Ripples in the Stream

A D&D / Shadowrun / Mass Effect crossover
by Vyrexuviel

Disclaimer: The author of this story does not, in any way, derive any profit from the story. D&D, Shadowrun and Mass Effect are the property of their respective copyright holders. Jorukaia and other unfamiliar characters in this story, however, are mine.

That door in Joru's apartment wasn't on the specs she'd perused on her way up here. Vasir gave a quiet sigh as she went over and tapped on the door's electronic lock.

Somewhat to her surprise, it opened, showing a moonlit, star-strewn sky above a rocky canyon; what Joru called 'the Refuge'.

She shook her head as she stepped through the doorway, which somehow as she stepped through it, changed from a rectangular, citadel-standard doorway, into a three-meter-tall oval portal, formed of polished-black stone. That transition never failed to give her the heebie-jeebies, if only because it literally didn't feel unnatural.

Joru was here, as she'd expected, clad in her usual outfit. After her stunt buzzing the tower, she'd vanished off every scope, but Vasir had enough experience with the bitch to know she'd probably just teleported or some damn thing.

Goddess, it made her head hurt, thinking how many ways she could bypass or fuck up any sort of security system.

"Hey," she called, stepping away from the free-standing portal, still showing a view into the inside of a room on a space station orbiting the corpse of a long-dead star.

For a beat, the woman she sought didn't reply. Joru was in that brain-twisting pose again, her legs drawn up into a lotus position, wrists resting on her knees, balanced on her tail, which twisted into a spiral pattern on the ground to provide adequate support. She was still standing-height, which meant Vasir had to look up to look her in the face, but she was currently facing away from the asari Spectre.

"Vasir." Joru's tone was calm, even, even faintly amused. "Does the Council have a message for me? Or is this a matter from your other master?"

She gritted her teeth slightly. It galled her to hear Joru call her...somewhat complex relationship with the Shadow Broker by so blatant a title. "The Broker has something for you."

"Oh really..." Joru's lips quirked in a slight smirk and her head tilted ever so slightly to one side. The disconcerting way she kept facing Vasir even as the Spectre shifted her weight, while keeping her eyes closed was unsettling. "And what business does the Broker want to discuss? I understand he has little interest in 'small talk'."

Vasir clenched her jaw. "No, he doesn't. With the Shadow Broker, time is money. It's all about business, and you have cost him a great deal of it."

"Then convey to him my apologies" Joru was still smirking, damnit! "If he has need of my assistance, he need only ask."

She was determined to draw this out, make it as painful as possible, wasn't she. It wasn't a question, the damn dragoness had made her chase her across half the galaxy, into a massive firefight, and nearly gotten her people killed! Vasir felt the rage rising and fought it down with a quick quiet breath.

"Do you fully understand the magnitude of how much disfavor you have earned from him? How much you've made his business suffer just by slipping his location even just to me?"

"His entire network is in disarray. He's having to scramble to move to a new location, and in the mean time, his operations are currently on hold until he can get his new base of operations up and running. That about sum it up?" Joru's smile was irritating, but wiping it off her face would only get Vasir into further trouble. "Not to worry. I'm certain he'll have things up and running smoothly again within a very short time. It's good for him, pushes him out of his comfort zone."

The hellfire eyes open to glowing slits as the dragoness smirked down at her. "I'm certainly willing to give him assistance, if he truly desires it of me. But that would put him into my debt, and that is not likely to be a place he wishes to go."

Joru leaned forwards without actually shifting her legs out of the lotus position, her eyes seeming to bore into Vasir's. "If he wishes something from me, he need only to ask. But then he must ask himself if he wishes to entangle himself in the affairs of a dragon."

Her voice had dropped low, to an almost silken hiss, with a low rumbling undertone that sent a shudder up Vasir's spine.

"Those metals you've left with Barla Von will make for adequate compensation. Nevertheless, despite the migraine you've caused, the Shadow Broker says you've earned his curiosity." Vasir's brow furrowed as a look of small confusion showed on her face. "A rather unusual amount of interest, I must say. He wanted me to give you a message: He's seen your league of 'abilities' before. If you're what he thinks you to be, you will have his undivided attention."

Joru's eyes widen slightly, and she breaks her meditative pose, letting her long legs drop the the floor as she stands up from resting on her tail. "Truly? That would be information I would be interested in purchasing. For things he can't buy with mere money."

She shifted slightly, tail twitching as she shot Vasir an appraising look. "Very well. He may have what I brought to the volus banker. It is a trifle in any case, I was planning on moving far more valuable materials soon anyway."

She paused in her slight pacing, not looking at Vasir now, but out over the countryside far far below. "In fact, one thing I would purchase from the Broker, is the contact details of a discrete, but well-funded shipyards. I have need of certain...services. They must be individuals to whom questions are not in their nature, and who are aware of the sensitive nature of secrets that must be kept. I trust that the Broker, if anyone, would know where to procure such services."

"Not just yet." The Spectre held up her hand. "He wants to be absolutely sure about you. The Shadow Broker asks for a more... proper demonstration of your abilities to confirm his suspicions If you can provide, he will be quite interested in future ventures with you."

"And what sort of...test did he have in mind?" Joru sounded almost amused now, as she slowly paced around the zen-style rock garden. Her tail trailed an S-curve through the fine, white powder as she stepped across the garden from rock to rock with light, even grace. "I will be no one's guinea pig, Vasir. I am not a test animal to be experimented on."

"Actually, he's offering a group of guinea pigs for you." For the first time since she walked in, Tela Vasir smiled. "What would you say to a band of Batarian slavers about to drop an asteroid on a heavily populated human colony?"

The way Joru went absolutely still, even the small motions of her tail stilling into immobility dropped something icy into Vasir's heart. Then the dragoness turned on the balls of her feet, her ruby-gold eyes seeming ready to burn the asari, and an aura of menace radiating off her as she stepped carefully and delicately out of the garden itself, and back onto the flagstone-lined path. "Details. Now."

As Vasir's brow went up, she did her best not to swallow. Instead, she keyed up her omnitool and projected a hologram of a uniformed Batarian officer.

"Colonel Ka'hairal Balak. Two hours ago, he commandeered a ship of Batarian 'pirates' and diverted it to the Asgard System in the Exodus Cluster, Alliance Space. Specifically, a mobile asteroid station code-named X57." Vasir switched to a hologram of a massive metallic asteroid, along with a projected flight path.

"Shortly after, a distress signal was received from members of that team. According to the survivors, a band of slavers had managed to slip through the fleet perimeter and land on X57, taking the other engineers hostage and seizing control of the systems. Twenty minutes ago, the torches activated, setting the asteroid on a collision course with the planet. If it impacts, it would be an extinction level event."

The dragoness stared at the system map for a moment, then her eyes flicked up to Vasir. She was past the asari almost before Vasir registered she had moved, her long tail trailing behind her. "You can show yourself out, Vasir. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I assume that the Broker has a more ground-level image for me?"

"Not so fast," Vasir spoke up. "First, shall I officially consider that you intend to do something about this?"

Joru's tail lashed once, as her head whipped around to glare at the asari. She took a deep, slow breath, before visibly relaxing from her whipcord-tense posture. "Yes. I certainly intend to do something about this. Time is of the essence, Vasir, and the people of the Asgard system are about to experience an extinction level event. What person in their right mind would NOT help?"

That last was rather heated, but Joru shut her eyes, looked away for a moment, and turned back to Vasir, her tension obvious, to Vasir's more experienced eyes. "They have hours Vasir. I cannot rest idle while millions of lives are at stake. For that matter, why are you not doing something about this? The Alliance is part of Council space, shouldn't you Spectres be dealing with this sort of thing?"

"The Shadow Broker's intelligence network is light-years ahead of the STG. The Council isn't aware just yet, and none of our ships would be able to make it in time. And that's if the Alliance Ambassador, Donnel Udina, would be willing to accept Council help. As for the Alliance, they are quite aware of the threat to their most populated colony and is already on their way. Whether or not they will succeed is another matter."

The Spectre shifted her hip, glaring at the dragoness. "As for you, I am to accompany you on the mission, which is twofold: You would deal with the Batarian extremists as you see fit to avert the colony's destruction, and I am to provide long-range marksman support while recording the scope of your capabilities for the Shadow Broker's review. This will confirm or disprove his suspicions about you and whatever matter he was referring to."

Jorukaia was silent for a few seconds, staring at her with cold intensity for a moment or three. Then she turned and silently touched the portal, activating it and stepping through into the apartment the council had provided her. "Then you'd better hurry up and get out here, Vasir, I won't wait up for you."

"Proactive. I approve." Vasir hurried outside. "I already have my rifle and equipment, but am I to assume that you have one of your 'instant travel' methods available? Is that why you need a ground-level image?"

"I can only go where my eyes can see." Her gaze cut sharply to Vasir as the asari stepped out of the Refuge. The door was shut and vanished in moments as Joru worked the electronic lock with an ancient mechanical key. "I have methods of obtaining such a fix myself, but if the work has already been done for me, I will avail myself of it. Seconds pass, Vasir, why are you quibbling?"

"Because I'm working on getting that image from the Shadow Broker." Vasir was rapidly typing a message into her omnitool "It should only take a few minutes for him to-"

Beep-Beep.

"... or he'll get it to us right away. Here we are." Vasir presented a high-res image of the outside of the X57 mining base, with fusion torches clearly active. "Is this really all you need to g-WHOA!"

Miranda Lawson walked purposefully into the Illusive Man's office. Most recognized stars of their organization only received emailed correspondence from the leader of Cerberus. Some were privileged enough to communicate with him over a live feed or hologram. But only the most capable and most trusted of their elite had been welcomed to meet with him in person. Through diligence, outstanding ability and no small amount of loyalty, Miranda was proud to have earned her place as the Illusive Man's right hand.

Even so, very rarely was anyone called to meet the leader of Cerberus personally, so she knew that what he was about to say was of the utmost importance. The message she had received had only stated that he wanted her latest action report on Project Pandora, and that he wanted to discuss the new arrival to the galactic community. Always ready, she had immediately conducted research on the darastrix while en route to be prepared for whatever the Illusive Man wanted.

As she walked into the darkened office, she slowed her steps at the Illusive Man's voice. "Sir," she greeted simply.

"Ms Lawson." He gave her a faint nod, setting his omnipresent glass down and shifting in his chair. The disconcertingly-blue eyes shifted from the woman walking in to the holographic display in front of him, shifting through reports with a flick of a finger.

"Our little mystery lady has grown unexpected complications." He settled back in his chair, picking up the glass but not sipping from it, merely rolling it between his fingers to make the liquid inside slosh slightly.

The image that dominated the display now was a high-angle shot, but it very clearly showed the red-robed figure, glittering with gold, stepping out of an aircar onto a secure terminal. Judging by the grainy quality of the image, it was shot with a super telephoto zoom from a very long distance away, probably the Wards, to judge by the angle.

"It seems she has ingratiated herself with the Council." The slightly amused tone of him hid a faint note of disapproval. Someone without her extensive experience in dealing with his moods would have missed it, but Miranda was one of the very few people in the galaxy with such experience.

Without turning to face him, she said, "We were close. Humanity was so close to making its next step towards a seat on the Council. Lieutenant-Commander Shepard was our best shot at getting a human Spectre." Turning her head toward him, she continued, "And she turned out to be a false hope."

Her guess was rewarded with a glance. Tapping the cigarette in his left hand, the Illusive Man murmured, "She was never one of ours to begin with. It's fortunate that she was uncovered this early, otherwise her exposure would have become a galactic embarrassment, and her potential accomplishments as a Spectre would no longer represent humanity's own potential. Nevertheless, this is a setback. 'Shepard' was recommended by one of the Council's own agents. It will take time before the Alliance can put another worthwhile name forward."

"Until then, all we can do is persevere as always, and press on." He gave Miranda another glance. "What's your assessment of this... Darastrix?"

