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Tip of the Iceberg: A Mass Effect RP [TBM and Lord DreamCrusher]

He and Sera were about on the same page though Kar knew he might be overestimating his connections still in place here. Tides shifted often on Omega and he hadn't been around in a while, not since he left the blood pack, so many of his contacts might not be around any longer. Still, he did believe at least some of them would be alive and well or otherwise still interested in working with him but he couldn't say anything for certain until it came time to check in.

When it came to Velira though, he noted her pause before she spoke up in an oddly quiet tone. The krogan frowned ever so slightly at the implications of what her supposed contact meant. He could be wrong but the fact that he wouldn't speak to him, and that the turian didn't want Sera to get involved, suggested that this detective worked perhaps more for flesh than for wealth. Still he had no reason to doubt Velira's capabilities and if she chose to sell herself for intel on the path to revenge against the company that abused her well, there were worse paths to take in the galaxy.

"Hmm." He hummed as he considered his words before speaking. "If you think that is best then I won't try and stop you but if you intend to go off alone into danger or otherwise then do it fast before Belia can mobilize anything against us." The look in his eyes would likely tell his suspicions about the nature of the individual she offered to speak with but it was her decision. He wouldn't pressure her into seeking the man out but he wouldn't try and talk her out of it either; it was solely at her discretion. In the meantime, well, he saw no reason to put off. "Let's go try and see Aria. If either of you want to stay on the ship, or think you can accomplish something better with your time elsewhere, feel free. We might have a brief window of calm before the storm but probably shouldn't assume any safety for long. Besides, it's Omega, this place is never 'safe'."

With that stated he'd rise from his chair and head towards the airlock, having commanded his crew to keep the airlock closed and to cycle it for passage rather than opening both sides simply to help minimize the chances of anyone sneaking aboard again. Sera and Velira were under his command, that was true, and they had agreed to support him but Kar was willing to loosen his grip on the reins so to speak if they felt strongly towards some other course of action. After all, it was unlikely that Aria or one of her agents would be keen to speak with all of them at once anyway. T'loak seemed to favor more... intimate conversations in general, though rarely were such one on one encounters anything approaching pleasurable.

There was a line to her club as always with firm security keeping the peace, all armed of course and having no qualms about shooting anyone that caused trouble. Despite the ire of the crowd it would draw, Kar had no intentions of waiting for entry and would march past the line to speak with the bouncers directly. "Let me in. Need to speak with Aria, or one of her underlings." His tone was gruff and no-nonsense. Perhaps even more blunt and rough than Sera or Velira had heard him converse thus far but being here, being so close to his past, well it helped draw back his old ways even though the main reason he spoke in such a manner was to command respect and not show any signs of weakness in the eyes of the locals.
 
Velira remained on the ship as Kar headed to the airlock. She had her contact, and he could be...reliable, at the very least, but it was not an avenue that she was particularly excited to pursue. If Kar was unable to find out anything through his contacts, and Sera hers, then Velira would use him. That was only a last resort for her, however. In the meantime, she didn't feel much of a need to try to contact him just yet. It was better to stay on the ship and keep an eye on things as best as she could, alert Kar if she could see any signs of Belia mobilizing in some way.

As for Sera, she considered her own options. Staying on the ship was definitely a possibility, but Kar had given them permission to go with him to see Aria or, in his words, "accomplish something better with your time elsewhere". She felt like the latter was a possibility, but she wasn't going to rush into it. Being on Omega was enough of a risk without her being careless. To that end, she sent out messages to a few hackers she knew on Omega, asking if any of them were able to meet her in private. It was still risky. After all, any one of them might be on Belia's payroll as well, but as long as she stayed on the ship, she was safe. Relatively speaking, of course.

At Aria's club, the bouncers stopped Kar, but hesitated to do much more than that with the tone of voice that Kar used. They had scanned his ship as it had landed, and knew he was a Spectre as well. Even on Omega, that carried a bit of weight. Not so much in any legal authority, but you didn't get to be a Spectre by being incompetent, or unable to handle yourself. Trying to hold back Kar could cause more conflict than it was worth. Once again, to be safe, one of the bouncers called into Aria. "Spectre Kar is requesting an audience. He'll accept an underling."

After about a minute, the bouncer looked at Kar directly. "You can go inside. One of Aria's lieutenants will be meeting you at the bar. Krogan, like you. He's hard to miss, with his armor and all. Anything you wanted to tell her, you can tell him."
 
It didn't bother Kar that he ultimately was heading out alone. He trusted Sera and Velira to pull their weight and exert some autonomy. They had gotten along in the galaxy before he came along, though both had certainly stumbled in their own respective ways before being rescued. In any case he didn't make a fuss at having to wait for the guards to contact Aria. Knowing her she already knew the moment he touched down in the hanger and was expecting his arrival, she was incredibly well connected in her home turf, but in the end he was directed to one of her underlings rather than the queen of the night herself.

"Good." Was all he said in response as he stepped forward and through the door once it was remotely opened for him. The small tunnel that linked the main street with the club on the other end was always an oddity to him in terms of design but it didn't take him more than a few moments to step into the booming nightlife so to speak, not that anyone cared what time of cycle it was here, and the thumping electronic music made his body vibrate somewhat in response to the near deafening blare. Kar took a moment to look around the place, to scan for any potential threats or problems among the patrons, but his eyes didn't catch anything that seemed out of the ordinary to him; it was like he had never left and that time had no effect.

Not seeing the krogan he was supposed to meet with just yet, he headed to the bar on the main level to order a drink and wait. He doubted there would be very long of a delay and he wasn't bothered. Just being in a place like this was oddly soothing to him. The nostalgia was quite strong as he spoke to whoever was working the bar. "Ryncol if you have it. Otherwise give me a Quad Kicker." The latter was a lighter drink in terms of alcohol content but a mix of spiced rum, bourbon, ginger ale, and curry powder was hardly smooth or easy to drink regardless.
 
