Mass Effect: Coalition -- { Started, Closed }

[blaze96]

Salyna simply took a spot by the wall and kept a hand on the butt of her gun. For now she would wait her turn, and perhaps ask the Quarian a bit of what was going on.

"So when did you join our employer's company?" She asked the other as she looked directly where she knew the eyes would be. Her voice wasn't harsh, in fact she had made sure it had the calm, patient, and understanding tone that many asari tended to take with others. She knew how to be at least civil when she wanted or needed to be. For now though she wasn't sure which it ultimately would be, a want or a need.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Ah, ex-Lieutenant and now mechanic Mya Isaacs," Recarius greeted the human with a warm voice. Some turians still disliked humans for their First Contact War: Recarius held no such prejudices. "You got my message, then. My name is Recarius Kallidan; I'm a Spectre. If you join up with me, you'll be part of a multi-species team investigating a matter considered highly serious by the Citadel Council. Spectres like myself are dying."

With that, Recarius gave Mya the same information he had given Akanth; the Council wanting him to investigate the deaths of Spectres, gathering a team to assist him, the facts that there would probably be a lot of fighting and it would be dangerous.

"Am I right in thinking you wouldn't have come all the way from the Citadel to hear what I have to say, and just dismiss it in a heartbeat?" the turian asked to conclude his little briefing. He knew, from his information broker's file, that Mya had lived in one of the many wards on the Citadel before making her way to Omega. Her talents would go to waste in that little mechanic's shop; they would be better used out in the field, where a soldier like her belonged despite her injuries.

[hr]

"I first met Recarius three years ago, on Illium when I was looking through a ruined building for valuables," Jira answered Salyna, looking around from her spot near the door. "I almost didn't believe him when he said he had neutralised a group of mercenaries that were planning to kidnap me for some reason. He even brought me one of the mercs as proof, who confessed to the plan. I suppose someone like me is valuable to the right people... my kind are incredibly rare, let's put it that way," she explained.

"Since then Recarius and I have been a pretty good partnership, even if I do surpass his skills in some areas. It's been fun working alongside a Spectre... and dangerous, very dangerous in some places. We've had to pull each other out of the fire a few times," she added with a laugh.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jira noticed another figure stopping a short distance away from the group. Salarian male, by the look of his build... was he another unwanted visitor? Of course, just being near a Spectre attracted the attention of people who hated the Council and everything they stood for. Batarians were usually the most outspoken on this matter.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Brand looked at the saved message on his navigational computer; the cracked screen showed a Turian speaking. The message had skipped and cracked a few times as it slowly played out over his screen, but a couple of well aimed strikes to his player had allowed it to play enough to get Brand the information he needed. It looked to be good pay, something Brand always liked; well paying jobs were getting more and more difficult with the Suns undercutting his rates. The bastards had taken a couple shots at him too, shots that had been returned in favour.

He was curious as to why a spectre was looking for people like him though, generally, despite the fact they didn't have to, Spectres generally stayed on the right side of Council law; Brand had no such qualms. The second excellent thing about the job though, was the fact he knew there was about to be a lot of fun in this job and more importantly, a lot of killing, though in retrospect, he supposed they were roughly the same thing.

With one hand on the landing controls and the other holding a glass of Ryncol to his lips, he guided his ship into the Omega harbour, landing in his 'usual spot' reserved after doing a bit of work for Aria. Standing on the dock by his ship for what he expected to be some time, he had one more shot of the potent alcohol before throwing the bottle at a scavenging varren causing it to retreat with a hiss. He laughed in his low rumbling voice before turning to a small human dock keeper, "Dan; its been too long since I've been here. Any news for me?" Brand held a credit chit in his hand for motivation.

"Not much," Dan said, "The Gang wars are still going strong I guess; though I'm thinking Aria's getting kinda sick of it, expect she'll actually do something about it soon if people keep getting killed over it. Might be something looking into Brand, it looks like your ship could use some dents banged out."

Brand smiled, "Its alright, I have a different job in mind this time, might get me a new ship, so start saving up because I might be selling this one soon; I know you've been wanting to get off Omega and contracting for a while now, the ship'll be cheap, so I figure you better start saving now."

Passing the chit to Dan, Brand left the dock and moved towards the address noted on the message. He noticed that the others on the street he was walking gave a large berth to him and generally avoided eye contact. He could understand their fear, it wasn't enough that they were looking, likely at one of the biggest Krogan they had ever seen, but he also hadn't cleaned his armour properly and it looked like some Turian blood had stuck to it from his last job. Likely not the best impression to give to a Turian spectre but nothing could be done about it now; his quarters didn't lend themselves to ease of cleaning.

