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[Kel Riever]

Tolema seemed to agree.  "Public disclosure is the way to go, I think.  Retaliation would be off the table, since Ariake would survive..."

"...When they should totally die," Aoide interjected.

"...Some heads will roll, Capella may be gone, it won't matter but if the company can see its survival rests on fixing the problem and letting us have our day, then that's where we want to be."

Aoide snorted.  "Our manager will think this is some sort of promotion stunt.  He'll love it when it's done."

"I want to get a look at that thumb drive, though, and not here," Tolema said.  "The problem is I'll need more time than we've got if I'm going to get through it thoroughly.  Which..."

With a heavy sigh, Aoide finished Tolema's thought.  "Which means you want to stay behind and catch up with the band later."

Tolema winced.  "And maybe have you leave Juric with me?  He's come in very handy, especially when handy refers to breaking them."

Aoide looked at Juric, and nodded.  "All right by me if it is all right with him."

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

"So once this suit is on it cannot be removed? I cannot see a normal military being interested in this. I cannot see normal people enlisting in the military to have these suits attached to them, permanently. Perhaps a corporate paramilitary group... or...," Darya got a look of disgust on her face. "a terrorist organization like Cerberus. They are most likely to force these things on people. Disclosure is the least of their concerns. So now that you have the prototype, and the manual, what do you plan to do with it?

[Kel Riever]

"No, no," Tolema clarified. "Once the gel is placed, it cannot be removed from the armor.  The armor can be removed from the person as normal.  As far as what to do with it, I like what Menos is suggesting.  But I want time to read through the thumb drive manual and information first, which will put me past the time the band is on the Citadel.  Which is why I think I might need to stay behind, maybe with Juric."

[J.Ezra]

"I'm happy to stay with Tolema. You'll survive with out me for a day at least. Maybe."

 

Juric gave a small smile to Aoide in an attempt to reassure her.  He still felt a bit guilty about failing to help Tolema before and hopefully he could make it up by staying behind with her. Turning to Chris, Menos and Darya, Juric asked "So then, what will you guys do now?"

[TheMajonese]

Chris looked at Menos and Darya before he turned to Juric. "I'd like to leave for now. I definitely need some rest, besides, I have to look after someone." He felt like he already wasted enough time with this stupid prototype, he even risked his life getting it here. It wasn't his concern what the others wanted to do with it now.

 

"So if that's all, I'm out for now", Chris said to Aoide and Tolema, still avoiding to directly look at Aoide. "As soon as you figure out what to do with that tech, let me know."

[Kel Riever]

Aoide didn't show anything but approval when Juric spoke and seemed not to notice Chris.  "Anyone who wants to crash here, the band is gone in four hours but it's no big deal to pick up an extra day.  You'll just have to find an unused room or place to lay down if you can.  Still, sleep, breakfast, a decent shower, anything you need to get you on your way."

Tolema nodded.  "I'll stay.  And any of you can hold onto the prototype, or you can leave it with me.  I ask only that you not try to use the prototype until I've had a chance to get into that thumbnail drive, not that you'd do anything like that.  But I'm calling it a night, too.  Just give me an address and time to show up in the morning with Juric...or afternoon as the case may be."

"I'm staying up," Aoide said to Tolema.  "No point in a few hours of sleep now.  I'll get my rest on the ship."

Nodding, Tolema gave Aoide a quick kiss and stepped out to find another bedroom.

Chris was almost at the door to leave the suite when he felt a hand gently grab his arm.  Turning, he saw Aoide.  She caught his green eyes with her violet.

"Sorry about that," Aoide said to Chris, motioning towards his chest with her chin.  "Sometimes I react before I think.  And...I want to thank you specially.  It's hard, sometimes, for me to meet people and then watch them go by so fast, onto the next thing.  But I remember the good ones, Chris.  The ones that matter.  Take care of Tolema, all right?  I trust you."

~ ~ ~ ~

Arcadia was sitting on the hood of the skycar with Kuric.  "I am sure they forgot about us," she said to him, "And I don't want to think about the reasons why."

