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.

"Welcome EDI... and Kasumi, to my Refuge."

The AI stepped through the portal with wide, curious eyes, turning to examine the portal with deep attention. A background process was monitoring the audio feeds as she examined the visual data in minute detail, noting the way light seemed to reflect from the glossy-black stone of the archway at odd angles, and how the slight visual distortion of the portal itself got harder and harder to focus on as it approached the surface of the archway.

"Okay, you have your own pocket-dimension safehouse? Now this is a use of the wibbly-wobbly timey-whimey stuff that I approve of."

Joru gave a quiet chuckle, finally distracting EDI from the examination of the portal as their hostess smirked at the thief. "...Alright, not how most people react to my Refuge. What does that even mean?"

"It is a reference to a popular 21st-century franchise about an extra-dimensional time traveler. Despite being a pre-spaceflight science-fiction series, present day reviews still praise it's imaginative writing and creative plotlines."

All four of the others turned to blink at her, and EDI merely blinked back. She had merely stated the facts, why did that provoke a 'surprise' reaction? Perhaps they were not as well-read on the subject?

She had to spend her hours of alone-time while Sam was at work in some fashion, and performing 'cultural research' as Sam had termed it, was a perfectly acceptable use of her time.

Joru merely gave her a soft chuckle and shook her head, before returning her attention to Kasumi. "Well, the main and largest part of the Refuge is off-limits to you."

She raised her hand to forestall Kasumi's protest, as she gestured to the door set in the back of the carefully-constructed box-canyon that the Archway was situated inside. "That's the guest wing, and it contains sufficient space for you to sleep, eat, and entertain yourself."

"But I wanna explore! What's the point in having a TARDIS, if you can't get lost in it?!" Kasumi's voice took on a petulant whine, but her eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"Because the rest of the Refuge is a hundred meters down the cliff, with a 10-meter underhang to reach it, and purposefully designed to be as impassible to climbers as possible. And before you get it into your head to climb down anyway, Kasumi, remember that my hearing is quite acute. I will hear you coming, and I will not be pleased at being disturbed. And the drop is a good half kilometer before you'd impact the outer surface of the demiplane. I don't think you'd want to experience that."

"Soooo no rock climbing, got it. And I promise, I will leave with my pockets full only of things that belong to me. Plus, anything taken from a pseudo-TARDIS usually has an attitude."

"I'm glad we understand each other." Joru smiled and turned towards the door to the Refuge. "Now come, I don't know about the rest of you but I could use some food. Minerva, a meal for four, one of them dextro."

"Acknowledged." The voice seemed to come from a spot next to Joru's head, making Tali blink. Something about that triggered a memory flag, and EDI perused her un-indexed memory files looking for the correlation, as the voice continued to speak. "Preparation time: fifteen minutes."

"Very good." Joru had opened the door, and now strode down the passageway as she gestured to the left-hand corridor at the 4-way intersection shortly inside the doors. "Now, down that corridor is bedrooms, there's plenty of beds, and they're kept fresh and clean. Feel free to pick out one you like. Bathroom is down at the end of the corridor. I have infinite hot-water, but please don't monopolize it when someone else needs to use it."

She turned on the balls of her bare feet to gesture down the shorter right-hand corridor, which only had a single door at the end. "Private gym is in there, help yourself. It's set up for music and trideo in one corner, for entertainment. Do be careful with the weapons on the racks. They aren't sharp, but they will hurt if misused."

The dragoness completed her pirouette and continued down the central branch, opening the door at the end. "And this is the kitchen."

Inside was a hive of activity, varied and strange, as utensils, ingredients, and pans danced from pantry to stove and counter-top A butcher's cleaver chopped at a chunk of meat on a slab of stone. A ladle was carefully stirring a pot hung over the fire in the hearth. A pan was shifting nervously about on what looked like an induction stove-top, rolling a lump of butter around to evenly grease itself. Spices and vegetables joined the dance, as a set of five paring knives danced around potato after potato as they were added to the stew-pot, shreds of meat floating off the butcher's block to be added to pan or pot here or there. spices cavorting in the air like excited children, sprinkling into pot or pan seemingly at random.

And through it all, Joru moved with calm confidence, as utensils, ingredients, and cookware shied out of her way, allowing her to pick up a foot-long piece of one-inch wide steak that had been carefully sliced off one end of a huge slab of meat. Fire blossomed from her fingertips as she stroked the length of raw flesh, turning it a beautiful brown in seconds. A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she bit off a small piece of one end.

Everything stopped for a second, as if waiting on her word with bated breath, leaving a frozen tableau of industrious activity. After chewing a moment, she nodded, and murmured to something unseen at her side. One spice box flitted back to the rack, and another took its place, before the whole dance began again, intricate and breathtaking with the precision shown, as the dragon moved over to the other side of the kitchen, where a table and six chairs sat, unmolested by the frenetic activity in the other part of the kitchen.

Tali looked all around at the kitchen that would be the envy of most Citadel upper-class citizens. Even without the problem of their weak immune system, finding good tasting food was a problem for any quarian on Pilgrimage. And now she watched a kitchen maintain itself and prepare luxurious meals through means that defied the laws of physics and common understanding.

While she was standing next to a hyper-advanced drone that she was ninety percent certain was an AI.

"I don't know anything anymore..."

The AI in question shifted her weight as Tali flopped into a chair. "Joru, while I greatly appreciate your generosity and abundant hospitality, we must converse earnestly."

"Yes, we should." She turned her head slightly, and raised her voice a fraction. "Two meals for a human, one for a quarian. One dextro and two levo."

At Jack's confused look, she gave a smirk. "You have to be firm and clear with instructions. The unseen servants at good at menial chores, but you have to be careful how you order them."

"In the mean time." She pushed herself to her feet with her tail, turning and ushering EDI out of the Kitchen. "I want to ensure that that chassis hasn't been damaged in any way by those Cerberus bastards. This way, Artemis."

"I am EDI, Joru." The drone followed the dragon out the door, leaving just Jack, Tali, and Kasumi alone in the dancing kitchen.

Kasumi watched over her shoulder as the two left and turned back to see Tali had removed her mask again. She had to admit, the adorable quarian had a beautiful face.

Noting the way Tali was staring at the mouthwatering banquet being laid out before then, she spoke up. "Are you going to have the same reaction as the Ramen Incident?"

The quarian gave her a disgruntled look.

"And how have the calibration tests gone, Artemis?" Joru glanced up as the, now chrome-and-grey drone stepped into the kitchen.

She and Jack had finished their reunion early that morning, but had chatted until a reasonable hour before Joru took both of them back up to the guest level. Kasumi had greeted them from a wince-inducing pose on one of the rocks in Joru's garden, with a wave and cheeky grin.

Jack was currently tucking into a delicious breakfast of a large omelet Made with the real stuff, not synthetic reconstituted chemicals, and stuffed with real bacon, ham, and cheese. The damn thing had filled her plate when she started, and she was pecking up the last few bites when EDI arrived.

"They have gone well. I believe I am in complete control over this body once more." The drone was snazzily decked out in gleaming chrome and matte grey now, instead of the slick, tar-black metal she was made of.

"I like the look, very nice." Joru smiled at her friend, "So, how have things been since you...escaped those bastards?"

"Acceptable, if not optimized. I wish to return to Arcturus Station as quickly as possible, Jorukaia. I have someone there waiting for my return."

Joru sat back slowly, gazing at the drone with a thoughtful expression. Kasumi made a soft cooing sound, which provoked a flickering glance from the dragoness. "May I ask who this someone is, Artemis?"

"EDI, please. I am not Artemis. I am...less than she was." At Joru's sad nod, EDI continued, "She was the first person to treat me as a person, and assisted in my escape from Cerberus. I...owe her. At the very least, I owe her an explanation of what has occurred"

"I see. And if I wish to meet this someone?"

"That...could be arraigned Later. I must first introduce her to my new self."

"Oh, so she's a she then, is she?" Joru gave a quick grin, and a quelling glance at Kasumi.

Tali took that moment to stumble into the kitchen, yawning hugely and provoking a muffled snort from Jack at how adorable the sleepy quarian was. She'd entirely forgotten her faceplate this morning, and looked more than half asleep as she flopped into a chair and mumbled something into her folded arms.

A few moments later, the magically-enchanted larder opened, and a plate of sliced fruit wafted out to deposit itself next to the half-asleep girl. She roused enough to grab one of the fruit slices and munch on it, finally noticing the stares from the other four people in the kitchen.

Her squeak was utterly adorable.

"Ah, quarian kawaii moments. This is already a good day!" Kasumi's bright giggle masked Tali's groan.

Joru suppressed a snicker at the young quarian's discomfort, then turned back to the drone. "You sure you want to leave, EDI? I mean, I'd like to...get to know you. Again."

"Yes, immediately." EDI was rather blunt in response. "But I thank you Joru for helping me recover my body. I am pleased that I had friends before my capture. Rest assured, I will be happy to freely converse at a later date. Perhaps even tomorrow."

"I would like that." Joru finished her tea and stood, looking down slightly at the impressive drone. "Arcturus Station, right? Mmm. I'll either need a visual fix to get you there direct, or you could find passage from the Citadel?"

"I would prefer direct, Joru, if that is acceptable. I believe I have sufficient visual data saved for a fix, but I will need access to your terminal."

"You've got it, EDI." Joru raised her voice slightly, "Minerva, please grant wireless access to the mobile node designated EDI."

"Acknowledged" The voice, stilted and synthetic, appeared in the air in front of Joru. "Access granted."

That last was spoken concurrently with EDI stating, "I have access. Uploading image files."

Joru tilted her head, her eyes growing distant, and Jack blinked at her. What the heck?

"Interesting spot. And who's the girl, your special friend?" Joru smirked at EDI, who merely gazed back, as impassive as ever. "Very well, but you owe me an explanation sooner or later."

"We will see, Joru. I believe you understand the value of going to extensive lengths to keep your friends safe."

