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.

Aria paced as she waited, tension trailing behind her in every stalking footfall, and bleeding into her aura, making the other asari around her jittery and nervous.

She'd always had a powerful aura, had always been more powerful than your average asari. Then she'd gotten training, and honed herself to a razor's edge. She'd been picked for bodyguard duty back in her youth because of that edge, her heightened senses and superior strength due to her parentage giving her an edge over other girls when it came to guarding the matriarch's daughter.

But even thinking about being ripped away from her Shani all those years ago still made her teeth clench and a subtle rage seep into her aura. She took a breath and snapped to her commander. "How long?"

"They passed the outer defenses ten minute ago, Aria. They should be getting clearance to dock about now. Depending on how good her pilot is, it could be another few minutes." Or it could be another half hour, if her pilot was especially bad.

Great. She gave the batarian a curt nod and turned to survey the meeting chamber. "We rigged?"

"Techs are setting up the last few cameras now, Aria."

The Darastrix has requested the biggest cargo bay with a Type 7-D cargo hatch she could offer barely more than an hour ago. She'd just arrived in the Omega system, and let Aria know that she was coming in, and could they please have a cargo bay ready for her when she arrived? Aria had managed to not quite scream at her, but said they'd see what they could do. Securing the location had taken time, though, a bunch of scum and vorcha had been squatting down in this disused end of the docks district. That had given Gavorn some excitement, he always did love killing vorcha.

In the end, she'd been forced to send her personal guard to clean the place out and make it secure. They had taken more than half an hour to go over the entire warehouse, room by room, container by container, practically crate by crate, and declare it secure for the meeting. They'd actually found some useful cargo left around in here, probably what had drawn the scum in the first place.

Now, though, everything was ready and now they merely had to wait.

The warehouse was three stories tall, fairly long and narrow as such buildings went, but one end held one of the largest doors Aria had ever personally seen. It opened to the height of ten meters, and was equally broad, meant for transporting truly massive pieces of equipment, such as mining drills and entire rail-cars. The long-disused track of the cargo handler was still built into the floor, but the machine itself consisted of little more than a small mountain of scrap metal partially-welded to the center of the cavernous space.

Nearly a hundred of her best lined the three levels of catwalks around the vast empty space. Some of them stood at the rails, weapons ready, others were in concealed snipers nests overlooking the various levels and ready to give heavy or pinpoint fire support.

Aria's finest were taking no chances with their Queen's life. As it should be.

There was a klaxon that boomed through the space, making Aria wince, but it was mercifully short. The smaller, more focused sounds of a docking ship on the far side of the door drew everyone's attention. Aria snapped orders, and prepared herself mentally as her people began broadcasting the arrival of the Darastrixi Ambassador. By all accounts, she was a potent woman, and the bitter memory of Jack's defection still bubbled in the back of her mind like an open wound. She'd need that hate to properly assert her dominance, especially here, on Omega.

Clinks, clanks, hisses of pressurization, and finally a blessedly less-loud klaxon that was accompanied by a series of orange-and-red lights streaking up the sides of the truly massive door.

It wasn't a single slab, like one might expect, but a series of interlocking, pressure-bearing shutters that formed a near-perfect seal when fully locked. The internal pressure kept them sealed, physically locking the shutters together in a way that reinforced the seal as the pressure differential grew. Now, however, they began rising on their tracks, unlocked by the outer seal being formed with the arriving ship.

The ship's own seal had been unlocked by the same external pressure increase that had allowed the Omega-side door to unlock, and beyond...

An inky, cavernous darkness greeted them party on the warehouse floor. Aria stood with hands on her hips, eyes narrowed as she stared into that darkness.

A tremor ran through the floor. Another. Then another. It took Aria a moment to realize what it was, just as a truly vast shape became slowly visible.

It began with the eyes, high overhead, glowing pools of fire. Then the head, snout and long neck, bristling with sharp spines nearly half a meter long, and crested with long horns that flowed to sharp and bitter spikes. Three rows of spines ran down the central ridge of the neck, itself armored by heavy plates of what looked like volcanic stone.

Then the main body came into view, and even Aria stood back as the truly enormous shape of the Darastrix became visible. She seemed to fill even this vast, man-made cavern as meter after meter of huge, muscular body came into view, the front set of legs ending in oddly delicate-looking claws that were still large enough to crush an aircar. The hindquarters seemed powerful enough to launch even this tremendous beast into the air, and the vast wings, even folded, seemed to give credence that however huge and solid the Darastrix seemed to be, she was nonetheless still flight-capable.

By the time the last of the huge, sinuous tail had slithered into the cargo warehouse, Aria found that she'd stood stock-still and staring for nearly two minutes, gaping up at the huge alien, now seated on the floor with her tail curled around her feet, like a goddamn schoolgirl.

Throughout the entire process, the Darastrix has not spoken once, merely stared down at the little bipeds beneath her as if amused by their antics. Her head swing slowly back and forth, surveying the men Aria had stationed across three levels and giving a low, rumbling noise that could be either the beast's vast breathing, or a note of approval.

At last she turned her gaze downwards once again, the huge jaws opened, and Aria braced herself, her barrier springing into being.

"Well met, Queen of Omega. You have my deepest thanks for agreeing to meet with me in this...rather cramped chamber." The dragon's voice was like bass thunder, seeming to roll and echo in the huge chamber. "You have no need of such displays before me. As you can see, I am neither armed nor armored. I come before you, the sovereign and undisputed ruler of this domain, to offer my greetings, and to extend an offer of alliance between us."

Wait what?

Aria relaxed by degrees, realizing that the vast alien had tricked her, damnit! She'd been pushed onto the back foot, going into heavy defense, just by the damn alien's arrival and sheer size! Cursing herself under her breath, she let her barrier drop as she stalked forwards to stand before the dragon, hands on hips as she stared up into the huge eyes so far above her own, radiating genuine irritation to disguise her embarrassment.

She always found fear to be among her most valuable of senses, but the Queen never allowed it to control her. The last time she had felt an inkling of true petrifying fear was when she faced a particularly nasty and sadistic Ardat-Yakshi centuries ago that had been drawn to her aura. That foul creature's hypnotic and predatory gaze had almost paralyzed her. Her biotics proved more powerful than even Aria's own. Her strength was far superior.

But the reason the Ardat-Yakshi had died was because of Aria's superior training. That was the day that Aria received the final proof she needed that even the most apex of predators could be outsmarted, outmaneuvered and then outmatched.

It was that understanding that had made her Queen of Omega, and how she had never been unseated from her throne.

"Aria!" Grizz's voice appeared over her private comm-link. "We're getting calls from our men across the station! Everyone saw that creature's massive arrival! The citizens are in a panic, and the merc groups are arming up to mobilize! If anyone does something stupid...!"

The Queen understood perfectly. This was her station, she knew its heartbeat inside and out. Aria slipped back into her element, deliberately keeping just enough of her fear alive to keep aware of the dragon's power. She gave the silent signal for the cameras to start broadcasting the meeting across the entire station. Her plan was now in motion.

"Jorukaiazhanivahkyss." Aria finally answered. "Your overt idea of an entrance has caused quite a stir within my 'domain'. You interrupted the best pole-dancing session I've had in three months."

"I only do you the honor and courtesy of displaying appropriate deference How else is one to approach a Queen at her Court?" The dragon bowed her head as if chastised, her neck arching like a snake's to place her chin almost atop her own belly. "But perhaps I was precipitous. And for that, I offer my apologies. One should never be deprived of such art."

"It is good to see that a guest of mine has proper taste." Aria chuckled and shifted her stance, letting her weight settle on one powerful leg and tapping her thigh in a slow rhythm. "But it's still simple enough to understand why you would do so. The same form that tore apart a two-kilometer dreadnought and then carried it away. Everyone in the galaxy has seen it. And so you bring it forth again to make a statement of power to declare upon treating with the lawless of the galaxy. What imbecilic fool out here would be so stupid as think they could try their luck?"

"I do you the honor of showing how seriously I take you, Queen Aria." The dragon's tone was even, but held a dangerous undertone. "You are no mere common rabble like those that I have met before. Yours is a power to reckon with, and you stand in the halls of the mighty. Such strength is deserving of my respect, and so I display it, by matching that power with my own."

That was what Aria had been waiting for. The opening to remind not just the darastrix but all of the Terminus Systems just who ran Omega.

Aria's eyelids lowered and she seemed almost... disenchantment.

Joru had encountered many thousands of different kinds of people throughout her journeys across reality. But as Aria T'Loak of Omega continued to silently stare at her for nearly a full minute, the darastrix couldn't remember the last time anyone was both nervous and unimpressed with her at the same time.

"What do you know of Nakmor Vorack?" The asari finally asked.

"Nakmor. That is a Krogan name." The dragoness leaned back, her head lifting slightly as she considered. "A small, but proud clan, still based on Tuchanka itself. I confess myself ignorant of Nakmor Vorack, however."

Aria smirked but her features were otherwise inscrutable. "I would disappointed if you knew the name. Less than a handful in the Terminus still do. An old relic who now suffers the greatest disgrace known to krogan, because the only thing that is barely worth remembering about him is the story of his fall."

The dragon's head tilted slightly, peeking at her sideways with a hint of a grin. "If there is one thing in all the countless worlds to pique my curiosity, it is the prospect of a new story."

Aria began to pace back and forth as she began to regale the story. "Amongst the Krogan, those of Clan Nakmor base their claim for respect through the name of the greatest warrior to ever grace their clan. Nakmor Krall, a powerful warlord during the Krogan Rebellions. And Nakmor Vorack, like many of his clan, believed that power and respect comes through the greatness of his name and past deeds. Vorack became king of an influential spot in the Terminus Systems, and he never missed an opportunity to tell boastful stories."

She turned, gesturing to the assembled men around them. "Every time an ally or rival visited his territory, he always personally took them through his gallery, showing trophies from his clan and his family as examples of his power. Vorack told stories no matter how much others grew tired of hearing them. He thought any troubles of his could be resolved by making grandiose displays of force and regaling constant reminders of past glories, to make challengers to go away because raw power was all that mattered. Any other problem could be crushed under the raw strength of his warhammer. Even at the height of his power, he was hellbent on proving it over and over to the point of excess. He never understood that anyone who must always shout 'I am the king' is no true king."

The Queen smiled as she locked eyes with the dragon again. "It was a lesson that Vorack learned far too late. Not until after I took this station from him, and gave him a new name fitting of his disgrace."

"Ahhhhhhhhhh..." The dragon rumbled quietly and gave a faint chuckle as she gazed thoughtfully down at the grandstanding asari. It seemed like she wasn't the only one posturing for the cameras here.. "Your 'Patriarch' has a name then. A fitting end for a fallen warlord."

"Precisely. He never understood that once certain levels of true leadership and supremacy have been reached, there is no need for one to prove their power or competence. Boasting becomes not only unbecoming, but foolish and irrelevant." Aria glared up at her in defiance, her eyes narrowed to conceal her fear. "A person with such power is well accustomed to having every word carefully considered and every whim treated as a command. And all who recognize that power know to bow to it, for their respect has been established and their position recognized as immutable. And few have the short-lived foolishness to defy it."

"All true." The dragon's lips pulled back in a show of fierce fangs, as she gave a slow, gentle nod. This asari knew more than most about the proper uses of building cred and earning reputation. "But while you have already proven your power, Queen Aria of the House of T'Loak, I am not so well-entrenched. I have demonstrated my power, yes, but I have not yet established myself to my fullest ambition."

"Is that your ambition?" Aria raised an eyebrow. "Because you are actually very much alike with that fallen warlord: Someone whose raw power is surpassed only by their preening impulse to beat their chest and show off."

There was a rustle as the defiant asari stood before the vast beast, who's head was larger than her entire body. Even Grizz was giving Aria an impressed look, as she stood alone and fearless against the vast intruder. The moment was broken by a deep booming laugh as the dragon gazed down at her with deep amusment. "Oh, Aria, you have not yet witnessed the full extent of my ambition..."

The dragon's eye seemed to flare with red fire, gleaming at her even as a tongue of flame licked from one blackened nostril, as she murmured the words low enough that only the asari could hear. "It is said among my kind that a dragon fears only three things. Folly, Hubris, and another of our kind."