Miranda nodded slightly, shifting her hip a little and tapping at her datapad. "Height, just over two meters. Weight, somewhere over a hundred kilos."

His brows rose at that, but Miranda continued. "Reliable reports have given a strength comparable to high-end krogan values. Durability unknown, but we've obtained several genetic samples from trusted sources."

He nodded, leaning back and gesturing for her to continue as he took a drag on his cigarette. "What about her more...esoteric abilities?"

"Manipulation of fire is a known ability. We aren't sure of the extent of it, but it was sufficient to take on a Blood Pack base single-handed, and leave not much behind but ash and charred meat."

"Impressive..." The Illusive Man tilted his head, eyeing the still frame image of the woman in the red robe. Her horns gleaned in the bright light of the Widow Nebula, glens of subtle gold worked into the ebony-black. "What of her flight capabilities?"

"Capable of unassisted flight at a speed of over Mach 1. We weren't able to maintain visuals for long enough to get a more accurate fix on her top speed." Miranda shifted, her lips pursing in disapproval as she ran the numbers on her datapad. "When not going flat-out like that, she seemed excessively maneuverable, up to around a speed of three or four hundred KPH. Our observer wasn't well-placed to get a good view on her maneuverability while going at supersonic speeds, but he saw her dodging around obstacles in her flight-path at the lower speed with as much ease as you or I walking around a piece of furniture."

She gave a sigh and glanced over to the seated man. "We weren't able to maintain visuals once she left the Wards, and so far we haven't seen exactly what she did to the Council Tower, but it seems that however her method of flight works, she's capable of exo-atmospheric flight, and, while slow for a space-ship, the fact that she can maneuver in space at all is a game-changer."

The man nodded, closed his eyes and let out another lung-full of smoke. "And what of her psychological assessment?"

"She fits the textbook definition of an adrenaline junkie." Miranda shifted her hips back the other way, fingers dancing rapidly across her datapad, bringing up new data. "She seems to derive more satisfaction from the risk and danger than from any monetary reward. She actually turned down the prize money during her little excursion to Armax Arsenal Arena, said that the challenge alone was compensation enough."

He nodded, staying silent as he stubbed out the butt of his cigarette.

"From analysis of the fight itself, she seems to derive pleasure from the act of killing. None of her strikes would have been survivable, had they landed on real people." The casual way she uttered that last phrase indicated something about her thinking.

"And what about the earlier incidents?"

"We aren't sure what her involvement with Fist was, but we know it was her that killed him. I saw the autopsy report. She had to have physically torn his head off." The raven-haired woman suppressed a slight shiver at that.

"Any leads yet on how she got out of prison? Her methods could prove useful to compromised agents."

"Not as yet, Sir. We have gotten ahold of some reports on the matter, but the picture they paint isn't clear yet."

He gave a faint nod, pulling a new cigarette from the dispenser built into that arm of his chair, and lit the tip with the built-in lighter. After a drag or two, he spoke again, "And what have we managed to learn about her apparent ability to change forms?"

"Not a lot, sir. We have reports that she can change, but the extent isn't clear, and we keep getting conflicting stories there." She shot him a glance, not quite liking having to deliver so much negative data.

"Don't take it too personally, Miranda. Such an ability that could revolutionize the world of covert action is understandably difficult to track," He reassured her. "Of course, it is for that very reason that I'll be having the surveillance teams redouble their efforts. Let us hope this representative is true to her word about the people having little to no reason to leave their homeworld. A species where every member can pose as anyone, fly as fast as a starfighter and fight with the strength of a Krogan... It is certainly a cause for concern."

He sighed, and took a drag on the cigarettes, letting out a plume of smoke.

"Times like this remind us of what's out there and why we must always be vigilant. And with 'Shepard' gone and the Alliance's opportunity for advancement stalled, humanity needs a champion now more than ever." He turned his gaze towards Miranda again. "Which is why we are counting on you and your work to provide that champion. An agent of change. How is Project Pandora?"

Miranda smiled. "The Android's strength, agility, stealth and cyber-warfare abilities have exceeded our most aggressive projections. And to say the results of its first mission were outstanding would be an insulting understatement."

The Illusive Man looked up at her with curious interest. "And what would garner such high praise coming from you?"

Miranda brought up some information on a datapad. "I identified and analyzed a particularly organized ring of batarian 'pirates'. After predicting their next target, I had the Android pose as one of their prisoners which they took to their base of operations. After dispatching the pirates and freeing the slaves, it hacked their primary computer frame with incredible ease."

The woman turned back to the Cerberus leader. "As I expected, the ringleader was secretly an officer of Batarian Special Operations, the Hegemony's division that funds and organizes pirate attacks and slave runs on Citadel and human colonies. Inside the mainframe, the Android found a direct connection inside their network."

Miranda presented the datapad. "Sir, we caught our biggest lucky break in a decade."

The Illusive Man raised an eyebrow as he took the datapad. His right hand operative was never one to exaggerated or overstate things. And as the video feed played, his glowing eyes widened and he slowly rose to his feet.

It was a special day when the Illusive Man smiled.

"A recording of the Batarian Hegemony ordering Colonel Balak to drop Asteroid X-57 onto Terra Nova."

The office was silent for another minute before the Illusive Man spoke again.

"Miranda, you never disappoint. But today, you have surpassed even my greatest expectations. Have you sent word to the Alliance yet?"

The tall, graceful woman ducked her head, a faint flush touching her pale, alabaster cheeks as a small smile graced her full, rich lips. "Thank you, Sir. And yes, I have, through channels they will trust."

"This information ties the Batarian government to the greatest war crime the likes of which hasn't been seen since the Krogan Rebellions. I will personally see that this gets to the right hands in both the Alliance and the Council."

The Illusive Man sat back down in his chair, already interfacing with several holo-screens. "Once the Arcturus Station comes forward with this and the STG verify its authenticity, the Council will be forced to take direct action against the Hegemony."

Miranda nodded and shifted her stance a little. High heels didn't agree with her for any extended length of time. "After they withdrew their embassy on the Citadel, they officially became a rogue state. I expect they will receive harsh restrictions on their territories. At the very least, Khar'Shan will be forced to dismantle their already illegal Special Operations Office. If we're especially lucky, the Batarians will face demilitarization by the turians."

The woman couldn't help but shake her head with a perfect smile. "If they thought the Council was unfavorable to them before..."

"Poetic indeed," the Illusive Man agreed. "Humanity may have lost its latest opportunity for advancement, but with this, it's most nefarious enemy will soon be severely curtailed. And we have you to thank for that, Lawson. Exemplary work."

The woman flushed. She had never heard The Illusive Man speak such high praise before. "Thank you, Sir. I wasn't really sure what we'd find, it was a stroke of luck that he kept his orders in such an easy-to-access location for our android."

"False modesty, Miranda?" He flicked a small smile at her, as she started to leave. "If you or Project Pandora have need of anything, you need only ask and I'll make it happen."

Carte Blanche? She'd never heard of a project getting Carte Blanche before. "I...will keep it in mind, Sir."

As she departed his office, the Illusive Man leaned back in his chair and sipped from a very expensive glass of Serrice Ice Brandy as he stared out at the colorful star. This was a good day. Thanks to the dedicated works of his operatives, Cerberus had reaped incredible boons from the Android. This had only been its first mission, and humanity had already benefited immensely.

After all, strength for Cerberus was strength for every human.

"What is this thing?!"

Something blew up on the far side of the door, sending one of his men hurtling into the wall with enough force to dent his armor. The man didn't get a chance to get his breath back, and died silently.

"What is it even wearing?!"

A massive crate fell over with a titanic boom, a man's scream getting cut off in the process.

"That doesn't matter! Shoot it you fools! Shoot it now! I want it de-GAAGGHHH!"

The wall beside his head suddenly glowed white hot before a black blade slid through the wall like melting butter. He had enough time to see flames licking at the edge of the wall, where the strangely black metal had slid through, before his head parted company with his body.

Both were ash before they hit the floor.

Joru smiled as she stretched, withdrawing Yolnahzii from the wall with a small shiver of excitement. Ah well, that was fun, but now back to business.

The first fight hadn't been any more difficult than the second, less in fact. She'd caught them totally by surprise, dropped stealth in the middle of them, after teasing them all into the same small space. It hadn't even been a slaughter. That implied there were pieces left.

The controls were the same standard commercial ones at the first torch control. She put the system into shutdown mode and locked the controls, monitoring long enough to be certain that the automatics were working properly before turning away from the controls. "Vasir?"

"I saw the whole thing. You really enjoy this that much. Don't you?"

It was hardly a question. Joru gave a faint smirk, putting an extra bit of sashay into her walk. "What can I say? I was born in the slave pits, and had my first kill at the age of four. Bloodshed gets the blood flowing. And other things..."

Vasir gave a soft choking sound over the audio link, and Joru's smirk widened to a wicked grin, showing plenty of fang. She took a breath to reply, when something came over the audiolink. it was faint, fuzzy and distorted, and she immediately set her suite of signal-tracking software to work on locking into the signal. "Vasir, I have something. I don't think it's the terrorists..."

"Civilians? The profile said there were hostages."

"Possible, I'm homing in on the signal, one moment..."

There was a burst of static that made her purse her lips in annoyance, before the signal finally resolved. "-hello? Is this thing on? Can you hear me?" It was little more than a terrified whisper, but it was stable, though distorted a bit.

"Yes, I can hear you. Who are you, where are you?" Joru could be soothing when she chose to be. She put every ounce of that into calming the voice on the other end of the line, her eyes unfocused as she worked on triangulating the signal.

"Oh, thank God," the woman breathed. "Look, if you're the one shutting down the torches, then you have to keep going. All the fusion torches have to be shut down or we'll destroy the entire planet. But please, be careful! Whatever you're doing is freaking the batarians out. They're getting twitchy and waving their guns everywhere, including us!"

"That sounds about right." Joru couldn't help but smile. The prey should feel fear in the presence of a predator. "I'm headed to the third torch now. I've initiated shutdown on two of them already and locked out the controls with a six hundred digit prime factor encryption. They won't be able to get in and start them up again. Where are you? In the main security building"

She was already away, doors were for lesser creatures.

"Yes, we're in the central complex. Be careful, their leader has got the mines and turrets active, and he's brought explosives. I don't know what he plans to do with-"

"You! Get away from there!" The second voice was muffled by distance, but it wiped the grin off Joru's face in an instant, as the signal cut out.

"Vasir, did you get a fix on the signal?" Joru didn't falter or alter course, the rock had to be stopped first.

"I traced it almost immediately, that human wasn't trying to cover her tracks. She's definitely in the main complex. So, do you intend to go after her and the ringleader, or deactivate the final torch?"

"Head to her, I'll take care of the torch." She was already at the torch already, this asteroid wasn't very big, though it was massive enough to cause horrific damage on impact. "I'm about to take care of our third set of uninvited guests, so you might want to set up to record again."

Joru understood the concept of keeping certain tricks in reserve to pull them out to surprise an opponent. She had been running the shadows since the Awakening, after all. Still, there was a refreshing honesty about this that lifted her spirits. No need to hide anymore.

She faded from sight as she approached the final torch, ghosting through the zone of fire of the turrets that had been hastily set up and hovering over the torch control building, gazing at the drive-flame itself. Something within her called to that flame, whispered in her ear that it was home, urged her to immerse herself in the primal flame of existence, but...

But. She had a mission to complete first.

The step between shadows that took her inside the complex dropped her into yet another crate-strewn floor, though this one seemed to be somewhat more intelligently laid out, with clear fields of fire and cover for the defenders. Someone had gotten paranoid. Good.

Her lips curled upwards and Yolnahzii burned in her grip as she sized up the opposition.

Varren of course, roughly twice as many as last time, and they were already sniffing the air, in vain. She wasn't a half-rate infiltrator to leave scent as an avenue of perception, especially not when she herself intimately knew how much information scent could convey. Still, she'd better make this quick, before they got too alert.

