A/N: Italics indicate internal thought.

Bold indicates Reaper speech

Bold Italics indicate Reaper internal speech

Please comment and review

This is my first attempt at a story, so I am open to constructive criticism. Also If anyone has suggestions for the story feel free to give them.

In response to reviews

mckertis: What exactly do you mean by a consistency in tone?

Warped Experiments

Location: Hiesete System, Voeyra

Time: 1300

Date: 19th July

Voeyra was a desert world, with endless dunes of sulphur and a toxic atmosphere. It was lifeless, uninhabitable, and devoid of anything any species would find useful.

This is the perfect place to hide something, John thought as he observed the planet surface, via the cameras of the KODIAK shuttle he was riding, as it zoomed over the desert.

EDI's avatar appeared in the passenger area, "we are several clicks out from the target Reaper," she stated. He turned towards the hologram, "Understood," he then addressed the shuttle pilot, "remember, don't slow down," he said. "Yes, sir" the pilot responded.

"Ms Lawson has requested that I go over the infiltration plan with you again," EDI stated before her avatar vanished and was replaced by a holographic display of their target. "As we know the main facility is several kilometres underground, to avoid discovery ," EDI explained, "we have determined the best way to enter the facility is via the elevator shafts that lead to the surface entrance of the structure," as she said this, she highlighted the lift shaft on the hologram, "There are multiple seismic sensors around the facility, obviously used to detect any significant disturbances in the sand. Any significant disturbance will result in the facility sending someone to investigate, that will present you with an opportunity to enter the facility undetected.

Reaper groaned slightly, "I was there when we came up with the plan EDI, why do you constantly feel the need to re-explain it to me?" He asked rhetorically. EDI's avatar reappeared, "myself and Miranda both believed it important to remind you to exercise caution as we are still unaware of this facility's purpose. We are dealing with a significant number of unknowns," she stated.

"You and Miranda haven't come up with a theory about this place yet?" he asked. EDI shook her head, "we have failed to come to a possible conclusion because there is almost no information, even with all the data I extracted from the Bastion. What we do know, is that any information sent from this facility is relayed to an encrypted address, then the original message is deleted. Whatever information is kept here, someone has dedicated considerable resources to ensuring it remains confidential."

Reaper stood up and opened the shuttle door, "well I guess we'll find out when I get inside," he said nonchalantly as his hood and coat fluttered in the wind, "Target in range in ten seconds," when the timer reached zero, Reaper activated his cloak and leapt out of the shuttle. The KODIAK didn't even decelerate. He hit the sandbanks and quickly rolled before he regained his footing.

The surface entrance was a cylindrical structure not much bigger than a typical garden shed. He walked towards the elevator door, carefully placing his feet so as not to leave obvious tracks. He crouched down near the door and activated his omni-tool to allow EDI access to the elevator systems, "I have accessed the controls for the elevator. Hold on, we have one coming up, it will arrive in twenty seconds," hearing that Reaper quickly moved around the side.

When the doors opened, two Asari commandos stepped out, they were both wearing breathing masks. They each pulled out a pair of binoculars and began to look at the surrounding area.

As Shepard slowly began to make his way around to the open elevator door, EDI spoke up, "we have a problem, they have a weight detection system in the lift. If an elevator is carrying more weight than it should, it will lock down," she explained.

John was quite confused by this, "why would they need a security feature like that?" he mumbled.

"Unknown," EDI stated, "I have devised an infiltration plan but you will have a very small window to execute it."

Meanwhile the two commandos had gotten sick of staring at endless dunes of sulfur, "Goddess damn it, why do we come all the way up here to check every time there is a disturbance, it's always just a shift in the sand," one of them stated, obviously very frustrated.

"Our superiors are paranoid about this place being discovered," her partner stated, "you know as well as I do what will happen if this place is exposed."

"Oh come on, nobody knows this place exists, and anyone who does, they'd never be able to tell anyone about it. Now let's go, we checked, it's fine. Let's head back down I'm sick of this terrain."

