AN: Again, thank you for the reviews. A salute to Hopelessly Blue who provided quite a convincing argument as to why I should post this quickly. I'll confess, I struggled with this chapter. I believe Samara to be an infinitely complex character and it felt hard to capture that on paper. But, I have been reassured that it becomes easier with practice. Enjoy.
The Justicar
'A hundred and twenty three days, two hours and sixteen minutes since I killed my daughter,'Samara thought as she stared at the stars drifting past the windows of the Starboard Observation Room in the Normandy SR2. 'Fifteen days and eight hours since I should've left this ship.'
She sighed and let go of her biotics, watching the pathetic blue ball that she had kept above her hands die. She had not been able to meditate tonight, her mind in turmoil for all the choices that she had to make and have already made. Some days her choices seemed easy, right. When you lived to be a thousand you learned quickly not to let regret rule you. But then other days, she could not help but wonder if she had made the right ones for herself and others.
And then there was the other matter.
It was time for her to leave the Normandy. She had done what she had promised, helping Shepard to travel through the Omega 4 Relay and attack the Collectors in their home base. It had been a feat that she had not seen in her millennia of life but then again, Shepard was like no other she had ever met. In all the years that she had lived, no face had shined as clearly as that of Jane Shepard. She had stirred up emotions in the Justicar she had not thought she could still feel. Samara blamed it on her vulnerability; on the rawness that killing Morinth had left on her soul. Not a moment went by that she did not think of her daughter but when she was with Shepard, that pain dimmed.
That was why she had not yet left, why she was stalling in retracting the Oath she had given to Shepard and continuing with her own Code.
The Justicar's Code.
Sighing again, Samara was about to push herself up when she heard the polite beep of EDI, the ship's artificial intelligence. It intrigued her that the AI seemed to treat her with some semblance of respect. The beep was her way of 'knocking' – something she didn't do with the other crew members. And, she had the savvy not to bother Samara when she was meditating.
"You may speak EDI," she said simply, keeping her hands on her knees and her gaze turned to the stars. Her daughter had loved staring at the stars when she was younger... Stop it.
"I'm sorry to trouble you Justicar," the AI said formally, her tone polite and almost apologetic. "But, I have intercepted a message that I thought might interest you."
Raising an eyebrow, Samara turned to the console where the AI normally appeared. When she looked there, EDI flashed to life. "What is it?" she queried, thinking that the holographic pin points also looked like tiny stars.
"I intercepted a distress call from a planet on the other side of the system an hour ago," EDI started. "A band of turians running combat tests had a run in with some Blue Suns and Eclipse mercenaries. They were outnumbered very quickly."
Frowning, Samara pushed herself up so that she could step up to the console to look at the AI 'face to face' so to speak. "Why do you only tell us of this now?" she queried. "And, have you told Shepard? If it happened an hour ago, it's too late to send a rescue team."
If EDI had shoulders, she would've shrugged. "By my calculations we would've already been too late, considering the strength of the mercenary numbers and the level of skill that two bands would show. It would've been a waste of time."
Not for the dead, Samara thought bitterly and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why are you telling me this?" she queried. "If you have clearly deemed it to be none of our concern."
She wasn't sure if she imagined it, but the AI seemed to hesitate for just a split second. "A second message that I have intercepted hinted to the presence of a rogue Ardat Yakshi and there is strong evidence to suggest that she was the reason the mercenaries attacked. This is why I believe this information concerns you Justicar."
Her first, instinctive reaction was to ask EDI call her daughters immediately. To date she had not done so from the ship as she didn't want to let Cerberus know of their location. In the crew, only Shepard knew that she had had three daughters and only a handful of them knew that Morinth had been her own. She immediately quelled the urge, choosing to turn her gaze back to the window and the stars beyond. When she didn't' speak for a long time, EDI carefully prompted her.
"Should I inform Commander Shepard of this matter?"
And give me a chance to kill another one of my daughters? Or someone else's?
"I'll do so EDI," she said and turned to the door. "Thank you for telling me. You did the right thing."
The AI misunderstood her and replied nonchalantly.