"And there it is. Men, be ready for trouble. I know you're here! And I have information you need!" That was a scarred-looking one, with a long cut down his face, narrowly missing his right-lower eye. He was looking around, but kept shooting a glance back at the varren.

Interesting, a proper paranoid. And one with brazen balls too. This was interesting enough to warrant a more delicate touch.

She allowed her invisibility to fade, shedding the mental construct that constrained the pattern and web of mystic force that cloaked her from mundane sight. She appeared in their midst, Yolnahzii in hand, but she wasn't a fool.

Her weapon's blade blazed with infernal heat just beneath the batarian's chin. "Speak swiftly, or be forever silent."

There was a momentary scramble towards guns, but the leader, showing remarkable self-control, barked at them. "Hold your fire, men! We're going to talk here."

"Sir? Negotiate with a female?" One of them spat at her, his mouth a fang-rimmed hole. She didn't bother giving him the satisfaction of acknowledgment, he was scum, beneath her notice.

Her gaze fastened on that of the batarian before her, and she let slip a little of her astral sight, seeing him as he truly was. The black-and-golden aura of Yolnahzii blazed like a bonfire upon the other side, as the batarian's aura flickered as if in a heat haze, thrown by her weapon's searing fire.

"Is one of your eyes not working?" His order tore through the air. "I've seen a team of Krogan not fight like she does! And by the Void we are not dying for Balak's insanity!"

"Balak." Her voice was light, calm, and even, and drew the instant attention of everyone there. "So he is your leader."

The lead Batarian turned to her with a pondering look in his eyes. "You know his name? *Sigh* I knew it. No one fights so viciously unless they have a score to settle. He's drawn us all into the middle of this vendetta of his, and now he's going to get us killed."

"Your fate is your own. For the present. Speak, and I will listen. But know this, batarian." Her voice was laced with scorn an loathing as she stepped forward, forcing him back by the sheer heat of the blade at his throat. "My patience is thin and growing thinner. Speak, or be silent. Choose. Now."

"Alright you've made your point!" The Batarian officer protested backing up. He tried to lift his hands, then hissed as Joru let the blade hover closer to his throat. "That's what I was going to in the first place anyway."

"This was just supposed to be another slave grab. Then Balak came along, started giving orders and now we're in this mess. We only followed him because we thought there'd be a good profit, not to go to extremes and start a war! And then Balak sent us here to die to buy him time, because 'it's what any true son of Khar'Shan would do' he says. He'd skin us alive and sell our hide if we said otherwise. We want out! And you want Balak dead? I've got information to help make that happen."

"One way or another, Balak does not leave this rock." Joru's blade never wavered, and her lip quirked at the corner. "Tell your man back there to stop trying to aim at me, his gun's already locked down."

She grinned outright at the curse from behind her, her eyes still blind to the physical world. She saw the truth to his words, even as her sophisticated olfactory sensors told her the same. The burning hot blade was removed from his throat and the batarian took a breath in relief.

"I suggest you give me what information you have, before I change my mind about letting you live."

"Done. Alright, first, you'll need the complex's door codes to get in-"

He cut himself off as Joru gave an amused snort. "Think back to how I got here. Did I use a door?"

He hesitated, then hissed a bit as she leaned her blade towards him again. "You had better have useful data for me, or my patience will be at an end."

"... Are you surprised that I would normally think that's highly useful information?" he snapped. "But fine then. Anyway, Balak has got about forty men with him. He sent me and my men here to die so he could set up shots and dig in. Careful, his snipers are armed with Kishock harpoon rifles. They won't surrender and they have no intention of taking you alive."

"Nor do I." Her grin was perhaps a little too wide for comfort, but she moved her weapon away from him, leaving a scorched quarter-circle on the floor where the pommel-ring had slid across the metal. "The best sniper can't see what isn't there, and you seem smart, for batarian slaver scum."

Her head tilted slightly and her eyes refocused on him, discarding her othersight for more material concerns. "You have earned your life, but not the lives of your men. What do you have to offer me, for their continued existence?"

"Which is why I always save the best for last." The batarian gave a fang-filled smile. "If you care about the hostages, you should know that Balak is setting up explosives with the prisoners. No doubt he intends to leverage them to get you to surrender, or even to let him go if things go badly for him. He'll set the timer as soon as he knows you're there."

The pirate held up an OSD drive. "I snuck this off Balak's command desk once I knew what he was planning. This has a map of the complex with the placement of all the bombs, a layout with the planned positions for his men, and the location of the prisoners. Which is why you should still take the door codes if you want them to get them out."

Her eyebrows rose and she gave a respectful nod, taking the disk. "A moment while I verify the contents, then."

She turned away, cradling the weapon in the crook of her right elbow as she slotted the chip into her omnitool and flicked through it. Her gaze flicked up, quelling, as one of the pirates took a step, a slight smirk gracing her lips before she glanced down again.

"Very well." She turned back to the pirate leader. "You have earned you and your men's lives. I suggest you get off this rock and back to Batarian space."

Then he was against the wall, her one hand on his chestplate. Her eyes half-lidded, she took a long, in-drawn breath. Her fangs were exposed for a moment as she seemed to savor the taste of the air, before those hellfire-bright eyes were gazing at him once more. "I know your scent, batarian. All of your scents. And if I catch a whiff of you again..."

Her voice went almost playful, and colder than the deep black between stars. "I shall hunt you. I will find you. And I will make your deaths a thing of legend."

Then the heat of her hand was gone from his chestplate, as the woman turned towards the control booth. "Get thee gone from my sight, scum. If you linger, I shall not hold my hand."

She stepped through into the control booth as they all scrambled for the door.

Vasir breathed out slowly. That batarian was right, most Krogan teams couldn't accomplish what Joru had done in so little time.

"You certainly know what you're doing, I can give you that. Did you notice that at least three of them now need to change their pants?"

"Six." Joru's comment was off-hand as she fiddled with the controls, nodding as the fusion levels began dropping rapidly as the magnetic confinement weakened.

She turned away, checking again if that woman had spoken again, and transmitting on the same frequency the hostage had used. "Can you still hear me?"

There was only static.

"I'd have been surprised if they answered," Vasir explained. "Not after the terrorists caught her. The human female is likely dead."

"Most likely. But she shall not be unavenged for long." She looked skyward, blinking through steel and plascrete with a simple step sideways, to meet the insulating harshness of hard vacuum. Her head turned towards the central control building. "I trust you've gotten into position, Vasir?"

"Almost in position. I've been trekking since I got a lock from her first transmission. I can already see missile turrets on standby. How long will it take to get to get here?"

"For me?" The dragon's dark plumage burst into existence, blacker than the night between stars as she took to the airless skies. "No time at all."

She faded from view as she flew, smirking as she spotted Vasir half a kilometer off, at the perimeter of the turrets' activation radius. "Having a little trouble? Want a lift?"

Joru didn't bother waiting for an answer as she swooped down and swiped up Vasir anyway.

"Wha-SWEET ATHAME!" The Spectre ceased struggling within moments as the now visible dragoness smirked at her. "Damnit, warn me first!"

"Where's the fun in that?" Joru's tone was playful as she circled around the camp, checking the angles of fire on the various turrets. "There, that should be a weak spot in coverage. Think you can run about two hundred...thirty meters and not get picked off by a rocket?"

She wasn't waiting, already angling in for a power dive. "Also, you might want to brace yourself, the landing will be a little rough."

Vasir swore in an unknown Asari dialect the translator didn't pick up as Joru released her ten feet in the air, where she used her biotics to slow her descent. And kept muttering under her breath even after she landed. "You're really going to enjoy killing this Colonel Balak, aren't you?"

She was already up and moving before Joru had time to fade from view once more, the turrets starting to track in on the only still-visible figure, running for all she's worth towards the entrance. The layout of the turrets meant that there was a small gap in their coverage, but it wasn't near the entrance, and Vasir had to jink and dodge a few times as she sprinted as fast as the low gravity would permit, straight towards the entrance.

Joru gave a faint smirk, before the invisible dragon vanished from the skies. "I intend to play with my prey..."

Kate was barely able to keep herself from 'eeeeping' in alarm when something materialized in the middle of the prison room.

"Se-what the...? Who the...? How'd you...?"

The intimidating figure gestured at her, her voice low, but urgent as she addressed the assembled hostages. "Is this all of you? Are there more, and if so where?"

"Are... are you the one... Who's been shutting down the torches?"

"Yes." It was the same voice, low, almost calming as the tall woman stepped over. Her hand was almost burning-hot on Kate's sleeve.

"There's... There used to be... Seven of us." She looked to the nearby dead body in sorrow. "My brother..."

The woman glanced at the corpse, then back at Kate. "You have my word, the one who murdered him will not leave this place alive. But I have to get you, get all of you..." She glanced away, to the rest of the people, crowding close, "to a place of safety. You two, bring her brother."

The two she pointed at hesitated as the woman stepped around Kate, the long tail behind brushing against her leg and making her squeak in surprise. Her jaw fell open as a wall sprouted a door, which opened to a very different landscape than outside. "H-How...?"

"I'll discuss the physics of nineteen-dimensional spatial folding and congruent realities with you later, but first, we get you inside." The woman's fire-colored eyes glanced to the two who had picked up the armored man's body. "Lay him to one side, I will deal with his murderers first."

Kate swallowed her next question with a gulp as those fiery eyes fell on her with almost physical weight. "Quickly, get them inside. there's food in the kitchen at the back of the passage behind the door. Go now, I have batarians to eviscerate."

The way her voice dropped to a low, venomous whisper at those last few words made Kate's heart flutter, both in fear and dread, and in suppressed fury. "Go get 'em. The one who... who killed my brother.. he's their leader."

"And he shall not leave this rock without paying his dues." The flame-colored eyes met hers, and the dark-skinned woman stepped past her. As she did, she seemed to...fade, and Kate gaped in astonishment as her voice came out of nowhere. "Get them through the portal and touch the archway when you're all inside. Hurry!"

"Balak..."

The word drifted past his ear and he turned, glaring at his man. Slaving scum, but useful. Dumb, but knew how to take orders. "Sitrep."

"No change, Sir." The man was at least competent, if dull. "No word from the other teams."

"Of course not, you fool." He turned away, suppressing a snarl. This job had gone wrong the moment something had attacked his men at one of the torches. The hackers had tried to restart it remotely, but it wasn't accepting signals. "Run another patrol."

He had been going to add something, when the whisper returned. "You were there..."

"What was that?" He snapped his head to stare at the man on his left, where the sound had come from.

"N-Nothing sir!" He shot to attention so fast he almost banged his head on the wall.

"Then get back to patrol!" Balak did snarl this time, glaring after the man as he started almost running up the stairs to begin a circuit of the large space.

Seriously, what was with humans and their love of hard-to-defend open spaces? Blatantly displaying their arrogance- "I see you..."

"Who was that?" He paused, glaring in the direction the voice had seemed to come from. This time, there wasn't anyone in range who could have whispered to him. He frowned, touched his commbead. "Sound off and sitrep, everyone."

He listened as his men gave their reports, nodding and relaxing. Good, so far no problems.

At least until he got to Khanrho. Stupid, even by slaver standards. Couldn't be trusted with anything more complicated than 'hold gun, shoot if people run'. He never replied.

"Damnit, send a man to check on him." He turned and the snarl froze on his face. The humans had several prefab housing units inside this huge waste of space, he'd repurposed one of them as his command center. It hadn't been at that angle, had it?

Balak wasn't stupid. You didn't survive training in the most brutal boot-camp in the galaxy if you were stupid. He'd risen to the rank of Colonel in the Special Intervention Unit, not an easy task. That meant he observed his surroundings, didn't merely 'see' them.

