A/N: Hello, I'm back. Before I begin, there's an announcement to make. First of all, I apologize for the late upload. I took some contract of mandate work so as to earn some extra cash during the summer holiday. The problem was that I was kind of given misleading information about the potential timetables and work hours. To make long story short, I had a fucked up timetable until the 8th of August, when the contract terminated. Still, I was somewhat procrastinating afterwards, so the late upload is not completely justified. That's on me. Just a quick explanation.
The second matter comes from a review (here I go explaining bosnian war crimes again). This one actually came from a guest, and they shared a pretty valid criticism, that being that I made the apparent technological supremacy of the carvins one-sided, especially regarding their FTL not being based on eezo, as well as other applications of eezo outside of the FTL applications. And in hope that they actually did not dismiss my story completely after the second chapter, or that this very same complaint is shared by others (that did not immediately click out of the tab after reading), here's my "explanation" for this choice:
Your criticism is completely valid, that I can admit. Just because they are independent of the mass relay network shouldn't make the carvins OP. However their tech goes beyond simple FTL. I hinted at it before, but there are several somewhat arcane advancements taken from the Grox that the carvins adopted, chief amongst them their highly advanced cybernetics, but also FTL communication through quantum tunneling (that doesn't require long chains of comm buoys), long-range laser technology (a feat previously deemed impossible or highly energy inefficient), and shielding (can stop both physical objects and energy weapons, but are less effective at dealing with simple kinetic impact weapons used in the ME universe). Also, the carvins have spent several hundred years eavesdropping on the council races and acquiring their technology. So your issue can be boiled down to simple mathematics: Council has technology A, but doesn't have technology B. Carvins have technology B, and began rapidly studying technology A, and even though they haven't mastered it, it's still better than not having it at all. So that's my stance, and I hope that you can understand it.
Finally, the matter of Shepard's sex and romance. Since it ended up in a three-way stalemate, I am forced to use my superpower of arbitrary judgement and choose... Shakarian. Yes I know this isn't the most original (and I've seriously considered Shep x Tali). This also entails one significant change to Shepard. I changed her background from Earthborn to Spacer, just to get that Mama Shep vibes (I couldn't stop myself from imagining Shepard's mom meeting her daughter's turian boyfriend), so for all of you who read the second chapter originally, don't be surprised if there is a change. That being said,
Enjoy!
Iera System, Horizon Orbit
Normandy Sr-2
2146 Local time, May 18th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
Shepard was conflicted. They have just managed to stop a Collector attack on a human colony for the first time since the abductions supposedly began. The colony was saved at least partially, and now the Alliance knew that the Collectors were behind these attacks. And yet despite all of these things, it did not feel like a victory at all.
Part of it was obviously her reunion with Kaidan, which... she really wished had gone differently. Also, while she was never the one to beg for attention and recognition, she was extremely put off by the sheer level of hostility and ingratitude, both from the colonists and Kaidan.
All of this was set in stone however, at least for the time being. Now she was reporting to the Illusive Man... weird. When did she start to feel an obligation to report to him? Especially when he poking his nose in everything that he could?
"Your team will need to be strong... as will their resolve. There's no coming back." Illusive Man continued the conversation, then paused for a moment and looked at her intensely. "The same goes for you. Can I assume that you've put your past relationships behind you?"
Shepard's blood began to warm up in anger. If Illusive Man was so anal about keeping tabs on virtually everything and controlling each individual aspect of his subordinates, then this partnership was sooner or later going to take a very different turn.
"None of your damn business." She said, not even bothering to hide hostility in her voice. If the Illusive Man wanted to step into her personal life, he was in for a nasty surprise.
"If it affects the mission, better you should leave it behind." He replied in his stoic as always voice, and after knocking off some ash from his cigarette, continued. "Shepard... Once we find a way through the Omega 4 Relay to the Collector homeworld, there's no guarantee you'll return. To have any hope of survival, you and your entire team, must be fully committed to this."
"Let me worry about them. You just find us a way to the Collector homeworld." Shepard replied, aiming to make it abundantly clear what the division of responsibilities were. She was willing to cooperate with Cerberus against this new threat, but she had seen enough of their operations back in 2183 to fully trust their newly manifesting goodwill.
"I just want to be upfront with you about your odds. You'll need everyone at their best." Illusive Man explained, though it was hardly convincing. "I've forwarded three more dossiers. Keep building your team, while I find a way through the relay."
