1 year ago…

The sun was just reaching the Ilium horizon, framing the cityscape of Nos Astra in bright orange and gold hues and filling the Skyline Club with a rich, languid atmosphere. Modern Merchant Prince and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Khel Zhar was seated at a table facing the sunset, relaxed, yet dignified, despite the fact that his large Krogan frame was clearly too big for the chair. In his hand, an elegant fluted glass of Asari design, filled with a pale Asari wine.

The Skyline Club was situated on the top floor of a tower in central Nos Astra, and consisted of a high class bar and restaurant. It existed to serve the very rich, providing a safe, neutral meeting place, or just a place for them to relax away from the pressures of maintaining their fortune. For Zhar, it provided a pleasant atmosphere for meeting prospective business partners, whether they were among the elite as he was or if they were far lower. For the former the environment would relax them and help them to underestimate the Krogan. For the later the air of wealth would intimidate them. Whichever it was, it gave Khel Zhar the edge.

This particular evening Zhar had set up a meeting with a Salarian fringe miner. He had arrived early, as ever, to nurse his drink and enjoy the view in a brief respite from his work before making a deal. That time of respite had ended five minutes ago, but the Salarian had still not arrived. It did not particularly bother Zhar either way, he had plenty of money and there would always be another buyer if this one never showed, though he would of course use the lateness against the Salarian. Just because he had more money than he knew what to do with didn’t mean he wouldn’t bleed every credit he could from a buyer. One could never have too many credits after all.

Zhar had just finished off the glass when the small, weedy looking Salarian arrived, wearing a suit that was clearly rented. He chuckled softly to himself as the Salarian looked around the room, an amusing mix of awe and intimidation on the mans oval face, no doubt inspired by the clientele of the club. Some of them were quite well known, even beyond Ilium. Many of them were more well known than Zhar was, but he liked it that way. He had found over the years that the more famous one was, the harder it was to get anything of note done, though, ironically, one could also get away with crime with far less severe punishments..

Zhar waved the Salarian over then, before the little man did anything he would regret. Technically in order to allow his clients into the Skyline Club Zhar often had to make them his personal guests, which meant he was responsible for them and their actions. When the Salarian reached Zhars table, he immediately started speaking, in the same too quick manner their kind were prone to. “Uh, Hello. I’m Jaelan, I’m looking for a Mister Zhar. Is that you?” Zhar could tell already that the Salarian, Jaelan, was right where he wanted him. Maybe even a little too cowed. “I am.” Zhar said simply, motioning for the Salarian to sit as he did so. “Would you like a drink?” He asked, his voice deep but not quite booming, with a smooth trait to it that most Krogan lacked. He had to order himself another drink anyway, may as well be civil and give Jaelan a taste of the high life too.

“Um, yes?” Jaelan managed, staring at the massive form of Zhar. “I had heard the rumours… but I didn’t believe… You’re really a Krogan?” Zhar let the corner of his large mouth curl almost imperceptibly. It still amused him how people reacted to the idea of a Krogan being not only an intelligence broker but a successful businessman as well. Still, he ignored the ridiculous question. Just because he was being civil didn’t mean he wanted to indulge in small talk with this nobody Salarian. “I was beginning to think you didn’t really want my services. Despite how crucial they are to your enterprise.” His tone remained cordial, even conversational, even with the lightly implied threat. It all contributed to the off balancing of the man opposite him. Not to mention it was fun.

“I, um, uh…” stammered the Salarian before Zhar cut him off. “Tell me what exactly it is you want Jaelan.” For a moment, the Salarian seemed to be trying to figure out whether he was being asked about which drink he preferred or what information he wanted to buy. That question was answered for him when an Asari waitress arrived at the table and formally placed two more full glasses on the table before wordlessly leaving. Jaelan considered for a moment before answering. “I want the location of rich, untapped Iridium sites in the Terminus systems. I want it to be remote and far from areas patrolled by pirates, and I want it all so that I can get rich and retire.” Zhars eyes lit up as he mentally sifted through the possibilities. “Thats the spirit. I do like an enthusiastic client.”

Silence as Zhar took his new glass and sipped it. The Salarian reached out for his own glass, but withdrew his hand when Zhar raised his omni tool. A few deft taps and it projected the image of a barren, gently rotating planet above it, along with mineralogical survey results. “This one should be to your liking.” Zhar said, allowing the Salarian to look over the projection for a moment. Jaelan looked over the figures with a trained eye - he may not be cut out for this locale but Zhar could tell he was reasonably competent with his chosen job. “Yes that will do nicely. And you’re sure no-one else knows?”
The familiarity of what he was looking at was obviously giving Jaelan some courage. Still, that question was slightly insulting. Zhar simply looked at him and stated “That assurance is covered in the price.” He sipped his drink again before adding “I will forward you the precise coordinates once the payment arrives. Until then, please, enjoy the hospitality of this place.” He said, rising from the chair to walk to the window and enjoy the sunset. The deal was done.

---

Present Day…

“Have you heard the news?” Arleya’s musical voice trilled softly in Zhar’s ear as her arm wrapped around his bulky form. He stood on the top floor of the penthouse of Colu tower, his home, surveying the Illium sunrise, a simple pleasure he often partook in before beginning with his day proper. Normally he would do so in silence, sometimes with Arleya at his side, sometimes alone, but today was special. Today his agents had confirmed the rumour that had been circulating the Terminus for a number of days. A Prothean artifact had been discovered. “Yes. It truly amazes me to think that such a small man as Jaelan could have discovered such a thing.” Zhar had been quite surprised when he had found out the artifacts location. A planet he had essentially sold to an insignificant Salarian in search of a quick fortune. If either of them had realised quite the extent of the fortune on the planet, the exchange of credits would probably have been considerably larger. Still, there it was.

“So Jaelan has the artifact.” Arleya stated. There was no need to phrase it as a question. There was no doubt that the Salarian would be plotting some way to move the priceless find even now. “No need to guess as to what he’ll do with it.” Zhar said. “The only question worth asking now…” Zhar was cut off by Arleya then “Is what we are going to do about it.” With that, Zhar turned slowly from the sunrise to look at Arleya’s brilliant blue face, the edges of his large mouth curling into a smile, such as it was for a Krogan. The glint in his eye at the prospect of profit was clear, and Arleya couldn’t help but smile as well, planting a kiss on the leathery skin of his cheek. “We can decide later.” She said mirthfully. “First, lets celebrate our latest venture.”

---

“In other news, the Citadel Council has recently denied reports of a Prothean artifact being discovered in the Terminus systems, calling them ‘rumours spread by attention seeking treasure hunters.’ Recent actions by major organisations in the Terminus suggest otherwise - this reporter thinks the Artifact is very real, and the council doesn’t want us to have it. To all the organisations out there hunting the artifact, good for you. Its about time the council shared their toys with the rest of us.
I’m Toruk, and this is Omega News.”

Jason Draxx stood on the bridge off the vessel. Out of the viewport was one of the Alliance planets on the edge of lawless space. Or what they called Lawless. From here he couldn't hear anything other than the working of the few crew members who kept the ship running, most of his employees were working serving drinks, dealing cards or removing their clothes to different levels depending on the clientele. He had to be careful within the range of the Alliances grasp, one wrong move and they would shut down his operation. The only reason he had been allowed to continue this long was the fact that the ship wasn't military. He had even removed weapon systems purely as after the retrofit he didn't have the power for them. As it was if shields and weapons were needed it would disrupt everyone and the fun they were having. Which was something he did not like at all. "Security cameras, on screen."

The large window was split up into different segments, each showing a different part of the ship due to the security cameras both the ones visible and the hidden cameras in most the suites. There was always a person monitoring each Camera and microphone for any possible information that he could use against them or to sell to someone else. He could already see several government officials with women when he knew them to be married. Officials like that were the main reason he was able to operate in this space. He turned as he heard footsteps, which was rare on the command deck as most people spent there time sitting at stations. A woman dressed in the typical leather outfit that all his staff wore walked up to him. He recognized her immediately as his aide and she nodded her head slightly as she approached. "Yes?""Jason-" All his employees called him by his first name. This Mr.Draxx business was more for the likes of bankers. He wasn't in a very formal line of work. His crew knew that and should feel comfortable around him. Which was why they were so loyal to him, that and their considerable pay check and employee benefits. "-A Grii is here to see you.""Species?""Vorcha." He sighed, such an aggressive species. They weren't a lot of fun to deal with usually.

"Background check?""Works for a small organisation on Omega Station. Small time pirates, occasional smuggling of stolen goods." Oh pirates, he hated pirates. "Personal information?""Appears Hetrosexual, known to be quite aggressive. Dislikes alcohol.""Have three female workers sent to the meeting room and non-alcoholic beverages prepared. When iot is ready have him sent up." He left the room, making sure he looked as presentable as possible. The meeting room was basically a large lounge, several decks below the command deck with a viewport again with an incredible view. While he expected the deal to go smoothly with whatever the Vorcha wanted this was his first meeting with this group or he would have been told a specific group wanted some information, instead of the individuals name. It was important to maintain his reputation and possibly open up another avenue for business.

---

He was seated when this Grii entered the room. He indicated to a sofa opposite him. "Would you like a drink? I have drinks made from the finest fruits available.""I do not drink alcohol.""You misunderstand me, these are non-alcoholic beverages." He simply nodded and Jason clicked his fingers as a female Vorcha, dressed what he was told was "provocatively" came and poured two drinks. He picked his up and sipped it slightly, Grii eyed it suspiciously before taking it. Jason noticed his eyes follow the server, he was new to this level of luxury. "I understand you have a request off me.""The rumors of the artifact. I need to know if they are true.""You are willing to pay for this information?"

The humanoid slid over a datapad. "This is details to an account holding money for transaction." He opened the files and viewed the sums, transferring the funds straight to his account and then putting it down. Of course that account would rebound it several times through multiple accounts until it got to an actual legitimate one though his strange friend didn't need to know that. "I accept, the money is being transferred.""So?""The artifact does in fact exist, it was found quite recently actually. Causing quite a bit of a stir isn't it?""Where is it?""You willing to pay for that information?""I already paid you!" The creatures voice raised slightly and Jason knew there was a security team ready to break down the door. "My dear Grii, your organisation hasn't been around long so I'll forgive you for being mistaken. Look around you, I supply entertainment and information for the finest clientele. The sum of credits you paid me was enough to get you confirmation of its existence. Besides, why would I sell its location already? I think I'll let it accumulate some value first.""We can pay you more.""But then I've sold it. I could make more money from somebody else.""Then you sell it to them too, you can make more money."

Jason sighed at his. "I am a reputable business man. I do not deal such important information to everybody, confirming its existence is one thing. Telling everyone where it is is another." He stood up. "For now, you have your answer. I will now allow you to enjoy the pleasures of doing business with me." He clicked his fingers and the girls approached Grii. "We are not done ye Mr.D-"

Jason turned around. "Actually, we are."

He walked out and the door closed. "Have a pleasant evening." One of the guards walked up to him. "Should we take him out?" He shook his head. "No, his organisation won't be a threat to us. If they hurt our assets though or try and sell on information I'll have someone deal with it." He checked the time. "My heavens Alders your shift is over, go enjoy yourself-" He had pride in knowing the names of all the staff he dealt with on a regular basis. Again, it showed that he cared and it inspired further levels of loyalty. "-I am sure Fallows can look after our guest." With that he walked away.

Somewhere in the Terminus Systems...

Nadene's alarm was soft and soothing, like birdsong through an open window. She woke easily, reaching out with one elegant arm to quiet the alarm before sitting up with a stretch and a yawn. The room was coming to life around her. Inlaid lights within the ceiling were brightening slowly, easing her eyes out of the darkness. Across the room, a soft whirring could be heard as her closet shifted the day's outfit towards the front. Her vanity opened slowly, uncurling a complex of array of shelves like a lotus flower, each one laden with scents, lotions and powders.

The carpet was soft on her bare feet as she swung out of bed. Even as she moved to her closet, she had her omnitool open as she scrolled through her new notifications with a quick flick of her wrist. She'd only been asleep for four hours, as was her custom, but a lot could change in four hours in a galaxy like this. The clothes she'd chosen for the day were simple, functionally trimmed and absolutely spotless. She slipped into them quickly glancing into a nearby mirror to make sure everything was straight before moving on. The next stop was the vanity; her expert hand picked out a few jars of powder and a tube of lipstick from the vast selection of cosmetic supplies before her, which she applied with even and efficient movements that spoke of many years of practice. A few dabs of perfume, and she was done, stepping out the door in record time.

The hallway outside was quiet, her own footsteps muffled in the thick white carpet as she paced towards the bridge. A few of the Abbadon's crew were around and about, but each of them stepped aside as she passed, some with careful silence and others with cautious nods or smiles. One of the more recent additions to the crew couldn't even gather the courage to look at her, instead keeping his gaze focused on the floor. Nadene hardly acknowledged any of them, her own eyes directed either ahead or at her omnitool.

The bridge was an artfully designed room, sleek and modern. The chairs were plush and soft, the majority of them focused around the large wooden conference table that spanned the center of the room. Athican had remembered her tea, she was pleased to see. The steaming cup was placed on one edge of the table next to a datapad detailing some of the most recent market reports. Nadene grabbed both of them without stopping as she strode onwards towards the cockpit. Sayth was in the pilot's chair, of course, and she was goofing off...of course. Sayth herself was lounging carelessly in the reclining pilot's chair, her feet propped atop a nearby console. In her hands was a game controller, clicking softly as she manipulated the buttons, eyes fixed upwards. Nadene didn't have to follow her gaze to see what she was looking at; The cockpit's sweeping panoramic windows were obscured by a digital projection of virtual colors and shapes, flashing in time to overly loud and cheery music.

A puzzle game, Nadene realized as she watched silently, sipping her tea. Looks like a good one, too. Wonder if it's uploaded onto the ship's mainframe, could be a good distraction during my meeting with that elcor banker later on today. I swear that guy actually tries to use boredom as a negotiating tool. She took another sip and cleared her throat. Sayth jumped in her seat at the noise, hurriedly tossing the controller away into a dark corner as she scrambled to shut the game off. "Sorry boss, sorry boss, sorry boss." The young Salarian said that phrase so much, it could've been her catchphrase.

Sayth tapped a button, and the digital projection disappeared, revealing the wide expanse of stars all around them, as well as the gas giant looming above them. A majestic sight, to be sure, but Nadene only had eyes for the five pirate ships arrayed in a stretch before their bow, each of them undoubtedly bristling with all manner of weapons locked onto their coordinates. Nadene sipped at her tea, unperturbed. "He's still here, huh?"

Sayth was still settling her nerves, trying her best to look professional. "Uh, yeah, totally. I mean...yes. None of his ships have moved an inch since you went to bed. He hasn't tried to raise us on the comms, either. At least, not since you told him to, uh...'fuck off' earlier." The pilot looked up at her employer with uncertain eyes. "If you don't mind me saying so, you have a really weird way of negotiating."

