Mass Effect 1. Chapter 1

Casimir's Effect: The Hunt for Jack

Chapter 1 – Starting Anew

Casimir jolted upright, sheets tangled around his waist. He grasped the small, cruiser-shaped medallion that hung from a leather thong around his neck and took a deep breath to steady himself. As usual the nightmare faded quickly, already only vague recollections of explosions, shrapnel, and behind it all the flow of an unending stream of data that teased him like a tune that plucked at a memory buried beneath the weight of years. After a second steadying breath he rolled out of bed while carefully tucking the sheets around Dia's shoulder. The asari mumbled and buried herself further into her mound of pillows. The human chuckled at the picture: a plump, blue-skinned alien enveloped by white sheets and pillows that puffed around her like she was riding on a cloud. He preferred a single thin coverlet and pillow but hadn't stopped her when she had hurried out the day before. She deserved some luxury after their last week.

It had started with the destruction of the massive, self-aware dreadnought and its servant, Saren, during their attack on Citadel Station. The destruction had scarred the station and the staggering death toll had included their asari partner Artume. While they believed that their role in the battle was unknown, Casimir was still wanted by the authorities for a variety of charges and they were both hunted by a secret organization called Cerberus. This apartment was their third safehouse in five days and the first that the third member of their group, Merrek, had declared safe enough to remain in. So Dia had bought pillows and Casimir hadn't objected.

Casimir pulled on a pair of loose-fitting pants and settled his sinewy frame into a chair against the far wall. His eyes ran up and down the scarring on his left arm, skin mottled red and black, and tried to figure out why Dia liked him. The asari was a powerful biotic and trained commando, whereas the human was ... what? Casimir's forehead creased in a thick frown as he encountered the same argument that had dogged him his entire life. He'd been called a thief, murderer, traitor, hacker, and a hundred other things in numerous languages, but at the moment he was happy to be alive and with Dia. She stirred and he shot a glance at the asari's curvy shape under the sheets. A smile slipped across his face and he returned his eyes to the damaged left arm. With a twitch of his fingers the forearm and hand were encased within the amber display of his omni-tool, projected from the tiny device that fitted to his left palm. He activated his work display to review progress on the four projects he had started during the week. Two were new identities for Dia and himself. The third was a continuing search for a fugitive named Jack, whose bounty could guarantee future luxury. The fourth project was a secret, a set of data that was lodged in his mind and haunted his dreams, a symptom of the encounter with the Reaper AI a week ago. He told himself he was trying to continue the work of Silinar, the salarian tech specialist who had created the hacking algorithim that Casimir had used to attack the Reaper, but it was a weak lie. Casimir was too scared to admit the truth to himself and too scared to stop.

* * *

Two knocks on the door announced Merrek's arrival.

"Come in." Casimir glanced up at the turian whose sharp, plate-like features bore quickly healing scars, which drew lines through the white tattoes that slashed across cheeks and over his forehead.

"Have you found any clues on Jack's location?" Merrek halted beside Casimir's chair. Dia was perched on the edge of the bed, eyes lidded in meditation.

"Just a trail of destruction. She occasionally teams up with others but they rarely survive. I'm trying to find someone who did; maybe they can give us information."

"I spoke with some old friends and double-checked with the warden of that prison ship. He laughed at me when I said we were hunting Jack but will have a space ready for her if we succeed."

"What about other targets? We could go for a smaller bounty."

"Do you and Dia have working identities yet?"

"Almost. Another couple of days."

Merrek nodded. "Keep searching. If you don't have a lead on Jack when we're ready, we'll go after another target." The turian stretched his arms over his head and walked to the door. "I'm going to check around the neighborhood for signs of Cerberus."

"Again?"

"They are hunting us, Casimir. Never forget that."

The human nodded and turned his attention back to his glowing omni-tool. "Fair enough."

* * *

Casimir moved a data packet to a small hand-held display and stared at the image of a wide-jawed human with a crooked nose. The mug-shot was set beside a long list of offences.

"Who's that?" Dia leaned over his shoulder, the edges of a sheet brushing against his neck.

"Demetri Skorloff. Wanted for slave trading, smuggling, and as of two hours ago, murder."

Dia pinched her face into a frown. "Who was killed?"

"A turian bounty hunter on Illium. Looks like he cornered Skorloff in a club and took a round through the throat for his trouble. Skorloff fled the scene."

The asari flopped back onto the bed. "I thought you were looking for info on Jack?"

Casimir smiled and tapped the interface on his omni-tool. A block of text slid onto the left side of the hand display, hiding the criminal's face. "I've been monitoring up-to-date bounties and when I saw Skorloff's name I recognized it. One of Jack's known associates is a man named Kalek Stromson. I had checked into Kalek earlier and couldn't find a clue to his present whereabouts but did find that one of his last contacts was with Demetri Skorloff." Casimir's smile widened as he passed the display with the bios on Stromson and Skorloff to Dia.

"You're hoping that this killer can lead us to Stromson."

"And Stromson to Jack."

Dia sighed and returned the display to Casimir. "I wish we could just stay here."

The human nodded and moved to sit beside Dia. "Me too. But it's not safe."

She leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her. "I miss Artume."

Casimir nodded, unsure how to respond. Artume had been bossy, violent, and single-minded in her pursuit of the human Spectre Shepard, but she had also saved Casimir's life. "I wonder what she would have us do now."

Dia shrugged. "Probably make a suicide run at Shepard and get us all killed."

Casimir suppressed a chuckle. "Probably."

"I still miss her, though. She was like family. Artume, Arma, Beneziah ..." Dia wiped a hand across her eyes and burrowed further into Casimir's embrace. "All dead. You're all I've got, Casimir."

"I don't plan on dying anytime soon, Dia. We're going to be together a long time."

"I hope so." Dia's voice faded to a whisper. "If anyone does try to keep us apart, they'll regret it."

Casimir nodded and let his eyes wander to the active display on his desk. Their list of enemies was already long and promised to get longer with each passing day, but he would do everything in his power to keep Dia safe.

"One day at a time," he muttered.

* * *

"The IDs are ready." Casimir hit a sequence on his omni-tool and waited as Merrek and Dia examined the information on their own devices.

Merrek quirked an eyebrow plate. "They look good. You're sure they'll pass inspection?"

"I think so. It's the best I can do, regardless."

"Good enough, then." Merrek switched off his tool and moved to the door. "Pack up your stuff. I'll book us on a transport to Illium tonight. Have you found any more information on Skorloff?"

"Only that he hasn't tried to leave the planet via any of the official or more obvious means."

"I'll send you a message once I find a ship." The turian stepped out, leaving Casimir and Dia to prepare.

"I don't think we can bring the pillows."

Dia flashed a quick smile. "I know."

Casimir scooped up a small pile of clothes and put them into a bag with their armor. They didn't have any weapons beyond a pistol that Merrek kept with his gear. The turian had reactivated an old security clearance that allowed him to keep a weapon, and Dia and Casimir were always armed with biotics and tech abilities, respectively. Once the bag was closed the human sank onto the mattress.

"What should we do until Merrek calls?"

Dia shrugged and slipped onto the bed, lips widening into a grin as her fingers tugged at Casimir's shirt. "We can think of something."

* * *

"We'll be on Illium in five hours." Merrek closed his eyes and leaned back in the seat to Casimir's left. "Have you found Skorloff?"

"Not yet. But it looks like he's still on Illium. At least two other people are after him, both turians."

"Got their names?"

"Ivren and Suvin Ikaran. The turian killed by Skorloff was their brother."

Merrek closed his eyes and nodded. "We have to find Skorloff first. They'll kill him on sight."

"Can't blame them."

Dia, seated on Casimir's right, leaned closer. "If we catch Skorloff we should give him to the brothers. After we get our information."

Casimir frowned. "That won't earn us the bounty." Merrek raised a hand to halt further objections.

"I agree with Dia. But we must find the murderer quickly. You're positive that Skorloff didn't leave the surface?"

"Not on public transport. I even wrote a program to scan security footage for the guy's face. Nothing."

"How did you get access to the footage?" Merrek cracked an eye at Casimir.

"I'm getting better." The human stared at his scarred hand, the one that held the deactivated omni-tool, and visualized the hacking algorithms stored within. He still had programs written by Silinar, as well as a multitude of new types obtained from sources on the net. He had even started writing a few of his own. "I guess Silinar was right about me. Since the battle on the Citadel I've been much more focused and pick up on things faster than ever before." Casimir frowned as the data from his dreams flashed in front of his eyes. Gritting his teeth against the unwanted vision he forced himself to meet Merrek's gaze. "I'll be able to hack into more systems once we're on the planet. If he can be found, I'll do it."

Merrek nodded and suppressed a scowl. Casimir was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice the turian's disapproval. Dia settled her head on Casimir's shoulder and the human relaxed, frustration melting away at her touch. "Focus," he whispered to himself. "There's a job to do."


	2. Chapter 2

Casimir's Effect: The Hunt for Jack

Chapter 2 – Turian Justice

"You ever been to Illium before?" Merrek turned his head to speak as he motioned for Casimir and Dia to keep pace. The turian led the way out of the bustling docking station, stride longer and more confident than his companions'. The human shook his head and tried to avoid bumping other passengers while absorbing the expansive city-scape. Towers scraped the sky in every direction, hover-cars clogged the air-lanes, and races from all across the galaxy rubbed shoulders in the busy mercantile centers.

"I visited once," Dia mumbled, hand on Casimir's arm for comfort and to ensure that they weren't separated by the crowd.

"This planet is a thriving commercial center. You can find just about anything you want here and so long as you don't break the local laws, you're welcome."

Casimir quirked an eyebrow. "Anything?"

"Weapons, drugs, information, even indentured servants."

"You mean slaves?"

"Don't call it that unless you want trouble." Merrek pointed to a taxi stand and moved into line behind a tall asari. "The locals here are touchy on the subject and surveillance is heavy everywhere." One of the statuesque asari in front of Merrek turned and flashed a full-lipped smile.

"His first time on Illium?"

"Yes." The turian glanced at the front of the line; only a squat volus waited ahead of the asari.

"I don't suppose he's looking to sell himself? He looks … solid." The asari reached a hand towards Casimir and Dia stepped in between them.

"He's not interested."

The asari shrugged but focused a sharp gaze on the petite biotic. "If you say so, sister." A cab pulled up and the volus stepped inside. "Looks like my friend and I are next. Enjoy your stay."

Casimir nodded and relaxed his left hand; he had almost activated his omni-tool on reflex. Merrek leaned close to his two companions. "First order of business, we find a hotel room and put on our armor. I can wear my pistol openly here."

The asari couple departed in a cab and the trio stepped to the front of the line. Casimir looked from Dia to Merrek. "Either of you know a place?"

"Just stick with me," Merrek answered. "A friend recommended a tower not far from here."

* * *

Casimir looked up from his omni-tool and settled his gaze on Dia, silhouetted against the picture window at the far end of their room. Her form-fitting armor accentuated her curves and he began imagining the process of stripping the protection off piece by piece. A chime sounded at the door and he turned, but not before Dia glanced over and noticed his attention. Casimir stepped to the entrance and checked the small display beside the control panel before pressing a button.

"Welcome back." Merrek nodded and settled into a chair against the wall.

"I couldn't find anything new. People either don't know about the murder, don't want to talk about it, or know less than you already found out."

Casimir returned to his seat at the room's desk. "You think Skorloff might be protected?"

Merrek shrugged. "I doubt it. He seems like a thug, just slightly more dangerous than usual."

"Any word about other bounty hunters?"

"Just the two brothers of the deceased. They've been making a lot of noise but haven't found anything. Both are recently out of the military and they act like it. No subtlety at all. The dead brother was the eldest, probably the only one with practical experience with this sort of thing. How about you? Find anything useful?"

Casimir tapped a sequence on his omni-tool and brought up a block of data. "Nothing yet, but I've burrowed into the local surveillance systems and I'm checking for traces. You weren't kidding about the security here, it's worse than on the Citadel."

"Some would say it's better that way." Merrek stood and ran a finger along his jaw. "More order, more security … that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Except when it gets in the way of people's lives, or when there isn't any oversight."

Merrek snorted and moved to the exit. "I'm going to get some rest. Send me a message if you find anything."

Casimir nodded and bent back to his task. Dia settled on the bed and asked, "You're not tired yet?"

"A little." He glanced at the asari and his earlier thoughts about her armor rushed to the fore of his mind. "I'd say I'm ready for a break, though." His omni-tool faded as he joined Dia on the bed to discover that her armor came off quite easily.

* * *

Casimir rubbed sleep from his eyes and tried to focus on the results of another hack and search into a security system. This one was a docking station on the far side of Illium, frequented by cargo haulers. Again the scan came up empty; Skorloff was either in hiding or had found an un-monitored route off-world.

Dia's hands settled on his shoulders. She had left for a walk while he worked and just returned with a loaf of bread and packet of juice, both of which sat untouched on the desk. "Still nothing?"

"I've hacked into over a dozen security systems in all the main docking ports, as well as a handful of places Merrek identified as likely frequented by smugglers. This guy is a ghost."

"Don't get frustrated, you'll find him."

Casimir scratched at the stubble on his chin and tried to push aside a growing headache. "He could be anywhere in the galaxy now. This is pointless."

"You know that he didn't take public transport off-world, right?"

"Right."

"And he doesn't own a ship."

"Not under his name. And I couldn't find any aliases."

"And he hasn't appeared in any local surveillance?"

"Not that I've been able to find."

"So if he didn't leave the planet, and he isn't on the planet, then where did he go?"