Shepard nodded, and was about to to step away from the QEC to get back to work, but the Illusive Man stopped her.
"There... may have been an unforeseen side effect of your success at Horizon." He started, clearly reserved about the issue.
"And that would be...?" Shepard asked. To be perfectly honest, while she hoped for good news, she had gone accustomed to hearing that it was only getting worse.
"I have been contacted through back channels... by representatives of the Carvin Empire. From what they said, the Collector threat was monitored by their intelligence service for some time now since they emerged after your death, but Carvin Empire refrained from any action due to the lack of information on the Collector intentions." Illusive Man said and then took a whiff from his cigarette. "Now however they had decided to begin more active efforts in dealing with this potential threat, as it has the ability to compromise the security of the Carvin Empire's frontier, largely located in the Terminus Systems. They have apparently found out that you are investigating this matter, and have requested to station a liaison onboard the Normandy to assist you with your efforts. A fully trained and combat-capable one. This liaison would then pass the information off to the Carvin Empire. "
"And... how is that a bad thing?" Shepard asked, recognizing by the tone that Illusive Man was not completely pleased by this development. "The more people, and governments especially, recognize the threat of the Collectors and their masters, the better is our chance of success. Also a carvin liaison could provide some useful insight into their relatively secretive society."
"That is the problem. They are an unknown. We cannot be sure of any of their intentions, as their culture and characteristics are a mystery." Cerberus leader replied. "Additionally, their choice of candidate raised... some interesting questions."
"I didn't think that you'd be surprised by that. Your own operatives too possess a colorful story and mode of operations" Shepard retorted half-jokingly, remembering the brutality of the Cerberus operatives engaged in the Kahoku affair back in 2183.
"It is the lack of story that is concerning in my eyes." Illusive Man replied and pressed several buttons on his chair.
Shortly after, a holographic display of a dossier appeared next to his own silhouette. A rotating 3D image of the liaison also appeared next to it. Shepard had seen carvins only a few times, but never in person. Their image never stopped invoking some sort of inexplicable hostility in her, and she was yet to figure out why.
But what stuck out the most was large parts of blacked out or disrupted text across the entirety of the dossier. Such things were never present in the original documents that Illusive Man had sent her, so it must have been the work of the carvins.
"Much of the profile of this 'Virox Ri'Kaan' is corrupted beyond recovery. No doubt it was a measure by the carvins to hide information on this individual. And even then it is quite peculiar." Illusive Nan began, and the dossier hologram expanded. "He dropped out of all the universities he went to, as well as the Special Forces training which he willingly abandoned on the third year. And yet despite all of this, the contact that had passed on this message remained completely convinced on this soldier's skills and merit."
"Expert in frontline combat, mentally resilient, effective, completed Assault Training, whatever that means... 'Blunt, honest and direct. Do not assign to impatient superiors - General Inspectorate of Armed Forces'. Interesting..." Shepard looked at the profile that the Illusive Man provided. Aside from the aforementioned corrupted text, the information that actually WAS provided seemed relatively promising. "Assuming this is only a censored version of his standard profile used in the Carvin Empire, which it looks like, I say that we could use someone like him on the team."
"I trust your judgement, Shepard. All I'm saying is that you should remain vigilant when dealing with the carvins. They are yet to reveal their motivation, and we cannot allow ourselves to be weakened from within at this critical point." Illusive Man said.
"We'll see if this 'Virox' can be trusted when we meet him. Did the carvin contact say anything about a potential rendezvous spot?" Shepard asked.
"Omega. In case the arrangement was successful, they requested a pick-up of the liaison from the station two Sol days. The deal was apparently struck with Aria T'Loak to safeguard the arrangement." Illusive Man replied, then dropped his burnt cigarette into his chair's ashtray. "Having Aria as the guarantor of this deal is an indication of the carvins' determination and seriousness, though not a proof of anything. You have talked to Aria before. Maybe you could find out something more from her when you pick up the carvin liaison."
"I'll see what I can do." Shepard replied, and shortly afterwards the transmission ended.
The holograms disappeared, and the room lit up again as she stepped away from the scanner, only to face Jacob Taylor waiting for her.
"I guess we're really gonna do it. Hit the Omega 4 Relay. Take the fight to the Collectors in person." He said with a thoughtful expression. "Looking forward to the action. After seeing what those bastards did on Horizon though... makes you think."
