Chapter Fifteen: Rephaim
"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies, it comes from those you trust the most." - Unknown.
Athria gripped the controls of the skycar; her knuckles blued as she maneuvered through the chaotic traffic of Illium's upper atmosphere. The city's lights blurred past in neon streaks as she pushed the vehicle to its limits, weaving in and out of the tightly packed lanes. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the thrum of the skycar's engines. The night made it hard to distinguish what direction the nearby vehicles were heading.
The warning light flashed on her console, signaling an incoming transmission. She cursed under her breath, glancing at the screen. "Derek?" she muttered, recognizing the caller. "Of all times..."
"We got company on our right side!" Martin angrily pointed out. She accepted the call, and Derek's voice crackled through the car's speakers. "Athria, what the hell is going on?" She darted her eyes to the right side of the car, seeing another skycar beside them. "Now's not a good time, Derek!" Athria snapped, trying to keep her voice steady as she dodged a speeding cargo drone. "What do you mean, not a good time? I'm hearing reports of merc activity all over Illium—"
"Yeah, no shit! We're being chased by Eclipse right now!" Athria shot back, her eyes darting to the rearview display, where the dark shape of an Eclipse skycar loomed closer, its engines roaring as it closed the gap.
Martin, sitting beside her in the passenger seat, tightened his grip on his pistols, the tension in the car thick enough to cut. "What the hell does he want now?" he growled, his voice laced with frustration. "Just shut up and let me handle this!" Athria snapped, barely holding her composure as she swerved the skycar to avoid an oncoming vehicle. "Derek, what do you want?!"
"Listen, Athria," Derek's voice took on a more authoritative tone, "We've decrypted the information from the data you sent us." Athria watched as the eclipse car moved beside them again, and its doors opened.
"Oh, not this shit again!" Martin forced his door open, sending air to whip through the entire car. His right foot held the door open against the air. Rinn and Dez ducked as low as they could, expecting what would happen next. He started firing off rounds at the car. The usually loud pistol was muffled by the volume of air that surrounded them. Athria looked over to see one Eclipse merc fall out of the vehicle, and the car veered off. "Watch out!" Rinn's scream refocused and swerved, reaching out and grabbing Martin's hoodie to prevent him from sliding out of the car. He quickly shut the door again, with the car pulling off, backing away, and following.
"Athria! Jesus, was that gunfire?" Derek asked. "No, it's Elcor Day fireworks; what the hell do you think?" she yelled back.
"Alright, Alright." He was silent for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "Listen, We decrypted the coordinates from the scouting team the Quarian pulled the information off of. They found a back door into the Far Rim. It's another system you take from the Pylos Nebula; it's an uncharted cluster, then to another relay."
"Wait, that would mean they activated a relay they found?" Rinn butted in as she and Dez were returning to their seats. Derek was quiet for a moment, probably to not incriminate the Initiative. "We really don't know if it was or wasn't active. That information was missing from the scout's reports."
"Is that a bad thing?" Martin asked as he reloaded his pistol. "It's forbidden under Council law, and the fear is you could reactivate one and start another rachi war scenario," Derked explained. Martin still seemed puzzled but shugged off his question.
Athria's mind raced, trying to process the implications of Derek's words while simultaneously keeping them alive. The skycar jolted as she narrowly avoided another incoming vehicle, her grip tightening on the controls. "So, what you're saying is that the initiative wants us to follow a path that could potentially lead to who knows what, in an uncharted cluster?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Derek calmly affirmed. "Great plan, Derek, but we don't have a ship, and half the mercs in the galaxy are after us!" Her voice was building in rage as the conversation moved on. "We have a ship for you. From what I've been told, it's heading to Illium now; it should be there any moment."
Dez leaned in. "We aren't considering actually doing this, are we?" she said in a panic. "Does it look like we have a choice?" Rinn interjected.
Another shot impacted the left side of the car, forcing Dez to throw herself down again. "These fucking assholes!" Martin again opened his door and hung over the roof. Both Athria and Rinn quickly grabbed onto his shirt, trying to prevent him from falling out. He leaned over the roof and placed three well-placed shots in the enemy car, forcing it to back off again before they pulled him back in.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Stay in the car!" Athria chastised. Martin brushed his hair out of his face, looking over his shoulder to see the car veer off again. "Yeah, well, they're on fire now, so thank me later." He said smugly."
