Note: Thank you all for the comments and reviews. I do appreciate it. Sorry this one took some time to get out but I got sidetracked a few times with other stories.

Please enjoy and remember that feedback is always welcome.

Mass Effect
"Foreign Relations"

Chapter Nine: Glares, Glowers, and Pet Names

Nov was on the crew deck with his feet propped up on the table. Gardner had made him a reasonable facsimile of seasoned steak and turnips. Something that was Turian but easy to make, humans called it steak and potatoes, certain things, even food transcended species. They hung around Aite's orbit for a little while longer than Sidda had anticipated but then again she never expected to find what they had and for him to react the way that he did. It took Nov a while to simmer down after what he'd seen but he couldn't help it. Project Overlord disgusted him on every level but he knew that Sidda was in hot water with the Illusive Man now.

He heard Sidda coming before he saw her. "How'd it go?" he called as she came around the corner.

Sidda was annoyed; her chat with the Illusive Man resulted in her hanging up on him, so to speak. "I took a Spectre to top secret Cerberus project with questionable ethics to say the least. Yanked the rug from under them and took their subject and research to turn over to the Alliance…how do you think it went?" she asked and sat down next to him.

"Good thing you don't like him," he replied. He knew how it went, the only reason she was still in command of the Normandy was because Cerberus needed her. Once this was over they would probably kill her.

She grunted in replied. "Hackett loves me, considering I send all these Cerberus nuggets to him when I find them." He looked much more settled now. "How are you do-…"

"I'm fine, Sid," he cut her off sharply knowing that was going to be her question.

"You were a bit rough on Dr. Archer down there."

"He's lucky I didn't kill him," he replied in a low tone. She narrowed her eyes at him and he sighed. "My mother's handicapped, not a mental disorder, but still…I don't know how anyone could do that to family."

Sidda didn't know much about his family aside from the fact his father was dead, that Nov hated him, and his mother was a botanist. "He should be in good hands with the Alliance, I asked them to keep me or you updated. What was it like being controlled by the VI?"

"David," he corrected. "And it gave me a headache." The mother of all headaches to be precise.

"Commander, I would like to speak with you as soon as you are available." Samara interrupted on the comm and Sidda acknowledged.

Sidda grumbled and stood. "Jesus, can't anyone do anything for themselves on this ship?" she muttered.

"Perks of being at the top," he replied as he continued eating pausing only when she gave him a quick peck on the left mandible.

Samara was oddly antsy when Sidda found her in the Observation lounge, rather than her typical meditation she was pacing. "Samara, you okay?"

"I have her, Commander, Morinth is on Omega," the Justicar said with the mild tone that masked the obvious sense of urgency.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We must go there immediately before I lose her again." Samara sounded serious, focused and Sidda believed her.

"We're on our way to drop Cal off at the Citadel, we can go after."

"No. It must be now. I cannot risk losing her."

If it were anyone other than a Justicar Sidda may have told them to sit tight but Samara didn't get very riled up and Morinth sounded dangerous. "Alright…Joker," she began keying the comm, "course correction, take us to Omega."

"Copy that, Commander."

Mordin didn't mind sharing the Tech Lab with a temporary colleague while Sidda and Samara were on Omega. Nov was highly skilled and Mordin appreciated that. He was intrigued by the Turian in several ways, his technical skills and combat skills were just a part of it.

"Understand you have significant tolerance for pain. VI construct would have been painful and disorienting. Would like to study you, Captain," he said breaking the silence in the room.

Nov paused from what he was doing. "Cal," he corrected. "And you're not experimenting on me." So far, aside from the shoulder replacement, no one had experimented on him and he planned to keep it that way.

"You were incorporated into a VI construct."

Nov returned to looking over some omni-tool upgrades in an effort to upgrade Sidda's. Her Omni-tool had never had the level of tech ability that he was comfortable with. She needed an omn-tool that could handle anything. "And it gave me a headache. Which is gone now. I'm not going to be a lab animal, Mordin," he answered in a tone that ended the line of conversation.

The Salarian grunted. "Very well. See me if you change your mind."

"Not likely," he muttered.

"Prefer females of your species. Much more agreeable, even your Cabals," Mordin commented.

