"You have a point, Sunset." Slim thought about the first response he got.
"As capable as Outcast may seem, a warning would still be helpful to them," Charles added, "should we choose not to go to Europa."
"Sure. Anyone else?" Slim looked around the meeting room. After the holo-projector switched off, the room was dead silent. "Nothing?"
Charles sighed disappointedly. Slim remembered hearing concerns over the teams' "lack of leadership initiative". He shrugged. No one taking charge didn't concern Slim, because that's why he's here, to make the tough choices. He had been doing this for years. The big wigs want something done, the grunts do it, and he's the one figuring out how to do it.
"Alright, team two, you're going to Mars." Slim pointed to the left side of the table. "You've worked with Riley before, and you have insider knowledge on Alliance, asari and Eclipse."
"The prothean data is the most important thing." Slim reiterated, and Charles nodded in agreement. "How you sort out the standoff is up to you. And whatever Riley or anyone else pays you is yours to keep.”
"Team three, I need all of you to follow up on the assassination attempt." Slim turned to his right. "Security's been beefed up here on Svalbard, but we need you out there being...uhh, what's that word? Proactive."
Charles grinned ever so slightly, and then he nudged his head for Slim to continue.
"Right, Europa's too far and too dangerous." Slim shook his head. "We're not getting into a battle between Blood Pack, krogan clans, the salarians and some merc group. Though if anyone wants to warn Outcast, go ahead."
]”So, now I need to know how everyone wants to proceed." Slim looked around the room again. "Go ahead, this is where one of you starts talking."
Zenn sat perfectly still and silent in his chair. He was doing his best to appear like he was attentively listening to the briefing, aside from the death grips his hands had on his armrests and the much darker tint projected on his visor. He wasn't sure about the others, but this wasn't a standard meeting for him; it was excruciating torture that he had inflicted upon himself. He was processing the information, but every word out of Slim or Charles' mouth was like a knife slipping through his ear and into his brain.
"I think the situation on Mars is the most imperative. We need to show the system they can still rely on the Alliance, as well as secure any prothean data. The potential of the information inside cannot be understated."
Is what Zenn wanted to say. But as he opened his mouth to speak, his stomach began to churn and growl. While he was trying to form words, it was trying to return his breakfast. Unless he wanted to vomit in front of his friends and employer, he was going to have to abstain from voicing his opinion and focus on deep breaths to keep his morning nutrient paste down.
Thankfully, Slim seemed to come to the same conclusion he did and gave them the Mars mission, while assigning team three to follow up on the assassination info. Now they just had to decide their plan of attack. Despite the quarian still fighting what felt like a losing battle with his body, he couldn’t let the team go another round being silent. Someone had to say something, guess he’ll at least get discussion started. Zenn took a deep breath and hoped for the best.
“If we-... Want negotiations to succeed, I say we take our shuttle. Make it clear we are trying to remain a neutral party. That being said-... if we don’t trust the Eclipse to honor any deals, stowing away the blockade runner would put us in the perfect position to ambush and possibly drive them out.” It was rough, but Zenn made it through without spewing his stomach. Now he could just sit back and let the other discuss ideas or go with his plan. That is, until someone from team three followed his lead and took initiative for their team. Oh no. Please not-
“AS MUCH AS I LOVE A GOOD SHOW, LURING THE ASSASSIN IS TOO! DAMN! RISKY!” Cannonball stated. The table was too tall for them, so once again they had hopped up on their good buddy Tank as they explained their reasoning. “TOOOOO MANY BYSTANDERS WOULD BE IN DANGER! AND EVEN IF WE CATCH HIM, WHOEVER SENT HIM WILL JUST HIRE ANOTHER! I SAY WE FOLLOW THE CAAAAASH! THAT CREDIT TRAIL WILL LEAD US STRRRRAIGHT TO THE FIENDS BEHIND THIS!”
The volus was on to something, but their need to shout every word put Zenn’s endurance to the test. His head exploded with agony and he began to wonder if he made a mistake surviving the reapers. At least they would have shown more mercy than this.
“The Balloon has it right,” Viper chimed in, the drell crossing her arms, “follow the money, find the fiend. Or fiends.”
At the side of the room, team three's Doctor sat slouched in his chair, adopting a wide stance. His elbow was propped on the back of the chair and he nodded along, listening intently without really taking in any details. His mind was filtering in imagery from the night before between Slim's words. He ran his hand through his beard and let out a gentle "hmmmmm," acting as though he was pondering all the points so far.
"Yeah," Himbo eventually said - his voice far more suitable to the room than Cannonball's. "I reckon follow the money. If we go directly for the assassin without checking up on the cash, they'll just send another one." He said, basically copying the Volus. He seemed to have it right. "It's probably all about the money for them where you're concerned Charles."
"Well, you know the adage: credits make the galaxy go around." Said Charles.
"Maybe not when you hide em’ under the floorboards though man," Himbo added, followed by a cough.
"That-" Charles' nose suddenly bunched up and turned away from team three. "What is that smell-"
When the smell reached Slim a second later, he immediately pinched his nose and pushed room ventilation setting to the max.
Slim also immediately berated the most likely suspect. "Ugh, Cannonball! You got a suit leak or something?"
Viper clapped both hands over her nose and mouth, her brow wrinkled furiously. “Whoever did that, if you do it again, I will plug you with an incendiary grenade.”