Casimir frowned up at Dia and opened his mouth to make a snide comment when an idea occurred to him. "Not on the planet," he mumbled, "and not off it." He turned back to his omni-tool and began a new search. Dia crouched closer to watch.

"What are you looking for now?"

"Objects in orbit. Let's say he knew he couldn't get off world, either because he didn't have the money or didn't know how. He could still take a small vessel and go into orbit and wait a while for the heat to pass. He must know that the Ikaran brothers are looking for him. Once they leave," Casimir's fingers kept a quick pace as he hacked into atmospheric scanning systems, "he could return to the surface and find a way out."

The door chimed and Dia hurried to answer. Merrek walked in, arms crossed over his chest. "I still haven't found ..."

"Shh." Dia motioned for him to sit, not noticing his annoyed expression.

"I'm into one of the local corporation's satellite tracking systems. There's lots of junk in orbit, various ships waiting for clearance to land one place or another, plenty of satellites. If I correlate the current readings with readings from a week ago, before the murder …" Casimir bit his lower lip to suppress a triumphant yell. "Look at this!" With a few commands he activated a holo-display in front of the picture window. It flickered into an amber image of the planet with numerous bright blips in holding patterns around it.

"This is an image of all the ships, satellites, and anything else large enough to track currently in orbit around Illium. First I'll remove everything that was here a week ago." More than half the blips disappeared. "Now I'll remove everything tagged as normal shipping traffic." Most of the dots vanished. "And now I'll get rid of anything capable of making a jump through a mass effect relay. I figure if Skorloff had a ship capable of that, he'd have left." Six blips remained, tiny dots of light marking steady courses around the planet.

Merrek stood to examine the image more closely. "What are those?"

"I can't say ID all of them. I think these four," the specified dots flashed, "are from a shipping accident earlier today. A couple of massive cargo vessels collided resulting in lots of debris. But those two," the remaining dots gleamed brighter, "those two shouldn't be there. The satellite system I tapped into can't identify them but they're too small for any of the corporations to care." Merrek nodded, eyes on the display.

"Casimir," his voice was low, worried, "how did you do this?"

"Do what?" The human was flush with his success. Even if Skorloff wasn't hidden in orbit, he felt a definite rush, a thrill from beating secure systems to find a potential answer.

"How did you hack into these satellites? Obtain all this information? And so quickly!"

Casimir shrugged and looked at Dia, who responded with a smile. "This stuff is child's play compared to …" he cut off as the code from his nightmares, the code he was trying to secretly recreate, jumped to mind. He hadn't looked at it since their last day on the Citadel.

"Compared to what? The corporations on Illium have top-level security."

A frown creased the human's features and he deactivated the display. "Do you want to check out those rogue signatures or not?"

Merrek raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. I'll find a shuttle that's rated for exiting the atmosphere that we can rent for a day. Have your armor on and be ready for a pick-up." Merrek paused at the door. "You did good work, Casimir. Great work." The turian opened his mouth to say more, then decided against it and left. Dia took Casimir's hand in her own and offered a wide smile.

"Don't let him bother you. Let's get ready."

The human nodded and reached for the pack that held his armor. If he was right and Skorloff was hiding in orbit, then the murderer would likely be on edge and armed to the teeth. That aside, hitting someone just might fix Casimir's sudden drop in mood.

* * *

Merrek arrived in a shuttle that resembled an oversized hovercar, with pivoting thrusters that were mounted at all four corners. The turian set a flight path to head higher into the atmosphere and looked at Casimir, who waited in the co-pilot seat. Dia watched from the seat behind the human. "What are the coordinates for the first contact?"

"Here." Casimir tapped a sequence on his omni-tool and the amber piloting console beeped in receipt of a data packet. "That's both of them. Your guess is as good as mine which to try first."

"The closer one." Merrek keyed in a flight plan and the shuttle rocketed towards a small flashing dot on the console's display.

"Do you have any readings on it?"

Casimir continued tapping keys on his omni-tool, which was patched into the shuttle's sensors. "It's still registering as a derelict satellite. But there is a power signature there and something is trying to mask it."

Merrek swung the shuttle in for a close view of the twelve-foot long cylindrical structure, which had a thin chassis and four long, rectangular modules attached at hatches in the center of its length. Red lights blinked on and off at the tips on either end of the cylinder.

"I don't like this." Merrek frowned and scratched at a scar on his cheek. "You think Skorloff is inside on of those containers?"

"I expected him to be hidden in a derelict. This is … more sophisticated. Something in there is trying to scan us. The signal is hard to identify." Something about the modules made Casimir's nerves tingle with fear.

Merrek reached for the maneuvering controls. "I'm getting us out of here."

"I'm hacking into the feed, give me a minute."

"Casimir ..."

"I recognize some of the protocols. I think it's Cerberus."

"We're leaving." Merrek smacked the controls and the shuttle lurched into motion. "If that is a Cerberus satellite and they figure out who we are ..."

"I get it. I wouldn't mind detonating some explosives inside the thing, though."

"There could be guards inside and we might already be compromised. Let's check the second signal and then get out of here."

A minute ticked by in silence as Casimir continued working on his omni-tool and Merrek watched the scanner for signs of Cerberus pursuit. Dia cleared her throat and leaned forward, interrupting the growing tension. "Didn't you say that these two signals weren't here a week ago?"

Casimir's hand froze over the amber keypad. "I did."

"So what happened to bring Cerberus' attention here?"

Merrek cursed under his breath. "We showed up."

Casimir shook his head. "That doesn't mean ..."

"Don't be naïve, Casimir. Cerberus is tracking us, we know that."

"But how did they get here so fast? There's no way ..."

"They have people like you to track down targets. Our faces are all over Illium surveillance systems."

"Damn it." The human slumped in his seat. "How are we going to lose them?"

"Capture Jack and collect the bounty. It's enough money to start over and do it right. Buy a ship, make a home in the terminus systems as professional bounty hunters, try and make some powerful friends. For the moment I doubt that they'll make a move on us on Illium, there'd be too much backlash from the asari."

The human nodded and forced himself to sit upright. "Enough money and our problems won't seem so big anymore, huh."

"That's the idea. You could get surgery and become a whole new person."

Dia jabbed a finger at Merrek. "No way. I like him the way he is."

Casimir grinned and focused his attention back on his omni-tool. "I'm far too pretty for surgery."

Merrek rolled his eyes and tapped the pilot's console to correct for his earlier haste. He had doubts about finding Skorloff in orbit, but Casimir seemed confident enough for both of them.

* * *

"This is what I was expecting." Casimir activated an amber-hued heads-up-display on the shuttle's view-port and magnified a rendering of the derelict freighter drifting ahead of them. "It's a dead hulk. You can see damage on the engines and side of the ship where it's open to space. I'm getting a faint reading from the front section." He magnified the front end, which was still intact. "There's one life-sign, human, and a power signal strong enough to run life-support functions."

Merrek shook his head. "I didn't think we would actually find him."

"Then why rent this shuttle?"

The turian shrugged. "We needed to get out and moving. This seemed as good a reason as any."

Casimir looked back at Dia and shared a smile. "At least you appreciate my talents."

The asari nodded and settled her helmet into place. "I'm ready to meet Skorloff."

"Me too." Casimir clicked his helmet into place and watched as Merrek settled the shuttle's floor hatch against the freighter's forward docking port.

"I'll go first." The turian snapped on his helmet and readied a pistol. "You two can wait if you're not comfortable entering unarmed."

"My mines and Dia's biotics are more than a match for one criminal, but you can go first."

The turian nodded and stepped to the hatch. It opened with a short hiss, revealing the locked port on the freighter. Casimir hacked the lock and moved aside. Merrek nodded to the others, pushed open the hatch, and jumped through into near perfect darkness.

A muzzle flashed and sent rifle-rounds across the turian's shields in a wave of ripples like a dozen pebbles tossed into a still, blue pond. Merrek's pistol cracked in response as he dove for cover behind a metal crate. Casimir rushed in next and sent a low-energy mine flying across the room. It latched to the opposite wall and detonated, silhouetting an armored human as he careened off a long metal desk. Dia followed Casimir and sheathed herself in biotic energy, casting the room in deep blue hues.

"Demetri Skorloff, drop your weapon and surrender!"

"Fuck you!" The rifle sent rounds clattering against walls and furniture. Casimir stood, omni-tool prepped, but Dia was faster. With a thrust of her right hand the crackling blue energy that suffused her body flashed outward to encase Demetri and lift him into the air. Merrek charged forward and grabbed the man's arm to slam him against the floor. Casimir helped the turian disarm their target as Demetri sputtered curses. Merrek pulled the man's helmet away and tossed it into the darkness.

"You sons of bitches, I'll kill all of you!"

Merrek pressed the killer's face against the cold metal floor. "Shut up, Skorloff. We've got some questions. You answer them to my satisfaction and maybe we'll let you go."

"I'm not telling you anything, you turian bastard. Once my friends found out what you did ..."

"You will tell us," Merrek pressed gloved fingers to either side of Demetri's left eye, "or you lose an eye. Bounties specify 'dead or alive,' not eyed or eyeless."

Skorloff stiffened as the pressure against his eye increased. Spittle flecked his lips and Casimir looked at Merrek, face-less behind his opaque visor. The turian knew how Casimir felt about torture and assumed … hoped that this was only a threat.

"Ask your damn questions."

"Good choice." Merrek removed his fingers but kept Demetri's face pressed to the floor. "We're looking for someone you used to work with. Name is Kalek Stromson. Where is he?"

"What the hell do you want with ..." His words died in a gasp of pain as Merrek drove a knee into Skorloff's side.

"Answer the question, Demetri. Where is he?"

"Alright, alright! Stromson, I did some work with him a while back. Last I heard he decided to go legit and joined Eclipse. He's a full merc now."

Merrek stared down at Demetri as silence stretched on. Casimir didn't know much about the Eclipse mercenary band, except that they were one of the largest groups.

"Where is he?"

"How should I know? I ..." another gasp as Merrek's knee struck again. "Damn it! I don't know! Listen, Kalek changed his name, goes by Aaron Samsonov now. Its the truth, I swear!"

Merrek stood and pulled Demetri to his feet. The turian produced a pair of cuffs from a belt pouch and secured the man's hands. "Into the shuttle." Casimir paused them to strip an omni-tool from the criminal's left hand and activated a full data transfer to his own tool's memory.

"I'm going to check around in here. I'll be quick." Dia nodded and followed the turian into the shuttle to watch as the criminal was secured in the rear hold. Casimir activated the spotlight function of his omni-tool and did a quick visual inspection before he activated his tool's scanner. The freighter had two habitable rooms, which Skorloff had separated as a living and sleeping space. Aside from dried foodstuffs and water he found a small pack with a shotgun, pistol, and three grenades. He retrieved the discarded assault rifle and carried all the weapons into the shuttle. Dia and Merrek waited in the front two chairs. She turned and pointed at the bag.

"What did you find?"

"A few weapons." Casimir sealed the hatch and slipped into a chair. "No escape shuttle, though. Someone brought him up here and likely will be back to find him."

Merrek keyed in a return flight and detached his helmet. "That's too bad for them."

Casimir nodded. "Where to now?"

"I have the address of the Ikaran brothers' apartment. Let's drop this scum with them. I need a shower after touching him."

Casimir removed his helm. "No bounty, then?"

"We got the information we need. Skorloff's not worth that much anyway."

"You know that the Ikarans will kill him."

"I know. This is turian justice, Casimir. We don't let kin-slayers live and Skorloff's guilt is proven."

The human nodded and took a deep breath to calm his post-combat nerves. He felt a wave of guilt that Skorloff would likely be tortured before death, but reminded himself that the man deserved whatever he got. He now had enough info to restart his search for Jack. They were one step closer to her and their shot at enough money to buy their freedom. They only needed to survive the process.

* * *

The Ikarans were a dour pair, both tall, encased in azure armor, and sporting blue star tattoos on their foreheads. They accepted Skorloff without explanation and offered credits, which Merrek rejected before Casimir could accept. Merrek did accept their personal message addresses and assurances that they would respond to any call for aid. The group was half-way to the rental agency when Casimir broke the silence.

"You should have taken the money."

"It's a matter of honor. Skorloff killed a brother and the Ikarans deserved their revenge. Money had no place in that transaction."

"In case you haven't noticed, we're not rich. Our credits will eventually run out."

"Find Samsonov and we can find Jack. Then our problems will be over."

Casimir shook his head and activated his omni-tool. "I'll start looking but there's bound to be other work on a planet like this."

"Can't you hack into a local Eclipse database? That should be easy for you."

Dia's voice slipped into the conversation. "The Eclipse are dangerous. Lots of asari with talent for biotics have joined them. They tried to recruit me years ago."

"I'll be careful." Casimir tapped entries into his keypad, a frown etching his brow. "I'd rather work from the apartment, though."

"We'll be there soon." Merrek glanced at the human, who was crouched over the amber glow that encased his scarred hand. "You're already breaking in somewhere?"

Casimir tossed his head, eyes on the display. "Just checking something." The amber vanished and he met Merrek's eyes. "The Cerberus satellite is still there, status unchanged."

Silence settled over the group as they remembered the ominous structure in orbit over their heads. To Casimir it felt like a guillotine, primed to fall at any moment.


	3. Chapter 3

Casimir's Effect: The Hunt for Jack

Chapter 3 - The Route to Sekhmet

"I've located Kalek. Aaron Samsonov, full-fledged Eclipse Trooper, works security on a refueling station in orbit around Sekhmet." Casimir transferred the full bio for Trooper Samsonov onto an amber display pad and passed it to Merrek.

