Fandom Mass Effect: Zenith - Chapter One: New Beginnings

[Shannon Trevor]

The Krogan didn't seem like the talking type. Not uncommon among the species John supposed. Whenever the giant alien opened his mouth, it was usually to the point. Nyis, Van Stiver and Xavier were already saying their goodbyes. The Colonel nodded to each in turn as Herc looked to him. "Just how close are you to our employers?"

"I'm not," John replied, fixing the Krogan with an even stare. "I've only ever met one representative, a man called Runcorn. I know they're serious though. They have the money and influence to find out about the station, acquire their own ship and assemble a team of considerable talent." John had faith that their backers were serious but he understood that belief might not be shared by people who had just met him less than thirty minutes ago. "They're not bluffers," the Colonel continued, rising to his feet, clapping Ellen on the shoulder as he did so. "As for what else they might be...well, I intend to find out in due course."

John standing up seemed to signal to the rest of the group that it was time to move out. He allowed each of them to file out ahead of him before taking himself over to the bar. "Beer. Anything human, please."

He waited for a man in a smart business suit to squeeze himself into the small gap beside him. "You still don't trust us," Runcorn said, looking up at John.

The Colonel shrugged his broad shoulders. "Spent what feels like a life time in spec ops and intelligence," he said as he reached into his pocket. He set the minuscule listening device on the bar before Runcorn hurriedly scooped it up. Even Van Stiver's checks couldn't detect it. Again it spoke to just how connected his employers were. "The cloak and dagger routine lost its allure for me years ago."

Runcorn nodded. "It's necessary, Colonel." He waited as John took a hefty swig of his beer. "Glad to see you took our advice of departing as soon as possible. The young man, Xavier, he might be an ass but he's perceptive. We need to get a start on any other group who may be after the Glory."

John looked down at Runcorn, his brow furrowing. "So it's confirmed they are other interests after it? Would have been good to know. That's your job, isn't it? I don't like it when I can't give my people the full picture."

Runcorn looked at his feet, wilting under John's gaze. "You did say to expect trouble." John grunted and turned back to his beer. "We knew it was likely, Colonel. This sort of information would never have stayed hidden for long. Your employers went to some suspense to keep it suppressed for as long as they could."

John finished his beer before tapping the face of his Rolex. "I have a ship to catch." He left Runcorn standing at the bar as he strode off in the direction of the docks.

 

[lightdrago]

After collecting his things, Xavier decided to contact Krix. The old Turian probably would like an update on the job. "Change your mind yet?" Krix asked him immediately when he picked up, a hopeful note in his voice.

"Nope!" Xavier said cheeefully. He could hear the hopeful note die out as Krix sighed over his Omni-Tool. "In fact, I'm heading towards the ship now. We are now the proud crew of the Zenith."

"The Zenith, huh?" Krix replied, repeating the words. "And how are the rest of your crewmates? Playing along?"

"As well as I can."

"So no."

"I'll try to," Xavier stressed. "I may not become besties with them, but I will try my best to cooperate with them. If only just to get that sweet, juicy credits." He already transferred a quarter of the 20,000 up front to Krix. He hoped the station is real, just so he could keep the steady flow of income coming.

"This is probably your biggest mission yet," Krix told him. "Play nice."

"Alright, alright," Xavier said. "We'll see what happens. Talk to you later, Krix." He deactivated his Omni-Tool and looked down. Deeming the jump safe, he hopped off the vents he was walking on and cloaked as he descended. Walking out onto the Docking Bay, he stared at the ship with a bit of interest.

"It's prettier up-close, huh?" he joked, decloaking next to whoever was there.

 

[Epiphany]

After the toast, it seemed everyone was inclined to be about their business. And Nyis had business of her own, if she intended to get an inventory of the ship's medical bay before setting out. So the Asari settled her tab and made her way out of the lounge before heading down to the docks. Having received directions to the Zenith, Nyis accessed the ship and made an inspection of its medical bay. Much as promised, the interior was a damn sight better than the exterior. Although not a new ship, it seemed sturdy enough and surprisingly...modern.

This was an alien ship. Nyis made her way to the medical bay, following the directions her Omni-Tool pulled from the ship's internal wireless, but she took her time at it. Her gaze lingered on the panels, conduits, the size of the corridors and the way everything was laid out. The medical bay doctor's chair absorbed as much of her interest as the actual medical bay itself did.

This was an alien ship made for her. Or those like her. Nyis had lived with Turians her entire life, served with them for half a century, but always she was the alien fitting into their environment. Their chairs weren't terribly comfortable for her. Their food was indigestible for her. Even their uniforms didn't fit. But this was a ship made for a species with a similar skeleton, similar skin texture, similar temperature tolerances. What was her custom chair on the Unconquered was standard issue for this ship.

This was the most Asari non-Asari ship she'd ever seen.

After inspecting the bay's surgical tools, Nyis had to remind herself that she had no Turian patients to worry about so the lack of twelve specialized tools wasn't an issue. The surgical suite was remarkably well suited for Asari use, suggesting similar physiology. The biggest issue was the pharmacological component; even with her Omni-Tool translating, a third of the medicines stocked were utterly unfamiliar to her and there were twenty essential near-universal medications that weren't present at all. Besides, they had a Krogan joining up. She'd need four unique kinds of painkillers and two tools for dealing with any serious wounds. Due to the Krogan's hideously efficient cellular regenerative system, shrapnel could pose some unique complications when it came to removal and she'd need to be prepared for that.