Nadene just smiled. "It's all about playing to your audience, Sayth." The "audience" in this case was one Varus Daxinum, self-proclaimed pirate lord of the Terminus Systems. In truth, he was little more than a criminal that had gotten lucky, but he had almost ten ships at his command, and that meant his regular raids throughout the lawless reaches of the galaxy had made him a decently wealthy man. He'd come to this backwoods system to negotiate a trade deal with her: a relatively simple contract involving the offloading of raided goods. Varus had been too paranoid to board the Abbadon and had instead insisted to negotiate over video comms, which had made it all too easy for Nadene to hang up on him when he'd proposed terms that she'd found insulting. "Just wait and watch. I'd say it won't be longer than an hour now, and then he'll be calling us up again, with better terms. I guarantee it."

Sayth didn't look particularly convinced. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because Varus is a pirate, and pirates aren't known for their patience. I've left him stewing in his own juices for a few hours, and by now he's surely wishing he was somewhere else, filling his coffers with someone else's well-earned credits. Every minute he wastes here, failing to intimidate us, means more profit loss. And he knows it." Nadene was listing off facts with a casual air, as if all of this was obvious. The majority of her attention was on the datapad she held, even as she continued. "He doesn't dare leave, either. After all this waiting, and after his whole bridge crew saw the way I told him off, leaving would make him look like a coward. He's nothing without his crew's respect, so his pride means he has to stay here and play the game with my rules."

"Soooooooo...why doesn't he just blow us up and then leave?"

Nadene scoffed. "And lose the biggest opportunity he's ever had? Varus is stupid, but he's not that stupid. He's been raiding indiscriminately for months, which means a lot of surplus on material goods that he can't get rid of in Council space without raising a lot of questions. He needs us. And that means we’re winning this negotiation, no matter how many weapons he has pointed our way.”

"This shit is too complicated for me." Sayth said with a slow shake of her head. "Think I'll just stick to flying the ship. Less to worry about."

Nadene patted her pilot on the shoulder as she finished off her cup of tea. "You'll learn, kid, you'll learn." She turned to leave, but found her passage blocked by Athican, who had slipped into the cockpit with his usual quiet fare.

"Ms. Rilana, this one has obtained some very sensitive information. This one believes you should have a look..." The Hanar was trying to push another datapad into her hands, but Nadene just yawned and pushed her own datapad and her empty cup into his grasping tentacles instead.

"In a bit, Athican." She replied with curt formality. "I think I'm going to go take a shower before our 'client' decides to finally man up and make contact." She tried to move past him, but found a tentacle blocking her path.

"This one really thinks you should take a look at this."

With a frown, Nadene took the datapad from him and began reading. Her eyes skimmed the words...and then suddenly lit up, ablaze with excitement. She turned back to Sayth, an eager smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Fire up the engines, Sayth, we're getting out of here. And get me in contact with Varus, I don't have time to wait around for him grow some balls."

Sayth made the proper connections, and soon the window screens flickered into focus, revealing the fuzzy image of a barefaced Turian. "Finally ready to make a deal, bitch?" Varus asked with a cocky smile. "After all this waiting you've put me through, I'm thinking I might have to adjust the intitial offer. Something a little lower...3 million credits sounds about right..."

Nadene gestured dismissively. "Cut the bravado, Varus. I really don't have time for your bullshit right now. 8 million credits. That's the deal, let's get it done."

The pirate was obviously rattled by her assertiveness, as if he hadn't learned anything from their last conversation. "Now you listen here, Asari. I'm not settling for anything more than-"

"8 million is what you're settling for. I told you to cut the bullshit. I've been polite, waiting around while you did your little show of power, acting all cowed by your big scary guns, but the truth of the matter is that you're in no real position to argue. Alliance moving in on your territory, Siame industries disrupting your raids, and you're stuck here, not even able to sell your own goddamned merchandise. You really think you're scary?" She cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "The only thing scary about you is how damned stupid you are to think there's any other resolution to our conversation right now. So let's cut to the chase. 8 million credits." She smiled, sweet as sunshine. "Do we have a deal?"

5 minutes later they were through the relay. Nadene checked the credit transfer on her omnitool, satisfied. Then she began drafting a pair of messages. It was time to meet, to plan, to drink. It was time for Riptide to set itself in motion.

“In other news, the Citadel Council has recently denied reports of a Prothean artifact being discovered in the Terminus systems, calling them ‘rumours spread by attention seeking treasure hunters.’ Recent actions by major organizations in the Terminus suggest otherwise - this reporter thinks the Artifact is very real, and the council doesn’t want us to have it. To all the organizations out there hunting the artifact, good for you. Its about time the council shared their toys with the rest of us.

I’m Toruk, and this is-” The vid screen was saying before it was suddenly cut off, a dark void filling the space the batarian reporter’s face once occupied. One of the perks of having a galaxy-spanning business was a wide selection of communication signals and packets to use at one’s leisure, and although the broadcast from Omega had happened a day and a half ago, Noveria time, the entire report was playing as if it were live, streaming from the packet that was purchased.

Vartarus Halios grunted in disapproval as his wife, Livia, set the remote just outside of his reach. If only I had biotics like my cousin. the middle-aged turian thought, eying the sleek aluminum remote past his glass of fruit juice. He would have preferred a coffee, but Livia had insisted he cut back in fear of his cardiovascular health. It was maddening.

“That will rot your brain, Var.” she cooed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Vartarus reached up and offered an affectionate grasp of her arm, his face still betraying his annoyance. “And those magazines you refer to like a Valluvian Priest scripture that offer lifestyle advice is going to be the death of me. I was watching that.” He grunted, finishing off the class of cyan coloured liquid. At least it was slightly sweet and not nearly as bitter as the first attempt to wean him off his drink of choice.

He could practically hear his wife roll her eyes, the orbs rolling in her sockets like the whirling servos in a security mech. Unfortunately for Varartus, Livia was even more unflinching and uncompromising than the VI runtimes that made up much of Peak 37’s security forces. “Every time you get a report from Omega, the so-called journalism is sensationalist garbage. Of course they’re going to say there’s a Prothean Relic; they can’t use humans as tabloid fodder now that they’re driving back batarian interests.” Livia shook her head disapprovingly, deciding to change the subject. She knew how her husband was when he caught wind of something that was too good to be true. “You have a busy day ahead, don’t you?”

Vartarus smiled. “That I do, my love. My researchers say they might have had a couple big breakthroughs in a few of our more tricky procedures, like correcting the bone density issues some elcor experience after living off of a high gravity world for long periods of time and being able to reset a vorcha’s cellular structure so they can make more than one serious biological adaptation to harsh environments.” He said, looking at his watch. “And I’d better hurry along and get down to the labs. My chiefs don’t like to be kept waiting.” He said, rising up from the table and sliding his cutlery and dishes into the automated dishwasher and dryer’s chute. He walked over to his wife, rested his head affectionately against hers for a few fleeting moments before heading towards the door of their suite. As he threw on the white long coat over his shoulders, he turned back to his wife. “Oh, could you check with Marcius to see if he got my graduation present? It’s not every day your boy becomes a fighter pilot.” He said, grinning proudly. Livia shooed him off with a gesture. “Of course, dear. Now go see what the good doctors want.”

Fifteen minutes later, Halios entered the main hub of Peak 37’s infrastructure, the small village that offered trams and elevators to the four research terminals; Genetics, Pharmaceuticals, Biological, and under heavy security was the entranceway that was never disclosed to the average Halios Consortium employee that lead to the Blackout laboratories. Another passage lead to engineering, which kept the facility running, and another went to security, the hangers, and the warehouses. Anyone wishing to get into or out of the facility would need to follow that path. As he walked amongst the leafy trees and shrubs, kept alive and flourishing via engineering controls and life support systems, Halios took a moment to admire the “sky”, a metallic blue sheen with the occasional silver “cloud” floating by, not unlike the Bostra skies. Every month, the walls and ceiling changed to reflect the fair weather of the various homeworlds and colonies that Halios Consortium’s many employees hailed from. Except for festivals, the environment never reflected the harsh tundra that raged outside, the oppressive and depressing cold and cloud that prevented much of Noveria’s systems light from illuminating the surface for much of the year. Halios himself hoped that Bostra’s skies would show an aurora tonight; he was never too old to be caught up in the child-like wonder of the dancing lights.

It only took another ten minutes to clear the biometric scans and take the elevator down to the Blackout division, Halios’ identity and status as Chief Executive Officer made the entire facility accessible at his leisure. When the elevator doors opened, a laboratory sprawled out before him with white and stainless steel features across the board, safe for the various displays and occasional piece of furniture, plus whatever employees had brought into their offices. The turian made his way to a glass wall with an communications panel and toggled it. “Doctor Than, a minute of your time.” He said.

A volus looked up from a row of instruments and diagnostics equipment before wordlessly handing a data pad to his salarian assistant, who was dressed head to toe in a bioharzard suit. The volus stepped through the inner doors into a disinfection corridor, where powerful vents of gasses and light mists dispersed for the thirty second cycle. Thirty more seconds, the room was vented and Dr. Shiloh Than emerged through the sliding glass door and stood before his employer.

It wasn’t necessary for the volus head of research to change into a quarantine suit of his own, given his sealed and pressurized suit more than fulfilled that obligation. However, one concession was made and the suit was in the same colour as the other researchers in their white and black medical garb with the red identification stripes. The volus looked up at his employer wordlessly, expecting a reason for the interruption. Dr. Than was a man who as amicable enough, provided he wasn’t preoccupied with something. It was hard to imagine the volus having a short attention span, although his mechanical breathing through the suit only heightened his sense of impatience.
“I was told that your team was approaching a couple big breaks.” Halios said, looking down at the volus expectantly. Dr. Than seemed to suck in an anticipatory breath, something the turian had learned to associate with excitement. He lead his employer to a set of unoccupied seats that brought the two closer to eye level. The volus was not a fan of being looked down on constantly.

“Yes. Yes, I believe we have.” He said excitedly, passing a data pad over to Halios who took it expectantly. A video file was waiting to be opened and with a long finger, the turian activated it. He was rewarded with a several minute long clip of an elcor moving much faster than he had ever seen one move before. It almost looked like a hoax. Dr. Than explained. “Our experiments to reverse the bone density loss patient E-05 was suffering from had an unexpected side effect, one that could potentially be marketable. As you know, an elcor’s psychology is coloured by Dekuuna’s high gravity, as something as uneventful as a trip and fall could potentially be fatal. This is why even off world, they are ponderously slow. However, as you can see, the injections had an unexpected side effect of inhibiting the subject’s cautious nature. It is, in effect, fighting against hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. The implications for the elcor could be massive.”

Halios pondered that for a moment. It almost certainly could be something that could be marketed as a boon, if for no other reason than any elcor seeking the treatment could find themselves on an equal playing field with other races. “Excellent work. Send me the full report and run the trials on more subjects to make sure that there aren’t adverse health effects.”

“I will need more.” Dr. Than replied evenly.

“And you’ll have them.” The turian handed the data pad back to the volus. “Keep me up to date if anything changed. Now you said the other department was close to reversing a vorcha’s permanent cellular adaptation?” he asked.

“It worked. Subject VC-17’s tissues did revert back to a state more akin to their adolescent stage before a large off-world adaptation to harsh environments. Vital signs, however, flatlined within three hours. We need more vorcha.” The volus replied. “It’s still too early to consider this feasible.”

“Concurred. Very well, I will leave you to your work. Excellent findings, doctor. Your bonus is looking brighter by the day.” Halios said, rising from his seat and retiring to his office in the Blackout wing. A window to the blizzard outside made him wish he was back at the plaza several levels above. The turian sat at his desk and activated his terminal, ignoring the notifications flashing at him to address. The room was soundproofed and swept daily for bugs by a handpicked team of technicians, as well as his communications were encrypted with the best software credits could buy. He did not hesitate to reach out to his intended contact.

When the connection was established, he barely waited for the gruff voice answering to finish his suspicious greeting before stating, “Tell Bratin Bob'namon his medical supplier needs another special order. I will be waiting for his contact.” He said, before terminating the call. It was expensive to afford extranet packets that had one minute to five minute delays, and the instantaneous communication was reserved only for the most vital government agencies. But it was worth every credit.

Bratin was going to help make him a small fortune.

Omega, Riptide Safehouse

Tonner's alarm was harsh and sudden, with a sound like metal on metal that reminded him of clashing blades. It was enough to wake him from even the deepest sleep, but today he didn't need it. His sleep had been fitful, filled with dark dreams only half-remembered upon waking. Now, after lying still and watching the neon lights of Omega paint pictures on his ceiling for a quiet hour, he shut off the alarm with one quick smack of his fist before pushing himself out of bed with a tired sigh.

His room was utilitarian, bare of decoration and occupied by only a few pieces of rusted furniture: A bed, a nightstand, a desk and chair, a wardrobe. It was to the wardrobe he went now, grabbing a handful of simple clothes and his usual set of light armor. He buttoned his buttons and tightened his straps with careful patience, gazing out the room's only window into the haze of the station as he did. A piece of fabric caught on his right arm, causing him to wince. The bend of his elbow was a mottled mess of scar tissue, synthetic muscle and grafted metal, all of it poorly masking the place where a bullet had torn through the muscle and bone a little over five years ago. Like always, the joint was sore, and Tonner did his best to knead some relief into the muscles as he exited the room. The nearest bathroom was down the hall to the left, a communal utility of rusted pipes and grimy tiled floor, but Tonner took a right out of his door. His relative lack of sleep was making him restless, and he figured the best way to blow off steam was to throw some weights around in one of the building's many training rooms.

The building was filled with its usual bustle, and Tonner passed all sorts of people. Tired smugglers just looking for a bed to sleep in or a beer to drink, mechanics spattered with grease and oil, some of his own security forces in mismatched armor with guns at their sides; the Safehouse saw all types, and all who served the organization (knowingly or not) were welcome here. Tonner knew many of them, but those he didn't were quickly greeted and stopped. He knew Nadene was typically aloof towards the "lower" employees, and Vik was a solo flyer at heart, but Tonner preferred to get to know his workers. The more you knew about a person, the less likely they were to stab you in the back...and the more likely you were to catch the knife before it was lodged between your shoulders.

A rickety elevator carried him to the bottom floor, and soon he was in the tower's lobby. There he found Jonus, eating breakfast while he flicked though a digital newspaper. "Uvar's about to murder someone," the Volus said in place of a greeting. "Just thought you should know." His lack of concern was evident.

Tonner let go of a tired and familiar sigh. "Again? I'm going to save both of us some time and just assume he's been drinking."

"Since he got off his last shift." Jonus confirmed. "Some young, shithead Turian mechanic claimed he could beat him in a fight, and the big lunk took it personally. They're both outside right now. If you hurry, you might just be able to save the kid's life." Tonner could only answer with another sigh as he jogged out the front doors, Jonus waddling at his heels. It would seem his workout would have to wait.

Riptide's "Safehouse" wasn't actually a single building, despite the name. Rather, this secret hideaway was composed of three old housing complexes, each of them tall and narrow, tucked directly into clefts of rock. A large set of converted warehouses nearby served as hangars. At first glance, these dilapidated buildings were sure to inspire some doubt about the base's reliability, but Tonner knew for a fact that each tower was sturdy, as well as perpetually stocked with supplies for both everyday use and for emergencies. He also knew they were in the best possible location: here, lost amidst the sprawling slums of Omega, they might as well be invisible.