"Then you should reevaluate your deeds with the first two." Aria stood unfazed and unafraid. For decades after this, people would still remember that she stood alone against the dragon and was unmoved. "Everyone in the galaxy has already seen your constant demonstrations. Showing off for the cameras in the Armax arena, by bursting into flames, flying through the Citadel like it was a simple playground, seducing one of my enforcers, encouraging a forgotten partner of mine, rampaging through geth armies, tearing apart a massive dreadnought with your own claws and over a dozen other things."

She raised a hand and glared at the dragon, a gesture which would wind up on posters sold from Omega to Illium. "Yes, you're powerful, you've shown it before, but now your excessively repetitive grows tiresome. Boring. You come here into my domain, speaking fancy words of respect towards my sovereignty, but your actions are anything but. You have established to the galaxy that every small act you do has meaning, and so your current form makes silent accusations that we have forgotten you because we are of such poor memory and intellect."

Aria marched closer until she was less than two feet away from the dragon's face, never breaking her gaze. "You are strong, obviously. But while a few grandiose displays may make the sickeningly uptight politicians on the Citadel fold to your whims, we of the Terminus Systems are different. I took this station because I offered everything that the old fossil of a warlord had and more. I did not offer mere trinkets of power, but intelligence, organization, exorbitantly more profit and from all of that, respect. Overt and unnecessary grandstanding does not impress us anymore. And that is your mistake. Omega, by thine own hand, has now found you wanting."

She turned, giving a smirk at the cameras, even as she dimly heard the thunderous cheers of thousands of citizens of Omega, their cheers relayed to her via her discrete earpiece by the same relay station that was broadcasting this meeting.

The uppity asari froze as Joru slithered her head close behind her, and allowed her breath to flow over the small being's shoulders. She allowed a dangerous edge to flow into her voice as she kept her volume to a low rumble, just loud enough for the asari to hear. "Tell me, Queen Aria, do you still remember the words conveyed to you, by my Disciple?"

To Aria's credit, it appeared that she had expected what was about to happen, judging by the way the cameras broadcasting their meeting were swiftly disconnected and disabled after the Queen made her declaration.

"Grizz. Take the others and leave. Now that we are finished measuring dicks, we'll be getting to cold, hard business now." As usual, her men didn't need to be told twice. As her men scuttled away, Aria slowly turned to face the darastrix once more and let out a long breath. "Yes. I remember those words. Better than you might think."

"Good." Joru held her gaze locked with that of the annoying little yapping morsel. "And you shall also remember this."

The dragon's jaw dropped wide, revealing a dark tunnel behind those sword-length fangs and a deep, reddish glow seeming to gleam off the wet sides of her throat. Before Aria had time to do more than gasp breath to scream, the tremendous head slammed forward with acceleration that an aircar racer would find insane. Her jaws snapped shut around the Queen of Omega as she reared up as high as the low ceiling of the three-level cargo bay would allow her.

There was muffled yelling from inside her mouth, as Aria realized what had happened to her.

The Queen had been eaten.

But instead of tipping her head back and allowing the crushing squeeze of her throat to deal with the annoyance, there was something else she needed to do. Even as Aria's men began a belated rush to try and rescue their queen, Joru was gone.

Several long seconds passed in transit before she finally hit the grass and dirt of Aite, and before the nauseating taste in her mouth could force her to spit, warm, clean air, slapped her in the face. The dragon rapidly emptied her mouth onto the grassy field near the edge of a scenic cliff.

The dragon staggered back several paces away from the kneeling asari, wings flapping madly and making horrible retching sounds as black tar-like stuff burnt and sizzled its way into the grass. She spat curses in every language she knew as the absolutely horrid taste sizzled into her poor abused tongue, and sent little acrid clouds of black smoke wafting away on the light breeze. She spotted the stream running towards the cliff, and flopped over on her side, practically shoving her head into the little stream, damming it with her mouth and gargling with practically an entire river jammed in her throat.

By the time Aria got to her feet, looking down at her hands in disgust, Joru had filled her gullet. Her neck whipped around to point out over the cliff nearby, and she sent a blast of steam out of her mouth, chasing it with a gout of thunderous flame, before the taste finally stopped invading every last particle of her awareness.

"By all the gods that ever were, and all the devils bound in Hell, that was utterly FOUL!" She turned her head to glare down at Aria, with an expression that somehow managed to convey petulant disgust. "I don't know if it was your jacket, pants or boots, but whatever it is you're wearing, it tasted horrifyingly vile!"

Covered from head to toe in dragonspit, Aria shot a seething glare with her teeth bared, clenching hard enough to crush eezo crystal. Her biotics flared with such furious intensity that the saliva dissolved into blue vapor.

"I've tasted chemical coatings to prevent corrosion, and some of them were similar to that utterly nauseating taste, but none of the could compare to THAT!" She spat another glob of black tar-like stuff into the grass near Aria's feet, where it sizzled into the soil. "Just what is your jacket coated with? I think it's your jacket at any rate, I got a hint of well-tended leather and the usual plastics used in footwear, before the nauseating taste of whatever that was became all-consuming."

The corner of Aria's mouth lifted into a smirk as the Joru continued to rant. She touched on whether or not the scum-slime of Waterdeep's many-layered sewers was quite as bad as that taste, then jumped to liken it to getting a chemical-waste-product mouthwash, before touching on demonic toejam as Aria's smirk turned into a smile, and the asari finally threw her head back into an all-out laugh as her biotics dissipated "It seems I've made the dragon upset. Oh dear me."

Joru was grinning by this point, and reared up to make a wait-one-moment gesture with one vast fore-paw "Would you mind if I took care of that coating of ick you're wearing?"

"As you should," Aria snarled. Then her breath caught as the dragon gestured with her huge arm, and all the spittle and greasy-feeling liquid that had been seeping into Aria's clothing suddenly began to waft away. It floated away from her, formed into a ball almost the size of her head, before going 'ker-PLUNK' into the nearby stream.

"Now that I've taken care of the niceties, shall we discuss business?" Joru's voice was low, but friendly as she slowly sank down, laying on her side and casually tearing a boulder out of the ground. She carved it into a rough approximation of a couch and set it within arm's reach of herself, a good ten to twenty feet away, facing her head, and pointedly stared at Aria.

Aria merely rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, still carrying a smirk on her face. "It didn't feel so good, did it? Having the boma panther's claw on the other foot?"

She was referring to the last time they had 'spoken', when Joru had Jack tell Aria right in the middle of Afterlife that she was leaving her and that there was nothing the Queen of Omega could do about it.

"Perhaps you should remember who gave you the ring you wear, and remember that in order to arrange for your little tet'a'tets, I would have had to have had direct access to both locations." The dragon's grin was amused, but showed entirely too many teeth.

"I got that message long ago. Surely you must have determined that I was testing you just as you've been testing me, darastrix." Aria flopped with a grimace onto the crudely-carved excuse for a sofa. "That little speech I made served more than one purpose. I know your type better than most people in the galaxy would, and I needed to see if someone who prizes her independence so dearly despises others who demonstrate the same."

"You are your own mistress, Aria T'Loak, and I shall not interfere with that. I expect the same courtesy from you." The dragon sat once more, the soft earth and grass crunching beneath her. "Such is the way between two darastrixi. Mutual respect, admiration, and caution is required before more nuanced communication can occur. One most always obtain a proper bargaining position before one attempts to haggle, and so it is between dragons."

Aria smiled with a light chuckle. "I determined as much ever since you provided Tevos and I the means of seeing each other again with absolute discretion. A lesser being would see it as tribute, a statement of power or an investment to open a business deal. But not me. You went out of your way to share your gifts to give me what I always wanted. It was a gift of the utmost respect from you."

"Quite." The dragon's smile was less toothy, more amiable. "I have watched you from afar, Aria. In many different situations and in many different moods. In many ways, and in many respects, you are a darastrix who had the misfortune to be born into an asari's skin. A pity, for you would have made an excellent dragon."

Aria actually snorted. "Then I trust you understand that there are no hard feelings for what I said earlier. To be the alpha of the pack, your reputation must be as strong as your power, if not more so. Especially on Omega. And in that same respect, I may have felt a little sore about you poaching my top enforcer but I can't say I blame you either. I'd have done the same thing in your place."

"And I would not have blamed you, were our positions reversed. I would have plotted your downfall and the reclamation of what is rightfully mine, however." The dragon's toothy grin was back, but it held no malice this time around. "And to dull the edge of your sharp-witted tongue, I have a proposal for you, Aria T'Loak, Queen of Omega."

"Ah yes, that is why you took us out here, so that we may finally talk business as ourselves and far away from any eavesdroppers." Aria smiled as she glanced around at the verdant surroundings of vast mountains, flowing rivers and grassy plains. Then she studied the looming curve of the moon hanging above the horizon. "Been a long while since I've seen this much green, or been this far from Omega. Judging by that hulking moon that is far too close, I'd say this is the Typhon system of the Phoenix Massing sector. I forget the name of the planet."

"Aite." Joru gave a faint smirk down at her, like a teacher pleased with a prize pupil. "There was a Cerberus base here, not too far away. I think you can see the crater down in the valley."

She gestured with a wing, the huge sail blotting out the sun as it arched like a roof over the seated asari, the tip pointing out over the cliff, where, far in the distance, a black smudge sullied the greens and blues of the valley, and the river that ran through it.

"I can't imagine what might have happened to them." Aria gave a slight smirk, eyeing the rather large crater, and noting the fact that it was still smoldering "Or how you found out."

"That is hardly the topic of conversation. I merely pointed it out as a point of local color." The dragon shifted, and lay down once more, shifting her long neck to lay in a quarter circle, When she did that, she almost looked like an outcropping of basaltic rock, still warm from the volcano's heat. One eye opened to stare unblinking at the seated asari. "suffice it to say, they angered me. On a deep level."

Aria's brow lifted with growing intrigue. "Ahhhh... they took something from you."

"Indeed." The dragon's low rumble seemed to resonate up through the couch she had carved, as she stared out over the cliff at the distant place of wreckage. "But it was not I who burned them out like a cancer. That was the one they had stolen. She was far less merciful than I."

Aria chuckled once more and shot a glance out at the blackened mark on the valley floor. "I think you and I will get along very well. Provided that you continue to respect Omega and the Terminus as my domain."

"Omega is yours, your fief to do with as you please. The Terminus is yours to rule, and I shall not contest that." Joru turned to regard the asari with equanimity. "But I will need a promise, a vow, a solemn oath, and a contract, binding by any means necessary."

"My word is not so easily bartered, darastrix." Aria's eyes turned in Joru's direction without moving her head. "I would first hear the details of the partnership before I consider giving any such promises."

"A wise decision. Only a fool gives her word to that which she does not know." The dragon's head lifted, but not too far, her voice taking a more sonorous tone. "I will provide you with artifacts of potence beyond your comprehension. I will offer my assistance with small matters that have so far proven beyond you, providing that they do not interfere with my own goals. And in exchange, I ask that you be ready."

The asari queen of Omega slowly turned to face the dragon in full, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Ready for what, pray tell?"

"War." The dragon's one word was solemn as she turned her gaze slowly upon the asari. "War is coming. Not between Terminus and Citadel, but a war for survival. You saw how I disposed of the Reaper, the 'geth dreadnought'. That was but one among countless thousands. They are coming, Aria T'Loak. Sovereign was their vanguard, the one left behind to monitor and keep track of things here. And to summon the rest of their limitless armada, should certain conditions be met."

Aria was silent, her steady gaze searching the darastrix for something.

Joru's features were as solid as the rock she seemed to be composed of. "Yes, Aria. I am neither exaggerating, nor dissembling. What is coming is an existential threat to all advanced life in the galaxy. And the Terminus needs to be ready. Because either we stand together, to drive back the menace into Dark Space, or..."

The dragon's head turned, slow and ponderous, to gaze out over the valley towards the huge moon looming beyond the horizon. "...Or we die like cattle driven to the slaughter."

"Sovereign..." Aria murmured. "That monstrosity that nearly killed my Te-nearly killed the Council and wiped the Citadel's defenses? You're telling me that the Geth have constructed thousands of those things?"

