[h3][color=800000]Part 2: Old friends, new enemies[/color][/h3]

Invectus marched down the hallway. The clomp of his heavily armoured boots announced his movement across the ship with each step. Any soldier in the vicinity with ears would stop whatever they were doing to report to the corridor, offering a salute to their commander-in-chief. Passing a window, the Turian caught a glimpse of Earth in the corner of his eye. Despite the outer beauty of planets such as the humans, Invectus never felt at ease dirt side. The man had spent most of his time on ships of varying size, off in some distant quadrant of the galaxy. Before the war, he'd rarely even thought of Palaven, viewing any posting there as the end of any prominent career.

Now? Well now the sight of Earth drew his gaze. Even in his peripherals he could feel the planet pulling him in, channelling his thoughts to ones of home. Not only had the war changed so much but their victory had turned the galaxy on its head. The natural order of the past had been shattered and in its wake, uncertainty grew. 

Stopped in his tracks, the Primarch wondered how everyone outside of the Sol system fared. What systems still stood? Would they be able to survive long enough for them to rebuild? Connect up once more? Would other, more unseemly races, seize the opportunity before them? He would, as would any Turian in their right mind. [i]It's why this is needed.[/i]

"Sir! Sergeant Basilic reporting. Our mission was successful."

The Primarch sighed. For the most part, their convict rehabilitation program had worked wonders. Leashing the worst of the worst and sending them into hell had appeared to set most of them straight, Sergeant Atticus Basilic included. That was not why he sighed, no, it was the remaining few who had survived without a lesson who stuck out. If Invectus thought Garrus Vakarian was a thorn in his side, then Kysar Proctus was a nail in the foot. "Any issues Sergeant?"

Atticus paused, hesitating for just a moment. "No, sir. No issues."

The Primarch frowned, pulling up his omnitool and a report from their spy network. "Care to explain why I have two marines in the hospital then Sergeant?"

Atticus winced, a flash of anger appearing and disappearing quicker than a strike of lightning. "Nothing permanent, sir. Proctus barely scratched them, I did not think such a thing was worth your time, sir."

Invectus nodded, offering a very mild grunt of approval in response. "To be frank with you Sergeant, given Proctus's history, I was expecting worse. I know your interaction was brief but what did you observe?"

Atticus's fists balled, his knuckles tightening at the thought of his former commander's face. "I.." the Turian fought to unclench his jaw, composing himself with a clearing of the throat. "In all honesty, sir, I expected to be returning a few men lighter. I know the report detailed he was injured in the SRN's latest mission but there was something more. The Kysar I knew from the war would've taken out several men. I don't know that we would've been able to take him alive."

"Hmm." Invectus nodded as his hand stroked his mandibles. "Very well Sergeant. Take me to him."
[hr]
Kysar stirred, rolling over and off the steel framed bed in the corner of his cell. Pain ebbed from his jaw, throbbing back and forth as he rubbed it. Groggily, the Turian wobbled his way up and onto his feet. Not only had they knocked him unconscious but clearly he'd been given a sedative for the journey. [I]Smart.[/I] he thought, shuffling his way over to the bars.

He'd been here before, a few too many times to count. The cell was small, cramped and only just big enough for the Turian, a bed and a hole in the ground. Outside was a room with 4 other cells inside and one door out. A brig, a military one at that, definitely a ship given the lack of space and interior. The absence of engine sound meant they were stationary, Kysar doubted they had even left Earth's orbit. 

The bars weren't spaced far apart. They barely have enough room to have his hands fit through, let alone his forearms. Standing guard, a lone soldier stood to the side just outside of the cell. "So," Kysar said, leaning against the bar, facing towards the Turian. "When are they due to arrive?"

"Stand back inmate! No one is coming for you." The soldier barely moved, standing steadfast in his spot.

Kysar laughed. "Man, I forgot how stiff you guys were. Go on. You can tell me. I know someone is coming otherwise we'd be heading somewhere. Just tell me who."

Without another word, the soldier stood in place.

"C'monnn. I won't tell anyone, oh," Kysar grinned, leaning in towards the Turian, "and I promise that when I do escape, I won't kill you." 

Swivelling on his toes, the guard turned, grabbing the bars of his cell and sneering back at Ky. "No one is coming. Not for a bareface like [I]you![/I]"

Latching onto the man's hands, Venator dug his claws in hard. The soldier cried out in pain. "And if [I]you[/I] ever want to be of use to your precious Hierarchy, you'll do as I say. Now where a-"

Suddenly, the door outside the cell whooshed open. Several guards entered with their weapons drawn. In the centre of the group stood both Atticus and the Primarch.

"Inmate!" Atticus barked. "Unhand that soldier at once!"

Kysar broke eye contact with the guard, looking over towards the Primarch. "Aha! Wow, this is going to be good."

Drawing his rifle, Atticus stepped forward, his chest puffing with air, ready to unleash a verbal tirade onto Kysar when a hand stopped him. The Primarch pulled back on the Sargeants proverbial leash with just his talon on the mans shoulder.

"Kysar," his voice drew the word out, as if exacerbated by a child's petulance, "let this man go or so help me, I'll open this door and we'll remove [I]your[/I] hands and toss the rest of you out the airlock."

