Date: June 22nd, 2101, a bit over a year after we fought the mercs at the warehouse.

A year had passed since our last major battle. Chasing Morinth required a great deal of effort, including working with certain criminal elements, only to execute those same criminals that aided us before. I couldn't stand the fact that Vodnik was outright executing people at Samara's order, even from the first time. Every single person that died was engraved into my mind. I hated it. I hated hearing people beg for their life, only to be shot by Vodnik without a second thought. It wasn't like I went on combat missions as is, but I still heard about it from Jovian or Lyna.

Partially why I wasn't allowed to go on combat missions was because I still lacked an actual suit of armor. Vodnik, on the other hand, had managed to salvage some from various dead bodies. His kevlar vest had been used up throughout the ages, after all. He picked up armor from dead Batarian bodies whenever he got the chance. The armor wasn't exclusively Batarian either. It was a patchwork of the makes of many different species. Turian armor plating, Asari shields, a Drell helmet. He just kept adding things on, but for him, it was apparently easier for him to swap things out for better materials.

Being relatively close to Samara, Vodnik had been gifted a high quality Serrice Council tech suite, mostly for his shields. He had thanked her numerous times for her generosity, and she had always responded humbly. From what he told me, it was relatively simple for him to make adjustments to his armor.

Speaking of Samara, her resolve had strengthened about finding her daughter, but her code would always be stronger. I could almost sense the inner-turmoil from her. It was a strong feeling, and her emotions, usually being controlled, seemed incredibly conflicted.

Whenever Vodnik went out in public nowadays, he donned his full set of armor, making sure that no one could tell what species he was. Some guessed that he was a really buff Asari with a voice modulator, others presumed him to be a two-eyed Batarian. At one point, someone mistook him for a mutilated Drell. No one outside of our team knew what he was, who he was, or why he existed. Apparently he liked that life, but I couldn't even begin to understand it.

To prepare me for combat missions before I even got armor, I had been training constantly with Vodnik and Jovian, becoming good enough to take Jovian on in the basics of hand-to-hand combat. I couldn't take them both, but I could land a good few hits on Jovian now, even though my hands hurt like hell afterwards. Vodnik had become a little more friendly towards me as I learned how to fight, but that wasn't saying much. He was another human, but that was about all we had in common.

Meanwhile, Lyna had become a bit distant, cold-natured towards me and the rest of the crew. She had issues that were apparently unresolved, but every time I tried to ask her about it, she would just shoo me away, not wanting to talk about her issues. I wouldn't pressure her, of course. It just seemed like the wrong thing to do.

Even with Samara's resolve strengthened, and Sirius scanning every security system in the galaxy constantly, our trail had gone cold. After chasing mere traces of Morinth throughout Terminus, I was beginning to think that we might never find her. Thankfully for everyone, I was wrong. We got word from an 'anonymous source' that Morinth had been sighted on a newer Asari colony named Asteria. We were currently on Illium, so a quick trip to Asteria wouldn't take long.

Before we got the chance to depart from Illium's orange skies, I got the opportunity to browse a new store, something that might have some armor to fit me. I was more than ecstatic, as fighting in a coat and jeans didn't exactly protect me as much as I would have hoped. In fact, both offered little to no protection, being civilian clothing from 2015. What this store offered was mostly modified Batarian armor, but it'd work well enough for me.

Vodnik and I were browsing what they had on a kiosk, rather peacefully in fact. He was just with me to look for modifications to his armor, whether it be toxin resistance or protection from biotic fields. Just as I was about to blow my credits on something that I didn't even know would fit me, I heard loud footsteps approaching me. Clank. Clank. Clank. Thinking that it might have been some curious Krogan, I turned around, and was greeted by a not-too-familiar sight of lavender grey skin. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

There stood Svesa, standing a few inches above both me and Vodnik. On the topic of Vodnik, he had never seen Svesa before, let alone any species from the Inusannon Federation in person, besides the holographic avatar that Sirius designed. His reaction was moderately mundane, to say the least. He grunted, then turned back to the kiosk to continue searching for armor modifications.

