The Omega Chronicles -25- Suspicions

The stench that was such a staple of the Omega docking bay hit her nostrils in the most unpleasant way as soon as she exited the hatch of the ship. She felt like it was immediately clinging to her clothes, hair and face. Her lips turned downwards in an expression of disgust as she considered just how many showers she'd have to take in order to feel properly rid of it later. She hated Omega already. But she had a job to do, she was a professional, and she was expecting to be successful, as a matter of course, really.

Her sharp, pale eyes looked around to locate her way out. With sure steps, she started making her way towards a place called Afterlife. According to her files, that is where she had to go to meet with the people she was looking for.

Walking out of the docking bay, she was somewhat surprised to find that the air was in fact a tad better, she took a long breath, closing her eyes for a moment. As she reopened them, she found a couple of scruffy and dirty looking men were staring at her with stupid grins on their faces. They were clearly some dock workers, and they clearly had nothing better to do than bothering her.

The bald one whistled, the blonde one half howled his appreciation. She resisted, barely, the temptation to reach for her gun and plant a bullet between their eyes. She walked around them, trying to ignore them as they were making more obscene noises. This place was just getting worse and worse.

She finally stood in front of a massive Elcor who was guarding the main doors of the club she had been looking for. The loud thumping music from inside could be heard from here, a giant panel on top of the entrance was displaying a dancing Asari, just in case anyone was uncertain about the nature of this place.

The Elcor addressed her in his monotonous voice. "Suspiciously. You look too nice to be a patron of this club. What is your purpose here, human."

She gave him her best smile as she replied. "I'm here to see Aria T'Loak. I have an appointment."

"With professional courtesy. Let me check for your name on today's list."

"Miranda Lawson. I'm here representing the Cerberus group."

"Welcoming. Of course. Please step inside."

She nodded gracefully at the big alien. She passed a long hall and finally entered the club. It was definitely more than she had expected. She took in the view, the customers, the bars, the music, the dancers, and most of all the structure itself. She hated to admit that it was quite impressive.

She shook herself out of her temporary admiration and headed for what looked like a private area overlooking the entire place. As she started climbing the steps leading to it, a huge Batarian stopped her right in her tracks. "Hold up, human. Who are you and what do you want?"

She was beginning to get annoyed by this routine, nevertheless, she took notice of the security that this self-appointed ruler of Omega had in place. "Miranda Lawson, Aria is expecting me."

An even voice called from a few feet away. "You must be our ten o'clock. Come on in."

She lightly pushed the guard aside and climbed the last few steps.

Sitting casually on a huge couch, her long legs crossed elegantly, an Asari was sipping a drink from a frosted glass. Standing behind the couch, a woman stopped reading from a datapad, her eyes rising up to watch Miranda's every movement, assessing her, scanning her.

The Cerberus operative decided to break the ice, she returned the inquisitive stare of the other human in the room. "That's a very old human expression, I hadn't heard it in quite a while, in fact. You must be Shepard." She stopped at what she considered a non-threatening distance and greeted the Asari. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

Aria gestured for her to take a seat on the other couch. "Don't thank me. The only reason why you're here is that I am merely curious. What could Cerberus possibly want with Omega? This is a proud cauldron of every alien race imaginable, mostly considered a den of sin and crime. You are an organization focused on human supremacy, deemed terrorists by the Citadel Council, trying to overturn that description and gain a more… respectable spot in the galaxy. Unless you're looking for a covert supply line of illegal weapons, I'd say you're in the wrong neighbourhood."

Miranda sat down, made herself comfortable, smiled and waved away the glass that was being offered to her by an Asari waitress. "Quite accurate. But no, I'm not here to negotiate a deal for weapons with you." She paused for a moment, allowing for both Aria and Shepard to give her their full attention before continuing. "I assume you have heard of an elusive alien race called the Collectors?"

Aria set down her glass on the low table in front of her. "I've had a few dealings with them in the past. Their requests are always rather odd. I still remember the time they asked for two dozen left-handed Salarians… They show up very rarely, do their business, pay very handsomely, and they disappear beyond the Omega 4 Relay. What is your interest in them?"

"It would be more precise to ask: what is -their- interest in -us-, actually. According to our intel, they have been capturing or otherwise procuring humans en masse lately, which has of course spiked the interest of Cerberus. As you can understand, we cannot sit idly by while these aliens harvest us, obviously illegally and against our will, for whatever obscure purpose."

The Queen was getting a bit impatient. "Why don't you stop circling around and come to the point. I don't have all day. What does Cerberus want from me?"

Miranda stared at the Asari, sat upright, squared her shoulders and spoke in her most assured voice.

"We would like for you to allow a small group of Cerberus scientists and workers on your station, and a few vessels to maintain a presence in the Terminus System, and occasionally dock here for restocking of supplies and the crew's R&R. We want to study a way to enter the Omega 4 Relay in order to find the home planet, or base, of these Collectors, possibly rescue the human captives they have already taken, and understand why they are abducting so many of us. We are willing to pay whatever price you deem appropriate, of course."

