MASS EFFECT SOLACE

CHAPTER 35

"Sanctuary, huh? Damn. What cowards." James Vega shook his head as he watched Krysta carry her gear into the shuttle. The tough built, buzz-cut marine was leaning up against the shuttle's doorway with his arms crossed. Conflict soured his facial expression.

"That's an educated guess, James." Krysta reminded him soothingly as she stopped to address his concern. "Traynor was able to track Kai Leng's signal into that sector."

"Hiding with civilians though?" James tossed back out. "Why can't wars be simple? How the hell can you tell friend from foe when the enemy is using scared civilians as shields?"

"Warfare is never clear, James. Not for decades." Krysta returned to stowing away her gear in the compartment. "Heh, will be like Feros all over again."

This grabbed the young brash marine's attention. "Feros?"

"Yeah. There was a plant creature called the Thorian. Exogeny at Zhu's Hope was studying it. Just like the Reapers, it managed to control the colonists and turned them against me."

"Plant, huh?" James stared at her quizzically.

"A daisy or pansy, Commander?" Cortez tossed out from his pilot chair, becoming interested in the conversation now as well. He chuckled a little by his own joke.

"A big ass plant." Krysta explained. She didn't wait for any more questions to lead her on. "I had to kill the ones that got in my way…most of the colonists." She thought back to Fai Dan and how he struggled to regain his own mental state. He ended up putting a gun to his head before it was over.

"Tragic. I'm sure you didn't have a choice, Commander." Steve's voice softened as he turned back around to his final checks before they parted off to Horizon.

"She didn't." Ashley interjected as the long hair brunette walked up to the shuttle with her own gear. "I was there. It was either that or let the colonists tear us apart."

"We're soldiers. We know our orders and we carry them out. If you want to be part of the N7 program, you need to learn that." Krysta turned her attention on James.

"I am. Still bullshit about Cerberus." James growled under his breath as he moved away from the doorway to enter the shuttle. His eyes panned over to where Steve Cortez sat behind the controls. "We ready to go bust some heads, Mr. Cortez?"

"In a few, Mr. Vega." Steve's fingers dashed over the controls as he worked his way through the flight check list in his head. "You know we will have some weight capacity to pick up a few refugees if we need to."

"They are safer on Horizon, Steve." Krysta found her seat and buckled in her harness for the departure. "The only thing I want to bring back is Kai Leng's dead body, so I can personally deliver it to the Illusive Man."

Bray slowly log rolled himself up from the cot in his newly acquired cell. A few hours after his "interrogation" by Jones, he was transported down to planet side to a new facility just a few clicks from the Mindoir colony. He winced sharply in pain and held his side gently from the two rib fractures. He noticed that sometime during his unconscious state that the wounds on his face and lips were treated and the swelling did decrease. His head still throbbed from the concussion he endured, and a wave of nausea struck him as he tried to look around at his new surroundings. Sitting still, he waited for the feeling to pass before making any more movements, afraid that he would wretch on the floor. He doubted anyone would bother come to clean up after him and he really didn't want to smell his own vomit during his stay. He sat on the cot's edge and eyed his current situation. A single room with no window and the only way in or out was a door that mostly was locked by some type of bypass lock.

A few moments later, the door to his cell opened and in stepped Avery. Her appearance also changed from their last encounter. Her hair was flowing down past her waist instead of pulled up in a ponytail and she was sporting a Cerberus uniform that fit perfectly, showing off her athletic physique. "Hello, Bray." She stood at the door's entrance timidly as she gazed upon him, almost ashamed for her new attire. A pair of soldiers were standing behind her at the ready.

Bray felt his chest tightening as he saw her. His fists clenched with his nails digging into his flesh. Every inch of him wanted to leap up from the cot and take his revenge for her treachery. He fought the instinct and remained poised, ready to listen to whatever explanation she would try to force upon him. "Glad to see you fully support them now and not just half ass it anymore," He spat coldly at her.

"Bray, I didn't want any harm to come to you or Sh'sk…I just need Krysta to listen." Avery stepped closer into the room.

"Listen to what?" He threw up his arms in exasperation. He was tired of these word games with her.

"She's turning her back to humanity and becoming more sympathetic to the other species. People are dying out there." The young woman's voice rose as her own personal emotions merged in.

"You think the Reapers only want humans?" Bray shook his head as he finally pushed himself up, biting down on his lip to ignore the pain that radiated throughout his body. "The news vids said that Khar' Shaan fell before Earth. That's my kind! My friends! My…" He paused, remembering his past on Khar' Shaan before he fled the Hegemony to find a new way of life. "My family…" He lost contact from the home world ever since his exodus. He wasn't even sure if his family was still on the planet when it was attacked by the Reapers. Most likely they were and most likely they didn't survive.