It was in the open courtyard between the three towers that a large crowd was gathering around the two would-be combatants. Uvar was reeling, shouting boasts as he paced around in circles, egged on by the excited crowd. His opponent, a cocky-looking son of a bitch who couldn't have been older than 21, just shouted right back at him, his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. Tonner pushed his way through the mass of people towards the center. The crowd parted easily when the recognized him, and soon he was standing in the inner circle.

"What's the meaning of this?" His voice was even, impartial, yet it carried over the crowd and swept them all into silence.

Uvar turned to him, eyes wild. Tonner could smell the ryncol on his breath from meters away. "This little pyjak," he shouted, pointing at his much smaller opponent, "Says he can take me in a fight. Me! A Krogan!"

"I can take you!" The Turian shouted back, just as hotly. "Krogan or not, you're drunk off your ass. You can barely stand, let alone throw a punch."

Tonner just shook his head, weary. "Kid, didn't anyone ever tell you not to pick fights with Krogan? Especially when they're drunk?"

The kid seemed like he was about to shout something else, but caught himself as he remembered who he was talking to. "Sorry...sir. We'll break this up."

"Why? So Uvar can just beat the shit out of you later when I'm not watching? He's got an issue with holding grudges." The Krogan nodded, unashamed. Tonner continued. "No, we'll settle this fair and square. You want a fight so bad? Fine then, fight! Tonner thrust a fist in the air to punctuate his declaration. The surrounding crowd let out a massive cheer, happy to find out that today's "fun" wasn't about to be cancelled.

Tonner stood off to one side, acting as officiator as the two men squared off. He knew most people in his position would work towards a quicker and cleaner resolution, but he, like the Turians, believed a good scrap every now and again was necessary to keep his people stress free and focused. He didn't have any illusions about what direction this fight would take, but as long as Uvar didn't hurt the kid too badly the little punk might actually learn a lesson or two about the dangers of talking smack to a Krogan. The two fighters circled each other for a moment, getting worked up by the roaring crowd. Tonner raised his fist again, giving the signal for the fight to start, and the two of them ran together, clashing at the center.

The kid deserved some credit, at least: he lasted almost a whole minute. He was fast, quick to dodge and quick to let loose with a flurry of quick jabs that bounced harmlessly off of Uvar's thick hide. He'd been right about his opponent's inebriation, too. Uvar was still roaring insuslts and curses, but his attacks were wild and predictable, and his feet were always shifting, as if he was constantly fighting just to maintain his balance. Still, all it took was one good hit to end the contest. Uvar's forearm connected solidly with the kid's stomach, sending him flying across the circle. When he landed, he didn't get back up, instead opting to just lie there, sprawled out and trying to catch his breath.

The crowd cheered in approval, but Uvar didn't seem to hear them. His eyes were still wild, filled with a fiery rage that didn't leave his opponent. He lumbered forward into a charge, screaming unintelligibly, racing forward with one fist raised, ready to smash it into the Turian's face. But suddenly Tonner was there, stepping into his path. His right arm arced out, catching Uvar with a punch beneath the nose that caused the Krogan's entire body to jolt and stumble. Tonner ducked, driving his shoulder into the Krogan's chest as his left arm caught one of Uvar's own, pulling downwards and sending the Krogan's heavy frame flying over his back and onto the cement on the other side. Uvar's body hit with an insanely loud thud, and for a tense second Tonner moved to tower over him, ready to jump into action if the drunk tried anything else.

But Uvar only looked mildly confused, until a smile leapt across his face. All traces of blood rage in his eyes were gone now, and he began to laugh, the mountain of his body shaking even as he laid there, making no attempt to get back up. Tonner couldn't help but laugh too, feeling is body begin to relax. His arm was killing him, and he rubbed the sore tissue grafts there absentmindedly as he walked over to help the kid regain his feet. The crowd was roaring their approval, many of his own men reaching out to clap him on the back as he passed. Tonner took all of their adoration with easy graciousness, finally convincing the majority of them to get back to their work after several minutes.

When the courtyard cleared, only Tonner, the kid, Jonus and Uvar were left, the latter still on the ground, snoring now. Tonner brushed the kid off and sent him away to the Safehouse's makeshift infirmirary to get his chest looked at. He was pretty sure the kid was going to be fine, maybe even a bit smarter after his ordeal, but it wouldn't hurt to check for broken ribs. Tonner knew from experience, Uvar hit like a motherfucker.

When all was said and done, he finally noticed that his omnitool was blinking with an unread message. He opened it, eyes tracing the words as his mouth settled into a grim line. "Jonus," he called out to the Volus pilot, "Get the Domitus fired up. We need to make a trip.[/i]

The Volus stared back at him, unimpressed despite the events of the last half hour. "Can it wait? I was going to go finish lunch."

Tonner pushed past him, already moving towards the hangars. "No. It can't."

Jason sat in his personal lounge overlooking one of the main casino floors. He was sipping an old rare brew of beer that only the most exquisite clients were able to purchase. He of course could have it whenever he wanted. He looked out at the floor, it had been drying up for the past couple of days as more and more people who had previously been on leave within the Alliance forces in the legal but not so legal space were put back on duty. That meant that there wasn't the same level of profit to be had which wasn't good for business. What was good for business however were all these rumors of the artifact and the chaos it was causing in the underworld. He took his tablet and the window on front of him turned into a large screen showing a list of systems within Terminus where much of the underworld lay. There were some positions he frequented himself without being hired rather than simply flying around randomly and right now he was viewing the spots. He activated his communicator. "Alex.""'Chu want Jason?"

"Gather up and clean any intel on the Terminus sector going around. I want to know the best place for us to hold up that will give us a steady stream of business but not put us too close to any territorial disputes.""What about Omega?""Once again Alex, I am not orbiting Omega. We're typically left alone by the larger organisations I don't want to approach on their turf, not to mention where is the novelty of a flying Casino when there is a space station right beside you? No. I'm thinking somewhere with a nice planet with cheap accommodation. That way we can sucker people in and give the people on said planet a discount to sucker them in as well.""I'll get right on it, after this game.""You better."

He chuckled to himself slightly. Alex was loyal, could read people and was pretty good with judging the odds. Though he personally talked to everyone like they were arseholes so didn't have many friends. He didn't care, as long as someone did their job he'd be happy. He turned to his secretary, a woman who had stayed sitting in the corner of the room the whole time. Obviously one of his most loyal employees, . "Prepare the usual transmission for all our regular business partners however you do not need to send it yet." She merely nodded and left the room and he continued to look out the window, there were still ships coming and going however once they decided on a location to depart too they would stop incoming traffic, an hour after that they would kick everyone out for a full cleaning and after that was finished they would depart. He smiled as he took another sip from the beer bottle. He had read the articles about how he was uncivilized as was the entire operation. He felt it was quite the opposite, the organisation itself was quite well done.

It wasn't his doing if people came aboard his vessel to commit sin, if he was going to hell for that anyway. Why not make a profit along the way?

It had been a long day for Jack One of the accounts had lied about their assets and upon inspection by the authorities had been found to be avoiding almost half the tax they were due. Of course the Particulars had complete deniability in the matter however this event had meant that the books were being inspected by a third party. Jack, with the help of Bin Stard, had been going through the numbers all day searching for any anything that could implicate he bank. Of course after triple checking they still had found nothing however it created a great peace of mind that he was safe. Flicking through the last file on his computer station he sat back and smiled for the first time that day. Lana walked in as he was logging off and her smile, that seemed so all knowing warmed him inside. It was always a pleasure to see her. She sat down and tipped her head to one side. In response he pulled out the half drunk bottle of whiskey from his desk.

"Good to see you keeping up traditions." Lana smiled again and noted the single glass. "And where is mine? I would of thought by now you would know I always like a good drink, if it is a little weak." Jack smiled back now and unscrewed the bottle before pouring out the liquid into his glass. He then grabbed a second one and placed it on the desk next to his. Lana had already reached to grab his glass and he was now pouring another for himself. Sipping the cold liquid he spoke. "Lana it has been a long day, traditions like this are made for these days. Tell me about the Killjoy account. Has that spoilt brat signed all the papers yet" Jack was referring to a rich human wby the name of Jefro Killjoy. His father had died and left the boy, who was only 18, a vast fortune and business."The boy was easy to close, he was a petty child who liked shiny and skinny things." Jack chuckled at Lana, the women was an artist a bringing in new clients and keeping them as well. She was the face of the company, though he didn't try to change that. It was a much more appealing one than his. "So tell me Lana, which one did you have to use to close him?" Jack hinted at an indiscretion of Lana's however he knew she would never even have nightmares about that. SHe was a professional and no such thought would ever cross her mind. "You are a dirty old man Jack, I used the shiny thing. I beautiful gold sculpture of himself was enough. Thing was worth a fraction of what we are bringing in. You should be getting the details by tomorrow and then you can hand them over to Bin to look over if you like. They are simple enough and he isn't the guy who would want our platinum package." Jack nodded as she spoke. "I really should take a look at your expense accounts some time. If you would get this little shit a gold statue I don't want to know what you get the other clients. Have you got the contact details for the Lonely Spacer yet?" Lana removed a small note from her pocket and planted it on his desk.

"You sure you don't want me to handle this guy? I am very persuasive." She was the one hinting at an indiscretion now. "No, this Jason Daxx is not a client only. We may have future need of the ship and in that case I would prefer to have my own rapoire rather than send you every time." Picking up the note he entered the details for the holo call into his private terminal, untraceable of course, before turning back to Lana. "My dear, I would prefer some privacy for this."

"Of course Jack, I shall be in my office for another hour at most then I will be heading home. Oh and I might send the Killjoy file to one of the associates instead of Bin. He has the business with the C-Sec numbers. Before we talk about expanding with them they need to know we can deal with the small accounts we have for now and I would prefer to keep him focused on them."

"That's fine Lana, make it happen. Though I would prefer the associate didn't screw up." Lana simply nodded before leaving the Managing Partners office. He sighed for a minute before hiding the bottle away. Turning to where the holo call appeared he pressed to last button and began trying to contact the owner of currently one of the most promising laundering fronts there had ever been.

((Posting from my phone so please excuse any issues, I'll edit when I'm home))

"What do you mean he can't make the delivery? " Chairman Finch blurted into the Comm device.

"The aah.... um... delivery can't be made because um... The alliance has increased security in our shipping lanes." Said a nervous salarian voice on the other end.

"Listen to me you lizard, you will deliver the cargo regardless of increased security. We have measures in place to prevent them from being found." The now calmer voice said.

"But.... very well..." The salarian trailed off

"Good Day to you." Finch said before abruptly ending the call and turning around to face whomever was about to be admitted to his office. A Turian stepped through the doorway.

"Ah it is excellent to see you Brutus, what knews do you bring me of the artifact? " Finch asked with an almost childish eagerness in his voice.

"Very little Sir... The Artifact is seemingly within the Rosetta Nebula but Siame won't comment on it."

"Of course they won't comment on it, because it's there. If they just told everyone where the thing was how would they ever get it back to council space?" Finch asked while pointing at Brutus.

"I want you to contact anyone and everyone you can that might have information on where this thing is." Finch commanded.

Brutus bowed low "I'll see to it that more information is aquired as quickly as possible. "

Finch nodded and with that Brutus left the room.

Finch stroked his chin in thought, that artifact would be the perfect decoration for the Helix lobby. He had to have it.

Finch activated the Comm rune on his desk "Miss Trudle I'd like to pay a visit to the Lonely Spacer Casino, I have yet to visit it but from what I'm told it's excellent.... arrange that for me please. "

With that Finch returned to his work and eagerly awaited word from his employees.

One of the bartenders walked towards Khunar as he was overlooking a notepad, showing how much money the last drug deal went. He put down the glass of Ryncol near the Krogan as he was too busy to know about the bartender giving him Ryncol. The bartender then walked away as he saw that Khunar was busy reading the notepad, which he then went to a Human. The notepad showed how much credits was made for the drug deal, that were successful, and that were most of them. Some were failures due to the law and their way of stopping the drugs from getting to every system, thankfully he was in Omega and in Omega you can do almost anything. He then put down the notepad and started to drink the glass of Ryncol as Omega News began and it can be heard all over Omega.

“Rumours of the discovery of a new Prothean artifact in the Rosetta Nebula have been spreading across the galaxy over the past few days, though there has yet to be official comment from either the Council or the Alliance to confirm or deny this. ANN sources on outlying colonies have reported increased pirate movements since the rumours started, and with the Skyllian blitz still fresh in everyone's mind, the Alliance has announced that it will strengthen its patrols and defences in the Attican Traverse.

ANN reached out to Siame industries, the alliance sponsored PMC company securing the Attican Traverse, for comment. While the founder and CEO, Rebekha Siame, refused an interview, her representative had this to say:”

“Siame Industries can make no comment about the existence of a Prothean artifact in the Rosetta Nebula. Naturally, Pirate movements concern Siame Industries greatly, and we are looking into the cause of the recent increase in activity. We cannot say more for security reasons, but you can rest assured that we fight for the safety of all Alliance and independent colony worlds in the Attican Traverse.”.

Khunar's eyes opened widely as he heard about the location of the artifact was in the Rosetta Nebula, but it was heavily guarded by the Alliance Navy as the rest of the Attican Traverse was as well. A few days ago, he had told Druslius of the Prothean artifact hidden somewhere in the Attican Traverse; yet, he said that the rumor were just a way to get the organisations to do 'something else legal'. But, Khunar knew that he would get on the Turian on his side, as he did from the drug business as soon as it produced credits. After all, drugs did help the Red Phoenix to become what it is today and Druslius gave the control of how the drugs are made and sell to Khunar. He finished his glass of Ryncol and hit the counter as he shouted, "Hey, Bartender! Get me some of Ryncol! And make it fast!". One of the bartenders shook his head as he walked to the other side to get the Ryncol into the glass.

Druslius got out of his flying car as he saw Khunar, hitting the counter and shouting something that he couldn't make out. He grin as he realize that it was indeed Khunar, his red armor and dark red head marked him out of anyone else within the bar. Druslius didn't know why he was still around the Red Phoenix, but he was the first member of the Red Phoenix and he is a Krogan. He walked towards the bar as the bartender returned to Khunar with the Ryncol and then the Krogan grabbed the Ryncol and started to drink. The bartender got all mad and shouted, "Hey! You can't fucking do that, douche!" and then Khunar said, "I can do whatever the fuck I want, fucker. Will you kick me?" and then the bartender said, "I might have to.". Then Druslius got to the bartender and said, "Lister, kid, leave him alone or your petty face might get damage." and the bartender reached his point and said, "Who the fuck are you?".

The bartender was a human and as usual, he was being a douche to the Turians. After all, Relay 314 Incident happened some years ago and most Humans are still piss about it. Druslius then said, "Well, I'm Druslius Sulidonis, the leader of the Red Phoenix." and the bartender didn't care about that and said, "I don't care if you're the leader of the 'Red Phoenix'. I don't like your friend, he is being a dick.". Khunar, who was hearing them talk as he was drinking the Ryncol, stool up from his stool and said, "What did you just say to me?" and the bartender turned and said, "I said, you're a dick." and the Krogan launched from him; but, he was hold back by Druslius as he put a hand in his armor. Druslius then turned to Khunar and said, "Sit back down on the stool, I got this." and then pushed him back towards the stool as he said, "Fine. I'm going to punch him still.".

