Reports glared up from the datapad in hand, but my heart didn't have the will to read any further. A few more contracts filtered in, still low pay but our reputation grew, many mouths mimicking the same message; swift and excellent work and service. My finger slipped on the datapad. For the hundredth time, my gaze met the inbox, empty of any sign of Indira. Three days and not a single snippet from her. Even the crew that despised her understood how much space she filled. Indira had always made the place more... energetic. And several salarians complained about the coffee. Indira made a damn good salarian coffee.
"We're breaking even. The new bedding should keep everyone's spirits up. They can stop complaining about how itchy the current ones are," I said, giving a half smile to Mat'al who leaned on an idle computer bank. The salarian grumbled. The lack of Indira's coffee had switched the man into one helluva grumpy old man.
"We're in for the long haul. Once we have enough to replace these engines, we can put time towards researching and investigating any leads for the Reapers," he said, watching Mysinous tottle on by. An agreeing sound rumbled in my throat, fingers flicking over the datapad, looking for a distraction. My eyes scanned the room, finding the perfect distraction. The haze of the galaxy map around me faded the crew from sight.
"Shayan!" I called. "Have you figured out how to make this map come on when I want it to rather than every time my ass hits the chair? It's impossible to see the crew here!"
"Captain, you're asking me to create a complex algorithm that is borderline psychic. I don't have the tech to be able to have a sensor on the chair that picks up your thoughts!" Shayan's exclaimed through the intercom static. My frown pointed towards the speaker.
"A button on the arm would do," I said. A long pause stretched out from the engineering deck.
"That... that is much more reasonable. I'm... I-I'm not sure why I didn't think of that before," he said, embarrassed.
"You're over-thinking things. I'm an old tech girl. Nothing wrong with buttons and levers," I sighed as another report flicked off my screen.
"Until they stick or break," Mat'al said. My eyebrow raised in his direction.
"If 10 engineers cannot fix a stuck button, why the hell are these people looking after complex electrical, plumbing, hydraulic and flammable systems?" I asked. Mat'al's eyes glittered as he smiled at me.
"For the same reason we are saving up for a muffin machine instead of crew pay," he answered.
"Oi, oi, oi, oi!" Lanster growled over the intercom. "I will turn this ship around if you don't stop dissing my cupcake machine! That is my pay!" My grin spread wide as both eyebrows flicked up towards Mat'al. he scowled, but his frown directed towards the cockpit rather than me for a change. His hand itched for the Predator at his hip. My grin dropped, scowling at the salarian. Mat'al crossed his arms again. My eyes diverted to the datapad, finger tapping my inbox, despite no new notifications. The action made me grimace once my mind registered what I had just down.
"So what's the plan then?" I asked, Mat'al's attention to the CIC. Well, at least he kept his word about staying close to hand. He glanced over.
"We have one last gathering to attend. After that, it is back to picking up small jobs until I can land us some larger work," he said. "Think you can manage your best behaviour?" My eyebrows snapped down as a glower formed. My shoulders rolled back, expression smoothing before a smile lifted my lips.
"Darling, since when did the boys like good girls?" I said. Mat'al raised a brow, giving me a cold, blank stare. After a few heartbeats my eyebrows fluttered. He flushed.
"Endellion Shaik!" he snapped. My laughter burst free. He glared, a faint green blush under his cheeks. While rare to catch the salarian off guard, it was always a welcome achievement. "I will shoot you,"
"What else is new?" I asked, shoving myself to my feet. His frozen stare formed frost on my shoulder, but my hand brushed it off. "Lanster, ETA?"
"About an hour, Captain," Lanster said. "You wearing that dress again?" My expression flattened.
"Eyes off, lad, otherwise you may be on the wrong end of a pissed off salarian," I said, my head nodding towards Mat'al. The silence dragged on.
"Point taken," he said. A smile formed before turning to the elevator.
"Mat'al, come to my quarters in 10 minutes before we leave. We need to discuss tactics," I ordered. Mat'al's eyes narrowed, frozen stare turning arctic. Tension caught my shoulders, my weight shuffling under his gaze. What was he thinking? A smirk formed, pleased he made me uncomfortable. A flush burned as my scowl tried to fight through it. He knew he had shaken me. Bastard.
