Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

Six standard weeks ago, like so many young, naive quarians before him, Rem Shar Nar Teslia chose to visit Omega Station as his wandering destination. He has a lot of silly romantic imaginings about life in the world outside the Wandering Fleet.He was fascinated by the ideal romantic life of millions of people of all races and the cultures they brought together in a small space without laws or government.He wanted to find adventure and excitement around every corner, and the freedom to do whatever he wanted. It didn't take long for him to discover how brutal the reality was: the Omega station was a sinkhole of depravity and violence.In the shadowy back alleys lurks unreasonable, endless death.It was a safe haven for slave owners who had seen weeping men, women, and children being sold like cattle.In less than a week, he understood that the so-called freedom of the Omega space station was just the opposite of the word.There is no law or government here, the rule of violence is the order here, whoever is the most ruthless will prosper, and the weak will be thrown into hell.But no one can be a tough guy forever, and he knows that even those who are in the top right now will find themselves in the bottom one day.

He also discovers that the inhabitants of Omega Space Station are in perpetual fear, wrapping themselves in cloaks of anger and hatred to keep themselves from getting out of hand.Either because of selfishness or greed, their lives are brutal, short, and pathetic.He lamented his misfortune, thanked his ancestors for passing down a strong sense of belonging to the community, and his own people for supporting him today.He then left the Omega space station behind and continued his journey through the other six worlds in the Terminus star system. Rhyme now realizes that he has a new understanding of Qualian society, the bedrock principles of altruism, and sacrifice for a greater cause, which is at the heart of Journey to the Air.Many left the Wandering Fleet as children, young and reckless.After seeing how other societies survived, most of them came back mature: wiser and more committed to the ideals that quarian culture held dear.Of course, there will always be a few people who choose not to return, refuse to return to the collectivism in the small fleet, refuse to be lonely and hermit-like, and all kinds of hardships and tribulations.

Rhyme has no intention of being one of them, but he can't return to the fleet just yet, because although he's learned a lot, his cloud travels aren't over yet.If he wanted to go back, he would first find something valuable to the Quarian society, and then present it to the captain of the fleet as a gift.If his gift is accepted, he will drop the surname Nar Teslia and take the fleet name Vaz as his own. That's why despite his contempt for Omega, he must come back.That's why he's still wandering the streets looking for a quarian named Glo. The name Glo is notorious among the inhabitants of the Wandering Fleet.Unlike others who left the fleet voluntarily and who never returned from their wanderings, Glo was expelled by Fleet Command.He's branded a traitor to the people and thrown into a corner of the galaxy where people have little regard for the values ​​Quary stands for and believes in.He survived, though, and made some money in exile, but in Rhyme's mind, that only showed how rightly he had been exiled.Every large-caliber weapon that can be produced at the Amax Armory in Dirty Turians has been customized with automatic aiming and recoil reduction modules.

But the shotgun isn't the only weapon he has.Before leaving the fleet, all quarians undergo six months of rigorous training to prepare them for the coming weeks, months, and years that will conclude their rite of passage, and they may have to fight alone to survive. .These courses include weapons and combat training; basic first aid; history, biology, and culture lessons for all major known races; basic instructions for flying and navigating most common spaceships; and specialized techniques such as decryption, electronic communications, and computers invasion. Every quarian who leaves the safety of the fleet is prepared for every possible hazard they may encounter.Above all, they were taught that the best way to survive all kinds of troubles was to avoid danger early if possible.So when Rhyme heard gunfire a few blocks away, his first instinct was to draw the shotgun on his back and take cover.

