pOn Zesmeni, a large force of turians were investigating the destroyed compound. Commander Novius Sanction was in charge of the investigation. Looking over the ruins, he sighed. An entire cabal missing, after going rogue on a mission that no one had authorized. Now they had found seven of them dead. And they were still trying to figure out what they were doing here to begin with./p
pOne of the commander's men ran up to him, an asari woman right behind. Novius turned, acknowledging the man's salute./p
p"Justicar Dahlira Tioris, sir," the soldier said, out of breath. He'd probably had to outrun the asari woman to deliver the message before she arrived. /p
p"Dismissed," Novius said to his man. He'd heard of Justicars before, but he'd never seen one. She certainly looked impressive, purple tinged blue skin, protecting herself with a mass effect bubble just over her skin. "To what do I owe the honor, Justicar?"/p
p"Have you ever heard of an Ardat-Yakshi, Commander?" she asked, walking past him to assess the scene herself. /p
p"Can't say that I have," Novius replied. /p
p"Good. If you had, it would have been after tragedy," Dahlira said. "As I can see here. Were these your men?"/p
p"No, but I've been put in charge of finding them," Novius replied. /p
p"You've found them. I suggest you do not dig further, Commander," the Justicar said. "The rest is an asari matter. I will handle things from here."/p
p"I'm afraid that's not all," Novius said. "There are supposed to be three more of them. It's my duty to find them, and to find out what happened."/p
p"How unfortunate, though it does let some pieces fall into place," Dahlira said. "Very well, I shall tell the ship that delivered me to leave. Since we seem to be going to same way, I will accompany you on your ship."/p
p"Am I supposed to be honored?" Novius asked. /p
p"You can be, but it's only a matter of convenience," Dahlira said. "This monastery housed four Ardat-Yakshi, very dangerous asari meant to be isolated from all of society. Some of your men must have helped them escape with their ship."/p
p"You don't think you might be jumping to conclusions, there?" Novius asked, walking fast to keep up with the Justicar's effortless glide. "Who's to say they weren't forced into helping?"/p
p"Forced or not, they helped," Dahlira replied. "And as I cannot foresee a reason for a turian unit to be here in the first place, I can only imagine that they had prior contact with the monastery. At least some of them, in any case."/p
p"If they're as dangerous as you say, how do I know they didn't mind control my men?" Novius shot back. Dahlira sighed./p
p"I do not have time for your petty pride, Commander," she said, rounding on him. /p
p"Excuse me?" Novius demanded. He waved a hand back. "I have seven dead soldiers, Justicar. Seven. This isn't about pride, it's about finding out who killed my damn soldiers!"/p
p"Very well, when we are aboard your ship, I will tell you what I know," Dahlira said. "But we cannot tarry here. Every moment we waste is another life at stake."/p
p"... fine," Novius said. He turned, ordering his men back to the ship. They packed up quickly, and Novius made sure everything was running smoothly before he met the Justicar in his quarters. /p
p"This is a little inappropriate considering our history, don't you think?" asked. Dahlira laughed, holding up a picture of a young turian soldier./p
p"Your daughter?" she asked. Novius sighed, then nodded./p
p"At her first command. I'm very proud," he said. /p
p"I'm sure she's earned that pride," Dahlira said. "Besides, when did you get so serious, Novius?"/p
p"When I was put in charge of other people's lives," the commander replied. "Now, are you going to tell me what brings a Justicar to a mining planet?"/p
p"Very well," Dahlira said, setting the picture down. "This was a monastery for the isolation of Ardat-Yakshi. They're very dangerous; the meld causes them to kill their mates. And it's addictive."/p
p"So we have four asari killers on the loose?" Novius asked. He could feel a headache coming on./p
p"Not necessarily," Dahlira replied. "We isolate them before they kill anyone. They may not have killed since leaving. But killing does cause them to become more and more powerful."/p