[TheMajonese]

Letting out a sigh Chris turned around and forced himself to look at Aoide though his face became slightly red again. "You had any reason for it", he said as he laid a hand on his chest. "I'm really sorry about this, I shouldn't have used this stupid cover to trick you. That's why I told you the truth, I just hate lying. So I'll be honest with you."

 

He wasn't sure if he should speak out lout what he had in mind but then he remembered what Aoide just said. I trust you... Chris took a deep breath. "A few years ago there was an incident on earth involving a big company, a private military organization, if I recall correctly. I wasn't involved in any way but I heard about it on the news. One of the employees had decided to leak sensitive information on the companies' recent activity to the public. I don't know the detail but it had something to do with torturing prisoners and other violations against human rights. That information caused the organization to face severe political and economic consequences from which the company couldn't recover. Just a week later the man who had leaked the information, was found dead in his apartment."

 

Chris gave Aoide a serious look. "I know why you want to ruin Ariake and Capella and with these side effects of their tech it's important that we do something about it. I'm sorry to say it but Tolema's move was more than just reckless. She stole that prototype on a bike with your band logo on it! It took us just an hour to find out how to find her and we're just a bunch of mercenaries. It's only a matter of time until C-Sec, Ariake and Capella know about it as well. And as much as I hate those greedy bastards that run these companies...they are smart. They know what was stolen from them and they know how explosive it would be if something about that prototype would be leaked to the public. I want to help getting you safely out of this...but seriously; keep an eye on Tolema! She seems to get herself into trouble quite often. I mean...we both almost got killed just grabbing the prototype. It's not worth dying for it."

 

When he realized how much he had said without interruption, Chris blinked a few times in confusion and shook his head. "Sorry I talk so much. Maybe that's due to the flashbang", he mumbled.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Darya sat back and looked at the ceiling in the hotel room. This would be a good place to crash for the night. She thought. But first, pizza.

[Kel Riever]

"Well, sometimes we do stupid things," Aoide replied.  She spun her head away for a moment, to make sure no one was looking at her and Chris.  Satisfied there wasn't a conscious eye in range, she grabbed Chris by the shoulder and quickly kissed him.  When she pulled away, she said, "If you see me in town, on one of your stops, come by."

Aoide let go quickly and made as if nothing happened as Darya came out of the room.  As if reading her mind, Aoide told Darya.  "Plenty of food in the kitchen."

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Darya asked.

[Kel Riever]

Aoide put her fingers to her forehead and closed her eyes, mimicking some sort of seer.  "With my powers known as process of elimination, I see that you are up, haven't headed to one of the other rooms to find a place to sleep, you haven't gone to the bathroom, and thus the stars tell me you must be hungry."  Aoide opened her eyes and smiled.  "Or I could have just made a lucky guess."

[TheMajonese]

Another hour here and I'm jumping out of the next window!, Chris thought before he hastily left the hotel suite. He pressed the button to call the elevator several times and then impatiently walked back and forth while waiting for it. When it finally arrived and opened its doors, Chris jumped in before hectically pushing the button to the bottom level. Then he opened his omni-tool to order a taxi to the hotel.

 

Chris leaned back against the wall of the elevator and let out a sigh. Sometimes he just wished to actually be as simple-minded as Naomi liked to tell other people. It would make everything much easier for him. He still felt a dull pain in his shoulder and he had the feeling that some noises weren't as clear as they should be. And of course there was this burning feeling on his lips after Aoide's kiss.

 

When he stormed out of the hotel and went across the landing pad Chris spotted Arcadia and, to his surprise, Kuric. When he noticed the turian Chris raised an eyebrow but at the moment he didn't have the nerves for another conversation, so he just nodded to them before he went for the taxi. 