"You pulled this from the Eclipse network?"

"It wasn't too hard." Casimir shrugged and leaned back in his chair. The turian sat across the table from him, Dia on his right. Fading light slipped through the blinds of their apartment to paint the room in slats of orange and gray.

"It should have been hard." Merrek passed the display to Dia. "It won't be as easy to get there as Ilium, but I should be able to find a merchant ship bound for that system which is taking passengers." The turian rose and stepped towards the door. "Get all the info you can on Eclipse's operations there. We need a way to intercept Kalek alone and off-duty. Check for local bars frequented by the Eclipse."

Casimir nodded and began tapping entries into his amber controls, absorbed in his search before the door shut behind his partner.

* * *

"I've located a captain willing to take us on but he won't wait more than half an hour." Merrek's raspy voice was distorted by a hint of static through the comm in Casimir's omni-tool. "Get to docking slip 13 in the same bay where we arrived as soon as you can."

"Roger that, Merrek. We're on our way." The amber display switched off and the human stood to collect his belongings.

Dia stooped to retrieve a display pad. "Something isn't right with him."

"This whole business has us on edge."

"That's not it. I'm not sure I trust him anymore."

"Dia," Casimir settled a hand on the asari's shoulder and smiled. "The three of us have been through too much for mistrust. We're in this together."

Dia shrugged and hefted her pack. "I'm not so sure."

Casimir grabbed his own bag and palmed the switch for the door. "Just wait until we capture Jack. We'll be rich and able to relax for the first time since ..." he frowned as he tried to recall the last moment he wasn't hounded by enemies or wanted by the authorities, "since a long time, anyway. Let's go before we miss the ship."

Dia shook her head but allowed Casimir to usher her outside in search of a cab. The pinched skin above her nose belied the calm she tried to project as she worried about their reliance on Merrek.

* * *

A short turian with charcoal gray coloring met the couple as they stepped onto the boarding ramp at slip 13. The diminutive alien's clothing matched his skin tone, which also matched the hull of the massive, blocky cargo hauler at station behind him.

"I'm Captain Kunito. This is my ship, the Silver Wing. You will remain in your designated quarters for the duration of the trip to Sekhmet, which will take one galactic standard day, including a single stop for an exchange with another freighter en-route. Merrek has already paid for your passage and is waiting inside. Do you have any objections to these terms?"

Casimir shook his head and glanced at Dia, who mirrored the motion. Kunito nodded and keyed open the hatch. "I've put you in a converted berth in the stern of the ship. You have a shared bathroom and a container with enough dry food for two meals." They walked through a long, low-ceilinged hall, bare metal on all sides. "I'll comm your room when we are on approach to Sekhmet, then retrieve you once we've docked." A handful of bulkhead doors passed on their left, all sealed. "If we encounter any trouble, I or my first mate will contact you. Under no circumstances are you to leave your room." Kuniton set a steely glare on Casimir as their booted steps echoed against the floor. "My crew is armed and ready to use force if my rules are broken." The turian stomped to a halt beside an open hatch. "This is your berth." He watched the couple step inside and set a hand to the door. "I'll see you in one day." The metal portal clanged shut and a wheel-lock clicked into place. Casimir dropped his bag on the floor and turned to examine the chamber, which contained two pairs of bunk-beds, an open chest, and a door that whisked open seconds after their arrival, discharging Merrek.

"You met Captain Kunito?"

Casimir nodded. "Not the friendliest guy."

"He knows we're armed bounty hunters and it makes him nervous. It was difficult finding someone to take us given the obscure location."

"What is it he's transporting?"

"I didn't ask. He did say he's continuing on to Anhur and if we contact him within a day he would pick us up for transport back out. Most likely he has construction supplies or basic living necessities."

Dia thumped onto a bed and stretched her arms. "I don't like him."

"He's the best option and seems honest. Better he treats us like prisoners than someone who tries to pry into our affairs." Merrek glared at the asari and settled onto the bunk opposite.

A speaker set in the wall above the main door crackled to life with Kunito's voice. "This is the captain. Main engines are online and we'll be headed for the relay momentarily. I'll contact you when we are approaching your destination. Enjoy your stay."

"See? Honest, if blunt."

"Being stabbed in the front is no better than in the back."

Casimir cleared his throat and activated his omni-tool, intent on re-directing the conversation before Merrek could respond and make the situation worse. "I've got some intel." The turian clamped his mouth shut but continued to glare at Dia. "The re-fueling station sees a lot of traffic and has an Eclipse garrison of two dozen, as well as a garrison commander." A three dimensional projection of the station in the usual amber color appeared just above his omni-tool. "From what I can tell," he pointed to a small building abutting the primary complex, "this is the local watering hole. The main structure houses the garrison as well as engineers, techs and administration for the station. This bar is the only place to unwind short of catching a flight to Anhur. I double-checked Kalek's duty assignment and he isn't up for a break long enough to visit planet-side for two months."

Merrek nodded, anger fading as he shifted his gaze to the schematics. "Do they have guest rooms in the complex?"

Casimir tapped a sequence of commands and nodded. "A few, mostly used for ship crews that dock for repairs."

"Reserve a room for us for a day and monitor Kalek's activity. Once he's off-duty we'll head to the bar. Hopefully he'll take credits for the information we need."

"And if not?"

Merrek shrugged and looked back at Dia. "We'll think of something. There are other ways to get into a person's head."

* * *

"Casimir." He shrugged away a pressure on his shoulder and buried his head further into a pillow. "Casimir!" Fingers dug into his collarbone and he forced his eyelids apart.

"What?"

"The freighter's docked with something."

"So?" The human pivoted to look into Dia's eyes. "The captain told us there would be a stop."

"It doesn't feel right."

"You're getting paranoid, Dia." He pushed onto an elbow to plant a quick kiss on her lips. "Stop worrying." The asari shook her head and slipped from beneath their sheet.

"You sleep if you can. I'm keeping my ears open." Casimir shrugged and sprawled into the vacated space on the mattress. "Can't you at least check what's going on?"

The human sighed and forced his eyes fully open. "Check how?"

"Hack into flight control, or a surveillance feed, or something?" Casimir met her pleading gaze and relented with a nod.

"Fine. Give me a minute." The shirtless hacker swiveled his feet to the floor and touched the plastic ship medallion hanging from his neck for luck. With a twitch of his left hand his omni-tool glowed amber. He took a deep breath and tapped a slow sequence of commands. "Here it is, I'm into flight control logs. Rendezvous with the merchant freighter Tryon. Expecting transfer of numerous goods for transit to Anhur, blah blah blah, a half hour late but nothing too surprising. See?"

"Keep searching." Dia glanced at Merrek, asleep on another bunk. "Maybe I should wake him up, at least he takes threats seriously."

"There is no threat. But I'll check what feeds I can access, OK?" Dia's head dipped in a quick nod.

"Cargo section cameras … full of cargo! Bridge camera … two turians at duty stations!" The asari frowned at his mock-serious tone. "And lastly, a digital image of freighter Tryon …" Casimir's jaw dropped and Dia couldn't help a smile as she slipped onto the mattress beside him.

"What is it? I told you something was wrong!"

"Do you recognize those?" The image of the Tryon on his omni-tool enhanced to a foot across. The blocky freighter was the mirror image of the Silver Wing, but for the two containers attached to one side.

Dia's smile vanished. "They look like the containers from the Cerberus satellite."

"And I bet they're attaching to the Silver Wing right now. It wouldn't have been hard to mess with this ship's sensors and hide them. Hell, Cerberus could have faked a shipping manifest and the Tryon would have brought them willingly. We're screwed."

"I'll wake up Merrek, you get your armor on."

* * *

The trio donned their armor and assembled at the door, each wearing a weapon: a shotgun on the mag-plate at the small of Casimir's back, a pistol at Dia's hip, and an assault rifle in Merrek's hands. Casimir activated his omni-tool and pointed it at the hatch to the hall, then shook his head. "I can't open the door."

"Why not?"

"It's a mechanical lock. There's no electronic interface. Captain Kunito must really not trust us."

"Or he's going to deliver us to Cerberus." Dia shot a quick glare at Merrek.

"They'd already have come for us. I bet that Kunito doesn't even know what's happening. Hold on." Merrek moved in front of the intercom and before the couple could stop him the turian activated the speaker. "Captain Kunito, this is Merrek. Please respond." Static buzzed as they waited for a response. "Captain, I have urgent information that ..."

"Cut the chatter, bounty hunter. I've problems of my own at the moment." Strain filtered clearly through the static.

"You've noticed the containers attaching to your ship?" Silence stretched six heartbeats before Kunito responded.

"Tryon's got the right paperwork for 'em. And how the hell did you ..."

"They're not what they claim, captain. Trust me. You've got to let us out, immediately."

"You listen to me, Merrek. I don't know how ..."

A high-pitched voice cut through the conversation. "Captain! One of those ..." The line dropped and Merrek frantically pressed the speaker button.

"Kunito, get us out of here! Now!"

"We are totally screwed." Casimir met Dia's eyes and she moved a stepped closer to him to touch his arm.

"The lock is only mechanical, right?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe I can blast it open."

"It'll take a lot of power. You sure you're up for it?"

"Yes." Casimir nodded and moved to the back of the room. Merrek slammed a fist against the intercom and growled as he joined the human.

"I hate being trapped."

"Me too."

Dia faced the door and set her arms at her sides, palms facing forward. Biotic energy sheathed her body like a second skin of crackling blue flame, rippling in all directions as power doubled in intensity, then tripled, and continued to grow until the asari was nearly invisible inside her cocoon of electric blue.

"This is crazy," Casimir whispered just as Dia's hands thrust forward, ejecting a geyser of pulsing biotic energy at the hatch to their cell. The concussion rocked the room, sending the deafened trio to their knees. Dia panted from exertion as Casimir stumbled to her side.

"You OK?" The asari nodded and allowed him to ease her to a seat on the floor. "I'll check the door."

Merrek stood before the bent metal frame, eyes appraising the warped door, walls, and floor.

"She bent the entire structure, but didn't break the door."

"Can we fit through here?" Casimir ducked towards a small opening between flexed door and wall but shook his head. "Maybe a few mines will help. Stand back." He keyed in a sequence on his omni-tool and directed the assembly of a small explosive mine onto one of the bent hinges where door connected to wall, then repeated the same sequence three more times. "This should weaken it, if not destroy the hinges entirely." The human helped Dia to the other side of a bunk, counted to three, and detonated the charges.

Metal shrieked as it tore apart. Merrek jogged to the door and shoved his shoulder against the bottom corner, pushing it slightly outwards. "There. It's big enough to slide through." Casimir nodded and hurried Dia to the passage. She slipped through first, followed by the human, who turned to try and open the wheel-lock.

"The lock's too damaged to turn. Can you squeeze out?" The turian grunted as he shoved the door twice more, then pressed through the opening. Casimir clapped him on the shoulder. "Nice work."

Merrek readied his pistol and nodded. "I say we head to the bridge first."

Casimir accessed the layout of the ship and pointed down the passsage. "That way, second to last hatch on the left, two rooms in."

* * *

"There's the door." Casimir frowned at his amber display and Dia held up a hand to stop Merrek from advancing.

"What's wrong?"

"Opposite wall, on the right before the door to the bridge. One of the Cerberus containers docked there. The hatches are open."

"Any life-signs inside?"

"No, but there are six powered mech signatures, all LOKI class. I've also got multiple life-signs on the bridge. More than make up the crew."

"Mechs first?"

Casimir nodded, pre-programed a hacking program into his omni-tool, and pulled his shotgun free from its mag-plate. "Ready."

Merrek braced his rifle against his shoulder, stepped beside the open hatch, and glanced inside. Machinery whirred and clanked in response and he pulled his head from the opening. "They're active."

Casimir crouched beside the door and angled his omni-tool until he spotted a mech. The mechanical biped held a pistol in a two-handed grip, leveled at the door. Casimir's hack disrupted its systems just as it fired its first round. The human's shields flared blue at the impact and he jumped out of sight. Pistol-fire echoed into the hall as the hacked mech turned against its companions and was cut down.

Merrek charged through the hatchway, rifle-rounds ripping the head from a mech before it could turn to the new threat. Dia slipped in next and thrust a ball of biotic energy at the legs of another machine, upending it against the far wall. Casimir entered third and blasted another mech into shrapnel. The remaining two mechs shifted and fired at Merrek and Dia, whose shields flickered azure. Casimir and Merrek returned fire to tear the machines to scrap. The final mech, struggling to stand against the far wall, received a burst from Merrek that shut its systems permanently.

Casimir glanced around the room, empty but for shards of metal and sparking circuitry. "To the bridge?" He spun as the hatches behind them clanged shut. "What the hell?" They raced for the door as a heavy mechanical lock clicked into place. Merrek's chin dropped to his chest as Casimir pounded the butt of his gun on the door.

Dia put a hand on his arm and shook her head. "You're going to break your gun."

"It might make me feel better." The asari shook her head and moved a few steps back from the hatch.

"If I could break the last hatch, I can break this one. Just be ready to fight."

"Hold on." He tapped a sequence into his omni-tool and muttered a curse. "Interior and exterior hatches are sealed. Life-signs are gathered beyond the second hatch. Looks like they've got this room rigged for some kind of disabling pulse." Casimir scanned the walls, eyes narrowed.

Merrek's grip tightened on his weapon. "Can you stop it?"

