; papers, witnesses, an article in Badass Weekly."
"God, why?" Kacey said, shaking her head, "Do I even want to know how you managed that?"
"No, you don't." Kasumi smirked, "Oh don't be so modest. You look amazing and you'll do great. As long as you don't talk business with him."
"Okay. I'll keep that in mind." Kacey mused, "So, Hock, he's not just a socialite, is he?"
"No, he's a weapons dealer and smuggler." Kasumi explained, "He killed my partner and stole his greybox. Aside from that, he's just a rich, charismatic asshole."
"Sounds about right." Kacey said, "So, can you fill me in on plan?"
"Since you've been so patient." Kasumi teased, "Hock is throwing a party for his closest friends. A couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters and mass murders you will ever want to meet, all of whom are bringing gifts to the man himself. Our tribute is a lovely statue of your old friend Saren, rendered with loving detail and filled to the brim with our weapons and armour. You can keep your pistol as long as its concealed. They won't hassle you over a sidearm."
"Well, that is reassuring." Kacey sighed, "I'll try my best not to shoot any asshole I come across."
"I appreciate your restraint." Kasumi replied, "Once inside, we'll make our way to Hock's vault door, which should be somewhere around the back of the ballroom. Then we case the security and start peeling away the layers. The statue should be there, waiting for you to crack it open and arm up. Then we just waltz into the vault and take back Keiji's greybox. And I'll finally get a chance to say goodbye."
"Sounds like you've worked very hard on this." Kacey mused sympathetically, "Keiji must've meant a lot to you."
"Was I that obvious?" Kasumi said, "Keiji's greybox holds a lot of priceless personal memories. It's all that remains of who he was. But the secret he discovered was dangerous. I wouldn't bring you here if it wasn't."
"That secret being an Alliance raid on a batarian facility involving indoctrinated hanar?" Kaidan mused.
"Yep." Kacey replied, "Suffice to say, this was an…interesting ordeal to say the least."
"This ought to be interesting." Kacey mused.
"That's what I'm going for." Kasumi replied.
…
"This is our stop." Kasumi said with a smirk, "After you, Miss Gunn."
Kacey started to head towards the door, observing the guards looking over the statue of Saren.
"Hold a moment, ma'am." The guard said suddenly, "There seems to be an issue with the statue."
"Is there a problem here?" A man's voice interjected.
Kacey turned to see a sharp looking man in a white suit heading towards her, staring at the guard unnervingly.
"No Mister Hock." The guard replied quickly, "Just doing a routine scan."
"I don't believe we've met." Hock said with a sleazy smile, "Donovan Hock."
"Alison Gunn." Kacey said bluntly, "A pleasure."
Hock eyed Kacey suspiciously before turning his attention back to the guard.
"Sir, the scanners aren't picking anything up." The guard said.
"Hmm." Hock mused as he looked at the statue, "I don't think our guest would come all the way from Illium just to cause trouble. Do you? You may pass through, Miss Gunn. You were invited, after all."
Kasumi was already hidden in plain sight as Kacey headed inside the party was in full swing; smooth jazz played in the background as the guests amused themselves with idle chatter. Kacey looked around as she slowly walked into the room, avoiding the gazes of the other guests.
Events like this made Kacey uneasy; formal events weren't her thing. Dressing up fancy, making small talk and being overly polite to truly insufferable people was not something that she had the patience for. She remained vigilant as she moved through the ballroom, avoiding people and only offering a small smile to the patrons as she finally slipped away to the vault's entrance, where Kasumi was waiting.
"Very nice." Kasumi said as she looked around the room, "There's more here than I expected."
Kacey's gaze drifted towards the statue of Saren, her mind drifting back to a simpler time. Kasumi continued to look around at the security.
"Password protected voice lock. Kinetic barrier." Kasumi mused, "DNA scanner – looks like an EX-700 series. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable."
"Is this going to be a problem?" Kacey asked.
"Please. Remember who you're talking to." Kasumi said, "We'll need to get a voice sample for the voice lock, so you'll have to chat up Hock for that and we'll need to find the password too. DNA? Child's play. We should find plenty of samples in his private quarters. As for the barrier, we cut the power. That never fails. Keiji could get through a system like this in his sleep. And I'm better. Let's get to it."