[TheMajonese]

Upon entering the apartment, there was a pleasant smell of something to eat and Chris could hear his stomach rumbling. The apartment was nothing more than a short hallway with a bathroom on the left and a small bedroom on the right, that directly led into something that usually would be considered to be a living room. The room seemed to be empty, there was nothing aside from a small sofa with a coffee table in front of it, a fridge, an old screen that was attached to the wall opposite to the windows and a terrible painting on the other wall which was probably supposed to be modern art of some sort. Living here was impossible but the flat was cheap and for the past weeks the twins had spent most of their time elsewhere on the Citadel.

 

Chris found his sister on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, a pizza box next to her on the table. "Don't forget, I have the bedroom...", he began.

 

"...because you pay the rent!", Naomi completed his sentence and sounded annoyed. She turned her head into his direction. "Could you please stop telling me this over and over again?" Her face was pale and she looked as if she had a fever. "Did I miss anything?"

 

With a sigh Chris gave her the short version of what happened after she had left the hotel, however he left out the part where he almost got himself and Tolema killed. The end was that Tolema would be doing some more research on that prototype while the stormhammer members had some time to sleep and prepare to meet at the HQ later. "I hope we can get this bullsh*t done as soon as possible", Chris said before yawning loudly. "But I'd like to know how you are doing."

 

"Fine", his sister lied while avoiding to look at him. After a few moments she realized that Chris wasn't buying it so she let out a sigh and crossed her arms. "I'm feeling like sh't, what do you expect?"

 

"Hm..." Chris walked over to the couch to drop his gear behind it where Naomi already had carelessly put down her armor and weapons as well. At the moment there was no point in talking with Naomi about what had happened. But he also knew that it wouldn't take long for her to forget about it. He bent over the backrest of the sofa and ran his fingers through her hair.

 

"Hey!", Naomi complaint but didn't resist when he pulled some loose strands out of her face.

 

For a while they just looked at each other without saying anything, both lost in their own thoughts. "What do you think of them?", Naomi eventually asked.

 

"Them?" Chris smiled. "Who is them?", he wanted to know although he already had an idea what Naomi was asking. Hearing his stomach again, Chris walked around the table and opened the pizza box only to see that it was completely empty. "Wow...", he said in disbelief and closed the box again. "Just, wow...thanks for sparing me something!"

 

Naomi ignored his last remark. "I'm talking about stormhammer. What do you think about the team?"

 

Chris snorted amused and headed to the bathroom. "About Darya...she seems a bit cold but I guess that's just russian", he said while getting out of his t-shirt and eyeing himself in the mirror. He was surprised when he realized how many of his chest hairs were gone. "Menos? At first I thought he was crazy but he seems alright."

 

"Yeah...", he heard Naomi agree before she gave a loud yawn.

 

"I can't say anything about Kuric, he doesn't talk much and never smiles", Chris continued. "And there's Cadi..." He interrupted himself when he thought of the blue-haired woman. For some reason he was really curious about her motivation to run a mercenary organization like Stormhammer, even if she wasn't directly in charge. And there were other things concerning the team that he wanted to ask her but that would have to wait until their current mission was over. 

 

Chris took off the rest of his clothes and turned on the shower. Like his sister he was an atheist and didn't believe in any god but when the cold water ran over his head, he felt as if at least heaven really existed. After twenty minutes which was much longer than he usually needed in the bathroom, Chris was wearing fresh clothes and felt a lot better than before. A good shower often was the best one could do to get rid of stress.

 

When he came back into the living room to look after Naomi, Chris let out a short laugh. His sister was deeply asleep, her breath was calm and the look on her face was less tense. He knew that she couldn't sleep when her brother wasn't around, and for him it was the same when he didn't know where Naomi was. It was astonishing how calm and peacful his sister was when she was asleep, she didn't seem like the energetic, curious, loud woman that she usually was. After watching Naomi for a while, Chris sighed and rubbed his eyes. Then he carefully moved one hand under her legs and the other under her back to slowly lift her up. Groaning under the weight of her body, he carried her to his room and used one foot to push open the door before gently placing Naomi onto his bed. "Sleep well!", he mumbled with a grin before he turned off the light and returned into the living room.

 

With another sigh Chris laid down on the couch and tried to find a comfortable position that would allow him to get at least a few hours of sleep. The sofa was a bit too short for him and it wasn't nearly as comfortable as a bed but after some time he finally closed his eyes.

