A/N: A big thank you to all those who liked, favored, shared, followed, or commented. You are all lovely people and I'm baking you a batch of internet muffins.

Chapter 1:

Bowed, Bent, and Broken.

Location: Citadel docks.

Time: July 22nd, 2183

"Keep moving! Keep moving, slaves!" Balak barked cruelly from atop his supply crate as his omni-whip cracked in the air above. Next to him was his trusty Varren, who'd snarl and chomp at slow moving slaves. "You there!... Whore!... What's taking so long!"

"My name isn't whore. It's Liara T'Soni!" the Asari shot back with disdain as she treated her patient; a brown skinned human female. Among other things, the slave was suffering from several STI's common to Batarian physiology, and a nasty case of scale itch. "You will address me by my name, Taskmaster, or not at all."

"Why you!-"

Liara turned her back; ending the parley, and paid no mind to the hostile glare he gave her. She knew that in Batarian culture it was considered a great insult to be disrespected by a woman, but she didn't care. This was the Citadel, not Khar'shan. Attention returning to her scans, unpleasantness crept up her spine as she realized she needed to converse with the foul "man" once more. "This woman needs medical treatment." as she spoke, Liara fought the urge to loose her tongue in anger.

"She's not a woman, Asari... She's a slave." walking over to his collapsed inventory, Balak grumbled at the delay this was causing. "How much?"

"The med's shouldn't be more than six hundred credits." The defeat in the slave's soul-less eyes made her inwardly shudder.

"Six hundred credits." Balak mused with a lazy drawl as he took his inventory's chin in has hand, turning it's head from side to side.

The slave had once been a pretty young thing, of course that lasted all of five seconds once his crew got to her. A crooked smile came to his lips as the memories of breaking it in played through his mind. How the little thing wiggled like a fish; screaming bloody murder as he forced himself inside its cunt for the first time. The silent, open-mouthed, expression of horror plastered across its face when he filled its womb with his seed. The new sounds it made when he spit its virgin asshole open; claiming its unexplored depths for himself. And then that glorious moment when it finally broke; mewling like a proper whore as his crew gang-raped it again, and again, and again. He felt his cock stiffen at the joy they had passing it from bunk to bunk each and every night, using its body as nothing more than a living cocksleeve.

Those were memories he would cherish forever... Well, at least until the next hunt when they would start the process all over again. This galaxy was his oyster, a veritable cornucopia of fresh, nubile, cunts waiting for him to devour. Blessings be to the pillars; he loved his job!

"Six hundred credits."

"Yes," Liara hesitated, not wanting to know where his mind had gone for such a pregnant pause. "and the hospital stay would only be for a few nights. She'd be ready for sale in no time at all."

"Hmm, six hundred credits... This is cheaper." in one swift motion, Balak drew his pistol and blew a grapefruit sized hole out the back of the slaves head.

Time slowed as the gunshot echoed throughout the dock, and Liara was stunned silent by what had just transpired; a mortified look on her face. Feeling wetness on her cheek, she brought her fingers to it, and then to her eyes for examination. The blue of her fingertips were tinted red, and she saw the slaves body slump to the floor; joined shortly by a pool of blood. Blinking in disbelief, her body trembled in shock as she saw the slaves face looking directly at her; her expressionless, dead, brown eyes piercing her own. It was haunting. Finding her strength, Liara fixed the murderer in a ferocious glare, "Her injuries weren't fatal!" she screamed, "I could have cured her!"

"Sorry, but I gotta turn a profit... And the bitch was too far broken anyway."

The complete lack of remorse in the slavers tone was the final straw. Blood boiling, Liara's body bathed itself in flickering blue light as her biotics flared. Eye's glowing white, she clenched her fist and reared back to warp the slavers face into the next quadrant. But reality came crashing back like a falling meteor when she felt his gun barrel pressing against her temple.

"Now, now. Don't be hasty... I could easily shoot you and tell C-Sec one of the cattle grabbed my gun." Balak sneered as he increased his fingers pressure on the trigger. It audibly tick, tick, tick'd, as the counter pull neared the apex for firing. "All I got to do is trade 'em a few credits and I'll be disposing of two bodies, instead of one."

Liara scowled. She was a medical practitioner, not a commando, and she knew her biotic power fell drastically short of being able to stop a bullet at point blank range. Scowling again, the light around her body faded as the dark energy was recalled into her bodies reserves. "Good girl." he chastised with a light slap to her cheek. It made her want to vomit. She knew when she returned home she'd have to scrub herself raw just to feel clean. Activating his omni-tool, Balak rose his wrist to just below his mouth and spoke. "Hey Captain, got another one for disposal."