p"And that's why you're here," Novius said. Then he sighed. "Well, for all my prickles, in this case, I'm glad to have you aboard."/p
p"I'm glad to hear it, commander," Dahlira said. "Where do you intend to go next?"/p
p"Omega," Novius replied. "The Scavenger wasn't stocked for a long trip; it's the only place nearby they'd be able to resupply without anyone asking questions."/p
p"Let's hope they haven't gone further than that," Dahlira said. Novius nodded his agreement./p
p /p
pCnasius swore as the part he was working on gave off sparks. He shook his natural hand, then looked at it, assessing it for damage. With another curse, he went back to work, forcing the piece into place. Just as he managed it, Zax came bounding into the room and up to him. The turian paused, absently petting the varren as he looked up to see its owner./p
p"Thought you said the repairs were done when we left," the krogan said, looking over his work./p
p"They were," Cnasius said. "But there's always room for calibrations."/p
p"Calibrations, huh?" Wrur asked. "Looks more like running away to me."/p
p"Excuse me?" Cnasius asked. Wrur shrugged, Zax running to bounce around his master's legs. /p
p"I've lost people myself, kid," he said. "My whole clan, in fact."/p
p"Right," Cnasius said, finding a place to sit. "Is this the part where you tell me how revenge is stupid and won't change anything?"/p
p"You seemed to have covered it yourself right there," the krogan replied drily. "I'm not gonna stop you, kid. I took my revenge. I hunted down every last motherfucker who helped kill my clan and sent them to the Void. I won't deny that to anyone else."/p
p"Then what do you want?" Cnasius demanded. Wrur chuckled and shook his head. /p
p"To tell you it doesn't go away," he said. "The voices. The sights. The smells. You're gonna carry their deaths to your grave, kid. Don't think that revenge is gonna shut them up, because it won't."/p
p"Why are you telling me this?" Cnasius asked. Wrur turned, walking out of the engine bay. /p
p"You can't run away from them, kid. They're gonna catch up to you sooner or later," he said. "So don't run away from everyone else, too."/p
pCnasius stared after him, then groaned in frustration and buried his head in his hands. After a few moments, he looked up, to find Zax sitting and staring at him. With a sigh, the turian rose, and wandered into the ship's common area. Nyxanis and Darajul were there; the former looking out an observation window, the latter cleaning a sniper rifle. Cnasius moved across the room to stand next to the asari, looking out the window./p
p"I had a friend," he started, startling Nyxanis, "Who told me she liked to look at the stars before a mission because it reminded her of how much more was out there."/p
p"I… I am… afraid I don't… understand," the asari said. Cnasius shrugged./p
p"Neither did I," he said. "It's just… it reminded me of her. You standing here, I mean."/p
p"Oh I… I see," Nyxanis said. "She was… was there, then?"/p
p"... yeah," Cnasius said, looking out at the stars. "She was there."/p
p"... were… were you… really going to, to shoot her?" Nyxanis asked. Cnaius looked at her. The asari looked away. "I just… I was just… wondering."/p
p"... no," Cnasius said, looking back out of the window. "I wanted to. No, that's not it. I wanted to want to."/p
p"What… what does the mean?" Nyxanis asked. Cnasius was silent for some time before answering./p
p"I was angry. It felt like I was burning with it, like I just had to lash out and hurt something. Anlonia made sense. We were… together, for five years, and friends before that. And then she helped betray us. I watched her shoot my best friend in the back. But… but at the same time, I still had… strong feelings for her."/p
p"You… you didn't… love her?" Nyxanis asked. She watched the turians profile as he spoke. Cnasius sighed, putting a hand against the glass. It was his left, the mechanical one. Seeing his hand seemed to surprise him, and he pulled it back, turning it over as he examined it./p