…
Disabling the barrier was easy; hidden behind a wall with a statue key. However, getting the password and voice sample wasn't as straightforward. All Kacey had to do was keep him talking; long enough for Kasumi to get a good enough sample. But the guy was giving Kacey some uncomfortable vibes.
She could feel the sleazy and depraved looks the male patrons were giving her. She avoided their gazes and the occasional wolf whistle as she crossed the ballroom towards Hock.
"Ah, Miss Gunn." Hock said, "Good to see you. That scene at the door hasn't soured your mood, I hope."
"I assumed you were expecting trouble." Kacey said sweetly, "I understand the need for security but who would dare try to break into Donovan Hock's home?"
"Gunn, in our line of work, we attract a certain element." Hock replied, "Few understand the pains we take to keep the barbarians at bay. People these days want comfort, entertainment, love. They don't see that the galaxy is fragile. They only have to worry about simple luxuries. Why? Because people like me–and you–are doing the terrible things that keep the galaxy spinning. This party is for us. The cleaners. The support structure for the galaxy's gleeful delusions of peace. May there always be a market for the things we do."
A round of applause followed Hock's speech, with Kacey feeling disgusted by it. She gave him a small smile as he told her to enjoy the party and that he would speak to her later. However Kacey didn't plan on sticking around that long.
She wandered around the ballroom and found a locked door which piqued her curiosity. She hacked the door open and slipped through and down the hall, where Kasumi revealed herself. With a nod, Kasumi unlocked the door and swiftly dispatched the sole Eclipse guard that was guarding the room.
"Hopefully, we'll find something in here that'll help us figure out Hock's password." Kacey mused.
Kasumi headed towards the big terminal, searching through the big computer. Kacey searched through the desk, ruffling through the drawers until she found a datapad hidden underneath some papers.
"Found the password." Kacey said, "It's 'Peruggia'."
"That's the man who stole the Mona Lisa." Kasmui mused, "Nice."
…
The final thing they needed was a DNA sample; getting into Hock's private quarters was a lot more straightforward than Kacey thought. Kasumi posed as Chief Roe and hacked their communications so Kacey could get in without hassle.
After tossing the bedroom, Kacey and Kasumi found a good enough DNA sample and quickly made their way back to the vault. Kasumi cracked the security, opening the door to reveal an elevator.
"I'll check for security cams." Kasumi said while activating her invisibility gear, "Go ahead and get dressed."
"Finally." Kacey said, relieved as she busted open the base of the statue and began to put her armour on.
It took Kacey only a few minutes to get her armour on and her gear ready; she hoped that they would be able to slip out without too much trouble. She headed to the elevator once she was dressed and the pair headed down to the vault.
Once they had arrived in the vault, Kacey looked around and saw several statues and antiques. While Kacey scanned the room for the greybox, Kasumi looked around, almost excited by the sights in the vault.
"Mmm so this is Hock's vault." Kasumi mused, "Very fancy."
"Let's just find this greybox and get outta here before Hock notices we're in here." Kacey said.
"Right to business, I see." Kasumi replied, "It shouldn't be too far."
Kacey and Kasumi searched through the antiques for the small box, with Kasumi marvelling at all of the pieces. Kacey couldn't see the appeal of the artefacts. She looked through the aisles and came across a small box on one of the display tables.
"Kasumi, over here!" Kacey called.
Kasumi ran over in an instant, and looked at the small greybox on the table, "Oh my God. There it is!"
Kasumi pulled up her omni-tool and began to activate the greybox. But before she could crack the box, a voice rang out through the vault.
"Don't bother, Miss Goto. It's codelocked." Hock said, his face plastered on a big holographic screen on the far side of the vault, "I had a feeling you would show yourself eventually. I knew if you were here, you'd get into this vault."
"You know me, I don't like to disappoint." Kasumi quipped.
"I need what's in your greybox, Kasumi." Hock said in a threatening tone, "I won't hesitate to kill you for it. I'll admit your skills are impressive; you got into my vault like I left it open. But you are still going to die, screaming in agony like your old friend."
"Suffice to say, he was annoying me with his condescending tone. So I figured I'd knock 'em down a few pegs."
Kacey rolled her eyes, her handgun in her hand. She raised it and shot the white vase, shattering it into millions of pieces. Hock screeched as the glass shattered, while Kacey had a small smirk on her face.
