Your day has come, your time draws near. No longer will the souls of the innocent succumb to your lustful whims, only to be torn asunder as a used toy. You were always my pride and joy, young daughter of mine. Your gifts of strength and cunning would rival any one of my own kind. You left your home, to kill and slaughter. You are the reason I have pledged this oath. I will avenge the losses of the many, so peace may insue. I will always love you my daughter, but today you must meet the goddess my dear Morinth. Leaving the office lookout of Aria T'loak, a powerful asari warrior headed off to find the latest victim, and to destroy her own flesh and blood.
Shepard had just landed on Omega, bringing a few squad members to aid him in finding this powerful recruit. Mordin asked politely to go check on his clinic in the spare time, and the commander agreed it was a good idea. The salarian went off to make sure the people were safe. At that moment, he was no longer Mordin Solus, retired STG agent and esteemed tacticion on the battlefield, but Dr. Solus, the protector of the needy, healer of the sick, and defender of the right to live.
Shepard brought along Garrus, Aj, Tali, and Zaeed. He was planning on bringing Grunt, also, but the krogan seemed... different. Grunt admitted to the commander he was feeling strange, and asked EDI to provide him with whatever combat simulations might aid him until he returned.
Stepping out of the airlock, EDI updated the squad. "Due to the nature of justicar endeavors among the asari, commander, I believe Aria T'loak may have information on her whereabouts. Also, reports indicate the mercenaries believe Archangel was killed in the subsequent destruction of the outpost."
"Huh, works for me." Garrus added wryly.
The group went up to the doorway of Afterlife, bypassing the normal line. Aj and Tali were holding hands, getting a few strange looks, but nothing confrentational. Everything seemed fine until...
"YOU'RE LETTING A FUCKING QUARIAN IN BUT I HAVE TO WAIT?" The man in front of the line screamed in disgust.
Shepard was about to break the man's face for insulting Tali, but saw Aj had already gotten to him first.
"What the fuck did you just say you little runt?" He growled at the man.
The man cockily continued, "Oh, so you're screwing the damn anima-"
Aj grabbed him by his throat and lifted him with one hand. The elcor bouncer was getting sick of the man anyway, and didn't comment on the events. He was slowly squeezing down on the man's windpipe, choking the life out of him. A metallic endoskeleton with sheets of subdermal protection weighed a lot, and had slowly been naturally increasing the man's normal muscular strength.
"You want to repeat that chicken shit?"
The statement caused a bit of confusion among the turian, elcor, and nearby asari watching the scene. A 'chicken' was not a commonly known bird at this day and age. However, the slight amount of sparks crackling from his face did cause a few people to step back. Shepard was going to stop him, but he had no sympathy for the man, especially after degrading his friend.
The man spit in his face. "You're not going to do shit kid. Aria doesn't le-"
Unfortunately, the man had not learned his lesson, and was thrown off the side of the balcony. Wherever he landed, undoubtedly it was not at a safe speed of descent. The rest of the line was silent, but the bouncer commented.
"Amused: Please enjoy your time at the bar, but do not continue this line of activity."
Aj had never talked to an elcor, and was momentarily surprised by the monotone speech, but decided it wasn't looking to defend the bastard, just doing its job. "Yeah, I won't. Just one less asshole to worry about." For some reason, he had a very difficult time shaking an audio memory of a mysterious Ben Stein from his mind.
He walked back over to Tali and held her hand. "Aj, you don't need to do that." She said quietly.
Aj just shook his head and walked with her and the group down the hallway. The rest of the club either had not payed attention, or didn't really care. Afterlife was not known for its civil clientel.
The group walked up to Aria's perch. The bodyguards noticed the leader of the group, Shepard, and decided it was safer to just let them pass. Walking up to the batarian, the commander still had to get scanned for security, but it was quicker and less tense than the first time.
"Commander Shepard, what brings you back to Omega?" Aria looked at him with an expressionless face, and quickly glanced at Garrus. "And Archangel I see. Well, you're dead around here. I'd keep it that way."
"Yeah, it's Garrus now." The turian replied, equally stoic.
"Very well. Now, to business." She motioned to the couch, where Shepard casually sat.
"I'm looking for an asari warrior. I believe she may have visited you."