p"I did once. Maybe I still do. I don't know. Things got… distant, towards the end. We didn't fight, but… it felt like we were just going through the motions. She broke things off," Cnasius said. "Looking back, maybe I was the only one that didn't see it coming."/p
p"That sounds awful," Nyxanis said softly, looking out at the stars. Cnasius looked at her, letting his hand drop. He watched her for a few moments./p
p"What can you tell me about the others?" he asked. Nyxanis glanced at him, then away./p
p"Shianis is their, their leader, I guess," she said. "She… she used to mostly run the, the monastery. She's… she scares me. Reminds me of my, my sister."/p
p"Your sister?" Cnasius asked. Nyxanis nodded./p
p"I… I have two. Ne'esia and, and Alena. Alena is, is younger than me. She's… she's with Shianis and, and Lineris. Ne'esia is, is… dead," she said. Cnasius watched the asari, noting the way she wrapped her arms around herself./p
p"Do you… want to talk about it?" he asked. Nyxanis glanced at him, then away./p
p"No… no, not really. I… I can tell you… about Alena, but… not Ne'esia," She said. "Not now."/p
p"... alright," Cnasius said. There was some minutes of silence between them before Nyxanis went on./p
p"Alena is… dangerous. But not… not very smart. She's… arrogant. Thinks she can, can become a goddess," the asari said. "But Lineris… Lineris is, is alright. She just… just wants to be free. She always, always talked about her mother's garden. I think she just, just wanted to… grow things."/p
p"She couldn't do that on Zesmeni?" Cnasius asked. Nyxanis sighed./p
p"We had… had gardens but… she missed the, the work, of growing things… outside," she said. "And… and her mother, I think."/p
p"Well who wouldn't miss their mother…" Cnasius said, almost to himself. /p
p"I don't," Darajul replied, sneering. Cnasius turned to look at her as she kept at her weapon. "Wah, wah, wah, I don't get to see my mommy. I just get to live in the lap of luxury, never having to worry about providing for myself. Woe is fucking me."/p
p"You do realize no one was talking to you, right?" Cnasius asked. Darajul barked a laugh./p
p"Right, because that's supposed to stop me," she said. "You two want to whine about your problems, do it somewhere else. I'm sick of this bullshit; little miss perfect asari moping about like she's trying to win a prize for meekness, that krogan asshole acting like he owns the place and you stalking the engineering bay like some kind of insect that attracts mates by brooding."/p
p"What is your problem?" Cnasius asked, stepping up to the batarian. She glowered up at him. /p
p"My problem is you and your sanctimonious revenge," she said. "If it weren't for you, Ariidna would have been able to carry out her plan, assassinate that bitch that birthed me, and I would have been captain of her ship. Now I'm on the run, chasing a bunch of asaris and some shit turians waiting for the message I'll get for betraying my mother. And why? Because some people died? Shit happens. Get over it."/p
pCnasius didn't remember moving. One minute, he was standing to the side of the batarian, listening to her acidic speech, and the next he was holding the woman up by her neck with his robotic arm. Darajul clawed at the limb, glaring./p
p /p
p"Don't talk about my cabal," he said. He didn't recognize his own voice. "You have no idea what you're talking about."/p
p"Fuck you," the batarian said. Cnasius dropped her unceremoniously. She hit the floor, gasping and massaging her neck. The turian turned, to see Nyxanis staring in shock. He felt shame blossom like a spurt of blood in the pit of his stomach, but buried it. This wasn't like him, but he couldn't apologize. Not after what Darajul had said. /p
pInstead, he stormed into the nearest door. It turned out to be the medbay, and he was surprised to find familiar faces. /p
p"Oh, good, needed to check up on the arm," Dr. Barbok said, ushering Cnasius over to sit. "Any pain? Malfunctions? Causes for concern?"/p
p"No," Cnasius said. Jos'koya stood at a terminal in one corner of the room, taking inventory from what the turian could tell. "What are you doing here?"/p
p"Wrur asked," Barbok said. "Very persuasive, for a krogan. Don't worry about the clinic, gave it to a friend. Said he needed a challenge."/p
