Mass Effect: Association (PG-15, RPG Thread)

[Griff4815]

(OOC: Ugh, I'm just realising that I screwed up Brask's weapons. That should be a Striker Pistol, not a Hurricane Pistol. My bad.)

As the Shanxi took off for the mass relay, Brask tromped down one of the long, metal corridors of the frigate. He turned at a corner and stopped in front of the elevator.

He was outfitted in his heavy armour, which had since been cleaned of all traces of krogan blood and surface blemishes. Magnetically attached was his Tornado shotgun and his Duelist pistol. Before going into combat, he wanted to do a routine equipment check. He knew the importance of keeping one's gear in smooth, working order before going into a firefight. All it would take is a heat sink malfunction for him to wind up in a bad situation.

Brask stepped into the elevator and waited for lift to descend down to the cargo bay. He exhaled and leaned back against the back wall.

He thought about what had been revealed during the strategy meeting. The whole situation seemed suspicious to him. The unusual patterns in which the guards had died. The lack of an alarm raised. The mysterious nature of the development that had been going on at the facility. It all made him uneasy. He knew that Hec Brann was holding something back from them.

Brask attempted not to dwell on it. Going into battle with doubts was a bad idea. It would only distract him from his mission. He just had to focus on the job at hand and deal with whatever obstacles might emerge as they come.

As the elevator doors opened, he wandered out into the cargo bay. Brask noticed Domitian practicing his combat form. He watched with mild interest as the turian performed a highly refined blade dance. His movements were fluid and professional, but the krogan couldn't help but roll his eyes at his showmanship.

Brask walked straight over to Ariana's work bench and nodded over at Domitian. "Who's he trying to impress?" the tall, blue-armoured krogan asked with a smirk.

"Himself, probably," Ariana responded, smiling with amusement. "Think you can do that?" she challenged playfully.

Brask grunted. "Grace isn't my strong point, but I'm willing to bet I could lay him out in a one-on-one fight," the muscular krogan boasted. "Too bad my omni-tool got blown to pieces."

"Sounds like a convenient excuse," Ariana teasingly suggested. "How did you manage that?"

"Hm... I guess you could say it happened when I tendered my resignation from the Blood Pack," Brask responded casually. "They gave me quite the farewell party."

Ariana raised an eyebrow. "I can imagine..." she mused curiously. "The Blood Pack, huh? That's some unsavory company you keep, Brask."

"Yeah, well, not any more. I'm pretty glad to be leaving Omega. The Blood Pack has a lot of clout around here, so if they found out that I've been sniffing around like a hungry varren..." Brask trailed off. "Let's just say it's harder for me to operate out of Omega these days."

"I can imagine... So, you freelance now?" the asari mechanic inquired.

"Yeah. Since I'm not a member of a big organisation anymore, I don't have the resources to take on big jobs and operations anymore. Have to take small jobs - you know, bodyguarding, bounty hunting, muscle and coercion, retrieval... I've got an agent who sets me up."

"I see..." Ariana responded. She looked up at the tall krogan curiously, sensing that he didn't just come over for a chat. "So, is there anything you need?"

"Yeah," Brask replied, pulling out his shotgun and pistol. After making sure they were safe, he placed the pair of weapons on top of Ariana's table. "Can you check these? I want to make sure there's no problems before we get to Fafnir Station."

Ariana nodded and looked over the two weapons with scrutinizing eyes. "Tornado shotgun from Haliat Armory, and a modified Striker pistol from Elanus Risk Control Services... The barrel widened for higher caliber slugs. More stopping power, more heat generation and a slower rate of fire... about 150 RPM if I were to guess... I had a feeling you'd prefer heavy pistols to lighter ones. You want power over speed," she deduced with a faint smile.

A charming grin formed on Brask's face. "Looks like you know your stuff," he mused. "Not every asari knows her way around guns."

"I'm not every asari," she responded with a smirk. "Yeah, I'll take a look at these. It is my job, after all."

"I appreciate it," Brask answered.

"Maybe if this job goes on long enough, you'll even let me add some mods to these," Ariana suggested.

Brask chuckled. "You know the way to my hearts, don't you?" he said with a playful wink. "I guess we'll see how this operation goes at Fafnir Station."

"I guess so," Ariana replied, already beginning to strip down Brask's Striker pistol. "I'll be done with these in about half an hour."

Brask nodded and left her to his weapons. He made his way over to the practicing turian. He didn't announce his approach. The krogan merely watched Domitian's smooth and surgical movements.

Brask smirked and approached Domitian from behind. He assumed that the turian had already noticed him by now. Brask moved forwards and drew his combat knife. Purposefully getting in the path of one of Domitian's dancing omni-blades, he raised his large knife and blocked the swipe, smirking at the shorter turian as he held his blade steady.

"You've got some good moves, turian. Not everyone has the dexterity to use dual omni-blades," Brask noted, taking a step backwards and releasing Domitian from the blade lock. "They don't teach you blade work like that in the turian military... And that armour and jetpacks... I want to say you're a Havoc from one of the Armiger Legions, but you don't have the personal discipline to cut it in an elite turian unit," Brask mused, as if remembering. He smirked at Domitian. "You're kind of interesting, turian."

-​

Meanwhile, Keelo wandered the Shanxi. He didn't have much to prepare for the coming mission. His sniper rifle was in working order and his equipment was ready.

He passed the time by exploring the ship. The curious quarian that he was, he investigated every nook and cranny. Keelo walked around the CIC, looking at the various systems that the crew worked on. He noted the differences and similarities between the Shanxi and the ships that he remembered from the Flotilla.

Keelo really wanted to check out the engine room and the drive core, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be allowed in. It was understandable, as access to such important technology was sensitive. There were always concerns about technologies being replicated.

Rather than press his luck, Keelo offered his help to any of the bridge staff that needed it. He couldn't operate and of the ship's complicated on-board systems, but he was willing even to get them coffee or lunch. He was accustomed to pulling his weight wherever he could, he made sure that he would do so for as long as he could.

He continued to make himself useful until they reached the mass relay.

(OOC: I don't really have much to do with Keelo at the moment, so he'll just be around the ship.)

 

[storymasterb]

"You've got some good moves, turian. Not everyone has the dexterity to use dual omni-blades," Brask noted, taking a step backwards and releasing Domitian from the blade lock. "They don't teach you blade work like that in the turian military... And that armour and jetpacks... I want to say you're a Havoc from one of the Armiger Legions, but you don't have the personal discipline to cut it in an elite turian unit," Brask mused, as if remembering. He smirked at Domitian. "You're kind of interesting, turian."

Domitian sneered. "Ooh, how perceptive of you, krogan. Yes, sadly the Armiger Legion admired my prowess but were unwilling to stomach my manner. Something about 'inability to exercise proper restraint', 'insubordination', those sorts of things. But as you so accurately noticed, I was able to achieve their standards via my own work." He ceased his elegant kata enough to display the jump jets built into his armor. "I imagine the Havocs of the Armiger Legion would disapprove, but so long as I get results, I do not care."

He glanced at Ariana, noticing her going about her work, then back to Brask. "Not many use omni-blades to begin with, but I find the ability to wield two hidden blades at all times rather useful. I'm sure you understand how so." He chuckled. "And I have become rather adept with them, as you observed."

The turian paused. "But I do not think you came for idle chatter, krogan. What did you have in mind?"

----

The shadows of Melanie's room were deep. The Shanxi was dark, its lights not fully restored in some places, and her assigned room was one of them. She didn't entirely mind. She was used to living in the dark and it was soothing. The shadows hid her, hid her face, kept her safe. The darkness had been her shelter for years. When Cerberus had held her, the times when her cell was pitch-black were the only times she'd had respite from the pain of their instruction. She could lie in the shadows with tears on her face and for a time be still.

She shuddered at the memories and her bones ached as she recalled the times they had been broken.

Most of the Cerberus scientists were faceless in her mind, always hidden by visors or surgical gear. The guards too, clad in dark armor. But there were a few faces she recalled. There was that instructor, the one who'd drawn out her power by breaking her until it leaked out. The one who punished defiance and failure in the same way, by grabbing Melanie's limbs with biotic whips and making them bend in ways they weren't meant to. If someone were to look at her bones, the scars would probably still be there. Two years worth of twisted bones and voices digging into her brain. Two years of pain both physical and mental. After that, the dark wasn't terrifying. She didn't fear the dark, she feared the people who smiled in the light as they cut her open and tried to turn her into their weapon.

In some ways, a weapon was what she'd become, forged into one by both Cerberus and by Omega. Killing had become a grim necessity, committed without hesitation when it was her life or the enemy's. And the law became just words on paper in the face of her need to survive. It wasn't pretty or delicate. But surviving never was.

A knock at her door startled her out of her grim thoughts.

“Kalros,” the synthesized voice implying which krogan on board was unintentionally bringing down the door.

When the door eventually opened, Jahara stood there trying to look relaxed, but detested the necessity of the subject at hand. “A discussion of biotic abilities for cooperative measures would be imperative for mission success.” The statement was void of emotion, almost robotic.

Melanie lowered her hand. "Ah, Kalros. Sorry, you startled me." She smiled sheepishly, uneasy about this krogan. Brask she could read and understand and he wasn't all too unfamiliar. She'd met krogan like him before. But Kalros was something she didn't know. A female krogan was very unusual out here.

"Uh, biotic abilities?" she murmured. "I'm mostly about protecting things, I can throw stuff, put up a barrier and stasis enemies." She paused. "How about you? And, sorry if this is intrusive, but why are you here? Why'd you decide to accept this job?"

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

“Stay out!”

Having been forcefully ejected from the engine room once more, Cogwedj and his amphibious behind slammed hard on the cold metal floor as he heard the voice command. He had fortunately reacted in time to keep from having his head following suit, his hands out behind him to catch his weight.

Unlike the rest of the crew, the salarian engineer had apparently pushed the job and its apparent dangers to the back of his mind the moment they left the conference. Yes, he was highly interested in the mysteries of the operation, and he was also curious about the sleek and black ship that he had seen that belonged to their supposed targets. But simply put, those were questions that he did not have the capability of answering until he had more information. So until then, he busied himself with more present and immediate mysteries - such as the heart of the Shanxi.

“How many times do I have to tell you!?” a pony-tailed human engineer, garbed in the dark and muted colors of the crew’s uniform. “Only authorized personnel inside the engine room!” he yelled, his irritated voice resounding in the hangar.

“No need repetition, or physical aggression,” Cog replied as he stood back up, dusting himself off, obviously unperturbed by rough salarian-handling. He had barely been inside for a minute before he was found out due to the uncontrolled and loud squeal he emitted the moment he saw the wonderful beast that was the Shanxi’s engines.

“I wouldn’t need to if you just listened,” the human said disgruntledly with folded arms, staring at him with an annoyed gaze. “How’d you get in anyway? I was watching the door like a hawk!”

It hadn’t been the first time Cog had infiltrated a restricted room. When one was as obsessively interested into something as Cog was to large and complex machinery, one would find ways - not all of them legal nor orthodox. Often times, however, the salarian found that the best way into a guarded room was the simplest way.

“Air vent,” Cog replied, blinking once.

The human engineer stared, uncertain whether the unusual creature in front of him was telling the truth or was just saying something to throw him off. Then he shook his head and affixed a glare at him. “Well, whatever! I’m staying right here and keeping an eye on you, so don’t even think of getting back in there,” the human grease monkey said with folded arms.

“Noted,” Stele replied half-heartedly, unfazed as he looked past him towards the door. He would eventually find his way back in - he always did. A few cuts, maybe a bullet hole or two, were always worth the risk. But before he could make a move, a hand placed itself on his shoulder.

“Come on, weirdo,” Ariana said, rolling her eyes pulling him back to her work desk. “I can’t concentrate with you barging in and making a loud commotion every half hour.”

“Would be no commotion if just allowed inside,” Cog replied with a deadpan expression.

“No dice, frog face,” the asari replied as she placed him firmly in front of the work desk Cog had left his gadgets on haphazardly. “Instead, tell me how you made these,” she said, placing a hand in front of one of the salarian’s bombs.

She had gone off to his work desk in search of her tools. She didn’t trust the salarian not to have taken them while she wasn’t looking. To her chagrin, she was right in thinking that he had helped himself to her work instruments, but she also found it full of machinery she wasn’t familiar with. Even his mods were unusual to her eyes, full of features that shouldn’t make sense. But as with every engineer worth her salt, she was adamant in finding out how they worked. And more importantly: why.

Cog blinked and looked at her with a tilted head. “Utility explosives. Not hard. Finicky, however,” he told her.

“I know,” Ariana replied with slightly annoyed expression. “I looked at one of them, and the way you put them together tells me that they should have exploded a long time ago, like they’re barely being held together. Or at least shouldn’t be working at all.”