"I know you guys have some reservations about this, but this artifact is the find of the century—" Athria cut Derek off. "What is it!?" Derek remained silent for longer than comfortable, and everyone in the car awaited his response.
"It's some sort of data device. The team thought it housed a VI or an AI; they couldn't get much information from it or remove it from where it was."
"What makes you think we can?" Athria yelled back. "If you can't then you get as much information about what it is so we can send another team to extract it properly. The Initiative needs this more than you realize. They are willing to pay everyone a large fortune for this thing."
Athria yelled back, her anger overriding her normal calm self. "Send us everything you can on it, and send us the location of the damn ship!"
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A few hours later, Athria landed the skycar at a dock a bit away from Nos Astra. Thanks to Martin's shooting, the Eclipse Mercs pulled back their chase. She had hoped he did enough to scare them away.
Night had completely fallen over them, so they parked themselves just out of view from everyone else. She hoped to keep it that way.
"Are we actually taking this seriously?" Dez protested from the back seat. Martin kept his pistol in his hand, resting on his lap, rubbing his index finger over it. Athria could see he was nervous even if he didn't vocalize it.
"Dez, we all have a choice right now. We can either go our own way and be chased for goddess knows how long, or we can find this artifact and be done with it." Athria's words seemed to bounce around in Dez's head for a while. She didn't like them, but no one really wanted this.
"This isn't much of a choice. We either die trying to find this thing or die if we don't."
Martin finally re-holstered his pistol and rested his head on the car's window as Athria turned to him. "What about you?"
Martin smirked and let out a small huff of air, "My opinion doesn't matter. If we need to go, then we go. We die? It's not our problem anymore. We live? We get paid and get to go somewhere nice and retire. All I know is that I need guns and armor, and we need supplies."
"Of course, the Neanderthal doesn't care," Dez murmured under her breath.
Athria's blood started to boil; she didn't want to do this mission either, but Dez wasn't helping the situation. And going as far as to insult Martin for giving his opinion when she asked was too much for her to handle. Sure, he was a jackass, childish at times, and a bit of a meathead, but he was also the reason that Athria even got this far or the reason they were still alive.
Martin slowly raised his head off the window and cleared his throat loud enough for everyone to hear. Athria looked over at him, waiting to see his response. "If you have something to say about me, say it loud enough for the rest of us to hear," he said calmly.
Athria quickly raised her finger like a mother trying to prevent an escalation. "None of us want this, but we are stuck with it. We need to start thinking about what we need to do." She paused for a second, turning herself around to see everyone.
"Dez, you are the only one we know who can fly the ship with any actual ability. You can leave, but we can not guarantee your safety. Rinn, you probably know more about Geth than any of us here. We need you as well."
"I'm also good with basic ship maintenance." Rinn butted in.
"Good, and Martin, I need your—" she struggled to find the right words. Many floated around, but nothing seemed correct.
"Good looks? Ability to shoot things? Do robots get scared?" Martin joked.
Athria let out an exasperated breath. While his constant joking was getting on her nerves, it was at least a nice break from the doom and gloom that plagued her head. "We need you to keep us safe," Martin nodded.
The car got quiet again as Athria turned herself forward. "Can I hope you guys can keep yourselves safe while waiting?". Martin asked.
"Why? Are you planning on leaving us?" Athria asked.
"I wasn't kidding; we need weapons and armor. If you guys want to make a list of stuff you want me to pick up. I'll pick it up and have it sent over. When you see the ship, just send over where it is." Athria nodded as Martin quickly exited the car and shut the door.
"We aren't worried he is going to bail on us, are we?" Dez asked. Athria thought to herself, he had plenty of chances before to leave and didn't. "No, He's not that kind of person."
"He's sick." Dez countered. Rinn turned herself toward Dez. "What do you mean?"