p"That's one way of looking at that shit hole," Jos'koya replied. "I was just looking for an excuse to get into space again."/p
p"Again?" Cnasius asked. Jos'koya snorted./p
p"I used to be a commando," she said. "I was discharged for dishonorable conduct. Best I could do after was this pathetic excuse for a doctor and Omega's clinic."/p
p"You act like I asked you," Barbok replied, doing a full check up on Cnasius meanwhile. "As I recall, you needed my help to become a doctor yourself. No training, you see."/p
p"Training my ass," Jos'koya replied. "Barbok wanted to come along because that arm of yours is his crowning achievement. He wants to see how it does. Your krogan friend barely even had to prod."/p
p"With you insisting we stay all the while," Barbok replied. "There. All done. Healthy, at least physically."/p
p"And neither of us are shrinks, so don't ask," Jos'koya replied. Cnasius stood, edging his way out of the room as the salarian and asari continued to bicker. He found the common room empty, and wandered over to the viewing window. There was a planet coming into view, brown and blue. He recognized it from what he'd looked up beforehand. Triginta Petra./p
pThe turian leaned against the window. It was a turian colony. He hoped they weren't too late to catch up to the asari./p
p /p
pWhen they landed, they were met by a female turian with green facial markings. She wore a worn out set of armor, and gave the three who departed the ship, Wrur, Nyxanis, and Cnasius, a once over./p
p"Welcome to Triginta Petra," she said. "I'm Niia Recelus. I'm the local law enforcement here."/p
p"Cnasius Ramtis," the other turian said, shaking her hand. "We don't plan on starting any trouble, officer."/p
p"So you say," Niia replied, eyeing Wrur. The krogan grinned. "Can I ask what your business here is, then?"/p
p"Have you recently seen another asari here?" Cnasius asked. "We just want to ask her some questions."/p
p"Might be that I have," Niia said. "Might be that I like this other asari, and she might not appreciate your questions."/p
p"Please… we, we need to speak with… with her," Nyxanis said. Niia looked at her, and she looked away. The local turian looked back to Cnasius. /p
p"... fine. But no trouble," she said, showing her side arm. Cnasius nodded, and followed as the woman led. The locals, farmers for the most part, eyed them suspiciously. /p
p"Nice place you got here," Wrur remarked. He reached down to scratch Zax, just at the beginning of his neck. The varren made an approving noise. /p
p"We do what we can," Niia said. "I bet we could give Tuchanka a run for its money."/p
pWrur laughed, which surprised the turians./p
p"I take it you've been there," he said. "You should have seen it before."/p
p"Before what?" Niia asked. Wrur grinned. /p
p"Before we blew it up," he said. /p
p"Are you saying you were there for it?" Cnasius asked. Wrur shrugged./p
p"Maybe," he replied. /p
p"That would make you over three thousand years old," Cnasius said. /p
p"You stop counting after the first millennia," the krogan replied, scratching his chin. /p
p"You're joking," Cnasius said. /p
p"Not even… not even my people live, live that long," Nyxanis replied. Wrur chuckled./p
p"True, we usually kill each other before we make it that long," he said. "I'm just lucky. Or unlucky. Depends on who you talk to."/p
p"I think you're full of shit, personally," Niia said, cutting in. "But it's not really any of my business."/p
p"Fair enough," Wrur said, as Zax bounded forward. There was an asari out working in a field, one set apart from the others. Niia nodded towards it./p
p"There she is. I'm watching you three," she said, and let them go ahead alone./p
p"Are you really over three thousand years old?" Cnasius asked as they went. /p
p"Four," Wrur replied. "But, like I said, I don't really keep track. I'm alive, that's what counts."/p
p"Lineris," Nyxanis said, catching the other asari's attention. She looked up, then immediately turned to run. "Wait!"/p
p"We just want to talk," Cnasius said, and Lineris paused, she turned, facing them./p
p"Stay right there," she said. "I haven't done anything wrong!"/p
