Chapter 21

Backup

Once the krogan were safely secured and stowed in the Meridia's stasis compartments, Finn, Jake, and Glen went to Scarlet's chamber and set the Blood of the Krogan into the map. As he activated the program to scan the Blood of the Krogan and add its information to the rest of the key, he filled Jake in on everything that had happened after he was separated from Violet and Azure.

"Holy Moly." Jake breathed. "The Boss is here too, huh? Think he … er, she knows about the treasure?"

"I don't know." Finn said honestly. "It's not a good idea to rule anything out when it comes to the Boss, though. Frankly, I'm more worried about this Matriarch and her private army."

"I bet my rune they know about this secret treasure." Glen said, rubbing her chin. "People with private armies don't tend to go after shiny things."

"And the Boss?" Jake asked.

"She doesn't have an army." Finn said, "She has a gang. I can totally see her going after this thing on a whim."

"Yeah." Said Jake. "You're right there."

The computer let out a beep and extended the Blood of the Krogan. Finn took the gem and said, "Imaging's complete. It's gonna take a few hours for the computer to integrate it into the key; plenty of time for us to go rescue the others."

Turning to Jake, Finn said, "So what happened here?"

"Not much to tell." Jake admitted. "Violet and Azure came back without you. I wanted to contact you, but Auren told me it was a bad idea. She was worried someone might be listening in … what's so funny?"

"Nothing." Finn said, quickly suppressing his smile. "Go on, please."

"Mannon and Darsan slipped out to look for you. It was easy; the others were too busy arguing to notice. They were still arguing when the krogan pounced on us; Azure gave the guy I shocked a beating when he grabbed Amber, but there were just too many of them. Scarlet tried to convince them they were just weapon smugglers hoping to make a sale, but I don't think they bought it. Fortunately, Violet managed to hide me in a vent. I managed to get the other gems, but the guy I shocked got a look at the computer with the datalog."

The hairs on the back of Finn's neck bristled. "Did he tell anyone?"

"Yeah, but the way he said it, I don't think it was his government. He waited until everyone else was gone, and spoke quietly, as though afraid someone would hear him. He said the guy's name a few time: Gaales or Ghales, it sounded like. I didn't recognize it."

"Me either." Finn said. "Jake, you might as well hold on to the Blood of the Krogan as well; you're the least likely to be searched."

"Roger that." Jake presented his rear compartment. Finn placed the ruby next to the other gems with care.

As his butt panel closed, Jake said, "So what's the plan?"

"Did you hear where the others were being taken?" Glen asked.

"They said something about some kind of meeting ground. Apparently, the Primarch's seriously pissed about something, and is looking to make an example."

Glen and Finn traded worried glances.

"You don't think-" Glen began.

"Oh, yes I do." Finn said with a resigned sigh. "We need to figure out where this place is, fast. Any ideas?"

"It couldn't be too far." Jake said hopefully. "It was only three hours ago, and from what I heard, it sounded like the meeting was already going on."

"So we're looking for a few quarians. Sensors, maybe?"

"No dice." Jake said sadly. "They're still on the fritz from the crash. Noir hadn't even finished fixing the engines before everyone was captured."

"So no flying around to find them either." Finn let out another sigh. "Which was a pretty bad idea anyway. Anything else?"

"How about our guests?" Glen asked, jerking a thumb back toward the lift. "They probably know where it is."

Finn said, "Yeah, but they aren't gonna tell us."

"We could make them tell us." Jake said.

Finn met his gaze. "Really? You think you could torture it out of them? Or you, Glen?"

Glen and Jake traded glances. Glen's cheeks went red as Jake's cartoon face looked distinctly embarrassed.

"Me either." Finn told them, clapping a hand on Glen's shoulder and another on the top of Jake's monitor. "About the only thing we can do is try to find it ourselves. Maybe we can somehow trace the-"

A loud claxon rang through the air, curtesy of the intruder alarm Finn had reactivated.

