Nulfem thumbed through the stack of cards with all his usual serenity, a wry smile perched on his lips as he leaned lightly against the wall. Every three cards, he’d pause for a moment, glance towards the open door beside him, then over to the lone figure staring out at Omega through the single dominating window of the apartment. Having counted the deck sixteen times already, the sharply dressed man straightened, rubbing his thumb on the top card of the deck as he gazed through the open door beside him.
Hunched over the toilet, Vala Buchan looked far from the frigid and striking woman he’d just properly met earlier today. She looked like an unfortunate college girl suffering from a long night of binge drinking, and Nulfem wasn’t entirely sure if that was a charming or disheartening concept. “Perhaps he planned this.” It was the first thing anyone had said in the apartment since his two ‘house guests’ had arrived roughly an hour ago. The newcomer she had brought with her was none other than Janis Freeman, the one who, up until recently, had been tasked with Commander Titus.
Who was now rocketing to who knows where aboard an Oracle ship. Nulfem chuckled silently at the thought, as Buchan emptied her stomach for what had to be the hundredth time since she’d staggered in here. “If he did…” She paused, fighting off another retch with mild success. “…I have no idea why.” Nulfem pocketed the cards, rubbing a soothing hand on the woman’s back to ease the process. He’d not been made aware of her operation prior to their visit, but she’d been so kind to inform him in between swearing and throwing up everything she had eaten within the past month.
“Well, I doubt the Illusive Man would have you wandering about right after waking up without good purpose. Our meeting no doubt could have waited, but it just so conveniently got you off the Vindicator in time for our associate to attempt his hit, and provided he failed, ensures you weren’t whisked away by now very much hostile forces.” Truth be told, he was lying through his teeth, but the tension fading from her shoulders told him she was at least buying it. Clutching the toilet firm, she staggered to her feet, knees shaking, but Nulfem promptly slung her arm over his shoulder and walked her to the small sink.
“Thanks.” She muttered, letting the water run for a moment before splashing the cool liquid on her face. Vala sighed in relief, enjoying the sensation for a moment before looking in the mirror, her breath fogging the surface slightly as she panted. Her eyes were dull, and ringed black, betraying the sheer exhaustion she felt despite having woken up only a few hours prior. Thin beads of sweat mixed with the water. Nulfem hovered nearby, a small face towel slung over his arm, which she gratefully took, dabbing away the water before slinging it around her neck.
She nodded towards the main room, and he helped her out the door and into a plush chair. The Commando sunk into it with a happy sigh, and Nulfem quietly excused himself to the small kitchenette to fetch them all some drinks. Vala listened to his smooth footsteps echo in the silent apartment for a moment, before opening her eyes and scrutinizing the man seated just to her right. It didn’t take long for her to notice his eyes watching her, and she frowned coldly at the man.
Neither said anything until Nulfem returned, setting a trio of short glasses on the small table between them. In two, he poured a rich amber liquid into, and the last was filled with crystal clear water. Dropping a pair into each, Keagan handed Janis one of the amber glasses, and Vala the water. “You look like death, Buchan.” Freeman turned his chair slightly, sipping his drink casually as she took a greedy gulp of her water.
Gasping lightly as she lowered the glass, Vala nodded in thanks as Nulfem promptly filled the glass again before finally sipping at his own drink. “Just the price I have to pay, Freeman.” Setting her cup down, the woman smiled, although it was far from sincere.
He sipped at his drink, all confidence, which only set her already frayed nerves even more on edge. “No doubt. I suspect there’s something you want to talk about, unless you’re just enjoying the sights.” He gestured smoothly to his fine clothing, which brought a cold frown to her lips. “You should smile more, Buchan.”
“Save the charm for a woman who’s interested, Freeman. I want to know what happened.” Janis stared back out the window, finishing off his glass and setting down on the table. If he’d heard her question, there was no sign that he intended to answer it. It only added to the tenseness that hung over the trio like smog, and Vala’s eyes narrowed into slits as he spoke to Keagan.
