[CENTER][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5333185][img]https://images2.imgbox.com/2c/eb/4zJpp1tx_o.png[/img][/url] [i]and[/i] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5334475][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/856363867675164722/942638535742218240/text-1644812916911.png[/img][/url] [i]in[/i] [h3][i]"Payout in Blood Soaked Creds"[/i][/h3] [hider=Interactions] [@AngelofOctober] [/hider] [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup][/center] There is always a fucking catch. Just a few days ago, Lokea had accepted a job offer that came in the form of a mechanical bird that landed on her balcony. While sketchy, the job being offered was quite easy for someone with skills like hers. It paid out a lot of credits upon completion, and it came with a sign-on bonus too. She knew it, her boss knew it and her best friend knew it. But the money she was currently making wouldn’t clear her debts out fast enough, and she couldn’t wait for the day in which she could finally afford things for herself. So she took on the job. The job was simple. Infiltrate the facility on Ebos, find the terminal with the least amount of personnel nearby, plant the worm, get the data and get out. And that is exactly what Lokea did. She and a dozen other halfwits who signed on infiltrated the building together, and all the asari had to do was just activate her tactical cloak and walk quietly. Her entirety shimmered in the light before she almost completely disappeared, leaving behind only some traces of light refraction in the air. She quietly walked up to a terminal, activated her omni-tool and slipped the virus in. However, the clone’s confidence immediately vanished the moment the terminal booted up. The splash screen’s logo is something she’s seen before, one that belonged to a rather vile splinter faction that hampered the Alliance’s efforts to bring the galaxy together against the reapers. [i]Cerberus.[/i] Despite that, Lokea still managed to get the data and slip out undetected. She was on her way back to the rally point when all of the sudden, an alarm blared. [i]Someone[/i], she didn’t know who, tripped [i]something[/i] and now the whole base was on combat alert. At this point, Lokea was far enough away from anyone or anything to be pinned for this, but that soon became the least of her concerns when the klaxon was accompanied by gunfire and explosions. She hurried over to the rally point, and by then her tactical cloak had deactivated. Kaiser, Lance and several of her other teammates were there, gathering up and taking defensive positions. She was just about to talk to them before a large explosion separated her from them. Her armor and its kinetic barriers shielded her from the shrapnel, but the blast still knocked her on her ass. In the hail of gunfire that came after, the asari only got a glimpse of the Atlas mech that was bearing down on her and her teammates. Not even taking the time to see if there was any infantry supporting it, Lokea let her instincts take over and bolted down the hall. It didn’t take long for Lokea to get lost within the vast Cerberus facility. While the room she infiltrated earlier wasn’t that far from the shuttle docks, she doesn’t really know where she ended up in the grand scheme of things. She just ran to where the gunfire and explosions [i]weren’t[/i] at, and try to figure things out from there. Her sprint slowed to a jog, and eventually she stopped to catch her breath. The moment she looked back up, two Cerberus assault troopers came down the hall and stopped in front of her. An announcement came up on the intercom, and the three of them listened. [i]”Please evacuate to the nearest emergency exit. The building is set to detonate in ten minutes.”[/i] Lokea groaned and rolled her eyes. [color=02fc5e]”Easy credits my [i]ass.[/i]”[/color] She muttered to herself, her voice a little muffled from her mask. Her green eyes fell to the two assault troopers. [color=02fc5e]“So, would you two be kind enough to show me to the shuttle bay?”[/color] The two assault troopers raised their firearms in response. Lokea sighed. [color=02fc5e]“Alright then, forget I asked.”[/color] She quickly raised a biotic aegis with her left arm, and the two troopers opened fire. The automatic gunfire produced a lot of dimples in the near invisible biotic shield, the asari calmly and slowly walking towards them as they shot at her. The aegis stood firm as she approached them, and before long, both of their Hornet SMGs overheated. In a blink of an eye, Lokea’s biotic shield morphed into a powerful force surrounding her left fist, which was then sent towards the lead trooper. A biotic left hook made contact with his head, followed by a right hook with Lokea’s electrified omni-blade. The first blow was already fatal to the trooper, the second one making contact before his limp body crumbled to the ground. Before the second trooper could bring his weapon to bear on Lokea, she rushed him, and delivered a powerful [url=https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/018/534/768/original/jay-landeweer-tornado-kick.gif]biotic tornado kick[/url] straight to his head. The trooper was knocked straight to the side as if he were a ragdoll, and with a [b][i]CRUNCH![/i][/b] his body crumpled up against the wall and fell down in a heap. Lokea checked her surroundings one more time. As she did, she drew her Carnifex pistol, hoping to be ready for any other encounter that came to her. One of the nearby signs down the hall pointed towards the shuttle bay. Following the signs, she activated her radio and spoke to the rest of her team. Assuming any of them were left alive, that is. [color=02fc5e][b][i]”Venom Rose to anyone alive on this frequency. The objective has been secured but the whole operation has been compromised. In nine minutes this facility will be wiped off the map, so I suggest that the rest of you get your asses moving. I’m heading to the shuttle bay, and I’ll see if I can get us a ride out of here. Venom Rose out.”