"Company." Finn said, rising to his feet. He waved his omni-tool over the computer, linking them so he could keep abreast of the analysis of the key. Nodding at the others, he hurried to the lift.

The moment the lift doors opened, a stunning blast of energy shot through the doors and hit the back of the tube. Jake leapt through the opening at the person who fired, knocking them to the ground. Seeing two dark shapes moving toward his little brother, Finn dropped from the vent and tackled the nearest assailant to the ground.

After hearing a pained feminine grunt, Finn looked at his assailant and found a pair of luminescent eyes locked with his. "Kyra?"

Taking advantage of his surprise, she managed to roll him onto his back so she was now pinning him to the floor. Before he could get out a word, she pulled him into a long and passionate kiss, cradling his head in her hands.

"Wow." Finn heard Glen say. "That's a … different way to take someone out."

Finn and Kyra looked at Glen, who had Eri in a headlock. She glanced at Eri for a moment before asking, "You know this guy?"

"Yeah."

"A friend?"

"Yeah."

"You want to kiss him too?"

"Not particularly. No offense, Eri."

"None taken." He said, his voice slightly choked.

Glen let him go and rubbed the back of her head. "Er, sorry about that, buddy. I'm new."

"Finn." Kyra said, her eyes again on Finn's. "Who is this?"

"Oh! Call me Glen." Glen said, extending a metal hand before seeming to realize it wasn't as friendly a gesture as she probably intended. "Er, sorry; yeah, Finn helped me out of a bit of a scrape earlier. Nice fella you've got here."

"Yes, he is." Kyra said, her grip on Finn tightening.

Glen laughed. "Easy there; you've nothing to worry about from me. I've been happily married for over … er, well, a long time."

"Oh." Kyra said, her grip loosening slightly. "Good."

As she helped Finn to his feet, Hylia asked in a dull voice. "Jake?"

"Er, yeah?"

"Get off me."

Jake quickly leapt off of the fallen human-turian hybrid. As she rose to her feet, Finn asked, "Not that I'm not happy to see you," He paused a moment to squeeze Kyra's hand, "but what are you doing here?"

"We're here to rescue you, silly." Kyra said, giving him a bop on the noggin. "Liara managed to dig up enough evidence to clear your name of the theft of the Creator's Tear and spring the Ulasomorf."

"Which is how you got past the border patrol." Finn said, nodding.

Eri snapped his fingers and pointed at Finn. "You got it. Mind you, your little stunt still had them reeling when we passed. How did you manage to knock out that dreadnaught?"

"Can't say that was me." Finn said. "Siren's Call gets the credit for that one."

"Is Liara angry?" Jake asked.

"Angry?" Hylia said, sounding surprised. "Far from it. In fact, she wants you to continue working with Siren's Call. Your work so far has helped her quite a bit."

"Really?" Finn tried to think of something he had done that could've been of some use to the Shadow Broker, but came up empty. "Well, the computer's scanning the Blood of the Krogan as we speak. Hopefully, it'll be enough to give us a clear indication of where the League's base is located by the time we rescue the others."

"Rescue?" Kyra asked, startled. "They're not here?"

"I'm sorry, Kyra." Finn said, "The krogans found them before we got here."

Kyra bit her lip, her eyes uncertain. Finn took her hand in his and said, "Don't worry; we're gonna get them back … your sisters, your little brother, all of them."

Surprise flashed in her eyes. "You … you know?"

"About Viridia?" Finn asked, a kind smile crossing his lips.

Shame fell across Kyra's lovely features. Before she or Finn could say anything, however, Jake said, "Mannon and Darsan might know."

"Yeah, but we have no idea where they are either. Could we use the Ulasomorf's sensors to-"

"Sorry, Finn." Eri said. "They dropped us off here after detecting you on board."

Finn frowned at this. "Why? I thought you were here to pick us up?"

"Shadow Broker Business." Hylia said simply, as though that explained everything. Finn frowned at this, but knew better than to waste time asking.