Cannonball wasn't sure what everyone was talking about, but he ran a quick diagnostic on his suit just be sure. "NOT ME. MY SUIT ISN'T DETECTING ANY LEAKS OR RUPTURES!" Cannonball confired.
"Why do you have to yell?" Zenn grumbled to himself, also unaware of the stench permeating through the room.
"Sorry," Himbo admitted through a laugh. Funny as it was, he couldn't let Cannonball take the fall. "Something in them spicy sausages last night."
Perhaps the something has spooked the human. Kysar thought to himself.
"Why Mars?" The Turian turned to Slim, getting back on topic. "Europa is clearly much more important. We all are well aware of what those Reaper devices are capable of."
Amina pinched the bridge of her nose with her right index and thumb fingers, eyes closed and head downcast. Her head throbbed slow and intense. She was suffice to say rather hungover from the spirits the night before, and both the bright lighting of the room and the high frequency clamoring of the team three members was only making Amina’s headache - and irritability - worse. She was glad when Kysar steered things back on course though she felt the need to finally speak up when Kysar questioned the importance of getting involved with things on Mars.
“It is not the best idea to let the likes of Eclipse poke and claw around in the Prothean sites on Mars. There is even now no telling what else may be hidden there. Even if it is not a primary objective it should still be looked in to.”
Amina squinted against the light as she looked from Kysar to Saracino up front. She really honestly hoped she did not look as bad as she felt and probably sounded. Aside from the hangover her mind was still a swirl of deep confliction from what had happened last night with Solveig and Kysar both and she was having to really focus to keep these distracting thoughts suppressed.
"Same could be said about the Blood Pack and another device." Kysar replied before pausing for a brief moment as he looked over at Amina. She was wincing as if she was in pain. How strange.
"Plus the trail is hot right now, letting it run cold could mean we don't find out who was behind the attack on us."
Acid watched the volus yell with an amused expression before turning back to the group, casually twirling the switchblade between her fingers.
"Hate to admit it, but the firecracker here is right. Would be a stupid idea to just wait around for people to take a shot at us. I'd rather sniff around and hunt them down myself any day."
"Yeah, gotta agree with Amina here," Zenobia says, leaping over the back of a chair. "I've been with Eclipse long enough to know some of the more....'enthusiastic' members can get a little weird about Prothean tech, and if a firefight starts over this thing it could get ugly fast."
She ponders a little bit. "And showing up in an Alliance shuttle won't help on that front. Course I could probably sneak us onto an Eclipse freighter if you're all feeling brave."
Nadara frowned deeply, holding a cupped hand over her face until the ventilation cleared away the worst of it. When Jonah admitted he was the culprit, she second guessed her earlier decision to revisit their rendezvous at some future opportunity. Goddess, I can't believe such a man is capable of such repugnance.
Turning her attention back to the conversation at hand, Nadara found herself agreeing with Amina. Of course Kysar would suggest the exact opposite of what she'd stated at the first opportunity. Zenobia's offer of sneaking onto an Eclipse freighter was also interesting. "You might have to do so alone," she said to the Turian. "Less likely for discovery that way, and even if you were, I'd imagine you might still have some ties to fall back on?"
Playboy laughed along with Himbo, though he had no question about where the odor had originated from. He would've been happy to blame Cannonball however, it had been far too long since he'd pulled off a successful prank.
"I agree with the others regarding the assassination attempt, but I do think we should station one or two of our team alongside Saracino as a precaution."
Himbo shifted in his chair, nodding at Playboy's suggestion before making one of his own. "I'm up for accompanying him - if something should happen, I'm best prepared to get him back up."
Over on team two’s side, Solveig had sat quietly. Thinking over her previous conversation with Kysar, and also listening intently to Slim and Charles. When things seemed to be left to the teams to discuss, she turned her head to Zenn beside her. He didn't seem to be doing too well. Concerned, she reached under the table and gave his hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement, until the realisation of them being in a mission briefing kicked in and she quickly let go.
Solveig gave a thought to Zenobia's suggestion of the Eclipse freighter. "Objective is securing Prothean Data... Shadow and I can be equipped for stealth. Lunatic a distraction, if she... Knows how it works... Being ex-Eclipse... Team can assist with distraction and negotiation too." Solveig took a sip of her coffee. "Negotiation.. Wouldn't be my strength." She wasn't keen on sending in Zenobia alone to an Eclipse vessel. She was having trouble with an assurance of trust. "Just a thought..."
There was also Kysar, he was correct in stating the importance of seeking the device. "But Venator speaks true... Device can't be forgotten." She rubbed the side of her head, even weeks later she could easily recall the ringing and buzzing of it in her skull.
Himbo raised his hand and interjected. "Cue Ball seems set on Mars for you guys. Team three will be taking care of the assassin trail - it'd be pretty dangerous for us to go all that way to Europa. Besides, your associate is going to get a ‘hey ya’ about it, right?"
Nadara nodded at Jonah and turned to Solveig. "We can always circle back around to the Blood Pack once we secure things on Mars. I'm sure we'd all be happy to take on that action anytime."
"I... am... Concerned for Outcast's safety," Solveig said, glancing to Nadara. "He has a habit of... recklessness."
"He does seem to enjoy going... off leash so to speak. If you reach out to him, I can reach out to Kargg. It's been too long since I've spoken with Father, anyway." Nadara shrugged. "If Outcast has the Krogans to answer to he might settle a bit."
Kysar's jaw clenched as he hunched over the desk. Did they all forget what they had found at the meat plant? Or the fact that team one had a Krogan and a device took him down in one fell swoop?