"Aye, aye," he said. My eyes trailed away from him, letting the elevator doors steal the CIC from my sight. My shoulders sagged.
It had been a lonely few days. Maybe that's why the commanders took turns to 'watch' me. There was only so much of Val a person could handle, Mat'al made me want to strangle him within a few minutes, Raisha bored me after a while with her 'sage-like knowledge' and Shayan's skittish nature made normal conversation difficult. Indira always bounced close to hand, always within earshot and ready to leap into a conversation. Always ready with a joke or a prank to ease me into a better mood. The woman drove me crazy, she drove everyone crazy, but that spontaneous nature pulled me away from the stress of a ship falling apart. My arms shook out, striding down the hall and back into my quarters.
Mar bounced by my side as I stepped over the threshold, hovering like a mother hen at my shoulder while the scratchy dress slipped off the hanger. Note to self; get a new dress if these parties would be commonplace. This thing rubbed my skin until it drove me mad. But grit and bear, I had to be strong, to be positive. Downing the whole mission because one of my commanders vanished from my side was out of the question. We still had Saboteurs to destroy and Reapers to annoy. In no mood to deal with my hair, it lay straight down my back, emotions in turmoil. The money helped, the crew had relaxed now they had something to do. The skirmishes on the ship dropped like a lead balloon. At this rate, food would be the least of our worries.
Mission! Think about the mission! My hair flew as my head shook, eyes staring into the mirror to find my disordered mass of hair. My eyes narrowed before deciding to tie it up. Ok, so this event was on Thessia, a big estate place owned by a human, Paul Avimore. A major player in the merc market to boot. It wasn't just merc leaders who would be here. Potential clients would outnumber us. These were the people I had to target, the most important contacts to make. Do a good job for a big name and you'll have business flowing your way. All basic knowledge my mother drilled into me from a young age. God what would she do in this situation? My reflection stared back, copper sprawl of locks so much like her own. Her confidence, grace, professionalism, humour. She wasn't a pretty lady, not by the standards back in the day, but my father married the woman for her brain. She was a sly woman if you underestimated her.
Dammit stop getting side tracked! A careful breath shoved the emotions to the side, recollecting myself as the homesickness, the mourning, eased away. Be strong, be positive and most of all, be approachable but dangerous. It was a fine line to walk. Mat'al walked it well, appearing to be nothing more than a harmless salarian until he spoke. By that point it was too late to back out of a conversation. Confidence was what I lacked. A few more of these and that may cure itself sooner rather than later. It bounced in and out of my life whenever it liked. Something to worry about if I wanted to improve my leadership skills. My blood soured at that final thought.
"Dell," Mat'al's voice sound. My shoulders tensed, eyes snapping to the door. 20 minutes already? Mat'al against the glass panels separating the upper and lower parts of my quarters. "Just remember not to fall on your face," My glare only made the smug salarian grin wider. Well, that was an opener!
"So long as you don't drink too much wine. Bloody hell, Mat'al," I said. Mat'al raised a brow, his dark skin hid any blush if there was one. "You were getting quite friendly with that asari last time-"
"I was not getting 'friendly' with anyone. She likes people flirting with her and let slip she had two contracts she was fighting for," Mat'al said, scowling at me. A grin appeared.
"Of course, Commander, as you say," I said before standing. Mat'al continued to scold me as we strode down to the elevators. "Same as before?"
"For the most part, just keep your head, don't fall for the usual information feeder traps and piss no one off," Mat'al said, brushing off the taunt. He knew what buttons I liked to press, he learned to ignore them. "Paul Avimore is a powerful mercenary boss, you cannot, under any circumstances, anger him. Piss him off and we risk losing everything in this system,"
"I'll be careful, Mat'al. I cannot afford to screw anything else up," I said. Mat'al spared me a glance from the corner of his eye, frowning. My shoulders rolled back as elevator floor dinged.
"Indira was not your fault, Dell," he said. "She left on her own terms. It's not your fault she was 5 screws short of sanity," A weak smile lifted one corner of my lips as the elevator doors closed behind us, heading for the cargo hold.
