"To the Hegemony!" 

Kesik raised his own drink to meet his host's, the dirty glasses clinked together and both Batarians finished their alcohol is silence. This was [i]Raggobar Fire Brew[/i] according to the over-sized bottle sitting on the table, but most aliens would simply call it; "Batarian Ale." Most of what was found outside of Hegemony space was diluted, generic-brand swill, mixed with some flavored liqueur to make it "enjoyable." Some barrels of original craft-brew would make their way past customs from time to time however, allowing Kesik to enjoy the bitter taste, a rare treat these days.

Two months ago, the locations of three outcast colonies in the Traverse were publicly released alongside a list of wanted men and women hiding among them. Bounties were posted by the Council and the Hegemony alike, turning a peaceful corner of the galaxy to a hunting ground for Batarian exiles as Siame Industries stepped up to claim the rewards. Only a few managed to make it out of the destruction alive, forced deep into the Neman Abyss by the perusing mercs. They told their story to those who would hear it, stirring even more dissent against Siame. The story eventually reached sympathetic ears, someone who chose to act against the slaughter, Kesik Bal'uim

More favors were asked than Kesik would ever like to admit, but he was eventually able to pick up a trail. The proxy account responsible for the information leak,was traced to an extranet alias, some basement-dwelling Salarian hacker. After some "persuading", he gave up the job's payment information, pointing the blame to some Turian fuel tycoon named Sulinus Dalarkin, an aspiring business partner to Siame Industries. The rest was relatively simple, after a few calls to victim families and discrete funding from one of Dalarkin's competitors, Kesik lead a lynch mob against the Turian's manor, justice was served. 

As it turns out, that kind of behavior can attract like-minded individuals, bringing Kesik to Cartagena Station. His host was a fellow Batarian named Parem Sas'corr, half-brother to one of the outcasts killed during the raids. Kesik had been staying in the cellar of Parem's apartment complex for the last 3 days. Cartagena was a sanctuary for criminals, sure, but you could never be sure how much people would pay to have you killed. There was a chance that this gathering was a set-up, that a bunch of Siame commandos would rush the room as soon as everyone took their seats. Kesik needed to be cautious, he needed to make sure that he couldn't be traced, that he had somewhere to hide if things got messy, that was his way.

After finishing their drinks, the two Batarians embraced by clasping each-other's shoulder. and tilting their heads ever-so-slightly before Kesik exited the dusty office. Parem was a zealot, caught up in the glory days the Batarian people without ever having lived through them. He was rude, mistreated those living under his roof, and had a drinking problem, but,he had taken Kesik into his care, (if only to have someone to swap war-stories with) and thus deserved respect. Children were playing in the halls, they passed Kesik in a rush, looking up with wide grins then scampering away when Parem shouted from his office. 

Kesik hefted his duffle bag over his shoulder and mad his way out to the street, his destination was close enough for travel by foot. This part of the station was known for a faulty lighting system, the low-power glow reminded Kesik of dusk on Khar'san, a slight drowsiness washing over him as he made his way alongside the rest of the pedestrian trafic. He wearing a simple, lime-green outfit, his armor, weapon, and anything else of importance was in the bag. Kesik's thoughts wondered as he walked, frowning when he guessed what would await him at this meeting, he was families with these kind of gatherings. His peers would be some of the most talented individuals this side of the galaxy, and they would stick out like sore thumbs. Employers never seemed to understand that a badass name and custom-fitted power armor did jack-shit when a situation turned ugly. They hired flashy professionals with large reputations and larger bounties. The worst part was that these groups rarely included Batarians, despite the fact that they were the majority in these parts of the galaxy. [i]Racist bastards[/i]. Kesik had contacts and favors where others had weapons and armor, he could vanish in plain sight, he could become just another face in the crowd if needed, could every mercenary at this gathering say the same?

Frown turned to smile as Kesik imagined who would show up. [i]let's hire an angsty teenage Krogan with gold-plated armor and a hammer-wielding Volus as his partner. Hell, there could be a fucking talking Varren in there for all I know.[/i] Kesik reached his first stop, a personal storage business two blocks from the Inn. He swiped his Omni-Tool past the payment booth and stored the bag containing his armor and Kishock in the locker, slamming the door a few times before it closed completely. You could see the Cartagena Inn from here, and Kesik was no longer a wanted terrorist, he was another Batarian civilian, one of millions on the station.

Kesik walked though the front doors and preformed a gentle nod as he passed the receptionist, she had pointed him towards the conference room without any exchange between the two. [i]Just how many aliens are going to be here?[/i] As the door slid open, Kesik scanned the wall before anything else, noting any side doors or additional entrances, anything that could be used in an ambush, he was pleased, this was a good enough room. He paid little attention to the others in the room, the human female at the front gave him a look that dripped with hatred, and Kesik responded with a near invisible head tilt to the right. He could care less about the others recruited for this little mission, he was not here to make friends or money, this was to clear his name, and stop violence against his people.

Kesik found an empty space on the wall next to the where he entered the room and leaned against it. He relaxed a bit upon seeing another Batarian. [i]Good[/i]. Let's see if this is worth coming to the station.