Casimir nodded and keyed a sabotage mine. It assembled on a panel abutting the ceiling. "This should do it." The explosive tore away the panel in a flash of sparking circuits. "Now to give them a false reading …" His fingers danced across his amber controls, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "They'll think it worked and come to check in a moment. I'd recommend helmets." He snapped his headgear into place and nodded as they checked that their comms were on-line. "Four humans coming in. Stand back from the hatch." Casimir pointed the tool at the floor just inside the door and a pair of proximity mines appeared. They leveled weapons as the lock clicked open.

The mines ripped the first commando's feet from his body in a spray of blood and bits of black armor. The second commando managed a single burst of panic-fire as shotgun and rifle rounds tore shields and armor from chest. The remaining two operatives ducked back inside the freighter in an attempt to seal the internal hatch.

"Advance!" Merrek charged and slammed into the closing inner hatch. An armored figure sprawled to the floor as the turian tumbled through. Dia rushed past and thrust a hand at a woman training a pistol on the prone turian. A flash of blue sent the human crashing against a far wall. Casimir entered third and pumped a round into the groggy figure as Merrek grappled with the man on the floor.

Armored fists crashed against opaque visors, fingers groped for a secure hold, and the operative managed to thrust Merrek to one side and draw a pistol from his hip. Casimir's foot snapped out and the pistol clattered to the floor; Merrek seized the momentary distraction to dig fingers into the enemy's helmet and wrench it free. Casimir trained his weapon on the human male's thick features. "Move again and I shoot." Cracks from Dia's pistol as she dispatched the female commando softened the man's look of defiance.

"I surrender."

Merrek rose to his feet and retrieved his assault rifle from the floor. He disappeared into the cargo pod, fired a pair of shots, then returned.

"The one hit by your mines is dead."

Casimir raised his eyebrows at the comment. "Did you … never-mind." The asari and turian stood on either side of their human partner. Dia's soft voice slipped over the comm first.

"I'll kill him."

Casimir shook his head. "He surrendered."

"He tried to kill us."

"He might have information."

"Question him. Then I'll kill him."

Merrek tapped him on the shoulder. "Casimir, there might be more of them on the ship."

"I'll check." He stepped away from the others and activated his amber display.

"How did you do it?" The commando's rough voice held a note of disbelief.

"Do what?" Casimir looked at the man's frowning countenance over the tool's controls.

"Disable the pulse and make it look like it worked? You couldn't have had enough time to fool our systems."

"I did." Casimir shrugged and looked again at his readings. "One more commando on the bridge with the crew. The other pod must have been their living area, I'm not reading any life or mechs there."

"You and I can handle that one. Dia, watch him." The asari nodded and kept her pistol aimed at the man's face. Casimir followed Merrek through the door into the connecting chamber to the bridge.

"The captain and two other turians are at control stations on the right. The commando is the human in the center of the room."

"Follow me in." They crouched on either side of the door, weapons ready. Merrek counted to three before charging inside.

The turian made it two steps and three shots in before shotgun blasts tore away his shields and sent him crashing against a wall. Casimir's mind barely registered the attack before pumping a shot at the tall woman encased in gleaming black armor. Her shields flickered as she jumped behind a desk and returned fire, rattling Casimir's teeth. He dove for cover behind a console manned by a stunned turian crewman. Confidence shaken by the sight of Merrek's lifeless form, he opted for diplomacy.

"We took down your team, Cerberus bitch! Give up!"

Rounds tore a hole in the metal above his shoulder and he slumped lower to the ground. The turian crew fled through the far hatch, leaving Casimir alone with his enemy. He programmed a sabotage charge as another blast showered him with bits of circuitry. "Last chance!"

Booted feet thudded on the floor and he twisted from cover onto his side, omni-tool aimed high. His shields flickered away as he activated the charge; the woman's shotgun blared a warning signal and shut-down before the kill-shot could fire.

"Got you!" His elation died as the woman pulled an assault rifle from her back, it's nozzle moving faster than he could raise his own weapon. Time slowed to a trickle as the weapon stared into his eyes and suddenly the woman was blasted by a wave of blue force through the passage-way into the far room. Dia crouched by Casimir, hands pulling him to his feet.

"Get up! She's not finished!" The human nodded and aimed his shotgun at the door while the asari checked on Merrek. Sweat dripped down his nose as he counted the seconds, fear and adrenaline mixing to make every beat of his heart echo from head to feet. When a hand settled on his shoulder he nearly jumped back into cover.

"She left."

He blinked away his confusion and focused on Dia's face, free from its helmet. "What do you mean?"

"The last commando. She got into her cargo pod and detached. Kunito is taking us out of here." She pointed at the turian captain, who had entered from behind the hacker and found an operational terminal. The rest of his crew still hadn't returned.

Casimir pulled off his helmet and wiped a gauntleted hand across his brow. The plating came away bright with sweat. "We need to destroy that pod."

"I don't have any ship-mounted weapons, human." Kunito's rumble had lost its edge since their initial meeting. "I'm getting us to Sekhmet as quick as I can so you get off my ship."

"Right." Casimir took a deep breath and finally remembered their injured squad-mate. "How's Merrek?"

"He'll be fine. A few bruises and a little woozy, that's all."

"I need to question our prisoner." Dia trailed Casimir as he returned to the outer corridor and found the prisoner's lifeless body. "What the hell!"

"I couldn't leave him alive when I came to help you." Dia shrugged, her face devoid of emotion.

"You executed him!" Casimir tried to look away from the single, perfect hole between the man's empty eyes.

"I did what I had to. You need to rest." She slipped her hand into his and tugged but he shook his head.

"I need to access their data." He turned on his omni-tool and focused on the display in an attempt to blot out the blood and bodies. "I'll hack into their tools and get what I can."

"Casimir ..."

"I'll be fine. Once I'm done I'll move the bodies into this cargo pod and jettison it." Dia's lips pressed into a thin line but Casimir refused to relent. "Go check on Merrek. He's probably in worse shape than he claims."

"Alright. But comm me if you need anything."

"I will."

Dia hesitated before nodding and walking away. Casimir began a hacking program and risked another glance at the dead Cerberus operative. He didn't know what horrified him more, that Dia had executed a defenseless man, or that Casimir wasn't sure she had made the wrong decision.


	4. Chapter 4

Casimir's Effect: The Hunt for Jack

Chapter 4 – Data Acquisition

"Welcome to the Sekhmet refueling station. Good luck, good riddance." Kunito keyed the hatch as Casimir stepped clear and the human stumbled when the metal door clipped his heel.

"You're welcome!" Casimir glared at the ship as it lifted away.

"Let it go," Dia patted him on the arm, "he's just scared."

"Cerberus would have killed him once we were neutralized. You know that. We saved him."

"He only needed saving because we were on board." Merrek shouldered his duffel bag and turned to inspect the station, a monolith of scorched steel set against the backdrop of a black and gold striped gas giant, visible through windows along the side of the docking tube. "Then again, he didn't have to treat us like criminals."

Casimir nodded and pointed at the vanishing cargo hauler. "No more getting locked inside chambers when we travel. That's a new rule."

"Unless we get the information we came for there won't be much traveling at all. We need the money from Jack's bounty."

Dia hefted her pack and set her mouth in a tight smile. "We'll get it."

* * *

Casimir forced himself to appear calm when they reached the checkpoint to enter the station from the public landing area. A pair of Eclipse mercs, hidden inside their signature yellow armor, glanced at IDs and room reservations while waving the group through. The human noted their assault rifles and electronic equipment, filing away the details in case the team needed to make a hasty exit. The docking tube opened onto a broad concourse facing the tall, central structure and Casimir pointed to the dark windows near the top.

"Those are the guest quarters. No lights on, so we might be the only visitors. Can't say I'm surprised, all this unadorned metal and empty space is depressing."

"The view is spectacular." Dia's smile radiated warmth. "And I'm sure it's busy enough on the far side of the station, where the fuel processing center is."

"Let's not go there, okay?"

Dia nodded, her smile unaffected by his mood.

"Focus on the mission." Merrek's rasp cut through the couple's banter. "When does Kalek get off work?"

Casimir activated his omni-tool and tapped a few keys on the amber display. "Two hours from now. There's no way to predict when, or even if he'll visit the Greasy Flagon."

"Greasy Flagon?"

"That's the name of the bar."

Merrek shook his head but continued, "We'll go to the bar in two hours and wait. If he doesn't show at first, we can start taking shifts."

Casimir nodded and hit the door panel as they reached the main complex. "Good. We have time for a nap." He glanced at Dia and winked with the word 'nap'.

"I was going to review our intel on Kalek, but you can sleep if you want."

"Excellent."

* * *

After an invigorating hour with Dia in their room, the couple entered Merrek's spartan chamber fully armed and armored to discuss strategy. The turian waved them to seats on a thin mattress and pulled a small metal table and chair to sit across from them.

"I've been reading the scant data we have on Kalek. To survive being a member of a gang with Jack he was not only tough but resourceful. To then be accepted by Eclipse means that he's smarter than your average thug. I'm hoping that I can appeal to those traits and convince him to help us for a bribe, although we don't have as much to offer as I'd like." Merrek leaned back in his chair, absently stroking a scar on his jaw. "I'll do the talking, of course."

Casimir frowned and glanced at Dia. "You can start the talking, but I know what it's like living on the run." The human looked down at his hands, encased in metal, and tried not to remember life before Eden Prime. Not that life since then had been easy. "He could turn violent fast, try to start a scene and escape in the confusion. Eclipse may not know much about his old life and he'll want to keep it that way."

"I won't threaten him, not unless absolutely necessary."

"Merrek, you're not the friendliest guy I've met."

"And you're just a good-natured, upstanding citizen? You've a dark side, Casimir, even if you try to hide it."

"That's not the point."

"Yes, it is. Maybe you'll trigger some old memories for Kalek and he'll spook, without hearing us out. Have you thought of that?"

"I ..."

"And another thing, I think it's about time you came clean on your past. I was willing to overlook it before this due to the stress of our situation, but I've done some digging ..."

"Enough!" Dia slammed her hands on the table with a second's burst of biotic energy. "We're not here to interrogate each other. Merrek, you take the lead with Kalek. If he turns you down, Casimir will take over. End of discussion."

The turian glared at Dia for two heartbeats before nodding. "Fine. Don't forget that he's changed his name to Aaron Samsonov. We can't afford to screw up right from the start. You two ready to go?"

Casimir nodded as Dia rose to her feet. "Don't worry guys, if both of you screw up, I'll take over."

"It won't come to that," answered Casimir.

Merrek shrugged and opened the door to the hall. "Let's hope so."

* * *

The Greasy Flagon was as expected: greasy, grimy, and full of patrons. It contained a mix of yellow and black armored Eclipse and station workers dressed in stained gray body suits. Helmets were clipped to belts and all heads turned to examine the three newcomers.

"They must not get many visitors," Dia muttered.

"I'm sure plenty of people pass through." Merrek led them to a circular table against the wall, away from any of the sickly yellow bulbs that struggled to illuminate the dive. A human woman in a tight-fitting jumpsuit flicked a rag over the table and asked for their orders. A moment later she returned with a platter and set a glass in front of each patron. Casimir lifted his clear liquid towards his companions.

"A toast to our success."

Dia clinked her yellow asari drink to his glass. "To success."

Merrek raised his own bright green fluid. "Agreed. But drink slowly."

Casimir grinned and tossed the drink down his throat. The vodka burned a steady, comforting path through his insides and he set the empty glass on the table. "Not bad, considering." Merrek shook his head and sipped at his own drink.

Dia tapped the tabletop for attention and pointed at the door. "There he is."

Their eyes shifted to a human who had just clipped his helmet to his belt. Merrek muttered through a checklist of their target's features. "About six feet tall, blue eyes, scars on cheek, weathered skin. You're right." Two more human Eclipse entered behind Kalek and followed him to a table. Soon the beer was flowing and their voices could be heard across the room, accompanied by bouts of raucous laughter.

Casimir glanced at Merrek. "How do we get close to him now?"

"We wait. A few drinks will help loosen him up."

Casimir tossed his head but waved at the waitress for another glass. "No sense going thirsty in the meantime."

Merrek kept his eyes on their target, not rising to the bait. Dia leaned against Casimir and yawned.

"I hate waiting."

The human nodded and wrapped an arm around her armored shoulders. He had agreed to let Merrek try his way first and for a moment it felt like he was on a date with Dia, if only the turian would find his own table. Casimir sighed and focused on the petite, blue-eyed asari on his arm. At least she appreciated him.

* * *

"He's going to the bar, probably for another round. I'm going to meet him there, alone." Merrek rose and stepped quickly towards the bar. Casimir and Dia watched as the turian sidled up to stand beside the mercenary. The two exchanged words and Samsonov shook his head, a movement exaggerated by his inebriation.

"Doesn't look like it's working." Casimir swirled his drink with his left hand, his right wrapped around Dia.

"Merrek is getting frustrated." Dia yawned as her body stiffened, readying for trouble.

The turian held up his hands as Aaron's voice rose above the din of the crowd.

"I don't know anything about her!" Samsonov stumbled backwards and bumped one of his friends, who had noticed the conversation. "Leave me alone, turian." The mercs returned to their seats and Merrek stomped back to his waiting partners.

"He's a waste of time." Merrek tossed back the remains of his drink and slammed the glass on the table. "Humans."

"Let me talk to him." Casimir rose and stretched his arms over his head as the room tilted. "I'll be right back." Dia stood and moved to the bar, close enough to intervene if things turned ugly.

"Hey Aaron," Casimir flashed a smile at the three mercs, "sorry if my turian associate acted like a jerk."