The normally stoic Aria actually smirked slightly. "You're never simple Shepard, I'll give you that. She was just here a few minutes ago, and headed down to the apartments. All she told me was she was hunting an Ardat Yakshi. Hell, as long as she doesn't go all 'Archangel' " she scowled at Garrus, but continued, "here, she'll be doing me a favor. Her latest victim lived down there, a young human woman."
"What's an Ardat Yakshi?" Shepard asked a bit confused.
"A genetically mutated asari. Not physically, but when they meld with another, their nervous systems override their partner's. It always ends up killing the unfortunate acquaintance."
"Oh...well, that's great. I wanted to ask one last thing, and I'll be out of your hair... er scalp."
She shook her head at his misplaced idiom, but looked at him expectantly.
"My squadmate, Zaeed, has been looking for someone..." At the mention of his name, he immediatey tuned into the rest of the sentence. He had been talking to the batarian guard about the best way to take down a krogan, but turned to face the two. Shepard looked at the man and nodded.
Stepping forward, Zaeed growled, "Vido Santiago."
"Massani?" She looked at him with a curious look, then back at Shepard. "You humans are a tenacious bunch, I'll give you that. He sold me some weapons he 'acquired' recently. I'll send you what I've got on him when you leave Omega. He's got too many moles on this station to risk it while you stay." Zaeed's feral grin would scare most people, but it only caused the asari hellraiser to grin right back.
"Thanks for the help Aria, here's a little something for your trouble, eh?" Shepard decided to give her the schematics for the new L5x implant upgrade he had gotten from Cerberus. He needed this lady alive, so far she'd given him information what would have been damn near impossible to acquire elsewhere.
"Interesting, a pleasure as always Shepard. Do keep from killing any more of my patrons, however." She gave Aj a knowing eyebrow, to which he responded by shrugging.
The group left the perch, and Shepard couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny Shepard?" Garrus added, the looks the rest of the squad gave him seemed to agree with the sentiment.
"Well, we've got the Illusive Man and Aria T'loak as our two best informants. Hell of a way to get shit done in my book." He grinned, but secretly felt uncomfortable at the thought.
"Bitch won't screw ya over if you keep to your words, believe it or not." Zaeed added.
The odd conglomerate of fighters made their way to an apartment near a raging lunatic batarian. Turning the corner, they saw a hooded asari in intricate armor entering their goal.
"Ma'am!" Shepard yelled out, and the asari turned, still shielding her face much like Kasumi did. The five walked towards her.
Samara saw three humans, a quarian, and a turian, all heavily armed walk towards her. She immediately took a defensive stance, and glowed a firey blue.
The four squadmates paused at the woman's gesture. After hearing that she was an over 900 year old warrior who'd kill anyone hampering her pursuit of justice, none were too thrilled to attack. Shepard continued forward, and held up his hands, weaponless. Either he was brave or stupid.
"We are not here to harm you justicar." Shepard stated. The woman's blue faded, and she quickly strided over towards Shepard. The rest of the group put their hands on their weapons, but did not want to actively threaten the women unless necessary, under Shepard's orders.
The woman got close, and he could finally make out a bit of her face. She was stunning, even for her kind. Her eyes were a light shade of blue, and her face had a serene calmness which momentarily caused the commander to lose his voice. "Do not speak of those positions here, human. Who are you?" The asari whispered but remained in a defensive stance.
He whispered right back, only a few feet from the woman's face. "Commander John Shepard."
The woman looked at the group, who seemed tense, but had not actively fired. She assumed they were either not here to kill her, as the human Shepard had said, or there to take her alive, which would not happen. The name suddenly struck her, the one who'd saved the Citadel...reported dead. The savior of the council, the protector of the galaxy. She relaxed slightly. Noticing the hall they were in was devoid of life, and the prophet was speaking loud enough to clear any eavesdroppers, she decided to test the merit of the man's claims.
"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, and Garrus Vakarian?" She stated slightly louder, looking at the two non-humans in the group.
The turian nodded, and the quarian hesitantly spoke up. "Uhm, ma'am, it's vas Neema now. I completed my Pilgrimage." She noticed the girl was holding on to a larger human's hand, and could not help but smile a little. She fully relaxed her position, and noticed the group behind Shepard did the same. She deduced that she was not going to be attacked by the group.
