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[Kel Riever]

Stormhammer

 

In a galaxy rife with conflict, the fate of a group of mercenaries is often cast to the wind.  Few survive for long in that brutal existence, but those who do are hard, forged in fire, and have found a strength within themselves to survive.  One man, Major John Reith, is that kind of survivor, cast down in the flames of war only to rise up again.  He is of a singular mind, to recreate a company of mercenaries that was once on the verge of destruction, a place for people like him, a home and purpose for warriors with steel hearts and minds.

For those he finds, they will become his Stormhammer.  

Stormhammer is the ongoing saga of a group of mercenaries, in the slightly altered universe of the post Mass Effect 2, Chasing Spectres story.  The masters of this tale are not the Spectres, but the company itself, surviving, seeking fortune and prosperity while maintaining their own code of purpose.  The galaxy is a big place and there's room for a lot of adventure out there, the question being who will take it on?
 

Links:

• Discussion thread:  http://forum.bioware...cussion-thread/
• Character thread:  http://forum.bioware...rs-stormhammer/

Setting:  Post ME2, in the modified Chasing Spectres timeline (the Reaper War is 10 years away)

 

Character Restrictions: Standard - No Collector Characters/Geth/Protheans, no Canon Characters.

 

Shepard Decisions: Udina is Chancellor, Original Council survived. 

 

Major John Reith and Arcadia Del Castillo are owned characters

[Kel Riever]

Somewhere in the Citadel Wards...

A lone lamp shown down on a simple alloy table. The rest of the room was hidden in darkness, except for the emblem hung from a flag on the far wall. The emblem, silver, caught the illumination such that it seemed to have a light of its own. It was what one would expect; the mercenary logo of a war hammer flanked by two thunderbolts. The black field of the flag was lost in the gloom.

Arcadia Del Castillo sat calmly, her long, blue-dyed hair lustrous under the sole point of radiance. The lamp had been subtly angled to catch her full, armored form, while leaving the man across the table from her in shadow above his midriff. What she could see of the man was that he wore a simple, olive drab T-shirt over his aged, but muscular physique, and that his white, military style crew cut picked up the edges of illumination. On the table, in front of the man was a datapad, with her resume on it.

“Impressive,” the man commented in a gravelly voice.  He reached into pockets unseen below the table’s surface to pull out a cigar case, cutter and a lighter.  Pushing the datapad aside, the man took his time extracting a cigar and lighting it up.  The glow of the embers helped little to reveal his face, but from what it showed, it was lined and hard.  As he exhaled, and the smoke played under the lamp, he added, “…I’d bet you’d be hired on the spot by most outfits, particularly with the Academy training.  So what the hell are you doing here?”

“I am here because of the rules, Major Reith.”

The man took a long draw from the cigar then exhaled sharply, the smoke billowing down in front of him.  “You mean the Council Conventions of War?”

“Yes.”

The Major shifted in a disgruntled fashion.  “I’m not hiring a bunch of walk straight hero want-to-be’s.  And I’m not a receptacle for Acadamy graduates out of work for the Alliance so they can relive their glory days for more money.”

“I understand.”

“We kill people for a paycheck.”

“Yes, Major.”

“And sometimes rules get broken.”

“I understand…”

“Do you?!”  The major’s words retorted like a gunshot.  He rolled the cigar around in his fingers and took another, brief, drag.  “I think you’re overqualified, Del Castillo.  You’re officer royalty.  Sure, you’ve seen combat, but from on high.  All theory and strategy from some research institution or a guy who was busy winning the last war and not the one you’re in.  Did you ever have to follow the rules after a sniper put a bullet through the skull of a friend next to you?  Or a terrorist tossed a grenade at a six-year old child and blew his guts out?  What about after another mercenary unit in your group’s rear got paid off to switch sides and opened up on your squad from behind?”

“You’re trying to vet me,” Arcadia stated.  “You’re trying to see if I flinch.”

“What is that on your face?  Red warpaint?  What do you wear that for?”

“Preference.”

“Bulls**t!  You’re a poser, Del Castillo.  You lost your Alliance career maybe because you couldn’t cut real combat, maybe you’re CAT-6 and got it withheld because you’re ‘in’, you got a friend to cover it up.  Or because an Academy graduate with a bad record is bad press.  The hell with the rules, this isn’t your place.”

“That’s not your reputation, Major…”

“The hell with the rules!”