Satisfied with her inspection, Nyis made her way to a New Dawn Pharmaceuticals outlet and gained access to their inventory via her Turian Hierarchy credentialing. After acquiring the medical supplies she needed, a quick stop at Binary Helix's outlet restocked her native supply of Asari and Krogan targeted medi-gel. She'd noticed the Zenith's supply of medi-gel was provided by Sirta Corporation and a bit of browsing on the company's production at a coffee stand led to her using up all of her remaining time investigating texts on human anatomy, physiology, biological and chemical reactivity indexes and the like. The differences between her species and theirs were still striking, but far more subtle than any other.

At last, Nyis hustled her way back to the docks, accompanying a robot-driven trolley bearing the extra supplies she'd picked up for loading via the Zenith's cargo intake facilities.

 

[duergar]

Without hesitating, Nadine raises her glass with a warm smile, glancing to each of them briefly as they resonate in a tacky toast, Di quickly knocking back the rest of her drink and grimacing at the sweetness as she places the glass back to the coaster. Remaining seated for a few moments longer as the group slowly began dispersing into the corridors of the Citadel. For Di it felt like there was no rush to gather herself or her things. After all she had already began settling in, having had the past few days to settle and debts she’d brought.

As the brief moment of reflection passed she hopped up and out of the booth, turning and giving a mock salute to those that remain, “Captain” She nods to Haverson, giving a light wink before turning and striding off towards the docking bay.

Stood with her hands on her hips Di lets out a small sigh, looking towards the ancient behemoth that is the Zenith. A strange mix of pride and excitement as she looks over its concealed armoury’s. A brief second of a peace shattered as she lets out a small jump, laughing defensively and shaking her heads towards Xavier for making her jump.

“Isn’t she just!” Di replies lightly, her voice at a lilt. The Zenith was by no means easy to look at, but neither had many of the other ships she’d piloted. But having spent the past few days fixing her up and ensuring that it’d be able to pull its weight in a sticky situation, Nadine felt almost defensive when it came to justifying the Zeniths unfortunate appearance. “She’ll do us well. Plus, I mean, we all get our own bathroom.” She shrugs, giving him a light nudge as she turns to face him. Although he had a clear penchant for mischief and seemed to delight in lightening the brooding faces of their commanding officers. Yet even in the face of his laughter, the level of his abilities are as clear as the Citadel sky, and to her at least, it was somewhat admirable. "So uh, Xavier right? You got much experience with these illicit contracts payed by rich folk?"

 

[lightdrago]

Xavier patiently listened to her gush about the ship. He throws another cursory glance at it. It is pretty crappy looking, but it could be worse. There could've been Pyjak shit everywhere. He still feels like he needs a warm shower after that catastrophic ride.

Xavier pretended to be offended at the question she asked him. He leaned back a little, palm on his chest. "Me? An upstanding citizen like myself? Take such suspicious jobs for suspicious folk?" He placed the back of his hand onto his forehead. "Perish the thought! How could you insinuate such a thing?"

He holds that position for a bit, then bursted out laughing. "I'm just screwing with ya." He puts his hands on the back of his head. "I never take a job unless its got five skeevy qualities about it. And this job?" He gestured with his hands. "The skeeviest yet. And I've done jobs for people on Omega." A flash of disgust appeared on his face at the name of the station, but it quickly goes as it came. "No one with their head screwed on straight should take it." Xavier adjusted his hood. "Krix always said I was a bit of a loose screw though." He grinned once more.

Xavier puts his right hand on his chin and assessed her. "How about you? This your first time taking such an 'upstanding' job for a 'trustworthy' group of people?"

 

[Shannon Trevor]

John mentally ticked off each member of the crew as they approached the ship. The VI programme on the Zenith registered the omni-tool of each team member as they entered the dock, pinging the result to the Colonel's own omni-tool. Almost a full house, he said to himself as he stepped onto a waiting elevator.

As the doors opened, his omni-tool pinged again, telling him Nyis had returned to the dock. John spotted the Asari escorting an auto-trolley laden with medical supplies toward the ship. "A bit of light shopping, Doctor?" he asked, favouring her with a smile as he fell into step beside her. The veteran soldier's brow crinkled slightly, "It is Doctor, isn't it? Or would you prefer Nyis?" Although he couldn't speak for alien physicians, more than a few doctors John had known got a little defensive when someone failed to use their title. "Can I give you some help?"

 

[Jaxsor]

Upon leaving, Ellen headed back to the Zenith, as that was where her weapons and armor were stored. She'd kept them there because she knew C-Sec would throw a hissy fit if she wore her weapons and armor on the Citadel. It was moments like that where she almost wished she was a Spectre. On the other hand, such a job might prove to be even harder than being an N7, which was already tough in its own right. Ultimately, she'd pass.

In her cabin, she inspected her three guns. She'd never been one to carry any more than that; her role as an N7 had been as a close quarters shock trooper, and that was the role she would stick with. For such a role, three guns was plenty. They all were in good condition, thankfully, so Ellen decided she'd leave them be for now.

Still, she didn't want to be caught off guard, so she decided to strap her armor on. It wasn't as flashy as her old N7 armor, but she'd made sure to spend plenty of credits on one that was just as durable, yet light enough for her to be mobile. It was black and red, just like the N7 armor, but lacked the N7 logo. But if she really did start to feel a little nostalgic, it wouldn't be that hard to add.

The armor, despite being lighter armor, was still somewhat heavy, but Ellen was more than used to moving around in armor. She'd been on call so often in her Alliance days that she would sometimes have to wear armor in casual situations. As such, this really wasn't anything new for her.

She also decided to take her rifle and shotgun, strapping them to their respective magnetized holsters. She didn't think she'd be needing them, but she wasn't sure. They'd drawn a lot of attention in the initial meeting; she wouldn't be surprised if some competitor wanted to get rid of them before they even got started. At least one person aboard had to be ready for such an outcome.

