Chapter Text
John relaxed in his seat as the whole shuttle rattled while descending into the depths of the mining station.
“Still can't get over how big this place is” Garrus mumbled as scenery darted past the viewports as a blur “Makes you wonder just how big this rock was when they found it”
“Must have been massive” Jacob commented “I’m pretty sure I've seen moons smaller than this place”
“Current data indicates Omega’s total size is 44.7 cubic kilomotres” Legion commented as some of its headflaps moved
John made a hum of thought as he turned to look at his sister
“hey Jane” He called over the shuttles rattling “have you checked your emails lately?”
“Yeah”, Jane answered “Is this about the email from the Illusive Man?”
“he emailed you?” Jacob asked in surprise
Both twins nodded in confirmation
“said something about potential problems with something called Project Overlord. Wanted us to investigate,” John explained
“Why not send his own guys?” Garrus questioned suspeciously
“Apparently, the project was something related to studying Geth” Jane answered “he claims that given our connection to the Geth we would have a better chance of finding out what happened”
“Experiments on the Geth” Hemlock uttered coldly “When will organics learn attempting to understand them forcibly will always result in blood?”
“Probably never” John sighed
“i had some other mail as well” Jane commented causing John to raise a brow curiously “got a letter from the kid we stopped from signing up for the raid. Apparently, Aria gave him my contact. He thanked us for keeping him alive and apologized for arguing with us”
“Glad he came around” John said with a nod and smile
“i also got an email from a woman named Catherine” Jane continued “she was the girl who was with that asshole in the quarantine zone. She reached out to thank us for helping her, also wanted us to know she dumped the guy she had been with.”
John barked a laugh as he glanced at Legion and commented, “guess you were right”
“apperently she’s started going out with Eric” Jane finished “that male nurse, the one who helped the Batarian. Also, it turns out that the older nurse was behind the desk. She is Eric's mother”
John burst into a small fit of laughter until he was suddenly cut off by the pilot speaking over the intercom
“We are on final approach. The landing zone is hot and swarming with hostiles”
“It's fine” John replied as the team made their way to their feet “Take us in”
The pilot answered with an “understood” before the shuttle dived down towards an opening that looked like an abandoned skycar lot.
As it got closer, a torrent of gunfire erupted from a small horde of Vorcha that were gathered around the space, with a Krogan barking orders. The shuttle shook slightly as some of the rounds struck its hull, but nevertheless, it was able to make it in close as the door slid open.
John built up biotic energy and flung himself out of the shuttle, slamming into the Krogan with enough force that they flew back and crashed into an old, burnt-out skycar. The nearby Vorcha hissed and growled as they rounded to fire at him. But before they could, bullets soared from the open shuttle and slammed into their ranks.
The fight passed quickly with John, Jacob and Hemlock quickly dispatching of the majority of the horde, while Legion and Garrus, who were being supported by Jane, expertly picked off the stragglers. John allowed his shotgun to fold up as he placed it in its holster on the side of his waist while Garrus made a low whistle
“Glad to see we haven't lost our touch” the Turian commented with a smirk
“Red team report!” a deep voice yelled from a nearby personal radio that was still clutched in the Krogan’s hand.
John watched as Jane stepped over and picked up the radio before muting it and patching their comm systems into the frequency.
“Red team is down”, a different voice uttered “They have to be; you don't just report an incoming shuttle and then go dark”
“damn” the first voice growled “all teams stay alert, and find that fucking ranger so we can get paid”
“Too easy” Jacob smirked as he walked over
“It is” John nodded in agreement
“Their blood pack” Garrus commented as the team began to make their way along an old rusty walkway “They don't do smart”
Silence fell over the group as they carefully crept along ancient abandoned walkways towards the more central area
“it just occurred to me” Jacob whispered as the team walked past some shattered windows “Aria didn't seem to happy when she saw that datapad”
“dont blame her” Jane chuckled “i would be pissed if there was a coup being plotted against me”
“Yeah” John agreed
Metal creaked beneath their feet as they carefully walked down some stairs when the deep voice from before spoke again
“yellow team has gone dark” the voice declared “last reported seeing the ranger near the old foremans office. All teams get over there. And don't even think of attacking alone!”
John stifled a laugh as the comm cut out
“Sounds annoyed” Garrus commented
“Likely a byproduct of working with Vorcha” Hemlock remarked as distant footsteps and hissing could be heard “They aren't well known for intellect”
Rounding a corner, the team approached an old blast door that was rusted halfway open. Creeping forward, John glanced through to examine the room beyond. A large chamber full of old rusted machinary and conveyor belts stood idle. puddles of oil, grease and old dried blood littering the floor.
