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.
"We have Saren's location. Our good friends in the STG have been digging through anything and everything that mentions Ilos, and found references to a 'conduit' of some sort. What it is, we don't know, but we're certain Saren's after it." Vasir paced, tension coursing through her frame like an electrical charge.
The team was doing last-minute prep. Wrex was checking over that ancient metal machine that the dragon had given him, his lips curling a little at the prospect of action. Garrus was going over a checklist he'd gotten for the M-35 Mako infantry fighting vehicle, while that new rifle of his sat propped against a crate. Tali was fidgeting with her omnitool, a holographic drone flickering in and out of view in a distracting way. Ashley and her squad were gearing up, weapons checks being made in hushed low tones. The twins shifted as they checked their weapons. Vasir shot them a glance as she paced past them, the pair armored up in sleek commando leathers.
"It takes a lot to impress a Council Spectre, but this unlikely fellowship has done just that time and time again. Just look around at who fights at your side. An Asari Matriarch and her commandos, a Krogan Battlemaster, the Normandy's weapon specialist, a quarian engineer, a turian marksman—"
The tension was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. And so, of bloody course, the dragon took that moment to butt in.
It started low, an almost subterranean rumble, but it rapidly rose until it was unmistakably a loud, nearly thunderous roar. It died as rapidly as it rose, thank the goddess, but it was utterly unmistakable that Jorukaia had just announced her presence.
Vasir quietly rubbed her nose. "And yes, we'll have her help, for all the good it does my sanity."
Wrex, Garrus and even Kasumi, who had been lounging atop the Mako, let out a few chuckles, knowing exactly what caused the dragoness to roar like that. Matriarch Aethyta smiled like a cat that caught the canary, while Ashley looked openly shocked at what the dragoness was up to. Tali, however, looked helplessly back and forth, feeling that something had just flown over her head.
The Spectre massaged her forehead, trying to regain her composure, and gave the cargo elevator a death glare as it ground into motion. "Hopefully, we can have a nice, quiet mission. We'll be deploying to Ilos's surface for a precision strike, right on top of wherever we find Saren. No messing around with extraneous objectives, just straight up find and kill the fucker."
The elevator finished grinding its way down to the cargo level and slid open, a momentary view of afternoon sun slanting into a familiar canyon. Jorukaia stepped out, sleek and formidable as ever. The other figure was...unexpected.
Armored boots clanked into the cargo bay, the dark-armored grieves gleaming in the dim light. Extensive knee-protection slid smoothly up into thigh plates, and armored faulds smoothly slid up to the cuirass. Large pauldrons slid easily over the shoulders as the armored vambraces glittered in the faint light. The armored figure paused at the blank looks staring at her, the close-fitting, T-visored helmet turning to glance at the grinning dragoness.
"I told you I'd look ridiculous."
"Nice gear, kid." Wrex nodded. "Now you might finally be almost as tough as me."
"Fuck off, old man." The voice was decidedly familiar as the armored figure flicked off the krogan with one hand and reached for her helmet with the other. Joru intervened, tapping a spot on the side of her neck. The helmet split, folded out of the way and somehow vanished into the neck of the armor as Jack stared at the krogan with venom in her eyes, but a slight smirk playing around her lips.
"The armor ain't the only present Joru gave me." She pulled a sleek metal tube from the side of her thigh, flicked it, and caught the shotgun on the downstroke as it unfolded into its fully extended form.
Glittering silver scrollwork was etched along the length of the 60cm shottie. Tiny gemstones glittered down the barrel, as the pistol-grip slid perfectly into Jack's armored glove, safety still on.
Ashley stared at the piece. Then she glanced at the sniper rifle Joru had given to the turian. Then at the ludicrously powerful shotgun the krogan was given. Then she looked down at her simply Vindicator rifle from Alliance Requisitions, which was the most they were willing to give General William's granddaughter. She bit down on the inside of her cheeks.
"Now that we're all here, can I please get on with the briefing?" Vasir shot the dragoness a narrow-eyed stare, so laced with annoyance, it was a wonder the darastrix didn't burst into flames. Not that that would have helped matters for Vasir.
"Oh, um, Jack?" Tali leaned in close as discreetly as possible. "You have something on your cheek."
The human blinked at her, then reached up to gently wipe at her cheek, gathering the small bit of cream off. She frowned at the substance, then shot Joru a glance, as the dragoness was snickering quietly. Kasumi slid over to murmur something quietly to Tali, provoking a startled gasp from the suited quarian girl. "I, um, w-what?!"
"Yep." Kasumi smirked. "Gives a whole new meaning to the term 'thirsty girl'."
"Hey, you try keeping your hands to yourself when you've got this chunk of hotness all to yourself." Jack jerked a thumb at Joru, who had moved over to discuss something with Wrex, though the dragon's glance in her direction was knowing and amused.
"If I can please have your attention for five more minutes..." Vasir's tone was aggrieved and annoyed and a lot of other similar things. "We'll be dropping the advance team in the Mako, since it's likely we'll be in a heavy-fire zone. Once we're down, we'll clear an LZ for the Normandy."
"Hold on, Spectre." Garrus raised a hand as if in school. "Did you say that will be landing the Normandy down there? Planetside?"
"We will, since we don't have an exact position on Saren's location. We'll have to find the bastard the old-fashioned way." The elevator whined to life again, as Vasir went on. "As such, Captain Anderson has volunteered the Normandy as a mobile base of operations for the search."
The elevator stopped again, the door sliding open, and a dark-armored figure stepped out. This time, however, it was alliance-issue black Onyx armor, and the figure was helmet-less
Ash's eyes went wide, and the heavily-armored woman snapped to attention, as did her squad, as Captain David Anderson, clad in scuffed, marred, but obviously well-maintained N7 battle armor, strode down the ramp. His glance was reassuring as he nodded to the wide-eyed trio of Jack, Kasumi and Tali, and stopped to murmur a few things to Vasir.
"C-Captain Anderson, sir!" Ashley snapped to a salute. Was he really joining them groundside?
"At ease, Gunny, before you strain something." The man's easy, good-natured humor didn't reach his eyes this time. Something about the armor...
"Sir." Actually hearing respect in the dragon's voice had Vasir's head snap around as if magnetized. The dragoness stepped up to the armored captain, a faint smile playing over her lips. "If I may, sir, I have a gift for you."
He blinked as she retrieved a small, silver vial, about as long as the palm of her hand, and maybe a centimeter thick. It wasn't exactly a normal vial, as both ends were rounded off and sealed. Nor was it silver, as the substance inside seemed to shimmer and glitter like liquid moonlight, sending a soft radiance cascading over her hand.
Anderson stared at the vial for a full ten seconds before he lifted his eyes up to the darastrix in a questioning gaze. He did not reach for it, merely murmured, "What is it?"
"The strength of the Minotaur. The grace of the panther. The endurance of the wolverine. The cunning of the fox. The wisdom of the owl. The voice of kings." She gave a faint smile, "And, the vigor of youth."
"You know I was never a poet," Anderson lightly chided. "I assume that vial is a performance enhancer?"
"I was not exaggerating" Joru's tone was soft, but serious. "While the enchantment of magnificence will fade rapidly, it will last several minutes before leaving the user with a bone-deep weariness, which will wear off naturally. The part that is permanent, however, is the last."