"You could send an army of Krogans and it still would mean nothing in the face of this device. We have experience, expertise and first hand knowledge of what this reaper tech is capable of." A cold chill washed over the Turian, the memory of that other place still lived deep within him. "And even so, we don't fully understand the orbs. There's something... more to them. Outcast is in over his head, they all are."
Pushing back from the table, Kysar continued. "Are you really telling me both the Alliance and the Asari can't handle one group of mercs?"
"Venator..." Solveig began, turning from her seat to face the Turian. He was angry, incensed. So was she, because he was right - but so was Slim, and that pull between them was more like the twist of a blade in her side. The woman also felt uncomfortable with the eyes of the room on her as she spoke up first after Kysar.
"Sun-Sunset has connection... Useful one... We can share our info, advise... Give a higher hand... Upper ground." She was with Kysar. Whatever depths of darkness he was reminded of, so was she - and whatever the orbs had, she too had reason to want to bring one back. Not only did she know what they were capable of, she knew they were the key to Janiri and Katya's condition.
A glimpse of Katya's children came to mind and Solveig clenched her eyes closed.
She shook her head. "With Eclipse neutralized, data secured... Alliance and Asari... Will owe us a favour." She stopped, paused, and rolled her shoulder. ”I know... Venator, I know..." She quietened and looked back down at the table, mumbling into it. "Don't like it either. Hatar det här."
Shutting his eyes tight, Kysar took a deep breath in. For Sol. Exhaling through gritted teeth, he turned to Nadara. “Barriers, tell you father that’s the only thing that stops them from incapacitating you. If they find one, they must destroy it but do so at a distance. I’ll tell Outcast the same.”
Leaning back in his chair, things had become clear to the Turian. The chat with Sol had reminded him the devastating power of the enthralment devices and the danger they possessed to his team. Perhaps this path was for the best. They would be safe and he, well, all he need to do was to tell Invectus to fuck himself and he’d be thrown out past the belt. He’d go to Europa, alone, and end this thing one way or another.
Nadara watched the two, fully expecting Kysar to enter into another one of his rage fueled fits, but Solveig’s words had the surprising effect of calming him. Seemed like he was capable of mature responses after all.
She wasn’t certain what the deal was with these orbs, or… what had Slim called them? Infernal devices? Whatever they were.
In any case, at Kysar’s comment about the barrier, Nadara recalled their experience in the meat plant and the noxious black fumes that had surrounded them. Even through her barrier she felt the sinking, horrible despair that spewed from the hazy substance, creeping forth from the small black orb that had shattered until it had engulfed the room. Nadara didn’t want to think about the consequences of being exposed to it. Hadn’t given a second thought to it when it had been the grunts working for Banes that collapsed to the floor, but now that her father could potentially be subjected to the same fate, she would do what she could to prevent the worst.
Nadara nodded to Kysar. “I’ll contact him once we’ve finished here.”
Amina rested her elbows, fingers laced together in front of her face as she considered everything.
It was without doubt that looking into this assassination business was critical. And truthfully things with Banes and the Blood Pack and these Reaper orbs were also critical - probably even the gravest of concerns. But Europa was far away and as “Slim” had already clarified there were multiple forces moving in on Europa, no doubt the Blood Pack would be fortifying their positions. It was going to be one hell of a dogpile when things climaxed on Europa.
Of course things sounded no better on Mars with the Alliance and Eclipse mercenaries duking it out over the Prothean ruins. One thing kept gnawing at Amina - the archives had been there for many, many years and yet only recently by comparison had it been discovered that there was a blueprint for a Prothean super weapon stored away on Mars. The Crucible. Maybe Amina was overselling it to herself but who knew what else there was on Mars for a band of renegades to happen to dig up and get away with. And then again what if the krogan, salarians, and these other mercenaries were unable to put a stop to the Blood Pack on Europa? What if there was something even worse afoot there than what had been back in Cuba?
There were so many what-ifs and variables that it was making Amina’s head spin even more, the weary woman sitting back in her chair, dragging her palms down her face in exasperation. Even with an apparent sway in the room Amina found herself feeling no better about any of this.
"Not necessarily, I could probably swing bringing a few of you onboard with me." Zenobia suggested. "Having an asari along would really make it convincing that we're supposed to be there."
All the squabbling in the room wasn’t doing Zenn’s head any favors. And seeing as they were preoccupied with arguing over a fart instead of the actual mission details, Zenn felt he didn’t need to really pay attention. Instead he attempted to imagine himself somewhere else. Somewhere quieter, preferably darker as well. There he stayed, blissfully unaware of the discourse now brewing between his own team, until he felt a gentle squeeze on his hand. The surprise of Sol’s touch pulled him right back to reality, though just as quickly as she had reached out, she pulled her hand away. Could she tell the pain he was in and was trying to comfort him? Or was she trying to get him to focus back on the briefing? He listened for a moment to the discussion going on, and concluded she was trying to get him involved. There was a lot of doubt in the direction they were going. Maybe he could rally them a bit?