The two commandos went back into the elevator and the doors slid shut behind them. Reaper quickly moved back in front of the door; he could already hear the elevator descending. "All right John you are only going to have a five second window for this….Go," as she said that the lock on the door vanished. John slipped his fingers into the gap and pulled the doors apart, being careful not to damage them in anyway. Then he jumped through and dug his claws into the opposite side of the elevator shaft, letting him hang off the wall. A second later the electronic lock of the door reactivated.

"Excellent work John, there is no sign that they detected us," EDI commented.

"Great, let's get down there," he let go of the wall and began to freefall.

As he fell Reaper's HUD showed, how close he was getting to the first floor. When he was close enough, he dug his claws into the wall, leaving large gashes in the metal as his descent was slowed and he came to a stop next to another door.

He held up his omni-tool and EDI repeated what she had done earlier allowing him to slip through the doors undetected.

His tactical cloak activated; Reaper observed his surroundings. It was a simple hallway but, on both sides, half a dozen identical rooms could be seen through clear screen-walls. The rooms contained a chair, a desk with a built-in terminal and varius other items you would find in an office. At the end of the hallway yet another office could be seen.

Shepard walked up to the door of the nearest office, "Can you hack this EDI?" he asked, "Yes," she replied. A few seconds later the holographic lock changed to green. Reaper activated the terminal, "Excellent, this terminal is connected to the main server I can access the main systems from here," EDI reported. Reaper gave another look around the office, "Where is every one?" he asked, "I can only theorise that their attention is elsewhere," she responded.

"Reaper, I have found an audio file that could give us some insight into this facilities purpose," EDI said as the screen changed to show the image of an Asari wearing medical clothes, Reaper leaned in closer as the log began to play.

"17th of September 2168. We have moved in to the new Voeyra facility. After the destruction of the facility on Pragia, many of us feared that it would be the end of our research. However, Matriarch T'snaya reassured us our work would continue, and as always, she was right," the Asari looked away from the screen, a look of great pride on her face, "now we are once again able to continue our great work. To make the commandos of the Asari Republic the greatest warriors in the galaxy."

As the log ended Shepard placed his hand under his chin in a thoughtful pose. "It would appear that the purpose of this facility is to increase the strength of Asari commandos," EDI stated, "yeah, but not how they're doing that," Reaper responded, "but this does align with recent events," EDI stated before continuing, "over the past several years the Asari Republic has made unprecedented advancements in biotics. Their commandos have become stronger in almost every respect, but there's been no public information about where these discoveries have come from." She paused for a second, "additionally, Matriarch T'snaya is considered to be the greatest scientist in the field of biotics in the entire galaxy. If she is working at this facility then it is an obvious conclusion that this is where they have been experimenting with new methods to strengthen their soldiers."

"Well then, let's check out her office."

He made his way the larger office at the end of the hallway. Reaper could immediately see that this office was much more lavish than the others he had seen. He walked up to the larger desk and connected EDI, who brought up another video log. This time the Asari shown was much older, obviously in the Matriarch stage, but the most prominent detail were the severe burn scars running down the left side of her face. "That woman is Matriarch T'snaya," EDI confirmed, "I have looked through her video logs and identified the ones I believe to be most relevant".

"12th of October 2168. The first batch of test subjects arrived at the Voeyra facility today, and I cannot deny I am excited to resume my work. Our work at the predecessor facility on Pragia produced ground-breaking results, now we can continue our work." she paused for a second

"23rd of July 2172. Our research continues to progress, we have already perfected several new procedures to improve our commandos. Of course, there has been a greater demand for test subjects, but Matriarch T'hayra has assured me that there is nothing to worry about."

"Matriarch T'hayra? She was another one that Sha'ira mentioned," Reaper wondered out loud.

"7th of February 2178. Excellent news today, we reacquired subject zero. I remember when she was brought to the Pragia facility seventeen years ago, I never believed that a human could have such incredible biotic potential. While other subjects expired, she continued to survive, our efforts increased her biotic powers even further and thus we made great strides in increasing the biotic potential of Asari." The Matriarch paused for a second to rub the burn scars on her cheek, "I also remember the day she escaped. Massive explosions tore through the facility, and I saw her… a seven-year-old girl tearing apart guards like they were toys."

