Second Life

Chapter Seven – Pirate Radio Network

"Scan the planet!" Aethyta jumped in to the communications pod and put her eyes on the scope that displayed planet-wide scanning. The result showed nothing but some debris.

"I see nothing, Matriarch." Replied the operator, monitoring the scans on her own terminal.

"Damn it! Do it again! She's got be there somewhere!" The Matriarch's voice had a slightly panicked tone.

G.G. took the console from the ship's operator and she quickly loaded a program from her own stash. As she launched the scanner again, Aethyta started to see different colored lens filters flip by. "I've added a more granular atmosphere filter. Sometimes dense particles and gas below orbital layer can obscure our ship's regular scan." Her comment earned a sharp stare from the ship's operator.

Aethyta shouted, "I see something!"

G.G. moved the scan back to the last sector, "Yes, definitely gas. The gas was obscuring the scan and it's poisonous from the composition of the particles. I see a life form!"

Onyx cut in before Aethyta even gave the orders to the commandos. "Get a shuttle down there!"

When the asari commandos brought Liara onboard the Blue Sabre, she was unconscious, poisoned by the gas. Aethyta walked briskly with the retrieval team towards the infirmary. Gauze shouted in to her comm to the ship's doctors, "We're coming in now. The patient isn't responding to stimuli. She won't last long if we don't get the poison out of her respiratory system. Her nerve centers are deteriorating." She looked up at Aethyta, "They're ready for her."

Aethyta held Liara's hand. "Hang in there, kiddo!"

The Blue Sabre set a course to head back to Illium along with Liara's ship. Seryna had taken over the captain's duties while Liara was aboard the asari warship. Aethyta had Liara moved to her quarters after the doctors had purged the poison from her system. Now they just needed to wait for her to recuperate.

Aethyta had been pacing in her spacious room since they fetched Liara and settled her in the more comfortable bed than those in the infirmary. Aethyta had joked with the crew that her bed was so comfortable that she was embarrassed to even call it her "rack". "I feel like a consort sleeping in that bed!" But now she was grateful that she could provide this small comfort for her daughter.

"My daughter." Aethyta repeated it in a whisper. For so long, she had not let herself touch that part of her mind. The part that imagined what Liara was like when she took her first steps, what she said when people asked who her father was and what it was like to be close to her, to touch her skin and to look into her eyes and have Liara's eyes look back into hers. There were so many things she wished to teach the young maiden and so many places she wished to show her. When Aethyta first took the job of watching Liara after the Normandy's crash, she'd watched the young maiden from afar. The way Liara climbed stairs, graceful yet efficient, was pure Benezia; but the way she walked down the stairs, powerful and unapologetic, undeniably Aethyta. A subtlety that was obvious only through the eyes of those linked by DNA. She had smiled at the realization, but she'd quickly stopped herself.

"You're woolgathering, you fool!" She had berated herself then. "You'll never get what you want!"

But now, Liara was lying right in front of her, and Aethyta was afraid to get too close. The peace she had made with this so long ago had been disturbed, and conflict inevitably followed.

What should I even say to her? How much does she know about me?

When Aethyta realized pacing wasn't helping her nerves, she finally sat down and tried to repair Liara's badly damaged armor. The rough landing had done a number on the armor; the broken crates and other debris cut through connecting joints and ripped clasps clean off. The armor was beyond repair. Aethyta sighed and moved on to modding Liara's pistol. At least the gun still worked perfectly and Aethyta had gone through the entire armory on the Blue Sabre searching for the best mods for Liara's M-6 Carnifex. She knew she couldn't be there for her daughter every time the kid ran into danger, but at least she could make her weapon more efficient at protecting her.

Liara stirred and murmured something in her sleep. Aethyta put down the gun and walked closer to the bed. Liara's face was still pale and she frowned as she made a small grunting sound. Aethyta touched Liara's head lightly. "You're okay, Liara. You're safe." She whispered, not wanting to wake her up. When Liara's grunting didn't stop, Aethyta bent down and kissed Liara's forehead. That seemed to work as Liara went quiet and her face relaxed.

Aethyta smiled.

Liara woke up in a pristine room. She stared at the ceiling, Am I dreaming? Where are the hunters? As her head cleared up, she saw an asari standing next to the bed, watching her, and she looked down at her arms, they were naked. She felt her body under the sheets, naked also. Panic spread on her face, she struggled to get up.

