Declan Callaway
When the last of the Vorcha had been finally decimated by the Dashers' quick response to the foiled ambush, Declan processed Zik's answer to his earlier question. The cunning little Omus Vol was still in business? Perhaps Dec shouldn't be too surprised. A volus such as that one always stands to make a profit where there is even the slightest possibility to do so. And on Omega? Omus was surely thriving in whatever business scheme he had been concocting over the last couple of years.
"If Short-Stack had anything to do with this," the captain began, "then I'll jab an omni-blade in one of his suit's tubes myself."
An unfamiliar voice echoed from the flank with a turian flange. "First, Mr. Calaway, your presence has been requested back inside."
Declan turned to see three turian guards in full armor, sporting the tell-tale maroon and gold colors of the Talons, their logo emblazoned in white on the chest pieces. Each of them held Avengers in their three-fingered hands, but their composed posture indicated that they weren't there with the intention of starting a fight. They were bodyguards or some kind of security detail, then.
"Requested by whom?"
"Aria T'Loak," the turian in the front answered, nodding his helmed head back toward the door, as if giving a non-verbal order to come with them.
Declan first looked to Trish, who gave him a nod of assurance before saying, "Go ahead. She's been meaning to talk to you since your arrival, anyway. Some about 'house breaking' and all that." The man frowned at the joke.
"Fine," the captain said. "Go track down our tubby little friend while I deal with Aria."
Rosa's voice called out from the remains of the battle further down from the group. "Guys? You might wanna come take a look at this." A datapad was in her hand, but just as Declan was about to step toward her to see what she had found, the turian that had interrupted them cleared his throat.
"Aria doesn't like to be kept waiting, Mr. Callaway."
"Yeah, yeah." The man doubled back to them but said over his shoulder. "Trish, Zik, take the team and find Vol. I'll message you when I'm done here."
Trishar Rayana
The asari slowly shook her head with a small smile on her blue lips, watching Declan gradually leave the group in tow behind the Talons. It was true that Aria T'Loak wanted to meet with him as soon as Trish had delivered word to Omega's ruler that he had docked; however, beyond her annoyed *tsk* followed by a slight expression of piqued curiosity, Trish didn't know her current employer's reason for summoning him. While she had faith that the man could handle himself in both fights and tough negotiations, she also realized that he had been out of the game for two years, and so she also hoped that he wasn't about to land himself in a heap of trouble with Aria T'Loak.
There was nothing she could do about any of that right now, though. He had tasked her with a mission... which seemed very odd and a bit foreign to her. Without fully realizing it, she had subconsciously acknowledged and agreed to follow his orders to seek out Omus. It's like two years had merely been two days, that Captain Callaway had never left and that they were all still members of a crew. Surely she wasn't so malleable... right? Or would "resilient" be a better descriptor?
Pushing those thoughts aside, Trish turned to Zik. "Do you know where Omus is now?"
Declan Callaway
Back inside Afterlife, Declan made his way across the main floor to one of the staircases on each side of Aria's VIP balcony that overlooked the club. At the foot of the steps he passed by a turian in red and yellow armor, wearing a look that suggested he had been expecting Declan. A logo printed on the chest plate was a maroon triple-crossed "T" with a white circle around it. The same maroon was also painted on his face, denoting the turian's loyalty to the organization in much the same manner that any other design would normally suggest their clan or home colony.
The Talons. The fourth largest mercenary gang on Omega. As of right now, they're also Aria's most trusted. The group is primarily turian, but there are also a handful of asari and humans on their payroll. Several more stood guard outside of the VIP booth that Aria occupied at the top of the steps.
"All clear," one of them announced after having scanned Declan with his omni-tool, securing Declan’s striker and own omni-tool with another guard a good distance away. As soon as he waved Declan through, the man gratefully continued walking up to Omega's symbolic seat of power. Aria T'Loak sat on her favorite black couch with one leg crossed over another. A drink of light-blue liquid was in one hand, while her violet eyes quickly scanned over a datapad held by the other.
Only a few seconds passed before the defacto queen lowered the pad to her side and glared upward at Declan. "So," she said in a pronounced voice, "I hope you didn’t expect to come all this way from that Alliance military prison to cause chaos on my station, Callaway.”
Declan shrugged his shoulders before crossing both arms over his chest. “I thought I did you a favor back there. Someone needs to make sure Omus Vol stays in check, and I’m the only one that rollie-pollie actually fears. … Or so I tell myself.” Of course, there was little evidence to suggest Vol was behind what had happened, but Zik connecting the Volus' likely knowledge of the event was enough to let Declan get away with a half-truth and have some fun.
Aria seemed lost for a moment. “Rollie-what-now?”
“Nevermind that. As it goes, I’m here to put my crew back together, and you’re going to help me.”
The queen’s eyes narrowed before she placed her hands on her knees briefly before standing up from the couch in a sudden manner, coming eye-to-eye with Declan. However, the human didn’t back away from where he stood. T’Loak may be the last person anyone would want to make demands to, but Declan wasn’t just anyone.
“Excuse me?” Aria growled with a seething temper.
“We humans have a saying:” he continued, “quid pro quo. I can get you something I know you’ll want, but all I need from you to deliver it... is a ship.”
There was a very subtle change in the glimmer of her eyes, the blue flames of rage dying down for a brief moment under the urge of curiosity.
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