“It’s not just about the data…” Zenn said, still trying to gather his thoughts and prevent his breakfast from coming back up to say “hi”. “This whole standoff has gotten media attention. A lot of eyes are watching and we know how stretched thin the Alliance is. If they fail against the Eclipse, a lot more people are going to lose faith in both the Alliance and Asari. And if no one trusts the Alliance to protect them, they'll turn to other groups…” Zenn paused. Was he trying to inspire his team or scare them? He needed to pump the brakes for a bit. Pressing a button on his Omni-tool, he removed the darkened tint from his visor and leaned forward in his seat. “But if we can ensure they succeed; remind everyone what happens when we work together, we could restore a lot of public support in both groups. Maybe even reignite the idea of working towards a united front instead of every government focusing too much on themselves."
“Zenn is right.” Amina said looking up, “Not only does Eclipse need to be stopped with what they are doing but public faith in the ‘powers that be’ needs to be maintained as much as possible. If the various factions and species all start turning on each other like animals it will be total chaos. And I do not think even we could put an end to a complete free for all amongst all of Sol’s current inhabitants. SRN can follow up on the assassination attempt and we can help sort things out on Mars. After that we can worry about Banes and the Blood Pack. Gaining favors and acquiring more influence can even help us on that front.” Amina liked to think that she sounded convincing enough parroting what the others had said over the course of this little briefing. It was important that they as a group, a cabal, stood united and understood proper prioritization.
“People actually ever had faith in the Citadel powers?” Viper asked, causally swiveling her chair side to side.
Nadara sighed and crossed her arms. There was too much back and forth. A decision needed to be made- she'd scheduled an appointment with the Mayor of Barentsburg to discuss tourism and entertainment possibilities she could advertise, and she wanted a moment to freshen up before the call.
She ignored the comment by Viper, but internally agreed with the sentiment. Especially now that her mother's sole focus was the Citadel and returning it to its former glory. Though what that glory even was remained a question.
"Both Shadow and Rogue make good points. Ensuring favors are on our side will only aid our efforts against Banes and the Blood Pack. The Asari have a vast wealth of resources that would be increasingly beneficial at our disposal, including securing a better ship for our crew to even reach Europa. In order to tap in to those assets however, we have to demonstrate our capacity as reliable allies." Given her direct involvement and increasing concern for discretion, Lidanya wouldn't have shared the information of what had transpired with Janiri, so it was unlikely Nadara's decision to support the SRN instead of High Command would have circulated among others. Her reputation among her sisters was still intact.
"Fine," Kysar replied. His mood had flipped, he sounded calm, perhaps a little too much so. "Mars it is. Zenobia's idea wasn't a bad one. I don't think turning up with either the Alliance or Asari Command is a good look for us. So should yo-" The Turian coughed, clearing his throat. "Should we split up? Some of us smuggle our way behind enemy lines? Zenn flies the rest in the front door?"
Nadara narrowed her eyes at Kysar's slip. Just what is he planning in that thick skull?
"We should take the majority on our own shuttle. Best not to outright demonstrate allegiance to either party at the start to aid negotiations. Zenobia says she can take a few with her, but I think that would be a few too many. Eclipse won't know this, but our aim is to align with Asari and Alliance forces, so it might be best for them not to know of our presence onboard. Better to stay undetected for an ambush should we require it."
“There is one thing to consider,” Amina said carefully, raising a hand, “what if the Alliance disables or brings down the Eclipse ship with our people aboard during approach?”
"We can advise them that would not be conducive to our negotiation efforts. Or if we so choose, let them know our plans outright." Nadara replied.
“And if our teammates are, say, found aboard the Eclipse blockade runner and taken prisoner further complicating a mission before it even begins?” Amina asked.
Nadara motioned to Zenobia. "This is why I recommend only Lunatic sneak onboard. Less likely to be detected and if discovered, she has the necessary ties to prevent imprisonment. Alternatively, we can play both sides. Send her with their knowledge as an emissary."
“I say we all use our shuttle.” Amina said flat and stubbornly, sitting back again arms crossed.
"I can remain undetected on Eclipse ship." Said Solveig quietly, taking a sip of her coffee which was getting colder every moment that passed. "Sneak through archives.... Get data, get out. This is... I have done this before, similar missions. Not the same... But-" she stopped midway and just sighed, not used to speaking her suggestions out loud.
Zenobia rubs the back of her neck in frustration. "I get it, but I'd still like to take a shot at talking these guys down before we go in blasting. Sure the group has a few fruitcakes, you're lookin' at one of them, but at the end of the day these guys are just in it for the money. Lot of them are not going to want to get into a firefight if you push them just the right way."
Nadara looked to Solveig first. "I believe you could, Wraith. But your Alliance. If anything happened and they did discover you... It would just make matters more complicated." She then turned to Zenobia, concerned by how she was including herself in the Eclipse's numbers. The Turian had claimed to have departed from the group long before, and yet here she was, defending them. "Our goal is to take the diplomatic route, Lunatic. But your group doesn't seem to take kindly to that too often."
Zenobia prickled a little bit at that. Mostly because she knows the asari is right. "And how many times have you tried?" Zenobia shoots back accusingly.
Amina smiled slightly, eyes straight ahead at no one in particular.
Nadara took note at Zenobia's lack of concern at being lumped with the Eclipse, and refused to enter into a silly spat that would lead nowhere. The organization had literally just attempted to murder her mother, not to mention herself, Amina, and Zenobia. Aside from their recent experience there was more than enough reason not to trust the band of fruitcakes to remain diplomatic and yet, that was still their first priority with the mission.
"Perhaps Lunatic shouldn't sneak onto the shuttle after all." Nadara said in a low tone, also leaning back into her chair.
“Perhaps no one should and we just use our own shuttle.” Amina said dryly.