Venator relented, letting the guard go and leaving him to wallow quietly in the corner. The Primarch nodded, about facing to address his men. "You are all to wait outside while I talk to the inmate." Atticus stepped forward, looking as if he was a puppy who had been scorned. "[I]Everyone.[/I]" Invectus repeated, shutting the door as all left the room. Turning to Kysar, the man stood in front with his hands behind his back. "So, how much do you know?"

Kysar smiled, spitting on the floor to his right before answering. "The mission you gave was bullshit, wasn't it? You needed a reason to get me here. Telling SRN that I failed an op, even a classified one, would be enough to pull me out. Shit, I bet you even had people in orbit, in case I ran."

The Primarch smiled, turning to pace slowly across the room. "According to our people, you almost did run. You're an interesting one Kysar, I'll give you that. I expected you to fail the task, of course, your 'anti-authority' streak has made you mostly predictable, but.." Spinning, Invectus headed back towards the door. "You have surprised me. The last thing I expected from you was any form of loyalty. According to our reports, not only have you displayed loyalty to the SRN but members of your squad have also expressed such sentiment towards you."

[I]Fuck.[/I] Kysar thought. He'd left a vulnerable chink in his armour loose and exposed. The Primarch, as any Turian would, was about to capitalise on it.

Invectus smiled, catching the momentary lapse in Kysar's face. "Oh yes. We know." Stopping in front of the Turian, the Primarch looked deep into his eyes. "You are right, the mission was bullshit. I couldn't care less about a few plants. What I do care about, is the Quarians."

Ky raised an eyebrow. He'd seen in the news that Quarians command had somewhat fractured with Zenns captain heading off to Titan. Though, with everything that had happened the last few days, he hadn't had the chance to catch up with his Quarian about it.

"More and more ships are leaving everyday. Our official count is a lot higher than the one released to the public. Now, we've got it on high authority, that one of the Liveships plan to depart, heading to Titan."

Kysar's eyes widened. Such a thing was almost impossible to imagine. The Liveships were the bread and butter for the entire Quarian civilisation. Not only that, but since the wars end, they had been the one thing keeping the Turians alive. Even one of the three splitting off and leaving the inner core of Sol would have disastrous consequences.

Setting off, Invectus went back to his pacing. "You may have no love for me Kysar, or for that of our Hierarchy. But, I don't think even you can stand by and let every Turian die. As such, I have one final mission. Succeed, and we will be out of each other's hair. You'll receive a full pardon and be free to travel wherever you wish, including the core."

Ky was stunned. Not at the offer, no, he wasn't even sure how real it was. The magnitude of this mission was something he could never have imagined, let alone comprehend. How was it that this was up to him? Invectus had an entire army of the best trained soldiers in the galaxy at his beck and call. Why would he need him? The Turians mind raced, plunging into scenario after scenario, coming up with only one answer.

A black op. One so dark that not even the top brass of the Hierarchy would be aware of. Maybe even no one aside from the Primarch himself. An assassination of a high ranking official...

"Who is it?"

"Hmm?" Invectus retorted.

Kysar stepped forward, his face creased with seriousness. "Don't play this game. You want me to kill someone, someone of extreme importance. Who is it?"

The Primarch smiled. "You are so close to being a great soldier Kysar. You've got the tactics, you inspire loyalty, you think on your feet. If not for your reprehensible personality, you would be perfect."

Venator grabbed the bars, his knuckles tightening white as he pulled himself right up to them. "Fuck you. Fuck your army, fuck your structure, fuck every piece of bullshit [I]your[/I] society spouts. Tell me who the fuck I am killing or I let us all die."

Invectus nodded. "Very well. It's Captain Gahn’Saaris vas Konesh, Ghan’ has to die."

Kysar stepped back. That wasn't just the leader of the fracture, that was Zenn's captain. "No, I.. I can't."

This time it was the Primarch who stepped forward. "You can, you can and you will. Our spy network has already guaranteed a peaceful transition with his second in command, Vice Captain, Venna'Linai vas Konesh. Apparently life under Balak and the other terrorists is not better. Worse by her reports. Plus, she knows what's at stake if a Liveship leaves the core. No one wants our deaths on their conscious."

"But, how? How could I even get close enough?" Kysar sat down, he had to, his head was spinning.

"Gahn’ has a captain's pride. Balak has ordered the Quarians to patrol the edge of their occupied space. He routinely follows this route himself to prove to his soldiers that they’re all equal. Venna'Linai has agreed to sabotage the ship, leaving it adrift. Time enough for you and your team to board by taking out the Captain."

Kysar's head shot up. "My team?"

Invectus smiled. "Rogue SRN agents. You see, right now we've got one of our spies on the way to contact them. Tell them you've been arrested and the only way to save you is if they come here."

Kysar rose, meeting the Primarch at the bars. "No, I'll do this alone. I can do it, no one else has to get involved. Send me. Hell, I'll bring a bomb and just blow the thing."

Invectus tutted. "You're forgetting who runs the show here, Kysar. You can't kill the Vice-Captain as well, we need her to frame Balak and his ilk. There's also no way I'm sending you alone and your team has proved themselves more than capable. They'll be here shortly and you'll all be debriefed. In the meantime, try not to break anymore of the guard's hands." 

With that, the Primarch left the room, leaving Kysar to slump down in his chair. He couldn't ask them to do this, especially not for him. This was a suicide run. Besides, they wouldn't do this, they wouldn't assassinate someone, would they?