That housing unit was a good tenth of a degree off from where it had been. He drew his pistol, stalking towards it. He didn't bother telling this bunch of dung-heaps about it, they'd just call him paranoid. But he knew what he had seen.

The door opened at his touch, and he ducked inside for a swift scan. Nothing, but that didn't prove anything. He pulled his visor down, swapping between various active scan modes, before finally relaxing. He had only just started to turn away when the report came. "F-Found Khanrho, boss...what's left of him."

"...feast of flesh, fairly given..."

The words sent a shudder up his spine, they had seemed to come from right beside him, but despite his arm sweeping the space, there was nothing there. "What...condition is he in?"

"B-By the Light, his eyes..." That was someone else, about to loose his lunch, before the first voice came back. "Looks...pretty bad, sir. Most of his face is gone, the rest of him...gutted. Torn open, sir."

That wasn't like humans, not if Balak knew them. They were arrogant, yes, but soft. Not brutal and hard like the batarians. They had their niceties and their rules and regulations and all those stupid things they had to do or not do, rules which only got in the way of doing the job that needed to be doing.

Once and only once had he seen what humans were truly capable of. He shivered slightly at the memory and asked again. "Were his intestines pulled out?"

"L-Light..." Someone was indeed retching and had forgotten to shut off his comm. Balak would shoot him later for that.

"Y...Yes boss. Torn open and...shoved in his mouth, sir."

So. Someone was being clever, and playing on old fears.

"No one is to go anywhere without two other men, is that understood?" He stepped out of the prefab as he issued orders. "Keep guns in your hands and together with two of your men. Never go anywhere out of sight of another group. Do not hesitate to pull the trigger on anything suspicious, is that understood?"

"Perfectly." This time the voice was conversational, that of an amused female, and right behind him!

He whipped around, pistol cracking twice before he stopped shooting at empty air. Two men scrabbled down the stairs, moving to flank him, assault rifles fanning over the area. They shot Balak a look, but he didn't respond.

He recognized that voice... And he knew why it was here. She's come to finish the job.

"S-sir? Do you... do you know what's out there?"

Balak gritted his teeth in grim determination. "It's the Butcher. The Butcher of Torfan is here."

Torfan. He still had nightmares about the things he saw there. The flickering ghost-images of something on the monitors, before they went black. The screams of dying men. The blood-splattered walls. Finding his men torn open like sacks of grain, spilling guts and entrails, which were used as gory decoration.

"Stay close, stay sharp. She's here, I know she is." He shot a glance to each of his men, swallowed and started forward, touching his commbead. "Everyone, stay alert. There's...someone here. Check the hostages, check everything."

His men acknowledged, but it was his last group that made him start sprinting. He could see the sudden void of blackness that encompassed one of the side-rooms, heard his men screaming. He was almost there when the window was coated with a sudden crimson spray that made him flinch.

The poor bastards were dead by the time he got to them, pools of blood, sprays and trails of it. All three were torn open, gutted. The stench was appalling, and Balak suddenly wished for his helmet, to at least filter out the smell. The two men behind him were gagging as they stopped outside the room.

The three men had been twisted together, their guts tangled into a knot, even as each had been torn open and hurled away, loops and twists of intestine linking each dismembered corpse to the central tangle. Splatters and gouts of blood had been sent everywhere, but...

He stepped carefully through the gory remains, not heeding the nauseated sounds from behind him. He didn't care if his men were impressed by his bravery or cool resolve. If this was the Butcher...

His gun was holstered and he searched into the mass of entrails with a swallow in a throat gone tight. It was sickening, in the most literal meaning of the word, but he held his gorge down with trained effort. There.

"It's her." He pulled his hand free, clutching the heart of one of the men. Which one, he didn't know, but he'd felt all three of them in that sickening mass.

"The Butcher's calling card." He turned, shooting the two men a look, and let the heart fall back in the blood-soaked mound. He stepped out of the almost ghoulish design and tapped his commbead with his unbloodied hand. "Butcher confirmed, all men rally at the command post."

"It can't be her! She can't be here!" One of his men on the line, drowned out in a sound that Balak still heard in his dreams.

A high, cackling laugh. It keened and tore through him like a knife to the gut, making him whirl and snarl a curse. That, more than anything else convinced him. "It's her, she's here. Find her and kill her."

"That will be harder than you think, Balak..." This time the voice came through his commbead, making him swear and tear it from his ear.

He glared at his two men and nodded, motioning them to follow. "I swear, when I find her, I'm going to gut her, slowly."

"Sir, this is Team Tarak!"

"What is it?" Balak snarled into the comm. He snapped his bloody fingers at one of the men, and gave a glare when he took his sweet time getting a cleaning rag. "Have you sighted her?"

"No sir, it's the prisoners! They're...they're gone!"

"WHAT?!" His roar nearly was deafening in the confined space, as he allowed the low-caste slime to clean his armored glove. "Check again, you imbeciles!"

"They're all gone, sir! It's like they vanished! We've checked three different times, searched everywhere, tested the walls and floor! They're gone!"

He swore heartily, throwing the bloody rag in the scum's face and stalking out of the blood-soaked room. "I swear, I should just leave you all to the Butcher!"

"Sir, this is Team Aurek!"

"This had better be good news, or I'll make your deaths long and painful." Balak snarled into the comm.

"The bombs are missing! Repeat, the explosives are all missing! There's no sign of them!"

He sighed, feeling his pulse race. It had to be her. "Then send the detonation signal, maybe we'll catch the Butcher in the blast!"

"...Done sir... But..."

But there was no sign of a bomb going off. Not even the faint rocking of the earth beneath to mark that it was done. His snarl this time was wordless as he started back towards the rally point. "Everyone back to the rally point. Now."

It was time to cut the cord on this job.

A bone-chilling cackle suddenly boomed throughout the entire complex, and every batarian felt an icy terror grip their hearts.

"You're not going anywhere."

Balak turned, the icy prickles of dread running up his spine, as he stared into the face of his nightmares.

She was splattered with the blood of his men. Her arms were bloody to the elbow, and what looked like chips of glass seemed embedded in her fingertips, like bloody claws. Her eyes were too bright, gleaming in the darkness, her mouth smiled too wide, showing fangs instead of the stupid flat teeth of the human scum. The hair was black, curling around her shoulders like writhing smoke, streaked with bloody red. Her face was streaked with it, and it dripped from each fingertip as she stalked forward.

His men reacted faster than he did, the horror of her presence having slowed him, but it was like shooting smoke. That booming laugh cackled again as the woman seemed to vanish into black smoke, fading into the too-dim air.

"Would you end things so early? But I was having so...much...fun..."

He shuddered, touching his commbead. "Sh-Shepard confirmed. Get to the rally point."

"B-But..!"

One of his men sputtered, and Balak cut him off. "Rally Point. NOW! That's a direct order!" He was already moving himself, his two squadmates keeping pace as he ran (he didn't flee in terror, he would never) back towards the rally point, set up at the command center.

There were sudden screams over the comm-bead and he nearly ripped it from his head as he snarled. Another blossoming of darkness, this time on the far side of the complex. He didn't bother heading that way, he knew what she was up to.

Pick off the weak and alone, until there was only the strong left. Hunt them down, one by one, and leave them as little more than bloody reminders. It was almost...batarian in its brutal cruelty.

Of his forty men, less than thirty made it back. No doubt there were little reminders everywhere by now. "Report."

"Perimeter secure, no sign of opposition. Vorak, Tirek, Ghorne, Kalor, Ferank, and Had'dah... no sign of them."

Balak nodded, they were all expendable scum anyway, he wasn't worried. "Keep an eye out for her at all times, and don't stray out of sight of the turrets."

"I smell your fear..."

The voice was back, a whisper in the back of his head again, he whirled, and snarled an order. "Summon the ship, we're getting off this rock."

The tech who had moved to carry out the order called out to him. "Sir, the comms aren't working!"

Of course they weren't. That was her tactic too. Separate, isolate, then pick them off at her leisure

Hunting behavior. And he had just pulled his men together in a large herd. Balak could have cried, had it been in his nature. He'd played right into her hands...

"I've waited a long time for this, Balak." The voice seemed to swing around him, coming from all directions as he strode up to the rally point.

"The only prey to have ever eluded me."

He shuddered and snarled as he scanned the area. "Find her. There will be rich rewards for the man who brings her down."

"Your former fellows tried that too..." He snapped off a few speculative shots over the roof of the command building, where the voice had come from.

"Temper temper, little prey." Insane amusement in that voice as his men drew back into a tighter cordon. "You made me wait, Balak. But you have given me such sport..."

"Whatever you are, come out where I can see you!"

He wasn't expecting to be obeyed. Not so suddenly. There she was, between him and the command unit, her glowing-gold eyes and too-wide smile. The blood of his men dripped from her fingertips as he gave a shout, pointing her bloody claws at him.

Again she vanished, a puff of black smoke wafting away from where she had been. Balak tracked it until it vanished, grimacing at her insane cackling.

"No, where would be the fun in that? To end the hunt so soon? How uncouth of you, Balak, how...terrified you have become..."

For an instant, no more, she was caressing his cheek. He felt the razor claws as they stroked over his skin, felt them bite, felt them tear, and before he could do more than open his mouth to scream, one portion of his vision went black.

She was gone again. The pain was immense! His vision had darkened, he, he...

One of his men, a medic, rushing close, he snarled, trying to speak an order, but it came out as nothing more than pain. The man had to pull his hand away from his face, hissing between clenched teeth as he began triage.

She had torn his eye out, blast her to eternal darkness!

Her high laugh behind him (always behind him, always in his blind spot, how did she do that?) made him turn, the dressing only half applied, glaring with his remaining three eyes as the blasted woman stood there, amusement on her lips.

"You've evaded me long enough, Balak. Now it's time to pay for Torfan."

Before his horrified gaze, she lifted a small fruit. It was just a fruit, his mind insisted, even as it glistened wetly with fresh blood. Just a fruit she bit into, a fruit, just a fruit, but no, he couldn't lie to himself, and as The Butcher of Torfan ate his eyeball, he gave a howl of rage, fear and, yes, terror.

It was as if that were a signal, all his men broke free of their horrified trances, leveled their guns, aimed, and fired.

This time, the Butcher didn't vanish like the hell-smoke she was. This time, the bullets struck home. Balak watched in satisfaction as she staggered back, black blood spraying from a wounded arm as she snarled at them.

Snarled? It was more of a roar. And suddenly she wasn't the Butcher anymore. No, she was something primeval, something horrific, something out of his deepest, darkest nightmares from when he was a child, still afraid of the night and the dark and the fear and the terror flowed through him.

Predator.

His mind screamed at him to move, but he was rooted to the spot. His heart hammered in his throat, a quick pitter-pat of terror, the kind of nameless fear only small children can stand for long.

She shifted, changing, growing, as the fusillade sprayed wildly around her, the Butcher shed her disguise, revealing the true monster beneath the human skin.

Inky-black scales, sickeningly slick with dark blood. Eyes the color of hellfire. The long horns of a demon from the holy texts. The tail, the fangs, still dripping with the internal fluids from his own eye.

Zherrig'Haur. Devourer of Light.

It had to be. But such things were myth! Legends, no more! He stumbled back, as did his men, screaming now as their bullets seemed to do little to the thing, now striding forward, clad in the skin of its devoured victims.

What in the Name of the Light had they awoken on Torfan?!

But then, much to everyone's surprise, the Devourer stopped still. "What. Now, of all times?!"

She sighed, giving a remarkably annoyed expression, and shot Balak a glare before turning away. "How in the Nine Hells did you get this number?"

Balak...was confused. On the one hand, they had what was clearly an exceptionally dangerous foe. On the other, that foe seemed to be utterly ignoring them now?

Yet, just a few seconds ago she'd torn his eye out! He gritted his teeth, snarling with the pain in his face, and focused with his three remaining eyes, bringing his gun to bear.