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After Kar was provided with a ryncol from the bartender, it was only a couple of minutes before a large armored krogan entered the bar from the stairway leading to Aria's meeting chambers, as it were. Wearing armor, he definitely stood out from the crowd as he glanced around. Eyes focusing on Kar, the krogan made his way over to the other krogan, taking the empty seat next to him at the bar. "You must be the Spectre," he remarked in a rumbling voice, although he kept it quiet enough to avoid anyone eavesdropping in the club. "I assume you aren't just here for pleasure, and Aria wants to know how much trouble you expect."


In the meantime, Xilar was hard at work making plans after the report from the salarian on board the Pa'Vex. Omega? That should be easy enough to make arrangements for trouble. And maybe we'll get very lucky and catch us a quarian.

Her first step was to alert the branch of Belia Industries on Omega, telling them to keep an eye out for anyone matching Sera or Velira's description, based on what she had been told by Aptis during the pursuit. After that, she alerted Aptis to the news. Unless the group was delayed, it was unlikely that they'd still be on Omega by the time Aptis could make it there herself, but that was why Xilar planned to do just that. The Spectre, the quarian, and the turian were becoming an annoyance that Xilar was tired of hearing about, and she knew Aptis felt much the same. Who better to punish the bitch than someone who'd relish in it?

While Kar was meeting with Aria's subordinate, Belia Industries received orders from Xilar. On Omega, many things went, as long as they didn't affect Aria's bottom line, and Belia Industries had more than enough means to insure that wasn't the case. They didn't need to harm anyone yet. Just a few thousand credits going in the right directions to delay the departure of the Pa'vex until further plans could be arranged would be enough for now.
 
Oblivious to the wheels turning behind his back thanks to Xilar, Kar eyed the approaching krogan who was similarly armed and armored as himself and gave a small nod of respect from one warrior to another. Of course, internally Kar felt that he was more capable than this other but there was no reason to put their skills to the test against one another. "Plenty." He replied after taking a long gulp of his ryncol, savoring the burning pain as it tore up his throat and insides but his regeneration was quick to repair the damage. He too kept quiet enough to try and prevent anyone from easily overhearing but he still needed to grumble loud enough to cut through the music so it was an imperfect balancing act. "Belia Industries has already sent out assassins against me and my crew. Only a matter of time before they start courting mercs for open assault. Aria should expect some firefights and a bit of chaos, though I'll be doing what I can to convince the locals not to get in their pocket."

Taking another drink, Kar paused to let that settle in as it otherwise appeared from an outside perspective that they were just having a friendly chat rather than anything more serious. "I'm here to try and buy some information to help my investigation. Though getting a chance to trim Belia's payroll won't hurt either." Having been so long since he'd been here, Kar didn't know that Belia Industries had holdings on Omega. If he did, well, something more approaching open warfare would be quite the tempting opportunity with the lack of red tape to stop him. Of course, Aria herself might have some objections regarding that.
 
The krogan simply listened to Kar as he spoke for some time. "Belia Industries. That can be a dangerous enemy to have. They know how to behave when they need to, but here on Omega, where they can act more openly...that is a different story. If they've already sent assassins after you, I think some firefights here on Omega are inevitable."

"As for information, I can tell you this for free. Belia Industries has ears and eyes in many places, and not all of them can be expected. Getting information against them could very well backfire. Of course, getting information back to them can be a strategy that can help if you know what you are doing. The best place to go for information, if you have the credits, hasn't changed much since you were here. Plenty has, but not that. I can give some names of reliable sources."

He pulled out a datapad, typing on it after a few minutes before sliding it over to him with ten names. "These names are a good starting place. The first five are known to work with Belia Industries, so be cautious about how much and what you share with them, but with enough credits, they have more information as well."
 
Kar agreed with the assessment of likely firefights in their future, after all he'd suggested the same, and eagerly listened to what advice the other krogan was willing to divulge without a cost. Reassurance that the old haunts were still active was nice and the list of names was even nicer, as was the warning of many information brokers already being in good with Belia Industries. The double-edge sword analogy being made was not lost on him. Indeed that was a danger as much as an opportunity just as the man claimed.

"Wouldn't be here looking for information if I didn't have credits." He stated gruffly as he took the datapad, glanced at it briefly, and then tucked it away on the waistline of his armor. "Aria decides she's got any more info she wants me to know, well, I'm sure she can contact me in any number of ways here. I'll pull my weight if it's reasonable but otherwise I'll try not to cause too much collateral damage when the shooting starts." With the conversation winding down at this point Kar figured there wasn't much else to say between them. Still, he remained at the bar to finish his drink and to give his contact the chance to say anything else he wanted to say before departing. If he was correct in that there was noting else though, well he'd check in with his crew remotely and let them know where he was heading.

He'd avoid the top five on the list for now, saving them for when he had some kind of plan in mind, but wanted to hit up the places and people he remembered first just to see if they were still around. One of his favorites was in the elcor district; a humble shop at a glance selling odds and ends but willing to broker some local knowledge through their terminals for those who knew how to ask. The information was never what one would call reliable, rumors more than anything, but it was up to date and relatively cheap. Maybe the shop was there, maybe it wasn't. Maybe they stopped doing that a long time ago or the specific elcor died or such. Only one way to find out.
 
His contact didn't have anything else to say, having passed along the information he was able to do so under the circumstances. When he returned to Aria, he would be sure to pass along the message that Kar was more than willing to work with her in exchange for information, if she wished to share it. Having that power would likely ease her mind a fair bit, even if it wouldn't entirely prevent her from keeping a distant but vigilante eye on Kar. It was definitely nothing personal, but Spectres on Omega tended to attract trouble, and she would like to have warning before that became an issue.