"I see. What do you require of me. I am currenty busy with a serious matter." She said back to a lower whisper.
"We need your assistance on a mission of our own." Shepard stated calmly. He noticed she was not nearly as defensive.
"What is your objective?"
"To stop the Collectors. The ones abducting the human colonies. We need your help Samara." He stated matter-of-factly.
Her eyes got slightly wider at the fact they knew her name, but from a man as influential as this, it was to be expected. "That is a worthy goal, but...I cannot until I finish my current mission." She replied with a noticeably somber tone.
"Can my team and I assist? We know the basics of your mission, and I believe it should be completed as well."
Samara had been thinking of a thousand different ways to draw out her daughter, but had found none. There was no current way to locate her daughter by herself. She needed a willing volunteer, one who was powerful, physically appealing, and cunning. Shepard was her answer. The goddess had given her the candle, and now she must light the flame.
"You may be able to help, Shepard. She is drawn by people of power, strength, and intelligence. But I must search this apartment for clues." She motioned to the room nearby, and the team followed suit. The justicar was not used to dealing with aliens, but none of them seemed to be in any aggressive stances. Centuries of confrentation had taught her much, and she felt...safe...within this odd group.
A woman was crying on the bed when they entered. "Are... are you Aria's men?"
Samara calmly stated, "We are here to find and eliminate your daughters killer."
The woman smiled behind her tears, but it faded quickly. "My...Nef...she...she..."
Shepard walked up and embraced the woman, who gratefully returned it. Samara was not expecting this kind of compassion from a trained killer such as this man, but did not interfere. "We'll make sure whoever did this is brought to justice. We wanted to ask permission to search her room for clues." He whispered and released the hug.
"Please...whatever you need...just be careful...it's all I have left of her..." The woman said.
"We will be respectful." Samara stated coolly.
The group sifted through the small room. In it, they found she prefered an elcor artist named Forta, a vid called Vaenia, and often took the drug Hallex. Most importantly, they learned the prowled the Afterlife's VIP section, and to enter, one must say Jaruut.
Samara and the group thanked the grieving mother and departed the apartment.
"Shepard, I believe this mission will require you to be alone; I will have to watch from the shadows."
The group tensed up, and awaited Shepard's decision. Alone? Fuck...But it's a justicar... She wouldn't attack someone trying to help her on her own mission, right? Damn.
"Zaeed, you and Garrus go down to the regular section of Afterlife just in case. Aj and Tali, please wait by the airlock for support if need be." He looked over at Samara. "Think that'll be okay?"
The justicar nodded. "As long as your two squad mates in the bar do not cause suspicion, the plan will proceed accordingly. I will meet you inside the section, commander. Please be cautious."
The group departed, and Shepard decided to shop for a few minutes to give Samara a lead. After actually buying a copy of Fornax for Joker, he headed towards the stairs leading to the VIP area.
An armed turian was guarding the entrance, and looked at him expectantly as he walked up.
Shepard calmly stated, "Someone told me this is the place to be on this rock."
"Oh yeah? Sounds like a smart guy, who was he?" The turian asked coyly.
"Jaruut." The turian motioned him in without another word.
As he walked inside, he noticed a blue hand wave at him from behind some crates. Carefully, he walked over and was relieved to see it was Samara.
"Good job, I do not believe we have aroused any suspicion."
"Hope not, so what's the plan?" He asked.
"She will be drawn to you, and you must act interested. We will need her to bring you someplace out of the open, or she will escape for another fifty years or more." The justicar added, getting weaker towards the end.
Shepard put his arm on her shoulder, and the woman immediately tensed up, meeting his eyes. "Samara, do not worry. We will stop this murderer. I assume you want me to be the bait? So you'll follow me to wherever we head?" He removed his hand, and her eyes did not break contact with his.
"Please be careful Shepard, her body will speak to you, warming you to indescribable pleasures, her scent can even drive the weaker minded crazy with infatuation. You must resist her grasp, or you'll succumb to her seduction." Her voice did not carry any emotion whatsoever now.
Damn, an incredibly sexy lady what will kill you with sex. Sounds like a horror movie... "I will not fall, do not worry." He turned to go, but stopped when she spoke again, much more softly.
"Shepard, thank you. I could not do this alone, and I do not think anyone else would be willing to aid me." She ended with a minute hint of remorse.