The asari put her hands on Liara's shoulders, "Take it easy! You're not ready to get up yet."

"My clothes!" Still panic in her voice, Liara searched around the room with wild eyes as if her most prized possessions were in jeopardy.

"Relax. I'll get them for you." The asari first patted her arm and made sure Liara understood her words, and then she turned and opened a cupboard by the bed and took out Liara's clothes. "Your clothes survived the landing, but some of your armor didn't."

Liara quickly grabbed the clothes from the asari. With shaky hands, she searched the pockets and fished out a set of military dog tags. She sighed with brief relief and then she eagerly searched in another pocket and took out a small scarf. As she relaxed her body knowing that everything was safe, she noticed the asari's intense stare at the scarf in her hand. "My name is Liara T'Soni. But I get a feeling you already know that."

The asari moved her gaze away from the scarf slowly and stuttered. "I'm…I'm, I'm Matriarch Aethyta. Who…who gave you that scarf?"

"My mother, Matriarch Benezia, before she died." Liara looked at the Matriarch with curiosity. "Have you seen this scarf before?"

"I…I, um…" For the first time in her life, Aethyta was without words.

Of course she had seen that scarf before. Benezia had used the entire shroud to wrap Aethyta's wounded leg when they defended the temple in a battle they fought together. Looters and mercs had stormed the temple, trying to get valuable artifacts and crystals, and they'd tried to kill everyone holed up in it. With the commandos on their protection detail dead, only Benezia and Aethyta had been left to fend for themselves, and Aethyta had been shot in the leg. Benezia had smashed the display case that stored the shroud of their goddess and used it to stop the bleeding as they'd run out of Medi-gel. Benezia had told Aethyta, "We're going to need a miracle to survive this, Thyta. Perhaps the Goddess' grace will shine upon us now that you're wearing her sacred shroud." The miracle had come in the form of asari commando reinforcements. When they'd been finally rescued, Aethyta had ripped the small part of the shroud that her blood hadn't stained and kept it close until their separation. When she was saying her final goodbye to Benezia, she'd given the small piece of fabric to the love of her life.

"You're going to need a miracle to raise our daughter well on your own, Nezzy. You keep this for me and you'd better keep her safe."

Staring at the miracle scarf in Liara's hand, Aethyta couldn't find the words nor place them in order. Liara broke the silence. "Why are you protecting me?"

"We take care of our own." Aethyta finally found her tongue.

"Am I yours?"

"Your mother was and that makes you ours." And mine, always have been and always will be. Aethyta continued silently.

There was a touch of sadness in the Matriarch's voice that intrigued Liara. But before she could ask questions, the door chimed. A commando walked in.

"Priority One message from Lieutenant Kurin, Matriarch." The Yeoman handed Aethyta the coded message.

"PRN went offline, need you back home now."

Aethyta frowned. "How far are we from Illium?" She asked the commando.

"We're in the system now."

"Ask Fin 2 and G.G. to come here immediately." Aethyta ordered.

Aethyta didn't want to bring up Tuchanka; Thessia might not agree with her decision to trust Liara with this secret project, but Aethyta was more afraid that if she brought Liara too close to the Matriarchs who had connections with the Shadow Broker, he'd get wind of it. She didn't want to fight battles on too many fronts, Liara was in enough danger already.

Fin 2 and G.G. walked in side by side and stood at attention waiting for the Matriarch to give orders. Aethyta beckoned them to get closer to Liara.

"We have to take care of another matter." Only a few months ago Aethyta was bored out of her mind. And now she wished she could be in two places at the same time. "But I'm leaving these two excellent commandos with you."

Liara swiped her gaze from the Matriarch to the commandos as Aethyta continued her introduction. She pointed to the more seasoned commando of the two, "Fin 2 is a sniper from our Armali Sniper Unit and she's very experienced in all combat situations."

Fin 2 offered a nod to Liara and remained standing at attention. Aethyta pointed at the much younger commando, "This one, she is our tech wizard. I've asked her to install some surveillance gear around your office and your ship so that they can watch out for you more efficiently. They'll take you in a shuttle back to your ship and stay with you on Illium."

"I'm G.G." The young commando smiled widely at Liara. Liara smiled back.

Fin 2 asked, "Why is your ship unregistered and without a name?"