“That doesnt look recent” Jane said as the team made their way down some rusty stairs
“scans indicate the blood is dated around fifty years of age” Legion declared as they began creeping around the puddles.
John allowed his eyes to wander as he took in the aged masses of orange and violet with the occasional collection of blue and green.
“scans indicate the blood present is made of Asari, Krogan, Salarian, and Turian” Hemlock reported as they made their way through a doorway that had its metal doors laying nearby, having once been blasted open.
“What the hell happened here?” Jacob questioned as they came across a room with just as much blood, along with several skeletons and weapons dotted about
“Records indicate some form of coup occurred here”, Hemlock explained “Data indicates that years ago, the previous leader of omega was overthrown by Aria T’loak. The same data states that very little combat occurred during the actual coup; however, the remnants of those still loyal to the previous leader fled to this refinery. Aria’s forces followed, resulting in a harsh battle”
“And no one cleaned up or fixed the refinery?” Jane asked in surprise
“Negative”, Hemlock answered “Data indicates that this property belonged to the previous leader of Omega in a manner similar to how Aria owns Afterlife. With the previous leader overthrown and those loyal to him destroyed, this property was deemed not to be worth the effort or expense resulting in it being abandoned”
“damn” John uttered as the team found another corridor this one covered in old bullet holes and char marks.
Distant screeches echoed, followed by screaming. Looking out a nearby broken window, John saw several groups of Vorcha and Krogan gathering near an old rusty bridge that led to a platform in the Centre of the underbelly area with a singular large building located on top
“Let me guess” Garrus sighed “That is the foreman's office”
“Correct” Legion confirmed, resulting in several more sighs
“Better get down there” John ordered as he gestured towards a nearby stairwell
The team carefully crept down the decrepit stairs. As they reached the halfway point, gunfire and explosions rang out, followed by the sounds of screaming
“GO, GO, GO!” the voice from before screamed “Get his head”
Darting down the last of the stairs and rounding the corner, John saw the gathered horde of Vorcha and Krogan sprinting across the ancient bridge. Right as one of the Vorcha was about to reach the far side, a shotgun blast exploded from a window, reducing its chest to red paste.
Seconds later, a metal crack echoed as a chunk of the rusted bridge splintered and gave way, sending a Krogan and several Vorcha plummeting downwards
“Better get over there” Jane commented as she nudged John’s shoulder
“Everyone, be careful and watch your step” John ordered as he moved forward “Last thing we need is to fall”
Crossing the bridge was somehow harder than assaulting Garrus’s holdout had been. The Vorcha and Krogan proved to be better trained than the blood pack that had been in the quarantine district and those with Garm. A fact that wasn't helped by the ancient bridge constantly being on the verge of collapsing
“Who the hell hired these guys!?” Jacob demanded as John sent one of the Krogan over the edge
“Someone who clearly has connections” Garrus answered “only way to know good blood pack from the bad”
John exhaled as he darted forward towards the rusted door that led to the foreman's building. Jane followed close behind as he slammed his foot into the metal door, sending it flying.
John went still as he was met by the sight of an AT-12 raider aimed at his chest. Beside him Jane stopped aswell. John’s eyes darted up, trailing over the figure's features.
A long, old, brown leather duster flowed over the being’s crimson armour and bandoliers containing explosives and medicine. John’s eyes finally arrived on the figure's face, forcing his mind to immediately flash back.
John stood in the large room inside a fusion torch. An unmatched fury bubbled inside him as his blood splattered face contorted into a look of pure hatred. Opposite to him stood a Batarian clad in crimson Armour, pain in his four eyes.
“S-Shepards” the Batarian uttered as his eyes widened and his gun lowered
“Arok Baghlor” Jane retorted. They both lowered their own weapons
“y-you remember,” Arok chuckled as he let his gun lower to his side “i didn't think you would remember me-”
“We did” John cut in as he holstered his gun
“Never thought we would run into him again” Garrus muttered behind the pair
“Such a thought would have been illogical” Hemlock uttered in responce
“we heard you are a folk hero” John commented “how did you get here?”
