Escape Plan [open]

[eris]

Illium, Khaz concluded, ducking down to avoid the incoming spray of bullets, did not suit him at all.

Sure, he'd heard the warnings -- as the saying goes, "Illium is just Omega with expensive shoes" -- but he hadn't bothered to listen. Surely, there was nothing to fear. Not in a shining city full of luxuries, where the people never hungered and displayed their wealth like batarians did their battle scars. They were soft, and soft people were harmless. At the time, it had seemed like an easy choice for Khaz to ditch the cesspool that was Omega and embark on a one-way trip to Illium instead. The place was full of millionaires, after all -- obviously that meant the work there had to pay better, didn't it? And even if Illium didn't have the most stellar reputation, Khaz had survived Omega.

Compared to that, how dangerous could a few asari possibly be?

The answer came in the form of a menacing blue flash of biotics off to Khaz's right, jolting him out of his moment of misery and forcing him to dash for better cover.

Very.

Fortunately, warehouses like this one always seemed to have a convenient stack of waist-high crates to hide behind. Absently, Khaz wondered whether firefights in warehouses were actually common occurrences in this city.

He didn't doubt it. From the start, Illium had turned out to be the complete opposite of everything he'd hoped. Oddly, there didn't seem to be much of a demand for batarian tech experts in the area. For some inexplicable reason, the jobs Khaz had been offered all tended to require murdering someone. Eventually though, he'd found what he was looking for... or so he thought. What had seemed like a straightforward job helping an asari corporation design a new, high-tech gunship had ended up being a nightmare. Instead of handing him a paycheck upon completion of the task, his boss had opened fire instead. Turns out she'd been planning to remove Khaz and the other engineers all along; that way, no one would be around to leak the schematics to any rival companies. Khaz had been hired specifically because he was new to the area, with no one to notice when he inevitably went missing.

Apparently, Illium businesses took competition very seriously.

Fortunately, literally cutthroat business practices were nothing new to a native of the Batarian Hegemony. One way or another, Khaz could deal with this mess.

Hopefully.

Taking advantage of a momentary break in fire, Khaz activated his omni-tool and dashed for the elevator. He couldn't fight back -- the security guards had him outnumbered -- but with a little skill he knew he could get out of this place. All the doors had been locked when the firing had started but, given a chance, he had a feeling he could hack them open. After only a few seconds of scrolling frantically through the code, however, he heard the tell-tale gunshots and corresponding muted feeling of impact on his shields, letting him know that the guards had reloaded and were advancing again. Standing out in the open like this, Khaz was an easy target.

"Dammit, just five more seconds..."

Still more bullets slammed into his shields, and Khaz silently willed them to hold. He wasn't exactly in the habit of wearing armor to work -- though, with his luck, maybe he should probably remedy that -- so the instant his shields failed, he was screwed with a capital S.

Click.

"Yes!"

The doors were open. Khaz lunged into the elevator just as the last hail of bullets pummeled his shields, turning to see the asari guards rush towards to elevator in a last-ditch attempt to stop him from escaping. They were too late. As quickly as they'd opened, the elevator doors slammed closed... but not before the last shot made it through, ripping straight through Khaz's failing shields. He hissed in pain as the bullet embedded itself in his shoulder. Damn. He'd been so close, too.

And just like that, the doors slid open again, and Khaz was assualted with the sights and sounds of the upper levels of Illium's glittering commercial zone. Pressing a hand to his shoulder, both to staunch the flow of blood and to cover it, keeping from drawing attention to himself, Khaz pushed on into the crowd. If those security guards were as ruthless as they seemed, he knew they'd be up here after him in moments, and he was going to have to lose them in this group somehow. Still, Khaz couldn't help but feel like he was already attracting a few odd looks.

Apparently a batarian with a gunshot wound wasn't exactly a common sight here on Illium.

Khaz broke into a brisk walk, heading for what he guessed had to be the direction of the nearest shuttle station. He didn't think his pursuers would be willing to open fire in a crowded area like this, but he had a feeling they'd at least try to tail him. He wasn't going to let that happen.

