Mass Effect: Coalition -- { Started, Closed }

[CounterAttack]

Recarius watched as most of the potential team barged through the apartment to the lounge. Brand in particular had rumbled through like a walking tank, based on the noise he was making. Thankfully the mention of alcohol had quietened him down and hopefully prevented any angry rampages. Recarius would hate to lose a team member or two before even beginning the mission.

The krogan dealt with for the moment, he turned his attention to the bluish-purple asari who had taken a seat opposite him. Evidently she was waiting for him to speak first; a diplomatic move. "Salyna Thantius, I presume. Asari bounty hunter, ex-commando. There are a lot of commendations on your record; over a hundred years of service. An interesting choice of career for someone of your age." The ethereal asari lived for a thousand years; many who were considered young by their standards had already outlived the races with shorter lifespans.

"I daresay you'll have seen your fair share of combat, so that's already taken care of," Recarius continued. "I need people like you on my team; well-trained, adaptable fighters. You'll be well-armed and well-supplied throughout the mission. The pay is good, most likely more than you'll have seen from your previous jobs. And there's a reason for that: this mission will be dangerous." With that he delved into the information he had already given Akanth and Mya.

"To sum up: we don't know what's killing the Spectres, given the methodical way they are doing so. But I will put a stop to them, whoever they may be," he finished, treating the briefing as if it were a sales pitch. Hopefully he would have hooked the asari, or at least intrigued her with the details of his mission.

[hr]

Jira watched the others pass through into the apartment, stepping aside for Brand due to both his bulk and his temperament. He could easily break something just by pushing her aside: Jira was a featherweight by comparison. The krogan would have to be watched carefully once he was on the Steadfast.

The quarian's musing was interrupted by the salarian from earlier; the one who had hung back. He was wearing black and white armour, which looked somewhat lightweight. It looked fitting for a salarian operative, though Jira couldn't really judge that. She had only seen a couple of members of the salarian STG, and even then only in passing.

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

"Onak Morroth... Ah, here you are," Jira confirmed upon finding his name and picture on her short list. "Come on in, I'll show you where the others are waiting before their interviews. Recarius will talk with you one-on-one before we go."

She led the salarian inside, the two of them skirting around the edges of the soundproofing bubble so as not to intrude on Recarius's interview with... Salyna, it looked like. Once the door to the lounge was open, Jira ushered Morroth inside before entering herself. It seemed that Recarius's team had quickly gotten into his limited stock of alcohol in its various types. Amused slightly by this, she took a seat near the door to the interviewing room. Being a quarian, she couldn't partake of any drinks herself. Rather, she would wait until later to eat something: Recarius had a small supply of purified dextro-amino food. It was dwindling a little... maybe they could get some more sometime.

 

[blaze96]

"Well your cause is most certainly worthy of help. Not to mention when a spectre says the pay is good, it isn't that hard to believe them. As for my expertise, it was a natural fit given my skills. The commandos taught me how to fight and fight well, really the options were to stay in the service, join a gang, be a bounty hunter, or become a Justicar. I think I made the right decision ultimately. Especially since I can pick who I work for. Though being a Justicar was a very close second. For now though I'm willing to sign on with this mission." Salyna said before extending her hand. She made a mental note that if this man turned out to be one of the spectres that like to abuse their status, she would have to either terminate the contract or try to kill him depending on what he had done.

She saw no need to tell him that just yet though. Sometimes certain things were just better left unsaid, if only so it was easier to drive the knife into their back. Besides, she doubted it would even be an issue, he didn't strike Salyna as one for abuse of power.

 

[tsatoma]

"I am pouring myself the drinks, she was just kind enough to get the bottles out for me," Mya replied to Brand after taking a drink from her glass, watching as he started draining a jug of Rycnol. "Besides if anything bad were to happen I can deal with it; it wouldn't be the first time," she added after pouring herself another glass, emptying her first bottle in the process. Time on the Citadel had made her much more calm around other species than back when she was in the military, something which was very useful for her due to her old job on the Citadel.

'You never knew who or what would come in wanting something fixed...usually after they caused the damage themselves,' she thought as she sipped her drink, looking at everyone at the table. It was certainly a unique group, though she figured that perhaps some would decline the offer that Recarius made. 'Then again you never know. Might just be that I will be working with everyone sitting here now.'

