Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik System
Omega, Tuhi District
1626 Local Time, July 10th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
Tension could be almost physically felt in the air, as the stand-off between Irill's team and Aria's goons continued in silence. The leaders of both groups stared each other down intensely, unwilling to look away, yet cautious to not betray a thing with their expressions. It was as if a group of very skilled actors were frozen solid in the middle of a performance. However it was Aria who finally broke the silence.
"Last time some of your kind came to visit, it was after a lengthy process of consideration, debate, and reassurances. Now you just walk in like you belong." She spoke softly, but with clearly evident authority. "What's changed?"
"I was not made aware one needed an invitation to enter this station. Our intel must be at fault." Irill replied, trying his best to not escalate the situation and keep the Pirate Queen calm.
"Oh I very much doubt that." Aria smirked, visibly amused by the response. She then walked closer, her goons quick to follow her steps. "But despite the fact that I know you're lying, I am not looking for a fight. Only for a reason."
Wraith let out a guttural growl, taking a step closer to move himself in between Aria and Irill, and the purple hue around him immediately lit up even brighter. Aria's criminal entourage reacted immediately, aiming their weapons at the massive brute, yet did not attack. Irill slowly raised his hand and put it on Wraith's shoulder, urging him to back down, which his teammate reluctantly did, while he turned towards Aria.
"A reason to kill us?" He cautiously asked.
"No, a reason why you're looking for Ish specifically." Aria replied.
In an instant the Null Group, Irill included, tensed up even more. Their jaws trembled and fingers itched to slide onto the triggers of their rifles. Irill's worst fear - Aria's acknowledgement of their objective and her direct involvement in their mission - just became a reality. Despite his best efforts, he could not stop himself from giving her the most hateful glare he could muster, and, even though he was wearing a fully enclosed helmet, she evidently noticed the change of expression.
"Don't give me that look. It's clear as day that you wouldn't look only for Sel. Most people who actually matter in any way look for him only to get to Ish. Too small of a fish to get real clients without his partner." She rolled her eyes, slowly making her way around them and towards the squirming salarian, her confidence unwavering. "And the bartender you asked for directions is on my payroll after all. You really should have seen this coming." She then stopped next to Sel before running her finger on his trembling chin. "So I will ask once again: what do you want with Ish?"
Silence once again befell the room, as Irill debated internally whether to share with her what he knew. On the one hand the information in question was highly classified, to the point that the other Nulls did not even know the full picture, only he and the Intelligence Services did. Therefore disseminating such valuable intel would not only be against protocol, but also dangerous since, should it reach the Broker's network, it could severely handicap their efforts to hunt him down. On the other hand he was not really in the best bargaining position. Even if they chose to die with the intel, someone would have scraped off some valuable data off their corpses regardless. And if Irill's judgement of Aria's character was correct, she was fiercely territorial and protective of her sphere of influence on Omega. Letting her on some of the information could bring her to their side and perhaps help salvage their mission somehow.
With a heavy heart, Irill once again gestured at his team to stand down before saying "The Shadow Broker."
At first there was no reaction, but after a moment the meaning of his words seems to have finally sunk in, giving pause to both Aria and her armed escort. The latter began to exchange glances with one another, some curious, some uneasy. The batarian holding Sel in a choke-hold tightened his grip, causing the salarian to once again squeal in panic. But the most curious reaction was Aria's. Her confident smile gave way to mild surprise, brief amusement, before finally settling on cautious skepticism, all within the span of a few seconds.
"Ish? An agent for the Shadow Broker?" She asked, unable to completely hide her disbelief.
"Not that far, but we are positive he extensively engages with the network, both as a customer and an intermediary." Irill clarified and activated his omni-tool, displaying a holographic projection of a seemingly chaotic web of glowing links going from left to right. "We know that the Broker rarely communicates directly with his agents and operatives. Countless intermediaries bounce off encrypted intel and data between themselves and the Broker's agents, ensuring that, even if it's intercepted somewhere in the middle, its final sender or receiver are practically impossible to trace."