"Fucking dammit, Balak." Anto fumed as he stopped passing out protein bars and bottles of water to the female slaves. Getting another crewman to take over, he proceeded outside his ship to see the mess that awaited. Glancing at the body on the ground, then to the grimacing Asari, and then to Balak, Anto fixed him in a withering gaze. "What the fuck happened here?"

"Bitch went for my gun, had to put her down." Balak lied, and shot the doctor a look that threatened death should she voice different.

Anto crossed his arms and glared incredulously, he didn't believe a word out of this shit eaters mouth. "Really?... You expect me to believe that this girl, this ninety pound female, somehow got a hold of your gun?.. You. A highly trained Hegemony slaver."

Balak shrugged, "Must have let my guard down."

Anto kept his gaze on the Asari, "So you killed her... Instead of using any number of the less than lethal take down tactics you were trained in. You killed her." Liara looked away uncomfortably.

"Yes, sir." Balak continued with the fabrication as he returned his weapon to his hip, "I was worried for the safety of our guest, Sir."

"That so." the skepticism in the captains baritone timber was so thick you could practically walk on it.

"Yes, sir. Thought it would reflect poorly on the company if any harm came to her. Imagine the scandal it would cause, Sir, and the loss of profits to our crew. I mean, who wants to do business with slavers who can't control their inventory?"

Anto blinked. By the pillars, he hated Balak. "Is this true," glancing at the name tag on the Asari's lab coat, "Ms. T'Soni?"

Liara wanted to tell him everything, but knew she shouldn't. If Balak had no qualms over lying to his superiors, she doubted he'd blink twice before having another "accident" arranged for her. Nervously rubbing her hands, Liara looked at the Captain and softly said, "Yes." and repeated Balak's fabrication of events.

Anto sighed. "Balak, you understand that our business is predicated on the sale of living slaves? Correct?... Key word: Living." he paged two of his men to come and take the body away. "This fuck up has cost me money, but it wasn't my fuck up, and I'm sure as hell not gonna pay for it... Your wadges from this harvest will be garnished to offset the deficit."

Balak clenched his fists in anger, but nodded his head. "Vary well, Captain."

"And until I say otherwise, Balak, consider your decision making privileges revoked." bending down to grab the Asari's medical bag, he gestured for her to come with him. "I'm sorry you had to see all this. Please. Allow me to make up for it by escorting you through my ship."

"Uhm... Thank you." Liara replied with a slight bow. The Captain's sudden gentlemanly nature threw her for a loop, "But I wouldn't want to trouble you. I'm sure I'll be fine on my own."

"It's no trouble at all." Anto replied with a sincere, pearly white smile, and slipped his arm through hers. "And I insist." leading them to his ship, "It's not everyday you're in the company of a Goddess." if the circumstances had been different, Liara might have blushed. The Captain seemed the gentle sort; a complete contrast to Balak, and definitively didn't fit the typical disposition of a slaver.

Entering his ship, she was guided to a secluded section, "What are we doing here?" she asked with a tinge of worry. This was a slave ship after all.

"If you need a moment to collect yourself, it's more than alright." the softness in his dual toned voice was, dare she say, pleasant to her ears.

Intention clear, Liara felt herself relax, but only slightly. "I'm fine." she stated with more force than she meant to. After a pregnant pause, she gave the Captain a forced, cordial smile. "I've seen people die... It's nothing new."

"Die yes. Executed... Probably not." he saw her tense at the statement.

As she pondered his words, Liara felt her resolve crumble away as images of the dead human flooded her mind. Heat growing behind her eyes, her breath became shaky, and she covered her face with a hand and took a deep breath; promising herself that no one else would die on her watch. Exhaling, she forced away her feelings until she could be alone. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine."

"You look it." he said reassuringly and squeezed her shoulder.

She heard the subtle trace of unconvinced-ness in his confident, yet compassionate tone. Looking through her fingers, Liara saw him offering her a handkerchief, and she took it. Dabbing the wetness in her eyes, she sighed. " Thank you, Captain."

"Anto."

Handing the handkerchief back to him, she smiled weakly. "Liara."

"A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet."

She shook her downcast head and actually laughed, "You certainly are a strange one."

"What can I say? Below this proud, masculine, exterior, beats the heart of a true romantic."

"And I'm sure all the maidens swoon when you make port." a half smile spread across her lips, and he shared it, but it soon turned sour. "You know he's lying right... Balak." Liara didn't know why she felt compelled to reiterate his name. Who else could she have been talking about?