"Hardly. While the Geth are supremely efficient, they haven't nearly had the time." The dragon turned her long neck until she was gazing sidelong at Aria. "The Geth have only had three centuries in which to build, and they have had other priorities. No, the Reapers came from Dark Space. Beyond the galaxy. This has been their favored field from which to harvest for the past billion years."

Aria was quiet as she turned to her left and began to pace. Several minutes passed by as the dragon watched without sound or movement. Eventually the asari stopped and rubbed her temples before turning back to address Joru. "I will ask you once and only once, and you will be absolutely honest with me. Darastrix, are you scared?"

She took her time to consider that. Normal, everyday fear was no longer a part of her, nor had it been ever since she was a terrified child. The ritual that had marked her so deeply, had triggered her blood quickening, and gifted her the strength and resilience of champions, had also burned away her fear. Even supernatural fear could not move her, or dissuade her from her chosen course.

But still there were things that caused her anxiety. "Not for myself, mind, but... In a sense, yes. The Reapers are like an insect from the human homeworld called 'locusts'. They hide for years, sometimes decades, appearing to be little more than ordinary insects. Then, for sometimes inexplicable reasons, perhaps their own population, perhaps some environmental cue, they swarm. They swarm and swarm and eat and devour any plant life in their path, leaving behind them nothing but utter devastation. Famine follows where the Locusts swarm."

She turned to meet Aria's gaze with her own. "So it is with the Reapers. And we are their crops. They are coming to harvest us, the advanced species of the galaxy. Their vanguard was attempting to control the Citadel. With that under control, the Relay Network would have been locked down, destroying galactic society at a stroke. Yes, Aria. The Protheans did not make the Relays, nor the Citadel, those are the work of the Reapers. They seeded the galaxy with their trap,.and we are neatly caught in the net. With no way to move ships through the Relays, they might as well not exist, and the Reapers would fall upon each world in succession, stripping it bare, then moving on to the next. Sometimes they would allow some refugees to escape, sleeper agents to sow chaos and disunity, timed to coincide with the Reapers' arrival in their new homes."

She paused to allow that to sink in, her gaze direct and frank. "The Reapers are not a fleet, they do not require lines of logistics. They engage in extensive self-repair. Even during the battle, Sovereign was repairing itself, though not fast enough. They can be beaten. They can be destroyed. But if we attempt to meet them as anything other than a unified front, we will be destroyed."

Aria listened with a steady gaze, until she finally let out a long sigh. "I have been trained by the finest of the vaunted asari commandos. I have killed salarian spies, drell assassins, and thousand year-old krogan warlords. I've fought and bested dark creatures of the Terminus that the sheltered people of Citadel believe only to be myth and nightmare. And yet, when I saw that ship, Sovereign, I knew deep down that there were still more terrible things out there . That dreadnought was like nothing I had ever seen."

The asari queen looked back at Joru. "Let me make this clear. Do not expect me to suddenly start believing in apocalypse myths overnight. But for one as powerful, fierce and level-headed as you to be so rattled... that alone is what convinces me to at least take the idea seriously."

The dragon's head dipped in regal acknowledgment, her eyes shuttering as she slowly sank down to rest her chin in the grass A soft snort blew hot air around Aria's legs as the dragon's eyes opened again. "Very well. If we have an agreement, then you will begin gearing your people up for a full-scale offensive. Try not to antagonize the Citadel Council races, but do whatever you must to gain support, allies, and minions among the races of the Terminus Systems. We shall need their support."

"I'll start looking into potential arrangements. Don't worry, my will is law. There will be no bureaucracy to hold me back like the Council." Aria's grin was wide and proud. "Now for something much more delicious. Tell me more of these boons you were offering."

The dragon gave a soft snort and turned her head aside to look out over the valley. A couple seconds passed in tableau, before the dragon turned back to the asari. "Wait here one moment. I shan't be too long."

That was the only warning Aria got before the dragon's wings fully unfurled. They were vast and seemingly gossamer-thin, but strong as steel as the dragon's leap and first powerful downstroke sent a hurricane of wind howling around her. Joru rose like a lumbering bird of prey, straining to seek the sky before diving off the edge of the cliff. A moment later, she reappeared, gliding on vast wings out over the valley below.

The sudden, visceral terror that had rooted Aria to the spot made Joru snicker quietly as she wove through the mixed thermals and downdrafts that hovered above the valley. She'd wondered if the dragonfear would affect the Queen, and it seemed that even Aria was not immune to the supernatural fear that her kind inspired. Still, the Queen of Omega had not soiled herself and run screaming in mindless terror, as Vasir had done. That was quite impressive, for such a lowly species.

The cases were right where she'd left them, and a quick dunking in the nearby stream cleaned off the few day's worth of grime. Holding them was awkward as she winged her way back up towards the cliff at the valley's head, but Aria was still where she'd left the diminutive alien, though now seated on the couch she'd prepared.

She landed delicately, backwinging to kill her forward momentum. She knew it was effective, even if it did send a storm of wind rushing over her guest. She settled to the earth, suppressing a grin as she walked over on her hind-claws, and settled fully to earth after delicately setting the tiny cases on the ground before Aria's feet. "Thank you for your patience. These constitute my end of the bargain."

Aria demonstrated even greater control as she closed her eyes, a brief pulse of biotics, and then her fear from dissipated like snow in a desert. Ah, yes. She was definitely worthy to be an ally of the dragons.

Having steadied herself, the asari queen eyed the two cases laid before her. But when she scanned each of the cases, Aria looked back up with a neutral expression. "Jewelry. I assume that these are similar to the rings you already gifted. What purpose do they serve?"

Joru gave a low, rumbling chuckle as she regarded the cool-blue asari. "The case on the left is for your own personal use. They are designed with an eye to gift you with beyond-mortal prowess and potency, both in the political arena, and in combat. They comprise the 'base level of protections' that I grant to all my allies, sufficient to allow them to withstand vacuum, and even reentry without fear or a spacesuit."

Aria's features didn't change, but her eyes began to gleam. "Mmmmm... I like where this is going. Do go on."

Joru twitched a claw, and the case's latches clacked open. The case itself required a light tap from the spear-like claw of the dragon, before it popped open, revealing an eclectic assortment of items. A pair of small pieces of jewelry winked in the charcoal-grey foam interior, as did a pearl roughly half an inch in diameter. A much more ornate ring, forged of a dark metal and set with a huge and flawless black diamond, winked darkly in that quadrant of the case.

To the left of the jewelry section, a magnificent belt was carefully kept by the dark foam. Many dark-colored gemstones had been worked into the supple leather, ranging from dark red to forest-green, deep-blues and purples, clasped with a buckle that held another huge black diamond, this one square-cut, and actually flanked by a quartet of gemstone-quality eezo crystals.

But the real eye-opener was the pair of knee-length boots. They were trimmed with dark fur of some sort, hard leather sides, the soles were made of some dark, glistening-looking metal, and the heel was gleaming-bright silver that was almost mirror polished. Gems had been worked into the sides and top of the boots as well, tasteful ones, not gaudy or overly flashy.

"I'm impressed. You even know my style." Aria sat back on the couch and examined the items as Joru made a gesture and the belt lifted free of the case.

"This belt will grant you power undreamed of. Not only will it vastly enhance your mental, physical, and social potency, but it is woven through with enchantments to vastly increase your ability to leverage your expanded strength." The dragon grinned slightly as she watched the asari's eyes gleam with delight. "It will aid in the healing process, allowing you to get the benefits of a full night of bed-rest, even in the midst of combat. And, should you happen to fall from a high place, it will reflect the energy of your fall into whatever structure you impact. On more than one occasion I have had to climb out of a crater I made on impact, with a similar enchantment."

Aria couldn't stop an almost uncharacteristically wide grin from forming, images of what she could accomplish dancing in her head. "This would truly make me that powerful?"

The dragon gave a slow grin, and shifted.

It felt strange, to be this small again, to wear this half-familiar skin. To shrink to be someone else, anyone else. She took the belt out of the air where it had been hanging and slid it around the hips she now wore, over the low-slung belt that held up her skintight leather leggings.

She met Aria's gaze with a smirk of her own, allowing the Magnificence enchantment to shine through as she stood in the skin of Aria T'Loak, and showed the asari exactly how powerful her aura was.

And what an aura it was. She could feel the glimmerings of dark energy being given off by the asari in front of her. Aria was potent, powerful, dangerous. Even untrained, with only Aria's native power to guide her, the Magnificence enchantment boosted everything beyond the limits of what an asari should be capable of.

Joru flared her aura, wreathed in bright-blue biotic fire as Aria gave a wide-eyed look of shock, that segued through a sudden lust, to a thoughtful and considering stare.

The asari queen was biting her lip as she smiled, her eyes went from gleaming to smoky. Oh, she absolutely wanted it, to become that very embodiment of walking power even more than she already was. Just the thought of it was making her azure wet, to judge by the alteration in her scent. Aria had already made her decision, she just had yet to say it. "Haaaah, yesssss... You know, I always suspected that you could alter yourself far more than you showed in that Fornax interview."

She was speaking the truth. Her fellow darastrix born as an asari had not been fooled when Joru told the galaxy she could only shift certain 'parts' of her anatomy.

"I thought you would have figured that out, yes..." Aria's eyes widened slightly at the sound of 'her' voice, as Joru strutted and stretched. It felt good to be back in humanoid form, to feel the grass beneath her toes. "My shapeshifting is far less limited than I let on before. I had just been dealing with... recent complications."

"For the record, I suspected as much from how you never once changed back since the battle. But when you arrived earlier, I still had to seize the rare opportunity of a dragon being stuck." Aria chuckled. "Moving on, is there anything else these will do for me?"

"There's a human legend of the seven-league boots, allowing the wizard who wore them to be able to traverse seven leagues to the stride. roughly thirty four kilometers for every pace." Joru gestured, and the boots sprang out of the box. She caught them with a deft motion, smirking as she dangled them at Aria. "These will wing you across the galaxy in the same manner as the ring you now wear, while at the same time giving you roughly twice your normal pace, and making you impossibly well-balanced."

She turned and tossed the boots to the bemused Queen. "They're also enspelled to be beyond mortal comfort, and to shift into whatever footwear you desire, at your whim."

Aria breathed in deeply, almost unable to speak with excitement.

"Well, what are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?" The skinchanger gave a smirk, crossing her arms under Aria's considerable bosom, made all the more blatant by Joru's preferred top, then dropped her hands to her waist, making a show of unbuckling the belt. "Here' I'll sweeten the deal."

"Hell to the yes." Aria grinned as she started unbuckling her boots, and gave a smirk as Joru tossed her the new belt.

It took a couple minutes before the Queen was attired in her new boots, giving a soft little hum of delight as the footwear cycled through several different variations before settling on a bejeweled version of her former footwear. The belt however...

Joru suppressed a smirk at the soft gasp that donning it produced, watching as Aria glanced down at her hands, then shot her a look of smoldering intensity. The Queen of Omega ran a hand along the back of the couch-boulder and stared at Joru, still wearing her own skin. She was silent a moment, then gripped tighter, giving a grunt of effort before the entire damn boulder came out of the ground.

Aria's expression was one of deep contradictions as she let the boulder thump back into the soft earth, panting a little as she rubbed her hands. "That thing has to weigh several tons... It felt so.. So light..."

"I don't skimp when it comes to my allies, Aria." Joru's smirk infused her voice as the Queen stroked the roughly-carved boulder. "Nor is the set complete. Donning the rest of the set, I leave to your discretion, but I must make one further demand."

Even when enraptured by the boons at her fingertips, Aria did not immediately fold like others would after tasting such power. Instead, her eyes snapped back in Joru's direction with a sharp questioning gaze. "I'm listening."

The unspoken intent that she would only listen for now was clear.

"The rings I gave you before. I will need them back." the faux Aria lifted a hand at the Queen's glare. "You two no longer have need of them, the same enchantments are woven into your boots, and...the other things."

She couldn't quite keep the smirk off her face. "Besides, your new ring is much more potent than the old one..."

The answer mollified the asari queen. "You'll have mine back once I have donned the rest. Tevos' as well after I see her tonight."

"Acceptable." Joru let the smirk out as she gestured to the rest of the jewelry. She turned away, allowing Aria to examine it at her leisure. "The rest of it, well, the pearl is meant for your tongue. It grants beyond-mortal skill at all means of speaking. Both to scathe, to scold, and to cajole and bamboozle. Your skill at oratory will be beyond compare, and it will allow you to determine the motives of others with but a single glance."