Liara's smile disappeared and she looked at Fin 2. "I took it from a salarian who made a deal with the Collectors. I'm in the process of registering it. As for the name, what name can you give to a dead man's ship?"

"The Collectors?" Aethyta's mind went back to what Aria had told her, the Collectors are bad news.

"Yes, the salarian made a deal with the Collectors to get them a highly advanced human genetic formula that Cerberus has. He offered Cerberus the secret code to get through the Omega 4 relay without being destroyed in exchange, but he couldn't deliver the goods. He also offered me the recordings of the Normandy's destruction for connecting him with Cerberus and he failed to deliver that too. I gave Cerberus the location and time of our rendezvous. They killed him." Liara lowered her gaze. Her mind wandered to Feron. It was the drell who set up the Cerberus exchange that killed salarian, but Liara had a strong suspicion that the cheater's number was up. He wanted all yet sought to pay nothing. Liara thought she should feel guilty for her hands in his death, but she didn't.

"When I took over his ship, I discovered he cheated the Collectors as well. They uploaded several pieces of information including the recording from the Normandy as a bargaining chip for the formula, but the salarian was going to sell the Collectors' stash to the Shadow Broker."

"Does the Shadow Broker know you have the information from the Collectors?" Aethyta started to realize how deep Liara had tread into the dark territory and it worried her.

The Matriarch's worried tone gave Liara pause. She thought about the question for a moment. Up until now she hadn't realized what a powerful enemy she had made, an enemy not only powerful but also invisible. How do you fight someone you can't see?

"If he doesn't, he will soon. The trap I walked in to on that pirate ship was set by the Shadow Broker's agents, though they wanted something else from me." Liara certainly didn't want to share the secret of Shepard's body with strangers, even if they were here to protect her. "I will not be intimidated. He captured a friend of mine. I will not stop until I find his base no matter how deep a hole he is hiding in." At this very moment, Liara firmed her resolve. She made a mistake once for inaction, when she should have acted, putting a biotic field around the one she loved and dragging her into an escape pod, she would not make the same mistake again. She'd act when her instincts told her so and she would not look back with regret.

"If you'd like we'll use our resources to help you find him." Aethyta offered knowing full well it wouldn't be that simple. The Shadow Broker had remained hidden for generations, wielding his power in darkness where no light had shone and no trespassers had ever returned alive.

The road Liara was trudging on was indeed narrow and slippery.


A shuttle carrying the asari commando squad and a krogan battle unit sped toward the remote pirate planet. As they reached near the surface, Aethyta could see the landing lights of shuttles and small ships darting around platforms like fireflies in darkness. Temporary buildings of different shapes dotted the piece of flat land that was surrounded by sharply raised hills, providing perfect ground cover for the hidden operation. Turrets stood on top of the hills like watchful eyes with deadly intentions.

Wrex turned to his krogan unit, "Wait in the shuttle. We won't be long."

Onyx insisted on accompanying the Matriarch with two other commandos. The asari squad leader didn't trust any mercenary let alone an ex-asari commando turned pirate. As they walked towards the main building, the full scale of this pirate base impressed the visitors.

Two giant mechs trundled between space vehicles and the sprawling warehouses, moving crates and barrels. Forklifts moved much quicker and more nimbly around the mechs, like ants crawling around large trees. Spotlights illuminated building entrances.

An asari wearing blue armor that didn't look too different from the one Onyx was wearing walked through the main entrance with a large krogan following behind. Wrex quickened his pace into a jog towards the asari and shook her hand.

"Aleena, it's been a while."

The asari had a big smile on her face. "I didn't think I'd see you again. I made a deal with Commander Shepard that she'd bring you back alive after fighting Sovereign so that I could put a bullet in your head."

"Shepard always honored her word." Wrex said in his booming voice. "I hope I'll have the honor of putting a bullet in your pretty head first."

"I look forward to that moment." Aleena flicked a gaze at the asari commandos behind the krogan. "I see you made some powerful friends, you've become quite the diplomat, Wrex." Aleena knew how much Wrex hated politicians.

Wrex smiled at Aleena's jab and stepped aside to reveal the slender asari Matriarch behind him. "Let me introduce you to Matriarch Aethyta."

"Don't make me sound so old, Wrex. Just Aethyta." She gave the asari mercenary a nod. "A fucking impressive operation you've got here."