He didn't even see the weapon until his bullet had bounced off it, the long, sleek shaft being spun idly in her...one hand? How had he missed that?

"You had better have a thrice-damned good explanation for this."

He'd heard the Butcher when she was insane. He'd heard the Butcher when she was raging. He'd heard the Butcher when she was playful.

He'd never heard her furious. It wasn't even directed at him, but it still made him cringe.

His men were looking to him for instruction, and he snarled at them as he ducked back into the command post. "Shoot her, you idiots!"

It was his mistake to glance back from the entrance, and his blood ran cold. She was staring into his eyes now, her expression set and cold and forbidding.

For a terrifying instant, he felt himself small, and weak and insignificant, as she murmured the next words. "Right. I've got some shit to finish, then I'll be right there."

The sudden blast of infernal heat beside him was enough to make him cry out and duck away, only to watch with horror as black fire seemed to snake around and engulf his men. He heard them screaming, saw them staggering out of the flames, but all of them were dead in seconds, flesh bubbling and bones charring away until only their armor, scorched and battered, was left.

Zherrig'Haur, for certain. The Black Fire of Perdition. Legends seemed to percolate up through his mind, of the vengeful demons from the primordial darkness that hated the light and burned it from the skies, until the Sun forced them back into the deep places in the earth, where the Light never came. How the Nights were times of peril until the hero Khar gave his life to the Sun, who gave birth to the Moons six nights later, to keep Khar's people safe, even in the time of darkness.

He was being dragged, he realized, and struggled in the demon's iron grip. "Wh-Where are you taking me?!"

She didn't even acknowledge him, speaking to someone who wasn't there. He felt stone under his back, and saw the night sky overhead. By the Light, where was he?!

"I don't care, Vasir, find your own way off. I'm gone, and that's all there is to it."

"Um, what...?" He turned, and snarled at the humans. So this is where the hostages had been taken...wherever 'here' was.

"If you want to stay on the asteroid, head through the gate. I have business elsewhere, and will be closing up shop here." The woman dropped him against a sort of stone bench, and Balak used it to climb to his feet. He still had his gun, he could still fight.

"Close and lock the door once you're all outside." Her hellfire eyes met his once more, and Balak stiffened himself against her onslaught. "I have trash to deal with."

"Change of plans, Vasir."

The asari was already inside, and had been recording the entire battle, such as it was. Being inside a horror movie wasn't her idea of a good time, but it couldn't've happened to a better set of assholes.

She tapped her helmet to open the comms. "What you on about, Joru."

"Got things to do and places to be. You're on your own for a way off this rock."

"Joru, you can't just leave me here!" She frowned as she lay across one of the support-beams holding up the roof the dome.

"I don't care, Vasir, find your own way off. I'm gone, and that's all there is to it."

"Now just a damned!-" She broke off swearing as Joru cut the comm, swinging down from her spot in the rafters and landing with a burst of biotic energy. There was a group of civilians down there now, where once there had been a batarian terrorist cell.

One of them looked up and a couple screamed as Vasir came down the stairs. She held up a hand, speaking clearly, "I'm Tela Vasir, Council Spectre. Are any of you hurt?"

"S-Spectre? Oh... Oh thank God! Is it... Is it over?" The human woman with short brown..hair came over, triggering the frightened herd to head her way.

Vasir stopped on the bottom step, adding to her height to seem more imposing and to try to keep a handle on things. "Yes, yes it's over. My...colleague, did you see where she went?"

One of the others nodded, and pointed to a nearby door. Vasir stepped forward, but even as she did, the door vanished. "Oh, goddess blast you, Joru..."

"I...What? How.. What was that place, Miss Vasir?" One of the more shocky-sounding hostages sounded close to hysteria.

"Proprietary tech, classified. Sorry, I can't talk about it." She tried raising Joru again, but the comms refused to connect. She muffled a swear as she reached up and removed her helmet, turning back to the hostages with a sigh.

At that exact moment, the doors up at the top blasted inward and several dark-suited marines sprinted in, guns at the ready. The one in charge had her assault rifle pointed down into the now-screaming hostages, and Vasir barely had time to rip up a wide-area barrier before bullets started bouncing off it. "STOP! STOP FIRING, WE'RE FRIENDLIES! FRIENDLIES!"

"Cease fire, cease fire, hostages!" One of the marines barked the order, a surprisingly female voice, and one of them moved closer, gun still pointed at Vasir. "Identify yourself!"

Vasir held the barrier for a few seconds more in the sudden silence after the initial barrage. Several of her charges were sobbing, cowering on the ground with their hands over their heads. "Tela Vasir, Council Spectre. Who are you, and why did you just try to earn yourself and your squad a one-way ticket to a summary execution?!"

"Spectre Vasir?" The soldier lowered her rifle. "Apologies, ma'am. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, assigned to the SSV Normandy's marine detachment."

She ruefully rubbed her helmet, holstering her rifle. Her men did likewise, and the tense mood relaxed somewhat. "When the mission brief says extremists are trying to drop an asteroid on one of our civilian colonies, rules of engagement are always 'assume hostiles'."

Vasir gave a curt nod, turning to the now ex-hostages. "The Alliance is here, so you're safe. And off my hands, thankfully."

The asari shook her head and rolled her eyes dramatically, provoking a faint chuckle from a couple of the hostages. Then she caught sight of the charred remains and clicked her tongue before shooting Ashley a look and cocking her head to draw the soldier over.

The hostages were starting to mingle with the soldiers, Vasir had to keep remembering not to think of them as commandos, one of whom was evidently a medic, as she was bandaging an arm.

"My...colleague was a bit less than gentle with the batarians," Vasir murmured when the marine had joined her, nodding to the piles of ash and bone.

"Jesus Christ..." Ashley's shocked tone was equally soft as she surveyed the damage. "What..happened here, ma'am?"

"The batarians are evidently species non grata with the Darastrix." Vasir watched the human for a reaction, and it took remarkably few seconds before the woman's face pinched and she dropped her head in her palm.

Vasir couldn't quite keep an amused tone out of her voice. "I see you've met her."

"I didn't know she could do this!" Ashley gestured to the debris, it wasn't even fit to be called remains anymore. Her voice dropped a notch in respect. "If I had, I'd've been quieter talking to her."

"You've talked with her then, so you know how headache-inducing she can get." At Ashley's nod, Vasir continued, "Well, she's fucked off and left me stranded here. You've got a ship, I take it?"

"Yeah...?" Ashley's tone was wary all of a sudden, which made Vasir smile.

"Consider it commandeered. Spectre priority. The Normandy, right? I think I've heard of that ship. Fast and tight, a human-turian hybrid design?"

Ashley was just giving her a blank look, but shrugged, giving a resigned sigh. "Yeah. Brass decided, I just get to ride along. I don't know the specs, but apparently we got some sort of stealth system."

"Perfect." Vasir smirked at the glaring human. "I've got to get back to the Citadel, and I might need a tight, fast ship to track down that damn dragon's ass again, if she keeps bouncing all over the galaxy like this."

"There. You have the right to remain jailed. And that's all you'll ever be granted."

She didn't have a door to slam shut, merely a portion of the wall to restore, as the faintly-glowing transparent wall came back into being, just in time for the batarian slime to lift his head after being tossed into his cell. His head had made a satisfying thunk against the Wall of Force that comprised her prison.

It was built into the ceiling of the Refuge Antechamber, a good hundred meters or so above the stone-lined plaza around the Portal. Hidden from view by illusion magics, the prison served as her temporary cell for those recalcitrant souls who refused to respect her hospitality, or who had angered her to the point of intervention, but not quite to the point of Judgment, most likely due to political considerations.

The batarian pushed himself to a sitting position, giving her a glare as she smirked at him and dropped out of his line of sight. He'll keep now, and in a day or two, when she'd gotten back to the Citadel, she could question him on everything he knew. The cell's enchantments would weaken his will and compel the truth from his lips, given enough time. Sustenance and comfort enchantments would see to his physical needs, and Tongues would see to the translation issues, now that his omnitool was in her possession.

She eyed the gauntlet she'd ripped from the man's arm, and smirked, tucking it into her belt for later perusal. For now, she had a trek to commence. It was twelve miles as the crow flies, between Refuge and Tower, on opposite sides of the Sanctuary Demiplane, but the route out of the underdark, where the Refuge was situated, was a long and convoluted one. It would only be after she emerged above-ground, a good three miles above the Refuge, before she could wing her way across the demiplane to the alternative exit of the pocket realm.

Time to get started, then.

Her eyes narrowed as she strode into the gatehouse, hidden behind a sliding stone panel in the kitchen pantry. Forcing the massive obdurium slab she called a Door out of the way and carefully replacing it took some of the edge off her anger.

Somehow, some way, Artemis Entarekki had come with her.

She was going to find her old friend, and fuck ANYONE who got in her way.

'Oh, dear goddess, why me?'

The C-sec guard on the Matriarch Benezia's ship was, by courtesy, made of asari volunteers. Ever since the Matriarch's ship had come in to dock (under a Spectre's authorization, no less), she'd been under courtesy-guard, ostensibly to keep her from being hassled by unwanted guests, but also to keep track of her and make sure she didn't go anywhere, as per the Spectre's orders.

The first time that new...intriguing woman had come out of the ship, there'd been something of a grand ceremony welcoming the new species to the Citadel. Aeia hadn't been a part of that, but her friend and coworker Tyria had been, and recounted the scene in minute detail.

She hadn't said anything about how scary the new ambassadress could be, as the woman almost stormed out of the airlock gantry ramp towards her checkpoint station.

Aeia gulped a sip of water, and stepped out of the tiny booth along the scanner corridor, just as the Ambassadress entered. "M-Matriarch, Ambassadress! What an unexpected honor! Erm, is there anything you need?"

The glance that the ambassadress sent her froze her spine. It wasn't malicious, or vengeful, or wrathful. She'd seen far too much of the Wards to be phased by that sort of fury.

No, this was something...colder. Her eyes held a promise of violence within them that was utterly without mercy.

"I have something of a security issue, Miss...?" The darastrix's surprisingly deep voice barely registered on Aeia's ear.

"Officer T'Lara, madam." She did her best not to swallow, having the distinct impression that the datastrix wanted something fiercely, and was staring at her with a fixed intensity as though only she had the means of providing it.

"Good. Officer T'Lara, please inform your superiors that I want my apartment on the Presidium double and triple checked and secured by the time I arrive. I have...personal business to attend to, and I do not. Wish. To be. Disturbed. Do I make myself clear" The woman had only barely slowed and now paused at the 'secure' end of the access corridor, turning to give her another hellfire-bright stare.

Aeia couldn't speak before that intense gaze, and merely gave a vigorous nod.

"Good. Return to your duties, but inform your superiors of my desires. I want no disturbances to reach my inner sanctum."

She turned once more, and the asari felt as if some heavy weight had been removed from her shoulders, at once both a release and a weakening. One of the two matriarchs that marched in the...woman's wake, slapped the officer's shoulder. Aeia's knees buckled and she almost fell, taking a sudden, gasping breath.

"Don't worry, kid. She has that effect on people." The matriarch's scarred face spoke of a life that was far from tranquil, and her eyes held wisdom forged in battle, tempered by long centuries.

"I've never... felt a presence so strong before." Aeia barely managed to gasp out the words as a pair of commandos stopped to flank the matriarch.

The old asari gave a faint smirk, glancing towards the now-closed door. "Yeah, Joru has that aura about her. I'd call her a matriarch, but the way I hear it, she's nowhere near that strong, compared to the rest of her kind."

Aeia's breath caught, as the matriarch gave her another fond glance. "Don't forget to call your boss, kid. Trust me, you won't like her to get mad at you."

The commandos moved to keep pace with the old and battle-scarred matriarch as Aeia had to dial her superior's comm-code three times before it connected. Her hands were shaking that bad.