Her eyes held those of the dark-skinned human. "Be careful in your choice, Sir. This is not a gift I give lightly, nor one I can give again."
The old soldier looked at Joru with a new focus. "What do you mean that the 'vigor of youth' would be permanent?"
"It resets the biological clock of the user." And now she has the full attention of both Vasir and Aethyta. "Resets it to the physical prime of the user. Thereafter, the body ages as normal, but note that this does not grant the user additional life, it merely makes him or her extremely fit for however much more time he has left."
Anderson inhaled sharply, and this time he carefully took the vial in his hand. "If this does what you say, then you'll have an old man's gratitude."
The dragoness stepped back half a pace and snapped off a textbook-regulation salute. On her it looked incongruous, but the soft smile was genuine. "Only the best for you, Sir."
With a nostalgic smile, Anderson gave his old student a simple nod and pocketed the vial as he turned to Vasir. "Carry on, Spectre. Carry on."
"Right." Vasir's eyes glittered as she glanced from Anderson to the dragon and back, before taking a breath and turning to the rest of the cargo bay's occupants. "The Mako can squeeze in ten, maybe eleven people, if we're not too shy, and as long as Wrex keeps his great big feet to himself."
The krogan gave a smirk at that.
"So, here's the order. Me and Anderson up in the cockpit. Garrus, you're on turret duty. Veshar and Kiha?" The twins perked up at their names. "You and Tali on the port side. Kasumi, Jack and Aethyta on the starboard side. Wrex can sit in the middle, like the oversized kid he is."
Vasir ignored the krogan's growl. "The rest of you will have to wait for the second drop."
Tali tentatively raised a hand. "Ummm... just how high are we dropping from?"
"Our tentative landing zone is a very small one. Ilos is covered in jungle-clad ruins, which break up the terrain. We'll have to come in near-vertically, but the Mako has thrusters to slow us down before impact."
Tali visibly shrunk into herself and Kasumi rubbed her shoulder soothingly. "Don't worry, I'm certain that Garrus has calibrated it sufficiently to keep us from pancaking."
"Jack will be coming with me." The dragoness's gaze was on Ashley. "You can take Williams with you in the Mako instead."
Vasir turned to stare, first at Joru, then at Jack. "Really."
"Williams wishes to go where her captain leads her." The dragon's grin was understanding as she gave a slight nod to the white-and-pink armored marine, then turned back to Anderson. "If that is acceptable to you, sir?"
"Chief Williams is one of the finest riflemen I've ever had the pleasure of having in my command," Anderson nodded his approval to the suddenly wide-eyed woman. "This is more than acceptable to me."
Vasir gave a faint nod, her lips pursed in a disagreeable expression. "Right. Then we'd better start packing in. Wrex, you're in last, and try not to step on our toes?"
"Joker, what's our ETA to Ilos?" Joru didn't even bother with a comm, merely spoke to thin air.
"ETA is... right the hell now!"
Joru's eyes glittered in the darkness, as she fumbled with something in her belt. "Load up, people. Jack, stand by me, please."
The armored woman looked doubtful as the crew filed into the Mako. Vasir and Anderson first, then the twins and Tali. Kasumi, Aethyta and Williams, and finally Garrus and Wrex last of all. A swift comms check as the Mako rumbled to life, and the Normandy's cargo bay cleared of other occupants, with additional bulkhead doors sealing the bay off from the engineering section.
"Approaching drop point!" Joker's voice sounded in the nearly-empty bay. "I hope you're ready down there!"
The bay doors began to hinge open, the thunderous rush of air making Jack step back a pace, even as her magboots locked to the deck plating. Then she saw what was outside the bay.
The ship was coming in at a near-vertical dive. Blasts of blue fire, the shots from Colossi and Armatures, as well as white contrails of rockets, shot past the opening as the view rocked and twisted with sickening speed. Jack felt her stomach lunge for the exit as Joker's insane flying became apparent.
"Drop point!" The Mako lunged forward, its catapult system sending the mini-tank hurtling free of the ship, even as the view began to pull back from that headlong suicidal rush towards the ground.
"NOW, JACK!" And even as her instant, galvanic response to the dragon's roar was driving her forwards, Jack realized. She was about to jump out of a starship, at several hundred meters above the ground. Without a parachute.
She balked only for an instant at the edge, and Joru's tail caught her pinwheeling arm, dragging her out of the ship as the dragon executed a perfect dive out of the open hatch. Jack fell, screaming and thrashing wildly, wind whipping at her, as the dragon's massive wings blossomed like black smoke.
Joru twisted, glancing back, flared her wings, and was somehow beside the wildly and erratically twisting Jack. "Head down, legs together, arms at your sides!"
"J-J-Joru!" Jack flailed, trying to claw the air in a vain effort to reach her.
[Jack.] The calm, cool, controlled word slashed across the panic like a blade across a throat. [I am with you. Do as I say. Legs together. That's right, arms at your sides, shoulders back, annnnd, there.]
She was falling now, head down. The wind whipped past her as she shot downwards. She could see the jungle down there, saw the ruins rising rapidly to smash her flat like a bug on a windshield!
[Calm. Remember that I am with you, Jack.] She took a deep, steadying breath, and at some unseen signal, snapped her head back. The rest of her followed, and before she realized what was happening, she landed.
Well, cratered would be a better word. The stone cracked and shattered beneath her as she slammed in with the force of a meteor. She landed on her feet, in a shallow dish of crazed and jumbled stone. Jorukaia was coming in for a landing beside her, and...where was the Mako?
There it was, slamming onto its wheels as its thrusters struggled to fight gravity's hold on the little tank. It took her a second to clear the small crater she'd made, and Jack was still a little dizzy. Joru's hand on her shoulder was a balm keeping her upright as the tank rolled to a stop beside them.
"Ready on the gun!" Garrus called out. His voice filled the comm network linked in through the Mako, which Joru easily heard.
"Keep an eye out for our friends." Vasir's drawl came over as she nudged the little tank forward. Anderson winced a little (but only a little) as she ran over a small boulder and kept going.
The dragoness stood on the edge of a ruined chunk of masonry, with Jack stepping tentatively up to her side. "I'm getting Geth comm chatter roughly to the north-west of here. Joker will have his work cut out for him keeping out of the line of fire."
In the distance, bright-blue bolts were still seen being launched skywards by dozens upon dozens, if not hundreds of armatures.
"Let's find out if these robots are any different from the other few thousand we've sent to the scrap yard!" The Spectre's voice provoked a grin from Jack as the tank accelerated, and she looked to the dragoness.
"Come along Jack. Let's not get left behind." Joru grinned and stepped off the rubble, her wings flaring into smokey existence, and soaring up into the sky before fading from sight.
[Do try to keep up Jack, I'd rather not have to come back to find you.]
The human huffed and jumped from the roof's edge, landing with a stone-cracking boom, and easily jogging along behind the tank as it roared through the half-artificial, half-jungle canyon that was all that was left of the prothean ruins. [Yeah, yeah.]
The Asari had many gifts, some of which they kept hidden from the other races. And while it was no secret that their people were natural empaths, few had a true inkling of how deep their ability to sense and understand others could truly be, and what it could be used for.
