[color=cyan]“Yeah, yeah cut the chatter. I don’t pay you all to host your book club in the middle of the mission.”[/color] Nik explained his voice almost teasing in its manner. It felt almost wrong treading upon these abandoned grounds where it felt as if you could see the specters of the past continuing their day to day routines: salarian merchants selling their black market electronics, quarians selling and buying mechanical parts of every shape and make, turians showcasing their plethora of weapons, krogans selling their services as mercs and warriors for hire by showcasing thier feats of strength, asari selling rare curealls biotic enhancements, and other lost souls trying to make it in Omega. They were all gone now, the market the only reminder of their combined existence sitting alone slowly being consumed by the dark.

[color=cyan]“Haze if anybody even thinks of trying to breathe on us without our permission you take them out quicker than you down those drinks that you and Daro are so fond of drinking when you are off duty.”[/color] Nik whispered into his comm as the market stands began to become clustered with greater frequency obscuring their vision on the ground. The silence that drifted around them filled the air with a tangible sense of dread that you could almost taste upon your lips. The remnants of the market told the story of the final evacuation all too well, tables pushed up in defensive positions, scattered electronics and other merchandize littering the floor, neon signs still faintly glowing after having been left on for too long, the occasionally splatter of dried blood that illuminated the metal floor beneath them like a Pollock painting. And yet beside their own presence there was no obvious signs of life as the leader swept his rifle across watching the darkness ahead of them as it angrily looked backed at them slowly encroaching around them. 


Out of the darkness came a shredding sound somewhere in front of them and towards the ground. Nikusill reacted almost immediately his rifle swinging in the direction and finger wrapping around the trigger as they approached. What faced them was little more than a scavenger out of place in this place of ghosts just as themselves. It was a rat like creature though much bigger almost the size of a cat with mangled grey fur and a black sharp beak. A chunk of flesh was hanging out the side of this obsidian fixture torn from the decomposing corpse below it. The creature ran away at the sight of team but not before letting out a hiss with a distinct phlegm quality to it. Nik looked back the rest of the team nodding to them before slowly going over and approaching the corpse. He nudged it gently with the edge of his boot unsure of what he was expecting underneath... some grim mockery of death?  He shook his head at the sight revealed to him whispering softly a prayer to Kalahira. What seemed from  the other side was one body was actually two one slightly bigger than the other, both female in form due to the extended damage that had been done and the rate of decomposition it was hard to even tell what species they were. One thing was clear to the eyes, the bigger had died sheltering the younger one from the bullet that from observation seemed to have pierce the first one’s chest and hit the smaller one killing them both together. Who were these corpses intertwined in death? A mother and child, sisters, lovers, friends or maybe just two strangers? It mattered little now, now they were just statics another death to blame upon Qiyrlock and the Crimson fist.

[color=cyan]“....We should move.”[/color] Nik explained his voice low and hollow as the sight seemed to drain all that teasing and kind emotion out of his frame. He pressed on without another word deeper into the market as they did. The occasional console having been left on by the fleeing occupants stuttered to life with a soft glow as the team walked by only to disappoint turn back off as they trekked on not the shoppers it had once known. The gently breeze coming from the turbines that lay deep within the station carry the sounds of ghosts laughing, battering, yelling and crying occasionally punctuated by the sounds of gunshots somewhere in the distance a constant reminder of the gang warfare that had caused this in the first place. Nik did his best to remove the image of the bodies from his mind, he did not let it get the best of him for it would cloud his emotions and clouded emotions lead to a weak mind and a weak soul. He needed to be calm and serene like  Amonkira leading his hunters, he needed to be able to lead through all adversity. Though he did not forget the picture encapsulated within his mind, burned there among the others he failed to save they were the reason he counted to fight, they were the reason he was here in the first place.

They soon reached the outer perimeter of the center square where they agreed to meet with Jek. He pulled his team off to the side and then sent out two long clicks on his commlink. [i]Click....Click.[/i] He waited as the seconds seemed to take away at the speed of eons before two clicks slowly came back to him equidistantly apart and the same tone as his own. [i]Click....Click[/i], it was Haze and Olan confirming that  they were ready to go, having refrained from speaking at this point to keep at least a semblance of tricks up their sleeves. Jek and Nik had decided upon the  market as a meeting place together, for Jek it was close enough to his territory and for Nik their was plenty of cover for his team to use in case Jek decided to pull anything devious as gangsters try to do. He lead the team straight into the center square where three individuals waited seeing their approach these three strangers raised their guns. [i]”Play it cool everybody.”[/i] Nik whispered as they approached slowly as they did the strangers lowered their guns but their appearance made Nik’s mind halt for a moment. At the current moment there was a quarian sporting an old Migrant Fleet Marines envirosuit a vorcha and a asari. This bothered Nik because he had arranged a meeting with Jek personally and yet the fabled butcher was definitely not among them, automatically putting the drell on edge.


