Tali, Illium Transit Center
"You don't have to do this, Tali," Liara voice was a bit strained over the comm. "I understand what happened, and it was partially my fault."
Tali didn't even pause her work as she shook her head, even if Liara couldn't see it. "No, it was my fault. I could have done or said something before it had become a problem, but I didn't. Second terminal is clear. Moving to the third."
"So, what are we looking for, anyway?" John asked. He was following behind Tali as she hacked terminals and giving her some cover. After all, when people saw quarians, especially ones messing with a terminal, the first thought was that they were up to no good.
Which, technically, Tali was.
"I have received some information about one of the Shadow Brokers agents," the deep burning anger showed clear in Liara's voice. Enough that Tali shared a look with John. "With these links I will be able to narrow down the list I have. As it stands now, I am three names."
"Well, hopefully this last terminal will be the winner," Tali sighed as she opened her omnitool and got to work.
She actually liked this kind of work. Slicing through security was very satisfying. It also had the air of being a secret agent, or some clandestine operative!
Though...thinking about it, she actually was a clandestine operative. After all, she worked directly with a council Spectre. Her own, personal, council Spectre...The thought gave her a little shiver of joy. And a bit of lust.
"By the way," a small note of amusement crept into Liara's voice. "I saw the vid of the trial. I was very impressed."
"You...you did?" Tali almost paused. Almost, but not quite. "How did you manage that? We don't release those things to the extranet."
"I am a very good information brokers," Liara laughed. "I can't exactly go around giving out trade secrets."
"I'm guessing Jane sent it," John chuckled.
"Nobody likes a braggart, Shepard," Liara sighed.
"And...you are in," Tali nodded. "Sending data."
"Thank you, I...wait…" Liara became concerned. "Is this accurate?"
"Of course it is!" Tali scowled, a little insulted.
"What's wrong?" John gave Tali a concerned look as he gestured with his head, back to the transit car they had rented.
"This last data clip mentioned a woman, but all the names I had were of men…" Liara' confused concern seemed to grow.
"Who did you get the data from?" John asked as he jumped in the car and started the liftoff before Tali had settled and strapped in.
"I got it from Nyxeris, but I don't see why…" There was a long pause before Liara spoke again, with an unspoken malice. "Nyxeris!"
"Liara! We are on the way!" Tali hacked the air car's systems, drawing extra power out of it. "We won't be long!"
"Nyxeris!" Liara yelled, and Tali and John could here a scream and a crash. The distinctive sounds of biotic energy crackled out. "Your barriers need work, Nyxeris. Tell me about the Shadow Broker, and you might live long enough to practice."
"You are a fool, Pure Blood!" Nyxeris spat, her voice strained with pain. "I was this close to you for this long and you had no idea! You are doomed to failure and death! You should have left Shepard's body be taken. You signed your own death warrant!"
"Fine then," Liara's voice became cold and sharp as a razor. "Then you shall…."
"Liara?" John called out as static cut the audio. "Damn it, Tali can you get it back?"
"I'm trying...but it looks like it was cut on the other end, and she's not answering the call," Tali scowled. "Sorry John…."
John gave her a look. The one that meant she was being a silly girl again. She hated that look.
"She's strong. She'll be fine," John nodded and turned back to the skylane as he dipped under traffic. "Damn it, Liara...be fine."
John, Liara's Office
"Liara!" John called out as her slammed open the office door. When they had arrived, the desk outfront was empty, as was expected, but there were no sounds coming from the office either. That itself was probably no reason to worry, as John had been in the office and knew how well the room was soundproofed. It was right over the trade floor, after all.
The asari, however, was fine. She stood with her back to John as he and Tali rushed into the room, weapons ready. Then, slowly, Liara turned to give the pair a pained expression as she wiped her hands with a cloth. A cloth stained with blue blood.
"I'm...sorry," Liara's brows furrowed as she kept wiping at her hands, even after they had long since been cleaned. "I needed the information. I needed it badly. And I didn't want you to hear…"
"Liara," Tali spoke quietly as she folded her shotgun and placed it on her back. Slowly, she approached Liara, and took her hands. She pulled the cloth out of her grip, tossing it to the floor as she moved her head, trying to meet the asari's eyes. "You did what you felt you had to. You were in danger."
"No…" Liara whispered, turning her head away from Tali's searching eyes. "No...I...I was in no danger. Nyxeris's biotic skills were nowhere near as good as her acting ability. I...got what I needed from her."
John closed his eyes for a moment as he clipped on his pistol. "I'm sorry, Liara. This is my fault."