Cogwedj took one of his bombs, a black sphere with numerous screws and a gray pin protruding outwards. “Maximum efficiency. Optimized result.”

“Show me,” Ariana said, looking at him determinedly, smiling widely.

Cog observed her for a moment before opening his mouth. “Need materials. Not easy to-”

“Tell me what you need. I’ll get them for you. Just show me,” she told him, obviously not taking no for an answer.

The salarian, however, just nodded. “Very well. Could always use more. Better than without when needed,” he replied as he took his omni-tool and showed her a screen. “Top materials most important, necessary for intended purpose.”

“Right, come on then,” Ariana said, taking his wrist and dragging him to gather said materials.

As she pulled him along, she vowed to learn everything the open salarian was going to show her and use it to improve her own skills. Keeping him distracted and busy from entering the engine was also a highly relieving bonus.

-​

After making sure all his equipment were all primed and ready. Askari had taken his place in a small relaxation area of the living quarters. It was composed of a number of kitchen and cooking appliances and a long table with screwed in seats meant for a place where crew members could sit and dine, among other things, although for now, he was all alone. Depending on how long they would be on the mission, he doubted they’d be using it frequently or for its intended purpose. So far, more than half of their group were composed of private and wary mercenaries, not the type of people who would just sit and chat about their emotions or goals or thoughts.

Though it wasn’t like he was one to talk. Jason Askance might be quite the social creature, but his personal thoughts and feelings were privy only to himself and himself alone. No one has even called him by his real name in years - so much that it already felt alien to him.

The human sniper shook his head, ridding himself of such dreary thoughts, and gazed up for just a moment to spot his exact opposite coming in to gather what looked to be food stuffs for the busier members of the crew.

He merely nodded at Keelo, giving him a small smile and a few short but polite words of greeting, before letting him go off to finish his duties. The innocent quarian was so different from him - so open about his feelings. He had no doubt that if he could see Keelo’s face without his helmeted exosuit, it would be an open book.

He wondered if that made things easier for him.

“Course, not that they’d help me right now,” he said to himself as he looked back at the computer in front of him.

He had somehow convinced Hec Brann to give him access of some of the videos and images he had captured. It was in his nature to observe and study as much as he could. After all, sometimes that was the difference between living another day and being flat-on-your-face dead. But he still couldn’t understand how their targets were able to get in and out of the facility so cleanly and…mysteriously. How else could he describe it? From a tactical point, it didn’t make sense.

And it was giving him a headache.

Askari groaned as he rubbed his temples. He was glad no one else was around - it would probably be both amusing and unsettling to see the usual carefree sniper so worked up.

“Okay, Ask,” he then told himself as he placed his fingers back on the keyboard. “Let’s try another method,” he said, making sure there wasn’t anyone else. He had purposefully placed himself against a wall with the screen of his computer facing away from the lone entrance, as well as the single surveillance camera surveying the room.

‘If they're adamant about keeping us out,’ he thought to himself. ‘Then it's the infiltrator's job to get in,’ he finished as he started to try and hack his way through the system, using the photo and video the volus gave him access to as a starting point.

 

[Griff4815]

Brask took a step away and sheathed his combat dagger. He looked at Domitian with a watchful eye as he spoke.

"Not many use omni-blades to begin with, but I find the ability to wield two hidden blades at all times rather useful. I'm sure you understand how so." He chuckled. "And I have become rather adept with them, as you observed."

"It's an interesting combat style. That's for sure," Brask noted, folding his large arms. "Not much use at a range, but I guess that's why we've got those snipers and biotics with us."

"But I do not think you came for idle chatter, krogan. What did you have in mind?"

Brask turned his head and looked around the cargo bay conspiratorially. He saw Ariana walking off with Cogwedj. "...I don't trust our employers, and I don't think you do either. They're holding stuff back, but I don't know what or why," he said to the turian. "I'm willing to go along with what Brann says, but I just think we should watch ourselves at Fafnir. I know we're just the hired muscle and there's company secrets and all that, but there's enough weird things that I feel suspicious. I don't know about you."

Brask shrugged. "Anyway, maybe I'm over thinking it. I'm gonna go get ready for the operation," he told Domitian. The krogan turned and began strutting down the cargo bay. He glanced over his shoulder at Domitian. "Don't tire yourself out showing off, turian," he suggested with a smirk. "Our enemies looked professional."

The krogan made his way back to the elevator and started taking it up to the level with the living quarters. He had a few things to prepare in his room while he waited for Ariana to finish inspecting his guns.

When the lift's door opened, Brask stepped out and began heading down the ship's corridor towards their rooms. With heavy footsteps, he approached his quarters and prepared to open the door. The sound of a pair of female voices distracted him.

Brask turned and looked towards Melanie's room. He thought he heard Kalros' recognisable voice coming from there as well. Brask crept over to the door and listened in. He didn't interrupt or try to make himself known, but he could definitely see Kalros' form inside Melanie's room, asking her something about biotics.

"I'm mostly about protecting things, I can throw stuff, put up a barrier and stasis enemies." She paused. "How about you? And, sorry if this is intrusive, but why are you here? Why'd you decide to accept this job?"

Brask was interested in Kalros' response as well. He closed his mouth and pressed up against the corridor outside of the room. The krogan decided that he might just eavesdrop a little on their conversation...

 

[storymasterb]

"...I don't trust our employers, and I don't think you do either. They're holding stuff back, but I don't know what or why," he said to the turian. "I'm willing to go along with what Brann says, but I just think we should watch ourselves at Fafnir. I know we're just the hired muscle and there's company secrets and all that, but there's enough weird things that I feel suspicious. I don't know about you."

"Oh, I agree," Domitian replied with a chuckle. "Perhaps I had you wrong, krogan. This mission is too mysterious for my liking. They are trying too hard to keep us away from knowing exactly what was taken or how the attackers apparently disabled the guards. Even corporate secrecy doesn't account for how elusive Brann is about it." He deactivated his omni-blades. "I always watch myself, and I am certain you do too. Perhaps we should watch the others too. Irritating as some of them may be, we may need the extra hands once we find Elkoss' precious treasure, and they may prove useful in the meantime."

Brask shrugged. "Anyway, maybe I'm over thinking it. I'm gonna go get ready for the operation," he told Domitian. The krogan turned and began strutting down the cargo bay. He glanced over his shoulder at Domitian. "Don't tire yourself out showing off, turian," he suggested with a smirk. "Our enemies looked professional."

"Oh, that is why I was practising," Domitian laughed in answer. "I anticipate worthy foes in our future, krogan. I have not seen their like in such a long time, and I sincerely hope to cross blades with them before we must inevitably walk over their corpses to reclaim what they stole." He turned away. "But thank you for the concern," he added with a mocking chuckle before striding into the shadows. He had felt the eyes watching him and was curious about who they belonged to.

A quarian rested in the deepest shadows, their gaze fixed on him as he approached. Their suit was dark enough to blend in, dark enough that they could almost have stayed undetected forever. But his warrior senses were strong and he had felt this one's stare as he practised.

"I do not believe we have been introduced," the turian said.

"Yir'Naemis vas Shanxi," the quarian replied. His voice was a cold whisper, chilling like the air of a winter night. The plain visor was the deep blue of an ocean and only a few dots of color adorned the quarian's suit. "I'm here to keep the ship maintained."

"Ah, our mechanic. I had wondered why Brann didn't mention you previously," Domitian chuckled. "I thought Ariana was the mechanic? And why are you skulking in the shadows? Did you find my practice entertaining?"

Yir'Naemis shrugged. "She is, technically. But I was hired too, probably for redundancy. As for what I'm doing in the shadows, I like to be alone with my thoughts when I'm not needed. Sitting here, I don't usually get disturbed and I'm close to the drive core if I'm needed there. I'm surprised you noticed me. The only reason the others know I'm here is because they're used to me."

"When you fight for your life as often as I do, you develop a sense for being watched," Domitian said. "Your eyes were like knives in my back, quarian."

"My apologies," the quarian chuckled. "You have me at a disadvantage."

"Oh, were you not informed of our identities? My apologies for assuming," the turian said in his smug manner. "I am Domitian Occisor, blade for hire, scourge of criminal gangs, that sort of thing. I imagine you know why exactly I am aboard this rather dismal vessel."

"Something was stolen and we're getting it back," Yir'Naemis recited. "That's about what I know. I was hired just the same as you. Elkoss needed crew and I needed money."

"Is it by coincidence that you share a name with this ship?" Domitian asked. He hadn't encountered many quarians, or rather he hadn't engaged many in conversation. He had seen them in passing, killed quite a few, but it was rare for him to have reason to talk to one. Most were preoccupied or stuck on their Migrant Fleet.

"Vas Shanxi means crew of the Shanxi," the quarian replied. "Because that is what I am. I'm guessing you don't know the meaning of quarian names."

"Would you care to enlighten me?" His question was as sharp as his tone always was, demanding the answers. Not that he cared particularly much, but he couldn't deny some interest in this one.

"I am, technically, still on my pilgrimage," Yir'Naemis explained. "By the standards of my people, I am a child. But I have little interest in going back to the Migrant Fleet, so I dubbed myself an adult according to whichever ship I work on. I sell my skills and my tools." He stood up. "If I cared for tradition, my name would be Yir'Naemis nar Shellen, for the ship on which I was born, and I would not become vas until I returned to the fleet with a worthy offering for a ship to become my home. But I prefer life out here and I don't care for those traditions."

"Ah, one who does not fit in. I understand that well," Domitian chuckled. "It seems you and I may have common ground, vas Shanxi."

"Perhaps, but we are not alike," he answered. "You take a lot of pride in your fighting. I can tell from how you practice. To me, violence is a tool, as much as the tools I use to fix ships. Sometimes it's right for the job and sometimes not. I don't enjoy it because if I did, I might use it when it's wrong for the job."

"Oh, but you seem so... disappointed by your race," Domitian said, needling the quarian. "What is it exactly that drives you away from the fleet? Did you tire of the exhausting restrictions placed upon you? Or was it something else?" Though masked by his harsh manner, his curiosity was now genuinely aroused.

"I have opinions about certain subjects that my people find distasteful," Yir'Naemis replied, turning to walk away. "And I ask questions about things they don't want me to. So I find life away from their closed thoughts liberating." He laughed. "I imagine it's not quite like what you had in mind. No violent disagreements for me. I just question history in places my elders seem to prefer unquestioned."

"Philosophical disagreements are not alien to me," the turian replied. "I've experienced my share of them. But do you really find the life of a mechanic for hire so interesting? And I imagine a quarian who's made himself a nuisance cannot expect help."

"I don't need help," Yir'Naemis retorted. "I use the tools in my hands to survive. Sometimes that means fixing machines and sometimes breaking people. I'm free. That's what matters to me. I imagine that's what motivates you too, in a way." He turned his head to look back at Domitian. "You and that krogan. I didn't hear what you were talking about, but it had something to do with the mission, right?"

Domitian just inclined his head slightly in answer.

"I thought so," he said, and there was probably a smile on his face under that visor. "Elkoss cares a lot about this thing that was stolen. Someone else cares a lot about it too. I know that much. Whatever it is, it's got to be worth a lot to make them this desperate for it."

"Yes, that thought had occurred to me," Domitian deadpanned. "I did think it would be strange for them to go to such expense for an inert hunk of metal."

"You and the others should watch yourselves," Yir'Naemis commented. "If they want this thing so bad, they'll fight to hold onto it. The thieves, that is."

"Elkoss too, no doubt," the turian replied sardonically. "But do not worry, vas Shanxi. I'm sure we can exchange more enthralling conversation in the future. I imagine I know where to find you should I wish to know more about these unorthodox beliefs of yours. In the meantime, you must excuse me. I have spent enough time in this banter and must prepare for the strike on Fafnir Station."

"Keep your eyes on the dark," the quarian said. "I'm not the only thing that tries to stay unseen and in my experience, the other things tend to be a lot less friendly than me." He chuckled coldly.

"I am not afraid of anything, least of all things which have to cower in the dark," Domitian retorted with laughter of his own.

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

Askari’s head spun. He found quite a bit, probably more than what Hec Brann or anyone in this ship would want him to.

The first thing - or things - that he found was a set of dossiers on the whole crew, including the group that he found himself meeting with in Omega. It pleased him to know that they were all reliable at least, even if some of them had quite a…infamous reputation. There were also notes on each of them - he didn’t particularly like that they kept footnotes on how each of them could possibly endanger the mission…and how to stop each of them if they ever reneged on their contracts. Apparently, the ones like Domitian and Cog needed particular…supervision.

And then there were the chat and video logs. There weren’t many, but what he did find were quite informative.