"I assume you're not just going to stand there and gawk, Terrah," Svesa flatly said. She assumed wrong. I stood exactly where I was and just looked at her. She was wearing her own suit of armor, with a pistol on her thigh, and a rifle of sorts on her back. The armor that she proudly wore had a nice shine to it, and looked a bit tribal in a sense, with all kinds of markings dotting the exterior. The design was clearly made for combat, but still had a ceremonial overtone to it. No cape, of course, but there was just something about it that felt it was to be used in a military parade, rather than actually fighting.

"No, no, sorry Svesa. I'm just- I'm just surprised to see you here. On Illium. As opposed to seeing you on a ship orbiting Trivon," I replied.

Svesa gave off a chuckle, then turned her head towards Vodnik, scanning him with her eyes. "I found myself with a few years off. Recently, there has been a crime decrease in the outer colonies of our federation, so Kochinan approved me to aid in the hunt for the Ardat-Yakshi. My aid will not be required unless Kaide-Pyterik launch an attack on any of the inner colonies."

"That's good news, I suppose. What even is Kaide-Pyterik?" I asked, still looking over her. The rifle that she carried on her back seemed to bare a faint resemblance to my ISYLR, but just barely. Meanwhile, the pistol seemed to have electric coils of it, and had a similar design to her armor, possibly made by her species over the Inusannon or Inusynthetic.

"Kaide-Pykterik is a terrorist group, following ideas that are archaic, to say the least. I can talk more about it later." It seemed that I struck a nerve on Svesa, even asking that. In her eyes, I saw a brief expression that translated into depression, but only for a second.

Vodnik hit a few buttons on the kiosk, closing it before turning his head slightly, looking at Svesa. "Who you are, what you are, or what you're doing here doesn't matter to me. Talk to Samara about joining if you're in the mindset."

Svesa squinted at him. "I've already spoken with your justicar."

"Good. Then I hope you can fight. I hope you can deceive the heart of serial killer. Otherwise you can just serve as a distraction, useful only for taking bullets when I need to pop out of cover," Vodnik responded. He still hadn't bothered to fully face her.

"I assure you, Vodnik…" she trailed off, adding emphasis on his name, which was surprising, considering he had never told her his nickname. "I can fight perfectly well. You can experience it first-hand once we're back on your ship. Admirals are exceptionally trained." Svesa pulled out her rank on Vodnik, probably expecting him to treat her better. I could probably guess that her fatal flaw was too much confidence.

Vodnik didn't seem to be too bothered by Svesa's knowledge of his name, but it was hard to gauge the reaction of an emotionless helmet. He finally turned around, looking at her horns. "Hmph. You were one of those politicians from the Inusannon Federation that spoke to the Council after all. Already got one of those. Your kind will only get in the way. Either you can be a living shield for the us, or you can sit on the ship doing your bureaucratic bullcrap."

"Fight me. Your mind will change, I guarantee it," she smirked. The scars, or bioluminescent markings on her face also glowed a bright orange.

"Alright. We'll spar as soon as possible. I'll let you get all cozy on the ship first, but once we do fight, no powers, no armor, no external weapons. Just our fists and our wits," Vodnik replied.

He seemed eager to spar with someone who wasn't me, Jovian, Samara, or Lyna. He had nearly exhausted all of the ways that he could beat us down, sometimes even besting Samara when she was using the full power of her biotic abilities. I watched them fight a few times before, with Vodnik usually finding new ways to counter the Asari justicar, either creating a loud noise behind her with a concussive blast, or inflicting enough pain to distract her. After she was sufficiently distracted, he'd rush her, tackle her, and pin her to the ground. Even with all of her justicar training, Samara was no match for Vodnik's craftiness, though he had to run out of new strategies soon. Though his tactics relied majorly on breaking her biotic concentration. If he failed to do so, he'd have a hard time taking her down 99% of the time. I had to admit, it'd be interesting to see Vodnik go up against Svesa, a new alien with new tactics never seen before.

Svesa chuckled, if only for a moment. "I look forward to it. Battling a human warrior will be informative whether I win or lose." She was longing for a fight; I could see it in her eyes. Her needs reminded me of a Krogan bloodlust, but with elegance and grace at the same time.

"Sure… Informative," Vodnik replied.

I was a bit taken back by the exchange and I didn't dare intervene during their conversation. Vodnik left the store after holding a gaze with Svesa for a few moments. She would turn her attention back to me, still smiling. "Your friend is very… Interesting. Hostile. Is your species usually like that?"