"Alright, but I'm driving!" Zenn quickly announced. He didn't feel like he needed to explain himself further.
“Brilliant, the quarian has the priorities down.” Viper said, still swiveling boredly.
"Yikes, do you think they argue this way about every mission?" Playboy murmured to Himbo at his side.
Momentarily narrowing her eyes at Amina, Nadara refused to give in. "I say we do this the right way. We should charter a shuttle. Show a united front, that we are a third party intervening on behalf of the SRN and not our own individual alliances. Besides, I doubt our scrap could make it in one piece." As an afterthought, she looked to Zenn and quickly added, "Even with an exceptional pilot."
"Have you seen the prices they're charging? Even if we all split the bill it's going to cost us a sizeable amount. And I need all credits for... Something else." Zenn said, his eyes slowly drifted to Sol before he turned back to Nadara.
The smell. The fan blowing at them, and the bickering between Nadara and Zenobia. This entire setting was becoming a sensory nightmare for Solveig. A sudden stabbing sensation at her temples was the real alert to her that this was not productive.
She saw Kysar sitting perfectly still and disengaged. His eyes were glazed over. Like he wasn't entirely present. Uncharacteristic, whats going on there? she thought to herself. It wasn't like him to not have something to say.
Furrowing her brows, Solveig spoke up. "Mission depends on our teamwork. Not going to Europa, so we must make that choice worth it by winning this." Her arm twitched and she brought it back down to the table, reaching for her coffee mug. Her throat was drying out with the nerves of public speaking, and she scowled unintentionally with the sting of her evolving headache. "Now agreeing with Rogue. We should go together." Solveig questioned sending Zenobia in with the Eclipse. The heat of that would cause friction with Nadara and could even be dangerous. "Stick together. Work together. We need to be a team. Not just a show." As she spoke, she was unaware of how hard she was squeezing the coffee mug, and her eyes caught Kysar again. Something wasn't right with him. Was he that hurt by the decision? She shook the thought away. "We can... We can figure this out. We figured out Havana. Just let's talk it through."
"Fine, together then." Nadara sighed. It wasn't a terrible suggestion. Nadara thought it a waste not to send someone aboard the Eclipse vessel should things go south, but the team had demonstrated they were capable of handling things well enough if they did indeed run into trouble. "But I still think we should charter a shuttle." Even Slim recognized Mars as being beyond their current shuttle's range. Nadara turned to Charles and straightened. "Seeing as we are doing this mission on behalf of the SRN, I'd like to formally request financial assistance with the charter." The price wasn't troubling, but the others seemed concerned enough that Nadara figured it was worth a shot to barter with the President whom they would inevitably be representing.
Kysar's eyes were empty, glazed over as he stared ahead. He knew Invectus did not make idol threats, if he told the "Primarch" to get fucked, the MP's would come knocking only moments later.
But how to play it? The team would come running if they saw Turian soldiers hauling him off. Kysar would have to sneak off, pretend to go pack for the mission and slip out of the base unnoticed. Difficult but not impossible. He could commandeer Slim's mobile, afterall, it's not like he wouldn't get it back. Then, once at a safe distance, he'd send the email along with his co-ordinates and then they'd take him out past the belt.
In the corner of his eye, Kysar noticed movement, Sol had flashed him a look, one of concern. His back straightened as he cleared his throat. Fuck, say something you fool.
"Yes, together." He tagged on, catching the last few bits of what Nadara had said. "There's no room in the budget for a pilot? Why are we lumped with paying someone?"
Not perfect but it will do for now. The Turian's eyes wandered across to Sol. Something tugged at his heart as if someone had lassoed it. I don't know if she'll forgive me for this. Looking around the room at the rest of his team, he sighed. I don't know if any of them will. But what choice do I have? This is the end of the road for me. Better to die standing on my feet as a free man, rather than on my knees as a slave.
A sigh escaped from Zenn’s mouth as he shook his head. While they had at least agreed on going together, they were now arguing about their method and cost of transportation. Normally he wouldn’t mind this banter. It was important that they go over every detail. Explore all their options before coming to a decision even if it was one some didn’t like. But did they have to do it in front of team “go with the first choice” three? It was making team two look dysfunctional.
As he waited for Charles or Slim to respond to Nadara’s request or answer Kysar’s question, Zenn glanced around the room before his gaze unsurprisingly gravitated towards Sol. The expression on her face made it clear that this was really getting to her too, only she didn’t have a mask to hide behind like he did. He wanted to try and comfort her, but he really wasn’t sure what would be considered appropriate in a professional setting like this. That’s when his eyes drifted to her hand. She was holding that mug so tight it was like she wanted to strangle it. If she squeezed any harder it was going to shatter, and he highly doubted she’d get a free room for it this time. Cautiously, he reached out his hand and placed it on top of her’s. Then softly pressed on it to direct her to set the mug down, just for now.
“Let’s try not to break any more cups for a while.” Zenn spoke in a gentle whisper while trying to keep a positive tone. He didn’t want to agitate Sol more by coming off as bossy, or accidentally draw attention from others in the room.
Solveig hadn't even realised the grip she'd had on her coffee until Zenn reminded her. Her eyes widened with a humoured and awkward flash of panic as she quickly placed the thing back down. "*Hoppsan*," she said quietly, sinking into her chair
"You saved an innocent mug today, Shadow..." She whispered back, low and secretive. After a quick smile, she was focused again on the meeting. Kysar was at least speaking, but still... Whatever it was, they had to plan the mission right now.
