Kacey rolled over to the other crate as a combat engineer hit the ground, with the turret exploding as they dropped dead. Kacey hated the turrets and especially the engineers that set them up. The turrets were armoured to the point that it took far too many bullets to take it down. They ripped through her shields at such a fast pace, that one slip up could mean trouble.
Kacey made it a point to destroy all of the generators in the area, wiping out their defences while Aria bolted off ahead, tearing the enemy's formation apart. Nyreen had thrown her biotic grenades which lifted up the Cerberus troops high enough for Kacey to shoot them with ease. Even when the mechs got involved, Kacey made sure her inferno ammo sliced through the metal plates of the mech, destroying them in an fiery inferno. In an instant, the ground shook as an Atlas mech landed into the area.
"They left an Atlas behind to cover their retreat." Nyreen called over the sound of gunfire.
Kacey fired two inferno concussive shots right at the glass windscreen, causing it to crack as the shields were destroyed by Nyreen. Kacey had to admit that Nyreen was more than capable on the battlefield; she certainly had some talent. Her precision with her weapons was impressive, as Nyreen shot the pilot of the Atlas mech in the head, killing them instantly.
"All units, fall back and support the main attack!"
"I don't think so." Kacey said as she darted towards the Atlas mech and climbed into it, throwing the corpse of the pilot onto the ground. Kacey opened fire on the retreating soldiers, wiping the floor with them before the battlefield fell silent.
"I didn't take you as the type to kill retreating soldiers, Commander." Aria smirked.
"Neither did I." Nyreen said, sceptical.
"Technically they weren't retreating." Kacey replied, climbing out of the mech, "Not yet, anyway. Let's move."
Kacey walked off towards the elevator, with not another word on the matter. As the elevator moved upwards, Kacey could hear the Cerberus troops talking over the comms.
"Unconfirmed sighting of Target Alpha. Cut the power to that sector. All units focus on the Talon outpost!"
The elevator shook violently as the lights went out and the elevator froze in position. Kacey switched on her rifle's flashlight as she went over to the control panel to lower the ladder and began to climb up it with Aria and Nyreen in tow. The trio climbed through the dark elevator shaft, taking great care to avoid slipping and falling into the abyss below.
Before long, Kacey found herself walking along a darkened corridor before Nyreen took them back outside, adding, "I hope you're not afraid of heights."
Kacey found herself on the upper maintenance catwalk of the Talon outpost, where the Cerberus offensive was already underway. With Kacey having the jump on the troops, she threw a handful of grenades at the enemy force, shooting the grenades before they landed for maximum effect, leading to the Cerberus soldiers to be blasted off the catwalk.
"Target Alpha in sight!"
"Finally, a little recognition." Aria smirked.
"Actually, Aria, I'm Traget Alpha." Nyreen corrected as Kacey nearly choked trying to hold back laughter.
Aria scowled as she took her anger out on the Cerberus troops, blasting them away with her biotics. Kacey darted around the catwalk, keeping the pressure on the Cerberus troops as they struggled between the Talons one side and the trio on the other, boxing them in. Kacey found Aria's scowl hilarious; seeing the over confident asari taking a blow to her ego was something Kacey liked to see. After all, humility was a good thing and Aria could use some.
Kacey darted around the catwalk, shooting down as many soldiers as she could. She ordered Aria and Nyreen to move forward towards the Talon entrance before holding position. Kacey believed that this would allow them to prevent getting flanked by the soldiers as they flew up onto the catwalk. Kacey attempted to use the door, only for the doors to spark as it locked itself.
"What the hell?" Kacey said, before ducking back into cover.
"Lockdown protocol has been compromised so many times it hardly knows up from down anymore." Nyreen explained before turning her attention to her communicator, "Nyreen to base! Send an engineer to the catwalk's entrance! Door's jammed again! This may take a moment."
"Hold position, got it." Kacey replied, "Aria, you focus on the Atlas mech, Nyreen see if you can outflank the snipers on the right; I'll draw the attention of the main force."
"Are you sure?" Nyreen hesitated, "It sound like a suicide mission."
"I'll be fine. Just get those snipers out of the way." Kacey ordered. She was starting to get annoyed by everyone asking her if she was sure. Of course she was; she wouldn't have given the order if she wasn't sure.
Kacey circled around, shooting each soldier with pinpoint accuracy. Once she had successfully caught their attention, she showered them with grenades before shooting the ones in the hands of the Cerberus centurions, causing a string of explosions across the catwalks. It didn't take long for Aria to trash the Atlas mech, allowing her to return her focus to the main forces. Even as reinforcements came flooding in, the trio managed to hold them off until the Talon base doors flew open.
