Unlikely Confrontation
By: Archer83 and Vergil1989 the Crossover King
Summary: Two women, galaxies apart. Each lost in their own way, yet eerily similar. This is the story of what happens when the Psychotic Biotic and a fallen cathar Padawan meet... Spiritual sequel to Unlikely Rendezvous.
Disclaimer: Neither author claims any ownership of Mass Effect or Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic.
Authors' Note: Archer83: Here it is folks, my long overdue sequel to Unlikely Rendezvous. I think the title says it all...
The Psychotic Biotic and the fallen Padawan
Grissom Academy, one week before the galactic conflict will later be known as the Reaper War.
"Another day, another shit for brains group of morons." Jack sighed and ran a hand down her face as she kicked back in her office chair, her feet firmly planted on her desk. A few of her new students, God that just sounded so damn wrong in her head, had promise, but most of them didn't know their asshole from a Singularity.
"I know that look. You're going to terrify the recruits with another 'demonstration' of yours aren't you?" Lt. Kaylee Sanders said mockingly as she stepped into Jack's small, yet somehow chaotic, office.
"Hey, do I tell you how to do your job Princess? Turns out the little punks tend to listen better if you scare the shit out of them first thing. Let's them know who's in charge." Jack retorted as she glared up at the officer, her fiery eyes holding a number of painful promises if Kaylee continued to push her luck.
Unlike most people though, Sanders was immune to the dark glare in the aggressive biotic's brown eyes. "Jack... this is a school, not a prison. You don't have to frighten your new students into submission. And the rest of the staff would strongly prefer you didn't."
Jack growled something incomprehensible but nodded her head in reluctant agreement. "Fine! I won't splatter anyone's guts all over the deck if they piss me off, but if anyone's keeping tabs on the 'swear jar' and mentions it in front of those spineless assholes, all bets are off." She could be persuaded to keep her more colorful language in check, but Jack wasn't about to have that little incentive for her continued good behavior mentioned around the students. Any credibility she had with them would go up in smoke.
"At this rate we're going to have to name a scholarship after you." Sanders quipped, the mounting tension in the air disappearing in a flash as she leaned against the petite biotic's desk. "How does the 'All for Nought' commendation sound?"
"Sounds realistic, considering you only send idiots and morons my way." Jack held up a hand before Sanders could open her mouth. "Don't get me wrong precious, some of 'em actually possess a survival instinct, but most of them wouldn't know a biotic bitch slap if it knocked their teeth in."
"Speaking of which, let's try to avoid repeating that particular incident in the future. Udina wasn't exactly happy to hear you belted his nephew with a biotically assisted fist."
"Take all the fun out of it while you're at it." Jack muttered before swinging her legs off her desk and sitting straight in her chair, graceful as a cat. "And Udina can get in line if he wants me to grant his death wish. The kid had it coming when he grabbed my ass. Shoulda fucked up his hand while I was at it."
"Oh, I think a cracked jaw and three dental implants got your point across nicely." Sanders shuddered, remembering the mess Jack had made of the young man's face when two MPs had dragged him away to get patched up. There hadn't been much left to piece back together, until they picked up most of his teeth off the floor.
The mile wide grin on Jack's face could have lit up the Citadel for a month as the biotic's mind flashed back to that same incident. "I know right? It's hilarious when that little fucker whistles everytime he talks."
"Jack. Promise me that's the last time I'm going to have to beg the board not to kick you off this station. You're a great teacher, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. But one more incident like that, warranted or otherwise, and my hands are tied."
"Fine!" Jack said and threw her hands into the air before leaning back in her chair. "I'll behave." She added quietly as her brown eyed gaze fell on the picture on her desk. It featured a grinning Elizabeth Shepard, her hand mimicking a pistol as she held it to a varren pup's head with the caption 'be good or the puppy gets it' in bold letters at the bottom. "But not because you asked so nicely Sanders. I owe Shepard, not you. She's the only reason why I'm even here, entertaining this insane goddamn idea in the first place." That was the truth in a nutshell. Where anyone else would have gladly left her to rot on Purgatory, Shepard had saved her life, and to top it off, had given her a reason to live outside of her own selfish need to survive another day.