Khaz would have to suck it up and deal with the wound later -- his first order of business needed to be getting out of this screwed up city, ASAP.

[Lilly]

Five more minutes and she'd ask someone for directions. That was what Chorra told herself. The map on her omni-tool was telling her she was going in the right direction to get to the shuttle station, but it had told her she was going in the right direction to get to that hotel, too, and she had ended up in a bunch of warehouses and ran into a bunch of Asari she was sure were mercenaries. They ended up being pretty nice once she had complimented the model of their shotguns, but still. She was more than a little wary of strangers that she was going to avoid talking to them until she absolutely had to.

After five more minutes it looked like she might just have to.

"Damn thing, this is the last time I ever buy a discounted omni-tool," she sighed, moving out of the main flow of the crowd to try and coax the proper directions out of the device. After a reboot, the newest route seemed to take her right into the middle of a body of water. "Oh goddess, I give up. Excuse me? Miss?"

She had already scoped out her target, another asari about her age working at a nearby stall. "Could you please tell me how to get to the nearest spaceport?"

"What? Oh, sure. Just take a shuttle- they're that way, okay?" she said, pointing down the street over Chorra's shoulder. "You take a left at that corner and just keep heading straight. There should be one that takes you straight to the port. Tourist, huh?" the salesgirl asked, smirking.

"Uhh, kind of," Chorra said, laughing nervously. If you could call trying to track down a bunch of slavers and drug traffickers being a tourist. Though to be fair, she'd taken a few pictures of the sites around Illium, so... "Thanks so much, I should get going now," she said quickly, heading back into the crowd. It was a left she had to take.... right?

"Oh gosh, sorry!" Chorra squeaked as someone bumped into her. Apparently she hadn't been moving at a fast enough place. "I'm so s-" She paused as she realized who she had bumped into. A batarian. "Sorry!" she finished quickly, not wanting to seem rude. Just keep on walking, she told herself, no big deal, don't make eye contact, don't think about all the stuff Auntie Bast told you about Batarians, don't-

"Oh goddess, are you shot?" she blurted out, catching a glimpse of blood slipping out from under the hand he had clenched over his arm.

[carnivalcreep]

Dagon had gotten himself into a sticky situation.

He had come to Illium to meet with an information broker he was told about a week prior on Omega, Supposedly, this broker was a quarian who had made his pilgrimage to Earth and had connections to a ring of the black market focused on 'human interest': banned books and movies, one-of-a-kind human artwork, and the like. Dagon was quick to set up a meeting with this broker, but soon learned he severely lacked the funds to purchase information on the ring.

As it turned out, this particular broker wasn't fond of people who would show up to his information auctions without bidding. He had sent a few mercs to rough up Dagon, and while Dagon did lose his credit chit in the merc's attack, he managed to get away relatively unscathed.

Now, a few hours later, Dagon was wandering the crowds of the commercial district, hoping he had finally shaken the mercs off of his trail. Even so, he wasn't too keen on being alone on this planet with a vengeful information broker after him. He needed at least one (if not both) of two things: passage to an area where we wouldn't be tracked down, and/or friends with guns. Either would be effective.

He was mulling over the two possibilities in his head, weighing which would be the more prudent choice given the circumstances, when a voice with a decidedly asari accent spoke a short distance to his east. "Oh goddess, are you shot?"

He cocked his head to the alarmed voice, noticing a young-looking asari (the source of the exclamation, he deduced) and, more interestingly, a batarian who seemed to be in pain.

"Well, looks like I'm not the only one with issues on Illium." he mused, cautiously approaching the scene.

[neonreverberations]

Ilium was just like Omega to the point where Shif was beginning to question if spending the few credits he had to get here was really worth it. Sure, the view was better by far, but the people...well, they were about the same as those he'd left back on Omega. Greedy, credit-grabbing and absolutely ruthless.

He had come to this place hoping he could maybe find some peace and quiet - foolishness. Shif really needed to start thinking over his "grand" ideas, and whether he should really listen to himself. Perhaps he should have just taken that job back on Omega. At least then he'd have more credits then he'd know what to do with. Ah, but that was an opportunity he had chosen to miss.