The Turian walked towards the bartender and said, "You better leave him along or else, this bar could be damage and your boss will be upset by it." and the bartender said, "Is that a fucking threat?" and Druslius grin and said, "How did you know that?". The bartender was sick of tired of Druslius and Khunar and shouted towards both of them, "Get the fuck out of my bar!" and he shove Druslius and then Khunar got up for the stool, which fell to the ground, and rushed towards the bartender and punched him in the face. The punch sent the bartender towards the ground as he has passed out of the punch, both of the guys left the bar with the notepad and headed towards the car. The bystander watched the punch and some rushed towards the bartender's aid, but most didn't do much as they got a show out of it. Khunar followed Druslius as he was heading to the car and said, "That fucker got what he deserved! He pushed you!" and Druslius smiled and said, "Thanks from having my back. Now let's get in the car and go back.".

The Citadel, Zakera Ward Docking Bay

Vik owned an alarm, but it was unused and forgotten, lost beneath a pile of unwashed clothes in a dark corner of his bedroom. Instead he relied on a much more natural call to awakening: the pressing strain of a full bladder. That morning he woke with a groan, wondering if it would be possible to reroute the Wily Varren's plumbing so he take a piss without leaving his bed. One too many beers the night before had left his body aching and tired, and even after a solid twelve hours of sleep he wanted nothing more than to turn back over and fall back into the dream he'd been having. His overly-saturated body wouldn't allow that, however, so with another groan he rolled off his mattress in a wild tangle of sheets.

On the floor, his face came to rest on a discarded pizza box. A smiling Turian in a ridiculous puffy white hat smiled up at him from the cardboard, his face spotted with grease. Pizza. Vik fucking loved pizza. Andrea had recommended it to him night before, claiming it was a human delicacy. Vik had been skeptical, even moreso when he finally managed to track down the only place on the citadel that made the stuff from dextro ingredients ("Palaven Pies! They're Dextro-licious!"). But, by the spirits, after that first bite...his heart had been stolen, and from then on he knew there was no turning back. He'd ordered three pizzas right then and there, and now their remnants were scattered around his room, bits of crumbs and cheese to mark his culinary conquest. To his joy, he found that the pizza box he'd landed on still had a piece left inside; he stuffed a corner of it into his mouth as he untangled himself from his sheets and moved to the bathroom.

As he pissed, he couldn't help but bask in the glory of the morning. The sweet feeling of release, the taste of cold pizza on his tongue, the sound of shattering glass from the hallway...Wait, what? Hurriedly, he finished his business, tugging up his boxers even as he flushed the toilet with one outstretched foot. He dashed back through his room, cursing silently as he nearly tripped over that damned pizza box before righting himself, and into the adjacent hallway.

The corridor was a mess. Several floor tiles had been ripped out of place, exposing the wires and pipes beneath. Various tools, bits of metal and shards of shattered glass wre scattered around the remaining floor space. In the middle of it all, waist deep in the ship's innards, was a Quarian. He glanced nonchalantly up at Vik before returning to his work. "Sup?"

Vik's head was spinning. "Mmpf?"

"Hard to hear you when your mouth's full, you know." The Quarian's tone was the epitome of disinterest. With a sharp pull, he yanked a bundle of coiled wires out of the shadows, displacing another floor panel as he did so.

Vik swallowed the rest of the pizza still filling his mouth before trying again. "Daron? What the fuck are you doing to my ship!?"

"Just replacing some power couplings on your auxiliary cooling systems," Daron replied with a shrug. "Started in the engine room, figured I might as well work my way down the secondary lines towards the stern. Been at it for, oh..." He glanced at his omnitool, "About eight hours now."

"Eight fucking- Wait, how long have you been on my ship?"

"Since you left Omega. Was checking the connections on the drive core-operating systems, and the next thing I knew you'd taken off without even telling me. Figured I might as well get some work done around here as long as I'm stuck on board."

Flustered, Vik struggled to find words that appropriately expressed his confusion and anger. "Wha-I didn't tell you to go messing with my drive core! I didn't even know you were aboard!" A realization struck him suddenly. "And I left Omega over 40 hours ago! Have you just been fucking with my ship that whole time!?"

Daron looked up at him with an unseen smile. "I'm not fucking with it, jackass, I'm improving it." The mechanic pulled himself up and out of the floor. "You should be thanking me."

"Fuck that. And fuck you, don't act like you're not here just so you can piss me off." His voice was filled with garlic and vitrol, but Daron didn't even seem to notice. He was busy wiping a sheen of grease off of his suit and onto a nearby wall. Vik slapped his arm away. "And stop fucking touching things!"

Daron turned to him, tilting his head in that way that Vik knew to represent a cocky smile. "I can't touch anything?" He moved a few steps closer to the Turian, causing the latter to become even more flustered. "If you really don't want me around, just say the word, and you'll never see me again."

With the Quarian so close, Vik couldn't seem to make his tongue or his brain work. "I, uh....I didn't..."

He was saved by a whoosh of sound as the airlock opened. Once, the Wily Varren had been a noble and powerful war vessel, a perfect representation of efficiency in form. Years of extensive modifications by Vik had changed all of that. Now the once expansive bridge had become a cluttered mess, with Vik's personal quarters adjoining almost directly to the cockpit and the main airlock. It was through that passage that Andrea came now, calling out over the tops of the dozen of paper bags that filled her arms. "Vik? You awake yet? We're behind schedule already, we were supposed to load up an hour a-" Her voice faltered as she took in the scene before her. "Uh....sorry to interrupt." She shrugged one shoulder at Daron. "Is this guy a...friend of yours?"

Vik couldn't fault her for being confused; Daron always made an interesting first impression. The Quarian's envirosuit was the color of pale copper, the perfect color to serve as a canvas for the extensive drawings and "tattoos" that covered its surface. Nearly every inch of fabric was an explosion of color or shape, full of clashing and contrasting images. A thresher maw coiled its way down his right arm, its jaws snapping at his open palm, its skin the color of a burning sunset. A mass relay blazed blue on his left knee, launching a sinister looking dreadnought up his side and under his arm. His chest was a galaxy, spun with stars and color, and on his back the Citadel was arrayed vertically, its arms unfurling like petals on a flower. Each line of each picture was vibrant, painted on with sure strokes. There were more images than Vik could count, and it seemed a few more added the menagerie every time he looked. He'd asked Daron once what they'd all meant, but had received only a shrug in response.

If nothing else, the mechanic made quite a striking figure. Andrea was readjusting her bags so that she could move a bang of dark hair out of her eyes and take a closer look, but Daron was already turning away. "A friend? Is that what you call us these days, Vik? Tsk tsk." Without another word, he swung himself back into the hole in the floor, disappearing into the wires and darkness.

Vik could only shake his head, his thoughts still scattered. Finally he glanced up at Andrea, as if noticing her for the first time. "What's in the bags?"

Obviously confused, but professional as ever, the Human offered him a tentative smile. "Just some groceries."

"Groceries?" Vik asked, one brow arched as if he'd never heard the term before.

"Yeah. Groceries. You know, like...food? That we can cook?"

"Why would you buy and cook food when you can just pay someone else to make it for you? Seems like a waste of time. I looked it up, by the way, there totally is a Palaven's Pies on Omega."

Andrea looked like she was about to argue with him, but something else caught her attention first. "Looks like you have a new message," she said, motioning to the blinking light at his wrist.

Vik opened his omnitool, half surprised and half annoyed. "From Nadene," he confirmed with a yawn. "...six hours ago."

"Six hours?" Andrea's frustrated sigh was so familiar, she might as well have been practicing it. "How many times do I have to tell you, Vik, you need to-"

"Hold on, shut up for a minute." One hand snapped out to cover her mouth while his eyes skimmed over the message's content. Then, with a bright smile, he was off, dashing into the nearby cockpit and throwing himself into the pilot's chair. "Hope you don't need any other 'groceries' or whatever, because we're about to hit the road!" A few flipped switches and pulled levers, and soon the ship's engines were firing to life.

Andrea moved to stand at his shoulder, rolling her eyes. "Don't you think you should put some clothes on first?"

Vik glanced down, realizing for the first time that he was wearing nothing but the boxers he'd woken up in. "Later. Now," he said, revving the throttle, "it's time to drink!"

((A collab between myself and Sep))

As he flicked the last button Jack Sullam leant back, lights on the machine flicked on then off and the gear hummed into life. He just had to wait for someone to answer now.

As he was sitting enjoying the view of money coming in his secretary pocked her head through the door. "Call for you Jason.""Who is it?""Jack Sullam.""Golden City?""The very same.""Alright, thanks. I'll take it from here." Wearing a leather suit he never really had to adjust much in terms of making him look smarter, not that he wanted to make him look too formal. However he did adjust his posture slightly as while he still wanted to look relaxed he didn't want to look sloppy. Such things would be bad for business.

The screen turned over to a picture of a slightly older man and he nodded at him. "Mr.Sullam. I will admit I was not expecting your call, how can I be off service?" He of course knew who he was, after some of his regulars started talking about Golden City and how it was so good he of course did his own research. Drunken customers talking about how they didn't have to pay taxes anymore also helped.It was irregular however for a bank to go asking for clients.

Jack looked at the man before opening a file on his desk, nodding and then turning back to the hologram.

"I would, in normal circumstances not be calling you myself Mr Daxx however recent events lead to me needing the business of a large company that deals in providing services. I am correct to assume that your Spacer does indeed deal in services and not products? Otherwise this entire venture will be a complete waste of time." Jack of course knew the dealings that occurred on the Lonely Spacer however he needed to see how much Jason Daxx would reveal with their first conversation.

"We sell our fair share of alcoholic beverages and food stuffs however my vessel purely acts in order to entertain our guests. If you would class watching dancers, fights or playing cards services then we do provide services. As much as I believe your company gives services of its own, a completely different style yes but as I've already mentioned they are services nonetheless." Jason took a sip from his bottle of beer, knowing full well that it would show up over the communication. If Sullam felt that just as he was drinking it would make him easier to make deals with he would be mistaken of course though he hoped such a reputable businessman would not make such a rookie mistake.

He heard the door open and waved them away before they even had a chance to enter. "The question is, what services is it you require? I am a busy man and not one for formalities. So lets stop beating it around the bush and get too it shall we?"

Jack had to stop himself from smiling. He liked this man, cutting through the shit and getting to the point.

"You are correct in saying that we do indeed provide services to our account holders. Those with slightly more large and impressive accounts receive the better service of course. I have sought you out as a number of the largest accounts we hold wish too...avoid...certain taxes and tariffs through off planetary investment as well as those who gain their wealth through less savoury methods and need their money to be smartened up. Your establishment provides a large flow of money that is difficult to track as you can't measure sales effectively nor can you measure the intake of supplies to work out sales as much of your revenue requires products. We wish to begin using your establishment for the activities mentioned earlier and are willing to offer a deal to make this arrangement as it could seriously expand both of our businesses as well as save you a lot of money."

Well there was hte proposition, though not an offer. An offer he would know exactly wha the was getting and though he knew what services the man offered this was more than the Spacer using the company to avoid taxes. This was a joint venture where they both gained something. There was no need to beat it around the bush.

"Mr.Sullam, you obviously have had a longer career in the intricacies of the political businesses however lets get down to it. What exactly are you offering and what exactly is it you want? These are busy and trying times. I cannot spend all my time on a deal that hasn't been made yet."

Jack smiled once again. Now the cutting through the shit act was boring him and Jason Draxx was becoming another big business owner who had no idea how to find his way around the red tape and governments that ruled the galaxy. Hower Jason Draxx was also a very wealthy man and the deal Jack needed would be very beneficial. Quickly flicking a small switch he turned the conversation to a completely secure line. It was of course secure before however the switch enabled certain failsafes that meant if anything slightly out of the ordinary was detected the holocall would be terminated and all files of it would be simultaneously destroyed.

"Mr Draxx, in exchange for using your ship as a firm for the laundering of our clients money and as a business venture. As well as holding your companies accounts as one of our most prized. we can offer you a number of services to pick and choose as you wish. Firstly any moneyt made on illegal ventures we can launder off of the ship to further hide the money,. Secondly we are investment bankers at heart and very good ones which means you could find yourself with a large investment portfolio if you wish. Thirdly there are certain permits you have to gain to operate the way you do, for the price of half of that we can acquire those same permits for you in a less than legal fashion. Finally we have a number of wealthy and important clients, meaning we conduct meetings and events. The Spacer is a perfect place for these things and we would be bringing their wallets with them. Giving you more wealthy paying customers. As a final note I would also ask, though this is not a requirement in the deal, that we be put in touch with other more illegal organisations that you work with. We believe we can offer them similar services and it would be a boost to our own numbers."

Jason pointed at the hologram at the other man. "I want it known that I will not sell out any organisations I am in contact with. Contact with them will be premeditated by their respective leaders." He leaned back again. "I didn't get this far by selling people out." He looked to the side. "Eve." A VI popped up at a hologram terminal off screen. "How long are our permits valid for?""One year.""Thank you eve." He turned back to the holocall. "As you no doubt heard our permits are valid for a year. Also while my ships visitors are not all law going citizens and some activities are not exactly lawful in the eyes of the council it is. All our permits are acquired legally so there can be no problems with them, I have the money to buy them and I will not add another risk by getting forgeries."

He took a sip from his beer. "The other options interest me. We have several large safes on board, each guarded by our own security and mercenary teams that are regularly rotated as well as a change in security protocols. Only I know every feature of security. I am sure we can come to an arrangement for laundering money through the casino. As it is hard to keep track of money once you enter. Many patrons discover this" He stood up and walked to the window overlooking the casino, and turned back around to face the man in the holocall. "As in terms with my own money I will relay half of my income through you. The rest stays aboard ship with me, meetings I have a new suite under construction that can be retrofit for such a use until then I do have a suite that would be suitable. I am sure at the same time we can maybe plan deals and incentives for my customers to go to you and yours to come to me."

Jack nodded slowly.

"I understand, third parties you put me into contact with will be dealt with in a manner that will protect your interests as a business man. In regards with the permits I am slightly angered that you would assume we deal in forgeries. These permits are legitamate ones that we are able to procure from individuals through the means of leverage and bribery. However I respect your decision to remain on the right side of the law for this area. Laundering money will take place through operatives of mine bringing sums of money to your casino. You will run them through as cambling credit and then will be returned to my operative as the clean money again. The process should take a number of hours to appear more realistic on your numbers. With the deals an incentives, as well as the suite I have a proposition. The Golden City Particulars invest a lot of money into other businesses, as your account will be when it is created as half of your money is very generous and would put you as one of our most precious clients, one such investment could be into a private suite aboard your ship. The sweet can be outfitted as we please and we will pay for the construction and fitting of the suite. You will also get any proceeds made through gambling or other activities in the suite. In return the suite is exclusive for the employees and clients of the Particulars whilst services will be provided by you. That way you even have a location to send your customers if they are in need of our services. And we are able to deliver your customers during our meetings."

Jack sat back, a holding on the Lonely Spacer would be profitable indeed and he was surprised that he hadn't thought of it before. A number of tables for different gamblings as well as private rooms, private shows and; if he could convince the partners to release enough funds, perhaps a small docking bay for the yachts the Particulars owned.