 

[socialtangent]

Kel silently entered the apartment, taking a seat a decent distance from the others and with his back facing a corner. It was a habit he learned very quickly during his time on Omega. No drinks were offered to him, but it didn't matter. Most of the liquor was likely toxic to his dextro-based system. And in any case, he didn't want a drink; Kel preferred to keep his mind clear. With a cautious eye he scanned the room and the unlikely group of people assembled in it. A krogan, two humans, a salarian, and a turian. There was no way any of them would be in the same room together under normal circumstances.

Well, this will be interesting, he thought.

 

[CounterAttack]

"All right. It'll be good to have you on the team, Salyna," Recarius answered, accepting the handshake with a nod. An asari who had come close to becoming a Justicar was a powerful ally solely based on the prerequisites for the role; Niyessa had once mentioned that most if not all Justicars were well-trained soldiers, amazingly powerful biotics and independent intelligence all rolled into a single deadly woman.

As such, Salyna was perfect to have on Recarius's side. If she was close to becoming a Justicar at her young age, she evidently had a high regard for morals and the difference between right and wrong. She might not agree with his decisions in some cases, but that was to be expected; everyone had their own way of dealing with things.

The turian and the asari stood simultaneously, and Recarius gestured to the door leading to the lounge. "Everyone else will be in the lounge, so you're welcome to join them. I'll bring in the next applicant. This'll be over soon, so you won't have long to wait," he said as he opened the door to the lounge, casting a well-practiced eye over the drinking team members and picking out the ones he hadn't seen yet.

"You there, you're next up. Come on through," he said to the human male he recognised as Jonah Castel, beckoning to him as he did so. Without waiting to see if Jonah would respond, Recarius turned and headed back to his couch, one hand unconsciously checking the butt of his pistol as he sat down.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"Not exactly going in f-first come f-first serve order, huh." Jonah nodded and got to his feet, picking a lump of lint or...something off of his shirt and dropping it to the ground. He followed Recarius into the next room and took a seat on the couch opposite Recarius and stared at him for a moment, then leaned over the table with his hand extended to shake.

"Good...evening." Evening? Is it evening? Thought it was morning. Maybe mid-afternoon. Or night? Is it past night? I think it's past night. Midnight maybe. Before dawn? After dusk? What time is it? "Evening. Spectre. I'm Jonah Cast-" He coughed. "Castel. Jonah Castel. Former Cadet in the Systems Alliance. It's a gr-great honor to be considered for a Spectre's team."

The stammer was back. Damn unreliable implant. He reached back and fiddled with the amp protruding from the base of his skull. His facial muscles twitched a bit, then settled. "Sorry about that, L-2 Implants have certain side-effects. Mine are...unpredictable."

Squeeze his skull. Pop it like a grape.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Heavy emphasis on the former, by the look of you... no offence meant, of course," Recarius commented, having accepted the handshake. The man smelled of the streets, but he had a firm handshake: a good sign. "Please, call me Recarius, Jonah."

At the facial twitches and mention of implants, the turian recalled that Jonah had been selected for his biotic abilities. Alone, he had wiped out an entire geth assault squad during the Battle of the Citadel. Recarius hadn't been on the Citadel at the time; he had been liberating a small human colony from batarian raiders in the Traverse.

"We can probably treat some of those side effects on my ship. Keep them under control while still maintaining your biotic abilities," he answered. "But we can discuss those later if you want. I'll tell you what I know about my mission." Again, Recarius repeated the basics of his assignment: how the Spectres were being killed off or reported missing; the need to operate with a team since the dead were working solo; the obviously multi-species team; and how people such as Jonah had skills that he did not. He added a few notes from his file on Jonah, complimenting his biotic talent, and mentioned the high wages as an incentive. Such a thing could work on an unemployed biotic.

"This will be a dangerous mission, but we will find the reason for the deaths of the Spectres and put a stop to it," he concluded. The entire briefing had taken a few minutes. "Is there anything else you want to know, or will you make your decision now?"

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"For years now I've lived on the streets of the Wards, eating castoffs and scraps to survive. The chance to do something worthwhile with my life is more than enough incentive for me. Plus, I could use a shower." He chuckled. Everything in his mind went quiet for once, like seeing a shot at escape had actually brought him some peace, if only a momentary respite. "It will be an honor to serve the Alliance and the Council at your side, Spectre Recarius. I think you've told me enough. If there's anything else crucial, I'm sure you'll inform me before we go into battle."