 

[Epiphany]

Nyis had reacquired her Gylis 9k Revolver from its holding pen in customs, once she officially checked out of the station. With the supplies stocked on the transit trolley, there was no reason for her to head back into the Citadel. Not if she intended to keep the Colonel's departure schedule.

Especially if there was any possibility of competitors on this station. Rivals who might try to sabotage the competition. Or, hell, just some good old fashioned shipjackers potentially aware of a small crew shipping out for parts unknown, a ship not expected at any port at any particular time.

The arrival of John Haverson as she approached the docks was the nice kind of surprise, though. He radiated competency and informal command presence. The latter was particularly difficult to do, a minority quality in any pool of officers. So she appreciated it here. All the more so given the somewhat mercenary quality of most of the rest of the team.

"I picked up a few things, Colonel. With two Asari and a Krogan, I selected a supply of species-specific Medi-gel along with some unique pharmaceuticals tailored for them. Your Sirta Foundation makes surprisingly good Medi-gel but it's custom-designed for human physiology and only about 89% effective on the rest of us. It'll do in a pinch on a battlefield but no sense in taking chances where...our expected opposition is concerned," she amended at the end, conscious of the potential of eavesdropping on the docks, especially given the area operated outside of the rigorous security screening of the Citadel proper. "Also a few types of medication effective for all three species on this mission that your Systems Alliance hasn't developed yet."

She glanced back at the trolley and then chuckled at the light expression on the human male's face. "Just in case you think I'm overstocking what's otherwise a small crew size single-purpose mission, these boxes on the trolley are mostly packing material. Bulky rather than heavy. But I won't mind a little help getting them loaded."

The Colonel's next question gave her a brief pause as she weighed her historical naval experience against the reality of this work...and personal preference, which had never been a consideration in the past. "In my medical bay or in a medical situation, I'd prefer Doctor. The rest of the time? Call me Nyis. Or Captain if that's more comfortable, though I'm retired from that commission and not working for the Turian Hierarchy anymore."

"How about yourself, Colonel?" she asked as they reached the intake, stepping around the trolley to pick up a box while John presumably allowed access to the ship's cargo. The Asari's youthful face brightened into a smile. "Some of your team isn't used to a chain of command. I imagine you'd prefer the rank wherever possible to reinforce there is one. I know I would..."

A competent, capable team but this would definitely be an adventure unlike any she'd experienced.

Shannon Trevor

 

[Shannon Trevor]

"Nyis it is then," John replied with a warm smile. "Hopefully we won't get too many chances to refer to your medical title. I intend to stay out of the med bay if I can help it," he said as he moved to the cargo ramp door. He punched in the code and was rewarded with a heavy groan of hydraulics as the ramp slowly descended from the ship.

As he waited, John considered the question posed by the Asari. For those who had served in the Alliance, Colonel seemed to be the default honorific they had decided to go with. Like Nyis however, his commission was retired but the rank seemed to have stuck. "Either is fine," he said, walking back to the trolley. "I take your point about the command structure but I prefer to let my ability as a leader do the talking, not my rank." It was a sentiment that almost bordered on cliche but it was the truth. The Colonel noticed the Asari didn't roll her eyes as he said it, so he supposed that counted for something.

He easily lifted several boxes of supplies from the idling trolley. "You seem to have quite a story. A former Captain in the Turian military. An expert doctor and Xenologist and a natural leader. The way you handled Xavier and Van Stiver back in the bar was impressive," John said, leading the way up the ramp. "If you don't mind me saying, you kind of stand out from the rest of us."

"Mister Haverson?"

John turned to find a young woman clad in a bright orange jumpsuit standing at the bottom of the ramp. She was a slender thing, with jet black hair styled into a pixie cut and a jaw that jutted out with an air of defiance. "That's me," John replied, carefully setting the boxes on the floor.

The woman jerked her thumb behind her. "Dock master's looking for you."

John's brow furrowed. "In regards to what?" he asked. On a job like this, it was essential that everything was squared away to save on complications. John had been thorough on every piece of admin and payment required to have the Zenith dock on the Citadel.

The woman shrugged and motioned for John to follow. The Colonel sighed as he looked to Nyis. "So much for a helping hand," he said, his tone apologetic as they both descended the ramp. "I'll help you get it stowed away when I get back."

 

[Epiphany]

Nyis smirked at the Colonel's stated intent to avoid the medical bay. Spoken like most officers! Undoubtedly, if this were a regular naval ship, he'd be one of her habitual duck-the-yearly-physical patients. As it was...the Asari doubted the duration of this mission would be an issue. If all went well, her medical services might be entirely unneeded! In which case, she could put on her Xenologist 'cap' and operate as a mission specialist.

The possibility was refreshing, tantalizing even. For a brief moment, while the ramp descended, Nyis considered genuinely switching careers. She could! With her lifespan, she could conceivably learn enough in a mere ten years to perform specialized study into Prothean culture, technology and history.

John's continued conversation brought her out of the brief reverie. The Asari smiled and dipped her head at the implicit praise. "I've had opportunities to learn and grow, John," she said, using his given name without awkwardness. "That's part of why I signed up for this job. What abilities I have, I developed through study but also application. Thanks for noticing, though." Grinning slightly, Nyis added, "It's nice to stand out because of my credentials and not my species."

Then the dock worker arrived with the unexpected request. Nyis shrugged and fell into step at the Colonel's left side. "Might as walk with you. I've never seen a ship's departure handled administratively before. Opportunities to learn and grow, right?"

