Lazarus Project: Mass Effect 2 (Shenko)

Chapter 88

Milky Way/Omega System/Sahrabarik/Omega

Earth year: 2186 CE --- February

Back in his cabin, Kaidan put off contacting Aria. He might be stuck on Omega for the unforeseeable future, but he needed to talk to Shepard despite what Liara had told him about the Normandy's comm system.

"Shepard,

I was relieved to hear you made it back okay through the Omega-4 relay. I wish I could've been there when you returned, but Anderson needed me.

I've been out of commission for the past few days and have just learned  about Bahak. I've heard the rumours and I wish we could talk, but I'm on special assignment and can't leave. Stay safe Shepard. Hope to see you soon.

Kaidan"

After hitting send and feeling relief when it didn't bounce back, he moved to his terminal to call Aria on vid-comm.

"Alenko." She purred. "Where have you been?"

"I haven't been feeling well Aria, but I'm better now."

"Really. What's wrong with you?"

"Migraine. A bad one."

"Right." She nodded as though she'd known him forever. "I forgot you were an L2."

"I..." Kaidan began, then changed his mind. Truth was he didn't know what had triggered the migraine.

"So why are you calling? I assume you've heard what's happened."

"I have, yes. My crew and I were just wondering what the mood is like here on Omega."

"You mean the batarians."

Kaidan nodded.

"Don't worry about it Alenko. Most of them don't care, especially since Aratoht was run by the Hegemony. For them, the less Hegemony batarians there are in the galaxy, the better. You and your crew are safe here, for the most part anyway."

"Alright. Thanks Aria, I appreciate your honesty."

"Just don't go spreading it around." She replied, cutting the connection.

After informing Tanner and Mason what Aria had said, they both visibly relaxed.

"Since we're going to be here a while longer, I think we need to start trying to blend in with the locals." Kaidan announced.

"What do you man sir?" Mason asked, puzzled.

"With everything that's happened and despite Aria's reassurance, we still look like Alliance. I want you both to go shopping and purchase outfits that fit the local style."

"You want us to wear those ugly miner outfits? On purpose?" Tanner wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Kaidan nodded.

"Fine." She said, heaving a sigh. "Then what? I don't think I can take being in that damned club much longer."

"I think it's safe to assume Grayson isn't going to show. If he does, I doubt it will be in Aria's club." He said, leaning his back into the wall.

"So what are we going to do then?"

"I think it's time we did some exploring. Check out the rest of the station. This area we're in now might be the most popular, but there are thousands living here. It's time to expand our knowledge of what's here."

Mason groaned. "Sir, this is the cleanest part of Omega. If we go exploring, it's going to get more dirty and more dangerous."

"I know." Kaidan smiled. "That's why you're buying new clothes.