[I have a business proposition for you. Meet me at the Flux on the Upper Wards at 7.
Saren Arterius]

Jane closed her omni tool after re-reading the message Saren sent her. She looked up and nodded to the security guy at the entrance and stepped into the Flux. It was almost 7, but as she entered she didn't see the turian anywhere in the club so she decided she still had some time for a drink.

She stepped to the bar and ordered a whiskey while looking at the only few people dancing on the floor. She then sat down next to the giant windows looking over the wards, and shook her head smiling as she looked at the dancing humans weirdly moving around, clearly drunk enough to really let themselves go. She wished she was in the mood to dance too, but it wasn't the case.

She was eager to become a spectre but the last couple months have been a disappointment for her. Nihlus was a workaholic, always paying attention to every detail, taking every assignment with attention and carefulness that amazed her. He was very strict with her and had high expectations, and provided her with great insight into being a spectre, but at the same time she was bored out of her mind. Most of his assignments were low key but important jobs, most of the time guarding something important, or overseeing operations vital in some sort of way to the Council.

But what she really wanted was to work on the field. Chase geth, blow up radical batarians, catch war criminals and major arms dealers. She wanted to see the dark side of the galaxy burn. Nihlus was a great mentor but that wasn't what she needed. She was craving some real action by now. That was the main reason she decided to listen to whatever Saren had to say. She had no idea what he wanted, but judging from the look in his eyes last time, he wasn't the calm, Nihlus type.

He seemed like someone who wouldn't stop until they single handedly eradicated a crime syndicate from the face of the galaxy. She was hoping that whatever he had in mind would give her an opportunity to show her worth.

But she didn't hold high hopes, considering the fact that he seemed an absolute xenophobe. And he made that very clear when they met last time.

But her thoughts ended as soon as a glass of bright blue drink was put on her table. He saw three ungloved, sharp talons next to the glass, that belonged to a turian undoubtedly. She looked up to see the face, and saw the exact same blue eyes she saw two months ago. The same unpainted face of Saren Arterius who just sit down across from her, casually taking his place, but looking somehow regal at the same time. He had a tight, black robe on and a matching scarf wrapped around his neck. His face was completely void of any emotion.

"Jane Shepard." he said, as means of greeting.

"Saren Arterius." she replied officially, while nodding.

Saren looked at her, and even though she was wearing just jeans and a black top, she looked very serious. Her bright red hair was all over and around her shoulders and collarbone, untamed, as is, but still not looking messy. Whatever she was thinking in her mind, he had no idea about, he couldn't read her face apart from the fire in her eyes that might have been a constant for her.

"You must wonder why I invited you." he started, taking a sip from his drink. She was watching his every move, he could tell. She was suspicious? "Our introduction had a bit of a rocky start."

"I am curious what you might want from a tiny human girl like me, after that.." she replied, teasing him. His mandibles slightly moved watching her expression. Contrary to what she said, she was everything but a tiny girl. She was small, yes, but she carried herself like a military leader who's been a spectre since birth. He only said that last time to see what her reaction might be.

"Nihlus told me about you, and your problems."

Problems?

Her eyes visibly fired up as she heard that word: "My problems?" she asked back immediately.

A sly, bright smile appeared on his face. She could tell already that he enjoyed teasing her.

"Spectres are protectors of the peace in the galaxy. That includes a lot of things." he started, now serious "Sometimes our job is… not the most exciting as opposed to what the civilians and the rest of the military thinks. Nihlus is the beacon of that. But it is not all there is to it."

"Really?" she asked, intrigued, taking a sip from her drink. They looked deep into each other's eyes as the noises of the club started to disappear.

"Absolutely. I have heard you are looking for assignments that are more… hands on." his head tilted a bit at the last words, like he knew that what he was going to say will hit the nail on the head with her "I share that kind of thinking."

Now they were talking.

A large smile appeared on Jane's face, that showed Saren they might understand each other a bit more than he originally thought.

"Spectres choose if they want to work alone or in groups, temporarily or permanently, and that goes for you as well." he leaned in and looked her deep in the eye, like a predator hunting its prey. "Partner with me."