Arcadia had enough.  She stood, her stare blazing at the Major, where she thought his eyes would be.  “I did not come here to waste your time or mine!  You’re broken down!  You need people and you can’t find them, because they’ll tell you what you want to hear, but deep down you know they won’t fit.  They aren’t your kind!  They’ll throw away the hard choice in the mix, when the going gets tough, when their lives are on the line.  I fought on Elysium!  And I don’t want any part of your operation if you can’t be honest with who you are!”

The woman with the long blue hair and red face paint spun on her heel and strode towards the exit.

“Del Castillo.”  The major’s voice was gravelly and relaxed.

Arcadia stopped.  She stood with her back to the Major momentarily, then turned back to face him.

“You’re either solid to the core or one of the best liars I’ve ever met,” Major Reith remarked.  “I can’t tell the difference, but you could.  You’re right.  I need someone like you, and I’ve got to build Stormhammer from the ground up.  But I’m going to build it up right.  You know my background, which surprises me enough.  You’re aware Torfan changed everything.  I want someone as my second who’s qualified enough to disagree with me and isn’t afraid to do it.”

Arcadia wrinkled her brow.  “So, you’re hiring me?”

“Affirmative Del Castillo.  And since you’ve got some skill at figuring people out, you’re first job is to get me a team.  One more thing, by the way; I may not be as good at picking out a liar as you, but I know that you aren’t wearing that war paint just for preference.”

Arcadia smiled.  "Call me Cadi."

[Kel Riever]

Arcadia stood in the modestly sized room, examining the three predominant computer display screens lined up against the far wall.  To her right, several crates of ammunition for various weapons, and a few grenade crates, were stacked neatly, and to her left, there was a meeting table with six chairs, a counter, and a coffee maker, which had been left idle.  A salarian in an olive drab uniform used his omni-tool to interface with the computer displays, and a white, spherical drone hovered nearby him.  Leaning against the tallest stack of ammunition crates, was a somewhat short and very slender man of African heritage, his arms folded, clad in a black suit of light armor.

The salarian spoke first, “Forgive me for not introducing myself when you entered.  Some issues preoccupied me with our data feed.  That man standing against the crates is Kamau Makanga, our sole infiltrator.  Really our sole operations person besides you.”

“Don’t bore our newest guest with your nonsense diatribe, Vihaan Devi.  She’s got to get under way if you ever expect to talk to more than three people around here.”

Clearing his throat, the salarian went on more cautiously.  “We’re a small operation at this point, though I hope that will change soon, Del Castillo.  This is our Control Room, part of the rented out business suite we’re in with everything we need to operate at our modest level in hand.  Here we receive briefings from the Major, assess situations, come up with tactical plans, and deploy ourselves against our foes.” 

“Which we have none of, at this time,” Vihaan interrupted.

“That will alter, Kamau, particularly when we start achieving a certain level of success.  First, there is recruiting, which Arcadia is in charge of.”

“I’m impressed with how you got away with such few in resources,” Arcadia jumped in, “But like you said, I am here to get what I need to screen the new applicants.”

Vihaan walked forward to Arcadia, and handed her a datapad.  “These are the three that have responded to our articles requesting employ.”

Arcadia scrolled through the short list, “Rebecka Galacher, Darya Nabiyeva, Kurik Trudas II,…this is it for responses?”

“I’m sure there will be more,” Vihaan encouraged.  “For the immediate future, you must concern yourself with these people.  If they are to be prospected, where do you plan on meeting them?  Perhaps a public setting such as Flux?”

Del Castillo thought for a minute. “A club is a good place, but it is too easy to overhear a meeting in Flux.  Send each of the prospectives a message, and tell them I’ll meet them at the Purgatory club.”
 

[Decepticon Leader Sully]

why was it a Galaxy whith a population mumbering in the Octillions couldnt get better music?

No it was just bleeps and bloops. still tere was alcoholl and dancers.. plus idiots danceing. there was actualy a Krogan doing hammer time. that was actualt happening.  

[Cknarf]

"I can't believe we're actually on the Citadel! Kuri, this is great!" Zida peered over the railing at the scene below. "Best birthday present ever." She looked over to the line of young turians. "Right. Fifteenth birthday..."

 

"Time to go, sis." Kurik placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're going to miss your ride."

 

"That's fine with me."

 

"Come on." Kurik pulled her away from the railing, and directed her towards the group.

 

"I'm scared, Kuri." Zida looked up to her brother as they walked. "Are you sure I can't just stay like you did?"

 

"I only stayed because I had to, you know that."

 

"Yeah..."