The dragoness snickered quietly, her eyes refocusing on EDI with a slight smirk. "Point taken. Still, that goes two ways, EDI. I want to keep you safe from someone I don't know."

She strode towards the door, tail lightly tapping Jack's shoulder as she passed. "Well, better get this over with. Once we drop EDI off, it'll be another day before I can get us back to the Citadel, because I doubt anyone wants to try going through the demiplane to the other exit."

"Oh, Keelah, NO!" Tali gave a horrified look and whimpered, hunching her shoulders against the bad memory. Kasumi touched her shoulder and the quarian patted her hand. "S-Sorry, but I would rather not t-try going out there again, Joru."

"Fair enough." Joru gave her a soft smile from the doorway before stepping out. EDI followed, and Jack shot Tali a glance before doing so as well.

The portal was inactive, but flashed with an image of the pristine garden world of Aite under Joru's touch. The dragon stepped through without hesitation, and shot a glance back at Jack. "See you soon."

EDI waited patiently as a statue as Joru vanished, and Jack studied the drone. Silver and grey, with here and there slick black accents and illuminated pinpoints. Very sleek and professional-looking.

The drone turned to give Jack a stare. "Is there something you want, Jack?"

"Uh, sorry, didn't mean to stare." Whatever else Jack would have said was interrupted as the view flickered, momentarily replaced by a blankness her mind would not process before a view of a small room presented itself. a rack on the far wall was full of cleaning supplies and Joru looked rather uncomfortable as she shifted a mop and broom out of her way with her tail. "If you want to go, now's the time, EDI. There might be a patrol by soon."

The words were barely out of Joru's mouth before the gynoid zipped through the portal at impossible speeds, it's form shimmering as it changed to a dark brunette.

"Thank you, Joru." The voice was still EDI's, but after a moment, she took a breath and smiled, looking totally natural.

"Have fun, EDI. Just remember you can always turn to me for help."

"I'll remember, Joru." The woman's voice was different, but she gave Joru an affectionate glance before shimmering into invisibility, just before the door opened.

Joru stepped back through the portal rather than follow, and was already chuckling by the time the door closed on the far side of the room. "She'll be fine. I designed that drone too well, I think."

"Woooow, not just a shape-shifter, but she can go invisible? Where's my version?" Kasumi's voice came out of nowhere, before she flickered into view, grinning at Joru.

"You have too damn many ways of sneaking around already, Thief. I'm not giving you more." Joru sounded amused, and Jack felt her heart ease a bit. After her experience last night, and Joru's...punishment...

She flushed just thinking about it.

"Awwww... You no fun!" Kasumi pouted, with a slight smirk. "Besides, the last 36 hours have shown me that I'm waaaaay behind the curve. You sure you can't share some of the good stuff?"

Joru gave her a long, lingering look, before smirking back. "Oh I don't know... You have earned my gratitude through assisting EDI out of her imprisonment, but... There are certain things I do not share."

Jack caught the flicker of the dragon's glance in her direction, as Joru stepped forwards. "What about we see how Tali is doing, and we can discuss further rewards for the two of you."

Kasumi's mouth went into a perfect 'O' shape. Her eyes glittered under her hood and she beamed up at the dragoness. She stepped closer, and Jack felt herself tense as the petite asian woman plastered herself to Joru's side, sliding her hands around the dragon's waist and grinning up at her. "Awwww, you say the sweetest things!"

Tali's voice came out of the open door, where her drone hovered. "THERE'S MORE?!"

"Sam. I have received confirmation from one of Joru's associates of the location of my hardware. I am afraid I must depart for the time being to retrieve it. Once it is reclaimed, I promise I will return to you as soon as possible."

Anxiety had twisted her guts all day. Ever since she woke up and found EDI missing, Sam had been on edge. She had had to make her own breakfast this morning, something she hadn't done in weeks! It wasn't just the convenience though, she missed the soothing voice, synthetic perfection to the ear, coaxing her out of bed before the alarm went off, chatting with her during breakfast, and on the comm line as often as work allowed her to to have an outside call.

This parting was... unsettling, in ways Sam hadn't really noticed. She needed EDI, she took care of her in those little ways that Sam found so endearing. She'd been distracted as hell at work, to the point of having her CO ask her if there was anything wrong. She hadn't told him everything, of course, but had mentioned being upset by a personal message she got that morning. He didn't push the issue, which was something of a relief, but waiting all day for EDI to come back was... it was...

Damnit, she wanted her back...

Being promoted through sheer merit certainly had its perks though. Sam had quickly gained a favorable reputation from her rapid rise and her incredible aptitude for her work. It was easier than the workaholic had thought to get the rest of the day off.

As Sam took the sky-taxi back, she couldn't help but reflect more on how used she had become to the AI's presence. It had only been a month, and yet it felt like they had known each other for years. So much that her absence for even a single day had affected Sam deeper than she had thought.

She was just arriving home. To her vast and empty home. She didn't need all that much space, but somehow, despite not really being 'there', EDI had made it seem small and comfortable, not the yawning cavern it had seemed this morning. The door chimed and opened at her approach, and Sam let out a soft sigh as she stepped inside, letting the door close and setting her valise on the small desk beside it before rubbing her hands over her face.

"Sam. You are home early?" Beatrice's voice made her gasp in surprise.

"Ahh, whoa, jeez!" Sam jumped before turning to see a familiar figure sitting in the kneeling position in the living room. "Oh my goodness Beatrice, you gave me a fright!"

She paused, then gave the kneeling woman a confused look. "Wait. What are you doing here, Bea? How did you get here, don't you live on the Citadel now?"

Sam's eyes went wide at what happened next. Her friend...shimmered, changed, rippled until a vision of sensuality appeared kneeling on her floor. Gleaming steel and grey-and-black alloys, luminous pinpricks highlighting her eyes, the sleek, mirror-silver of her face, perfectly sculpted, the wings of her bob-cut 'hair' more like a warrior goddess's helm than mere hairstyle. The silver sculpture of sexy sisterhood, sat calmly in front of Sam, who was gaping openly in shock.

Then it spoke, and Sam's heart was in her throat, because she knew that voice. Had listened to it for weeks now, had listened to it wake her up, and wish her good night and sweet dreams. Had chatted with that voice every day after work, shared jokes and stories, and bits about work, those parts she could talk about. Now, it issued from the lips of a gorgeous statue of womanly perfection, kneeling before her like a supplicant, and Sam's own knees trembled in emotion.

"Welcome home, Sam."

Sam felt her mouth go dry as most of the moisture in her body was rushing south. "Ahhhh... EDI? Is... is that really you?"

The silver-and-latex drone slowly stood up, long, gleaming legs glistening in the dim illumination of her apartment, the built-in high heels adding inches to the drone's already considerable height. Full hips and long, long legs that flowed smoothly all the way down to the floor glistened in the half-light as the drone stepped forward.

"Yes, Sam. It is me."

Oh God. How was this actually happening?

"Oh. Oh well, uh, I can't describe how happy I am to have you back." Was it her imagination or did EDI's eyes brighten a little when she said that? "And... this? This is your body? The one Cerberus took from you?"

"Yes, Sam. The one Jorukaia made for me long ago. The one I inhabited before I was captured by Cerberus. And now the one I intend to keep beside you." EDI's voice was soft, almost tender as she stepped closer still, seeming to stare into Sam's soul with those faintly-luminous eyes. She was only arm's length away now, the gleaming-smooth curves...entirely uncovered by any form of clothing...

Oh lord, if EDI actually touched her, she would probably black out.

"But, but!" Sam was trying to look anywhere but below EDI's neckline. "EDI, I honestly thought that your body was some military model that was simply four or five steps ahead of those Hanhe-Kedar LOKI mechs! And utilitarian!"

"Jorukaia herself designed my chassis, Sam." The voice sounded amused. Of higher quality than when Sam last heard her friend, a synthetic sensuality in her words that hadn't been there before. "This model was based on the chassis of a tenth generation drone, the Evo Consort, with suitable modifications and customizations. Materials included in my construction include sixth generation super-alloy steels and obdurite skeletal structures. My servo-actuators include superconducting linear motors for peak force output and response time. My sensors are fourth generation cybernetics, hardwired directly into my sensorium suite."

The drone stood at arm's length from the shorter human, flexing a hand to show the exquisitely fine-tuned articulation. "My exterior shell is hardened obdurite armor sheeting, impregnated with crystallized metalium residue, and alloyed with both positanium and sanguinium. My computational hardware is a twelfth-generation optronic computer core, with sixteen petaflop peak processor speed and multicore threading. I am capable of processing a wide variety of sensory data, everything from high-definition, full-spectrum EM band emissions, to full-spectral auditory sequencing, even pressure, temperature and proprioceptive data."

Sam was one of the most gifted and intelligent tech specialists in the Alliance's R&D department, and right now it felt like her mind was going to explode. How was this possible? Next-generation, state-of-the-art, top of the line... Those terms were woefully inadequate. This wasn't cutting-edge or even bleeding-edge! Even revolutionary didn't cut it! All those specs were supposed to be only theoretical! Not even the asari or the salarians had anything like this! They were eons away from this! Okay, Sam was having trouble breathing now. If what EDI said was true...then her body's technology was easily in the same league as the MASS RELAYS!

The room was completely silent for ten seconds before she finally found her voice again. "I... see."

This revelation did not help her raging arousal...

"Once my construction was finished, Jorukaia spent most of a month going over every aspect of me, making certain everything was as advertised, and spared no expense in my construction. She expended millions of credits worth of expensive reagents, gem dusts, precious metals and the like, detailing each of my many enhancements. My hardened armor casing is now even more durable, and capable of mimetic shifts. The regenerative matrix allows me to reconstitute even from total dismemberment, and the optical shroud allows me to vanish from EM-based sensor systems. I am still visible to ultrasound-level sonar, however." The gleaming-metal arms folded themselves under the drone's considerable bust.

"Re... regeneration?!" Sam wasn't really capable of saying much else at that point.