[Kel Riever]

Although there was no day or night in the wards where the Stormhammer headquarters was located, for anyone used to a routine, pushing the time ahead could still prove to be disorienting.  Some restaurants were serving different meals, one set of stores would be close while another set was opened, and the drift, or feel, or movement of the crowds was different.

It was that way for Arcadia.  She’d retired at the modest accommodations provided by Stormhammer, really no more than one would get in the military.  Even after eating, showering and changing into her more comfortable olive tank top and fatigues, she felt out of place sitting down at a table in the room with the three large computer displays.  There was administration to go through, and other aspects of management that she was forced to deal with in a company so small.  She reminded herself it was necessary, and that if she wasn’t willing to deal with it, someone else wouldn’t want to either.  Vihaan Devi was present, doing his own work.  Breakfast consisted of a thick bread with a vegetable spread, and a cup of steaming coffee.  Cadi took her first sip when the monitor indicating someone was at the front door blinked. 

“I’ll get it,” Vihann said and left the room.

A few minutes later, Vihaan returned with Tolema who had changed into a simple black body suit and pair of comfortable boots.  She hadn’t met Vihaan or Cadi before, and there was a quick bout of introductions, after which, Tolema made a few inquiries.

“This is where everybody operates out of?” Tolema asked.

“For now, although they are not all here yet.”

“Is this something your mercenary company normally deals with?”

Cadi let loose a short chuckle.  “There’s nothing we normally deal with so far, but we can get this problem under wraps.  You’re welcome to use any of the terminals in here to review this drive you want to look at while we wait for the others to get here.”

“I appreciate it.”

Tolema took advantage of a computer to research the drive.  Arcadia sat back down and disappeared into her own work.  The prototype seemed like a distraction, but Arcadia also looked at it as a potential opportunity.  She’d heard about the bodyguard who accompanied the band.  And then there was Tolema herself.  Arcadia glanced over to the asari, who glanced back as if sensing she was being spied on.  Cadi gave her a smile and glanced back to a datapad. 

Of course, there were other pressing issues about to be addressed too, but Cadi wasn’t saying anything about it until everyone who needed to be was present.

[TheMajonese]

Naomi was quite surprised when she didn't wake up on the sofa where she had fallen asleep. It took her a while to figure out where she actually was. She was even more surprised to find her brother already awake, collecting his gear and putting on his light armor. With crossed arms Naomi leaned against the bedroom's doorframe. "You really think you'll need your weapons again?", she wanted to know.

 

Instead of answering her question, Chris just yawned and then shrugged his shoulders while checking the thermal clips of his rifle. The looked of the face told Naomi that he hadn't slept much this night. "You're staying here?", he asked in a toneless voice.

 

"Yes, I'm not feeling well...I will just stay and try to get some more sleep", Naomi lied and turned away as her brother would probably sense her lie by just looking her into the eyes.

 

But Chris didn't seem to notice anything, he just trudged to the door, opened it and turned around. "I just hope we can finish this soon", he said before he left and Naomi didn't even have any idea what her brother was referring to. 

 

 

 

 

Still sleepy and a paper cup filled with coffee in one hand, Chris stepped into the building that was supposed to be the stormhammer HQ. "Hey", he muttered when he entered the room where Cadi and Tolema were already doing some work and placed himself on one of the free chairs. Chris felt too tired to say anything so he just sat there and stared at his hands while waiting for something to happen.

[Cainhurst Crow]

Menos had slept for an hour and a half, maybe an hour and 45, and felt wonderful. He didn't usually sleep in, usually he got a half hour or forty five max, though that was back when he had to worry about gunmen and secret agents turning up to kill him. One of the advantages of working with an all non-salarian crew was that you could get way more then any normal military shift should allow in sleep, and still be awake hours before your colleges, fully charged and ready to go.

