<span style="color: Cyan">You will lower your weapons!</span>The security officer shouted at the group.<span style="color: Cyan">Illium Security will be here in a matter of moments, lower your weapons or you will be killed!</span><br/><br/>The officer looked to her lone colleague for support, but the security officer was trembling, and her eyes were dodging about the scene. She was scared and confused, and the officer before Firas knew that she would be unable to do anything if the conflict escalated.<br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">Both of you shut up!</span>Cantenelli roared, turning his eyes on Ashana and Darion. The Human was angry, and the fire in his blue eyes caught Ashana off guard. He looked more angry at them than at the security officers.<br/><br/>The Kodiak shuttle in the distance was gaining rapidly, and the loud whine of its engines was slowly gaining volume. Cantenelli didn't flinch, but Ashana took the briefest moment to glance over her shoulder at the approaching craft.<br/><br/><span style="color: Cyan">Sir, I will not tell you again!</span>The officer shouted and took a bold step forward.<span style="color: Cyan">Put your weapons down!</span><br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">Officer, I <i>will kill you</i>.</span>Cantenelli spoke and turned his ice cold stare on the officer.<span style="color: Blue">If you give me no other option then I will kill you. I understand your position, but everyone on this pad - <i>everyone</i> - is coming with me in that shuttle. If you attempt to impede us in any way, you will die.</span><br/><br/>Beads of sweat began forming on the officer's forehead as she stared down the Human. He was terrifyingly serious, and while she felt a cold chill on her skin, he stood like a piece of forged steel ready to strike. She had a duty to help people, though. She had a duty. She had to stop them, she had to take the Quarian to a hospital, she had to question the Salarian. She was -<br/><br/>She felt her arm twist painfully and a solid, blunt object hit her in the side of the face. The next moment, the pistol in her hands was gone and she was on the ground. She blinked and looked up to see the Turian standing over her with her gun in his claw.<br/><br/>Cantenelli looked at Firas for a moment. The Turian, being so close to the woman had taken advantage of her hesitance, and wisely so. The officer was disarmed and incapacitated and her partner, who had turned to point her gun at the Turian looked panicked and afraid. Her hands were shaking and tears were forming in her eyes as she backed away one shaking step at a time.<br/><br/>A blue shroud suddenly appeared at the woman's hands and she shouted as her gun was ripped form her fingers and a sudden gravitational shift knocked her backwards. The biotic envelope around Ashana flared a second time and the lost pistol popped off the ground with a blue flash and flew into her hands.<br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">Alright! We are taking your weapons!</span>Cantenelli had to shout. The roar of the shuttles engines and the rush of air around them as it arrived and began descending on the platform was near deafening, and Ashana had to shift her stance against the rush of air.<br/><br/>The shuttle landed and the side door lifted open. Dr. Beruut walked to the edge of the door, a medical kit in his hands, but stopped when he saw the scene in front of him. The number of guns and the two incapacitated security officers kept him firmly inside the shuttle's door.<br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">Get him in the shuttle!</span>Cantenelli shouted to Ashana. The Asari quickly tossed the pistol from the security officer to Rajarr, who looked busy moving gear from the skycar to the shuttle, then tried to lift Sorv. She staggered slightly as she felt his weight. He was heavier than the woman expected.<br/><br/><span style="color: Purple">Firas!</span>She shouted for help.<br/><br/>The two moved the Quarian onto the shuttle, and Darion quickly followed with the once again unconscious Salarian and the shuttle was loaded. The moment Sorv was inside the Doctor was on him. He told Firas and Ashana to put him on a flat extended slab then shooed them away so that he could examine the man.<br/><br/>Cantenelli  was the last one on board. He moved backwards towards the shuttle slowly, keeping his weapon trained on the officers in case either of them decided to try and be a hero. Neither did, fortunately. One trembled, while the other just laid on the ground, glaring at him in silent resignation. When the Human finally hopped in he lowered his pistol and activated his omni-tool.<br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">Mickey, we're loaded, get us back to the ship immediately. Illium security is hot on our ass.</span>He ordered. A short<span style="color: Cyan">Roger.</span>sounded in the shuttle and the crew jolted as the vehicle ascended rapidly and began its return. Beruut planted his hands on Sorv to kep him from sliding off the table while the shuttle's g-forces shifted.<br/><br/>Once the shuttle was in steady flight the doctor stuck a key above the slab and a light turned on over Sorv. Ashana tried to get close to see what the Doctor was doing, but he felt his hand suddenly pushed back against her, awkwardly pressing her breasts as the Salarian swung his hand to get her away.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">Please! Stay back! This is a delicate matter!