"SRN pilot is too expensive, Shadow is an excellent pilot - he'll get us there... If we can negotiate price, better still. But..." Solveig paused for a moment, as she often did. They'd spoken a lot about the traveling method, but couldn't afford to keep circling it. "Let's not be lost here for now. What are we doing when we get there?"
"Four thousand credits is ExSolar Shipping's quote, SRN's interplanetary transportation partner." Charles responded to Solveig's suggestion. "They charge a premium for last-minute pilot requests, and not to mention, insurance fee for high-risk destinations."
"However, if anyone is willing to offer incentives for ExSolar Shipping to lower their quote," Charles offered, "I can forward it to them immediately."
"Could try that N7 endorsement again." Suggested Slim.
Then he remembered the holo-vid he uploaded. Sure enough, there's already fifty thousand plus views on YouDupe and almost seventy thousand views on FlipFlop. There's also over one hundred comments on each of them. Not all of them were kind, but the hype around quarian/drell karaoke duet was real.
"Or, you two can sing for them." Slim pointed to Zenn and Playboy.
“Presumably we will be meeting up with the Alliance forces or their commander rather and figuring out how to oust Eclipse.” Amina stated. She had noticed the hesitation, the suspicious disconnect, of Kysar but kept her mind on the most important matter at hand.
While team two continued to assess every detail of their mission ahead, Himbo nodded to Playboy at his side and leaned forward in his seat to face the rest of team three, his voice quiet enough to not disturb the flow of conversation across the room. "Any objections to it? Me and Playboy here hit up Iceland and keep eyes on Charles, the rest of you chase down that cash trail?"
"Switzerland–" Charles corrected, but he was immediately cut off by the enthusiastic volus.
“WHAT ABOUT YOU, GOOD BUDDY?” Cannonball asked, reaching down and patting Tank’s back. “YOU’VE BEEN AWFULLY QUIET THIS WHOLE TIME! LET THE PEOPLE KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!”
“Maybe you should take a page out of his book and lower the volume.” Zenn called across the table. “And did you ever think it’s because you’re standing on him and he doesn’t want to do anything that might make you fall?”
“IS THAT TRUE?” Cannonball leaned over the front of Tank to try and look at their elcor pal’s face. “HAVE I BEEN IMPEDING YOUR ABILITY TO SPEAK THIS WHOLE TIME?”
“I don’t think he’ll answer you.” Zenn said dryly.
“WHY? TANK KNOWS HE CAN TELL ME ANYTHING!” Cannonball replied and crossed his arms indignantly
“Because you’re still standing on him, ax’kah!” Zenn almost shouted and tossed his arms in the air.
“OH, RIGHT!” Cannonball said and quickly hopped to the side off of Tank’s back. Zenn simply brought his hands to his mask and covered his face. This volus was going to be the death of him.
Tank, expressionless as usual, had been enamoured with Himbo. The Elcor had no idea that Humans too could release their own pheromones. Unlike his, they were most certainly detectable by the other species. Given the reaction of the two teams, Tank made a mental to note to ask the Himbo if he was ok after the meeting. Such a release among Elcor would mean that they were quite distressed and needed consoling.
With Cannonball of his back Tank began his long and informative speech. "Supportive Enthusiasm; Cannonball... it is always... a pleasure... to help... a friend..."
Slowly, the Elcor shifted, turning from his shorter compatriot to the rest of the group. "Warm Welcome; Secondly... I would like to... thank everyone for... inviting me to the... meeting... it is so... good... to see all... my friends... again."
Gently rotating once more, Tank now faced Charles and Slim. "Fierce Determination; Regent... I have... been appointed... the Elcor... delegate... for the... memorial... stay... by my... side... and I... will keep you... safe..."
"Excellent." Charles acknowledged. "Glad to have along, Tank."
"Whew!" Himbo exclaimed from his seat, looking at Zenn. "Now I don't know what that word means, but I can tell it wasn't good. Little fella here just has the passion!" He beamed at Cannonball.
"Anyway," his eyes traced round to Tank. "Good to have you on board with us big fella! I'm sure you can figure out the rest between yourselves, I uhh," the man stood up, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a worn, dog-eared looking book and his glasses. As he put them on and adjusted, he looked down at Playboy and raised a brow, lowering his voice. "I need about twenty. Don't bother waiting around if you wrap up yeah?"
Himbo then made his way towards the door marked "Bathroom".
“So,” Viper asked leaning forward, “team two is off to Mars to break up a turf war while we split up between chasing a money trail and acting as bodyguards?”
Amina started to say something but stopped. She really was not even sure what was about to fall out of her mouth. All she knew was that she was feeling angsty and not just about getting the show on the road as they say. What exactly would happen to SRN if Saracino was killed? Who would replace him? Had the man even thought that far ahead. Probably not Amina sensed. Maybe Saracino should go into hiding until this was figured out? Amina felt the urge to suggest it but again but her tongue.
Playboy leaned forward, ensuring the extra effort to flex his arms as he did so. “Sounds about right though, doesn’t it?” He asked with a wink at Viper.
“Yes, indeed,” Viper nodded with a smile at Playboy, “I already have an idea on how to lure out the assassin. Just drop one of those human wigs on your dome and make everyone think you are Saracino. The assassin would not be able to resist shooting.”