The holo-projection then changed, with many of the entangled threads disappearing and others connecting to just a few remaining nodes, as if creating traffic.
"Ever since we started our hunt, we managed to eliminate many of such intermediaries, forcing the Broker to cooperate with new independent traders or place more burden of transfer on the remaining ones." Irill continued, before highlighting one specific node. "Ish is one of the latter. It seems that, aside from occasional purchases, he's been bouncing off data from time to time, but recently the intensity of the traffic increased beyond what his humble business could justify as a simple influx of customers."
"Our sources suggested that Ish picked up many clients after many of his competitors were killed off during the carvin 'anti-piracy campaigns'. He's been paid for every intel transfer as if it was a standard transaction." Yet another voice, this time another salarian, interrupted him, and one of Aria's thugs held up his omni-tool, displaying a camera feed of the man in question - someone whom he suspected was Aria's tech or intelligence man. "There was no major overlap of buyers except from those who we know are his regular customers."
"And that is precisely the part that should arouse your suspicions." Irill answered, giving the salarian a cold stare. "It's too random to be random, and according to our Xeno-Intelligence, once you follow the money, the search will lead to deactivated accounts or dead links and servers."
Aria seemed to have deliberated on what she had just heard, before turning towards her tech specialist. "Ahz, check up on Ish's transfers again. I want it done quickly and quietly."
"On it, Boss." 'Ahz' replied before his hologram vanished.
"And you..." The Pirate Queen then turned back towards Irill and his team. "What am I supposed to do with you?"
"Give us the salarian and don't get in our way." Irill said, perhaps more bluntly than he wanted, but time was running out. The longer they stayed here, the more likely it was that Ish would discover them and flee. "We get what we need, we get off this station, and you won't have to worry about us anymore."
"Tsk tsk tsk... just like that?" Aria clicked her tongue, visibly unconvinced by the offer. "What's stopping me from ransoming you back to your people or selling your equipment?"
"Your voice of reason." Irill hissed back, his jaws rattling aggressively, as if biting off chunks of air. "The way I see it, either we both leave alive... or we both don't. And even if you potentially live through this fight, the Empire does not forget. They WILL hunt you down, wherever you decide to hide. The choice is yours."
Aria stared him down intensely, and he reciprocated the look. Whatever calmness was still in the room vanished once again, as both the Nulls and Aria's thugs were on the narrowest verge of lunging at each other. The atmosphere at the beginning of the standoff seemed almost tranquil in comparison. The slightest provocation was sure to turn this powder keg into a violent explosion that would encompass all in the immediate vicinity.
And then a soft beeping came from Sel's arm.
Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik System
Omega, Tuhi District
1630 Local Time, July 10th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
Truth be told, Aria was glad that the stand-off did not escalate. The clean-up afterwards (both literal and metaphorical kind) would have been a nightmare to deal with, and it was evident that the carvins were determined to get to Ish, regardless of how she felt about that. And while she wouldn't admit it to her underlings, having the carvins dealing with the potential asset of the Broker for her was preferable than having her deal with the potential carvin retaliation. The insectoid lizards were not giving away threats idly, that was all too obvious.
The carvin leader immediately shifted his gaze towards the salarian who was still locked in a chokehold by Anto. Ignoring the multitude of small arms that were suddenly pointed at him, he asked "What's that?"
Surprisingly (although at this point it probably shouldn't have been) the soldier standing next to him completely disregarded the threat he was faced with and activated his omni-tool with his left hand, while still keeping the rifle on his target with his right hand. After a flurry of tiny motions from his fingers he then pointed the tool at the salarian, and the device suddenly began glowing more brightly.
"A request to open a civilian comm channel." The soldier reported and after a brief moment of inspecting his omni-tool added "Transmission security bolstered by non-standard encryption. Will take a moment to crack."