In the next log the Matriarch looked much more haggard, "6th of May 2179. Today T'hayra informed me of a new way she believes my research can benefit the Republic. In addition to increasing the biotic potential of our Asari commandos, we should attempt to condition young human biotics to fight for the Asari. I strongly disapprove of this; the purpose of this entire project was to make warriors capable of defeating our true enemy not humanity."

"This is the latest video log," EDI said.

As the Matriarch's image appeared on the screen John could only think one thing, she looks horrible, indeed she looked as if she had not slept in days, as she held her head in her trembling hands.

"18th of July 2183. Yesterday Thessia was attacked….. by the one they call Reaper…..He destroyed the Bastian and cut down so many commandos….. I heard some of the other scientists speak of him in fascination….they said he was a magnificent specimen that must be obtained. Those fools haven't realise what I have….that all the things I've done…. All the innocent blood I've spilled…..it is completely pointless. What good is the most powerful biotic in the galaxy against a warrior who can simply nullify biotic energy. And when he looked into the cameras….I felt as if he was staring directly at me…. gazing into my soul….judging me. By the Goddess…..what have we wrought upon ourselves."

"It would appear my appearance scared her, but what enemy was she talking about if it wasn't humanity or Cerberus?" Reaper asked.

"I'm afraid I can only speculate Reaper, nevertheless I believe we should pursue our true objective. I have been able to access the facilities main systems. Below us are several floors of laboratories where they undoubtedly conduct the experiments that have been referenced, below that are the containment cells for the test subjects," EDI said.

"Do you have an estimate on the number of prisoners?" Reaper asked, "I have no exact number but from the size of the containment facility, over seven hundred," she responded.

"I see. Is there anyway to get to the lower floors besides the elevators?" he asked, "Yes, there are several stairwells."

"Good. Disable any external communications and lock down the elevator so none of them can escape."

000

After descending a flight of stairs, Reaper stealthily made his way through several other hallways, his tactical cloak keeping him hidden from the patrolling security teams.

As he passed a window, he briefly looked in to see what was obviously one of the labs. Inside there was an Asari scientist, she was making an audio log on her omni-tool and standing in front table with….something on it.

Reaper tried to position himself to get a clear view of what was on the table but after several unsuccessful attempts decided he would have to get a closer look. So before quickly making sure there were no patrols in the hallway, Reaper opened the door to the lab and slipped in. The scientist was so engrossed in her work she didn't even react to the door.

Reaper carefully made his way up behind her and then he got a full view of what was lying on the slab….. and he was shocked.

Lying on the slab was the body of the young human boy who couldn't have been more than thirteen years old. His chest had been cut open and Reaper could already see several of his organs had been removed. There were similar cuts on his lower arms and legs where the skin had been peeled back to reveal the bone and muscle. Reaper could only stare in horror at this.

He was only brought out of his shock when he finally registered what the scientist was saying, "….the surgical procedure produced desirable results. Subject was able to biotically lift 40% more weight while all vitals remained within stable parameters. Even as safety parameters for the subject were exceeded, the additional generation of dark energy caused no negative symptoms relating to the subjects mental faculties. Subject was able to carry 55% more weight, upon reaching this limit the biotic nodes throughout the subjects body began to cause damage due to the additional generation of minor mass effect fields. Subject reached a limit of 60% before several organs were ruptured and the subject expired." The scientist explained, not a hint of compassion or concern in her voice.

Reaper clenched his fist and seethed in rage, these experiments…..they merely wish to see how far they can push humans before they die…all so they won't kill their own people…..and they have the gall to call themselves the lovers of democracy….why do you persist in believing there is any part of this wretched species worth saving.

Reaper heard the voice echoed in his head, and without stopping to consider it, he ignited the blade on his right arm and drove it through her back and into her heart. She let out a shocked gasp of pain before the light faded from her eyes. Reaper grabbed her body before she could hit the ground.

"What was the purpose of such action Shepard?" EDI asked, her tone mildly scathing, "you are fortunate I already have some control over the security cameras otherwise you would have exposed yourself."

"I'm sorry EDI. The way she talked about that kid," he said while stuffing the corpse into a nearby supply locker, "using him just to find out how fast the process would kill him." He gritted his teeth in rage.

"I understand your anger Shepard. But you must remember there are still hundreds of prisoners in need of rescue. If your infiltration is discovered, they may decide to eliminate them."