"I wouldn't call him a friend, but the hostility depends on the person," I breathed, looking around for a few seconds. "Why are you really here, Svesa? You never returned my calls, nor accepted them."

"I came to aid you with hunting down Morinth. Governing a federation of trillions isn't as fun as you may think. As for your calls, Novayazemira has yet to set up a comm buoy. Kochinan is handling everything with the Citadel Council right now, and Khara is handling our federation," she explained herself. Her excuses were valid, and I didn't exactly want to question Svesa.

"That's reasonable," I said, smiling back at her.

"Indeed. I've brought something from Trivon for you. Something I think you'll like. It's back on your ship, along with the rest of my stuff." She didn't even give me the time to reply, as she literally took me by my wrist and lead me out of the shop, and towards the docking bays.

On the way, I saw how she got here. A ship like no other was beginning its departure, a smooth design with forward-swept wings, said wings folding into the front of the ship while it was docked. Its presence was something powerful, but not expressed through fear. Instead, the vessel conveyed its dominance through sheer will, from decades, perhaps even centuries of service. The corvette rose out of the docking bay, unfolded its wings, and flew up into the atmosphere, disappearing once it broke the clouds. There was something special about Inusannon Federation ships; clearly they were built to last.

We boarded it, and once we got inside of Samara's freighter, Svesa lead me into the space that she now occupied. It was a smaller room, more of a closet that she could barely fit into, let alone me with her. "What even?" I asked, more than confused. "How can you even lay down in here?"

She sat down on her 'bed,' which was really more like a cot, a stretcher of some kind. It didn't look too comfortable, but I wasn't one to judge her. From there she curled onto it, though she didn't exactly fully fit on her cot, it supported her weight, even in armor. "I don't require a comfortable bed to sleep in," she muttered, sitting back up. "Sleep is a luxury, meditation grants rest, but not as much as a night passed."

I raised my eyebrow, leaning against one of the metal walls. "You know there are better places than a broom closet to rest, right?"

"Places that lack privacy, yes. I'm aware. While I am on this mission to assist in tracking down an Ardat-Yakshi, it's not the only reason that I've come," Svesa replied, folding her hands in her lap. "My main priority is to locate an older Inusynthetic. One going by the name of Rigel. I figure that your party is more reliable than mercs that'd rather seduce me than find a corrupted and ancient Inusynthetic."

"I think I met Rigel once. Back on a facility on Aite. I honestly can't remember the name, but he tried to tempt me into joining him and another human called Tiryn," I offhandedly mentioned. At the time, I didn't think it'd evoke a reaction out of Svesa, but I was wrong.

The Sannokar's face shifted from a neutral stance, to something that I'd describe as surprised anger. Her eyes jumped to greet mine. "You don't know where he is now, but you received a message from his thrall a while back."

Taken aback, I stopped leaning on the metal wall, becoming a bit alert. A mild headache also came over me. Like the beginnings of a migraine, but not quite as painful. "How the hell did you know that? Artificial intelligence rooting through my omni-tool?"

Her hands weren't folded in her lap anymore. The palm of one was facing me, with almost transparent maroon molecules flowing out of it. "Think of it as me reading your mind, for lack of a translatable term. If I wanted to have Cygnus root into your head, Sirius would most definitely defend you. My ability is not as gentle as an Asari, not as… gory as an Inusannon."

"Svesa, what in the absolute hell is wrong with you?" I asked, to say that I was angry was an understatement. "You can't do that sort of stuff!"

"If you have information, don't hide it from me, or I'll be forced to do that again. Deactivating Rigel is vital to the security of my people, and the well-being of this entire galaxy," she explained, not making any excuses for herself. "My priority here is to destroy that wretched machine. Helping you hunt and kill Samara's daughter is secondary until I complete my objective."

I walked over to Svesa, sitting down in front of her, on a crate of some sort. "Don't do that Sannokar melding shit to me again. I don't care what you call it, or what its unpronounceable term is, but if you do that without my explicit consent, you and me, we're going to have problems. Got it?"

"As I said, keep vital details from me, and I'll be forced to do that. What's a mild headache to you?"