Sha'ira, the famed Consort of the Citadel, was a prodigy of Asari empathy that was seen only once in a generation. Such a talent is born only rarely in any given population, and rare indeed is the meeting between two such asari. It was said that two such Ilhari, or 'bearers of the bared heart', who met upon the shores of a distant land far from both their homes, founded the order of Janna'ilhari, or "followers of the Bared Heart", the first of what might be considered psychological therapists, or 'healers of wounds of the heart'. It was said of them that they could see through to the heart of a person's troubles, and offer exactly the right words or actions to soothe and bandage the wounds of the heart that would otherwise cause great pain and distress.
While far from the mythic ability that the ancient tales tell among the asari, the Consort still follows in that tradition, with a twist. She offers her services to any race that might come to hear her words, and has become famous for it, as the first of her sort to leave Thessia. Her services are in high demand, even for the galaxy's most powerful, as not everyone can travel to a remote corner of the asari homeworld to be soothed by a hidden grandmaster of the craft. And none now living save Sha'ira herself have such a knack for finding the perfect word or gesture to heal the wounded spirit or soothing a guilty conscience. She had tended to clients of all kinds. Billionaires, politicians, scientists, soldiers, artists and so many others.
But even after centuries of advising and healing nearly every kind of individual that could appear across the galaxy, today was only the third time that her client was none other than one of the High Matriarchs of Thessia.
"I had not thought we would meet again, Matriarch." The calm, soft, and soothing tones of the Consort were as water in a trickling relaxation pool, a balm to the spirit and a delight to the ear. Her every movement exuded peace in a way that had Benezia relaxing in a way she had not felt since...
...Since before the horrifying vidcall from Liara.
"Tea, Matriarch?" The slender, soft-spoken Councilor was already pouring steaming water into a small, elegantly-inlayed teacup, the aroma of Jheshin-leaf tea starting to steal about the room. Rare even on Thessia, it must have cost a small fortune to stock such expensive tea.
"Yes indeed, Sha'ira," Benezia gratefully accepted. "And I thank you for clearing your schedule for today. It has been an emotionally... strenuous few months."
"Ahh." The Consort offered the cup on a delicate, silver-rimmed saucer, pouring a second cup and taking a seat herself as the tea steeped. "Yes, I had heard of your...sad bereavement. My heart goes out to you in your time of need, it is a wound that will never truly heal..."
"Gratitude," the Matriarch nodded as she took a measured sip of her tea. "The terror and uncertainty I was subjected to after she was taken, it was unlike anything I have known in my nine long centuries. I pray to the Goddess Athame and her heralds that it will not happen again."
"And as for Saren," a dark tone entered her voice. "He and his associates will pay tribute in everything they have for what they did to my daughter."
"I sense that such anger is not normally a part of you, Matriarch." Sha'ira seemed faintly concerned as she set her cup down, peering across at the Matriarch with soft, soulful eyes. "I know the pain of loosing a daughter, but rarely have I seen a soul as wounded as yours. Please, what can I do to help?"
Benezia stared into her tea for a long moment, pensive, before setting it down and turning to face the Consort directly. "I have come here to the Citadel for you, and you alone Consort Sha'ira, because I have desperate exigency for your services. And because the only thing that matches your talent for soothing the heart and soul... is your discretion bearing your client's secrets."
The unspoken implication was as clear as cut glass. This was a matter of inordinate importance and secrecy.
"Of course, Matriarch. Confidentiality is sacrosanct here. No mention of that which is spoken within these walls will be divulged to another without your consent."
"Very good." Benezia nodded once. "My daughter is alive and safe with me. And it is Liara T'Soni who is your true client this day."
The consort paused, finished sipping her tea and set the cup and saucer down. "I see."
"Allow me to offer my profound relief that the rumors of your loss are unfounded." The calm and collected asari took a soft breath, her hands clasped in her lap. "But, I take it that the public rumor of her...unfortunate circumstances is merely a ruse?"
"Not entirely, much as I would wish otherwise." the Matriarch sighed. "Nearly all the purported happenings are true, save that the only way my daughter's could be... salvaged, came from a recent yet proven ally."
"Ohh?" The consort's tone was unpressing, but interested.
"The... operation was a complete success. My daughter is alive, healthy and safe with us again." Benezia smiled for a moment before exhaling through her nose. "But there are side effects. The unorthodox transfusion of essence required to save her has introduced new... elements into her genetics. They are not life-threatening but they are drastic, and ultimately, not of the asari."
The Consort gave a slow blink, then tilted her head slightly. "Not...of the asari?"
"Her very DNA is becoming like a hybrid of two races. Naturally, my daughter is suffering an emotional breakdown and crisis of identity. And that is why I have sought out your services."
"I...think I could see that, yes." The Consort gave a slight nod, crossing her legs and giving a slow glance over the Matriarch. "I admit, I am curious as to the circumstances, but I would not presume to pry."
"You have my gratitude, Sha'ira." The Matriarch gave a courteous nod and savored a sip of tea. "I only ask that you make use of your soothing grace and insight. Do your best."
"I always do, Matriarch." The gentle smile in response was soothing and gentle. "Now, if I am to meet with your daughter, perhaps you should send her in?"
The Matriarch nodded her thanks once more. "Little Wing? It is time."
She had met with countless clients over the centuries. The majority of them were asari at first, working on Thessia tends to skew one's client list towards the native species, but she had met with volus, turians, salarians, elcor, and several other more minor species. She'd even had a regular customer who was a quarian for several decades, before...
But that was a long time ago.
In all that time, she'd grown used to the ways her Sight portrayed her clients. Delicate shades of meaning and insight layered atop each other like gauzy transparencies used to produce an optical effect. The glitter of silver that washed like water over the Matriarch's form was indicative of powerful biotics, as well as a tinge of anxiety.
The being that entered her office, even as the Matriarch left, was unlike any in Sha'ira's experience.
Flickers of violent crimson shot through a neon-yellow aura, itself shot through with intense lines and splatters of dark-blue and mirror-bright silver. Anxiety, anger, uncertainty and other emotions roiled through her aura, far more intense and clear than any such aura that she'd ever seen. For a moment, Sha'ira was stunned, before she rose and reached to gently take the slender young woman's hands, a soft smile caressing her lips.
"By the goddess, I have rarely seen one so beautiful..." She hesitated only slightly, and looked down as her palms feeling a faint sharpness.
The girl's fingernails were long, longer than most asari, and tapered to points, not entirely unlike claws...
A slight stab of fear slid through her, which rapidly turned into excitement. Sha'ira might be late in her Matron stage, but the chance to meet a new species did not come along all that often. And even if this young woman was indeed still mostly asari, she was the most unusual asari that Sha'ira had ever met, which was reason enough to be excited at meeting her.
The sleek, young asari was elegantly poised if nothing else, but even to her unaided Sight, Liara was beautiful. Her large eyes were expressive like few others, and she glanced down at their hands as she gave a quiet blush at the compliment. Then the blood seeped from her face, and she yanked her fingers away from the Consort's skin, burying her hands under her arms. "Oh, Goddess! I-I'm so... I'm sorry if that hurt. I did not mean... I just cannot stop my..."
"Peace." The Consort's soft smile was gentle as she slowly took Liara's hands again, her fingers caressing over Liara's and careful not to touch the tips too hard. "I was not hurt, do not fear."
Liara stared at her hand being held so tenderly, with such acceptance. "I... I thank you. Thank you for agreeing to see me. I just... I just do not know what else to do."