Sensing acceptance, Aleena smiled. "We try to keep it small so we can move on a moment's notice."

Aleena invited the landing party inside and showed them the star map she'd prepared for them. "Our broadcast post was set up here. Someone hacked into it and jammed not only the signal from that tower but also three other towers in three different systems. We traced the route that connected these PRN posts and scanned for ships. Two ships came up, a warship and a transport traveling together. We did some hacking of our own and discovered these on the warship and a few dozen prisoners on the transport." Aleena tapped on the screen to bring up the images from the warship's security cameras.

Wrex made a deep grunting sound. "I've seen these before on Virmire. They're Reaper's indoctrination tanks. Saren was using them to breed a krogan army."

"That's when I thought to contact you. They took out our broadcast posts for a reason." Aleena's suspicion was confirmed. "That might also explain why they have a ship full of prisoners."

"Breeding human husks and indoctrinate them." Wrex had seen enough. "What are we waiting for? We need to blow up those tanks before somebody gets their hands on them and uses them."

Aethyta felt a sickening sensation deep in her stomach. This was how they took Nezzy. Did Saren put her in one of these tanks? Some day she would ask her daughter about the last time she saw Benezia and how her beloved succumbed to the Reaper indoctrination. But not now, the wound was still too fresh. A sigh escaped her but she covered it with a cough. "Do you know who these guys work for and where they're headed?"

Aleena nodded. "When we hack into a system, we leave no stone unturned. We downloaded every program our hacking software had access to." Her fingers danced on the screen once again and brought up a human's profile. "The person who purchased these tanks is the same person who bought the prisoners from a prison ship called Purgatory. His name is Henry Lawson. The ships are heading to a secret facility on Horizon."

They quickly agreed on the plan of attack Aleena had devised, but before they moved out, Onyx asked. "Matriarch, can we trust a rebel?" Onyx had been staring at the emblem on the armor of the krogan who followed Aleena's every step, the same emblem Onyx was wearing as a badge of honor on her own armor.

She had the grace to not wear the emblem herself, but she branded her slaves with the sacred emblem. Definitely a rebel!

"No, but we can trust Wrex." Aethyta answered simply. Aleena gave Onyx a smirk.

As soon as the Blue Sabre took down the landing bay door on the enemy's warship, Aleena's tech quickly restored the kinetic barrier in place of the heavy door and the small army of asari commandos, krogan warriors and seasoned mercenaries was ready to assault. The warship had two levels, and the plan was Aleena would take her people to the upper level and Aethyta and Wrex would cover the lower level. But before they set out, the ship's defensive force stormed the landing bay.

A large group of heavily armored soldiers hiding behind large shields poured in, following a giant mech. The mech started launching rockets. Aleena dragged the krogan next to her down. "Klang, you can't fight rockets by charging at them!" Watching the asari commando hiding behind another stack of crates, Aleena quickly rolled from her hiding spot to join them. She stopped next to Onyx, "You think you can pick the driver in that giant mech from here, Sixth Fleet?" Aethyta had told her Onyx's military pedigree.

Onyx motioned one of the Fins to give her a sniper rifle. She loaded a bullet and fiddled with the sensor knobs on the scope. When she was ready she gave Aleena a nod. Aleena jumped up from behind the crates and put up a strong barrier in front of herself and Onyx. The asari commando quickly stood up, aimed her rifle and pulled the trigger.

Rockets stopped flying and the giant mech made whiny sounds as the servos in its arms and legs ground to a sudden halt. Onyx didn't bother to respond to Aleena's smile, she shouted to her troops. "All grenades."

In a precise move, all members of her squad tossed their grenades into the soldiers with shields. And Aleena shouted her order to Klang who'd been waiting a few paces away. "Attack!" The krogan and the mercs jumped over their cover and rushed towards the enemy. Gunfire filled the large landing bay.

When the asari squad and the krogans reached the door to the bio tanks, they discovered the heavy door was tightly locked with encryption. Aleena's troops were still clearing the upper level and none of the asari commandos could crack the door.

Aethyta cursed. "Damn it! I wish G.G. were here!"

Wrex walked up, "What's the problem? You can't get through a door without a little asari tech to help you? Do you not see the warriors I have with me?"

Wrex beckoned his people to join him a few feet from the heavy door and he lined them up in a tidy row facing their obstacle. Aethyta smiled and patted Wrex on the back, "Shall we?"