p"I could argue that," Cnasius said, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. He glanced down, then at Wrur. The krogan had suggested leaving their weapons behind. He'd reasoned that Cnasius's problem was really with Salotia, and that Lineris might be more willing to talk with them unarmed. And he was right, for the most part. Cnasius was angry with Lineris, but not the way he'd been with Anlonia. It wasn't personal with Lineris./p
p"Please, please Lineris," Nyxanis said, holding her hands up as she stepped forward. "We just, just want to know where… where Shianis and the, the others have gone."/p
p"Why? So this guy can kill them?" Lineris asked. "I just want to be left alone! I won't even talk to the other turians! Ask them! I haven't spoken to any of them!"/p
p"This isn't about them!" Cnasius said, stepping up next to Nyxanis. He really wished he had his weapon. Carrying it so long, he felt naked without it. "Salotia betrayed us. I want revenge."/p
p"Well too bad!" Lineris said. She and Cnasius had both subconsciously activated their biotics. "I just want a normal life! One where I get to choose! It isn't fair to lock me away because I might be a killer!"/p
p"You are a killer!" Cnasius snapped. "You helped kill my cabal!" /p
p"That's different!" Lineris declared. "You would have killed us! Your leader said so!"/p
p"She's not my leader!" Cnasius replied, arm shooting up at the same time Lineris flared up both of hers. Nyxanis ducked down, covering her head, and nearby, Niia drew her sidearm./p
pAnd then there was nothing. Nyxanis slowly looked up, and then blinked in surprise. Wrur sighed./p
p"I said we'd do this peacefully," he said. He'd grabbed Cnasius's arm and jerked it down. The other was up, and glowing with the biotics he was using to hold both Niia and Lineris. "Hold it together, kid."/p
pCnasius struggled against the krogan's grip, then stopped. He glared, then half growled, half sighed as he looked away and closed his eyes. Wrur waited until the glow had died around the turian's arm before he released him. He looked at Lineris, then Niia, and released them from his biotic hold. Niia slowly lowered her weapon, and Lineris let her arms drop. For a while it was silent./p
p"Lineris…" Nyxanis slowly stood. She hugged herself, but forced herself to look the other asari in the eye. "You… you know my, my sister… Alena… Alena will never, will never be… be peaceful. She… you know what, what she's like. Please… I know… I know you just, just want to be free, but… but if, if not for anything else… please, to stop Alena… please, tell us where, where they went."/p
pLineris glared at Cnasius. The turian hadn't opened his eyes, still struggling with himself. Then she looked at Nyxanis. The other asari flinched. Lineris sighed heavily, then turned back to her farming./p
p"The Citadel," she said. "They said they were going to the Citadel."/p
p"Come on, kid," Wrur said, pushing the turian back towards the ship. Cnasius finally opened his eyes, and shot the asari a look over his shoulder as he let himself be led./p
p"I want you have my planet," Niia said, with vehemence./p
p"With pleasure," Cnasius shot back as he passed her./p
p"Thank… thank you, Lineris," Nyxanis said. Lineris snorted, but said nothing. Nyxanis slowly turned away, watching Lineris as she did, and finally turned and ran to catch up to her companions. She looked at Cnasius, then Wrur. With a gulp, she spoke. "I… I didn't know you, you had biotics, Wrur."/p
p"Tend to keep it close to the belt," the krogan replied. "Makes a nice trump card."/p
p"I… I guess if, if no one knew… it would," Nyxanis replied. There was nothing more she could think of to say, and they reboarded the Amonkira in silence. /p
p /p
pNovius hated Omega./p
pHe had never even been there before and he already hated it with a passion. All the illegal things he saw happening he couldn't stop because it wasn't illegal here. And he didn't have the manpower. Or the time. And they taunted him. They saw him, his ship, his uniform, and they shut down. Or got angry. He'd heard more than one call of 'fuck the police'. Usually before someone threw something at him. They never actually hit him, thanks to his companion./p