"Have you had Jheshin-leaf tea before, Ms T'soni?" Sha'ira gave a soft smile, tenderly leading the young, uncertain woman to a seat on the small couch, and lifting the kettle to pour another cup. "I find it a delicate and soothing blend. A panacea for an unsettled soul, if you will."
"I... no, not for sixty years." It touched the Consort to see this new 'hybrid' was still the same person underneath as Liara blinked with the innocent surprise of a young Maiden. "I thought it was only used by our biotic fitness instructors in Armani?"
"It has a calming effect on the nerves, which does help improve focus." The Consort offered the cup to the young asari, giving her a gentle smile as she lifted her own cup and took a soft sip. The stay-warm circuit in the saucer kept the tea nice and warm, the perfect temperature as she gave a quiet sigh of appreciation. "Mmmm, but that is far from its only effect."
"Calming?" Liara had a flicker of hope in her eyes. Then, in a manner what some asari might consider improper, she took the mug with both hands and began to drink.
Sha'ira gave a faint smile, savoring her own tea as Liara drank hers more greedily, pausing only to let her mouth cool to avoid scalding the roof of her mouth and tongue. When she was finished, the Consort gave a gentle smile, lifting the kettle. "It is rare to see someone enjoy something so new, and so completely. More?"
The Maiden seemed to suddenly realize her breach of T'Soni manners and was almost afraid to say "Yes, please?"
"I did not pry when I was consulting with your mother, Liara, as I wished to ask you directly." Sha'ira gave a quiet chuckle as she refilled the girl's teacup, careful not to miss as the young maiden's hands trembled around the delicate cup. "If it is not too indelicate to ask, then I would do so."
Liara took a deep breath, and finally let it all out.
For the next two hours, she regaled everything that had happened to her. How everything started as a normal yet exciting day as she and her archaeology crew had unearthed new Prothean findings on Therum. How her entire crew was slaughtered before her eyes and she had to go underground.
She sobbed quietly as she told how she was trapped in a Prothean bubble, helpless. How she prayed for rescue but no savior came for her. How she was eventually found by Saren's agents and taken to Virmire.
Sha'ira's hand covered her mouth as the young asari spilled her soul to her, sobbing openly now as she told how she was tortured and experimented on . And how she eventually succumbed to despair...
And took her own life.
Her teacup rattled softly as she set it back in the saucer, taking a quiet swallow to steady her own nerves. Liara's story had awakened such bright and screaming emotions within her. The young maiden's aura was almost painful in its intensity, far more intense than any she'd yet met. "Goddess above, my child, how.. how you could have withstood such torment, I... I envy your strength..."
"T-Thank you," Liara whimpered as she accepted the tissue and dashed the tears from her eyes. "But I do not know if it was only strength that kept me moving forward after that."
"A-After...?" This was the heart of things, she could see that in Liara's aura. Near, if not the heart of why she had come, why her mother had brought her to the only Janna'ilhari outside of deep Asari space.
"After I had died. I was dead, Sha'ira." The maiden sobbed quietly, a look of bleak emptiness in her hollowed eyes. "What's more, I felt the Goddess' presence, as if she were... were waiting. I felt it! And yet, my... I was not being called to her, as if I was not to be taken. And so I... remained. And I felt... stranded."
"Stranded... lost.. between?" That sounded familiar, why did that sound familiar? Sha'ira racked her mind, searching for the answer, she had it, she knew she did...
"Empty pain, hollowness..." The young woman whimpered. "I felt so aimless, and yet, I felt so much... anger. Hatred."
Her voice shifted, still clogged with crying, but now it held an edge to it. "I wanted, I needed to take retribution."
Sha'ira's blood ran cold, as she gave a wide, compassionate look at the young asari. "A Kiyarysa... Oh, you poor thing..."
Kiyarysa, a spirit of vengeance, said to be the last remains of a soul that died in torment, one who's death was never avenged or set right. Lost and bewildered, driven on by their singular desire for vengeance... The echo of a defiant will, slowly sapped of vitality and purpose until nothing remained save a howl in the wind on wild, lonely nights...
"Saren." Liara T'Soni growled. "He took everything. He hurt me and twisted old friends of mine that I knew for almost a century. I wanted him to suffer, I wanted him to—!"
"Shhh..." She slid an arm around the young asari's waist, marveling at the coiled tension in her frame. If she was wound any tighter, she might snap!
"I... I wanted to destroy him, to tear him apart, to rip and tear and... ahhhhhh..." Liara blinked. Then did so again several times. She had felt her anger returning again, her body feeling ready to snap. Then it had all drained away, slowly, but inexorably, as if someone had pulled the plug and let the boiling cauldron of hate drain away. A bonfire slowly smothered under soft, cool rain. How did the Consort do that with only a gentle touch?
"Shh, peace. We are at peace." The older asari's soft, gentle tone was like a night breeze blowing off the ocean, cool and gentle and new-made as the first ray of dawn.
"Mmmmm... bliss..." It felt like her blood was now listening to a soft lullaby, reined in and banked, like a smoldering fire. Warming, but not too hot. Liara's eyes slowly drooped as her head leaned against the Consort's pillowy chest. It felt like she could fall asleep for a week...
"I see you, Liara T'Soni. A rare beauty, a profound mind and a truly remarkable soul within." Sha'ira's gentle arms enclosed the young maiden, a soft, soothing coolness suffusing her as she sang a cool, ocean song. It wasn't sung with her voice, though Sha'ira had a fine voice for singing, but it vibrated through her aura, and into Liara's, soothing the violent angry reds and shock-scared yellows to a calmer, sweeter deep blue and soft purple, the colors of contentment and acceptance.
"Thank youuuuuuu," she started to say, her words stretched into a sigh of peace and contentment. And even a touch of arousal.
"You are welcome to return at any time, young one." Sha'ira's voice held a soft resonance, not audible, subtle and gentle, spreading soothing reassurance in her tone. "Rarely have I met such a one as you, Liara T'soni. A child of great promise and strong emotions. I am certain that you shall make your mark, in whatever way seems best to you.."
"Mmmmmmm..." the young asari fell further into bliss. The two of them remained that way for nearly fifteen minutes before Liara began to stir again.
Sha'ira gave a quiet smile as the younger asari pulled away from her and gave an adorable little yawn. Though the sight of her rather prominent fangs added a touch of the exotic and strange to the girl that Sha'ira found fascinating. "Mmmm, I shall brew some more tea. Do you have a preference, Liara?"
"Hmmm? Where am...oh." The maiden blinked, slightly flushed as she shakily gathered her bearings. "Your touch is... very impressive."
"Thank you, Liara." The consort gave a soft smile, rising to her feet with easy grace and picking up the tea tray. "Do you have a preference of teas, Liara? I have a wide selection..."
"Ah, siturna, please." Liara shifted a little and gave a quiet blush up at the Consort as she moved across to the small bar set in one wall.
"Ahh, an excellent choice." Sha'ira injected a bit of amusement into her calm and even tone. Siturna was a more 'common' tea, a blend of two different strains that produced a soft, sweet flavor. It was often known as 'first tea', as it was the first that many asari ever tasted.
Still, it was good, and Liara probably needed something familiar right now. As she cleaned and rinsed the kettle she asked, "You said you were on a mission to a prothean dig site. Did you often go on such adventures?"