"Mmm," I responded, choosing not to voice my differing opinions. Mat'al's grimaced, but otherwise he kept his tongue. The salarian adjusted his coat as we exited onto the cargo deck. Jhort waited for us with one of the smaller shuttles prepped and ready to fly. A passing smile flirted my lips as he popped the door open. "Everything ready, Jhort?" I asked.
"Yes, Captain," the quarian saluted. "Just waiting for Lanster to let us embark,"
"Shouldn't be long, Captain," Lanster responded over the intercom. "Just awaiting permission to approach to drop the shuttle. Control around this side of the planet is a sticky issue. Bloody asari and their secrets," he grumbled. My smile grew. At least Lanster remained mouthy as ever. Jhort offered a hand as we entered the shuttle. Such a gentleman. Not wishing to hurt his feelings, I took the offered hand and stepped inside. In heels like this, help was unnecessary. Also Mat'al was by my side. Although he'd let me fall, knowing him.
"Deep breaths, Dell," Mat'al said. My eyes narrowed at him. "You're trembling," My expression emptied, feeling the trembles. My body shook itself out. I hated parties...
"Alright, Jhort. We've got permission. Have fun, Captain! And uh," Lanster coughed a little. "Take it easy. Most of the crew are a little concerned after that big blow out..."
"I'll be fine, Lanster. I just... need things to go right for a change," I said. The turian did not respond as Jhort manoeuvred the shuttle out of the cargo hold and towards Thessia.
Thessia was a beautiful planet. The delicate trees towered above the land, the gentle breeze swaying vast fields of grass. It felt like Earth, would have been Earth had feathered birds flew and not these strange scaled creatures. Not a single furred creature lived on this planet. Maybe that was why the asari were hairless. Maybe ezzo made hair growth difficult, although that didn't explain how human biotics were not bald. My head shook as we approached the estate, a towering silver-sheen building curved like a sail with vast gardens surrounding it. The curved building's multiple points from its wave shaped side reminded me more of a crown. Fountains decorated every surface. Shuttles packed the skies, landing, taking off and navigating through the mountain of traffic. A study of the other guests gave me a chance to gauge the party as we lined up the land. At least we wasn't under-dressed. A guard greeted just as we popped out the shuttle.
"Good evening, ma'am, sir," the human bowed his head. My most sophisticated smile masked my true emotions, hoping it was enough. My face wished to scrunch up at the posh accent.
"Good evening. Captain Endellion Shaik and Commander Mat'al Delern," I introduced. The dark haired human flicked through his datapad.
"Ah yes, here you are. Thank you, Captain Shaik. Please enjoy the party," he waved his arm towards the mountain of stairs that climbed the hill to the estate. We parted with a thank you before the climb began. My eyes remained straight, ignoring the other guests meandering up the stairway. The other guests seemed too relaxed and at peace. The experience rattled my confidence, but my amateur appearance would have to do. Several groups of people appeared to form, shuttles emptying parties of 4 or 5, making me wish I brought others with me. A quiver ran down my back as my insecurity numbed my limbs.
The climb let my legs stretch, something they hadn't done for a while. Exercise always helped me concentrate on my body rather than the thoughts pouring through my head. These stairs must be a test to see who was an unfit captain or leader. A leader who could not walk up a few dozen stairs did not set a good example for their party. At the top, my lungs didn't even wheeze. Vast double doors in lain with decorative spirals of gold and gemstones. Impressing me was an achievement, this place did not impress me. All the gold and glitter showed how much the owner wished to compensate for something. The giant crystal chandeliers only reinforced the insecurity about their own wealth. The expensive food lined on buffet tables would have earned a raised brow under normal circumstances. A sip of the wine spoke of an expensive grape. Although, being from an upper class family, wine tasting was almost second nature. This bottle needed longer to ferment though.
Mat'al fussed with a cuff, my cue to begin. Time to mingle with the other people who had gathered here. What set me back the most was remembering names. So many people. You never know when you needed to remember something like that. Some conversations, my body was calm. A few others, it wanted to quiver. My confidence levels fluctuated beyond my control. So I laughed, joked and listened to the other merc leaders or potential clients and their problems. My group was the newest, but it wasn't the smallest. That could be a good or a bad thing depending on how you took it.