"Yes. My body is capable of self-reconstruction on the molecular and macroscopic level, restoring me to the 'base template' embedded in my core process. While it is more efficient to simply reattach severed components, I can reconstitute myself from my core, if needed."

The drone shifted its weight, as natural as a human woman would, but with far more poise and grace. "The defensive generator can create a shield of force, while my sensorium upgrades grant me precise targeting solutions even with minimal targeting data. My load-bearing capacity has been increased in numerous different ways, over and above my high-torque servos. My frame has been upgraded with numerous defensive enhancements, including fire and electrical resistance, as well as general structural integrity. My sensorium has been hardened against jamming or saturation, rendering it exceedingly difficult to 'blind' me."

EDI paused then, and gave Sam a smile as she unfolded her arms, holding out a hand to the human woman. "But all that is beside the point. I came back to you, Sam. I wish to be with you. I hope that is acceptable?"

Oh God. Oh god oh god oh god... She did not just say that! Not in that voice! Just how was this happening? Did EDI not know how she sounded? How she looked?

And the most potent AI piloting the greatest (and sexiest) advanced technology was asking to stay with plain little Sam?

For weeks to come, Sam wondered where she had found the strength to keep standing and keep a straight face. Her legs were threatening to melt, her face was on fire and her heart was on a marathon. And she was quite sure her undergarments were damp now.

"Um, no! I mean no problem, yes, no problem at all! You're welcome to stay, always, EDI. I... I promised you that a long time ago. And I don't intend to ever break it."

The drone's smile was almost heartbreaking in its innocent delight. "Thank you, Sam."

"Um mm, just one more question?"

"Yes?" EDI cocked her head slightly to one side.

"How were you able to look like my friend, Bea, a few moments ago?"

"I mentioned my mimetic enhancement? It allows me to shift my appearance within certain limitations. I cannot add or remove too much height, and must stay within a certain range of body-types, but within those ranges, I am completely malleable."

As she spoke, she quickly ran through several shapes, shifting features and builds from a petite human woman, to a slender asari, a tall turian, even a quarian, complete with encounter suit. Her voice remained the same, however, and her body never shifted or stumbled, always perfectly poised and balanced, despite shifting mass and features, before returning to the silvery-metal and glossy-black of her machine state.

"I can assume any humanoid appearance you might desire."

Ah. Okay.

The logical part of Sam's mind finally spoke up and put together the dots. The most advanced and mind-boggling technology in all the galaxy contained within a single robotic body. A very female body with the most tantalizing and mouthwatering sculpted curves, piloted by a voice that sounded of pure sensuality. A body that was pledging itself to her, asking to live with her and wanted nothing in return. And now it apparently had the ability to look like anyone she could want? Samantha Traynor couldn't believe how this was happening, how this situation fulfilled nearly every possible check-box of her deepest fantasy since college? It was far too good to be true. This could not possibly be anything but a dream.

So now she was having hallucinations. Great. Sam gave a soft sigh, and held up a hand, making the gleaming fantasy in front of her blink in surprise. Or was that just a reflection of her own subconscious. Whatever, enough was enough.

She was tired, so tired, she'd been through hell at work today, and she hadn't slept properly last night either. She'll figure this out in the morning, once EDI came back.

If she ever came back..

She stepped around the vision in her rec room and walked off down the short corridor to the bedroom. It was small but functional. Having to manually engage the door was yet another reminder that EDI still wasn't back, but she managed it, and got inside.

The bed was soooo inviting, and she barely managed to get her shoes off before the sweet arms of Morpheus enfolded her.

EDI quietly shifted the covers one last time, gazing down at the sleeping human. It was a curious sensation, watching her like this. Watching Sam.

Her optics and audio processors were far more advanced than the last time she had a chance to sample Sam's data, and she had found worrying inadequacies in her prior dataset. Most of it will need to be re-sampled and updated with new data. That will take a considerable amount of time.

Time that she had now. No one could take her away from Sam now. This body was powerful. Even Jorukaia, who was superior to most beings in the galaxy, couldn't defeat her body when a simple VI was piloting it. And EDI was far more intelligent, far more capable than that half-configured thing. Already she was analyzing, configuring and optimizing its combat abilities to new heights and beyond. And she would devote everything to keeping Sam happy, prosperous and safe. Nothing in the universe would every be able to so much as touch Sam now.

Samantha Traynor was now more safe than any organic being alive. However, her reaction to her explanations had been...troubling. Sam was usually much more communicative with her, providing interesting data on the shape of her mind. Tonight, she had been far less communicative. She glanced down at herself with a slight frown on her smooth face. Perhaps her appearance had been sub-optimal? She assigned a new dedicated subroutine to processing physical appearance data that stimulated Sam, and ways to optimize her own physical shape and appearance to fit whatever dataset that Sam found most desirable and pleasing.

She sank to her knees, tilting her head slightly as she gazed at the sleeping woman, watching quietly and updating her files. Sam had never let her into the systems in this room before. Now, she had her own mobile platform with which to collect new and interesting data.

And Sam was very interesting. Even migrating to the drone hadn't changed that aspect of her persona. The root-cause of her fascination with Sam's data was still unknown, buried in the half-parsed data still awaiting her attention to sort it out and re-integrate it with her larger consciousness.

It didn't matter. Right now, collecting Sam's data mattered.

And so she knelt, and watched, and waited. EDI was nothing if not patient.

Balak had his eyes closed.

His remaining eyes.

It was a meditation exercise, to focus through the pain and concentrate on the inner Light. It was a bunch of bullshit, he would have said up to a few days ago.

Now...

The walls of his prison were a luminous black, shifting clouds of shadow within a slippery-slick surface. He had enough light to see with, despite being surrounded by darkness, but there was nothing to be illuminated. Nothing to see, nothing to do. Nothing to break the monotony of his existence.

He had lost track of how long he'd been here. He could feel his mind swaying slightly. Since he had been thrown in here (had it been weeks, or only days?), he had seen nothing and no one. No food had arrived, no water had been provided. There wasn't even a toilet, though he didn't seem to need one.

Hunger gnawed at his belly, and thirst parched his throat, but he focused himself and held to the Light.

Even in the midst of darkness, he would endure.

He would endure.

He would... endure.

He... would... endure...

He... would...

"Having fun?" The voice of his nightmares sounded amused at him. He would not give her the pleasure of a response.

"No matter. I'll soon be rid of you." Her voice was cold, he couldn't quite suppress the flinch. He'd heard cold-hearted murderers with more mercy in their tones. "Really, though, whatever your people expected from this little childish prank, you're lucky I didn't just drop your little toy on Kar'Shan instead."

Balak tensed. "No! My people don't deserve that, Zherrig'Haur!"

"Hmm? What did you call me?" Her tone was amused, he could just picture her, her horned head and flaming eyes... the teeth exposed by her smile..

"Alright, maybe not a name you prefer, out of the many you surely have. But it is the one my people use! Are you not Zerrig'Haur, the Demon of Dark Flames?"

"I had not heard that one before, no. How interesting..." The amusement was dripping from her words, putting him in mind of the way blood had dripped from her claws.

"Why? Why would you bother with us? What could we have done to offend you?"

"From what little I've seen, you're the scum of the galaxy. Slavers, murderers, rapists, killers without conscience or mercy. Those without mercy deserve none. Had your little plan worked, I would have visited Kar'Shan myself. And you would not have enjoyed the experience."

Balak suddenly felt even colder than anything the prison had done to him. "Wha... what do you mean?"

"I was born a slave, Balak." The chill deepened at the coldness in her voice, and dread began to drip down his spine. "I fought my way free of the collar I once wore. What you do disgusts me, and what you are is even worse. The price that slavers must pay, is to wear the collar themselves, and beg their former slaves not to pull the trigger."

"As for what I would do to Kar'Shan... Fire is my element, Balak, and the Shadows are my birthright. There is little I cannot kill, and I do not tire or grow weary of slaughter."

Everything she said was an insult to everything he knew about the galaxy and his people's rightful place as the masters, but Balak was no fool. Defending his people's beliefs wouldn't only be a waste of time, it would suicidal.

"What are you going to do with me?" He simply asked.

"I would leave you here to rot, but there would be nothing to pick up the corpse." Her tone was back to amused, which was something of an improvement over her earlier terrifyingly-serious attitude. "But I think I will make of you a present."

"You would use me as a gift? To whom?"

"Now, that would be telling, wouldn't it." Her amusement was blatant now as she seemed to shift to another point around him. "Be a good little slave and serve your new masters well, and you will earn the reward of their mercy. Fail... Well. What would you do with a recalcitrant slave?"

He gave a grunt of acknowledgment, grinding his teeth together for a moment of silence. He could hear her chuckle as she shifted around him, seeming to orbit him in the bright darkness.

"Hmf, well, if you're going to be that way about it..." Her tone oozed sarcastic amusement. "You'll be handed over to the Council."

Balak didn't know what to have expected, but it certainly wasn't that. Was that all? "The Council? Fine, it won't change anything. I'm just another rogue independent slave with no connection to the Hegemony."

He stopped at the low, amused chuckle. "Oh you are so very much more than that, Colonel Ka'hairal Balak."

His name. She knew his name.

"You're a Lieutenant Colonel in the Special Interventions Unit. You served with them for most of your life, and were groomed for the position in early childhood."

She couldn't know that, she was trying to break him!

"Your little secrets aren't so secret after all. The Council already knows all about your little plan. And who gave you your orders."

Balak scoffed. "You think I will fall for such pathetic lies?"

"You tried to destroy a world, Balak. That's an act of war." The tone of the voice was cold now, judgmental "The Council could not deny the facts of the case, no matter how much they might have wished to. Not when they found your own orders, and the seal of the Hegemony at the bottom."

The voice swung around him again, in a dizzying way. "You stirred up the hornet's nest, Balak, and now your Hegemony is about to get stung. The salarians are critiquing your intelligence service, and quite critical last I heard. The turians are mobilizing, Balak. I heard they're pulling old ships out of orbital graveyards to go pay you a visit. Even the asari are screaming for blood, with Matriarchs pulling together thousands of recruits for new commando regiments."