 

[CounterAttack]

"Of course. I wouldn't lead my team into a situation without everyone knowing the cards on the table. Welcome to the team, Jonah," Recarius answered with a light chuckle, shaking the human's hand once again. The two stood moments later, Recarius leading the way back to the lounge.

Recarius was of the belief that Jonah's biotic strength would prove a valuable asset... once he had cleaned himself up a bit and paid a visit to the doctor aboard the Steadfast. Doctor Ludovic Jitaxia, colloquially referred to as 'Bones' by the humans in Recarius's crew, used to be a battlefield medic in the human Systems Alliance. He had left after failing to save one patient too many, and had worked on various planets and space stations over the years until Recarius picked him up.

Jonah could be an interesting case for Jitaxia: one of the older human biotics, who suffered as a result of his bio-amp. The doc probably had something to keep his problems under control. Recarius mulled these thoughts over before scanning the lounge once again. Three people had yet to go through his little interview-slash-briefing.

"Brand, you're next," he said to the krogan, who looked like he was already halfway through Recarius's small supply of ryncol. Not wishing to wait for the krogan to move in response to his message, he simply turned and made his way back to his couch. Again, one hand went to the Carnifex in its place on his hip... not that it would do much against a krogan. The turian's omni-tool might serve him better if it came to a fight.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Brand stretched and stood up, feeling the stiffened joints pop in his back. They were taking too long and he was getting bored with just drinking. He set his ryncol back on the counter and mutteredm "Don't touch," almost as a small joke to those around him. He moved towards the interviewing room, ducking underneath the lower doorframe.

He saw the turian's hand slightly touching his pistol and laughed, "Don't worry Spectre, I'm not here to kill you; no offers on it yet," his deep booming laugh echoed the chambers, "Nah I'm just here to listen to your little offer to travel with you."

He set his large shotgun barrel down on the floor and sat down, hand still on the Shotgun's trigger, "So; just what are you offering me Spectre?"

 

[CounterAttack]

Recarius almost flinched at the sight of Brand's weapon, but quickly quashed his nerves. By his way of thinking, Brand might be a krogan Battlemaster, but when it came down to the basics he was just a krogan like any other. The turian briefly recalled a time when he had shot one such being through both eye sockets and it had kept coming at him... they had incredible toughness, and the anatomy to back it up. It was surprising how much a single krogan could take before dropping dead.

Krogan respected strength, and open displays thereof. With that in mind, Recarius began to answer Brand.

"I'm offering you paid employment, and giving you a fair bit of that which you enjoy the most in life: fighting," he began, trying to appeal to the Battlemaster's violent side. "I think it's safe to say you probably aren't interested in the reason behind it, or when and where it takes place. My enemies die, and you get to kill them. It's a win-win situation, even more so for you because you're getting paid to do it." Hopefully those incentives would work. It's all a matter of knowing their interests, he thought.

"If, however, you're interested in the details, it's a Citadel mission: I'm no rogue," Recarius added. He would never turn from his loyalty to the Council, and anyone who thought otherwise would learn the truth from the barrel of a gun. Recarius had decency in addition to his strong sense of honour and duty. "I've been tasked with investigating the deaths of other Spectres."

[hr]

Jira continued to observe the activity in the lounge, a little amused by the alcohol-fueled conversation. She crossed the lounge to where the other quarian, Kel'Vasra nar Tonbay, was seated, and took a seat close by. She liked catching up with others of her race: hearing their stories, learning about their lives on the flotilla which could have been different to hers, and sharing tales of her own.

"Hi," Jira said as she sat down near Kel. "Excited to be working with us?" she asked to get the conversation started. She wasn't about to bombard him with questions straight off the bat: since they had only just met, she wanted to get to know her future team-mate a little better before they began to discuss things like their Pilgrimages and their homes on the flotilla.

It had been a long time since Jira had seen a quarian ship. Not for the first time, she momentarily wanted to go home, to return to the Chatani or one of the countless others in the fleet. But she knew she couldn't. Not yet.