Finally he reached the apartment and saw a small Quarian guarding the door. He hoped that this wasn't all the crew that was coming because the Quarian didn't look like it could handle itself in a fight. A Salarian was in front of him, but that didn't really concern him. Roughly bumping into the small set alien he came to a halt in front of the Quarian, "I expect you're the door guard for this spectre, please tell me he's a little more impressive than the guards and quarters he's showed me so far."

 

[CounterAttack]

As Jira finished speaking to Salyna, a shadow crossed her helmet's mask, the salarian from earlier replaced by the towering hulk of a krogan. She looked up at his massive frame, curious, as he spoke roughly and bluntly.

"I expect you're the door guard for this Spectre. Please tell me he's a little more impressive than the guards and quarters he's showed me so far."

Both Recarius and the crew of the Chatani had taught Jira that krogan respected little more than strength. An open display of biotic power would put him in his place... Jira shot a glance at her omni-tool, still active and displaying the list of possible team members. Just below the entry for Kel'Vasra nar Tonbay was one marked

Brand Y'sella

. The associated images of the krogan face were identical to that which belonged to the monstrosity standing over Jira. This guy was on the list, not some hired thug sent to shake down the apartment in exchange for credits or some other form of bribe.

"Believe me when I say that Recarius Kallidan is both an impressive man, and one who is not easily impressed," she answered the krogan in an attempt to ease the tension that had been caused by Brand's arrival. Nonetheless, she turned her concentration to her own nervous system, and began to gather dark energy about herself for the second time that day. Should the krogan prove to be a hassle, Jira would show him just how impressive she was.

If anyone was paying close enough attention to Jira, they would notice the infinitesimally faint distortions in the air around her, natural byproducts of building up biotic power. Jira still judged herself a work in progress biotics-wise, and believed that in the future, she could build up the necessary strength faster than she could at the present time.

 

[tsatoma]

"You would be correct, though it is quite a lot to take in," Mya replied after Recarius had finished explaining everything, taking a second to collect her thoughts before continuing, "It sounds very serious, and I am honored you would even consider me. I haven't seen actual combat for awhile now though; mainly just dropping by at the shooting range every week. If you would still have me however than I shall accept the offer."

"Is there anything else I would need to know?" she asked him now, her face showing how delighted she was at the chance to do something productive again.

 

[socialtangent]

"I'm Jira'Kilaye nar Chatani"

The name Chatani was vaguely familiar. There were thousands of vessels in the Migrant Fleet, so their names sometimes blurred together in Kel's memory. It was going to bug him for a while, that was for sure. In any case it was nice to run into a fellow quarian in a place like this, especially one on their Pilgrimage. Perhaps there was a way they could help each other on their endeavors.

Before Kel could say anything else, the massive frame of a krogan moved his way past the salarian who had just shown up, and then past him. He wisely stepped aside to let the intimidating being through. It sounded like he was called to meet Recarius as well. That at least meant he wasn't going to kill any of them. Yet.

 

[blaze96]

"Hmm, a Quarian biotic. You are a very rare member of your race Jira'Kilaye. I almost thought Quarians like you were mere legends of a lost time. Guess you learn something new every day." Salyna replied with a hint of a smirk on her face.

If this is merely one member of the group I may just have to join out of the impossibility of it all.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

A scent of sweat, cheap booze, cigarettes, and unwashed human wafted up the hallway to the Spectre's apartment as Jonah approached. Looking back, he really couldn't remember how he got to Omega. He vaguely recalled that he'd managed to scrounge, beg, and barter together enough credits for a ship that would take him to an Alliance world near the Terminus Systems, and then managed to acquire transport to Omega, but he couldn't remember any of the details. By the look and smell of him, he spent the trip in a drunken haze, probably passed out on his bunk for much of it. Now he was here, though, and the booze in his flask was running low. It didn't serve as well as the drugs for dampening his powers, but it had a considerably less debilitating downtime.

"Spectre." He mumbled to himself.

Spectre was interested in him. Why? Did he care? Not particularly. It might get him out of the hole he'd been in on the Citadel. If not, could Omega really be any worse? He shrugged to himself. He settled against the wall, then stepped into the bathroom, emerging ten minutes later looking a little more presentable and sober. He stepped up to Jira.

"Yeh...this's the place the Spectre wun..wanted us to meet?" He internally kicked himself for the slurring. "I...am...Jonah." He said it slowly, trying to avoid stumbling over the words. "Jonah Castel. I got a message saying to meet him here."

He looked over his shoulder and flinched. "Can...can we get inside, please?"

 

[Lost In The Void]

It was almost cute to see the little Quarian mustering her biotic strength; almost like she would actually do something against him. It took a quad to stand up to him though, so there was that amount of respect he had to offer her, "Good," he said, "I was worried that since he was a Turian, he'd just send someone else to do his dirty work.