"No need. The salarian will save us the trouble." The carvin leader said, then turned towards the frightened Sel. "Answer it."
Sel began reaching for the omni-tool before getting whacked in the head by Anto's pistol, letting out a pained squirm.
"Who said you could move your hands?" He barked at the salarian, only to earn guttural growls from the carvins, with the largest one surrounding himself with a bright purple hue, characteristic for biotics.
"It's fine, Anto. I want to hear it too." Aria said, also eager to verify if the carvins were speaking the truth.
Her batarian enforcer relaxed his hold on Sel's neck slightly before gesturing at the beeping omni-tool with his pistol. As Sel began reaching for it, almost all eyes were focused on him. Aria's own security, despite dutifully keeping their weapon sights on the carvin spec ops, were also nervously glancing at what was about to transpire, while the carvins themselves shifted their positions, allowing their large eyes to observe both the surrounding mercenaries and Sel.
The surrounding silence made it seem that even Omega itself held its breath when Sel's finger reached the holographic projection of his omni tool.
"Cousin? Cousin!" The voice of yet another salarian came through the hand-mounted device, and Aria immediately recognized Ish's voice. "Oh thank goodness you picked up. I was starting to get worried."
The carvin commander either mouthed or whispered something in a dialect that Aria's translator did not catch, and his comrade with the omni-tool holstered his weapon and began running his fingers on the holographic buttons at break-neck speeds. Her own guards flinched at the reaction, but Aria stopped them with a stern gesture, putting a finger on her lips and ordering them to stay quiet.
"Listen, there's no time to talk. We need to leave Omega, lay low for a while." Ish said, a hint of nervousness leaking from his voice.
Before he even finished the sentence, the carvin commander ordered Sel "Ask for the reason why."
"Uh... why's that? D-did you anger a powerful client?" Sel did as he was told, and Aria couldn't help but smirk at the quick thinking of the salarian. The amphibians were deadly smart, and even more so when faced with a life-threatening situation.
"No, not exactly.' Ish answered after a moment of hesitation. "I'm being hunted."
"Ask by who." Carvin commander ordered again.
When Sel relayed the question, Ish hastily replied "Unimportant now. We'll head for Citadel Space, we'll be safe there."
That was everything Aria needed to confirm that Ish was aware that his pursuers were carvins. People involved in such shady business would seldom consider Citadel Space to be an adequate refuge. Even some places there that could serve as a haven to any potential hiders have become far less lucrative over the recent months.
Noveria had a shake-up in security, and was now being overseen more strictly by the Alliance after word got out that Saren's agents smuggled geth there. Illium's extensive surveillance meant that it wasn't a good place to hide, because someone somewhere would always know about your whereabouts, and more often than not would be willing to sell that information to the highest bidder. And Bekenstein was simply too expensive for the likes of Ish and Sel to find comfort on. Not to mention the general security awakening that followed the Battle of the Citadel and impacted all systems within the Citadel Space.
There was only one potential threat that someone could shake off by fleeing to Citadel Space - the Carvin Empire. And that brought at least some merit to the carvin commander's claims that Ish was working for or at least with the Shadow Broker, as unbelievable as it seemed at first glance.
"I'll tell you everything on the way, just meet me at the lower docks, Bay C04. Already have most of your stuff on me. There was no time to pack everything up." Ish continued. "And if you notice someone following you, don't panic like usual and keep walking as if nothing happened."
"W-will do, cousin. I'll meet you there." Sel answered, correctly predicting the intentions of his captors, because neither Aria nor the carvins had anything more to add.
The room once again went quiet, though the tension between the two groups still locked in a stand-off seemed to have relaxed somewhat. Fingers weren't itching on the triggers anymore, and with only one thing to pay attention to, everyone's eyes became calmer and more focused. The carvin commander lowered his rifle slightly and slowly turned around to face Aria, his expression unreadable under the pressurized helmet.
"I genuinely hope that this is enough to make you believe in the truth of my words." He spoke with a low voice.
