Never Trust the Dark

by Lalioka

Azalea Draconis is considered on the greatest military strategists in the Turian Hierarchy. However little do people know is she is a human female who has many secretes to keep. And with the Reaper war upon them will Azalea be able to keep everything together?

1. Hatred of Yesterday

The burning of bodies and the sickly sweat smell of blood filled the air. But it was the smell of urine that was the worst. Reminding those who walked though the rubble and dust of the once proud Turian homeworld that men where fighting, dying and urinating in an ever increasing cesspit. A cesspit that was once their proud home. They never told you on the vids how men pissed themselves before they died, or how their bodies dropped lifeless to the ground. They never screamed, never rolled or tumbled and no heroic speech was given. At least Azalea never head one.

None of that, they just dropped, dead among the muck and piled among the ever increasing bodies and where forgotten on the battlefield, just left to for the birds to eat at. They often left that out, the most gruesome of realities of war. Azalea just watched, as if she was waiting for her own death to come. Even for a human, fighting on Palaven was considered helpful. Even by the Turians themselves. What they didn't know was Palaven was the only homeworld, or closest she had. She promised to tell the others her story if they lived to see the end. Only that never came.

She had seen Darius two days before get shot in the neck, he didn't flay about he just fell over. Dead. Eyes open. Staring. Then she lost Meyral a day before that and Marcus today. They couldn't bury the bodies or even ask for a shuttle to take them away. That was what haunted her the most. She had to leave the bodies to rot and decay among the thousands of others, their families would never be able to say goodbye. That was reality of war, unable to morn a passing, because if you did, if you faulted in any way you would be the next to die. Azalea understood that, however she had never seen devastation on such as monumental scale, it was as if all of Palaven was burning, and dying.

Her red eyes scanned the horizon, looking for something, she wasn't sure what but anything to give her sign if she was live or die in this hell. Her silver hair hanging loosely, once she thought it was unique and maybe, just maybe beautiful now it was long and got in the way. Damn, why didn't Turians have hair. But that didn't matter, nothing mattered any more.

Now it was just her and Variso awaiting their turn to die.