He didn't want to wait and he was just about to push through when he found something to fire his aggression out instead. A couple of Vorcha were sniffing out the place, the sick scavengers were annoying him.

He pulled out his shotgun and fired a slug just above one of the vorcha's heads and they immediately began to flee; he loved killing when they were fleeing, ultimate power showcase. He fired a second slug into the back of the closest vorcha. He then gathered up his biotic power and charged the vorcha, moving unnaturally for a Krogan due to the biotic charge. He felt the bones of the vorcha crushed as they collided and the instant corpse flew backwards into a pile. He allowed himself a cheap laugh.

 

[CounterAttack]

"I just need to rest assured that you'll be competent out in the field and won't hesitate to follow orders," Recarius answered. "As for what you may need to know... this mission will, of course, be undertaken by multiple species. You'll have met Jira at the door, and I've spent a fair bit of time looking through the best soldiers, technicians and biotics that the galaxy has to offer. In addition to your obvious combat training, your skill in repair and general maintenance will prove useful. I'll see that you get a good look at the weapons I have available in my ship's armoury."

"Other than that, I believe that's everything. Welcome to the team, Mya," the turian said warmly as he extended a hand to shake. It was somewhat weird, shaking hands with a race with more or less fingers than he himself possessed. Humans had such strange hands. Sometimes when Recarius was relaxed he caught himself wondering how they held their guns, or did, well, anything.

Once the handshake was concluded, Recarius pointed to the door to the lounge and explained its purpose as he had done for Akanth. "You'll find one of the other team members in there; feel free to socialise, and maybe grab a quick drink or two before we all head off," he added, tapping his omni-tool again to signal Jira to let in the next one.

[hr]

Jira flinched at the sight of Brand brutally crushing a group of vorcha who had stumbled across the apartment. As she did so, she lost her focus and the buildup of biotic energy surrounding her vanished instantly. She mentally swore, adding 'shock' to the list of things she kept that countered her biotic abilities. While Brand was distracted, the quarian turned her attention to Salyna, who had commented on her rare - for her race - power.

"Yes, so did I at one point. We are not really suited for it due to our biological nature, but quarian biotics can and do exist," she replied. "It has been difficult, learning to master this gift, but I feel myself getting stronger every day."

At that point the conversation was interrupted by another human introducing himself. He appeared to be swaying on his feet, even while standing still: the man was clearly intoxicated. Not for the first time, Jira thanked her ancestors for the sealed-unit respiratory filters built into all quarian enviro-suits.

"I...am...Jonah. Jonah Castel. I got a message saying to meet him here. Can...can we get inside, please?"

The man was acting strangely, another sign of intoxication in humans. Jira had never seen a paranoid drunk before, though; it confused her. She attempted to cover this by checking her omni-tool, which had beeped again. Another signal from Recarius. Jira quickly checked the list: most people were here, except for a couple. That salarian in the distance could be Morroth, but she wasn't sure.

"One moment, people, let me just check something," she said quickly, opening the door behind her and flitting through the soundproofing bubble. The interview with Ms Isaacs would have to be interrupted. "Erm, Recarius... there is a slight issue. About half a dozen of the people on your list are outside waiting... Brand Y'sella among them. He doesn't seem too happy with our set-up."

Recarius cursed in the turian language. He hadn't expected the krogan to show up so soon, much less six others. They would need to be kept occupied before things got out of hand. "No battle plan will ever be one hundred percent accurate," a familiar asari voice, strict in tone, echoed through his head. Once again Niyessa T'Saya, Recarius's old mentor, had been right. He had to act quickly to keep the future members of his team in a modicum of happiness.

"Bring them into the lounge... but be careful of them," he replied. "Make sure they don't use up all the booze in a few minutes. I do hope they'll remain sober for the interview and proper welcome." Granted, there were only a couple of bottles of alcohol, but one could never be too careful when such things mixed with strangers.

"Alright," was Jira's simple response as she ducked out of the apartment, returning to the group. "If I could have your attention, everyone? You can come inside for refreshments before and after your interview with Recarius," she announced in a somewhat loud voice to get the attention of the people down the hall. Hopefully the violent Brand would react favourably to this development.

 

[Captainguy42]

Akanth had watch the scene of Brand, Jira, and the Vorcha from a window. She finished her drink in a single gulp, went behind the counter and grabbed a jug of Ryncol. She managed to get outside right before the alcohol hit her stomach. "Well, casual slaughter of two Vorcha, that deserves a shot." She said as she motioned to the jug.