Sanders knew the story, but that didn't stop her from poking the metaphorical bear in front of her. "Should we go meet your new class? Maybe try and keep the emotional and physical trauma to a minimum this time?"
"Christ, are you going to follow me everywhere now? My own personal, very fuckable, lap dog. Just what I friggin' need." Jack groused and slumped in her desk chair in exasperation.
"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or-" Whatever Sanders was going to say was cut off when Jack slid over her desk and pinned the taller blonde against the wall. "Not now. Later, if you're good."
"Sanders, anyone tell you you're too much damn work? You're lucky I love the way you make my goddamn toes curl." Jack grumbled playfully.
Kaylee's only response was to lean closer to the shorter woman, letting her lips linger near Jack's, before shoving her back with a smirk. "Get your horney ass moving before we're late. Again."
"Whatever. Little pukes can wait five minutes." Jack grumbled as she crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side.
"Only five?" Kaylee asked, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline in mock surprise.
"Ten?" Jack offered, her voice waving slightly, stunned that this clever bitch had gotten under her skin so easily in the last few months. "And those aren't minutes honey."
"Hmm, tempting offer, but... later. Come on." Sanders replied and grinned over her shoulder as she made her way to the door.
"Fine. But don't complain if anyone pisses their pants, I sort of naturally have that effect on people."
"Really? I always took you for the strong, nurturing type." Kaylee snarked as they walked down the corridor, heading for the main docking bay.
"Wiseass. Oh look, here come the poor little dumbasses now." Jack had to refrain from rubbing her hands together in excitement when Sanders raised an eyebrow, and settled for cracking her knuckles instead.
"I'll be in the security station, ready to call in a medical team." Kaylee sighed as she started walking away, having the distinct feeling they were going to need one before the afternoon was over.
"Oh relax Sanders, I already said I'd play nice… mostly." Jack called after the Alliance officer before turning her brown eyes on the group that had just assembled in front of her. It didn't take her long to notice they had a new addition to the group, a young woman in the far back who was trying to appear as small as possible. It wasn't out of fear, Jack could practically smell fear, having been in the prison system for the better part of her life. This woman wanted to remain unseen, but for what reason Jack couldn't guess. Jack had a feeling she was up to no good, not with a heavy brown hood pulled low over her oddly striped face and a predatorial gleam in her faintly glowing... yellow eyes? And was that… fur?
As a morbidly curious Jack blinked in an effort to focus on the strange woman, the newcomer disappeared, slipping behind one of her bigger students, and the biotic lost track of the stranger immediately afterward. "Sh-crap. Did someone forget to tell me we had some extra new blood in the ranks boys and girls?" Jack called out, unsurprised when most of the students only stared at each other in confusion. "Idiots. Alright, get the fu-hell outta my way, someone's about to have a really bad day." The hooded woman had turned and walked away from the group, making her way towards a nearby shuttle. The fact she didn't seem concerned with the rapidly approaching biotic just served to piss Jack off all the more. "Hey! Pale, tall, and fugly! Get your ass back in formation and take off that stupid hood."
"You have no authority over me." The slim hooded figure said as she turned her head to peer over her shoulder. "I merely wish to leave this place after sating my curiosity. Stand in my way and I will cut you down."
"I'd love to see you try precious." Jack punctuated her taunt with a Throw that easily knocked a nearby pile of crates over, effectively blocking the open hatch to the shuttle. "That was a warning, the next one breaks your face. Not that I think I could make it look much uglier, but I like a challenge." Jack told her with a grinning shrug.
"I'm going to make you regret your foul words human scum!" Her cat like growl surprised Jack, as did the red glowing energy blade that sprung to life in the hooded woman's right hand in the time it took her to blink.
"Neat trick. You been hanging with the techies we keep around here?" Jack asked, eyeing the red glowing energy blade with envy. "Wish I had one of those when I hit the Collector base. Meh, I'll have yours soon enough."
"I will rend the flesh from your bones!" Jack had to give the newbie credit, she was quick on her feet as she closed the distance between them in a split second. If she had hoped to gain an easy victory though, the stranger was disappointed as Jack ducked backward and avoided her first strike, and quickly dodged a second as she stepped to the side and slammed her elbow into the hooded woman's nose in the same movement. With a loud CRACK!, the hood slid down as the woman stumbled back, her spare hand on her nose as dark blood streamed down her face and stars danced in front of her eyes from the vicious attack.