"...I believe that you believe it. But I've had centuries to learn about the workings of the criminal underworld, Shadow Broker included. And this..." She hesitated briefly, looking for the right word. "This seems... uncharacteristically sloppy of him."
She omitted her personal skepticism that the Broker could have kept someone like Ish on a leash right under her doorstep for so long. Sure, she knew that the salarian had dirt on Anto, but the danger that posed to her was negligible at best and manageable at worst. She had also learned how to catch Broker's informants, to the point that most of them didn't last a week. Ish's case... even with all that was going on around the galaxy, it was too recent and developed too quickly to truly feel natural. Then again, perhaps the Broker really was getting desperate.
Before the carvin commander could address her doubts however, his comrade working with his omni-tool stood up and reported "Encryption cracked, sir. We know his place of residence and are tracking his position."
Those words caused the other carvins to perk up slightly and tighten their grips on their weapons. They looked to their commander for orders, while he kept his eyes (or rather his covered face) on Aria.
"All I need is for your people to stand back and not interfere. Once we have what we came for, I'll get my men off this station immediately." He said, perhaps subconsciously putting the ball in her court and shifting the weight of making a decision onto her. "Do we have a deal?"
Aria considered her options. An armed confrontation was obviously undesirable, less because of its direct danger and more because of the potential aftermath. Carvins themselves were not really good at lying, and it was clear that the carvin commander hardly even bothered hiding his intentions, even if he felt open hostility towards her. She could also help them, which would put her in good standing with the wider Carvin Empire. But that option ran the risk of being seen as weak, something that after the recent transgressions by various actors was completely unacceptable.
Then again, she could also let them do what they wanted, neither gaining nor losing much. And if the carvins were right, that saved her the trouble of dealing with Ish and the potential flak of his death. For a good few seconds she and the carvin commander stared each other down before she broke off the eye contact and turned towards her security
"Let them through. Ish is not our concern." She ordered.
Her underlings slowly lowered their weapons, causing the carvins to follow suit, clicking their insectoid jaws enthusiastically. Meanwhile Aria herself stepped aside, clearing a path to the exit. The carvin commander nodded in silent appreciation before signaling his men to follow him. But right as they were going through the door, the panicked breathing coming from the opposite side of the room reminded Aria of one more issue.
"What about Sel?" She asked, gesturing her hand at the salarian who was still squirming in Anto's chokehold.
The carvin commander stopped, followed shortly by his men, and without turning to face her he replied "If you're feeling generous, you can keep him around until we leave the station. But I doubt he has anything we couldn't get out of Ish, so do what you want."
And with those final words they left the room, closing the exit door behind them. Silence once again befell the room, her underlings looking to her for their next orders but none daring to speak out loud. Finally Anto ended the quiet atmosphere.
"So what do we do with him, Boss?" He pointed the barrel of his pistol to Sel's head.
"Bag him. I doubt he has any valuable intel, but in the worst case we can throw him to the varren and get some entertainment." She waved her hand dismissively.
"No, no! Please, wai-*WHACK*" Sel didn't get to finish his plea before Anto knocked him out cold with one swift strike. The now limp body tumbled onto the floor like a rag doll. A krogan from her security detail then grabbed it and threw it onto his shoulder while obviously relishing the act.
As all of them also began to leave the room, Anto once again asked "And the carvins?"
"Ignore them and have our people stay out of their way. There's enough trouble recruiting fitting replacements already." Aria said before an idea popped up in her head. "Head back to Afterlife. I want to see how this plays out."
"Will do." Her batarian lieutenant nodded and began issuing out orders on her behalf.
Meanwhile Aria glanced at the door that the carvins used to leave and followed in their footsteps. Across all species of the galaxy, the saying 'Know thy enemy' or its variations existed practically without exception. And so she would use this newfound opportunity to learn even more about the newest players entering the galactic stage.
Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik System
Omega, Outskirts of Tuhi District
1642 Local Time, July 10th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
It was almost a miracle that Irill and his team walked out of that room without as much as a single scratch. He had not expected Aria T'Loak to let them off the hook that easily, but now that she did, he wasn't intent on squandering she chance he was given. And no less because their target was on course to slip through their claws. Which was why, after moving some distance from Aria's entourage, Irill pulled his squad into a relentless sprint, irrespective of their surroundings and the bystanders around them.
"Blink, what's the status on Ish?" He almost shouted into the microphone in his helmet.
"The target is moving towards the docks of the Tuhi District at a steady pace. ETA 6,5 minutes. Our predicted interception will occur approximately within the last 30 seconds of his journey." Blink dutifully answered.
30 second time window was much closer than Irill was comfortable with. If Ish quickened his pace or if they were delayed for even a moment, they could miss the window. He cursed the lengthy stand-off with Aria T'Loak for their predicament, but what was done was done. All he could do now was plan for contingencies.
"Warm up the engines and try to find the ship he's leaving on. If he slips past us, I want you to disable it." He ordered, then turned towards Slice who was running at his left side. "Slice, once we're on approach, circle behind the target and cut him off in case he tries to flee."
"Yes sir." His subordinate acknowledged the order immediately.
They passed through a market riddled with stalls of various kinds, pushing through the smaller groups of shoppers with no regard for their comfort or safety. People all around them gawked gasped in surprise as they saw the carvins move. Some preemptively stepped aside so as to not get trampled under their metal feet. Others who didn't were shoved or sometimes even thrown aside.
A krogan Blood Pack mercenary, seeing that he was right in their way, made a bold decision to stand and meet them head on, no doubt seeking a confrontation. Irill had no intention of entertaining such a diversion, so when they closed the distance enough, he extended two blades from the knuckles of his right hand. The second he and the krogan were going to collide, he stopped and swung at his target's throat. His cybernetically enhanced strength and reflexes meant that by the time the krogan realized what had happened, two deep cuts in the soft part of his armor that covered his throat were already being soaked with blood and neuroconductive fluid. The mercenary gargled as he started to choke on his own blood, while Irill shoved the massive lizard aside, making room for himself and his team to pass.
"Status!" He barked into the intercom.
"78 seconds until visual contact. Be advised, Eclipse mercenaries provide security for the docks in this district." Blink swiftly answered.
Irill muttered a foul curse. It wasn't just the potential interference from the mercenaries that infuriated him. He remembered the yellow armor suits of Eclipse goons hired by the Broker for the fateful exchange that put Irill on this warpath. His blood boiled and his pupils narrowed but with some effort he stemmed the tide of anger. The situation was fragile enough already and he could not afford to lose focus.
With the rumble of their metallic feet scaring away every remaining passerby in their way they finally entered the area of the docks - a large open area with two rows of docking bays, one at the ground floor and one several dozen meters above with a network of metal catwalks leading to the check-in points. A few large glass windows in between the docking tubes that would normally provide a view outside the station were practically unusable due to the dirt and spray paint covering them.
Aligning with Blink's report, the entire area was overseen by Eclipse mercenaries and mechs, although the latter made up the majority of staff. A few organic mercenaries here or there stood guard with four-legged FENRIS mechs in support. Clerks processed the arriving and leaving passengers surprisingly efficiently for a hole such as Omega.
With his visor sifting through the countless lifeforms in view, Irill brought up the map of the district and checked for Ish's present location. The salarian was just about to enter the docks through an entrance approximately 100 meters ahead of them.
"Slice, detach. Block the path back to his apartment but be ready to intercept if he runs away somewhere else." Irill ordered, and when his subordinate acknowledged his command he turned to the others "The rest of you with me. Do NOT fire at the target, I want him speaking."
The Nulls hissed enthusiastically and all five of them threw themselves into yet another sprint.
