Their Finest Hour

"Massani."

Zaeed turned around, duffel bag over his shoulder as he waited for Shepard to catch up to him. "Already told you, Commander," he shook his head. "My contract was for the Collectors only. They're dead and I've some personal business to take care of."

Commander Jane Shepard crossed her arms. "I'm not going to stop you, Zaeed." She smiled at the expectant look on his face, holding out her hand. "It's been a pleasure."

Zaeed looked down at Shepard's offered hand. The old merc shook his head and took her hand, his arrogant as hell sardonic smile on his face. "Hope you can survive without me watching your back, Shepard."

She smiled, unable to resist playing along one last time. "And not have to listen to you bitch and moan like Miranda with a hang-over? Hell, Zaeed. I'd call that heaven!"

The merc laughed as he turned back around and without so much as a good-bye, walked off.

"Where is that old geezer?" Shepard turned around as Jack came barreling down the ramp and grabbed Zaeed by his armor straps, dragging him along with her to the entrance to Omega. "You still owe me a drink, you cheap fuck."

Shepard turned back up the ramp, shaking her head as Zaeed used his favorite name for the unstable biotic and the two launched into a war of pet names of increasing vulgarity. She had no desire to watch the two of them bicker like drunk Krogan.

As Shepard headed toward the elevator, Samara left her quarters and approached her. She somehow looked more at peace as the door closed behind her. The Justicar bowed to Shepard, her hands behind her back. "My duty is fulfilled, Shepard. I thank you for all that you have done. Perhaps if circumstances were different, you would have made a fine Justicar." Samara allowed a smile to soften her face for an instant before the Justicar mask was brought back up.

"When the time comes, I will be at your side once more. For now, to quote a human sentiment, 'May the wind always be at your back'." The two grasped hands for a moment before Samara turned and left the Normandy, Joker checking her out as she left.

"Bye, Samara. Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave."

Shepard rolled her eyes and took the elevator down to the Engineering level. Repairs were still being done on the hull of the loading bay, and Shepard did not like the idea of leaving her ship in the hands of Batarians. Even if they were working for Aria and even if the Asari 'Queen of Omega' had found Shepard too interesting to betray at the moment, it still didn't make her feel any better.

The elevator doors opened and Garrus stepped out to Shepard's right. "You don't trust them either." Garrus smiled, nudging Shepard's shoulder, the two sharing a quiet laugh as they watched the repair crews work. "How long till they're done and we can get away from this cesspool?"

Shepard nudged Garrus back, her eyes scanning over the holes that had yet to be patched. "Two days, three max. Then we can head over to Illium without worrying about Joker's baby falling apart on him." Garrus nodded, his mandibles twitching with annoyance at the Batarians and Lystheni Salarians in the cargo bay of the Normandy. "After that, how about some shore leave? It's going to take a while to get the Normandy back up to snuff."

"Hmm... That's a nice thought," Garrus smirked as he wrapped his arm around Shepard's waist, dragging his talons over her ribs in a way that always made her shiver. "Just you and me, the kids on vacation."

Shepard laughed, running her forefinger along Garrus' scarred mandible. "Sounds like a plan, Mr. Vakarian. In the mean time, how about we get something to eat?"

---

Shepard hated Omega. It wasn't just that it was riddled with crime and corruption or that it had nearly been host to two tragedies. The Collector engineered virus and Garrus' near murder didn't haunt her 'what if' list nearly as much as they once did. What irritated her about Omega the most, was its 'Queen'. No one, not even Miranda or the Illusive Man could irritate the shit out of Shepard quite like Aria T'Loak.

The Illusive Man was a straight up asshole, no contest. Miranda had her moments but didn't come across to Shepard quite as 'holier than thou' any more. Sure she strutted around in that tight, black jumpsuit; but Shepard had to admit if she had a pair of tits and an ass like Miranda, she would probably be strutting around naked, herself. That would certainly give her enemies something to think about. No, Aria was unpredictable. What amused her one day, would end up pissing her off the next. Though most of her swings were calculated to keep her henchmen on their toes. Shepard had only seen Aria truly angry once after she had informed the Asari of a plot by one of the mercenary gangs to over throw her. The plotters who had survived 'Archangel' were still orbiting the station.