Cabal's were only deployed for special operations…very special operations, and to be deployed with anyone other than Turian troops was even stranger. "When would you have worked with a Cabal?" he asked but never got the answer as the door opened. "Hey," he greeted Sidda. "I'd ask how it went but you look suspiciously empty handed."

Sidda groaned her response. He was right. "I have a proposition for you, Casanova." Nov straightened and gave her a look. She'd hadn't called him that in a while, it took time for him to know what it meant but he knew the meaning now.

He stepped closer to her and cocked his head to flirt with her. "Here? Now? In front of him?" Nov asked as he couldn't resist the temptation to play.

Sidda rolled her eyes. "Shut up and follow me."

He did follow her and he wasn't expecting sex or to end up in the Starboard Observation with Samara but he couldn't resist the urge to be crude. "Well, Sid…didn't know you were into Asari too."

Sidda sighed, he wasn't being mean he was just being himself and exceptionally playful. Samara didn't react to his comment but Sidda shook her head. "Cal…"

"I'm just kidding, I'm sorry," he chuckled. "What's up?"

Samara answered. "Have you heard of an Ardak-Yakshi?"

Nov was very suspicious now. "Demon of the Night Winds, yeah. Rare genetic disorder causes them to kill whoever they mate with." Oversimplified but accurate.

Samara blinked, clearly surprised by his knowledge of something the Asari tried to keep hidden. "Impressive, Spectre Nov."

Nov continued to impress. He was the jack of all trades…had knowledge of everything or so it seemed. "Let me guess, you've encountered one before?" Sidda asked and he shook his head.

He stayed far, far away from Ardak-Yakshi. "No, a relative of Shala's is one…she was sent to that Monastery of yours."

"We need you to be the bait for one." Sidda blurted knowing that they didn't have a whole lot of time to talk about this.

He blinked, and blinked again. "You need me to be the bait for the what now?" he asked and could have sworn he heard that wrong.

"We know where her preferred hunting ground is but-…"

"But you need to get her away from crowds and alone," he finished and the Justicar nodded.

"Alone and unaware so I may deal with her."

That meant kill her and Nov wasn't sure if he liked being tossed into the middle of it especially when they wanted to use him as bait for the most dangerous type of Asari there was. "Why me?"

"Because you're Special Forces and you can handle anything and you're the Asari magnet," Sidda replied with the truth on all points.

Nov didn't wear any armor, he wanted to, but there was no way he'd get an Ardak-Yakshi to let her guard down around him if he was in full armor. He had on all black casual wear and he smoothed his tunic in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom. Sidda was sitting on the edge of the desk twirling a knife.

"You know you take longer than me to get ready," she sniped and he returned it with a smirk.

"Would have been a lot more enjoyable for you if you actually joined me in the shower," he replied and Sidda chuckled.

"Yeah but I don't think Samara is gonna want to wait that long while we have a lot of fun." She winked as he slipped his omni-tool on and headed toward the door. "Hey," Sidda stopped him putting a hand on his right arm. "They don't allow weapons but…take this."

She presented him with a boot knife and Nov gave her a curious expression. "Knife against an Ardak-Yakshi…"

Sidda shrugged. "I've seen what a Turian can do with just a knife," she said. "That Turian was Nihlus so let's see how you fair with it."

Nov rolled his eyes as she played with him. "Thank you for the vote of confidence," he grumped and strapped the knife to his left arm under the sleeve. "Let's go."

She stopped him again. "Cal," she began and it was obvious that she was worried about this. "be careful."

"I'll be fine," he assured and sounded as confident as ever. Maybe a little too confident.

"If she kisses you she kills you."

"I got it, Baby, don't get seduced by the life sucking Asari," he kidded trying to lighten the mood. "I'll be fine, Sid." She was still worried and he could tell. "You know back home, part of our old customs, you giving me a knife after I gave you one means we're betrothed."

The color in her face must have changed because he chuckled loudly. "Don't push your luck, Cal."

Omega was terrible. There were places that even Nov didn't like. The first thing he noticed was the smell. It was horrible. The second thing he noticed was Captain Gavorn. He looked familiar but Nov couldn't place him at the moment.

He listened to the diary of the poor human girl that was Morinth's last victim. "The more I listen to this the less enthused I am about it. How do you know she's gonna pick me, I'm nothing like this poor girl?"

"You're the self-proclaimed Asari lover you'll figure it out," Sidda replied and Nov gave her a sarcastic chuckle.