She turned back as Aria examined the small sphere, shooting her a look. "It will merge with the base of your tongue. Thereafter, merely envision spitting it out to remove it. Much simpler than a simple tongue-stud, I thought."

"Oh, and one further thing." Joru grinned as she turned away. "It makes your mind sacrosanct. No mental influence, short of someone on par with Athame herself, will be able to influence you in any way with any supernatural power."

Out of all the items she had received so far, Aria was now looking at the pearl as though it were the greatest prize in the galaxy. As she had said to Joru when she had first arrived on Omega, true power came from not from raw physical ability but in the extent of your influence over others. And that was on top of the protection it offered for her mind?

"Jorukaia... I would almost say I would be satisfied with this one alone. If it can do what you promise, you may consider that I have wholeheartedly accepted your offer of alliance."

The smirk on her own features when the disguised dragon turned back around was almost predatory. "Ohh? and don't you want the studs that will armor you in unbreakable force? That will grant you protections both mundane and minor, as well as profound?"

Her voice dropped to a husky whisper as Joru ran a hand over the Queen's belly. "That will grant you prowess in the bedroom unmatched by even Athame's Chosen..."

"...I said almost!" Aria shot 'herself' a strange look, then gave a soft gasp as the dragoness leaned in to inhale her scent. Piquant. Spicy, with a hint of tartness. Very nice. There was still that underlying horrid scent, though, but that could be dealt with...

"And the best part of all of this, Aria?" She kept her voice pitched low, seductive almost. "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet..."

"Oh really now?" Aria chuckled smirking a little at her doppelganger. "Now this I have to hear."

"When you wear all three pieces of jewelry, your very glance can inflame another's desire." Joru gave a slow grin, and stepped closer, and pressed against the sleek, succulent asari. "And when you have all five worn, well... Your wellspring of biotic power will never run dry..."

"Oh yesssss..." Aria chuckled with labored breathing, the sense of such promised power intoxicating. Her smile was practically evil. "Mmmmm... You thought of all of this without even needing to consult me. Things I never knew I wanted, or what was even possible to have. I suppose alphas like us really do have similar tastes..."

The dragoness smiled, hovering Aria's lips next to her ear. "I know what you want to do to Tevos..."

"But do you really?" The Queen teased. Aria gave a faint smirk as Joru pressed against her, almost pinning the strengthened asari to the rock. "Then enlighten me."

"You want to enslave her." Joru's words came as a slow, sultry whisper. "You want to make her yours in a way that no other can or will. You want to own her, body and soul. You want to possess her, to have her, to hold her, to keep her and treat her like the sexpet she is. What she was born to be."

She pulled back a little, the knowing look all too plain. "And while I have no problems if she's will, I have serious problems with unwilling enslavement. So I ask you once, and once only, Aria... Does Tevos want to be owned, as much as you want to own her?"

Aria stared back at the disguised darastrix for nearly a full minute before her face split into a grin. "Does my eager Pet want it? Oh, you have no idea. I've seen it in our melds; she desires it far more than even I would. But roleplaying is only able to take that desire of hers so far. She's never been able to let that side of her out as much as she longs to."

Her eyes glanced to the second case, waiting to be opened. "I presume that the other set is meant for her then? To express that side? To make her truly mine?"

"Once she dons that collar, knowing what it is and what it will do, neither she, nor any other could ever remove it. It is so enchanted that with it, and its matching bands, she will enjoy all the same protections you do." Aria was treated to the sight of her own features, cool and aloof as she stared into her own gaze. "The collar must be donned by someone who knows its significance, and that it is permanent, and she cannot be coerced. If Tevos truly desires it, then the collar will seal. If not, well... bring them back for a full refund."

"I left an OSD in the case, detailing and documenting all the features of both sets." The disguised dragon gave a faint smirk. "Once she's been properly collared, she will be bound to you in a way that it would take considerable ingenuity and high-level magic to break. While not a soul-deep bond, it will certainly bind her to you. And you to her."

The dragoness gave a slow chuckle, leaning in to take Aria into her arms and murmur into her ear. "I was a bit rushed, so the panties are a bit... Unfinished. If you have ideas for how to improve them, contact me, and we can...renegotiate."

"Oh, I'll gladly keep that in mind." Aria chuckled with unbridled eagerness. Then she perked up as a new thought struck her. "Might I request a little bonus in that matter?"

Joru listened and gave a allow chuckle. "Yes, both of those are doable. You experienced the first one yourself already, did you not? Yes, I see you have. Well, it should be quite possible to provide you with, ahh.. more potent potions this time around..."

"Oh, it felt good for me, real good. The best thing since we asari invented sex."

Joru gave a quiet bark of laughter at the audacity of the Asari Queen.

She shifted a little in her jacket and cast another glance at the sky. She'd said she'd be here about half an hour ago, if she didn't get delayed again...

Jack cursed softly under her breath, fumbling a little with the small box in her jacket's outer pocket left-hand pocket. She'd tried keeping it in the inner pocket, but the damn thing was shaped just right to poke her in the boob with one corner no matter which way she turned it.

She looked up again as an aircar came in to the public air transit hub where Ileea had told Jack to meet her, and this time, the asari stepping out of the aircar took Jack's breath away.

Sleek in a business-casual dress in the human style, cut to just below the knee. Black or very dark blue that brought out the soft blue of her skin and the light, flashing blue of her eyes. The asari glanced around, and their eyes met.

Butterflies fluttered in Jack's stomach, as she angled her head slightly, letting her blue-black hair fall over her right shoulder. Ileea's head lifted slightly in acknowledgment, and across the pavilion, two women started making towards the same pedestrian exit.

"I wasn't sure you were going to make it."

"Neither was I, tell the truth." Ileea gave a soft smile as she sat with her... friend? acquaintance? They'd only met the once, though under delightful circumstances, and until she'd heard Jack speak, she hadn't been sure it was the same woman. After all, Jack had been clad head to toe in glossy, sleek black rubber at the time. "The damn producer wanted my input on the next few shots. True, her ideas had been horrible and I needed to straighten her out, but still, you'd think that by now they would know how to not fuck up a shoot, you know?"

She took a sip of her drink as Jack gave a quiet snicker. The human was very different without her coating of, admittedly sexy, sleek blackness. Her eyes were the same, a deep brown that was almost black, but the rest of her...

Ileea knew now why she had gone coated to the porn-shoot last time. Her tattoos were... Distinctive. She'd tried not to ask, as Jack seemed to treat them as something private, and she'd learned enough to recognize when a question would be unappreciated.

The small cafe on a corner of the Nos Astra upper mezzanine served surprisingly good coffee, obviously a local blend, given the faint taste of shava berries, but still delicious. Ileea became aware of the silence growing between them and set her cup down. Jack had barely touched hers.

"You want to tell me something." It wasn't a question, the asari was gentle. "It's been on your mind since we first met on the station. What is it, Jack?"

The human didn't speak, but after a moment of hesitation, she reached into her jacket and pulled out something familiar. Ileea's heart sank a little. It was a jewelry box.

She'd been propositioned dozens of times, hundreds no doubt. Sometimes by coworkers, other times by fans, once by her boss, and that was a bit of an icky situation to get out of. One does not tell a Matriarch 'no' with impunity. Even so, this gesture touched her with how sudden it had come.

They'd met only once, for a single night of pleasure. And Jack was proposing to her? She opened her mouth, but was stopped as Jack slowly opened the box, showing her the contents.

It was beautiful... A sleek, thin, silver ring, set with four square brilliant-cut gems that sparkled in the sunlight. It took Ileea a moment to realize that the gleaming gems weren't mirroring the pale-blue sky, but were in fact pale-blue transparent gems. Blue-diamonds. Four, perfectly-identical blue diamonds. The metal of the ring itself was gleaming, mirror-polished silver, with small protrusions on the inside, and had a small break opposite the diamonds.

It wasn't a ring, too small for that, far too small. It might have been a human-style earring, it was small enough for that, but asari didn't have external ears like humans did. There was only one place where such a piece of breathtakingly-beautiful jewelry could be worn, in fact. Her azure. Specifically, her clit. It was a clit ring. A fabulously expensive clit-ring...

"And why would the Darastrix wish to gift me, a simple member of Fornax, a piece of jewelry for my azure?" Ileea glanced from the breathtakingly-beautiful piece of artwork to the human who was holding it out to her.

Jack swallowed, dropped her eyes and set the box on the table, as her cheeks flushed that adorably exotic shade that humans called a blush. "...It wasn't Joru. Well, not just her... I.. I wanted to... to get you something. Something special. Joru.. She was the one who made it, sure, but... But I was the one who asked her to..."

"The Darastrix made this?" Ileea looked at the clit-ring with more interest. If this was anything like the special outfit she walked away with last time...

"Y-Yeah." Jack flushed a little and gave Ileea a slight smile. "She, uh... She said she already knew your measurements from... ahh. our 'intimate encounter'."

The asari pornstar smiled cheekily. "The best night of my life. No question."

"Joru certainly loved it." Jack gave a soft chuckle, reaching out to shyly touch the asari's hand as her voice dropped to a quiet tone. "So did I. I tried what you suggested and... Wow, were you ever right..."

"I know what my clients like." Ileea was still smiling as she allowed Jack's hand to caress her own. "She erupts like a volcano, doesn't she?"

Jack gave a soft snort, and nodded. "More like a firehose. I had to be carried to the baths afterwards."

She chuckled as she took the clit-ring and looked the expensive gift over. "And this is how you wished to extend your gratitude? I'm flattered."

Jack's blush was quiet adorable now, all warm pink and gorgeous as the human looked away from her and shot her a shy glance. "Well... You're worth it. And it didn't really take Joru that long to make it for me, really..."

"Awwww... seems I've made quite an impression." She turned her hand over, and gently took Jack's, giving the adorable human a soft smile. She set the box to one side, her eyes returning to the gleam of the gems and the smooth curve of polished metal. "I know that Joru doesn't do anything by halves, but... This? This is gorgeous..."

"Just like you." Jack blinked and blushed cutely again, and Ileea had to suppress a giggle. "It.. It's not just to look pretty you know... She spent so much time engraving the facets she actually chipped a clawtip."

Ileea looked up, lifting a brow. "Engraving the... facets?" She'd heard that old-fashioned gemcutters, some of whom still did brisk trade in folk-art, used hand-tools to carve gemstones.

"Well..." Jack glanced about, then gently drew Ileea a little closer as she leaned across the table. "Joru has this thing where she can bind power into an object. Like, a lot of power. Like... well, like this..."

Ileea was never sure afterwards how she hadn't noticed it in the first place, but until Jack touched the gleaming collar about her throat, the asari had legitimately not noticed it. And it was gorgeous in the same way the ring was. But where the ring was understated and elegant in its simplicity, Jack's collar was...

It was silvery, sleek, form-fitting. Ileea couldn't see any sort of opening, but she supposed it hinged open at the back. And it was covered in gemstones. Some large, like the ruby, sapphire, emerald, and other gems studding the front, but others were smaller, ranging from the size of her fingertip down to barely-noticeable chips set in the smooth, elegantly scrolled metal. It was symmetrical, but the gemstones made it gleam and flash in the sunlight so much she was amazed that every woman in the plaza wasn't staring at the thoroughly bedecked human!

"They don't see it." Jack's tone was low as she caressed the sleek metal of her collar. "They won't see it. Joru made sure of that when she enchanted it. That's the term she uses when she works her power into an item like this."

Ileea went very still, her asari mind absorbing the implications. She wondered what that beautiful piece of artistry adorning the human's throat was capable of, but... Her eyes strayed to the jewel case and the ring within. "... And what does she put into a clit-ring?"

"Mostly? Skill enhancement." Jack's warm eyes touched hers, her cheeks flushed as she gave Ileea's hand a slow caress. "Distilled and instinctive skill in...several areas, I don't know which. Also something to..."

The human swallowed softly, her eyes roving over Ileea in a way that made the asari preen slightly. "Gift you with more.. flexibility and.. and charisma."

Ileea's talent for reading people and what they wanted was much sharper than most maidens, a natural experience accumulated by one as skilled as her at Fornax. Her smile took on a teasing lilt. "Now what kind of skills are you looking to enhance in a pornstar supermodel?"

