Digeris, April 1st 2186 CE

*beep*

Max looked over at Ree who was, up until that point, enraptured by the dramatic horror that was unfolding on the holo screen at the base of the bed. It was a Turian movie about a squad of infantry being slowly picked off by an escaped medical experiment which was another turian with an extra set of leg spurs and an elongated snout. Max thought it entertaining that no matter the species, if they made movies there were certain tropes that persisted throughout.

Ree brought up her Omni and smiled as she read whatever was on its screen, she typed out a reply and slipped her Omni bracelet off. She then turned to Max and wrapped herself around one of his massive arms. He shifted slightly to better accommodate her and ran his hand down her crest as she toyed with the fabric of the thin issued blanket they were swaddled under. He was having one of those moments where he could hardly reconcile the familiarity of their intimacy and comfort with one another against the sheer strangeness and difference of their physical selves. Ree was having similar thoughts as she nuzzled his chest.

"So?" Max murmured.

"Not tonight." She replied, not looking up.

Max looked over at the oil painting drying on the easel next to the bed. It depicted the silhouette of what looked like a human sitting at a bench with its head bowed in concentration. A glow seemed to emanate from whatever it was the person was working on. Standing facing the bench where a motley assortment of Turians, some of which he recognized. There was Braxton and Jorvan, and unknown male and were all looking down at whatever it was that had the humans' attention. He recalled how nervous she had been as they had gotten up from the desk and made their way to the bed.

There was something about oil painting that Max found appealing. Maybe it was how strokes of color, when scrutinized up close, looked messy and unrefined. But as you stood back there was a realism to what was being portrayed that was haunting. Max felt he was looking at a smokey dream, half remembered, as he looked at the painting.

"This is awesome!" He had proclaimed as she stood by nervously. Ree had beamed at the compliment and planted a firm kiss on his face.

The holo droned on in the background as Max thought about what to do next. They had fooled around in the past but they had never actually had sex. He wasn't even sure if she was in the mood or of the right mental state for such a thing to happen. Max also found it absurd that Ree was basically asking Jaa for permission to do so. She purred deeply as she sat up and stretched, her white T shirt hanging loosely from her slender frame. Her bright blue eyes flicked about the room as she thought to herself.

"No idea what to do?" Max asked as he smiled faintly. Her mandibles flapped as she looked down at her hands and she shrugged.

"More or less. Typically at this point a male Turian would be issuing challenges with his second chords and there'd be a whole battle of wills before things moved on. I'm sorry if that sounds clinical but its the best way to explain it."

"I can't do the vocal thing but we can wrestle around a bit if you like." He replied as a mischievous grin crept onto his face.

"Aww, you won't even try to challenge?" She said in mock disappointment.

"Oh I can try. But that could prove disastrous."

She looked at him expectantly her head tilting in an almost feline manner. Max felt a ball of ice form in his stomach.

"I'm serious about the disaster part." He practically pleaded. Her gaze didn't let up.

"Oh, uhm, ok. Grrr?" Max started tentatively as his embarrassment mounted.

A mandible twitched.

"Grrrr. Brawk!"

A snort escaped her as she cringed visibly.

"COCA-DOODLE-MOO!"

She couldn't contain herself any longer and burst into laughter as she fell onto her back and buried her face in her hands.

"Oh is that right? I'll give you something to laugh about." Max hissed in mock anger as he grabbed a spurred leg.

"Oh no no no NO!" Her arms shot out to her sides and she tried to sit up but he pulled her leg closer to him. He brushed the backside of her heel and calf with his fingers as she started to convulse and squirm to get away from him. Her laughter took on a panicked tinge as he mercilessly tickled her. Her other leg came to bear as she tried to pry his grip off her, her arms beating the bed as she did so. Max let go as her clawed toes began to graze his arm and rolled over onto his knees.

He crawled over her as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes and blinked wildly. She looked up at him as he planted a hand on either side of her head.

I'm gonna wipe that stupid grin off your face!

Her knee shot up into his gut as he hovered over her on all fours. He gasped for air as she connected and pushed up into him. Anchoring a leg and pressing a shoulder she managed to roll his massive frame over. He relented and soon she was mounted atop a red faced human.

"Is this the battle of wills part?" He wheezed. She flashed a toothy smile in response and dug into his sides with her hands as he went on the defensive.