"Your fault?!" Liara spun, jerking her hands out of Tali's grasp. The anger rolled off her body, as her biotics sparked. "Your fault?! I am the one that couldn't let you stay in peace! I'm the one that hunted your body!"
Brushing past the startled quarian, Liara stalked to John, her face a riot of anger, self loathing, fear and sadness. "I found that the Shadow Broker had taken your body. I convinced one of his people, a drell named Feron, to help me. He was..is, a decent man, but when it was a choice between your body or him, I took you!"
John's eyes were wide as she yelled, growled, screamed and spat. Tears began to run down her face as her power lifted her desk and smashed it against the wall.
"I'm the one who gave you to Cerberus!" She screamed now. "ME! Because I couldn't let you stay with the Goddess! And the one to be punished for my crimes is Feron!"
John could see Tali, behind Liara, slowly being pushed back by Liara's growing wild power. He could feel it pushing against his own barriers, striving to do the same to him.
After coming back, John's biotic power had been amplified considerably, but it was still no match for Liara's awesome strength. At best, be would be able to hold her back for a few moments. Luckily, he had more skill than her.
Shifting a large portion of his power into his left hand, he kept his fingers straight as he thrust forward. His power punched through her barrier as he stuck her soundly in the center of her breastbone. The impact rocked her back as it knocked the air from her lungs.
Liara collapsed to the ground, wide eyed and gasping. She looked up at John, frightened and angry.
"Liara," Tali spoke quietly as she knelt next to the woman. "If you hadn't done it, the Shadow Broker would have given John to the Collectors. Maybe you gave John to Cerberus out of your own selfishness, maybe it was guidance from the Ancestor's of the Goddess or the Spirits, I don't know. But he is alive because of you. My love is alive. There is nothing I can do, or say, or give you to make you understand how...I...My soul was shattered, but your actions made it whole again."
Looking at Tali, Liara's eyes filled as her face twisted. Tears streamed down her face as she began sobbing. Tali's hands lightly rubbing at her back.
"Ummm," John heard a small voice from the door behind him. "Should...I wait outside?"
Turning, John saw the quarian servent that Tali had purchased, Julip'Lana. She stood in the doorway with a duffel bag over her shoulder. Probably her belongings. The last of the formalities must have been taken care of and she was now reporting to the new owner of her contract. Well...that was what she was hoping to do, anyway.
"Yeah, it's fine," John nodded as he gestured back out the door, following her. "Don't worry too much about it. Liara's having a bit of a bad day."
"A bad day?" Julip seemed to cock an eyebrow under her visor. It was kinda interesting to see with just a pair of glowing eyes as context. "It looked like a krogan danced on her desk in there."
"Umm," John glanced back at the closed door, frowning. "A very bad day?"
"I have a feeling things are never going to be boring, are they," Julip sighed. "I met you people during a bar fight, now my owner turns out to be one of the most powerful information brokers on the planet. This was not even close to how I pictured my Pilgrimage going."
"Adventure and excitement wasn't your cup of tea?" John smirked.
"Cup of…" Julip looked confused for a moment before nodding. "I think I get it. But no, I was hoping to make quick money, get a ship, go home with the fastest Pilgrimage on record. Instead, every time I encounter you people, furniture ends up destroyed."
"If it helps, you'll probably be taking over as Liara's personal assistant, slash, secretary," John gestured to the desk. "Should be pretty easy. Unless you are secretly a Shadow Broker agent."
"No need to be insulting," Julip frowned as she dropped her bag behind the desk and sat down. "What happened to the previous assistant? I assume they must have been this agent you mentioned?"
"Yeah," John coughed, looking a little sheepish. "She turned out to be working for the Shadow Broker, and was summarily crushed to death with biotics. But hey! You're not an agent! So, you;ll be fine!"
Julip's eyes narrowed for a moment before she sighed and went limp in the chair. "I hate my life…"
Xera
A quiet growling sound shocked Xera awake. She had been having weird dreams in binary. They weren't bad or anything, just...weird.
Slowly, Xera sat up. Or, rather, she tried to sit up, but the soreness in her lower stomach made her groan and drop back down on...the floor?
"Wha? Whozzat?" A groggy voice slurred from a cot above Xera. Which also led Xera to realize that the growl she had heard was actually Jack snoring.
"I'm down here!" Xera called weakly as she flailed an arm around the cot. "Call the doctor! I'm gonna die!"
"You are the doctor, you crazy bitch," Jack laughed as she leaned a head over and looked under her cot. "How did you even get down there?"
"I have no idea," Xera admitted as she slowly rolled herself clear. "I have a headache, and I can't really feel from my midsection down."