Keeping to himself was something Shif was mildly successful at. As he had been mulling over his next move, he had begun talking to himself out of habit, causing some curious glances from passing Asari. He would have to remember that others did not find comfort in those that babbled to themselves. "Kee'lah..." he sighed under his breath, glancing around him as he began walking.

He had two choices at this point: try and find work on this just as terrible (although admitably) pretty planet, or back to the Omega he had become accustomed to. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard some worried cries, and briefly looked up. There was an injured Batarian and a young Asari, who seemed to be helping him. Or maybe she was mugging him, there was really no way to tell without getting involved. Yes, Shif knew that was not the kind of people he needed to get mixed up with...

But certainly just watching them couldn't hurt. He wouldn't say or do anything, just watch and see what they'd do. No harm done, and no reason to fret about drawing attention to himself. And he'd have a nice distraction. "Yes, yes. Good plan Shif." he thought to himself.

[eris]

Just a few more steps. The illuminated signs just ahead announced that the shuttle station was almost within reach. He just had to make it a few... more...

"Oh goddess, are you shot?"

Khaz winced -- though it was even more a reaction to the sudden cry of alarm than the pain of the asari bumping into him. Instinctively, he scanned the area, all four eyes searching for potential threats. It couldn't have been that loud, but still... The asari herself looked harmless, but Khaz had concluded that about a lot of things lately, and it hadn't gotten him very far; he wasn't about to overlook a potential enemy now... even if that "enemy" happened to be small and purple with a measly two useless-looking eyes. He was so focused on seeking out any more potentially murderous blue aliens, however, that in his paranoia he completely overlooked the salarian headed his way.

"No." Khaz hissed at the asari, eyes narrowed. "No. I... fell," he added lamely.

...Immediately, he wanted to kick himself. Brilliant, Khaz. Very convincing. If the blood hadn't aroused her suspicion, that certainly would. At this point, though, he couldn't bring himself to care. He'd had enough of the asari and their tricks. For all he knew, this one could be working with the others. They could read minds, after all -- Khaz was pretty sure he'd read that in a book somewhere back in batarian space.

Suddenly, the shuttle station seemed very far away. The pain, the blood loss, and the adrenaline were getting to him -- Khaz wasn't sure if he could make it all the way over there at this point. How was he even supposed to afford the fare, anyway? Those backstabbers had never actually paid him. And even if he could, and he managed to get out of here without being followed, would he be able to find medi-gel in time? Dammit, his expertise was tech, not medicine. And damn that asari for killing his momentum.

Well, if Illium was just another Omega after all, there was only one way to handle this.

Willing his hands not to shake, Khaz reached to try to grab the asari by the arm with one hand, intending to pull her closer before she could walk away. With the other, he carefully removed his pistol from its place at his side. It was madness, what he was about to try to do in broad daylight, but it was something he'd seen done -- on Omega, and at home -- a million times over. With the way their bodies were positioned right now, hopefully no one else would see.

Besides, all these ridiculous two-eyed aliens were half-blind anyway, right?

He could do this. Probably.

Slowly and deliberately, Khaz lowered the muzzle of the gun so that it was pointed squarely at the asari's torso. "But," he continued quietly. "Since you seem to want to help me out, let's work out a deal." Inwardly, Khaz prayed that he sounded intimidating. "Don't do anything to make this harder than it needs to be. All I need is the money to get off this rock." He forced himself to look the asari directly in the eyes.

"So, you hand over your credit chit... and I don't shoot you dead right here."

[Lilly]

"W-what? Oh my- Okay, hey hey, n-no need to do anything drastic here," Chorra said, trying to conceal her panic. This wasn't the first time she had been mugged, she lived in the Wards after all. But this was certainly the first time she had been mugged by a Batarian. A very intimidating Batarian at that.

"Look, um... I can't give you my credit chit," she said quickly, knowing full well that she probably should have just handed it over and walked away. But she couldn't give up that money, not if she was going to be any help to Arsalan (and wanted to eat for the next few months). "But okay, look, I happen to be heading offworld anyway, right now, so how about instead of shooting me, I just buy you your ticket and we pretend this never happened? Okay? A-and you can stop with the gun?" she added firmly, glancing down at the gun pressed against her abdomen. M-3 Heavy Predator Pistol, standard model, no visible modifications. They had kept it in the catalogue at work and she was familiar with the specs. It would definitely give her a nasty hole through her chest if he decided to pull the trigger.