 

[Shannon Trevor]

John noticed the quick look the dock worker shot in the direction of Nyis as the Asari volunteered herself to go along with him. The Colonel smiled as she fell into step with him. "An opportunity to learn," John agreed. "And I'd like the company," he continued, his smile warm. "I always like a chance to get to know my crew better."

"Sorry," the dock worker said as she stepped into their path. "Boss says he wants to see the Captain only." She gave an apologetic shrug as if the matter was out of her hands. She lowered her voice as she leaned toward the pair. "Trust me, you want to stay on his good side."

"Not a people person, I take it?" John asked, faintly amused.

The young woman gave a shake of her head. "Not at all."

John sighed. "Guess I'll see you back on the ship," he said to Nyis before indicating to the woman to lead the way. The dock was cluttered with crates and machinery but aside from a few idling workers, dressed in identical clothing to his escort, it was quiet. John glanced at his Rolex. "I hope this won't take long."

The woman stopped, turning to face John. "No time at all, Colonel."

John's brow furrowed at the sudden change in title. His honed senses screamed out a warning but it was too late. He heard the shuffle of feet pick up behind him. He turned as an unseen assailant clamped a foul smelling rag over his nose and mouth. The Colonel's shout of surprise was immediately muffled by the firm hand pressing the cloth over his mouth.

The suddenness of the attack had taken John unawares, causing him to breathe in a mouthful of the noxious fumes on the thick rag. "Mmmphh! Mmmmpphhhhh!" Almost immediately John could feel himself weaken and knew he had to act quickly. He was a strong man but the chloroform was an equaliser.

John's left arm reached up to the hand clasped over his nose and mouth in an attempt to pry it away but his attacker was just about strong enough to hold it in place, grunting with the effort of holding off John's attempt at resistance. The woman who had lured John into the trap, grabbed hold of his arm with both hands. She struggled to hold on as the Colonel done his best to free himself from her grasp.

"Mmmmpphh...." Slowly, the fight faded from John. The Colonel's arms dropped limply to his side. The edges of his vision slowly grew dark.

"Trap worked perfectly," the woman said, sneering at him.

With a final deep sigh into the cloth, John lost consciousness.

*******​

The thug armed with the chloroform, a Turian male, let the limp body of the old man slump to the ground. He prodded him with his foot but the human didn't move. "Tough old bastard," he said, breathing heavily.

The woman nodded as she crouched next to the Colonel. She pickled up the man's left arm and held it. With no sign of resistance, she dropped it across his broad chest. She activated the comms unit of her omni-tool. "Target secure. You can proceed with Stage Two."

 

[Epiphany]

At the dock worker's dismissal, Nyis shrugged and folded her arms across her chest. When the Colonel went along with the other woman's request, the Asari simply bobbed her head and leaned against a nearby railing. Her fingers flickered over her Omni-Tool, bringing back up a copy of Grey's Anatomy. Fascinating physiology, these humans had. Although an earlier query for the text on human anatomy had returned an unusual catalogue of...some kind of fictional Vid drama series?

Amused by the reminder, she glanced up from her Omni-Tool display along the path the Colonel took...in time to see a Turian suddenly seize him from behind, immobilizing him with some kind of tranquilizing agent. She gasped..and froze. Actual combat situations were part of her training many years ago but decades of service in a medical bay had eroded the never-practiced drill of action. For a helpless moment, the Asari just gawked like a useless civilian.

Then the Colonel's body dropped to the floor to be prodded by the Turian's foot. Sudden rage replaced her indecision. Nyis had known John for less than a day but she'd be damned if a member of her team was assaulted without consequence.

"Hey!" she yelled as the dock worker signaled to someone else with an Omni-Tool. Nyis lifted one hand and blue lightning coiled across her purple skin as she hurled it forward. Space warped and distorted in the wake of the mass effect field she generated, scything through the air before impacting the bodies of the dock worker and the Turian henchman. The biotic field rippled like a stone striking the surface of a pond. And both hostiles went flying head over heels through the air.

Nyis ducked her head and sprinted for the prone human, sliding in next to him as random dock workers produced weapons out of seeming nowhere. This wasn't an isolated incident; there were forces present and in enough numbers to make their survival questionable. So she bought them time.

With her palm, Nyis slammed her hand against the ground. An unmistakable dropped vibrato bass chased the motion, preceding an eruption of blue-purple energy that bloomed from the point of contact. Even as gunfire broke out, her mass effect field bloomed into a dome that shielded her and the unconscious Colonel from harm. Fingers stabbed at her Omni-Tool as she toggled contact with the Zenith...and hopefully any of its new crew signed into the ship's frequencies. "This is Nyis, at the docks, we're under attack. The Colonel is down. Dock workers are armed and advancing on the ship." Wincing as bullets impacted her Barrier, Nyis added "We could use some rescue if it's not too much trouble."

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Nyis has knocked the two infiltrators down. The human female appears to be unconscious but the Turian is getting to his feet, slowly.

From either end of the dock, two teams of four mercs, their disguises shed, advance toward the Zenith. They fire on any expedition member in the open. The attackers are clearly professional in the way they operate; working in pairs and covering their advance as they try to close in on the ship. Each is armed with an assault rifle and clad in medium combat armour.

Two of the the mercs in the team closest to John and Nyis suddenly break off and make their way toward the pair. It appears they want the Colonel alive.

A bullet pings off the floor next to the first team member who pokes their head from cover. There's a sniper, concealed high in the gantry above.

Most menacingly of all, a Krogan watches the attack unfold. The Battlemaster waits in reserve, directing his troops ready to intercede when needed.