There were mentions of how the Fafnir Station was raided. Mostly the things that they were already told about it. But then he frowned as he listened - other than projectile injury, there were mentions of high impact trauma. Although there were many possible reasons, there was one that stood out to him - biotic manipulation. Hec Brann had conveniently left that out.

And then there were talks about the stolen item and the possible raiders. Askari had to raise a brow at the mention of Spectres - even he had qualms about facing one. But then there mentions of the Citadel Council having no evidence to hang over their heads. And then there were mentions of making sure to keep him and his new acquaintances in the dark about the item so that none of their rivals, as well as Citadel itself, would find out about it.

It irritated Askari that there were no mentions as to what the item itself was, but it offered him important information at least. Whatever it was: it’s valuable…and maybe criminal. Not that it would change much - he’d already done some illegal things himself.

And finally, there was Hec Brann’s particularly vocal disagreement about the formation of their rag-tag group of misfits. And then he heard a name he didn’t expect to hear.

“Shepard worked out for Citadel.”

That definitely made Ask’s brow rise. He didn’t expect them to be compared to someone of such…reputation. But that basically told him that they were formed for a reason.

Askari sighed and nodded to himself as he shut down his computer, having transferred the important information to his omni-tool from his laptop.

The laptop itself was an odd fixture - by now, everyone was using omni-tools for the same functions of a laptop - but Ask found it had a certain appeal, especially since it allowed him the use of both hands. It also helped him that it had the added security and functions that he could manipulate, and it wasn’t that hard to connect it to his omni-tool anyway.

He picked it up and placed it in a box, clamping it closed. Then came his lock. It was a small thing and relatively normal looking. Until someone tried to break it, then it would explode, turning it and the laptop into shrapnel. And just possibly bringing along the hand that tried to open his case.

“Right then... I think I need to have a talk with a few people…but who…?” The human sniper spoke to himself softly as he stood up and thought to himself. “Most preferably, someone rational and reliable…and I think I know who.”

He then nodded as he took his laptop case and took the few steps out of the recreational room and into the hallway - right into the path of a certain quarian engineer.

“Ooops, sorry there…Keelo’Zannen nar Rayya. Being a helpful busybody, I see. That’s really kind of you. I don’” he told him with a nod, speaking honestly, if not oddly. “I like to keep busy myself, but probably the way you do,” he added with a grin and a wink.

“But I must say, winning a marksmanship contest on your first time… That’s impressive~ It’s real sad shame you didn’t join in on our…little contest back in the hangar, but I’m sure we’ll get to see you use those surprising skills of yours eventually,” he told him, patting his holstered gun on his side.

Ask then looked thoughtful, looking closely at Keelo.

“Actually, Keelo, could you come with me?”

The look on Askari’s face told him that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

-​

“Spying, Brask?”

Ask called out as he approached Melanie’s room with Keelo in tow. “That’s not gentlemanly of you at all,” he said with a small grin. It was hypocritical, but it wasn’t like they knew about it.

He walked over to the door and heard voices inside as well. He was surprised to hear Kalros’ voice. It looks like Melanie was the popular one in the group. And while he was curious about their conversation, it probably wouldn’t be wise for them to stay out in the hallway and draw too much attention. He gave Brask a slightly apologetic look, and then he knocked on the door.

“Melannie?” he called out as he entered her room - which would probably get quite crowded with all of them in. “And probably the rest of you too,” he said, turning to the others that were gathered in the room. He also made sure that the door to her room was closed. And locked.

He raised his omni-tool. “There are…a few things that we might want to know,” he told them, informing them a few things. Not everything - definitely not the part about Elkoss having a way to off them if anything happened - but definitely about the biotic-way the ones in Fafnir Station were killed.

And that what they were trying to get is not only valuable, most definitely very…VERY…illegal.

 

[Solsabre]

Kalros

The armored krogan stepped into the tight quarters for some privacy, letting the door sliding shut behind her. Kalros remained standing, keeping a comfortable distance between her and the human biotic. She leaned against the metal walls to appear more relax with her arms crossed in front.

“Um, biotic abilities?” she murmured. “I'm mostly about protecting things, I can throw stuff, put up a barrier, and stasis enemies.” She paused.

The female krogan mulled over several possibilities in combining their various biotics. Her initial training centuries ago had been with another krogan of similar abilities to her own. A ghost of a smile crossed her face remembering the battlemaster's endless frustration to answer her pestering questions regarding the finer points and nuances for biotic manipulations. She'd left him without words on more than one occasion.

Jahara closed her blue eyes, unseen under the helmet, momentarily with a painful throb in her chest from the sudden resurgence of memories involving Khax. Drawing a deep calming breath, the biotic krogan pushed aside the old feelings and straighten her posture to focus more on the present.

“How about you?”

“Spatial distortions and kinetic fields,” Kalros replied back with the nature of her biotics. “I can create pin-point spatial distortions to warp and damage armor. My kinetic fields generate explosive shockwaves, especially effective on immobilized or airborne targets.” The krogan biotic gestured a three-fingered hand towards Melanie to indicate a possible co-op strategy with her throw and stasis abilities. “Both abilities are rather destructive, especially if used in tandem. Normal krogan standard,” Kalros's sarcasm managed to leak through the voice synthesisor, though her words also betrayed her level of skill in using two different abilities in rapid succession.

Melanie interrupted her before she could continue.

And, sorry if this intrusive, but why are you here? Why'd you decide to accept this job?”

The abrupt inquiry startled Kalros with it's straightforwardness. Briefly choosing to ignore the personal question, the krogan held this female human with a steady gaze. She was reminded again of the spunky child, Ashlynn, back at the monastery. The comparison was startling similar if one took into account for the difference of years. Truthfully, this human, Melanie still seemed quite young, but carried carried herself with a maturity of a difficult life forced upon her. Oddly enough, Jahara flashed back to her own young adult years with a bitter embrace.

Deactivating the voice modulator, Jahara spoke in low cryptic whisper, “Sometimes, you do what you must for those you are responsible for.”

Not so-subtle movement outside in the hallway caught her attention, snapping her helm towards the doorway and turning the voice modulator back on.

“Spying, Brask?” A muffled voice carried through the door, clearly belonging to the other human on their team. Kalros suddenly tensed with her hands curling into tight fists. She all but punched the holographic button at her side to open the door just as Askari knocked.

The armored krogan stared hard at the male krogan in the hallway, ignoring Askari as he stepped into the quarters around her to address Melanie. “And probably the rest of you as well.”

It was a bit of a mad swarm of bodies to get everyone situated in the tight quarters to be able to close the door. Tight quarters with two armored up krogan. Much to Jahara's immense displeasure she got squished next to Brask. She jabbed an armored elbow not-so-gently into the younger male's side to give her space that simply didn't exist at that moment. Kalros snarled threateningly at him in case he objected.

“There are...a few things that we might want to know.” Askari's statement distracted Kalros from her current predicament. Her frown deepen as the human sniper described the way several of the guards may have perished from biotic manipulation and how that knowledge was kept from them. The mission she'd signed on for was becoming increasingly dangerous with the obviously illegal objective they were hired to recover. Jahara had a very good idea that Askari wasn't informing them of everything he'd learn, she could guess very well herself. Right now, the assembled team could only really trust each other to watch their back in case the mission went south. Even that was putting a lot of assumptions that none of them were infiltrators to deepen the ruse. They had no idea whether the rest of the ship's crew was aware of the deception or not.

“I'll deal with them,” Kalros spoke up, reluctantly volunteering to go into a direct and open confrontation with other biotics rather than a last resort. “Should we encounter biotics direct them my way and I'll keep their attention off the team.” Mentioning the possibility of Melanie and her joining biotic barriers for a strong defensive measure didn't cross her mind. With the growing danger of their employer turning on them, Jahara automatically leaned on her own abilities to prevail when sh*t hit the fan.

She'd lost count how many times she'd been in similar situations.

 

[storymasterb]

Melanie nodded as Kalros explained the nature of her abilities, seeing the more offensive focus of the krogan's biotic powers. That was understandable. Krogan didn't tend to think of defense and her few encounters with krogan biotics on Omega had shown her how fearsome and destructive they could be. Then her second question seemed to puncture Kalros' calmness, for the krogan did not speak for some time.

“Sometimes, you do what you must for those you are responsible for.”

Melanie blinked in shock at the unmodulated, feminine voice that spoke the words. "Those you are responsible for...?" she thought, opening her mouth to ask what Kalros meant. This krogan only grew more mysterious by the moment. She had had the measure of Brask quickly, Keelo and Domitian too, but other members of the group were still enigmas and Kalros most of all. Melanie didn't even know what she truly looked like.

Before her question could be voiced, Askari's voice came to puncture the moment like a pin bursting a balloon.

“Spying, Brask?”

"What?" Melanie muttered, turning her gaze to the door even as Kalros opened it with a hammered fist into the control. As Askari entered, his gaze was fixed on her and it was her he addressed first. Why her? He didn't know her and she didn't know him. They'd barely even talked, if at all.

Then her room was crowded by herself, Kalros, Askari, Keelo and Brask. In fact, crowded was a word incapable of accurately describing how cramped and claustrophobic the space became. Squashed against her bed with Keelo on one side, Askari on the other and the two krogan consuming the remaining space, Melanie found herself wondering if the ship's atmosphere could remain breathable with five people in so small a space. Kalros and Brask were competing for space, she noticed as she glanced around.


“There are...a few things that we might want to know.” Askari's voice brought her gaze back to him and she listened as he outlined what she presumed he had found via some creative play with the ship's systems. Elkoss had dossiers detailing each of them, that came as little surprise, though she wondered how deep their research into her went and if they knew about Cerberus. Several of the facility guards had died of high impact trauma, consistent with the result of biotic throws, suggesting that their unknown quarry had access to biotic abilities. That the item they were after was illegal enough for concerns to be voiced about the Council interfering, however, was both shocking and enlightening.

Melanie was silent as he finished, processing what he had just told them. The mission had suddenly become a lot more murky and complicated.

"I'll deal with them," Kalros offered, first to speak. “Should we encounter biotics direct them my way and I'll keep their attention off the team.”

"I'm concerned about the biotics," Melanie said. "But the other stuff too. What the hell are we searching for, exactly? What could be worth this much?" She couldn't imagine what kind of R&D project would be worth so much effort, both to steal and to retrieve. New weapons technology, perhaps? Some kind of superweapon developed in hiding for fear of provoking the Council's wrath and a turian fleet to reduce the facility to glass from above? A bioweapon of some kind? Or something more insidious. Maybe Elkoss had been developing AI in secret and feared the violent response should the experiment come to light. AI was a taboo subject in both Citadel Space and the Terminus Systems, one of the few laws the lawless stars had. No one wanted to see a re-enactment of the geth rising against the quarians. No matter what, it was clear that Hec Brann had revealed far less than he knew, and now they were chasing something dangerous.

"What have we signed up for?" she wondered aloud, a bitter edge sharpening her tone, before she regarded the group. "Askari, have you told Domitian, Cog and Roshiovis about this? And was there anything else, anything that might tell us more about the group we're chasing or what they stole or what Elkoss has in mind?"

It reminded her of Omega in the early days, when she didn't know anything and every shadow was dangerous and everyone's face was a mask. She'd struggled to survive then, unsure which people would give her a helping hand and which would shiv her when her back was turned, drug her into submission and use her, or worse. But she had been hardened and sharpened to an edge by that experience, and this time she wouldn't be unprepared. She already suspected that there was more that Askari wasn't saying, perhaps because he didn't fully trust them (though she noted by the absence of the other three of their group that either he couldn't find them on the way to her or that he didn't trust them at all) or because he didn't want to worry them. She could make a stab in the dark at it, perhaps that their employer's motives were less than innocent or that there was something else about the group they were pursuing, or some hint about the nature of the stolen item which would cause problems if he revealed it. She didn't know what it was exactly, but Omega had taught her to read into what people didn't say as much as what they did, and she knew he was hiding at least one thing from them.

She waited for him to respond and for the others to offer their insight, in case something they said helped her understand the mysteries now surrounding them like shadows.

----

"Approaching system relay," Yulik's voice chattered over the intercom. "All crew prepare for jump to Sigurd's Cradle relay."

Domitian stopped, regarding the stars through the viewing port of the vessel's starboard gallery. The galleries gazed into the void through small windows, allowing troops to observe conditions beyond the ship's armored shell. At least, originally that had been the purpose of the port and starboard galleries. Now they were empty, save for when the crew of the Shanxi wished to stare into the abyss.