Jack, to her credit, only blinked at the feline like being that was now fully revealed for all to see. The former convict had seen her fair share of odd aliens in her time, the remaining Protheans of old turning out to be the bug like Collectors for instance, but this one topped the list. "Wow, that was over quick. I expected a challenge after all that back talk sweetie." Her gaze narrowed as she took in the taller woman's odd features. "Nice freaky cat eyes you got there. Must scare the shit out of little brats. Who's a whimpy little pussy?"
The feline like woman seethed with rage at her insult, her body shaking with anger as she lashed out with her crimson blade. "I will destroy you!"
"That's my line bitch!" Jack growled as she grabbed the woman's sword hand before bashing her head against the feline woman's injured face and followed that up with a knee to her stomach. Yanking the blade's hilt from her fingers, Jack held up her new prize before her eyes while her opponent stumbled from the vicious one two hit. "Huh, I thought it was a fancy hard light blade at first, but this is the real deal. Focused energy in the form of a badass sword? How'd you pull that off pussy cat?" Jack asked, honestly surprised and more than a little impressed by this stranger's ingenuity. She knew of one quarian engineer that would be very jealous she had a focused energy blade in her possession.
The woman's only response was to futilely try and rip her sword away from Jack's grasp. "Aarraahhhh! How dare you, you pathetic-"
The biotic chuckled as she danced away, holding the woman's blade behind her back just out of reach. "Bitch please. You want your glow stick back? Take it from me." She retorted, a mile wide smirk plastered on her face as she continued to play with her opponent as she formed a Barrier over her gracefully twisting form, looking forward to seeing this stupid bitch snap her wrist the first time she went to hit her.
As angry as her opponent was though, Jack was disappointed when the alien didn't take the bait. "Now you shall see my true power, I will crush the life from you!" The enraged alien shouted as she held out a hand, a confused expression replacing her sneer as absolutely nothing happened to the target of her hate.
Jack noticed a minute shaking in the blade's hilt in her hand, and an odd tingling sensation around her throat, but beyond that, the biotic only raised an eyebrow as disappointment started to form in her brown eyes. "Was that supposed to scare me? Because that shit was weak. Maybe stop waving your hand around and actually try hitting me bitch?" Jack suggested with a knowing smirk. "Here, I'll even give you the first shot." She politely leaned closer to the frustrated woman, and even stuck out her jaw, giving the alien a mocking pout.
"I, Juhani, shall be your death arrogant fool!" With a roar of hatred, the now weaponless alien lashed out and sent a spinning kick towards Jack's face. The Barrier flashed where her boot connected with the shimmering blue field, and there was a very loud snap as something gave in the feline alien's leg. To the uninitiated, hitting a dark energy generated Barrier, created by a proficient biotic, was like hitting a concrete wall. Your body would give way long before the Barrier protecting your enemy did, as the feline alien was finding out first hand as she fell to the metal deck with a cry of anguish, her hands wrapped around her broken ankle. "Gahhh! You foul witch!"
"So, what did we learn today class?" Jack asked the group of awestruck students behind her, never taking her eyes off the feline woman in front of her just in case she had another trick up her sleeve. It was unlikely, but she hadn't lived this long by taking foolish chances.
"That you're a biotic badass ma'am!" One of her students cheered and pumped her arm in the air for emphasis. Jack snorted in amusement and shot her a grin.
"You're damn right... Rodriguez." Jack replied with a smirk, rather proud of herself for memorizing their names ahead of time as she stared down at the gasping woman. "So, what am I gonna do with yo-whoah!" It was by sheer luck on her part, when the alien threw her hands out forward sending an invisible wave of energy at the biotic, that Jack didn't cut herself open with the alien woman's own crimson blade as she was lifted off of her feet and thrown into the far wall of the bay. As it was, Jack slumped a little against the wall, the blade's tip burning into the deck by her left foot. It didn't take long for her to jump away when the metal turned red hot and burned right through her titanium tipped combat boot. "Son of a bitch! That was my favorite pair of boots!" Jack roared, far more pissed off than shocked by the sheer destructive power contained with the deceptively simple glowing blade.