As he arrived at the shop in the elcor district, it was definitely not the same as he had remembered it. Instead of the elcor that had been in charge of the shop in the past, the shop seemed to be run by a male quarian, who was in the process of directing the placement of some crates full of spaceship parts. The inventory, however, seened very familiar, having apparently not changed all that much with the new ownership. Noticing Kar, the quarian walked over, seeming friendly, but somewhat guarded at the same time. Not very much, but to anyone who could read body language or subtle shifts in tone, it was clear that he was not being as open as he acted.

"Welcome to Tin'sha Emporium. If you need it, we can get it, or we already have it. What is it you need?"
 
The change of ownership, or perhaps operation, was a bit of a shame but it didn't bother him all that much. Change was a constant in the outer sections of the galaxy and he'd not lose any sleep over the natural process. His eyes peered around to regard the state of the small shop, noticing that it hadn't much changed in terms of the oddities it supplied, and he did hope that meant the side hustle remained intact. In any case he took his time before bringing his gaze down to the quarian in charge of the place now, perhaps heightening the man's nervousness in the face of a krogan, but Kar made no expression or motion to suggest anything was amiss; not that the simple act of being near to a krogan wasn't cause enough for many people to be concerned.

"Haven't been here in a while." He replied before gesturing his his head over to the terminal on the counter that was typically used for browsing and purchasing. Most merchants preferred to keep the process as automated as possible to cut down on labor. An employee need only answer questions or secure the goods for the customer when the payment was secured most of the time. "Rare to see a quarian in this section of Omega. Got some credits to spend but I seem to remember the terminal here always needed a few adjustments to work properly." There was no specific turn of phrase that had been utilized in the past but Kar remembered well that insinuating that the equipment was malfunctioning had been the common excuse for the shop owner to 'adjust' it, ultimately displaying an otherwise hidden menu in the kiosk for the buying of local rumors. With luck this quarian still kept up the tradition but, if not, then he'd know pretty quickly depending on the man's reaction.
 
The quarian seemed to relax a bit as Kar spoke. "Yes, well, when some shop comes up as available for a new owner, I feel the need to act on it, not simply wait for a shop in the 'appropriate' sector. As for the terminal...I can assure you, I am more than capable of making the appropriate adjustments, when necessary." He headed over to the terminal, working on a few hidden components. "When you are ready to make your purchases, this terminal should suit your purposes."

It seemed that Kar's shift into hinting that he was interested in, and already aware of, the grayer parts of the shop had eased his tension considerably, no longer feeling the need to disguise the sources of information. Anything else that he was doing under the table didn't seem to concern the krogan, either. In short, Tin'sha felt he had nothing to worry about from this particular customer, as intimidating as he seemed. Not compared to some others he'd encountered.


Elsewhere on Omega, Sera was meeting with an old friend at a club in one of the more reputable parts of town, gathering information. She had made sure to make the meeting in a public, well-regarded place, to reduce the chances that Belia Industries would try anything. "This should prove helpful, Kelia. I'll have to verify it first, of course, but it's a formality more than anything. I trust you." With that, Sera made her way back to the docking bay, sending a message to Kar. I have some information from a source. I'll make sure it's verified before we present anything to the Council, but it should help out.

As Sera left, Kelia sent her own message to another party, one with a much more...flexible alliance. The bait is set. If you get a chance to snare the catch, Belia will pay handsomely, but only for a live catch. We do not have room for error, so only reel it in if you can do it right.
 
Belia Industries had already been doing much behind the scenes to ensnare Kar, the Pa'vex, and the crew itself. The docking bay the ship was using was having a... equipment malfunction thanks to some anonymous donations to ensure that the ship wasn't able to leave, though that would only be discovered when the ship attempted a departure, while the local branch office had been alerted and worked to prepare as many forms of support as were necessary. This meant floating offers to mercenaries, goons, and hired thugs that wouldn't mind getting their hands dirty in an open fight but it also meant flipping trusted sources with the allure of wealth over things like friendship or respect. In Kelia's case she didn't have to do much on her own, just hand over some information that would prove not to be valuable, while the heavy lifting could be left to others.

As Sera's message came, Kar was finalizing his purchases at the terminal and copying over the data to his omni-tool. There wasn't much here, as he had expected, but rumors of a new business having set up shop in a space vacated by the previous owner. Supposedly the disappearance of the former occupants might not have been a coincidence and the new tenants were rather... active. That sounded like it could be Belia Industries to him and he at least had a location on Omega to check out, though if they already had roots in the station then this made their window of safety much smaller or nonexistent. "Belia might already be here." He said in reply but wouldn't go into fine details over coms. "I've got a few more stops to make but you should probably head back to the ship. Tell Velira the same."

Meanwhile Kelia's contacts were moving to find a quiet place to intercept the quarian. When you wanted to capture someone alive, well, there were few better species to call upon than batarians. Their experience as slavers was always in demand within the seedier parts of the galaxy and even a small group, three of them in this case, stood a good chance of ensnaring difficult prey. Sera's path back to the Pa'vex would take her down a residential section. They guessed she would be too on-edge to attempt any shortcuts and, despite the largest road going through this section, the area was fairly quiet at most hours since people tended to congregate elsewhere. The three men did their best to relax and blend in as locals, standing around and leaning near the entrance of a run-down apartment complex and just having a chat when in reality they were keeping an eye out for their quarry.
 
Indeed, Sera was heading down the path, taking advantage of the large road. That said, she was no fool, and was constantly vigilant. She knew that being in a public space was safer than using alleyways that she had no real knowledge of, as opposed to the ones on Noveria that she had been more familiar with. On Omega, however, safety was a relative term. Any corner could hide a mercenary, or even a simple thug, who could make decent money without risking a legal headache like on the Citadel, or even Noveria's board being a concern. No, on Omega, anything went, and if someone wanted to attack Sera badly enough, there was no reason to wait for somewhere completely private.