Jason sipped on his drink as he listened to the proposals. "No offense was intended, any type of illegality on the permits can be bad for business and end up having is shut down which I cannot have. In terms of your employees I myself have eyes and ears in the casino who work for me. I can set aside special tables for these games to ensure that the money comes through the right channels. In terms of the suite it is going to be the best one yet, near the front end of the ship with one of the best views off the ship and hence it is planned to be the most expensive, and largest, one yet. I am sure we can come to an arrangement in payment methods later, I am sure you will see my reluctance to actually sell the suite and would rather rent it out. I would prefer to retain control over my vessel. However a rental agreemant can be made-" he nodded at the hologram of the VI in the corner. "-I shall send you the dimensions of the room now. I do not need to remind you that due to the lucrative business I own construction doesn't take very long."

He finished his drink and placed it on a side stand, causing it to disappear out of the holocall. "I will provide staff for this suite and dancers, however if any services are wanted other than them dancing will have to be paid for separately. These funds go towards the girls wages and keep them happy which is important to me."

Jack thought for a second.

"Renting the suite would be acceptable so long as it remianed exlusive and we were given permission to fit and construct as we pleased. I prefer to be able to make a Particulars mark on the properties were have any stake in. I will of course use any construction service you recomend as it is your property and so I know I would get the best deals through them aboard your vessel. If I send you details of a contract now would you sign so that we may both return to our own business and our partnership can begin?"

Jack had thrown up a panel as they were speaking and had quickly drafted out a contract. The headers and the like were missing however it had the details and two lines to sign on. The contract read as follows.

Firstly the Golden City Particulars will open an account on their Black List for Mr Jason Daxx, this account has no limit in the number of funds that can be deposited or withdrawn however to do so requires a positive retina scan, voice sample and personal code before any changes can be made. Furthermore Mr Daxx agrees to the transition of funds from the Golden City Particulars vaults through his establishment before it is returned to the correct stakeholders within the Golden City Particulars. Next Mr Daxx will begin to rent out a large suite to the Golden State Particulars who then reserve the right to modify and fit the suite as they please, so long as it does not compromise the integrity of the ship and the security that Mr Daxx has aboard.
With the signing of this document the appropriate parties will be entering a state of mutual dealings in which the aforementioned articles will be law.

......................................................... -Mr Jack Sullam
......................................................... -Mr Jason Daxx

Quickly signing the document he sent it through to the same address that had sent him the dimensions.

"Mr Daxx the contract states that we are indeed renting the suite off of you and that we are able to modify it to our own purposes, with you remaining in control of what steps to far etc. and states you will be opening an account with us. The amount you now deposit will be up to you and I will send our liaison, Miss Lana T'rea to conclude this business entirely. She can sort out the specifics of what will happen in our suite as well as your first deposit. Our first launder and our mediated meetings with the other parties you are in contact with. This contract will be sealed in my personel vault as well as a copy sent to yourself. We have masked the laundering as the transition of funds through your establishment, or gambling and this contract will never see a court or official. Is this satisfactory?"

As it came up on his screen Jason read it, signed it and slipped it away for his VI to double check before sending it back with his signature. "Satisfactory. I agree with you making your own mark on the suite however as I mentioned being my ship I need to retain control over all areas however I find your terms satisfactory. Most my business partners are of the legal variety and have their own various accounts within Council space. There are only two real establishments I use that may be interested and I shall contact them before informing you. I even expect to be hearing from one of them soon so it should not take long." He turned to Eve "Eve, send Mr.Sullam the coordinates of our next stop near Omega." He turned back to the camera.

"The ship is about to enter a transition to the Omega system where I will enter a orbit far out from the station. This is where your Miss. T'rea can come aboard, also from now on if we are to do business. Call me Jason, Mr.Draxx was my father and a fool. Now if that is all? I have many things to attend too."

Jack nodded and hovered over the button to hang up.

"That is all, Jason..."

Jack used the term coldly.

"We shall be in contact."

Pressing the button he closed the communications before sending the contract to his personal vault in their archives and standing up. Finally his day at the office was done.

Thessia

The bar they'd chosen was an open air venue, protruding on a balcony over the city's pristine river. The surrounding buildings were tall and metallic, but this place was small and rustic, made of wood and strung with colored lights that shone like stars in the gathering dusk. Nestled in the heart of the city's financial district, this was a hole-in-the-wall that catered almost exclusively to white collar workers looking to forget their office hours with some good old fashioned debauchery. Tonight's debauchery came in the form of a "Human Culture" theme celebration. Tonner didn't know much about Humans, but somehow he doubted this mob of drunken Asari dancing to "disco" and ducking under "limpo" sticks was an accurate representation of Earth.

Not that he was paying any particular attention to the other bar-goers. The only Asari he had eyes for was standing on the other side of his table, leaning against the balcony's railing, a shot of riptide cradled in her hands. He thought she looked just as elegant and commanding as the buildings she was imposed upon. Even moreso when she turned to him, her smile flashing briefly in the light of the setting sun. "You're being paranoid, Tonner. This is the best opportunity we've ever had. Period."

Tonner fixed Nadene with a weary frown before responding. "A great opportunity, sure. But that doesn't mean shit if it gets us killed." He rubbed a nervous hand against his brow. "It's just not worth the risk."

Nadene opened her mouth to argue, but it was Vik who jumped in to defend her plan. "I think it's a great fucking idea," he declared from his seat next to Tonner. His feet were stretched out onto another chair, and his trademark cocky smile was stretched in eagerness. "We get that artifact, and we'll have more money than we know what to do with. And you worry too much. If there's anyone who can get that artifact and get it to a buyer without incident, it's yours truly," he said, hooking one thumb back at his own chest. His other hand was clasped around a shot glass full of brackish riptide.

"You just want to do it so you can stroke your own ego," Tonner growled, but already Nadene was nodding, ready to launch into the rest of her argument.

"I know it seems risky, but really, we've got a better shot than most. We've got ships, money, and manpower. We've got some of the galaxy's best pilots-"

"You've got the best pilot right here!"

"-including Vik, yeah. Even better, no one will expect us. Few people know we exist, even fewer know the extent of our operations. We're in the perfect position to grab that object and make a run for it."

"Assuming we can even find the damn thing!" Tonner was getting frustrated. He fiddled with his own shot glass, a bit of the acidic liquid sloshing out onto his fingertips, stinging him. "And if we do find it, you can be sure we won't be the only ones there to snatch it up. A prize this big is going to draw in a lot of competition; including plenty of organizations with more funding and more firepower. We're just a bunch of smugglers and degenerates, what could we hope to do against a professional contractor or one of the galaxy's bigger crime lords?"

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall. See, it's like the story of the pyjak and the thresher," Vik explained confidently. "The thresher was big and strong, but the pyjak was quick and smart and handsome. Also the thresher was dumb. So the pyjak stole all of his cash, and bought a private yacht and a beach house on Sur'Kesh." He shrugged when Tonner just glared at him. "It's not a perfectly developed metaphor, but you get the idea."

"Vik is...right," Nadene said with a grimace, "as stupid as he sounds. This is the job we've been waiting for. The one that can put us on the map, make Riptide into something greater than we've ever imagined."

"We're doing just fine without putting our necks on the chopping block," Tonner said slowly, realizing he was on the losing side of the argument. "Every year we get more contracts, more ships, more profit. Riptide's growing, slowly but surely. We will be something great, but not if we go rushing off to do something stupid and get ourselves killed. And this job seems really stupid."

When Nadene smiled at him, he knew he'd lost. "Jumping prison seemed stupid. Starting Riptide seemed stupid. Letting Vik have a deciding voice seemed stupid." The Turian in question nodded goodnaturedly as she continued. "But in the end, it's all been for the best. We've made it work. And I think we can make this work too. We just have to try." She raised her shot glass. "Let's make the call."

Vik raised his own glass instantly, but Tonner hesitated. For a moment he considered refusing, maybe continuing to voice his concerns. All decisions made at these meetings had to be unanimous, that was their rule. But Nadene was smiling at him, implacable as ever, and already Vik was getting impatient, ready to be out roaming the galaxy looking for treasure. With a sigh, he raised his own glass. "Fine then. It's stupid, but let's do it. Just don't get mad when I say 'I told you so.'"

The three of them joined their glasses together with a quiet clink before downing the contents. The liquid spiraled down Tonner's throat, hot like fire, scratching at his throat as if it was alive. He actually typically liked the taste, but now it just filled him with dread. The decision had been made, for better or for worse. He slammed the empty shot glass onto the table. "So what do we do first?"

Nadene waited for her the riptide to settle in her stomach and for her face to regain its usual composure before she outlined the plan. "Right, so the only information we have about the artifact is that its somewhere in the Rosetta Nebula. That narrows it down, though there's still a lot of ground to cover. So first things first, we need to get an exact location. I know plenty of information brokers, but the only one we've worked extensively with in the past is Jason Daxx of The Lonely Spacer, so that's where I'll be heading. Daxx is a smooth son of a bitch, but I think we can work something out with him."

Tonner nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. I'll start directing my smugglers and my own mercs into the Rostta Nebula. Low key, but in case things don't work out with Daxx, it'll be useful to have some extra eyes and ears in the area. Not to mention, once we do have a location, we'll have to be ready to jump into action."

Vik obviously wasn't listening to him. "Did you say you're going to the Spacer, Nadene?" he asked, with stars in his eyes. "I fucking love that place! I'll come along and help out."

"No." From Vik's expression, Nadene might as well have just kicked his dog. "I need you in the Rosetta Nebula too. Be ready to move. I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling that the next few weeks are going to get pretty hectic." She waved at a passing server, signaling for three more riptides. "Now then, let's work out the details..."

“So, let me get this straight.” Dave began as Tevura put her head in a hand. “You want us to avoid going to the Rosetta Nebula.” Tevura nodded. “Yes.” “You do realize that if we go and we find the artifact we’ll be rich beyond our wildest dreams?” “Yes.” “So explain to me again why we aren’t going? Or, at the very least, I’m not going?” The Asari sighed. “I’m not weakening the fleet’s defense enough that you can have a chance of surviving the madness that’s about to grip the Rosetta Nebula. Every fool with a ship and dreams of riches is going to be heading there. And when the fools with big fleets and bigger guns realize that they have competition also searching for the artifact, they’re going to begin firing upon each other. Four Frigates would last longer than most, granted, but eventually you’d be destroyed. And besides, you’d draw unwanted attention.”

Everyone in her inner circle knew what ‘unwanted attention’ she was speaking about. Even though she had killed her Justicar pursuer, there had been ample time for the Justicars to realize that the one they had sent was dead, and send another after her. They were like a charging Krogan. Tenacious and damn near unstoppable.

“You don’t think we could take on a Justicar?” Dave’s one eye lit up with excitement at the prospect, even as he gave a cocky smirk. Tevura rolled her eyes, even as she repressed a shiver of fear at the memory of the Justicar. “Let me put it this way. We have about as much of a chance of killing a Justicar in a straight fight as we do of destroying two Dreadnoughts. None. Go raiding in any other part of the galaxy. Just don’t go hunting for a Prothean Artifact that would put a giant target on our backs. I’d suggest avoiding the Attican Traverse. Alliance Navy is stepping up patrolling there.” Dave shrugged. “I saw that news report. Luckily, however, I have no intention of going to the Attican Traverse. You’ll have your wish though, I won’t head to the Rosetta Nebula.” With a salute and a wink, he cut communications.

Tevura looked over at Rebekha, wearily. “He’s still going to go to the Rosetta Nebula, isn’t he?” Her sister nodded. “He’s a greedy pirate. I’d be surprised if he didn’t.” The Ardat-Yakshi sighed, taking a step back from both the communications and her sister, as if distance would protect her from the problems she was facing. Protect her from both the very real possibility that Dave’s actions could destroy them all, and the desire to go over to her sister and fry Rebekha’s nervous system. Centuries of living with that desire and training her will to be strong enough to resist it, and still it clawed at her. A curse she would never be free of. A disease she would eventually be killed for.

Shaking her head, she stepped back towards the communications and brought up Tasi. “Tasi, have you reached Omega with Kalros yet?” The Quarian nodded. “It took us longer than expected because about a dozen pirates tried to hijack the ship. Kalros and I killed all of them but one, well Kalros killed most of them, and I made sure the attack was just random.” Tevura eyed her. “You tortured him didn’t you?” Tasi nodded happily. “Yep, yep, yep! He wasn’t a good one though. Bohtesh lasted only a couple of hours.” Tevura had the distinct feeling that Tasi was frowning beneath her mask. Before she could comment, however, the Quarian continued. “So, what did you want us here for again? Please tell me it’s something fun.”

Despite her full knowledge that Tasi’s idea of fun was a slow death for multiple beings, preferably Batarians, Tevura had to smile at the childlike pleading tone. “Go with Kalros to the Cartel we run security for. They have a job that will benefit the both of us. A job you’ll find fun.”

Tasi clapped her hands. “Okay! Kalros lets g-“The Quarian’s yelling was cut off as Tevura turned off communications. “And where are we going to be headed, while Dave chases a rumor and Tasi has fun?” Rebekha asked. Tevura looked at her, and smiled. “Tell me, sister. Where was the last known location of the Lonely Spacer?”

Jason stood overwatching the cleaning of the floor. For no real reason rather than how odd it was too see it so empty. There were of course cleaners on 24/7 but this was a proper real clean, a deep clean. One that got rid of the stagnant odors and the people who had just sat in the same spot for what was probably days. For a time he had almost banned the fruit machines for the fact that people just had the tendency to sit on them for hours on end making a stench. Though all money was good money so he decided against it. What he had done however was made it so that you did not need to walk through the machines to reach the tables. The tables were where the real money was made and that was the important bit, but some extra cash never hurt anyone. That was why he was gathering this information. He had no interest in going to the planet where the artifact was, nor did he have any interest in getting past the Alliance patrols when his ship was perfectly legal to fly through them.

He did however know people who would be interested in such information, for a price obviously. He turned to look out the window at the other side of the room, out into space as the ship pulled itself away from orbit. In the distance you could faintly see the mass relay without any enhancement due to the relative proximity off the relay to the planet. It would only take them an hour or so to reach the Relay and after that it was an instant jump to the Terminus system, where he'd likely lounge around for a time before moving on to the Rosetta nebula to sit and take advantage of the Alliance patrols and all the treasure hunters. After all, someone had to be there to quench their thirst. "Eve.""Here." He didn't even bother to turn to face the V.I. "Update our location to inform customers we will be at the Terminus relay within two hours. After that we will wait for several hours before heading to the Rosetta nebula." He began walking out of the room.

"Also, perform a clean sweep of the computer system, make sure no recent customer has left anything behind and have Adam brought online to browse through the camera and microphone recordings for anything that might be of significant value. Stress significant I don't want to know about some lowly bartender nobody knows having an affair again. A politician of great importance having an affair is all right. At least then there is something to be had.""Understood.""If you need me, I'll be in my quarters.""Shall I send girls up?""As per usual, no. I'll get girls myself when I want them, your choice is terrible." He stretched. "Also this is more for rest than for pleasure."

---Unknown Planet, Unknown Star System, Rosetta Nebula---

Jaelan, of Jaelan industries, was busy overseeing the latest reports about the route out of the Nebula, into Citadel space where he could sell the artifact. His artifact. It didn’t look good. Pirates were gathering en masse at the Mass Relay, no doubt just waiting for a slow, heavy transport ship to show up carrying the artifact. The one consolation Jaelan could find was that they hadn’t found his planet yet. It was just a matter of time though, he had no doubt that someone knew where he was, and that information probably had a high price tag on it right now.

