As Alex sits in his seat near the cockpit, a bit away from Joker and Kaidan, he can’t help but be amazed by what he sees on the monitors. No longer pretending to work, despite not having a clue what he is doing in the cockpit in the first place, he inspects the planet through multiple onboard cameras.

So this is Lowell City… and Mars. Interesting.

Everything beyond the city is barren—just flat Martian terrain dotted with the occasional rock. A dead desert stretching out endlessly, with absolutely nothing of interest.

Then there's the city itself. A massive, flat urban sprawl with a few towering structures rising above it like scattered needles.

“Is this really Lowell City? It looks like a mix between a damn industrial colony, a warehouse, and a spaceport. And those huge buildings—probably owned by rich people or corporations,” Alex guesses, quite interested in this city.

Kaidan replies, “It was created by the rich elites, who thought of it as the final frontier, but the discovery of Prothean tech changed everything. Humanity shifted its attention to the colony, and so did the elite.... Lowell City’s in a weird spot. It's mostly controlled by corporations now, but some wealthy folks are still buying up property like crazy. I’ve heard life here is rough for workers. I honestly don’t get how this place still has such a huge population with barely profitable mining companies providing most of the jobs.”

“Whatever, who cares? Look at that damn primitive spaceport! It looks like it’s from another century, and it’s smack in the middle of the city. I can’t get a proper angle at all. Who designed this crap?! If it’s like that, I can’t swoop in in style,” Joker complains from the pilot’s chair.

“Stop complaining, Joker,” a voice echoes from behind.

Alex turns around to see Shepard.

“Focus on landing carefully. We don’t have time to fool around. The meeting’s tomorrow, and we only have today—and a few hours tomorrow—to gather at least some intel,” she continues.

“Yes, Commander,” Joker says, suddenly much more professional, visibly embarrassed.

“Commander, one question. This time it’s serious. Though I’d still appreciate a few credits too,” Alex says, looking at her.

“What is it?” she asks, arms crossed.

Alex’s tone shifts into a serious one. “How far are we allowed to go? I figure we don’t have time for the law if we run into roadblocks. That would take months to resolve, so we’d have to resort to force, but this isn’t a shady nightclub run by criminals—we’re in a human colony. I don’t want to cause trouble.”

“Go wild. I want results—whatever the cost. Do what you must. This is about the fate of humanity, about the survival of our colonies. Nothing is off the table,” she says, a slightly crazed glint in her eye.

“Understood,” Alex replies calmly.

She is scary….

At least I’m technically covered now… It’s best if I break off from the others instantly. No way I can let anyone know I’m trying to sell active [Geth Part]’s to corporations. I contacted a few companies ahead of this trip—three showed interest. I’ll try to make the sales today, before they realize I’m dealing with all of them.

Alex quickly suits up, donning his [Colossus Armor S] and strapping on his [Executioner’s Blade R2].

Everyone else—even Wrex and Garrus—is dressed casually, without their usual gear. They all turn to stare at him.

“Alex, did you even listen during the meeting a few days ago? What the hell are you trying to pull?” Ashley asks, clearly annoyed.

“I won’t show up like this tomorrow, but for today, I’ve been told we need results. So I’m prepared to get those results,” Alex answers calmly.

“He’s not wrong. Do your thing, Kerber. Just don’t openly kill anyone, try to avoid cameras at all costs!” Shepard adds, casually, leaving the rest of the crew looking stunned.

“Openly?! Killing? I thought we were just gathering information and getting a feel for the atmosphere. Why would we need violence for that?” Liara asks, clearly confused.

“We humans have a special interrogation technique. I ask a question—if I don’t get a satisfying answer, I cut off one extremity. After four wrong answers, the interrogation ends. Permanently,” Alex says with a smirk.

“I like where you’re going with this. I’ve underestimated you, human,” Wrex says with a wide grin.

“I don’t get this. It seems vile, unlawful, and completely unhinged to me!” Liara protests.

Tali sighs. “He’s joking.”

“I… I see… I have much to learn,” Liara replies, looking a little embarrassed.

“Is he?” Garrus mutters, eyeing Alex suspiciously.

“Of course,” Alex replies with a smile.

As the Normandy docks and the crew disembarks, they’re greeted by a small group of Alliance personnel.

A bald man in his forties steps forward.

“Welcome to Mars, Commander Shepard. It’s an honor to welcome the first human Spectre. I’m Commander Livas, and my job is to make your stay as easy and productive as possible. I’ve received orders from Captain Anderson directly. I’ll support you however I can. Shuttles for your transport and accommodations near the ExoGeni HQ are already prepared. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

Alex then notices a system notification, informing him about a non-voluntary side quest.

[Side Quest Accepted

Mission: Discover information about ExoGeni, specifically it’s operation on Feros. The player’s own knowledge can’t be used.

Reward: ???

Time Limit: 13 Hours

Failure: ???]

“I’ll see you around,” Alex says, raising a hand and casually walking over to one of the Alliance soldiers, climbing into a shuttle.

“Welcome. Where to? You’re Lieutenant Kerber, right? I’ve heard of your sword—it’s really something,” the driver says, eyeing him with curiosity.

“Heh, yes indeed. Let me think…” Alex replies.

My first meeting is with Ariake Technologies. They’re mostly known for omni-tools, but they’ve branched into armor and weapon production, too. They’d definitely be interested in a [Geth Part]. The other two companies were only mildly curious—I didn’t get a good feeling from them. Hopefully, this first meeting will be fruitful. I can’t fail!

“Drive me to Ariake Technologies!” Alex says with a slightly nervous smile.

The small shuttle lifts off, following its preset route before setting down a short distance from the destination. From his seat, Alex can already see the entrance to a towering structure that stretches into the artificial skyline.