He hid in a doorway, hoping it was an abandoned building.He remembered the last time he came to this space station.Wherever he went, no matter how many robberies, brawls, and murders, the streets of Omega Station were always bustling.But while two rival gangs are bloody fighting for territory here, the streets are empty.He could only see a few people rushing from house to house, hunched and low, hoping no one would notice. Their concerns are understandable.Rhyme himself had been shot twice by snipers hiding in the top floors of buildings down the street.If it weren't for the kinetic energy shield, the second bullet would be easy.Fortunately, Rhyme, like most quarians, has an excellent sense of direction.The chaotic and irregular trails built over the centuries in the city are very similar to the environment of his home.Most of the spaceships in the Wandering Fleet have evolved into complex labyrinths, and every available space is very precious and has been fully utilized.Temporary hoardings are often used there to turn halls or corridors into rooms, and everything is gathered together for rotating repairs or emergency supplies.

The firefight continued, but he was relieved to hear that the sound was less intense, and that the battle was gradually moving towards the streets and houses in the opposite direction from which he had come.He walked cautiously down the open street, shotgun still in hand.After a while, we finally arrived at our destination. The gate to the Lair of Fortune reveals that there have been several recent firefights here.The sign above the lintel was charred and stood at an odd angle, as though someone had hastily replaced it after it had been blown off or shot down.The doors of the casino are made of reinforced metal and are ajar.The door panel had been pitted and pockmarked by stray bullets; it was also crooked, probably from the same bomb that brought down the sign.

The result is that the door panel is stuck in half, unable to close or open, and unable to move freely. He took off his backpack and put it outside the entrance.Taking a deep breath, holding the shotgun tightly, he leaned aside and slipped into the half-collapsed porch. There were five Batarians inside—one behind the bar, the other four around a table playing poker.He noticed that each had a weapon in his hand, either at his waist or placed on the table within immediate reach.On the back wall hung the heads of a krogan and a waller, which looked as if they had been recently chopped off. Although no one reached for a gun, every batarian turned to look at him.Casually, shotgun in one hand, he crossed the hall to the front of the bar, trying to ignore the twenty eyes staring at him.

"I'm coming to your boss, Orsa." The person behind the bar smiled rudely and nodded in the direction of the hanging head, "Our boss here has changed." Another Batarian behind Rhyme laughed wildly. "I need to find a quarian named Glo," Rhyme said.He mustered up his courage, as if he were indifferent to the terrible joke.He held the shotgun up on the bar, one hand resting casually next to the grip, inches from the trigger. When he came to the Omega space station last time, he found that the calm and calm atmosphere and unshakable self-confidence would make the other party think twice before solving problems violently.Of course, that didn't always work, but that's why he brought the shotgun out.

"Glo never comes here again." "I'll give you two hundred credits if you tell me where to find him." He made an offer.The batarian's head was turned to the right—a sign of contempt in their race.His upper two eyes blinked slowly twice, while the lower two were still staring at the unexpected visitor. "You don't sound very old," the bartender said. "Do you want Glo to help you travel?" Rhyme did not answer the question.Though trained and prepared, the wandering quarians may appear inexperienced or vulnerable to other races.He cannot show any weakness.

"Do you want credit or not?" "We don't tell you where Glo is, we just take your credits and this beautiful gun and hang your head with Orsa and his men, what do you think? Sample?" Rhyme heard louder laughter behind him, and the sound of the Batarian dragging a chair to his feet.Rhyme didn't even move; if there was a fight in the bar, he wouldn't stand a chance. None of these Batarians wore shields, but they were five-to-one anyway.His kinetic shield lasts him for a few seconds, but he'll run out of energy before he can reach the door under crossfire.If he wanted to get out of here alive, he'd better be smart.