There was a moment of silence that seemed to last forever, only the loud music was filling the air. Aria picked up her glass and took a long sip, her mind carefully considering all the implications involved in such a request. In a few more seconds, she seemed to have made up her mind.

"No."

As for a wont, silent understanding, Shepard walked around the couch and stood in front of the Cerberus operative, her hand inviting her to take her leave.

Miranda didn't seem to accept that answer right away though, and trying to hide her surprise and disappointment, she got up and looked at Aria over the Commander's shoulder. "I cannot stress enough how important this is, for all of humanity!"

Shepard spoke in a low, steady voice. "That is rather arrogant of you, presuming to speak for an entire race. But then again, that's what your organization is all about, isn't it?"

Miranda looked into her eyes, with barely concealed annoyance. She chose to ignore her words and addressed Aria again. "There must be a way we can work this out. Something we can offer you. Something you want."

The Asari gave her an impassive stare. "I want you to leave."

As Miranda put her hand on Shepard's arm to make her move aside, her intent to walk up to the Queen and give her a piece of her mind, she heard the sound of the guards' rifles cocking and immediately froze. The Commander's voice let through just the necessary amount of a threat. "You heard the Queen. No means no. Now you can leave this station with your own legs, or you can leave in a coffin. It's your choice."

The Cerberus operative quickly assessed her situation and realized she actually had no choice at all. She let out a long, low sigh. "Very well. But heed my words. One day soon, these Collectors will become a problem not just for humans, but for the entire galaxy. When that time comes, you will need our help. Then it will be on -our- terms."

She didn't wait for a reply, and made her way out without turning back.

Shepard went to sit next to Aria, who looked lost in thought. As if she had reached a conclusion in her mind, the Queen turned to the Commander and spoke. "I want to know all Cerberus movements across the entire system. As of now their ships are denied access to Omega space unless I specifically approve of it. And I want you to personally make sure that Miss Lawson gets on whatever transport and hauls her ass out of here within the day."

"Of course. Those are some harsh measures against them though. May I ask why?"

The Asari fixed her stare somewhere in the distance. "I don't like extremists. They are an unending source of trouble. And trouble is something I'm not in the mood for."

The environment all around her was becoming easier to navigate by the minute. She was running away from a large crate that exploded in a million pieces just a few steps from her. She crouched behind the cover of a low metal wall, the shots whistling by just above her head. Her hands moved in a quick, familiar way to pop the exhausted heat sink of her Carnifex and substitute it with a new one. She took a few seconds to assess her options before rolling out of cover. She aimed, she fired.

With a faint buzzing sound her enemy crackled and disappeared into thin air. A pleasant computer voice indifferently announced. "Round and match to Shepard. Would you like to set up a new match?"

"No." Her voice was tinged by a hint of annoyance that didn't pass unnoticed by her friend and partner in crime.

Garrus was quickly examining his assault rifle as he walked to where Shepard was standing. "And we win another one. You should be celebrating, not sulking. That makes it nine in a row, I'm sure it must be some sort of record."

"I bet it is. But even so?" The bitterness in her tone was almost tangible.

The Turian sighed as they got ready to leave the simulator. "So: I don't understand why you sound so... negative. Your performance is spotless, your reflexes are like lightning, and your shots are precise as they can be. What is that human expression? Ah, yes. You've got an eye like an eagle."

"No, I've got the eye of a fucking machine." Her mouth twisted in a displeased expression as her fingers came up to her face, tracing the long scar that ran across her left eye.

Garrus stopped and put a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to look at him. "I thought that could be what this is about. You still feel like that, after all this time? The thing is: it works. Your life is not hindered in any way. You are not diminished in any way. And frankly, it makes you look like even more of a badass, as Tali loves to say."

His mandibles moved in the equivalent of a smile before he went on. "Speaking of whom, she has spent the last week organising a small but meaningful celebration. You know, it's been a hundred days since the Battle of the Citadel. She has invited just a few people. It wouldn't be the same without you, so... please join us?"

Shepard stared at him for a moment, she could see the honest plead right on his face. "I'll see what I can do."

The young Quarian Engineer had of course chosen the Inanna as the venue of her little party. It was after all the one place where she felt most at home and where she spent most of her time. In fact, Shepard realized that Tali hadn't ever even considered having her own place on Omega, regardless of how many times she had been offered an accommodation by Aria.

Entering the frigate always brought welcome feelings in the Commander, who had fallen in love with the ship the moment she had laid eyes on it. It was small, incredibly fast, and packed a punch. In her eyes, it was a specimen of engineering and military perfection.

As she walked into the canteen, all heads turned towards her and she was greeted by warm smiles all around. Thankfully, Garrus had told her the truth. There were very few people here, and all of them were a welcome sight to the Commander.

Relan, her trusted pilot, seemed to be deep in conversation with Mordin in a corner of the communal room. When the old Salarian noticed her, he took the time to give her a wrinkly smile, nothing more, nothing less, as was his style. She barely had the time to reciprocate.