"Stop being so easy, you're not going to hurt me." She chided as he weakly batted her hands away.

"If you say so!" He bucked up from under her, forcing her to fall forward and brace herself. He cocked his hips to the side and planted a heel on her hip for leverage as he pushed her off him and rolled her over onto her back.

"Woah, deja vu!"He laughed as he got in her gaurd. Her legs wrapped around his waist as she lay there and her hands shot out to grab his wrists.

"I said stop being so nice!"

Max dodged her attempts to grab him and instead bowed onto her stomach and grabbed her biceps, holding them inline with her head. He blew a raspberry into her supple stomach, she squealed and squirmed in response. He could feel her powerful frame try to find away out of his hold as she grunted. He looked up from her stomach and saw her huff in exertion. Her forearms and hands waved about ineffectually as her arms were immobilized. She could smell him begin to perspire from his efforts, stirring her. He sat back up while still holding her arms and looked down at her slender face. A fire burned in her eyes as her mandibles were set in determination. He looked on in uncertainty as she relaxed slightly. He loosened his grip.

Her palms faced him and the next thing Max knew he was seeing a purple flash as the sensation of flying overcame him. He landed in a heap half on half off the bed and slid the rest of the way off, head first, as his knees decided to see if his ears were lonely. He awkwardly rolled over and stood at the edge of the bed as Ree leered a challenge at him from the other side of the bed, a low growl thrumming from her. He moved to remount the bed but she held out a hand and a barrier sprang up around it.

"Not fair." He laughed as he felt the barrier with his hands. It made his fingers tingle as he pressed against it.

"Whatcha gonna do about it?"

Max briefly entertained the thought of running out to his container and donning his armor but thought it a bit extreme. Instead Ree's eyes widened in shock as he bent over and lifted the side of the bed violently. She slid off the side of the bed taking the sheets with her as they snagged on her spurs. She yelped in surprise, her hand held up in a vain attempt to maintain the bubble. Her feet waggled in the air as she lay on her shoulders laughing.

Max dove onto the bed and pulled her back up onto it, she giggled as he pinned her hands under his knees and straddled her once again. She looked up to see a fire burning in his emerald green eyes as she lay helpless. He searched her face for any sign of further treachery as she breathed heavily from the biotic exertion. He bowed down to her, his face mere inches from hers.

He waited.

She nodded.

They practically headbutted each other as they kissed fiercely. She tore at his shirt as he cupped an ass cheek with a hand while the other slipped behind her crest to support her head as they became impassioned. Soon he was bare chested and her hands were exploring his physique. Her tongue flicked at his lips, begging for admission. He teased her for a second but eventually consented. Their tongues battled one another as his breath shuddered in anticipation. He found the sensitive spot at the roof of her mouth and he lapped at it, her breath hitching as his hand moved from her ass to her waist. Her legs wrapped around him and locked as she ripped off her own shirt. He lifted her up and started kissing down her neck and around her collar.

"Bite me, right there." She breathed as his lips hovered over the faint scars of a previous bite mark. He hesitated for only a split second before grasping the softer brown flesh in his teeth and clamping down.

"Harder."

Max felt he was applying enough pressure to break human skin and was leery of causing her harm. He had to actively tell himself that it was different and to trust her. She cupped the back of his head and pressed him into her as he bit down harder. Her body tensed as his flat human teeth crushed the nerve in her neck, releasing a chemical cocktail. She whimpered as feral instinct took hold and her legs tightened around him. Her hands frantically grasped at his belt and trousers as she growled angrily, her mouth nipping at his ear lobe. He pulled away from her neck and glimpsed small blue welts of blood emerge from the indentations his teeth left as he helped her unbuckle his pants.

She tore him from his remaining layers of modesty and pressed him onto his back with a hand on his chest. She mounted him and grinded into his sex as she looked down at him hungrily. He guided her motions with his hands on her hips, massaging and kneading as they moved as one. A high pitched whine escaped her as she emerged from her seam. Painful friction gave way to a silken bliss as her petals caressed the side of his member, wetted by her anticipation.

She felt his heat all over her body and embraced him, seeking to absorb every bit of it. The cool touch of her carapace against his bare skin driving him wild. Gunfire and screaming made them both pause as the holo behind them reminded them of it's presence. Max turned it off with a hand gesture and wrapped his arms around her as he gently lay her back down. Her dark brown skin flushed blue as she trembled with passion.