"I really hate you right now, Sidda."

The Club had the same vibe as Afterlife and Nov blended quickly but the Special Forces in him noted every threat in the room in a matter of minutes. The Krogan at the bar, the cluster of Turians in an alcove, Batarians who'd had too much to drink…and those were just the ones he saw right off the bat. As he was getting a drink from the bar he overheard the biggest threat. The cluster of Turians were talking about mugging people as they left the club. Not something he wanted to let happen if he could help it.

Nov sat down with them like he owned the place. "We need to talk, guys," he began and they all looked at him like he was crazy and they were going to kick his ass.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Not important," Nov replied quickly. "I know you guys think you're all tough and badass over here plotting the muggings of the patrons here but I'm here to tell you that you're not going to do that."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" One of them asked sounding inches from kicking Nov's ass.

"Because if you do you'll have to deal with me," he answered, confident enough to make them pause.

"And you would you be?"

"As I said, not important, but if Aria says 'no muggings' then there will be no muggings. So if I see or hear of any of you morons accosting the patrons here you get to deal with me."

"You don't work for Aria."

His deadly confidence was hard to ignore. "Do you really want to take that chance?" It was a bold faced lie. He'd met Aria once, was fairly impressed, but was by no means in her employ. It was a gamble and a major bluff…one they bought.

After he left them with the fear of any deity they had in them he mingled a bit more and helped an Asari dancer being hassled by a Turian. He did note that everyone he had an issue with was Turian, didn't say much about his brethren. He wanted to be noticed but keep a low profile at the same time. Mixing a tough guy routine with charm was a bit of specialty for him but he didn't want to overdo it. Two hours had passed and he hadn't been approached by one who seemed like a predator.

"You're the most interesting person in here tonight." A beautiful voice addressed him. He turned and found an Asari dressed all black and bearing a striking resemblance to Samara. She was an Ardak-Yakshi alright, that much he knew the moment he looked at her. No Asari looked at him that way. Like a predator looks at its prey.

"Is that so?" he replied and gave her his full attention.

"Yes," she replied. "I've been watching you all night. Come over…I have a table."

The next hour was tedious. She was testing him and it was crucial for him to not reveal his motives. Most Asari he was drawn to, they attracted him nearly instantly but this one actually repelled him knowing what she was and that she was cold blooded killer has an effect on him. She truly couldn't help it but it was her decision to live outside the designated Monastery. That made her a serial killer.

He managed to impress her but in his own right he was just as dangerous as she was. Nov kept up the act and left the Club with her. Sidda and Samara were nearby but out of sight and he focused on not losing her interest or tipping her off. She isolated him on her ground…he couldn't help but feel like a lamb to slaughter.

He looked around Morinth's apartment and listened to her prattle on. She was by far the most high and mighty Asari he'd ever met. Shala was 300 years old and had never made him feel inferior. He didn't like Morinth…not one bit.

He sat down next to her and felt fear for the first time in a long time. "You're not like the rest," she commented and he adjusted his seat to get more comfortable.

"Is that so?"

"We may both be killers but you and I are nothing alike."

"Why do you say I've killed? Enough of the games." She was spooked now. It wasn't the plan he had but there was nothing he could do about it now. "Look into my eyes and tell me you want me. Tell me you'd kill for me." He'd seen Shala embrace eternity before but when Morinth did it his brain fogged. "Tell me you want me," she said again and it took a moment for his head to clear, by that point she was so close to him she nearly kissed him.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts praising the military training and the fact that he'd been with Shala as many times as he had when she took him on a tour of 'eternity'. "Surprise, bitch," he snarled breaking her hold much to her surprise and punched her. She had recoiled far enough from him that he actually got a good hit. Morinth stumbled back as he stood. "Yeah, I know what you are."

Nov grappled with Morinth for a few seconds that seemed like minutes, Biotics were hard to fight against but there were courses upon courses at boot camp, OCS, and Special Forces training on how to do it and win. Nov didn't win but he was interested in buying time for Sid and Samara. He never had the upper hand with her but did match her until she trapped his right arm, she gave it such a hard pull he felt the synthetic weave give…or that's what it felt like. He gave a pained cry and the knife Sidda gave him sprang from his sleeve and he stabbed her in the neck forcing her to release him. His shoulder hurt like hell but he noticed Samara and Sidda arrived.