 

[Jaxsor]

Ellen received the call from Nyis quickly, sprinting at top speed when she heard John was down. It was an all too familiar occurrence, but it didn't mean she slowed down any. She came upon the ship's exit, then rushed outside, using a nearby crate for cover for the time being. As she surveyed the situation, she saw the teams of mercs, who were obviously well trained and coordinated. Their tactics reminded her of the Gunners, but Ellen didn't want to focus on speculating who they were until the fight was over.

Instead, she turned her attention to the two mercs trying to go after John. You want him so badly? Over my dead body. She leveled her rifle, its familiar weight comforting her. She fired, the familiar kick pounding against her shoulder. Her target went down in a few shots. Whether unconscious or dead, she couldn't tell. Frankly, it didn't matter much. She made sure to drop back into cover, hunkering down in case that sniper decided to target her. She hoped she'd get an opening to make sure John stayed safe, but she had to trust Nyis with that for now, much as she preferred not to.

 

[lightdrago]

Xavier's conversation with the pilot was interrupted when his Omni-Tool crackled to life. "This is Nyis, at the docks, were under attack. The Colonel is down. Dock workers are armed and advancing on the ship." Gunshots can be heard in the background. "We could use some rescue if it's not too much trouble."

Xavier grinned in excitement. "It has even been three hours yet and we're already gonna fight? Awesome!" He turned his head, and sees a team of four advancing on the ship. He turns the other way, and there's another. He faced the pilot again and gave her a Cheshire smile. "Let's get to it, then." He cloaked and walked away, unholstering his sniper rifle.

He noticed half of the members of one team broke away, heading towards another place. Must be where Mr. BossMan and the Doc are, he surmised. Unfortunately, he can't get to them as of now. The other soldiers are a more pressing matter.

A shot whizzed past him, signaling to him that their is another sniper. Xavier decided to focus his attention on him, deeming him a threat. Climbing back onto the vents, he uncloaked and steadied his sniper rifle onto the enemy sniper. He fired, but it wasn't enough to do serious damage to the enemy. The same can't be said for Xavier, as the sniper fired back at him, damaging his shoulder. Xavier hissed in pain, and dives behind a nearby fence. He rolled his shoulder, and winced. He can still move, but this may affect his aim.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered angrily. "These guys aren't playing."

 

[NemoTheSurvivor]

Herc raised his empty hand, joining the toast without a drink. John answered his question, though Herc didn't know whether the answer was good or bad. More food for thought. And with the dismissal, he left to retrieve his gear. Nobody stuck with him, which wasn't surprising. He can be rather intimidating, even for a Krogan.
.........
It took Herc much longer than he thought would be necessary to get his gear back. First they lost it, then it was registered under the wrong name, and then he refused to pay for a license he already owned, until he finally managed to get his weapons back, with a letter of apology from the owner and a full refund. "Never coming back here again," Herc mumbled to himself as he walked away.

He wasn't too far from the hanger when he received Nyis's call for help. He immediately set about gearing up. His favorite spike thrower fit snugly onto the waist magholster, with his rifle slung over his shoulder and pistol stuck to his leg. Armed and ready, he sprinted towards the hanger, hammer in hand.

Inside, he quickly assessed the situation. Two groups of soldiers advanced on his allies. When one of the groups split in half, two of the soldiers were dropped by Ellen. Meanwhile, Xavier had his hands full dealing with the sniper. And that large biotic bubble was most likely Nyis and John.

The priority would be to set up a defensive line, and having several enemies flanking that line wouldn't do. The remaining two soldiers from the split group didn't notice him yet. It was a perfect opportunity, really. Herc used his biotic charge to ram one of the two soldiers, sending him flying as limbs bent the wrong way. Without missing a beat, he used the momentum to slam his hammer into the other soldier, sending her to the ground as a resounding crack met his ears. His targets down, he ducked into cover from the sniper, sheathing his hammer and drawing his spike thrower. "Herc here," he said over the comms. "Anyone calling targets? Or is this just a free for all?"

 

[agigabyte]

Erinya remained silent the rest of the conversation, just occasionally nodding along to things she agreed with. As the conversation ended, Erinya stood up. “I’ll get my gear to the ship,” she said, in a tone that made it clear she didn’t expect objection. When none came, she walked out, going towards the storage she’d rented for a few hours. She had been planning to leave the Citadel today, no matter whether she went on this mission.


Erinya pulled up her Omnitool, sending a message to some friends who were on the Citadel that she wouldn’t be leaving with them, then grabbed her gear from the room. Her firearms still in her crate, though she had her armor on. She grabbed the crate, beginning to walk back towards the docks at a brisk pace. Erinya idly wondered if the others were already on the ship. Navarre seemed punctual, and Veli’An even moreso. The others, Erinya wasn’t so sure about.


Erinya’s Omnitool chimed on the new channel for the group, a priority alert. She quickly answered it, but it became unnecessary when she heard the gunfire coming from the docks. "This is Nyis, at the docks, we’re under attack. The Colonel is down. Dock workers are armed and advancing on the ship. We could use some rescue if it's not too much trouble."


Breaking into a jog, Erinya keyed her comms, fumbling to take out her ear comm. She wished she had her helmet on. “This is T’Mari. I’m about a minute and a half from the docks. Just hold out a bit longer.” Just about ten or so meters from the docks’ entrance, she quickly forced open a supply closet and hid her box in there, taking out her pistol, her helmet, and an extra knife before she stowed it away.


Putting on her helmet, she cloaked, entering the Docks. All of the hostiles were concentrated on Erinya’s new friends, on either in the opposite direction or perfectly in the center. She wanted to help Veli’An and Haverson, but she couldn’t reach them from here without getting uncomfortably close to the Battlemaster that seemed to be leading them. Instead, she half-crept, half-jogged around the edge of the firefight.