</span>He shouted at her in an act of aggression she hadn't expected from the Doctor.<br/><br/>Ashana walked back, though she didn't have anywhere to really go. The shuttle was heavily crowded as it was. The mirroring benches that were perpendicular to the window opposite the door could seat six, but they were occupied. The Salarian that had been in the car with the others lay on the ground between the seats, and it looked like the new Human and Rajarr were guarding him quite well.<br/><br/>Cantenelli reached up and grabbed a small bar that was in a small inlet on the ceiling to keep himself stable while he too observed the two newcomers. He glanced briefly at Ashana and Firas to gauge their reaction. After a moment, Ashana spoke.<br/><br/><span style="color: Purple">Who are you?</span>She asked the Human. When he tried to elaborate she simply held her hand up to indicate that she didn't want to hear it. She stared at the Salarian then. Her sullen stare and pursed lips were all the words she needed.<br/><br/><span style="color: Purple">Rajarr, why didn't you contact us?</span>She then asked, again desiring only a short answer.<br/><br/>Cantenelli watched the Woman's face as she spoke. Whatever charm and elegance she may have had before was gone entirely. She was real, in that shuttle and in that moment. She didn't have any defense mechanisms left or facades to wear.<br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">From the beginning. What happened?</span>Cantenelli asked the two, calmly and without strain.<br/><br/>They all listened, letting the events play out verbally before them. In the corner of the shuttle, Beruut stuck a syringe in Sorv's wound and emptied its contents. All about his exposed, bloody flesh and torn suit, white gooey puss seeped out. Inside, the suit fought to contain the torrential onslaught of microbial invaders. It sealed sections to prevent surface infections from spreading, and lowered its temperature to keep Sorv's temperature from raising beyond control.<br/><br/>The Doctor stared at the limited set of supplies he had and clenched his jaw. The Quarian was fading very quickly, and his suit hadn't seen many upgrades in recent years. The environment that he had been in wasn't clean, and the presence of alcohol had impaired what little ability he had to combat the infection. He looked up at the steady screen of medical readouts and whispered under his breathe.<span style="color: YellowGreen">Come on Mickey... come on.</span><br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/><span style="color: Navy">Shira? No. If Shira was hurt we'd just take the whole ship over and blow up the bastards tat hurt her. It might be that Quarian that's with the new people. We lost sight of him shortly after they split up.</span>Airea said as she stared at the closed the elevator door. A moment later she replayed what she said and looked over at Kala. Telling the Human that there even was new crew was likely not a good idea.<br/><br/><span style="color: Navy">No, lets just get to work.</span><br/><br/>The two left the ship in short order and were met by a repair crew that had been hired from the docks. The repair work was slow. Removing the ship's exterior hull panels along the previously damaged hull sections required five or six workers on heavy equipment being directed by Airea. A second crew with Kala on it was directed to the engine cells where they began disassembling them. As they began exposing the internal component work, Kala got her first glimpse at the Acheron's legs.<br/><br/>Despite what Airea had touted about experimental technology, the engine cells were fairly standard. While certainly on the very high end of the current era of technology, the cells only noticeable difference was simply in their load capacity. They looked like they had the option to run well above safe specifications while ordinary cells had equipments meant to regulate their operation.<br/><br/>Not long after the first cell casing was safely removed, a Kodiak shuttle came into view. The Acheron's hull opened and the shuttle descended. The moment the shuttle cleared the breach, the hull resealed. Airea watched the shuttle land, temporarily pausing in her instruction giving beside Kala until the hull resealed. She kept quite for a moment longer before speaking up again to continue ordering the repairs.<br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>The Kodiak's descent halted. The moment the shuttle's door was open everyone was moving. Firas carried Sorv's limp frame while Ashana and Cantenelli followed behind. The Doctor ran across the bay ahead of them and called the elevator. The moment the door opened, the Doctor, Ashana, and Firas with Sorv got in. Cantenelli stopped short and sent the elevator down to the Crew Quarters.<br/><br/>When the elevator opened again, the group exited and scrambled to the medical bay.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">Over there!</span>The doctor shouted and pointed at one of the infirmary beds.<br/><br/>As Sorv was set down the Doctor opened a container on the infirmary wall containing an oxygen mask and re-breather kit. He attached the kit to his  uniform and as he placed the mask on his face he yelled<span style="color: YellowGreen">Both of you, out, now!</span><br/><br/>Ashana was confused but quickly did as she was told and exited the infirmary. The last time she had been in there she had been trying to keep a Krogan from tearing her in half. She looked through the window that she had been tossed through what couldn't have been more than a day ago.