Playboy froze for a moment, unsure how to turn the situation back in his favor, but quickly found his footing. With a conspiratorial smile, he leaned forward further and lowered his voice. “You’re right, I’d be able to pull even that look off and our killer would shoot his shot. Perhaps I could even lure him to some dark corner? Anything for the success of our team.” Viper narrowed her eyes and shook her head.
Seeing both teams more or less reaching a consensus, Slim cleared his throat and announced. "That's it. Team two, take the shuttle to Mars. Yours or ExSolar's; doesn't matter."
"Cannonball, Viper and Acid, you're with me to Istanbul." Slim continued. He gestured toward team theee, with a disapproving gesture toward Himbo's empty seat. "Tank, Playboy and the doctor with bad guts are going with Regent to Geneva."
"Yes, an adequate plan." Charles gave his approval. He noticed Amina holding back words. "Do you have something to add, Rogue? Your input is critical as team 2's lea-"
"As team 2's grenadier." Slim interrupted. "Of course, Sunset's the team lead on this one."
Charles' opened his mouth to protest, but closed it silently and shook his head. Slim was unfazed; he wouldn't be here if Charles wanted to micromanage.
"Go ahead, Rogue." Slim prompted.
“Wh-“ Amina had started to say something else entirely, but now found herself flabbergasted at Slim so nonchalantly appointing Nadara as the leader of their team. An asari dolt like her leading a sensitive operation on Mars? A literally battle between mercenaries and Alliance forces. Is he mad? Amina sat up straight in her seat, mind swirling as she tried to give a coherent response. By now she was over this whole little meeting and all the indecisiveness and prattling was making her even more irritable.
“I… just,” Amina rubbed at her temples, “I think it makes more sense to have Solveig lead us on Mars.”
“An N7, Alliance reputation, and we are going into a hotbed involving Alliance forces. Why not her? Why N-… Sunset?”
Nadara narrowed her eyes at Amina, but quickly dispelled the appearance of irritation from her features and smiled toward Slim with a small nod before addressing her teammate.
“The mission on Mars is a joint effort between Alliance and Asari forces,” she emphasized. “Much like Wraith”, she cleared her throat innocently but knew Amina would catch the subtle correction, “I too have a background with Asari military. For many years, in fact.
As team lead on this mission, I will value any input she may have in the matter. This goes for the rest of you as well, of course.” Nadara looked to the others in turn as she said this. “By bringing forth the best of our individual skills, the culmination of our joint experience will aid our success as we demonstrate a united front.” That should be enough to show she had things under control. Paying attention to a few of the briefings while she’d served Asari High Command turned out to be beneficial after all. There were still a few choice sentences she could pull from her back pocket.
In truth, she cared little for leadership titles on missions, but Amina’s reaction coupled with Nadara’s desire to be seen as a viable candidate for the Hospitality Director position, gave her the drive she needed to take this chance by the horns.
Leadership of the highest caliber would need to be demonstrated. And to be honest, based off what she’d seen thus far, it wouldn’t be too difficult to pull off.
“While I have the floor, if I may,” she continued without waiting. “ExSolar’s premium for a pilot may not be at all necessary. I believe Shadow should be able to handle the shuttle.” Nadara looked to the Quarian. “Unless you have any reservations? This might significantly reduce the initial quote, and would prevent you from entering any… entertainment contracts.” Her eyes slid over to Playboy momentarily but she prevented the accompanying eye roll before focusing on Zenn once more. “Though I suppose, this may be something you’re interested in.”
Even if all the thoughts in the world had been crammed into Kysar’s head, they still couldn’t have distracted him from Slim’s announcement. Has she even led a team before? Ran any sort of op? He sighed heavily, such foolishness gave him a bad gut feeling. Shifting his eyes away from Nadara, Kysar turned to the bald human. The Turian had read his dossier of which there wasn’t much in the way of live fire experience. Explains his decision. The blind leading the blind.
“I hope you know what you’re doing Slim, piping up during a team meeting is slightly different from leading a team in the field.” Sarcasm dripped from the man’s mouth.
“That is certainly the truth.” Amina added abrasively. “I have nothing against Sunset and have no doubt of her abilities in battle but leadership is another thing entirely. What even spurred deciding on her as the choice pick?”
Amina knew that she sounded to be on a tirade and frankly she did not care. Amina was comfortable enough with Nadara enough to fight next to her in battle, but she could not trust her to lead something of this magnum and import.
"Rogue makes a reasonable argument." Charles commented.
"Ugh, Sunset's in charge on Mars while I'm leading team three in the field. You know; in Istanbul." Slim exhaled. "And you heard the reasons from her, Rogue."
"Look, unless team two agrees on someone else, Sunset will be heading the mission on Mars." Slim exasperated. "We can talk about...leadership when the mission's done, okay?"
“It just so happens that the elaborated reasons Nadara gave are your reasons too, yes?” Viper smirked, resting her chin on one closed hand.
Zenn felt his face start to burn and turn red as Slim mentioned his and Playboy’s performance. Playboy seemed very enthusiastic at the idea, and if it paid for their shuttle it would prove to be beneficial. But without any sort of liquor in him, Zenn wasn’t exactly keen on taking up the mic again.
“Unless we have no other options I’d rather pass. As I’ve said, I can fly us there for free. Plus I don’t really want vids of my singing floating around the net, even if I’m sober in them. I’m just glad no one recorded me last night.” Zenn said. His voice started to get quieter as he was mostly talking to himself at that point. “Keelah, that was embarrassing.” Even if everyone had enjoyed his vocal performance, Zenn felt like he had made a bit of a fool of himself. Still. Even if he could, he wouldn’t change the events of that night.