"Please, now." She mewled as she bit down on her talonless thumb. She splayed her legs open and rested her clawed feet on the backside of his calfs. Max gently guided his member to her as she flexed with need. He rubbed her petals with the tip of his sex, watching in fascination as they moved to pull him inside her. He gave into her desire and entered her which elicited a flanged sigh as she relaxed completely, her head lolling about. He made it about half in before her walls began spasming, trying to accommodate his physiology. The dark blue petels surrounding her sex reached out to an almost alarming degree and began pulling him in deeper. The sensation was too much for him and he fought to stay in control. After what felt like an eternity they were fully coupled, her back arched as she moved around him, kneading and squeezing him from inside.

"Don't stop. Oh my spirits don't" She rasped as he continued to look on in amazement. Just being coupled was proving to be almost too much as her body spasmed with agonized pleasure, trying to bend him to her will but proving to be futile against his different physiology. She couldn't push him away from the sensitive nerve bundles lining her sex and was becoming overwhelmed by the constant pressure. She began to gasp for air.

"I can't" Max croaked as he fought to stay coherent. He began to pull out of her which caused another bout of body spasms as he tried to save himself. Despite the sensory overload she was feeling her sex still craved more and tried to pull him back in. She was reduced to whimpering sobs as every little motion became an explosion of pleasure. He managed to escape her clutches and let out a huge shuddering sigh as he rested his twitching member. He was already so close.

She let out a growl of frustration and reached up, pulling him down to her. Their frenzied kissing dissipated the tension they both felt. Max had an idea and reached down to her as he kissed along a mandible and down her neck again. He gently massaged her petals with two fingers, causing her to tense up again and whine. Her knees jerked about as jolts of electricity coursed through her. His middle finger was drawn in by her motions and was batted about by her silken walls as her hips worked in concert.

"So close." She breathed into his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He withdrew his hand and guided himself into her once again, grunting in concentration as his member was assaulted. He pulled away and thrusted into her, making her snarl. She didn't have enough time to overwhelm him as his motions became rhythmic. Instead she tried to clamp down around him in a vain attempt to keep him from escaping. She began to tear up as the sensation of being pounded caused waves of pleasure to course through her. Max wasn't sure how much longer he could go and his thrusts became more vigorous, his breathing running ragged as he did so. She couldnt take it anymore and let out a warbling whine as she bit down on his shoulder. He flinched as her pointed teeth sank into his tender skin but he pushed through. His life force flowing from the wound tasted of copper, she lapped at it while maintaining her grip. She bit down harder as his motions became more violent, his testicles slapping at her as she flexed with every thrust.

He buried himself to his base as he scooped her up and sat up with her facing him. Grabbing her ass with both hands he lifted her and released, sending her crashing to his hilt as she cried out. He repeated the motion and was met with another cry. Her eyes were clenched shut in concentration as she fought to keep it together. Her clawed hands raked his back as she took over.

She bounced energetically on his lap, he could feel her tense up in that peculiar way as her sex lingered around him when she reached the height of her movements. That strong muscular pull came as she cried out and desperately wrapped her arms around him, holding on for dear life as she felt him give in violently. A hoarse cry escaped him while they embraced. His twitches of release felt like she was being hit with by a sledgehammer of pleasure as she gave in completely. A point of no return came as she was overwhelmed by sensation, her body screamed to get away from him but she wanted more. She physically fought to keep him inside her as waves coursed through her, she wanted to see how far she could go.

"I- I want. Don't let me go. Hold me down" She gasped.

He blinked out of the fuzzy tunnel he was falling down just long enough to grab onto each spur and pull her down onto him, arresting her retreat as she sunk ever so slowly around his throbbing member.

The site of their coupling became the single point of sensation of their entire reality as they reached a new level of euphoria. They ceased to be two beings and became one as whose sexual organ belonged to who became muddled in the endorphins that were coursing through them. Every twitch, every nudge, every breath, became an explosion of sensation for both as they stayed coupled for what felt like eternity. It was soul rending, it was the sheer decadence of biological pleasure, it was glorious to behold.