Their presence has not gone unnoticed by the Eclipse who observed them cautiously, but the sight of previously unseen alien weaponry clearly compelled them to keep their distance. Right before Ish was about to come into view, Slice detached from them and dashed for one of the exits. After that Irill's HUD highlighted a slim silhouette within the crowd, standing in place in front of one of the docking tubes.
I've got you now, little tadpole. Irill thought, allowing his tongue to lick his inner jaws in satisfaction.
The salarian was right there, standing in the queue and looking around, clearly expecting Sel to join him momentarily. Just a few seconds and he would be in their claws. Just a moment, just-
"Ow! Get off me, you bug-faced freak!" A human pedestrian, that Irill just shoved aside, shouted angrily.
For the first few milliseconds Irill paid no mind to the insult. He had heard similar words countless times on many worlds, and this wouldn't distract him from his target. But when said target's head suddenly perked up and his wide open eyes met Irill's, the blood seemed to flush from both of their faces.
In an instant Ish started to push ahead through the queue, irrespective of the anger and commotion he was causing. Within seconds he was at the front, waving his omni-tool at the clerk.
"Stop him!" Irill roared with a mix of fury and panic.
Precious seconds passed as the salarian was somehow let through in spite of the queue. He was now on the catwalk leading to the docking tube, almost out of their reach, when suddenly a bright purple flash blinded everyone around them for a split second. When Irill recovered, he saw Wraith surrounded by a purple hue standing in front of Ish, blocking his path.
The two mercenaries guarding the check-in instinctively raised their rifles, but before they could open fire, Wraith powered up a biotic strike and shortly after a shockwave erupted from the spot he was standing, knocking everyone in the vicinity off their feet. Both Eclipse mercs along with Ish were flung back by the blast, vanishing somewhere inside the dense crowd which now began to scream and shout in panic.
"Security alert!" An asari vanguard shouted and alarms started blaring through the speakers on the ceiling, while bright red warning lights illuminated the entire area.
Irill's instincts took over the rational judgement. When a section of four light bipedal mechs aimed their pistols at him, he quickly lined up his shots and pulled the trigger four times. His weapon obediently spewed the high-power energy bolts and before long all of the mechs tumbled onto the floor.
"Weapons free!" He shouted and immediately the entire dock turned into a firestorm as the Nulls unleashed their fury onto the Eclipse.
Whatever numerical superiority the mercenaries had was quickly rendered irrelevant under the accurate fire from the carvin energy rifles which bypassed barriers and struck directly at the soldiers and synthetics. The normally fast FENRIS mechs were hopelessly slow in the face of the crowd that blocked their way, as Eclipse threw themselves piecemeal at the intruders. Metal slugs and laser bolts crossed paths and struck the floor or walls, biotic attacks of all kinds were exchanged between the Eclipse vanguards and the carvins' sole biotically gifted soldier, all amidst the panicked screams of civilians and docking clerks who scrambled for the exits or for any possible hard cover they could find.
Having downed over two dozen enemies, the Null Group dashed for the nearby chairs or tables, forming an ad-hoc triangular defense from the incoming mercenaries, all the while Wraith kept lobbing purple orbs at anyone dumb enough to walk into his effective range. Irill kept firing at the yellow-armored figures as they came, but once the crowd dispersed he noticed something strange - the salarian was missing.
"Blink, I've lost visual of the target! Where is he!?" He bellowed into his microphone while still firing his rifle.
"Target has left the docks and is proceeding into the residential area of the Tuhi district." The VI emotionlessly replied. "However he does not seem to be heading towards his domicile and instead into the poorer part of the district. His movement speed indicates that he experienced a significant impairment of his motor skills."
He'll try to lose us in the narrow alleyways of the slums. Irill deduced, silently commending the salarian for his craftiness before opening the comm channel. "Slice, move ahead of him and cut him off! The rest of you follow me!"
