Chapter 3: Plans of the Privateers

"People of Omega: I have returned! Cerberus believes they have beaten you. They believe they have you under control. They are gravely mistaken. You are the lawless of the galaxy. You cannot be beaten, and you will never be controlled. Be ready! Your chance to strike out against your oppressors is coming. Together, we will take Omega back!"

That had been the speech both Ian and Kara had heard earlier in the Talon outpost, having been made by Aria. After the speech, Cerberus launched an assault at the outpost but it had been successfully defended by the four. After that, Nyreen had offered her support with the condition that she stayed in charge of the Talons. After that, they returned to Aria's bunker. "We're almost there, Huntress. The Talons will be the frontline fodder. Now we just need to bring down the force fields to clear the way to Afterlife."

"Which will release Omega's civilians..." Ian added.

"Cerberus will have a million fires to put out. In one fell swoop, we'll have the people and the Talons working for us." Aria finished.

"You might not want to compromise your alliance before it even takes shape." Ian warned.

"I've learned not to put much stock to truth and goodwill."

"It might be time to start again." Ian said.

"Tell you what: I'll take it under advisement." Aria replied. "Now... I'll be at the command console plotting our next move. And get the engineer ready."

Kara, meanwhile had walked towards the familiar elcor. " "Tentative excitement. Welcome to Harrot's Emporium, humans." The engineer raised her eyebrow on the plural, only to notice Huntress joining her as the elcor continued. "Relieved. I am grateful for Aria's return. Hidden back room was getting.... confining. Her patrol liberated me. Curious. I've never seen you before, humans."

"I'm... new here. And my friend here is a guest of Aria's." Kara replied.

"Enlightened. I see. Cunningly. I have a plan to recoup my losses from the Cerberus takeover. Informative. The General threw out Aria's couch from Afterlife upon taking over.I would like to earn her favor by returning it. Temptingly. If you find it and send me the coordinates, I will make it worth your while." Harrot explained.

"...You want to find Aria's couch and bring it back to her just to get on her good side? ...I've heard weirder. Sure, if I find it and have the time. There are more important things to do, mind you. But I'll keep my eyes peeled." Kara replied.

"Appreciative. Upon your success, I will give you a finder's fee for your trouble."

"All right. Anything else?"

"Curiously. I was wondering where did you get that armor."

"It's self-built and I'm not giving you the blueprints for sale." Kara stated. The last thing she wanted was to introduce technology from one game universe to another.

"Ambivalence. Very well. Courteously. Have a nice day."

Kara nodded and walked towards both the hacker and the batarian mechanic to ensure the jobs she did for the two were completed. For the latter, she had found a Kehri inverter in the Talon outpost. Once she finished reporting to the two, the engineer walked back towards Ian. "Done. But now Harrot wants me to find Aria's couch. I mean should I bother doing that or not?"

The soldier shrugged, helmet again under her arm. "Might as well. Just scan it and send him the coordinates. If you're getting paid for it, so be it. Do you want to get any equipment or upgrades from him before we head out? I don't think we'll have the time to stop by here again until after the assault, provided it's in one piece and so are we."

"Got it." Kara nodded and made some quick shopping from Harrot. After that, she followed Ian back to Aria.

The Pirate Queen was standing in the console, Ahz besides her. "Talk to me."

"I've located the source that's powering up the force fields." Ahz reported.

Aria looked closer at the projection of Omega. "Yes, I see. Huntress, take a look at this." The Pirate Queen pointed to a spot on the projection. "The general is siphoning power from one of my main reactors deep in the bowels of Omega's mines."

"Unfortunately, access is cut off by the force fields themselves..." Ahz added in.

"Not completely." Ian replied. "There's an open route through that dark area, then up."

"Hmm. The processing plant for one of the mines." Aria pointed out. "It's been powered down. No force fields blocking it."

"We infiltrate there, find our way through the mine, then take that elevator to the reactor's back door." Ian explained.

"Good eyes, Huntress. Let's go." Aria said.

Nyreen walked in at that moment. "Not without me."

They were joined by Bray. "Aria, my patrol caught her in the perimeter."

"Please. You didn't catch me." Nyreen responded. "We're... allies now. Didn't Aria tell you?"

"Nyreen was expected, Bray." Aria confirmed the Talon leader's comment. "Return to your station."

Bray shook his head in confusion, then and went back toward his post. Nyreen took a step ahead and spoke. "The Talons are ready, but if I'm sending my people into the breach..." She pointed at the projection. "I want to make sure those force fields come down for good. So like it or not, you're stuck with me."

"It's almost as if you don't trust me." Aria challenged.

"It's exactly as if I don't trust you." Nyreen responded in kind.

At this moment, Kara got into the heating conversation. "We're going into this war together.  And I'm damn making sure we all rely on each other."

"Agreed, Newton. Glad one of you isn't on a power trip." Nyreen replied.

"Go wait by the med bay, Nyreen. We'll join you shortly." Aria said. she turned her gaze to Ian as Nyreen walked away. "Huntress, I have last minute orders to dole out. I'll meet you there too. And Engineer." The Pirate Queen looked at Kara. "Don't screw this up." Aria then faced the projection.

"I'll... go ahead and wait by med bay. Let me know when you're ready, Ian." Kara said then went to the med bay to wait for the ODST and the Pirate Queen of Omega.