"I'm aware... But they're other forces at play. Forces that are beyond my control at the moment." he could see the spark of curiosity in her azure eyes, but this wasn't the proper time nor place to discuss such things. "Come, lets get to work; shall we?"

"Indeed." making herself presentable, she took her bag and followed behind him as they moved deeper into the ship. When they came to the hatch that led to the cargo hold, he faced her and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Why'd you stop?"

"Before we enter, I need to make sure you understand a few things." she nodded and he continued, "First: Is that no matter what; you keep a smile on your face, and a reassuring infliction in your voice. These people know the situation, they know what's going to happen to them, and it's in everyone's best interest if we help them remain calm... Second: Is that you focus on doing your job. I know it sounds redundant, but we have one hundred and thirteen slaves aboard this ship; seventy-eight male, and thirty-five female. They will all be asking questions, or trying to glean something from you, but we have a schedule to keep... Third: Is that you never put yourself in a position to take anything away from these people. They've been taken from their homes, their lives, their families, and their opinions on Batarians and Turian's are already skewed. This will most likely be the first time any of them meet an Asari. So don't do anything that could tarnish their view of your people."

"What do you suggest I say?"

"I'm sorry?"

"When they ask me questions. What should I say?"

"You can ignore them if you want, but if you respond, keep your answers brief and to the point."

"Okaaay." Liara shifted in place, wondering what laid ahead.

Anto blinked as he read the subtext in her tone, "This isn't your first time, is it?"

Liara blushed and looked down shyly, "Is it that obvious?"

Anto's hand went to his face and he pinched the protruding ridge below his top set of eyes. With a deep sigh he muttered, "I tell them I need professionals and they send me newbies." below his breath. Fixing her in a cordial gaze, he shifted his weight to his back foot. "Just curious, Doctor. But what do you normally do at the hospital?"

"Oh, I'm not a doctor..." she blushed, "Well, sort of, I mean, not fully anyway."

Anto blinked. "You're not a doctor."

"Yes, I mean no." Liara tried to formulate herself better, "What I mean to say is that I'm an intern at Huerta memorial hospital."

"An intern." he deadpanned

Liara blushed violet again, "Well, intern is sort of a misnomer. I'm actually in the final years of my residency training program."

He blinked, "A simple yes or no will do, Liara. Are you a doctor?" he tried to keep the annoyance out of his tone.

She stood a bit straighter as her qualifications came under fire, "I'll have you know I graduated top of my class at Thessia University, and I'm more than capable of treating a vast array of medical maladies... But to answer your question, no," her eyes narrowed at him, "I'm technically not yet a fully licensed physician. Though I will be when my residency is completed."

"Sorry, I meant no offense." Anto apologized with raised hands, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't like some kid earning college credit or something." a moment later he added, "And for the rest of today, if someone ask's if you're a doctor, just say yes."

"I don't think it's appropriate but alright." gesturing to the door with a nod of her head, "Is their anything else?"

"No. Just keep what I told you in mind, and if all goes according to plan we should be done in about two hours."

"Great!" Liara tried not to sound so enthused.

With a hiss of pressurization, the hatch opened and the two walked inside. The room itself was nothing of note, just a simple corridor with a modest sized cage along the starboard wall. Seeing the table set up for her, Liara turned her eyes to the thirty-five naked females and gave them a cordial smile. Besides her and Anto, their were five other Batarians dressed in fabric uniform fatigues; one at each of the rooms doors, and three standing guard at the table. On each of their tool-belts was a collection of mace, hard light cuffs, electro batons, and a holstered stunner pistol.

Anto was the first to speak.

"Alright listen up!" the sudden forcefulness in his tone shocked Liara, and the stern expression on his face was a complete contrast to the man she had previously met. "The Asari next to me is, Doctor Liara T'Soni. She will be conducting your medical examination before you are taken to out processing; where you'll receive a hot shower, fresh clothes, and a warm meal." she saw relief wash over a few of the slaves faces at the mention of that. "We will be calling out numbers in groups of five. If your number is called; stand up, and in a calm and orderly fashion, proceed to the cells entrance... Do Not Try Anything!... The quicker this goes, the quicker you can get your shower and meal... Dr. T'Soni."

Liara jumped slightly at being called upon, but continued. "Hello, It's nice to make your acquaintance. I know you're probably wondering what this examination entails; but do not worry... It is a non-invasive medical scan. See," she rose her omni-tool and scanned one of the guards, "It doesn't hurt. All I'm doing is checking your vitals and making sure you aren't bringing any viral contagions onto the Citadel... When I'm finished, I will give you an immune booster and send you on your way."

