"I would not have expected stillness to be in your nature." Samara glanced at him.

"My preferred weapon is a sniper rifle." Michael shrugged, then shifted his legs. "It's this position that is unnatural."

"I am glad you came." The biotic glow vanished from around her, and she stood. It took him a moment to do the same. Meditation he was getting the hang of. Standing up afterward was still an issue. "I must ask for your help." She looked out the viewport. "That is not easy for me."

"What do you need?" He shook his leg a bit, then nodded to her.

"When we met on Illium, I told you about a very dangerous person I was pursuing. Using the information you obtained, I have located her." Samara didn't look at him, just kept staring at the void. "She's been going by the name 'Morinth.' I would like to apprehend her before she disappears again."

"I'm guessing she's the type to move, meaning whatever information you have on her might not be good when this mission is done." He folded his arms. "Assuming we survive it."

"This is the best opportunity I've ever had." Samara nodded, though she still didn't turn to face him.

"Where is she?"

"Omega. A night club called Afterlife, which seems a perfect place for her to hunt." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Killing her has been my focus for 400 years. It is the most important thing in my life and the reason I became a justicar."

Something about Samara's body language was off. "Tell me about her."

"She is an Ardat-Yakshi. It is a term from a dead asari dialect. It means 'demon of the night winds'. But that is mythology. She is simply a very dangerous woman who kills without mercy." Samara's eyes fixed on one of the stars. He couldn't tell which one.

"A special kind of murderer, then." He moved up to stand next to her.

"Morinth suffers a rare genetic disorder. When she mates with you, there is no gentle melding of nervous systems. She overpowers yours, burns it out, hemorrhages your brain. You end up a mindless shell, and soon after you are dead."

"Charming." He listened as she told him more. It was clear Morinth was not one who would stop killing. From the sound of things, they were dealing with a dangerous psychotic addicted to murder. And he already had enough of those on his ship. "It does sound like we need to introduce her to either a cell or a bullet." He nodded. "And we've got a few things to pick up on Omega anyway."

"Thank you, Commander. There are no words to express what this means to me." As he started for the door, her voice made him pause. "There is one thing more: this creature, this..." He turned to see her still staring out the viewport. "Monster. She is my daughter."

A thousand words ran through his mind, jumbling together. He bowed his head as he turned back. "It can't be easy to talk about."

"My daughter's condition is my fault. And my redemption lies in killing her." She continued not looking at him. "Do not pity me. Simply understand my situation."

Michael walked to her side. This time, she turned to face him. "You said this is genetic. How many children do you have?"

"Three. And three Ardat-Yakshi are in existence today. It is as it sounds." Her eyes took on a far away look. "Morinth was always the wild one - she was happy and free. But selfish."

He swallowed. He could remember the look on his father's face the first time the man had put him in the hospital. That was not the look on Samara's face now. "Help me understand."

"I spent my youth on the move, adventuring. I killed people, mated with them, or just danced the night away." Samara began pacing. "I learned so much, experienced so much. And then my matron days came. I could finally sit back, bask, and enjoy my family. But in one moment, it was all taken away."

There was a scar on the back of his arm. It wasn't a new one. He'd had it since he was eight. "It sounds terrible."

"I sat in a med lab while a nearsighted doctor droned at me. And I learned that nothing was as I thought it would be." She faced him again. "I gave up all that I possessed. I own nothing, claim nothing. All my knowledge will die with me." She looked back at the stars. "Now my purpose is to destroy my own children."

"Those moments..." He turned and rested an arm on the viewport as he stared out at the stars. "I got a puppy, when I was four." She started to turn toward him. "Called him King. He was my best friend. My only friend. I'd crawl into his kennel to sleep, because I was safer there." He didn't turn toward her. He wasn't sure he could look at her, right now. "My father picked up a cane and came after me, and King..." He folded his arms. "Bit him. So, my father beat him to death instead of me." He exhaled. "I was nine."

Next to him, Samara went still. "Shepard..."

He shrugged. "Omega, you said?"

Several seconds passed before Samara nodded. "Yes."

"I'll have Joker set a course." He turned and walked out of the room.

#

Rather than even try getting the right parts, he authorized Tali's access to his cred chit and told her to have fun. The squealing noise she made as she snatched it out of his hand and dashed off was not a good sign. "Yeah..." Michael glanced at Garrus. "That's going to bite me in the ass later, isn't it?"

"Well, Kasumi is going with her, so maybe she'll arrange a discount or two?" Garrus clicked his mandibles.

"So, I'm going to be broke and arrested." Michael shrugged. "You did hang onto the plan for busting me out of jail, right?"

"I've got four of them." Garrus nodded. "Miranda dies in plan C."