They shared a silent moment. It was as if they were the only people in the club. It seemed for a second like they almost didn't have to figure each other out anymore. Everything was crystal clear, and Jane saw an opportunity that was exactly what she needed. But this turian wasn't getting everything right away. She leaned back with a smile on her face and finished her drink.

"Why would you want to partner with me? On top of that,what makes you think I want to partner with you?" she asked softly. A little sarcastic laugh escaped him while he too leaned back.

"You do not belong with Nihlus and you know it want the same thing."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." he nodded, confident.

"Well Saren, then let me tell you what I want." she smiled for a second, but soon her expression turned serious, stern. If Saren was serious about this, this was the time to confirm that.

"I've had enough of law enforcement tolerating the criminal underworld, and species focusing on pointless military advancement while destroying the peace they vowed for. I'm sick of politicians and their retarded laws. They never want anyone to know how weak their system is and how close the bad guys can get, but they act like their asses are made of gold... I'm sick of pretending to be someone who tolerates this fucking shit and letting things slide for power or because bureaucracy. Half of the galaxy is disgusting, but acts like a saint. And the other half acts like they are so strong and ready to face challenges and injustice, but somehow they are always afraid to take real action."

She spoke so strongly, her words sucked him in completely.

"I want to see the rotten part of the galaxy burn, and I will burn it. With or without you."

Her eyes threw sparks he never saw before, talking to something so deep and primal within him, his hand clenched into a fist. Hearing his almost exact own thoughts out loud felt like a bolt of electricity shooting through him. He hated humans, but her… it almost felt like she wasn't even one of them. What she said was the reason he became a spectre. He couldn't stop himself from feeling explosive joy deep inside.

Finally, someone.

"But without me, it will take longer." was his response, looking deep into her eyes, letting the fire in them reach him too.

Something was happening.

They were sitting here, strangers with drinks, almost glued to their chairs, getting lost in the future that they both thought was only theirs. And somehow they both instinctively raised their glasses to toast.

But a ringtone interrupted them. Saren closed his eyes with a face of an angry beast and he reached for his omni tool.

"It'll only be a moment." he said to Jane as he picked up the call "I highly recommend this is something extremely urgent, because if not, I'm going to kill you..." he answered the phone, and Jane excused herself quickly. Her glass was almost empty and she wanted to get another one anyways, so she decided to let him take the call. She stood up and left the turian at the table and went to the bar.

"Whiskey, neat, please." she said to the bartender girl who started preparing her drink. She watched her looking for the bottle in the fridge behind the bar as she was thinking about what she just heard.

The look in his eyes was menacing, like that of a demon coming out of millions of years of hiding. She smiled to herself.

"Hey baby!" she heard right next to her ears, and noticed that a guy was standing on her right, dangerously close. It was a human, visibly drunk with a couple friends behind him, who were busy picking out what they wanted to drink. She quickly realized they were the group she saw dancing on the floor just a couple minutes ago. She took a discreet step to the left to distance herself from the man:

"Get lost!" she said with a look of disdain.

"Wow, rude!" the drunktard said "I just wanted to say hello since you're so beautiful, my baby!"

She rolled her eyes as she received her drink and prepared to pay. This club used to be a nice place...

"I said get lost, I don't want to talk to you."

But what came next sent a jolt of anger through her body she could not control.

Saren in the meanwhile was absolutely outraged, listening to his contact over the comms. He thought his lab on Noveria was finally in intelligent hands, but it seemed that wasn't the case, and now it was an emergency.

"I will be there as soon as I can" he said to his contact "Try not to blow up the lab until I get there! Idiots..." and with that he aggressively ended the call and chugged his drink. He looked up to see if Jane had finished at the bar, because now he had to go, and could not waste a second.

But the sight that opened up to him was not what he expected.

A human was standing next to Jane, leaning from one leg to the other without control, clearly wasted. He heard her sending him away, but not even a second later he saw the man aggressively grope her bottom. It didn't last long: she moved so fast, the poor fucker didn't even know what hit him. She sent her elbows directly into his face and the guy fell back a couple steps.

He chuckled under his nose, seeing how the guy's nose was bleeding to the floor in a moment.

