Behind the glow of Shepard's omni-tool, busy, sharp jade eyes hid a thoughtful expression. What the fuck is going on here? Days before, the violet pirate's dynamic had been tangibly different and, if what she claimed was true, for good reason. After having worked with her on the reclamation of the rock she'd staked as hers hundreds of years ago, Shepard could understand her misgivings if, after everything they'd been through on Omega Aria had found bugs supposedly planted by her alleged ally. Aria was famous for keeping even her most trusted advisors at a safe distance and under a firm thumb. Everyone had an angle, a point to prove, an edge to be had by trying to win her favor or getting close enough to slip something in her drink unawares. How was she to know that Shepard was just trying to do what no one had successfully done: befriend her for the sake of it?

"You have five minutes to tell me something I don't already know," Aria spat into the vast silence. "Guess I should've mentioned that two minutes ago."

"Thanks for clarifying. I definitely don't want to tell you what I've found so far."

Aria's eyes narrowed. "Oh?"

"You're right. There's a back door protocol to this thing which traces to the custom signature of the terminal in my private quarters." Shepard, having kept the omni-tool projection up while she worked so the two facing her could watch her progress as she worked, brought up the identification tag of her cabin aboard the Normandy. "However, three things: it doesn't actually transmit." Double red x's reflected in Aria's blue orbs. "We should be looking in from my terminal's screen but the feed's incomplete. Basically, whoever took the time to set this up didn't bother to make sure it worked. They just loaded my unique signature into the programming along with some dummy data and plugged it in. Look." She then placed a call to the same terminal with her omni-tool's interface and the group watched as it connected instantly, waiting to be answered on the other end.

Aria, having recently called said terminal, nodded impatiently. "And what's your second point?"

Shepard's eyes darted up as she lowered her arm, the interface fading with it. "You. You very recently had access to my quarters and subsequently that terminal. If we're going to discuss the possibility of my bugging your club, due diligence would lead me to point out that you could have planted the trace yourself as a farce to bring me here."

A familiar, disdainful sneer flitted the corners of the pirate queen's mouth. "And why would I do that?"

Shepard coolly shrugged in indifference. "To kill me."

"I've had enough of this." Aria threw her finger in Shepard's face, the sneer deepening with contempt. "You're going to stop fucking around and tell me why you planted that thing. You wanted some information and thought that being buddy-buddy was going to give you a chance to let me drop my guard? You think I've learned nothing in the last thousand years? You think I haven't dealt with a million others like you, thinking you can come around and upset the balance, the natural order of things? I've got news for you - my reign has lasted three of your human lifespans and for good reason. I am the queen of Omega and no one's going to piss in my waterhole." With that, she turned on her heel and walked towards the threshold. She stopped and turned as she crossed, nodding to Bray, giving the command. "Kill her if she doesn't talk. We'll deal with the fall out. We always do."

The door went to whirr shut but Shepard was quicker. She threw a biotic blast at the console, killing the switch and forcing the portal back open. Aria crouched on the offence as Bray redrew his weapon and pointed it at the jet black scalp. A round was fired but in haste, missing the agile human by mere centimeters. Before the thermal clip hit the ground, Shepard's singularity exploded from her fingertips, causing Bray's center of gravity to shift as his feet lifted from the ground and he began to drift to the center of the vortex.

Aria too was already moving. Deftly navigating the edges of the zero-gravity field, lithe footwork brought her within arm's reach in a matter of seconds. The raven-haired woman countered with sideways dodge long enough to regain the advantage and threw herself at Aria with a counterattack, biotics balling up at each fist. The impact of colliding energy was deafening as Aria retaliated with her own set of biotics, sending shockwaves outward and imploding the singularity field with Bray in it.

Heavenly, chaotic blue light charged the space like a plasma dome, the two powerhouses unwilling to let other's energy overpower the other's.

A hard notion reasoned with itself within Shepard, realization causing the grimace that matched her opponent's to subdue.

"This is what they want, Aria."

The asari's eyes did little more than flicker in response. "Then let them have it."