The mass relay hung in space, its element zero core blazing like an eternal torch of blue fire. The relays were ancient and enigmatic, their secrets untouched despite century on century of study by the civilisations of the galaxy. Many believed the protheans had built them long ago, a network which could instantaneously move ships, cargo and passengers vast distances across the stars, others believing the relays outlived even the protheans. Recently some whispered of dark, cold horrors clawing their way through the relays from the dark between galaxies. Domitian laughed at such tales. In his eyes, the relays were but mysterious tools. Without them, it was a cold simple fact that interstellar civilisation could not exist. The distances between solar systems were insurmountable without them. He had heard mutterings of an expedition beyond the galaxy, an attempt to colonise another galaxy by dispatching a ship with a frozen crew. Madness. Surely without the power of the relays, such a journey would take decades, centuries, perhaps even more.

He was brought from his thoughts by Yulik's voice. "Three... two... one!"

Domitian had closed his eyes before the ship hit the relay. One did not simply stare into space during a jump, though whether because of the blinding glow of the relay's core at close distance or the jarring impact of a different starfield replacing the current one in an instant was never clear. Regardless, when he opened them several seconds after Yulik finished speaking and after he felt the violent shudder of the jump subside, the stars were different and a sun now burned in his view. They had leapt across a distance which would normally take years and years to traverse in less than a second.

"Arrival in Sigurd's Cradle cluster confirmed," Yulik chattered. "Now proceeding to Fafnir Station. Expect arrival within six hours." Domitian's mandibles twitched in amusement at that. Given the vast distances in space, a six hour arrival time was nothing short of incredible.

He turned and left the gallery, bored with the silence and hoping to find someone interesting to test his wordplay.

 

[Griff4815]

After spending a few hours helping the crew of the Shanxi, Keelo began to retire to his room for a rest. He figured that he might as well have a nap to regenerate and maybe play some games on his omni-tool as a means of passing the time until they get to Sigurd's Cradle.

He walked down the sterile corridor of the ship towards the living quarters. With the exception of the occasional passing crew member, this part of the ship was fairly quiet and tranquil by Keelo's standards. He was used to the crowded, claustrophobic ships of the Flotilla and the bustle of Tayseri Ward. He enjoyed the peace for a change.

This was interrupted when he turned a corner and collided into a familiar teammate of his. "Oh! Sorry," Keelo quickly uttered, stepping back from Askari.

“Ooops, sorry there…Keelo’Zannen nar Rayya. Being a helpful busybody, I see. That’s really kind of you,” he told him with a nod, speaking honestly, if not oddly. “I like to keep busy myself, but probably not the way you do,” he added with a grin and a wink.

Keelo wasn't really sure what he meant by that. "I just like to do what I can to help. I want to make sure that I pull my weight," he insisted.

“But I must say, winning a marksmanship contest on your first time… That’s impressive~ It’s real sad shame you didn’t join in on our…little contest back in the hangar, but I’m sure we’ll get to see you use those surprising skills of yours eventually,” he told him, patting his holstered gun on his side.

Keelo leveled a stare of shock at Askari. How did he know about that? Did he see him on the news or on the extranet? He didn't think that it was an accomplishment that would be widely known, but he supposed that that was how Elkoss Combine found him, so perhaps somebody on the crew told him.

The quarian felt a bit embarrassed. He was about to open his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted when Ask leaned in conspiratorially.

“Actually, Keelo, could you come with me?”

"Um..."

-​

Keelo found himself following Askari to Melanie's room. He wasn't sure what he wanted with either of them, but he knew he was about to find out.

To the quarian's surprise, he saw Brask lingering outside of Melanie's room, listening to the conversation of two familiar voices. Keelo felt it was a bit impolite, but he didn't say so.

“Spying, Brask?” Ask called out as he approached Melanie’s room with Keelo in tow. “That’s not gentlemanly of you at all,” he said with a small grin.

Brask tensed up for a moment and spun around with a scowl, knowing the two females inside heard that. "I was just on my way to my room, actually," he responded matter-of-factly.

Askari knocked on the door and revealed that he had some information that he wanted to share with them.

Brask heard a loud thump inside of the room. The door opened to reveal an utterly peeved Kalros glaring at him.

"Yup, she definitely heard that," Brask thought to himself, walking in as casually as possible.

The three guests all crowded into the small room and soon found that there wasn't a lot of space. Keelo ended up fitting on Melanie's bed along with her and Askari.

Brask ended up pressed against Kalros - not an ideal situation for him, being in the personal space of an angry krogan female whose ire was directed at him. He let out a sharp grunt of pain when he felt her drive her elbow into his side. "Ow! Hey!" Brask protested angrily, trying to move away from her but finding himself unable to thanks to the closed door. He released a low rumble in his throat.

He folded his arms and suffered the situation as he listened to Askari describe what he had found. He was a bit sceptical about working with a hacker, but, in this case, the information Askari found was useful to him. It didn't do anything to quell his doubts and uneasiness though.

"I'm concerned about the biotics," Melanie said. "But the other stuff too. What the hell are we searching for, exactly? What could be worth this much?"

"I have no idea..." Keelo said, frowning as he processed the information. "Illegal technology, maybe? If they are keeping it from the Citadel, then it must be something that goes against Citadel law. No wonder the facility was out in the Terminus Systems..." the quarian mused. "And if they don't want rivals finding out, then it must be some sort of prototype technology that Elkoss Combine doesn't want rival defence firms replicating. They must be worried about industrial espionage..."

At these revelations, Keelo couldn't help but feel his curiosity swell inside of him. As the mystery deepened, he wanted more and more to find out what they were searching for. "I wonder what it could be..." he murmured.

"All I know is it's something big and important," Brask explained. "If the Citadel and Spectres start to get involved, then..." He shook his head. "Who knows? All I know is that Elkoss is holding out on us. I don't like going into jobs blind."

Before Brask could continue, the intercom sounded and grabbed the crew's attention.

"Approaching system relay," Yulik's voice chattered over the intercom. "All crew prepare for jump to Sigurd's Cradle relay."

Brask heard the salarian's swift-speaking voice and decided that he didn't want to be in this cramped room when they went through the mass relay. He figured that, between him and Kalros, they'd end up crushing the three smaller aliens to death.

The krogan turned and pressed his hand on the button that opened the door. "Thanks for the heads up. I'm goin' to my room to prepare for the jump," he informed the other four.

Brask turned his head and looked at Kalros. "If I were you, I'd make sure to tell your turian brat about what Ask showed us," he suggested. Frowning, Brask turned forwards and walked through the doorway. "It's just better to have our team be prepared."

Keelo nodded. "Melanie's right. Maybe you should tell Cogwedj and Domitian as well. Thank you for telling us, by the way," he said to Askari as he stood up. Keelo smiled and nodded at Melanie and Kalros. "I'm going to prepare for our jump too. See you in the Sigurd's Cradle cluster. Keelah se'lai."

The green-garbed quarian walked out of his room and made his way to his own room. He wondered if, if they managed to obtain the stolen technology at Fafnir Station, they would be able to have a look at it before handing it over to Elkoss Combine...

Meanwhile, Brask sat on his bed and prepared for the mass relay jump. He heard Yulik's voice over the intercom, his high, nasal voice counting down. Brask kept one hand on the wall of his room and the other on the edge of his bed as the salarian hit one. Suddenly there was a sharp and violent shake through the ship as they jumped through space. Brask jerked forwards slightly but kept himself standing.

The krogan smirked a bit as the ship stabilized. He stood to his feet and activated his omni-tool. All that was left was waiting to arrive at Fafnir Station.

Brask decided to pass the time as he waited, as there wasn't much else he could do to prepare at this point.

"Almost time for some action..."

 

[Solsabre]

Veska Jahara/Kalros

"I'm concerned about the biotics," Melanie said. "But the other stuff too. What the hell are we searching for, exactly? What could be worth this much?"

“An object worth so much, they will not hesitate to relieve us of our contract and our existence if we show we know more than we should.” Kalros commented grimly, making sure the others understood the severity of their situation. “Sometimes, pretending ignorance is a viable method to survive such times.” Truly, she wished to be done with the mission and on her way back to the monastery with her sisters, but life was rarely so simple.

"All I know is it's something big and important," Brask explained. "If the Citadel and Spectres start to get involved, then..." He shook his head. "Who knows? All I know is that Elkoss is holding out on us. I don't like going into jobs blind."

“Oh, that point we can agree, whelp,” Kalros spoke flatly, not meeting the male krogan's eyes. Her limbs grew restless in the continuing cramp quarters, but she willed the rebellious appendages still in a brief moment from centuries of practice.

A ping over the intercom caught her attention.

"Approaching system relay," Yulik's voice chattered over the intercom. "All crew prepare for jump to Sigurd's Cradle relay."

The biotic krogan tilted her helmet to listen for further announcements, but none came. Rather, she sensed the whelp shift next to her hitting the door control. The entry opened with a swoosh. The male krogan faced Kalros before departing.

"If I were you, I'd make sure to tell your turian brat about what Ask showed us," he suggested. Frowning, Brask turned forwards and walked through the doorway. "It's just better to have our team be prepared."

Kalros regarded the whelp with stony silence. Speaking with her wayward son was foremost on her mind, once she located the d*mn pyjak that is. The krogan male departed first out the door. Kalros stretched thankfully in the newfound space.

"I'm going to prepare for our jump too. See you in the Sigurd's Cradle cluster. Keelah se'lai." The quarian youngling spoke next to her and Melanie before leaving them and Askari. Kalros's eyes followed his path until he left her sight. Keelah se'lai, young one, she mentally returned the saying.

The female krogan faced the remaining party members, Askari and Melanie. “Keep safe,” she directed at Melanie, still speaking with voice modulator with the male present. Her gazed lingered on Askari for a moment. When there was opportunity, she'd speak with him private. The shaman wanted to know what Elkoss had on her in their files. Without another word, she left for parts of the ship, searching for her 'brat'.

Jahara stomped through the halls watching and listening. Finally, she came to the mess hall and spotted the troublesome turian at one of the tables. Prey in sight, the biotic entered the room, but delayed joining him. Rather, she searched through the kitchen's compartments for dishes and food stuffs Finding what looked edible for herself and dextro based ingredients for Rosh, she went about creating a simple meal. Voids below, she was going to need the extra calories for the biotic usage that the upcoming mission was going to require.

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

Askari was quiet the moment everyone else started to speak. He did inform the lot of them about the whole thing, so he thought himself entitled to some silence. Maybe to rest his mouth and voice. Although really, if he had to tell the truth, it was because he was gauging everyone’s reaction to the new information that he brought to them.

Predictively, all of them became more wary of their employers. Kalros seemed to lean towards the irritated part of that spectrum, as well, while Keelo looked more worried. Both Melanie and Brask were calmer about it, at least visibly. He could understand their feelings well - he hated to think what they would do if they found out that Elkoss kept plans to keep their mouths shut.

And he could sense probing gazes on him. Some of them could probably tell that he was hiding something. They didn’t trust him. He mentally smiled - they shouldn’t, really. He didn’t trust most of them either, even Keelo. But he could rely on them…he hoped.

"Askari, have you told Domitian, Cog and Roshiovis about this? And was there anything else, anything that might tell us more about the group we're chasing or what they stole or what Elkoss has in mind?"

“Not really. I didn’t see Rosh here along the way or I would have brought him too. Though it might be for the best - we’re a tight fit enough as it is,” he said, grinning at her. “As for Domitian and Cog…I didn’t see them on the way here either, but I could imagine that they couldn’t care less about the information I found.”

He then tilted his head with a frown. “And no, I didn’t find out anything else. As far as I can tell, they’re as just in the dark about who our targets are as we are. And they’ve kept mum about the item in question - if they’re smart, they’ll probably keep any information about it away from as much digital recording as possible,” he told her. Then he smirked and nodded. “Though if they get careless…”

The human sniper let that trail off. They would know what he meant by it.

Then one by one, they started to leave as well. He gave Keelo a reassuring smile and nod - he supposed it couldn’t hurt to tell them. At the very least, he doubted it would change much. Domitian would still have heads to hunt, and Cog would still have a mystery to solve. They seemed very straightforward that way - he could appreciate that at least.

He then looked at Melanie, being the only two people left in the room.

“I suppose I’ll take my leave now, then,” he said, turning to her with a small smile and a nod. “Honestly speaking? I planned on telling only you at first, since you seemed the most…sensible out of everyone here. And I suppose it’s because we’re both humans? Have to watch each other’s backs, at least,” he added with a shrug, still smiling as he shook his head.

“In any case, I look forward to working with you, Melanie. Hopefully, this won’t be our last job together,” he said before leaving as well.

He stretched his arms, relieved to be out of a cramped and crowded room. It always unnerved him to lose moving space. It made it difficult to escape or retreat. He supposed he would have to prepare an escape plan, as well, if it all goes to hell and under.

Askari retreated to his own quarters, preparing for the ride. He had ship blueprints to analyze and map out, too.