 

"Don't worry, sis. You're gonna do great." Kurik assured her. "This is what's best."

 

"Trudas, Zida!" A turian with a datapad called out her name.

 

Zida pulled Kurik in for a hug and squeezed. "I love you, Kuri"

 

"Love you too, sis. Now go!" He pried her away, and gave her a little shove towards the others.

 

"You'd better write me! If you don't, I'm gonna..." She clenched her fist.

 

Kurik just waved her on.

 

"That's the last one. Load 'em up!"

 

Kurik watched the recruits file onto the ship, giving his sister one last nod, as the doors closed. 

 

"Mission complete..." He muttered to himself, as Zida's ship detached from the airlock. He'd kept his sister alive long enough to begin what was hopefully, an extensive and successful military career. She would likely never set foot on Omega again. And neither would he.

 

Kurik had looked into a job, prior to arriving at the Citadel. The details weren't exactly clear, but the pay was likely to be much higher than any contract he would find in the Terminus Systems.  He checked the message one last time, while entering a cab.

 

"Purgatory."

 

The doors closed, and the car lifted off, heading for his destination.

 

Kurik entered the club through the main entrance, on the upper level.

[Decepticon Leader Sully]

you see this qwas why Beks preffered Omega. stuff happened on Omega.

Still boredom never killed anyone.. well no one of any real importance anyway.

Ba music bad drinks and now a bad mood were leadin to what was starting to look like a bad night.

that was it Beks needed a fight some one and then have sex.. not nessesseraly in that order. 

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Darya Nabiyeva was seated alone in the lower section of Purgatory wearing fitted military style black coveralls. Despite having been discharged five years prior she still favored the military dress. It was comfortable and efficient. She was attractive, yet the air about her suggested that she was waiting for someone and that no one should bother her except on official business. She managed to sneak an 8" combat knife past the bouncers and had it stuck in her right boot.

 

Darya was about 5'8" tall with short brown hair and piercing ice blue eyes. She had her laptop open in front of her, a bowl of chips, and a cup of coffee.

[Kel Riever]

A brown skinned salarian in a black formal suit with wide eyes approached each of the prospects for the mercenary company individually.  He was the maître d’ for Purgatory, and politely offered to each:

"You're patron invites you to come lounge and dine in a more remote location of our club, where you may speak, undisturbed."  The maître d’ then motioned to the far end of the room, where a woman with blue-dyed hair and in armor sat on one of the long red club couches, a decently sized, low table for holding food and drinks in front of her.  The location was in a 'cul-de-sac' of club traffic, with no other seating, allowing for a person to observe and be seen by the establishment proper, yet not eavesdropped upon, the music providing a sound barrier for conversation beyond the table.

For Darya, the maître d’ offered to carry her bowl, cup, and laptop over.  "Your tab for today is covered by your patron.  Please enjoy your stay."

[Decepticon Leader Sully]

"Sweet i was planing on getting hammered.and ill have a Meat feast pizza to boot. " Becks joked.as she pulled her self to her feet steddaly despite drinking enougth to kill a small krogan. 

"Better go see this "mysterious bennefactor" then" she chuckled.

[Cknarf]

With a slight bow of the head, Kurik acknowledged the salarian. He pushed gently off the wall he had been leaning against, and made his way towards the table.  

[Decepticon Leader Sully]

Becks noted the Salarian approach others. oh well the more the merier.

she thaueht to herself.

[Kel Riever]

When the three approached the table, noticing each other as they went, the woman with the blue hair rose to greet them.  Her smile was modest, but sincere, and she bowed her head gracefully.  "Welcome," she said, "I am Arcadia Del Castillo, member of the Stormhammer mercenary company.  Please, come make yourselves comfortable and place your orders.  Maître d’, would you send someone over?"

"Right away," the salarian said, then with a wave of his hand, a fresh faced asari waitress appeared with a datapad.  The salarian finished placing Darya's items on the table and left, while the waitress asked in a sparky voice that pierced the sound of music, "Drinks?"

[Decepticon Leader Sully]

"Beer since your offering thanks." Becks said takeing a seat she didnt do well whith Authority.. or people to be honest.

dtill all this was a show ir would be rude not to spectate.    

[Cknarf]

"No, thank you." Kurik politely declined the offer. He remained standing, and focused on the blue-haired woman at the table.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Darya sat at the table, and set her laptop in front of her. She opened it and keyed in "Stormhammer Mercenary Company and Arcadia Del Castillo."