pDahlira seemed to be enjoying herself. She smiled at the harassing comments directed at her, usually just before someone ended up in a trashcan. They had been asking all over the station for information on four asari and three turians, but either no one had seen them, or no one would tell them. Novius was convinced it was the later. /p
pThat was when a batarian in gold armor stormed into market place and fired into the air to get everyone's attention./p
p"One hundred thousand credits to anyone who can tell me where a drell bitch went with a krogan, a one armed turian, an asari and a batarian!" she called out. It was dead silent, and then they were on her like flies. She passed them off her men, standing to the side. Novius looked her over, then looked at Dahlira./p
p"You don't think…?" he asked. The Justicar shrugged. /p
p"Even if it was related," she said. "Do you really want to work with that?"/p
p"It's not like we've been able to find anything else…" Novius grumbled, but Dahlira had a point. He groaned, watching the batarian woman listening to various information. "Besides, that wouldn't cover the other three asari, or the other two turians."/p
p"Unless they were looking for them," someone said, causing the turian and the asari to turn. A volus trundled up to them, a datapad in hand. "I couldn't help but overhear. Harla Verlain, at your service."/p
p"And what kind of service would that be?" Novius asked. The volus chuckled, pulling something up on his datapad. He handed it up to Novius./p
p"Is this one of the turians you're looking for?" he asked. It was a security camera still, clearly showing Cnasius and Nyxanis on it./p
p"Yeah, Cnasius Ramtis," he said, tipping the pad so Dahlira could see. "One of yours?"/p
p"Nyxanis T'Leneur," the Justicar replied. The turian handed back the datapad, and Harla accepted./p
p"What do you want, Verlain?" Novius asked, wondering how much this was going to cost him. Harla tapped on his datapad some more./p
p"Well, I could go over there and get a hundred thousand from the good captain," he said. "But you want more information than her, I take it. Why don't we talk somewhere less… public."/p
p"Have you heard of an asari Justicar, Harla?" Dahlira asked. The volus looked her up and down./p
p"Are you threatening me, my dear?" he asked. Dahlira smiled./p
p"If I were threatening you, darling, you would know," she said. Harla tapped his chin, then jumped as a gun was leveled at his head. Captain Tah'hral had stepped between Novius and Dahlira, and smiled cruelly./p
p"If she isn't going to, I am," the batarian said. "Tell me where they went, volus."/p
p"My dear," Harla said, looking at Dahlira calmly. "I believe we can come to an arrangement, don't you?"/p
pDahlira smiled, and Novius groaned. Tah'hral glared at the asari suspiciously, right before the Justicar used her biotics to toss the captain clear across the marketplace. Her men were on them in an instant, civilians fleeing as weapons were drawn./p
p"Was this necessary?" Novius asked, drawing his assault rifle as Dahlira threw up a barrier to block the barrage. She graciously accepted the datapad from Harla, and the volus strolled away./p
p"Look at it this way, Novius," she said. "At least this only costs you ammunition."/p
p"Those are still expensive," the turian replied, raising his weapon. Dahlira pushed out her barrier. The biotics among the batarians managed to stay on their feet, and Novius fired on them. Dahlira surged forward, surrounding herself with an offensive biotic barrier as she tore through their ranks. In a matter of minutes, the batarians were all either dead, injured or gone. Dahlira frowned at the blood covering her as she walked back to Novius./p
p"Your ship has a shower, right?" she asked. Novius sighed, holding out his hand for the datapad. Dahlira gave it to him as they turned, walking towards the docking bay./p
p"If you didn't get so close, you wouldn't need it as much," he replied, looking through the information. Dahlira frowned again./p
p"I can't help that I like punching things," she said. Novius sighed and rolled his eyes. /p
p"Yes, we have showers," he said at last. About twenty minutes after they had left, Captain Tah'hral limped up to her deceased men. She had an assault rifle in her arm, and she snarled at one of the groaning batarians. She kicked him, and something cracked as he rolled away with a gasp. /p