"On my mark!" Wrex joined his warriors and Aethyta stood next to him. As Wrex gave the order, a line of large krogans and a slender asari charged at the door. The first impact shook the deck but didn't make a dent on the door, though the lock flickered. The second round took out the lock but the door was still tightly jammed shut. Then the third and forth…

By the time Aleena came down after completing the sweep upstairs, the giant heavy door with a thick lock lay on the floor, mangled at the hinges and dented everywhere.

"Did you literally bring down the door? You couldn't wait for my tech to hack it?" Seeing a double-wide smile on Wrex's face, Aleena shook her head. "Oh, Wrex. How have I missed you!" She then turned to Aethyta who was rubbing her sore shoulders, "Matriarch, you do know that you could have used your biotics?"

Aethyta grinned freely. "It wouldn't been nearly as much fun."

Aleena brought a captive whose armor bore Cerberus insignia. Aleena's people tied the captive to a chair and they stepped back.

"You can't destroy the tanks! These are very valuable for research. I will share the profit with you. Just name your price!" The captive was the captain of the warship.

"You don't keep deadly machines no matter how much someone is paying for them! They kill people." Aethyta asked, "Where is the facility you're dropping off the cargo?"

"I really don't know. They'll contact us when we're in the system and provide a rendezvous point."

"How many guards are there on the prison ship?" Aleena asked.

"About fifty." The captain answered. "Look, I'll tell you everything, just don't kill me or destroy the tanks, please!"

Aethyta nodded to Onyx, "Take him to the shuttle and blow up this ship."

"No!" The captain protested before two commandos took him away.

Wrex muttered to himself. "Fifty, huh?" He turned to Aleena and saw her smiling back at him. "That was how many we faced on that pirate ship, wasn't it?"

Aleena grinned at Wrex, "You're thinking what I'm thinking? Is this our chance to complete our little game? We take out the fifty and I put a bullet in your head?"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking, except I'll be the one who put a bullet in your head." Wrex's eyes glimmered.

The transport ship was much easier to break into especially the lower level where the prisoners were kept. Without the protection of the warship, the guards and crew of the transport ship had barricaded themselves at the upper deck and waited for the imminent assault. That let the commandos, krogans and the band of mercs board the ship easily and quietly and the army spilled into the narrow and windy pathways.

"Where are the prisoners?" Klang asked.

"Look down." Aleena lowered her rifle and pointed her chin at the floor.

Below the gridiron, human heads and faces bobbed in the dim light. Muffled noise came through the metallic bars, and the prisoners spoke in hushed voices. "We need some water. We have sick inmates who require water."

Everyone dropped down on their knees to look at the trapped humans. Aethyta cursed, "Damn! If we turn them over to the government, they'll either send them back to Purgatory or some penal colony."

Looking at their haggard faces, Onyx offered. "We can provide them with rations and water, but we can't just set them free."

Aleena stepped in. "I'll take them."

"So we'll have more mercs to fight in the future?" Onyx didn't hide her displeasure with the idea nor with the person who proposed it.

Aleena gave her a sharp glare. "We'll need more fighters and we can train them."

"But they're criminals!" Onyx protested.

Aleena shook her head at Onyx and pointed at the krogan standing next to her. "You see Klang here? He got put in prison for a bar fight, then sold to a private krogan fighting ring until I got him. He's not my slave. He can leave anytime and go wherever he wants."

"I'm not going anywhere except wherever you go." The krogan said.

"See, this is why I became a rebel and stayed a rebel." Aleena gave Onyx another harsh stare.

Wrex cut in. "Can we talk about this after we take out the enemies above us?" He pointed his finger up.

Aleena moved her gaze from Onyx to Wrex. "How do you want to play this, old friend? You go from the front of the ship and I come from the back?"

"And we meet in the middle. Just like old times." Wrex agreed.

Aleena extended her arm and Wrex grabbed it, and they offered each other their parting words.

"It is the victors who breed."

"Goddess' grace protects us all."

Aleena turned and disappeared around the corridor, alone. Moments later, a loud melody played over the broadcasting speakers. The long wavering notes of ululating high and low voiced female singers blasted their ears. A few commandos chuckled and even Onyx had a faint smile.

"What is that god awful music playing through the ship's comm system?" Wrex complained.

