Ashana looked down at the hand extended to her, then back up at the Asari. She studied the Asari's face, the subtle motions. The woman was nervous, unsure, severely lacking in confidence. Ashana kept her expression stoic. This Asari knew her from when she was a dancer.<span style="color: DarkOrchid"><i>Working with you</i></span>, Ashana listened to the words.<span style="color: DarkOrchid"><i>Goddess</i></span>, she thought,<span style="color: DarkOrchid"><i>this woman had no idea what she was doing</i></span>.<br/><br/><span style="color: DarkOrchid">Right. Well, thanks for being a fan, and remember to tip your local dancers.</span>Ashana said with a sardonic edge, giving the Asari woman's hand a curt shake.<br/><br/>Ashana was struck again by the oddity of Gavin's actions, about who his guards were letting in. Ashana knew this Asari couldn't hold a gun straight. She seriously doubted she had ever killed anyone. The guards would have known that. They would have known that about half of the people in this warehouse. Why would someone front a large credit payout to such a group - or even to such a large group?<br/><br/>The little clearing was filling up now. Ashana noted a few peculiars - a female Krogan, a race she had never seen before, but who fitted the description of the elusive Drell. And a Quarian, even.<br/><br/>Ashana regarded the Asari who had spoken to her again, looking her up and down.<span style="color: DarkOrchid">Look,</span>Ashana began, feeling a moment of pity for the Asari,<span style="color: DarkOrchid">I would suggest you -</span><br/><br/>Ashana's words were cut short as a loud Turian voice cut over the crowd. Ashana looked and saw the man himself, Gavin Akraeus, emerge into the clearing flanked by a Salarian and a Krogan. The two were Gavin's business partners, Ashana knew. Following them were half dozen other guards, all armed and eyeing the crowd of selected mercenaries, looking for a reason to open fire.<br/><br/>Ashana broke her attention from the Asari woman and walked toward Gavin. A number of others had also begun approaching, forming a distant semicircle in front of him.<br/><br/><span style="color: Red">Glad to see you could all make it.</span>He said in his gravely, reverberating tone. For a Turian, Gavin wasn't to remarkable to look at, save that he was bare of any markings on his face. Gavin scanned the crowd, and Ashana frowned. The Turian looked too happy.<br/><br/><span style="color: Red">I am Gavin Akraeus. As a few of you may be aware, I have been expanding my operation here on Omega. With the weakening of Eclipse, many opportunities have arisen for me, and now I want to pass one of those opportunities on to you.</span>Gavin took a breath and looked across the crowd again. Ashana detected an underlying cynical edge to him that she had noted the two occasions he had hired her to kill one of his competitors.<br/><br/><span style="color: Red">As I'm sure you all well know, competition her eon Omega can be fierce. My strongest competition is now Ren Kalga.</span>Ashana tensed at the name. Kalga was one of the most wealthy people on Omega and his influence in the smuggling rings was second only to Eclipse before they lost their hold.<span style="color: DarkOrchid">Goddess,</span>Ashana thought,<span style="color: DarkOrchid">he's moving on Kalga. </span><br/><br/><span style="color: Red">I'm hoping to overcome that competition quite soon, and I'm enlisting you to aid me in that endeavor. My offer is simple. I want you to kill one man. And for that, I will pay you one<i> million</i> credits.</span><br/><br/>Ashana's eyes widened at the number. Every mercenary in the warehouse began murmuring in shock. It was an outrageous sum, unimaginable! Ashana's mind went wild with what she could do with that. She could barter passage off Omega - hell, she could buy her own ship! and a crew! She felt a surge of adrenaline at the idea, even as in the back of her mind an alarm went off. But the offer was too great, and she didn't hear her instincts shouting at her to consider what she had just heard.<br/><br/>Gavin raised his clawed hands to settle the crowd.<span style="color: Red">Now, I'm not going to pay all of you.</span>He said, and the murmurs fell off into silence and every eye turned back on the Turian.<span style="color: Red">I will only pay <i>five</i> of you.</span>He grinned sullenly.<br/><br/>The silence turned to looks between the mercenaries and Ashana felt the mood shift, and the hostility suddenly emerge. It wasn't a job, it was a competition.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>