"Well, you drank a lot of that dextro liquor," Jack smirked, laying her head on the side of the cot. "I'm impressed you were able to go shot for shot with me."
"Why aren't you sick?" Xera spat, annoyed. "You should suffer with me!"
"Biotics," Jack shrugged. "Process stuff a lot faster. Need to eat more than a normal person. Well...a lot more, in my case. It's why I don't really have tits."
"Miranda has tits," Xera chuckled. "Big ones."
"Shut it!" Jack frowned, before smirking again. "Gotta say though, you know your way around a woman. The only reason I'm not kicking you around is that I can't really get up either."
"Well...I did thorough studies," Xera laughed. "I am a doctor, after all."
"Don't know how you get off with the suit on," Jack looked Xera over again. The woman's eyes were predatory. They gave Xera a little flutter. Down low.
"Program in the suit," Xera groaned as she managed to reach a sitting position. "It can directly fire off the nerves. Doesn't feel as good as direct contact, but you can climax with it. Mine are a hacked, overpowered version. Because I am a terrible person."
"Terrible person of not, we are both...sticky, and we smell," Jack wrinkled her nose. "Want to shower?"
"Sure, I could clean up the suit," Xera nodded as Jack pulled herself to her feet. As before, Xera's eyes wandered Jack's body, examining all the tattoos. "Why did you get those, anyway?"
Looking down at herself, Jack shrugged. "Some are for kills. Some are for jobs, or moments in my life. Some are for the hell of it."
"Okay," Xera nodded. "How did you get a tattoo….in…"
"A lot of drugs and a terrible idea," Jack cut the quarian off with an embarrassed look.
"I also like how your head is shaved but you are fuzzy there," Xera gesture. "Of course, i thought it was funny that humans are fuzzy there anyway."
"Quarian's don't have pubes?" Jack smirked. "Then, I guess your the only alien with hair at all."
"Yeah," Xera shrugged as Jack gave her a hand and pulled her standing. "Wow...my realk is everywhere!" Looking around the room, Xera could see her covering unwrapped and scattered around the little space.
"Yeah, we should bring it, so you can cleanit too," Jack nodded as she assisted Xera in gathering the cloth.
After the realk was gathered, and in Xera's arms, Jack slapped her on the back and headed for the stairs, pausing only long enough to grab a towel.
"You're not going to cover up at all?" Xera laughed as she followed. And staring at Jacks ass.
"Nah, Let 'em look if it gets there jollies. I couldn't give two shits," Jack shrugged as she grinned wickedly at Engineer Donnelly when they got to the main engineering level. "Right little man?"
The engineer with the weird accent just looked at the pair with wide eyes as the color drained from his face. "What the hell where the two a you doin' down there? It sounded like somebody was getting bloody murdered!"
"Well, she was slaying this!" Jack gestured to her groin, and laughed as Donnelly turned around, now beet red.
"Ah, leave the poor man alone," Xera laughed as she guided the biotic out the door. "Not everybody can be as talented a female technician as I am."
Grunt
*pew* *pew* *KrrrBrrrccchhhh*
Grunt made explosion noises as he guided the turian cruiser into the top of the desk.
"You'll never win, evil harpy!" He exclaimed as Battlemaster Gorge crested the small hill of book, staring down at the evil turian Smalra the Huntress.
"You are too late!" his falsetto said, as Smalra picked up the Staff of Power. "You may have brought down my ship, but I still have my warriors!"
"Ha ha ha!" Gorge called out, with bravado. "Those aren't warriors! They fell easily to my sidekick, Spectre Shepard!"
"Surrender!" Grunt picked up the slightly over large Shepard figure. "Or face our wrath!"
"Curses!" Smalra Spat as she rose into the air. "I shall defeat you with my Excelsior Ray!"
*Woom, Woom, Woom*
Grunt hummed as he clicked on the desks lamp.
"Arrgh!" Gorge and Shepard dropped to the desk, overcome by the power of the Excelsior Ray.
"Gorge! What do we do?" Shepard called out.
*Doooooo*
Grunt swung the model Normandy over the desk, and pointed it at the lamp.
"I'll save you," Edi sort of called out. Her inflection left much to be desired, but they had only done this four or five times anyway. "Boom!"
Shrugging at how the AI just said the word 'Boom' instead of making a noise, Grunt pushed the lamp over, and turned it off.
"We are saved by the great Edi, the super ship!" Shepard called out.
"I...what was it?" Edi paused.
"You're defeating Smalra," Grunt patiently said. Edi may have only been a computer, but she could properly appreciate Battlemaster Gorge.