For a while they sat in silence, listening to the other breathe, feeling each others hearts beat in unison. Drinking in every minute detail of the other. How the motions of her mandible made a muscle twitch beneath the soft flesh behind her jaw. How the veins in his arms bulged when he moved. How the small slits of her nose flared slightly as she tasted the air. Neither one wanted anything else than to hold on to one another in this shared moment of infinite warmth and comfort for the rest of time.

"I love you." Max whispered after they had come back to reality. Ree sat back and regarded him, her facial plates lined with crusty trails from her dried tears of pleasure and mirth. The human looked infinitely vulnerable as uncertainty clouded his expression, she glanced down at the six neat holes in his shoulder which were crusted with dried blood, the taste of him lingered in her mouth. She blanched as he shifted slightly to get more comfortable. Her over stimulated sex sending a jolt of electricity through her as he moved inside her.

"I love you to" she said with a sigh as she tilted her head to the side, exposing her bruised and bleeding neck. Max hadn't realized he was holding his breath until the words escaped her. They embraced one another for a long time as they sat in bed.

Jaa stepped away from the dining room window and walked shakily back to her trailer.

"Vas Konesh, that means you're from the Konesh correct?"

A nod

From a giant hamster ball in space.

"Do you have any hobbies?"

A shake of the head.

Converts air into slightly warmer, smellier air. For fun.

"So do you have any family, brothers and sisters and such?"

Another shake of the head.

No siblings, probably eaten by hamsters at birth. Juan typed as he sat on the folding chair in their small "room." Ruhe sat cross legged on the bottom bunk facing him, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Now this may be a tough one, as it requires more than a yes or no response. Are you ready?" He said condescendingly.

A nod and a few blinks for good measure.

"What do you like to eat?"

"Sustenance capsule 34 louza cordon bleu" She ghosted from her suit speakers.

Roadkill tortellini, blended for rectal processing.

"Ok, what do you need from me."

She looked around as if searching for questions as Juan impatiently tapped on the desk next to him.

"Same questions" She eventually whispered.

Juan furrowed his brow as he set down his datapad and leaned in towards her.

"San Felipe Earth. None of your business. An older sister and younger brother. And Machaca burritos." He fired off tiredly. She nodded and began fidgeting with her hands.

"Sooo you gonna write any of that down?" His said as his disdain for her grew. She lifted a hand and simply tapped the side of her helmet. Juan snorted in disgust and stood.

"Figures"

She unfolded her legs and moved to slide out from the bunk bed but he held up a hand.

"Relax, I'm not going anywhere." He grumbled as he brushed aside the curtain and made his way to the head. Ruhe watched him disappear into the head through a small gap in the curtain before turning back to the desk set against the wall. She noticed his datapad was slightly out of line with the edge of the desk and scooted forward to fix it. After righting the misaligned item she resumed sitting cross legged in silence.

Juan returned and grabbed a change of clothes, eyeing her suspiciously as he did so. There was just something that felt wrong about the Quarian. From what he had overheard in the chow hall and in classes the other Quarians were relatively talkative and "normal" in some respects. Though Juan doubted he could ever equate a suited freak as being "normal." He walked back to the head and changed into some gym shorts and a T-Shirt, folding his uniform neatly and placing it in a laundry bag after doing so. He had given up trying to change in front of her; the creepy, silent, staring was too much for him to handle. He returned to see her still sitting like a statue on the bunk, her head turning robotically to watch him as he tossed the bag into his wall locker.

"Well it's been an enlightening evening. Good night." He grunted as he climbed up onto the top bunk and flopped under the sheets. She nodded to no one in particular and continued to sit in silence for a while. She finally slid out of the bunk and turned off the desk lamp, plunging them in darkness. Ruhe unrolled her suit charger and plugged it in before laying rigidly on her back and closing her eyes.

"The relays are out of sync. Does anyone remember the voltage cycles for these?" She dreamed.

"Keelah, theres over 100 of them. Who the hell can remember so many?"

Ruhe approached the terminal and surveyed the giant diagram of the ships power relays. Each one had three four digit values next to them annotating the three voltages the relays switched from while routing power to different systems. She gasped as she delved back to exactly 3 hours 35 minutes and 26 seconds previously when she had looked at the diagram and the systems were running fine. She gritted her teeth as the unwelcome feeling of living in two timelines at once made her nauseous. Her hands began to blur as she systematically worked down the list of relays, changing the values back from memory.