Morinth, being severely wounded with a knife driven into the nape of her neck, didn't make her a simple opponent to defeat. Nov and Sidda were superfluous to the biotic storm raging around them as Samara proved that she was the strongest.

"Damnit, I told you to be careful," Sidda snapped as he cradled his shoulder. It didn't hurt as bad as it did when he was shot or when he was in the hospital but it still hurt like a bitch.

"I was…," he snarled in pain and irritation. "It's my shoulder."

"I can see that," she snipped back. "I should never have asked you to do this."

If he didn't want to help he wouldn't have. "Everything was going fine right up there 'til the end."

Sidda geared her Omni-tool for a medical scan to see if he was injured anywhere else. "You mean when she tried to rip your arm off?"

"That would be the end," he replied and looked at her. "I'll be fine, Sid."

Samara was quiet; Sidda expected nothing less after she had to kill one of her daughters. She couldn't image what it would be like to have to do that. Sidda didn't push but offered her an ear if she needed it.

"OW!" she heard from the Med Bay as the door opened. Chakwas was in the process of removing his shirt and there really wasn't an easy way. Nov was glaring at her and holding his shoulder.

Chakwas didn't intend to cause him pain but sometimes it couldn't be helped. "What happened before?" Chakwas asked as she ran a scan over Nov's visibly swollen shoulder.

Sidda stayed quiet but both Nov and Chakwas saw her. "Sniper rifle, four years ago," he replied in a pained clipped tone. "Synthetic bone replacement, the entire shoulder blade"

Sidda stepped closer as the scan appeared on the monitor. "Well, Doctor?" she asked and had a flashback to seeing him in the infirmary on the Lante. She didn't like it then and she didn't like it now.

Chakwas harrumphed. "Nothing's broken, the synthetic bone weave is intact, just some hyperextension and tissue tears. I'll start a treatment for him but he'll make a full recovery."

She left and Sidda helped him lean back on the bed. This really was a flashback to the Lante. "Cal-…"

"Don't say it," he cut her off sharply. "You've said it ten times already I don't need to hear eleven. I'm fine." He hissed as he moved wrong. "I'll be fine; it just hurts like a bitch now."

She'd always worry about him just as he would always worry about her. "You want me to get a deck of cards?" she asked and he chuckled. "Keep the tradition going?"

The Normandy was still docked at Omega giving Daniels and Donnelly time to go through the salvage yards for parts. Sidda informed Nef's mother that her daughter's killer had been brought to justice and made her way back to the Normandy to get some sleep. Someone was in her quarters when she opened the door. Music was playing, her Earth music, which was enough to make her brow furrow. Even more so when she notice that the guest was Nov. The music was AC/DC; of course it was something that she expected him to be listening to since it was right up his alley.

"Found my music collection, eh?" she commented and Nov tapped the stereo control next to him.

"I have to say I like Earth music," he replied and went back to the chessboard on the table.

Sidda bent over and pulled her boots off tossing them down next to the bed. "Did you break out or did Chakwas release you?"

Nov continued to study the chessboard. "I am a highly trained Special Forces operative…I can get out of a Med Bay any time I want," he replied quietly and Sidda chuckled.

"She let you out?"

"Yep."

"How you feeling?" she asked and came over sitting down next to him. He fiddled with the chessboard looking like he was playing a game by himself.

"Sore but I'll live," he replied. "How's Samara?"

"Oh, you know, about how you'd expect after killing one of her children…actually better…must be an Asari thing."

"Justicar actually, it's all in the Code," he said and took a drink.

"Is there anything you don't know?" she asked and he snorted.

"Quite a lot, actually," he replied with a chuckle and handed her the knife she'd given him to take on the mission. "Thanks for this."

Sidda waved it off. "Keep it," she smiled and he set it down.

A Turian sleeping in a human bed wasn't easy. Turians weren't built like Humans or Asari and didn't lay flat to sleep. He managed but this wasn't easy. "Your mattresses are terrible," Nov complained trying to find a comfortable position on a bed that wasn't made with Turian's in mind.

Sidda chuckled as he stuffed another pillow under his head. "You seemed to like it not too long ago."