"You're right, lets head down to the containment cells,"

As he turned back to the door Reaper stopped as the voice echoed in his head once again, there is something else here Johnny… something else that could be of great value to us.

What are you talking about? He asked internally.

It is through the sacrifices of humans that the squids have made such amazing advancements…..should it not be more fitting that humans are the one to benefit from them.

You're suggesting we use the sick experiments they performed here on our own people! If I didn't take the schematics for the weapons that the Turians made, what the hell makes you think I'm gonna take the research data from here! He roared at the inner voice.

This is different John, you know it is.

John paused for a second, I'm….I'm not taking the schematics for weapons of mass destruction. I'm not stealing something that could kill millions of civilians. The scientists here were developing ways to enhance their soldiers…..Cerberus could do the same…right?

Exactly,

Reaper shuddered as he heard that, he hated sounding like he was looking to this thing for validation.

"EDI, can you access the research data?" He asked.

"Not from here no, but I have located the main lab. It is on the floor below us, I believe the research files are located there."

"Then what are we waiting for."

000

After several more minutes of stealthily manoeuvring through the facility, Reaper found himself in front of a large set of doors. He slipped into the main lab at the same time as another Asari scientist.

He stopped dead at what he saw.

All around him he saw the results of the vile experiments performed here. There were dozens and dozens of what he could only call specimen containers.

One contained the body of a teenage girl, her forearms mangled, bone shards protruding from her skin. Another contained the head and torso of a young man, multiple mechanical implants could be seen attached to the spine, which in itself looked as twisted as a Batarian's sense of morality. There were many more, some holding entire mangled bodies. Others only holding parts such as a head, brains and other organs.

Reaper could only drag his eyes away from this morbid art gallery because he'd notice something just as bad. Around the lab there were several operating tables similar to the ones he had seen in the previous lab. On one of them a young woman was face down, as Reaper walked over, he could already tell she was dead. He stared at the bleeding hole at the back of her head, several wires were visible poking out. He turned his gaze to her restrained wrists and ankles and the scaring they had produced on her body.

Whatever fucked up experiment they were doing killed her…and she was completely conscious while it was happening, Reaper mused, his rage growing.

His head shot up as he heard an almost inaudible whimper, walking around several more specimen containers, he saw two Asari scientists standing over another operating table, one with a pre-teen human girl strapped down.

Throwing discretion out the window Reaper deactivated his cloak and drew one of his guns, he was out about to fire at one of them when.

Why would you give her a such a quick death John?

I have no reason too. He responded, and adjusted his aim.

One of the scientists was about to use a scalpel to cut into the human's chest, when suddenly a red bolt struck her wrist. She screamed in pain and fell to her knees as she clutched the charred remains of what used to be her hand. Her colleague turned towards the source and screamed in fear at the site of the infamous terrorist.

She tried to back away but she quickly hit a wall, "please…..please…." she tried to beg as the monster approached her. Reaper quickly grabbed another medical knife from a nearby table, he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the wall. He gripped the knife in his right hand and he drove it through her left cheek , he started to carve into her face as she screamed in agony. With a quick twist he drove it into her brain.

He turned his is attention to the Asari he shot, who was still kneeling on the ground, cradling her hand while tears streamed down her face. "Here's an experiment I'd like to carry out,"he growled, "how long does it take for this to kill you?" she screamed as he grabbed her and drained her life.

Dropping the shrivelled corpse to the floor Reaper reached over and undid the restraints on the human. She frantically scurried off the table and back crawled away from him, her eyes wide with fear. He kneeled down to be level with her and calmly said "I am not here to hurt you, do you understand me?" After a few moments she slowly nodded her head, "what's your name?" he asked, "Mi…Michelle Rodriguez," she said, struggling to get the words out. "I promise, I will get you and all of the others out of here," he said reassuringly.

Reaper stood up and made his way to the lab's main terminal. Suddenly alarms started blaring and red lights started flashing. "Your presence here is no longer unnoticed," EDI remarked, sassily, "that doesn't matter now. Download everything they have."

The terminal screens begin to scroll through all the data, "Reaper I have found troubling information," she said.