"Oh lord!" the bartender girl squealed.

"What the fuck?" the other guys turned to see their friend almost fall to the ground by the force of her hit "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What do you think, dumbass?" she replied aggressively, and the fire in her eyes came alive.

"Who do you think you are, you bitch?"

Saren stood up instinctively.

The rest of the men came at her like wild dogs, and his eyes widened as he saw how they attacked one of their own kind, a woman on top of that. But she was up for the task and evaded them like it was nothing for her. The men quickly surrounded her and even after she took out three of them with deadly precision, three remained. She smiled as she leaned in for another punch, sending the one in the middle to the ground, and a close second after that she raised her left hand to slap the other one to the floor as well. He smiled as he watched her practically eliminate these guys without breaking a sweat, and even enjoying it.

She seemed to be one of a kind indeed.

But as she took down the second one, the third one moved his hands next to his leg, and Saren saw something gleam in it. It was a knife, he knew instantly. Jane was facing the other way around and only the bartender girl noticed the knife as the thug raised it up to stab her right in the back. Jane turned, noticing the knife and preparing herself in her mind to disarm him.

But it wasn't needed as she saw sharp talons wrap around the man's neck from behind, lifting him up from the ground. He lost his breath and his feet started dangling in the air as Saren picked him up like a dirty sack of potatoes. The security guy at the door just arrived to see what was happening, freezing in his moves.

"Filthy scum" Saren growled, tightening his grip around the thug's neck. He dropped the knife and he let him go, so the guy fell to the ground like the others did. "I should shoot all of you dead..."

"Now get the hell out of here!" Jane commanded, grabbing one of the guys and throwing him towards the exit. They started to pick themselves up from the floor and limp to the exit of the club. The security guy just stood there, watching them one by one as they grunted in pain.

"Thanks!" Jane said as she turned to face Saren, a victorious grin on her face.

She was just assaulted by some scum and she looked more alive than ever before. Saren wasn't sure why that was, but it seems she indeed was crazy. She was going to need that if she comes with him.

"Excuse me, this is a reputable place.." came from behind their backs, the security guy approaching them slowly like a shy, old turtle. "You can't fight here. Please leave."

"I am not so sure about that… " Jane commented.

"She just got groped and assaulted in this shitty excuse of a pub, and now you want to kick us out too?" Saren asked with not a small amount of disgust in his eyes "Attacking spectres is open defiance of lawful authority, so I suggest you at least give her free drinks or stay silent and you might not suffer the same fate those thugs did."

The guy was dumbfounded.

"Come, I"ll prepare some drinks for you." said the bartender completely ignoring the security guy, who slowly backed away without saying a word. They sat down at the bar and waited for their free drinks.

"Do you use being a spectre as excuse for everything?" Jane casually asked.

Saren's expression was becoming darker by the minute.

"Don't ask stupid questions. It is not an excuse, it's reality." his reply made her smile. He was so cold now, not like before, he could rival with an iceberg and win. In a minute their drinks arrived. "So" Saren started "What do you say?"

He held his drink out for her to toast.

She softly reached out while looking into his eyes and slowly clinked her glass to his.

"I'm in" was all she said. She smiled, her almond eyes lighting up. He never thought he would ever have a human as a partner, let alone ask one himself. He hated humans from the bottom of his heart, but this one seemed like they might actually end up having fun together.

They downed their drinks and he slammed his glass on the bartop, standing up.

"Then let's go."

Jane looked at him, a bit taken aback. "What? Right now?"

"I just got a call from one of my labs. There is an emergency and I am needed on Noveria immediately. I cannot stay on the Citadel." he stepped away from the bar "So if you want to be my partner, then I suggest you hurry. You have an hour to pack whatever you have. Meet me at the hangars, if you're not there on time, I will leave without you."

He had some nerves to order her around, that's for sure.

"Don't worry, I'll be there."

Jane stepped out of the elevator and walked the steps to reach C-Sec HQ with a bag in her hand. She passed by the offices to reach the turbolift that led to the restricted hangars only reachable from C-Sec. These were the docks that were only occupied by C-Sec and military ships.

