Sitting in the chair beside Sidonis, it took most of his self-control for Uthal not to commandeer the piloting of the vessel. Since taking off from Daratar and transitioning into FTL flight towards the relay, he'd seen almost a dozen different slips that hampered the efficiency of the Vocoto. And it was in piss-poor repair.

"You know, if you replaced the R20 converters for the R18s, even used, you'd emit less heat and conserve ten percent fuel."

Sidonis mandibles flared subtly with annoyance, and out of courtesy he nodded to the quarian and said, "Yea, but the buffering mechanism the R18 uses is more prone to failure."

Leaning back in his chair, Uthal scoffed, "Not with proper maintenance."

After a strained silence, Sidonis cleared his throat and said, "There's a rudimentary med station in the back if you need."

"I'm fine. The suit repairs I did will hold."

Sidnois bristled and held his tongue. It had been a long flight.

Further back in the ship, Garrus rested a foot on a circulation hub as he dismantled their guns and meticulously cleaned each component. He remained quiet as Butler talked with Keena.

"So while Uthal was hopping around huffing every possible curse out there - and quarians have some pretty good ones - Avara and I shot the rest of them." Keena crossed her legs, "He was a little sore at us. Sore just in general too!"

Butler made a sound, "Hell knows, I would be too." He popped something in his mouth, "No ideas, Vakarian."

Garrus didn't reply. Turning tech or biotics - or anything - on his own crew was something he'd never do. There was always a better way.

The two chatted a while more with little interjection from Garrus. Keena's eyes kept returning to him as he worked, each gun broken down and reassembled with doting care. Nearing Omega, she spoke up.

"There's a small territory that we've held onto - deep in Yakuh ward. It'd be safe to land. Hopefully the rest of our team fared better than we did."

Garrus nodded, and lay the scope in his talons down, "Do you shake down the residents?"

Keena rolled both shoulders back, "Not like the other gangs. Our levy is barely a quarter what some of the larger factions charge."

Scarce making a sound, Garrus gathered the weapons, securing his own to his back, and disappeared down into the hold. Obtaining the coordinates of their half-hidden dock, Sidonis wove down into the underbelly of Omega, the lights flickering over the hull as they passed through the barriers that maintained the station's atmosphere.

"Kiluat - Keena, is that you?"

Striding back from the cockpit, Keena clicked her comm, "Yea buddy, miss me?"

"Cut the crap - it's the Terrans. They've been terrorizing the quarter since the day after you left."

"What? They hitting our place?"

"Not just ours, they're ripping through. Mulenai and I are the only ones left."

"Damn it!" Keena's voice lowered, "We lost Avara on the mission."

The batarian voice on the other end sighed and the words were garbled by an explosion, " -ve going to make it out of this."

" We'll be at the dock in a different ship. The Dekka is gone too." Linking her hands on the back of her armoured cowl, Keena closed her eyes before saying," I might be able to scrounge some help."

"Right. Hopefully it's soon. They're trying to get through the secondary door. I've got the systems scrambled and fire-walled, but I can't keep it up."

By now, Uthal had left the seat by Sidonis, crossing his arms and listening to their exchange. Looking at each other in the ensuing quiet, the quarian motioned towards the ladder down into the hold.

"Yea, yeah." Keena sighed.

They found Garrus bent over a crate of salvage, the various components laid out on a work bench beside him. Optical solder in hand, his focus kept him distracted until Uthal coughed.

"Huh? Oh." Garrus put the components down.

Keena crossed her arms over her waist, "Thanks again for the lift."

"It's Sidonis' ship, really, you should thank him."

"Will do." Her body language gave away her discomfort, and Garrus couldn't suppress a smirk.

"Is there something you need?"

"Yea actually." Keena regained her posture, her more delicate mandibles twitching, "Our base of ops and the district is being raided by a rival gang. Think you and your boys would be willing to help us?"

"Most of our people have been killed trying to repel the attack."

Garrus shifted his weight, looking off through the hold, "Who is it?"

"Terrans," Keena said, "They're a human merc gang - small timers like us. But pretty xenophobic."
"So what are they doing on a place like Omega?"

"Whatever they want - just like the rest of us?"

Garrus grumbled, taking up the solder and component again, "If that's the case, why should I bother helping you get back to stepping on others?"

"I don't like it," Keena's mandibles fluttered, "But it's shoot or be shot on Omega." She turned, "Hanis called you Officer. Odd place for someone who respects the law to end up."

"Do you want my help?"

Keena's arms broke apart, "Yea - "

"Then we do things my way. You, the rest of your team. I won't have any bystanders caught in our fire." Garrus stood up and walked to the ladder, "I'll need the building and district layouts, and who there is of your team."

The batarian fell back, a coconut skin coloured human by his side. They pulled out of the back of the warehouse, and the four-eyed alien fried the door with a simple command from his omni-tool.

"This better fucking work, " Mulenai huffed, trying to catch his breath as he snapped a new sink into his rifle.

Jaunting back a few more paces, there was a 'thuck' as a charge was set on the other side of the door. Keena ran up the ramp to meet them, gun drawn, "They through yet?"