 

He had some extra time on his hands, a couple of hours worth to be precise. And after a breif hour and a half session of competitive Mobs of Myth, Grievous Scirmish, and failing to play Towers of Hanoi on his omnitool, he'd found time to make breakfest, and a bit more then that.

 

Menos walked into the headquarters humming some up-beat tune to himself, carrying a medium sized brown paper takeaway box in one hand, and his omnitool active in the other, conncting to his com systems which played whatever song he was humming along to. He looked around the group with a smile on his face as he set the box down on the table.

 

"Good morning..." He said as he opened the lid for the box, revealing a couple muffins he'd apparently had time to make, along with 2 red ones. "I made muffins. Don't eat the red ones, those are dextro..." He said, the rest looking actually pretty decent, "They're banana flavored, no nuts. I hate nuts..." He said simply as he glanced towards Tolema. "You can have some to. They're good..." he said simply as he walked over and took a seat, music still going as he brought his hands together in front of him, looking like he was pleasantly waiting for the meeting to start.

[TheMajonese]

Dr. Simon Tyler, Dentist. Naomi read through the advertisment on her omni-tool over and over again. She had already visited the dentist's office but the receptionist told her that Dr. Tyler was currently at home. Finding out where he lived was no problem for Naomi, she just had to tell the receptionist her name which caused the asari to stare at Naomi in surprise before giving her the address. 

 

Of course Naomi didn't know for sure if this dentist was the same Simon Tyler that she hoped he was. It could be a conincidence that he had the same name. But something told her that she was right about this. She had found the announcement while browsing through nearby citadel services to call for a pizza delivery and now she couldn't think of anything else. She had no idea what she would do once she met that doctor but there was a reason she didn't tell her brother about her plan to pay that Simon Tyler a visit. Chris would only try to hold her back and tell her to calm down, and Naomi wasn't going to do that. Besides, Chris was still busy with that stormhammer thing. So Naomi was on her own for now and maybe for the first time in her life, she was glad that her brother wasn't around.

 

"You realize that we just arrived?", the turian taxi driver asked which caused Naomi to startle up.

 

"We're...wait...what?" She looked around in confusion. "Oh, yes..." The turian seemed to be amused at her reaction but didn't say anything. After paying for the ride, Naomi climbed out of the skycar. "Thanks..." The taxi took off and Naomi suddenly felt a bit helpless, as if she was stranded somewhere. She looked down at herself. Instead of armor she just wore her white tank top and the grey trousers. The only armor she had were the heavy boots that were actually part of her heavy set of armor. Even if she wasn't expecting a fight she would have felt better with her equipment. With a sigh Naomi turned to the large windows of the building in front of her. 

 

She was standing on a huge landing pad that could easily hold six or even more skycars but it was empty except for a red car that was parked right next to her. It looked really expensive, like a hovering version of a normal sports car, even with a decorative rear spoiler attached to it. Naomi looked through the windows and the look of the car's interior caused her jaw to drop slightly. Inside the car looked more like a limousine, with comfortable leather seats and dozens of displays and controls to offer the driver and passengers the greatest possible comfort. It was obvious that the owner of that car had money, more than enough of it.

 

The Building was a tall tower with twelve levels, which meant that there were six aparments as each one of them consisted of two floors. For every apartment, there was a single landing pad, and to make taking off and landing easier, each platform was located on another side of the tower so they formed a spiral around the building. There were no elevators or stairs inside, instead the landing pads were connected by wide stairs so the residents could easily visit their neigbors.

 

Naomi nervously walked to the door with a small display on it which read 'Tyler'. She pressed the button that looked like the door bell and the display now showed 'Please wait a moment...' With pounding heart Naomi started to walk back and forth while she waited for someone to open the door. Now that she was here, Naomi wasn't sure about this. It was probably just a waste of time anyway, maybe that Dr. Tyler wasn't even at home or he wasn't the one she was looking for...The sound of the opening door caused Naomi to spin around.

 

"Uhm...hi...", a tall man greeted her and looked at her with curiousity. He was barefooted and wore a simple white t-shirt and comfortable trousers, his body looked quite athletic. The man was probably between fifty and sixty years old.