"And now oddly painted human witch, you will die." The limping woman taunted, cocking her head in mild curiosity while a satisfied smirk appeared on her face as she stood over the dazed biotic.
Minding the blade's wickedly sharp, plasma heated 'edge', Jack crossed her arms and sneered up at the alien in front of her. She had stared down the cannon of an embryonic human Reaper, a cat woman with a glowy sword was nothing compared to that. "Stop talking and get to it then. Given your track record so far though, I wouldn't get ahead of yourself pussy cat."
"As you wish." With a flick of her wrist, the hilt flew from Jack's hand into the smirking feline's grasp, before she began to menacingly raise it over the prone biotic to strike her down.
It was Jack's turn to smirk when she seemed to blink out of existence as the blade cut into the wall that she'd just been slumped next to. A blue blur followed in her wake along with a thunderous boom as her Charge brought her to a stop several meters away. "I never bought into that bullshit that biotics should be limited to a specific skillset. If you have it, why not use it to its fullest potential? It also tends to get you laid." Jack winked towards her students, more than happy to give them an educational demonstration if it happened to involve beating the shit out of some weird, mouthy, furry, pointy eared alien bitch.
Further emphasizing her point, Jack casually Lifted her current target, encasing the feline woman in a shimmering field of dark energy before she Slammed her into the ceiling, hard. And then Slammed her into the deck even harder. "Any questions?" Jack asked with as much nonchalance as she could muster after the buckling deck had quieted, and her opponent laid sprawled out in an unconscious heap, her energy blade deactivating uselessly at her side. Jack triumphantly went over to scoop up her prize, fiddling with the buttons on the side until its glowing blade extended once again. "Ha. Told you so bitch. Tali's gonna have to pay out the nose for this little baby. After I slice open a few mercs of course."
As she wiped away a trickle of blood from her mouth, 'Juhani' painfully dragged herself back from the elated biotic, her massive yellow eyes showing true fear for the first time. "You're... far stronger than... anyone I've ever faced... before." The alien groaned out, a hand pressed firmly against her left side. "I thought... I thought... by embracing the Dark Side I would become more... more powerful than any Jedi, but how powerful can I be if I am defeated by the likes of-" A racking cough silenced Juhani before she could finish as she choked out a dark globule of blood onto the deck.
"Awe, looks little kitty's coughing up a bloody hairball." Jack mocked and casually twirled the near weightless 'blade' in her hand as she closed the gap between herself and Juhani.
Rodriguez was unsurprisingly the first to speak up once again, as Jack stalked over to the fallen woman with a dangerous gleam in her brown eyes. "Ms. Nought, she's hurt pretty bad, I don't think you have too-" A murderous glare silenced the young woman on the spot, but just as quickly it disappeared as Jack's expression began to soften around the edges, seeing a familiar fear in the girl's brown eyes. A fear that was mirrored in the frightened gazes of the Ensign's fellow students, as Jack quickly glanced back at the wounded woman at her feet.
Jack pointed her new prize at Juhani, half tempted to cut her head off anyway just for trying to kill her, not to mention putting her students in the line of fire, although Jack would never admit that out loud. Instead, something in the defeated feline woman's face caught her attention, and Jack slowly lowered the crimson blade so it was pointed at the floor. "I know what you're feeling right now. You'll do anything to survive, even for a few more minutes. But tryin' to survive at any cost, it eats away at you until... it's all you can think about. That's no way to live, you damn moron. I had to learn that one the hard way, but it was a lesson I haven't forgotten. So why don't you shove your arrogant little attitude up your furry ass and we can skip a few extra free lessons in pain. Not to mention humiliation." With a well placed slash of the glowing blade, a smirking Jack neatly chopped off Juhani's ponytail, singeing the short fur on her otherwise shaved head.
Juhani could only blink as she watched her smoking hair tumble lazily away before settling beside her in a neat little pile. "You would spare my life when I would have taken yours?" She asked, confusion etched plainly on her face for the galaxy to see. "How can you be so naive and yet still be alive?"