"Please don't kill me, I... I really need to help my friend," she pleaded, fully aware of how pathetic she must look.

[carnivalcreep]

Dagon froze, watching the scene unfold in front of him as if it were a movie. Illium's crowds seemed to be simply passing by, unaware of what was playing out in front of them. Dagon himself would have normally missed it even. He just happened to look over at the right (or perhaps wrong) time.

He couldn't make out specifics. He hadn't heard what either had said; from his distance, their voices were more like muffled whispers. For all he knew, it was a mugging gone bad, a hostage situation, or something far worse.

If he really wanted to, he could back away right now and act like he never bore witness to what he'd seen. If this batarian was as dangerous as his species' reputation made them out to be, running would certainly be the smart decision.

However, Dagon still decided to run through a list of options in his head, just to be sure. "Could pull out weapon. Make him think twice, attempt to defuse situation. Might lead to a senseless shootout, can't risk that. Could call for help. Would draw attention to myself. Counterproductive given my own situation. Grab her and run? No, typical batarian much more athletic than typical salarian. Would be pointless."

Then, an idea hit. Why try to be a hero...when he could be a victim instead? Being around anyone armed would be beneficial to him if the mercs returned, and he'd rather take his chances with one batarian than four. All he'd have to do was convince the batarian to take him somehow.

Of course! The batarian's injuries! When he went to grab his asari and pull out his weapon, he removed his hand from his shoulder, revealing the bloody wound. Dagon quickly reached into his breast pocket, pulling out one of the only two containers of medi-gel he had on him.

He walked briskly towards the batarian and asari, stopping only a few meters away. "Ahem." he coughed, hoping to make himself known as he brandished the salve in his outstretched hand. Dagon put his focus on keeping a good poker face, praying to the goddess his gambit might work.

[neonreverberations]

Shif had been watching the scene unfold in front of him, all the while thinking of the many ways it could end. Some were more grim then others in his mind and he did hope that those did not come to fruition. He could tell the Asari was stressed, though seemingly stubborn from her refusal to give in to the Batarians' demands.

A risky move.

Playing with a gas grenade (used for quick get aways) in his hands, Shif anxiously watched as a Salarian waltzed up to the two. Perhaps he was trying to play hero. Perhaps he was suicidal.

Perhaps Shif should continue to watch the events unfold. Though the thought of standing by as someone was held at gun point was beginning to get to his conscience.

[eris]

"You do that."

Mugging people was surprisingly easy.

Granted, the asari hadn't actually given him the chit, but this was close enough, provided she kept her word. Khaz hoped that she would -- partly because having to keep his word by actually shooting a woman dead in the middle of a shopping plaza would doubtless only exacerbate his problems, and partly because he'd never shot anyone dead in the middle of anywhere before... and batarians weren't big on change. He started to lower the gun.

"Ahem."

Despite his condition, Khaz's first instict was to defend himself. He turned, ready to face this new enemy: a salarian, armed with... was that medi-gel? If this was a trap, Khaz didn't care. His shoulder was in agony, and medi-gel was exactly what he needed. Only after he had taken it and applied it to the wound did he question its source. "What do you want, salarian?"

The alien had seen what was going on and, rather than report it to the authorities, he'd actually helped Khaz. So it seemed, anyway. Doubtless there was a reason for that; the salarian obviously expected something in return. Fortunately, Khaz doubted he'd be sticking around long enough to give it to him. Not now that his bullet wound was under control and he finally had a ticket off this place. And, speaking of that ticket...

Khaz shot a look at the asari, urging her to get moving. He'd wasted enough time here already.

---

It wasn't easy to keep pace in the constant war between corporations while simultaneously maintaining the precious illusion of peace on Illium. Luckily, Alara Sallis, Head of Security, had always prided herself on the ability to multitask.