[/i][/b][/color] [center]-[/center] Someone got to the data before him. Glad they weren’t entirely incompetent in the matter, however, it was unfortunate it had come to this. If it had simply been these Cerberus dogs he would have trusted things to the mercs, but now the Citadel was involved. He didn’t trust them enough to keep the data. In some ways, those aligned with the five-armed space station can be just as savage and ruthless as this three headed dog. They’ll likely wipe out the mercs, or cut a deal with them if they were feeling nice. The data was likely more secure with him. Once he learned of what Cerberus was working on, he’d be the one best equipped to get in, and destroy it. By the way things sounded, it was a complete mess. The mercenary team was locked in an intense fight with Cerberus mechs and security personnel, and the fighting raged on around him while he searched the facility. It didn’t phase him, he simply passed through all of it, invisible and unnoticed. The most capable of the crew- -an explosion off somewhere. Hm. This was getting dangerous and cockiness wasn’t going to return the data to him right now. The Surveyor returned, checking his datapad. So a ship flying Citadel colors arrived and Cerberus was tearing their base apart before it could explode. It seems as if their little clone friend had found the data. Best for him to go pay her a visit. [center]-[/center] “You made short work of them.” Proxy declared through a digitally distorted voice. Lokea twisted around to the source of the voice, aiming her gun at him. Seeing that he didn’t look like any of the Cerberus personnel she saw here at this base, her finger inched away from the trigger. He also didn’t look like any of the mercs she worked with either. She looked him up and down, keeping her gun trained on him. [color=02fc5e]”Who are you?”[/color] The asari calmly asked, her left hand joining her right to stabilize her aim. “You know who I am.” He responded. It took a few seconds, but Lokea made the connection. She knew the voice that gave her this job. This ‘easy’ job. Her eyes widened, and she lowered her gun immediately. [color=02fc5e]“You!? Wha…”[/color] She looked around for a moment before her eyes returned to Proxy. [color=02fc5e]“What in the name of all things holy are [i]you[/i] doing here?”[/color] “The situation is a bit more complicated now. Citadel-aligned forces have arrived, and I’d like to assure that what is mine gets to me.” He stated as he extended his hand. “I’d like to point out that I haven’t drawn out my weapon. My gesture is in good faith. I’ll still forward the payment to you and your surviving teammates.” In regards to the situation getting complicated, Lokea simply glared at him. [color=02fc5e][i]Brilliant observation, genius.[/i][/color] She thought to herself as he spoke. Once he held out his hand, Lokea’s glare remained. [color=02fc5e]“Nowhere in the job description did you say that we’d be facing off against a [i]Cerberus remnant.[/i]”[/color] Lokea said, tightening her grip on her pistol. There was a moment of silence that was then interrupted by a distant explosion. Lokea turned to the source, before she turned back to Proxy. [color=02fc5e]“You’ll get the data once you hand me the credits you promised. But for now I think we have more important things to worry about.”[/color] Proxy turned his attention to yet another explosion. Did security not have a modicum of understanding to blow up your base after you get out of dodge, not before? Yes, he tripped the alarm, but he didn’t think their helmets restricted their brain cells to the point where they’d have mechs tearing through steel like paper. If Proxy was honest with himself, he didn’t care whether the mercs, Cerberus or those with the Citadel got out of here alive. It wouldn’t matter to him if they all died, that was the point after all. What was more beneficial to him at this moment? Her trust, so he could get the data without her cutting a deal with those Citadel cronies, or forcefully taking the data from her and running? “Very well.” He stated. “Before you go to the shuttle bay, there is something that you should know. A vessel flying Citadel colors is currently landing there, and it’s likely that your surviving teammates will participate in the bloodbath that will happen there. If you care about their lives, you should direct them elsewhere.” The man looked down a hall adjacent to them. “I landed somewhere less conspicuous. Follow me.” Lokea listened to him, and bounced his words around in her head. Every bone in her body, as well as the voices of her friends, were telling her not to trust him. But considering the current situation the both of them were in, sticking with him was probably her best bet. She was sure that even if she surrendered to the Citadel-aligned forces, she would get nothing for her efforts other than a short stay at one of their ‘premium’ jail cells. She sighed, nodded and spoke into the radio once again. [color=02fc5e][b][i]“Venom Rose to ALCON, Citadel-aligned vehicles have arrived at the shuttle bay, and are likely arriving in force. I’d suggest exfiltrating through the same way we got in, and get the fuck out through there. Venom Rose out.”[/i][/b][/color] While reusing their infiltration route wasn’t the quickest, it might just be the safest. Lokea holstered her pistol, switching it out for her Avenger assault rifle, which she pulled from her back and shouldered once it was ready. She sighed and looked straight to Proxy. [color=02fc5e]“Alright boss. Lead the way.”[/color] Proxy nodded to the asari, and the two began their exfiltration.