"They're powerful, but we've got a few tricks for them. If anyone can stop them, we can." Shepard replied, and while she was partially convincing herself with it too, their success on Horizon, especially that of Mordin's countermeasure against the Seeker Swarms, largely shattered the illusion of the Collectors being untouchable.
"No argument there, Commander. Horizon just made it hit home. What we're doing. What we're up against." Jacob nodded, somewhat echoing her own thoughts. "Gonna take care of some unfinished business. I imagine everyone else is too... getting some closure, you know?"
This did not really surprise Shepard. Her crew were nearly all organic, with past experiences, difficulties, and memories. Some of them less pleasant than others. Ever since the Skyllian Blitz, she had learned the importance of having a clear mind and dedication to the mission at hand. She personally requested of Kelly Chambers to inform her of any potential issues facing her crew.
"Also... a carvin, huh? Guess there's some people who give a damn about the Collectors. Would never have thought that the carvins would be the ones to do so though." Jacob continued. "Heard rumors that they were settling the Nemean Abyss. Didn't get to run into them when I operated there back in 2183... perhaps for the better. Never heard of a survivor of a carvin attack."
"We need all the help we can get, and if the carvins are offering some, we'll take it." Shepard said. "Though as much as I'd like to think otherwise, the Illusive Man is right. We still need to be careful when dealing with that liaison. If the carvins are as distrustful of outsiders as they look, let's try not to antagonize them."
"You got it, Commander. Still, if he tries anything, we'll be ready." Jacob reassured her.
"Wouldn't expect anything less from you." Shepard smiled slightly, and as Jacob left, she turned towards the ceiling. "Joker, set course on Omega. I want the Normandy to be there in 2 days tops."
"Aye aye, Commander. Setting course now." The familiar voice of Normandy's pilot echoed from the speakers. "By the way ma'am, why are we stopping at Omega again?"
Shepard sighed. No amount of optimism and experience could force her to shake off a feeling that this was not going to be as simple as she wanted to. "Just a simple pick-up... Hopefully."
Omega Nebula, Omega
Docks
0351 Local time, May 20th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
How the hell did I end up in this situation? Virox thought to himself as he sat in his passenger chair, waiting for the shuttle to dock.
After the news of an attack on a human colony by a previously unobserved force, the Empire had apparently wanted to find out more about this new threat, as it operated dangerously close to its borders. And so they wanted to send someone to assist one of the people rumored to be investigating this issue, a certain 'Commander Jane Shepard'. That alone would all seem pretty reasonable. The issue was with who the High Command decided to send on this assignment... that being Virox.
There was so much things inherently wrong with the choice, at least in Virox's own opinion. First of all, he was not the kindest of individuals to be around, so any potential diplomatic efforts that such an assignment entailed would be practically doomed to fail from the start.
Second of all, he was hardly a material for a liaison, coming from the lower ranks of the Imperial Military. His membership in the General Inspectorate did somewhat help his case, though given his experience, it was focused on a completely different area.
And finally, Virox himself dreaded this assignment. He spent his first decade of life almost exclusively on fighting and killing aliens who invaded his home. Granted, those aliens were different, but the distaste and the subconscious xenophobia that he cultivated in his mind in the past still persisted.
As for the reasons that he was apparently picked...
[Flashback]
"...Permission to speak, sir?" Virox requested, while staring at his commanding officer, one of the many Inspectors of the General Inspectorate that he served under, as the latter sat on his chair and passed the information to him.
"Granted." Inspector said emotionlessly.
"Why... me?" Virox asked, finding it difficult to select words that would not sound disrespectful. "I am absolutely certain that there are far many better candidates for this specific assignment."
"If there were, we would not be having this conversation, Sergeant." Inspector answered, as if it was a dumb question. "You have been ordered to become a liaison for Commander Shepard, and you will obey that order."
"Yes sir." Virox quickly corrected himself, seeing that his question did not please his superior.
"But I guess you want to know the reasoning behind it." Inspector continued, which somewhat surprised Virox. "And before you ask, no it's not because the High General Council had recommended you specifically for this job. The choice was made together by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
Oh thank the Stars. Virox thought with relief, knowing that the Inspector was aware of his... connections. After the last Ravashir inspection Virox was more than annoyed with Seviros' attempts of connecting with him. It was good that this came from somewhere else.