"That guy's with you? Don't waste any more of my time." Aaron narrowed his eyes. "I don't know nothing."

"Let us buy your next round. All we need is a location, a place to look. That's it."

"I said leave me alone." The merc's friends dropped hands to pistols at their hips.

"Fine." Casimir nodded and backed away. "I'd just assumed you wanted Jack taken out, is all. See you, Kalek."

Aaron jumped from his chair and swung a haymaker at the human's head. As dulled as Casimir's senses were by alcohol, Aaron's were worse, and Casimir managed to reel backwards out of the way. The other two mercs drew weapons but were hit by a blast of biotic blue force before they could fire, sending them crashing against the wall. Silence fell over the room as everyone stared at Casimir, who kept his eyes on Samsonov. A handful of Eclipse mercs unholstered weapons.

"Aaron, maybe we should talk outside?" The merc cast a bleary-eyed glance around the room and nodded.

"Fine." Aaron stumbled out through the door into the concourse, followed closely by Casimir and Dia. A few mercs moved to check on the pair in a heap against the wall while others drifted to the entrance.

"I don't care about your past," Casimir offered, "or about your future. Just give me some information on Jack and you'll never see me again." Dia moved a few steps away and kept an eye on the main structure in case Eclipse mercs came running.

Aaron bit his lip and looked at the gas giant looming over the station. "My merc buddies are going to space you and your pet turian and asari. You should be running."

Casimir shook his head. "Is that really how you want this? Listen, I tracked you down. That means other people can too, including your old gang partners. You tell me where I can find Jack, and I'll erase the trail you left."

"There's no one else but her," Aaron muttered, brow creasing. The door behind them opened, discharging four Eclipse troopers carrying assault rifles.

"Leave them to us, Aaron."

"Wait." Samsonov scratched his chin and leaned close to Casimir. "You a good hacker?"

Casimir nodded. "Very good."

"Maybe we can make a trade after all. Meet me back here in half an hour, I have to go get something."

"I'll be here."

Aaron nodded and looked at the troopers. "We're good. Keep an eye on him, but don't hurt 'im."

The lead merc nodded and stepped aside for Casimir and Dia to reenter the bar. Samsonov set a quick pace for the main structure, leaving Casimir to wonder what he had just agreed to.

* * *

The trio sat in silence, four Eclipse troopers watching from a table a few paces away. The mercs Dia had tossed into the wall had been hauled out along with all non-Eclipse personnel, leaving only the four watchers and another two troopers by the door.

"Exactly what did you agree to?" Merrek crossed his arms over his chest, eyes digging into Casimir.

"I don't know. He wants some hacking done. That's all he said. Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!"

"We need his information. I didn't have a choice."

Merrek snorted and looked to the door. "I never should have let you speak with him."

Dia leaned forward and whispered, "We don't need your permission to do anything, Merrek."

The turian glanced at Dia and chewed on a response. The presence of the mercs had them all on edge, but Merrek didn't want to get into a fight in front of the them.

"Here he is." Casimir rose as Aaron entered the room, a small device clutched in the merc's gloved hand. He waved at the other troopers to wait outside as he pulled a chair to the table.

"Your friends have to wait outside."

Dia jumped to her feet. "Not a chance."

Aaron hovered over his chair, eyes on Casimir. "Do we have a deal or not?"

Merrek stood and moved to the door. "Make it quick, Casimir." Dia glanced at her human partner, who nodded and motioned to the door.

"I'll be fine."

Once the door closed, Aaron spoke. "If you can hack into this," he deposited a small data module on the table, "I'll tell you everything I know about Jack."

Casimir picked up the small silver box between thumb and forefinger, activating his omni-tool with his left hand to begin preliminary scans. "It's a encrypted data module. It looks like," his eyebrows shot up as he realized that while it was unfamiliar, he had seen something similar before. "It looks like geth technology."

Aaron nodded, eyes flicking from the module to the hacker's face. "I don't know what's on it, but it wasn't easy to get. Can you crack it?"

Casimir set the module on the table and held his omni-tool over it, typing commands with his right hand. "Don't the Eclipse have their own hackers?"

Aaron wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "This predates my employment with them. They don't know about it, and once you leave, neither do you."

Casimir nodded, continuing his work. "I can't get through it, but I can modify a program to worm into it. It'll take time."

"How long?"

"I'll have the program ready tomorrow night. Once it's activated, it could take a day or two to beat the encryption." Aaron nodded and reached for the module. "Hold on," Casimir tapped a few more amber keys, "okay, I've got a good analysis of it. I'll see you tomorrow."

Aaron scooped up the module and hurried to the door. "Until then, I'd recommend staying out of sight. My friends'll be looking for an excuse."

"Got it."

Casimir rose to meet his companions. "Let's get to our rooms. I have work to do and will explain on the way."

* * *

Merrek paced behind Casimir's chair as the human keyed a new sequence into his omni-tool. Casimir paused to look back at the turian. "You're not helping."

"You've been working all night. How much longer?"

"Not long, then we'll make the trade."

"I don't trust Samsonov."

Dia turned from her perch at the window. "Me neither."

"We need to take this risk." Casimir threw himself back into his work. Augmenting a hacking program to attack geth encryption was a difficult, but welcome, challenge. It helped take his mind off the fighting of the past days, as well as the strange code that continued to haunt his subconscious. "I'm almost finished."

Merrek stalked to the door at the sound of footsteps outside and activated a panel against the wall. "Two more Eclipse mercs walking by. If we're the only visitors, why so many patrols through our hall?"

"We should make a break for it." Dia rose and moved to hover over Casimir. "Merrek is right."

"And run where? We're on a station and don't have a ship." The human shook his head and tried to re-focus on his work.

"Then we steal one." Dia put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "I bet you could get us into a ship, no problem."

"I'm finishing this, alright?" Casimir glared at Dia and Merrek in turn. "Once it's done I'll bring it to Aaron myself and find out what he knows about Jack. Instead of you wasting time here, how about you two go somewhere and check on incoming transports so we know our options if we have to leave in a hurry?" The soldier and biotic exchanged frowns before heading to the door.

Dia paused before exiting, "Send a message when you're finished. You shouldn't meet him alone."

Casimir clamped his jaw shut on a reply.

* * *

Casimir entered the Greasy Flagon and spotted Aaron at the bar. Dia and Merrek took seats by the door as the merc, still in his scarred yellow and black armor, pointed at an empty table in the corner. A quartet of Eclipse rose as Casimir passed their tables, but he noted that they kept their hands away from their weapons.

"You finished your program?" Bloodshot blue eyes narrowed as Casimir clipped his helmet to his belt and activated his omni-tool.

"Give me the module and I'll get the hack started." Aaron produced the silver box and set it on the table. Casimir positioned his omni-tool over it and keyed the initiation sequence. A network of yellow lines glowed to life around the box. "There. The lines will disappear as the worm insinuates itself into the encryption. When all the lights have disappeared, it's ready to be accessed. You wear an omni-tool?"

Aaron nodded and activated an amber display over his left hand.

"Keep it active and you can interface with the hacking program to get an approximate countdown. I'll send you a program to make interfacing easier. Now my information?"

Aaron glanced at the other Eclipse and leaned closer. "Not so fast. How can I be sure that your hack will work?" The merc wiped a gloved hand across his brow, damp with sweat.

Casimir tapped a few keys on his omni-tool, intiating a hack into Aaron's omni-tool disguised as an innocent data packet, and nodded. "Just have anyone with some tech knowledge take a look. The program is complex, but its purpose isn't."

"I already told you," Aaron hissed, "this isn't Eclipse data. I won't be showing it to anyone."

Casimir shrugged, eyes on his amber controls. "I did my part. Now, I need your information on Jack."

Aaron shook his head, sending a spatter of sweat to the tabletop. "No. Not until ..." The door banged open and a merc in heavy-plated armor strode in. Gauntleted hands popped the thick helmet free, revealing a dark blue asari with vivid emerald markings on either side of her face.

"Samsonov." Her voice boomed through the room and the other Eclipse jumped to their feet.

"Commander Ivo!" Aaron leaped from his chair and faced the newcomer, his omni-tool blipping off as he palmed the data module.

"So this," her booted feet clomped a route towards the table in the corner, "is the newcomer who attacked two of my men. Two of your own shift-mates."

"No, uh ..." Aaron glanced at Casimir and released a deep breath, "yes. This is him, plus those two." He pointed at Dia and Merrek, who were on their feet.

"See, Casimir? I told you this was a trap." Dia's hands balled to fists as her body flared blue. The asari commander growled and drew a shotgun from a mag-plate at her back while the other troopers in the room readied assault rifles.

"A trap?" She snapped her helmet in place and pointed her weapon at Aaron. Her suit's mic crackled to life, "No, this is an interrogation. What's your business with these transients?"

Aaron gulped past a lump of fear and shook his head. "I thought they ... ah ... knew something about a friend of mine."

"A friend." The asari lashed out with a gauntleted fist and Aaron crumpled, a massive welt purpling above his right eye. "You." Gun and face-plate swiveled to point at Casimir. He noted the other four Eclipse troopers' rifles on his friends. "Why were you meeting him?"

Casimir tried to think of a convincing lie but a glance at Aaron's prone body made him decide otherwise. "He asked me to write a hacking program."

"Hacking program?" The shotgun dipped as she glanced at Aaron. "For what?"

"I don't know. He gave me a scan sample and asked for the hack. Look." Casimir activated his omni-tool and displayed the scan he had taken the day before, hoping that she was unfamiliar with geth tech. She grunted and waved a hand at the display. Casimir hit a quick sequence of keys as the amber disappeared, readying a sabotage charge.

"I'll find out more from him later. You and your friends assaulted my people and have to be punished. I'm in a forgiving mood today, so ten thousand credits each and you can leave."

"Ten thousand each?" Casimir's jaw dropped. "We don't have ..."

"Of course, we could use three new indentured servants here on the station. I'm not unreasonable." The shotgun swiveled back up to Casimir's face. "Let's go draw up some contracts." Casimir looked past the asari and saw Merrek nod. Dia hunched her shoulders as her biotic energy intensified.

"Commander," one of the Eclipse mercs sighted on the petite asari, "the asari ..."

Ivo's head twitched to the side, distracted for a second. Casimir dropped to the floor and activated his omni-tool, the sabotage charge hitting Ivo's shotgun as she shifted back to him. The weapon blared a warning siren as it overheated and flared with explosive energy. Ivo cursed and dropped the shotgun, then flinched as a wave of biotic energy rocked her forward and sent two troopers through the air at either side. They crashed against the wall, lifeless. Merrek grabbed Dia and lurched out the door, his shields flaring blue from rifle rounds as the other two mercs opened fire.

"Looks like I'll have to use my hands." Ivo lunged for the human as Casimir scrambled to his feet. Gauntleted fists crashed into his chest, armor absorbing enough impact that he thudded to the floor breathless but alive. Merrek popped into the room and returned fire at the two mercs, who overturned a pair of tables for cover.

"Come on, human." Ivo grabbed Casimir's leg and tugged, lifting him into the air. He reached for his omni-tool as she swung him over a shoulder and down through a table in a shower of wooden splinters. Casimir grabbed his head, which seemed to be entertaining its personal brass band. "This is the best you've got?"

Dia stepped back into the room and thrust a hand at one of the mercs, who launched into the air and crashed against Ivo. The asari stumbled to one knee. Her voice trickled through her mic, "I hate biotics."

Casimir gritted his teeth against the pain in his skull and managed to find his helmet on his belt, then clip it into place. The remaining merc dove behind the bar and returned fire at the door, forcing Dia and Merrek outside.

"So Casimir," Ivo regained her feet a heartbeat before the human and grabbed his helmet with one hand, "what's your plan to leave my station now? My people are everywhere." A fist smashed into his gut and he fought the need to retch into his armor.

"I dunno." He threw both arms at her grip and knocked the hand from his helmet, only to receive a strike from her other fist. He tripped and sprawled face-first into table wreckage. The merc behind the bar ducked beneath a hail of rifle-rounds and Dia ran into the room. She lifted her hand into the air, cocooning Ivo in biotic energy and raising her four feet off the floor.

"Damnit I hate biotics!" Ivo's calm was gone, replaced by bellowing rage. The merc at the bar pivoted to target Dia and his shields failed beneath a hail of gunfire. Merrek sent four rounds through the merc's shoulder, ending the fight.

"Time to go," Dia hauled Casimir to his feet.

"We still need Aaron."

"Got him." Merrek scooped up the unconscious merc and moved to the door. "I don't know where we're going, though."

Casimir leaned on Dia and hurried to the door. He glanced at Ivo, whose lifeless limbs belied the anger in her voice. "I'll find you, Casimir! You and your biotic bitch!"

Dia spun and throw a hand out, sending the prone commander to the far wall where her thick armor embedded into the metal structure with the protests of screeching steel. "Not today," Dia yelled.

Out the door they scanned the area but noted no incoming mercs. Merrek shook his head in confusion. "Why hasn't she called in reinforcements yet?"

Dia answered, "She wants us herself."

Casimir sucked in a deep breath and activated his omni-tool, scanning the results of his hack on Aaron's omni-tool. "There's a shuttle we can take, I have access codes from Samsonov's omni-tool. It can get us to Anhur."

"Where's the shuttle?"

"That way." Casimir pointed at a closed hatch on the other side of the open concourse. They set off at a hurried pace, Casimir helping with Aaron as the hacker regained his balance. "Thanks for saving me, you two."

Dia slapped him on the arm. "That's why we're here."

Merrek rolled his eyes and increased his pace. "We're not out of this yet."