Shepard's eyes hardened with resolve. With a surge strong enough to knock the other off-balance, Shepard withdrew. Aria regained her footing and paused as Shepard stood up straight to face her, as though to pick up the conversation anew. The fight was gone from her stance, her lowered fists, and all but gone from her steady gaze. "No."

"Stop toying with me, Shepard!" Aria reignited with the glow of a thousand lightning bolts. "We're having this out! I knew I was an idiot to trust you, and I aim to correct that."

"Then correct it." The words fell on Aria's ears softly, betraying the massive static charge in the room. "And do exactly what they've manipulated you into. But first, one last question: how long do you think it'll take you to defeat the Reapers all by yourself? Because you'll be dealing with that fall out too. Just like you always do."

The buzzing in the air stilled as Aria's energy fields fizzled out.

"Except you'll be doing it on your own. All the ships, men, and mountains of eezo you'll reclaim from our little arrangement won't be enough. The fleets I've assembled, and the ones I haven't, won't be enough. Everything won't be back at square one, but your shot at a single, unified effort will be lost." Shepard paused, giving a heavy, dead weight to her next words. "And fifty thousand years from now, we'll just be recycled specs of dust and dirt being trampled underfoot of new Reaper forces.

"Or," Shepard continued, the edge returning to her voice, "you could put this egotistical lone wolf bullshit on the backburner and consider the possibility that maybe, maybe you have a genuine ally in this. I don't want your fucking nightclub. I'm not Petrovsky, the Illusive Man, or any of the Shadow Broker's agents that used to try to derail you from what you do best or take what's yours." She jabbed a thumb into her chest. "And just to be clear, I don't make a habit of inviting my enemies to dinner."

"Oh yes you do," Aria spat back. "You broke bread every night with Cerberus after they brought you back. Then you spit in their boss' eye by stealing their best ship and its crew."

"After the Illusive Man went from what was best for humanity to humanity first and at all costs." A moment lingered as she shifted from one foot to the other, crossing her arms in front of her. "Which, I realize I never properly thanked you for giving Liara the whereabouts of my body so she could give it to Cerberus in the first place. You helped make bringing me back possible. So... thanks."

After what seemed like hours, blue eyes finally averted as Aria stalked from the room, breezing by a staggering Bray. "Yeah. Don't make me regret my decision, Shepard. Bray!" she barked. "Get the car. We're headed to the Normandy."

"We are?" Shepard asked in confusion.

"Don't want your little dogs to get worried about you. And as far as I'm concerned, they all have some explaining to do."

"Don't call them that," sharp green orbs cautioned. "I wouldn't let them call you a dog."

"No, that's right. They're your friends."

"Just like you, asshole. Now get over yourself." Shepard waved her hand dismissively. "Going back to the Normandy might not be the best move. Have you checked everywhere else since finding this bug?"

"What do you mean?" Aria called back as they headed to the skycar Bray was parking a few feet away.

"I mean my third point," Shepard spoke over the roar of the engine. "It could be a diversion tactic. Someone might have planted it to keep you from finding the real bug."

"Have the crews finished their sweeps of Afterlife?" Aria directed at Bray as they climbed in behind him.

"Teams are still sweeping the lower levels," Bray offered as he plotted the trajectory into the navigation system. He then lifted two fingers to his ear and began to give direction for them to double their efforts.

"Let me bring my team in," Shepard offered. "Tali if no one else. If someone's placed a real bug, we'll find it."

"I don't have to remind you that debugging is something we do on a regular-"

"Basis, and you've killed people for less, yeah I get it. I still guarantee none of your techs can do what she can."

"Fine. As long as you don't try insulting me by asking me to let the Shadow Broker herself in to do the job. Her predecessor, while never risking his own neck, sent many men to their grave by sending them my way." Aria paused a heartbeat. "And not that missile target turian of yours either."

Shepard shrugged. "He's better at calibrating giant guns."

Aria rolled her eyes and resolved herself to progress reports from her varying sectors for the duration of the ride back to the docking bay, the knot still firmly lodged in the asari's abdomen. Was she making the right call? Shepard's words held truth - the rest of the galaxy needed her for the time being. And this was predictably in character for her. Always the diplomat, making peace wherever she could. She reminded Aria of - No. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Not her. But at the same time exactly her. And what would she have done in Shepard's place?