-​

Cogwedj finally escaped Ariana.

When it came to machinery and mechanics, the asari was insatiable. She absorbed everything he told her like a water to sponge and was already starting to replicate his ability to increase the efficiency of his various handheld gadgets and utilities. And really, it was a good thing! He rarely ever had the pleasure of sharing the love of gears and machines and all things metal.

On the other hand, she was taking too much of his time (and the poor salarian didn’t even realize that that was her aim in the first place). He still wasn’t close to getting to the core engine, and what was worse, he was starting to get hungry. One should never work hungry, especially not a salarian.

So maybe, just maybe, that smokescreen bomb that went off wasn’t really an accident. And maybe there really wasn’t a small fire that she and the pony-tailed human had to deal with. No harm, no foul.

And so he followed his stomach. It didn’t take long for him to find it - they were in the same room as a certain turian and female krogan. He still wanted to know more about the krogan - Kallie, was it? He would remember later - but his priorities were now focused more on what she was making.

“Oh, vittles! Perfect!” Cog called out as he walked over, unwittingly drawing attention. “Enough for everyone? No? Shall make more then!” he said, not even giving her the opportunity to reply as he started to gather some of the ingredients she already had on her.

 

[storymasterb]

After Yulik announced the jump to the Sigurd's Cradle cluster, Melanie's room began to empty. She didn't blame the others for cutting matters short, a relay jump was always a violent experience and with all five of them crushed into such a small space, that experience would be less than pleasant.

Brask turned his head and looked at Kalros. "If I were you, I'd make sure to tell your turian brat about what Ask showed us," he suggested. Frowning, Brask turned forwards and walked through the doorway. "It's just better to have our team be prepared."

Keelo nodded. "Melanie's right. Maybe you should tell Cogwedj and Domitian as well. Thank you for telling us, by the way," he said to Askari as he stood up. Keelo smiled and nodded at Melanie and Kalros. "I'm going to prepare for our jump too. See you in the Sigurd's Cradle cluster. Keelah se'lai."

"Keelah se'lai," Melanie replied, unsure of what it meant exactly, but guessing it was a quarian farewell gesture of some sort. "If I see either of them first, I'll let them know." She didn't relish the idea of conversation with Domitian, since his idea of conversation seemed to be thinly veiled insults and posturing his self-assumed superiority, but it was possible he could offer some insight. If nothing else, he was experienced and she doubted highly that this was his first time dealing with an evasive employer.

He'd probably left such an employer in pieces, granted.

Kalros was next to leave.

“Keep safe,”

"Thank you, and you too." Melanie gazed after the female krogan, reminded of what had been said before Askari had entered. She assumed that Kalros was speaking with the modulator again due to Askari's presence, wondering what it was that had made her drop the electronic veil before and why to her specifically. Was it because Melanie was female too, or something else? Even with that small revelation, Kalros still felt like an enigma. Perhaps it would be a good idea to talk to her alone again in the future.

Then it was just her and Askari.

“I suppose I’ll take my leave now, then,” he said, turning to her with a small smile and a nod. “Honestly speaking? I planned on telling only you at first, since you seemed the most…sensible out of everyone here. And I suppose it’s because we’re both humans? Have to watch each other’s backs, at least,” he added with a shrug, still smiling as he shook his head.

“In any case, I look forward to working with you, Melanie. Hopefully, this won’t be our last job together,” he said before leaving as well.

Both humans, huh. It was as simple as that. And apparently he considered her the most sensible of the group. She didn't imagine it was a hard title to claim standing next to Domitian and Cogwedj.

"Hopefully not," she voiced into the empty air and shadows, since he was already gone. She knew he was still hiding things, perhaps information he'd found that he wanted to hold onto in case he needed to use it against them, or because he didn't want to worry them. She couldn't tell with him. He seemed charming enough, and he had shared at least some of what he'd found. She just knew he hadn't said everything yet.

She thought back to what else Askari had revealed before Yulik had interrupted.

“And no, I didn’t find out anything else. As far as I can tell, they’re as just in the dark about who our targets are as we are. And they’ve kept mum about the item in question - if they’re smart, they’ll probably keep any information about it away from as much digital recording as possible,” he told her. Then he smirked and nodded. “Though if they get careless…”

"What is it?" she murmured to herself, staring into the shadows. The discussion hadn't enlightened her more. It was still as elusive as ever just what they were after, who had stolen it, and why. All she had to go with was the suggestion that it was extremely valuable and dangerous, and that the people who had stolen it had biotic abilities and were clearly trained killers. She remembered the lethal shadows captured in the security footage stills, the one at the lead with the red visor especially. Where had they come from and why had they stolen the item? And what were they going to use it for? Were they just after a big payday or was there something more sinister going on?

She toyed with the thoughts for a while longer, until she felt the whole ship shudder from the impact of the relay jump. Yulik spoke again to let them know the jump had been successful and that they had six hours until arrival.

Melanie got up and left the room, pistol in hand. She headed for the elevator to the hangar bay. Perhaps Domitian would still be skulking around there, boasting about how awesome he thought he was, and if not she could find Ariana and ask her to look at the gun. It had saved her life plenty of times on Omega, but she was sure that Ariana could get more potential out of it.

----

Domitian walked the corridors in a haze of boredom. Crew members parted before him, unwilling to engage the turian in conversation. Even in his current mindset, his mere presence was intimidating. Assuming of course that the crew hadn't been told to keep interaction with them to a minimum. With how cloak and dagger the Elkoss Combine was running this mission, he wouldn't be surprised to find that only the essential personnel had been given much leave to talk to them.

He found himself back where he had started, by the elevator down to the hangar. He had thought of climbing a level higher and engaging their pilot in conversation, but then he doubted he would derive much amusement from the inane babblings of the junkie salarian. Hec Brann might have been able to match him, but the volus was evidently there to steer them in the company's preferred path and he had such little time for that. As for Gatatog Reor, if the thought of conversation with dumb muscle entertained him, he could always find their group's male krogan.

Before he settled on where else to wander, Melanie turned the corner to meet him.

"Ah, I wondered where you had all retreated to," he said with a chuckle. She bristled, of course, she had already grown distasteful of him. How quaint. She still tried to maintain some class despite bathing in the sewer known as Omega.

"We just jumped a relay, I assume you noticed," she replied.

"Oh I did, of course. I retired to the starboard gallery to gaze upon it, in fact," the turian declared. "Such marvellous devices, so very convenient. Were you headed toward the hangar? I believe Ariana was occupied with that salarian."

"I can wait," Melanie shrugged. "Actually, I was hoping to talk to you and him."

That piqued his curiosity. "Have you suddenly and inexplicably developed a fondness for my company? I thought you disliked me."

"I'm still not fond of you," she answered. "You're still a pompous ass."

"Oh, you wound me," he said with mock offense dripping in his voice. She rolled her eyes.

"For once, please drop the smugness and listen to me." There was her inner steel now, brought to bear from beneath the soft exterior. He'd noticed it lurking there and had expected it. She hadn't survived by being soft. She'd survived with this hard core, this ruthlessness that she kept buried until it was needed. She wasn't as different from others as she thought.

"You have my attention." He was sincere about this, sensing that she wouldn't come looking for him lightly. And indeed she spun quite a tale, relating to him that the mercenary Askari had uncovered a treasure trove of secrets in the ship's databanks. The item they were seeking was likely valuable and dangerous, enough so that the Council might take note if they knew of it. The assailants had used biotic abilities against the guards. And Elkoss had done thorough research on all of them.

He was uncharacteristically silent once she had finished talking in very hushed tones. Presumably she was afraid that the volus or his slab of muscle might loom around the corner at any moment.

"I see," Domitian finally said, going over the facts in his head. Certain things now made more sense, in particular Hec Brann's ridiculous secrecy. "Why did you tell me this?"

"If we're going to get the job done, we need to pull together, no matter how much we might piss each other off," Melanie said. "I don't like you, Domitian, but we're going to be fighting together. You have a right to know as much as any of us. Cog too, as soon as I or one of the others find him."

"Well, I thank you for your concern, though I am more worried about your safety than my own," he said. She shot him a look and he laughed to himself. "Was there anything more? I feel that either those databanks were rather sparse of juicy morsels."

She hesitated and he knew she was considering whether to share something else with him. For a moment there was silence, then she spoke. "Askari knows more, I'm sure of it. There's something else he found that he's not mentioning."

Now that he had almost expected. Askari seemed like the pragmatic sort. Perhaps what had been uncovered was something he could leverage against Elkoss or them if the need arose, something the mercenary wished to keep to himself for the time being. "What do you intend to do about it?"

"Nothing," Melanie shrugged. "There's nothing I can do right now except try to question him, and all that would do is make things tense. We don't need that with what we're up against."

He could see the logic in that, even if he wanted very much to know what other crumbs of information Askari was keeping hidden in that head of his. "It would seem then that we can only continue as planned. This information does not change our immediate course of action."

She nodded. "But we should keep in mind in case we learn more. Something isn't right here. That item was stolen from Elkoss for a reason."

"What the reason is, is another matter," Domitian noted. "We will have to endeavour to find out, for it may enlighten us further about both our employer and their stolen item." He turned away. "I must leave and ponder this further. For now, I thank you for your aid. Try not to think too much on it, however. Angsting about hidden motives and secrets would be a counterproductive way to spend the next six hours and I would hate to have to carry you to victory once we arrive."

"I almost thought you'd decided to be nice," she shot back.

"I am what I am, child," he answered as he walked away. "You cannot change me, nor can anyone else. You have done your part for me and I shall return the favor by slaying our enemies in battle."

----

Melanie watched him leave and sighed. Same old Domitian. But at least he knew now.

She got into the elevator, glancing to make sure no one had overheard her and the turian. It didn't seem that anyone had. The elevator descended at its usual ponderous pace and she almost wished she had someone in it with her. They could pass the time by chatting about something. Anything. Instead she was left wondering who had designed such a slow elevator and why no one had decided to fix it between then and now.

Once she had finally arrived on the hangar level, she found Cog nowhere in sight and Ariana back at her station, toying with some parts. The human girl crossed the room, pistol still in hand, and the asari looked up as she approached.

"Did you see where that salarian went?" she asked with a wry smile. "He was teaching me some interesting things, but now he's slipped off somewhere."

Melanie shook her head. "No, sorry, I haven't seen him. I was looking for him myself, actually."

"Oh? How come?" Ariana asked, fiddling with a gadget as she spoke.

"I just needed to discuss something with him," she shrugged. "But if he's not here, I can find him another time. It's not too urgent." She was a little wary of Ariana. She didn't know a lot about the asari and how much she knew about Elkoss and the mission. "Actually, while I'm here, are you free?"

"Sure," Ariana replied. "Want me to look at that, I'm guessing?" She gestured to the pistol and Melanie handed it over with a nod. "There's nothing too urgent for me to do and Yir'Naemis can handle most things."

"Yir'Naemis?"

"Oh, he's my partner here," the asari explained. "You probably haven't seen him, he keeps himself to himself. But as I said, I'm fairly sure he can handle most things, so I can definitely look at this for you." She regarded the pistol. "Edge make, manufactured by the Elkoss Combine, fittingly enough. It's seen a lot of wear and tear, guessing you've used it a lot." Melanie nodded. "Hm. It's well looked after given the amount of use here. You've clearly done your best on it. No mods though." She pursued her lips in thought. "With a weapon like this, precision and stopping power are the priorities, so I could tune it up to hit a bit harder or to better absorb the recoil. It depends what you're aiming for, pun not intended." She smirked.

"Make it hit harder," Melanie decided. "If I'm shooting something, I want it dead."

"Fair point," the asari said with a chuckle, effortlessly disassembling the pistol and retrieving some components from her desk. "So what's your story? Seems like your gun's seen a lot of action, and judging by the scar, you have too."

"A few years on Omega do that," she replied.

"What's a nice girl like you doing on Omega? Had the bad luck to be left in a trash can there or something?"

Melanie frowned. "No. Not that simple."

"Care to share? It's okay if not," Ariana replied, her fingers effortlessly wiring the mods into place. Though her appearance seemed like an attempt to deny her race's natural elegance, it was still there in her fingers and how they toyed with the metal.

Melanie's hand went to her left arm, cupping her forearm. There were still scars there beneath her clothes, the marks from broken bones and impacts with hard metal walls. "I don't like to talk about it."

Ariana stopped for a second, looking at her. "You sound like it was terrible," she murmured. "I can hear it in your voice. The pain you felt."

Melanie stared at the asari's fingers as she returned to work. "It was. That's all. Omega wasn't a picnic, but I could cope with Omega." Ariana set the pieces in place and they clicked into their slots.