"Hey everyone! There's and open bar in there!" She announced before retreating indoors and began setting out all kinds of liquor and glasses. She finished and grabbed a shot of dextro-amino alcohol. She laughed as she remembered the words of her mentor: Best way to get a Krogan to like you? Ryncol. Best way to get any other race to like you? Booze. And took the shot.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Jonah nodded to her. "Th-thank you." He stepped inside and found a seat, grabbing a glass of water. Wouldn't do to be still tipsy when the job interview started. It'd be nice if he could force his Kill them blood-alcohol down with will. Then again, maybe One good poke, burst the Quarian's suit it was better that he couldn't.

 

[Captainguy42]

Akanth filled a glass with ice and human whiskey and handed it to him. "It's free booze, and you look like you could use something to clean your teeth." As she poured herself another shot she asked him a question: " So are you signing on with Recarius?" She held her glass up as she waited for Jonah to take his drink.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

He looked at the booze, but handed it back. "Sorry, booze dampens my biotic powers. If he wants me to make a demonstration, I need to be at my best." He continued downing glasses of water. "Besides, I cleaned my teeth last week. Yeah, I'm signing on. Don't have anything better to do." Wouldn't it be interesting to make her drink the whiskey and watch what happens? I hear the reaction is quite fascinating. Do it. Do it. Make the Turians pay for what they did. He flinched, looking over his shoulder. "Quiet." He whispered. "Be quiet. Stop talking."

 

[blaze96]

Salyna took advantage of the situation of being let in and entered into the interview area. She wasn't interested in socializing and drinking unless she was actually going to be sticking around. For now though she still wasn't sure she would, the pay had better be good. She walked into the room and sat down calmly in the chair. She would allow her interviewer to get the first word in when he was ready.

 

[tsatoma]

"No need to worry about me sir. I have no qualms with working with different species; I truthfully look forward to it. There is a lot you can learn from others," Mya replied after shaking his hand, being careful not to put on to much pressure. She nodded when he pointed at the lounge door; simply bidding him a farewell after hearing Jira ask him a question before heading through the door.

She found another human sitting down at a table with the Turian who had entered for an interview before her. "Hello to the both of you," Mya greeted them as she put on her cap and took a seat, eying the numerous bottles and glasses before her. "You know this doesn't seem like quite enough alcohol if there are going to be more joining us. Looks like it's barely enough for me," she joked, picking up and turning a few of the glasses in her gloved hands.

 

[Captainguy42]

"Suit yourself," Akanth took the whiskey and began drinking it herself. Luckily she was one of the Turian's who didn't suffer any allergic reaction from levo-amino proteins. So she could enjoy human and drinks food but wouldn't absorb any nutrients. She took Jonah's flinching as a sign that it would be best to leave this human alone for now. She turned her attention to the female human.

" I'm Akanth, Recarius told me to help myself, so as far as I care that's an invitation to clean him out." She went into the cabinet and began removing more bottles and putting them on the table.

 

[tsatoma]

"I say we do it then," Mya replied to Akanth with a grin as she poured herself a drink, knocking it back and pouring another. This time she savored the taste, taking a look at the bottle once she was done with her second drink. "Not the best I've ever had, but still pretty good. I shouldn't complain though since it's free. My name is Mya by the way," she added, placing the bottle down and taking a look at another.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Morroth had been pushed aside by a Krogan, who also seemed to be here to see the spectre. He wasn't surprised, it was how they were. A species of brutes. He was more surprised when the krogan used it biotic powers, that was more rare. He watched the krogan kill Vorcha. A display of power, though not really neccessary either. A human that didn't seem to stable on his feet made its way inside.

Morroth heard the Quarian announce that they could come inside and be interviewed by who must be the spectre. He hadn't introduced himself yet though. He could walk away now or step up to introduce himself. He wasn't the only one who had gotten the message, which could mean that they needed help.

He stepped up to the quarian at the door.

"Name Onak Morroth. Message recieved. Spectre seeking me."

He blinked, while trying to keep his attention on the two quarians and the krogan. He had his gun in its holster, but didn't touch it.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Brand laughed at the Turian offering him Ryncol, "You know, they say something in my home, that a Turian offering alcohol has only his own intentions at heart," he stared down the Turina before breaking into a deep laughter, "Luckily its an old saying."

Taking the jug, he pushed through the Quarian and joined them all at the lounge and waited for the Turian to look at the twitchy human before casually sniffing the Ryncol. He then took a long draught from the jug and let the strong alcohol pass through his system. The surroundings were all modest and more importantly, they were clean. That was more than Brand could say for most houses on Omega.

As he sat and slowly drank; he watched a human come out of the interviewing room. She hit the alcohol pretty hard; he wondered how long the little thing could stay on her feet. He had to laugh at the turian constantly grabbing more bottles from the pantry, it seemed that this Spectre had more booze than he thought, "Careful human," he rumbled, "Turian seems to be feeding you a lot of drinks, wouldn't want anything bad to happen on account of that; Turians are slippery after all."