"An old asari tribal song. Your friend has a fucking sense of humor. It's a song about two birds racing into fire after eating a fruit that made them hallucinate. We still use it today when dancers perform the traditional hunting dance." Aethyta shouted her explanation to Wrex over the loud music.

Wrex pumped his shotgun with a big grin. "You wait for one of us to call you in, not before!"

"This is a fucking waste, Wrex." Aethyta knew the honor of a warrior's death very well, but she just made a krogan friend. What a shame it'd be to lose him over this silly game.

"Don't butt in!" With that Wrex took off running upstairs all the while shouting, "Where are you all hiding, worms?"

Looking at Onyx's disapproving face, Aethyta threw her arms up. "Hey, I don't like it either." But she didn't make a move to stop it.

Above the central control room in the ventilation duct, Aleena could barely muffle her giggles while watching a dozen Cerberus soldiers bashing the controls.

"Where is that music coming from?" The leader of the group shouted into his tech's ear. "Find the source! And find it now!"

More bashing on the keyboard.

Aleena tapped on her omni-tool silently, and the rondo beat got louder. The men below her covered their ears. "Turn it off!" The leader demanded.

"I can't! I don't know where it's coming from!" Now five people were standing by the console and mashing at the keys.

A string of staccato notes filled the air, startling the Cerberus men. The leader pumped his shotgun, "When I find the person who did this, I'll cut off his ears!"

Wait for it, wait for it. Aleena lined up her feet with the side door of the duct. Wait for the legato! Aleena told herself.

Slow and silky notes flew into the room, Aleena kicked the duct door open and dropped down in the middle of unsuspecting men. As the music flew sneakily like traces of smoke, Aleena stretched her hands out and called up her biotics. Crates and furniture in the room started flowing in the air around the asari, building a rotating wall of heavy objects. Aleena's arms moved with the music, commanding the objects like a dancer creating shapes and moods with her body and mind.

As the speed of the moving objects trapped in the biotic field increased, the Cerberus leader finally brought himself out of shock and shouted to his soldiers. "Fire, fire, fire! Kill the bitch!"

Gunfire rang out. A moment later, a large biotic blast sent a shockwave in every direction. Crates and furniture flew through the air like large missiles knocking down everyone in their paths. When the flare of biotics dissipated, Aleena was the only one still standing in the room. She walked over to unconscious bodies and methodically shot each in the head.

The music had reached its last note. Aleena stood a few paces away from the large door; looking at the blood on her arm, she smiled. She reloaded her pistol and leveled it at the door, waiting for her final target. Soon all savage will cease to exist; my life is in the hands of my goddess. I shall find peace in the eternal embrace.

Wrex's voice seeped through the door. "Show yourselves, worms!" Then came the sound of a shotgun and multiple rifles firing and bodies dropping on the floor.

Aleena tightened her grip on the pistol. The door opened, but no one was there. In the complete quietness, Aleena knew Wrex was setting a trap for her. She stood her ground and waited. But what if Wrex got hurt or worse? What if the Cerberus goons had denied her the long awaited satisfaction? She knew if she called out she'd give away her position, but she had her gun ready to fire. So she decided to risk it.

"Wrex?"

That was all Wrex needed. He hopped out from the side and shot Aleena with his own pistol. "I won!" Watching Aleena's body dropping on the floor, Wrex started a loud war cry, but he stopped in the middle of it, looking at his own gut. "Oh, shit!" Aleena had got him at the same time through the soft layer of his armor just below the hard chest plate. Wrex dropped on the floor a moment later.

Ever since the music stopped, Aethyta had been trying to raise Wrex but got no answer. She asked Klang to try and raise Aleena. The krogan reluctantly called his boss but didn't get an answer either. Finally Aethyta gave the signal, and Onyx, Gauze and Klang followed her to the upper floor.

In the central control room on either side of the door, there were two bodies lying on the floor. Onyx ordered Gauze, "Check them!"

Gauze bent down checking Wrex first then Aleena and she looked at Onyx. "They're both heavily sedated. It seems both of them shot the other with a tranquilizer dart. Aleena has a shallow bullet wound on her arm."

Onyx hid a faint smile. "Patch her up." She stepped aside so that the Matriarch could have a full view of the situation.

Staring at two forms deep in slumber, Aethyta sighed loudly. "For fuck's sake!"


A/N: Next up: Lazarus Research Station