"Done," she said, handing the pistol back to Melanie. "You can set up some cans if you want to give it a try. We left the ones from earlier over there." She gestured to where the shooting contest had been held. "Let me know what you think. I can try a bit more if you aren't comfortable with it."

"Thank you," Melanie said, taking the gun. It didn't weigh too much more than before in her hand, and she walked across the hangar to set up some cans. With three ready to be shot, she stepped back about fifty metres and took aim. Bullets rang out, making some of the crew look up to see whether Domitian had kicked off another contest. The three cans fell, blown back easily by the upgraded pistol.

With a smile, Melanie turned and gave a nod to Ariana.

"Satisfied, I'm guessing," the asari smiled back.

"Thank you." She folded the pistol into its compact form, clipping it to her hip. "If Cog comes back, can you let him know I need to speak to him?"

"Will do," Ariana said. "Good luck with the mission. I'm down here if you want to talk and pass the time." With a nod, Melanie walked away towards the elevator.

 

[Clewt]

(So sorry for the long delays, guys. Between major car problems and being dead sick for the last week I haven’t had time nor felt well enough to write much. :-/ This poor post has sat unfinished for over a week now, but here he is )


Rosh kept quiet throughout the meeting. With an arm across his midriff, elbow in hand, he lazily held his chin. As he listened to the briefing and follow up questions, he occasionally rubbed the still-sore jaw.
Once again, lack of information on the mission bothered him, but he let it pass without much of a gripe. He had been dealt the same treatment by authorities countless times in the past.
Once the opportunity came, the Turian raised a hand to get the Volus’ attention.
“I’d like to have copies of the visual files.. if possible.” He spoke only loud enough to be heard over the others debating.

Satisfied with getting his request heard, he gave a nod before pushing off the wall to make his way for the door.
By the time he made back to his room, Rosh felt the vessel shift around him as they left port. Retrieving his main sidearm, he did a quick check of it condition, reloaded, and holstered it. The familiar weight of it was a small comfort.

The pang in his stomach quickly decided his next move for him. Glancing at the ration bars stacked on his table, he chose searching for something more appetizing seemed worth it.
Popping his head out to survey the hallway Rosh noticed a small group forming a few doors down. He easily recognized one of them simply by the back of her armor. He only took a second before his hunger out weighed his urge to be nosy.
He walked at a leisure pace on his way to the cafeteria, taking in the general design and layout with actual attention.

Once arriving, to his relief, the Turian had the area mostly to himself; likely because most of the crew were on duty since the announcement. Slipping into the kitchen, he methodically searched through cabinets, pantries, and fridges. The preparation and organization he found looked commendable to say the least. They had everything stocked and labeled with obvious care for the diverse staff of the ship and apparently their expected arrivals.
Crouched in front of one of the many cupboards, he pulled out a vacuum-sealed meal. Scanning over the contents for a brief moment, he deemed it acceptable. After being spoiled with a colony that had a plentiful stock of good food, not much could compare.

Popping the tray into the nearest heating unit, Rosh twisted around to lean into the edge of the counter. With a flick of the wrist, his omni-tool came to life. He occupied the few minutes of waiting by launching a worm program into the main online server for the ship. A lazy tactic he had used in the past for easy information.
Leaving that to do its own thing, he moved onto the actual encrypted data, personal messages and dossiers. As he flipped from one tab to the next, slowly making his way through one wall after the next, he spotted another unidentified code roaming around.
He wasn’t the only one getting into things they were not supposed to, apparently.

The short ding sounded, abruptly pulling his attention away from the new intrigue.
Turning around, he just about had his talons on the hot food before another sound went off, but this one came from his omni-tool.
A quick sequence of jingles alerted him to new mail. Taking a quick look he saw ‘Shanina’ar’ pop up as the sender.
“Marcus..” the name came out in a trilled sigh, not surprised in the least to see him already filling Rosh's inbox.

Nabbing the tray, the Turian headed for a seat facing away from a wall. He barely had his rear on the seat before opening the message.

‘Hey Rosh, Just wanted to check in. Dresden said not to bother, that you can take care of yourself but you know me. ‘
‘..kids miss you..’
‘Qotsei’s pissed you didn’t tell her you were leaving.’

Rosh scrolled down through the young man's ramblings, skimming through as he halfheartedly picked at the food in front of him. Marcus always did have a bad habit of writing essay-long messages and reports.
‘Dresden was grouchy about aching scars yesterday..’

The remark stood out to him, giving the Turian a sinking feeling of melancholy. Setting his utensil down, he sat back, letting his omni-tool flicker off. After doing so he caught a brief glimpse of someone passing into the kitchen. Mandibles twitched as his gaze wandered the cafeteria, finally landing on his half eaten meal. He had completely lost his appetite again.
Standing up, he let out a quiet groan, annoyed himself. Taking the tray back to the kitchen to clean up, he walked in on its new occupants.
The Salarian, with whom he had not had a chance to speak to personally, looked to be moving about with purpose around Jahara-Kalros; yes that was the name she had used.

With his interest peaked, Rosh remained at the doorway, curious to see the end result of their work.

 

[Griff4815]

(Sorry for the delay. I've been super busy up until now. I'm pretty much on vacation now though, so I'll have a lot more free time to post.)

-

Brask marched down the corridors of the ship with one purpose in mind: to eat.

His two stomachs were growling like a hungry varren, obnoxiously reminding the krogan that he hadn't had a proper meal since his tryst in Omega. He knew that he needed to fuel his body up in order to prepare for the coming operation. Not only that, but he wanted to see just how good this turian chef actually was.

To that end, he took a detour upon reaching an intersecting hallway. His keen eyes' 270 degree vision came in handy; Without turning his head, he spotted Lucianus - clearly identifiable by his pristine, white lab coat - walking out of the med bay and moving in the opposite direction. His target in sight, the predator spun around and began stalking his turian prey.

With surprising stealth for a krogan of a few hundred kilograms, he crept down the hallway, licking his lips with anticipation. Lucianus didn't seem to notice him; he was too busy looking at medical files on his omnitool. The footsteps he heard behind him were brushed off as a passing crew member. He didn't think to react when Brask closed in on him.

The turian within attack range, the krogan lunged.

"Hey, Lucianus!" Brask exclaimed loudly, suddenly placing his large, three-fingered hands on Lucianus' shoulders, stopping him in his tracks with a tight enough grip to keep him from escaping.

"Ah!" Lucianus jumped slightly at the abrupt grab and the sudden presence behind him. The turian turned his plated head, his soft, blue eye landing on the krogan behind. "O-Oh. Uh... Hailot Brask, isn't it?" he spoke, regaining his composure. He smiled a bit uncertainly. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, actually," Brask responded, still not moving his hands from Lucianus' shoulders. "You're the chef, aren't you? How about some food? There's a big operation coming up and I can't think when I'm hungry."

"But don't krogan humps store nutrients and fluids for nourishment?" Lucianus posited.

"Well, yeah, for when I'm stranded in the desert or something," Brask responded dismissively. "Why rely on that when I can have a delicious meal?" He smirked at the turian and cocked an eyebrow. "Or are you not up to the job?"

Lucianus looked pensive for a moment. "Well... Alright. It is my job, after all. I don't have a whole lot to do right now anyways," he conceded.

Brask grinned and spun around, walking back towards the mess hall with the turian.

Lucianus followed him, looking at Brask curiously. "Do you have any preference?" he asked with an obscured hint of dryness to his flanging voice.

"Whatever you want, chef. I'll eat anything," Brask cockily declared as he lumbered ahead. "Preferably levo food, but I've eaten dextro before too."

Lucianus couldn't help but frown at this admission. "As a medical professional, I cannot condone you eating dextro-amino food. At the very best, you cannot properly digest the proteins of the food. I know that not every case of ingestion results in anaphylactic shock, but there still can be negative effects on your digestive system," the turian doctor advised. "Even for more resilient krogan."

"Oh, I know. I've been on the can for an entire evening several times after eating at dextro restaurants. Totally worth it," Brask answered with a laugh. He looked over his shoulder at Lucianus. "Don't worry, Doc; I know what I'm doing. I'll just say... dextro foods aren't the only turian proteins I've eaten before..." he explained, casting a sly, charming smirk at Lucianus.

It took a moment for the meaning of Brask's words to set in. Lucianus looked aside, momentarily embarrassed. "I... see," he muttered. "Thank you for sharing that..."

Brask chuckled and stopped at the entrance of the cafeteria. Beyond the circular tables and surrounding seats, he saw Roshiovus lingering at the entrance to the kitchen area. Curious, Brask marched in and wandered over to the black turian.

"Rosh, you seem lost in thought," he observed as he closed in on Roshiovus.

Emerging behind the turian, he looked over Rosh's shoulder and gazed down at the half-eaten, packaged meat. Brask's eyebrows furrowed and he leered at Rosh judgmentally. "You actually eat that packaged crap? You have a working tongue right?" he asked him. Without asking, Brask dipped his finger into Rosh's food and brought his claw up to his face to sniff it. "This smells like it belongs in a krogan lavatory. How can you eat this stuff? Especially when we've got a chef here." He brought the food covered finger to his mouth to try it.

"Brask, please," Lucianus beseeched him, walking over to the pair. "I just told you about the concerns of eating dextro-amino proteins. I'll make you something."

Brask rolled his eyes and shook the food off of his finger into Rosh's food tray. "Fine. Mind if I look around while I'm here?" he declared, walking inside the kitchen unilaterally regardless of Lucianus' response.

The doctor sighed and smiled politely at Roshiovus before following the krogan inside. They both noticed Kalros and Cog present in the kitchen. It seemed as if Kalros was trying to prepare food and Cog was making a nuisance of himself by pilfering her ingredients.

Brask shook his head. "You know, we do have a chef, supposedly," he declared.

"I would be happy to make you all something nutritious. Dextro and levo alike. I am the crew's chef, after all," Lucianus offered. "I won't pretend to be an amazing chef. I am open to requests, but I should mention that what I can make is limited to the ingredients that we have in the stock cupboards and my own culinary knowledge. We have common meats, vegetables, fruits, carbohydrate products... I can do my best with that."

"I'm fine with whatever, Doc. Surprise me," he said with a grin. He folded his arms and looked between Kalros and Rosh with amusement. "Have you two broken the ice yet or are things going to be awkward on this operation? I'll facilitate it over food if I have to." He looked at Lucianus. "Meanwhile, make your signature dish. I want to try your best. Don't think that just because I'm a krogan you can shovel garbage onto a plate and call it food."

"I do have some standards..." Lucianus responded flatly, starting to get to work by preparing the kitchen.

 

[Solsabre]

Veska “Kalros” Jahara
Ship Kitchen

“Oh, vittles! Perfect!” Jahara released a long grumbling sigh at the salarian’s exclamation behind her.
“Enough for everyone? No? Shall make more then!”* The female krogan barely managed to set several of the ingredients on the counter before said amphibian popped up beside her and nabbed a few of the items. Jahara smacked a salarian hand away from the foodstuffs she needed immediately. With a subtle gesture, a sharp knife skidded across the countertop with a faint biotic field to her other side-away from the rambling salarian. She swore she felt like she was back at the monastery making dinner with children under foot.

“Fine,” she muttered, the flat monotoned voice echoed, figuring the salarian wasn't going to sit down and stay out of her way. She'd barely had time to investigate the cabinets for proper cooking ware, when an irritating voice interrupted.

"You know, we do have a chef, supposedly," The whelp. Glancing towards the open doorway, she spied two turians with him, the ship's doctor and Roshiovus.

"I would be happy to make you all something nutritious. Dextro and levo alike. I am the crew's chef, after all," The crew's turian doctor- and chef- offered. "I won't pretend to be an amazing chef. I*am*open to requests, but I should mention that what I can make is limited to the ingredients that we have in the stock cupboards and my own culinary knowledge. We have common meats, vegetables, fruits, carbohydrate products... I can do my best with that."


Jahara opened her lips to declined, but pause to consider a moment. In light of Askari's data diving, she didn't know the so far kind doctor's full role in their employer's secrecy. Pushing aside her personal paranoia for necessity-a reoccurring trend, the biotic krogan turned towards *Lucianus, accepting his offer. “Very well, I've already gathered ingredients needed for a high-calorie dish,” the armored krogan stated, figuring the turian doctor understoond the high-energy needs of biotics, especially krogan ones. “I'll leave the preparations up to you.” And keep you busy long enough to speak with my son.

Kalros moved to step away, when the whelp, looking smug, piped up, "Have you two broken the ice yet or are things going to be awkward on this operation? I'll facilitate it over food if I have to."