"No, shortly," Toab Kualak said, gauging the situation on his omni-tool with his four eyes.

"We just need to pull them in far enough."

The seam on the doors flickered bright white, and a muted explosion shook the building. There was the creak of rent metal and the doors slid open, servos spared.

Keena secured her pistol at her hip, hissing as she raised her hands, "Just follow my lead."

A troupe of humans stormed in, and seeing Keena and her two men kneeling down, reloaded their weapons.

Their leader laughed, "So what they said about turian women was right." Lining up the shot, he said, "Let's keep her."

Before he could fire, a bullet pierced his skull, and a second took down the man on his right with equal precision. Seeing the spray of blood, Keena and her men collapsed down, the errant gunfire of the Terrans following them. Another pair of bullets clipped the opposing mercs before they could withdraw.

Seizing opportunity, Keena rose on one knee and flipped a pair of Terrans into the air with a biotic burst. They flailed, knowing time ticked as the snipers reloaded, but the field held. Soon, two more shots left their lifeless forms to crumple as the dark matter dissipated.

Garrus came over the comm, "Drive the remnants back through the building. We'll be in position."

In the front street, Butler popped from cover to take out an exposed Terran standing watch. The elcor he'd been harassing scarce moved, but spoke as he and Sidonis dropped down to flank the Terran mercenaries within the building.

"Surprised relief; thank you, human, I had thought that was the end of me."

"Head for cover and tell any others you see to do the same. We don't want anyone caught in the crossfire."

"Mild confusion; very well."

Each taking a place on either side of the open door, they waited until the elcor had lumbered a few feet away. Glancing in, the stench of death assailed their senses, and Butler nearly retched.

"Such a tough guy."

"Shut up and do your job."

Sidonis snorted once, the sound muffled by his helmet.

The signal came from Garrus and they darted in without a word. The interior of the warehouse was partitioned and broken into sections, each showing a different stage of disrepair. There were bodies of various species lying everywhere in different stages of decay.

"Jesus," Butler murmured.

"They're coming on your right." Garrus interjected, "Can't get a clear shot."

The clatter of boots grew, and a stack of empty crates toppled as three Terrans slid around them - right into the oncoming fire. One took the brunt, while the others dove into cover.

Garrus swung down out of the catwalks, grunting as the drop jarred him. Switching weapons in cover, he followed hot on their heels as the last two darted into the narrow streets.

One of the Terrans opened fire in the confined space, denting a line up the adjacent building. Rifle steady in his grasp, Garrus exhaled and blew through the remnants of their shields, and they collapsed one after the other.

"You were supposed to have the door," Garrus looked back in, panting slightly under his helmet. Walking to the mercs, he peered over them, his visor confirming their death.

Down the narrow alley he stood by, Garrus heard a crash and a fear-filled sound, and he turned, turning his rifle at the hip.

"Please, don't kill me!" An adolescent slipped as he tried to stand, staggering back through the filth he'd used to conceal himself.

"Don't worry." Collapsing his rifle, Garrus turned back to the warehouse, "I won't."

"So what do you make of the power shift?"

Picking over his meal, the man shook his head before saying, "I'd be more wary of it if my brother hadn't run into one of them?"

"Come on, Mandip - a merc band that doesn't want protection money? Even Keena was collecting. Sure they treated us better but."

Eating a few mouthfuls, Mandip wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and said, "You remember when the Terrans stormed the district a few weeks back?"

"Course I do. I'm still making repairs." The batarian leant back in his chair, grumbling. "Bastards tried to loot the restaurant. Killed two of them before they thought better of it."

"Well Sarwar was there, Kartal - he was right by their base when the shit hit the fan."

"And he's still alive."

"That's just it. One of these new mercs - that turian in the blue armour."

"The one people keep talking about like he's some kinda angel?" Kartal rolled all four of his eyes and took up a mug with a steaming white liquid in it.

"Yea. Well, my brother was just trying to keep out of the crossfire, when two Terrans broke into the street and bee-lined right for him, shooting wild."

"Shit."

"You better believe it. The turian shot them dead, perfect accuracy, no stray fire. And towering over him, my little brother thought he was dead too - but no! The guy just says he won't hurt him and walks away."

Kartal looked at him with a blank stare, his head tilting one way as he said, "I've heard more about them too, I can't deny. I just don't want to get my hopes up."

"Lisa was saying that a friend of hers was saved by them too. A stray group of vorcha ventured too far in, were trying to carry the woman and her daughter off. But no, like appearing out of thin air, and they were sniped, dead before the girls knew what was going on."

"People enjoy making up crap like that, Mandip."

Mandip waved a hand, staying quiet as his mouth filled with food, chewing at the last grisly bits. Licking his lips he said, "I wouldn't believe it if it weren't for Sarwar. Notice you haven't seen or heard a thing about the Terrans? The streets are quiet."

"Yea? So? They're regrouping."

"Naw. Wiped out. They stormed the base and took over their district territory. It's just as safe there now too."

"This is Omega, Mandip. There is no safe."

"Fine, it's safe for Omega. And cheap." Mandip tossed his cutlery down, linking his hands together, "He's got my support. I finally feel like my family can just try and make a life."