The Battlemaster Charged into the fray, slamming his hammer into a second hostile. "Herc here," the Krogan called out over comms. "Anyone calling targets? Or is this just a free for all?"


Erinya keyed her own comms, “T'Mari, here. I’ll deal with the Sniper.” She reached the bottom of the gantry, quickly activating her Omnitool to flash-forge a pair of straps to put on her gloves, giving her spiked palms for climbing. She put the climbing gloves on and began scaling the gantry.


[14 Total Roll for Stealth]


A few seconds later, she reached the top, and dashed across the length of the gantry, tuning out the sounds of gunfire and screams. She pulled a knife, ready to stab him in a just a few more steps.


Erinya lost her balance. She quickly used her Biotics to keep from falling, but was unable to soften her footfall. As soon as her foot hit the ground, he tensed, springing up and turning to fire a shot from his sniper rifle. It missed, but she stopped for a moment on instinct, giving him time to get his knife out. He swung his knife, stepping in with his back foot. It was a nice swing, but he was entirely outmatched.

[15 for melee roll]

Erinya leaned back, then jumped in with a Biotic Shift to throw a knee to the face. The man grunted, hand coming up on instinct to clutch his face. He desperately tried to throw a kick and push her back, but she simply blocked it with Biotics, channeling raw Biotic energy to knock him back, and then moved up and swept his leg out. He toppled to the ground, but managed to land a kick on the side of her knee. Erinya managed to steady herself again, and kicked his hand, knocking his knife out of the hand. She stepped forwards, stabbing to the gut. It connected, and she pulled it out, aiming a stab for his face.


However, her attention was drawn away when a burst of fire bounced off her shields from below. Thinking quickly, the sniper got to his knees, and tackled towards her legs. Erinya, growled in annoyance, but managed to Shift out of the way, off the gantry, to the sound of him crying out as he further wounded himself. Still, he’d forced her off of the platform, albeit with help, so he no doubt saw it as worth it. Better to leave yourself with a wound treatable by medigel than to die.


Erinya cushioned her landing with her Biotics, pulling her Acolyte and firing a few rounds as the soldier taking aim at her, as she sprinted to the nearest piece of machinery, diving behind it once she was a few steps away and coming up in a roll. “Sniper’s alive and conscious, but I left him with a hole in his gut,” she reported, "can probably still shoot, but he'll have a harder time now."

 

[basicallyaMarshWiggle]

[A few minutes ago, before the battle…]

Van Stiver paced awkwardly around his small cabin aboard the Zenith. He had spent a considerable amount of time securing this room against both enemies and allies, a safehouse where he was free to relax and truly be himself. It was clean and unadorned, with perfectly folded sheets and blanket atop his bed in classical navy style, alongside the gleaming polished alloys that were typical in most modern military spacecraft. He stammered out the remainder of his message to the recording device that was pulsating orange nearby.
“...I know we haven’t...talked. Much. At all, really, fer a very long time. I was hopin’ t’ fix that, but there was always...was, well, somethin’ gettin’ in the way.”
He scratched the back of his neck, still struggling to get words out. The recording device pulsated patiently, noting down the clumsy silence. The old man grimaced silently at his own ineptitude.
“Right, well...I’m goin’ on a trip. Long’un. Won’t be back fer a while. Mayb’ when I get back t’ the Citadel, you an’ I can...meet. Have a talk. Jus’ you and...and me.”
He waved his hand at the device and the pulsating faded to nothingness, revealing a small black-and-grey appliance roughly the size of a pill. He picked it up and walked through the ship, purposely exiting on the opposite side to where Nyis and Haverson were loading medical supplies. He was in no mood to talk. A courier waited a short distance away on the edge of the dock. Van Stiver handed the recording gadget to him, a wordless exchange that had been prearranged: electronic means could be hacked, and would be expected of the engineer. This gadget had no networking capabilities, and so its simplicity would be his strength. The courier said nothing, only turned and walked away. Van Stiver trusted it would be delivered, and walked back to the Zenith in pensive silence.

[Currently…]

Van Stiver scrambled from his room, dashing through corridors and down the gently curving staircase to the engineering bay. Gunfire crackled quietly outside, with the occasional sharp crack of a sniper rifle splitting the air.
“...is this just a free for all?” Herc’s voice emanated from his omni-tool. Erinya responded with something van Stiver didn’t hear about chasing after a sniper. His booted feet finally clanged loudly on the grated mesh of the engineering bay, and a broad malicious grin grew on his weathered face. He was home, safe within his element. Old fingers tapped familiar controls on panels rapidly, winding up the Zenith’s shields and engines.
“Sniper’s alive and conscious, but I left him with a hole in his gut,” Erinya announced. "Can probably still shoot, but he'll have a harder time now."
Van Stiver tapped a holo-key on his wrist. “Leave him, Asari. Focus on gettin’ the Colonel out of here, he’s gonna be…” His eyes darted across a three-dimensional image of the battle outside, courtesy of the Zenith’s sensors.
Blue dots glowed here and there, representing his new allies - Haverson’s dot was marked with an exclamation mark - with a few red dots slowly advancing towards them. Two pairs of red crosses marked the squad Herc and Ellen had dispatched, but a single red dot remained unmoving a short distance away from the battle...watching. Waiting.
“...dead soon enough. Polaris, you finished playing around with that gun you’ve got? Quit mucking around. Stand yourself up like a nice distraction and nail him right between the eyes.” A cruel grin grew on his face, and his hands danced across the panel of keys in front of him.
“Now, lad!” van Stiver yelled, hitting the ‘execute’ button.