"What the hell is she doing?" One of the engineers exclaimed as she worked. Her small figure could barely see over the control panel. A hand clamped down on her shoulder and tried to pull her away, she relented but ducked away from the older Quarians grip and frantically finished the adjustments. She smashed the reboot button and turned away, but not before moving a spanner wrench so that it was centered exactly on the edge of the console. Everyone stared as if dazed by a bright light as the diagrams amber color pallette blinked green.

I had been exactly 5 hours 3 minutes and 58 seconds since the final seal was pressurized in her first envirosuit.

The base was a scene of activity as dawn burst upon the drab grays of Dhals Folly. Staff and students alike scurried about from one classroom to the next as they set about executing their duties. Sighra Bau stood at the floor to ceiling window overlooking the headquarters building and mech bay farther off. He stroked his chin absently as he worked out a solution for an algorithm that was proving to be a nuisance when it was installed on Asari comm equipment. For Bau his day had started almost 6 hours before everyone else as his elevated metabolism meant he needed only 2 hours of sleep to function. He had given up the "commute" to and from his trailer and opted to have a cot installed in a corner of his lab. The lack of privacy and personal effects didn't bother him. He regarded such things as inconveniences in his life.

He noted with amusement that he could now spot students with 99% accuracy thanks to a curious behavior they were now exhibiting as they moved about. Based on the behavior of some of those he watched the sudden intimacy was not a spontaneous and voluntary endeavor. His omni beeped and he looked down to see that the Human Gunnery chiefs armor and alcove had been updated with his new software as it sent a status report to a centralized data hub that logged such activity. Bau had flagged Barrett's gear in particular as he had never worked with this new system before. He sighed contentedly as he read that no errors had been detected.

It had taken some gumption and the cashing in of a few favors to get the Alliance to allow the Salarian access to the new equipment. Ultimately he presented the case that the technology itself was not necessarily world shattering, it was the idea behind it's usage and employment that was. The director of the Alliance R&D department had begrudgingly accepted the logic and given his blessing with the stipulation that any developments be routed to their labs.

Powered armor had been around for centuries, though most species opted out of such an elaborate and sophisticated system for fear that the average "Joe" was not worth the extensive cost of such a piece of gear. Though most armor was "powered" in some respect this was the first time he had seen mobility and strength enhanced to such an extensive degree. The ability to shed some of this power as a stand alone system was another facet that had Bau obsessed, the tactical implications were endless.

There were three other sets of Exo-armor still in their packaging at the armory, awaiting the human to qualify their potential owners to don them. Bau was already devising ways to adapt the suits for other races physiology.

His door chimed and he turned to see the green and brown female Turian standing at his door from the security camera mounted above the door. He unlocked the door with a simple gesture and she strode in, her steel toes *tick tocking* across the ceramic-alloy floor. Her eyes burned with curiosity as she surveyed the gadgetry strewn about his lab.

"I thought you were a software guy?" She said in her uncharacteristically high pitched voice. Bau wondered if the damage to the side of her face contributed to the child like tenor of her voice but quickly dismissed the idea as he recalled Turian physiology.

"Yes, among many other skills. Primary mission here. Secondary is to develop capabilities." Bau said as he rounded a littered desk and shook her hand. He noticed partial dilation of one pupil as well as the sharp tang of medigel. She had received a heavy dosage not to long ago.

"Welcome to my lab Cabalite. Can I help you?"

"Actually, I'd like to help you. You said your secondary mission was to develop capabilities. Just how many non lethal weapons do we have?" She said while gazing levelly at him.

"14, not counting martial arts techniques"

"Well I had an idea to add another tool to our arsenal, since peacekeeping is part of what we all do. I'm sure you've heard of the Collector attacks that wiped out several human colonies? Well what if we adapted whatever it was they used to immobilize humans into a non-lethal weapon of some sort to aid in the pacification of crowds?"

"Interesting. Would have to understand mechanism for paralysis and adapt it to different species. But potential is valid. Wouldn't know where to start. Collector data hard to come by. Only Commander Shepard and-" He snapped his fingers as he smiled suddenly. "Former colleague was aboard ship! Foolish of me not to think of sooner. Yes yes, I will investigate this idea."

All you need to do is give them just a little bit of rope. She smiled as she watched his mind race.