"Right! Lets begin!"

As things proceeded calmly without incident, Liara was struck by the utter diversity of the human race. The females skin coloring ran the spectrum from pale "ghostly" white, to dark obsidian black, and their body types and fringe coloring were just as varied. There were blondes, brunettes, black heads, red heads, orange heads, brown heads... Tall ones, short ones, skinny ones, fat ones, ones with big breasts, ones with small breasts, ones with wide childbearing hips, ones with narrowed waists...

Belonging to a very homogenized race like the Asari, it never failed to amaze Liara just how different humans could be from one another. And much to her surprise, her scans told her that, for the most part, the women were in generally decent health. She figured the slavers kept them in such condition as most would be sold into the service industry; working as maids, waitress's, shop keepers, or hospitality workers. Or, if they were lucky, sold to a wealthy family looking for a domestic.

However, Liara prayed none would be so unlucky as to not be bought at market. If that happened, only three possibilities remained. They would either be killed, sold into the sex trade, or worse, shipped off to the seedier parts of the galaxy to become brood mares. That thought made her shiver, she couldn't imagine being forced to carry a child for someone she didn't love.

An hour later, she finished examining the female slaves. Cracking her neck and raising her hands above her head she yawned. Seeing two of the guards leering and chuckling at her puffed out bosom, Liara blushed and quietly readjusted her lab coat to cover herself. With a sigh, she made a mental note to avoid bending over. Looking to Anto as he came back she asked, "Everything go well?"

"Very." shooting a glance of disapproval at his men for their sophomoric lechery, he continued. "No incidents, no escapes, everyone's been processed."

"I know I should probably already know this. But what exactly does processing entail?"

"It's different for the genders," he ordered his men to get the males ready, "but generally speaking; out-processing is where the slaves are cleaned, branded, implanted, and prepared for sale."

"Branded? Like with a hot iron or something?"

"Pillars no!" Anto laughed at the childlike question. "That would just be cruel and unusual." he tilted his head, "Though, some slave merchants still use that outdated practice. Most of the galaxy prefers the standard tattoo system however. Much harder to remove; easier to read."

"How's it done?" a bashful expression spread across her face at her innocence.

"You remember those numbers we called out?" she nodded, "Well those are the slaves new identification tags. When they get to processing, they stick their left arm into an inking machine and it tattoo's the number onto the inside of their left forearm," he rose his arm to show her, "right below the elbow. And when they're sold, a bar-code is tattooed onto the back of their necks with all the pertinent information; Owner, name, blood type, ect..."

"I see..." there was a pregnant pause. Liara had never considered getting a tattoo. She didn't have anything against the practice; many of her classmates had elected to get tribal bands and facial markings. She just preferred to keep herself unmarked like her mother. "And the implants?"

"Many of the slaves we capture come from worlds where you'd be lucky to find an omni-tool. So while the humans are receiving their tattoo's, the machine injects a sub-dermal, Universal Translator implant into the base of the ears." he saw the look of worry flash across her face, "Don't worry, it's all very painless."

"I'll take your word for it. Are there any other implants?"

"Just a tracking chip." Anto replied as his omni-tool beeped, letting him know the men were ready. "We like to keep our slaves as much of a "blank slate" as possible so their new masters can customize them as they see fit." a slight annoyance tugged at his brow as he saw more questions swim into the doctors mind. But as they were ahead of schedule, he didn't see the harm in answering a few more inquires.

"Forgive my innocence, and I know it isn't very common among humans, but what if a slave is biotic?"

"Its rare, but if they're biotic and they have an amp, then they're fitted with a dampening collar. And the machine tattoo's a large blue star with two chevrons inside a circle on their left shoulder. Here, I'll bring it up." opening a window on his omni-tool, Anto shows her the design. "We actually have a few biotics in the next cell."

"Really?"

The enthusiasm in the Asari's frilly voice made him laugh. "C'mon, I'll show them to you."

000

Hearing the hatch open and seeing an Asari enter, Joker was struck speechless by her beauty. Normally, Jeff, like the majority of humanity, wasn't into that sort of thing. You could call it a systematic case of learned xenophobia or whatever, but ever since the war, practically every human considered aliens about as sexually appealing as rotting fruit. However, after spending weeks in bondage surrounded by nothing but naked men, a female, any female; even an alien, was a most welcomed sight.

kneeling at Shepard's side, Jeff gently shook his shoulder. "C'mon buddy, wake up. You're not gonna believe this."