"I... well, I've been to many dig sites," Liara offered. She sounded a bit uncertain, but her voice began to pick up interest and loose its uncertain edge as Sha'ira refilled the kettle. "I graduated with my doctorate nearly forty years ago, and there's always so much to find."
"I've found that to be a truth in all walks of life." She smiled softly over her shoulder, twisting just so, her bare back exposed to the young asari in a way that most found subtly provocative. "There is always more to see, to learn, to...experience."
"Yes, indeed so." Liara swallowed, pulling her gaze away from the elegant, bare, gorgeous asari after lingering too long. "They apparently built everything our galactic society revolves around, and let we still know so little about them."
"Is that not the way with all ancient mysteries?" She was coming back her long gown swishing slightly as her slippered feet made their way over to the couch again, sitting beside the young asari, and giving her an encouraging smile.
"Apparently so. Why are these things never clear?" Liara asked rhetorically.
"It is the nature of the universe." Sha'ira gave a gentle smile. "The world is a reality to experience, not a puzzle to solve. The journey to truth is a never-ending one."
"And yet, it is also sometimes unnecessarily cryptic." Liara leaned back in the corner of the couch and sulked, an action that drew a genuine smile from the Consort.
"Then it's trying to teach you a lesson" Sha'ira's soft tone was gentle and teasing as she shifted to gently pat Liara's thigh, rising again as the kettle began to whistle.
"Then what is it trying to say when I get brought back to life from the veil of death?" Liara shifted, watching the elegant older asari.
Sha'ira paused for a moment, her back to Liara, but not unaware of her. The maiden's aura was so strong, she didn't need her eyes to see it, to feel the turmoil and conflict within her. "...That you still have a part to play. That your time isn't up yet."
She turned back, giving the young bundle of strong emotions a warm, tender smile. "Some of us go our entire lives without knowing the Goddess's plan for us. You, my young friend, you've been told quite clearly, that the Goddess has a plan for you, and will not let you go until it is done. That... I can find no greater reassurance than that..."
"A greater destiny to fulfill?" Liara stared into her eyes for a moment. "But why me?"
"I'm just a young archaeologist! And what kind of plan would the Goddess need to have me go through all this?" She almost sobbed, springing to her feet with a smoothness of motion that almost startled the Consort, and began pacing the small inner chamber. "And to become not even a true asari anymore? Why is all this happening to me?"
The pulsing flashes of red and yellow in her aura were driving the young asari back into the knot of tension and anxiety that she'd been buried in when she arrived. Sha'ira wouldn't let her work go to waste, though, and stepped forward to intercept the maiden, taking her trembling hands in both of her own and giving a soft, tender smile. "The goddess has a plan for each of us. No doubt the first child of a salarian and asari would have had the same questions."
Liara perked up at the thought. "Yes... the first of her kind. The first daughter of Thessia, born from the Union of an outside race."
"Exactly." Sha'ira lifted the girl's hands, and gave her a soft kiss on the knuckles "The first step into a new and exciting future. Is it any wonder that the Goddess has great plans for you?"
Liara fell quiet again for a moment. "The... it was the Darastrix. She was the one who brought me back."
Sha'ira's smile didn't falter, merely grow gentle. "The Goddess works in ways unforeseen. She is the embodiment of all things, Liara. Why should her agent only wear asari skin?"
Liara looked up at her. "Have you... have you ever met her? The Darastrix? I don't know what to think of her. I trust my mother completely, but her own views of her have been... mixed lately. What is your impression of Ambassador Jorukaia?"
"I confess, I have not had that pleasure-" The consort broke off, looking away as something thudded in the distance. "What under all the suns?"
The distant wailing siren seemed to have an air of malicious foreboding
"Sha'ira!" Nelyna's uncharacteristically terrified voice cried out over the intercom. "There's alarms everywhere! We have to run for the shelters, the Citadel is under atta—!"
She woke slowly, feeling gloriously relaxed and only a trifle sore. A soft, contented hum rose from the sleepy asari as she stirred and slid her hand under the covers, feeling the warm spot next to her in the mattress
Warm spot. A now-empty warm spot.
The shower began in Tevos's private quarters, as the Councilor shot upright, a look of wild surmise, and a wonderfully delighted smile spreading her cheeks. As she hurriedly slid out from under the sheet, Sparatus would have stared at her in slack-mandibled shock at the girlish eagerness with which Tevos approached the small, closet-sized bathroom.
The frosted-glass door to the shower cubical was closed as she stepped in, a figure just barely visible inside, giving her own soft hum of pleasure under the deliciously warm cascade of hot water.
"So you spent the night. I haven't had someone to share my bed with overnight in centuries..." Tevos lounged in the doorway, making sure that she could be seen from the shower stall.
"Hmph..." Aria T'Loak huffed, her blurred outline enticing behind the frosted glass. "One thing the Citadel has over my penthouse on Omega? Much better showers. One of two things that I sorely missed from Thessia."
Tevos gave a shiver of delight, taking a breath and shifting to stand in profile to where Aria was enjoying her shower. "And what was the other thing?"
"Some sour Matriarch denied me my pet for almost three centuries." The water shut off and the door opened, prompting Tevos to scramble for a towel
Aria gave a quiet hum of appreciation as the Councilor tended to her Queen. The only thing either of them had on were the glittering matched rings on their left hands.
Aria wore hers on her middle finger, the amethyst stone glittering in the low illumination of Tevos's bathroom. Tevos's was on her third finger, a pale sapphire set into the otherwise-identical ring of hard, silvery metal. The gemstones were polished smooth, set flush with the rings themselves, and much caressed both both asari, as they had been using the gifts that Jorukaia had given them to visit each other almost every single night.
Tevos had never been happier to be back together with her old bodyguard, the only one her heart and body yearned for. The last three weeks were incredible; every day seemed much brighter and her shoulders felt lighter and free of burden. And of course, just the thought of the unbelievable sex with Aria made her legs feel like water.
And the most heartwarming part of all, she was the only person In the galaxy that Aria T'Loak entrusted everything that she herself was. Her mind, her secrets, her affection. Tevos was the only one Aria could let all her walls down and be vulnerable for.
The Queen of Omega stopped Tevos' movements with just a touch, slowly lifting her chin up to look in the eyes. "I'm pleased that my Pet has such a fine shower for me..."
She grinned down into Tevos's eyes , then drew her in close, sliding a hand around the back of Tevos's neck. Aria took her mouth in a deep and hungry kiss, claiming her, and not letting go until the Councilor finished drying her leg. Aria let her go with a soft sigh, and gave Tevos a smirk as she strode out of the bathroom as if she owned the place. Given how thoroughly Tevos had given her heart to the Queen, she supposed Aria did.
"Mmmm, I am happy to provide anything my queen desires..." She tucked the towel into the chute, before following Aria into the main chambers of her private apartments atop the Council Tower.
Like all such accommodations, they were buried in the heart of the tower itself. No window-wall overlooking the Wards for the Councilors. Instead, Tevos made do with a high-definition projector screen that provided a near photo-realistic image even when standing right in front of it. She'd taken to have live-feeds from various cameras spaced around the Tower piped through to her personal 'window'. She knew that Sparatus had a view of the turian capital city on Palavan on his window, to remind the Councilor of his home, and to whom, ultimately, he owed allegiance She'd never seen Valern's accommodations, so she didn't know what view the salarian preferred.