"He has no compassion for anything living. He would probably betray us for any amount of money if asked. I've seen him throw sapients out an airlock of a ship and saw what he did to the rest of the Batarian crew of that transport. Bodies just discarded. He was ruthless."
Athria understood what she was saying. She read the reports of his past missions and saw his supposed psychological profile. He had a reputation for being excessive, but he could have easily left them behind already. She understood that he had morals or some kind of code, just more brutal than what they were used to.
"I don't think he will." Athria countered. "He's not like that. He has a thing against Batarians. He hates slavers in particular."
"Everyone hates slavers," Dez butted in. "Yes, but you have to understand he was in their custody for a short time. He saw the conditions. He treats his enemies harshly but keeps his charges close. Don't put yourself in that position."
Dez leaned back in her seat, slouching a bit to get comfortable. "Then why do you argue with him so much?"
Athria looked up at Dez from the mirror in the car. "He's an idiot sometimes, headstrong, and, I would dare say, too brave for his own good. But mostly, he's annoying, and his mouth gets him into more trouble than anything else. But we need him for this, or we aren't making it back." Dez dropped her eyes from hers as she turned away to look out her window.
"Is that our ship? Rinn pointed in front of them." Everyone sat up and looked in the direction she was pointing. Athria's chest filled with excitement while she pulled out her omni-tool to confirm.
Her omni-tool pinged in confirmation, and she felt a surge of relief wash over her. "That's it," she breathed, the tension in her shoulders easing just a fraction. The ship was small and angular, a dark silhouette against the backdrop of Illium's glittering skyline. Its exterior bore the telltale signs of a vessel designed for speed, but it wasn't a design Athria was familiar with.
Dez leaned forward, her earlier skepticism momentarily replaced with curiosity. "It doesn't look like much," she commented, squinting at the ship. "That's an old Alliance Galatea Class Corvette! That thing has to be at least thirty years old." She continued.
"Is that a bad thing? Some ships in the Flotilla are three centuries old." Rinn butted in while opening the car door.
The three climbed out of the car and stood by, watching it enter the dock. "Alright, let's get aboard and see what we're working with. We don't have much time before someone else decides to pay us a visit."
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Velpia had been following Martin for days now. Luckily, he wasn't tech-savvy, as she still had access to his omni-tool, and he never really tried to keep himself too hidden. She knew he would flee back to their apartment on Illium, and once she was close enough to him, she could access his omni-tool remotely. She listened to hours of his arguments with the Asari, his meeting with the Quarians, and their escape from the Ecplise mercs she hired to flush them out of the apartment. It was a shame she couldn't completely separate them; she only meant to hold them until she managed to confront Martin, but she underestimated Athria.
Martin's signal from his omni-tool stopped moving for a few hours by the docks. She sat in her own skycar some distance away. She couldn't hijack his audio, so she just had to follow his signal. Velpia saw Martin leave the car and return to the port, and she quickly followed.
Velpia kept her distance as she tailed Martin through the streets leading away from the docks. Thankfully, there was enough crowd to keep the tall Turian hidden. Her heart pounded with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. This was her chance—perhaps her only chance—to convince him to let her join their mission. She knew she was modifying the mission, but if she got the artifact, she could save him from the fate she suspected the Colonel would give him.
The weapons and armor dealer Martin headed towards was a familiar spot they had frequented while working on Illium. Velpia remembered the owner—a grizzled Turian who knew how to keep his mouth shut in exchange for credits. If Martin was here, it meant he was gearing up for something big, something that required more firepower than usual, as he never really purchased anything besides replacement parts or mods you couldn't buy off the shelf.
As Martin entered the shop, Velpia hesitated outside, gathering her thoughts. This confrontation could go one of two ways: either she'd convince him they were better off together, or he'd push her away, possibly for good. But she had to try. Taking a deep breath, Velpia squared her shoulders and stepped inside.
The shop's interior was as cluttered as she remembered. Weapons of every shape and color, from just about every culture and age, lined the walls. The scent of gun lubricant and metal filled the air, bringing back memories of the old Blue Suns Armory, where she'd spend hours cleaning and maintaining their weapons when she was younger. She spotted Martin at the counter, speaking with the Turian dealer, his back turned to her. She just watched him for a moment, recalling the trust they once shared—the trust she needed to abuse for his sake.