 

[Lost In The Void]

"Huh, shame about the rules we're going to have to run by, but you did mention my favourite sport. It might be worth tagging along to see what kinda force is murdering spectres, I know from personal experience, they aren't the kind of people to just keel over and die. Seems like it could be fun."

Brand stood up, towering over the other being, "You've got yourself a deal spectre; I like killing and I like money so it looks like you managed to sell me a job without wetting yourself. That's more than most contractors I work for can say."

Brand stuck out one of his hands to shake the Turian's hand, "For the record though, this doesn't mean that I'm gonna start liking you Turian shits though."

 

[socialtangent]

"Well, I like the offer, but the Spectre hasn't hired me just yet," Kel replied to Jira. "I would like to get off this rock though. Your boss's information is extensive, so you probably already know my predicament". He paused for a moment. "So, you're on your Pilgrimage, too? How did you end up in the company of a Spectre?" It was interesting that a quarian was assisting a Spectre. Not unheard of, of course. Tali'Zorah vas Neema valiantly fought alongside Commander Shepard in many missions around the galaxy, including the Battle of the Citadel.

 

[CounterAttack]

Recarius got to his feet and accepted the handshake, wincing slightly at the crushing grip Brand used. The krogan could easily break a human hand, he speculated; given his violent nature and the ease with which he used his strength, he had probably broken a lot more than hands in his time.

"I don't expect you to, just as long as you listen to my orders and shoot straight. You may not like me or my kind, but I don't want to have to deal with racial conflicts on my team," he answered, ignoring the insult to his race. Recarius guessed that Brand liked getting reactions to such things: he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of one. There were bigger fish to fry than racial squabbles.

"We won't be spending much more time here: I just have to take care of two others and we'll be away," he added, leading the way back to the lounge and standing aside for Brand to lumber through before he did himself. "Just, ah, don't drink all of my supply of alcohol too quickly," he noted quietly, hoping the krogan would pay heed to his words. A turian buying ryncol, a drink meant for krogan systems, was always looked at as an oddity, one that sometimes meant further questions on the vendor's part.

It looked like Jira had struck up a conversation with the other quarian, Kel, so Recarius looked to the salarian for the next interview. Morroth, the ex-STG information broker. "Morroth, is it? Let's go. This won't take too long," he said to the salarian before retreating from the lounge.

[hr]

"That was an... interesting day to say the least," Jira answered Kel's question, recalling Salyna asking about the same subject. "I was on Illium, picking through an old building for credits or something I could take back to the flotilla, and he just showed up out of nowhere, claiming to have taken out some mercenaries looking to ambush me. It was almost impossible to believe, until he got a confession out of a prisoner. I swear, those Blue Suns bosh'tets are everywhere these days," she added, remembering the three she had disposed of before people started arriving.

"Anyway. We've spent three years working together since then, and unless I find something to complete my Pilgrimage, I don't think I'll be going anywhere else," Jira finished, remembering some of the things she had passed up. There had been intriguing discoveries on many planets, including the Citadel, but Jira had felt that none of them were good enough to take back to the Fleet. Whatever it was, it had to have value to the quarian people in practical use more than aesthetic appeal, she had been taught.

"What about you? How has the galaxy treated you?" Jira asked, curious to hear any stories Kel wished to tell. So much for not wanting to ask just yet, she reprimanded herself. Though... maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to ask about the Pilgrimage despite having just met. Jira didn't know for sure.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Morroth was approached by a Turian, which must be the spectre.

"Morroth, is it? Let's go. This won't take too long,"

He followed the turian as it went back to the other room. He took a seat in a chair. He thought about why he had been called here, who the others were and what they wanted with him. He turned to the turian as he sat down.

"Got your message. Haven't been called to secret meeting with Spectre before. Wondering, why?"

Morroth knew about spectres, though none of them had taken interest in him personally before, not that he could recall.

 

[CounterAttack]

"I feel that your skills as an information broker will be put to good use under my command," Recarius answered. "Granted, I have contact with a few brokers myself, but with the right equipment you can continue your job aboard my ship, in addition to helping me with some of my own requests. Should the need for stealth arise, you will also be a valuable asset to the team: I read in your file that you were trained as an STG operative, focusing on infiltration."