"I like plan C." Jack grinned. "Shepherd, go get arrested."

"I'm not even sure who is a bad influence on who anymore." Michael sighed.

#

Aria didn't know Morinth's exact location, but she was able to give them a lead. Michael left the rest of the crew behind as he and Samara went to go check it out. It was still hard to look at her.

"Are you here about my daughter?" The woman Aria had directed them too, Diana, sat down after letting them into her apartment. "My Nef died a week ago, and no one seems to care. The medics said it was a brain hemorrhage, but that's not true. It was murder. Someone killed my Nef, my baby."

I think she was murdered, too." He nodded to Diana. "We are looking for her killer."

"Oh, thank you." Diana stood. "It's so hard when no one believes you. I'm all alone now. Are you..." She looked from him to Samara, then back. "One of Aria's people?"

Since Samara apparently had no interest in speaking up, he shook his head. "I'm looking into this on my own authority."

"No one else on this hell-hole station gives a damn that my Nef is dead. If you can do something about it, I'll help you however I can."

"Tell us about her." He listened as she told him about her daughter. A shy artist. Then she mentioned the name. An Asari. Morinth. That got Samara's attention.

"I didn't like her." Diana shook her head. "She kept dragging Nef out to clubs, and I'm pretty sure she gave my daughter drugs."

"I will bring justice to the one that did this." Samara nodded to Diana.

"Nef will rest easy soon." Michael took a deep breath.

"I hope so. I hope so. Oh, my baby..." She started shaking. Tears ran down her face as she told them about places Nef had been lately, how Nef had been changed by Morinth, and how proud Diana had been of her daughter and her artistic talent. She agreed to let them look through Nef's room. "Everything is the way she left it. The way it will always be. My baby is gone. She's gone, and nothing will fix that." Fresh tears came.

Michael put an arm around her and guided her back to the couch to sit. She started apologizing, and he shook his head. "It's okay. We've all suffered loss."

"I know what it means to lose a daughter." Samara's voice was soft. "I will avenge her."

#

Nef had indeed been an artist. Her work was impressive. They found the password for the club, and some notes that he suspected were from Morinth. "She seemed like a nice kid." One head over heels in love.

"This is Morinth's work." Samara looked about the room. "She is attracted to artists and creators. Someone with a spark, slightly isolated from their peers. She impresses with sophistication and sex appeal. Then she strikes. The hunt interests her as much as the conquest."

"And she's been doing it for four hundred years." Michael nodded. "Best to be cautious."

"Morinth speaks to you on many levels. Her body tells yours that she'll bring unimaginable ecstasy. Her scent evokes emotions long hidden. Her eyes promise you things you were always scared to ask another. Her voice whispers to you after she is done speaking."

"She sounds like my kind of target practice." He looked back at the sculpture.

"You joke, Shepard - but for all your might, you will be in great danger." He blinked before turning to her, and she sighed. "Storming her den would be a mistake. She will have a hundred escape routes planned. She will go to ground and disappear for fifty years or more. This is the closest I've ever been."

"You've got an idea..." He exhaled. "And it involves using me as bait."

Samara sighed but nodded. "Afterlife's VIP section seems her preferred hunting ground. You must go there alone and unarmed. You can draw Morinth out. She'll certainly flee if she catches sight of me. But she won't be able to resist you."

Michael stared at her for a moment, then reached a hand up to trace the scars on his face. "Perhaps Dr. Chakwas should check your vision when we get back to the Normandy."

"You are an artist on the battlefield. You have the vital spark that attracts her." Samara shook her head. "Your power will draw her in."

"Keep talking like that, and you're going to have to buy me dinner." He rolled his eyes. "Time's wasting. Let's get over there."

#

Samara fixed his collar, then soothed the front of the jacket. He swallowed. "I think I should apologize."

"This man..." Samara took a deep breath. "Your father. Does he still live?"

"No." Michael shook his head.

"Good." She brushed something off his sleeve, then stepped back. "You must go in alone - Morinth will be watching. Like any predator, she is cautious. You must pique her interest enough that she will approach you. When you are face-to-face, subtly encourage her to invite you to her apartment. I'll follow discreetly and when you are alone, I'll spring the trap. Know this: until I get there, you are in great peril. She will be planning to inflict horrors on you. If you are not careful, you will want her to."

"Would this be a bad time to point out I never learned how to dance?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what do we know about her?"

"Violence excites her. You've killed, Shepard. She'll like that."

"Going to be have to be careful on the timing." He frowned.

"I will be near, and I will come for you, Shepard." She met his eyes. "Trust me as I trust and honor you."

"Nef said she liked dancing and Hallex..." Michael nodded.

"Nef's journal mentioned a vid called Vaenia. It seemed to have something to do with glamorous women."