“An excellent brandy, Nulfem. Hard to find?”
Their ‘host’ chuckled, sipping at his own glass for a moment. “Not overly. It was once quite the rarity, but an enterprising volus managed to secure the rights to it, and has set about mass producing it as they are so fond of doing.” Shrugging, Nulfem finished his glass and retrieved the bottle to pour them another. “It was actually a small present from the Illusive Man when I first signed on with Cerberus. I save it for special occasions.”
Vala raised a brow. “And what’s so special about today?” Nulfem chuckled lightly, handing Janis his refilled cup. “There’s nothing worth celebrating, in case you haven’t noticed.” He shook a finger slowly, sealing up the glass bottle and crossing the room to place it back in the small bar.
“It’s not a celebratory drink. Brandy is traditionally an after-dinner drink, to help the body digest the meal before it.” She stared incredulously at his impromptu history lesson, but the man continued unlaundered, crossing the room with all of his confident charm. “Consider the mission the meal for a moment, and we are stuck trying to swallow the unfortunate aftermath of its outcome. A perfect reason to enjoy a fine glass of brandy.” He placed a hand on the top of her chair, giving an amiable smile at the younger woman. “Now that Freeman has had a chance to digest the events, he should be able to fully inform us of what went wrong.”
Janis seemed slightly transfixed by his drink, but eventually he spoke. “Titus had outside help. I had him clean in my sights, when an agent from Oracle intervened.” Keagan seemed unphased by his explanation, but Vala’s jaw tightened and she leaned forward in her chair, ignoring the swirling throb of her head.
“Don’t push yourself too much, Ms. Buchan.” Nulfem cautioned, but she held up a hand for silence, brow knit in concentration.
“You had the shot. You’re an assassin, Freeman; you’d have squeezed the trigger when there was an opportunity.” The man was perfectly silent, sipping his drink. “…You had the shot but didn’t take it immediately.”
“He was dead, regardless.” Vala rose from her seat, gripping the man’s blazer by the collar and ripping him half out of his seat, free hand reaching for her knife as Janis quickly reached for his pistol. The two Cerberus agents stared each other down, Vala’s topaz eyes flashing dangerously while Janis’s cool gaze simply watched, unflinching despite the threat. Her fingers tightened around the knife’s handle, as Janis continued. “You wouldn’t last a minute in your state, Buchan.”
Her face split into a dark smile, face paling as her body protested the sudden movement and labour of standing up unassisted. “Perfect. It’d take me ten seconds to slit your throat, Freeman.” Nulfem placed a calming hand on her shoulder, and the commando released her grip on the assassin, nearly collapsing back into her seat. “Next time you have a mark, kill it, and don’t talk its ear off. A little tip from an actual killer, you polished sack of shit.”
The double agent took a moment to fix his collar, irritated she had handled it so roughly. “I didn’t ask for your opinion. Focus on your own assignments, Buchan, and I’ll deal with mine.” She stared at him, irritation fading as her breathing calmed once again.
“No, you won’t, Freeman. Oracle cut you loose, and you failed to shoot one undefended man in the back of the head. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve become useless, and your assignment just became my problem. I’ll kill Slatton, I’ll kill Titus, and if you even think of getting in my way, orders or no, I’ll kill you.”
Janis gave that arrogant smile of his, and she fought the urge to smack it off his face. “You think the Illusive Man would just let you kill me?”
“I think he knows which one of us is worth keeping around.” She turned from the man, stepping round the chair and heading towards the door. Her headache was subsiding, and with it, the crippling vertigo that had kept her confined in the room with these men. A small terminal on the wall beeped, and Nulfem strode fluidly to it, tapping a key and listening to the voice on the other end.