Over the next few minutes the Spectre went over the details of his mission for the sixth time. He didn't mind doing so; it gave him the opportunity to practice his speech and ensure that the message, while simple, was as clear to Morroth as it had been to any of the others before him. The mission seemed simple enough: it was all a matter of knowing where to look, though, and Recarius had no leads at the present time. As he finished going over the basics of the mission, he resolved to check with his contacts to see if anyone had come up with something useful.

"So that's it in a nutshell. Find out what is causing the deaths of the Spectres and put a stop to it," he concluded. "Do you have any questions before making your decision on whether to join me or not?"

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Morroth listened intently to what the turian had to tell him. It turned out he did want his help. He had made the decision to join the spectre, before he had finished talking. It was his opportunity to get off Omega and at the moment he didn't want anything more. He would also get a chance to use his skills, under the command of a spectre.

"So that's it in a nutshell. Find out what is causing the deaths of the Spectres and put a stop to it," he concluded. "Do you have any questions before making your decision on whether to join me or not?"

Morroth thought about it, but shook his head when he couldn't think of anything, right now. He'd rather they left as soon as possible than him delaying them with questions.

"Been meaning to leave Omega for some time. Not the type of place for living. Too much dying." He paused and stretched out his hand, for the spectre to shake it. "Working with spectre, noble cause. Wouldn't say no."

 

[CounterAttack]

Recarius accepted the handshake with what the turian equivalent of a smile, the two standing moments later. "Alright. Good to have you on the team." In truth, he was somewhat unsure about how much Morroth's talents would be put to use. Maybe the salarian would dig up leads for him to follow: Recarius didn't have anyone specific who gave him trails to chase down. The Council was his boss, and they left it up to the Spectres to determine the paths they should take rather than giving them specific instructions.

Still, Recarius was not without his means and methods. And since Morroth had joined up, he would become another of the now five information brokers the Spectre had contact with.

"We'll be off in about ten, fifteen minutes at most," he informed the salarian as they returned to the lounge. The quarian talking with Jira, Kel, was the last one left. Recarius walked over to interrupt their conversation.

"Sorry to both of you, but you're the last one left," he said more to Kel than Jira. "Once I go through your briefing, Kel, we're off this forsaken rock and on our way."

Jira turned back to Kel with a half-hearted shrug. "I guess you shouldn't keep the boss waiting," she said with a short laugh and a glimpse at Recarius, who hadn't reacted to her calling him 'boss'. "Still, lucky last. Keelah se'lai," she added. Her first impression of Kel was that he seemed to be a smart one; the file Recarius had on him, which she had seen along with all the others, confirmed that. According to his source, Kel had taken out upwards of thirty soldiers alone: it was probably an over-exaggeration, though, since he would have to be damned good with a gun to be able to conserve enough heat in thermal clips to take out thirty men with a single weapon.

Whether hyperbole or not, the female quarian was impressed by Kel's talents. As Kel and Recarius headed back out to the other room, Jira began to relax a little and observe the other members of the team.

 

[socialtangent]

"What about you? How has the galaxy treated you?"

"Well, it's a long story..." Kel started, but he immediately stopped when a turian entered the room and requested his presence. This had to be Recarius. Time to see what he had to say. "Of course. As you know, I'm definitely in a hurry to get out of here as well," he said to his future employer as he stood up and followed him into the next room. He stepped inside and took a seat, waiting for him to speak.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Well... Kel'Vanra nar Tonbay, to use your full name, you've certainly caused quite a stir here on Omega, according to this source file," Recarius began. "Ordinarily you're an engineer... and a damned good one." His source, one of the four information brokers at his disposal at the time, had listed hacking and repairing most conventional electronic devices as his major skills.

"Says here you met someone named Archangel... on his bad side, apparently. Having never met the man myself, I can only assume that's not a good position to be in. You escaped, though, and spent a few days in hiding... until you were attacked. Tell me, how many did you kill that day? I don't think the numbers I have are accurate. Thirty against one is a bit much, even for a Spectre."

The words were spoken in a light, almost disbelieving tone. It was a little surprising to Recarius that the skinny quarian with the worn-out enviro-suit sitting in front of him had survived a 'last stand'-type encounter with a large group of mercenaries. Still, looks could be deceiving, especially when it came to the one other dextro-protein race that galaxy had to offer. Jira had certainly proven that to Recarius, being a biotic and all. Perhaps Kel's talents would turn out to surprise him even more than he already had, he mused.