 

She turned to the waitress. "Coffee, black, and please have my dinner order delivered to this table. It was a filet mignon, rare, with asparagus, and a baked potato."

 

"As you wish, ma'am." the waitress said.

 

"You don't mind if I eat, Ms. Del Castillo. I wasn't expecting you for another hour, and we biotics need our calories."

[TheMajonese]

With crossed arms Chris was leaning at a railing of the dance floor without having the slightest interest in dancing. An asari spotted him, turned to another asari next to her and then pointed at him. She said something Chris couldn't understand and they both began to giggle before turning away. The human let out a sigh. It had to look a bit stupid standing on the dance floor without moving at all for over ten minutes. And with his heavy plating armor he just looked completely out of place.

 

Down the stairs he saw his sister waving into his direction. Chris rolled his eyes before walking toward her. Like him she was wearing a heavy armor though the glass bottle in her left hand indicated that she was trying to make the best of their visit of the Purgatory.

 

"What the hell are we even doing here?", he asked her.

 

"I have no idea but it was your plan to go to the Purgatory, remember?", Naomi replied with a shrug.

 

"And now we have nowhere to go because someone had to spend our last credits on some turian booze!" There was no anger in his voice and Chris was just tired.

 

He reached out his hand and without a word Naomi gave him the almost empty bottle. After gulping down the last bits of alcohol he handed it back to his sister. "So what now?", she wanted to know. "After two years we haven't found any trace of mother! I mean...not a single one!"

 

"I won't give up on mum", was all Chris said and the look in Naomi's face told him that she was thinking the same. "But we really need a plan."

 

Naomi laughed joylessly and began to play with the empty glass bottle. She threw it in the air and catched it after one rotation. "We need everything, a trace, a plan, a trace, money and...did I already mention it? We need a freaking trace!"

 

Chris nodded, he knew exactly how his sister felt. Their mother was a mercenary and had left the twins immediately after they had joined the Alliance. They had kept in contact with her but for two years they hadn't heard anything. It was almost impossible for them to find their mother because she had never told them anything of her assignments or who she was with. So Chris and Naomi practically had to hope for a fortunate coincidence. The realistic chance of finding someone somehwere in the galaxy was close to zero but the twins wanted to know where their mother was, no matter how difficult it seemed to be.

 

"Well, at least money shouldn't be much of a problem", Chris said with a sigh. "I'm sure there is someone on the Citadel who could give us...Naomi!"

 

While repeatedly throwing the bottle before catching it Naomi somehow managed to fling it foward. The twins were both following its flight with their eyes, Chris with a silent laughter, Naomi with a startled expression in her face. With a loud sound the bottle bounced on a table next to them, almost hit the drinks before sliding off the table again.

 

"You're a moron...", Chris smirked.

 

"Oh crap...!" Naomi sprinted toward the table. "I'm really sorry...", she said to the blue haired woman while looking for the bottle that was lying somehwere beneath the table. "I didn't mean to throw something at you...and disrupt...what you are doing here..."

[Kel Riever]

Arcadia’s eyes flashed instantly to the incoming object, and when she saw there was no danger, she stood silently by, watching as the polymer bottle soared far from its point of origin to bounce off the table and underneath it.  She had not sat down again yet, having her shoulder turned slightly from where she stood to the two people who were taller and slightly younger than she.  With cool blue eyes, Arcadia read them; they could be siblings and she saw how they held themselves.

“Please, sit down,” Arcadia said to the three who she had expected to attend.  “We’ll get started in just a moment.”  To the two who she presumed to be brother and sister, if not twins, Arcadia stepped forward though she placed her hands behind her back.  “Well, like I imagine you two, I have more important interests than coming here for music and dancing.”

With blue eyes that smiled, then became deadly serious, Arcadia answered the woman.  “This is a private meeting for those interested in killing people for money, reaping the rewards and facing the consequences of failure.”  With a look that seemed to know more than was reasonable, Arcadia’s eyes expressed intrigue. “I’m not insulting your morals by saying that, am I?  You haven’t run yet, I’ve noticed.”

[Kel Riever]

After a bit of a wait, Arcadia beckoned to the two additions.  “Come over.  I will guess that a meal will not hurt you.  And you can hear a story.”

Del Castillo sat down, and the waitress delivered to those who had ordered, staying for any further requests, before hurrying off to bring them.  Without a care to the presence of the server, Arcadia addressed all of those present.