[Dice: 11 to Disable the sniper's weapon]

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Ellen's bullets rip into one of the Merc's advancing toward Nyis and the prone form of the Colonel. The woman gives a brief scream of pain as she collapses to the floor. Her partner dives behind the cover of a nearby cargo hauler. He turns just in time to see a Krogan charge the other two members of his squad. He can only watch as his two teammates are tossed to the side like broken dolls. The Krogan made it look easy but in his rush to get involved had not noticed the surviving merc. Deciding the old man could wait, the merc jumps up and finds the Krogan down the sights of his rifle. His aim is true and the bullets actually manage to stagger the Krogan, but do little else. He curses as he ducks back into cover, the Krogan suffering only minor wounds.

The sniper is hampered by his wounds but he can still fire his rifle. A sudden surge knocks him onto his back. He pulls himself up unsteadily to find his weapon unresponsive. Someone with tech skills has managed to sabotage his rifle. It's not completely out of commission but it'll take precious seconds to fix.

John's original attacker was forgotten in the furore of the fight that followed. The Turian's partner seems to be coming to but for now, she is still out of the fight. The infiltrator loads up disruptor ammo into his rifle and begins pouring fire into the Asari's biotic sphere, hoping to weaken it enough to grab their target and get him back to the hideout.The sphere flickers as the bullets tear into it but holds firm. The Turian ducks back into cover, knowing the Asari, skilled as she is, won't be able to protect the old man for too long.

The second squad of mercs, approaching from the far end of the dock are steadily moving forward, their advance going completely unchecked. If someone doesn't engage them they may well block off the escape route to the ship for anyone on the docks.

The Battlemaster enraged at the loss of some of his people, begins to move forward. He is still not engaging but is clearly waiting for an opportunity.

 

[Jaxsor]

Ellen observed the battlefield, then realized in a moment that this didn't have to be their fight if they didn't want it to be. C-Sec was probably already on the way, given the amount of noise made in this firefight, not to mention the probability of some sort of surveillance capturing all of this. They could retreat if they so chose, as long as they didn't get cut off. She keyed up her comm, "Alright, ladies and gents, listen up! Our best option here is to beat a retreat. We can let C-Sec handle these bastards. This isn't our problem unless we make it our problem. I just need you all to keep our escape route open. I'm gonna make sure the old man is safe."

As soon as she finished, a few shots whizzed by, forcing Ellen to duck back into cover. She then popped up again, firing a few bursts from her Valkyrie. It didn't do much more than graze the Turian, but it was hopefully enough to put him off balance. She ducked back down, then spoke specifically to Nyis, "If you can, I need you to carry Jon. I know he's heavy, but it's the only way we're actually going to be able to make a successful retreat. So I need you to do this."

Not a moment after she said it, she attempted to guess the moment the other merc would break cover to advance. It seemed she had guessed right, as she managed to catch the merc in the open, unloading shot after shot into the man, until she saw him drop to the floor in a heap. Once she had crouched down once more, she noticed that her weapon was empty. Popping in another thermal clip, she swore under her breath, hoping the doctor could actually pull it off. Normally she'd be the one doing the carrying, but she wasn't about to risk being shot to play hero. No, she preferred life.

 

[Epiphany]

Jaxsor
Energy flooded through Nyis' body, drawn through her nervous system, generated by elements of her unique physiology in ways other species had to use implants to control. And it took all her concentration to hold her Biotic Barrier against the Turian's disruptor ammunition as it tried to bury itself through her field. She repelled the accelerated slivers of weapon mass, but barely. Sweat broke across her purple skin but she rallied, arms held over her head, as she shielded the downed Colonel and herself from impending death.

Nyis tilted her head slightly when her comm lit up, passing on Ellen's words. The nearly silent but unmistakably competent woman she'd seen in the Dark Star Lounge proved exactly as competent as she could have hoped for.

"You got it," she said back to Ellen. "I can field carry a Turian and they have a kind of metallic exoskeleton. If you can keep them off of me, I've got John." The Asari smiled, somewhat curious what human medical doctors were like. Non-combatants, judging by her brief review of the literature an hour ago. Perhaps they were frail?

Then gunfire took out the Turian who'd been shooting at them both, freeing her up. Nyis didn't hesitate but dropped her arms and the barrier so that she could tuck her arms under John's, drawing him up until she could drape him over a shoulder. Her legs trembled as she lifted the man. Despite their physiological similarity to Asari, humans (or at least human males) had more muscle mass than she was used to, and thus a bit more weight.

Nyis staggered once then ducked down and sped forward. More sweat broke out across her body but she pushed it, hustling for the Zenith and safety for her patient and herself. She had to trust the humans would keep them both alive.

 

[duergar]

Nadine laughs as he carries on with himself, “I suppose that's fair.” Placing her hands on her hips as she listens to him, Di nods along, her face lighting up at the mention of Omega. Before she’d been approached for this run, she’d spent the years prior running in Omega, and it wasn’t possible to even take a bite in Omega without coming off with dirt on your hands.

She silently clasps her hands together as she replies, “No way, I actually used to run in Omega. So my hands aren't entirely clean, but I can't say that I've ever had some big wig fund an expedition” She gives a shrug, glancing up to him as she speaks. “I don’t know though, I mean those jobs you can always trust them to be dishonest. You know at least what you’re getting into. But this thing, it seems like the bad kind of five shades of seedy.” She admits, scrunching her nose as she shakes her head in distaste. “You can’t trust a man who flashes his wallet before his face.”

As she fills her voice with another question, she’s quickly interrupted by the voice of emergency and pragmatism as Nyis calls for help. The rush of fear and excitement creeping up her spine as she turns to their stealth expert, matching his grin as he speaks and nodding in agreement, briefly glancing away to the sound of gunfire. “Well shit, I guess that’s the competition...” She turns back to face Xavier, finding nothing but an empty space as her sentence hangs forgotten in the empty space around her.