"Let me clue ya in princess. I ain't goddamn naive, not by a longshot. I was pretty much chaos incarnate before I got a cushy job of training these morons in the fine art of biotic badassery. If anyone didn't deserve a second chance, that would have been me. An annoying goody-two-shoes friend of mine convinced me otherwise." Jack retorted before turning her back on Juhani and flicking the blade up to eye level again. Coming to a decision, Jack flipped the power switch off and threw the shining metallic hilt towards the battered woman, who didn't immediately move to pick it up, eyeing it warily before glancing back up at Jack in shock. "What? Can't have you walking around unable to defend yourself now can I? 'Sides, it's not mine to take, not unless I snap your neck first."
Juhani stared at the biotic before her for a moment, blinking in surprise. "You are a very strange woman."
"I get that shit a lot. And you're welcome dumbass." Jack retorted before jerking her gaze to her students. "And what are you idiots standing around for exactly? If you aren't escorting Pussy Cat to the infirmary with me, you're heading to your other friggin useless instructors for today's lesson plan. Move it rookies!"
Not too surprisingly Jack found the entire class clammering to follow after her and Rodriguez as the young biotic dashed over to help Jack support the limping, groaning woman between them. "Um, your ears are cool, and those fangs look pretty sharp. ... You don't eat people right?"
"What do you think?" Juhani muttered with a grin, astounded that the girl was asking her questions instead of slipping a blade between her ribs.
"What the- what happened?!" Sanders asked, her jaw dropping to the floor when she and the security team run in behind her saw the partially wrecked docking bay around them. "Let me guess, you just had to pull another 'demonstration' didn't you? What, did you sucker this one into helping you? ... And what species is she anyway? Who the hell has pointy ears and... is that fur?" Sanders asked with a curious glance as she gestured towards Jack's groaning cargo.
"My apologies." Juhani said, and offered a weak, grateful little smile towards the dubious looking group before her. "I am Juhani... and I do not believe I am of this strange galaxy. I found myself lost and confused after I stole an ancient relic before slaying my master-"
Jack slapped a hand over the regretful looking woman's mouth before she could utter another word. "And apparently she's delusional. Juhani's a friend, I think someone slipped her some bad Red Sand or something, as for the ears and the fur... she's into kinky body art, like Yours Truly."
"Jack, I'm not blind you know." Sanders grumbled in irritation even if she was touched by the fiery biotic's attempt to protect the stranger in her own unique fashion. "That fur is real or I'm an admiral." With a jerk of her head, the security team lowered their weapons as she approached the mismatched pair. Sanders didn't hesitate to step closer until she was eye to eye with the fur covered woman. "Juhani was it? I think you and I need to talk."
"I think I'll be handling this interrogation Sanders." Jack butted in before holding up a hand to stop her protest. "Let's just say I get where she's coming from after our little impromptu sparring session."
"Ms. Nought totally kicked her furry ass!" One of the students towards the back exuberantly shouted, garnering a death glare from Jack.
Juhani took some of the sting out of her silent reprimand with what she said next. "I feel I must agree with that... blunt assessment. I... was outmatched before we even began to spar, although I foolishly did not believe so at the time."
Jack was actually relieved when several of the guards started chuckling, a few even trading credit chits, more than one of which ended up in Sanders uniform pocket. Sanders answered Jack's unspoken question a moment later. "We saw the whole thing from the security cameras around the hangar. I already suspected something was off about you the moment that energy weapon came out."
"So there's no point in hiding the obvious then." Jack muttered and sighed when Kaylee only smirked in response. "That was my idea. Pretty cool huh, I call it an... omni-saber, has a nice ring to it don't you think?"
"Lightsaber is the correct name for my weapon. And please stop trying to defend me, I believe you are merely embarrassing yourself at this point."
Jack drew a sharp grunt of pain from Juhani as she jabbed an elbow into her no doubt broken ribs. "Don't tell me what to do Princess. 'Sides, if I don't, who will?"
"It's not necessary at any rate Jack since I had no intention of harming her. Asking her how she got here, why she tried to leave, where she came from, that I'm still curious about, but no one here will hurt her … more than you have already." Sanders was quick to add. "And if she doesn't feel like answering our questions, we can always let you two 'spar' again." Kaylee even made air quotes, just to drive the point home that she knew better.