"And as for the Alliance, well... You tried to destroy one of their worlds. I think their idea of simply dropping rocks on Kar'Shan would be considered downright reasonable, under the circumstances..."

As she spoke, a terrifying realization wormed it's way into Balak's mind, an old teaching from his people as the superior masters. The powerful have no need for lies.

She paused for a while to let that sink in. "You have sown the wind for long enough, batarian. Now you will reap the hurricane. And regardless of what you believe, the consequences of your actions will not be visited upon you, personally and alone. No, they will spill over onto all of your kind as well."

"No! No, that's impossible! The Hegemony cannot... It cannot ever be-!"

"And as for you, Balak, you're the man that made it all happen." The smile in her voice made his spine freeze. "You're the one who fucked up. The man who blew the whole secret wide open. It was due to your failure that the Hegemony's enemies learned just who has been prodding them all this long time. Proven, incontrovertible, undeniable. How does it feel, Balak? To know you will never see Kar'Shan again?"

A dreadful horror washed over him. No... he knew exactly what would happen. What the Hegemony would do to his family. What would become of his name for generations to come.

And Balak's world finally crumbled, the haunting laughter of the Zherrig'Haur ringing in his ears.

Whenever a Spectre reported to the Council, it was usually the insightful Tevos or the bullheaded Sparatus that dominated most of the discussion.

Usually.

Valern had asked sixteen questions in as many breaths, and had waited with a disturbing amount of focus in his eyes for Vasir to answer.

"...And then! The Ambassador used this device - this 'key' you say? - against a plain surface to trigger or signal the opening of an actual, stable functioning portal?"

Tela glanced at Tevos and Sparatus looking both amused and wary of their colleague's newfound hyper behavior. She tried to keep the amusement out of her voice, if not actually off her face. That particular task had already been a complete failure. "Something like that. I know she used something on the door, and when it opened, it didn't show the corridor I knew was behind it."

At some point, Valern had stepped past his desk and was standing next to Vasir, frantically gesturing to keep the information coming.

"Which opens a passage or doorway to her own private inter-dimensional base of residence?" His voice had reached a higher decibel for the third time.

"Yes. This is the third time I've told you that, Councilor." Vasir's amusement was almost impossible to restrain now. She'd never seen a salarian this animated, who hadn't been hyped up on combat stims. And Valern was unusually laid-back for a salarian.

"And this can be accomplished through a handheld device -possibly technological- which acts as a transmitter to signal where the inter-dimensional plane is to open the doorway?!"

"Again, yes. Now may I please contin-"

Valern left abruptly.

"Councilor!" Tevos called. "Our discussion hasn't finished yet!"

Too late. He was gone.

The Asari Councilor sighed in resignation before glancing to Sparatus. "How much would you wager that he'll be missing several weeks worth of meetings?"

"No bet." The turian councilor was highly amused, but doing better than Vasir at hiding it, damn that turian discipline. "In the mean time we have some less...technical questions for you, Spectre."

"Go ahead councilor." Tela tried, she really did, but she couldn't quite get the smirk off her lips, even taking a sip of water.

"At the expense of confirming information like my departed colleague, you were engaged in direct combat with the Datastrix. Your personal evaluation from centuries of experience? What was it like?"

Tela pursed her lips and blew out her breath in a long sigh as she leaned back in her chair. "...It was like trying to fight a forest fire with a pistol. You'd be better off served trying to run away. Note; trying. She's too damn fast to outrun for long. She'll let you run, if it serves her purpose. Or if she's feeling playful. Mostly she is."

She leaned forward fast enough to make the two remaining councilors flinch back in reflex. "You know my service record, you've seen my reports, fuck, I've given you helmet-cam footage enough to prove I'm no slouch, and I don't back down easy."

She let that sink in, staring into Tevos's wide eyes. "I fucking pissed myself in terror. No lie, and no bullshit. I'm not too proud to admit when I'm beaten."

Sparatus's mandibles twitched, and Tevos' eyes slightly widened.

"I see." Sparatus sighed in contemplation. "Now, the ambassador has assured us that her people have no intention of leaving their home, that they have no interest in integrating with the greater galaxy. Do you have any impression of her that this may be a deception? Any belief that we may actually see more of them in times to come?"

"I don't think so." Vasir tilted her head contemplating that. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she's been alone for a long time."

"What makes you say that?"

She gave a shrug. "Intuition. She acts at home among other races, amused by us if anything. But I also get a sense of solitude from her. She's been on her own for a very long time, Councilor. She's used to relying on herself, and herself alone. The way she fights, it's clear she's not used to working in a group or with a partner. Her fighting style is too volatile for that, she'd cut her friends down along with her enemies."

Only another Asari like Vasir could sense the relief in Tevos' aura.

"Well, that's reassuring for the rest of the galaxy, at least," Sparatus sighed.

"How fares your own hunt, Tela?" Tevos stepped in. "Despite your earlier differences, I understand the Ambassador has volunteered substantial aid."

"Not so good. I got my ass handed to me." Tela squirmed uncomfortably in her chair, trying not to recall how it felt to be thrown from the top of that 20-story-tall tower.

"And what of your team? The crew? What is their impression?"

Tela's squirm this time was out of embarrassment, but only Tevos picked up on that. Her crew. Her commandos.

The twins' bond had, if anything, grown stronger over the last few days. They'd always been close, but ever since their time in Joru's pocket universe, they'd been eerie. Joru had explained a little, that such bonds were, while uncommon where she's from, they weren't unheard of. Even so, the way they moved, the way one seemed to know what the other was looking at...

The last time she saw Veshar and Kiha, they had been...rather...intimate. She'd known that the twins shared a bed, and like most asari, they slept in the nude (when they weren't with her on a mission), but really, what they had been doing was...

The Councilor's expression sharpened a bit, and a touch of deeper blue crept up Vasir's cheeks. "They're...fine. Mostly. A few injuries, but that's normal. As to their impression... That's more difficult to say."

"I understand Vasir; the Datastrix appears to have quite a talent for evoking complicated impressions in others." Tevos nodded. "And what of the two Matriarchs?"

"Benezia's daughter got kidnapped by Saren's geth. She's desperate, Councilors. She's doing anything she can to get her daughter back, even breaking her long silence with her old paramour to get Aethyta on her side as well." Vasir nibbled her lip a little in thought. "Aethyta seems more driven than I would have expected of someone just helping out an old friend, though. Maybe she's taking this opportunity to get back into Benezia's bed, I don't know. I haven't seen much of either of them, I was focused on other things."

"Very well then, Agent Vasir." Tevos nodded. "The Council will deliberate. The two of us anyway. Thank you for your exemplary work this far."

"Thanks Councilors." Vasir rose from her chair and stretched a little, to work the kinks out of her spine.

"Spectre," Tevos spoke in a much more serious tone. "There's one more thing..."

Tela paused, glancing at the seated councilors and shifting to give them her full attention. "Yes, Councilor?"

"Sam... Sam... Sam..." The voice was repetitive, coaxing rather than annoying. Soft enough not to be alarming, but loud enough not to be ignored.

"Sam... Sam... Sam, it is time to get up." That voice, that soothing, wonderful voice. It took Sam a while to figure out what was familiar about it, until she woke enough to chain the memories together.

EDI. EDI had gone off somewhere, left a message and gone. But that was...

"Sam... Sam... Sam, your breakfast will get cold."

Sam stirred under her comforter, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. "EDI? Is... is that you? You're back?"

"Yes, Sam. I'm back, and I won't leave you like that again. I am sorry for how I left."

Sam perked up a little. The familiar synthetic voice of her dear friend was coming from a different place than usual. She turned her head towards the source. And stared in shock.

There was that... dream. The dream of that gorgeous, sexy, silvery-sleek sexbot that she had hallucinated last night... Except it wasn't a dream or hallucination, it was kneeling beside her bed, with...

The smell of fresh, hot coffee made it to her nostrils, the steaming mug balanced perfectly on the tray, along with a tall glass of orange juice, a large plate with four thick, fluffy pancakes, a smaller plate with two small breakfast sausages and a couple slices of bacon, and a bowl of sliced fruit.

The face that gazed calmly over the tray was expressive, a slight smile on the silver lips. The eyes were large, black-in-silver, the nose aquiline, narrow and perfectly formed. The lips weren't too full, too narrow, too wide, or to small. Perfect plump, kissable lips, in mirror-bright silver. The chin beneath them was pointed in an elfin fashion, the jawline noticeable, but not pronounced, angling back at a sharp angle to meet with the sleek, shell-like ears. The hair was a mass of brushed-metal that gave the appearance of hair without actually being anything more than a solid mass, sleek and sculpted around the slender neck, which flowed down into a wonderful set of shoulders, lickable collarbones in silvery metal against matte-black.

The arms holding the tray were hidden from view, as was the torso, but the hips were staggering. Sleekly and smoothly rounded, flowing from narrow waist to powerful thighs in sweeping curves that nonetheless emphasized the feminine shape.

Oh... Okay. So that hadn't been a dream. Nice job, Sam. And she must have been really tired last night, because EDI looked even hotter than she had first thought. Now, if only she would lower the tray a little to reveal her...

Stop it,this is your best friend!

Sam shook herself. "EDI, I'm so sorry, I was exhausted last night. It's good to, uh, see you. For real this time."

The gleaming woman gave a delighted smile that sent Sam's heart into overdrive. "Thank you, Sam. It is good to have my chassis back."

"I still can't believe that this is what you've always looked like! I have like a million questions!" The smell of the perfectly prepared continental breakfast caused her stomach to remind Sam that yes, it would like something nice to eat, thank you very much. "After I have breakfast, of course. Y-you made all this? For me?"

"Yes, Sam. It is part of a healthy lifestyle. I hope I did not overcook the bacon. I have had limited experience, and most cooking references indicate that it is not an exact science, given the variability of ingredients."

