"Shepard I need you as soon as possible at the pilots seat."

Joker asked for Shepard over the intercom. His voice seemed uncertain. Shepard immediately got up from bed and got clothed.

"Is everything ok?" Liara murmured sleepily. She yawned and rubbed sleep from her eyes.

"Stay in bed, it's probably nothing." With a click Shepard fastened his belt. After checking that everything was presentable, then went to check on baby Shiala. After judging that everything was in order, Shepard went to the elevator to find out what Joker wanted.

"What's the matter?" Shepard put a hand on Joker's pilot seat and looked at the console. It displayed a lot of readouts and technical information that Shepard didn't care for.

Joker pushed aside the readouts and pulled up a new display of Omega. Its available docks were marked in red.

"So see all of those docks? We can't get into any of them."

"What do you mean?"

Joker sighed. He pointed to a series of docks close to Afterlife. "See all these docks? Well the remnants of Aria's security force have these docks. They claim they will exact revenge for Aria's death if you come near them." Then he pointed to the cargo bays and mines. "These two areas are held by your very own Crimson Shepards. But they've changed their name since you have ditched them to Phoenix. They got a foothold and have been fighting for omega ever since you left them. They are not an option either." Then Joker pointed to the final area: the civilian sectors. "The Talons are holding the civilian sectors. They are our best bet for a dock, but I can't access their channels of communications." Joker threw his hands up in the air. "So I can't find a place for you to get in."

Shepard crossed his arms and processed the information. "Are we able to get anywhere else?"

"I was worried we wouldn't be able to make the jump with our damaged wing. I don't want to run that risk again."

"Understood. So we have to get repaired here or we are done."

"Yup. That's about it."

Shepard sighed. He had nothing at the moment. "Run through all comm channels and try to get to the Talons. In the meantime I'll try to think of another way in."

"Got it." Joker swiped Omega away and pulled up comm channels.

Shepard turned to EDI in the copilot's seat. "EDI I need you to run some life scans on a specific part of Omega. And get Garrus up here." He gave coordinates to Aria's bunker. She had a hangar installed not too far away that they could use. Assuming that it wasn't overrun.Shepard tried to think of any other ways to enter. But his options were limited.

"Of course Shepard."

Garrus didn't know what to tell Shepard. "Sure I got around Omega but there weren't any secret tunnels or hangars that I had heard of." The way Shepard was talking it was as if he knew more. It was plausible that Aria had installed a tunnel network, she always was paranoid, but Garrus imagined that he would have at least run into it during his travels as Archangel.

"I am detecting a large presence at the coordinates you gave me Shepard." EDI advised him.
Shepard was disappointed. "Look for anywhere that is empty then."

"The only areas I find are empty have no access to a dock."

"Then keep searching EDI."

Garrus was confused. What is going on?

"Shepard, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find a way into Omega. We need to get the Normandy repaired and no one is letting us dock a shuttle or even getcloseto the station."

So Shepard needed a way to get in. Garrus entertained his own ideas in his head. How do you get into a heavily fortified location?You get someone inside to let you in. That's the way it worked when Garrus had his squad infiltrate and take out illegal warehouses. That's why he was so successful at what he did. There is always someone on the inside that will help.

"Do we have anyone on the inside?" Garrus asked.

"I worked with the Talons; they are a group in the civilian quarters of Omega." Shepard answered. "But we can't get in contact with them."

There had to be someone else. The Talons couldn't be the only friendlies on the station.

Joker perked up in his seat. "Shepard, listen to this."

Everyone gathered around Joker as he turned up the volume.

Zaeed's voice came up in the comms. "You can't just do that and run away you bastard, get back here!"

Zaeed.Maybe they did have someone on the inside. Garrus saw Shepard smile.

"Is there any way we can contact him?"

"I'll patch you through right now." Joker typed some commands into the console. Shepard activated his omnitool. Garrus watched the situation unfold.

"Zaeed? It's Shepard."

Joker hadn't turned off Zaeed's comm channel. Garrus was able to hear the whole conversation.

"What the? Now you've really done it. I'm hearing ghosts in my head."

Garrus smirked and Shepard laughed. "It's me Zaeed. I'm no ghost."

"Shepard? Is it really you?"

"Yes it is."

"Hold on one minute then." Several gunshots came from Zaeed's side. "Alright, what do you want Shepard?"

"I need a way into Omega."

"I don't know how I can help."

"Well I do."

Shepard knew Zaeed wouldn't like it.

"So you are telling me that I clear out a dock?" Zaeed laughed as if Shepard's idea was a joke. "That's impossible. You don't know what they have guarding those things right now."

"It's either that, or we drill a hole in the hull."

"You see, I like that idea."

"Why?"

"Cause it requires no effort from me." Zaeed laughed. "How about this: I'll help clear out a dock, but you have to help."

Shepard smiled. It was rare when Zaeed would compromise. Best take the offer while it was still hot."I'll settle for that then."

"Good. Just give me the coordinates of the dock you want and I'll get right to work."

Shepard looked to EDI. "Which dock is the least populated?"

"There is a dock owned by Aria's old forces very close to Afterlife. It is lightly fortified but the downside is that it is close to Afterlife. The advantage is that it is also close to the civilian quarters. We have actually docked at that location multiple times."

"Let's do it. Send Zaeed the coordinates."

Garrus was interested to see how Omega had changed since he had last been there. Shepard had spoken very little of his adventure taking the station back, and then Shepard had killed Aria and united the mercenary forces when he had gone renegade.In other words, no more queen of Omega.He was very interested to see what the power struggle was like now.