"I would rather not." Juhani muttered, not in any hurry to be thrown around the hangar again.
"Damn straight furball." Jack grinned before nodding to the guards to escort Juhani to the infirmary. They took her weight off of Jack's shoulder and started away, but they didn't get far before the biotic called after the feline woman. "Ya need anything Juhorni, just ask. If these jackasses give you any trouble, I'll happily rearrange their faces."
The limping alien managed to slowly glance over her shoulder, glaring at the smirking biotic. "It's pronounced Juhani..."
Two months later...
"Mmmm. That was fun, my quarters next time?" Sanders asked as she lazily stretched and curled up against Jack's side, one hand idly running circles over the biotic's toned stomach.
"Yes ma'am Lieutenant ma'am." Jack replied, a goofy grin on her face as she sat up and grabbed her discarded clothes from the floor. "Shoulda did that yesterday after that damn moron made a pass at our resident cathar. Honestly, I've seen her in action, a broken wrist was her being nice. Would have been some much needed stress relief, instead you were busy doing fucking paperwork all day. By the way, how the hell did you pull diplomatic immunity out of your ass to cover that one?"
"The Academy won't run itself." Sanders quipped, smiling at Jack's overprotective streak as she too started to get herself dressed. "Besides, I rather like that you're so protective of her Jack. As for diplomatic immunity, we just got invaded by honest-to-god Reapers a few weeks ago. Trust me, the brass has more important things to worry about."
"Alright, I get the point Kaylee." Jack grumbled, shuddering as unpleasant memories of the Collector base flashed behind her eyes. The news coming out of Earth was bad, to say the least, and last she'd heard, Shepard had been on the planet when they had gotten hit. No one knew if she was alive, dead, or worse, and it hadn't helped the biotic's nerves in the slightest. Then there was the fact they could be called in to assist at any point, and Jack honestly wasn't sure if her students were ready for the shit they'd be walking into.
Getting herself dressed, Sanders only got ten feet from the bed before alarms started to blare throughout the base. Jack stood bolt upright when Kaylee's fingers immediately started to dance over her omni-tool, and pulled up the security cam footage of the exterior of the space station. No sooner had she done so did their eyes fall on the ships that were bearing down on them, Cerberus markings clear as day on their outer hulls.
"Go. I'll get the students rounded up. Get to a security station and delay them. And don't get yourself dead Sanders." Jack ordered as she started for the door, still in the process of buckling her boots.
"You too. I'll hold them off as long as I can." Kaylee told her with a confident nod as she ran out of the room. "Please tell me somebody got a distress call off before they jammed the comms."
"I took care of it Lieutenant." Juhani's accented voice filtered through Sanders' omni-tool a split second later as Kaylee bolted for the security station as fast as her legs could carry her. "We merely need to hold these 'Cerberus' forces off until help arrives. I will head for the docking bay immediately, I suggest you send any available forces to join me, that will be their primary target."
"Yeah, that must have slipped my mind. All teams are already on their way, standard protocol for any boarding action." Kaylee rolled her eyes at the commanding voice as she ran to the security station and locked the door behind her the moment she got behind the console. Her fingers were a blur as she began sealing passages and taking command of the few soldiers they had on hand in the Academy.
"My apologies if I offended." Juhani replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she soon stood on the balcony facing the docking bay with Jack at her side.
"Get your balls outta your purse Juhani!" Jack shouted as a thud radiated through the deck before a power torch started to chew through one of the outer walls. "That goes for the rest of you damn rookies! We got incoming and if I see even one of you idiots hesitating, I'll kill you myself!" She continued, shouting at the group of students behind her, assembled all over the upper level of the docking bay. A series of grim nods and confirmations followed from the young cadets. A worried glance passed between Jack and Juhani anyway, both of them thinking the same thing. They weren't ready for what was about to come down on them, let alone the Reapers themselves.
"Stay behind cover! We will deal with them." Juhani ordered the young biotics with a stern look, not questioning Jack as she rushed along side her towards the invading troopers and their colossal Atlas mechs.
"You got a plan?" Jack snarked, giving the aggressive cathar a curious glance. In the past two months, the eerie feeling that Juhani could have been her in another life had grown considerably stronger.