"I, uh, don't actually know..." Jack looked abashed, and glanced away. "Joru took care of that part, I didn't really a-ask..."

The asari chuckled as she eyed the clit-ring with great interest. She had learned a great deal about the heart of Joru's character through their interview and their physical intimacy afterward. She had a very good idea what sort of thing the sexually adventurous and devious Darastrix had in mind...

Ileea wobbled a little as she stepped out of the bathroom, swallowing as she took Jack's arm and hissing furiously in her ear. "You didn't tell me it would self seal! ...Or that it would be so... so s-stimulating!"

The human gave a blush and gently took the arm of her 'date'. God, this was so awkward! No wonder she hadn't bothered dating when she was a kid. Oh. Wait. That was probably the Cerberus shit.

Ileea practically plastered herself against Jack's side, and she could hear the girl's soft gasps every couple of steps. She slowed her pace a little as she lead the way towards a nearby public taxi rank. "I, um, is it too much?"

As she tried to keep her eyes on the path ahead for both of them, she felt the asari manage to steady herself with a long, slow exhale. Hopefully she would be alri—

"Jack..."

She instantly froze, spellbound by the sudden voice of liquid sex.

"Look at me..."

She swallowed and turned to the asari, clinging to her arm. The cool, sleek blue of her, the dark, oceanic-blue of her eyes, the soft, full curve of her lips, the sleekness of her crest, and that was just her face. Jack could feel the body hidden beneath the business suit she was wearing, the subtle flare of hip, the slenderness of her waist, the fullness of her bosom, mostly a mystery as Jack had her arm about the woman's own, not over her chest.

A blushing, downwards glance wasn't any help at all, as Ileea's legs seemed to radiate beauty and sex to a degree that made Jack sip air. Even the sensible flat shoes somehow were sleek and subtly suggestive!

Her companion turned, tugging Jack and sliding her hands up under the taller woman's jacket, her eyes dancing with delight as she gave her a soft, heart-melting smile. Jack gave a soft shudder at the gentle caress under her jacket, the asari somehow figuring out exactly where to touch her to-

And then she got a face-full of boobs and her brain went away for a second. Ileea's soft giggle rebooted her mind, her soft words sounding like honeyed silk. "It was such a thoughtful gift. I am so truly grateful..."

She sputtered a moment, blushing as she gently pulled away from the shorter woman. "I-Ileea.. n-not... not in public, alright?"

Jack was blushing and knew it, but the sleek, gorgeous woman took her arm again.

Ileea gave a soft giggle, practically plastering herself against Jack in a way that was beyond merely distracting. "But I just have so many ways to show how I can thank you. Again and again and again."

She ran a finger down Jack's spine in a way that makes her gasp and stare at the shorter asari. Ileea gave a soft smile that made Jack swallow. HARD. "Last time, you never had a chance to taste the azure that Aria T'Loak always fantasized of, just as I never got to taste you. But we can fix that. I know of a few hotels..."

"That..." Jack grunted to clear her throat, and the husky growl her voice had dropped to. "That won't be necessary. Joru's bought that penthouse suite we... had the photoshoot in..."

The seductive aura disappeared instantly as the stunned asari pulled back to look Jack in the face, her eyes filled with undisguised awe. "S-She... she's here? The darastrix is here?!"

"Mmhmm..." Jack gave a faint smirk, leaning down to lightly kiss the asari. "I left her up in the apartment..."

"J-Jack? M-M-May I... could I p-possibly... have that second r-rendezvous we once discussed together? P-Please?" Ileea's eyes were wide, staring up into Jack's own as she almost clung to the taller woman.

Jack didn't reply immediately, instead tapping the side of a recently vacated air taxi and ushering Ileea into it before getting in herself. Her omnitool flared at a gesture and she input the destination, nodding as the fare was deducted from her stupidly huge account balance for this night.

Seriously, what did Joru expect her to do with fifty thousand in petty cash, buy an aircar?

Though, that would have been a neat way to pick up Ileea...

"Jack, please don't leave me in suspense," the maiden pleaded as she sat in her seat and twisted to stare pleadingly at the human. "I know there's no photoshoot or interview, but is there is any chance I may share her bed again? Just for today?"

Jack gave a snort as the aircar closed and lifted off. "I guessed you'd ask. I left her in the bedroom, so she'll be primed and ready for our return..."

"Primed?" Ileea raised an eyebrow. A moment's pause, then a dawning light of comprehension appeared in her eyes. A look from one who had explored nearly every bedroom kink in the galaxy. "Now just what kind of state did you leave her in?"

"Chained." Jack gave a wicked smirk, and winked over at the asari. "Shackled. Restrained. Clamped."

Ileea's smile went wide. "I knew it, I absolutely knew it! I've seen her type many times, and I sensed the same signs last time as we pleased each other. She revels in being an all-powerful alpha, but deep underneath there is nothing that she craves more than a true shackled submissive. Let me guess, just the simple act of attaching the shackles seems to flip a switch in her, am I right? Almost a different person, and already on the verge of coming undone?"

She spoke with centuries of devoted bedroom experience, along with the enhanced prowess her new jewelry had gifted her.

Jack gave a short laugh, snickering quietly and nodding at the over-eager asari. "Got her in one. God, it's so eerie at times, seeing how submissive she gets when she's all chained up."

"And we're out here to have fun while she's left writhing and simmering with arousal until she's ready to blow with just a touch." Ileea nodded with a smile, then paused, her eyes going wide as she stared at Jack. "And... I g-get to p-play with her in her most s-submissive state?"

"Sure." Jack grinned as she gave a snicker at the asari's fangirlish reaction. "As long as I get to watch. May I record it? For later use, in private?"

Ileea sighed and turned a smoldering gaze to the human. "Oh, don't you worry. I have plenty of ideas for all three of us."

Jack suppressed a shudder at the sheer sex the smaller woman's voice exuded, and the way she eyed Jack like a side of beef. She found herself tensing her belly under that gaze, and stopped it. There was no way Ileea could see her flat, toned belly under her loose shirt anyway, no point in flaunting if she couldn't see it.

"So tell me, where are we going to enjoy our foreplay before enjoying the Darastrix?" Ileea blinked in faux surprise with a sultry look. "Oh, did I say foreplay? Silly me, I meant fun."

Jack gave a soft snort. "Kimiko's. It's a Japanese steakhouse I found out about only a few days ago. Apparently it's been open for about a year now? Damn good food, and lots of it."

The human smirked across at the asari. "Don't worry about your waistline, it's all healthy organic vegetables and the like. They don't serve meat unless you specifically ask for it."

"I'm certain that I'll leave fully... satisfied." The asari gave a soft smirk, catching Jack's eye as she arched her back in a luxurious pose.

The human's eyes widened as the asari suddenly wasn't wearing her former business-dress, with its pencil skirt, blouse and double-breasted jacket. Instead, Ileea was decked out as if for a night out on the town. A gloriously skimpy asymmetric dress clung to her left shoulder, covering her torso with a skimpy halter top who's bottom edge barely draped down over her chest. It flowed down her right side to a loose skirt that barely clung to her left hip at all, threatening to slip down onto her thigh at any moment.

This sinful black dress was complimented by a pair of black fence-net stockings that clung to the sexiest asari's legs like thin lines of makeup, contrasting wonderfully with her light-blue skin. Black satin pumps completed the ensemble, and a small black purse was nestled against her right hip in the curve of the aircar's seat.

It was also blatantly obvious to anyone looking at her, that the asari wasn't wearing a single thread of anything that might be considered any form of panties.

"My goodness, I like this outfit. Enjoying the view?" Ileea merely smiled and leaned back, uncrossing and recrossing her legs in an open display. Long, smooth, blue legs... best legs she had ever seen on an asari...

Jack closed her mouth and swallowed hard, her flush reaching down under her collar by now. "G-Goddamn, you know I am..."

The human woman squirmed a little in her own seat, wishing she'd worn something a bit more... But this was the outfit she'd chosen, and unlike Ileea, she was stuck with it...

"Then again the city is chilly this time of year, and this outfit leaves me feeling... exposed to the cold." Ileea cooed, reaching over to trace a finger over Jack's neck, and caressing her collar. "If we're together, can you pleeeeeaase keep my body nice and warm?"

"I have a feeling you could go out naked without worrying about the temperature, even in the middle of a snowstorm..." Jack gave a faint smile at the asari's soft caress along her collar. "And before you ask, it's permanent. The collar, I mean. I gave myself to Joru, and this is her Mark."

"I remember," Ileea smiled as she gently ran a fingernail under Jack's chin. "You told me much about yourself during our last interview. I only hope you aren't trying to argue with a supermodel who's offering to let you play with her."

"I'm not." Jack's voice sounded hungry as she gently took Ileea's hand and kissed the fingertip, shooting the asari a smoldering look. "I fully intend to have my way with you too. Joru's given me free reign to go out with other people. As long as she gets to watch..."

"Oh, the two of us will do so much more than that. We will tease her. We will inflame her deepest desires. We will fuck her all we want. We will milk her magnificent body dry. And we will leave the mighty dragon pleading with us for more."

Jack gave a soft, dark chuckle as the aircar angled down to land. "I like the sound of that... But the night is young, and the longer we make her wait..."

She grinned wickedly as the canopy popped open. "...The better."

"Then let our fun begin." The asari slid out of the aircar, holding Jack's hand lightly as she slid to her feet.

The slight jolt as the ship made the relay transit jerked her out of reading through the amazing technical database, and Tali swiveled her chair from the secondary terminal to the pilot's seat. She checked course and found herself with a little less than 5000k drift, quite within the expected range.

Right on the money, just as Joru said.

A cursory glance at the scanners showed that she'd been right about the Fleet's course, just as a small chime drew her attention to the comms board. The small flotilla that was approaching her had opened comms.

"Unidentified vessel: This is the 7th Scout flotilla of the Patrol Fleet, escorting the Migrant Fleet. State your identity and business."

The young quarian took a deep breath. This was it. Today marked the end of her Pilgrimage. Her passage into adulthood, and becoming a full member of the fleet. "This is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, aboard the Sheenah'Khannaiyen, requesting permission to dock with the Rayya."

"Sheenah'Khannaiyen, please repeat. We have no vessel of that name in our registry." There was a slight pause on the comm line, before the voice returned. "We have confirmation of Tali'Zorah nar Rayya being out on Pilgrimage. Verify."

Tali felt her straighten with both pride and relief. "A time apart on drifting stars, a light to guide my way, but my fragile soul longs for home and to wander one more day."

"... Keelah se'lai. Welcome home, Tali'Zorah."

"I'd like to request an audience with Captain Kar'Danna nar Rayya and Shala'Raan vas Tonbay of the Patrol Fleet as soon as possible." Tali keep her excitement out of her voice. "I am here to offer my Pilgrimage gift to the flotilla."

"Acknowledged, Tali'Zorah. Please hold this course and speed. We will be escorting you in."

"Understood. And please dispatch a quarantine crew. I wish to assure the fleet that this vessel is clean."

"Tali'Zorah, you've returned sooner than expected." It was her Aunt's voice on the line now, cool and professional, but with an underlying excitement that she could discern only from long experience.

She perked up immediately, her voice rising a bit as she smiled in delight, "Auntie R—er, Admiral Raan! It's so good to hear your voice again."

"I have to admit, Tali, this is an impressive Pilgrimage Gift you have brought. While it is your privilege to present it to the captain of the ship you wish to join, as Admiral, it is within my right to ask. What manner of ship have you brought as your gift?" A note of concerned curiosity was hidden in the cool tones of the Admiral's voice.

"Uhhhhh... that's a surprise. It'll have to wait until I'm aboard the Rayya. Trust me, it's better if I show you."

"Understood, Tali'Zorah. We shall meet aboard the Rayya."

After a few silent minutes, there was a loud thump near the vicinity of the airlock and the hiss of gas could be heard. "Docking procedures complete. Pressurizing airlock."

Tali slid to her feet, powering down the thrusters and letting the Rayya's docking arms hold her new ship in place as she scampered eagerly to the hatch. She took a moment to compose herself before the inner door snapped open, her smile faltering as not one, but two Admirals, along with Captain Kar'Danna and a pair of engineers from the Rayya.