“Understood.” Turning to Vala, he gestured to the door. “Cerberus forces are here to reclaim the Vindicator, Ms. Buchan. It’s in your best interest to retrieve your things before it’s moved from dock.” She nodded in agreement, as he stepped to her side. “I’ll accompany you.” The warning glare she shot only made the man raise his hands in mock surrender. “A safety precaution. Omega is not place for you to collapse.” Without another word, the commando tapped the key to the exit, turning round the corner and starting off towards the docks.
Nulfem glanced over his shoulder to the still figure of Freeman, staring once more out at Omega. “I trust you can show yourself out, Freeman?” The double agent nodded, and he was left alone with his thoughts as the bulkhead hissed shut.
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There were no real difficulties on the journey back, aside from the exhaustion niggling at the back of her mind. It had taken them barely ten minutes to reach the elevator, even with Keagan constantly reminding her to slow down. His dedication to keeping her walking was surprising, and he never seemed to get irritated or let his voice rise above the polite casual he’d had since she’d met him earlier. Why he was so concerned with her health was another matter, but whenever she paused to ask him why, he’d simply keep walking and remind her of how tight their schedule was.
As the elevator opened, she half-jogged out of the lift, relieved to see the familiar hull of the Vindicator sitting in port, as a small group of techs milled about with the final preparations, and a pair of men exchanged words with a rather agitated looking turian. Keagan whistled low at the ship, and Vala cast him a curious glance. “This is a warship? Looks more appropriate for transporting diplomats and business tycoons than battling Collectors.” Vala opened her mouth, but he held up a finger, smiling at her confusion. “Can’t judge a book by its cover, right? An old fashioned saying for a woman who’s likely never held an actual book in her life.”
“It’s a saying that’s lasted hundreds of years, Nulfem. Try not to kill it, alright?”
“I’ll leave the professionals, then. I’ve seen you react to those who think they’re one.” She chuckled soundlessly, slowly descending towards the men occupying the turian. One glanced up as she approached, and stepped around the turian to address her.
“Operative Buchan, I presume? We were told you would be coming.” She nodded, glancing towards the turian who was growing more irritated by the moment. The man seemed to read her mind, glancing back at the alien. “The turian isn’t please with the commotion we caused.”
“Pay him and his gang double what we already did. I’d like to keep ourselves in the Talon’s good books.” The man stared incredulously back, and the commando frowned at his hesitance. “Or would you rather put money in Aria’s pocket?”
“Understood, ma’am.” She nodded, brushing past the man with Keagan in tow, who waved lightly in greeting to the slightly befuddled man, before tucking his hand into the pocket of his trousers.
“No one listens.” She murmured, moving towards the airlock where a lone armoured figure stood guard. He held up a hand for her to stop. “Something wrong, agent?”
“We’ve a team searching for traps or bugs inside. No one goes in until the sweeps done, Ma’am.” As much as she disliked the news, she nodded in understanding, and stepped to the side so as not to obstruct the lone pathway for the team which might need it.
“Mr. Nulfem.” The man turned to her, head titled every so slightly in wordless inquiry. Vala stared along the side of the ship, face soft as she seemed to examine the hull. “You’re in the business of acquisitions, correct?” He nodded. “What would you do if a ship like this just fell into your lap?”
He flicked his gaze to the white exterior, brow creasing for the slightest moment as he thought. “It’s not something that can be utilized quickly, Ms. Buchan. Depending on the purpose my employer had in mind, it’s unfortunately known to Oracle, and with that, no doubt the Alliance. It’d need to be scrubbed of bugs, its IFF would need to be rewritten to avoid easy detection, and a new paint job might help keep it off the radar a little longer…not much work, but essential work.”
“And it‘d need a crew.”
Keagan shook his head. “I can get a crew in a heartbeat, Ms. Buchan. The hardest part has just fallen into our lap.” He paused, and the two exchanged knowing glances. “Cerberus will no doubt get just as much use as they wanted out of this girl.”