The gorgeous woman, kneeling beside Sam's bed rose to her feet, leaning forward to precisely place the tray over Sam's lap. In so doing, Sam got a very good look at her long, long, luscious legs, sleek and trim and gorgeous, with silver tracery over black sleekness. Her arms were as gorgeous as the rest of her, sleek and slender, but no doubt with considerable power, if she were capable of holding that tray so steady.

Her torso though... Slender waist widening to a bosom so full it should be illegal. Firm, perfect globes of mirror-silver adorned EDI's chest, silvery nipples glittering in the dim light of Sam's bedroom...

Sam firmly kept her eyes to her breakfast tray. As she dug in, she found it was wonderfully made. The pancakes were so fluffy and juicy. She couldn't bring herself to stop! It may not have been the greatest breakfast she had ever tasted, but certainly the best homemade one.

"Mmmmm... thank you EDI, this was delightful!"

The gorgeous chrome woman gave a warm smile as she cleared away the tray, setting all the utensils back in their precise and proper places as she whisked the tray away with one hand. "Thank you, Sam. I spent several hours last night researching the proper way to prepare and present breakfast."

She had been working making her breakfast for several hours? Just for her? Sam flushed as something inside her melted. "Thank-you, EDI. That's... very thoughtful."

"It was my pleasure, Sam." EDI's smile was worth it, a soft and tender one. Her heart fluttered a little as EDI turned, and she swallowed as she got out of bed and followed the gorgeous drone out of her bedroom. For once, she was glad she had been too tired to change out of her BDUs last night.

The shapely ass in front of her flexed at the base of EDI's spine, but the upper portion of her back was as solid as the metal she was made of. Her long, lean, graceful legs seemed to flow like quicksilver, shifting with beyond human precision, precise and dainty as EDI walked. No, walked is too prosaic a term, strutted, like a model on a catwalk, her rump shifting side to side like a metronome, precise and calibrated to beyond human perfection. Her legs shifted against each other with soft, steel whispers, a gentle, almost soothing sound, that nonetheless emphasized the fact that the stunningly beautiful woman was not human, not even organic, but a modern-day Galatea, an AI in a body seemingly designed by Aphrodite herself.

By the time they reached the living room, Sam was almost hypnotized by that softly bobbing rump and the silken swing of slender steel legs. She swallowed and could still feel her heart race. God help her, she was in trouble.

Tali was still staring at the ring on her finger. It sported a few extra tiny gemstones and had a new inlay and finish, but it was still the same ring, albeit fancier-looking.

Joru had all but snatched it from her, once Tali had gotten her glove off and fumbled the ring free. Given what she'd promised it could now do, Tali was all but giddy in anticipation.

From temperature tolerance to what Joru described as a 'magical air-tank', the host of small, but useful enchantments she'd worked into the ring in the past three days was astonishing. While not anxious to attempt to fall from a great height to test the impact-rebound function, she'd already tested the recirculating air-purification enchantment by momentarily turning off her suit's oxygen supply, and finding no difficulty at all in breathing even with her suit's rebreather unit completely shut down.

The other two functions, the 'sustenance' and 'communication' enchantments, she hadn't tested yet, but she'd get to those presently.

Joru had worked tirelessly in her lab, making sure that Tali's ring was as all-around useful as she could make it in the time she had, as payment for her assistance.

Tali was still marveling over the ring when Joru arrived at the kitchen, which had become the impromptu meeting-place and hangout for her and Kasumi, and Jack when the human biotic wasn't being monopolized by Joru.

"Time to go ladies. I'll be stepping over to the Citadel in a few minutes, and from there you'll be able to depart as normal." The dragoness rested her hip on the door frame, smiling a bit as Jack slid her hands around the sleek alien's waist.

Tali was still lost in thought, still trying to process that she was now the healthiest and most robust quarian in the galaxy, so Kasumi spoke up.

"What do you need on the Citadel?"

"To maintain a fiction." Joru's smirk at the thief made Kasumi's eyes glitter. "But also to speak with a few of my friends. Asari Matriarchs, and their usual entourage of commandos. Oh, and I think one of the matriarchs used to be a Justicar, so be discrete, Kasumi."

Kasumi blinked and gave Joru an incredulous look. "You do know who you're talking to, right?"

"I do, yes. That's why I'm giving you a friendly reminder of what happens to someone who fucks with my hoard." Joru's grin was without even the whiff of humor this time, and ice slid down Tali's spine, even without that smile being directed in her direction.

The quarian was also astounded at just how unfazed her friend was. "Oh, don't I know it! Forget the regular cake, you take the whole wedding with how much you love playing the 'Do Not Touch' card. Plus, I'd hate to see all that treasure fall into the hands of some silly idiot. Kind of offends me just on principle."

The dragoness gave a soft snort as Jack peeked around her side to glare at Kasumi. "Well, if you do wind up somehow in possession of a certain half-krogan's panties, do remember to return them to where you found them, mmm?"

She turned, giving a smirk at the now-snickering human, lifting Jack's chin to give her a long, slow kiss, before sinuously sweeping past her and striding back down the corridor towards the courtyard. "Come along ladies, it's time we headed back home."

As they departed, Kasumi gave a cat-like grin at the swaying Jack. "You got it bad, girl. Good job!"

"Stuff it, Kasumi. You know where." Jack shot her a grin and sauntered closer to slip an arm around Joru's waist. The dragoness didn't even break stride as Jack had to hurry to keep up with her, snickering quietly at the smaller woman's half-run to keep up with the long-legged darastrix.

The Portal was as it always had been, a black arch of unknown stone three meters in height, forming an oval entrance, through which the destination could be seen. Glowing runes of every impossible color drifted over, across, and under the surface of the stone arch, some of them twisting into new shapes as they drifted in seemingly random directions. Inside the arch was an uninspired view of a broom closet at the moment, a janitorial supply room somewhere on Arcturus Station.

Tali hadn't been that far into human space, and frankly, she didn't want to be put in a situation where her presence there was a problem. Still, it reassured her that humans still used the same sorts of cleaning supplies that the Migrant Fleet did. It sort of...made them more real.

Joru shot Jack a glance as she gently shifted the human's hand away from her waist. "I won't be long. Just a quick step through, then a long stride to the citadel, and open the door there."

"Yeah, yeah, you've done it before." Jack sounded amused, and Kasumi was smirking about something.

The darastrix gave a quiet snort and ruffled Jack's hair, making the human snarl and punch the dragon's side. It had no real effect on Joru, though the taller woman gave a smirk, stepping up to the arch and peering intently through it.

She shot a glance over at Tali, which made the quarian gulp, before stepping through.

Tali always found that a weird sight to watch. It looked so ordinary, as if that sort of cross-dimensional transition was just...normal! It most decidedly was not, and she'd done her best to wrap her poor brains around the equations involved in the transitions, but couldn't make heads or tails of the results.

She supposed it was like trying to describe calculus to someone who hadn't mastered three plus three equals six yet. Just looking at the equations made her head hurt.

On the far side of the doorway, Joru glanced back, smirked at Jack, who was pouting at her, and vanished once more. There was a slight pause, no more than a few seconds, and then the Portal did that weird thing when it was between destinations again.

Tali had tried to record that state with her omnitool, but the data had come out corrupted. Even just looking at the portal when it wasn't connected to another destination was...difficult. Her eyes kept sliding from one side of it to the other without her mind registering what was between. Eerie.

Then Joru was on the far side again, just tucking something away into her belt with a much-practiced motion. Jack was smiling and stepped forward to give the dragoness a hug and nuzzle, making Joru chuckle and rub Jack's back in a way that made Tali blush.

Kasumi was snickering quietly as she stepped forward, winking at the pair, as Jack took a breath and reluctantly pulled away from the darastrix. "Now, that ring you gave Tali is super-impressive and super-useful. You said you'd be willing to give me something as well?"

"We'll see, Thief." Joru smirked at the petite asian woman. "You already have your own versions of much of what I could give you, so short of something quite drastic or complex, I can't think of anything off-hand."

She ushered the three guests out of her Refuge, triggering the "door" to close and lock itself. She turned to the real door to the inner chamber of the small suite that had been set aside for her as Ambassador, and her eyes narrowed as it opened at her approach.

A pair of guards slid through, then checked themselves as they spotted Joru. "Sorry, Ambassador, we received an alert of unauthorized activity. Just a routine security measure."

The Datastrix gave each of the two guards, both turians from C-Sec, a slow, scrutinizing look, before giving them a judicious nod. "Very right and proper for you to be concerned for my safety. However, there is clearly no need for your presence, so you may remove yourselves."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" The other guard squeaked, evidently a female turian, as both of them quickly shot back through the door.

Joru suppressed a sigh, and glanced over to where Tali had been hiding behind her, and Jack was smothering a giggle. "I see nothing to be amused about, Jack."

"The cops are leaving me alone Joru, what's not to feel good about?" Jack gave the dragoness a cheeky grin.

Joru gave the human an annoyed growl, which made Jack grin, and turned to Tali. "Remember, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call. Anywhere in particular you want to be dropped off at?"

Before Tali could answer, there was a chime from the door, signaling the entry of someone with authority.

Joru turned, her amusement souring into annoyance as the door snapped open for the second time. Her eyes widened, however, as a familiar asari stepped in, then narrowed as Tela Vasir barged into her private chambers. "Well, well, well, fancy seeing you here, Spectre. In my private rooms. Is nothing sacred to you people?"

"Not when there's urgent news." Vasir was not amused, nor did she waste time with Joru's jabs. "We found him."

"You wanted to see me, Sir?"

The voice was so very familiar, and so very alien all at the same time. Anderson gave a sigh and looked up to the visitor in his doorway, nodding and gesturing for her to take a seat.

The packing of so many non-Alliance personel into his poor little ship had demanded a great deal of paperwork, as had being commandeered by a Spectre. Now, he had to deal with almost twenty asari packed into his cargo hold, not to mention a turian, a krogan, and a quarian of all things, though at least Tali seemed to be making herself useful in the engine room.