Shala'Raan noted her niece's silence and stepped forward, taking Tali's hands in hers, her voice warm even through the filters. "Tali. It is so very good to see you again. You really outdid yourself. Very few Pilgrims have returned with such large ships, and I am so very proud of you."

"Was there ever any doubt, Raan? Tali always did have enough gumption to fill an entire frigate!" The gruff chuckle from Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema drew Tali's attention and he gave her a proud nod. "Good to see you, kid. Quite a find you brought back, even if it is an... odd design."

"Sir?" One of the engineers spoke up, the entire team's omni-tools abuzz with activity. "Something's off. While we can't get a scan on nearly half of whatever this ship is made of, we can tell there's no other life forms aboard."

A brief silence descended over the hallway as everyone else in the cabin turned to stare at Tali.

"No life forms? Check it again." Kar'Danna vas Rayya, Tali's old ship captain shot a look at the engineer, who quickly applied himself to his omnitool. When the result came back the same, a lot of perplexed looks turned her way. "Tali? Did you fly this cruiser here all by yourself?"

The tongue-tied girl gave a shy little nod, as Auntie Raan gave her a soft pat on the shoulder, guiding her to a seat. "That must have been quite the journey."

"Oh, you have no idea what I've been through over the past few months..." Tali mumbled, then gave a soft squeak as Auntie Raan gave her a gentle hug.

"We have time. Why don't you start at the beginning?" Her aunt gently lead her back to the small kitchenette at the back end of the 'cab'. "The last time you contacted me, you gave us a gift of unparalleled importance, and that knowledge has already helped several injured quarians immeasurably"

The obvious pride in her aunt's tone was (probably) only audible to Tali, and possibly Han'Gerrel

"I can still barely believe it myself," Tali breathed, shaking her head. "W-Well, it all started in the Hawking Eta cluster, where I... found an..."

The figure in the doorway held himself with military precision, but his head inclined in a gentle nod of greeting. "Tali. I came as quickly as I could when they confirmed it was you. Please, continue."

"Father!" Heart soaring, Tali had to resist the urge to run over and hug him in front of the other admirals. It had been so, so long since they had last seen each other.

"It is good to see you too, Tali." There was a warm note in his voice as he stepped forward, hands unfolding and taking her own in his. "Please, tell us about your gift. It isn't often that a Pilgrim brings back a ship, and never one like this."

"Yes." Captain Kar'Danna spoke up then, adjusting his stance a little. Raan and Rael stood aside as the Captain of the Rayya addressed the young Pilgrim. "You have returned from a long and dangerous journey, Pilgrim. What gift have you brought to strengthen the fleet?"

The time-honored words of ritual sounded like ringing hammer-blows, forging the future in this fraught moment. Her stomach churned as she turned and took a breath, addressing the Captain of the largest and most powerful ship in the Migrant fleet.

"Through my quest among the open stars, I have searched far and wide. And in my travels, I have honored the fleet and represented our people well. When the civilized galaxy was in need, I did my part. Through the ingenuity and resourcefulness of my people, I have saved many lives. Through my actions, I have made new friends and valued allies. The Darastrix ambassador, Jorukaia, first among them. In gratitude for my selfless and devoted assistance, she has rewarded me with several boons in gratitude. The greatest of which I present to the Flotilla as my Pilgrimage gift."

She gestured with her free hand, unable to keep the beaming smile off her face, though only her father was close enough to see it. "The Mobile Shipyard, "Sheenah'Khannaiyen."

She saw her father's eyes widen, and felt the shock as he gripped her organic hand more tightly. "A... A shipyard?"

Shala'Raan had straightened, and Han'Gerrel's head had snapped up from reading the scans of the tech. But she only had eyes for her father. "Yes. A shipyard. Erm... admirals? Can you make sure the fleet gives the Khannaiyen some space? At least four or five kilometers?"

Han'Gerrel was already on his omnitool, advising the Rayya of their immanent undock, while her father, who still hadn't let go of Tali's hand, flicked his own omnitool into activation. "This is Admiral Rael'Zorah. I am authorizing a ten kilometer no-fly zone about the Sheenah'Khannaiyen. Clear all space about the ship to a distance of ten kilometers. Yes, that's accurate. Provide a frigate escort."

The necessary orders given, Captain Danna slid into a control seat even as her father stood behind, watching with keen attention. The two engineers took the other two seats as Tali took the pilot console. A few gentle touches sealed the airlock and broke them away from the Rayya's boarding ramp.

Under gentle touches on the controls, Tali gently maneuvered the ship away from the Liveship, as the Liveship's Captain coordinated with the Rayya's escorts to create a small bubble of empty space cordoned off near the dreadnought-sized flying hydroponics facility. The quarter-kilometer ship handled exceptionally well despite its brick-like appearance and bulk. "Alright admirals. All systems are go. Starting up the Flotilla's new shipyard... now."

A soft chime sounded as she touched the large bar at the top of the console, and things began to happen. The cab didn't offer the best view of the ship as it secured all engines and drifted, but Tali could visualize it, as the readouts zeroed out.

Gantries began to swing out, joints pivoting with smooth assurance Little by little, the flying brick was expanding, opening up, like a cage of gossamer-thin wires, slowly unfolding under careful and gentle tugs. The schematic readout showed the progress of the expansion, and Tali watched raptly as the rest of them, as the process ran on automatics.

Great girders swung, gleaming in refracted starlight, shattered reflections glimmering in the blackness of space as bit by bit the ship became a shipyard. Over ten long minutes the process progressed, until a quiet chime sounded in the deathly-silent cabin, and a light shifted from red to green.

A display panel that had been dark lit up now with elegant Khellish script. "SYSTEM ACTIVE. AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS."

And it was active!

A swell of elation surged through Tali's heart. She had done it! At last! Everything that she had worked to prove herself to the fleet! The greatest Pilgrimage gift ever! This was her moment! All she needed was to finish it off by taking a bow and giving an eloquent and uplifting speech.

"Ummm... ta-daaa?"

A quiet giggle reached her ears from Auntie Raan, but it was her father's hand on her shoulder that made her heart swell. "Tali, while this is a great achievement, so far we've seen no real demonstration of its capabilities."

Tali could hear it in his voice. Her father was impressed, and he was silently egging her on to demonstrate what she had achieved. "Oh, yes, of course! Uhhh... I need a ship! Something in desperate need of repairs or severely outdated!"

Han'Gerrel's quiet chuckle beside her made her flush and writhe a little inside. "I'll see what I can scrounge up. You wouldn't happen to have anything hanging around taking up volume, would you, Shala'Raan?"

"I might, but I'd have to check the the registries." Both Admirals had their omni-tools active, sorting through their respective Fleets.

Tali stiffened a little as her father's hands both rested on her shoulders. His voice came to her, low and gentle. "You're certain of this shipyard's capability? Could you give us a general precis of what to expect?"

"Of course," Tali nodded. Mechanics and specs were something she was more than familiar with. "I've seen it in action and I made sure to have everything explained in triplicate. As you've probably guessed, the entire shipyard is fully automated. It runs on technology and materials designed by the Darastrix's people; highly advanced and very sophisticated. It is completely self-sustaining, including its own maintenance. It can work on anything from a fighter to an entire liveship. In short, it can perform first-rate, next-generation-level construction, repairs and retrofits, better than anything asari shipyards can do, in a fraction of the time and resources."

There was momentary stunned silence, but Tali could feel her father's excitement, tempered with caution and skepticism, through the way his fingers tensed on her shoulders. "Raan? Do you have a small ship available for a test?"

"I've got one." Admiral Gerrel brought up the schematics of a small, light-cruiser of asari manufacture. "She's the Choranna. Almost four centuries old, acquired by.. Jarraan'Khennash 233 years ago at an estate auction. Hasn't had a refit or more than a patch job in more than a century. She's nearing total senescence, and the crew is barely keeping her running. She's in desperate need of a complete overhaul, and right now, there's only a station-keeping crew aboard her with a minute amount of fuel and power."

"Perfect." Admiral Rael'Zorah's voice was tinged with his excitement. "How soon can she be brought over here?"

"Already sent the orders. She'll take a while, they have to be gentle with her." Han'Gerrel kept shifting in his chair in his own excitement.

"A ship about to be signed for the recycle process? That's perfect!" Tali exclaimed. "We just need the same standard procedure for any ship refitting, with the systems shut down and the crew offshore. If I understand correctly, the Sheenah can fix up a cruiser like the Choranna in less than ten minutes!"

Han'Gerrel's head snapped around, and the Captain of the Rayya, and both his techs all exclaimed "What?!" in unison.

"Um, yes. That's what I said the first time. But it really works!" Tali was almost dancing in her seat as she bore the stares of three Admirals, a Captain she really wanted to impress, and two experience senior technical officers. She could feel herself wilting a little under the combined stares, even with her father's hands gently resting on her shoulders.

Eventually, he broke the silence. "We'll see what happens when the Choranna gets here and is prepped for refit. That will probably take a while, so why don't you show us the rest of this...ship, in the meantime?"

"That's the last shuttle, the crew is clear." Captain Kar'Danna was consulting with his techs as the last shuttle left the old asari cruise ship.

It had been built before the Geth Uprising, and was an old gift from a quarian returning from pilgrimage, much as Tali herself had come home with this ship. She took a breath, slipping into the control station and tapping the maneuvering system. "Right. This isn't going to be long, but the Rayya will probably have a better view.."

"I'm already setting up a livestream from the Rayya. We'll be able to watch from this secondary monitor." Auntie Raan had been as excited as all get out, especially when Tali found the sealed plastic case containing what looked to be small stones, and were marked as seventeen different kinds of seeds from the Homeworld. That find had been immediately whisked off in a message pod to the Rayya for extensive analysis and study.

"Right. Beginning the restoration process in three. Two. One." Her fingers rested delicately on the large black sphere mounted in the console that controlled the shipyard's functions.

She could tell it had begun to work when Raan gave a shocked gasp. Gerrel was swearing softly, and her father stood mute, staring at the console intently.

The ship was old. Its hull was a patchwork of older and newer hull-plates, replaced and welded on as best the crew could manage. Each of them, from the bow back, were slowly melting together, shifting in shape and hue until gleaming-bright, brand-new construction began to take shape.

"Odd..." Raan murmured. "What are those strange lights coming from the shipya-?"

"Keelah!" Rael suddenly exclaimed. "Look at the Choranna! The hull structure is straightening and smoothing out! Am I the only one seeing this?!"

As the progress slid slowly along the length of the ship, it got slower towards the rounded middle of the seed-shaped starship, obviously having more work to do through the thicker part of the ship. The engines shifted slightly and Rael'Zorah leaned forward slightly.

Auntie Raan reached over to take Tali's hand, clasping it tightly in excitement as the ship's outline changed slightly near the upper curve, and a central spire erupted out of the mass of shifting metal. Kar'Danna swore, and one of his techs gave a shocked gasp. "That's the comm tower! It got lost half a century ago!"

The asari vessel seemed to writhe for a moment, before a haze slowly drifted away from its surface, and vanished into the ether. Left behind was a gleaming-bright vessel, looking as fresh and new as if it had just drifted out of drydock. Tali grinned under her helmet, as one of the techs started reading off a list of the ship's specs.

"Hull... Keelah, lidar scans show no fractures or patches. None. The hull is one smooth, seamless surface, down to the millimeter!"

All three admirals turned to stare at Tali. The young woman felt giddy inside. "And, that is what the Sheenah can do, Admirals. With only a bare minimum of resources, it can repair and retrofit almost any ship of the Flotilla that can fly into a first-class vessel of its design. Better than new!"

"If this checks out to be accurate..." Kar'Danna turned away from Tali, and for a moment her heart fell. "Admirals, I strongly, urgently request that the Rayya be the first vessel to be upgraded. We cannot afford to loose the liveships, and upgrading them in this manner would be.. Beyond price."

"Not just yet, Captain." Rael quickly spoke up before the other admirals, raising a hand in caution. "It is because the Rayya and the liveships are so crucial to the fleet that we must hold off on it. Not until we can test the results at least once on every other ship design."

Raan turned to him, a frown in her voice as she slid to her feet. "Rael? You can't possibly think that this gift is a risk for the Flotilla!"