He put down the datapad that had just informed him of bad news and turned to the massive window that made up one of the walls of his office. It gave an excellent view of the large shielded plaza in the middle of Jaelan industries mining complex - and the colossal form of the artifact being kept there. It was beautiful, this marvel of ancient technology. Sharp, angular lines of greenish metal, broken by the occasional inactive power conduit and scarred by signs of ancient weapons fire.

When they had found it, Jaelan had instructed his men to dig the object and all the surrounding rock out of the ground, lifting the whole conglomerate clear. Since then, about half the rock had been stripped away, but the rest was still attached and would end up being moved with the object. Only Jaelan had been inside the artifact so far. Once he emerged, he had ordered the artifacts airlock sealed and no-one else be allowed inside. Only he deserved to know the Artifacts secrets….

---

Omega News
...And finally in Terminus Sector news today, the Rosetta Nebula has become highly volatile as multiple mercenary and private military groups gather at the Mass Relay. Our sources say that the situation could ignite into an all out battle at any moment. Local Blue Suns leader Tarak had this to say:
“Anyone crazy or stupid enough to get involved with this foolish artifact hunt deserves whatever come to them when the situation falls apart. The Blue Suns will just sit back and enjoy the show.”
And now for the weather.
The Talons gang has lost territory to the Blue Suns in the Tetsu district, and residents can expect district stability and an increase in policing. In the industrial districts, Aria’s forces have seized control of several area’s near the Eezo refineries, further solidifying the Queens control over this most important of Omega’s resources. Finally, territory long held by the Red Phoenix mercenary company has been enveloped in a sudden and bloody revolt, as local gangs bring chaos to the streets in a bid to make a name for themselves. Only time will tell if the citizens of this district will stand with their erstwhile protectors, or side with the invaders to cast down the oppressor.
Once again, I’m Toruk, and this has been Omega News.

After both Drumlins and Khulna got inside the car, Drumlins got in the driver's seat as Khulna wasn't unable to drive; hell, his weight made the car slower and felt like it was going to fall onto the ground. But, the car was stable and the radio was on with some good old fashion music, mostly Turin songs and some human songs in the mix of songs. It was on some Human jazz and Drumlins liked the fact that humans can make some useful and cool things, if they aren't fighting wars. Khulna on the other hand, didn't like it, it was too slow and soft; after all he was a Brogan and they hate anything that isn't about killing people or breaking things. He turned the Drumlins and said, "Well, while I was at the bar, overlooking some data on the sales of the drugs, I heard on the news, that there is a Protean artifact in the Rosetta Nebula and.". "Nope." said Drumlins as he knew where Khulna was going with this, it was similar to how he asked about selling the drugs. Khulna then shouted, "Come on! I wasn't even done with my sentence!" and then stomped his feet on the ground of the car; which caused it to drop a feet.

Drumlins held on to the wheel as the car feel and then he said, "Fine. Finish it." and looked onto the busy skies with other cars going to places. Khulna smiled and then said, "Anyways, I was going to say if we could go to the Rosetta Nebula and found the artifact.". Drumlins said, "No." with his serious face and then Khulna shouted, "Oh come on! It's in the Rosetta Nebula, which isn't close but not too far." he always hated when Drumlins doesn't think about it, but he knew that the Turin will soon give the green light to the idea. Khulna crossed his arms together and looked at the window and the saw the lights coming for the other buildings, even known Omega was a crime's hideout, it looked beautiful. Drumlins looked at the Brogan and shook his head as the news came on, he was being careful to say anything else to Khulna, as he could cause the car to fall onto the ground. He heard Torus and the leader of the Blue Suns talking about the Artifact and shook his head once more, thankfully he wasn't sending his ships into the Mass Relay. He then heard the weather and didn't want to listen to it, but he had to hear the other stuff going on in Omega. Drumlins then heard Torus saying,

"The Talons gang has lost territory to the Blue Suns in the Sucrets district, and residents can expect district stability and an increase in policing. In the industrial districts, Aria’s forces have seized control of several area’s near the Mezzo refineries, further solidifying the Queens control over this most important of Omega’s resources. Finally, territory long held by the Red Phoenix mercenary company has been enveloped in a sudden and bloody revolt, as local gangs bring chaos to the streets in a bid to make a name for themselves. Only time will tell if the citizens of this district will stand with their erstwhile protectors, or side with the invaders to cast down the oppressor.

Once again, I’m Torus, and this has been Omega News."

Drumlins almost stopped the car as soon as he heard that the Geyser District was lost to the local gangs and then turned to Khulna and said, "You better hold on tight to something, because we are going to drive as fast as we can to the base.". He put the car to it's speed limit and drove very fast, passing by ten cars per second and trying to not get him but the buildings. The Turain tried to think on who would take Geyser and couldn't come up with the person, he needed to stop driving in order to think better. He drove for five minutes until he saw the base's landing pad and crash landed on it, it was some damage to it, but it could get fix within a day or so. Drumlins got out first and then Khulna, but he saw the Turin entered the base first and rushed after him. Then an Asari walked towards Khulna and said, "What's up with the boss, Khulna?" and then the Brogan said, "Well, Geyser District was taken, by an unknown gang. You better tell the others to get to the meeting room, now. The boss isn't happy with the loss of Geyser.". Then the Asari said, "Alright, Khulna. I shall tell the others." and ran towards the communication room.

[A collaboration between myself and Sep]

The Lonely Spacer

Nadene adjusted the collar of her dress suit for the hundredth time as she entered the bridge of the Abbadon,, dressed to the nines and ready for a pleasant evening of negotiation. Her suit gave off an air of professionalism, but it was trimmed loose and fashionable. Formal, but relaxed and easygoing. Perfect for a meeting on the Spacer, she thought as she stopped to check in on the cockpit before disembarking.

Sayth's face was practically pressed up against the glass, awash in neon lights and the promise of debauchery. Beyond her, the side of the Lonely Spacer stretched away, dozens of ships flitting to and from its side like bees around a hive. Daxx certainly isn't lacking for business, Nadene thought, unsurprised. The Salarian pilot turned to face her when she entered, trying and (failing) to keep an eager smile off of her face. "Permission to go aboard, ma'am?"

"This one would also like to disembark, if it would not be a trouble." Athican said. "This one has some contacts it would like to meet on board, as well as some potential clients that may need dealing with."

His voice, quiet and unassuming as it was, caused Nadene to jump. She hadn't heard the Hanar enter. Creepy bastard. "Yes, fine," she said, a bit impatiently. "Just make sure the two of you are back on board within two hours. And keep an eye open. I'm not expecting trouble, but if we have to make a quick getaway I want you both ready."

Sayth pumped a fist in celebration before remembering herself and sheepishly offering a thanks; Athican only produced a simple bow of gratitude before retreating with his usual soundless tread.

Maybe that was a bad call, Nadene admitted to herself a moment later as she traversed the airlock and entered the Lonely Spacer proper, but those two aren't typically known to cause trouble. I guess I should just be glad that I managed to talk Vik out of coming along...

---

Vik maneuvered the Wily Varren into his favorite berth on the Lonely Spacer with a smile. When the docking clamps extended to secure his ship, he swiveled his pilot's chair to face Andrea. "How do I look?" He asked, flicking his collar. "This is a really important meeting, but I figured it'd be best to go with some relaxed-wear, ya know?"

Andrea was unimpressed. "Everything you own is 'relaxed-wear.'" She'd been frowning ever since they'd come out of FTL and the enormous hull of the Spacer had come into sight. "Are you sure Nadene wants your help for this negotiation? She usually goes solo, this doesn't really seem like her style."

"Uh, yeah!" Vik replied, as if offended. "This may surprise you, but there's more to me than just piloting skills and a pretty face. I happen to be an accomplished negotiator, too. Just ask Daron!"

The Quarian in question was seated on a nearby dashboard console, fiddling with his omnitool. He only shot a glance their way when he heard his name. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Vik's great with words. Practically a poet, really. I remember this one time, he was trying to sweet talk this Krogan, I mean, really laying it on thick-"

"Yes, ok, I think she gets the idea. Thanks for the input, Daron."

Andrea didn't look particularly convinced. She opened her omnitool and prepped a message. "All the same, I'm going to get in touch with Nadene, see if she really-"

Daron reached out casually, touching his omnitool to hers. Abruptly, Andrea's omnitool sparked and fizzled, collapsing into nothingness. She tapped frantically at her wrist, but nothing appeared. "What the hell did you just do!?"

"Just locked it down for a couple of hours," Daron answered with a shrug. He turned to Vik. "Pay up."

Vik tossed him a small device. "Thanks for the help. Have fun."

Andrea was reeling, caught between anger and confusion even as Daron pushed past her to exit the ship and enter the casino. "Was that your credit chit!?"

Now it was Vik's turn to shrug. "Just one of the spare ones Nadene gave me for 'emergencies' or whatever. I figured this probably counted. Couldn't have you ratting me out, right? Besides, Daron's sure he's going to win big, so it's really more an investment, when you think about it." He stood, moving to the airlock. "Alright, meeting time. While we're here, you should really try to loosen up. Go out and get drunk or something, seriously." He stepped off the ship with a smile. This was going to be fun.

---

The air was filled with the sounds of people and the scent of booze. Nadene strode through the casino floor, confident and poised. The crowd was thick, fools just begging for Daxx to take their money and their secrets. She would have felt sorry for them, if pity wasn't something she abhorred. Honestly, surrounded by all this merriment and debauchery, she felt a bit out of place. Sure, she could act as wild and reckless as the best of them, but her place was in the board room, locked in a debate, playing a predatory game of words and promises. Luckily, she was heading to a meeting that might just satisfy her cravings.

An arm suddenly slipped into the crook of her elbow as someone stepped up to her side. She turned, ready to knock someone's lights out, and was greeted by Vik's stupid, grinning face. Oh, you motherfucker. "Need a date?" He asked, all charm and innocence.

"What are you doing here!?" She hissed through clenched teeth, keeping her anger low-key. She had no doubt they were being watched, and it wouldn't be in their best interests to cause a scene. "I told you to-"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, waving dismissively, "You tell me to do a lot of things. Doesn't mean I'm going to do them." That infuriating smile never left his face. "Figured you could use my help. We are partners, after all. Or did you forget?"

"Did you forget that you're really fucking bad at these sorts of things?" She smiled at a group of passing businessmen who might recognize her before turning back to bear on Vik. "You're the smuggler, Tonner's the muscle, I'm the negotiator. We've got a good system here, and now you're fucking it up."

Vik's mandibles twitched. "Hey, I'm a great fucking negotiator. You've just never seen me in action. I've talked my way through sooooooo many docking officials, you have no idea. This Doxx guy-"

"Daxx"

"-Daxx guy, he can't be much different. Just you wait and see."

Nadene was seething, but there wasn't much she could do. The place she'd been been told to meet a representative of Daxx was already in sight, and closing fast. "Fine then. Just let me do all the talking. And please, don't fuck this up."

---

The Terminus system was as a fruitful venture as ever. He had barely been here a few hours before the hangers were full of ships full of people willing to part with their money. Some of them would win big however in truth he was the only winner. He smiled as he looked out on the bustling Casino, on the side of the viewscreen/window he watched as two frigates docked for his favourite smuggling cartel. It was odd for two of the ships to come at the same time, he knew the partner known as Vik frequented the Casino and was considered a regular at many of the tables and was quite a popular fellow however he had never partaken in any off the discussions and from what he had heard from the tables it was a good thing he hadn't. He would have to play this carefully, exploit it but not make it obvious that he was. It was a fruitful business relationship after all. He turned. "Eve.""Yes, Jason?""Tell Alex to finish up and meet them. Bring them up as soon as he is ready."
Alex stood up as soon as his communicator beeped and then walked towards the two people who were on business. They obviously knew eachother well, though there was also problems between them right now. One of his skills, reading people. Though he was glad he wasn't handling the negotiations he was terrible at talking to people. He just lacked the skill to make friends and control his temper. He could hide it, but he couldn't control it. Which was why he was always silent when playing cards. It unnerved some people however that was their issue not his. He filed what he saw under could be important later and walked up to them. This was only his job as most of the other workers were busy and he was headed up top anyway as it was his shift for reviewing the security camera footage.

He didn't offer his hand to them. He just stood on front of them. "Nadene, Jason isn't expecting your friend but the room is suitable for all of you to rest comfortably." He indicated for them to follow him when he moved to one of the private elevators. He nodded to the guard, who was wearing the same uniform as him. Some of the guards had different uniforms as they were mercenaries who were regularly changed. He got in the elevator and stood with his hands behind his back after letting both of them to stand behind him. He didn't push any button and the elevator took him up to the right level and the door opened. He indicated into the room and grunted a "Go."
Jason heard the brief "Go" from Alex and smiled slightly at that and the gruffness at which he treated their guests. He turned to the fridge and removed three bottles of beer, before moving them onto a small coffee table and taking a seat on one of the larges settees. He turned to face them. "Please, come and sit. Ignore the poor people skills of my associate." He pointed to Vik. "As your friend knows he is good on the tables however and he has his purposes." He opened the bottle of his own beer and took a sip. "Anyway Nadene, this is most irregular for you to schedule a meeting for so soon after getting in contact with me. What is it you need off me?"

"Yeah, not much of a warm welcome," Vik complained with a roll of his eyes, but he snatched up the offered beer all the same, leaning over the back of one of the settees to face Daxx with a confident smile. Nadene opted to seat herself like a normal person, taking a sip of her beer with practiced civility.

"I'm sure you have plenty of your own theories on why we're here, Jason," she answered with a careful smile, "but I'll save us all the boredom and cut right to the chase. We're looking for that artifact, same as all the others. Only, unlike all the others, we actually have a chance. We just need a bit of information first." She arched a brow in Daxx's direction. "Was I correct in assuming you know where this artifact is, or was the trip here just wasted time?"

"Wasted time?" Vik grumbled under his breath. "Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who actually likes coming here for fun..."

Jason laughed. "Now Vik, you are just a little bit sour because Alex wins at the tables quite often. Besides, he doesn't have the smugglers charm worked down the same way you do." He sipped on his own beer before he looked towards Nadene. "My dear, I would have been insulted had you not believed that I knew where it was. Not only can I tell you where it is however I have details on the Alliance patrols and as such some expert pilots such as your companion here would be able to easily navigate around the patrols without being detected. Though you know the Alliance and their stringent procedures so these routes will change within a week most likely. In terms off the actual artifact right now it is sitting being seen to by a very happy and soon to be wealthy man who has been the only one to enter it and look at it in detail. Right now I'd assume he is having transport issues as the mass relay is a mess of Mercenary vessels all wanting to get to the artifact but none risking a fight breaking out." He leaned back.

"Your best bet is to hit the artifact while it is on the move. The holder of the artifact will be known to do two things. Leave his point of origin and go to the mass relay. You gotta get him before the mass relay and to do that you have to find the starting point. The big question on everyones lips though is what is this information worth to you?"

He turned his attention to Vik. "If you wish I can offer you access to the executive tables while you are here if you do not wish to partake in the negotiations." Though he hoped that the man stayed, it made things a lot easier for him.