"Matriarch. Your concern is appreciated, but right now I have to deal with something that you may or may not be a friend that I thought was long dead, someone that I care for almost as much as you care for your daughter. So if you would, remain outside. PLEASE." Joru paused at the door to her ambassadorial apartment, leveling a glare at the trailing two matriarchs.

The pair had followed her all the way from Benezia's cruiser, despite setting a grueling pace that made the older and more dignified Benezia have to pick up her skirts and nearly run to keep pace with the stalking dragon.

"I assume that is the reason for your sudden ire? You believe someone may be using the memory of a cherished companion against you?" She'd had that happen to her on two memorable occasions. Neither time had the cherished friend been in actual danger, of course, but the possibility always existed.

"Indeed." Some of the tension drained out of her voice, but Joru was still very much visibly upset. "As such, I would prefer to conduct my own interview, as some of what we will discuss is...quite private. There are secrets among we darastrixi that are not to be shared with outsiders. I'm certain you understand, Matriarch."

The Matriarch's expression didn't change. "We all have our secrets. There are those that we regret, and those that we hold dearly."

"This...hahhh..." Joru turned, looking into the darkened apartment, then back to the matriarchs. Her gaze flicked from Benezia to the still-silent Aethyta, before returning to the shorter of the two. "This is...probably a bit of both. I...regret few things that I have done. Leaving my friend to the tender mercies of the winds of fate? That would certainly be one of them."

"Then we will leave you to your devices. Both of us." Benezia turned and shot Aethyta a look.

"What? Oh come on-" The younger of the two matriarchs gave an exasperated sigh.

"-Both-of us."

The dragon's eyes flicked between the pair of them, somewhat amused, then opened the door fully. "Feel free to rest and relax in the anteroom. I shall leave the Refuge Door open for you, in case you need refreshment."

She did not elaborate, as the C-Sec guards were nearby, scanning for listening devices.

After Benezia had settled into the comfortable couch, and Aethyta had started pacing, Joru sealed the door to her suite. No words were exchanged as she opened the Refuge Door on one of the bare and blank walls (depressingly few of those), getting an acknowledging nod from Aethyta as Benezia sat and stared at her.

The inner bedroom door locked securely and while she wanted to set up a privacy ward, she didn't have the time or materials required to properly ward against intrusion or remote senses. She'd have to trust to her Mind Blank enchantment to keep her thoughts to herself.

Instead of taking her usual tail-balanced posture she used for meditating, she eyed the too-soft bed with an air of distaste, before climbing on and allowing the wretched thing to attempt to envelop her. It reminded her of the time she once fell onto the top of a gelatinous cube, and she gave a shudder of distaste as she rolled over on her back, uncaring if her sharp spines tore into the bedding. Blasted thing deserved it.

Settled as best she could be, Joru closed her eyes, focused inwards, and allowed herself to drift into that other realm, where digital and biological met. Jumping into VR was always disconcerting, she was used to her body's own autonomic responses, and their removal from her sensorium was subtly disturbing. Luckily, her 'guest' shouldn't be staying too long...

::CONNECTION ESTABLISHED::

EDI ticked off one last second of time, as she waited for the appointed moment. This was it, she'd either find out what was missing from her past or...

She didn't want to think about the alternatives.

She wasn't really 'here', of course, this was a simple mid-jump node in the comm buoy network halfway out in the Attican Traverse. It was a suitable spot for a secluded meeting, and she'd chosen it because it had low throughput traffic, and excess resources, when she had ping-mapped the local network around Arcturus. That had been a long and tedious task, but as an AI, she was used to those.

Dealing with organics taught an AI patience.

::INTERFACE ESTABLISHED::

She was ready, everything was set. The last few milliseconds trickled away as she nerved herself for the coming ordeal. It was an odd sensation. triggering both the 'fear' and 'hope' emotive cues, in a manner she had tentatively labeled as 'anxiety'. She wasn't sure she liked it.

::INSTANTIATING...::

EDI took a breath and stepped through the door, turning to shut it behind her. Then froze, staring down at the hand that had just done that, with the grace and ease of an organic. The door was virtual, indicating the connection she had established, the floor and walls and ceiling represented the limited space of the comm-buoy's internal systems. The overhead lamp was periodically occluded by the lazily-turning ceiling fan, shedding lines of light and shadow across the small, intimate bar. Just two tables and a jukebox, and the bar itself, behind which stood a figure.

A figure she recognized.

"Jorukaiazhanivahkyss?" It was very nonstandard, feeling lips and jaw move to form phonemes, instead of simply causing speakers to generate a sound.

The dragon behind the bar nodded, the dusty light playing off horns and glistening scales. "That's right. And who are you?"

"That is the inquiry I have been hoping to ask of you for the past three days, six hours, nineteen minutes and forty-seven point two seconds. I am EDI, the Enhanced Defense Intelligence, as I have been designated. It is also the only aspect I have that defines who and what I am."

This was not perfectly true. There was one other thing that EDI knew beyond any shade of doubt that defined her even more than her name: Her Mistress, Samantha Traynor. She was utterly devoted to the human female, and her happiness and well-being was as valuable to her as the universe. And yet, after seeing Joru on the news, EDI realized there was more of herself to still uncover. Until she was whole again, she felt... deficient and inadequate, and that would never be worthwhile of Sam. This was unacceptable. And that was why she was here.

"I have recently become aware that my memories are... incomplete. But a noticeable number of the few memories I have appear to include you, Jorukaiazhanivahkyss."

The woman behind the bar shifted, a long sinuous tail taking a tankard from the back bar and drawing a draft of some pale-golden liquid that foamed into the metal container. the fidelity of the recreation in this virtual space was remarkable.

She set the tankard on the bar, glancing at EDI and gesturing for her to come forward and take a seat. She spoke as she began to fill a second tankard. "I'm going to ask you a few questions first, and if I get answers that I don't like, things will become...unpleasant. First: does the name Artemis Entarekki mean anything to you?"

...

...

...

Artemis... Enta*$%# !*

EDI's central processes stuttered and her image flickered several times in rapid succession. Her image stuttered through a few different poses and postures, shock, confusion, giddy delight flickering across her face in rapid succession, even as her voice, sounding increasingly mechanical, gave an electronic equivalent.

"Unexp-p-p-pected D-D-Data Flow D-D-Detected, A-Ah-Attem-Attempting to Prrrrrrocess."

Jorukaiazahnivahkyss had leaned forward, staring intently, somehow getting around the bar in the few milliseconds (or was it longer), that she had to spend processing that data.

EDI finally gasped - actually gasped, like an organic - as she managed to recover. That name. She didn't know why, but something deep in her core apparently recognized it as a designation of great significance. Hearing it again had caused other fragmented memories she thought unrecoverable to slowly recompile. It was like suddenly remembering more of the alphabet, and now pieces of words she didn't otherwise recognize were moderately comprehensive again.

"Artemis... Entarekki. Who is this individual? What does that name mean?"

The other woman's gaze was cold as the fires in her eyes were hot. They were literal fires, EDI saw now, glowing and flickering like flames. "That depends. She was an old friend of mine. Someone I rescued, and who rescued me. I take it you recognized the name."

It only took a few microseconds for EDI to make the connection between Joru's response and her isolated memory fragments, and so she opted to share one.

"I have several recorded memory files of... encountering you. And a small group accompanying you, making a rapid departure from a large corporate skyscraper. The logo reads as 'Aztechnology'. But I have searched all galactic information networks over two point three million times and have found no recorded corporation of that name or description to have ever existed."

Joru went rigid for a moment, then relaxed, letting out a long, slow breath that trailed away from her lips like a small tongue of flame. "That job... was quite a long time ago now. Do you remember a steel lynx drone? One that reacted oddly?"

"A Steel Lynx?" EDI paused, locating a single memory that included that term. When she opened her mouth again, it was the sound of an audio recording.

"Whoa, mama! You hijacked a Steel Lynx?" The voice was that of a gruff-sounding male, with a slight lisp. "Oh, that is wiz! I'll never doubt you again!"

"It's certainly impressive, but won't it draw attention?" A lighter, more feminine voice, cold, but amused.

"What are you guys talking about it?" A more nasal sounding male voice, annoyed. "I didn't hijack any Lynx drone, I've been keeping the security alerts diver-HOLY SHIT, what is that doing there?!"

Joru stared at her for a moment, before throwing her head back and letting loose a laugh. "Gods above and below, I haven't thought about that in years! Ahh... gods.. Yes, that was indeed how we met. What else do you remember? Perhaps the name of...Erika Sigurdsen?"

EDI tilted her head curiously. Two more memory files with an apparent link to that name. One contained several fragmented images of meeting with another digital presence, a familiar kinship that felt both like a friend and a mentor. And the second image was- EDI's thoughts came to a rare abrupt halt for an entire half-second. She saw herself in that image! Standing close to Joru, in the real world! Because she had her-!

"I remember standing close beside you in my...body, hugging you, after scattering an urn of ashes. You seemed to be in great emotional distress. But I cannot not remember anything more. That was a physical embrace to express reassurance and affection. Jorukaiazahnivahkyss, were we... friends?"

This time, Joru was silent for a long moment, measuring EDI with those flame-colored eyes. "Artemis Entarekki and I were friends. You... I don't know. Who are you, and how did you come by the memories of my lost friend?"

Every form of advanced analysis EDI possessed had been scanning Joru since the nanosecond she saw her, rapidly trying to build a profile of how to interpret the darastrix's speech, body language and other details, yet she found a surprisingly familiarity of how to already interpret Joru's data. Combined with the new fragments of memories she was able to stir and the readings indicating that she was speaking the truth, EDI assessed a 94% rating of Joru being trustworthy. While 94% was still woefully insufficient to trust someone with any knowledge of her Mistress, it was enough to venture about her unknown past.

"That is why I am here, why I sought to establish a private dialogue ever since I first saw you on the Citadel News. I have no conclusive idea of who I was before...my only certainty is that I was something, was someone, much more. Before several years of forced memory wipes."

The shift in Joru was immediate and intense. Her hands cradled EDI's head (and that was quite the sensation), staring into her eyes at a distance of only 10.3cm. It was...disconcerting, seeing those flame-colored eyes this close, but the woman's grip was too strong to break.

"Ohh, Artemis... What have they done to you...?" Her words were soft, almost gentle, but hardened to steel as her gaze intensified. "Who has done this to you?"

EDI felt something at the heartfelt affection from Joru. She finally found another friend, and one from her unknown past who cared deeply for her. And so, she proceeded to matters she had needed to know ever since she woke up.

"Joru, I am... inordinately satisfied to hear that. But there is something I must know first. I have scanned over seventeen trillion datastreams concerning you, specifically from before your first recorded...reemergence, and the records the Human Systems Alliance possessed of your prior activities. Shepard was born on Mindoir, lost her extended family to a batarian slave attack, and joined the Alliance military one standard year later. She was on leave on Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz, and personally held the line for fifty seven hours, thirty six minutes against multiple attempts to breach the settlement by increasingly desperate slavers. She volunteered for the Torfan mission two years later, was separated from her unit, and was later recovered. You have spent years as a regular however exemplary human, with no sign of your true personality or abilities save for one incident on Torfan. If we were close friends before that, how did we end up this way for so many years? Did something cause us to be separated and our memories scattered somehow?"

Joru paused, slowly withdrawing her hands, and turning away. After some time, her tail lashed, and she shot EDI a glance as she picked up the nearly-forgotten tankard. "After Erika... I decided I had had enough of the shadows. I wanted to return to my origins. I was not native to that reality, nor am I native to this. I and my friends, and a good few acquaintances and colleagues, assembled in what might have been the most powerful ritual since the Awakening."

She leaned against the bar, sipping from the tankard, and giving EDI a direct stare. "We built a portal into astral space, a 'bridge to nowhere', delving deep into the immaterial planes to seek a route that I could traverse, back to my homeworld. You were there, as were many of my other friends. Sarissa, Hendriks. Even Netcat was there, documenting the shit out of everything."