"Door's open! Let's go!" Nyreen shouted, "Let's hurry. I need to get to my people."
Kacey could see Aria roll her eyes as they entered the base. As far as Kacey was concerned, she had no interest in their drama and had even less interest in getting involved in any more. Nyreen marched off the elevator, leaving Kacey and Aria in her wake.
"We'll be evacuating this location as soon as possible." Nyreen said in a commanding tone, "Try not to interfere with my people's work."
"Intel just reported in." A mercenary said as they approached Nyreen, "The group of civilians we managed to evac arrived safely at the other outpost. Also routine sweeps reporting nothing new on the adjutant presence."
Kacey raised her eyebrow as the conversation caught her attention, "Adjutants?"
"Creatures created by Cerberus. They eviscerate their victims' DNA, converting them into more adjutants." Nyreen explained, handing the datapad to Kacey.
"Some kind of Reaper based weapon." Aria added causally, "I've fought them before. They're a nightmare."
"And you were planning on telling me when, exactly?" Kacey mused.
"When it became relevant."
"It got worse after you left, Aria." Nyreen said, steering the conversation back to the topic at hand, "Cerberus lost control of them. Those things tore apart the gangs, then attacked everyone on sight. If Cerberus hadn't found a way to contain them, the entire station would be infected by now."
"Well, I think it became relevant." Kacey said in a snarky tone to Aria before turning her attention to Nyreen, "Keeping your people alive through that couldn't have been easy."
Nyreen's face darkened, a sombre look on her face, "I watched friends get turned into monsters, and I had to kill them. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an outpost to defend."
Nyreen walked off, leaving Kacey with Aria in the middle of the base. Aria simply crossed her arms and scoffed, "The adjutants really got under her skin."
"I take it that empathy really isn't your strong suit, huh?" Kacey mused as she followed Nyreen. Aria simply scoffed in response.
Kacey stepped in front of Aria, blocking the asari's path, "Let's try to play nice. Maybe then, you'll get what you want."
"I don't need to play nice to get what I want." Aria said sharply as she walked over to Nyreen. Kacey followed, shaking her head as the hot-headed asari crime boss paced towards the mercenary leader. Nyreen didn't seem to notice the pair's arrival as she continued to hand out orders to her subordinates.
"Cerberus is backing off for now." Nyreen calmly said, keeping her eyes trained on the screens in front of her, "Make sure the scouts keep an eye out for the next attack."
"You've done an excellent job, Nyreen, but I'll be taking over now." Aria said, her tone firm. Kacey let out a deep, exacerbated sigh as Nyreen turned sharply to face Aria, who added, "You know what happens to people who argue with me."
Nyreen crossed her arms, standing firm, "And if I say no? You'll just kill me and take over? My people won't stand for that."
Aria scoffed, a disgusted look on her face, "Yes, they do seem…nauseatingly loyal. Either way, I'll get what I want."
"Not this time."
Kacey pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated, "The truth is, none of us can do this alone. Our only chance is to join forces."
Nyreen thought for a moment, "You might be right, but the people of Omega are my priority."
"You take over one gang and you think you're ready to decide what's best for Omega?" Aria scoffed, "Nyreen, watch and learn. Ahz!"
Aria pulled up her omni-tool, and before long, every screen had Aria's face plastered all over it. Aria turned, lowering her arm as she addressed her audience.
"People of Omega. I have returned!" Aria proclaimed, her voice full of confidence, "Cerberus believes they have beaten you. They believe they have you under control. They are gravely mistaken. You are the lawless of the galaxy. You cannot be beaten, and you will never be controlled. Be ready! Your chance to strike out against your oppressors is coming. Together, we will take Omega back!"
A round of cheers and applause thundered throughout the room. Kacey had her arms crossed, an amused look on her face, "How dramatic."
"That's your plan?" Nyreen questioned sharply, "Throw civilians at Cerberus?"
"Anything is better than being locked up like mindless animals waiting for slaughter." Aria argued back, her tone firm.
"I know what you're up to, Aria, and I don't like it." Nyreen snapped back, before turning her attention to her mercenaries, "I have civilians to evacuate. I'll deal with this later. All right, let's get these people ready to go!"
As Nyreen walked away, Aria moved away to the corner with Kacey in tow, now even more suspious than before.
"What are you trying to do?" Kacey asked once then were out of earshot.
"Trying?" Aria scoffed, "The people of Omega—my people—love a good street fight. When it breaks loose, they'll be ready. Nyreen's code of ethics won't let her sit by if civilians are exposed. It's what makes her utterly predictable and therefore easy to manipulate."