He paused and shimmied hoping he'd take the pressure off all the uncomfortable places. "I had other things on my mind…and other places," he said lewdly. "If you're really that concerned for my comfort you can occupy my mind some more."

Sidda chuckled and waited for him to stop squirming around. "Glad to know your shoulder feels better."

"No that still hurts…I blame your bed."

"You complain endlessly," she chided with a smile. "You don't blame the sex?"

"No male would ever blame the sex."

Sidda laughed and reached over him for the Datapad on the nightstand. "This came for you," she said handing it to him and then went back to snuggling against him.

Nov tapped the screen and opened the message. He read it and chuckled.

'So I hear you are my new enforcer. Come see me next time you're on Omega. –Aria'

"What the hell is that all about?" Sidda asked after he showed it to her.

"I told a group of Turians bent on mugging the people at the club as they left that I was Aria's enforcer," he sounded pleased with himself but in his head he knew that if Aria wanted to see him it probably wasn't good.

Sidda rose up on her right elbow. "You name-dropped Aria T'Loak?" Sidda she asked in disbelief. "Damn you're cool."

He laughed. "I won't be finding out what she wants to chat with me about any time soon."

"I thought she'd be right up your alley, Cal. Blue and bitchy."

"My tastes have shifted somewhat lately," he replied and she blushed.

"Aww, Cal…" she flirted and straddled him.

Nov purred as she kissed him. "I should get hurt more often."

"Commander," Chambers' voice came over the comm.

"Don't answer that," Nov said, she looked perfect sitting atop him.

Sidda had no intention of answering it and started to kiss Nov all over working her way down slowly.

"Commander, come in please." Chambers repeated and Sidda groaned in unison with Nov's annoyed growl.

"What, Chambers?" she answered in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry to bother you, Commander, but there is an emergency message from the Illusive Man." She said and Sidda sighed. Nov's hands were roving over her body but he was gentle with his claws. When she didn't respond Chambers tried again. "He wishes to speak with you in the Comm Room."

"Tell him to wait." Sidda bitched and got up to get dressed. "I'll be there in a minute."

Chambers acknowledged and Nov watched Sidda get dressed. "I'll just be waiting right here…I'd hurry back."

Sidda smirked at him as she sat down on the bed to pull her boots on. "Or you could take care of it yourself."

She gave him no slack and he loved that. "Oh that's cold," he laughed.

She giggled and leaned down to kiss him. "I'll be back."

"Tell the Illusive Man I said 'hello'."

"Yeah, because he loved the last message you sent him," she muttered on the way out the door. Nov enjoyed the fact that he sent the Illusive Man an unequivocal message.

Nov felt the ship move, she cleared Omega's docking cradle and was on the move. Something wasn't right so he got dressed and headed out to find Sidda and figure out what was going on. Yes they were due to head back to the Citadel but Sidda had been gone for longer than she should have been. He found her in the CIC at the galaxy map looking at what seemed to be their next destination.

"What's going on?" he asked suddenly appearing next to her.

"Oh, hey…sorry," she apologized for not returning.

Nov shook his head. "What's up?"

"Collector lead," she replied. "Sorry. We'll get you back to the Citadel soon."

"Are you trying to keep me here?" he asked with a flirty tone. She chuckled in response and shrugged.

Having Nov onboard felt like a safety net. He would always protect her and she knew that so having him around made her feel safe when she was surrounded by Cerberus. "You're fun to have around," she said and he looked at the blinking dot on the Galaxy Map.

He loved being around her and smiled before turning his attention to the Galaxy Map. "That's a bit like the middle of nowhere, where are you going?"

"Cerberus found a disabled Collector ship. Apparently it had a run in with a Turian frigate and was disabled, the frigate was destroyed but the Collector ship is adrift."

Nov paused and gave her a look. "A Collector ship? Like the one on Horizon or the one that took out the SR1?" he questioned and she nodded. "No way one of our frigates could do that solo."

Turian ships were tough no matter which class they were but a frigate against a Collector ship was wishful thinking at best. "Could have been one ship, could have been many. They weren't specific. We need intel on the Collectors so that's where I'm heading."

"I'm going with you," Nov said and Sidda shook her head.

"Not with your shoulder."

"To hell with my shoulder."

"No, Cal, you're staying here."