Casimir managed a grin. "And I thought we were doing pretty well."

Ivo's shouts reached them as they passed through the hatch to the shuttle platform, and even Merrek let slip a slight smile as they jumped into the shuttle and primed its engines. "I suppose we're doing okay, for us." Casimir slapped the turian on the shoulder and punched the throttle.

"Next stop, Anhur. Then," he glanced at Aaron, propped up in a rear seat, "Jack."


	5. Chapter 5

Casimir's Effect, The Hunt for Jack

Chapter 5: Mercenaries

Code streamed through Casimir's vision, blinding him to the shouts and explosions hitting him from all sides. He twisted to look away from the symbols but the movement only brought a new section into focus, as if he were wrapped in a cocoon. He tried to scream and the lines ran down his throat, into his eyes, ears, suffocating him and absorbing him as if his flesh were warping into something different, synthetic yet still alive, and as his last shred of humanity was torn from him his body convulsed, rocking back and forth …

And he woke, Dia's hands on his shoulders. "Casimir! Wake up!"

"I'm up, I'm up." He cast an eye around the interior of the stolen shuttle, noting Samsonov's prone shape in the back. "Where's Merrek?"

"He went out for food."

Casimir grunted and shifted upright into a seat. "Our merc friend's still out?"

"Yes." Dia shifted into the seat beside Casimir as his legs swung to the floor. "I expect he'll wake soon, though. Will he give us the info we need?"

Casimir shrugged and activated his omni-tool, scanning the most recent data acquisitions. "I got the rest of his omni-tool while he slept, but there's no mention of Jack. Has the hack on the module finished?" Dia plucked the gray box from Aaron's belt and held it up. One yellow line still glowed across it's surface.

"Almost."

Casimir nodded. "Once that's done we'll rouse Aaron and get our info." A frown creased his forehead as he continued tapping keys into his omni-tool. "Commander Ivo followed us. The Eclipse have already changed the secure channels on Aaron's tool, but from what I've decoded Ivo is here in New Thebes. She knows we landed somewhere in the city."

"Is Merrek in danger?"

"I'm sending him a message now." Casimir squinted through a window at the half-empty lot around them. The long-term parking building was one of dozens in the immediate area and held enough shuttles to make searching difficult, but he had tapped into the security cameras regardless. "No Eclipse in this building so far, but they'll check here eventually."

Dia pulled a med-kit from its place beneath a seat and cracked the lid. "I'll get a stimulant ready. Do we wait for Merrek?"

Casimir nodded as he received a message from the turian. "He'll be here in ten."

The asari leaned against Casimir as they waited in silence, finding what solace they could in each other's company.

* * *

Samsonov groaned and prodded the bruising that surrounded his swollen right eye. "What happened?" Dia thumped into a seat as she dropped the used med-kit to the floor.

"You've been unconscious for a few hours."

"Hours?" Aaron's good eye touched on the asari before spotting Casimir and Merrek. "Where am I?"

"We took a shuttle," Merrek leaned forward, gaze boring into the mercenary, "and landed on Anhur. You owe us some information on Jack."

Aaron pulled himself upright and squared his shoulders. "Ivo probably thinks I wanted to come with you! I'll be branded a traitor!"

Merrek shrugged. "Not our problem. Casimir?"

The hacker held up the gray data module in his right hand. "The hack finished. I suppose we could take this instead."

"No!" Sweat beaded on Aaron's brow and he lunged for the box. Merrek grabbed the merc and sent him sprawling to the floor, pinning one of the man's arms behind his back.

"Then tell us what we need to know."

Aaron's teeth ground together as he wrestled with his choices. After three heartbeats his body went limp. "Fine. I'm probably dead anyway, knowing Ivo. Let me up." Merrek shifted away, still close to the human but no longer touching him. "I don't have a current location for Jack, but I know where she likes to haunt. I'd start with Omega."

Merrek grunted in annoyance, causing Aaron to flinch. "Where on Omega? It's a big place, and not too friendly to visitors."

Aaron nodded, eager to finish the exchange now that it had started. "There was a certain area she liked, section 17, a real rough place. I don't know what it's like now, but anywhere not under the direct control of a merc band would be worth checking."

"Where else besides Omega?"

Aaron shrugged. "A handful of rocks in the middle of nowhere. Here," Aaron activated his omni-tool and typed in a series of entries. Casimir's tool blipped in receipt of the data. "You can check those next, but Omega is your best bet. The address of her safe-house on Omega is in there, too." Aaron wiped seat from his forehead and looked at Casimir. "There, I've told you what I know. Now give me the module."

Casimir frowned, unhappy with the little intel they had received and curious about the encrypted data. He glared at the box, hearing the whispers of secret knowledge tugging at the corners of his mind.

Dia nudged his arm and added, "Casimir? Give him the module so we can leave."

The hacker pushed the whispers to the back of his thoughts and nodded while handing the module to Aaron. "Here."

"Thanks." Aaron's eyes gleamed as he stared at the box. "Finally." Dia opened the side hatch on the shuttle and Aaron jumped out, head on a swivel. After the hatch closed she looked at Merrek.

"Can we let him live?"

"He needs time to investigate the data module. He won't return to the Eclipse until after, which gives us time to leave." Casimir glanced from one companion to another.

"Am I missing something?"

"We discussed killing him while you were asleep." Dia settled a hand on his arm. "I knew it would upset you."

Casimir's jaw dropped as he struggled to think of a response. "Aaron was never a real threat to us."

Dia shook her head. "His knowledge could be. Besides, the data on the module could be priceless, and we need the money."

"Dia, sometimes you're a little too bloodthirsty for comfort."

She scowled at Casimir and withdrew her hand. "None of us are saints."

"Doesn't mean we can't try to be better."

"I found a transport." Merrek had one of the shuttle's consoles active. "Passage to Omega leaving in one hour, a bulk transport with minimal safety precautions and it's cheap. Perfect for us."

Casimir nodded, eyes still on Dia. Some moments he felt he loved her, but others she genuinely frightened him. He remembered Artume's initial comments about the petite asari and wondered if he should have left Dia alone after all. "Let's take it."

They gathered their few pieces of gear and abandoned the shuttle, just another vehicle parked in a half-empty lot.

* * *

The trio settled into a spot in a corner of the transport's hold in an attempt to gain some privacy. The transport's cargo area was packed with travelers representing half a dozen races, with one corner cordoned off by metal wiring to protect a stack of crates for delivery to Omega. Six Blue Suns mercs patrolled the hold wearing their signature blue armor, but they had little interest in maintaining the peace and ignored the shouting matches and fistfights that erupted between groups of humans and batarians.

"Why bother hiring them at all?" Casimir watched the mercenaries from the corner of his eye, not wanting to attract their attention.

"They're here to protect the cargo," Merrek answered, nodding towards the crates in the corner. "Given the destination it could be anything, from red sand to top-shelf liquor."

Casimir's lip curled at the mention of the addictive drug. "I've seen what happens to people addicted to red sand."

"Don't do anything stupid." Merrek glanced at a group of turians a few paces away. "I'm going to see what I can find out about current events on Omega. Stay here."

Dia snorted at the command and slipped closer to Casimir. Once Merrek was out of earshot she muttered, "He still thinks he's in charge."

Casimir shrugged. "As long as we reach Omega safely, I don't care what he does." A tall human hidden inside gleaming black armor strode past, a green-plated krogan stomping alongside. Casimir's fingers twitched, nearly activating his omni-tool.

"Relax," Dia hissed.

"Bad memories." They lapsed into silence while they waited for Merrek, memories cropping up for both of them that they would rather forget.

* * *

Merrek spoke with pockets of turians scattered through the hold and all gave the same general assessment of Omega: the hollowed out asteroid was a lawless zone with warring mercenary groups vying for control while the asari Aria T'Loak kept a stranglehold on the lion's share of power. Casimir hoped for the tiniest bit of positive news as he asked, "Anything about section 17?"

Merrek nodded, casting a glance around them to ensure there were no eavedroppers. "It's part of an area contested by the Blood Pack and Blue Suns. The pack has been making a lot of aggressive moves recently, throwing a lot of vorcha at heavily fortified areas. I earned more than a few dark stares from the krogan here when I mentioned it."

"So we have to walk into a war-zone."

"Yes."

The two males lapsed into silence, leaving Dia to ask, "Didn't Aaron say that Jack avoided areas controlled by mercs?"

Merrek nodded. "But section 17 isn't controlled by anyone. One day the Pack moves in and creates havoc, the next the Suns push back. It's far enough from Aria's power base that she doesn't care who runs it. There's no control at all."

"If Jack's there, she's probably watching them kill each other." Casimir shook his head and tried to ignore the frustration and fear gnawing at his gut. "From what I've read about her, she would find it funny."

Minutes ticked by in silence as they considered the danger that awaited them. Merrek sank to a seat on the floor and exhaled sharply. "As soon as we arrive we should head for section 17. Rest now, if you can."

Casimir settled to the floor next to Merrek, eyeing the strangers surrounding them in the hold. "I won't get any rest here, you two go ahead." He activated his omni-tool and fiddled with the controls, waiting until Dia had settled against him and Merrek's eyes had closed before accessing the code that haunted him in his dreams. He frowned at the strange patterns, adding lines and amending others to try and make a more complete picture, always feeling like he was trying to recreate a painting glimpsed through fogged glass. Absorbed in his work, he didn't notice the statuesque figure in gleaming black armor watching from a corner, green-armored krogan at her side.

* * *

"This doesn't seem so bad. And I wouldn't mind grabbing a drink." Casimir spoke as they marched through a courtyard bordered on one side by access to docking bays and the other by a set of doors to a club bearing a neon sign labeled "Afterlife". A line of patrons waited outside the door, held at bay by a group of bouncers.

Merrek responded, "Aria T'Loak holds court from in there. We don't want her curious about us, and so long as we don't piss her off, we only have to worry about garden variety thieves, killers, and vorcha." Casimir paused to listen to the steady bass that reverberated through the air and thrummed in the metal beneath their feet. It was as if the club were the heart of the station, a constant reminder of Aria's influence that was sent to every corner of Omega.

Merrek motioned for the others to continue. "There are elevators not far from here, but I want to buy some equipment in case we meet Jack. I'll meet you there in a minute and we'll descend to section 16 and walk the rest of the way."

Casimir let his eyes pass over the entrance to Afterlife one more time, intensely curious to see inside. Dia tugged on his arm and he re-focused, flashing a quick smile as they hurried to find the elevator.

* * *

"Section 16." Merrek poked his head into the hall as the elevator doors slid open. "Clear." The trio slipped into the corridor and headed for a door at one end, with a sign promising stairs beyond. Sickly yellow lights illuminated their path, bulbs flickering with the buzz of an angry cicada. Merrek halted at the door to the stairwell and faced his partners.

"On the chance that we run into Jack before we reach her room, we need a plan."

"I'll knock her out." Dia made the pronouncement with perfect calm, as if the question hadn't been worth asking.

"Her biotics may be stronger than yours, Dia." Merrek looked to Casimir for support and the human nodded. "If they are ..."

"They aren't." Dia folded her arms and scowled at the turian. "One on one, she's no match for me."

"Just in case," Casimir put a hand on the petite asari's shoulder, "I'll keep a sabotage charge ready. I can position it to knock her off her feet without killing her."

Dia shrugged, unconcerned. "If that makes you feel better."

Merrek rolled his eyes. "I bought these," he displayed a set of charged manacles, which cinched a person's wrists together with bands of energy, "and these," he pointed to three cylindrical grenades on his belt, "are flash-bangs. If we find her, let me use a flash-bang first. Then you can knock her out."

"Fine."

Merrek led them into the stairwell, each person struggling to ignore the growing tension.

* * *

"I'm seeing lots of comm chatter. Numerous life signs, mostly krogan and vorcha, in a large open concourse directly ahead."

Merrek nodded at Casimir's info, features hidden beneath his blue helmet. His raspy voice filtered back through the speaker at Casimir's ear. "The Pack are likely to shoot on sight, especially if they see a turian. We need a way around them."

"Checking." Casimir continued to study his omni-tool, making precise adjustments to its scanner. He zoomed out from the corridor where they were hidden to examine adjoining areas, the amber display showing red dots for life-signatures. "If we head back to the last cross corridor, we can loop past the Pack barricade but it takes us into an area with a powerful jamming signal. I can't tell what's beyond it."

"Probably Blue Suns. They're more tech savvy, and also more reasonable. How close is that area to Jack's old haunt?"

"Her place is just beyond the Blood Pack and at the edge of the jamming signal. We'll have to cross at least three corridors covered by the signal. I'm also picking up sporadic vorcha signatures throughout the level." Casmir paused to look up and down the trash-strewn corridor. "Best I can tell, this was a tenement for miners. Why the hell would the Pack and Suns fight so hard for it?"

"They don't need a reason." Merrek shifted his assault rifle from its mag-plate to his hands, "I'll take point, stay close."

One corridor back and two over, the devastation wrought by the warring merc groups became more apparent. Doors to apartments were blasted out of their frames, holes from small-arms fire riddled the walls, and long scorch marks were blasted into metal and plastics alike. Casimir kept his omni-tool active as they crept forward.

"I don't know much about vorcha. Are they similar to krogan?"

Merrek kept his feet moving and sights checking for targets as he responded. "They're less intelligent, if that's possible. Vorcha are scavengers, cannon fodder, trained to fight but little else. Not as physically powerful as krogan, but they thrive on combat and have advanced regenerative capabilities."

"The sound wonderful."

"You won't be so glib after you see one."