Impressive. Either the ceiling is made of some kind of transparent material, or they’re projecting a simulated sky. I suppose this is what I should expect from a high-tier corporation.

“Wait here. I should be back soon… though, to be honest, I have another meeting in two hours, so don’t leave the car for too long, please,” Alex explains.

“Understood, Lieutenant. I’ll remain on standby,” the driver replies.

Alex enters the corporate tower with a curious face.

The moment he steps through the lobby, all eyes fix on him. Wearing full [Colossus Armor S], with the colossal [Executioner’s Blade R2] on his back, he looks like something torn from another world—definitely not the usual type to walk through corporate glass doors.

Two men in sharp, tailored suits intercept him immediately, both look reluctant, clearly frightened by Alex’s appearance, but doing their best to act professionally.

“Welcome… Mr. Kerber. We’ll escort you to your meeting immediately,” one of them says.

Alex is led into a sleek boardroom where several executives sit in silence. The atmosphere is cool and calculated. A single chair sits waiting for him at the end. He removes his sword and sets it down with deliberate weight on the pristine table, then takes his seat.

“Mr. Kerber, welcome,” says the man seated across from him, clearly the lead negotiator. “I, Kenji Nakamura, as one of the board members of Ariake Technologies, would like to welcome you. We were pleased to arrange this spontaneous meeting for you. When we heard of your unique discovery, we were intrigued. However, the data you provided in advance was rather limited. While a portion of the part is indeed still active, there is unfortunately very little of immediate utility to be gained from it.”

Alex studies the man’s features. Japanese, as are several others in the room. It matches the company’s branding and product naming.

“…No problem. But I’m mildly irritated. If you weren’t interested, a simple ‘no thank you’ would’ve sufficed. Why waste my time?” Alex says, keeping his voice low, trying his best to stay calm.

“There’s no reason to end this prematurely, Mr. Kerber,” the man replies calmly. “There is potential here. The way the Geth move—the structure of their armor—these are valuable research angles. However, we’re also aware that you’ve contacted our competitors. And you’ve probably shared your discovery with your Quarian crewmember, haven’t you? It's reasonable to assume others aboard your vessel may now have access to this information as well.”

“Not yet. But yes, I’ve contacted other corporations, just to be sure I have options. I won’t be deceived or low-balled by anyone,” Alex states.

Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have shown it to Tali, well, I can just maintain the lie for now.

“Our proposal is this: a 0.003% royalty on any future product that incorporates technology derived from your sample. If you supply all remaining parts and grant exclusive access, we’ll raise that to 0.004%, and add 0.0005% per extra part,” the director says smoothly.

0.003%... if they sell hundreds of thousands of units, that’s not bad. But still… It’s worthless to me!

“That’s actually a decent long-term offer,” Alex admits. “But what I need is cold, hard cash… or more accurately, Credits. I have no use for long-term investments. Just pay me a few million credits upfront, and you can keep the rights.”

“Your part is not as unique as you might think, Mr. Kerber. Geth have been appearing everywhere lately. We will acquire more samples in time. Yours may be the first, but it is far from irreplaceable.”

“Exactly. So if you're smart, you’ll pay now and gain a head start over the others. Secure exclusive tech before your corporate rivals catch up. You avoid any long-term commitments, and I walk away satisfied. That’s the best deal you're going to get today,” Alex counters, trying his best to sound reasonable.

“Let’s not pretend we don’t have budgets. What you’re asking is excessive, especially for something that will lead to questionable results,” the man responds.

Alex suppresses his annoyance and continues arguing, “Come on now. I’m not asking for your CEO’s salary. Just a reasonable offer, up front. Pay a bit more, and I'll cancel my other meetings. You’ll get full exclusivity, with no future obligations. I can hand over the parts right now!” 

What’s going on here? Why are they dragging this out? I’m offering a straightforward deal—a few million is nothing for a corporation like that. Even a hundred million should be acceptable… is the system interfering?! Maybe it’s because it’s just a green-quality item.

The man across from him finally smiles. “Fifty thousand credits per part. Payable today. In exchange, you agree to cease all dealings with other corporations. What do you say, do we have a deal?”

“Is this a joke? Fifty thousand credits? I wipe my ass with fifty thousand credits,” Alex snaps back, visibly offended, this time unable to keep his polite tone.

“It represents approximately one year’s salary for someone in your position, does it not? I don’t believe you’re wealthy, Mr. Kerber. Apologies if that offends you,” the man says, entirely unbothered.

Fuck...

Alex stands. “You just made a very expensive mistake. I’ll be handing this tech to your competitors—even if I have to sell it for a fraction of the price. I refuse to be insulted.”

He turns toward the door.

“Wait! Let’s not be hasty. Seventy-five thousand per part,” the man says, his tone getting slightly louder.

“Goodbye,” Alex says, grinning as he walks away.

“One hundred thousand!”

...You know what? That’s enough. This is a green trash item. A hundred thousand credits is more than fair. That’ll buy me several high-grade weapons—and maybe enough to cover Menchi’s research too. No need to push my luck.

Alex turns back around, reaches into his armor, and retrieves all four of his [Geth Part]’s.

“You caught me. I’ve got four in total. So—400,000 credits. I’ll accept if you throw in one of your omni-tools. Call it a test unit or whatever. Write it off as a sample provided to the Alliance.”

“Get the contract ready. We have a deal, Mr. Kerber. A pleasure doing business with you,” Kenji responds.

Alex scans the contract briefly—just enough to confirm the essentials—then signs with a signature with such messy handwriting that it’s illegible.

Moments later, a younger employee rushes in, presenting a boxed omni-tool and a credit transfer confirmation.

You received 400,000 Credits

You received Logic Arrest Tool

Nice!