“We have,” she said with a clipped tone. “ And no.” Jahara preferred to speak with Rosh alone without an irritating, blunt, and crude young male -a typical male krogan in other words, nearby by to interject. She spared a glanced at the salarian. The biotic shaman was actually tempted to leave him in the dark in the event he might blabbed and screw them all over. However, if she didn't, one of the others might do so anyway. Choosing to shoot two pyjaks with one shot, Jahara attempted to nab the salarain scientist by his lab coat to drag him from the kitchen to the dinner room. “Let's leave the doctor to his work.” To Rosh. “Table NOW.” To the whelp. “You don't need to join us.” On her way out, she plucked a sealed water canteen from storage.

Stomping through the mess hall, Jahara settled on the far table from the entrance with her back to the wall, all the better to see if anyone suddenly entered. Taking a seat with care, she broke open the canteen's seal with a sharp snap while waiting for the others to sit. Next, the biotic krogan released the catches of her helmet to remove it, exposing her face completely. She felt sick exposing herself like this. Unfortunately, it was impossible to eat through the helmet. Plus, she'd likely have the salarian's undivided attention with the helmet off since he was so fascinated by her. She met Rosh's and Cog's eyes with her own clear blue ones, deliberating ignoring the whelp in case he did follow. Leaning forward, Jahara spoke with her voice low.

“There's more going on then our 'employer' is telling us...”

She told them what Askari had 'shared' so far with the rest of the group.

 

[storymasterb]

Lured by the sound of conversation from the kitchen as he passed it, Domitian entered. His red eyes swept the room, finding Brask and Lucianus within, Kalros just leaving through the other door with Roshiovis and Cogwedj in tow.

"Well well, what have we here?" the turian announced. Lucianus glanced at him, taking in the dark-armored figure, then returned to bustling around the kitchen and retrieving ingredients and cutlery from various cupboards and drawers. The kitchen space was as spartan as anything else aboard, made to serve filling meals to soldiers as they were ferried between the stars. Given such an environment, Domitian wondered what the doctor might conjure for them to eat.

"I was just preparing a meal for those present," Lucianus said. "Were you looking for a meal or are you here to prod me about my past again?"

"I was simply searching for conversation," Domitian said, feigning affront. "Most of those aboard this vessel seem unfortunately mute and I have no interest in talking to walls, be they organic or synthetic. But if you are offering refreshment, I will gladly partake."

"Should I prepare to feed the entire ship?" the doctor asked as he began to prepare his gathered ingredients. "If you were planning that, I may have to get some help."

"Oh, no, it will just be the five of us dining at this present moment, though I cannot speak for any who may arrive late to the meal," the soldier sneered. "I find your variety of professions rather bemusing, I must confess."

"You work on a frontier colony, you get used to picking up a lot of different tools," Lucianus replied. "I do what I can to help, be it sewing people back together or making sure they get a good meal inside them."

"How the mighty have fallen," Domitian mused, leaning against the door frame.

"You might see it that way, I do not." Both were silent for a moment, the only sound that of Lucianus' knife slicing ingredients. "Are you going to stand there and supervise everything I do, Domitian?" His tone was clipped, as though his saintly patience was wearing thin.

"I am merely being cautious," the Havoc chuckled mockingly. "You will forgive me if my lifestyle has led me to be somewhat suspicious of what others feed me. Occupational hazards abound and poison has such a nasty habit of trying to slip into my meals."

Lucianus bristled. Though he did not speak and there was no change in the rhythm of the knife's chopping, it was clear that he knew what was being insinuated and that the wound Domitian was jabbing was still sore.

"Still, I suppose you have little reason to, say, accidentally feed me the wrong meal," Domitian mused. "And I have yet to associate with our companions in the next room, so I will take my leave and see what they might have to offer." With a curt nod to Brask, he swept from the room and into the mess hall. As he approached the three within, he saw Kalros unmasked and the other two at her side. She was talking to them, and as he approached, he overhead enough to realise that she was sharing with them what Melanie had informed him of. Askari's intriguing find. What a strange scene this was. A female krogan, her adoptive turian son and the eccentric salarian, bound in conversation about the dark dealings of the Elkoss Combine.

"I see we have all been made aware," he declared to them. "The human girl saw fit to inform me of those curious morsels Askari found for us." He sat a table away, resting his claws on the surface and tracing lines into it. "What, then, do you make of it?" If nothing else, their responses to such information might give him the measure of them, and to know more of them was something he desired. If Askari and Elkoss were watching for daggers in the dark, so would he. Which of the group might be motivated to betray the rest at the promise of such a valuable prize? And who would be frightened away by the looming shadow of the Citadel and the Spectres?

He awaited their answers in silent anticipation.

----

Melanie lay on her bed once more, having returned to her room. She brought up a video on her omni-tool, playing it. It was a cheesy kind of drama, the sort manufactured in Citadel Space by people who earnestly believed in cooperation between humanity and alien races. The sort that Cerberus and her parents would despise. It was about a ship voyaging across the stars with a crew of many different races, turians side-by-side with quarians, asari, salarians, krogan and, of course, humans. A serialised show, it told of their expeditions, their encounters with alien species on the fringes of known space, recurring clashes with the geth (represented by rather unconvincing holograms) and more, filtered through the kind of cheery feel good spirit that made the show a guilty pleasure for her. She'd found it while on Omega, watching illegal streams from Citadel space and getting to know the characters. Space Odyssey resonated with her because it so refuted the beliefs of her parents and Cerberus. It spoke of cooperation, friendship, even love between different species.

Silly and awkward as it could be at times, it spoke to her.

"But you can't remove your suit," one of the characters, a human woman, said. "We couldn't touch, we couldn't kiss..."

"No," her quarian love interest answered. "But that doesn't mean what we have isn't valid. Though I wish it could be otherwise, that I could hold you with my bare skin, we can still love one another like this." He reached out and pulled her into an embrace. "This is still love, even through my suit, no matter what others might say."

Melanie rolled onto her side, adjusting her arm so she could still clearly watch the episode. The human planted a kiss on the quarian's visor and smiled, and uplifting music played. It was so corny and yet so heartwarming to watch. Understanding and love, not the hatred and cruelty she had grown up with. She remembered it. Being pulled away from aliens whenever her parents thought one might talk to her, told never to associate with 'the riff-raff' and 'the scum', told to look down on them and scorn them. And she could never do that. They weren't so different. They might eat different food and speak different languages and look different, but they were people just like her. People who smiled and cried and loved, and she couldn't understand why her parents hated them so.

Why Cerberus tried to mold her into a weapon against them.

"I love you, Sonn'Jimun."

"I love you too, Rachel Joselyn."

It was a distraction, she supposed. After everything, she still believed in goodness and morality and decency, but sometimes the cruelty of the galaxy wore her down. She'd had to hurt people, kill people, in order to survive. She could say that survival wasn't pretty and that she'd done what she had to, but that hadn't stopped the guilt making her want to drown in alcohol. And drowning her sorrows often ended in nightmares of Cerberus, of broken bones and fingers clawing inside her brain. She needed things like this sometimes, these cheesy, silly shows that were so saccharine, just to give her a smile on her face when the darkness was especially deep and the shadow of Cerberus stood tall.

It was going to be a while before they arrived. She could get through a few episodes before she prepared for Fafnir Station.

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

Although initially disgruntled - his hand still stung from being smacked away by the krogan in a manner that wasn't unlike a mother reprimanding a child - Cog was quick to turn back to his interest at hand, that being the plate of food that someone else was now making. It had barely registered to the salarian that more people had entered the room. He was definitely more preoccupied by the thought of finally supping and filling his stomach.

He turned to Lucianus, an innocent smile on his face. “Take requests? Lovely! I will like a-“

And just like that, the engineer was once more pulled away from his object of interest. First was his interest in the engine, dragged away by a determined asari who wanted to better herself in her craft. And now, he was pulled away by the back of his clothing from his love of food by an irate krogan for god knows what.

“Let’s leave the doctor to his work.”

“But my vittles!” Cogwedj cried, reaching out to the turian chef. “I am famished! Don’t just stand, assist me!” he called out to the others.

Alas, his cries were all but ignored by the rest, letting him be taken by the biotic krogan to the far end of the mess hall, most likely to avoid further crossing the already annoyed-sounding female. In took but a moment for him to be forced into his seat, further joined by Kalros and Rosh. He blinked for but a moment.

Cog had the sense - or perhaps he was still absorbing what had just happened - to let Kalros remove her helmet before he spoke.

“And what reason did you drag me away roughly, hmmm?” he asked, folding his arms and frowning at her. He had half the mind to just stand and walk back to the kitchen, but it looked like the doctor-chef was already cooking regardless of what he was going to request. It definitely smelled like it too. “As salarian, I’ll have you know that I have not sated all day and require minimum amount of calories to function in the capacity that I-“

Although his gaze met the krogan’s, his words were ignored. She merely waited for his jabbering to silence itself before she leaned forward and spoke in a low tone that Cog had to lean as well to hear. It had better be worth his trouble, being kept away from his food.

“There's more going on then our 'employer' is telling us...”

With a few short and succinct words - the biotic krogan seemed like she was used to speaking in such a concise way - she told them all about what had transpired in Melanie’s room.

If Cog were honest, it didn’t intimidate him at all. In fact, he wasn’t one to hide his thoughts anyway. “This changes nothing,” he told them, leaning back and blinking. “More factors and troubles, possibly, but aim still the same. Find, retrieve, return. Hopefully one piece - both item and everyone included. Besides, already on the run,” he told them, shrugging.

It wasn’t like he kept it a secret. He was still technically a wanted man.

“Any case, most likely not all told. Many mysteries - will be hard work solving all, but good challenge,” he added, nodding to himself. “But to solve, I require sustenance.”

He turned back to the kitchen, still smelling the food that was being cooked. “Chef, my vittles!”

-​

Askari found himself walking around the ship as soon as they exited the jump. He was mentally reading the ship’s blueprint in his head, noting any differences and changes they might have made on the ship that was different from the original schematics. So far, he wasn’t finding anything that wasn’t planned, but he would have to spend more time in and around the ship to be sure. There could always be secret compartments that needed either specific knowledge or a stroke of luck to find.

He found himself in the bridge in a matter of minutes.

The infiltrator let himself look around, noting the various desks and computers, as well as the helm where Yulik stationed himself at. The salarian seemed like a curious sort - always on the go, much moreso than the usual salarian, at least. Both him and Cog seemed that way, and he wondered if the mission itself had that effect or if they just got really lucky in the salarian drawing.

He walked over to him. “Hey, Yulik,” he called out, making sure the salarian could hear him walking over. It was unsettling to make himself be heard, but he didn’t want to surprise their pilot enough to jerk the ship and its occupants around.

“Ah, hello!” the salarian replied, still staring at the expanse of space before them. “Enjoying the ride? Going off at fastest speed possible! No change inside, of course, but the thought is thrilling, isn’t it? Haha!”

Ask let himself smile. Yulik was one of them, he supposed. An external recruit and not affiliated with Elkoss or any organization, and from his dossier, he was constantly chasing for that rush that only a blast of speed could give. It unfortunately didn’t give any record of what he used to be in his constant…’high’, Askari supposed he could call it, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find out. But that could wait another time, for now, he wanted to know something else.

“How long before we reach the Fafnir Station?” he asked, looking out.

“Oh, soon, soon!” was the reply.

 

[Griff4815]

Brask sat alone at a cafeteria table. He was positioned with his back to the wall, directly opposite to the one that Kalros has staked her claim to, on the other side of the room. It gave him a good view of Kalros, Roshiovus, Cogwedj, and Domitian. He assumed she was filling them in on what Ask had informed them of. He vaguely wondered if the mad, salarian scientist knew what they had been hired to pick up. He definitely seemed more like the science type than the mercenary type. Brask figured that Elkoss Combine must have hired him for his technological or scientific expertise; if so, then maybe they told him ahead of time what to expect.

Brask shrugged and settled into his seat, his stubby tail bending a bit as he was forced to manoeuvre in the chair that was definitely not created for krogans. The seat itself was basic, hard, and utilitarian, which already made it difficult for him to get comfortable.

The krogan's thoughts were interrupted by the long, deep symphony of his growling stomachs. Braks rubbed his firm belly and quietly awaited the nice smelling food that came from the kitchen. Brask tapped the metal edge of his holographic datapad that rested on top of the table before him. He decided that he wouldn't factor the inadequate seating into his review, since it wasn't exactly a restaurant environment.

His face momentarily lit up when he saw Lucianus emerge from the kitchen with a plate of food in his clawed hands. Brask didn't let it show, but he was starving. He wouldn't let his hunger play a factor in his opinion of the food, however.

"It's done," Lucianus explained, smiling a bit uncertainly as he approached the table. He glanced over at the other table "Yours are all prepared, as well."

"Not too shabby in terms of speed," Brask conceded, not looking up as he grabbed his datapad and began methodically typing on the holographic keyboard.