Shepard nodded with a small smile, but noticed the woman seemed...sad?...at the end of her statement. It did not seem to be from the lack of assistance, but something deeper.
Walking into the bar, he immediately heard a conversation being held. 'Do you know that asari?' 'Yeah, she's damn fine, what about her?' 'I need to get tickets to Expel 10, she seemed interested in it.' 'You sound kind of desperate dude.' 'I know, but I just can't stop thinking about her, I don't know why.' 'Well, good luck, but sorry, I don't have any tickets.'
He made a mental note that it was likely the same asari he was looking for due to the frantic disposition of the man searching. He walked up to the dance floor to a turian glaring at an asari maiden.
"Want to come to my place? I've got some creds..." The turian trailed off, stepping near her.
"Get the fuck away from me!" She pushed him away angrily. "I'm a dancer not a whore!"
The turian walked up to her and grabbed her by the throat. "You've got a pretty mouth babe, I'm going to enjoy watching you use it."
Shepard walked up to the turian and pushed him off. "Get the hell out of here kid."
The turian scowled at him and approached, "Who the fuck do you think you are?" The man swung a punch at Shepard, who casually dodged it. A punch right to his nasal orifice caused the turian to stumble back. A kick to the side of his knees dropped the man to the ground, still clutching his nose.
"Now, you either get away from her, or I'll rip your goddamn scales off one by one." Shepard proclaimed with his commanding tone. Even the dancer got slightly nervous. The turian got up immediately and ran off without a word.
"Th...thanks...sir..." He heard the woman barely audibly say behind him. He turned around with a smile.
"Sorry about that asshole, care for a dance?" He said in a much more comforting tone.
The asari went from a near terrified facade to returning the smile happily. "Sure!" She got close to him and started her 'special' dances.
Shepard was normally a horrendous dancer, in fact, he was infamous for his lack of the skill. Thankfully, a very grateful, and more skilled, partner made him look much better than he actually was. The dance ended with a soft kiss from the 'young' lady. "Please, come back again soon!" The girl replied with a smile. Wow, asari's can dance, and very sweet tasting lips...Garrus was right. Hah, I owe him a drink.
After the session with the dancer, he decided to visit the bar, and noticed it was oddly empty. When the bartender walked over to him, Shepard exclaimed, "Seems empty here."
The batarian bartender sighed, "Yeah, most of the people here are out on Hallex, once they get to drinking they know they won't stop."
Shepard thought of a cunning scheme to get attention, the good kind. "Here's 250 creds, treat the people to a free round." He finished and handed the surprised man the chit.
"Oh... of course!" The batarian announced to the nearby crowd, "Free round of drinks, on the house for the next minute! First come first serve!"
Immediately a crowd gathered at the bar, and the batarian thoroughly thanked the human. First a man takes a drink. Then the drink takes a drink. Then the drink takes the man.
He still hadn't seen any asari besides the dancers, and decided to walk around to see if he could find her. A short trek from the bar though, he heard two turians trying to be stealthy.
'Think we have some easy pickings tonight Frekt?'
'Yeah, easy creds for the boss tonight'
'Just wait till they're drunk, it'll be even easier'
The second turian snickered, but they both glared at Shepard when he approached.
"What do you want human?" 'Frekt' growled.
"You to stop whatever you're planning." He stated nonchalantly.
"Or what?" The second retorted amused, also standing.
"Or I'll stop you." Shepard cracked his knuckles.
"Tough guy huh?" The first said while also standing, "You're noth-" He was cut off by a swift side-kick right to the stomach, collapsing him to the ground. The second aimed a punch, but Shepard ducked and hip tossed him quite painfully into the ground. Both were gasping for air.
"Try that shit again and I won't go easy." He walked away.
Deciding to take a quick break, he sat at a slightly secluded table. Seemingly out of nowhere, a beautiful asari lady casually sat with him.
"Hey there" She stated smiling.
Oh shit, she looks oddly a lot like Samara. It's gotta be her...I hope. "Hey babe, whatcha need?"
She put her arms on the table and looked right at his eyes. Thankfully, he had hidden his thoughts. "Just watched you over there, you're a tough guy?"
Violence...violence...remember...violence. "Those guys aren't shit. I'd prefer a real fight anyday."