For that reason, she noticed the three batarians. They were probably locals. Not exactly anyone was out of place, but something about them made Sera feel cautious. Taking advantage of her opaque visor to hide the fact that she was gazing at them from the corner of her eyes, she reached down to her side, gripping her pistol but not quite drawing it. If they were just locals, she didn't want to cause much of a scene. If they were more than that, however, she would be prepared.

Almost unconsciously, she started walking a bit more quickly as she passed by the apartment complex, feeling her pulse quicken as she tried to remain at least looking calm from the outside. As she did so, she sent a message back to Kar. "Understood. Velira is already on the ship, contact required privacy."


The new business that Kar had found reference to was in a relatively clean area of Omega, one where the "crimes" tended to be more financial than physical. There was a reason that the disappearance of the former occupants hadn't drawn much attention. It wasn't uncommon for business owners to cut and run once they had the credits they wanted. More than that had happened in that case, but that was no concern of anyone, least of all the new occupants.

"Careful with the crates," the new owner commanded towards the various men moving them around. "They aren't dangerous, but they are valuable to Belia Industries. More than any of us. Especially you."
 
These three men were relative professionals, at least about as professional as one could get when making a living capturing and selling people as commodities. They were all armored, though only in light gear which didn't stand out much on Omega, and they were able to not only notice Sera but keep an eye on her in a far more casual manner than lesser-experienced individuals could. There was no sudden shout of attention, no drawing of a firearm, but just a simple shift as the two men on the outside made a small window for the third male to aim his omni-tool and fire a small stream of omni-gel. This gel rapidly manufactured itself into the shape of a net mid-flight and suddenly crackled with powerful electricity, enough to give Sera a moment's notice but still not much of an opportunity to respond. The Submission Net application was a favorite of batarian slavers and this enjoyment wasn't unwarranted.


Kar watched as the various men worked to handle crates of some unknown cargo. They didn't look very organized and they certainly weren't shy about their employer as a figure shouted out in an attempt to intimidate them to work quick and careful. The krogan paused to look around the area and double check that there was no noticeable backup nearby as he debated his course of action.

The freedom that Omega offered was intoxicating, the chance to just reach out and take whatever was needed for his work. These crates belonged to Belia Industries and, even if they were unrelated to his investigation, simply striking at anything they would consider valuable would be a small, helpful chip against their operations. Of course, if the cargo truly was so expensive then it should stand to reason it would have a larger security force and, in this case at least, that didn't appear to be the case. Oh they had numbers, maybe even a few guns, but he seriously doubted they could stand toe to toe with him all the same.

"Fuck it." He said to himself under his breath. This was risky, and he really should come return later with some backup, but the opportunity was too much for him to pass by. Kar strode up to the group, again taking the opportunity to double check that he couldn't see anyone else around that would likely come help this group, and announced his presence once he was close enough to be easily heard. "Sounds good, whatever you've got there. Think I'll have a look, maybe take some with me." This was the part where other people usually underestimated him. Oh sure his species made him stand out by default but even still most people tended to expect numbers to be enough to get through him. For most krogans that would be true he figured, but he was far from average. He was itching for a fight and was excited by the chance to get one in just a few moments.
 
Even on alert, Sera didn't see it coming. A simple shift to create a small window didn't give her enough of an alert, and the Submission Net quickly wrapped around her, the electricity coursing through her to make her buckle and fall to the ground, twitching as her muscles simply spasmed, preventing her from doing anything but wait to be taken away by the three batarians. She couldn't even get enough muscle control to reach for her omnitool to send a message or alert to Kar, her attempts simply resulting in her hand heavily sliding and slapping across her wrist ineffectually.


The group looked at Kar almost as one, a turian nearly reaching for a pistol before a quarian held up a hand, signaling the turian to stop before the male quarian stepped up to Kar. He wasn't aggressive, unsurprisingly given that he was strong for a quarian, but quite a bit smaller than Kar. He also knew something that the krogan likely didn't, and the crew certainly didn't. "You're more than welcome to have a look, Spectre. I'm not sure you'll find anything you're looking for, however."

With that, the quarian headed to a pair of crates, signaling for them both to be opened. Once they were, it was very clear what was inside...stacks and stacks of datapads. What was on them was uncertain, but given the sheer number of datapads, it was unlikely that they held any significant data. "You can look through the datapads all you want. I can assure you that they are very nice. Top of the line. Completely blank."
 
"All this fuss over this one? Too easy." The lead batarian commented as the other two hurried over to scoop up Sera as she writhed upon the ground. Assuming the electric current was calculated correctly she should soon be rendered unconscious but that wouldn't stop the slavers from taking her weapons, removing her omni-tool, and otherwise binding her limbs as precaution when it was safe for them to do so. Tapping his own communicator the leader contacted not Kelia, as she was just an intermediary, but rather someone at Belia Industries to report their success and to request a location for the hand off.


The reaction that Kar received from the group made him uncomfortable. The initial reaction to resort to violence felt appropriate but it quickly shifted and became clear that he was not only known but rather expected. This was some kind of plot or ploy. Perhaps just to identify him through a lure or perhaps something else entirely but, at the very least, he didn't grow too uncomfortable now that he felt he understood the nature of this encounter. The krogan paused as two of the crates were opened to reveal piles of datapads. He wasn't certain if the claim of them being blank was true but, even if one of them had anything of value on it, the likelihood of him finding it was next to nothing. Clever actually, to hide a datapad in a datapad-stack; if that was even the case. They could all be blank but it was clear he had been played.

"Can't have too many datapads." He said as he reached a hand in to grab one. It would be stupid to connect to this or to take it back to the ship for the risk of malicious code stored on it, but he had something else in mind just in case they were something that Belia could easily track. For now though he shrugged and clipped it to the belt of his armor, making it obvious that he wasn't giving it back. "Either you just wanted to get a good look up close at me or these are the moments before reinforcements show up and a fight breaks out. Either way, I've got a message you can send to Xilar. Since it's likely you've been in contact with her."