Avery felt her lips tremble as she heard him answer her declarative statement. She almost related with him. She had no idea that he had any connection to the Batarian homeworld and just assumed that he was originally from Omega. Doubt started to seep in her mind like mist from a river.

"Don't let his lies get to you, Avery." Jones interrupted their private chat as he walked in behind her. "I told you it was unwise to speak with him alone. You see what poison they give you."

"You are really pissing me off…." Bray narrowed his eyes at the man's approach and he growled lowly in his chest. Rage swept over him and he almost wished for a pack of Varren to come in and tear him limb from limb slowly, ingesting him alive.

"The Batarians are inferior to us, Avery." Jones turned to ignore him and face her directly. "They tried to stop us before and failed…failed so bad that they lost their embassy on the Citadel and became an isolated race. Too proud to admit defeat. Now they attack from the shadows and prey upon the weak colonists in the Traverse. You know what Batarian slavers do to children and women?"

Avery shook her head slightly as she listened to him. Growing up, she heard nightmarish tales about slave raids on colonies, but she never had to experience any of that while on Earth. "Not all of us do that, asshole." Bray argued from his position. "Check your history logs."

"Oh, that's it. They also sell drugs." Jones shrugged. "What else do you do? Mankind explores and find ways to protect ourselves. Cerberus has done a lot to keep humanity safe. We just never get the recognition like the Alliance. Many people view us as terrorists, Avery. Let me assure you that we are not that. Sometimes, we may need to get our hands dirty, but it's all for the greater good.

"Humans sell drugs too," Bray scoffed. "Get your damn facts straight. You haven't been to Omega obviously, human. The humans are part of the Eclipse and Blue Suns gangs. They all sell sand. Humans enjoy creds just as much as any other race out here."

Jones clenched his jaw tightly as the Batarian prisoner was getting the best of him. "Why am I bothering arguing with you, scum?"

"Is Shepard coming?" Avery pressed. She really didn't have the complete mentality as the guy in front of her who was very racist in his views, but she still had a common fear.

"The message was sent. As soon as the Normandy is near a comm buoy, it will be intercepted." Jones assured her with a smile.

"Where is she now?" The answer wasn't enough for Avery. Time was going by slowly. She glanced over at Bray. She was hoping for time with him alone. She wanted to confront him about his betrayal against Krysta privately. She wanted to hear it herself and seek the truth behind it.

"The Normandy has stealth capabilities, so right now, we haven't been able to track her. Our last contact was on Thessia."

"Thessia? You mean the Asari homeworld?" Avery recalled her lessons growing up. Thessia didn't make the news much on Earth, but she heard about it from time to time on the news kiosks that lined the walls at the Citadel.

"Was." Jones corrected her. "Sad to say, but the Reapers got there. Cerberus attempted to provide some aid. Shepard ceased our efforts."

"Why?" Avery gaped at him.

"Liar…" Bray laughed lightly and winced again, feeling a pain in his side from the movement. He looked at her in disbelief. "You really believe this shit, don't you?"

"Shepard sees Cerberus as an enemy. Thessia fell because instead of fighting the Reapers, she turned on us. We had to pull back." Jones paused as a soldier approached him and handed him a datapad. The man read over it quickly, his facial expression mutated slightly from calmness to concern, but the change was quick and almost unnoticeable. He turned to the soldier. "Is he on comm?"

"Yes, sir." The response came from the soldier's helmet. Without a word, Jones turned and marched out of the room to address whatever news came in.

Bray and Avery exchanged silent looks. Both were curious about the body of the message. Seeing her opportunity, she stood straighter and slowly took a breath. "You admitted it?"

"What?"

"About betraying Shepard…using her for your own personal gain. For Aria's…"

"I..." He stopped when he saw Jones walk back in the room, still flustered about the urgency of the message.

"Avery, leave him. I will deal with him after I take this call."

"Who is it?" Defeated about losing her opportunity, Avery followed him out willingly.

"The Illusive Man." Jones answered after he shut the door to make sure their conversation would not fall upon the Batarian's ears. Their business was of no concern to his; at least now yet.

"What did he want?" Baffled, she hurried behind him to keep up with his pace as he moved down the hallway to the communications room.

"Horizon has been hit." Jones rolled his eyes as he stopped at the door. "I can't believe this shit…we were so close. I knew Henry was taking his sweet time." He moved into the room and shut the door behind him quickly, blocking her entry.

Avery stopped just as the door closed in her face. Puzzled, she looked back down the hall where the pair of guards were guarding Bray's cell and then back to the communications room. "What's on Horizon?"