A leader of a group called Noire, famous for their collection and delivery of goods, came to speak with me. The group established itself decades ago by his father, the greying haired male seemed quite taken by me. Either that or he wanted to sleep with a young thing. Despite my wishes, my smile remained on my face and continued to keep conversation until a client came over to have a stern word with him. When the voices rose, an opportunity to escape appeared. A Volus named Elshan Cor stole me into another conversation. I remembered the name. He was the last job we had. The last one when Indira vanished… He spoke nothing but of praises about my crew. A flush wished to rise, but wariness kept it at bay. Was this talk on purpose or was he so satisfied with my crew's work he had to speak with me? A word from Mat'al after we left him informed me my caution was well warranted. He wanted to trip me up, to make me say something. He earned money by ruining other's reputations when he needed money. Then the man himself introduced himself.
"Captain Endellion Shaik," a male called, voice smooth and silky. It drawled through my name. The turn to face him was slow, a careful assessment to remain relaxed. The human, asian in ethnicity, stood shorter than expected, standing at the same height as me. His demeanour spoke of a slimy gentleman with trust issues as he raised and kissed the back of my hand, his eyes never leaving mine. Mat'al stood ever vigilant at my side. "An honour," he drawled.
"Paul Avimore, a pleasure. Thank you for the invitation to this gathering. Your estate is fabulous," I said.
"My dear, after everything that has happened, it is the least I can do. Your group is not even a month old and yet some big names are whispering your name. You have…fascinated my employers," he said, stroking his goatee. My smile measured itself, ensuring not a millimetre more spread. Something about the man unsettled me, my skin crawled.
"Doing good work for the right people has paid off," I said. Mat'al kept his posture relaxed, but the he wore the façade well. Enticing him now was certain death.
"Indeed, we can both thank such good clients," Paul agreed, sweeping a hand out to follow him. He offered an arm. My false smile spread as my hand took the offer. Mat'al ambled behind us, eyes burning into our backs. "Miss Shaik, may I call you Miss?" he asked. I nodded. "Thank you. You are a fascinating individual, Miss Shaik. So young and yet you have such a high position. You have much experience?" My chin raised.
"And why is it of interest to you, sir?" I asked.
"Well, rather than ask, allow me to show you why," he smiled. My whole frame stiffened at the deafening clicks of guns. My gaze locked to Paul's, the dark eyed male smiling as he dragged me deeper into his building. The footsteps behind me stopped, telling me that Mat'al no longer followed me. A glance into the windows before me, reflecting in the glass, his flat expression stared down the 5 armed men around him. The room fell silent. Paul twirled me in an embarrassing flurry as he released me in the middle of the room. My eyes skimmed past the balconies, lined with gunmen of various species. All wore Blue Suns armour. My trembles evolved into quakes.
"Ah," I said, choking on the tightness of my throat. "I have a poor record with Blue Suns," Paul smiled.
"Oh, we know," he chuckled, walking around me with a pistol at his hip. My arms folded across my chest, trying to keep my composure. Inside, my mind slipped into meltdown. My voice quivered, but stubbornness kept it still. Mat'al's eyes on my back kept my spine straight, he didn't even need a gun to have that effect on me. "You have come into our territory, stealing our work and you didn't think we would care? We had to do some digging on this 'Captain Endellion Shaik'. You escaped capture on the Citadel a year ago. Our original client is interested in re-collecting you again. We also need to pay you back for the stealing data from us-"
"Actually, sweetheart," I said, attempting to bat away the fear. "You stole that data. I just took it back,"
"Which upset a good number of people," Paul said with a frown. Was he unnerved by my lack of fear? Thank god Raisha had trained me to control my voice and expression! Keep a straight face, for God's sake, do not panic! "Now then. Search her," he nodded his head. My gaze snapped to a group of aliens approaching me. My eyes narrowed, jaw tightening my fists clenched at my sides. One hesitated. The other wasn't so lucky.
Desperation is a strange emotion. Your body behaves in ways it couldn't before, in things it failed to do, makes your mind process the tiniest of things faster. The asari grabbed my arm. My body jerked free, legs kicking her feet out from under her, hands grabbing her head and twisting it until something snapped. The body fell limp on the ground. My lungs wheezed, trying to get my panicked breaths under control again. Now, why couldn't I do that on command!?