Shepard had chosen Javik and Garrus for this mission. Garrus didn't really understand why Javik had come. Lately Javik just sat in his room and meditated. He's lost his purpose now.

Javik was unusually quiet, choosing to look at the screens displaying the station than calling out inferiorities as he normally would. Garrus had heard that the station was originally Prothean. He wondered if Javik had ever been there in the past. I bet the Protheans kept the station from being a shithole.

"So Archangel, ready to go back?" Shepard gave him a friendly nudge.

Garrus looked to Shepard and smiled. "Am I ever. I want to see what's happened to the place. Let's just hope there are no gunships around this time."

"Yeah, cause then I'll have to pull your ass out of the fire. Again."

"If the same thing happens again, you can be sure I'll be getting twice as many ladies as before. They dig scars."

"Well zero times two is still zero, Garrus."

Garrus smirked. "And here you are calling your mother a zero! At least I know where you got the trait now."

Both stared at each other threateningly and then erupted into laughter.

Javik threw his hands up in the air. "I don't understand. Why do you speak these insults if you do not wish to fight?"

"It's called a joke Javik." Garrus smirked. "We don't really mean any of it." Well, maybe a little.

Shepard's omnitool lit up. Zaeed was on the other end. "Shepard, I've started my attack. When can I expect to get your backup?"

"We are almost there Zaeed, maybe about two more minutes."

Shepard stood up and took out his weapon and addressed his squadmates. "Alright get ready. The moment those doors open we need to rush out with guns blazing."

The doors opened and Shepard rushed out into the dock. It was a thin hallway with assorted boxes that could be used as cover. He dove behind some of that cover and peeked out.

Everything was still and quiet as if there was no battle. Shepard looked to Garrus and Javik. His confusion was echoed in their faces.

"Is this the wrong dock?" Shepard scratched his head.

A laugh that could only be Zaeed's came from somewhere else in the dock. "Oh no Shepard, you found the right dock." Zaeed walked into their sight. "You came a little late."

"We came right on time!"

"Well... I guess I could have saved some for you."

Shepard got out of cover and walked to Zaeed. Off to the left were several corpses thrown into a pile. Zaeed had been busy.

"So what's the battleplan Shepard?"

"We need to find the Talons and see if they could help fix the Normandy."

They walked down the long hallway that the dock connected to. Once they got to the end Zaeed stopped.

"You know this is the place where I first met you." He motioned to a corner at the opposite end of the dock. "I was never one to get nostalgic, but there it is. The beginning."

"I think he's getting nostalgic." Garrus smirked.

Shepard gave him a look to quiet down. Garrus shut himself up.

Shouting came from the Afterlife bar. Shepard checked the exit of the dock. It led right to the Afterlife bar. EDI was right; Shepard remembered using this dock extensively when he was fighting the collectors.

A large amount of soldiers were rushing out of the bar to the four.

"Let's move, NOW!"

Zaeed led the way, running past the soldiers and making a right out of the exit. Shepard followed suit, sprinting from cover. Shepard remembered this part. Once they had run down some stairs they made another right. This led them to an elevator to the civilian quarters. They hopped in and the elevator doors shut just in time for the enemy forces to fail.

The elevator started to move and everyone was able to rest for a moment.

Zaeed leaned back against the door and exhaled.

"So Zaeed, what are you doing on Omega?" Shepard crossed his arms and leaned back on the opposing wall.

"I took a break but you know I couldn't leave the fighting for long. I got work as a merc fighting for Brey's outfit."

"So Brey is in charge now…"

"Yeah, Aria had left him behind when she left for Earth."

"Interesting." It wasn't like Aria to leave command of Omega to someone else. But the last time he had seen her as a paragon there was a change in her. It made a little more sense than normal. "Those were your employers that were attacking us then."

"Well not my employers anymore. They wanted me to kill you if you got onto the station."

Shepard's eyebrows raised. "Oh?" Shepard was surprised that he wasn't dead yet. "So why haven't you attacked me yet?"

Zaeed laughed. "There is one loyalty that I hold over money Shepard. And it's partly because I want to be alive to use all my money that I have acquired."

Garrus laughed. "Do you ever use your money Zaeed? I have never seen you spend a single cent, yet you go after it like someone deprived."

"I need transportation, I need mods for Jessie, but I don't spend much." He smiled. "I'm saving it for the future."

Shepard wondered what Zaeed's future would be like. Once his imagination started exploring the possibilities however, Shepard stopped. Maybe he didn't want to know.

The elevator shook as it stopped at the civilian quarters. The doors opened and the crew stepped out to see guns aimed at them. Talon soldiers led them quietly out of the elevator.

"Who are you? What is your business here?" One particularly decorated soldier barked.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and I have come asking for help."

The soldiers looked at each other. Clearly they were impressed.

"Then what is hedoing with you?" The soldier motioned to Zaeed.

"He's with me."

The soldier gave Shepard a long hard look then turned away to address his superiors. It wasn't long before he cut communications and waved the soldiers away.

"Our commander wishes very much to see you."

The soldier led the four further into the civilian quarters to their leader. With Nyreen gone, Shepard wondered who had taken charge. He hoped it was someone that would readily help, as they had been getting some rather tough breaks lately.

The soldier led them into a heavily fortified structure which Shepard recognized as the air filtration station. Once inside, the soldier led them to the now command center for the Talon command. The soldier excused himself and Shepard approached the leader.

He was very surprised at who he saw.

Author's note: So finals were crazy but they are all over now. I post more chapters as i write them.