“Good. She’s a good ship. I’d hate to see her scrapped.” She turned from the view of the vessel, walking back towards the guard intending to ask a few things. Her companion stayed where he stood, seemingly transfixed by the sleek hull.
“Of course, Ms. Buchan. She still has so much to prove.”
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When the team was finally finished its sweep, the guard allowed them inside, Vala leading the way slowly through the familiar halls. The ship was eerily silent, and it unnerved her. This whole ship had been occupied not hours before, and now it sat empty, completely abandoned for them to come pick apart like a vulture. The sound of their footsteps echoing through the shell didn’t help, and she picked up the pace just so she could leave the ‘ghost’ ship all the quicker. “Do we have an ETA on the Call of Victory?”
“It should be arriving within the hour.”
She nodded, biting her lip as she approached the door to her office. The bulkhead whooshed open at her approach, and Vala stepped inside with a soundless sigh. Everything was as she had left it. Most importantly, the Nyx sat untouched on its stand, the dark visor staring tirelessly at the door. “And I take it the Illusive Man still isn’t sharing exactly why they’re coming to pick me up?” The blonde rounded the desk, dropping into the chair and firing up the terminal in front of her.
Keagan crossed the threshold casually, taking in the room with a slow, wandering gaze as Vala worked. “I suspect it has something to do with the loss of the only other Commander in Omni Cell that you’re aware of?” She froze, eyes snapping to him, but he could see the surprise she tried to hide. “You’ll meet Commander Ross soon enough, Ms. Buchan. Focus on the present.” He walked past the desk, moving into the living area of the room.
“Right…” She gave her head a shake, looking back to the screen as she sorted through the files to preserve and ones to delete. It was a slow process, and she found herself skimming some reports multiple times before deleting them. She could hear Keagan sorting through her closet behind her, packing the few meagre outfits that she had away for transport.
“You should know we managed to contact Professor Rhodes for you. He was quite…adamant that he be allowed to help you with the Nyx. I’ve uploaded the contact details of his new laboratory to your Omni-tool.” Securing the last few files on the terminal, Vala powered it down, and spun about to face him.
“And why would I need to contact him?”
“The Nyx is still a prototype, Ms. Buchan. I’m not familiar with the design itself, but it will no doubt have a few bugs that will need worked out.” His eyes glanced at the armour in question. “Plus, if there are any improvements you want done, who better than the man who developed the armour to do it?” She looked at the armour, a light smile spreading across her face.
“That makes sense.” She frowned. “Provided, of course, he actually listens to me. He seemed to be only half-paying attention last time we talked.” Keagan zipped the bag he’d been packing closed, and tossed it into Vala’s waiting arms. “Still, thanks. You’re rather useful.”
“I try to be.” He glanced down at the sleek, but aged watch on his wrist, a relic in the era of omni-tools and haptic interfaces. Some men just couldn’t let go of the past it seemed. “You should get moving, the Victory will be here soon. I’ll arrange the Nyx to be moved before you depart.”
Rising, she rounded the desk, pausing at the door way and slinging the duffle bag over her shoulder. “What are you going to do now, Nulfem? Off in search of the next acquisition?” The card player smiled; face betraying nothing as he slowly shook his head.
“No, Ms. Buchan, I have some new pressing business to attend to. A golden opportunity has fallen into my lap, and I need to make the most of it.” She titled her head in curiosity, but the man simply shook his finger, unwilling to reveal what exactly he meant. “Don’t worry, Ms. Buchan. We’ll meet again soon enough.”
“I hope not. You’re a little to cryptic for day to day conversation, Nulfem.” Despite her words, she smiled, waving to the man before heading out of the room. Alone with her thoughts, Vala occupied herself with thoughts about the Nyx and what exactly she was supposed to be doing onboard the Victory. And only after she emerged from the familiar hull of the frigate, did she stop and release a slow sigh.
The mission was falling apart around her, and the sinking feeling in her gut told her things were only going to get worse from here on out.