"Mmmmm... I'm afraid I have to get back to Omega very soon." Aria heaved a sigh as she slid smoothly onto Tevos's bed, lounging invitingly on her side in an most inviting pose. The Queen of Omega smirked sultrily up at the quivering councilor. "How about one more round before I must leave?"
"Gladly, my queen..." Tevos gave a delighted smile, almost skipping to the bed and slithering in against the taller, stronger asari. She gave a delighted gasp as Aria slid a leg over hers and rolled Tevos over on her back, pinning her down and giving her a warm, commanding, and surprisingly gentle kiss.
The Queen of Omega ran a finger down over her waistline and traced over her hip. "Now, tell me, Shani. How many days has it been since you last wore any panties?"
"Mmm... twenty days so far, and counting, Mistress Dekunai..." Tevos gave a soft, proud smile as she gazed tenderly up into the answering grin of her lover.
"That's very good, my sweet." Aria grinned. "I like a Pet with an easily accessible azure..."
She leaned down once more to claim Tevos's mouth, her tongue delving deep and both of them shifting beneath the sheets.
It was a few minutes later when Tevos gave a gasp, her eyes not on Aria, but on the window-wall, where something had just... "Did something just jump in through the Relay?"
"Nnggggh...! I'm close, don't you dare st-!" Aria froze as Tevos' words suddenly registered. "What?"
She whipped her head around to where Tevos was staring. It was a view down the length of the Citadel, looking up from the top of the Tower. In the distance, faint blue flashes were pulsing from where the Relay was just visible through the Widow Nebula, several dozen kilometers distant.
"What under all the suns?" Tevos's tone was worried, even as Aria rolled off her, sitting up as the Queen of Omega moved to the window wall, followed quickly by her lover.
"Tevos..." Aria had turned dead serious. "Those are not Citadel ships..."
Tevos couldn't even speak, her throat was suddenly dry. The nebula roiled with the passage of the incoming ships. She couldn't hear what was going on, of course she couldn't, but she could see the Destiny Ascension beginning a slow, lumbering turn to port, to bring the mighty ship to face the newcomers Already the Citadel Defense Fleet was mobilizing and...
And there was a bright flare far out in the dimness of the Nebula...
Bang bang bang!
"Madam Councilor! Madam Councilor! You must wake up, the Citadel is under immediate threat!"
The pair of asari shared a startled glance before moving as a well-oiled machine. Tevos threw Aria's boots at her, sending her pants after the footwear. Aria herself snatched up her armored leotard and jacket, grabbing the pants out of the air and stuffing her boots under her arm.
They shared one last look, before the Queen touched her ring and in less than a blink, was gone. There was no visual effect, no flash of light or pop or anything. Just one moment there, the next moment gone.
"Councilor!" The banging continued, but Tevos had eyes only for one thing. A small triangle of fabric. Aria's panties. She scooped them up and, for lack of anywhere to hide them, stepped into them before snatching up her robe.
She turned, holding the robe against her chest as the door slammed open far faster than normal. A pair of commandos stepped in, gesturing urgently. "Councilor! Come quickly, we have to get you to shelter!"
"What's going on? What's the situation?" Tevos rapidly finished tying her robe closed as she hurried out with the commandos.
Another figure stepped in behind the asari. A Turian Spectre, Avitus Rix. "We aren't certain, Councilor The Relay began disgorging vessels at an unprecedented rate and the Citadel fleet moved to engage. Reports are still coming in, but..."
She glanced up at the slender turian, the rest of her personal commando squad forming up for protective detail and quick-marching the stumbling Councilor rapidly towards the evac point.
"It's the Geth." Rix's voice was toneless as he held a finger to his commbead. "You certain of that? Double-check- Crap. Confirmed? Right."
"Spectre Rix?" Tevos prompted the operative.
"Right, keep the reports coming." The slender man's mandibles were tightly clenched as he glanced to the Councilor. "Geth confirmed. The reports are confirmed, but..."
"We're outnumbered out there. Dozens to one, if not hundreds." They filed into the elevator and the Spectre touched a panel, before the elevator shot downward at a frenetic pace. "Mostly small ships, frigates and the occasional cruiser, but that super-dreadnought flagship is leading them."
"Super-dreadnought?" Tevos' eyes narrowed, remembering Spectre Vasir's report. "Sovereign."
"I don't know its designation, just that it smashed a patrol cruiser apart." Rix fidgeted nervously and shot the Councilor a glance. "We've got to evacuate you, Councilor. The other two councilors are already en-route to their evac points, and we'll rendezvous aboard the Destiny Ascension."
"Goddess..." This was a nightmare. The Citadel under attack, an unprecedented event that had not taken place since the Krogan Rebellions fifteen-hundred years ago. How could this be happening? What was Saren doing, how could he want anything like this? "Make sure all emergency protocols are in effect. Mobilize all of C-Sec, and grant full crisis authority to the Turians, barring Matriarch Lidaniya."
"The Matriarch has already assumed control over the Citadel Defense Fleet. We lost the Oath of Order." The grandest of the turian dreadnoughts wasn't stationed at the Citadel, but the oldest of them was, it's ancient hull no longer up to the rigors of relay transit, and serving as the flagship of the Citadel Defense Fleet.
The elevator slammed to a halt so fast that Tevos was momentarily dizzy, as Rix caught her hand and pulled her out into the hangar bay. This small bay held a single, heavily-armored, and up-engined shuttle, the other two pads where the other councilors' shuttles had been remaining empty. "After you, Councilor."
She boarded the shuttle, seating herself as her commandos slid in. The battlematron swiftly checked her restraints as Rix stood by outside, going over last-minute orders and checks with the pilot. "Good luck, Councilor."
"For all of us, Spectre." The doors slammed shut as the engine-whine of the shuttle revved up. She was thrust deep into her seat despite the compensation of the shuttle's shield system, the engines howling aft as the small, sleek shuttle speared out of the hangar and arrowed towards the behemoth-bulk of the Destiny Ascension, already accelerating out of the Citadel Inner Zone.
Her breath caught as she saw with her own eyes, how the battle was progressing. The dozens-strong Citadel Defense Fleet was already in disarray. Huge turian cruisers were trading blows with sleeker, slender ships, oddly melted-looking as they closed at a high rate of speed. The problem was that for every cruiser in the Defense Fleet, there were four or five cruisers in the Geth fleet, and as for frigates and smaller vessels, they outnumbered the CDF by a hilarious margin Tevos couldn't count them all, and the swift progress of the battle made a count by eye to be a fool's errand.
Her many centuries of political and diplomatic experience meant nothing here. The Geth could not be bargained or negotiated with. They were more advanced, more powerful, more intelligent. And they clearly demonstrated an absolute lack of fear, mercy or virtue. They were an entirely different league of enemy from the krogan hordes.
Goddess, is this how the quarian felt? Complete and utterly outmatched, forced from their own home? As Tevos looked at such devastation, she could not help but wonder if perhaps her predecessor, Councilor Nerissa, had been unfair in rallying the Council and the rest of the galaxy to condemn the quarian race. How could anyone restrain let alone control such power?
She hoped the Turian fleets would return in time. And with the humans backing them up, they might have a chance.
Tevos prayed that Vasir's team and the Darastrix knew what they were doing, moving to accomplish their mission as swiftly as possible.