Fortunately, the Batarians can still be reasonable.Essentially, they are merchants rather than fighters.If it's a room full of krogans, Rhyme will be in poutine when he walks in. "You guys can kill me," he admitted, looking straight down the bartender's eyes as he tapped the shotgun on the bar. "But I'll kill at least one of you when I die." "You pick yourselves. Tell me where Glo is and I'll walk away quietly. Or each of you shoot me and see if you can survive getting a shot in the face at that close range. Whatever In which case, what you get is nothing more than two hundred credit points." The batarian's eyes glanced slowly down the shotgun, then back to Rhyme's face. "You go to the market in Calder District to look for it," he said. Rhyme reached into the coat pocket of the environmental suit slowly, moving very slowly so as not to provoke them, thinking he was about to draw the pistol hidden inside.Rhyme pulled out two hundred-credit coins. He put the two hundred-credit points on the bar, picked up the shotgun, and slowly retreated to the door leading to the street, keeping his eyes on the batarians. people. Then he picked up his backpack and ran the way he had come, where there was the monorail.If the train is still running, it can take him where he needs to go. Not surprisingly, Glo found the Calder Quarter market a bit busier than usual.The Waller and the Batarian fought in the adjacent neighborhoods, and merchants and consumers alike moved their business to nearby Elko-controlled areas. There were more people than usual and it was more inconvenient.But he has nowhere else to go.Quali food is not easy to find on the Omega space station.While he can safely digest some turian food—quarians and turians share a common D-amino acid—he still needs to worry about possible contamination.There are germs and germs that may be completely harmless to a turian, but can be fatal to his own immune system that does not even exist. Quarians leaving the fleet carry packed travel-sized food containers filled with a highly concentrated nutrient paste that they absorb through a small, sealed gastroesophageal tube under their helmets.The balm was dry and tasteless, but a pack was enough to store a month's worth of supplies, and was available in marketplaces all over Terminus and Council worlds. Glo, however, doesn't have any hope of returning to the fleet that exiled him, and doesn't like to spend the rest of his life eating watered-down balms in tubes.Fortunately, he had struck a long-term deal with an aikor shopkeeper who was willing to cook food for the purified turians he shipped in. It took him a lot of effort to get through the crowd and come to the small shop.When he walked in, he was a little surprised to see a quarian inside.The quarian wears an armored body suit in addition to his environmental isolation suit—a surefire way, in Glo's opinion, if you want to attract unwanted attention.Also, he had a very expensive-looking shotgun hanging from his back.There was no way of knowing his age because of the mask and heavy clothing, but Glo guessed he was not.This is not the first time he has met people of the same race who came to Omega Space Station to roam. He nodded his head in greeting.The man did not speak, but nodded in return.Glo made his way to the counter to pick up his order.When he turned around, he was surprised to find that the quarian was gone. Gro's survival instincts had been honed a thousand times, and this time the alarm sounded for him.His race is a highly social race.When they see the same kind on a foreign planet, their first reaction should be to have a chat, not to disappear without saying a word. "I'll be back later." He said to the Echo shopkeeper, handing him all the groceries in his hand. "Really concerned: Is something wrong?" the Eko shopkeeper asked in the low, toneless voice characteristic of his race. "You don't mind if I go through the back door?" "Offering in good faith: if you want, of course you can." Glo ran to the back of the store and slipped out the emergency exit in the back alley.He hadn't taken a few steps when he heard quarians behind him. "Stand still or I'll blow your head off." Knowing that the shotgun he'd seen earlier would undoubtedly blow his head off at that distance, Glo paused. "Turn around and move slowly." Glo complied.As he'd guessed, the young quarian he'd seen in the store was standing in the middle of the alley, the shotgun pointed at his chest. "Are you Glo?" "If I were someone else, you wouldn't be pointing a gun at me." He knew he couldn't lie to him, so he replied truthfully. "Do you know why I'm here?" "I don't know," Glo replied honestly.In the past ten years, he had done a lot of good things to get the quarians to come and kill him, and it was pointless to ask which incident specifically made this young man come to take revenge. "Last week, a frigate from the