p"C-captain," a female batarian crept from where she'd taken cover. "They overwhelmed us, captain; it was the asari, she-"/p
pTah'hral leveled her rifle and shot the woman in the face. She let her arm drop, then shook her head./p
p"If any of you can still walk, I suggest moving your asses," she said, striding forward as well as she could. "We're leaving."/p
p /p
pSalotia sighed. She was piloting the Scavenger. They would need to get a new ship soon. They probably should have left her at Omega, but some sentiment had stopped the former kabalim from selling the ship. /p
p"Something wrong, my love?" Shianis asked, draping an arm over the turian's shoulder as she slid next to her. Salotia glanced at her, back outside. She didn't speak for some time./p
p"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked. "The Citadel…"/p
p"Is a big place, my love," Salotia said, caressing the turian's cheek. "We can disappear there." /p
p"We could have done that on Omega," Salotia said. "Or even Triginta Petra, if we went far enough. There are thousands of habitable planets without large settlements. Why are we going to the Citadel?"/p
p"Oh, my love," Shianis said, kissing the side of the turian's face. "It's true, I know, but they would have expected us on Omega. It would have only been a matter of time there."/p
p"I suppose you have a point…" Salotia said with a sigh. /p
p"And could you ever be happy, scrounging for sustenance on some lonely world, forgotten on the edge of the galaxy?" Shianis asked. "You're a powerful warrior, my love. You were meant for greater things than a hut in a forest somewhere."/p
p"I… you're right," Salotia said. "I apologize, I just…"/p
p"Shh, no need for apologies," Shianis said. "This is all new, I understand. It's a lot to take in."/p
p"It's a big change," Salotia said. /p
p"And change can be good," Shianis said. "Isn't change what you wanted, my love?"/p
p"Yes, of course it is," the turian replied. Shiania saighed, caressing Salotia's face again./p
p"It will be alright, my love," she said. "Once we're settled, you'll see."/p
p"If you say so," Salotia said. Shianis sighed, and slipped away, leaving the turian to fly the ship. On her way to the common area, she ran into Alena. The other asari grinned./p
p"Done playing with your toy, Shi-shi?" she asked. Shianis frowned./p
p"Don't talk about her like that," she said. Alena laughed./p
p"Oh, don't tell me you actually fell in love with the stiff," she said. Shianis glared. /p
p"Of course not," she said. /p
p"Then what's the problem, Shi-shi?" Alena asked. "I'm only being honest."/p
p"We owe a lot to Salotia," Shianis said. "She betrayed her unit for us."/p
p"For you, you mean," Alena said. "You've got her wrapped around your little finger. Admit it, you love having her enamored with you."/p
p"I'm just making sure we get to the Citadel," Shianis replied, brushing past her fellow asari. Alena laughed again./p
p"Tell yourself what you want, Shi-shi," she said. Then she had a thought, and smiled wickedly. "Of course, when you're done with her, maybe I'll-"/p
p"If you come anywhere near her I will kill you," Shianis said, spinning and pinning Alena to the wall by her neck. Alena chuckled. /p
p"Pretty strong words, considering you don't care for her," she said. Shianis glared, then let her go. /p
p"When we get to the Citadel, you're on your own," she said, turning away. Alena shrugged./p
p"Fine. I like it better that way," she said. Shianis left her alone, moving to the common area of the ship. There was an observation window, and she looked outside at the stars. /p
p"Shianis," Salotia said, sometime later. The asari wasn't sure how much time had passed, and turned to look at the turian. Salotia stepped next to her, and Shianis wordlessly wrapped her in an embrace. "We'll be there soon."/p
p"Do you really think we could make it on one of those abandoned worlds?" she asked. Salotia returned the asari's embrace. /p
p"I do," she said, and Shianis nodded against the turian's shoulder. They stood like that for some time, and did not speak./p