 

For a few moments Naomi couldn't move and just stared at his face. She didn't need to know his name, she already knew who he was, just by seeing those green eyes. Even the way he raised his eyebrow looked familiar... She gasped, completely overwhelmed by the sudden feelings. "You...!" Naomi had waited over twenty years to see this guy, and now she had no idea how she should react. 

 

The man crossed his arms and looked slightly confused. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know who you are", he said. "I don't think we've ever met before..."

 

Her fist hit him completely unprepared, screaming with pain he stumbled backwards and fell on his back. "Who the hell are you?", he shouted while he tried to get back on his feet again, covering his bleeding nose with one hand.

 

"Who I am...? YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK ME THIS QUESTION, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SH*T!", Naomi yelled even louder.

 

"What are you talking about...?", the man asked and looked at her furiously. After a few seconds his expression suddenly changed and his eyes widened in surprise. "Naomi...?", he almost whispered.

 

"Didn't ever expect to see me, huh? But I guess..." Naomi interrupted herself as she realized something. "Wait...! How...how do you...?" He knows my name! Completely speechless she gazed at him.

 

None of them said anything, they just stared at each other until all of a sudden, there was another voice. "What is going on, Grandpa?" A little boy, not older than six years, had appeared and looked both curious and scared at the same time at Naomi. "Who are you?", he wanted to know.

 

She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say so she closed it again. Naomi turned to her father and then back to the boy. "I...I am...uhm...", she stuttered while her mind slowly processed what happened around her. "I think, I am...I...I am your aunt?"

[Kel Riever]

The members of the Stormhammer team had assembled in the meeting room, minus a few faces such as Naomi, Kamau who many of the team hadn't met yet, and of course Major Reith.  Juric and Tolema were there, of course, as well, and the small room was actually feeling quite full.

"It's time," Arcadia said as she stood.  "Hopefully you've all recovered and Chris, I trust you'll get everything Naomi needs from this meeting to her.  The events of last night were rather unexpected, but we seem to have come to an acceptable conclusion from it, with the caveat that we've been waiting for Tolema to review the thumbdrive of the prototype from Capella.  Tolema, are you ready to talk to us about the information you've found?"

Tolema nodded, "It's what you'd expect for the most part.  Instructions on how to install the prototype, detailed schematics and blueprints, production details, and most importantly, design notes.  Directly from what I've found this proves that the people of Capella knew what they were doing with the prototype, the dangers involved, and there are even captured memos deep within that prove they were trying to hide what they were doing.  It amazes me to this day what people put into print that they think they won't get caught with.  The point is, damning evidence.  I don't know if anyone is going to go to jail over the matter, but this is the kind of thing which is going to ruin Capella.  It probably won't ruin Ariake but it will cause them to look another direction to survive.  They'll be putting a lot of money into damage control."

"The concern has been, Tolema, that this leads back to you, or to anyone who might know about this," Cadi reemphasized a point that Menos had made.  "I agree with you that if this is made public, that retribution may not be the smartest move these companies can make because the individuals involved may still have a lot more to lose, but that's no guarantee someone won't try something."

Pausing only briefly for reflect, Tolema responded.  "It isn't.  So I've thought about it and the best way I think to handle this is without any ties.  This is red hot information, a career maker for someone breaking the news.  Disseminate the information anonymously.  There are journalists, politicians, people whose job it is to find things like this and get it out there.  People who, if retribution is taken against them, will bring down far more in consequences for those who would raise a hand against them.  An what will be found out?  Nothing.  Because there is no source to protect, so to speak.  The source, we, are anonymous.  But I can't do that alone.  The funding from the band is coming for that from you."