Aidena fleet came to Omega Space Station to make a deal. It was the Sinaiad. They disappeared. I think you know what the hell is going on with them." "Who are you? Are you from Aidena's crew?" Glo asked.He stood motionless, but his mind was thinking of something. "My name is Rem Shal Nar Teslia," replied the man. Glo wasn't surprised to hear the answer to his own question.Even in their own fleets, quarians generally wear their own hazmat suits at all times, as an extra layer of protection against hull leaks and other disasters that can happen to fragile ships.As a result, it has become an ingrained habit to exchange names every time we meet.He had expected this situation a long time ago, and knowing his opponent's name would make him know something more. He didn't know the name of the Shar tribe, but Rhyme's surname, Gnar, meant he was technically a child, which meant he was here to roam.And he belonged to the Teslia fleet, not the Aidena fleet, that is to say, he didn't know those crew members.He must have heard some relayed news from elsewhere, possibly from other quarians he met on his travels. A possible scenario quickly formed in Glo's mind. Someone had mentioned to him the disappearance of the Sinaiad before.Now Rhyme believed that if he could find the missing frigate and crew—or at least find out what happened to them—then he could pass the information on to Aidena's captain.In return, he can be accepted as a crew member of the Aidena, and then the wandering can be completed. "How do you think I know the Sinaiad?" he asked, hoping to blind the lad and tell him to go back. "The Wandering Fleet does not make deals with the Omega Space Station." Rem replied, not putting down the shotgun in his hand. "Somebody must have made a deal with the Sinaiad before they got here. Only the other quarians know how to get them here. And you're the most notorious quarians on this station." Glo frowned under the mask, the kid was acting on a hunch.Only when he is very lucky can he guess correctly.Glo immediately denied any involvement.Then he thought he had discovered an easy way to get it done. "I guess maybe my reputation is too high," he admitted. "I did contact the Sinai Ard. But I was just a middleman, and the real boss behind the transaction was a human being." "A human?" "He told me his name was Pell." He shrugged nonchalantly. "He'll give me money as long as I'm in touch with the Sinai Ard. And I like the money. I don't know anything more than that, really." "Aren't you worried about them setting up these crew members? Lead them into the trap." "The fleet abandoned me, why should I care what happened to them? And I get paid." A lie woven of the most disgusting facts is the best lie.But honestly attributing it to his own insensitivity and greed makes his denial of his involvement all the more credible. "You make me sick," Rhyme said.If he wasn't wearing a mask, he would have spit all over Glo's face. "I should have killed you right here." "I don't know what happened to the crew of the Sinaiard either," Glo replied quickly, so that Rhyme wouldn't gather his anger and pull the trigger. "But I know how you can find them." He hesitated, then added, "Give me five hundred credits and I'll tell you." Rhyme raised the muzzle of his gun, took a step forward, and slammed it into Glo's visor. "Tell me without money, how about it?" "Pell rented a warehouse on the site of the Claw Gang." Glo said reluctantly.Rhyme took a half step back, putting down the shotgun. "Take me there. Right now." "Don't be stupid," Glo interrupted.Now that the gun is no longer pointed at his head, he is much more courageous. "What if he had someone on sentry? What if they spotted two quarians down the street walking toward their hiding place?" "If you're serious about doing this, you've got to be smart," he said, slipping into the tone of a sly businessman again. "I can tell you where the warehouse is. It's not difficult. You need to sneak over there to see the situation and figure out what to do before you go in. You need a plan, and I can help you." "I don't think you care much about what will happen to the wandering fleet. Why are you willing to help all of a sudden?" Rhyme asked suspiciously. "I can pretend it's guilt for inadvertently leading the Sinai Ard into a trap," Glo explained, citing the fact that the other half is weaving, "but if you ask me to be honest, I think it's about keeping you from Best way to point a shotgun at me." Rhyme seems happy with this answer. "Okay, let me try your way." "Let's stay out of this street," suggested Glo. "Go somewhere that's empty. Like my apartment." "You lead the way," Rhyme replied, finally lowering the shotgun to the clip on his back. He kept sniggering under the mask as he led the young man out of the alley. Pell and his gang will tear you apart, boy.In particular, I'll give them advance warning of your coming.