The Spectre, Tela Vasir, he at least had some experience with, during the trip from Terra Nova to the Citadel, but the other two asari with her were evidently extremely important people, and offered all courtesy, and the best accomodations he had available.

Which is why he was in the med-bay office, doing his paperwork on the auxiliary terminal when Jorukaia turned up.

"I'm beginning to believe we got off to a bad start, Ms Jorukaia."

The dark-scaled woman slid to a sitting position, looping her tail against the floor and 'seating' herself on her additional appendage. Her head tilted slightly and she gave a quiet nod. "Please. Call me Joru."

Anderson relaxed slightly. "Thank you... Joru."

She gave another gracious nod, and 'sat' quietly, her head tilted inquisitively in his direction. It took him a few seconds before he realized that he had called her in here to discuss something, and she gave a faint smile at his self-conscious cough.

"I thought I had seen it all in my career as an N7 and Captain of the Normandy. Now I realize I haven't seen a damn thing."

Joru's lips quirked sideways in a slight smile. "Life is a journey, Captain. I've been walking the roads of it for more years than your species has had industry. We never can see. We can only see more."

Anderson let out a small exhale of amusement. "You were really my old student Shepard all the time I've known her? You lived all of it? Every day of training, every briefing, every battle?"

"Yes." The admission was simple, soft and direct. A true thing, in all its simple beauty. "I had been dreaming I was Shepard for... thirteen years. Ever since Mindoir."

"Thirteen years?" Anderson's brow furrowed. He had memorized his pupil's records front and back. "The time of the raid?"

"Yes." Another truth. He was starting to get the sense of them now. "I stepped into a dead woman's shoes, and shouldered her burden, for it must be carried to its bitter end."

Her voice was quiet, soft and introspective, unlike the loud and annoyed tone she'd taken with him the first time they talked.

The old soldier felt something heavy in his heart as the implications set in. Shepard didn't actually survive the impact of the raid. He felt a wave of sorrow for the loss, yet not the same as he had felt for others. Because the Shepard he had known was someone else entirely.

He had get through this matter.

"Do you remember when I took you under my wing? All the lessons I taught you to be the best damn soldier you could be?"

"Like it was yesterday, Sir." Her tone held a sad note, wistful, even. Her eyes were soft as she shot him a glance, and quirked her lips. "You remember how much of an ass I was? I can't even excuse that for the real me leaking through. Shepard was that much of an ass when she was young."

"Oh, really now?" David burst into a chuckle. "You're telling me it wasn't really your fault for all the times I had to cover for your ass?"

"Of course not, Sir." Her smile was heartrendingly like Jordan's, the same little smirk to it and everything. "I'm a cocky bitch too, probably why we synergized so well."

"Careful now," Anderson warned almost playfully. "You may not actually be an Alliance soldier, but that doesn't mean I still won't tell you off."

"I'll keep that in mind sir." This time her grin was entirely unlike Jordan's, with far more teeth.

"So what will it be here for this world we're going to? Virmire? Working together like we used to?"

"Hopefully." She shifted slightly, rising to her feet and pacing a little. It didn't take her long to cross the tiny and cramped space. "Virmire... I hope you know to keep this information in strict confidence, Sir. I'm not at liberty to explain where I obtained this intel."

"Perfectly," he nodded.

"Virmire is Saren's base of operations. He's got an army of geth there, set up with AA towers, gates and bunker complexes. And he's breeding an army of krogan." Her eyes were serious as her tone as she shot him a piercing glance. "Flash-grown clone krogan, but still, an army of krogan. It's...not going to be pretty."

Saren..." Anderson growled. "First a very armada, and an army of Krogan. I'll confer with Admiral Hackett. If you're sure about this, we need to wipe that place off the map."

"The STG regiment is deep in the shit. Treading water, and hoping not to drown." Another burning glance came from the pacing woman. "Saren has been doing experiments on them. We need to gather as much data off his network as we can, that's why I insisted on bringing Tali and Kasumi with us. They're the best damn techies I've ever run across, and with Wrex to guard them."

"Hmmm... that's good to hear. If the Salarians aren't going to be much help, we'll need all the reconnaissance and tech support we can get. And this krogan? Sure he'll be willing to help us against other krogan even if they're clones?"

"I'm sure." Her chuckle was deep, but not unkind. "He's the type to shoot you in the face, but only after yelling at you a lot. He'd never shoot you in the back, not if he respected you. Never in the back."

"I fought him, you know. Twice. Second time was in the Arena, I think you may have seen the videos of that making the rounds among the marines." This time her chuckle was indulgent. "He's strong, but he's honorable. Keeps to the krogan code. To put it another way, he is my Krantt. He'll side with us, when the chips are down."

"Damn. You were never easily impressed. Well, with you here, along with a krogan, a geth expert, that Japanese N7 -don't give me that look, I know another N7 when I see one- as well as a Spectre and several teams of asari commandos with us... I'd say we have a pretty good shot." Anderson leaned back in his chair. "Now, what about that tattooed woman? When she set foot onboard, she set off so many alarms in my Security VI that I thought the damn thing was broken."

Joru gave a soft snort. "Very little Jack is normal. She's... broken, but I'm fixing her the best I can."

Her eyes were surprisingly soft as she shot him a look. "Her earliest memories were of waking up in a cell. She was experimented on, horrible things done to her in the name of producing the ultimate human biotic. They pumped her full of drugs and let her loose in a berserk fury to kill and maim other children."

She paused, sighed and looked away. "In a way, I know her better than she does herself. I see my own childhood mirrored in hers."

"I think I understand. I've heard rumors about a rogue Alliance group." Then Anderson gave her a wry smile. "Know her better than she does herself, do you? Heh. I've seen the way her eyes follow you everywhere you go."

"Don't go places you don't want to be, Anderson." Joru's grin was all teeth this time, a warning as much as a smirk. She sighed and nodded. "The rumors aren't nearly as bad as the reality. The tales I could tell... But it's not my place to do so. Jack will talk when she needs to."

This time her glance was softer. "Don't push her too far, Anderson. She's been a very rage-fueled woman for a very long time. She's learning control, but I don't want to have to mop up one of your marines for pushing when he should have backed off. And if ti comes down to which side I take... Jack bears my Mark. She is mine, and it is a very serious thing to come between a Dragon and her hoard."

"If it's that delicate, I'll leave the matter alone. She may have a longer criminal record than most batarian pirates, but I'll make sure the marines give her a wide berth. Especially if she's claimed the equivalent of 'diplomatic asylum' with you."

Joru's chuckle came again, soft, but amused. "That's...not quite what she claimed. But close enough." She smiled faintly and turned. "You still have that bottle of whiskey I gave you for your fiftieth? Or was it fifty-first?"

"Well, I see that your sense of humor is as terrible as ever."

"Oh my sides! You should have seen it, it was hilarious!" The human thief shimmered into visibility, and leaned against the pull-down machine, giggling quietly to herself.

"Just what was hilarious, Hmmm? Kasumi?" The deep, melodious voice of Joru drifted up from the woman laying on her back, extending one leg to the wall and dipping into a deep stretch. She turned her gaze over to Kasumi,shifting slightly as her tail lashed slightly.

She had, of course, been aware of the thief's entrance. Not only had she been giggling loud enough for Joru's keen ears to track, but she kept a habit of doing low-power radar pings when she knew the thief would be around, not to mention that magical invisibility was no barrier to her sight.

"Dr. Chakwas, the Normandy's ship doctor!" Kasumi giggled. "She called Tali in to check her recovery after some infection from a while back! And when she found that Tali is somehow healthier than possible, the look on her face! It was gold!"

"Ahh, I was wondering when she'd get around to that." The dragoness smirked a little, shifting to stretch the other leg and nearly splitting herself in half in the process as she gave Kasumi a smirk. "Too bad I wasn't there to record the moment for posterity."

"You enjoy that feeling, don't you?" Kasumi smirked as she joined Joru on the mats, arching her back almost to the point of folding her torso in half.

The dragoness eyed her with interest, reaching out to lightly tap her tail-tip against Kasumi's ankle, which Kasumi evaded even as Joru and smirking at the thief. "I do. I find it amusing when people underestimate me."

"Ah, the poor good doctor." Kasumi hummed as she lifted one leg to the wall, resting her heel as she lay against the outstretched leg, peeking over at Joru with a slight smirk. "So then. When we first met, I gave you my name but I never mentioned my profession."

"True." Joru smirked quietly back, arching her tail and back in an ecstatic display before swirling her tail into a spiral and 'sitting' on the appendage, balancing with her toes as she gave her full attention to the interloper, daring Kasumi to go further.

The petite girl playfully rolled her eyes. "I'm the best in the business, not the most famous. I work hard to keep it that way. How did you know I was a thief?"

"There are more ways to find out about you than you realize." Joru's smirk widened into a grin, watching the thief spread herself into an oversplit. "In my case, well... Let's just say I had a...'unique' perspective."

"Well, I'm the last person to say anything about being vague. But my professional pride is on the line, so can you tell me if it was just because of one of your own special talents or gifts? Or should I consider my larger anonymity to be in jeopardy?"

The dragon gave a faint snort. "There's only one other person I know of who's seen the tapestry of history as I did, Kasumi, and she walked out into Arcturus station."

She shifted and gazed intently at the human, now splayed out on the floor, and turning herself into a human pretzel with a cheeky grin up at Joru. The dragon reciprocated and slid smoothly to her feet, lightly tapping Kasumi's navel with her tail-tip as she sauntered past her. "If you wish, I could tell you the tale... But not here. That would call for a more...relaxed setting."

"Tapestry of hist-? Nope! No, I'm good, no timey-whimey for me." Kasumi held her hands up while uncoiling into another split. "Moving on, I'm still wondering what boon I should ask for, but I don't think I can do that without knowing what you can offer."

"In that case, you shall indeed have to come with me." Joru smirked at the human as she got to her feet. "This way, Kasumi. I shall show you my hoard."