His casual tone hid the fact that he was on-edge and ready to spring into action if needed. However he turned to face the quarian squarely so that he could deliver his message nice and close. A message that was not verbal but rather a quick and weak, for his standards anyway, headbutt. Kar help back enough to feel confident he wouldn't kill the man and hoped for no permanent damage as well but he couldn't help but chuckle all the same. "Heh, and make sure you deliver that to her directly." If this was just some trick to waste his time, well, he'd be leaving but if it was an ambush then he was more than ready to spill some guts.
 
At Belia Industries, the response to the leader was terse, getting straight to the point. "There is a warehouse in the Tershin District, number 9. You will be met there, and we will exchange the credits for the quarian." After the news, the secretary who had received the information did as she had been instructed, sending the message on to Xilar, who then passed it on to Aptis with additional comments. "I promised you some time with the quarian one-on-one, and I do deliver on my promises. Question her however you wish, find out what she knows. I don't want her dead, at least not yet, but I do not want to deny you your fun. Just make sure she doesn't expire."


The quarian seemed unconcerned with Kar taking the datapad, indicating that it was indeed simply a datapad. If there was anything hidden inside the datapads in the crates, there was no indication from the quarian's actions or body language to indicate what it was. The headbutt, however, seemed to catch him off-guard, the quarian staggering back against the crate and holding himself up against it to avoid falling to the ground. As one of the guards drew his rifle, the quarian waved off the trigger-happy response. "That wasn't quite the message I expected," the quarian muttered. "I have been in contact with her, and I'll be sure to at least pass on the spirit of the message. I was given a message of my own to deliver, however."

He straightened up, looking up at Kar. "Sometimes, you are led into a trap. Sometimes, you are led into a lead. Sometimes, the lead is a trap, a distraction. You are a thorn in the side of Belia Industries, and they intend to pluck the rose. I'm just the messenger, however. Anything that you do here doesn't matter. I have told you what I know."
 
The batarians wasted little time in taking Sera to the location they were told to. This wasn't new business for them, they knew how things went and didn't much care about their public perception as they walked the winding streets of omega with a bound quarian over one of their shoulders. In all honesty most people on Omega might make note of the situation but would know better than to stick their nose in other people's business. Do-gooders were exceptionally rare on this rock, though that wasn't to say that competition was so hard to find.

In this case the trio of men did their best to avoid the common haunts of other scavengers and vultures that would be likely to try and poach their prize but that did mean they had to take a less direct path to the warehouse. Hardly long enough to expect their prey to awaken but certainly enough time to inadvertently give Kar a bit more time to try and mount a rescue once he even learned Sera was missing. And a slight bit less time for Aptis to enjoy playing with her prisoner once she arrived. Unless Aria herself acted against the group though, directly or indirectly, there was nothing else to truly stop the slavers from delivering their quarry as promised.


Kar chuckled as he watched the quarian male take the hit better than most. Despite himself he couldn't help but be a little impressed, though he wondered if the true nature of his message would really be delivered. A headbutt in krogan culture like he just performed wasn't a simple venting of frustration but rather a challenge of authority. To strike another krogan's crest with your own was a way of establishing dominance, of telling them to shut up and get out of your way. The common courses of action in response to such a challenge were either to lose face and relent, accepting that you were lesser, or to meet the challenge formally with a direct show of force. Effectively, Kar's simple little strike was a deeply-rooted challenge he was sending to Xilar to call her out of hiding and to show her face directly. Though there was nothing to say that she couldn't just ignore it, he hoped it would get under her skin.

All the same he barely reacted to the drawing of an assault rifle. He could splatter the punk in an instant and was confident that his shields and armor alone would keep him safe should the idiot squeeze off a few rounds in haste. That didn't happen though and this all but confirmed to the spectre that this whole meeting was simply to waste his time and perhaps get a measure of who he was, what he looked like, and how capable he might be. Information such as that was valuable to his enemies so he realized he couldn't linger much longer as he listened to the flowery words supposedly chosen by Xilar herself. "You are just the messenger and I want to make sure my message gets back to her so I won't kill you. Any of you others though..." He turned around in place to sweep his gaze across the others in attendance, suggesting that he was intending something against them. "...pathetic, not worth my time. Step up and I'll kill you where you stand but a fight with you lot wouldn't be satisfying."

He'd make good on his promise if any tried to harm him but, assuming they were smart enough to let him go, he'd head straight back to the Pa'vex to regroup; contacting Calius to give him the update and to tell him when Sera made it back to the ship. He had no reason to suspect anything was amiss just yet but there was a feeling in his gut that told him they all might be in trouble.
 
At the warehouse, a human woman handed over a credit chit to the batarians, taking the still-unconscious Sera once the payment had been confirmed to take her to a small room to await the arrival of Aptis. To be safe, Sera was also bound while unconscious, tied to a chair after being stripped down completely to make sure there were no tricks that she could pull off. Her modesty was the least of concern to Belia Industries, after all. Might as well give the security chief as much of a "canvas" to work her "art" on when she arrived.


The quarian didn't stop him from leaving, nor did anyone else. "Don't worry," the quarian commented to Kar's back as he left. "I'll make sure Xilar receives every last part of your message." He wasn't a krogan, or part of their culture, but being around Xilar had taught him enough of the latter to understand the subtext of Kar's headbutt. Xilar probably wouldn't appreciate the message, but how she responded might be a different matter. She certainly wouldn't ignore it, but the quarian wasn't sure quite how she'd respond.

Not his issue, however. That was for her and Kar to work out between them. As he'd said, he was just a messenger. A middle-man at best. With that, he contacted Xilar, making sure to not only pass along his verbal message, but the headbutt as well. Xilar would take some time to ponder the appropriate response. After all, she still had the upper hand, even if Kar wasn't fully aware of it just yet. That was the best kind of upper hand.