"Of course Justicar, that is what I was programmed to do."
She paused in front of the Captain's Cabin, carefully touching the cool iron of the door. She had the Commander had not had a lot of time to talk since they came back from the Omega 4 Relay. Shepard had been busy trying to convince the Alliance and the Council of what they had seen. Against all the odds, her experiences were dismissed and even Councilman Udina had dismissed her claims as fantasy. It puzzled Samara to no end that, despite everything Shepard had done for the Council and humanity that they still did not take her seriously.
When the door opened, Samara stepped in carefully, her gaze searching for the Commander. She was seated at her desk, a data pad open in front of her and her auburn hair somewhat messed up as if she had been running her hands through them in either irritation or worry. But, she still smiled when she turned to welcome Samara, her green eyes searching the Justicar's face.
Their last meeting had been… intense.
'I have been thinking,' Shepard had said when she came to her, her gaze more intense than usual. 'And you don't have to leave. We fight the Collectors, we're protecting humanity. This could be a part of your code.'
She had looked at Shepard sadly, knowing that although she was a very enlightened woman, she was still very young and did not see the bigger picture. 'I have to go Shepard,' she said simply. 'I cannot follow my code here but, please know - You may call on me for aid at any time,'she had promised the woman. 'I will come for you Shepard.''
"Samara," Shepad said when she stood up. "I've been meaning to come and talk to you but I have been…"
"Busy," Samara finished for her, allowing herself a small smile. "I understand Commander, you have a lot on your mind."
Shepard chuckled bitterly and motioned Samara to the couches on the lower level of her room. "Everybody has," she said. "I claim no exception. Can I get you anything..." She trailed off when Samara held up her hand.
"No," she said quickly. "Another time perhaps but I must discuss something urgent with you."
The woman's eyes became cautious. She was so used to people asking her suicidal favours that she approached any request with a decent amount of hesitation. But, she nodded and smiled at Samara, urging her not by words but by her silence to speak further.
"EDI came to me with a report," she said. "Saying that there is an Ardat Yakshi on a planet quite close to here. Some mercenaries attacked it, undoubtedly to capture her. As you have witnessed, they can be formidable weapons." She hesitated. "I... would like to investigate this matter. If it is convenient, I would appreciate it if you take me there."
Shepard blinked and touched her face as she was in the habit of doing, tracing an unseen line from her ear to her cheek. "And leave you?" the Commander queried surprised.
Samara made sure to keep her face neutral. "If that is what you wish," she said. "I realize that this cannot take up your time."
Jane shook her head immediately, making her hair stand even more on end. "No," she said. "We don't need to leave you. I would be interested to see where this leads; we have nothing pressing to do at the moment. And I think the crew would appreciate the distraction. EDI?"
"Present Shepard," the AI toned. "Should I tell Jeff to plot a course?"
Jane's mouth thinned ever so slightly at the thought that EDI had been listening in on their conversation. "Ask him," she said. "Nicely. And tell Miranda to meet me in the briefing room so that we can review the situation."
"Of course," the AI said. "Logging you out Shepard."
The Commander sighed at her words and gave Samara a miserable look. "I'm never sure if she's really gone," she pointed out. "But, I have to trust all of my crew members, right?" Her face became a little bit more serious. "Do you think it is one of your daughters?"
Samara shook her head, still keeping her expression neutral even though her heart tightened. "I doubt," she said. "They are... content in their seclusion."
"As you are content with your code?" The moment she said it, a look of pure regret crossed Jane's features and she almost reached out to touch the Justicar but hesitated and dropped her head. "Samara I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
Sighing deeply, Samara nodded slowly and briefly reached out and touched Jane's shoulder. "I know," she said softly. "Thank you for helping me with this Jane, I appreciate it."
The Commander nodded, keeping her face neutral but allowing a touch of warmth to reach out to Samara in her voice. "That's what friends are for Samara," she said slowly and turned to a portrait that was lying face down on her desk. "To help each other, where others won't..."
The End of Chapter 3
Coming soon – Chapter 4: Balance