"Then you better handcuff me to the bed because I'm not staying behind. Something is wrong here, Baby, I know better than anyone except Garrus what our ships can do. The Ramora is the meanest ship we have in the bag and I don't even think its firepower could have touched it. And why wouldn't Palaven res-…"

"Alright, alright, alright. Gear up and meet us on the flight deck."

Nov grimaced under the weight of the armor. His shoulder complained until it was fitted and fastened. It felt fine afterward but it would hurt like a bitch after. When he resumed active duty his first training op back in full armor it hurt nearly as bad as when he was shot.

"I am not looking forward to taking this off," he lamented.

"You can stay behind," Sidda replied as Thane and Isla finished collecting their equipment.

He shook his head. "I'll be alright. Armor is designed to help but getting out it is not gonna be much fun."

The fact that they landed without so much as a peep from the Collector Ship only furthered their unease. EDI reported no damage that she could find and just as Nov had pointed out there was no debris field.

Isla set the Kodiak down and turned to Sidda and her team. "Touchdown, Commander," she said and Sidda secured her helmet along with Nov and Thane.

A small team was best for this despite the Collector ship being enormous. "Okay, Isla, stay with the Kodiak, you're our ride out."

"Just watch for us to be running back screaming," Nov put in as he turned the disruptor ammo on his rifle.

Isla secured her helmet as well and scoffed at Nov's comment. "I'll believe that scene coming from you," she replied and Nov laughed.

Garrus chose well. "Oh I really like you," he chuckled.

"Cal," Sidda called as the side door opened.

"Coming," he replied still chuckling about the fact that Isla had his number and wasn't afraid to call him on anything she saw fit to. The hatch closed behind Nov but Isla remained ready for anything.

EDI linked their hardsuits to an uplink node so they could raid the databank of the Collector Ship, the best place or intel on the enemy was straight from their own computers. According to the headings though it took them deep in to the disabled vessel was unnerved them all.

"It looks like an insect hive," Thane noted and Sidda grunted.

"Oh, I hate bugs," she replied to him as they walked through its halls uncontested.

"I hate the fact that we haven't seen one single bad guy," Nov added and then the talking ended. They maintained silence. Thane may not have been military but his discipline was astounding. Nov admitted that he didn't know many Drell but it spoke well for Thane that Sidda brought him along over the likes of Garrus or Tali. People she knew and trusted.

They walked a bit further, still no signs of anything. "How could one Turian ship disable a vessel of this size?" Thane asked as they systematically covered a corner and kept walking.

"I don't think it did," Nov replied quietly. "Something is not right here, Sid."

She agreed but didn't voice it. "I have compared this ships EM signature to known Collector profiles. It is the vessel encountered on Horizon." EDI informed and Sidda looked to Nov.

"Maybe the defense tower softened it up for the Turians," she said but Nov shook his head. He still wasn't convinced of that.

"Still don't think that's it, Sid."

There were a few more minutes of walking before they found one of the pods seen on Horizon. The three of them froze at the way the room appeared. "I love what they've done with the place." Sidda drawled and Nov scoffed at the pile of dead bodies. He praised the fact he had a helmet on so he didn't have to smell it.

"I don't like what the place has done to them," he said and squatted down to examine it closer. He wished he hadn't. Something horrific happened to those people, their bodies were flattened, limp, splattered with blood, truthfully, he didn't know what happened to them but his imagination was generating enough ideas to give him nightmares.

"Why would they do this?" Thane asked and Sidda shrugged.

"Nothing we can do for them now except put a stop to the Collectors entirely," Sidda said and patted Nov's shoulder indicating they needed to move on.

Further up the corridor, if you could call it a corridor, they found what looked like a lab. "Looks like a lab of some kind," Thane said and Sidda's brow furrowed under the helmet.

"Out in the open?" she questioned.

"For all we know this could be the bathroom," Nov added making Sidda snort.

Nov scanned the console and the creature on the lab bed. "Looks medical," he commented. "EDI, I'm uploading this can you see what they're doing?"

"I can." She answered. "Spectre Nov is correct; the data is primarily advanced genetics, looking for similarities between Humans and Collectors." That was unsettling and all three of them shifted uncomfortably. "Preliminary scans, however, indicate something remarkable."

"How so?"

"A quad-strand DNA chain. Based on the evidence taken from various archeological digs only one species in the record is based on quad strand DNA."