Shepard climbed the stairs to Aria's suite, the music already threatening to deafen her again as she fought the headache that was sure to come. Aria motioned to her right with the same self important jerk of her head. Shepard settled herself on the couch as Aria motioned to her guards. Something didn't sit right with the group when Aria sent her personal body guards away with a flick of her wrist. "Should I be afraid or flattered?"

Aria laughed as she pointed to her left for Garrus and Miranda to take a seat as well. "Why not both? The way we share enemies, Shepard, we should be lovers already."

"Excuse me," Shepard fought to keep her face straight with the look Garrus was giving the ruler of Omega. The poor Turian's mandibles were twitching in what Shepard had come to recognize as a mix of shock and irritation. Miranda was elbowing him in the thigh to get him to sit down all the way. Garrus had frozen in place with Aria's remark, nearly filling Miranda's vision with his rear end.

Aria smirked at Garrus as she watched him get comfortable in the couch. If she had noticed his reaction to her teasing, she said nothing about it. She was probably filing that little reaction a way for use as possible blackmail material. Even someone as powerful as Aria could never be too careful, or too observant. "I find myself in a very strange position, Shepard."

Commander Shepard noticed the almost uncomfortable look on Aria's face, coupled with the fact that she had sent her guards away and the shifty look in her eyes, and Shepard could figure out what had Aria so distracted pretty easily. "What do you need," Shepard kept her voice as neutral as she possibly could. What ever made Aria this nervous was definitely not something she would want to take lightly.

Aria smiled as she looked over her shoulder as one of the Asari dancers did a back bend on her pole that was making the men at the bar drool. "Seeing as you have cut ties with Cerberus and probably won't have the credits to pay for all the repairs my men have done," it was Shepard's turn to have an uncontrollable facial twitch. "and also since I don't like taking payment from organizations who are as, what is the word; xenophobic as Cerberus is, perhaps you can pay me in another way." Shepard made no move to interrupt though she did have the urge to dump Aria into the Citadel's protein vats. "An acquaintance of yours has been doing a little research for me. I need you to go to her. I am afraid that those who want me dead are soon going to wish the same for your friend and good information brokers are so hard to find."

"So you just want us to go to Illium, talk to this person and relay the information back to you?" Shepard could see the incredulous look on both Garrus and Miranda's faces. She tried to keep her face straight.

Aria shifted so that she was looking directly at Shepard, her right arm draped over the back of her seat. "Exactly, Shepard. I want you to make sure nothing happens to the broker as well. I meant what I said about you and I sharing enemies. After you relay to me what you have found, consider your debt paid." Shepard, Garrus and Miranda looked at each other. Miranda shrugged one of her shoulders as though to say that she was as understanding of Aria as Shepard was.

"Now get off my station. Specters are bad for business after all." Shepard shook her head and nearly ran out of Afterlife. Her head was pounding with the loud music and frustration with Aria's games.

"Commander Shepard," Shepard sighed as EDI's voice came over her comm.

"Yea, EDI." Shepard sighed. She hoped that none of the more volatile members of the crew didn't to test how mad they could make Aria and still live.

"Jack and Kasumi have not returned." Shepard groaned. The last thing anyone on Omega needed was Jack on the loose. "I also picked up a report of a stolen transport several hours ago. The description of the thief was human, female and covered in tattoos. No word on Kasumi." Shepard shook her head, thankful at least that Jack had not found a way to blow the entire station to dust. Kasumi's silence didn't surprise Shepard.

So that meant that they were minus four crew members, all of which had the potential to cause a massive amount of collateral damage and only one would feel any remorse over it. Shepard hurried toward the Normandy, eager to put as much distance between her and Omega in case one of those remaining on the station did something to bring Aria's wrath down on her. As soon as Shepard and her party boarded the Normandy, she gave the order for Joker to leave the docking bay.

The Commander stood behind Joker's station as Omega shrank into the distance as Joker sent the request to the Relay that did not lead back to the Collectors. The Relay shifted it's position and the board in front of Joker turned green. Shepard sighed as the Normandy began her approach to the Relay, Joker's voice providing the countdown. The enormous relic filled the view ports and space around them merged into a blur as the Normandy 'fell into' the mass effect bubble, the momentary feeling of vertigo like a sigh of relief.