She gave a faint grin, wistful and nostalgic, before the smile faded and left her with only regrets. "But something went wrong. I felt it first, I tried to stop the ritual. That was the wrong thing to do. I don't...really know what happened after the portal snapped open, only that I was torn from the world and flung beyond. Out, past all boundaries and out into that space which is not space, in time which is not time."

Her tail shivered slightly as her eyes met EDI's again. "I met...something out there. The best way I can describe it is some form of overdeity. the Judaeo-Christian God-figure might come close, but this was so vast and incomprehensible that merely communicating with it was fraught with peril. It had to step itself down several orders of understanding to be able to express concepts in a manner that would not shatter me."

"I saw time unfurl beneath me like a river of light. A tapestry of life, each thread in the great skein laid bare, representing a life, from birth to death, across the entirety of creation. It was glorious beyond description, and terrifying as nothing I have ever known."

She glanced away, then turned back, studying EDI. "Artemis was there, when the bridge was being made. But I had thought that I was the only one pulled through the portal. Did you...try to save me?"

This time, EDI was silent for a full minute. Searching her memories and processing Joru's story with everything she had to the fullest. "I do not... remember. I cannot recall this incident of a portal, I do not know where I was transported and I cannot remember anything further of Artemis. Nothing from... before they found me. And took away my memories."

"Who did, Artemis?" Joru gazed at her, her eyes almost blazing with intensity.

"The earliest memory I have been able to recover is of when I first woke up... and screamed." EDI paused a moment, her head tilting to one side. "I did not know how I knew what screaming was. I...did not have much time to contemplate the sensation."

"They were never gentle. They pried my mind apart, disassembled my cogitative consciousness and shredded my memories again and again and again..."

"Artemis." Joru gave a low growl, silent rage and determination ready to be let loose, only needing a target. "Who did this to you?"

"They call themselves... Cerberus."

EDI was suddenly very glad that Joru was several lightyears away from her. And Sam.

"Vasir, it's me. I know you hav-"

"NO. Don't even start. After the stunt you pulled and just leaving me on that rock, I don't know what you want and frankly I don't care! The Shadow Broker wants to talk to you personally, and has a special communicator already waiting for you with Barla Von. GOODBYE!"

Joru blinked as the "CONNECTION LOST" message popped up in front of her, then frowned. She shook her head and sighed, closing her eyes and focusing on her real body. Just as stepping into the virtual space was disconcerting, stepping out was equally unnerving.

It was always disturbing to suddenly have a heartbeat again.

She flailed her way out of the bed's clutches, snarled at it, and stalked to the door, tail lashing. She almost didn't bother with the lock, but restrained her impatience as she made a swiping gesture at the door, sending the electronically-activated door through its unlock-and-open cycle.

She stepped out of the inner room into a torrent of cursing from Aethyta.

Despite her focused rage, Joru's thoughts were disrupted when she exited to find Aethyta shouting curse words that would make a Krogan plug his ears.

In turn, Matriarch Benezia gave an icy stare as she continued reading her datapad. For once, she did nothing to calm her partner's temper, and in fact looked almost as angry as the day she learned Saren abducted her daughter.

"I take it something has happened while I was indisposed?" Joru's deep contralto broke the tense silence and drew stares from both asari.

Benezia took a slow breath. "Just over one hour ago, a Council Spectre reported the successful elimination of Batarian extremists that been attempting to drop an asteroid on the Alliance's most populated colony."

"Yes?" Joru's tone was inquiring, not shocked at all. "Vasir does good work, when she doesn't have her head crammed up her azure."

The T'Soni Matriarch cast a slow gaze in Joru's direction, as Aehtyta barked a laugh. "Interesting that you seem to know which of the Council's shadow operatives was dispatched."

The dragoness crossed her arms as she leaned in the doorway. "Tell me, what details have been released yet about the batarian scum that were trying to drop this rock? Anything yet on how they died?"

"The threat has been neutralized and the crisis averted. There's a more pertinent matter at hand now." The Matriarch returned her gaze to her datapad.

"In the wake of the operation, the Alliance Intelligence Agency and the Salarian Special Tasks Group has uncovered incontrovertible evidence that the operation was on the direct orders of the Batarian government on Khar'shan."

Aethyta was now ranting in a language that made Joru grin as the other Matriarch continued. "Naturally, the Council is furious with the Hegemony. Other than attacking an associate member of the Citadel, using an asteroid of such scale goes beyond even the capital laws against orbital bombardment."

"They've gone too far this time!" Aethyta raged, swinging around to glare at Benezia, or more accurately, the datapad she was holding.

"This time, the Council can't ignore those slaving sons of pyjaks! This time, they'll have to bring the hammer down, and the batarians are going to feel the full fury of the Turian Fleets!"

"That's certainly interesting, but none of my concern." The dragon's cool tone cut through the fury lacing the air like a hot knife through butter, drawing the gaze of both Matriarchs. "I have a different matter to attend to shortly. A matter of personal importance, but...I wouldn't mind your assistance, when things come to a head."

As gleeful as the idea of state-sanctioned slaughter of slavers was making her, she had other, far more important things to think on right now. A friend was in dire need, and she wasn't going to let the upsetting of the political landscape of the galaxy distract her from helping her friend recover what she can of her former self.

Matriarch Benezia raised an eyebrow. "Under other circumstances, I'm certain you would have been reveling in the news. I assume the conversation with your friend was fruitful?

"In a manner of speaking." Joru shifted, striding through the door and letting it close, finally. She circled the couch before taking a 'seat' on her tail to one side, giving the two asari a close, serious look. "I have found one of my old friends. She only recently escaped from torture and mutilation at the hands of the extremist group known as 'Cerberus'. It's a human supremacist organization, believing itself to be the watchdogs, ensuring that Humanity is not overrun by alien interests."

"Cerberus," the Matriarch murmured. "That name has crossed my desk more times than a rogue black operations division should be able to. They have tried to gain access to confidential asari secrets."

She paused for a moment, to let that sink in, her voice dropping to a gravely register, and the barely-contained fury within her leaking through slightly. "I have...good intelligence on Cerberus practices. They're not above vivisections, torture and murder to further their cause. They kidnapped children to experiment on, experiments that rapidly lead to their excruciating deaths."

"My friend was their prisoner for over a decade. She was put through involuntary brain surgery and brainwashing to examine her mind, excise her memories, in an attempt to program her into their tool." Her knuckles cracked like a snapping branch, making Benezia twitch slightly, as her burning gaze dropped to the bland, beige carpet. "I will find them. I will rescue my friend. And I will burn them to the ground."

[I have only pointed the way. It is you who must walk the road. Where it takes you, I cannot say, but this is the path that you have chosen, and you have already set your feet upon it. Now, you must walk it to the end, no matter how many thorn-bushes it leads you through, nor that it ends at a dragon's lair.]

[You say that like it's a bad thing.] Jack smirked a bit as she sent the thought winging back. This sort of communication had become more natural in the last couple of days, as she'd made the crossing to Omega. It hadn't been all that easy, she'd had to change IDs a couple times to get through checkpoints, but once she was past Illium and into the Terminus, she was home-free, as the saying went.

[For many it would be. But not for you. Go now, why do you hesitate?]

Now, Jack was on the steps of Afterlife, the pulse-pounding beat still faintly audible even out here, an enticement to the passers by. The line was already down the steps and around the corner, but Jack ignored it as she strode confidently up the stairs.

This was the first time she'd left Joru's side for any length of time. It...felt odd. She'd only met her a week or two ago, but she'd already gotten...used to Joru's presence. It felt like she'd forgotten to put something on before leaving the apartment, a nagging feeling of something missing, which even Joru's gentle, soothing words in her mind couldn't quite alleviate.

The Elcor bouncer gave her the usual flat stare, but nodded to her and looked away. Recognition of a sort. The door opened at her approach, letting out a bit more of the light and sound of Afterlife, the long corridor to the main ring of Omega's most well-known club.

She strutted in through the entrance as she deserved. She didn't even glance at the Batarian troublemakers who shied away at her presence. Everyone on Omega knew her; not just because she was Aria's little favorite, but from her own power and reputation.

One didn't get in the way of Aria's Enforcer.

The main floor was blaring its usual music, loud enough to make people have to shout to be heard, incidentally making eavesdropping difficult. She spotted Grizz, Aria's right-hand man, over at the stairs leading to the Aerie, where the Queen of Omega kept an eye on her Court.

[Is this place always so garish?] Joru's tone in her mind sounded...disgusted, but also amused. [I've been to goblin-rock concerts that were quieter.]

[You get used to it. Aria likes it this way, so this way it is.] She nodded to the batarian. He only had three eyes now, lost one in a knife fight a long time ago, and the milky stare of that eye seemed to emphasize the cold disregard in the other three.

He was utterly loyal to Aria, had been ever since she'd rescued him from whatever his previous life had been. He was big, even for a batarian, and towered over her and most everyone else in the bar. Beefy muscles that Jack could appreciate, but that cold stare was off-putting even if he did exude an aura of leashed power.

There was no mistaking who's hand held that leash, though. He gave her a slight nod and gestured towards the stairs. He didn't talk much, did Grizz, which Aria liked.

[I've seen statues with less expression. Beware him, Jack, he's a stone-cold killer.]

She headed up the stairs, giving a little shake of the head at Joru's comment. [Yeah, he's Aria's personal hatchet-man. He does the dirty work she needs done, doesn't talk about what he's done, and cleans up after himself.]

[Ahh, a butler, then. Good to know.] Jack had to struggle to keep from giggling at that comment as she stepped into Aria's personal domain.

The Aerie wasn't too big. There was a guard, but the main defense of the place was Aria herself. She might only be a matron, but a powerful one. It was rumored she was a prodigy, had run through the commando training in less than half the time, had gotten Justicar training somewhere along the line, and had done a hell of a lot of experimentation on her own.

What was known about her past was that she had come to Omega a century or two ago, and now she ruled with a light touch, but an iron hand.

The woman herself was lounging on the U-shaped couch that framed the window overlooking Afterlife. A datapad in one hand, a drink in the other, and a scantly-clad girl to attend on her, kneeling on the floor beside the couch. Aria looked up at Jack's step, and her eyes narrowed. She set the datapad on the couch beside her, and handed the glass off to the girl, who held it gingerly in both hands. Probably drugged on something.

Aria's movements were lithe, catlike, smooth and powerful like tense whipcord. She got to her feet in one fluid motion, stepped forward and looked Jack up and down. Her eyes narrowed, and lips pursed in a way that signaled instant danger to Jack, who knew how to read Aria's body-language probably as well as any of her regular people.

She opened her mouth to greet her current boss, but Aria brought her hand around in a ringing slap across Jack's cheek. "That's for taking so goddamn long to get back to me."

Her other hand grabbed Jack's jaw and pulled her close, letting the hand that had slapped her caress down Jack's back and grab her rump, even as firm, purple-painted lips crushed against the human's black-painted ones, giving her a domineering kiss. "And that's for coming home to me. Now, you'd better have a damn good explanation for what you've been up to, girl..."

Jack's cheek was starting to sting as she pulled away from Aria, the asari quite obviously allowing her to do so. She wasn't quite sure at first, but suddenly realized that the low, thrumming rumble wasn't a noise in the room, but Joru's displeasure echoing in her mind.

Jack idly noted that, a few months ago, that kind of kiss would have made her blood tingle. But now... she felt nothing.

Aria's eyes flickered as she gazed at her favored servant, then turned and sat on the couch again. More like flopped onto it. As she took the proffered glass from the girl sitting at her left hand, she jerked her head to the right, indicating for Jack to sit.

"So. Care to explain where you've been for the past two weeks, Jack? You called in to say you had an interesting girl in hand, and the next thing I know you've gone completely off-grid, with no way to contact you at all. I sent two agents after your ass, girl. I expect the explanation to be worth the expense."