"And if the civilians get hurt?" Kacey asked curtly.
"Then they get hurt."
"Aria, they might love a good street fight but this isn't a fight against thugs or mercs, this is against trained soldiers using military tactics." Kacey reasoned, "They won't last long if at all."
"As long as we get Cerberus off this station, I don't—"
"Cerberus is launching another offensive!" One of the mercs shouted across the room.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who didn't like your little speech, Aria." Nyreen said.
"Glad I got his attention." Aria smirked.
"Commander, landing pads are yours. My people and I will hold the main doors." Nyreen said.
"Got it." Kacey nodded.
…
Explosions rippled across the landing pad as grenades exploded; Kacey had a feeling that these particular soldiers loved the small explosives. Kacey fired a concussive shot before darting towards one of the Cerberus generators and destroying it. All of the shields deactivated in an instant, leaving the enemy troops exposed to Kacey and Aria's bullets. Kacey ducked as she dodged another grenade being thrown at her before returning fire. As Rampart Mechs began to flood in, Kacey returned to cover behind some crates, taking a deep breath.
"Aria, push the mechs back!" Kacey shouted; the asari simply smirked before knocking the mechs back, sending them flying back through the entrance and off the catwalk.
With the mechs gone, it didn't take long for Kacey and Aria to finish off the Cerberus troops, leaving the landing pad covered in Cerberus corpses. Before either of them could breathe a sigh of relief, Nyreen spoke through the comms.
"Commander Shepard! We need your help at the main doors!"
"On our way!" Kacey replied, running off towards the main door. As Kacey darted towards the main door, she skidded to a halt as several rockets flew through the air, exploding on contact; Kacey narrowly missed the explosion as she stopped and moved behind the door frame. Kacey took a quick glance at the battle in front of her; more Cerberus troopers and two Atlas mechs. She wasn't surprised that the Talons were struggling; one Atlas was bad enough but two? Kacey focused on dispatching the soldiers before taking on the Atlas mechs.
"Nyreen! Take the Talons and draw the fire of the Atlas on the right! Aria and I will take the one on the left!" Kacey shouted, "Aria, take its shields down!"
Kacey darted around the back of the mech, opening fire on the engines in the back. It didn't take long for the engines to catch fire, causing the mech to explode. With the first Atlas destroyed, Kacey and Aria hit the rear of the second, supporting Nyreen and her mercenaries as they drew the mech's fire. As the mech blew up, Cerberus troops began to thin out.
"That's it!" Nyreen called, "Cerberus is pulling out! Let's talk, Shepard."
Aria smirked at the scarlet-haired commander, "Have fun, Shepard."
Kacey rolled her eyes in response before making her way to Nyreen. The turian observed Kacey carefully as she approached.
"The Talons will join your cause, Shepard." Nyreen said, "Someone's got to make sure you don't run roughshod over our people."
"You see, Shepard?" Aria smirked.
"Let me guess. She said I was predictable and therefore easy to manipulate?" Nyreen questioned.
"Yup. Pretty much word for word." Kacey smirked, "She thinks she's playing you."
Nyreen didn't look surprised as she replied, "Nothing new here. One thing though; I maintain command over my people. That is not up for debate."
"Just have them ready." Aria replied sharply.
"Oh, they'll be ready." Nyreen said before walking away. Aria snapped her fingers before heading towards the exit, instructing the scarlet-haired commander to follow.
…
"We're almost there, Shepard." Aria said as they approached her command console, "The Talons will be the frontline fodder. Now we just need to bring down the force fields to clear the way to Afterlife."
"Which will release Omega's civilians…" Kacey mused.
"Cerberus will have a million fires to put out." Aria explained, "In one fell swoop, we'll have the people and the Talons working for us."
"That's quite manipulative." Kacey replied sharply, "Throwing civilians and mercs under the bus to get what you want?"
"Does it really matter?" Aria replied coldly, "If it gets Petrovsky off Omega, why would it matter?"
"Because they aren't equipped to deal with advanced military soldiers." Kacey snapped.
"Look you don't have to agree with my methods, that's not why you're here." Aria responded.
"No, of course not, I'm here because you need someone who can win a ground war." Kacey said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "I might not need an excuse to tear Cerberus a new one but I do need one if you want to throw civilians into the fire!"
Aria smirked, letting out a small laugh, "Well aren't you a stubborn one? Come and see me once you've cooled off."
Kacey sighed as Aria walked off, running her hand through her hair. She didn't like it; and she certainly wasn't going to stand for it either. Aria was right about one thing; Kacey was stubborn, and she had every intention of doing what she had to.