Casimir frowned as his scanner blipped with new signatures. "Something just popped in, next room on the left."

"How many?" Merrek's grip tightened on his weapon as Dia flared bright blue, biotic energy sheathing her small frame.

"Three. They're … damnit, three more behind us!" Casimir spun and programmed a mine to the wall opposite an open door. An instant later a short, fang-toothed humanoid with leathery skin stepped into the hall and triggered the explosive. It crashed backwards and out of sight, tumbling into its partners in a chorus of throaty cries.

"Target!" Merrek's rifle sent two bursts into a vorcha charging from the front, the turian's shields flaring blue as they absorbed the creature's return fire. "Find cover!"

"There is no cover! Dia, watch our backs!" The human spun on his heel and readied a new charge, aiming for a second vorcha behind Merrek's target. It's rifle flared with energy and fell from its hands but it continued to charge. The first enemy collapsed, chest stained red from Merrek's constant fire. Casimir flinched as Dia thrust a wave of biotic force behind him, tossing a pair of creatures twenty feet down the passage.

The weaponless vorcha bared its fangs as Merrek's rifle-fire ripped through its stomach, and then its blood-encrusted claws were seeking purchase around the turian's neck. Merrek pivoted and slammed the butt of his rifle into the creature's skull, forcing it to one knee. The third beast stepped into the corridor and moved at a slow pace towards them, weighed down by a bulky two-handed weapon.

Dia sent a second wave of force crashing down the hall behind them, flattening the vorcha injured by Casimir's mine. Already the gashes on its chest were sealing themselves shut.

Merrek smashed his enemy a second time, keeping it on its knees as it grabbed for the gun.

"Casimir, flamethrower!"

The human glimpsed a lick of flame from the slow-moving vorcha's weapon and programmed a sabotage charge. Hoping they weren't too close, he hit the enemy's weapon and gasped as the creature exploded into a ball of flame.

Merrek planted a boot into his opponent's chest, creating just enough separation to turn his rifle and send three rounds through its skull. Casimir turned to face the trio struggling to their feet in the corridor behind them and spotted one with a flamethrower.

"I'll take care of them." He stepped in front of Dia and programmed a charge, then took a breath to steady his aim for the combustible weapon. The ensuing fireball engulfed all three vorcha. Merrek silenced their screams with a burst each and then turned to face Casimir.

"How did they surprise you?"

Casimir stepped into the closer of the two rooms used by the ambushers and noted large holes in the metal ceiling. "They hid in the ceiling, probably used some sort of jamming or masking device to hide their presence. They're more sophisticated than you thought."

"Can you check for more ambushes?"

"I can try, but there's no guarantees."

"Then lets hurry to the Blue Suns. We can't risk fighting these things in such close quarters."

They doubled their pace, eager to make progress but worried about what they would find.


	6. Chapter 6

Casimir's Effect, The Hunt for Jack

Chapter 6: Battle

"Ceasefire, we're friendlies!" Merrek's voice was amplified by his helmet's speaker to reach the Blue Suns behind a barricade at the far end of the hall. Two blue-armored turians checked their rifle fire but didn't lower their weapons.

"Show yourself!" Merrek stepped out from the cover provided by a doorway, gun lowered. "I'm a turian and not Blood Pack, dammit! My partners are an asari and a human!" Merrek waved frantically at the others, who slipped into view.

"Hold where you are!" One of the mercs disappeared from sight, then returned with a batarian. The newcomer's armor had an overlay of amber-colored energy plates, which allowed him to forgo a helmet while maintaining some protection. He blinked his four eyes at Merrek and snorted through thin nose slits.

"A turian, a human, and an asari … that's more suspicious than a damn krogan! What are you doing in our territory?"

"We're looking for someone, an old friend. We just want to pass through."

"No-one passes through section 17 without a damn good reason and yours stinks."

"We'll make it worth your while."

The batarian paused to scratch at the wrinkles around his bump of a chin. "Keep your money. We know you killed some vorcha on your way here so you can enter our territory, but you have to meet our commander and she'll decide what to do with you. Your weapons remain holstered and you'll be under guard the entire time. The terms are non-negotiable. Understood?" Merrek nodded and slapped his rifle to the mag-plate over one shoulder while motioning for Casimir to do the same with his shotgun. Dia responded by releasing her build-up of biotic energy, allowing the blue sheath around her body to dissipate.

"Good. Rinnak here will guide you to our boss. Don't make me regret this." The batarian strode out of view, leaving the trio with one of the turians.

"Follow me." Without pausing for a response, the armored merc set a quick pace along the corridor. Casimir exchanged a worried look with Dia.

"At least we're not being shot at anymore," he muttered.

* * *

The area controlled by the Blue Suns was in much better shape than the corridors haunted by the Pack. While the walls bore the usual bullet holes and scorch marks, all the debris of battle had been collected and used to form barricades and choke points. Blue-armored mercs watched the strangers in silence, weapons at the ready. At the fourth cross corridor their escort turned left.

"How much farther?" Casimir's question met silence. A pair of mercs flanked the sides of the next intersection and joined the group as they approached a widening in the passage. It spilled onto an open area filled with mercs, tables, and sophisticated equipment. Bunks lined one wall and barricades were watched at each of the other three entry points. Snipers observed from a balcony one level up.

Rinnak approached a helmet-less human woman with short-cropped copper hair. "Commander, these are the new arrivals." The woman turned to scowl at the group and Casimir found himself admiring the way that wrinkles bunched above her cute nose.

"I'm Commander Jentha and in charge of this operation. Why are you in section 17?"

Merrek spoke quickly to pre-empt his companions. "We're looking for an old friend, she used to have a room here."

"Who is this 'friend'?" Jentha crossed her arms over her chest, clearly expecting a lie.

"A turian buddy of mine from the service, Noreka. If you would let us check her place we'll be out of your way."

"Where is it?" Jentha glared as Merrek nodded to Casimir, who pulled his eyes from the commander's striking features to activate the map on his omni-tool.

"Right here." He pointed to a spot almost exactly half-way between the Blue Suns' command center and the concourse filled with Blood Pack.

"That's a killing zone. We're gearing up to push through that area in a few hours." Jentha turned to one of her aides, apparently dismissing the group.

"We really need to get there." Merrek stepped forward and found a rifle in his face. "No disrespect but we can handle ourselves."

Jentha snorted her disbelief. "That corridor is loaded with traps and vorcha ambushes. This friend must be very important to you."

Merrek nodded. "Very."

Jentha glanced at Casimir and Dia before shrugging and pointing at a bunk across the room. "Settle in. When I'm ready to launch my attack your little group can go first and flush out some of the traps."

"That'll work." Merrek turned to walk away but Casimir held his ground.

"I can disarm any traps if you send some troopers with us to handle the vorcha."

Jentha barked a short laugh and shook her head. "I have my own tech specialists."

"But none as good as me."

Jentha stared at Casimir for two heartbeats before stating, "Take off your helmet."

The hacker slipped the covering free and clipped it to his belt. "I'm telling the truth." Jentha's eyes probed Casimir's gaze, testing for weakness.

"You and your friends go first. If I can find some volunteers then I'll send in snipers to cover you. Deal?"

Casimir flashed a crooked smile. "Deal."

Jentha dismissed them with a wave and returned to her work. Dia looped an arm around Casimir's elbow and tugged him to the bunks. Merrek greeted them without his helmet, his eyes narrowed.

"This is going to be exceptionally dangerous."

"We know."

"More dangerous than anything else we've done so far."

"We know!"

The turian nodded and leaned back against the wall. "I hope we can pull it off."

* * *

True to her word, Jentha asked for volunteers. A human and a turian, both sporting sniper rifles, walked with the group to the last and most heavily fortified barricade facing Blood Pack territory. The turian merc moved soundlessly and without comment while the scrawny human bubbled with energy.

"Name's Jonesy. This is Orjek. He doesn't talk much."

"I'm Casimir." A glance at Merrek made it obvious that he was in no mood to talk.

"Good to meet ya. You understand the kind of danger you're headed for?"

Casimir grunted, "Sure." Jonesy slapped him on the shoulder.

"Good for you! Too many people shrink away from danger. I love it, gets my blood going so I know I'm alive. Nothing like picking off a krogan at a hundred paces before the bloke knows I'm there. Know what I mean?"

Casimir shrugged, absorbed in his own thoughts.

"Anyway, Orjek and I'll keep you covered as long as possible. There's no one better."

Casimir doubled his pace for the final checkpoint. Jonesy didn't seem to notice the attempt to avoid conversation but was cut off by a batarian waiting at the barricade. It was the same one who had questioned them initially, still protected by amber energy plating.

"Jentha called ahead. Jonesy, shut your trap and take a position. You lot," he swiveled his four eyes over the trio, "you want to sacrifice yourselves to help our advance? How noble."

"We'll be fine, batarian." Casimir activated his omni-tool and started a short-range scan of the hall ahead.

"Once you're shot up don't expect a rescue."

Casimir flashed an annoyed smile before locking his helmet on. "I'll take point while checking for traps. We only have to advance a little over one corridor to reach the room." Merrek readied his assault rifle and Dia flared bright blue with controlled energy. "Follow me."

Casimir scampered over the barricade and dropped to the floor. His eyes flickered to the open doorways ahead on either side before double-checking his scanner. "No traps. Advancing."

Merrek kept close and Dia trailed. The two Blue Suns snipers slipped over the barricade.

"Wait." Casimir frowned at his scanner as he approached a cross-corridor. "I'm picking up some strange readings." His voice was a whisper through the comm channel.

Merrek crouched and sighted down the hall. "How many?"

"Vorcha on either side of the hall, but there's something else above us." Casimir programmed a mine and watched it materialize on the ceiling in the intersection. A sharp hiss of breath gave away the vorcha ambushers and Casimir pulled his shotgun as the explosive detonated, igniting a cluster of hidden mines into a fireball that licked two vorcha in the right hand passage.

"Contact!" Merrek's rifle pulsed rounds into a vorcha on the left, shredding it before it could place a shot. A second charged forward, flamethrower vomiting fire. Casimir jumped backwards as Dia threw a wave of energy. The vorcha crashed against the wall and was cut down by Merrek's rifle. The two vorcha on the right re-entered the corridor and collapsed as their skulls met sniper rounds.

"Nice shooting," Casimir muttered, clambering to his feet.

"Anything else?" Merrek stepped to the intersection and checked both directions.

"We got their attention. Krogan and vorcha on the move, straight ahead. They'll be here in under a minute."

"Then get into the room and look around, Dia and I will hold them!" Merrek raced forward and crouched in an open doorway, Dia at his shoulder. Casimir jogged to another door and slipped inside, gun checking the corners.

"It's clear." He eyed his omni-tool scanner as it passed over the room. "This place has been ransacked numerous times. But …," he walked to a far corner and prodded the ceiling. A panel clicked open, revealing a passage that contained a small bundle of personal effects. "Someone's been here recently!" He pulled a toppled bureau to the corner and climbed up to examine the items. "There's food." Merrek's rifle burst to the life, answered by weapons farther down the hall.

"Hurry up, Casimir!"

"Wait, there's a small jamming device up here!" He deactivated the jammer and grinned as his scanner populated a section of overhead passages that led to the section above. He was about to announce his success when he noticed a number of approaching life-signs. The weapons-fire from the corridor intensified.

Dia's voice cut through the chaos. "Casimir! We have to retreat!"

"Negative," Jentha's voice broke into their signal. "My forces are advancing. Hold your position."

"Multiple krogan in the hall!" Merrek's voice held a note of panic. Casimir double-checked his readings, shaking his head.

"Jentha, I've got numerous targets approaching through ceiling passages."

"Who are they?" Other voices murmured in the background, chatter from the Blue Suns.

"I think it's the Eclipse. There's one just around …," Casimir's jaw dropped as he looked up and found himself face to face with a heavily tattooed human woman wearing bulky leather pants, a chest strap, and a snarl.

"What the hell are you doing with my stuff?" Biotic energy pooled around her arms.

"Shit!" Casimir threw himself out of the duct and hit the floor as the hatch cover exploded off its hinges.

Dia's voice reached him through the deafening roar of weapons-fire as the Blue Suns' advance reached the trio's position. "Casimir?"

"It's Jack! She's here!"

Jentha's anger tore through the earpiece. "THE Jack? That's why you're here? And what did you say about the Eclipse?"

Casimir readied a mine and kept it pointed at the hatch, his heartbeat thudding in his ears. Merrek and Dia slipped behind the Blue Suns and into Jack's room. Dia crouched by Casimir. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, finally lowering his omni-tool. "I saw her up there."

Merrek hurried to the hole in the ceiling and jumped up for a look. "She's gone."

Casimir activated his scanner and shook his head. "She's still in the ceiling passages, headed straight for the Eclipse."

"Which way?"

"Towards the Blood Pack's position. Looks like they'll meet above that concourse. Could make for a good diversion."

"Then that's where we go."

Casimir locked eyes with Dia and after a moment's hesitation she nodded. "Let's finish this and collect our bounty."

The human nodded, trying to ignore the screams of the wounded and the dying in the hall. "Okay, we should …,"

"Casimir," The confidence in Jentha's voice had disappeared; words rushed out at a frantic clip, "we're being pushed back. You've only got a few moments to …," the connection died. Merrek tapped the side of his helmet.

"What happened?"

"Long range comms are down." Casimir hit keys on his omni-tool. "The Eclipse are jamming everything."