Already she'd had her people temporarily shut down the district's shuttle station, ensuring that, unless he was crazy enough to try his luck as a hijacker, the pesky batarian would be unable to leave to spread and spread secrets her company would rather keep private. "Maintenance issues" would be the reason given, should anyone ask. The commuters wouldn't be happy about this, but when asked for a favor from the company that built those shuttles in the first place, the station had no choice but to comply. Alara would do whatever it took to keep those gunship schematics -- or anyone with knowledge of them -- from leaving Illium unauthorized. Her livelihood -- and her reputation -- depended on it.

There were only a few more loose ends to take care of.

...And the first on her list was that quarian. The batarian had been harmless to begin with, now that he was trapped and wounded she could deal with him later; the quarian was an unknown. As quarians were vanishingly rare on Illium, in Alara's mind there was only one thing this one could be here for: the new ship's schematics. That was the sort of thing quarians lived for. No doubt about it, he had to be the batarian's contact. He was clearly aware of the batarian, but the way he was standing close yet off to the side like that, as though deliberately trying not to arouse suspicion... yes, these two were definitely in cahoots. Confident in her conclusion, she approached the quarian, signaling a few of her people to discreetly surround him. Hm... How to deal with him, though? Alara wasn't about to implicate herself by shooting first. Then she saw what he was holding.

She smirked. Convenient.

"Look out, that quarian has a grenade!!"

Alara's shout caused a panic.

People screamed. Civilians scattered, dropping everything to flee the apparent crazed quarian terrorist. Alara had found her justification. Her whole body flared blue with biotics as she advanced on the quarian. Maintaining an illusion of peace might be in Alara's job description... but the quarian had broken it first.

She'd have to thank him for that. Illusions had been getting dull anyway.

Alara would enjoy this.

[Lilly]

"This is ridiculous," Chorra squeaked at her bad luck. She should have never left the Citadel. A panicked man slammed into her in his rush for cover. A half second later she was pushed aside again, this time by an asari. It wasn't very long before she found herself getting swept away by the crowd, the distance between her and the batarian steadily growing.

Initially, that was a relief. Lost in the crowd, it wasn't very likely he could find her and she could make her way to the port without having to worry about a violent batarian tagging along. But.... Goddess damn her conscience. He was injured, and while she hadn't made a promise to help him per say, she didn't like to go back on her word. Years of customer service had probably made her a bit too accommodating than was practical, but what could you do?

Fighting her way back through the crowd, with more than a little help from her biotic shields to give her some room, she found the batarian. But she didn't intend to stick around long.

"Come on, you," she said, grabbing onto his uninjured arm and quickly dragging him back into the fray with her. The faster she got away from this crazy place, the better.

[neonreverberations]

Just as Shif was about to go and help the Asari with her Batarian problem, he heard someone shout above the crowd about some quarian.

"Look out that quarian has a grenade!"

And then sheer terror and panic among the crowd. Shif may not have been the most quick to catch things, but he could tell someone had spotted the grenade in his hand (even though it was harmless) and had freaked out. Sighing, he turned his gaze to where the voice had originated, and was staring at an Asari, who was more then ready with her biotics. Oh Keelah. Throwing his hands up, Shif waved them, trying to show his peaceful intentions. "It's a gas grenade! It's harmless! I'm not crazy I just wanted to help!"

This is what you get for thinking about helping others Shif you IDIOT!!! he scolded himself, hoping the Asari would listen to reason.

"If I wanted to blow this place up I would have already! I'm not here to cause trouble I just want to go back to Omega!" Oh Keelah he hoped she was going to let him go or at least kick him off Ilium. But she looked ready for a fight. And quite frankly biotics were a bitch to take down.

Well, if she was the stubborn and violence prone Asari she looked to be, Shif would be more then happy to try to protect himself. He was not going to just lay down and die. But he really hoped force wasn't necessary, as he put the grenade down and back away from it. "See! I don't want trouble!" He cried, his whole body was shaking. "I'm more then willing to comply!"

Looking out of the corner of his mask, Shif could see the Asari and Batarian beginning to work their way through the crowd. He should have run while he had the chance.