"Destroy them all." Juhani said with shrug, activating her 'lightsaber' with a distinctive snap hiss. Unbeknownst to the biotic, the cathar Jedi had considered the same thing, but now was not the time for such thoughts.
"Good plan." Jack grinned maliciously as she charged in, biotics encompassing her from head to toe. As she leapt up to slam her biotically enhanced fist into the cockpit of an Altas, she was annoyed to see a red glowing saber had already impaled the pilot, cutting through his armored chest like a hot omni-blade through butter. "Damn show off." She hissed before turning her attention to the first of the troopers. Grabbing him by his throat, Jack used him as a battering ram before throwing him towards a second mech, blinding the pilot's line of sight just long enough for Juhani to carve him up in similar fashion.
Using her newfound perch, Juhani raised her free hand and sent a wave of energy down the makeshift airlock the enemy forces had created in their bid to take over the Academy. "You shall not pass so long as I draw breath!" And from the look of their progress so far, Juhani felt confident they could handle whatever these combatants could throw at them.
"Quit being so damn nice Juhani!" Jack roared back before throwing her hands down, creating a devastating Shockwave before the Cerberus commandos could regain their footing. "I'm gonna enjoy splattering your fucking asses all over this station!"
Juhani frowned, even as she nodded in approval of Jack's ruthless tactics. "Very well. But please do not tell your students, I do not wish to be a bad influ-"
Jack didn't let her finish the thought as she rounded on Juhani just as she jumped down from the mech. "Just fucking slaughter them already!" With a sigh of annoyance, Juhani sent a particularly daring squad smashing through a bulkhead and into the dark void behind as energy barriers sprang up to cover the breach. "That's more like it!" Jack cheered, her grin encompassing her whole face. "Four down, a metric fuck ton more to go."
Six Hours Later...
"Why does it smell like barbecued varren in here?" A dual flanged voice asked, as a blue armored turian raised his rifle and pointed into the docking bay as he and two other heavily armed figures filed into the open area, senses on high alert. Even in the middle of a crisis though, that didn't stop one Garrus Vakarian, turian sharpshooter, from cracking a joke or two.
"I believe because several of the soldiers were electrocuted until they expired." Liara T'Soni, asari archeologist, and the recently installed Shadow Broker, said as she nodded towards the nearest of the corpses. "Although, I don't recognize the burn patterns. I'm certain this wasn't done by an Overload. The damage is much too great for even Tali to match."
"I will destroy you!" An all too familiar battle cry got the group's attention as all three jerked their guns up towards the balcony just as someone jumped down, a red glowing blade grasped firmly in her right hand.
Jack was right behind her and bravely, or foolishly, got between her and her current target. "Whoa, whoa, Sparky, hold off with the bitchin' light show, I know these guys." Jack quickly said as she held up her hands to stop Juhani from charging them down. Her money was on Shepard knocking Juhani's teeth down her throat, even after the massacre they had led against the Cerberus troops.
The angry snarl on Juhani's singed and bruised face instantly morphed to a guilty looking frown as she deactivated her saber and gave them a slight bow. "My apologies. We have been fighting constantly for so long, I must have gotten lost in the moment."
The red haired woman leading the pair lowered her weapon and as her emerald eyes gleamed, giving the battered alien a very grateful, and at the same time mischievous, smirk. "Hi Jack. Who's your short tempered friend?"
Jack's response came in the form of punching Commander Elizabeth Shepard square in the jaw. "Six months Shepard! You were gone for six months and that's all you can say?!"
"Missed you too Jack." Shepard said as she rubbed at the fresh bruise on her face, smiling despite the biotic's very short fuse. "And if it makes you feel better, I tried to call, but the Alliance didn't pass along my messages apparently."
"Figures. Now are you going to get my students outta here or you just gonna stand there with your thumbs up your asses? Or is that Liara's job now? I hear she likes getting kinky, must be all those repressed sexual fantasies."
Juhani opened her mouth to respond, only to close it before finally managing to speak. "I am very confused..."