Calius responded to his hail. "I'll be sure to let you know when she arrives. She's been gone a fair while. Starting to get a bit concerned."
 
Despite the delay in delivery it wouldn't take long for Aptis to arrive at the warehouse after Sera's arrival. The turian was eager indeed to ply her trade of interrogation, which was more of a hobby or passion truly, and this had well and truly gotten to the point of personal long ago for Aptis. The havoc's arrival was almost brisk enough to warrant alarms in the facility as she practically burst through a rear door and moved at a pace just shy of jogging in her excitement. Thankfully what staff and security were on hand were quick enough to recognize her before any alert went out, though such thanks were more squared upon their own shoulders as a fight would not likely end well for them compared to how Aptis Terid would make out.

For all her rushed movement to get here, Aptis slowed nearly to a halt when her eyes laid upon the bound and nude form of the unmistakable quarian. She caught her breath and tried to steady her heartbeat lest she slip up and make some mistake in the work to come. The elation and joy at this opportunity was at risk of overwhelming her but she retained enough discipline and focus to not fail her work. At least, so she believed anyway. Aptis pulled off her helmet and moved to place it upon a table set up not so far from Sera's location.

Tools were all in place and plenty of counter space had been wheeled into position to support all the options and more. As she looked over the selection it was... sufficient. Perhaps not as much variety as she'd prefer but she so often had to work with whatever items were directly on hand while in the field that having some proper devices of pain and suffering were quite welcome. So many types of blades both large and small, many kinds of metal clamps and restraint devices. True that the quarian was currently bound but a change of position could be effective indeed and, even if the woman remained in the chair, there were other ways that such devices could be utilized. Aptis savored the pain of others most of all but she wasn't above means of sexual abuse. The pinching of sensitive skin, or even the juxtaposition of moments of soft pleasure to heighten the sensitivity before sharp pain was brought down to feel all the more agonizing by comparison. Torture wasn't a skill, it was an art, and Aptis was as skilled an artist as the greatest asari matriarch could hope to claim with all their long years to practice.

Of course, all of this meant nothing for as long as the quarian remained unconscious and, while Aptis preferred to slip out of her armor when tending to a prisoner, she knew well that the spectre was on-world and that there remained the chance that she might be interrupted. A shame but she'd play it safe and settle for only the removal of her helmet and the tugging off of her gloves; direct contact with flesh was necessary in her opinion to ensure just the correct amount of force was applied in any situation. When she was calmed and made ready she'd find a small container of smelling-salts and begin the process of attempting to revive Sera back to reality. The more... harsh methods of resuscitation or revival such as electrical shock would be saved for later if need be.


The news of Sera not having returned wasn't enough to immediately worry him as there was still opportunity for her to arrive in the meantime but Kar did share Calius' worry to a small amount. "If she's not back by the time I arrive then we'll search. Tell Velira to be on standby and get another few hands geared up as well." In his mind there was no reason to go out under gunned if someone had done something to her. On Omega it was a bit tricky though considering that danger came in many forms. Could be Belia making moves but could be unrelated too. In any case he figured he knew where Sera wasn't if she truly had gone missing. No way Belia would hold him up outside that building if they were holding, or intending to hold, the quarian inside.

The krogan made one small pit stop on the way back to a local waste station. To call it a bathroom would be far too generous as it had no equipment to serve such functionality. Instead it was a small pit really, some forgotten space in the chaotic workings of the station layout that was in a particularly run down area frequented by the poor and destitute... and the bullies that liked tormenting them. It might be a meaningless gesture but if the datapad he took had any means of Belia Industries tracking the device then he'd also be sending an insult as he tossed the device into the foul, waste-filled pit with the understanding that someone would have to come look at this at the very least. With that task checked off his list he hurried back to the ship, moving with enough purpose to surely cause any passers-by to all but dive out of his way lest he quite literally run them over.
 
It didn't take too much effort for Aptis to manage to awaken Sera. She hadn't been rendered unconscious by too much effort, after all, and for now, the damage done to her was minimal at best. With a soft groan, she lifted her head, locking eyes with Aptis. While her eyes were unfocused at first, it didn't take long for Sera to recover enough to realize what her situation was, and just how grim it seemed. She was bound, not getting out without anyone rescuing her or letting her go willingly. And she could tell from the missing mandible that it was Aptis herself that was now holding her prisoner. Being let go willingly was not an option, and no one knew where she was. She had told Velira that she was meeting a contact, but not where. Sera didn't have a way of knowing where she was right now, either, and no way to alert anyone to where she was.

As she considered her options, and realized how few she truly had at the moment, her eyes focused, filling with clear fear as she trembled. As a quarian, she was used to using her suit and visor to disguise her emotions. Stripped bare of both, she was practically an unencrypted datapad as far as how she felt. Right now, she was quite scared, and it would be easy for Aptis to realize how much the difference in their power and position was affecting Sera mentally even before the pain started.


Calius did as Kar instructed without delay. By the time Kar made it back to the ship, it was clear that Velira and several of the other turians were ready to try to track down Serawho had not returned for obvious reasons. Velira was the first to speak when Kar arrived. "Sera's still not back. She told me she was meeting a contact in the quarian district. She didn't give a name, though. Or a more specific location. It's a starting place, but much more vague than I'd like."
 
Aptis smiled as Sera awakened and understood the situation she was in; fear playing so easily upon the quarian's face. A turian smile was perhaps not a calming sight in general but with the woman's missing mandible, and the scar tissue that lingered around the old wound, the twitching seemed a bit more sinister even before accounting for who was producing this expression of joy. "I'm glad we can finally meet face to face. You've caused me a lot of trouble and I'm sooo eager to repay you in kind."