"So, have I got your attention?" Kacey said.
Hock scowled at Kacey as Kasumi chuckled, "Hah! That got him to shut up."
"That's what I was going for."
"Kill them!" Hock growled as the screen disappeared and several Eclipse mercs ran through the door.
Kacey hid behind the display table and opened fire on the mercs with warp ammo. Their barriers were tough, but no match for the ammunition Mordin developed. Kasumi used her infiltration cloak to dispose of the mercs from behind and from the shadows, making it easier for Kacey to gun down the last of the stragglers.
…
The fight out of the vault was a difficult one. Despite Hock's best efforts to seal the pair in, Kacey and Kasumi blew their way out using explosives. Even the Eclipse mercenaries and their YMIR mechs didn't deter the duo nor stop them, as Kacey's fiery inferno concussive shots down the mechs with ease while Kasumi disposed of the mercs with knives in the back.
However there was strength in numbers, and the Eclipse certainly didn't lack numbers; dozens of them descended on the pair as they made their daring escape through the vault. Kacey began using her grenade launcher to kill multiple mercs at once as the pair made their way through a processing area.
"Don't fight me, Kasumi." Hock seethed down the intercom, "You know what happened to your boy toy when he fought back."
Kasumi growled, "You don't talk about Keiji like that! Murderer!"
"Kasumi, you've got to stay focused!" Kacey said, killing a merc with a perfect headshot, "He's trying to get to you."
"I know. You're right." Kasumi said quietly.
They went through the door and ended up in what looked to be a small spaceport, littered with cargo and other boxes. Kacey scanned the area and found no mercs, but she could hear a faint whirring noise.
"Shit." Kacey said as the source of the noise appeared, "Incoming! Get down!"
Hock appeared in a gunship, shielded with a strong kinetic barrier, and began to unload a barrage of bullets onto Kacey and Kasumi. Kacey moved into cover behind a metal crate while Kasumi hid behind a forklift.
"You could have done this the easy way, Goto." Hock sneered, "Allow me to show you the hard way."
"I'm not gonna be able to do a damn thing to that ship with that shield up." Kacey said, opening fire on it, "It keeps regenerating!"
"Cover me!" Kasumi shouted, "If I can get to the ship, I can take its shields down."
Kacey nodded and bolted across the port, narrowly avoiding bullets as she fired back, catching Hock's attention. While she played as the distraction, Kasumi climbed, ran and vaulted over the pipes and crates until she was close to the gunship. She then leapt onto it with grace and shut down the shields, giving Hock a smirk before jumping down.
Kacey then took the opportunity to fire multiple grenades at the gunship once Kasumi was out of range. Once she was out of grenades, Kacey switched to fiery concussive shots, which destroyed the gunship, causing it to explode with Hock inside.
"Good riddance." Kasumi mused.
…
The shuttle ride back to the Normandy was quiet; too quiet. Kacey looked at Kasumi as she fiddled with the greybox before activating it. Kacey listened as she heard Keiji tell Kasumi to destroy the greybox and she could see how upset she was by the request. As the message finished and Kasumi logged out, the master thief sat down, upset.
"It's an odd thing to think about; and a hard thing to decide. That box contained the memories of the love of her life, there to be played over and over without end. To always have a virtual representation of him at her side, always. But it wasn't my choice to make. I couldn't make that choice for her."
"If it's that important to you, you should keep it." Kacey said after several minutes of silence passed, "Just make sure you're ready to live with the consequences."
"Yeah, I am." Kasumi mused, "I'll stay off the grid. No one will know I exist."
"Probably for the best." Kacey said with a small smile.
"Thanks, Shep." Kasumi said, "For a moment there, I thought you were going to suggest destroying the greybox."
"No, I wouldn't say anything like that." Kacey mused, "I know how much those kinds of memories mean to someone, that's all."
"Oh? Who is he then?" Kasumi smirked.
"Excuse me?"
"Come on, that face says it all. You have a special someone; my guess is that you've lost them too."
"In a sense." Kacey sighed, "He's not dead, thankfully. But suffice to say, we aren't on speaking terms right now."
"What happened?"
"I died. That's what happened. Ask Garrus, he'll fill you in like he did with Tali."
"I will." Kasumi mused, "But I'm sure you two will make up soon."
"I hope you're right, Kasumi." Kacey mused, staring out of the window.