"It's not the headache that bothers me, it's the breach in privacy. You claim to want privacy for yourself, but if I barged in here in the middle of the night, probing your fucking mind, then you'd probably kill me," I growled, crossing my arms over my chest, and staring into her maroon irises.

"You're over-reacting. If you came into my room while I was sleeping, managed to not wake me up, and somehow probed my mind, I'd be impressed, not pissed off." She had the nerve to smile at me, kicking back in her cot. "Other Sannokar will try to do that to you until you meet your deities. Though I can help you set up mental barriers to prevent that. Should also counteract Asari melding."

Before I could reply, or make a remark that'd probably get me killed, Jovian poked his head in the door. "Terrah. We're-" he paused, staring at Svesa, "the fuck are you?"

"I am Svesa Voz'avansiro, Primary-Admiral of the Inusannon Federation," she replied.

"Neat. I don't give a fuck about that Inusannon varrenshit. Plus, you look like the love-child of a stripper and a religious zealot." He turned his attention back to me. "Terrah, Samara wanted me to tell you that we're leaving for Asteria. We'll be planetside in five hours."

Jovian walked off after that, leaving Svesa looking at me in astonishment, then down at herself. Her fully armored self. "I don't actually look like a stripper, do I?"

'I know how much you want to say yes, but don't.'

No shit, Sirius.

"Uh, no. No, not at all. Your armor… It just clings to the body a bit more than what we're used to," I replied.

'Well it was nice knowing you, Terrah.'

Come on, she can take a joke, right?...

...Right?

'For lack of a better phrase; you're fucked.'

Svesa leaned forwards, her ass resting on the edge of her cot. "Do you mean that?"

'Say no.'

No.

"Yes." I froze. I mixed up the two. I thought no, I said yes.

"Well, hopefully it doesn't distract you too much." Svesa said, chuckling as she leaned back.

'Are you trying to die, or trying to get into her pants?'

I'm unsure at this point.

"Er…" Obviously, my brain wasn't working all that well at the moment.

"I can order a new set later, but the one I have on currently is much more agile, despite how much it shows." Her excuse was perfectly reasonable. I couldn't argue with her choosing something light and easy to maneuver in, over something heavier like Vodnik's armor.

I regained control of my emotions and said, "You have your reasoning for donning that particular set. Even if it's distracting, I'm sure it'll only take a day or so to get used to it."

She nodded, smiling right at me. "I much prefer to move around. My shields can take quite a beating from conventional mass accelerator weapons, but they will break eventually. My federation is sadly not advanced enough to put dreadnought barriers onto an airman's armor."

I didn't want to be rude or anything, but Svesa said she had something to give me, something that I was far too curious to ignore outright. "Understandable, but I gotta ask you, what did you intend to give me?"

Her eyes lit up for just a moment, and she gestured for me to get up, and so I did. She wiggled past me, fiddled with the electronic lock on the crate, forcing it open. There sat a suit of armor, custom-made by the Inusannon Federation. It looked like it'd fit me, and it was thankfully much more different than Svesa's armor.

The suit had a similar design to my ISYLR in many aspects. Angular at the shoulders and kneecaps, but smooth along the body. The back of it had some sort of vents, while the elbows had sharpened bits of metal jutting out of it. If I were to elbow someone with my armor on, they'd probably need stitches. "So, let me just describe a few features before I hand this off to you. The vents on the back will be hooked up to your ISYLR's cooling system, allowing you to fire more frequently. The blades on your elbows can be retracted, just in case you ever feel like getting intimate with your armor on. The kinetic barriers should be a bit weaker than mine, but testing showed that it can take a maximum of four, fully charged shots from a Javelin from the Geth Armory. Should your barriers fail, the internals of your armor, operated by Sirius, should protect you for up to five seconds of sustained fire from the URA Adas rifle."

"Wow," I exclaimed, completely mind-blown at the gift. "I don't know what to say, except… Thank you, Svesa. I'll make sure to use this on our next mission." Before leaving the room, I simply hugged her. I couldn't show much more gratitude.

She returned my hug, letting me leave with my new suit of armor. Maybe I'd be a better distraction on combat-based missions now. Without being shot to death. Or being shot in general.

A/N: I've been hard at work to make up lost time on this fiction. Hopefully it's up to standards. Hopefully the next one makes up for it even more.