"What is it EDI?" he asked, "I ran the name Michelle Rodriguez through the Cerberus database. She and her parents were reported murdered in an unsolved case. From the information I found here I have learned that her parents were murdered in order to 'acquire' her for this facility. In addition, she is only one of several hundred cases I have found."

They rip apart innocent families….people who have done nothing…just for this!

Just when you think you have seen the depths of their depravity…it is revealed they always have further depths to sink to, the voice whispered.

Reaper pushed his intensifying rage to the side to ask a more important question, "how are they finding out about human biotics?" he asked, with his teeth gritted and his fists clenched.

"The Illusive man has often stated that the Hierarchy has their own human puppets attempting to work themselves into positions of influence within the Alliance. It is likely that the Asari republics have similar operatives within human space," she theorised.

"Worthless…..Xeno… Verm-" Reaper started to yell in response but he was cut off as he saw another operating table with a body on it.

He did it double take at what he saw.

He made his way over blinking several times to make sure he wasn't seeing this. But the body's blue colour remained.

It wasn't a human…it was an Asari.

She was in the same condition as the human body's he had seen previously. Multiple surgical scars crisscrossed her arms and legs and the scarred tissue around her ankles and wrists showed that she had been the subject to similar brutal experiments.

Looking up, Reaper saw that she was far from the only one. The nearby containment units held the bodies of Turians and Batarians. He even saw the large frame of a Krogan suspended in one, the plates along his body looking as if they had been cracked apart.

"What…what is this? I thought they were only using humans in their experiments," he mumbled out loud, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing.

"The….they do their experiments on other races too…..they…. they also make us fight them…..say it's about finding other ways to kill them," Rodriguez squeaked out.

"The information I have found supports what she says. The majority of the prisoners in the holding cells are humans, but there are Turians, Krogan, Batarians and other Asari. From the data I found they were acquired in a similar matter to their human test subjects. Their main purpose seems to be finding more effective ways Asari commandos can combat them," EDI explained.

Reaper shook himself out of his shocked stupor, "all right, then let's proceed to our main objective and rescue these people."

Rodriguez shot in front of him, "please you've got to save her" she begged.

"Whose her?"

"Jack, the one they call subject-zero, she would try and help us whenever she could. She would take discipline beatings for us, help us when the strain got to much in the training. Please you can't let her die here." She begged.

"I promise I won't"

000

The containment cells were set up as a massive cellblock. A large hallway with dozens of rows of cells running down both sides, stairways and platforms allowing access to them.

Currently a squad of Asari commandos were running towards the elevator at the end of the hall. The light indicated that someone was coming down it.

They formed up in front of the elevator, their Deacon assault rifles pointed towards the door. They held their breaths as the door slowly opened…..only to reveal the bodies of several Asari commandos. Blue blood painting the walls inside.

The commandos twitched nervously, until they heard a smash from directly above them, they looked up to see their attacker smashing through the ceiling.

As Reaper fell, he drew both of his guns and opened fire, cutting down many of the Asari on the ground below him, their biotic barriers doing nothing to stop his energy bolts. He hit the ground with a resounding crash, creating a small crater behind the assembled group.

He brought up both his weapons and opened fire again, killing four more Asari. He then holstered his guns and ignited his blades, he charged forward and swung outwards, slicing across the stomachs of two commandos. He then swung his arms inwards again decapitating two more. He drove his blade into the abdomen of an Asari on his right and diagonally bisected another on his left. He then drove both his blades forward, impaling two more commandos and lifting them off the ground. Three more Asari fired at him from an upper platform, so Reaper quickly deactivated his blades, drew one of his guns and killed them.

Deciding to confirm what he'd seen in the lab previously, he ascended the stairs to the first level of cells and began to move along the walkway, looking into the cells as he did. In each cell he saw humans of various ages, usually cramming themselves in a corner or weeping into their beds.

As he walked along, he finally came to a cell with a different inhabitant. It was an Asari, from her size Reaper assume she was still less than forty years old. The cell next to her contained a young Turian. Reaper still didn't know what to think about this development. While walking along he casually cut down any more of the guards he came across.

Soon he reached the end of the hallway when he came across another cell, this one with a much stronger door.

