Liselle loved the VIP section of Afterlife. It wasn't just because it was only accessible by certain people, but because everyone there minded their own business. She didn't know how her mother standed being in Afterlife before she stayed in her perch. She leaned back into her seat and looked at the door to the club. She'd told the batarian at the main entrance to Afterlife to redirect Lauren here. Five minutes ago he'd pinged her, informing her that Lauren was on her way. Now Liselle was just waiting. She picked up her drink and took a sip before glancing at the door again.
That's when she spotted the mercenary standing at the door, examining the entire club before walking inside. Her eyes darted around and examined every dark corner as she walked. It was her Alliance training kicking in. And Liselle knew that because of her training, Lauren would be carrying a concealed weapon, even if she was told not to bring one. Lauren finally noticed her and started walking towards the table. She stopped a foot from it.
"May I?" she asked, motioning to the only empty chair at the table."
Liselle nodded. "Of course - I invited you." The human was polite.
She sat down, pushing stray stands of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I don't know your name," she said quietly. "Or why I'm here."
So she was perceptive. Liselle didn't know if that was a good thing or not. "I'm Liselle T'Loak-"
"So you're Aria's daughter. Pleasure to meet you." The human interupted and looked around the club. She spotted an asari waitress and waved at her, which brought the young maiden to their table.
"Can I get you something?" the asari asked sweetly.
"Thessia brandy on the rocks would be great." And she drank Thessian brandy.
"Be right back." The waitress left.
Lauren turned back to look at Liselle. "Sorry about that. You were going to tell me why I'm here?"
Liselle leaned back in her chair. "I heard you were very blunt about things."
"I also like to throw people around like ragdolls. Never tire of it," She raised an eyebrow. "But that's not why we're here, is it? I was not raised to be a dense idiot. Your mother asked you to do this didn't she?"
"How did you know?" Liselle asked, picking up her drink.
"You're being too formal - most asaris I've had drinks with never are this formal. Not even the ones on Thessia."
Liselle was surprised. "You've been to Thessia? I don't know a lot of people who've even seen pictures of the place - let alone been there. When you did you go?"
The waitress stopped by and set a glass down by Lauren's elbow before walking to another table. Lauren picked it up and took an experimental sip. She licked her lips. "I was there for a month before I came here, actually."
"What were you doing on Thessia?" Liselle asked.
Lauren looked at her drink, a troubled look on her face. "My mother had unfinished business on Thessia. One of her longtime friends was supposed to recieve something before my mother's death. She died unexpectedly, so I went for her."
Liselle looked at her own drink. "I'm sorry."
"What for?" Lauren sounded bitter. "You didn't kill her."
Liselle watched Lauren from her chair. She looked haunted by something. After a few seconds Liselle decided to speak. "How did she die?"
"It's not important. What matters is that she's gone. Nothing can change that." She looked at Liselle, her expression different. "How long have you been working for your mother?"
Liselle shifted in her seat. "Why is that important?"
"I tell you something and you tell me something back. It's like a game. So, how long have you been working for your mother?"
"Alright. I've been working for her for about ten years. What did you do in the Alliance?"
"I was an N7 Commander. It basically involved running into gunfire and shooting or throwing people around. Rules, regulations and protocols made it boring." She took a sip of her drink.
"Is that why you left?"
She shook her head. "No. They wanted me to get treatment that I didn't need."
"Treament for what?" Liselle asked.
She shook her head. "It's not important. The fact is that I didn't need it and I left."
"Alright. Why'd you come to Omega?" Liselle asked.
"I got tired of being on Thessia, so I boarded a shuttle. I picked a place where I knew no one would coming looking for me." She set down her glass. "Are a follower of the Athame doctrine or of siari?"
"Siari. Like my mother." So she knew about asari culture. "What about you?"
"Same. I switched over during my time in the Alliance. While I was in Thessia I explored and learned to meditate properly. It was nice." Lauren swirled her drink. "So, what does your mother have planned for me if I pass her inspection?"
Liselle narrowed her eyes. "I don't actually know. She's been keeping whatever is going on under wraps. If I didn't know anymore I'd say we have a leak somewhere."
Lauren looked thoughtful. "So I would be your mother's enforcer."
"Personal assassin is more along the lines," Liselle tilted her head. "But enforcer does have a nice ring to it."
"What happened to her last one?" Lauren asked quietly.
Liselle put her glass down and put her hands in her lap. "He was her personal guard. But I guess she must be investigating everyone, because she keeps kicking him out when we talk."
Lauren reached up and unpinned her hair. Her mouth twitched up into an amused smile. "I've seen this happen before." She looked at Liselle with piercing, intense violet eyes. Liselle suddenly felt like she was being stared at by a bird of prey. "When you talk to your mother after I leave," Lauren said quietly. "Tell her that I'm looking for a permanent employer - if she's interested." And with that, she gulped down the last bit of her brandy before leaving.
Liselle could only watch her leave - trying to re-collect her thoughts. Lauren's behavior had changed at the end of their converstation, like she knew something that Liselle didn't. She took a breath and pulled up her omni-tool to write out a short message to her mother.
Aria had to admit that the mercenary was rather bold. She acted like a paragon but at the last second, she could become a successful predator. She'd managed to unsettle Liselle with just a look. The Alliance couldn't have taught her that. But with the files that Liselle had delivered on top of the info she'd gotten from their short drink, Aria knew where she learned it. Lauren Hackett was a trained N7 marine. The best of the best in her race. She was rivaled only by two others, who trained with her at the same time - Commander A. Shepard and Commander J. Deacon. Both formidable opponents in battle. Shepard had proven herself on Elysium and Deacon on Torfan. They had upheld the Alliance and completely demolished their intended targets. A path of destruction followed the two of them. And according to the files in her hands...
They were nothing compared to the pure destructive power of Commander L. Hackett. Videos of completely destroyed simulations, training mechs and a video of Lauren propelling herself through a steel wall - those were only amongst top of the pile. There were other instances that invovled childhood bullies - highschool tormentors. This woman could go from being a complete saint to a complete bitch in about a second. Her mood swings weren't a medical condition - it just seemed that she liked to overwhelm her enemies before she attacked them. Her raw biotic power as a child nearly drove her mother completely insane and according to her academy instructor - she was just as smart as anyone. Not in book smarts, but rather in street smarts. Test results from the academy proved that she would make a compotent officer and reports from her time in officer's school showed how she revelaed herself to be a leader - and revealed her hatred for the protocols of the Alliance.
The last files, which Aria had barely read through, revealed probably the most guarded secret she had. Lauren Hackett was the sole survivor of Akuze. According to the officers who found her, Lauren had been barely alive when she told them to beware of the thresher maws. She'd spent three months in the hospital and a month in recovery. Her whole left arma and shoulder had to be replaced, as did one of her lungs and her liver - which she did the best to destroy the latter on Omega. Reports of her mental unstability and apparently lack of social filters made them label her as unstable. But the overall label on the woman was the same. She was deadly, brillant and completely dangerous.
Aria knew she had found the right mercenary from the start, and this just proved it.