<br/><br/>The moment the two were clear, the Doctor hit an emergency switch on the wall and the bay door sealed. Ports in the ceiling opened and a sprayed a sudden torrent of foggy white gas into the infirmary until nothing but an alabaster cloud could be seen through the window.<br/><br/><span style="color: Purple">What's he doing?</span>Ashana asked and put her hands on the glass of the window.<br/><br/>The sound of the elevator opening again redirected her attention for a moment. Cantenelli lead Rajarr and Darion who carried the Salarian to the port side Observation Deck. Cantenelli entered and sealed the external shutter that looked out over the repair yard then disabled the lights, bathing the room in complete darkness save the light flooding in from the hall. They exited, leaving the Salarian unconscious and on the floor, then sealed the door as well. Cantenelli locked it.<br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">Mickey, get a security feed up for port side Observation. We have a guest I'd like to keep an eye on.</span>The Captain ordered.<br/><br/>He motioned for Rajarr and Darion to follow then took a seat at the table  in the center of the Crew Quarters. Cantenelli sat in silence for a time before Ashana walked away from the window and joined them.<br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Sorv's vision was blurry finally woke up. The Quarian could only see a heavy white fog like haze around him, but he at least knew he was on his back. His face stung and tingled. A few moments later a Salarian appeared beside him, looking down. The Salarian had a breathing mask on his face and a data pad on his left hand, and an omni-tool on his right.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">Ah, your awake. Good. You had me concerned more than a few times.</span>The Salarian smiled and continued tapping away at his data-pad.<br/><br/>Sorv's nostrils filled with an alien smell, something strange that his suit should have been filtering out. And it was cold. As sorv's vision began clearing, he realized he was no longer wearing his mask. To the Quarian's right, on a medical table littered with other instruments, he mask layed face down.<br/><br/>No matter his reaction, though, he couldn't move. His body felt paralyzed, and the small movement he could manage in his fingers was sluggish. But at least he felt no pain.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">You've been unconscious for nearly three hours. I am Doctor Beruut of the independent frigate Acheron, and you're in the ship's medical bay. No need to introduce yourself Sorv, I already know a great deal about you. You're lucky to be alive. Your wound was quite deep and if you had gotten to me any later, I fear that the infections that were taking root would have become irremovable.</span>The Salarian set the data-pad down somewhere out of sight.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">The low visibility is necessary, you understand. Its a sterilizing gas that I developed a number of months ago for quickly cleaning an environment. Its toxic to inhale, for obvious reasons.</span>The Salarian moved his omni-tooled hand over Sorv's body, typing away on it as he went. Again, Sorv's visor read alterations being made to the suit.<span style="color: YellowGreen">Well, its toxic to us, at least. It contains a bio-engineered bacteria that attacks most all anti-bodies and pathogens. For most all species, that means its dangerous. But not to you, is it?</span>The doctor smiled.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">Quarian physiology and biology are a unique interest of mine. Your immune system is absolutely fascinating. When our bodies are infected, they react and attack. When yours is infected, it tries to co-exist and adapt. The same occurs with the bacteria in the air. When you inhale it, your body doesn't produce mico-bodies to address and attack it, it tries to form a symbiosis with it. By result, what is a danger to us becomes a benefit to you. Right now you have an foreign immune system working in your blood stream.</span>The Salarian grinned broadly.<span style="color: YellowGreen">It's absolutely fascinating, isn't it?</span><br/><br/>The Doctor noticed small movements from Sorv and put his hand on the Quarian's chest.<span style="color: YellowGreen">You're alright. You're currently dosed with a powerful sedative and tranquilizer to keep you from reacting to treatment, or even worse, having a seizure.</span>The Doctor disappeared into the fog for a moment then returned with a syringe. He inserted it gently into Sorv's neck and pressed the plunger in.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">This is going to weaken the sedative significantly. You'll be able to speak and move, but you're also going to feel the pain from the bullet wound. It will be dulled, significantly, but until I see to your suit, you're going to be staying here. Don't worry, I have a great deal of experience with Quarian injuries and your suits.</span><br/><br/>Sorv's head began clearing rapidly, the effect of the counter-sedative setting in in a matter of seconds. Before long he could feel the pain in his stomach, though it was little more than a bad ache. Any movement of his head caused a sudden dizziness until he relaxed again.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">How do you feel?</span><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>