"This must be the cell of the infamous subject zero" he said as he nonchalantly brought his boot down on the head of another Asari scientist desperately trying to crawl away.

"Reaper, our reinforcements have made planet fall," EDI said.

"Good, tell them to secure a path out of this place, then proceed with evacuating these people. In the meantime, I think I want to introduce myself."

Reaper unlocked the door, and as it opened a massive biotic shockwave surged towards him. Reacting quickly, he created a red biotic barrier, causing the blue energy to dissipate against it.

As the inside of the cell was finally visible, Reaper finally got a clear view of Jack. She wasn't anything like what he expected. She was a young woman in her early twenties with a rather scrawny build and short matted brown hair. She wore a simple shirt and shorts, but any visible skin was completely covered in tattoos from her neck down.

She stood ready to attack him and fixed him with a hard stare.

"Are you death?" She asked, Reaper couldn't tell if she was joking, "because if you are. What the fuck took you so long, asshole!" she yelled.

John blinked several times behind his helmet.

"I am here to destroy this damn place and save anybody who needs to be."

"Well let's all give praise to our fucking saviour," Jack responded sarcastically, her face then turned serious, "shit. You're the one they've been talking about last few weeks. Reaper."

Suddenly Reaper's attention was drawn away as he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see another squad of Asari commandos accompanied by another scientist. Her face turned panicked as she saw Jack, "Goddess….. Secure subject zero immediately!" she yelled.

Reaper grabbed one of his weapons, but before he could aim it, a blue blur shot past him. Jack slammed into the Asari with a biotic charge, sending three flying. She used her biotics to grab one of the still standing commandos and slammed her into the wall enough force to shatter her spine. She then charged her other fist with dark energy and delivered a left hook to the other still standing commando, pulverising her skull.

She turned her gaze to the scientist who was backing away in fear. Jack held up both her hands and grabbed her with her biotics, "my name is Jack! Bitch!" she pulled her arms apart and ripped the Asari in two.

One of the Asari knocked down by the initial charge stealthily got her feet, she aimed her Acolyte pistol at Jack, who still had her back turned. Before she could fire, she felt a searing pain as Reaper sliced her in half with one of his blades.

"I don't need your help asshole," she said, scathingly.

"You're welcome," he responded.

"Look I don't have time for this, I need to find T'snaya, before that bitch gets away again. I'm not making the same mistake that I did at Teltin." Jack began heading back to the elevator.

"What mistake are you talking about," he asked, genuinely curious.

Jack stopped dead, her fist clenched and unclenched several times, "There was another place like this, the first memories I have are about that damn place." Jack paused for second, "and that bitch was there that whole time, carrying out all those fucking experiments, and telling me it was for some 'great' purpose. When I escaped, I made the mistake of not killing her on the way out. So, all I care about right now is making her pay," she resumed her trek towards the elevator.

"The only thing?" Reaper asked, slowly following her, "on my way down here I saved a girl named Rodriguez from being sliced up. She gave the impression that… you do care about something else."

Jack turned back to him, "do I look like I want a fucking head shrink right now?" she said with hostility. When he merely stared back at her, she sighed before continuing, "Back at Teltin all the others hated me. They were just sacrifices so I could get stronger. I wanted to hate the ones here too but…..when I saw some of those kids…..I just thought, fuck the Galaxy doesn't need more like me."

"Now if that's everything, I got to get to her before she gets away," she started moving faster.

"My reinforcements have landed, they won't let anyone escape,"

Jack turned back to him, "well in that case, I wanna get to her before one of your buddies kills her,"

"EDI, what's T'snaya's current location?"

000

Both of them stepped through the doors, and there, sitting behind a desk was Dr T'snaya.

Why did she come back here? Why didn't she try and escape? Reaper wondered.

The Asari looked at both of them in turn, unlike every other Asari he had seen since he landed on this planet, she didn't look scared of him. She looked…resigned.

She was pouring a bottle of Asari wine into a glass, "you've come to kill me haven't you?" She asked rhetorically, her voice sounding very tired.

"Oh we'll get to that," Jack said, while she cracked her knuckles, "but first, I wanna hear your fucking excuse. You stole any chance I had a life, all for some great purpose. Well what was it bitch?!" She yelled.