A krogan roared in the hall and a blue-armored turian flopped lifelessly through the doorway. A bulky Blood Pack warrior charged inside and was met by mine, rifle-rounds, and biotics, sending its corpse flying backwards. Merrek popped a few shots into the corridor and ducked as a shotgun blast flared across his shields. Casimir poked his omni-tool into the hall and sent a mine flying at the enemy charge. A sniper-rifle round downed a vorcha and Casimir silently thanked the mercs still watching his back.

"Two more krogan and three more vorcha."

Merrek nodded and motioned for Dia to take her turn. A wave of biotic energy barreled down the passage, knocking the vorcha into the air and rocking the krogan off-balance. Merrek charged, firing rounds into one of the defenseless vorcha. Casimir pulled his shotgun and blasted at a krogan's shields, grinning as the blue field blipped away. A hole punched through the creature's skull-plate and it collapsed, the work of either Jonesy or Orjek. The trio lunged into an open doorway as the remaining krogan charged. Sniper shots whittled away its shields and Merrek met it at the door with a burst to its face. Sniper rounds finished the vorcha as the monster collapsed. Merrek poked his head into the hall.

"Another group. The concourse is only one more corridor length ahead." A detonation reverberated through Section 17 and threw the three bounty hunters to the floor. Casimir allowed himself another smile. Weapons-fire erupted dead ahead as the Blood Pack found a new enemy in their midst.

"Our diversion is right on time."

The enemies in the hall turned and raced back to their base of operations. Merrek led Casimir and Dia after them. The first krogan to run into the open concourse was smashed into the air by a biotic wave. Three vorcha fired their weapons as they entered and were cut down by rifle fire. The remaining krogan hesitated for a heartbeat and took hits from Merrek before Eclipse on the far side finished him. The bounty hunters flattened against the walls leading into the concourse and peered in.

Blood Pack were huddled behind mounds of furniture and gear in a far corner. Eclipse kept them pinned with fire from a second story balcony. A massive hole had been ripped in the ceiling, leaving a pile of debris in the center, beside which Commander Ivo had crouched while issuing orders to her team. Jack wasn't visible.

"Where's our target?" Merrek continued to scan the room.

"I don't know …," a biotic shockwave tore a chunk of Ivo's cover into the air and Jack charged from a near corner. "There."

Ivo motioned to Eclipse troopers on the balcony and rounds rippled across Jack's protective biotic sheath. The criminal ducked behind a chunk of twisted metal as Blood Pack mercs took shots at the Eclipse.

Merrek shouted to be heard above the sounds of battle. "How many are there?"

"Four Eclipse on the balcony." Casimir peered at his scanner, barely registering the people in the concourse through the jamming signal. "A handful of Blood Pack behind that barricade, and lots of life-signs approaching from there." He pointed to an entrance through the concourse on their right.

"Blood-Pack reinforcements?"

"Probably."

"We need to get to Jack but we can't while the Eclipse has her pinned down." Casimir opened his mouth to respond when Ivo noticed his team.

"There he is!" Ivo stormed for Casimir, ignoring the rounds that chased her as she left cover. Merrek continued to fire and received a fist to the helmet, driving him to the ground. Dia thrust an arm forward and Ivo stumbled, her heavy armor and her rage an effective combination for resisting biotics.

Jack stepped from cover and thrust an arm at the balcony. Two yellow-armored troopers lifted into the air, easy targets for the two vorcha and two krogan still in the room. The remaining Eclipse returned fire, aiming for the easier targets and cutting down the vorcha.

Ivo shook her head and snorted like a bull declaring a charge. The heavily armored asari lunged forward as Casimir detonated a mine against her shields. Blue light flickered but armor held and she had him by the throat. "I told you I would finish this with my hands." Dia raised her arms but couldn't risk biotics while the two of them were in contact. Ivo stepped backwards and yelled, "Get the grapples ready!" The Eclipse in the balcony pulled small launchers from their belts and fired cables into the hole in the ceiling.

"Hey bitch, I'm not finished with you yet!" While Dia didn't want to hurt Casimir, Jack had nothing restraining her as she launched a shockwave that pulsed through the floor like the beat of Afterlife's bass. It connected with Casimir and Ivo and sent both crashing against the far wall.

The Eclipse mercs switched back to rifles and leveled shots at Jack, who again ducked behind cover. The two krogan, sensing an opportunity, leaped their barricade with shotguns leveled.

Merrek regained his feet and unclipped a flashbang, showing it to Dia before throwing. The small disc skittered across the floor to the krogan's feet and in an overwhelming burst of light and sound the krogan, Jack, Eclipse, Casimir and Ivo were all blinded. Dia opened her eyes, charged forward and released a font of biotic energy grown from her rage and worry over Ivo's attack on Casimir. The energy rocketed into the krogan and they smashed into and through their ramshackle barricade, sending metal and plastic shrapnel cascading across shields and armor alike.

Merrek charged at Jack, rifle-butt a club that collided with her head. Her biotic barrier kept her skull intact but she fell to her knees, teeth bared in a snarl.

Casimir and Ivo rose unsteadily, dots of light in their eyes and heads ringing from the flashbang and the impacts with the wall. He reached for his omni-tool as she lunged. She grabbed his arm and head and pivoted, smacking him against the wall.

One krogan died as the Eclipse mercs regained their sight. The second rolled forward to its feet and charged at the nearest enemy it could find, a turian. Merrek raised his arms to ward off the attack as the krogan's armored head cracked against the turian's torso. Merrek fell and Jack's lip curled into a smile. Her body crackled with biotic power and she thrust a hand forward.

Dia matched the human biotic's movements and the air between them erupted in an electric blue nova, energy crackling and humming as they strained will to will. The krogan hesitated, unsure who to attack, exposing it to Blue Sun sniper rounds that tore shields, armor, and flesh.

Blood Pack reinforcements reached the concourse, pausing at the corridor's entrance to survey the destruction. Their leader, a krogan in jet-black heavy armor with a red skull painted on the chest-plate, waved his troops back and entered unarmed, cracking knuckles through his plated gloves. Blood Pack filtered onto the balcony, trading fire with the Eclipse still stationed there.

Ivo's fist smashed against Casimir's head and the world tilted. He didn't know what the bright blue light was behind Ivo, or what the loud ringing was in his ears, but more than anything he was curious about the krogan wearing the red skull looming behind the Eclipse commander.

"This is Blood Pack territory," his voice rumbled as he grabbed Ivo's shoulder and spun the asari, "and you're not welcome." His other hand swung in a haymaker for the asari's head. She blocked forearm to forearm with a crack of plating, eliciting a surprised grunt from the krogan. Her other arm chopped forward and rocked the merc's head back. Casimir watched in stunned fascination as the two commanders traded blows, neither one willing to give an inch.

Merrek crawled away from the growing ball of blue light between Dia and Jack. It shifted towards one, then the other, their heels sliding slowly backwards. Dia's teeth ground together as she frowned at the human's strength. Jack grimaced but didn't flinch at the unusually strong adversary.

"I hate asari," she muttered as she weakened for a moment, allowing Dia to press the energy forward a foot, then two. Jack sneered, collecting her strength for a final push, and with a roar of defiance she thrust forward. The balcony shook, the debris in the center of the room exploded outwards against the walls, and the melee combatants near Casimir were swept to the floor with a wave of shrapnel. Dia smashed to the wall, then the floor, unconscious.

Jack bent forward, hands on her knees, grinning at her victory even as fatigue washed over her.

"Take that, bitch." She didn't notice as Merrek rose behind her and swung his rifle in a downward arc. It connected with the base of her skull and she fell.

Casimir rolled to his feet and stumbled to Merrek, who was clamping cuffs on Jack's wrists.

Blue Suns troopers charged into the room with weapons firing, Jonesy and Orjek at the lead with Jentha close behind. Jonesy hurried to their side and clapped Casimir on the shoulder, nearly bowling him over.

"Great show! You guys are impressive, you ever think about going merc?" Merrek shook his head as Casimir reached Dia's prone form. A Blue Suns medic was already checking her vitals. Weapons-fire echoed to them from the balcony and the far hall, but Casimir pushed it from his mind. Jentha had the opening she needed and his work was done. The commander moved to Merrek's side as Casimir addressed the medic.

"How is she?" His voice was hollow, empty of emotion or energy.

"She took a couple of heavy hits. She's alive but will be out for a while."

Casimir nodded and waved at Merrek, who dragged Jack over with Jonesy's help. The turian spoke first. "Jonesy and Orjek will help us back to the docking slips. I'll contact my friend who runs the prison ship, he'll arrange a transport to take us to him."

"All that for one prisoner?"

"For the price that she'll bring? Of course."

Casimir nodded and stooped to lift Dia.

"We'll bring her," the medic added, putting an arm out to stop him. "Just send us the berth."

The human hesitated, concerned over trusting the Blue Suns too much. Unfortunately he was in no shape to argue. "Fine." He turned to survey the carnage one last time, frowning as he realized that Ivo was missing. "Merrek, let's go."

* * *

Casimir slumped onto a bunk next to Dia's prone body.

He had removed her armor and watched a Blue Suns doctor examine her and was relieved to again hear that the asari would recover. Merrek was in the hold watching Jack, who was locked into restraints and sedated for the trip.

An intercom by the door crackled to life and the turian's voice trickled through. "Casimir, we'll rendezvous with the prison ship Purgatory shortly. Is Dia awake yet?"

The human walked to the door and activated the speaker. "Not yet."

"We can do this without her, then. Meet me at the hatch."

"On my way." Casimir cast one last glance at Dia and hurried from the med-bay.

"She still sedated?" Casimir raised an eyebrow at Jack's prone form, strapped to a metal gurney hovering on grav-plates.

"She'll start to wake up as we make the exchange." A human in Blue Suns armor, the pilot of the borrowed shuttle, joined the pair and activated the hatch.

"Warden Turil is waiting in the processing area. I'll keep the ship ready for you."

Merrek nodded and gripped a handle on the front of the gurney. Casimir had to suppress the twitching of his left hand, which would have activated his omni-tool. He muttered, "You trust the Blue Suns this much?"

Merrek shrugged. "They operate this ship and will make plenty of money from Jack. Why wouldn't they help us?"

The human grunted as he watched the transport's hatch slide closed. "We're outnumbered by mercenaries in the middle of space and transporting a valuable bounty. Why worry?"

A hatch ahead of them opened and revealed a room with two armed Blue Suns troopers. A turian on the left motioned them forward.

"Follow me, I'll bring you to the warden."

They obeyed soundlessly, catching glimpses of the interior of the ship through glass panels lining the corridors.

"This place is packed," Casimir whispered. "How many inmates are here?"

The turian guard's voice filtered through his helmet. "Official count is over 4,000."

A whistle slipped from Casimir's lips. "And all of them in those little modules." The cubes lined the far wall, with one occasionally slipping free to move down to a walkway and waiting guards.

"Here we are." The guard palmed a door lock and stepped aside. "The warden's inside."

Merrek pulled the captive in first, Casimir trailing. Inside the long window-less room waited a turian in the familiar blue armor flanked by four armed guards. The warden was the only one without a helmet and his face didn't carry any of the usual turian colored slashes or tattoos.

"Kuril, good to see you." Merrek clasped hands with the warden. "This is my associate Casimir. And here's Jack."

Kuril nodded and bent over the captive biotic. Jack stirred, eyelids twitching. "Excellent work my friend. This will make you rich and me richer." Kuril turned to face Casimir, eyeing the human head to toe, then nodded to the guard still behind the group. Merrek kept his eyes on Jack as turian hands grabbed Casimir's left arm and slammed him into the wall.

"Merrek!" Casimir activated his omni-tool but couldn't reach it as a second guard grabbed his right arm. The human twisted and stomped at one of his attacker's legs, momentarily freeing his right hand. He pulled the shotgun from his back just as Kuril lunged and connected with a right cross. Casimir crumpled to the floor and felt restraints lock over his wrists.

"And this one will bring a decent price, too." Kuril met Casimir's eyes as the human tried to blink past the stars in his eyes.

"Merrek, what the hell …,"

"I'm sorry, Casimir." The turian, his ally, kept his eyes turned away. "Don't mistreat him, Kuril. He's proven himself … honorable."

"An honorable man wanted for murder is still a murderer. Besides," he motioned to one of the guards and the man moved to a hatch on the far wall. It opened to reveal a tall human woman encased in gleaming black armor. "I've already found someone willing to pay very well for this one."

"Kuril!" Merrek stepped towards the warden and found two assault rifles aimed at his chest. "This wasn't part of the deal!"

"Cerberus won't keep him forever," Kuril muttered, "just until they have the information they want. Then he'll be brought back here."

Merrek shook his head and knelt by Casimir, brow lowered. "I'm sorry Casimir."

"Bastard …," his head was clearing and he felt a sudden surge of panic. "Dia?"

"Will be fine. I'll … I'll tell her you were killed by Jack. She'll get her share of the bounty." Casimir lifted his cuffed hands and tugged his necklace, the small plastic ship resting on a leather thong, over his head. Merrek nodded. "I'll pass it along."

The Cerberus operative crouched on the other side of Casimir and administered a sedative with her omni-tool. His vision blurred around the edges as it took effect.

Kuril grasped Jack's gurney and headed towards a far door. "We'll save you a place here, Casimir Jagiello." Casimir's last sight before everything faded to black was Jack's eyes locking onto his, sending a tremor of fear down his spine. Kuril wouldn't be the only one on Purgatory awaiting Casimir's return.

* * *

This is the end of The Hunt for Jack but not the end of Casimir. He'll return in Casimir's Effect 2: The Edge of Space.


End file.

Mass Effect, Adventure, Sci-Fi