[color=cyan]“I thought Jek was supposed to be meeting us here. Who are you?”[/color] Nikusill explained breaking the silence his voice cool and collected but with a subtle edge to it.

The quarian stepped forward lowering his weapon as he did he spoke in a cool and calm voice that held the authority in it that only those that earned it can. [b]“My name is Masf'Taalun vas Halazi. I’m one of Jek’s lieutenants and the one assigned to escort you to the boss.”[/b]

[color=cyan]“Escort us? The deal was the meeting was going to occur here.”[/color] Nik explained his voice growing harder and harsher matching the same gruff tone the quarian was using. 

[b]”Change of plans. The Crimson Fist have pushed deep into our territory and Jek needed to stay to lead the defense. He apologizes for the inconveniences of the relocation but in times of war it is necessary as you understand.”[/b] The quarian explained in a matter of fact way as he and Nik continued their verbal sparring as they sized one another up mentally.  

[color=cyan]“Well that is a shame because I guess we are just going to have to deal with Qiyrloc ourselves then.”[/color] Nik explained as he began to turn around but as he did Masf called out to him.

[b]”Don’t be a fool. You won’t be able to touch Qiyrloc let alone kill him without friends to deal with the army he has gathered.”[/b] He explained, Nik stopped in his tracks and turned around his rifle resting limply at his side as he responded to the tasteful jab with a thrust of his own.

[color=cyan]“That may be but why must we be friends with Jek? He is the one that has failed to get rid of the krogan.”[/color] Masf tapped his foot impatiently unimpressed as you could almost hear him laugh before he respond. 

[b]“Oh? And who would help you then? Aria? The day she offers to join you on your suicidal crusade is the day that I set foot on Rannoch [i]bosh'tet.[/i] We are the best chance you got.” [/b]Masf explained bluntly with a strong sense of conviction in his voice.

[color=cyan]“.....Fine you win if only for the manner of convenience.”[/color] Nil responded after about a minute of silence as he contemplated their actions. In the end Masf was right though they were going to need all the help they could get to even have a chance of dealing with the Crimson Fist as a whole let alone try and take down Qiyrloc at the center of it all. If quarians could look smug behind their face masks Masf certainly did as he nodded his head agreeing with the sentiment.

[b]“Alright well time is fleeting and I don’t want to be out of territory for more time than is absolutely needed. We are heading towards the old import export building down the way a bit. That is where our defense line has been formed. Let’s move shall we I don’t want to be the prey for some Crimson Fist-”[/b] The soldier’s comment was cut off almost on cue as three successive came out of nowhere. The first hit the Asari in the head making it collapse like a faulty house of cards, the next hit the vorcha in the lower body with enough force to shatter its spinal cord in the process sending the unhinged pile of dead weight to the floor. The final shoot hit Masf in the chest piercing his envirosuit. Unlike his companions the bullet did not kill him instantaneously but it did drop him to the ground as he struggled for breath.

Nik moved into action quickly dropping low as he grabbed a hold of Masf’s shoulder and drag him with him against one of the merchant stalls. The rest of the team followed in suit digging into the makeshift cover around them. They heard a shout and from the far side of the market  Crimson Fist soldiers came charging in towards their position. Nik looked down at Masf the bullet having done pretty significant damage the only coming from him  was a harsh wheeze as his hand reached up towards nothingness. The drell let out a curse under his breath before popping out of cover and opening up into the charging soldiers. Dropping back into cover he began to shout orders over the commlink.

[color=cyan]“Olan! Lights off! Haze try and find our sniper friend shots came across the market north west of your position! Daro try and stabilize the lieutenant if you can! Madran, Ryland cover the flanks! Raya you're with me push forward  to the electronics stand on our right! We are going punch a hole!”[/color] He exclaimed as he began to move from his current position sprinting out of cover and towards the designated electronics stand as he did two Crimson Fist came roaring out of cover towards him a turian and a salarian. Nik fired at the Salarian as he continued his sprint aiming at the salarian's leg making it collapse underneath him and stagger into cover. The turian continued continued sprinting and sent his own return volley one burst connecting home and forcing his shields to drop. Nik dived into cover before the next volley could come. As the soldier rushed forward the drill rose from cover quickly and met his charge with a burst of biotic energy sending him flying backwards and crashing somewhere in the distant out of the fight for a moment.

[color=cyan][b]“Let’s do this quick people!”[/b][/color]