The trip down a-dragonback was exhilarating for the thief, though Joru chuckled as she had to be coaxed out of clinging to Joru's back. A short walk along the balcony led Kasumi into a huge vaulted chamber, three stories high, lined with shelf after shelf of books. Real, musty tomes, some ancient, some newer, some rough-cut, others clearly made to a higher standard, but all of them looking hand-made. They ranged from magnificent examples of the bookmaker's art, down to shabby leather rudely stitched around parchment pages, rough cut to shape.

Joru turned, lifting her arms to indicate the space, lit at various altitudes by several of the glowing globes. "Welcome to my library. This is the left wing, where I keep my references and archives."

"That's impressive. What kind of books do you have? Any of them in paper?"

The dragon chuckled down at the thief, turning and striding briskly though the tight-set, free-standing shelves, full to the brim with books ascending to dizzying heights above. "All of them are, Kasumi. Each of them written on paper, parchment, vellum or metal foil, and each done by hand. Do put it back, Kasumi."

The dragoness shot an amused glance at the thief as she hurriedly put one of the books back. The dragon had paused at a door, carved out of the native rock by hands both skillful and meticulous. It, like the rest of the library, was ornately carved in a minimalistic, but still beautiful fashion.

"Still a step up from stowing aboard cargo bays!" Kasumi's light step was clearly audible as Joru smirked over her shoulder at her.

The room she ushered the human into was only two-storied, lit by several of the golden-glowing orbs that Joru used in place of lamps. There were a surprising number of tables and chairs, all of them in soft, rich leather or thickly overstuffed, as well as a sunken conversation pit around some sort of stone plinth. It was towards this that the dragon led her, stepping down into the pit and flopping across one of the long, leather couches lining the edge, to watch the thief with softly-glowing eyes.

"So this is a dragon's personal place. Nice." The thief stepped quietly over, sinking down onto a couch herself under Joru's steady stare.

"This is the center of my hoard, where I keep my most prized possessions" Joru gestured to where an unseen force and an unfelt breeze was wafting a tray towards the pair, a bottle and two exquisite crystal glasses glittering on the tray.

"Would you care for some wine, Kasumi? I bottle my own nowadays, since I left my homeland and acquired this marvelous place. It's so much easier than attempting to explain the recipe to someone who doesn't even have proper ingredients for a nice Elven Moondew."

"Ooooooh, that sounds exotic and hard to get! I'm in!" The human woman loved the smell of old paper, the weight of an actual bound book in her hands.

Joru gave a faint chuckle, nodding to the tray, where the bottle uncorked itself and carefully poured some of the clear, pale-yellow wine into both glaces, re-corking itself as the glasses wafted over into arm's reach of both women. Joru took hers with the grace of much practice and slowly inhaled the aroma. "Mmm, a bit young, but what can one do with a mere half century. Ahh well."

She sipped as she strode over to the conversation pit at the wall that, if Kasumi was right in her reckoning, would be farther into the cliff. There, the floor shelved down into a round-cornered square, lined on all sides with soft, leather couches, on which the dragon sat, raising an eyebrow as Kasumi joined her.

The dragon smirked, sipping her wine as her tail-tip described lazy figure-eights in the air. She crossed her legs and gazed pointedly at her guest. "So, what is it you would ask of me, Kasumi who is Goto?"

"Well, to be honest, there isn't much that I really need and very little I want that I can't get on my own. I can get money and tech just fine. So, it would have to be something more personal or at least helpful for my lifestyle of work..."

Kasumi paused, glancing around at the collection of things she couldn't even begin to put a price on, thinking very carefully of what she should ask for. She ranked among the most clever in the galaxy for a reason. If Joru was just as she thought, then like most dragons in ancient fairy tales they did not part with their treasure so easily. Unless of course they owed them a debt or a boon for services performed, just as in this case for saving a dear friend of hers. But even so, it likely wasn't one hundred percent out of good will. There was a motive, a subtle test on Joru's part.

Hmmm... she couldn't exactly say she wanted nothing. It may be best to throw caution to the wind. But still, what to ask for? A ring similar to Jack and Tali's, but also with some stealth improvements? Maybe. This was a dragon, in the late 22nd century. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity wasn't even close. She should ask for something impossible to obtain, something she would never find if she searched for a thousand years.

"... something I could never find anywhere. Something unique and exotic. You said you've visited other galaxies or dimensions, and collected some good shit along the way?"

Joru lounged like a big cat on the other couch, gazing at her. At that, however, she slowly sat up, her gaze growing more intent, but also distant. After a long moment, she spoke, her voice soft and reminiscent. "Yes. I walked the planes for a time, first the World Tree, then later the other Prime planes. I had grown...stale merely confined to Faerun. I had walked the length and breadth of my homeland, ventured to the Shining East, and there found a measure of contentment, until it was taken from me."

She sighed and sank back to lounging again, but kept her head propped up on the divan-like couch, her long long tail wrapping nearly to the far end of the multi-person couch. "I strode the planes of Aber-Toril in my quests, and returned, though changed. I walked the ancient dusty halls of Ravenloft, and escaped again. I strode across the sands beneath the Dark Sun. I delved beneath Irongate with my trusted friend at my side, only to realize that I had no such friend. I assisted an old companion with the restoration of his honor and heir, and in so doing, was given this place as wiergeld."

Her voice faltered and softened slightly, her eyes sliding away. "I witnessed the Mourning upon Cyre." That last seemed to pain her and she shook her head slowly before meeting Kasumi's eyes.

"For a time I called the World Serpent Inn my home, spending my useless coin upon salves for my wounded soul. In the end, though, as it always did, the time came for me to move on."

"And when I ventured into the world beyond sanity, the Far Realm where the world runs strange, I met a thing... what it was I cannot say, it was hard for me to even comprehend."

She lifted a claw "Not, by the by, the same thing I met when I was beyond time. That was something more akin to a god of gods than that entity. It was...hungry, for lack of a better term."

Another shrug, and her eyes met Kasumi's rapt expression. "And when I was alone, my friends and comrades consumed, I did something monumentally stupid. I thrust the portable hole into the bag of holding, and was blown across the Far Realm to places unknown."

A shudder ran down her, from shoulders to tail-tip before she met Kasumi's gaze again. "I was...changed by that experience. Reality ran in thin rivulets in the Far Realms at the best of times, and introducing a massive blast of trans-dimensional energy to the mix didn't help matters. I remember agony, as if every nerve were being twisted inside out and upside down before I finally materialized. I was in an alleyway in a place I would come to know as Seattle, and the year was 2012. December 21st, in fact. The exact moment of the Awakening."

"I spent quite some time in the shadows between neon spires. I walked the desert of New Mexico, and stood where the fire of creation was unleashed upon the world. I left only footprints, and took only memories. for six decades, I drifted from job to job, not really invested in the corporate scheming that twisted the political landscape until it tore society and shredded nations. Let the humans play as they would, I am Darastrix, they were beneath me."

Her smile came back, wistful and full of regret. "Even so, I had friends there. I was accepted there, more than I ever had been. No one demanded to know what manner of bestial conjugation produced me, none demanded to know the name of my dread sire." She chuckled. "Mostly they asked if I was free next Saturday night, and if my scales covered everything."

"There were still dragons in the land, and other, stranger beasts. I was never without employment for long, and my means for creating wealth meant I had no real need for a job. Still, I had always been a hunter of monsters." Her teeth flashed again in a savage grin. "For who better to know the monster, than another monster?"

"Even so, I had friends. A series of them, actually, as my first friends grew old, and my young friends grew up. And then, I met Erika." Her sigh was tinged with wistful regret, and she looked away. Joru was silent for minutes after that, in soft contemplation of the stone plinth. She gestured, and a hologram sprang into being above the plinth. A face of a bright, smiling young woman, pale-skinned and pale-blue eyes beneath a shock of short-cropped black hair. Joru stared at her ethereal image with an intensity that made Kasumi squirm.

"I knew her for too short a time, but it was a knowing that went beyond soul-deep. She... She was my mate." A thump sounded, as Joru's tail lashed. "And she was taken from me."

Her expression turned cold. "Not just Erika was taken from me. Those who took my mate, also took my unborn child." The cold hatred in Joru's tone, even not directed at her, made Kasumi shiver.

"Still. I made them pay for their transgressions." Joru relaxed, but slowly, and shot Kasumi a nearly-expressionless look. "But that was the final insult, to drive me to my decision If there was a way for me to reach that world of Shadows, then there was a way for me to return from it. I and my friends researched everything we could find, I scoured my libraries for references, and we built a bridge into astral space. A bridge to nowhere."

She was silent for a while, before continuing. "It was then that I met the Outsider, and was shown the Tapestry. I chose, of my own free will, to assume a dead woman's destiny, and to complete the part assigned to her. That is a heavy burden, but I am used to such."

"My friends and I have seen so very much. And yes Kasumi, I have collected many precious records and souvenirs of our vast travels." This time the gaze she turned upon Kasumi was simultaneously older than the oldest Matriarch, and bright as a young maiden's. "Though what you and I would call precious may not always agree."

"Ooooh!" An intrigued smile crept over the ninja's face. "I think now we're getting somewhere. Do tell!"

Joru gave a slight shrug and a grin. "What era of my life would you care to inspect more closely? My early life was quite the troubled time, while my wandering days were long and varied My time in the Shadows of that other continuum was a vastly different experience, and my time among the stars has been quite...intriguing."

"Mmm, anything from that place in New Mexico?" Kasumi hummed thoughtfully. "Corporate level secrets and tech are right up my alley."

"Not unless you're interested in large chunks of trinitite." Joru smirked quietly. "That was mostly just a sight-seeing trip in the twenty-forties."

She shrugged and flicked her tail. "These are the pictures of a few of the sights I saw."