While her opening words were condescending and clearly faking politeness for effect, Aptis had no real intention of keeping up the charade. Even pretending to be pleasant was exhausting to her in the face of this aggravating little insect. "I'm going to make you tell me everything you know about us, everything you've done with that spectre behind our backs, and I'm going to make you hurt more than you've ever experienced in your life. Oh, and I'm going to savor every whimper and every scream."

With options and a selection of tools came the potential for decision paralysis. Deciding where to begin wasn't just a simple choice as it would set the tone for the girl's suffering for the entire rest of the experience. Right now Sera was relatively healthy and relatively aware of herself and her surroundings. Yes, the finer things would do best since she'd soon not be able to appreciate them. The turian stepped over to one of the many tables, this one in particular housing the array of blades and sharp objects, and selected a somewhat small knife more at home in a surgeon's operating room than as a weapon. "I haven't had the chance to truly explore the quarian physique very much unfortunately so I might not be able to provide the most... efficient methods of inflicting pain but I'm always eager for more practice."

Aptis stepped back to her captive and dragged the flat side of the small blade against Sera's arm in passing. When the turian was standing directly in front of the chair she somewhat crouched to place her left hand upon the top of Sera's right leg while her right hand lifted the small knife to Sera's left leg, doing the same motion of sliding the flat of the edge over her bare skin as a threat of what was to come. "Turians, well, our exteriors are tough and hardened. Blades need to find gaps in order to be effective and we need larger, sharper ones to make progress. Most other species though, you are so soft on the outside that even the smallest edge just... slices... right... through." As she emphasized the last few words Aptis turned the knife's edge downward into the top of Sera's left thigh. The blade was sharp and broke the skin near effortlessly but as the turian began to press just a little bit deeper and drag it down just an inch or so closer towards Sera's knee then she'd feel that this blade, despite appearing rather normal was jagged and serrated at a molecular level. For all its sharpness it dragged and caught upon her skin and flesh like feline claws and delivered much more pain than it would have otherwise suggested at a glance.


As Kar all but burst onto the ship, delayed only for the process of cycling the airlock, the report he received from Velira was not a good one. "Fuck. Okay, okay." He paused to gather his thoughts in order to make an actual plan. His training was kicking in and he knew that recklessness wouldn't help anyone in these moments. The krogan tried to tap Sera's com frequency but got no response as expected, all but further proving that she was in trouble. Having a rough district to search was way too much and most people on Omega wouldn't openly speak about things they saw to anyone for fear of retribution; they couldn't rely on any goodwill of witnesses to provide more information about when and were the quarian might have been spotted. If all they did was march out there and begin searching, well, Kar figured they'd not only struggle to find anything to help them but they might actively make the situation worse by wasting time. Time that Sera might not have a lot of before something irreversible happened.

Ultimately in his mind there was only one clear answer to him and that was to do business with the queen of Omega. Aria saw just about everything that went down on this rock and, although he knew it would cost him in a favor more likely than credits, he could stomach some dirty work easily enough for the sake of protecting a member of his crew. Pointing to Velira he squared himself and made the call. "Take two and start searching that district for any shred of clues. Things she might have dropped, people that might have seen her. Just don't be too... uptight with the locals. I'll take two with me and see if I can make a deal to save us time." He doubted that Aria would want to speak with him directly this time since she hadn't before, and it hadn't been all that long since his last visit to her club, but she was no doubt shrewd enough to want to take advantage of the opportunity to earn a favor from a capable krogan, let alone a spectre. He just hoped whatever she wanted him to do in return wouldn't prove too much trouble.
 
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That smile sent a chill down Sera's spine, to say the least. It was a combination of the physical effect the smile had on Aptis' face and knowing what exactly was making Aptis smile. Sera was her prisoner, her toy, and far from reluctant, the turian was looking forward to everything she was going to do. This wasn't professional for Aptis, at least not entirely, it was personal. Aptis' words simply confirmed that for her. Aptis made noise about using the torture as a means to get Sera talking, but it was clear that the last sentence, of hearing Sera scream and suffer, was the real motivation for Aptis' actions.

As Aptis made her way over to the table of knives, Sera couldn't see what she was examining, but the mystery was soon solved as the small knife was used to stroke her arm and leg, a promise of what was to come. Sera didn't respond to Aptis' comments about the difference between turian and quarian physiology, nor did her taunting about getting practice on Sera. That was just confirming to Sera that she was about to go through a fair bit of pain, which is something the knife had already done. The knife made her recall what seemed like ages ago, the assassin torturing her with stabbing. She'd gone through it before, she could handle it again.

Or so she thought. Once the knife began cutting into her thigh, the surprise of the serration tearing up her leg made her flinch, the heat of the pain seeming to burn her thigh as the blood welled out of the wound and ran down her leg slowly. Closing her eyes in pain, she tensed up, clearly fighting to not let out any cries of pain, unwilling to give Aptis the satisfaction this early into the session. Once she felt certainly she wouldn't scream, she spoke in a strained voice. "Ask me a question...I'll answer..."


Velira nodded. "I'll do my best." Velira left what Kar already knew unspoken, which was the likely futility of what her task was. This was Omega. People disappeared every day, everywhere, with all the crowds on the streets somehow seeing nothing go down. Even if they had a specific place to look instead of a vague district, that would likely not be enough. Still, Velira was determined to do what she could to find Sera. The quarian was responsible for her no longer being in with Belia. The turian would do just about anything to return the favor.

With that, Velira left to search the path between the ship and the quarian district, using the turians with her to split off and search the likely paths that Sera could have taken back to the ship. She was probably not going to find anything related to whatever could have made Sera disappear, but she was at least slightly hopeful that someone would have seen her before, when she was heading to meet her contact, and know where she was meeting them. That was her best lead on her end. Kar would have better luck with Aria, almost certainly, but his cost could indeed be quite high.
 