"I may take you up on your offer later, but right now I'm sure Nadene needs my help." Vik turned to his companion with a smile that turned her stomach into knots.

She'd been hoping Daxx's offer would be enough to get rid of her idiotic partner, but apparently the luck just wasn't in her favor tonight. She did her best to ignore the Turian at her side as she continued the negotiations. "It's good to know my faith in you wasn't misplaced, Jason. And it's good to see that you've got your focus on the potential profits, as always. I like that in a man." She paused to take a delicate sip of beer, her expression cordial and unyielding. "I'm prepared to offer you a discount of 50% on all goods and services provided by Riptide to the Lonely Spacer for the next galactic year, as well as a 25% discount on any special projects that require specific and exceptional planning. This would specifically apply to any food, drink or other material that is currently being traded between us, and any further trades that will arise in the future. Given the size of your business, and what I know of our extended dealings with the Spacer, this would mean total savings of-"

"No. No way."

Nadene stopped, surprised. For a brief, dreadful second she thought it was Daxx that had spoken, shooting down her offer before she could even finish, but her dread only intensified when she realized it was Vik that had declared his discontent. Confused, she structured a quick apology to Daxx. "I'm sorry Jason, I'm sure what my partner means to say is-"

"No fucking way." Vik reiterated, arms crossed. "Maybe you don't realize, Nadene, but I deliver to the Spacer personally, and on a regular basis. I just made a delivery a couple of weeks ago. You remember what was in it, Daxx?" Vik ticked the items off on his fingers as he listed them. "Nearly a ton of dextro wine from Oma Ker, discontinued and impossible to buy through traditional market channels. 40 crates of erkat fruit from Khar'Shan, sweet and ripe and slipped right through the blockades just before the harvest season ended. More pounds of red sand than I could count, good stuff, uncut, with enough eximo on the side to give everyone on this ship a major downer. A hard drive with the newest version of the vid-inventory tech out of Delumcore, a whole year before public release." He folded his fingers away, pausing to guzzle the rest of his beer. "Point is, that shit's expensive. And an operation like this-" he stretched his hands out to indicate the surrounding room, and the rest of the ship beyond, "-takes a hell of a lot of shit to keep it afloat. Bunch of customers with a bunch of exotic tastes. Tastes that you need us to satisfy." He crossed his arms again, a smile reappearing on his face. "40% discount, 20% on special requests. That seems like a fair deal, doesn't it?"

Nadene glared at him without a word. It's times like this that I really wish I had just left him in that prison.

Nadenes offer was sounding like one Jason could wittle and work on. Though of course Vik had to come in and ruin things. He'd have to tread carefully this whole venture could go one of two ways, he could get Vik to conclude eventually. Vik to leave or end up telling them to leave to have Nadene come back later with a better deal or lose business. AS Vik was right, a lot of business came through his ship. Though there was more than that. There was how they acquired goods. He sipped on his beer, his tone unchanging and still in his usual calm relaxed manner.

He ignored Nadenes offer for the moment, choosing to focus on Viks. That would add insult to injury and help him further down the line. First he snapped his finger as a, what he was told, attractive Turian came and placed another ice cold beer on the table before once again leaving the room. "Now, Vik." He took a sip from his own beer. "You should know as well as I do without my information you would be unable to do most of those things. Your fine flying skills only get you so far, what gets you the rest of the way? Knowing where patrols are. Where the best crop is and who to go to?" He turned to Nadene for this point. "I mean this as no threat to your enterprise however the main reason I do not do these things myself as it is so useful having you do it with your fine pilots. If this venture became unprofitable however I could always find someone else or do it myself, I am surprised I already do not have a discount after all I have done for you. Why, I helped get you out of prison, Vik."

He placed his beer on the table and clasped his hands together. "The Artifact will make whoever finds it rich and powerful. You know as well as I do without routes to the artifact and knowing its exact location you are going to be outgunned. Speed is only beneficial if you can use it. I can give you the chance to use it. 50% Discount for at least five years, including special projects. You know I never smuggle people which is what is usually classed as special." Now, they were negotiating prices. He had deliberately started high, though if Vik continued he'd probably go higher.

"Prison? What..." Vik turned to Nadene, face stricken with confusion. "What's he talking about?"

Nadene could only offer a calm smile. "Yes, Jason was one of the intermediaries I utilized when clearing your criminal record and getting you out of prison." She allowed herself a small glare in Daxx's direction. "One of many intermediaries, and I'm sure he was quite satisfied with the payment he received for his help."

"Well, forgive me for being ungrateful. You pulled a few strings, so what? Nadene still did all the work. As far as I'm concerned, she's the only one I really have to thank for getting me out of that hell-hole, and I'm not about to repay her by standing idly by while she gets scammed."

Nadene cut back in with a hasty clarification. "Despite his tone, Jason, my partner here doesn't mean to imply you haven't been a good friend to us. You have, and I wouldn't feel unjustified in saying that we've been good friends to you. For the past few years, our organizations have benefited each other, and I know both of us would hate to see that relationship fall apart, informal as it is."

"Doesn't change the fact that he's playing us with all of this smug, "ha ha your organization is inconsequential to me" bullshit," Vik objected, still adamant even as his smile betrayed his good humor. "Five years is too long, and 50% is too high. Yeah, you can get someone else to get you supplies, but would it be worth it when you've got already got us, an established organization, to do it for you? I don't think so: individual smugglers are untrustworthy and inefficient, other organizations won't even offer you the goodwill that we do. Setting up your own illicit trade operations would take more money and time than they're worth." His second beer was already half gone, but he continued to chug away like there was no tomorrow. His mouth was flecked with foam as he continued to spit out words. "We're useful to you, you said it yourself. So why try to bankrupt us with terms like that? We're good for your business, you should probably be helping us regardless of the discount. Hell, the money our smugglers throw away in your casino probably more than makes up for what we charge you anyway..."

Nadene had to hide a smile. Well I'll be damned, maybe he's actually got some skill for negotiating after all. Or he's just dumb and lucky. Either way, not bad. "My partner is correct," she elaborated carefully. "What's good for Riptide is good for the Lonely Spacer. With that artifact, our organization could really hit it big, which means more items for you at faster speeds and lower costs. In some ways, you could consider it an investment. Help us out now, and know that your organization will reap the rewards for years to come. The agreed-upon discount is simply icing on the cake, as you humans say." Her beer was finished. She placed it carefully on the table as she fixed her eyes on Daxx, a polite smile displayed across her even features. "I believe a two year discount would be a suitable compromise. 50% flat for all services."

Vik finished his beer as well, tossing it lazily onto the table where it wobbled noisily before coming to a rest. "Also, as a show of your good faith I want free drinks here, for life."

For the first time that evening, Nadene couldn't keep her shock contained. "What!?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Nadene." Vik turned a charming smile on Daxx. "Nadene wants free drinks too."

Jason had underestimated Viks ability to make a coherent sounding argument. He dealt with the drink item first. "Nadene always has free drinks whenever she desires." He flashed her a half serious cocky grin. "As for you Vik, I believe I might go bankrupt if you were to stop paying for your drinks. You already opened a tab for Riptide however in terms of our... partnership I would be willing to add a discount to it of say 50%. Which is more than generous and something that should not be flashed around nor will you be buying drinks for people all the time." He focused more on Vik this time. "Now, it is obvious you don't play the negotiating game very often and what I will say is be glad that I have good standing relations with Riptide already and find your services to be useful and worth their price or you may have found yourself out of a job." He turned to Nadene. "I recommend holding him out of negotiations with anybody that you have not already formed relations with, as they might not be as charitable as I am."

He sipped on his beer. "As it so happens the artifact itself interests me and all that it offers. If Vik is so keen on ignoring the negotiation part. I'll give you the information however I want to see the artifact and if you get someone to decipher it yourself I want some information on what it is." He shrugged. "50% flat, one year. Recurring contract with me."

For a second, it looked like Vik was about to argue his drink tab, but when Nadene laid a cautioning hand on his shoulder he finally got the hint and shut up. "Very sound advice, Jason," the Asari replied with a dismissive smile. "I think from now on Vik will stay where his talents can be better utilized...in the pilot's chair." Her grip tightened and twisted on those last words, causing Vik to grimace uncomfortably.

She didn't have to think long about Daxx's offer, though she still played the game like she was expected to, sipping daintily at her beer as if she was deep in thought. Finally, her eyes caught Daxx's. "Yes, I believe your request can be arranged for. Once we have the artifact, you can look at it as much as you like, as long as we still can sell it after you're done. I assure you, your "investigations" will be strictly confidential." Nadene figured this might be one of Daxx's conditions. The artifact was a huge potential source of valuable information, and the man was an information broker after all. If he wanted to take a crack at deciphering it, he was free to, as long as he didn't get in the way of her profit. "The discount amount seems reasonable as well. I will inform my people of our arrangement, and it will be effective immediately. You know that as a strictly illegal organization, we don't have much use for legally binding contracts, but if you'd prefer that I sign something, only say the word."

She leaned forward now. "But as long as that's all taken care of...I'd like to know what I just paid for."

"That was something I never saw the point off Nadene, you could always set up a front like I do." He shrugged. "Whatever works for you I guess." He snapped his fingers and another beer was procured for Vik, a different girl this time. "I guess it is the time for me to give you the information, as your partner has robbed me of the negotiating which by far is the best part of these discussions." He shrugged as he sipped on his own beer and placed the empty bottle back on the table. He should of asked for another one when they brought Vik another beer. However this was the good stuff and he could always get more after the meeting. It wasn't as if he was paying for his own stuff separately. He picked up his tablet, preferring it over an Omni-tool and sent the patrol schedules before he spoke.

"It's on·Parnassus in the Rosetta Nebula. I've sent the patrol routes to your ship so you can find your own way through. The Alliance will change its patrol schedule in one day and the owner of the artifact will move it to the mass relay in 3 days. Your window is short but if information changes I'll be willing to renegotiate terms and keep you up to date with major changes as and when I hear off them. Is that all we have for business now?"

Nadene's smile was bright as she set down her beer and got to her feet. "Yes, I believe that concludes our business. You can forward me the specifics, and I'll be in contact when the artifact is secured. It's been a pleasure, as always, Jason." She turned and practically pushed Vik out of the room in front of her.

Once outside, the Turian turned to her with that same stupid smile. "Well? Not bad, eh?"

Nadene could have slapped him. "'Not bad?' You were this close to royally fucking us up!"

"But I didn't fuck us up, did I? Admit it, I helped!"

Nadene sighed, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. Half of her wanted to cuss him out, the other half was admittedly a bit endeared to his youthful overconfidence. She settled for something a bit in the middle. "You are the biggest fucking idiot I have ever met," she said, with a small smile. "Now, we need to get in contact with Tonner, he's been waiting patiently for us to get him directions. You should probably go too, we're going to need a good pilot to-"

"Hey!" A shout interrupted her as Daron jogged up beside them, the multi-layered images on his suit shining beneath the casino floor lights. "You ready to go yet, Vik?"

"What's the rush?" Vik asked, frowning. "I was hoping to hit up some tables before we jumped ship..."

"Well, I may have started a fight with another patron. And that patron may have been a Krogan. Or three Krogans, to be exact."

A shout echoed from the other end of the room. "There he is! Get that little suit rat!" The crowd was parting as a trio of Krogans rushed their way. Daron watched them come, apparently unfazed.

"So, yeah," he said, nonchalantly. "I'm thinking maybe we should leave. I'm out of money anyway." He grabbed Vik by the arm and began dragging him away.

Vik offered Nadene a sheepish smile as he was pulled into the crowd. "Sorry to cut our date short, but it looks like I have to run. Like, probably literally. Call me later, I'll make sure Andrea keeps an eye on my inbox."

Nadene glanced down at her omnitool, then back up at her partner. "Hold on! I just got a message from my credit company. Something about a maxed out credit chit? You know anything about that?"

"Nope! Not a clue! Later!"

The two of them disappeared into the crowd, leaving Nadene standing along. Fucker. When the three Krogan passed her, she pointed a lazy thumb over her shoulder. "They went that way. Be gentle, please."

What a fun night.

A Collab between Sunny D and myself

It seemed only appropriate to be rising above the Nos Astra skyline to attend a nightclub Hakim Kalif thought, watching the skyline drop below him building by building as the glass-walled elevator ascended at a blistering pace, electromagnets propelling the carriage along without actually making contact with a surface. It made for a smooth and oddly quiet ride as he watched the sky turn a vibrant blend of crimson and violet as the sun began to sink below the horizon. His speedy rise to meet with Khel Zhar seemed to be a race against the dying light, and quietly he willed his elevator to win before the last glimpses of amber vanished. The elevator smoothly slowed to a halt as it reached the pinnacle of the tower several seconds after the sun had dipped below the skyline. Hakim smiled inwardly. Maybe next time.

The glass door opened and folded in like a breadbox, following a semi-circular path to admit the man to the nightclub which was filled with all sorts of patrons, most dressed in better clothing than he’d seen just about anyone wear. This was very much so a place where people had more credits than they knew what to do with. The opulence of the place was staggering, and if Hakim had been a cautious man, he’d have been wary to touch anything in fear of it coming with several charges or finding out that he’d just destroyed a 3 thousand year old table or other such nonsense. The entire place was very much so the typical asari architecture with the pleasing geometry and long lines and the entire club was filled with asari, which was hardly surprising given Illium was an asari colony. It in truth reminded the man of Bekenstein, only with more fine looking curves and blue skin than he was used to seeing. It was a welcome change from Noveria and Peak 37, given that the majority of the workers there were turian. Once more, he felt somewhat isolated and alone in a vast galaxy, as it was rare to see humans in any significant numbers outside of Systems Alliance space or the Attican Traverse. He counted perhaps five other humans in the club, not many at all, and he was the only one of North African descent.

Hakim picked up a glass of champagne, some unimaginably old Thessian vintage, and strolled over to a large glass window watching the skycar traffic below, like a child staring down at wonder at the procession of ants marching underfoot. It would only be a matter of time before Zhar would grace him with his presence. It still seemed to be a rather inappropriate place for a krogan to frequent, let alone own. But Zhar was living proof that you never bet against someone based on where they were born or their lineage. The fact Zhar triumphed against adversity and discrimination spoke volumes towards his capacity and willpower. He was not a man to cross.

Khel Zhar was not far away, taking the next elevator up after having landed his skycar on the buildings private landing pads. Over the past few days, he had been carefully watching the situation with the Prothean artifact, making a note of who was involved most heavily involved and predicting who was likely to get involved in the future. The man he was meeting today was a representative of part of the second group. Hakim Kalif was an ex-mercenary turned security chief under the employ of Halios Consortium, a research firm Zhar had provided information with on occasion. They weren't the type to try to directly seize the artifact, but once its nature was discovered Zhar was sure their leader and researchers would not be able to resist the chance to study it.

The last light of the Illium sunset had just left the building as the elevator doors opened. It was unfortunate, but then Zhar couldn't spend every evening looking at the sunset. Especially not when important business with high profile customers was to be conducted. Zhar spotted Hakim only a moment after leaving the elevator, humans were rare in this establishment, but even so Zhar knew exactly what the man looked like. It was foolish to meet with someone and not know who they were in his business, and Zhar was not foolish. He made his way to the bar first, taking the drink the Asari bartender had pre-emptively poured on seeing him arrive. There were benefits to being a well known patron. Once he had the drink he walked casually over to meet Hakim, offering his free hand for the traditional human greeting of 'shaking hands.' It seemed an odd custom to him, but it was at least better than the Krogan equivilant.