Lucianus raised one of his plated eyebrows and placed the large plate down in front of Brask. "I hope it doesn't disappoint," he offered, also placing a pair of eating utensils on either side of the plate.

Brask turned his head and stared down at the plate. His emerald eyes narrowed and he scrutinized the dish, also taking an audible whiff of its scent.

The dish consisted of a large cut of meat - by the looks of it, vacuum-sealed so that it could be preserved for lengthy space flights. It had a rough, dark brown exterior. Earth meat, Brask guessed. It certainly wasn't Tuchankan or Thessian, and most Palaven meat was dextro-amino based. Given the amount of humans on board, Brask guessed that Lucianus went with a cut of beef. It was covered in a simple brown sauce, delicately drizzled over the top of the seasoned meat and around the plate.

Brask took his knife and sliced seamlessly into the earthy meat, cutting it open to reveal of a soft, pink, medium-rare center. Beside it was a generous helping of a variety of cooked vegetables. They ranged from green to yellow to white in colour. There were probably more vegetables than meat on the plate. "...Sure are a lot of plants on this plate," Brask noted, glancing up at Domitian as he cut a piece of meat off and pierced it with his fork.

"These vegetables are an excellent source of the vitamins and minerals you will need for the upcoming mission," Lucianus explained, very much in the doctor-like way that Brask expected. He supposed that he should have guessed that Lucianus would emphasize the nutritional aspect of the food.

Brask blandly stared at him and popped the piece of meat into his mouth. He closed his eyes and chewed the soft meat, which broke apart under his strong jaws and sharp teeth. He felt the juices and the salty, tangy sauce coat his tongue. "Hm..." he hummed, thinking hard about the taste, texture, and composition of the food in his mouth.

Lucianus turned around and began to walk away to serve the others.

Brask's eyes snapped open. "Hold it. I'm not done with you yet," he abruptly said to Lucianus, stopping the turian in his tracks.

"Pardon?" Lucianus asked, turning around with surprise. "Is there a problem?"

"I haven't told you what I think yet," Brask explained between smacking his lips. He swallowed the bite of meat and shoveled some of the vegetables in his mouth.

"Er... I really should feed the others, Brask," Lucianus explained, gesturing over his shoulder.

"One minute..." Brask said, swallowing hard. He nodded and began typing on his datapad while staring at Lucianus. "...It doesn't taste like complete crap. When I'm eating beef, I prefer it rarer and bloodier than this, but it's not terrible. It's soft, but sometime's it's good when meat has a bit of toughness and bite to it. The meat itself isn't that fresh, but it's vacuum-sealed stuff, so I won't hold that against you," he explained.

"...I appreciate that," Lucianus politely replied, although his voice just dry enough at the absurdity of the situation. He glanced at Brask's fingers typing away on his datapad. "Are you reviewing my cooking...?"

"Yeah. I am. That's why I told you to make your best," Brask responded. He leered at Lucianus. "And this... This isn't your best. The vegetables need more seasoning. I'd might as well be eating the plants out of the ship's hydroponics. The sauce is a bit bland. It's underseasoned."

"Er... I apologise?" Lucianus said, not without a bit of exasperation. "I didn't expect you to have such discerning tastes..."

"Just because I'm a krogan?" Brask responded with a playful smirk before putting another piece of meat in his mouth. "Mm... I've got a popular food blog on the extranet," he informed him. "It's called 'Korbal! A krogan's take on FOOD!' I've had it for about six years now. I got an average of about five thousand daily visitors. Double that when I post a new review."

Lucianus couldn't help but blink at this revelation. "That's... impressive, Brask."

Brask smirked and licked his reptilian lips. "Not bad for a krogan with a shotgun and a datapad, huh? People like that I don't hold back in my reviews. I use colourful krogan language and I'm not afraid to tear some assholes a new one, but when it comes down to it, the site's so popular because I know my stuff. I don't just review Citadel restaurants, but food from all over the galaxy. I love trying new food. It's like sex for the mouth."

"It's... nice that you have a passion," Lucianus uncertainly said, managing a smile.

Brask grunted and his grin broke slightly. He placed his fork down. "...I don't know about a passion. It's just something that I do because I like it. Eating good food feels good. Just like having amazing sex feels good. I'm not passionate towards either. I just enjoy the acts. Simple as that," he bluntly explained, staring up at Lucianus with a guarded, emphatic gaze.

"...I see..." Although frowning a bit at his words, Lucianus nodded and turned around. "I should get the others their meals now."

"Yeah, okay," Brask replied, going back to eating his meal. "At the very least, it's not bad for a doctor. I'll give it three dead salarians out of five."

"I see..." the dark turian murmured as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Despite his words, Brask finished the meal entirely, the fatty edges of the steak included. It was a decent enough meal and he was hungry enough to eat it all. Satisfied at having his stomachs filled enough to sate them, he pushed the plate away and continued writing his review. As he wrote his literary masterpiece, he spoke his words aloud to himself.

"The sauce tasted okay... looked like a sick pyjak had the runs on my plate..."

 

[Solsabre]

Veska ‘Kalros’ Jahara
Ship Dining Hall

Jahara leaned back in her seat, the chair creaking ominously under her weight. She waited quietly for the crazy salarian and her son to respond. Her eyes cast about the room for unwanted guests. Fortunately, only the whelp appeared from the kitchen to sit at the far end of the dining hall and Domitian from the hallway, though she didn’t like how he was looking in their direction.

“This changes nothing,” Cog told them, leaning back and blinking. “More factors and troubles, possibly, but aim still the same. Find, retrieve, return. Hopefully one piece - both item and everyone included. Besides, already on the run,” Cog told them, shrugging.

The female krogan listen to the salarian’s prattle, though she resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows at the salarian very causual admission to being on the run.

“Any case, most likely not all told. Many mysteries - will be hard work solving all, but good challenge,” he added, nodding to himself. “But to solve, I require sustenance.”

“Good, so long as you understand our position and don’t blab it to our generous ‘employer’,” Kalros muttered. She too was wondering what was holding up the good doctor with the food, but saw the whelp blathering on about the quality of the food to the dark turian. Her son, Rosh, remained quiet on the matter still, but before she could speak further more company joined them. Her blue eyes narrowed ever so briefly when Domitian finished crossing across the room to join the group, but seating himself at the next table over.

"I see we have all been made aware," he declared to them. "The human girl saw fit to inform me of those curious morsels Askari found for us." He sat a table away, resting his claws on the surface and tracing lines into it. "What, then, do you make of it?"

“More trouble than it’s worth,” Kalros said clipply, the salarian yelling in the background ‘Chef, my vittles!’ The biotic krogan leaned forward on her arm, “but nothing else we can do other than finish the mission.” And past the point of backing out without alerting Bran. “I’ve been in worse scrapes.”

Realizing the turian was fishing for personal details and reactions, Kalros grabbed her helmet and secured it. She rose from her seat and left for the kitchen. On route, she discretely typed a message with instructions on her omnitool to be sent to Rosh, trusting him to properly erase the message so it couldn’t be traced back to her.


::In the event I get drugged...Shoot me. A direct hit, none of that grazing crap it needs to be painful. I know exactly how much of a dosage it takes to disable my biotics...and how to quickly burn it out from my systems. A little known secret of the krogan blood rage.::

The female krogan deactivated the omnitool with a slight gesture. She stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a heaping plate of food to eat back at her quarters. As an afterthought, she assembled a second plate with a slight smaller portion and departed for the living quarters.

*********************

Kalros paused by Melanie’s quarters, knocking to forewarn the female human. The door opened with swish, the krogan presented the smaller plateful to her, “Eat,” the synthesised voice echoed, “Food prepared with biotics in mind.”

Without further explanation, the armored krogan left for her own quarters silently.

 

[storymasterb]

The knock at the door snapped Melanie from her focus on the episode of Space Odyssey she was engrossed in. Pausing it with a tap of her finger, she looked up as Kalros entered and offered her a plate of meat and vegetables.

"Eat. Food prepared with biotics in mind."

"Uh, thank you," she replied, a little thrown by the suddenness of it. She wasn't especially hungry or she would have gone searching for the kitchen, but the food was welcome. Before she could say more, Kalros was gone. She had had a second plate, Melanie noted, presuming she was leaving to eat. Again Kalros puzzled her with such a warm gesture. First the dropping of the voice synthesizer for her and now this.

"What's going on there?" she murmured to herself as she took the cutlery Kalros had handed her with the plate and took a forkful of vegetables. As she ate, wondering who had cooked the food for a moment, she dismissed her omni-tool and considered. Not just Kalros, but what lay ahead. What was waiting for them at Fafnir Station? She remembered the cold killers she had seen in the security footage. Ruthless. Their every movement precise and clean. They weren't to be underestimated, she could tell that much. Had that been approval she had seen in Domitian's eyes as he regarded it? Probably.

Soon they would see.

----

Domitian accepted a plate and cutlery from Lucianus with a sneer, dissecting the food as though he were vivisecting an unfortunate enemy. He devoured the meal in precise chunks, savouring it as he went. It was cooked for nutritional value over aesthetic and taste, he could tell. While it did not taste terrible, Lucianus had spared spices and anything to improve the taste in favour of simplicity. How very turian, he chuckled.

He overheard Brask critiquing the food with amusement in his eyes. There was a quirk he had not anticipated in the slightest. So perhaps the krogan was more than just a slab of muscle. Some would say to learn from that subversion of assumptions, but a krogan who was more than dumb muscle was rare indeed. In their case, his expectations were almost always met to perfection.

“More trouble than it’s worth,” Kalros said clipply, the salarian yelling in the background ‘Chef, my vittles!’ The biotic krogan leaned forward on her arm, “but nothing else we can do other than finish the mission.” And past the point of backing out without alerting Bran. "I’ve been in worse scrapes.”

Domitian nodded. "Business-like, I see, Kalros. I concur. Although I very much wish to know what precisely is being kept from us." He laughed, and she got up and walked away. Reactions from the rest of this gathering seemed unlikely, so he returned to the meal. He would indeed need the nutrition if a fight were to break out at Fafnir Station, and he very much anticipated it. A group as ruthless and brutal as the one which had raided the Elkoss facility would not relinquish their prize easily.

---

Fafnir Station Vicinity
Several hours later....

Fafnir Station hung before the cockpit screen, a hunk of ugly metal dumped into the beautiful starfield. Docking arms reached from it into the void, some clutching ships to this precious shell of life in the deathly cold of the stars. Other ships were departing, their vessels repaired and their cargo either acquired or sold. It was like Omega, Domitian noted. Cleaner. Less savage. Far smaller. But akin to it.

"Any sign of their ship?" Melanie asked. The group was assembled here to see the station which they might soon be turning into a battlefield.

"No visuals," Reor said, stood at Hec Brann's side as ever. "But it could be docked on the other side of the station or only just have left." He thumbed behind him, where Yir'Naemis clung to the shadows of the cockpit. "The buckethead back there's going to hack the station logs to check if they've got records of it."

"And I will do as soon as I can gain access to their network, which needs me to be physically on the station," Yir'Naemis replied coldly.

Melanie frowned. "Why do we need to do that? Why not just ask around about it?"

"We're more likely to find what we need by checking records of recent arrivals," the quarian answered. "We can also find out which berth they're docked at and get information on the layout to plan a raid on the ship."

"Asking the locals may also result in the enemy becoming aware of us," Domitian added. "Therefore Yir'Naemis acquiring the information we need covertly avoids the risk of them fleeing before we can board their vessel."

"To gain access to the network, Yir'Naemis will need to physically access a terminal," Hec Brann said. "Therefore our first priority is to secure one and bring him to it while causing as little disturbance as possible. We do not have a map of the station at this moment, so you will need to find a convenient terminal and work from there."

"Surely the entire group isn't needed for such a small task," Domitian replied. "Indeed, all of us accompanying Yir'Naemis may pose a larger risk of alerting either the station authorities or our quarry. Perhaps it would be wise to separate. A small number will help to locate and secure a terminal, while the rest of us may fan out and see if we can uncover our enemy or their ship in the meantime."

The volus considered it. "Perhaps that would be wise. Though I would recommend you do not stray far, so that you may assist the hacking group if they are discovered."

"Oh, of course," the turian chuckled. "I had no intention of leaving them entirely without my help. Who knows what might happen to them?"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "I'll go with Yir'Naemis. I've got some tech expertise myself, so I might be able to help him."

"And as I suggested that we separate, I am sure you can imagine that I intend to scout the station myself," Domitian sneered. "I will try not to invalidate your entire task, girl."

"Try not to get yourself killed before we know if they're even still here or not," she sniped back.

"What will the rest of you do?" Hec Brann asked. "Remember, a small group accompanying Yir'Naemis is more beneficial to his chance of success."