After slightly thinning the ranks of the converging Eclipse forces they used the opening to disengage and dash towards the nearest exit. The last thing the mercenaries saw before the door slammed shut in their faces was Wraith charging through the air and into the exit. Roadkill then blasted the door lock and quickly placed some proximity mines on the floor and the nearby walls, ensuring that no one would pursue them.
"Move out!" Irill urged his men forward and they raced off in pursuit. Ish wouldn't slip through their claws again.
Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik System
Omega, Tuhi District, Slums
1657 Local Time, July 10th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
"Shit... shit... shit!"
The pounding of his heart was so strong and fast that it basically blended into one deafening hum inside his head. A stream of green blood ran through his front teeth and down his chin, leaving small droplets on the ground every few seconds in spite of his best attempts to stem the bleeding. His right leg ached, most likely broken in at least two spots. Whether that was due to the biotic shockwave or the fall that followed, it was impossible to tell. If not for his advanced metabolism and a small serving of medi-gel from his omni-tool, he would have probably fainted long ago.
Ish did his best to limp away from the danger as quickly as possible. But where to? His apartment was out of the question. If the carvins tracked him down so quickly, they likely knew where he lived. Maybe Aria? Then again he had little to bargain with. His outlook was looking bleaker and bleaker with every passing second, as the carvins were sure to catch up to him. Unless... he could lose them in the dirty slums of the Tuhi district.
It wouldn't be too difficult to pull off, what with all the smell and crowds of the poor and unfortunate, this place was almost perfect for hiding. He could hunker down somewhere out of the way and let the carvins pass, then double back to the docks and hitch a ride off the station. He still had access to his credits through his omni-tool, so paying his way into one of the outgoing ships was certainly possible. And he was willing to pay a lot under the circumstances.
Making his way through the blood and urine-stained streets, the big question on Ish's mind was this: why? Why were the carvins after him specifically? And more importantly: why was someone invested in him surviving? The only reason he even knew about the carvins' arrival was due to a few of his clients and fellow information brokers tipping him off just a few HOURS ago. And all messages (each deleting itself shortly after being opened) started exactly the same way:
"YOU ARE IN DANGER"
But this didn't answer the question. Why him? What did he do to paint a target on his back? He couldn't recall neither himself nor any of his recent customers doing something to ruffle some carvin feathers this much. It didn't make any sense.
He took a turn into a narrow alley, away from the main street. Exposed pipes and wiring were tangled up at his feet, making it hard to move without accidentally tripping. There was no functioning aid station in sight. Whatever medi-gel dispensers were visible had been smashed open and looted for their precious contents long ago, and so the dull pulsating pain in his right leg kept bringing him to the edge of fainting with every step he took, in spite of his ad hoc treatment.
But then a low rumble reached his ears. A rumble that seemed awfully familiar and one that set off alarm bells inside Ish's head. It was the sound of metal feet rhythmically banging on the floor, rapidly moving closer and closer. Accompanying it were the shouts and insults being thrown by various races, all in equally varied languages. Ish curled up next to the wall with his face pressed to it, so that he didn't stick out in the crowd, and prayed that the carvins did not turn where he did.
The steps were getting louder and so was his breath. He bit into the sleeve of his suit to try and stem the pained whimpers coming out of his mouth but he was never as scared for his life as he was at that very moment. Any second and he would collapse into a full-blown panic attack.
But as the rumbling sound of metal feet became the loudest it has been, it was suddenly cut short, almost in an instant. Ish used every last bit of willpower left to stop himself from shaking to not betray his presence, as the terrifying silence continued for a good few seconds. Based on the sound alone he predicted that the carvins were just about a dozen meters away from his position, right at the turn into the alley that was his current hiding place.
After a moment he heard a deformed mechanical growl, almost like a bark of a varren coming through low quality speakers. Then the sound of steps came back, only this time it was getting quieter and quieter with each passing second. Ish waited almost half a minute until the rumble of the carvin feet was well and truly drowned by the ambient noise of the station and its inhabitants, before getting up with some serious difficulty.