"No way," Nov said and he caught on quicker than Sidda did. "The Collectors are Protheans?"

"At some point, they were." She said. "I am detecting extensive genetic modification and rewrite. If this was truly a Prothean it is not anymore."

This was galaxy shattering to say the least. "We need to collect as much data as we can. Mordin should see this," Thane said. If they could find the central computer they could have it all.

"Alright, let's get this horror show finished. The central access can't be much further."

They moved on, quietly. All three of them were trying to wrap their heads around the astonishing news they'd just found. In two minutes they rewrote galactic history. Nov found a few consoles and junctions that didn't have much use then the path opened to the full interior of the ship. It was like the inside of a giant drum honey-combed with the pods found all over Horizon.

She gaped and felt a knot tie in her stomach. "Oh. My. God." Pods as far as the eye could see.

Thane was astonished too. There were so many pods…so many that was almost impossible to grasp. "Siha, they could abduct every human in the Terminus and still not have enough to fill those pods."

"They're going after Earth," Nov deduced and then the form of address that Thane used hit him. He didn't say Sidda he said 'siha' whatever that meant. "Wait a minute what'd you call her?"

"Siha," Thane answered.

"Her name is Sidda."

Sidda shook her head. "Siha: the warrior angels of the goddess Arashu," Sidda clarified. "Right, Thane?"

The Drell gave the single nod. "Very good, Commander."

Nov didn't like that at all. "He did…you hav…he gave you a pet name?" Turians were territorial. Very territorial and Nov didn't like the idea that Sidda had a pet name. Clearly she had a bond with the Drell and he didn't like that either.

"Cal, it's harmless, not now," Sidda told him.

Nov was glaring at Thane through is helmet and Thane was glowering back. Sidda didn't need to see their faces to know they were glaring at each other.

"Commander, how's it going over there?" Joker asked over the comm.

"Glares, glowers, and pet names," she muttered referring to the behavior of the boys.

"Uhh…what?" Joker asked.

"Nothing. What do you have?" she said and moved forward.

"On a hunch I had EDI run some scans on the Collector ship against the database." Joker told her.

"And?"

"Not only is it the same vessel from Horizon but it's a match to the one that attacked and destroyed the Normandy two years ago." EDI simplified.

Sidda paused mid-step. "The same ship dogging me for two years? I don't like the sound of that."

"No way that's a coincidence," Nov added.

"Let's just get it done and get the hell out of here."

"I don't like this, Commander, watch your back." Joker added.

"Isla," Sidda began as they kept walking with the boys glaring at each other behind her, "how's it going on your front?"

"All quiet. Too quiet. A ship like this should hold thousands…Kodiak sensors aren't picking up anything." She replied promptly. Isla remained in the Kodiak but had her shotgun ready.

"By far the creepiest place I've ever been," Nov muttered.

"This has got nothing on the Thorian," Sidda responded and shuddered at the thought of it. "Isla, sit tight…we'll be along directly."

Nov scoffed. "Screaming."

When they found the uplink node they still hadn't encountered even the slightest bit of resistance and aside from the Prothean in the lab the only bodies they'd found with the pile of human carcass' near the door.

"EDI, I'm setting up the link. Grab what you can and do it fast before the Collectors come to salvage this vessel," Sidda ordered. The longer they were there the more uneasy they all got. Sidda had never seen Thane nervous and she figured that if the assassin had the wiggins it wasn't a good sign. As soon as EDI uplinked and started to mine the system all hell broke loose. It was fairly obvious from the get go that this was a trap. The platform stopped spinning with a slam that knocked Thane off his feet and Sidda into one the uplink console.

"EDI?" Sidda questioned as Nov grabbed Thane's hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Attempting to reestablish the connection."

Nov spotted a platform spinning its way in and imagined that it didn't carry the greeting party. "Make it quick. Sid, we have incoming."

"Yeah, I see it," She said and found that the best place to take cover was right where the uplink was. "Thane, can you pick them off?"

The Drell nodded and traded his Tempest for the Viper. He didn't say much and Nov had to admit he respected him…but he still glared at him.

"EDI," Sidda began as Thane started to pick the Collector soldiers off one by one, "fast is better. Isla, I think this joint just woke up keep your eyes open."