“I appreciate you lending me your ears, even if today we do not come to any sort of agreement.  There are times I have been wrong, but I have a good nose for finding out those who do not belong in this conversation.  Whether you were kind enough to answer the articles that were posted, or perhaps came here through happenstance, I will begin to speak to you about our opportunity to work together, and whether, by the time we’re done, if pursuing employment in the mercenary company Stormhammer is something that is in our mutual interest.”

With a nod to those who were listening, Arcadia folded one leg over the other and placed her arms comfortably in her lap.  “I am Arcadia Del Castillo, second in command of the mercenary company.  We are a startup, so if you are looking for the resources of Eclipse, or the notoriety of the Blood Pack, this is not the place.  The emblem of the Stormhammer on your armor will buy you nothing for now, other than curious questions at best.  Those who are involved with this will be people interested in building their own future, carving themselves a place in the galaxy, all while operating under command of a Major John Reith.”

Narrowing her blue eyes, Arcadia peered at each individual in attendance.  “If you aren’t familiar with the name, it is because in the history of warfare, it is not common to promote those who question their leaders.  If you are familiar with his name, then you’ll likely know Reith because you know about what happened on Torfan, and the fallout of what happened there.”

The waitress came by again, taking orders and inquiring if Del Castillo wanted anything but the asari was waived off.  Arcadia continued, “The point of Stormhammer is, as with most mercenary companies, to fight for hire.  It is no different than other outfits in that regard, but it is concerning how those fights are conducted.  Stormhammer follows the Council Conventions of War¹, which is no small feat considering the need for survival in this harsh galaxy.  That won’t make us heroes, mind you, or people always on the right side of a conflict.  What it will make us is warriors who have something to live by, something to rely on each other for.  All while getting along doing what we do best.

“If you scoff at such an idea, keep in mind that the rules of war were not made by stronger powers attempting to coral the lesser to their ways.  Nor were they made by idealists, lobbyists or politicians.  The foundations of the rules of war come from soldiers, who did not want to descend into the horrors they were aware they themselves could fall into.  Soldiers like us looking out for the people on the firing line, standing at our shoulders, because when the block shavings start flying, that’s all who matters.

“No one wants to be poor, and that too is the point.  The ability to enjoy the rewards of our endeavors.  There are dreams we all have, of course, some humble and perhaps some austere.  The important point is it is easier to get there with others, than alone.  Others who share the same methods if not the same goal.  If you wish to burn cities to the ground, then Stormhammer is not for you.  But if you wish for the forge of battle and service to turn you into something worthwhile, without subjecting yourself to outside masters, well then we can continue to talk.  Perhaps I will stop hear and listen to you now for being talked to death is a terrible way to perish.”

Arcadia winked.

¹Consider this, for now, to function much as the Geneva Conventions do in the modern world.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Darya closed her laptop. "You check out, Ms. Castillo. You make Torfan sound like it was a bad thing," she said with a touch of arrogance. "Everyone knows that the Batarians surrendered to Major Kyle and were taken prisoner. It was a good raid. We released many colonists in that operation. After Elysium, the Batarians had it coming. You probably know my team made sure they were not able to send reinforcements, otherwise we would not be sitting here, yes? As to then Captain Reith, I heard he receive a Medal of Valor."

 

Darya took a sip of her coffee. "Now, let's talk job and credits. You probably know from my file that there are certain types of jobs I will not do, and that is why I am not with the Blue Suns or Eclipse."

[Kel Riever]

Arcadia, not thrown by the woman's assessment, said, "Not everyone at Torfan had eyes on all parts of the battlefield.  Your part of the story sorts out well with what came out in the press.  Everything was wonderful, and everyone was a hero.  Let's go with your version for this meeting, since it is the neat and tidy one that doesn't require any hard questions.  And when you do meet Reith, my personal advice is to pass on mention of the medal."

With a finger put to the side of her head, Del Castillo went on.  "Remuneration is undoubtedly a topic of conversation and I admire your interest, Ms. Nabiyeva, but we have everyone else here yet who I wish to hear before we sort that.  The topic of jobs, however, is an excellent topic to bring up and I would address that now.  We have our initial prospects out there, but when we get to our first combat mission, expect us to start out small.  There will be some basic work to set up before we are even at this stage, and an acclimation process to get settled so each of us is familiar enough as possible before we hit live action.   It won't take much time, however, and while you won't be thrown out of the nest, so to speak, no one being hired is a novice, either.  You will, too, have some say in our first decisions, to be fair, and there will be a selection of contracts to engage with.  After that, this is an organized outfit.  We'll be taking on roles appropriate to our skills, and some of you will be given rotation to lead teams.  That brings a degree of responsibility, of course, and you may decline, but it is also the path to greater things as we expand.  Money will not be an issue at first, as long as we can maintain success, but we will need to outsource many of our needs in our early days.  Transport is an example of that, so get used to relying on others and watching our mutual backs from outsiders.  When we prosper, we'll expand and get the big missions.  And surely the in-house resources that come along.