Aptis wasn't surprised by Sera's resistance to crying or screaming, this was only the beginning of their time together and hardly much abuse despite the jagged edge of the knife. What the turian was surprised about though was how easily the girl seemed to be ready to give up information. Aptis was no fool though and had been through interrogations many times before. She knew that individuals were often quick to offer up information in the hopes of stalling or delaying, or even otherwise telling lies just to stop the pain, and thus Aptis wouldn't be quite so quick to trust that anything the quarian said just yet was truthful. All the same these sessions were always recorded and even hearing a lie could be useful down the line for unraveling the psyche of the individual, so she wouldn't hold back from probing for information either.

With a small flick the turian scraped the knife up and out of the shallow wound and lifted it so that her eyes could savor the blood that lingered upon the metal. "Tell me about the spectre you have been working for." She said calmly and in a somewhat disinterested tone as her mind cared far more for the imagining of the suffering of her victim and the sadistic pleasure she gained from it. Aptis didn't just leave things there however, instead she began to slowly move the knife to a new location towards the inside of Sera's right thigh; a location that was no doubt much more sensitive with more nerve endings to stimulate.


Dividing up his armed and armored crew members between him and Velira they went their separate ways for the time being, though hopefully wouldn't be apart long. The guards at the club hadn't cycled out of their shift just yet so when Kar approached again there was recognition at the least as he made his intentions known. "Tell her I'm buying this time and that I don't have time to waste." He expected another subordinate, or even the same one as before, to work out the terms of any bargain to be made but his choice of words would hopefully get his point across to expedite the process. Truth be told he wasn't much worried about whatever bargain he'd have to strike in return when it came to the nature of the job, moreso his concern was for the time that the work might take. Getting his hands dirty wasn't an issue but having to delay his investigation into Belia Industries could be disastrous for himself and many others. He couldn't let himself get caught up in what-if's though; he needed to stay focused and locked-in on locating and rescuing Sera first and foremost.
 
Sera flinched again as the knife slid up her inner thigh, considering both Aptis' question and her tone as she asked. It didn't matter if Sera answered or not, most likely. It seemed to Sera that answering honestly would benefit Belia Industries in some way, but would do nothing to stop Aptis from tormenting her. It might make it easier on Sera, of course. Lying would upset Aptis, and an upset sadist could be a problem. On the other hand...

"The Spectre?" Sera sighed slightly, closing her eyes and trying without success to keep from trembling at the feel of the knife at her thigh. "Large volus. Can't miss him." She had no intention of helping Belia Industries by answering honestly. She didn't even care if her lies were obvious. She suspected that even a good lie wouldn't get past Aptis, so why not be as obvious about it as she wanted? Despite everything putting Sera at a disadvantage, she knew that her best chance was to keep denying Aptis her answers. Maybe she'd upset Aptis enough for the turian to forgo the questioning altogether. That would probably be unpleasant for Sera, but it was a chance she had to take.


The guards were quick to allow Kar into the bar, and just as quick to inform Aria of his request in the exact words that he had used. As he had expected, Aria once again didn't come to greet him herself, but instead had a lieutenant meet him again. Rather than the krogan before, however, it was a muscular female turian, one wearing street clothes rather than armor. It seemed to be due less underestimating anyone who might come after her and more confidence in her ability to handle anyone doing so, however, given her confident stride and watchful gaze as she looked around the bar before joining Kar at the bar. "Two visits to Aria in one day, and this time you're buying. You must need something very badly. Name your need, and I have several...pricing options depending on the ask."
 
Sera was right in that answering truthfully wouldn't prevent the pain, however she couldn't realize that Aptis had standing instructions not to kill her and thus cooperation would ultimately lessen the suffering. For all that the turian prided herself when it came to delivering pain and punishment, she couldn't likely continue much longer after she felt she had been given all the information she could hope to receive. Xilar would forgive some personal time with the captive but not much; not when there were clearly other plans for the girl. That said, Aptis sighed and shook her head at the blatant lie. She knew the spectre was a krogan and a male but had little information beyond that. Enough to recognize the fabrication for what it was and now expected Sera to be too resistant to give information just yet. "We both know that's not true."

The turian twisted the knife and dug the small, serrated blade into the inside of the quarian's right thigh. Another agonizing, shallow wound was made as Aptis pulled the tool back towards her and this one was a good deal longer. When she did pull the knife away, Aptis rose to stand as she needed to drive home the point that lying to her face would only bring harsher punishments. This gentle cutting, even with the jagged serration, would need to be supplemented; though she wasn't intent to give up on it entirely just yet. "When you lie to me, when you refuse to answer, I crank up your punishment. In this case... hmm... I think you'd look better with a pierced nipple."

With that threat looming over Sera, Aptis would step away momentarily to swap out supplies. There was no simple piercing gun but she could certainly make due with a needle that she estimated was about the right size. While any actual jewelery wasn't on hand to fill the hole created, it wouldn't be hard to bend a small piece of metal into shape for an impromptu barbell. This would take a minute or two perhaps to accomplish, giving yet more time for the quarian to sit and squirm with the fear of what was to come, but the turian was skilled enough with her hands to fashion what she wanted all the same. When Aptis did move back to Sera she reached out to cup the quarian's left breast with her hand, gently squeezing while rubbing a finger around the woman's areola. The goal not being to provide pleasure but rather to make Sera's nipple erect.


Kar had his crew members hang back and give him space to speak with Aria's representative but he didn't bother buying a drink, this wasn't the time to be quite so relaxed. His eyes rather openly followed the turian as she approached though his focus was obvious and the fact that he was on high alert and otherwise 'locked in' so to speak. He waited just long enough to make sure no one was near enough to eavesdrop before making his point known. There was little reason to play coy. "One of my crew members has disappeared. Sera, a quarian, during her trip to the quarian district to meet a friend. I want to know who took her and, more importantly, where they dragged her off to. I have my suspicions as to the 'who' but no clue as to the 'where'."
 
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