"I know the one." When she raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. "Garrus and I were trying to teach Grunt about..." He sighed. "Never mind. What was that artist's name?"

"Forta. An elcor." She nodded. "Well, Shepard, that's everything we know."

"Let's get started."

"We only get one chance at this." She touched his arm. "And Shepherd: thank you. I do not share this burden easily, and you are the only soul I can imagine sharing it with."

"Get back to your hiding spot." He nodded. "And if I do end up having to dance..." He met her eyes. "Kill anyone who records it."

#

He saved a reporter, got into a staring contest with a krogan, and punched a turian. Then he found some more turians to punch, though to be fair he did involve a knee and a kick that time. He was walking back toward the bar, wondering if he should try picking a fight with the krogan, when a shadow detached itself from the wall. For a brief moment, he thought Samara had changed into a slinky black catsuit. Then she spoke. "My name is Morinth. I've been watching you." She looked him over. "You're the most interesting person in this place. I've got a booth over here. Why don't you come sit with me?"

#

She was beautiful. He'd give her full credit for that. If he hadn't known what she was, he might have been taken in by her. Ten years ago, or maybe just five, she'd have had him eating out of her hand. Now, though, he'd have preferred a quiet cup of coffee. Though Kaidan might have been able to convince him to dance. He pushed that thought out of his mind as he flirted with a monster. "I know what I like." He licked his lips and saw her smile.

"Do you?" She leaned forward.

"What do you think of the music here?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Dark rhythms, violent pulses. It stirs something primitive in me. What about you?"

Sinatra probably wasn't the answer he was looking for. That guy at the door who'd tried hitting him up for tickets had mentioned an asari. "I'm curious about a band called Expel 10."

"They get in my head and tear it to pieces. They're in concert soon..." Her eyes flicked over his scars hungrily. "Maybe we should go together. You can lose yourself in the music here. There are ways to enhance that. You know?"

Drugs were something he'd never done. He didn't like the loss of control that came with the release they offered. "What do you think of Hallex?"

That got her predatory smile to widen a bit. He ran through the other things they'd learned she liked. Forta. Vaenia. Danger. Violence. Power. Each brought her a little closer. "Do you want to get out of here? My apartment is nearby, and I want you alone."

Every warning bell in his mind, every survival instinct honed by long years on the street and in the uniform, screamed at him to fight or flee. He smiled and followed her out of the club.

#

Her apartment was nice. He doubted she paid for it honestly. He looked around. Weapons and games of violence. Drugs. Surprisingly good taste in art. He sat down on the sofa, leaving a little distance between himself and Morinth.

Her eyes were half closed. "I love clubs - people, movement, heat. I can still hear the bass, like the drums of a great hunt, out for your blood." She definitely laid it on thick. "But here, it's muted - and you're safe. Is that what you want, Shepard?"

"I'd rather fight than hide." It was hard to keep the contempt out of his voice.

"Yes. Better to take control of your fate." She moved closer to him. "I've never understood the fascination with safety. Some of us choose differently." She seated herself in his lap. "Independence over submission. I think we share that, you and I."

Hopefully, Samara was close, because he'd had about as much as he could stand. "You compare us, but you're nowhere near my league." All her talk of liking danger, and she preyed on innocent kids like Nef.

"So strong..." She raced a finger over his scars. "I need this." She shifted to sit next to him, her eyes fixed on his face. "Look into my eyes and tell me you want me." Her eyes went black. "Tell me you'd kill for me. Anything I want." He could feel her will trying to grasp at his.

"I'm not the victim..." He narrowed his eyes. "You were hoping for."

"But you..." Her eyes returned to normal. "Who are you? Oh no..." Fury suddenly lit her face. "I see what's going on. The bitch herself found a little helper."

The door burst open. When this was done, he was going to have to commend Samara on her sense of timing. Right on cue. She strode in, biotics glowing around her. "Morinth." Then she flung Morinth into the window hard enough to crack the safety glass.

"Mother." Morinth glared at her.

"Do not call me that." Samara shoved her back.

"I can't choose to stop being your daughter. Mother."

"You made your choice long ago."

Morinth's own biotics flared, knocking Samara back. "What choice?" She grabbed at table to fling at Samara. Michael decided the other side of the couch was probably a safer place to be at the moment. "My only crime was being born with the gifts you gave me."

Their biotics were matched, as they faced each other. Morinth glanced at him and smiled. "I'm as strong as she is. Let me join you."

"I am already sworn to help you, Shepard." Samara glared at Morinth. "Let us finish this."

One of the easiest decisions he ever made. He moved in, grabbing Morinth's arm to interrupt her biotics. "End of the line, Morinth."