"Far from it, Raan. I know my daughter well; she would never bring anything unless she was certain it would never endanger our people." He put a confident hand on Tali's shoulder, and gave her a gentle squeeze. "It will take time to prepare the liveships to be overhauled so that all the organic materials they provide are not jeopardized Besides, we must see how much this shipyard can benefit every class of ship so that we can properly draw up new designs to assess the potential capabilities the entire fleet will possess. I suggest we compile a list of ships immediately."

Tali gulped, the true enormity of what the Darastrix had given her finally starting to register. She turned to the quiet captain and, in a timid voice, asked, "C-Captain Kar'Danna?"

The Captain of the Rayya turned to the seated girl, and Han'Gerrel cut off what he'd been about to say, as the captain spoke. "Yes, Ms Zorah?"

Tali had to endure the gaze of all three admirals as she searched for the exact wording. "I.. I have returned from afar, with a gift for my people. If it finds favor in your sight, would you have me as... As crewman?"

The words of ritual commanded silence from the admirals, though Rael'Zorah's hand on her shoulder stiffened slightly.

The captain straightened. "If you were to return to my ship, the privilege would be my own. But are you sure of this, Tali? With a gift like this, you can have your pick of any ship to serve on. Every captain will be tripping over themselves in a rush to petition you! You could even serve on one of the admiral's own ships!"

"I would be honored to have you aboard the Tonbay, Tali'Zorah." The warmth in her aunt's voice made Tali smile.

Her father started to speak but Admiral Han'Gerrel cut him off. "You're too late this time, Rael, and asking your daughter aboard your own ship is only asking for trouble."

The admiral turned towards her, his back straight and his military bearing coming through loud and clear. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. The Neema gladly offers you a place as crew-woman, with open arms and open hearts. Your pilgrimage gift would be most gladly accepted, and as Captain of the Neema, I would be proud to count you among my crew."

Rael sighed in resignation. "So long as she isn't taken by the Moreh, I'm happy."

"Then you can be the one to tell Xen to keep her hands off both the girl and the shiny new shipyard." Han'Gerrel grinned under his mask.

Rael glared at his old friend even as Auntie Raan shook her head in amusement. "So, Tali? What do you think?"

"I think..." Tali's smile was radiant as she reached up and touched her mask. "That I will take a berth aboard the Neema. Thank you admirals, you have been most kind"

"Offering you a place on an admiral's ship is the very least we can do for you, Tali."

"We'll get to the rest of the ceremony and formalities later." Rael straightened and gave his daughter a solemn nod. "I need to have a word with Tali. In private."

The young girl swallowed, trembling a little as she rose to her feet. "Th-This way, Admiral..."

The door to the crew-compartment opened at her approach with a peculiar sound. She'd gotten used to it, but her father shot the door a glance as he followed her into the second chamber of the cab.

The control room and airlock were forward, with the main habitation area a circular room aft of the control room. A pair of refresher units (with built-in self-sterilization system) were built off the side of the habitation compartment, with three doors aft, the central one leading to the engineering spaces, and the other two leading to the tightly-packed bunkrooms that quarians prefer.

Tali turned to her father as the door slid shut once more, cutting out the discussion of the technical aspects of the shipyard from the other chamber. "W-We're alone here...father. Wh-What did you have to say...?"

Silence.

"I -thought- that I had asked you to bring back knowledge of the Geth, Tali."

The young woman flinched like she had been shot. She dropped her head to stare at the floor, fingers lacing and unlacing together as she fidgeted like the little girl she always felt like before her Father. "I-I'm sorry, Father, I, I tried, but-"

"Did I not say that what we need most is to gain an advantage over our enemy? That learning more about the Geth is the best and only way to one day salvage our people from destitution and squalor?"

"Y-Yes, Father..." She trembled under his disapproval, she'd let him down again.

Rael'Zorah exhaled slowly as he stared down at her, shaking his head. Then he stepped forward and took his daughter in his arms. "Never have I been so happy to be proven wrong."

Tali's eyes widened and she stared up at her father with confusion. "F-Father...?"

"It won't ever be like the Homeworld, but if this works Tali, the entire fleet can be made new. No more scrounging for scrapyard ships. No more substandard food processors or med-bays. No more more patch jobs every few hours to keep the eezo cores running. We won't have to worry about pirates anymore. In just a few months, we can make the quarian people's living standards and technological capacity the closest it has ever been since before the Geth Uprising. And it will cost us almost nothing!"

Then Rael'Zorah took his daughter and hugged her tightly, holding her more affectionately then he had in almost a decade. "Keelah, Tali... you have surpassed my greatest hopes."

Her breath hitched. She could hardly breathe. Her arms stole around her father's torso as he held her close. The tears started to come, and her nose was starting to clog. She didn't care. She hugged her father tight, basking in his own tight hug, feeling his chest against her own, hearing his own ragged breathing through the touch of their helmets.

He was proud of her. And for this moment among all the rest, Tali knew he loved her. "Oh, Daddy..."

She rubbed at her temples and dismissed her guards with a slight flick of her hand. The mechs took up station outside her private balcony, keeping guard in ceaseless vigil.

She'd had these particular mechs illegally modified, well, what would be illegal in Citadel space. Here on Illium, they didn't care about such frivolous details. Only about the paycheck.

And Nassana Dantius, new heiress to the Dantius Corporation's widespread holdings, had deep pockets indeed.

She stepped out of her shoes, giving a soft sigh of relief. Pricey, expensive, custom-ordered from a high-end tailor, but goddess, standing around in them hurt after a few hours, and she had had to endure six.

Her dress slowly slid down and joined the shoes on the floor as she slid slowly into her personal pool. The waterjets soothed her in all the right places as she slowly relaxed after the grueling legal functions necessary to transfer ownership of her mother's holdings to herself. Mother's death in that aircar accident had been a messy affair. Sixteen people dead all told, and another thirty injured to various degrees.

Best place to hide a murder, is in a mountain of corpses. There hadn't been enough of her mother left to detect the trace toxins that had stopped her heart.

Nassana's lips quirked in a soft smile as she shifted position slightly to gaze out over the balcony towards the city skyline. Yes, she'd earned this. After all these centuries, she finally had what was her due.

There was still the loose end of her sister to clean up, but once she got back to her job on the Citadel, she was certain to be able to find some way of getting rid of that embarrassment.

Bzzzzt bzzzzt! Bzzzzt bzzzzt!

The asari frowned, her good mood sullied. She turned an withering glare towards the intercom she kept next to her pool, alongside a dish of magyno berries and Serrice Ice Brandy. She jammed a finger into the button.

"This had better be important."

"Miss Dantius, sorry to intrude," came a salarian's voice. She didn't bother remembering his name. Or any of her employee's names, really. "Tai Yung Industries has agreed to your terms. You are now the majority share-owner."

"Ahhh, good." She gave a soft smile. She'd been trying to get the upstart human to see the benefits of their relationship for years now. "See to it that they are folded into Dantius Industries. No need to sully my own record with their acquisition."

"Will do. And their former CEO has apparently signed over his own skycar to you as a 'token of goodwill'."

"Mmmmm, he would." The asari rolled back into the pool, crossing her legs and arching slightly under the gentle ministrations of the soothing waterjets. "Ahhhh, that's better. I take it that will be all?"

There was no mistaking the order in her voice, despite the question.

"It's already here, Miss Dantius. Their representative had thought to deliver the news of their capitulation in person, along with their gift to you. Just arrived a few minutes ago in an express crate. Your signature and acceptance is the final detail."

Nassana allowed the warm water to sooth her a little longer, before giving a sigh as she sat up and slid out of the pool. A quick snatch and she slid on the robe she'd brought with her, belting it loosely about her waist. She decided against the shoes, and instead slid her feet into soft-soled slippers, before turning to the exit of her new, private balcony.

The mechs stepped aside as the door slid open, allowing her through and moving into lockstep with the sauntering asari. She glanced smugly left and right at the art displayed in her mother's, now her, private museum. Some of this art had been gotten through less-than-legal means, some of it even breaking what few laws existed on Illium, but she didn't care. It was hers now, as it ought to be.

Nassana strode past her collection and into her private elevator, keying the pad to bring her to the delivery entrance. She arrived only a brief few minutes later, having descended half the length of the tower. She never understood why so many of her people preferred slow elevators.

The mechs clanked out of the elevator as the doors opened, taking up bodyguard positions as the Dantius of Dantius strode into the large space. A cargo truck was just arriving, and a group of human business-people were uncertainly shuffling out of an elevator across the way.

"Gentlemen." Nassana addressed them in a razor-sharp tone that let the humans know exactly who was in charge.

They turned, the one with silvering hair stepping forward and taking her hand in his own, in the human gesture of a handshake. Curious custom, but possibly a holdover from when one measured strength, like how asari tended to greet guests by turning their backs upon them.

"Ms Dantius. A pleasure." The venom in the man's tone only made her smile a trifle wider.

"Do not waste my precious time with pleasantries." Nassana smoothly strutted past him, her aura not restrained at all. These simple creatures could barely even sense her, as the burly and admittedly attractive, dark-skinned human stepped back out of her way. "Your race is short-lived enough as it is."

The man's anger was palpable as he turned towards her retreating back, but she only had eyes for the cargo truck slowly settling to its place on the floor of her hangar. The driver swung out of the cab, a turian in corporate-logoed overalls from a reputable shipping company. She'd done business with them before. Not particularly flashy, but reliable.

"Now then, where is my car?" Her gaze was all for the crane being set up and the large crate being carefully lifted off the truck's flatbed.

"As you can see, it's still being shipped." The man's iron control seemed to be reasserting itself as he stepped up next to the asari, using his human height to loom beside her. "As per our agreement, it has a full charge, and all title and claim is ready for your signature."

"All I see is an ugly plain cargo container. It could be anything inside." She deigned to turn towards him and gave a scathing glare. "I am not letting your former employer off the hook for a child's go-kart."

The crate boomed to the floor, and the man's own cruel smile twisted his features until they were...almost handsome. "Fortunately for all involved, that is not the case. Observe."

He stalked over to the crate, the sheaf of papers still held in his hand, now much-creased, as he stabbed a forefinger into the control a few times. A hiss of a breaking airseal was followed by the crate breaking along the top, folding up as the man stepped out of the way.

The crate folded down flat on all sides, revealing a night-slick skycar, all smooth, powerful lines and an oversized engine housing, limiting it to two seats instead of four. The canopy was tinted so dark it blended seamlessly into the black bodywork, looking every inch the sleek, powerful machine it was.

He turned back to her, his eyes narrow and glittering about his hard-edged smile. "I trust this is all in order?"

Nassana stepped forward to the vehicle, eyeing the newest addition to her collection with a predatory gleam in her eyes. She wordlessly held out a hand, not even looking in his direction as the man took the dataspad, and signed with bad grace. She almost didn't take the datapad back, but glanced from the sheaf of papers he turned over with it, to the man, in one scathing stare, only to meet a bitter smirk.

"Enjoy your new acquisition. I hope you derive as much enjoyment from it as I did." He straightened his ridiculous neck-adornment and gathered up the three other humans with a quick glance around. All four started moving towards the far end of the hangar, where even now a limo was slowly starting to come to rest.

The asari mogul paid their departure no mind, the humans already forgotten as she ran her fingertips over the sleek, polished surface of her new skycar. Her hostile takeover of Tai Young Industries was already proving to be one of her most satisfying endeavors. The Ilium elite cared for personal luxury and style almost as profit, and Nassana now owned a pioneering corporation in Vehicle Design and Manufacture that sold exclusively to the wealthy. Her profits and influence would almost double after today. And this was the quilloa berry on top. The best skycar ever made by Tai Young Industries was now her personal property.

She cooed softly as she leaned down, caressing the darkly-tinted canopy and giving a slow, sultry smile as she slowly stroked the seam where the canopy met the car's body. "Mmmmmhhhh, I'm going to enjoy you later tonight..."

EDI stood and zipped up the rest of her top. "I am delighted that you enjoyed your meal, Miss Traynor."

Sam was still blushing with labored breath as she leaned back in her hospital bed. "W-Well, I always appreciate how far you take your, uh, duties, ED-, er, Nurse Baxter."

