Archangel's Omega Squad
From FABT
- "Not too different from how you formed your squad to fight Saren, actually. You prove that you get things done, and people join up. Mercs who wanted to atone, security consultants tired of playing by the rules. I gave them hope...and now they're dead. Shows what I know."
- — Garrus Vakarian explaining his squad to Commander Shepard a few days after the Kima Siege.
Archangel's Omega Squad, also known simply as Archangel's Squad, the Punishers, the Omega Squad and Archangel's Shadows, was a multi-species improvized team of former mercenaries, security consultants, law enforcement agents and military personnel formed by Garrus Vakarian (known publicly by his alias "Archangel") to fight in his war against the criminal gangs, drug cartels and PMCs of Omega. Following the breakup of the Normandy Squad after the sudden death of Commander Shepard and the destruction of the SSV Normandy in mid 2183 CE, Garrus Vakarian was considering rejoining Citadel Security when he came across a turian being attacked by Blood Pack mercenaries chasing him up for money. Realizing he could make a much larger difference on Omega than he ever could on the Citadel with C-Sec, Garrus convinced Sidonis to come with him back to the station, and in the process of doing so, formed the Omega Squad to wage war on the gangs, PMCs and syndicates that ruled the station by fear, and as the squad grew, so did its notoriety, hitting shipments, disrupting business, assassinating important criminal kingpins, and overall being a nuisance for Omega's criminal underworld. Shortly after his war started, Garrus earned the name "Archangel" which was given to him by a woman whose life he had saved from Grim Skulls who were trying to use her as a hostage to escape from Garrus. Archangel's Omega Squad would ultimately comprise thirteen members, all of them wanting payback against the gangs in one way or another, either as mercenaries wishing atonement, security consultants tired of restrictions and military personnel looking for a cause to fight for. Archangel cause rallied all of them under his banner, and they quickly accepted his leadership, with Archangel expertly leading them in a vigorous campaign of hit-and-run and deception, either through intense firefights, luring the gangs into an ambush, or striking at their business, crippling them economically. One criminal after another, Archangel's team was bringing down Omega's crime rate, and by 2184 CE, Archangel was known across the station and even in the galaxy beyond, his name striking mixtures of fear and anger in those who were victims of his squad's actions.
For two years, Archangel's squad was virtually unstoppable. Operating from a secret headquarters in the long abandoned Suri-Kara Hotel in the Kima District, the squad was able to use numerous abandoned passageways to leave discreetly, and their secrecy allowed them to strike anywhere at any time, leaving their enemies unable to counter them or pin them down. Archangel ran a tight ship, and his squad were hardened killers and soldiers, totally loyal and dedicated to taking out every criminal who got in their way, and their brotherhood was such that Archangel was confident his men would never betray him, although this would prove to be the team's downfall. After two years of operating, Archangel's Omega Squad had made a severe dent in Omega's criminal underworld, and this ultimately resulted in a criminal alliance between the Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack to finally rid themselves of Archangel's team. Managing to capture Sidonis, the team's second-in-command, the Blue Suns tortured Sidonis until he gave up the location of their secret base, finally coercing him into luring Archangel away from the hideout with bait in exchange for booking him passage off the station and letting him live. Sidonis set up the bait, telling Garrus that he had intel on a Blood Pack meeting in the Kenzo District, and while Garrus was chasing the lead, the Kima Alliance attacked the Suri-Kara Hotel, killing almost everybody inside and only leaving a few alive long enough for Archangel to say goodbye to them, hoping to break his spirit. When Archangel returned, the last of his men expired, and Archangel's squad was no more. The Kima Alliance would spend the next week and a half laying siege to the hotel, with Archangel putting up a valiant struggle as he tapped into his squad's secret ammo reserves and held off wave after wave of the criminal alliance's troops, eventually forcing them to change tactics and use freelancers to bolster their manpower. By the end of the siege, Archangel would be spirited away by the Normandy Squad, albeit mortally wounded and believed to be killed in the siege, leaving the leaders of the alliance dead and their forces decimated, securing a pyrrhic victory for the criminal alliance.
Archangel would ultimately track down Sidonis and attempt to avenge his squad, but upon seeing the man's guilt decided he wasn't worth it and let him live: in the end, Sidonis would redeem himself by reenlisting in the army and building his own squad to fight in the Reaper War, helping protect and look out for the refugees on the Citadel and even helping liberate it from Cerberus forces during the Citadel Siege, re-sparking the spirit of his former team and making up for his betrayal every way he could, something he remained dedicated to right up until his death in the Fall of the Citadel months later. While the efforts of Archangel's team would ultimately be moot, as crime remained rampant on Omega afterwards, their actions had significantly weakened the PMCs, having the unintended side effect of leaving the station vulnerable when Cerberus invaded and captured it in late 2185 CE.