Arok took a deep breath before letting out a shuddering sigh
“after you let me leave x57 i started thinking. I realised i had been given a chance to change for the better.... to make the lives of others better. I started taking jobs that involved protecting people from companies, criminals or other mercs. One day, I met an old human in a bar who called himself Regs. Taught me about old human heroes, called them 'cowboys' We started running together, going out and protecting innocent people. People loved us. They would feed us and help us because we helped them. I felt good, and life was good......for a time”
“What happened?” Jane asked, her voice becoming worried
“Balak”, Arok growled as his four eyes glared “he found out that some others and I left him. Tracked us down one by one. Killed all the others, and then.......then he came for me. B-but when he got there, I wasn't home. R-Regs managed to help my daughters escape, but Balak got my wife. H-he gouged out all f-four of her eyes.......t-then he killed her”
Jane let out a horrified gasp as John felt sick to his stomach. Somewhere behind them, he heard Garrus gasp while Jacob merely scoffed. John whipped around to scold the man, but before he could, there was a loud crack as Hemlock struck the younger man across the back of the head
“What the!-” Jacob began to say before being silenced by John’s glare
“Arok” Jane whispered in a distraught voice “I-i am so sorry......w-we let Balak leave-”
“i know” Arok said grimly “i saw the news. Let him go to save a group of workers. I don't blame you. I would have done the same. m-my wife would have agreed”
“That doesn't make it better” John countered sombrely “What happened to your daughters?, after they escaped?”
Arok let out another shuddering sigh “Regs got them to me safely. H-he died from his wounds shortly after. Balak knows we are out here. Been hunting us since we escaped. A few months back, I was able to drop my daughters off at a mining station; I tricked the Mercs into thinking they were still with me, so they followed me to Omega. Now i have a question for you lot, why are you here?”
“we are putting a team together” John explained “the collectors are attacking human colonies and abducting humans. We are going to stop them, and we need the best”
Arok barked a sad laugh “i would hardly say i am the best.”
“dont count yourself short” Jane said encouragingly “we need help. And if you are willing, we would like you to join us”
Arok was silent for a moment before he sighed again and mumbled “i want to help, i really do, but i need to keep traveling, keep getting jobs. The station is willing to hide my daughters if I pay them. If I fail to pay them, the best case scenario they will sell them as slaves. Worst case, they will hand them over to Balak-”
“We can help, though” Jane countered as John nodded “We can pay you for your services”
“Y-you can” Arok uttered as he looked hopefully between the pair
John looked at Jane, who silently pleaded for support. With a swift nod, a smile formed on Jane’s face as they both wheeled to look at Hemlock.
The cyborg stood silently for a split second before he gave a curt nod and spoke
“The Adentri will supply all that is needed in return for service”
“Do we really need to pay for this guy?” Jacob mumbled, earning another strike across the head from Hemlock, the sound of metal against bone ringing in John's ears
“What do you say, Arok?” John asked as they looked back at the Batarian “Will you join us?”
Tears began to form in the Batarian’s eyes as he nodded frantically
“Y-yes” Arok stuttered “T-thank you, thank you both”
John felt a smile pull at his lips as he and Jane walked over to help support the Batarian and gather his things to depart.
-an hour later, Normandy briefing room-
The Batarian nodded in understanding as the twins finished briefing him on the full extent of the situation.
“payments will be made each galactic standard week” Hemlock informed “these payments will continue until the collectors have been defeated, or until you leave this team. Should you perish on the mission, payments ensuring your daughter's survival will continue for twenty citadel standard years or until requested otherwise”
“R-really” Arok sputtered in surprise “t-that is a lot”
“It is the standard minimum for the ranks of the immortals”, Hemlock replied “Failure to ensure the prosperity of the progeny is a failure to preserve the legacy of the fallen”
“T-thank you” Arok whispered as John saw Jane dawn a wide smile
“Come” Hemlock ordered as he marched towards the door “This unit has already selected an ideal location to serve as housing”
Arok nodded as he followed the taller cyborg out of the room, leaving the twins standing alone
“That was” John began to say
“Surprisingly nice” Jane finished with a nod
John shrugged as he let out a sigh “Guess we need to figure out who to go after next”
“true” Jane agreed “i’ve been thinking it over, and i think we should look for Okeer next.”
“i dont have any problem with it” John remarked “what led you to that conclusion?”
“Jack is locked away in prison”, Jane answered “She won't be going anywhere. Okeer was last seen at a set of coordinates working with some blue suns.”
“True” John agreed tirdly “I'll tell Joker to set course for the coordinates.”
“Okay” Jane smiled as the pair made their way towards the door, ready to head for their next mission