The firefight was one the most intense that any of them had been in a very long time. After a few minutes and three waves of bad guys everything went oddly quiet. Three of them did a very good job together. They stayed in cover, used abilities and powers, and conserved ammo. It occurred to Nov that Thane may just rival Maridus or Garrus as a sniper, the Drell never panicked…not once in that entire fight.

"What the fuck was that?" Nov demanded as he voiced what they had been thinking. They uplinked to EDI and then it all went to hell.

"EDI?"

"I have reestablished the link and regained control of the platform." The AI replied. "I have also found data to help us navigate the Omega 4 Relay. Additionally, I found the Turian signal that served as the lure for this trap. It is most unusual."

"How so?" Sidda asked as she checked her rifle and pistol.

"Turian emergency channels have secondary encryption. It is present but corrupted in the message."

"That's impossible if it's genuine," Nov chimed in as he reloaded his weapons. "Told you this was a trap."

"Spectre Nov is correct; it is not possible that the Illusive Man would believe the message was authentic. I found the anomaly using Cerberus detection protocols, written by the Illusive Man."

Sidda leaned forward onto the console and swore. She shook her head and couldn't believe she could be so damn naïve. "That mother fucker set me up," she snarled angry with herself and her life right about now. "Again."

"Commander, I know you're having a bad day and all but that ship is powering up." Joker informed. "You need to leave before the weapons come online and, you know, blow the Normandy in half."

"Alright, people, double time it back to the Kodiak," Sidda ordered and they moved quickly off the platform. "Isla, did you get all that?"

"That working for Cerberus will get you killed? Yes, I got all that."

"Says the Blue Suns defector," Nov muttered and Sidda could hear the smirk over the comm.

"Why do you think I 'defected'? At least when I resigned I took a chunk of them with me. Any time you want me to show you just what I can do you just let me know." She replied and Nov chuckled. Now he was just trying to get a rise out of her.

"Would you two like a room?" Sidda asked.

"Why, you got something in mind?" both Nov and Isla said at the same time. They were starting to get along…sort of.

"I'm still where you left me." Isla said. "I'll cover you as best I can."

Getting off the Collector ship was intense. The Praetorian was the hardest thing to beat, the room they were in was awkward and Garrus' sniper rifle was sorely absent. The Viper just didn't have the punch that Garrus' had. The heavy weapon that Sidda brought wasn't the greatest against it but the Ark Projector did well enough allowing Nov and Thane could bring it down. Nov's grenades were also handy against floods of Collectors and Sidda's shockwave was invaluable against the onslaught of husks. As they got closer to the Kodiak they found a cluster of husks occupied by Isla. The Sentinel detonated her tech armor and the mindless drones were flattened in one spectacular display.

"Alright…," Nov began as they sprinted to the Kodiak, "you're impressive."

"Glad you approve."

"Let's go. I am not losing another ship," Sidda ordered.

The Normandy jumped away from the Collector cruiser but that didn't mean all was quiet onboard. Sidda's conversation with the Illusive Man was not a long one…in fact it was very short but she came out fuming.

"You know I'm getting a little tired of being shot at because of Cerberus," Nov commented as Sidda left the comm room looking supremely pissed.

"Yeah? Try being me." She snapped back. "The man spends enough credits to buy a fleet on me and then tries to get me killed every time I turn around."

"Why don't you just take the Normandy, kick the Cerberus crew off and go?"

Nov had a valid point, one that she, Joker, Tali, and Garrus all talked over at some point. "Because I need Cerberus' resources, Cal, the Alliance won't help me and neither will the Council."

"Sidda-…"

She growled in annoyance. Not necessarily at him but at the fact she was in clear danger without a choice to get away from it. "Cal, I'm sorry that you got stuck in the middle of that but I-…"

"I don't care about myself but I do care about you. Last thing I want is you..." he trailed off as he couldn't bring himself to complete the thought of her being hurt or worse again. "Sidda. I don't like this."

There was nothing she could do about it and she understood his worry. "I don't like it either but such as life." Her reply was clipped and a little rude but Nov took it knowing she was just mad.

"Sid."

"What do you want me to do? There's nothing I can do except trying to survive the meat grinder he keeps tossing me in." This was turning into a fight and she didn't want to fight with him so she just walked away.

Nov grumbled as she walked away from him and he shook his head. "No wonder Victus was always irritated."

"I heard that," she called back over her shoulder.