"So, Joru." Wrex spoke conversationally into the open comm-channel as if it were a stroll along the beach. "You up for a game of Fire-Breathing Thresher Maws of Doom?"
"That's a kid's game, Wrex. I hope you've got something a bit more challenging tucked away somewhere." The dragon's voice came over the speaker-intercom, even as the Mako lurched to a halt, with a torrent of untranslated asari invective coming from the cockpit.
"Fucking asshole! I could see him!" Vasir almost wailed as the massive, thick, bunker-shield hatch boomed shut just in front of the small tank.
"Ah, come on!" Wrex had an almost puppy-like look. "You're encouraged to burn shit down! Who doesn't want to do that?"
"I thought a krogan would take a battlefield seriously!" Vasir shot over her shoulder. "Saren was right there! We could have ended it! But of course he just had to shut the door in my face!"
"What, the giant door? Heh." Wrex smirked. "Wait for it..."
The dragoness had alighted in front of the Mako, giving the wall a studious look. "Vasir, back up about... ten meters, please?"
"You might want to do what she says." Wrex chuckled. "I might get to roast some good gorak steak from the heat. Ha ha ha..."
"Ah crap." Vasir immediately put the Mako into full reverse and floored it.
Garrus gave a yawp from his perch in the turret, bashed about by the sudden acceleration as the dragon squared off against the door.
What happened next had even Wrex silent in respect.
Joru widened her stance, dropping into a sort of crouch, and leaned forward, just as a massive blast of flame roared outwards from her. The wall suddenly glowed red-hot, then white-hot before erupting into shrapnel, with burning chunks of masonry slamming down all around the tiny tank until Vasir got it parked behind a fallen piece of building. The deluge of semi-molten fragments continued for a few more seconds, before finally pattering out. A few small fires had been started by the molten-hot fragments lodging in the local vegetation, but they were already guttering out.
A full ten seconds of utter, shocked silence passed before Tali gave a low, awed murmur. "And that was prothean architecture.."
"There, you see?" Wrex laughed, sounding very pleased with himself. "You do like to burn shit down!"
"Only when it gets in my way." Joru's voice was droll. "You might need to exit the Mako however, I left a bit of a mess."
The view of the doorway was rather different now. A huge pile of rubble sat squarely in the way, but the door was mostly gone. Just flat out gone, with chunks and pieces of it scattered to hell and back all over the local landscape.
"Joru, you are a terrific warrior and a good friend." Garrus said. "And so I say this from my heart to you: you have a problem."
The dragoness preened a little, giving a smirk as she fiddled with her belt. "Kick Wrex out here, will you? He'll do. I need to rig the Mako for towing."
"... I'm not kicking an 800 pound krogan anywhere, Joru. I don't like you that much."
"Heh." Wrex chuckled as he hopped out. "Smart thinking, turian. I knew there was a reason I liked you."
"Get those separated out and start hooking them up to the anchor points." The dragoness gave a snort, and threw a huge mass of metal at the krogan, who actually staggered back a step under the weight. "Garrus, we might need your expertise out here."
"I'm on it." The krogan was sorting out the black-metal chains even as the turian slid out of the tank. "What's up?"
"I'm going to have to carry the Mako." Joru was surveying the pile of rubble. "We might make it over that pile, but it'll be faster to just carry you all. And time is of the essence."
"...At this point, the idea of you flying a tank doesn't surprise me." Garrus hummed. "I wonder what that says about my life?"
Between the three of them, it took only a few minutes to rig the Mako, during which Vasir kept swearing, and Anderson climbed slowly out of the tank.
The old soldier made a subtle gesture to the side as he went off to the side. As Joru obliged and followed him, Anderson brought her in close for a whispered discussion. "Answer honestly, old friend. Do you think we've got a chance?"
"We always have a chance." Her demeanor was sober, as she straightened into a parade rest. "A slim chance growing slimmer by the minute. But still a chance. I won't stop trying until they send me screaming back into hell, Sir."
"That's good. If I die because you weren't giving it your all, I'd be very pissed off."
"No worries there, Sir." Her smile was toothy, but the same sort of cocky grin that Shepard once wore. The nostalgia warmed his spirit, but also brought him a small wave of sadness.
"Everything is on the line for this mission. Countless lives, the Alliance, the Council... and yet, now of all times, all I can think about is Kahlee."
"Regrets for lost time, Sir?" She tilted her head slightly, her smile going a bit amused.
Golden blonde hair, crystal blue eyes and full lips from a woman that still looked to be in her early twenties flashed through his mind. "Heh, maybe."
"There's only so many seconds in a day, Sir. Sometimes you have to make time for what you want."
"I still don't know. Do you really think a grizzled soldier like me deserves someone as special as her?"
The dragoness gave a very Shepard-like snort. "Did you forget so fast, Anderson?"
"What?"
"What did I give you before we left the Normandy?" Her smirk was all Shepard as she shifted a little. A curse came from over at the Mako, where Vasir was out and swearing, while the twins were helping to attach the chains.
"That-that's not what I meant." A rare flush came over Anderson's cheeks. "I live a very hard kind of life, and I don't know if I should expose a good woman like her to it. Or if I even deserve her."
"Sir, with all due respect, that's her decision to make." That voice was so very much like Shepard's, the cadence and fall of tone, but the register was all different. "If she wants to risk it, that's her decision If she doesn't, she'll let you know, and you can stop living in this agony of indecision."
Anderson grimaced. "I'll... I'll see if I can find time in the next few days. Well, assuming we live through this."
"Of course, sir." She turned at Garrus's approach. "Everything ready?"
"As well as we can tell." The turian shrugged a bit and shot a curious glance at the human captain. "Sir?"
"It's fine, Sergeant," Anderson nodded and glanced to Joru, who gestured for him to lead.
Black wings flared from her shoulders and a single beat lifted her to the roof of the Mako, where Wrex tossed her the other end of the chains. "We couldn't really test to see how long they were without you up there, but Garrus says it should work."
"Bloody turian." The old krogan gave a quiet chuckle, eyeing Garrus as he followed Anderson back into the tank.
"Tell everyone in there to strap in tightly, Wrex. This is going to be a bumpy ride." The dragoness rose on shadowy wings, one beat, two, and then the chains were growing taut.
They were hooked into the chassis frame of the Mako, the strongest structural supports, and a couple seconds spent tugging them had her satisfied. She flicked her eyes through menus and 'thought' at the call program. "Everyone settled in?"
"As well as we can be. Get on with it, Joru." She gave a slight grin at Vasir's waspish tone, deigning to ignore the insult for the moment.
She slid the chains over her shoulders, wishing she'd had more padding, but wiling to deal with it for now. Linking ends together, she fused them shut with a pulse of power, the adamantium bending like stiff aluminum under her hands.
With the makeshift harness secure she lifted, the Mako's suspension creaking as it lifted off the ground. Once she was airborne, her eyes focused on the hole blasted through the bunker.
Her wings snapped back, and even through the thick armored hull, she could hear Vasir screaming
The Mako dangled behind her, barely keeping pointed forwards as winds many times faster than it was designed to deal with buffeted it side to side. Joru was hitting a good three hundred kph now, far faster than the little tank was meant to deal with, racing through the bunker complex faster than the little tank could ever even dream of approaching. Sure, the inmates will feel a bit woozy for a while, but they'll get over it.