Tali literally ran to her and gave her a quick but tight hug. "Shepard! Thank you for coming! We were waiting just for you." She caught the Commander's arm with her own and started walking them towards the drinks table. "Now Garrus said he wasn't sure whether you were going to show up or not, but I told him right from the start: 'There's no way she won't be here, come on!', and lo and behold, I was right! In fact, I forced him to make a small bet about it, so I guess I should thank you for making me win, now he'll have to pay me dinner for the rest of the week, and I plan on having dinner at the best restaurants Omega can offer. Which, you would be surprised, are not in small numbers, as I found out just by walking around in the more… respectable quarters. If there is such a thing as a respectable quarter on Omega at all. One could argue there are less threatening areas and more dangerous areas, oh I don't know, if you listen to some people they will tell you there's no place worth going to on this station, especially those stuck up Citadel dwellers that turn their noses upwards at the mere mention of Omega…"

Shepard stopped, she raised her hand and put a finger in front of Tali's visor in an attempt to make her at least slow down. The Quarian got the message and lowered her face just a tad, suddenly showing the shy side that endeared her to the human immensely.

"I'm sorry, I was rambling relentlessly there for a moment… it's just that I haven't seen you in a while, and there are so many little, silly things I want to tell you, and… I missed you, Shepard. That's all."

The Commander found herself smiling sweetly at her. "I missed you too, Tali. I shouldn't have shut so many people out lately, but I needed time to come to terms with all that has happened. And to be honest, I don't think I'm done digesting it all yet. I hope you can understand."

The Engineer looked up. "Of course! Of course… I just want you to know that I'm always here, and I always have time for you if you want to talk. And I promise I will do my best to let -you- talk, is all." She took Shepard's hand and squeezed lightly.

"Thank you. Now. I was promised drinks, if I'm not mistaken."

A familiar voice replied from behind the Quarian. "And drinks you will get, Commander."

Shepard's eyes opened a bit in surprise. "Williams! I certainly wasn't expecting you to be here."

"I'm a Spectre, remember? I don't need to ask permission to go wherever I want and see whomever I want." She winked and smiled.

"But you're still with the Alliance. Are you telling me they don't like to keep a tight leash on the first and so far only human Spectre?"

"Oh, they try. But let's just say I've been working on ways to be more… independent, lately. I still remember vividly your words about the Alliance, I think they kind of opened my eyes, so I decided to stick with the military, but to turn the tables around, somewhat. Instead of letting them use me, I now use them. And it's all your doing! You should be proud. I think." She slurped a sip of her drink through the multi-coloured straw in her glass.

Shepard considered her words carefully for a moment. "Well, if you can make it work, Williams, more power to you. Off the record though… well done." The Commander couldn't hide a grin of satisfaction, then she seemed to remember something and excused herself and the Chief for a moment. As soon as they were standing alone a few paces away from anyone else, Shepard spoke to her in a low voice. "A Miranda Lawson, representative of the Cerberus group, was here today. Now I know you don't owe me anything, but I would consider it a personal favour if you could find me any and all information on her, using your Spectre access."

Williams didn't take any time replying. "Not owe you? Did you hit your head somewhere really really hard? I do owe you. You can ask me any personal favours you need. And of course I will. I'll let you know my findings as soon as I can."

Her words were still hanging in the air as the Commander heard her name being called from behind her.

"About fucking time you showed up, Shepard. A party is not a party without you."

The Commander didn't even need to turn around, but she did so anyway. "Jack. Always a pleasure to hear you cuss and curse."

"Shit. It better be. And pardon me for not dressing up like a fucking doll for the occasion." The smirk on her lips was lighting up her beautiful face. "We still up for that sweep in the slums next week?"

"Certainly. We need to put the screws on those Red Sand smugglers before they start thinking they can get away with it unscathed."

"No. No. No. No work related talk. Not tonight." Garrus swept in and handed the Commander a drink, swerving the conversation effortlessly. "Now let's make a toast. To surviving the odds and saving the galaxy, whether the galaxy wanted to be saved or not."

Glasses were raised in a small chorus of "Hear hear."

Shepard's comm signal went off in a loud beeping sound, waking her up. She wriggled free of Aria's possessive arm and leg laying on top of her, and reached for her omnitool. The Asari lazily wrapped her arm around her waist again and just pulled her back against her naked body, her satiny, warm skin pleasantly caressing the human's. The Commander rolled around to face her. The Queen's voice sounded aggravated. "I hope it's an emergency. If it is not, I will turn it into one."

Shepard simply smiled and planted a soft kiss on her forehead as she opened the message she had just received. It was from Ashley, it was short and to the point. 'Here's the file, happy reading. Next time I'm around the drinks are on me.'

As she was reading it, the human felt Aria stirring and shifting, then her hot tongue started sliding along her neck, all the way up to her ear. She felt the Asari's teeth grazing the edge of her jaw. She threw the omnitool in the general direction of the nightstand, enveloping the Queen in her arms, swinging her thigh on top of her blue hips in a hungry move. Their lips met in a hot kiss.

Miranda's file could definitely wait.