Her hands were almost shaking. All of her life all she worked for was to break out from the dirt, the pain and the box society put her in. She felt like she was leaping into the sky now, finally strong enough and having enough power to be free. And if she had to work together with a turian spectre like Saren, then so be it.

And as she reached the elevator, there he was. Standing on the stairs leading to the controls, he was giant. Taller and stronger than any of the many turians in the hall, with eyes that shone through the whole room. His posture was that of a king, his black robe fitting him like a glove. It was apparent that he was a spectre through to the bone, and everyone who just passed by only dared to look at him from the corner of the eye.

She stopped in her tracks, just looking into his eyes from afar. And as the people passed between them, he also looked at her, deep in thought.

She was such a short, delicate woman on the first look, in her jeans, but he only had to look in her eyes to see what lingered inside. A demon of life, hungry for action. He could tell her whole being attracted attention naturally, as the turians around all turned to look at her, to just catch a glimpse of her. She had an aura about her that made it unmistakable that she wasn't fitting into society. He couldn't deny the feeling that a spectre was being born right in front of his eyes.

She slowly started again and stepped up the stairs, looking right into his eyes the whole time. She was indeed ready to go with him, and do whatever was necessary. He somehow saw a piece of himself inside her, and because of it he felt like he had known her for years. And as she reached the last step on the stairs, her mouth curved into a very small, mysterious smile. She wasn't afraid of him for a second.

What a creature.

Meanwhile on the other side of the hall Nihlus was stepping out of the administration offices. He was done with paperwork and running around for today and decided to retire to his ship. But when he came around the corner, he witnessed something he never thought he would see. Ever.

Saren was standing at the hangar turbolift, and Jane going right to him up the stairs. As she reached her last step, the turian's left hand extended and Nihlus' jaw dropped. Saren reached his hand out, right to the human, and Jane comfortably took it to take her last step.

Saren was ruthless, but he was always a master of seduction and protocol when it came to getting what he wanted - especially with women, like Councilor Tevos and various asari matriarchs -, but he never thought he would see the day of Saren showing decency towards any human. Even if just for show. From this point, Nihlus knew that he indeed chose the best candidate to fill the spot of the first human spectre. As Jane took the last step, her hand in the most dangerous spectre's hand, she looked like a queen.

And she felt like one.

Saren's talons were cold, but not nearly as cold as she imagined. It was a very strange sensation. She arrived next to him without a word said, and he nodded. They summoned the elevator and stepped in. As they turned to wait for the door to close, Saren saw Nihlus at the far end of the hall, his face consumed in a giant smile. Saren rolled his eyes as the doors blocked the hall out, and the elevator started to rise. No words were spoken, but as the turbolift opened at dock 423 and they stepped out, a curse left Jane's mouth that Saren's translator couldn't pick up.

This was one of the private docks, and there was only one ship in it at the moment, which could only be Saren's: and Jane almost ran to it.

The ship docked was an incredibly beautiful frigate. It was a lot smaller than Nihlus' ship - which carried a fairly large crew - but it was still commendable in size. But what made it truly elegant was the plating. It's surface was one giant mirror, it seemed almost fluid, reflecting everything around, including them. She could see herself standing on the dock, and Saren stepping behind her back.

"This shell plating..." she exhaled, mesmerized.

"It's an extremely durable type of mirror, specifically developed for space travel. Custom made. Obviously." he said, looking at the ship and Jane's reflection in it.

"But this is…" she hummed, speechless.

"It's very useful..." he started, but was immediately interrupted by Jane:

"It reflects everything. In space, this makes you practically invisible without the need to use expensive stealth technology. It's the simplest optical camouflage. I imagine this should work wonders out there."

"It does indeed."

"Who designed this beauty?" she asked. It must have been a magician.

"It is a fully custom ship, made by the best turian engineers." he said, not shy. He was proud of this ship, and it wasn't every day he could show it off. He wasn't all excited for material things, but being a spectre had its advantages. "The casing was my idea." he added "So you better take care for this ship while you're on it. I won't have it damaged by anything."

She couldn't help but smile.

"And what's the name?"

His voice was thick with pride. It coudn't have a more fitting name.

"Sovereign."