"You were chosen from a pool of 2619 candidates for this assignment. While the choice was still partially accidental, the notable traits sought by the two ministries that you possessed were: Loyalty to the Empire, unsurprisingly, exceptional combat skills, above-average analytical skills, and what was listed as the most important of all - honesty." Inspector listed while looking at his computer. "They take this seriously, and so they require someone who will appear genuine to the aliens. Someone that they may trust not to lie to them."
Assuming I don't inevitably antagonize them first with my attitude. Virox thought. While being honest and genuine would certainly make him more credible, it conflicted with the basic idea of cooperation with the aliens. A prospect which he found highly irritating. It would be quite difficult to reconcile these two aspects of his personality. Still orders were orders, no matter how much he disliked them
[Flashback End]
Yeah, for all the apparent good traits that could help him complete his assignment, Virox couldn't shake off the feeling that this was NOT going to be his favourite job. Nonetheless, he tried to calm himself down by bringing up the profile of this 'Commander Shepard' under whom he was to serve.
A human female with reddish hair, she did not look all that threatening to him. Still, he accepted a possibility of having skewed standards given his past. Shepard was apparently born a biotic, and spent most of her days on starships and space stations. She enlisted at the age of 18 and completed special forces training, later repelling two major pirate raids on the Alliance colonies, earning her the 'Star of Terra', which was apparently the highest military honor that the Alliance Military could bestow. While it didn't completely win Virox over, the fact that he was going to work with a professional reassured him at the very least.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud *thump* noise. The shuttle shook slightly, indicating that they just docked. It was at this moment that his new assignment was to officially start.
Commander of the shuttle walked out of the cockpit and stood in front of him.
"You got everything?" He asked while looking around for any potential stuff that Virox did not take with him yet.
"Yes sir." Virox replied as he stood up.
"Good. We drop you off, and you go alone. Look for a place named 'Afterlife'. It's apparently a bar of some sort. Once there you ask for a person named Aria T'Loak. She will direct you to the meeting point." Commander said. "We'll wait for you until the pick-up is complete."
"And if things go wrong?" Virox asked, wanting to be fully aware of what he was supposed to do if the plan failed.
"Assuming that hostilities erupt and you can't reach the docks, you activate your beacon and try to survive. We'll send the message to the fleet and they will pay a visit to this system." Commander replied. "Though do not automatically assume the worst. Money went through, and the reception was good. Try not to fuck this up, Ri'Kaan."
"Yes sir." Virox nodded, then turned towards the airlock. It was time.
As the door slid open, the first thing that hit him was the smell. The smell of urine, feces and blood. His nostrils almost burned him as he walked out.
"Oh for fuck's sake." Virox muttered angrily. He was told about Omega being the magnet for all that was lawless and uncivilized, but this was way beyond his expectations.
The corridors he walked were dirty, as if nobody actually bothered to clean them for the last few decades. Most of the ceiling lamps flickered constantly. The windows to his left were so dusted that if not for Virox's exceptional carvin sight, it would be nearly impossible to see anything through them. Virox tried not to dwell on it for too long, and focused on finding the 'Afterlife'. He was going to be gone from his place soon anyway.
But as he was to walk out into the inner parts of the station, he heard steps behind him.
"Hey, you!" Virox turned around to see an alien, probably a batarian from what he remembered, walking towards him. "Don't you know you must pay for the docking?"
The batarian wore a suit of armor, not the heaviest one from what Virox could tell, but not the lightest one either. There was a pistol holstered at his right hip. Not your average dock clerk.
"Everything's paid for. I have nothing for you. Get lost." Virox replied, trying to hold back his hostility. He did not want to get into a fight right after leaving the shuttle.
"Tsk tsk tsk. You're new here... carvin. I can see that, because you're yet to learn the rules." Batarian chuckled, and Virox immediately noticed that the guy's right hand was almost itching to grab that pistol. "And the rules of the dock are that you pay. Directly. To me."
Virox stood there, waiting for the batarian's reaction. He was fully prepared to tackle him a second or less, but waited for his reaction. There was a possibility of luring him into attack by faking ignorance. After all, at this point he hardly believed this guy to be a genuine clerk. More likely just a street thug who managed to live through a few too many dangerous situations.
"Are you deaf, or just inept!?" Batarian growled, clearly annoyed by Virox's passiveness. He walked up closer and grabbed his weapon. "I said, you pay to-UGH!"
Before he could even aim properly, Virox's left hand sped forward and caught the batarian's wrist, then twisted it outwards so as to prevent the pistol from accidentally hitting him, while his right hand delivered a quick yet powerful punch to the gut, before securing a chokehold on the neck. The power of the punch forced the air out of the thug's lungs, as his body went almost limp.