"I'll get you geared up personally, if you need it.  We're on the Citadel, we can get what we need if it is commonly available.  If not, we may need to do some leg work.  There's time now, so it is important to ask for what you need to operate in the field if you do not have it already.  When I say field, I do mean here, by the way.  Of our initial missions, there is plenty of local opportunity on the Citadel.  No need to go flying off on a starship just yet."

[Cknarf]

Kurik was intrigued by the idea of Stormhammer. He was already on board, even if the pay turned out to be less than what he made under the Suns.

 

"You probably know from my file that there are certain types of jobs I will not do, and that is why I am not with the Blue Suns or Eclipse."

 

Kurik brushed off the human's comment, that he perceived as a subtle jab at the Suns. After all, a good majority of those associated with the company were complete scumbags that would do damn near anything for the right price. He didn't particularly care for his employer, but nothing on Omega paid nearly as well, save for mining eezo.

 

He remained quiet, and listened for what the others had to say.

[Decepticon Leader Sully]

Becks just sat quietly nursing her drink.

"You see the only question I can think of is why I should bother helping?"

[Kel Riever]

Galacher drew a heart felt laugh from Arcadia.  "Do you mean besides the code, and the money and the life of adventure?  Travelling all across the galaxy, meeting new people, and shooting them?  Perhaps I seem to reluctant to talk about the remuneration if we are that ready to speak of the future together."

Del Castillo uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, placing her palms on the edge of the couch.  "I can't go into the details of our missions until we are contracted together, but pay will come as a percentage of those contracts, and there will be a minimum for you in times of inactivity.  There was debate between Reith and myself, whether to organize this as a more military format, with all your overhead taken care of, or a freelancer format, where you handled all of your own expenses, and we took care of Command and administration.  We went with the former, where you'll split half of a contract value in shares amongst yourselves, cash in your pocket so to speak.  The rest covers everything else you need:  weapons, armor, room and board, transportation, medical, other benefits, like you were enlisted.  My pay doesn't come out of your share, though I will be on mission with you, nor does Reith's.  We've got some work to do, as I had said, acquiring resources, but the associated expenses will not be your problem.  Based on a minimum contract of one-hundred thousand credits for simple objectives, if we play our cards right, we can all clean up.  You'll get 5,000 to cover monthly minimum if we hit a dry spell, but it shouldn't be an issue if we're doing our job.  Oh, and that is remuneration after taxes, which we pay for our operations.  That tends to keep the Council and others off our backs.

"What else can I answer for you?"

[Decepticon Leader Sully]

" Yeah besides that i get to shoot people all the time.. but meh my schedual is empty so what the heck im down. just dont go mistakeing me for a soldier or nuffin." Beks said unleashing an audiable burp. 

"Just keep me entertained and point me at the target and im your own little blue bullit."

[TheMajonese]

Chris was surprised to see Naomi sitting down after the blue haired woman had talked to her and waving him over to the table. Curiously he came closer, sat down next to his sister and listened to Arcadia's words. The longer the woman spoke the more worried Chris became and he turned over to his sister just to see her as he had anticipated. 

 

She was staring at Arcadia and carefully listening to every single word. When Naomi noticed the scepsism in Chris' face she just elbowed him in his side. "Come on, that's perfect for us, it's easy money!" Her brother just raised an eyebrow. It took her a second to understand what he was meaning. "Hey, it wasn't my fault!", she hissed. "I had everything under control!"

 

Chris sighed. Just a few weeks ago the twins had tried to get some money as freelancers but their first assignment had ended in a disaster. But Naomi was right, for now the stormhammer mercenaries actually sounded like the best opportunity they found for a long time. It wasn't just about the money, the assignments would probably give them the chance to find some hints on the whereabouts of their mother. He knew that Naomi was already in but Chris didn't want to take his decision that quickly.

 

"You mentioned that there are articles about the stormhammer company", he said to Arcadia while looking at the asari, the turian and the short haired woman. "I think you could find more than enough people who would like to make their money as a mercenary. Why aren't there more than three people who followed your offer? Do you need us to have any specific abilities or would you take anyone who is interested?"