T'snaya didn't react to Jack's outburst, "your real name is Jennifer, and you are correct in your accusations. I stole your life from you…. I stole it from hundreds of innocent people."

She then turned to Reaper, "I know you were in my office earlier today, you looked at my journal entries, so you already know what we were doing here," she said.

"Creating stronger Asari commandos. What does the suffering of humans matter as long as it prevents the suffering of your kind." The Matriarch only nodded, "a very accurate assessment."

"In your journals you also stated that you were performing these sick experiments to help fight against an enemy. What enemy are you referring to?"

"713 years ago, long before we legalised the abominable practice known as slavery, a young Asari maiden had recently graduated university and was celebrating on a holiday world," she began to explain, before her expression turned solemn, "that colony was attacked by Batarian slavers. She spent over a century as a pleasure slave. She saw her friends killed for sport, or just succumb to despair. So when she, by some miracle escaped, she wanted to make sure others would not suffer like that."

"You're preparing to fight the squints?" Jack asked.

"It is not in their nature to share power my dear. They will not rest until one day, all other races bow to them. All of the horrible things I did to you and the others, it was with the belief that you're suffering would prevent the suffering of countless others, Asari, human and others. Was it wrong to hold onto that kind of hope?"

"We are not here for what you hoped to do. We are here for what you did." He stated.

"Of course, when I first heard your statement at Ramiscus, I just knew. I knew that you would come here eventually, that you would hold us accountable." She said with a faint smile.

Reaper looked towards Jack, she was tensed up and rage, "you made my entire life hell!" She yelled, "and you give me a fucking sob story! You expect me to feel sorry for you?!"

The Asari gave her an incredulous look, "Jennifer. I don't even feel sorry for myself," she responded. Jack roared and launched a massive biotic blast. It soared inches from the matriarch's head creating a massive crater on the back wall.

"Damn you," Jack said, "you not even worth it now."

The scientist turned her gaze back to Reaper, "if you will permit a final word of advice. You claim you solely want to help your people…but I can see that you struggle with your hatred of us. If you cannot control that hatred young man, you will one day find yourself unable to differentiate between you and the monsters you wanted to stop."

This hypocritical bitch seeks to lecture us on morality…. We cannot come close to the agony she has inflicted on others…..but we can come close.

She isn't wrong though, I let my rage get control of me before….. And I hurt people I cared about

"I understand," he said.

"Then may the Goddess watch over your path." T'snaya downed the rest of her glass, "you're going to kill me now."

"I just did," Reaper said pointing at the bottle. T'snaya's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at it, "I saw the bottle when I was in your office earlier. I don't know why I decided to put it in there, just felt like I should."

"Is there any pain?" She asked, grimly. "Not the mixture I used."

The matriarch turned her attention back to Jack, "I know this must seem worthless to you but, I am so sorry for everything." She then slumped forward on her desk and breathed her last.

Jack stared at her for what felt like hours before she turned to face Reaper, "you got a lift out of here?" she asked.

000

An hour later he was standing next to Kaidan, watching as several soldiers in Iron-man suits checked over all the prisoners before escorting them up to the elevator and to the ships. Others were setting up charges around the structure.

One of the soldiers walked up to him, "that's almost all of them sir, some are too weak to even stand and we need to get some stretches down here,"

"of course, but we are not finished soldier there is still a few hundred occupied cells,"

The soldiers face couldn't be seen but Reaper got the impression he was frowning, "Sir there's no humans in those cells. Their fate shouldn't be our concern,"

he is right… Leave them to die…it is not like their species deserves any less

"Hey asshole," they turn to look at Jack who was leaning against the wall, "not that I care either way, but I should probably mention they weren't treated any different to the humans down here," she said.

"Why do we care what happens to them. Leave them here, let their own people come and save them," the soldier responded.

"This is an illegal facility soldier. Their own people will kill them to ensure the truth of this place never gets out, we will evacuate them with the others."

"But sir, what we can do with then. We can't take them back to the sanctuary worlds," the soldier said.

"No one in council space has the technology to detect our ships, we can drop them somewhere in their own territory, completely undetected," Kaidan jumped in.

"All of the people down here soldier, human or alien, are victims. So we will evacuate them all and that its final."