"And they call me a monster..." She tried to pull free but failed.

Samara moved in, and he stepped out of her way. "Find peace in the embrace of the goddess." The blow sent a vibration through the floor as Samara ended it. She stared down at Morinth's corpse for several seconds before rising. The biotic flares around her flickered and vanished. She didn't look at him. "I am ready to leave this place and get on with my life." She took a deep breath before turning. "Are you ready to go, as well?"

Reluctantly, he spoke. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"Shepard." She lowered her arms. "What do you think I will say? What can I say? I just killed the bravest and smartest of my daughters. There are no words. I will try another time. For now, show mercy on a broken old warrior and let us leave."

"Let's go."

#

Garrus couldn't help but grin at Shepard's expression as he went over Tali's modifications. "You upgraded omni-tools based on Mordin's designs?" He stared at her.

"I still need to do yours." She reached for it, and Shepard actually recoiled, clutching it to him protectively. "Shepard."

"So this..." Shepard let out a long-suffering sigh before handing it over. "Is how I die." He blinked, then sighed. "No, wait..." He shook his head. "I can't use that line anymore, can I?"

"I think you have to tack on an 'again'." Garrus shrugged.

"Yeah, but 'this is how I die again' just doesn't have the same..." Shepard waved a hand. "Gravitas."

"Shepard, when have I ever blown you up?" Tali began welding something inside the omnitool.

"Are we limiting it to just this week, cause..." Jack frowned. "My count is twice in the last six days."

"If he'd stop turning himself invisible, I'd stop throwing grenades in his vicinity." Tali shook her head. "Besides, he knows to when to duck."

"Yeah, it's whenever you're anywhere in the vicinity..." Shepard poked her in the arm lightly.

"I notice Kasumi doesn't seem to have the same problem." Jacob glanced at Tali.

"Oh, you noticed Kasumi." Shepard smirked. "I'll let her know."

Garrus snickered. Jacob blinked. "Wait, what?"

#

The communicator chimed again. He glared at it. It chimed a tenth time. The message was clear. She was not going to stop. Kaidan exhaled, then touched the keyboard. "Liara."

"On his desk, on the Normandy, is a picture." She folded her arms. "The one I took of you and him on the Citadel, when I made you pose in front of that -"

"Liara..." He blinked. "Wait, you were on the..."

"The Normandy Mark 2." Liara nodded. "The only picture, the only personal touch beyond those models he collects, is of you and him smiling together on the Citadel."

Kaidan stared at her across the light years. "If you are trying to make me feel guilty about what I said at Horizon, I..."

"I'm trying to..." Liara exhaled. "I'm not the one you should be telling that to, Kaidan." She took a deep breath. "I'm sending him a care package, one that..." She smiled. "The Illusive Man cannot intercept. Do you want to add anything?"

"I..." Kaidan nodded. "Yeah. Give me a bit of time to uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Think it over, alright?"

"I will." She nodded.

#

"Morinth haunted my dreams and waking hours equally. For the first time in 400 years, I am free." Samara spread her hands. "I am a ruined vessel of sorrow and regret, but I am free." She turned to face him. "It is not a feeling I can describe."

"The first time I left Earth orbit, I stood in the rec room, watching the world fall away below me. I realized for the first time just how small it was." He exhaled. "And that I didn't have to bring it with me."

"One of my daughters is dead. My hopes, my dreams were all bound up in my children." She sighed. "Still, my feelings have always come after my duty. The same is true of you."

"You don't want to settle down?"

"I did. I returned to my homeworld and tried to start a family." She sat down, folding her legs beneath her. "I will fight and struggle all my life. That is my fate. When I die, it will not be in bed. I am at peace with that."

"Do not go gently into that good night." He nodded.

"I have chosen this path." She nodded. "I truly am at peace." She smiled up at him. "Due in no small part to you."

"I'll let you get back to..." He pointed his thumb at the stars outside. "That."

He was nearly to the door when she spoke again. "Shepard." He turned. Samara tilted her head a little. "May I offer you a suggestion?" He nodded. "Change your attire."

He blinked. "What?"

"You were Alliance. You wore their uniform, made it your identity." She stood and walked toward him. "The first place you ever felt you belonged. It was your Code, and it has been taken from you."

"You..." He started shaking his head.

She extended a hand and touched the Cerberus logo on the front of his current uniform. "These are not your colors, Shepard. But the longer you wear them, the more you risk becoming them."

For a moment, he just stared down at the logo. "You're honest like a punch to the gut." He slowly nodded, then looked up at her. "Thank you for that."

"You are welcome, Shepard."

"Michael." She blinked. He shrugged. "My name is Michael."

"You are welcome..." She smiled. "Michael."