She rolls her eyes before quickly ducking behind the nearest cover and letting out a nervous laugh. Reaching for her pistols and glancing over the cover, attempting to make a quick evaluation of the situation. Noting the four mercs making their merry way towards them.

Despite all odds, she knows that the Zenith is their best bet. They need a quick get away and she knows if she acts quick enough she can pull it off, maybe even giving them the advantage of the Zeniths big guns. But with John out, she knows that pulling them out of this is more important.

By her count there were four heading towards her, and with an unknown number behind her, she feels her trigger finger itch, deciding that it’s now or never she mutters to herself, “Fuck it” Taking a quick breath before steadying her aim and quickly firing towards the second squad of mercs, knowing that even if she takes out one or two that she’d greatly increase her chance of reaching the Zenith.

A shake of her hand causes her to miss one of the mercs heading towards her, cursing to herself as she takes another breath, deep and staggering as she gives herself a moment to focus, this time her aim is steady. Hitting one of the mercs.

In the same second she ducks back to her cover, nodding to herself. It was a small victory in this battle, and she knows that she need to get back to the Zenith, even if they were skilled. They were underprepared for this fight, and the Zenith could tilt their odds, it could mean even a moment's chance for them. But as she sits with the sounds of the mercs return fire ringing, she knows it’s a slim chance she’d even reach the door.

In a hesitant second, she makes decision. Nodding to herself and sighing as she readies herself. So with her gun in hand, and a half swallowed breath she risks a glance outwards, the coast as clear as she’d most likely get she quickly rises, readying herself to make a run for the Zenith. But from the corner of her eyes she spots one of the mercs raise his gun, and a second too late she ducks, the bullet catching her side her hand instinctively reaching for the wound as she falls back behind the cover. The sudden hit of the ground acting as a trigger as the wound starts burning. The urge to cry out almost acted on.

“Oh shit” She mumbles to herself, forcing herself to take in a sharp breath as she presses her hand to the wound, wincing in pain as her ears begin ringing to the gunfire around her. The pain almost unbearable as each breath becomes shallow in her attempts to minimise the pain.

She’d have expected the pain to subside, to perhaps even give her a burning anger that forces her to fight back. But instead it leaves her hands shaking as she tries to calm herself down. Forcing herself to ignore the pain as she peeks out, the doors hardened rust practically a beacon as it all but calls to her. Removing her hand from the wound and checking the rest of her ammo, she knows it’ll be a hard push with the aching in her side, but without it, it’ll be a lot harder.

 

[agigabyte]

Erinya fired a few rounds at one of the nearby mercs. “Alright,” she said, “I’m on the wrong side of this battle, though; I have quite a few mercs between me and the ship.” She fired a few more rounds, then let her weapon cool. “I’m going to fall back, and hopefully draw some of them away. I can double back around after they run past my hiding spot, and then come back to the ship. This is a roundabout method, but I can’t think of many other ways for me to get through the entire length of the dock when these assholes are giving suppressive fire.”


She also wanted to retrieve her stuff, if at all possible. The one thing she had that wasn’t replaceable - her pendant - was under her armor, but she still wanted to keep ahold of her belongings. She couldn’t make it back with the entire crate, but she might be able to take a few more things.

 

[NemoTheSurvivor]

The lone survivor of the squad Herc just tore to pieces fired into the Krogan, getting past the shield and armor, causing a minor discomfort in his chest. It was a flesh wound, nothing more. Now that the sniper was dealt with, Herc shifted in his cover to better shield him from the merc. Then Ellen started talking about retreating. Herc wasn't about to let these guys get away, especially after getting shot, but at the mention of C-Sec, he changed his mind. Herc sighed and said, "As much as I'd like to finish this fight, I'd rather not be here to deal with C-Sec." After hearing one of his comrades swearing to herself in pain, and another want to retreat the wrong direction, Herc muttered some choice words to himself. After taking a deep breath, Herc said over the comms, "I'm going to create an opening. If you can't fight, then run while you can. If you can, take a second to cover those who are running before running yourself. I'll be the last one on, so anyone who feels like covering me once you're on the ship, feel free to do so."

The sniper was currently unable to attack, so Herc ignored him for the moment. The soldier focusing on him was free to continue shooting at him, if he really wanted to tick off a Krogan. The biggest problem was the group of three mercs currently firing on his team. And Herc knew several ways to remove a group of targets from a fight. He put his shotgun away and pulled out his hammer before using his biotics. First was Barrier, then a Singularity aimed at the group of three mercs. The Singularity landed exactly where Herc wanted, causing all three mercs to float helplessly in the air. "That's the signal," Herc said, before letting out a war cry and charging towards the merc that shot him.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Jorgal the Battlemaster bellowed at the loss of another one of his people. As he did so, he watched as Haverson's pet Krogan lifted three of his men in the air and held them in place with a singularity. Jorgal punched the closest cargo crate so hard his fist dented the heavy metal.

It should have been a simple job. Haverson was an old man by human standards and had went down as expected but his clan that he had put together was more skilled and a good deal more stubborn than Jorgal had anticipated. After Haverson had been subdued so easily, the Krogan had assumed it was just a matter of carrying the unconscious human back to their ship and interrogating him until he gave up the location of the Glory.

The incoming sound of sirens in the distance convinced the old Krogan that it was time to act. With some difficulty, Haverson's Asari, with the unconscious human dangling limp over her shoulders made her way to her ship's cargo ramp. Jorgal strode forward, determined to not let his target escape.