"You were saying?" Virox snarled, barely hiding his satisfaction with the situation. He let go of the neck, causing the thug to stumble onto the ground, then picked up his pistol. "I don't want to see you ever again. If I do, your windpipe will end up like your weapon."
With that he put all the strength into his augmented hand. The pistol he was holding was crushed by the force of his cybernetic fingers, and the only thing that remained intact was the grip. He then threw the now mangled weapon on the ground next to the thug and walked away. This was enough of a distraction for the moment.
Omega Nebula, Omega
Afterlife
0402 Local time, May 20th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
"The carvin has arrived at the docks." Anto walked up to Aria, as the asari kept scanning the Afterlife with her eyes of a huntress.
"And? No problems so far?" She asked, not even bothering to turn away.
Anto scratched the back of his neck, clearly debating if he should say it. He was one of the sharpest people on the station who knew what Aria wanted and did not want to hear. That's why he survived so long and why he was made her top lieutenant. Still, Aria had a sneaking suspicion that something did not go exactly as planned. Otherwise he would have already spit it out.
"Uh... he's heading to the Afterlife as we instructed. But apparently Moklan tried to extort him for the docking fee." Anto said, visibly reserved in his wording.
Aria closed her eyes as annoyance meter filled up at a surprisingly high rate. Carvin Empire paid very generously, both in credits and raw materials, for her to be the guarantor of their exchange with Shepard. And given their isolation from the Council as well as their willingness to cooperate with her, it was in her interest to maintain this positive relationship. She was not going to let the petty greed of her underlings jeopardize that interest.
Aria sighed angrily and closed her eyes, before finally taking a seat on her couch. "Get rid of him. And make sure that this doesn't happen again unless I specifically say so, whether we'll be dealing with the carvins or anyone else."
"We'll get it done." Anto nodded and stepped away, then walked down to Grizz who stood guard at the bottom of the stairs. She could rest easily knowing that two of them would be taking care of that matter.
Aside from the mutually beneficial partnership that Aria wanted to keep with the carvins, their sizeable military presence in the Terminus Systems was another reason for her refusal to provoke them. Many smuggler and mercenary groups which cooperated with Aria in the past were ruthlessly wiped out by the carvin forces in several pacification campaigns. As far as she was concerned, Hourglass Nebula was absorbed into the Carvin Empire in all but name, and both Styx Theta and Sentry Omega were seeing increasing activity from the carvin fleets. All of this was clearly meant to isolate a specific location from the Terminus Systems - Crescent Nebula, and more specifically Illium.
The crown jewel of the Asari Republics, and the greatest entrepot of the Citadel Races, Illium managed to develop so quickly largely because of the lucrative trade with the Terminus Systems. Natural resources, spices, scarce luxury goods often found only on black markets of the Citadel Space, and many illegal substances, all found countless buyers on the planet. Now however this engine that propelled Illium to its incredible wealth was being starved off its fuel by carvins, who systematically seized or destroyed the Terminus goods destined for Illium, or often simply bought the goods themselves. And from the level of complaints by the corporations with substantial assets on Illium, it was evident that the strategy was working. The only remaining connection to the Crescent Nebula was through Omega Nebula, yet the unpredictability of that route and the types of dealers travelling through it discouraged its use.
Several raids and blockade runs were conducted by both bigger and smaller pirate groups, but those were mercilessly put down by the carvin fleet. While few wanted to admit it, the carvins imposed a new status quo on the region. Terminus would either trade with them exclusively, or it would not trade at all and have its goods seized by force. To Aria this change meant naught, as she had little to no alignment with the Asari Republics at this point. Her main goal was to maintain and expand her influence in the Terminus.
Aria was pulled out of her thoughts by the opening of the doors to the Afterlife. Those revealed the target that she was waiting for - the carvin liaison. He was quite big. Perhaps not as tall as a krogan, but the bulk of his body definitely matched that of the big lizards. His augmented limbs further added animosity to the figure. Visitors of Afterlife who still retained their senses despite the alcohol and drug intake almost simultaneously turned towards the new arrival. Some had expressions of confusions, some fear, and some even open hostility.