Pulled form slumbers sweet embrace back to a world of torment, John let out a muted cough into his blanket. With a cracked voice he weakly whispered, "Tell me."

"There's an Asari... I think they're transferring us somewhere. Can you move?"

Shepard tried to force himself to stir, but even the tiniest of movements sent a dull, throbbing ache through his mind. It was like his bones had become as brittle as glass. After a second or two, his head lolled against the deck platting in the approximation of no. He tried to open his eyes, but they were bruised and swollen shut; a parting gift from Balak. He could only squint, and his vision was blurry at best.

Looking at the Asari standing next to the Captain, Joker judged from her white lab coat that she was a medical professional of some sort. Dread instantly flooded the humans mind as he had a good idea what would happen to a slave in Shepard's dilapidated condition. "John, you need to move." he whispered with hushed urgency as the Batarians began giving them orders.

But Shepard knew his friend was asking for the impossible. His body was broken, his spirit depleted, and that fire; which'd once been his will to survive, was nothing more than a dwindling candle flame. Every breath was a struggle, every muscle movement, an arduous battle. That proud, defiant man who'd been captured was gone, replaced with little more than a fading echo of his former self.

"... I'm done, Jeff." was all Shepard could meekly mutter in defeat before unconsciousness claimed his weary body once more.

"Fucking hell you are." Joker muttered with a fire and called for one of their friends to help stand him up. "I did not come all this way, watch you sacrifice yourself for everyone else well being, just so you could go weak titty on me so close to the finish." As they lifted John's limp body upright, Jeff whispered into his ear, "You will not give up. You hear me, John?"

"You. Will. Not. Die."

000

Entering the room, Anto once again gave his small speech to the slaves, and once again she said her part; this time a little bit more prepared, and took her seat. Not a second after she had sat down, slaves were being brought for inspection. The crew was clearly not wasting any time.

As the first group of five stood before her, she was sickened by the deplorable conditions the males had been kept in. Unlike the female cage; which had bunk-beds and a few simple lavatories for sanitation, the males had no such amenities. They slept on unforgiving deck platting, had tatty blankets to keep warm, had a few metal buckets to do their business in, and were fed via a trough. And from their dirty and smelly appearance, keeping them sanitary hadn't been a priority.

By the Goddess, livestock was treated better.

It was of no surprise then that their health was just as abhorrent as their living conditions. Many had lesions on their bodies, their immune systems showed they'd recently combated a viral pathogen, and they were all malnourished. However, like the females, none of the males she had so far examined were in need of emergency treatment. Just bed-rest, fluids, and three square meals.

"Hows it looking, doctor?"

As she cleared the third group, Liara yelped in surprise at the hand on her shoulder. She saw that Anto was saying something, but she had been so preoccupied in her work that she missed it. "I'm sorry. What did you ask?"

"How. Are. They. Looking?"

She hated when people talked to her in a slow, elongated way, like she was some little schoolgirl. "They're in rough shape... Very rough shape." she repeated and her tone turned unfriendly, "I strongly urge you to reinvest some of your profits into installing some new systems aboard your ship."

"Such as?" Anto mused as he crossed his arms.

"For starters, you can duplicate all the amenities you have in the females cage into the males." administering disinfectant and bandaging a sore on a slaves leg, "These lesions are completely preventable, and when left untreated, can become infected; killing the host. As a slaver, I'd imagine you'd want to keep your cargo alive."

"Don't you think we've tried this?"

"Excuse me?"

"Originally, both cells had much more. But do you know what happened?" it was a rhetorical question, "The males tore apart the bed frames to make knives and attacked my men, even killed a few... So the beds were removed." he paused and gestured to the food trough, "We used to provide the slaves with wooden bowls and spoons, but they'd grind them down into shivs... So they were taken away." he gestured with a head nod to the back of the cell, "The males used to have a latrine, but it was taken out after they broke it apart and used the plumbing to make a primitive gun."

"By the Goddess!" Liara had a stupefied look upon her face, "What did they use for ammo?"

"They lifted a pen, and a lighter from one of my guards."

"And the propellant?"

An expression of wonder and praise spread across Anto's face, "They found a way to collect and pressurize the methane from their excrement." Liara's hand went to her mouth, "The gun may have killed one of my men, but it's construction was quite imaginative given the slaves limited access to resources." after a sigh he added, "Believe me when I say this, Doctor: Never underestimate a human's inventiveness when death is on the line."

"I'll keep that in mind." Liara replied with a little tinge of embarrassment and went back to work.

Part 1 of 2 end

A/N: so this chapter will be a two part-er cause frankly it would end up being way too long. Second part will be up within a few days.