"Mister Kalif? I don't believe we've met. I'm Mr. Zhar."

Of course both of them would know each others names, but there was a certain formality and politeness that Zhar liked to maintain. It helped set him apart from the rest of his all too often crude race.

The human took the krogan's hand, which enveloped his own like a mitt, and he offered a polite, respectful bow in turn.

"It is a pleasure, Mr. Zhar. Please, call me Hakim. Mister is what my employer calls me, and I feel much more comfortable with informal address, especially given the exquisite nature of this establishment." he smiled, easily one of his most captivating features. "I must thank you for meeting me on such short notice, by all accounts you are an exceedingly busy man, so I acknowledge and am humbled by your decision to grant me a few minutes of your time. I presume you know who I represent." he said.

"But of course." Zhar replied. "I would hardly be doing my job well if I did not. Halios Consortium, and mister Halios himself, are very well paying customers. I always have time for these." He sipped his drink and looked out at Nos Astra as the city began to light up. People may sleep within the city, but Nos Astra never slept. The Skyline Club was on one of the taller spires, and while not the tallest, there were few other buildings nearby that would obscure the view. "Quite the magnificent sight is it not?" Zhar spoke without without devious intent, truly wishing that more of his customers would take the time to enjoy the sights Illium had to offer. Most of them were far too caught up with their own pursuits and the shortness of their lives to relax though, believing one could not be both busy and relaxed at the same time.

Hakim joined his host in admiring the Nos Astra Skyline, the man smiling inwardly at the fact he had in fact been doing this on the way up to the club in the elevator only moments before. "We both work for markedly different trades, my friend. Halios Consortium also has a rather discerning client base, and I'm sure even you have made use of our products from time to time. Illium is one of our four main distribution centers, as you're likely aware." he stood in comfortable silence as he watched thousands of lives literally fly by, their own personal goals and aspirations with them. He always thought being up high made him appreciate what God must see. "I always take a moment to admire the views wherever I find myself. As you can imagine, working in a subterranean mountain facility leaves much to be desired in terms of stimulation. I can certainly see why you chose this establishment, Zhar. It certainly has a way of evoking a primal way of keeping an eye on things." he turned to look at the krogan. "While curiosity holds me, I've been hearing more than a few murmurs across the Extranet about some Prothean relic someone has allegedly uncovered. One wonders what exactly others are doing with this information? Funding an exhibition for a fable is an expensive farce I cannot imagine many would afford to do, even if the payoff for being right is unimaginable."

Zhar was beginning to like this man. He wasn't demanding like so many of his other customers, and he seemed to appreciate good taste while also being well-spoken. That or he knew exactly the right things to say to Zhar to make him like him.

A shame he'd be dead in fifty years.

The man got to the point elegantly enough, and so Zhar obliged him by getting straight to the answers to his questions, satisfied with the small talk offered. "Some, it seems, are rushing to the rumour heedless of the possibility of falsehood. But of course there are always a few, the impatient, the foolish and the hopeful. Some of the sizable groups appear to be donig nothing, while some among the less reputable have rushed to men like me to confirm the veracity of these rumours. Let me save you the time of asking the next question - the Prothean relic is real enough." He turned to the human then, his eyes equal to the mans even though his hump made him tower over humans. "But the wise do not rush in. Eagerness to put oneself in danger is not a survival trait in the Terminus Systems." With that, Zhar turned back to the view. Contrary to popular belief, he did care about his customers well being. They couldn't buy more information from them if they were dead, so keeping the well paying ones from doing anything overly stupid was just good business.

Hakim listened without interruption, committing the information to heart. He had half expected Zhar to demand some sort of compensation up front, but was pleasantly surprised that he chose to share the information freely up front. The cost would be negotiated later, it would seem. He had to smile at the krogan's warning, cautioning the man and his company against hasty action. "Do not worry, my friend. Those men are eagles, and I am content in being a raven. The eagles will risk their own bodies for the kill, but a raven never goes hungry when he steals the scraps from the eagles." Hakim said with a chuckle. "We never made it as a company due to throwing ourselves recklessly at every tempting prize. We always make our moves when the winner's bloodied themselves and thinks they're home free. Then the contest really begins. It's interesting that the relic is in fact real, given how many false flags are announced all the time. It's why I came to you first, I knew if anyone could verify the truth, it would be a man of your... persuasion. Now we can act accordingly, and time, as they say, is money." he said, taking a drink of champagne from the glass. He couldn't tell the difference between ancient old and five years, but it was damn smooth. "I can't make promises, but when I run this information by my boss, I'm going to propose that if we do obtain the artifact, we'll give your agents access to the device in a capacity and length of time I'm sure we can discuss when it becomes an issue. In exchange, if there's anything that comes up that Halios Consortium should be concerned about, you keep us informed, which will still result in the same compensation as your regular fees. After all, if you help us become unimaginably rich and powerful, we like to remember the people who helped make it happen. I harbour no illusions an information broker such as yourself can find one or two things of increasing interest."

Zhar considered the proposal for a moment, sipping his drink as he did so. It wasn't standard practice to make deals enabling a constant flow of information, it reeked of taking sides and that could dangerous. Still it wasn't entirely unheard of either, and Zhar knew that Halios Consortium had the funds to back up the request, while remaining just far enough outside the conflict to avoid drawing attention to the fact they were well informed. He decided after a minute that the pros outweighed the cons this time round. "That is acceptable, Hakim. Today's information will come at a steeper price to cover the risks I take in signing a deal with you, and future information will still cost the standard price, but you will have access to all intelligence regarding the artifact immediately." He set down his glass and brought up his omni tool, tapping in the modifications to the immediate price before sending it across to Halios' account. "Is there anything else you or your company requires today Hakim?"

The human made another polite bow, grateful to his host. "I had rather been hoping you would find the arrangement agreeable. Please understand that myself or my employer would never willingly put one of our allies at unnecessary risk. The galaxy's rather dynamic and interesting these past few years, and having the extra expenses to ensure our tracks are covered is well worth the investment. We would never ask you to share information about your other clients, as we understand the value of neutrality. We simply ask to be kept informed of things that directly concern us, as the relic." He smiled. "After all, we have never wronged you, to my recollection. Consider this a customer loyalty program of sorts, if that helps set your mind at ease."

Sensing the end of the business discussion, Hakim shook his head. "Myself and my employers are more than satisfied with this arrangement." he said, not mentioning that Halios had no idea this meeting was being conducted. "I do not wish to impose on any more of your time. With your leave, I intend to take in the pleasures that are on display here and make this one of the more memorable business trips I have been on. You have my thanks, Zhar, and my admiration." With a final smile, Hakim extended his hand towards the krogan, pleased with how the dialog had went.

"Thank you for your business Hakim." Zhar replied, taking the humans hand in his and making the customary motion that Humans seemed to like using for both meeting new people and sealing deals. "Additional information will be forwarded to you the moment the funds clear." With that, he turned away, making it clear that he was finished with the human. He would only be staying to finish his drink tonight, there were things that had to be done back at Zhar tower - things that could not be done here.

While he sipped his drink, he mused on the humans notions of how his business worked. It wasn't entirely incorrect. But at the same time he seemed to have misunderstood the manner in which neutrality was maintained. Zhar would happily sell Halios' secrets to a person offering the correct sum, just as that same person may have their secrets sold in the very next transaction. Neutrality was not maintained by loyalty, no, that was something much too hard to come by in this modern age. It was maintained by simply being too useful to everyone involved to be a target. The battlefield of information functioned much as the human Cold War had - every player having the capacity to annihilate the other several times over, and every player knowing their enemy could do so. That was why it all worked, everyone always wanted just one more edge over their foe. It was how the Shadow Broker operated on a grand scale, and it was how Zhar worked too, playing all sides at once in the name of profit.

“And how is my patient doing today?” Dr. Than asked, stepping into the sealed sterile room that had enough creature comforts to keep an elcor such as patient EC-07 placated while the study was concluded. Dr. Than was adamant that his staff keep their dispositions friendly and sociable with the elcor to maintain the illusion that it was a temporary trial and once cleared, the elcor would be taken home. And EC-07 was a chatty one; Dr. Than knew far more about his subject’s family, work, and social life than he thought was professional. But he needed to keep the elcor happy and active, providing invaluable variables from the numerous activities he was asked to participate in. And the results truly were astounding; EC-07 moved and reacted far faster than his brethren, almost reaching a pace that would be comfortable for most other races. It still surprised the volus to see how fluidly and gracefully the elcor moved. It was nothing short of a revelation, and best of all, the tests and studies had all come back positive; there were no drawbacks to the treatment other than the costs.

It was almost a shame that Subject EC-07 was scheduled to be terminated today. Almost.

“Gratefully; I am well, Doctor. I have never felt so alive. Anxiously; have the results come in? I would like to speak to my family.” The elcor said, his voice still monotonous. There was nothing that could be done with that other than completely restructuring his anatomy. That was the sort of work that was reserved for madmen, and Dr. Than was decidedly sane.

“Everything is perfect. I came down here to personally let you know that your results are clear and you have just opened a whole new world of possibilities for your people. We have contacted your family and they are going to be cleared to take you home after administration clears you.” He said, walking to an end table to prepare a comically large syringe, the needle needing to be large enough to not only puncture an elcor’s hide but go far enough to reach a vein and provide enough solution to have a noticeable effect. Many of Dr. Than’s medical staff refused to believe the special order of syringes were anything other than a prank when they first encountered them. The joke became less funny when they were all subjected to a three month training course on elcor anatomy and medical profiling.

“Relieved; I have missed them. Without offense; I feel like I have been kept here too long. Concerned; what is the needle for, doctor?” EC-17 asked. Dr. Than turned to his subject. “A routine sedative to monitor your condition for 25 hours to make sure there’s nothing left in your system we should be concerned about and need to address. When you wake up, you will be in a recovery ward with your family ideally waiting there for you to come to. You’ve been an ideal patient, the very model of a gentleman. I shouldn’t be saying this, but you really deserve the compensation you are entitled to for this trial.” The volus said, squeezing the syringe until fluid ejected from the tip to ensure there was no air pockets. Not that it would have mattered, anyways. Dr. Than was just keeping appearances at this point.

The elcor nodded and laid down on the bed dutifully, presenting an over-sized arm so the doctor could access the peripheral venous catheter. The volus gingerly lined up the needle with the PVC’s injection port and began to depress the plunger. The effects were almost immediate and the elcor started to lose consciousness. “Gratefully… thank… you.” He said, the words would be his last. The doctor did not stop until the entire dose was administered and he looked at the display nearby that displayed his vitals. They began to steadily drop. Within five minutes, all signs of life of Subject EC-07 had ceased. Leaving the elcor’s side and tossing the syringe into a medical waste bin, Dr. Than checked the clock on his suit and recorded the time of death. In fifteen minutes, he would call for the disposal unit who would remove the Subject for an autopsy and preserve his vital organs and take tissue samples before wheeling the large alien to acidic vats to be dissolved. In a single working day, nothing would remain of Subject EC-07 other than a few preserved samples. He couldn’t have known it, but in death he had given more to society than most people would in their entire lives. If his family was capable of understanding, they would have been proud.

He made a quick note to cancel an impending shipment of elcor test subjects. EC-07 was the last one required for the time being.

---

“You did what?” Vartarus Halios demanded at the terminal, his mandibles rigid, a sure sign of his anger. Hakim was unfazed and repeated himself.

“I made a deal with Khel Zhar. He keeps us informed about this whole artifact and what anyone of importance is doing about it, and in exchange if we obtain it, we let his agents have access to it for an agreed upon time.” Hakim said.

“You were not authorized to do anything beyond the mandates of your job, Kalif. You were sent to Illium to assess the readiness and status of our security systems and forces in our facilities, nothing more. Nowhere did I give you permission to seek out information brokers, let alone make deals on my behalf.” Halios’ jaw set, his fists clenching. “I put far too much trust in you.”

“Relax, it will be fine. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, sir. We can find out who gets the artifact and where it is and where it’s going and knock it off mid-travel and take it for ourselves. We can cover our asses and make sure that nobody finds out where we’re going since we’ll use enough diversions to make people uncertain which trail to follow. I wouldn’t have acted if I didn’t think it was in our best interests, sir. I am sorry for betraying your trust, but it would have taken too long to run this by you. It was a bad call, I admit, but there’s a better chance for us this way.” Hakim said across the screen, his face placid and calm, but Halios knew him well enough to know that the smug bastard was feeling like he was in the throes of victory. The human expression “It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission” infuriated Halios and he would let this human know exactly how severe turian retaliation could be.

“Very well. I am not one to attempt to save face and look indecisive in front of others, but this arrangement is unacceptable, even if I intend to honour it. From now on, every time you leave Noveria you will have an agent of my choosing shadowing my every move, and if you deviate from anything you are authorized to do, I will make you disappear.” He held up a hand to prevent further protests. “Furthermore, I am not fronting the entirety of the costs of this severe fuck up you have dealt Halios Consortium. One quarter of the intelligence expenses to Zhar incurred will be coming out of your salary. You are fortunate I provide you with accommodation, free of charge here on Noveria. If you wish to be able to afford living a comfortable life, you best be right about this Prothean artifact or so help me, I will see to it you regret ever going behind my back. Do not allow that happen again.” The turian said, cutting off communication on the Extranet. The five minute call had just cost him 120 credits due to its High Priority status. The chime that indicated someone was waiting outside of his office doors filled the air and Halios thumbed a key on his terminal to see who it was. Dr. Than was holding a datapad up to the camera. The CEO of Halios Consortium opened the door remotely and allowed the volus access.

Dr. Than did not wait to be addressed to take his seat, handing the file over to his boss. “Complete success with Subject EC-07.” The volus breathed as Halios looked through the reports. “There are no complications with the Elcor Mobility Treatment Procedure we have ready to patent. With your permission, Legal will get started on obtaining those, and Research will start releasing the findings to Citadel Science Authority Journal and the other two accredited ones of our choosing… are you alright?” The volus asked, his tone implying he was being polite instead of actively interested.

“Hm? Yes, just dealing with the aftermath of human stupidity.” Halios waved a dismissive hand, as if the thought itself were a troublesome fly instead of something that invited untold amounts of trouble that came with being forced into a deal with the devil. “Excellent work, Dr. Than. I always thought the EMTP was a promising lead, you’ve outdone yourself… and in an excellent time. You have my authorization to begin taking steps to get it out to market.” The volus simply nodded. “Good work, doctor. And as always, if you require any additional resources for the other projects, relay the information to me and I’ll see to it you get them. If you’ll excuse me, I have make another call.”

“Of course.” Dr. Than said, sliding off of the chair that was slightly too high for him, despite Halios’ best attempts at finding something that matched his office that suited a volus frame. The volus wordlessly headed to the black acid-eched door. When the entryway sealed behind him, Halios wasted no time in going through his directory to locate one of his more dangerous, but effective assets. He would need his services in the days to come, of that he was certain.