Velpia approached quietly. The thick carpet muffled her footsteps on the floor. She waited until the dealer had handed Martin a heavy case of new armor before making her move. "I'm surprised. I thought you liked mobility rather than the heavy stuff," she said, her voice smooth and familiar as she leaned against a nearby display case.
Martin stiffened at the sound of her voice, his hand instinctively moving toward his pistol before he turned to face her. Recognition flashed in his eyes, followed by a mix of surprise and wariness. "Velpia," he said, his tone flat and guarded. "What the hell are you doing here?"
She offered him a small, disarming smile, but his right hand rested directly on his pistol. "I don't do shootouts in the shop. If you two have problems, take this elsewhere." The grizzled Turian ordered. Martin raised his arm and passed some information along to the Turian. "This is the list that I need. Send it here, and you already have my pay info." He said without taking his eyes off of her. He nodded towards the door, silently ordering her out first. Velpia could feel her heart jump out of her chest, but tried to keep a cool exterior and followed his command.
They stepped back outside, the familiar smell giving way to the cool breeze brushing against her face and across her plates. "You got some balls following me here." Martin cooly said.
Velpia kept her composure, though her mind raced with the weight of the moment. She knew Martin was dangerous and unpredictable, and their history made this encounter even more volatile. "I had to," she replied, her voice laced with a sense of urgency. "Had to what? Not tell me you were working on the same mission? That you were holding my target the entire time? Nah, but you just let me ramble on about it.-"
She stopped him, trying to talk louder but not loud enough for passersby to hear. "It's not like that. I didn't know everything that was going on in that ship. But it doesn't matter, my C.O. knows about us. He saw us talking in the bar. He thinks I set up that escape." Martin narrowed his eyes, his grip on the pistol relaxing slightly but not letting go.
"Martin, you killed Turian Military personnel getting that Quarian out. They are coming after you and whatever you stole from them." Her voice let out a terrible sigh, one that Martin recognized. His hand lowered from his pistol. She took a step closer, her tone softening, trying to reach the part of him that still remembered their bond, "If I don't get him what he wants, both of us are dead. This isn't like fighting Luciso; the Colonel holds a grudge, and he doesn't let go until his target is dead. He'd glass a planet to get his way. And he as an army and a ship to do it."
Martin stood there, his eyes dropping low and shifting as if processing what she had told him. Velpia reached out, trying to touch his arm. His thoughts looked uneasy. "What does he want?" he asked quietly. "He wants what you are after, the artifact." Martin began to chuckle and broke a smile while shaking his head. "He can't have it. It's already spoken for. Unfortunately." His stubbornness and his ignorance were on full display for her. It was almost like he loved the attention. That he loved the challenge of it.
The two were quiet for a moment, with Martin picking his head back up and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Vee, but I can't bring you on. We can't have multiple people pulling in different directions when we get this thing. Last thing I need is for everyone to tear each other apart after we damn near kill ourselves getting the thing. Security and safety and all that."
Her heart sped back up again. She was losing him. Her mind rushed what to say. "Safety? That's rich." Martin raised an eyebrow but refrained from saying anything. "I don't want the artifact for him. I'm safer with you. You're working for the Initiative, right?"
Martin recoiled with his eyes narrowing again, suspicion taking back over. "Yeah." He said cautiously. "I was also extended an invitation. I can go with you, get the artifact, and we can do the program. Start over."
"Are you asking me to run off to some galaxy I know nothing about, I've already done the whole 'New Beginning' thing, and look where it got me."
His statement sank into her mind. It was a heavy kind of weight. The promise of a better tomorrow was already shattered, probably thanks to her. "Do you really think you'd last much longer out here? How many more people have you pissed off since I left? No one will care what you are. Everyone would be starting over. Not just you this time."
Martin quickly looked away from her off in the distance, like a child trying to avoid a truth. "They'd probably let you build that log cabin in some forest somewhere." Velpia enticed. He quickly let out a breath before returning his eyes to her. "Don't make me regret this, Vee"