He looked around the club, visibly searching for something... or someone. The moment his eyes met Aria's, he realized that she was the one he was looking for. Ignoring the hostile looks he was getting from the other visitors, he calmly made his way to the base of her lounge. But despite his calm demeanor, Aria already noticed that he was a fighting individual. From the way he walked and how he scanned his surroundings, it was clear that he was ready to draw his weapon and turn this place into a burning firestorm at any moment if he had to. It kind of reminded Aria of Shepard, only in this case the stalwart confidence was replaced by some primal aggression ready to be unleashed at a suitable opportunity.
The carvin was stopped by Grizz at the bottom of the stairs leading up to her lounge. Her turian bodyguard halted him with a hand gesture and scanned him with his omni-tool. A standard procedure, though redundant in this case. There were no carvins on Omega, or hell even outside the Carvin Empire as far as everyone was concerned. Additionally, their almost completely uniform genome (as explained to her by the carvin contact) made identification through genetic code impossible. Once the procedure was complete, Grizz gestured upwards with his head, indicating that the carvin could pass. Liaison did not speak and simply followed the instruction, after which he stopped in front of Aria, visibly studying her.
"Aria T'Loak I presume." He finally said, then looked around. "Where's Commander Shepard?"
Straight to the point. I guess it's a cultural thing. Aria thought, as her previous experience with the carvin contact was also characterized by this upfront attitude. "Shepard will arrive soon. She is not the one to back out of a deal so easily, so rest assured. She will come."
"If anything goes wrong, the deal is off." He warned, his jaws twitching slightly.
"I am quite aware of the terms of the deal, carvin. Don't test me." Aria's eyes narrowed in slight annoyance. "For now you can head to the lower floor. Take the stairs down, then turn left and go down the second stairs. I'll direct Shepard there once she arrives."
The liaison stared at her for a moment, then scanned his surroundings. He quickly realized that he had little means to object.
"Alright... anything I should be worried about? Customs? Rules?" He asked, before blinking several times, seemingly in surprise. "Actually, scratch that. Don't know why I asked in the first place, considering where I am."
Aria chuckled. The carvin picked it up quite quickly. If at least a quarter of her underlings were as sharp as he was, she would rule the entire Terminus like a queen. "You are yet to break the only rule of Omega. But hopefully it won't come to that. For now wait downstairs. I'll deal with the final arrangements."
He nodded then turned away from her and towards the stairs, before making his way downwards. Aria then gestured at Anto to come closer, her lieutenant obeying without hesitation. "Keep an eye on him. Don't want any complications. If someone attacks him, move in only if he's seriously threatened."
"Will do, boss." Anto nodded then turned on his omni-tool to inform her agents in the bar. All the arrangements were in place.
The only thing left to do was wait for Shepard to arrive.
Omega Nebula, Omega
Docks
0427 Local time, May 20th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
Omega was by far the least favourite part of the galaxy that Shepard had to regularly visit for various reasons. Not only because of the sights or the smell (although this too played a part in her dislike for the place), but it did nearly everything it could to fly completely in the face of all that she believed in and sought to achieve. Some called her naive for wanting to act honourably and respecfully, even when faced with the worst scum that the universe had to offer, but this did not bother her. Omega though was the place where almost all of her efforts went for naught, as even a small show of goodwill could result in causing more harm than good.
"Hmph, I almost forgot how great this place smells." Grunt grumbled as he walked through the airlock.
"Severe olfactory response natural in krogan. Strong receptors a powerful adaptation. Combination with Omega's below-average living conditions and high mortality rate... unpleasant." Mordin stated in his usual scientific manner.
"Yeah, I don't remember asking." Krogan replied.
"Keep it down, you two. We're here only for the carvin liaison. Nothing more, nothing less." Shepard silenced them both. "We'll check up with Aria. She's the guarrantor of this deal after all."
They left the docking area and headed for the Afterlife club. As always, the queue to the entrance was long, and the one guy who had incessantly wanted to get inside every time she walked nearby was still there, arguing with the elcor bouncer as always. She did pity him, but after like the third time she saw him it became sort of an amusing running gag for her visits to Omega, whether the guy realized it or not.
Bypassing the queue and getting a nod from the Afterlife guards on both sides of the entrance, she walked in, with both of her squadmates behind her. As always, the contrast of the dark interior and the flashing neon lights and holographic projections hit her hard in the eyes, and it took a moment to get used to. When her eyes adapted, Shepard looked around the club. There was no carvin in sight, so she headed to the back where Aria's lounge was located. The guards let her through, constantly keeping their weapons ready in case she tried something.
