Once the fight was done, and they continued walking, Shepard decided to risk sending a message. She turned her body, hoping that her companions wouldn't notice her omni-tool.

"Another message?" Aria said, rolling her eyes. Shepard winced. Of course Aria had noticed.

Nyreen looked over curiously but didn't say anything.

"Just letting my crew know I'm safe," Shepard said, not mentioning when she said 'my crew' she actually meant Garrus. The idea of her being alone with Aria on Omega did not make Garrus happy at all, so she told him she would try to message him every four hours.

Shepard's head pounded a bit, the beginning of a headache. Out of all the things she had to worry about, making sure Eve was safe, that Mordin had the tools he needed to complete the genophage cure, along with all the stupid errands Hackett had her running, placating her lover seemed miniscule. But she cared for Garrus - so much that it sometimes scared her - so she would try.

"You still fucking Archangel?" Aria asked casually.

"Archangel?" Nyreen asked. "I remember that name. Hotshot squad a while back, right? Thought the mercs ganged up and took him out."

"They did," Aria said. "But Shepard here rode up on her white horse and saved his ass. So how is Garrus Vakarian doing these days?"

"Vakarian?" Nyreen asked. "Garrus Vakarian was Archangel?"

Shepard looked at Nyreen in surprise. "You know Garrus?"

"Never actually met him," Nyreen said, shrugging a shoulder. "I dated his sister for a while, before I was shipped to the Cabals. She had a lot to say about him."

Shepard noticed how Aria's lips pursed when hearing that news. The asari certainly didn't like the idea of her ex-girlfriend being with anyone else, it seemed.

"How do you even know about that, anyway?" Shepard asked Aria. She and Garrus were very careful to be discrete. The last thing she wanted was to be accused to favoritism or nepotism or looked down on because she had something that made her happy in the middle of the war.

And Garrus made her very, very happy.

"Word of advice, Shepard," Aria said, turning around to look straight at her. "The next time your turian wants to make grand statements like, 'I need you,' best not to do it within earshot of the fucking leaders of Eclipse and the Blue Suns."

Shepard felt the color drain from her face. "We had a deal, Aria. You said if I unite the mercs, you'd take care of any bounty on Archangel's head."

"On Archangel's head, certainly," Aria said, crossing her arms over her chest. "But the mercs know who he is and now they know exactly how to hurt him. 'I need you.' Please. From a turian? He might as well shouted 'I love you' from the top of the presidium."

"That true?" Shepard asked Nyreen quietly. The turian simply nodded. Shepard wanted nothing more than to mull on that, but this certainly wasn't the time. She pushed those thoughts away and concentrated on Aria.

"They won't hurt you now," Aria said with a bitter laugh. "You're too important. The mercs know they'll deal with me if one hair on your pretty little head is harmed. But after the Reapers are dealt with? You'll be considered fair game. And I won't have any incentive to protect you."

"Threatening me while I'm trying to help you take back Omega doesn't seem very smart, Aria," Shepard said, her hands curling into fists.

Aria took a step closer and cupped Shepard's cheek with her hand. "Now you know exactly why I wanted you here all by yourself. You don't even have a way off this rock without my help. We're a team, whether you like it or not. And I'd like our partnership to continue after the war."

Shepard forced herself not to flinch and to simply hold Aria's steady gaze. "We're all doing things we never thought we'd do because of the Reapers. I haven't abandoned my morals yet, Aria. You're still you."

"That's the beautiful thing about morality. Once you've bent and twisted it a bit, you can never get it back quite the way it was. You've crossed a few lines, Shepard," Aria chuckled and leaned forward, whispering into Shepard's ear. "And you won't ever be able to uncross them."

Shepard stepped back, not even caring she just lost their little power struggle. "It's been more than a year and a half since Archangel was on Omega. Don't they have more important things to deal with?"

Aria laughed. "You had Zaeed Massani on your ship for how long? Mercs are obsessed with revenge. Twenty years that bastard waited for his moment, and you stole it from him."

Shepard started walking again, not bothering to see if Aria and Nyreen were following. "I made it up to him," she muttered to herself, thinking of the information that Liara found on Santiago that lead to Zaeed catching up with him once and for all.

"Massani's a good lay, you know. Surprised he actually didn't make a move on you," Aria said with a laugh. The thought of Zaeed flirting stopped Shepard in her tracks. "Be just his style. Make him lose his chance at revenge and then gets you into bed for a spite fuck."

This time is was Nyreen who looked unhappy; her mandibles trapped close to her face. Shepard sighed. Save her from star-crossed lovers.

Shepard took a breath and gathered her thoughts. She wouldn't let Aria's threats slide. She couldn't. Shepard took a step into Aria's personal space, straightening her spine, to give her another inch or so of height. She looked down at Aria dismissively.

"This war is giving you the chance to go legit, Aria. I've seen the plans you're making with Hackett. Even half of them work, and the Alliance will be on its knees in gratitude at the end. You'll have respect. My respect if things go well," Shepard said. "I can make things happen for people I respect. Are a handful of mercs hell bent on revenge worth losing that?"

"You make an interesting argument," Aria said, almost thoughtfully. "I won't deny that the thought of a grateful Alliance is… appealing." Aria took a small step forward so they were almost nose to nose. "A grateful Shepard… even more so."

Shepard let out a bark of a laugh. "Not that grateful, Aria," she said, strolling past the asari, but letting their shoulders brush. She was ready to get back to the fight. The sooner they found what they needed, the better. "I am fucking Archangel, after all."

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