Moving forward in the meeting, just when it felt like a final conclusion had been made, a new topic was brought up: Leadership. Seemed it wasn’t just team two that was having some disagreements. Even as Slim gave the position to Nadara, Charles appeared to be making remarks about how Amina should take charge; and she didn’t disagree. Personally, Zenn didn’t like the idea of any of them being leader. Yes they needed direction, but they worked best with everyone as equals figuring things out together. Give one of them full control, and the dynamic could fall apart. If they weren’t fighting against the ticking time bomb in the bathroom, Zenn might have argued or debated more, but instead he chose the route that would get them out the fastest.
“I’ll second Sunset as team lead on this.” Zenn spoke up. “I may not have been there, but she has already led one successful operation. Not to mention having the daughter of matriarch Lidanya leading this could help calm things on the Citadel, at least for the time being.”
"Yes." Slim didn't bother to look at Viper; he only pointed toward the door. "Go get your gear. Wheels up for Istanbul in two hours."
"And yes, thank you, Shadow." Slim did bother to look at other person sensible enough to steer the meeting away from another argument. "Everyone else go get ready too. You need time for preflight check, and Regent's leaving for Switzerland..."
"In three hours." Charles appeared to have dropped the team leader issue, at least for now. "We'll be at Geneva this evening and the memorial will take place tomorrow morning."
As the rest of the conversations swirled around, Solveig simply sat quietly in her seat. She leaned forward, placing an elbow on each knee and interlaced her fingers, circling her thumbs around each other. A subtle way to keep her coordination in check. Nice that Rogue had thought to suggest her as lead, she thought, even if the idea of that made her quietly shudder inside. No thanks, she thought. "Agree with Shadow. Happy to follow Sunset."
Then, there were those words that kept getting tossed around. Geneva. Memorial. Solveig didn't want to go, but... that pain in her chest all of a sudden. Maybe she did, actually.
There had not been a funeral. It had all happened quickly. Couldn't she be allowed... No. Riley needs you on Mars. The team needs you on Mars. Your job is on Mars. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly, it seemed everyone was getting ready to leave and head out. There was no need for further conversational contribution from her.
As the room sat quiet, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard three times.
Kysar shrugged as his head cocked quickly to the side and back. Whatever. Though he appeared nonchalant, the twisted knot in his stomach failed to fade away, even as he stood.
Making his way towards the door, Sol caught the corner of his eye. Noticing her sigh, the knot inside tightened. I get it, Nad being in charge is difficult to take in. He joked, trying to move on. His feet, however, did not agree, refusing to march on beyond his friend. The talk of the memorial couldn't have been easy, not to mention the fact that the team would be off world for it.
Saddling up beside Sol, Kysar placed a hand on her shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak but found no words. I'm sorry Sol, goodbye my friend. Regaining control of his feet, the Turian hurried off before she could even turn around.
Tank, on the other hand, was absolutely delighted with how the meeting had gone. The expression from Charles to be happy for the Elcor to be his personal bodyguard was one he couldn't wait to tell the rest of the delegation about. They would be proud.
He was equally happy just to be in the same room as everyone again and couldn't wait for the next meeting. The only slight concern Tank felt was the fact that they only had three hours to get ready. He'd do his best to be quick about everything so he'd make that deadline.
Nadara ignored the discontentment from Amina and Kysar. They would fall in line.
As they walked out of the meeting room, she held out her hand for the other to wait a moment. “Wraith, contact Exsolar and see about haggling a lower price.” As an afterthought she quickly added, “Please.”
While Sol readied herself to make the call, Nadara nodded to the others and it was then she noticed Kysar continued to exhibit strange reactions. It wasn’t like him to be as non-combative and quiet as he was being. Her eyes narrowed as he placed a hand on Sol’s shoulder before stepping away.
Oh no, he doesn’t, she thought, following after him. Nadara would allow none of her team to cause problems, and the Turian screamed problem.
"Istanbul? Sounds exotic." Acid agrees. Maybe if she's lucky the alliance dogs would be too busy trying to tie Cannonball down to get in her hair, as the human saying went.
Zenobia, unlike the Quarian who didn't really give a shit about the mission, was still stewing a bit over the debacle with the shuttle to care about who led the team. Back to being the dumb muscle only good for crashing into things, she thought bitterly. And it was a damn good plan too; she knew these guys after all. It wasn't like Cerberus or even the Blood Pack krograns who just liked to fight or didn't care about throwing their lives away for some grand cause. They were just in it for the money, and given an easy out would be all too happy to take it. Sure she had no compunctions about taking the shot when push came to shove and it was one or the other but still...damn it, she worked with these people. If anyone could talk to them and get them to stand down, it'd be her.
And hell, if they're making HER sound like the voice of reason here, someone seriously fucked up.
"I'm fine with you taking point, if need be," Zenobia said as she got to her feet, though it was clear her heart wasn't in it. "Just don't be an idiot and do what I'd do...”
As people began departing, so too did Himbo from the bathroom following a fourth flush, and the sound of the faucet running, and finally, a pumped spray.
"I'd give that a bit. Hoo boy," he said as he walked back over to his team. "Ready to scoot then?" He asked, giving two thumbs up to the group.
On the other side of the room, Solveig sneered at him. She had a call to make, anyway.
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