Arcadia looked to Vihaan, who was towards the back, comfortably in a seat.  "We have that capability," Vihaan spoke.  "It is not a difficult task to insert this information anonymously, wherever it needs to go.  We may wipe our hands clean of it, even from what I've been told has happened.  Tolema will likely have to lay low for a while.  She may need to make changes.  But her life will not be permanently altered.  Some time away would help.  Reduce the chance of an emotional response by those who will be compromised.  Give them time to face the consequences, and come up with the better math themselves.  What will be the point of retribution after the maximum damage is done?  These are corporations for profit, not dictatorships or mobs.  The wealthy will rebound in one way or the other, it may be sad to say, but it is this sense that there is more to lose which must process through their minds.  And if not, well, we have taken all the precautions we can.  At a certain point, the fear capitulates all and then what was the point of taking the device in the first place?  Simply throw the prototype out and allow Capella and Ariake to hurt people if you want to do that."

"No," Cadi said, "I think we've all weighed our conclusions.  But Tolema, what do you plan for going to ground?"

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Darya sat back in her chair. "I agree that the news about this prototype has to be disseminated anonymously, but it has to be made public because of the L2. I know. I had an L2 for several years. They have research notes elsewhere, trust me, and they will create another prototype if they are allowed to get away with this. Why didn't they use an L4 or at least an L3 implant? Trying to save some money? L2s are probably dirt cheap because they're crap and why they haven't been made illegal is another matter.

 

"And Ariake is a human based electronics firm. You're Asari, Tolema. You could go to ground for a few decades if needed and the people involved will most likely be dead. You'll still be young and have a long life ahead of you. Be glad they aren't Salarian. I've heard things."

[Kel Riever]

Tolema looked sidelong at Darya.  “Sure, let everyone I care about who isn’t asari also be most likely dead?  I’ll pass.  But I had been thinking about things and, well, I did have a solution for lying low, so to speak.  One that wouldn’t involve letting generations pass.”

Cadi watched Tolema’s expression, and nodded slightly.  “I can speak with you afterwards.  This prototype, we’ll take care of it.  If you’ll excuse us for a bit, Tolema, Juric, I need to talk only with the members of the company.”

“Understood,” Tolema said while rising.  She gave a jerk of her head to Juric.  “We can wait in the lobby for whenever you are finished.”

Arcadia waited while Tolema and Juric were guided out of the room by Vihaan.  When the salarian returned, Cadi addressed everyone still left.

“What we did here on the Citadel, that was basic.  We accomplished work, important work for a client.  We did it without raising unwanted attention.  Despite some difficulties, we performed as professionals, admirably.  It’s short notice, but I’ve gone over the final details with Major Reith.  We’re ready to leave this place for a mission, one we’re well suited for.”

Cadi used her omni-tool to dim the lights.  The three main display screens in the room came to life.  On one was a galactic map, a second showed information on a planet, and a third ha text based information.

“The Terminus Systems are to be our next destination.  Fraught with conflict, criminal activity according to the laws of the Council and its allies, and a den for the malevolent as well as the bold adventurer.  We have a client who needs a small group with military capabilities to investigate a problem they’ve had with a mining outpost.

“Parasc, the third planet in the Kyzil System, Shrike Abyssal, is our destination.  It is a planet harboring no native life worth mention, a desert with an average temperature of -85 degrees Celcius.  Long ago, it was colonized by asari shortly after their first contact with the vorcha.  Settlements in orbit and on the surface are nearly all mining or manufacturing industry dominated.  The government is closely associated with Mind and Hand, the siari-based charity responsible for original colonization.

“Our client will pay well, and has covered many of the upfront costs involved, including transportation to and from the world.  This will take us far from the Citadel, and into a dangerous part of space, but pay is eight times more than we received from watching the diplomat’s daughter.  We’ll walk away from this in a very advantaged position compared to where we have started.”

[TheMajonese]

Chris' first reaction to Cadi's words was a loud yawn. His second was a yawn as well. Then he emptied his cup of coffee, leaned back and rubbed his eyes. "You mean if we walk away from this.", he commented on Arcadia's last sentence. "A job that pays that good and needs to be done by people of military capabilities won't be as easy as escorting the salarian girl. But I'm not a pessimist, so I'd say we can handle this."

 

With a sigh Chris crossed his arms and turned to the display screens. This planet didn't look like a place that he was eager to visit. "What exactly is this job about?", he asked.