"Okay." Finn said, "We need to regroup with Mannon and Darsan and save Siren's Call, so we need the sensors online. With the Ulasomorf busy, we might need the Meridia to get out of here, so the engines are a priority too."

"Ooh, dibs on engines!" Glen said, already running toward the lift.

"Not without me, you're not." Kyra gave Finn a peck on the cheek before hurrying after Glen. The door closed just after she slipped into the lift, cutting them both from his view.

Finn stared after them for a moment, even though the lift was fast on its way. Some of what he was feeling must've been evident in his face, as Eri said, "Go spend some time with her."

Finn shook his head. "We need to get the sensors working."

"We'll will handle it, bro." Jake said, tail-end wagging. "Go be with your girlfriend already."

Flashing his friends a grateful smile, Finn hurried to the lift and hit the call button. He stepped inside as soon as it was open.

The door opened in what was evidently the engineering deck of the ship; it was a large circular chamber surrounding the hovering orb that was the element zero drive, consoles and panels lining every wall. Kyra was already on her back and working on the underside of one of the consoles surrounding the eezo drive. Glen had opened one of the panels, and was pressed against the opening, one hand inside presumably to access circuitry or wiring within.

"About six months." Kyra said as Finn left the lift.

"Think he's the one?"

Kyra let out a chuckle. "I stopped believing in fairy-tales years ago."

"No you didn't."

This brought another chuckle. "Yeah, you're right."

Finn felt his heart rise to his throat as he waited to see if Kyra answered the first question. She didn't.

It was Glen who spoke next. After a zapping noise made her jerk her bare arm from the console, she said, "Cyber-cripes!"

"You okay?" Kyra asked, glancing at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Wouldn't be the first time I got bit by a machine." As she slid her hand back into the console, Glen asked, "I have to say, you seem familiar."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I thought so when I first saw you, but for some reason the engine rooYou ever spend time on Vinta?"

"Is Vinta a planet?"

Glen chuckled. "Okay, so that's a definite no."

Kyra slid out from under the console and sat up. "Were you ever on Omega?"

"Not for awhile."

"Well, I worked there for a few years. Maybe you saw me then? I was at a little repair shop called the Rigger's Folly."

"Sorry." Glen said, flashing an apologetic smile. "But it's been a lot longer than a few years since my last visit."

"Decades?" Kyra asked.

"Sure. Let's go with that." Glen glanced back and noticed Finn. "Oh, hey Finn."

"Finn?" Kyra turned and smiled at him. "Hey, sweetie. Come to help?"

"Sure." Finn said. "What do you need me to do?"

"Sit next to me and help me rewire the console."

Finn was only too happy to do so. The underside of the console was a mess of wires; Noir had evidently been working on it prior to his capture. Kyra handed Finn a welding wand and pointed her own want at an open connection. "Fuse the backup power to the auxiliary power cells, then link that to the heat sinks."

"Aye, Milady."

Smirking, she elbowed him in the ribs. As he raised his arms, she shuffled a little until she was nestled against his side, the strawberry scent left by her shampoo filling his nostrils.

"I missed you." She murmured as they worked.

"I missed you too." Finn told her. "I'm sorry about all of this."

She was silent for a long moment. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you … about Viridia, I mean."

"It's okay." Finn gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Noir told me what happened. You didn't know what Siren's Call was doing."

There was gratitude in the smile she gave him. "They're not bad people. I used to play with Scarlet when I was a little girl."

"Noir too." Finn said. "He has a crush on her, you know."

"No!" Kyra said, her eyes wide. "I always thought there was something between them when we were kids, but …well, we were kids! When we joined up with Siren's Call, he acted like he barely remembered her."

"Must've been a shock when you first met Sherle."

"I know, right? If she was quarian, they could pass off as twins!"

A hum ran through the console as Finn finished his work. "There. I gotta say, Noir seems to have done most of the work already."

"Most, but not all." Pulling away from Finn, Kyra stood up and moved to a different console. "Looks like the drive core is out of alignment. Finn, give me a hand."

