Private Down on the Corner

[Aiden Rennek]

​

Why here, of all places?

Aiden dug his hands into his pockets and looked down the street as he walked. Everything about this place was shady. From the main street, littered with trash, drug addicts and dangerous people, down to the darker alleyways where unspeakable things happened. Yet, here he was, looking to find his way to a cantina where he'd be meeting with an old friend from basic training. He hadn't seen the man in years, and almost began to regret agreeing to this. Alliance soldiers weren't always appreciated in these parts of town, and he couldn't help but feel as if he'd get jumped.

Without any weapons on his person, there would be little he could do to fight them off.

Eventually, Aiden spotted the bright neon-signs of the cantina he was looking for, located just on the other side of a junction. He let out a soft sigh of relief, tugged his leather jacket up a little further, and started walking towards it.

Eyes always open for trouble.

Lily Rhodes ​

 

[Lily Rhodes]

WHAM!

Lily felt her feet leave the ground as the boot connected with her chest, throwing her out into the street, she hit the ground hard, winded and gasping for breath. "Ow." she groaned, slowly climbing to her feet. She should never have taken this job, who wanted to go poking in the heads of criminals anyway? But, the money was good, and money meant fuel and supplies and it only had to be for a couple of weeks. Her boss had made it clear, help me weed out those that are skimming from the top or making underhand deals.

"I warned you, you little chit," Garrus snarled as he stomped towards her, human he might have been but he was built like a tank, and he towered over Lily. "I told you to stay out of my head."

Of course, that meant snitching on people twice her size and of course it meant the bosses own son.

"Its my fething job to-"

CRACK

His back hand connected with her cheek, teeth cutting into the soft flesh of her mouth she tasted blood as she hit the ground again.

I'm going to kill you.

Lily didn't need to hear the thought in his head to know that was true as the boot came flying towards her face.

Aiden Rennek

 

[Aiden Rennek]

​

WHAM!

Aiden's green eyes abruptly turned to the source of the commotion. He spotted a young woman being thrown onto the street, but what surprised him more, was the man who stepped out after her. Without any context, Aiden just saw a brute of a man attacking someone far smaller than him, and it made his blood boil. Even worse, nobody was doing a damn thing. People on the street were looking, or even recording the fight.

Those inside buildings either didn't seem to care, or watched with similar curiosity.

A backhand sent the young woman back to the ground with blood dripping from her lips, and Aiden had seen enough. He moved quickly, pushed himself through bystanders, and right as the man raised his foot to kick against her head, Aiden tackled him with his entire weight. The sudden impact made for a rather nasty landing, but he wasn't given much time curse at the pain. A right hook sent shattered teeth across the pavement, and a second knocked his brain around enough to nearly knock him out.

"You fucking coward," Aiden hissed, as he sat atop the man and coiled his hand into his shirt. The man spat his blood at the Marine, and Aiden just clenched his jaw. There was so much he could say or do, but rather than make even more of a scene, he slammed his fast into the side of the man's head and knocked him out cold.

"Pathetic little shit..." he grumbled to himself, slowly stood up and turned around to look at Lily, "You okay?"

Lily Rhodes ​

 

[Lily Rhodes]

When the boot didn't connect, but instead disappeared sideways out of her vision, Lily was completely baffled. She sat up, mouth hanging open n a mix of awe and horror. Its didn't take much for him to knock Garrus out cold, his punches were clean and fast. She was still sat on the floor staring up at him in shock when he asked her if she was okay.

A blink, and reality snapped back to Lily. Spitting blood from her mouth she scrambled to her feet. "I'm good, thanks, but uh..." she glanced around at the people that were recording. "We should go, and quickly." She grabbed his jacket sleeved and tugged, indicating for him to follow her. she had no idea where they were going to go. Her ship was grounded and Cleo knew where it was so that would be the first place he would go.

Away, was about as good as she could get. "That was amazing, by the way." she flash him a grin as she tugged her hood up. "Stupid, but amazing. I've never seen Garrus go down that fast. But, he's Cleo Gray's son, and Cleo runs about 80% of this chithole and is probably one of the most violent men I've met."

Aiden Rennek

 

[Aiden Rennek]

​

Aiden had expected her to need some help, but she was up on her feet surprisingly fast. It concerned him because adrenaline often kept people going despite greater injuries. A slap like that, or any hit to the head for that matter, could have caused a concussion or even internal bleeding if she was really unlucky. He also wasn't sure if she had taken any hits before being sent flying into the street.

Something to remember for later — right now, she urged them to get away.

"Wait-" he tried, but it was already too late. She grabbed his sleeve and started dragging him along. Away from the people watching or recording them. He understood why, but she seemed very eager to leave the scene, rather than wait for authorities or, well, anybody to show up.

"Stupid? He was going to kick your-" he stopped again and finally understood why it was stupid, when she told him who that man was. The son of a very dangerous person, and he had just beaten the chit out of him.

Oops.

"Alright, I get it now," Aiden said after a deep sigh. "Where are we going?"

 

[Lily Rhodes]

Lily was absolutely running on adrenaline, the pain a quiet though thrumming in the back of her mind and she was definitely ignoring the pain in her chest every time she breathed. Problems for later, they needed somewhere to lay low.

"Uhhh, I have no idea. Well, actually I have a few, but I'm working through them and eliminating the bad idea's which is hard because I'm pretty sure I've got a concussion." she turned hand on his arm to steady her as she walked backwards a few paces, scanning to see if they were being tailed "But moving is good, moving makes it harder so, we keep moving until I figure that out." she turned the right way again, talking quickly, not agitated, more like there were several different trains of through running through her mind.

And there were but not just her own, her mind expanded skimming the thoughts of everyone around them tugging them in a different direction as soon as someone remotely thought they looked familiar. "Okay." she said after a few moments of silence, tucking them down a side street towards a questionable food vendor. "There's a group, that provide shelter for people who've pissed Cleo off, temporarily. They like to give people a fighting chance, they won't protect us if he figures out we're there but we can at least lie low and figure out a plan they've got safe houses all over the place."

The vendor wasn't much to look at, a small ramen shack run by a besalisk who was missing one arm at the elbow. He grinned as he saw her. "Lily! Your usual? Oh-" his smile dropped as she drew into the light. "What happened to you?" His eye flicked to the man who'd save her. "Who's he?" He leaned forward checking both ways on the sidestreet. "I told you you shouldn't have taken that damn job." he hissed at her.

"Yeah, yeah I know. I'm stupid, naïve and should have listened to your infinite wisdom. Wisdom doesn't put credits in my pocket and fuel on my ship so I can get off this damn rock."

"How bad is it?"

"Bad, Garrus tried to kill me, this guy saved me. We need sanctuary."

"Garrus dead?" Lily shook her head. "Alright then." He beckoned them round the side of his cart, bending down to heave open a heavy metal panel from the floor concealing what looked like nothing more than an entrance to the sewers. Lily planted a kiss on his cheek before lowering herself inside. At the bottom of the ladder was large bunker, big enough to house at least eight people comfortably.

Aiden Rennek