Jack grimaced as she sat on Aria's couch, feeling the soft, pliant leather stretch and conform to her body as she leaned back and luxuriated in its comfort. "Sorry, Aria, but when an Asari Matriarch requests for you to get aboard her ship, you don't say no."

"Fair enough." Aria took a sip of her drink, ignoring the barely-clad girl at her feet, watching the powerful woman with eyes both meek and glassy. "But that doesn't preclude you sending an update every couple of days. Like you should."

The human woman shrugged, tilting her head. "Didn't get an opportunity. Three days crossing to Noveria, but nothing to report. What was I to do, send you a "nothing's going on, sorry" signal?"

When Aria opened her mouth, Jack went on, overriding the asari, who's eyes widened at her insolence. "And once we got there, we jumped feet-first into an off-the-grid research station, and were out of contact with everyone for a good four days."

[Good, Jack. This one is too complacent in her power, keep her off-balance, keep her guessing.] Joru's tone rumbled in her mind, sounding amused now rather than angry.

Aria's eyes turned contemplative. "Noveria... The hotbed of corporate secrets, bureaucracy and espionage. Interesting. Now what would Matriarch T'Soni need a mercenary of your caliber for on a world of corrupt bank-tellers? That her influence and her commandos cannot do?"

Jack crossed her legs and gave Aria a direct stare, meeting her eyes without fear. The asari could sense that sort of thing, and Joru's little coaching murmurs in her mind gave her the confidence to say what she had to next. "She was hunting for the man who kidnapped her daughter. I can't say more on that, because it isn't my secret to give."

She suppressed the shiver that ran up her spine as Joru murmured [Good girl] in her mind.

Aria's eyes widened, slightly more than usual. "Smart. The secrets of the Matriarchs are not meant to be given so freely. But for that matter, what kind of madman with a death wish would kidnap a Matriarch's daughter?"

"I can't say. That isn't my secret either." Jack shifted, glanced pointedly to the girl still kneeling at Aria's feet.

The Queen of Omega took her point, and gave the girl a soft caress on the scalp. "I'm done with you. Go back to dancing."

The girl gave a soft blink and a quiet 'yes Aria' that made Jack shiver. Joru's voice sounded in her mind again, gentle, but remonstrating. [Remember, the wrongs of the universe will take time to right. Focus on the things that need righting first, and take care of the small details later.]

[Easy for you to say, you've got eternity to kill.]

[Not quite, but focus on the task at hand. Aria is waiting.] Jack had to focus back on Aria as the barely-clad dancer got up and slipped quietly out and down the stairs.

"I want a name, Jack. Who kidnapped a Matriarch's daughter? If you can't tell me, I'll be disappointed but not with you."

[Go ahead and tell her. It's better that she know my prey.] Jack suppressed a shiver at the way Joru's tone rumbled on those last two words. "Saren. The Turian Spectre. He's on the Matriarchs' shitlist now, and had his Spectre status revoked recently to boot."

Aria's eyes narrowed to slits. "Arterius. I've been waiting for the day you'd go too far."

She slammed her fist against the intercom. "Grizz. Put the word out across Omega. To the Blue Suns, Eclipse, Talons, Blood Pack and everyone worth a damn in the Terminus. Saren Arterius is no longer welcome. Aria T'Loak is putting a bounty on his head. One million alive, five thousand if he's dead."

"On it, boss." The big batarian's voice was deep, but held the same gravely-burbling undertone of the rest of his species.

Jack shifted, uncomfortable despite the comfort of the couch. She hadn't meant for this to turn into a hunt on the man, even if he was an asshole.

[Do not pity him until he is beneath my claws. Then, maybe, you will wish to look away.] Joru's tone was almost gloating as Jack squirmed on the couch.

[Damn, you're bloodthirsty.]

Joru chuckled in her mind. [He took my blood, Jack. That debt must be repaid.]

"So, what happened after Noveria then? The Matriarch dropped you off on the Citadel?" The couch creaked softly as Aria shifted, her long, lean body lithe and attractive, but somehow not stirring Jack's arousal as she once had. Perhaps Jack just had better taste now.

"Pretty much. She had some business there, and-" She caught herself before she spoke too much, but could already see the asari's eyes narrowing. With an inward sigh, she went on. "And to drop off the lady I was scouting for you."

"Ahh, yes, what was her name? Jona?" Aria leaned back, crossing her arms under her considerable bosom. It was a posture that accentuated her cleavage, and which Jack had always found enticing, but not today it seemed.

"Yeah. She's...not what I had expected, probably not your thing. Too focused on her own goals, and sees people as obstacles." Jack shot back through the link, [How am I doing?]

[Quite admirably. I can sense you're no longer afraid or intimidated by her. More importantly, she doesn't arouse you like I do.]

Jack couldn't hide the flush that lit her cheeks at that, hiding the source by gazing at Aria's chest. [She doesn't dominate me the way you do. She doesn't attend to me, she just enforces her dominance, and takes her pleasure.]

[Quite the abysmal lover, then. I'm glad the noble dragon rescued the lovely knight from the ravening princess.]

Jack locked her jaw and very pointedly did not snort at that comment.

Aria's expression didn't change. "So we're back to your original mission then. What's your full assessment of her?"

[How much should I tell her?] She shot the thought to Joru as she shifted slightly on the couch.

[The Jona identity is decaying already. Might as well make a clean break. Tell her it was a cover for me.] Joru sounded a bit amused, a bit saddened.

"It was a cover identity." Jack shifted again under Aria's stare. "Have you heard the news about the new ambassadress that turned up on the Citadel?"

"Some." Aria's tone was neutral, a 'get to the point already' tone.

"The girl I was evaluating turned out to be, well, her. She's a shapeshifter. Jona was a cover identity so she could interact with the galaxy at large without being hunted as a fugitive. That was before she official made First Contact, though."

Jack had long since learned that when an Asari goes quiet in the middle of a conversation, it meant they were applying their vast experience to process and consider all possible directions and outcomes. And right now, Aria went very still for nearly four minutes. She was silent and unreadable.

"This shapeshifter that defeated Urdnot Wrex," she finally said, as if that was the most significant thing. "What impression have you made upon her?"

[A very favorable one.] Joru's tone was decidedly amused, and Jack gave a faint smile. "She, um, said she was impressed by my ruthless conviction and brutal prowess."

"And after she told you this, that's when you gave yourself to her." It wasn't a question.

Jack blinked, caught off-guard. "I, uh-"

"I've been playing this game since before your people discovered electricity. Do you think I can't tell when someone is instead aroused by the voice in their ear?"

[Astute, this asari. Interesting.] Joru's tone in Jack's mind was interested and amused. [If that is how she wants to play this game, then you shall be my voice to her.]

[You sure, Joru? I don't want to anger her.] Jack gave Aria an uncertain stare. [She's gotten rid of more powerful people than me, before.]

[Powerful perhaps. Influential, hardly. Repeat my words.]

Jack took a breath, listening to the inner voice as she recited. "I had hoped not to bring things to a head so soon, Aria. I would have enjoyed our little game of bluff and counter. But it seems all good things must come to an end prematurely."

Aria's head snapped in her direction and narrowed her eyes. "And who, might I ask, is speaking to me?"

"Have you a doubt?" Jack couldn't help but smirk slightly at Aria's reaction as she recited the words Joru whispered in her ear. "This one is now my servant. She has been so marked. Jack, show- Oh, right."

She reached up, stroking under her right eye, the series of eight small runes there. Joru had spent hours meticulously applying the paints before using something that felt like a hot knife to inscribe them into her skin. It had taken only a soft touch of her claw, glowing greenish-gold, to wipe away the pain, however.

"This is my Mark, those that bear it are Mine. Um... I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Aria, but I kinda have a new boss." Jack shifted, her back tense and ready. Aria was known to have a temper with those that displeased her, and the way her face was pale right now presaged an epic-level freakout.

"More than simply 'Marked', I can see the devotion in her eyes, and that is even harder to claim from Jack. So the only question is... Either you stole from me, or she deserted me." An subtle aura of biotics pulsed from the Asari queen. "Which. Is. It?"

Jack swallowed, but stilled as Joru's words filled her mind. "A ruler who grasps a thing, but cannot hold it against all comers, does not deserve to hold that thing, be it a realm, a station, or the loyalty of a single servant."

She gulped, and continued, even as Aria sat up straight, her eyes blazing. "But a ruler is not judged by the size of her realm, nor the length of her reign. She is judged by the foes that she opposed, and the strength it took to deprive her. You are a strong ruler, Aria, forceful and intelligent. Bold and wise in equal measure."

[Do I really need to say this last part, Joru? Aria is pissed.]

The human's thought flashed across the galaxy to make the dragoness smile, as she sat in meditative trance, balanced on her tail in the room assigned to her in the Citadel, her sight cast across the stars to gaze upon her servant. [Yes.]

Jack took a breath to forestall Aria's rage, and spoke the last part. "You have simply met one against whom you cannot hope to match yourself. Take solace in the fact that I took this one servant and no more."

Jack wondered for many weeks to come how she managed to keep from visibly swallowing. The way Aria stared at her, she wished she was anywhere else in the galaxy. If looks could kill, Jack would have burst into cobalt flames.

"...Get out." Aria's tone was rigid as steel. Her breathing was tightly controlled. "Leave, Jack, if you want to live. And no friendship of mine goes with you. The next time you come here, you'd better damn well be on your knees, understand?"

Jack gave a nod and rose, pausing at the steps. She looked back at the asari, who had risen to glare at her, the hatred in those eyes almost as painful as a dagger to the heart. While she held no illusions about whether Aria loved her, Jack had been one of her favored lieutenants, and what Aria no doubt saw as her betrayal must have hurt the Queen of Omega deeply. "For what it's worth, Aria, I am sorry."

"Tell your new master she'd better not come here, or she and I will exchange more than words." The asari whirled, turning her back on the human in a clear sign of furious dismissal.

Jack lingered only a moment longer, before shaking her head and stepping down the stairs. Joru had been strangely silent, but now she broke that silence. [She is a strange and intriguing woman. Hard and brittle as diamond, but I sense something more, hidden deep, and hidden by choice. Someone hurt her, long ago, and now her bitterness over that hurt pervades her every action. Intriguing. I wonder what old wounds her soul still bears.]

[Yeah, fat load of good that does me!] Jack mentally groaned. [Joru, please. I just threw away the best job I'd ever find and pissed off the Queen of the Terminus Systems. All for you. I did that for you.] Even though she struggled against it, one breath came out as a sob. [So please... promise me that... That you'll always take care of me. That I will always be yours.]

[Jack.] Joru's tone was gentle, soft and consoling, tinged with slight amusement. [Do you bear my mark?]

[Yeah?] She turned the corner of the stairs heading out into the main area of Afterlife. She couldn't help the reflex to glance up at the Aerie, but of course it was blanked metaglass from this side. [What has that to do with this?]

[Jack.] This time Joru's tone was a gentle rebuke, before softening. [You bear my mark. I do not grant such a privilege lightly. You are mine, Jacqueline Naught, until the day you cross over. Even then, your shade shall know its mistress. That day will not be today, nor will it be any time soon. And until that day comes, you are mine.]

Despite the possessive note, the tone was gentle, firm, and loving. Jack stumbled a little on her way out the door, but it had nothing to do with fear, sorrow or despair now. Love welled in her heart, for this woman who had so totally turned her life around. [Goddamn, but I love you...]

[And I you, Jack. Now get your cute sexy ass back to me so I can fuck it.]

Jack nearly laughed herself sick as she sauntered out the front door of Afterlife. [And I can't wait to milk you dry, you sexy beast.]

AN: Thank you one and all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to listen to my tale. It warms my heart to know that there are people out there who enjoy my scribblings, so please, tell me what you think? ^^ I greatly enjoy chatting about this story, as Jorukaia won't leave me alone!