"Dammit, shoot her knees out!" Paul snapped. My gaze whirled around the room as guns raised to eye level. Shit, not the knees! It was always the knees-!
My jaw dropped as the entire balcony collapsed, its hold on the wall snapping. Men and women screeched as the whole floor bowed and buckled. The whole thing crushed those standing below it as it contorted like an octopus. It crushed the majority of those above it. Paul gawked at the scene around him. Screams rang out as people fled the building, afraid of further collapse. People yelled as Mat'al snatched a gun and dealt the mercs holding him. My finger pressed to my ear as my legs launched me into cover.
"I need a ground crew! Fire fight at the manor. I need backup, dammit!" I cried as a pill offered protection. The bullets flew.
"Roger that! Getting a team down there ASAP. Sit tight!" Lanster said, a surge of noise around him.
"Hurry!" I cried.
"Damn you to hell, Shaik!" Paul snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you? How do you keep fucking everything up?"
"It's a gift!" I called, snatching my Locust from my thigh. A few breaths settled my rising red haze before peaking around my cover. Mercs pinned Mat'al down down behind an overturned buffet table 50m away, a pile of corpses around him. Paul Avimore screamed out orders, trying to keep me pinned on the edge of the ballroom. Reinforcements piled in from above, a glass dome high above shattering as she descended with propulsion landing systems. A fist snapped around the pillar, popping my shoulder out its joint as it made contact. My yell cut short as my back slammed into the floor. My limbs scrambled to push me back on my feet, my body rocking and waves of pain wringing me inside out. A bulky human leapt around the pillar, shotgun in hand. Something crackled above us. He looked up, a panicked cry crawling from his throat before rubble crushed him to the ground. My jaw floundered while Mat'al closed the distance between us. What the hell was going on?
"The next person," A voice hissed. "Who lays a hand on her, wins a free trip to hell," My eyes locked onto a biotic controlled brick soaring through the air to crush a turian skull against the wall. Heels clicking along the stone floor. My head spanned to face it, my eyes widening me. Surrounded in a biotic aura, in dusty purple armour of Serrice Council style – with biotic blue staining the sides of the abdomen, shoulders, boots, thigh, belt spine guards – she came.
"Indira!" I cried. The drell smiled as Mat'al reached me, hands on my shoulder. A yelp slipped free as he popped my shoulder back into the joint. My jaw tightened to silence further complaints. Mat'al hauled me up on my feet. "Where the fuck have you been, how did you get here?" Indira came back, she was here? Why? She did everything to stay away!
"Oh, here and there. They'll be plenty of time to catch up later though," she winked. A relieved smile burst over my face. Indira… she was back… she came back! "And," she smirked. "I did some digging. While finishing up a job or two to get money, I learned some interesting facts about our lovely host here," My brows furrowed. The shoes flew off my feet with a forceful yank, one heel snapped clean off from the fighting.
"What facts?" I asked. The smug look on Indira's face interested and terrified me at the same time. What was this drell up to?
"That our friend here has a bounty on his head. 10'000 credits if brought in dead," she said, smiling with menace. "Over 3 million alive," My eyes popped out of my skull. My feet froze beside Indira, the number trickling through me. 3 million… with that money we could- no, no. Mustn't be. But would Indira lie to me like this? She didn't lie like this! The Blue Suns around us flailed while Indira's biotic hand strangling them. My jaw freed itself enough to speak.
"3 million credits…alive?" I asked. It couldn't be real… my luck had drained away before now, it couldn't just…
"Mmm. I wanted to get you a present, something to help put you mind at ease. 3 million credits seemed like a good place to start," Indira grinned. My gaze swung to Paul Avimore, the human sweating and pale before me. It was real… 3 million. he whirled around in the now wrecked room, looking for an escape route. My eyes met Indira's again. We both smirked as our expressions darkened.
"Bag him and I'll cancel any hard feelings," I said. Indira laughed before her biotics surrounded her even more.
"Deal," she said, stalking towards Paul, her eyes alight with a terrifying promise. My hands trembled, joy bursting through me at the chance to have income, to do something with myself now!