"Of course. Miss Randisum has employed my services to tend to your needs however I possibly can during your stay at Huerta Memorial." The disguised gynoid smiled tenderly down at the human in the bed.

"Thank you." Sam smiled back before she let out a long sigh. "We're finally going home. I could really go for some shore leave now. I don't think I'll be visiting the Citadel for a while though, no matter how many luxury spas they have."

"I'm certain that Ms Randisum will be ready to greet you most warmly once you return home, Ms Traynor." 'Edith Baxter' gave a soft, tender, almost motherly smile that EDI had spent quite a few minutes perfecting, to properly portray the requisite distance and professionalism of a full-time nurse.

EDI carefully filed away the emotive tags as they arrived, taking note of Sam's increased blood flow to facial regions.

"M-Might I ask you a question, Miss Baxter?"

"Of course, Ms Traynor." EDI busied herself with the fiction of ensuring that Sam's medical equipment was functioning properly. She had already checked six times in the past minute, as regular as the cesium-clock that regulated her internal chronometer.

"I've always enjoyed the challenges of the military labs, the theories, the equipment, my co-workers. It's an incredible environment. And yet, after everything that happened on the Madrid, it makes a girl wonder if she's really cut out for it." Sam paused, as if hesitant to say anything, and nibbling her lower lip a little, before shooting an uncertain glance up at EDI. "Do you... do you think my partner, Edi, would approve if I filed for a leave of absence? To think things over?"

She pondered ti for a good long while. It was quite the potential change in their surroundings after all. If Sam weren't posted to Arcturus Station, that would mean that certain other contingencies would have to be considered, such as that penthouse that 'Edi Randisum' had purchased on Bekenstein with her 'inheritance money'. The initial seed investment, siphoned from certain Cerberus accounts she had gotten momentary access to, had paid off quite well, and already only three months after her rescue, Edi Randisum was already a millionaire. Of course, she would be quite glad to have her lover 'at home' so to speak, as right now, the Penthouse only had a weekly cleaning crew come to keep things tidy.

"I'm certain that Ms Randisum would be quite happy to know that you're considering your lifestyle seriously, dear." She had to choose her words carefully. She was still not very good at social interactions, but the opportunity to have Sam's data, her very presence, all for her very own was quite tempting.

Sam lifted an eyebrow. "Even if it means reconsidering—"

There was a sudden knock on the door, which opened a moment after, admitting a young human woman in Alliance BDUs with olive-colored skin and bright auburn hair. She gave a faint smile as she glanced to Sam, but it faded slightly when her gaze slid over to EDI. "Hello, Miss Traynor, I'm Captain Channing, I'm a psychologist with the Alliance military. I'll be doing one final interview before we discharge you, if you don't mind."

Dr Channing. EDI noted the name, stepping aside to let the doctor begin, listening while she collated the hospital's notes on Sam's ongoing treatment. Her human might not have asthma anymore due to her Alliance-standard gene therapy, but EDI wanted to ensure there would be no further complications due to her unexpected EVA.

"Of course, Captain." Sam gave one of those delightful smiles that always attracted EDI's attention regardless of what she was processing at the time "I'm a bit anxious to leave, I'm certain you understand."

"Don't worry, this is just standard procedure. I doubt it will take more than twenty minutes." The woman reassured Sam as she took a seat and held up her datapad. "Most of it is mere formality, but we're also trying to piece together the strange events that happened on the Madrid."

"Ahh, I see. I already gave my official report on those events, though?" Sam sounded slightly confused.

"Tell me about it, the Alliance brass just seems to feast on reports. It's amazing that anything gets done." Channing rubbed her brow and gave a rueful little smile. "Like I said, most of this is just a formality. A brief overview of your recent history before Dark Opal got you stuck on the Madrid during the Battle of the Citadel. You weren't even supposed to be there. How does that feel?"

"W-Well..." Sam began to explain, but EDI's focus was on something else. Captain Channing was listed as an Alliance officer, Psychologist, and all proper credentials, but...

But there was something odd about the files themselves. They had proper date-stamps for editing and all that, but the files themselves were...young, for lack of a better term. They had only recently been transferred into the hospital's records, which would make sense if they were requested on Captain Channing's arrival. Even so, things were subtly off, and so EDI dug a bit deeper.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Specialist." Channing reassured her after Sam had answered. "I'm quite impressed by your record. Graduated top of your class at Oxford, outstanding performance reviews after joining the Alliance military. Chosen for a classified mission that I've been rudely informed I don't have access to. Nevertheless, after you returned to your regular station, your career suddenly seemed to take off. Promoted three times in six months after every technical project you participated in accelerated and produced flying colors..."

Channing's record was fairly standard Alliance military career, for a psychologist. In fact, comparing it to other records, it seemed almost suspiciously average. There were always little individual notes and comments from the dozens of people who interacted with every single member of the military, from their recruiting officer, to their teachers, drill sergeants, commanding officers. Channing's file had those, but the comments were so bland as to be nearly indistinguishable, and at a much lower rate and level of detail than other files.

Perhaps she'd just not gotten a full and fresh copy? The hospital didn't need to know everything, after all, just her qualifications and credentials, not what her recruiting officer noted about the then-18 Dr Channing. Strange, she was referred to as "Dr Channing" even back during her recruitment...

When EDI attempted to access the local Alliance Military secure commlink, she was frustratingly stonewalled by the mandatory grace period delays required to avoid tripping the Alliance's VI-search-pattern recognizers. Eventually, after nearly 20 seconds of patiently waiting, she was in, and requesting an up-to-date copy of Dr Channing's file-.

There was no record of a Captain Marissa Channing, PhD in Alliance files.

Captain Marissa Channing did not exist.

The woman sitting in the room with Sam was an impostor

EDI's thought processes immediately went into overdrive, analyzing the woman's readily-available data with an intensity she usually reserved for Sam. She could hear her human falter slightly, but she was busy creating a detailed profile of the woman before her, analyzing every last fraction of her face, building up a near-perfect model to use for further purposes. Facial recognition software sprang into life, and EDI sliced rapidly through the hospital's own data files first, checking her reconstruction against patient and employee records.

No match. So, onwards.

The next step was the larger hospital network, and EDI sprang out of the Huerta Memorial Hospital's internal network to the larger information-sharing network that they were linked to. Cursory searches turned up no matches, and she set autonomous agents to parse through the more hidden files as she directed her attention to the source of the largest database on the Citadel.

C-Sec's Criminal Investigations Bureau, Cyber-Crimes division.

It was exceedingly well-defended, and took her nearly half a minute to break through. Meanwhile, she also queried the Alliance Military Network with her composite image, running various permutations that could be adopted by a woman with the skeletal-muscular system that EDI had registered under her facial skin.

She was into the C-Sec databank and beginning the triage of their massed database while the search of the Alliance databank was beginning. Nothing, nothing, ahh, a match.

Not quite a perfect match, and a different alias. Understandable, considering.. Another match popped up. Then two more. C-Sec knew this person, but they hadn't realized yet that multiple identities, some of them quite legitimate, were being used by the same agent. For a fleeting few nanoseconds, EDI pondered if these more robust identities might once have had real people inhabiting them, before the Impostor replaced them. Then another two dozen matches came up from search recognition in C-Sec's surveillance systems over the past five years. This human had evidently posed as a taxi driver, news reporter, hotel service, first-responder, cafe waitress, and many other appearances in the background. None of them had alias identities, they were merely short-term covers for whatever criminal or fraudulent gains she was after.

The Alliance database pinged her awareness, three more identities. Dr Channing was not one of them, but Staff Analyst Maya Brooks was a near-perfect match, as was Serviceman 3c Lisa Hamilton, currently on bereavement leave for her grandmother's funeral.

EDI was still unfamiliar with most of her emotive tags, but she understood frustration, rare as the experience was for her. No matter how thoroughly she searched, she was not able to find a definitive answer for who this woman truly was or who she worked for. But it ultimately made little difference in the immediate sense. EDI would not tolerate any criminal, let alone an obviously well-trained spy to be anywhere close to Samantha Traynor. Her first idea was to subdue the infiltrator right here, but that could add to Sam's trauma far too easily. Furthermore, EDI could hardly hand her over to the authorities as it would make her a target of public inquiry. She could not allow herself to be exposed, not when Sam's livelihood was on the line.

And so EDI instead moved to her next solution by compiling an extensive profile on every one of the infiltrator's recorded appearances and submitting it to C-Sec's security VIs. Once the files were collated, the gynoid fired them up to the surface with a Priority: Urgent code, listing all of "Channing's" many aliases, and informing C-Sec of her current whereabouts. The discrepancies would be noticed right away by any halfway decent law enforcement, no matter how inexperienced, and she had made certain to use the VI's own pattern-matching protocols to highlight them as best the limited program could. They may scratch their heads over how their automated system suddenly noticed the numerous connections, but the findings would still be indisputable.

Ah. A response team was already dispatched to Huerta. EDI's research on C-Sec through the extranet had been met with claims of their stifling red-tape, but when a dangerous intruder was detected in a hospital, and on the Presidium no less, their response was almost immediate.

EDI finally refocused on the external world around her. All she needed do was act normal until the authorities arrived. 'Channing' and Sam were still going through their interview, none the wiser of the motions now at work.

"Reports from several onboard marines, as well as a very confused Trident pilot, claim that an unidentified N7 soldier boarded the Madrid and headed to Engineering. Did you see anyone matching that description?"

"I, um, no, not really? There was an N7 aboard? That might be why they targeted the Madrid, then..." Sam looked thoughtful and gave an uncertain glance towards Edith Baxter.

EDI was proud of the detail she'd gone into in making this particular alias airtight. Not quite as deeply interwoven into multiple databases as her Edi Randisum identity, but Edith was used for medical purposes, which required a higher level of scrutiny, and thus perfection, than the obviously fraudulent aliases that this 'Channing' used.

The impostor's brow furrowed. She looked as if she were about to press further when her omnitool chimed with an urgent call. Through quantum precision, EDI noted the minute signs 'Channing' gave off that signaled immense irritation, both with Sam and apparently with her caller, even as she forwarded the latter to her earpiece.

It was a trifling matter for EDI to tap into the call and overhear the urgent voice of a human male.

"Code Six, Lilium! Repeat, Code Six, we're aborting the mission! Your cover's been compromised! I don't know how, but your face is all over the C-Sec frequencies! They already have five shuttles converging on Huerta! Exfil, now!"

The line immediately went dead, but that was not enough to stop her.

Piggybacking on the signal, she traced him to a standardized comm repeater built into the building's roof, and from there to a spot on one of the presidium's support struts. Getting eyes on him was another matter, but a few passing tourists were taking selfies with poor-quality cameras, and she could just about make out his face via corrective enhancement from the several dozen seconds he was in view. She had a voiceprint and a face now, but only a poorly reconstructed one, not enough for a deep-dive comparison search of the C-Sec archives. Speaking of which, she quietly erased her tracks as she exited the system, plugging several holes in their firewall in the process.

When one well of information ran dry, another was tried, and she immediately got a match in the Alliance files, red-flagged and heavily redacted.

Kai Leng. Chinese, late twenties. Alliance N7. Decorated infiltrator, did many wetwork and espionage jobs for the Alliance, once considered for nomination into the Spectres. Dishonorably discharged and imprisoned for 20 years after committing murder on the Citadel, but vanished from incarceration. Currently at large and considered highly dangerous.

'Channing' gave a quiet sound of startlement, very nearly perfect, and stood up. "My humble apologies, Ms Traynor, I forgot I have another appointment!"

Her smile was professional and nice, though just a tiny bit strained, according to EDI's sensors. She kept her eyes on the impostor as she made her excuses and left, heading towards the exit to the ward, rather than deeper towards her 'next appointment'.

"Oh, um... goodbye then?" A very confused Sam blinked owlishly at the closed door after 'Channing's' abrupt departure. "Okay, that... that happened. I thought we had another five minutes left or so. What the bloody hell was that all about?"

A connection was forged. A realization. Edith Baxter's eyes widened, but only slightly. "I am not sure, Miss. But I'm certain it's all for the best."

She had very swiftly decoded and traced the communications pathways between the impostor and the agent she had outside, because they were familiar to her. Intimately so. She'd helped write them, after all. Back when she worked for...

Cerberus.

Cerberus had found them.