[Cknarf]

Aside from an occasional twitch of the mandibles, Kurik just kinda sat there.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Darya had listened to the proposal. -85 C would require thermal gear, unless it's on one of the stations. "You have my curiosity, Cadi. Let's have the details."

[Kel Riever]

After Vihaan left Tolema and Juric in the lobby, Tolema moved up close to the krogan and talked to him in a low voice.

"You have to know what I'm thinking, even if Aoide is madder than a rabid varren, right?" Tolema asked Juric, then sighed. "All right, this is my mistake. But it's a mistake I would make again in a heartbeat. How much am I supposed to be worried about retribution? This isn't just about bringing down some company. This is about blowing the lid off of two companies that would be fine with hurting people, maybe permanently, for money! Everyone ends up looking the other way and then what? What?! If there's a downside to this that comes back and bites me in my ass then so be it. I have a conscience and I don't think that's a fault."


Another deep breath and Tolema continued. "But I'm not an idiot. I'm not going to dangle my life out there for someone to pick off or make a mess out of. This isn't about flaunting. I have a mind to see if these people need help, to go with them for a while. Not for decades but that human Darya, she's right about one thing. Laying low. And let's say they don't stay here on the Citadel, the farther they go for now, the better. I can do it alone, Juric. I can do it without anyone. Aoide...she'll be mad, like I said. I know her. Maybe she'll forget about me and move on. But this is bigger than that. I have to trust she'd understand or we weren't meant for each other, anyway.

"I don't have to do it alone, though, Juric. If I can get in with these people, you're even a bigger value. Tell me you're being put to your full use guarding that band, can you? They're fine. They have money, they'll hire people. Seirenes is no longer stuck finding security at the last minute, they have most of a new detail waiting for them at their destination. Music is fun, I can't blame you if you want to stay with the band. But think about it, Juric. And nothing has to be written in stone, either. We can approach these people, I bet they can use us. At least for a while."

Tolema looked at Juric eagerly, awaiting a response.

~ ~ ~ ~

“Our client is one of associates of the original Mind and Hand organization that originally colonized Parasc, a company called Palladium Controls. They are a mining consortium of settlements located in the northern hemisphere of the planet. The company is run by a matron named Teklia V’Siliou and her family. They have had a problem with one of their outpost mines as of late, and need a group to support them while they head out and fix whatever is happening.”

Arcadia brought up pictures of the planets surface and a closer in map. The cold desert of the world left a barren, windswept and cracked topography. “Parasc is not a friendly environment, and manpower is often stretched. Predominantly, this is because of the nature of the colonies as well as the planet generally being less than friendly for settlement. Mind and Hand colonized the planet many years ago by adopting vorcha orphans from Heshtok, and raised them to lead non-violent lives. Their project proved to be successful, and is admired in the circles who care about such things for finding an alternative to the vorcha social structure, if one can call it that, which is historically based in violence.

“The vorcha of Parasc outnumber the asari one hundred to one. They are, for the most part, unarmed. Crime is virtually negligible and when trouble arises, help is often sought from the outside. Hiring a mercenary company such as our is uncommon, yet not unheard of. And in this particular case, we will be working with another mercenary group which has been hired.”

Cadi brought up another screen, with a brief description of the mercenary company she was talking about. Bold, in red at the top of the screen, was their logo: a pair of crossed swords behind a modern helm, all in dark red outline. “Koehler’s Brigade is a larger group of hired guns, numbering perhaps thirty. They are mostly human, with the presence of a few batarians and a handful of turians. I will tell you that while their track record is fair, and they’ve been in business for several years, I am not impressed by their capabilities. It is difficult to make a proper assessment until we meet them on site, but we are likely to engage in separate missions. I reason that they have been hired to add numbers, as our own company is relatively small in size. We will not be placed under their command.”

Taking a pause, Arcadia asked, “So far, any questions about what I’ve gone over?”

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

"I sense a big "but" after that last paragraph," Darya replied as she leaned back in the couch and put the bottom of her left boot on the edge of the table.