"Oh? That's interesting, so you like danger I see." She seemed to be pleased with the response. "Why would a guy like you be here?"
What does she like...art...music...Hallex! "Only place to listen to some decent music and enjoy the good stuff."
"Do you mean Hallex?" She replied winking.
"What, you been spying on me?" He asked coyly raising an eyebrow.
She smiled and shook her head, "Nope! I just like to meet new people. You said music too? I love the kind what reaches into my soul, makes me want to fight, and brings out the fire in me. It brings out the animal from within." She said slightly seductively. Her scent was as invigorating as Samara had warned.
"Seems we share a bit in common, but I like the power it brings out in me. Expel 10's the new stuff I'm starting to like." He replied mischeviously.
"Ooh, good choice. Music's okay, I'm a fan of real art myself." Her eyes were starting to become softer, more...welcoming...
He quickly threw away the thoughts and focused on the question. "Oh? I know Forta's a phenomenol artist. Though vids are nice too."
Her eyes started to shine, she was as seductive as she was beautiful...and her body language, she was screaming for him..."I agree! What vid could possibly compare to his works though?"
"Only one, Vaenia." He replied winking.
She got up and reached for his hand. "Come on, let's go to my place, I've got lots to...show you." She said in an obviously sultry tone. They walked out hand in hand.
Samara had been watching from the shadows, stalking her prey. The time has come my daughter. I will avenge your victims, and I will have only Shepard to thank. Goddess, please help him as I send you my own blood.
When they entered the apartment, they sat beside each other on the couch. "So, before I show you anything, I wanted to know something about you." She asked.
"Hmm?" He had been doing his best not to focus on her body, her eyes were screaming for his, he wanted the woman, even her own scent was driving him crazy with desire.
"What do you..." She gently placed her hand on his thigh "want to do?"
Fight...fight...fight...damnit...no. "I think we both know the answer to that." FUCK NO NO NO NO! Damnit!
She giggled, and looked at him right in the eyes. Suddenly, they went black. Darkness. He could not pull away. Resistance was near impossible. Their blackness was all he could focus on. Her face was all he could see, the room was dark. "Tell me you'd do anything for me. Tell me you'd kill for me."
His mind had nearly lost it, but one image in his mind stopped him. He saw Samara's face staring at him instead of the demon before him. They looked so alike, but different. She was so beautiful... So much like this woman's, but the calm, serene beauty only a truly selfless individual could attain. The Ardat Yakshi's face immediatey contorted to the evil manifestation of what she was. She was a killer. "NO!" He got up and yelled.
"WHAT?" She screamed back at him.
His savior appeared at the moment, the stunning ancient warrior from his vision. Samara strode into the room, staring at her daughter.
"So the bitch found herself a hel-" She was cut off by a biotic push into the wall, cracking the glass. Morinth glared back at her. "Mother."
Mother!? This is Samara's daughter!? That's why she looked so much like...Samara screamed back at her. "DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" She strode closer to her child. Shepard stepped out of the way.
"I can't stop being your daughter, mother." She used her own power and pulsed the justicar away from her, nearly causing her to fall. The Ardat Yakshi was a powerful biotic.
"You chose your own fate." She said walking towards Morinth again.
"Choice? To live in seclusion for my entire life? NO!" She charged at Samara biotics flaring from her hands.
Samara's hands did much the same, and they both seemed locked in a stalemate. For a woman to be as powerful as Samara was breathtaking. For a split-second, he almost considered aiding the daughter. Her power would be a great asset to the mission...
His biotics were likely not of the same caliber, but he had to try. He used all of the rage he could build up. This woman is a serial killer, a monster! She has to die! TO HELL WITH THIS! He biotically charged the Ardat Yakshi, risking his own life to end her despicable being.
Morinth looked a moment too late, and his charge succeeded in knocking him to the ground; Samara's biotics, however, pushed him into the wall, knocking the wind out of him. The room was fuzzy, but he could make out the scene.
Samara calmly walked towards the woman, frantically crawling on her back away from her mother. There was no escape.
"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess my daughter. I always loved you." Her hand pulsed with a similar energy as before, and slammed into Morinth's face. He heard a loud crack, and the woman on the ground fell limp. Morinth was dead.