After successfully concluding our very profitable transaction with Aria, the men were eager for some R&R. Aria had also loaded us up with a bevy of new military-grade weapons and technology. Perhaps we were overconfident in our new found material wealth, or maybe just weary from the events on Asteroid 12, but we were blindsided by what happened next.

We had a few tons of Elcor milk in tow, so we traveled to Thessia where we knew it would fetch a nice price. A Volus named Chell had promised us 9,000 credits, but shortchanged us on arrival. He’d get his, though.

After the deal, we had some Alliance business to take care of. A simple data packet transmit. Fedoral made the drop, while I provided backup. With Jacyn glassing the area, we were confident of any outcome. We found the agent in one of the shopping districts near the port; an Asari, and she was pro. I had Fedoral check the packet. It was mostly code with bits of text. We barely had time to scan it, though.

Desmond was out for a fun day with his “kid” when they were attacked by Asari extremists. We all rushed to show up in time, but didn’t get there before Sara got shot. If not for Ledra’s timely intervention, Sara would have lost her leg, if not more. The rest of us showed up in time to assist in the evac back to the ship.

Once on board, Desmond quickly recounted their flight from the Asari. They were raving about the destruction of “Flaws.” Research by Ledra and Fedoral turned up obscure references to an ancient Asari cult. The Cheros were fanatical in their belief of quantum theory, broken time-lines and “flaws” in the system. Suddenly, the CIC alerted us to an inbound shuttle on collision course. Thanks to some fast thinking by my XO, the shuttle was shot down before it hit us. Good thing, since it carried a few tons of explosives. Later inspection of the charred craft revealed a lone Asari pilot and another surprise- a nasty biological agent designed to kill humans. The Cheros weren’t screwing around.

The Port Authority apologized for the holes in their security, and assured us a full aerial complement for the remainder of our port stay. Even with their “protection,” I was doubtful. The Cheros had brazenly and publicly attacked us twice in one day. We needed to find and eliminate the threat before they could cause us any more harm.

Using Desmond and Sara as bait, we headed back into the port. Amber was designed for protection detail, but she was too conspicuous. The Port Authority started questioning Desmond, and that was all the distraction the cultists needed.

Two rockets zoomed in from an unknown location. Jacyn was only able to shoot down one. Fedoral quickly tried to hack the rocket, but it was to no avail- these were dummy rockets, and it had locked onto our location. A gutsy maneuver by the shuttle craft tried to intercept the missile, but Desmond burned it out before that happened. It made a hell of a blast.

We scooped up the assault team swiftly. Jacyn about ripped off the shooter’s arm with his rifle, and I body slammed the painter who was locked on us from the alley. By the time we got back to ship, the PA were all over us again, and demanding answers.

They wanted access to our ship, and explanation for the two incidences of violence we were involved in. They also wanted an inquest into allegations of an illegal, unshackled AI in our possession. I hung up on them.