I've lost them? A hopeful thought ran briefly through his mind. It seemed that in spite of another close call with the carvins, good fortune was yet to abandon him. He looked behind him but saw no sign of the murderous lizards. He was safe... for now.
Going down the very same route was madness, and so he needed to find another way out of the slums. He walked slowly and carefully down the alley that had saved him from the carvins' wrath, looking for a turn or crossroads that could lead him back to the docks. After a few minutes of wandering through the narrow hallways and stepping over the dozens of homeless and an occasional piece of rubbish, he noticed a sign pointing down a path outside of the area. A feeling of relief washed over him, and combined with the fact that the small dose of medi-gel had reduced the pain in his leg to more manageable levels, Ish subconsciously allowed himself to hope that he could actually make it out of this mess alive.
He quickened his pace as much as his wounded leg allowed him to, moving into the slightly cleaner part of the slums. Slowly but surely he was leaving the dirt and stench behind, and soon he would be safely en route to Citadel Space. The rumbling sound of metal feet was long gone. Only a few short corridors separated him from a direct path to safety.
His thoughts briefly went to his cousin Sel, who didn't make it to the docks. Maybe he was waiting for him there, but the fact that he hadn't contacted him all this time suggested that his fate was most likely less rosy. The carvins were probably hunting him down too, or worse... had already done so. And in the end Ish couldn't afford to spare more than a mournful thought for his poor cousin, since he had himself to save too. Thankfully that was going quite well. All he needed to do was walk through one door and he would be on a direct path to the-
*WHACK*
Ish didn't even have a split second to react when a metal hand shot out from behind the door in the exact moment it opened. Cold dark grey fingers gripped his neck, impacting it with such a force that his eyes felt like they were about to pop out, and his vision went foggy. He could barely see anything ahead of him, but his subconscious was quick to recognize the assailant even by the blurry outline.
"Target secured." A monotonous insectoid clicking reached his ears, as the meaning of the alien voice trickled down from the translator into his nervous system.
That was it. The carvins had him. He felt his senses fade away as his muscles gave in, while a feeling of cold numbness spread throughout his body.
*CLICK*
Suddenly he felt a light sting at the base of his neck, and a strange warm sensation washed away the cold. The broken leg, the sore throat, the drops of his own blood in between his teeth, all started coming back.
"Don't you fucking dare die on me, you worthless cur." Another carvin voice spoke, followed by a hard slap in the face. "It's waste enough to spend good medicine on scum like you."
The impact seemed to have brought back most of Ish's senses, as his vision slowly cleared up and he took a good look at his surroundings. He was sat against a wall and surrounded by towering carvin silhouettes, all of them clad in armor and pointing weapons directly at him. The closest carvin knelt in front of him, clasping his three insectoid jaws just a breath away from his face.
"You and I are going to have a conversation. A very thorough and detailed conversation." The carvin hissed and growled, putting a pistol directly to Ish's temple. "And it's in your best interest that it's as long and eventful as possible."
Before Ish could even reply, the carvin stepped away, letting one of his companions, much much larger than the other ones, approach in his stead. The massive alien simply grabbed hold of Ish by the arm and began dragging him on the floor, irrespective of whether there was something on it or not, while the other carvins followed him.
"Why... me..." Ish managed to say through his burning throat. "I don't know..."
"That's what all of them say." His 'savior' snarled from somewhere ahead of the main group. "And all of them lied."
"Please... no! I don't know anything!" Ish cried in despair, dreading what horrible fate lay ahead of him from the hands of the carvins. "I didn't do anything! I..."
But no matter how much he screamed, his pleas fell on deaf ears. Why did this happen? Why have they come for him?
Just this once he truly knew nothing.
A/N: I know that it isn't stated anywhere that Ish and Sel are cousins, but considering that they work so closely together and that both of them have 3 letter names, I figured it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for them to be family, especially considering the dynastic culture of bloodlines permeating the salarian society.