She ducked as the roof dropped several meters, yanking the chains and pulling the nose of the tank up just before it crashed into the lip of the small cliff. Vegetation had made it even down here, the roof of the long, industrial freight tunnel had cracked and crumbled sometime in the last fifty thousand years, letting in a gleam of faint sunlight. Water ran down the slight slope as she accelerated down the long straightaway, topping out just over five hundred kph before slowing to pull in sharp around a curve, letting the Mako swing wide, it's wheels almost kissing the side-wall.
The chatter on the comm frequency was highly amusing as she slid smoothly under the tank, changing positions as she shot back the other way, pulling it around in another hard turn back to the right.
"Meh," Wrex shrugged. "I don't see what everyone is setting themselves over. This is a pretty smooth ride. I might take a nap."
She gave a grin, listening to her friends and yes, her lover inside their metal can. She couldn't go as fast as she could, that would risk their safety, because no matter how tough it was, the Mako wasn't made for supersonic flight.
Another pair of harsh turns, and Joru was starting to get suspicious. She remembered this long straightaway, the vast hall above lined with pods, tombs of the fallen heroes, but something said there was less here than there should be.
She dropped through another narrow opening, speeding up to get the Mako behind her, then pulling it through after. And now she was tearing the knee-high sheet of water in the sunken complex apart beneath her as she rounded another slalom of turns, left then right, then right then left, all pushing onwards, without any hindrance.
That was it. There should have been geth to harry them and slow them down, where had they all gone? Saren wasn't that stupid, he knew they were coming, had to have seen her in particular. So where was his rearguard?
Then she lifted for one last rise, entering a vast, bowl-shaped chamber. Her eyes widened at the small, miniature mass-relay in the center, pointing upwards, and glowing with it's own activated mass field.
But that was swiftly blotted out by the hailstorm of pre-aimed missile fire.
It was the very first time Jack was seriously questioning her judgment in giving herself to Joru, what with how the damn dragon steered the fucking Mako and oh deargodthatonewasclose!
It wasn't just one, it was dozens. The streaking fire of incoming rockets, darting around each other like birds in a flock, only to hammer home into their target. Her stomach lurched as she lifted in the seat, the Mako's self-orienting system coming online when it sensed freefall. Vasir tapped the thrusters and Jack slammed hard into the flooring as the little tank slammed onto the ground.
Wait, ground, what..?
The Mako ride was normal again. Which meant only one thing: Joru wasn't steering anymore.
All of a sudden, that terrified her even more. "What's going on, where's Joru?"
"Gone, Jack." Vasir shot her a look over her shoulder, grasping the steering yolk and gunning the little tank's engines. "I'm sorry."
"Where?!" She scanned ahead of the little craft even as it bounced up and over a small boulder, engine screaming in overdrive as Vasir floored it towards the rapidly-approaching mini-relay.
"Back in the canyon, I think." She hesitated only slightly, shooting Anderson a glance. The human captain's face was a mask, but Jack could see the grief lurking in his eyes.
A flicker of fear rushed through her. Jack's hand went to her collar, feeling it in her hand. [Joru?]
There was only silence. But she felt the connection. "She's alive!"
"Kid, she might be alive right now, but she won't be in a second or two." Vasir gritted her teeth as the Mako surged up over another hidden rock. "Girl got a fucking buried, there was so many rockets back there, she's either blown in half, or buried in rubble, and I ain't stayin' to find out which!"
"You felt it, right?!" Tali spoke up to Jack. "Through those miracle gifts she gave you, they're telling you she's alive?!"
"Yeah, she's still alive, we have to stop, go back, help her!" Jack could feel a sense of rising dread, a sense of loss so profound it.. She couldn't face it, reaching for Vasir. "We have-"
She never finished that sentence.
The Mako's front reared up as it mounted the plinth on which the mini-relay was standing. A cascading blue radiance fell around it like a waterfall, and even as Jack screamed a negation, they were gone.
She wasn't sure how long she was out. Her internal chronometer didn't seem to be working, and she had one hell of a headache. Weight had settled atop her, pinning her down in an awkward pose, stretched and twisted amidst the rock and dirt that had tumbled down over her. A low groan escaped her, as her everything protested its bruised and battered condition. She clenched her jaw against the pain and shifted, letting out a soft hiss of agony.
One leg was badly twisted, no doubt broken, but it would mend soon enough once she got free. She groaned and pressed again against the covering of dirt and rock and freed her head from its temporary prison.
Rocks smashed down from the mound of rubble where she had been buried, and she gave voice to a gasping groan as her neck protested the movement, hissing an oath and scorching the walls with his invective.
She heaved once more, a buckling roar of effort, as agonizing lines of fire ripped at her back and wings. She staggered forwards, forcing her way out of the rubble bit by bit and ignoring the tiny figures that dashed and scurried. They were beneath her.
Wait. Wings?
She craned her neck, a delicate process, as entire chunks of it had been scoured clean of scales, and stared first one way, then the other, at the mangled mess that her wings had become. The delicate leathery hide between her dactylis bones had been torn to bloody shreds by the sharp-edged stones, but even as she watched, her thick black blood was welling in the wounds, and forging new flesh.
Her neck was slowly soothing itself as warmth flowed over the bare patches, shiny new scales growing from the flame-red flesh. Her legs, all four of them, were soon right as rain, and her long, long tail, lined with sharp-edged spines and ending in a mass of long, jagged spikes, was soon extracted from her impromptu intended grave.
She reared up on her hind legs, staring down at the massive claws and surprisingly delicate hands adorning her forelegs, opposable thumbs and everything.
A bullet whined off her belly and she finally deigned to notice the tiny scurrying ants. Geth. Their armatures were like toys to her, to be crushed beneath her powerful legs. A Colossus's body would just fit between her massive jaws as she crushed one to scrap. Rockets hammered into her hide, but she barely felt them, even the siege pulses barely felt like washes of warmth flowing over her scales.
She was Darastrix!
And exulting in her power, Jorukaiazahnivahkyss played with the geth, driving them before her like leaves in the hurricane as she unleashed rage at being buried by these miserable little creatures.
And when the last Geth was crushed beneath her claws or smashed into the wall of her lair, or blasted to vapor by the heat of her fury, Jorukaia sat on her haunches and bugled her victory to the skies, a deafening roar of triumph that rang in the enclosed space like thunder.
But there was more here than the Geth. She turned to the small, miniature Mass Relay in the center of her lair, gazing at it with curious concern.
It was dark and silent.
She had not touched it, nor moved close to it, but even when she emerged from her temporary resting place, the relay had been quiet and still.
She gave a soft sigh, a deep but quiet rumble in her chest as she glanced down at the prothean device. Resolve flooded through her, even as she contemplated how to rejoin her friends.
And in a voice like grinding stones, but somehow still musical, the vast, Great Wyrm Obsidian Dragon began to chant.
"Distant voices from the past"
The huge head swing, gazing thoughtfully about the circular chamber, evidently what was left of some vast complex.
"Rippling echos, rising fast"
She glanced upwards, to the shattered roof, opened by tens of thousands of years of remorseless erosion.
"Make your peace, the die is cast"
Her eyes narrowed and she stared with ruby fury down at the Conduit.
"For the Dragon's loosed at last..."
She glanced skywards again, her vast wings spreading wide.
And then she was gone.