"Got it." Finn stood and walked to Kyra's console. As they began the manual adjustment process, Finn asked, "Everything okay on the Ulasomorf?"

"Well enough. I missed hanging out with you, though." She brushed against his side again, as though to remind herself that he was there. "I tried to get someone else to watch some of those old television shows with me, but Hylia's been busy talking with Liara, Eri's been busy talking to his sister … just had twin girls, apparently. I've been calling him Uncle Eri ever since I heard about it. Anyway, all that left was Xyn, and she's been avoiding me since I yelled at her for letting her plants grow into the maintenance tunnels."

Finn chuckled. "She just gets a little overzealous."

"I know." Kyra said, the slight notes of depression in her voice making it clear she was still bothered. "It's hard on her, living in a ship. At least her long talks with Eri seem to brighten her day."

"Ah." Finn said, grinning. "Have they settled on a date for their bonding ceremony yet?"

"Behave!" She gave him a playful bop on the arm, smiling nonetheless. Her smile faded moments later. "I just wish Mannon …"

There was a loud clang as another panel hit the ground. They both looked at Glen, who shot them a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I just need to check the Feramental Drive."

As she climbed into the open panel, Kyra whispered, "Finn … what do you know about her?"

"You mean …" Finn nodded at Glen's jean-covered backside and legs.

"She seems so strange." Kyra said, staring at her. "Where did she come from, anyway?'

"She was just here. She said something about her ship being damaged; she helped me escape a krogan cook earlier …" Seeing Kyra's strange look, he said, "Just go with it. Anyway, I promised to return the favor by helping her locate the missing part of her ship."

"Yeah, but do you know anything about her? She seems kinda odd."

Finn considered Glen as she waggled her legs, no doubt trying to reach something inside the console. "A little, maybe. She seems okay, though. I mean, she even helped me snag the Blood of the Krogan."

"What?"

"It's …" Finn stopped, realizing that he hadn't explained the true purpose of Scarlet's mission yet. "… complicated."

"Isn't it always." Kyra let out a sigh, her gaze still on Glen. "She seems friendly, and she seems eager to help, but I can't help but feel there's something slightly off about her … like she's not quite supposed to be here."

"You both know I can hear you, right?" Glen called out, still in the console.

Kyra and Finn both blushed and quickly turned their attention back to realigning the core. With their concentration focused, it only took a few minutes.

"I'm sorry." Kyra said once they were finished. "I didn't mean to insult you."

"Oh, I'm not insulted. You're absolutely right, after all."

"I am?" Kyra said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yup. I'm totally not telling you everything about me. You probably wouldn't believe it all anyway; people never do. Still, I can promise that I'm not here to cause any trouble for you, and I never break my promises. I'm just a wandering Dreamer who …"

She froze for a moment. Her legs kicked a few times before falling still again. "… who is stuck. Do you mind giving me a hand?"

Finn and Kyra looked at each other, silently acknowledging that it was impossible to be spooked by a person stuck in a hole with her legs in the air. Sharing a chuckle, they walked over to the panel and each took a leg. On the count of three, they tugged Glen until she came out of the panel, banging her head on the top on the way with a loud, "Oww!"

"Thanks." She said, rubbing the bump on her head. "And if it makes you feel any better, it really is just a strange coincidence that we were both caught by that crazy krogan chef."

"Again with the krogan chef!" Kyra turned to Finn, hands on her hips. "Okay, that's it; tell me everything; the League of One, the Blood of the Krogan, the krogan chef, all of it. You're gonna tell me everything, or I'm gonna bop you into oblivion!"

"Okay, okay!" Finn said, raising his hands in mock terror as Kyra raised her clenched fist. "But let's finish with the engines and meet up with the others first, so I only have to tell it once."

She lowered her fist, a bright smile on her face. "Good."

As she moved to another console, Finn caught Glen looking at him with a smirk.

"Aren't you two just adorable?" She said, clasping her hands together and batting her eyes.

"Oh, shut up." Finn told her, his cheeks burning.