"Right, *ahem*, take my raining missiles of dooooom," Edi said, in an almost monotone.
Fighting down the urge to laugh, Grunt tossed the Smarla the Huntress figure in the air, letting her drop to the table. "Nooo! My plans have been foiled! You may have won this time, but the Dark Master will triumph in the end! Hahahahahaa!"
*zwarp*
"Oh, no, she teleported away!" Edi cursed.
"No matter!" Gorge said, rising from the field of battle, battered but victorious. "Together, with our power, we defeated her evil plans and saved the universe again!"
"That was quite entertaining," Edi's orp appeared on the desk's holopad. "Don't forget to put the Commander's models back before he returns."
"I will," Grunt sighed as he opened Shepards model case and began putting the little ships away.
Jane, Corsair Ship Perugia, FTL
"And how does it all look?" Jane asked a she shifted in her seat. They had changed it out. She knew it was for the best, in the fight with the geth, the pedestal section of her old seat had cracked, but this new one….
"Are you alright, ma'am?" her knew marine troop commander asked.
"Goddess! Kal!" Jane jumped and swatted at the quarian. "I swear to your Ancestors, I will break off your kneecaps."
"That will be hard, ma'am," Kal'Reegar chuckled. "Quarians don't have kneecaps."
Jane's eyes narrowed as she stared at the man. "I can throw you off my ship."
"I'm adorable, ma'am," Kal assured her.
"I don't know why I put up with you people…." Jane sniffed and turned away from the object of her irritation. "Lemma? Engine output?"
"Within normal ranges, Captain," Lemma said, watching her boards. "Not optimal, but the load is balancing."
"Well, that's why we are out here my dear," Jane nodded, shifting again. "Couldn't they have sound a better freaking cushion? I think my ass is going numb!"
Garcia leaned back in the pilot seat and laughed shifting down. "I dunno, this one is pretty cozy. Might even have a little heating pad."
"Mister Reegar?" Jane leaned forward as she placed her elbows on her knees and steepled her fingers.
"Yes, ma'am?" Kal raised a brow as he glanced around slightly. He was new enough to the ship that he wasn't quite up on its...peculiarities. Or those of the Captain.
"If we opened the door and threw Garcia out, would the ship survive?" Jane said seriously.
"Umm...no?" Kal blinked.
"Damn," Jane sighed. "Alright then Garcia. "Tomorrow, you get to be the first person to help me break in the refited exercise room."
"Shit," Garcia winced as he blanched.
"Man, never sass the Captain," Michels shook her head as she released the co-pilot.
"Yeah, well," Garcia sighed again. "I got used to how nice the quarian captains are. I shoulda put in for a transfer."
"When we get to Illium, I'm sure I can find some nice krogan sugar daddy to sell you to," Jane chuckled as she swiveled her seat. "Kellogs, would you mind informing me how the improved heat sinks look?"
"They look fine," Kellogs shrugged skimming his boards. "Standard heat build and retention. All systems are nominal. It looks like they will work better than the old ones, though not near the abilities of the SR-2 Normandy specs."
"Can't win them all," Jane said as she leaned back. "When we drop near the relay, I want to pop on the stealth drive for a bit, see if there is any bleed."
"Yes, sir," Kellogs answered.
"So, Mister Reegar," Jane smirked as she turned to face the marine again. "Have I thoroughly confused you with my command style?"
"Pretty close, ma'am," Kal chuckled. "Most quarian captains are far more stoic."
"They have sticks up their asses!" Lemme called out.
"Think I've spoiled her for standard quarian ships then" Jane chuckled. "But this is a meritocracy. Do good work and things are nice. Don't...and it ends poorly. I don't demand anything from my people I'm not willing to do. I try to explain my commands if time allows. Sometimes they are unorthodox."
"Look forward to working with you, ma'am," Kal nodded.
"Good. Tomorrow, about 0930, I want you in the physical room, and bring the new marines with you. I want to see how your hand to hand is," Jane smiled sweetly.
"Should I set up a demonstration schedule then?" Kal opened his omnitool and started making a note.
"Oh shit," Semma gasped, turing to give Kal a look. "You had better be clear with the Ancestors."
Kal was about to say something, when he was overcome with a chill. He had felt it before. There was a time, early in his career, where Kal had been cornered by several Blood Pack varren. At the time, in his soul, it was like he could feel the animalistic, primal fear of being hunted by a savage predator.
Turning, Kal looked at Jane. A slow, wide, inhuman smile slowly spreading across her face.
He felt that fear again.
Quarian Lexicon
Realk: Cloth covering used by the quarians. It is used to describe not just the hood seen on most but any material adornment.