Shepard found Aria in her usual spot - on her giant couch, but this time reading a datapad. When she noticed her arrival, she put the device away, though still remained seated. "Ah, the final arrival is here."
"Aria. I never knew you were into paperwork. It really seems like something you would just leave to others. What changed?" Shepard asked jokingly, earning a glare of annoyance from the asari.
"Don't insult me. I'm making sure that sweet arrangement of yours goes smoothly." She replied, as Shepard took a seat on the couch. "Maybe you could show some appreciation from time to time."
"That's still on the table, but first I'd like to see our mutual acquaintance. Where is he?" Commander asked.
"He arrived not long before you, now he's waiting on the lower floor." Aria said, before turning back to her datapad. She pressed several buttons, then put it back on the couch.
"And what do you reckon of him? Is he dangerous?" Shepard asked. It certainly did not hurt to try and do some reconnaisance prior to their meeting.
"I'm not a psychologist, Shepard. Just a guarrantor. Besides, you probably got his dossier." Aria replied dismissively, though Shepard noticed that her tone was not completely genuine.
"I don't buy it." She said as she clasped her hands together. "Great Aria T'Loak not bothering to know who enters her station? When did you become so lenient?"
"...I almost forgot how perceptive you are, Shepard." Aria closed her eyes in visible frustration, but also defeat - something Shepard rarely saw from the Pirate Queen. "But to answer your question, yes. He seems very dangerous. I had hardly seen that much raw hostility from someone before, and I interact with krogan drunk on ryncol on an almost daily basis. Still, he seems very direct and focused. Outside of that I'm not sure. Carvins are difficult to read based on their physicality alone."
"Carvin Empire a recent arrival. Lack of experience makes understanding difficult. Closed nature of their Empire understandably hampers cultural study." Mordin noted.
"I'll let you make your own judgements, doctor." Aria replied, then turned back towards Shepard. "You should go. Carvins don't seem like the type to enjoy delays."
"Good point." Shepard nodded and stood up. He gestured at his squadmates with his head and all of them made their way to the stairs.
The club was loud as always, with dancers ceaslessly moving around their poles, seemingly like liquid. It was as if the entire place was designed to distract and disturb the attention of anyone that walked in. Sometimes Shepard wondered how other species with stronger senses like krogan could even stand being there.
"I hope that this carvin is worth the trouble. Would be a shame if we picked up a weakling, heh." Grunt said out of the blue.
"The dossier that the Carvin Empire had sent us suggested anything but weakness." Shepard pointed out, as they began to descend to the lower floor. "And if the things people say about carvins are even remotely true, then I'm sure we'll add a powerful asset to the team."
"Carvins inherently militant, at least from limited cultural data acquired. Predatory biological predisposition also aids in combat. Carvin liaison will almost certainly be a capab-" Mordin began, but then two loud gunshots came from the lower Afterlife, followed by several screams. One of them was definitely a vorcha. "Trouble brewing. Possibly related to the carvin. Advise moving with haste."
All three of them quickly ran down the rest of the stairs, when suddenly a singular vorcha ran through the exit from the lower level, seemingly running away from something. But before it could hide behind a wall, it was hit two times in the back and neck by what Shepard thought to be some kind of plasma or energy weapon. A scream pierced the air as the vorcha collapsed. Shepard ran inside the lower bar, yet stopped at the sight that was before her.
Inside near the bar stool a krogan Blood Pack mercenary was just wrestling with a carvin. Around them several vorcha laid dead, stunned, or recovering from an attack. The krogan tried to punch the carvin in the mouth, but his hand was caught mid-strike by the cybernetic arm of his opponent. Then the carvin twisted the hand in an unnatural angle, resulting in a cry of pain from the krogan. He then delivered two powerful strikes to the krogan's sternum, causing the latter to curl up in pain, gasping for air.
But before the carvin could finish the Blood Pack mercenary off, two vorcha came up behind him, one with a pistol and another with a knife. The would-be cutthroat managed to get a stab on the carvin, leaving a knife in his body, but was knocked away. The shooter was not so lucky, being pinned down to the bar stool by force, as a cybernetic fist struck his face with devastating strength, crushing the skull and flesh into bits. The carvin then turned towards the would-be cutthroat, and dashing towards him at incredible speed, he grabbed his victim by the throat with his cybernetic hand and lifted him up above the floor, rapidly tightening the grip. The vorcha kept squirming and flailing about from the chokehold until the pressure on his neck was physically too much, and the organic tissue gave in to the strength of the metallic hand.