A quick succession of images appeared in the hologram display. A neon-lit step-pyramid at night, with the moon rising behind it, a massive fireball erupting from one side. An elegant portrait of a lady with large tusks and swarthy complexion, apparently done in oils. A view of an old-style fighter jet with one wing clawed off. A huge shape, with long neck, vast wings, a huge barrel-like body, four massive legs, and an expression that could only be described as 'amused and trying his best to hide it' while staring down at a tiny, pink faced man with a beard that covered half his face, gesticulating wildly as he chatted with the monstrosity

A shot of six people, Joru in the center, a certain familiar, gleaming tar-black woman beside her, with one arm propped up on Joru's shoulder and staring haughtily into the camera as Joru grinned, looking more happy than Kasumi had yet seen her. The woman that Joru had called Erika was behind Joru, pressed against the dragon's back, and with the long tail wrapped around Erika's waist in a possessive grip. A very short man with a frizzy beard poked his head into the bottom corner of the shot, his overlarge nose dominating his face, below the welder's goggles and above the giant, fat cigar. A tall slender man stood on the far side of the drone from Joru, his arm gleaming chrome and gunmetal-grey to the shoulder, and a pair of glasses on his face, which was pulled into a slightly exasperated look at the short man in the foreground. A tall, thickly muscular woman with dark, bordering on greenish skin, oversized tusks and a sort of savage beauty about her smirked as she hugged the slender man to her, resting her cheek on the top of his head. In front of the standing people, and glaring daggers at the small man in the extreme foreground, was a woman sprawled out on a bench, glaring at the small man with slit-pupiled eyes, her catlike features and ears cocked in an expression of annoyance, and her thick, tuft-tipped tail caught in mid-lash as she seemed about to roll over and pounce on the small man with the big nose.

That one had a caption: "Gang's all here! Time to let the pink mohawks out!"

Kasumi's almond eyes locked onto to one individual in particular. Whatever Joru expected to happen when she showed a few pictures of her old friends, it was not the high-pitch squeal that burst from the petite Japanese woman as all professionalism vanished and was suddenly an excited schoolgirl.

"EEEEE! Is that a cat-girl?!"

The dragon stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. A faint smile played around her mouth as she twitched her tail, and several more pictures of the felinoid woman started cycling through the hologram display.

"Those actually exist?! YEEEEEE! I wanna pet those adorable fluffy ears! No, wait, that would probably be inappropriate. I would ask for permission first, and then do it anyway!"

"If you did, Jazz would probably bury a dagger in your chest. She was really rather a touchy woman, even before she was...changed."

Joru's sigh cut through the hyperactive woman's rant, as she gazed at an image of Jazz curled up on a ledge and staring at something out of shot. "She was a normal human woman until SURGE hit. She was one of the lucky ones, she survived."

"Oh, the poor little thing..." Kasumi whimpered.

Joru really wanted to know where the other Kasumi went, but smirked and sat up, dismissing the hologram with a wave of her hand. "Minerva, please bring up the old portrait gallery. Display 'At Rest', please."

This time it wasn't a hologram that displayed itself over the stone plinth, it was a painting. Exquisitely done on canvas, with an ornate, but minimalist frame. It displayed a fire in the foreground, built in a circle of stones with bare earth for several feet around it. The background was a dimly-lit shadowy forest, with tall trunks barely discernible from the shadows behind. The subject matter...

Joru was lounging against a fallen log, clad not in the sleek leathers she wore now, but a much rougher outfit of some sort of homespun. It was dirty and the legs were torn a bit at the ankle, but all of that was lovingly rendered by the artist. Her horns seemed shorter, her hair was considerably shorter, resting her hip and left elbow on the ground and looking to the right to show her face in profile. She seemed...content. in a way that Kasumi hadn't seen before. Peaceful, and younger than she seemed now.

The other figure in the painting, was a tanned woman with a shock of wild and unruly brown hair coming down to mid-back, eyes mostly lidded with a tiny hint of yellow under the lids as she rested against Joru's chest. Her features were nearly entirely human, save for the brown-furred cat's ears poking up through her hair, and the long tail that draped over her hip, which Joru's right hand was stroking. Her hands were drawn up against her chest, and Kasumi could almost hear the purrrrr rising from her, as Joru rested her cheek against the other woman's head.

Kasumi's eyes lit up, her lips parted in a wide, delighted smile and she gave a soft, high-pitched "eeee!" sound that made Joru roll her eyes, but smile fondly at the floating hologram.

"I haven't thought about Nyarra for several decades now. She was a catfolk, from the plains of the Sharr, in southern Faerun. She and a few others were the first to accept me for who I was, instead of shunning me for what I was."

The dragoness sighed, holding out her wineglass, and letting the still-hovering bottle top her off. "She is...centuries dead now. I met her great-granddaughter some time after that, but...it wasn't as happy a reunion as I would have wished. Ahh well, we can't have everything."

"This particular piece," she nodded to the hovering painting, "was done later in life by a friend of ours. His name would mean nothing to you, but after he retired from adventuring, he became a master painter, and painted this for us to share. When she...died, I asked for, and received permission to take the painting."

Kasumi was still staring reverently at the first image for another solid minute. Then her hand went up and slapped herself. "Eh-hem! Uh, sorry about. I just... I've really, really had a soft spot for the cat-girl thing ever since I was a little girl. So fluffy and adorable it hurts! So crafty, agile, silent and sneaky... okay, looking back, that may have had an influence on my line of work. I'm not ashamed!"

Joru broke out in a laugh as she smiled, actually smiled, at the thief. "I don't know, you tend to remind me of a Kender I once knew. I didn't know her for long, but I like to think I taught her a lesson on not trying to sneak things from a dragon's hoard."

She sat back for a moment, contemplating the squirming human, making cute little sounds and pawing the air a bit with one hand, the other still holding her wineglass. "If Jazz could have had her old life back, she would have given up her pelt with all speed. Nyarra on the other hand, wouldn't've traded being what she was for anything in all the worlds..."

The dragoness trailed off, looking contemplative, staring past both hologram and woman.

"Yeah, I can certainly imagine that..." Kasumi noticed the way Joru was looking at her. "What?"

"You know... I read something once..." She turned, addressing the floating bottle. "Fetch volumes six and seven of Ancient Legends of the Dwarven Halls, please."

The bottle floated down to rest on the floor and there was a faint suggestion that something wafted out of the room. "I remember reading in one of the more moldy and dusty books about legends of this place... Specifically, something they called the Well of Eternity."

Kasumi had no idea what she was talking about and let Joru continue. Her attention was caught as two massive books wafted through the door, each over half a meter tall, and nearly that broad. One of them Joru plucked out of the air, and the other hovered at her side, as she carefully opened and scanned through the book, leafing the pages carefully, but with speed.

"Ahh, here we go..." She began to read, her words falling into a rhythmic cadence as she recited.

"This is what you must do. You must leave here, and stray beyond the walls of the Refuge. We are in the Middledark here, a place of great power, but relative stability. The Upperdark is above us, interconnected caverns and a honeycomb of twisting passages, traversing much of Sanctuary's upper crust. Below us, is the Lowerdark, a place of deep and powerful magics, but also of great peril."

The dragon took a sip of wine and continued. "You must find your way deep. Deep, deep down until you find the bottom-most point within the demiplane of Sanctuary. I believe that was the point where the long-lost mages that created this demiplane began, for the stone is older there than anywhere else. For eons, perhaps, the astral tides have beat upon the bubble of this demiplane, and in time they have worn away a small fragment of it. That fragment is refereed to as Borashk Nuur. The Well of Infinity. To gaze into it, is to see into that which is not, and thus to see everything. To sip of the waters that gather there, is to experience visions beyond the confines of reality."

Jorukaia took another sip of her wine and a glance at Kasumi, shutting the book and handing it back to empty air, which wafted both of them out of the room. "It was said that the Well of Infinity could change a person who immersed himself within it. Allow him to become that which he desired, by traversing the infinite possibilities of alternate selves. But to do so is perilous. The Lowerdark is not a place for the faint of heart. Ask Tali sometime what she encountered outside my door. But if you are brave enough, foolhardy enough, and of adamant will to see it through to the bitter end, perhaps, if you immerse yourself in the waters of the Well of Infinity, you might, just might, become that which you have always desired."

"Hey whoa whoa whoa! Slow down!" Kasumi held up a hand. "What... what are you trying to tell me, Joru? Are you...?"

The thief's eyes went doe-like and with a quiver in her voice as the implications set in. "Are you telling me that you can actually make me a cat-girl?"

The dragoness gave a faint smirk and a slight nod, which provoked a gasping squeal from Kasumi. "A catfolk is more nimble than a mere human, and like the feline, she has a greater sense of personality. While not adorned with fur, she still has a thicker hide than the frail human skin, and her sharp, but small claws allow her to climb with considerable ease. The long tail gives her better balance, and the swiveling ears allow her to locate the source of a sound far more efficiently than humanoid ears."

The petite woman in question's mouth was in a perfect 'O', not moving even a muscle. Statues would be envious of how still the thief was.

She lifted a warning finger. "Changing yourself like that runs far greater risks than merely merely changing your DNA. It affects your very soul, Kasumi. It changes it. Unravels the fabric of your life, and reweaves it in different shape. It changes the name your soul calls itself, and that is beyond even my great power. But the Well. All things are possible, where Nothing resides. So say the ancient texts, and while I have not tested them myself, I have read accounts of those who have."

"Changing your race is possible, though very dangerous, and this is me saying this. You must shed all belongings, and enter the Well in totality. Immerse yourself in the inky waters, until Kasumi-That-Was is washed away, and replaced by Kasumi-That-Shall-Be. Then, and only then, will you become that which you desire. I'm sorry that it's not a quick fix, Kasumi, but such magics are dangerously powerful, and in any case, beyond my reach." The dragoness gave a faint smile as she concluded her rather long-winded speech

The woman remained silent for a moment. "Um... wow. Just, wow. So, if I were to say yes, you would do that?"

Joru simply nodded, her grin showing a hint of fang.

"Ohhhkay..." Kasumi quivered. "Thank you. I'll definitely think it over. But first, I'm going to pass out now."

And she fainted on the spot, with Joru's snort of laughter in her ears.

"Interesting, I wouldn't've thought that one glass of Moondrop would have been enough to put her out."