"It took me some time to get used to Jack's... unique personally as well." Liara replied, before nodding to Juhani directly. "You must be Juhani-"
"Your powers of observation are astounding Liara. Oh well, that's why you're the Shadow Broker and I'm just a lowly vigilante." Garrus drawled, an amused smirk pulling at his mandibled face which Liara chose to ignore.
"-The cat-har that was given diplomatic immunity and placed under the protection of Jacqueline Nought and Lieutenant Kaylee Sanders. It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you."
"I have heard much of you and your friends as well." Juhani replied with a respectful bow directed at the asari. "But I believe this conversation can wait. We are no longer safe here." She continued and nodded to the balcony where Jack's students were alive and well.
"The cathar is right Liara, let's get moving." Shepard quipped, never one to miss a chance to embarrass the formal asari. She did take a moment to nod to one of the dead Cerberus goons scattered all over the bay. "I take it you two had a fun time."
"Shut up Shepard. You were late to the damn party so someone had to pick up the slack. Good thing Juhorni was here, or I might have actually broken a sweat beating the shit out of these fu- guys." Jack retorted before looking up towards the balcony, where all of her students were peering down in awe at her and the Padawan, as well as Shepard and her team. "And those morons helped a little." She added quickly, a note of pride in her voice even as she glared up at Rodriguez. "Of course someone wouldn't get their damn balls outta their purse until the last second. Next time don't wait to throw a damn Warp until the Cerberus assholes are right in your face!"
Whatever the smirking Ensign was about to say died in her throat as she stared past Jack at the terrifying sight behind the group. "They've got Lieutenant Sanders!"
Jack spun to see Kaylee being held by two Cerberus officers, a dangerous growl building in her throat as one of them roughly pressed his weapon against Kaylee's head. "Nobody tries to stop us or the Alliance bitch gets it!" Both men were clearly desperate to escape as they began edging closer to the docking bay entrance.
"Let….her….go." Jack growled, but when one of the troopers jerked his pistol hard against Kaylee's temple, the biotic's brown eyes widened ever so slightly as she took a hesitant step back. "Hurt her and I'll skin you fuckers alive."
"Keep talking freak. We'll be back for the rest of you eventually." The other man retorted as he frogmarched Kaylee closer to the entrance. If he was afraid of Shepard and her squad, or the murderous gleam in Jack's gaze, his tinted faceplate hid his terror from view.
Juhani sadly shook her head at the pair of hostage takers. "Fanatical fools. I was once like you, but I have seen a better path." Before anyone could react, her hand flew forward and the armored man pressing a pistol against Sander's head levitated off the deck, inexplicably grasping at his neck and gasping for air. Before his partner could aim his pistol at Sanders, Juhani flung her glowing blade, its speared tip plunging into the man's armored chest before he dropped to the deck. With a similar flick of her wrist, her lightsaber flew back to her hand, just as the first man's neck gave a sickening crunch as he fell to the deck in a lifeless heap.
As Jack raced over to a shaking Sanders, clearly stunned by what she had just witnessed, Garrus glanced towards the strange, incredibly deadly alien woman standing next to them. "Well, that's new..."
"She was in danger. I merely did what I had to, nothing more." Juhani replied humbly before clamping her lightsaber to her belt with practiced ease. "But what I said was true. I lost my way, but being here, among friends, has helped immensely."
"Powerful friends at that." Shepard quipped, before glancing towards the cathar. "I take it you know what's going on out there. I could use someone of your unique capabilities Juhani."
"I appreciate the offer, but my place is here." Juhani replied before nodding to Jack, Kaylee, and the students that had since left the balcony and had started towards the nearby shuttle bay. "I am sure you understand Commander."
"Way I see it, your place is with them." Shepard nodding towards the students as they rushed over to check on Sanders with Jack halfheartedly shoving them back, betrayed by the relieved look on her face as she helped Kaylee into the shuttle. "So yeah, I understand." She emphasized that by nodding to Liara and Garrus. "But until we can get all of you out of harm's way, you're welcome to hitch a ride with us."
"You are most generous Commander." The redeemed Padawan bowed her head ever so slightly to Shepard, walking alongside the Commander to the now crowded Kodiak. "If I must, I will give my last breath to ensure their safety."
It was impossible for Shepard to miss the protective gleam in the cathar's bright yellow eyes as they boarded the shuttle. "I know."