After that, the carvin threw the body away, looking back towards the krogan who was slowly recovering and catching his breath again, as he tried to stand up. Before he could do so however, his enemy pulled out a weapon, slightly slightly smaller than an average rifle. He pressed it to the krogan's head and pulled the trigger. The power from the blast knocked the now lifeless body away from the weapon.
The carvin pulled out the knife from his chest and stood there amongst the bodies and partially stunned vorcha who now chaotically scrambled to run away. One of them tried to make a run for it through the second entrance, but the carvin had other plans. He threw the blade, sending it spinning at the vorcha's head, killing him on impact.
All this time several bystanders observed the scene with shock and fear, as the music continued to play as it always did. The salarian bartender kept wiping the same glass for almost half a minute, visibly struggling to process what he just witnessed. His bar was covered in blood, and even he himself had several drops on his shirt. Several people began to slowly walk away from their spots, heading for the exit.
Seemingly unfazed by this development, the carvin stood amongst the bodies, taking deep but calm breaths. He holstered his weapons, and his eyes met Shepard's. It was then that Commander understood what Aria meant about him giving off a feeling of unadultered violence and primal rage. This guy was a killer through and through, and given the ease and brutality with which he dispatched the group of mercs that he fought, this was not just for show.
Yet instead of walking towards her, like Shepard expected, he turned away and walked up to one of the seats at the bar, where there was a single glass of some liquid remaining. It was partially empty. The carvin lifted it up, and after some visible trouble with putting the glass in between the three of his outer jaws, he lifted it and downed the rest of the beverage in one go. At that point Shepard decided that it was finally the time to move in.
"Virox Ri'Kaan?" She asked as she approached him from behind. His spiky tail covered in metal... no, made out of metal swayed lightly to the left and right.
"Indeed." The carvin replied, then put down his glass and turned towards her. "Assuming you know my name, you must be Commander Jane Shepard, my temporary commanding officer."
Shepard looked around the devastation that Virox caused around him. "Was this really necessary?"
"Whether it was necessary is irrelevant. They started this fight over something as trivial as a seat at the bar, and reaped the consequences of their actions. I never intended to hold back, and they should have known it. After all I've heard that there was only one rule on this station." He replied, betraying no emotion. After a moment he stood up from his seat and extended a hand forwards seemingly for a handshake. "I... believe this is a greeting custom among your species."
Shepard shook his hand, feeling the firmness and chill of his steel grip, then noticed the small trickle of blue liquid on the carvin's armor, presumably blood. It was distinct enough from the yellowish and red colour of krogan and vorcha blood that she took notice of it.
"You hurt?" She asked while glancing at the wound.
Virox looked at what she was referring to, then shrugged dismissively. "You mean this? These fuckers couldn't hurt me badly even if they tried. I guess that intelligence is hardly the most defining trait of those who end up in this shithole."
The amount of hostility in his voice, though strangely not directed at her, surprised Shepard. Still, it was her first time interacting with a carvin, something which few could claim to have done anyway.
"Alright then. If you'd like we can have our ship doctor take a look at that." She offered, but Virox shook his head.
"Don't waste your resources. It'll heal by itself as long as I eat normally." He replied. "So... what the hell are we waiting for? I've been here for less than a day and I'd already prefer to be anywhere else."
You and me both, pal. You and me both. Shepard thought before turning back towards the stairs.
At least this time there were no major complications. A nice change, though likely not permanent given the wide array of dangerous situations that Shepard and her crew often found themselves in. Still she enjoyed the diversion nonetheless.
A/N: And done. Hopefully this gives you a tease of what the new carvin squadmate Virox is capable of. To be honest, I'm not fully pleased with this chapter (too short as well, so I'll do better next time), but I guess that it's necessary in its current form. It was slightly more "character-focused" than the previous ones, though still not up to the standard that I'd like. The next one will be more combat focused, and so I'll have slightly less politics and background things going on (sorry to those who enjoy this kind of stuff more), though I bet I'll be able to sneak something small in. And before you ask, yes I feel like the living conditions and the level of shitty standard of living was not properly conveyed in the game. So yes, Omega smells like really badly in my personal canon, and I've made a conscious effort to underline this fact. Also, since I'm no longer working for a few months, I should have more time to write. Carry on!
Bonker out!