===

Ian remained, looking over the plans again beside Aria as the asari began to speak. "I can almost [i]taste[/i] it, Huntress. Once we stop the leeching of the reactor, my path to the general will be clear."

The ODST rolled her eyes. "Well, aside from the thousands of troops between him and us."

L'Toak gave a sidelong glance. "Details." She looked her human partner's way fully. "We don't have time to waste. Is there something you want to talk about?"

Evidently knowing enough about what was the "plan" of a bloodbath and chaos was, and how Aria would blame it all on the general, the ODST turned to other subjects. "Do you think Nyreen is over whatever happened between you two?"

The asari glanced to Nyreen in the distance, who did not seem to notice. "It was a long time ago, but Nyreen's the type that doesn't forget." She then looked back to Huntress. "I run roughshod over most people, and if the tracks I leave aren't deadly, they're at least permanent. As different as we are, I don't wish her ill, so long as she doesn't [i]get in my way[/i]."

The human seemed to notice something that needed to be brought up. "Do you think your hatred of the general is getting the best of you?"

"I think it's [i]bringing[/i] out the best in me." Aria crossed her arms. "The man has turned Omega into a prison and a launchpad for Cerberus campaigns. Given your connections, you should hate him, too. I for one can't [i]wait[/i] to get my hands on him."

Ian couldn't help but retort. "Tell you what: I'll take that hatred under advisement." To T'Loak's eye roll, she finished up, walking away. "Given the seriousness of this campaign, I won't bother you with more questions. I'll meet you at the med bay." With that, she left the Pirate Queen to her business.

===

Once Kara reached Nyreen, the latter spoke. "Newton. I know time is short but I was hoping we could talk. Alone."

"Well, Aria's talking with Ian. So I'm listening."

Nyreen walked, leading Kara aside. "I'm not trying to undermine Aria. I know she has to be ruthless. Let her have her revenge. I'm not doing this for me, and I'm not doing this for Aria or what we once had."

"Obviously, it's for the people of Omega." Kara answered.

"Someone has to be their voice in all this." Nyreen explained. "Incredibly powerful forces are about to do battle with them caught in the middle. I just hope, as we bring down the force fields and go to war, that you keep the people in mind. You and Huntress."

"Got it. So what's your impression of Petrovsky?" Kara asked.

"An adversary worthy of respect, and not just because he's shrewd." Nyreen answered. "When I was just starting to organize the Talons, he offered amnesty to anyone who set down their weapon. A few of my people surrendered, and he made good on his word."

"One of those guys that have codes of honor, right?" Kara commented.

"And near as I can tell, it doesn't exactly match the Illusive Man's." Nyreen added.

"Okay. Your men are ready for the big one, I take it?"

"You needn't worry about the Talons, Newton." Nyreen replied. "They were thieves and scoundrels once, but they serve with integrity now. We're fighting for a better world. I have to wonder if the same can be said for our asari friend. I suppose we'll know soon enough."

"I've been wondering. How'd you get in with Aria of all people?" Kara asked.

"I was happy in the turian military, but when my biotic abilities started to manifest, my superiors saw fit to reallocate me." Nyreen explained, momentarily glowing blue to demonstrate. "They practically locked me away. I couldn'tuse my skills to benefit my people, so I quit. I floated around the galaxy, looking for a new purpose."

"And here you are." Kara added.

"Yeah although more like I lost my way here. But then there was this beautiful, fierce creature who didn't let anyone define her." Nyreen explained. "I'll admit, I was mesmerized. I wanted a little bit of that to rub off on me."

"So were you two that close?" The engineer asked.

"The draw was undeniable. Her strengths mirror my insecurities." Nyreen replied. "Maybe deep down, it was the same for her. But trying to be with her turned into trying to be her. Nyreen Kandros was vanishing."

"Looks like you got away just in time." Kara commented.

"For all the drama between us, I'm grateful to Aria."  Nyreen explained. "She helped me remember who I am. It took a lot to break away from her, but I regret nothing."

"I still don't get what makes the adjutants terrifying. Or disturbing." Kara wondered.

"They may seem like nothing to you since you've never seen them in action, Newton. But these? What they do to people?" Nyreen replied. "They could still be out there. And if they return? I don't want to even think about what would happen to Omega's people. The image of that drives me... and haunts me."

"You know anything about the Cerberus force fields?" Kara asked.

"The technology comes from beyond the Omega 4 Relay. Flesh disintegrates upon contact." Nyreen said. "The power required must be enormous. I fear that disrupting it could destabilize other systems on the station. I hope we'll proceed with care and certainty."

"I can see why Aria said not to screw up." Kara commented. "I appreciate the talk though. We'll be heading out soon."

"I'll be ready." Nyreen moved away back towards the med bay exit.

At that moment, Kara saw Ian walking towards them. "Hey. Now was the talk with Aria?"

"It was...expected," Ian said. "She cares about Nyreen, but her vengeance is high above anything else. I'll work on that. Did you learn of any alternatives to shutting down the power?"

"Well, I learned that disrupting the power could destabilize other systems on the station. Also, Petrovsky has a code so we can use that when we face him." Kara replied. "So we ready to go?"

Ian nodded. Aria soon joined them and they walked out through med bay.