Slaves of Cerberus

Another setback, another meeting in the Orpheus conference room.



"Balak in charge of Omega," Vega observed, his expression grave. "How the hell did that happen? And how did Cerberus manage to get within a thousand kilometers of that place if a human-hating culero like Balak is running things?"



"You think we can get the Alliance involved now?" Garrus asked Jacob. "They've been looking for Balak for a while now. Now that we know exactly where he is, maybe they'd be willing to back an assault on Omega."



But Jacob shook his head. "I doubt it. Balak may be one of the Alliance's major enemies, but the cost to take him out might be more than they're willing to pay. With all three of the major merc groups working with Balak, a direct assault on them would deal a major blow to the Alliance fleet. And even if we did manage to convince them, it would take weeks to properly mobilize enough forces to launch a proper assault."



"And don't forget about the unrest back on Earth," Tali chimed in. "With so many aliens turning against humanity after the clone's speech, it wouldn't look good for the Alliance to launch a major offensive against one of the largest alien-run strongholds in the galaxy. Even if a crazy bosh'tet like Balak is in charge."



"Son of a bitch," Vega spat out. "How much you wanna bet that Cerberus put Balak in charge somehow? Made sure that there'd be no way an Alliance ship would be able to dock there so we couldn't take out the brains of their drones."



"An Alliance ship," Rooker said, giving Vega a light smile. "That's the key thing, isn't it, James? There's no way that an Alliance ship will be able to dock there."



Jacob looked over at his XO. "What are you thinking, Rooker?"



"I'm thinking there are other ways we can get to Omega without going in guns blazing," Rooker said. "If humans are the only ones they're not letting into Omega... well, we're just gonna have to find out a way to not be humans."



Garrus crossed his arms. "Well, that's easier for some of us to pull off than others."



"We need to find a ship," Rooker said to Jacob. "A trader ship or merc ship. Anything registered to a non-human owner that will let us dock with Omega undercover. If we set up outside of sensor range of Omega and wait, eventually the right ship will have to come along. Then we just... politely ask to borrow their ship so we can sneak into Omega with it."



"By that, I assume you mean that we steal it," Javik said.



Rooker shrugged. "Perhaps, if it becomes necessary."



Jacob considered this plan, but a frown soon creased his face. "You're basically saying that we're going to turn to piracy." he said. "And who knows how long we'd have to wait before the right ship comes along?"



"Not to mention what'll happen if they don't give us the ship peacefully," Cortez said. "Even if we got into a fight and won, don't think those mercs are going to buy it if we come flying up in a ship with Alliance weapons damage. And if they slip away from us and get word back to Omega..."



"There is another way, Jacob," Garrus said. "I think Commander Rooker is on the right track. But instead of taking the risk of hijacking another ship, what if we just simply went and got one?"



Jacob gave Garrus a quizzical look. "And how exactly are we supposed to do that?"



"Well, I thought maybe we might pay a visit to an old mutual friend of ours," Garrus responded. "Somebody who just might have the sort of connections that could get us a ship without too many acts of piracy involved."



"You mean... but didn't he retire not that long ago?" Tali asked.



Garrus nodded. "Yeah, but I'm sure he still knows people. People who might owe him a favor and would be willing to part with a ship long enough for us to sneak into Omega with it. I mean, it's just as dicey as Rooker's ambush plan, but we can always fall back on that if our old comrade can't procure us a ship."



Jacob rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You may have a point, Garrus."



"Uh, anybody wanna fill me in on who we're talking about, here?" Vega said. "Think this musta been before my time or something."



Ignoring Vega's question, Jacob leaned forward onto the conference table. He hated that he was forced into this position. Garrus's plan was the best one they had at the moment, but it would force them to leave the Omega Nebula behind. Not only leaving Omega in the hands of its evil new ruler, but leaving their friends in the clutches of Cerberus as well.



He thought about Kasumi, who has been so willing to put herself at risk to help carry out the mission. And now here he was, about to turn tail and run out on her. But as much as it hurt him, Jacob couldn't come up with any better options. To get to Cerberus, they had to take down the drones. And to take down the drones, they had to get onto Omega. And to get onto Omega... they needed that ship.



"Joker," Jacob finally announced over the comms. "Set a course for the Crescent Nebula."



And let's just hope that old bastard has a few strings to pull for us, he thought to himself.