Chapter Fifteen – Back In Action

Jules leaned back against the rough rock of the cliff face she was crouched behind and took a second to catch her breath. Her hair was dragged back from her face in a tight plait but several strands had come loose and were sticking to the sweat that was beading across her forehead.

As she breathed out steadily, she brushed them aside with her sleeve and took what relief she could from the cool, damp rock she was pressed against, though it did little to alleviate the humidity in the air. Beside her, Liara's breathing was calm and measured and there was no outward sign that she was suffering from the heat or from anything else for that matter.

She was dressed in light combat gear which pressed neatly against the contours of her body as she crouched low to the ground, perfectly still with a pistol ready in her hands. Jules glanced at her grimly as she wiped the sweat from around her eyes and shifted uncomfortably to relieve the cramp that was forming in her legs.

Of the two of them, Liara was definitely coming across as the more professional right now. She always did have to look perfect.

Luckily, Jules wasn't the only one present who appeared dishevelled and flustered. Kyla was crouched nearby, scowling as she brushed dirt from her face – and only succeeded in smearing more of it across her cheek. Jonan was beside her and there was a gash across his arm, smeared with a mixture of blue blood and medi-gel though he was ignoring it as his sharp turian eyes scanned all around for movement.

Lesha and Rhea were also crouched silently side-by-side and were covered in a mixture of dirt, sweat and bruises while Maia was a short distance away from the rest of them, crouched atop a rock with a sniper rifle ready in her hands.

Together, they made up Jules' temporary squad.

They were several miles outside the city, in a network of rocky canyons that would once have been a quarry. That would have been centuries ago though, at some point after that it had been turned into a garden; the high cliffs formed narrow corridors that saw little sunlight, making the air damp and muggy. There were numerous ponds and pools dotted around it that would once have been water features and ferns and water plants swamped the place, making a sort of mini jungle hidden away at the bottom of the canyons.

It briefly occurred to Jules that turning a quarry into an exotic garden had been a stroke of genius by someone, but at some point – presumably when the Reaper War broke out – the garden had been abandoned and now the plants grew wild and it had likely lost its original beauty. It did, however, make a good training ground.

Jules and her squad were currently concealed in a cramped trench overgrown with ferns. It wasn't comfortable but it kept them hidden from anyone who might pass by. Somewhere in the quarry, Aria and Grunt's squads were also on the loose and they each had the same goal: to destroy the other two teams and reach the centre of the quarry where an old statue of Icarus stood, barely visible among a mass of overgrown foliage.

They'd had several of these training sessions so far, each time she, Aria and Grunt would pick different teams to see who worked best together. So far Aria had won twice and Grunt once, leaving Jules with no wins and the most to prove.

"She's coming," Maia's low voice muttered softly, breaking their otherwise silent surroundings. Sound was strange down here, the high, enclosed cliffs created an echo but it was muffled by the thick undergrowth, making it seem like they were completely removed from the world above.

Jules glanced at the matriarch, whose gaze was fixed on something over the top of the trench. As they waited, Jules heard the soft thud of running footsteps and the rustle of leaves as someone ploughed through them. As the footsteps got closer, Jules could hear heavy breathing then a few loose stones were kicked over the edge of the trench and were rapidly followed by Egret who slid the short distance down the side and landed in a crouch next to her.

A sheen of sweat covered the asari's face as she gasped a few lungfuls of air and leaned back against the rock face.

"Did anyone see you?" Jules asked.

Egret shook her head and took a moment to recover her voice before she added: "I don't think so."

"What have you learned?" Liara asked smoothly, as though she were completely oblivious to the fact that Egret was gulping in air like it was going out of fashion. Jules couldn't help but smile at the brief, incredulous frown that creased Egret's brow before she steadied her breathing and replied.

"Grunt's squad are already at the statue."

"Seriously?" Kyla exclaimed, a flash of frustration passing through her dark eyes. Jules knew she had yet to be on a winning team.

"Getting there is the easy part," Jules told her with a grin, "now he has to hold it against the rest of us."

The central part of the quarry wasn't easy to defend, there were five canyons leading to it and Grunt only had six people in his squad. It was also large and open, once they broke out into it they'd be on an even footing. Still, Grunt wasn't stupid, he wouldn't have taken the centre this early if he didn't have a plan.

She turned back to Egret, "how is he defending it?"

The asari grimaced in a 'you're not going to like this' sort of way, which only made Jules smile as she knew she was probably in for a challenge.

"He's ordered Isla up onto one of the ridges overlooking the quarry, she has a clear view of every way in. She'll be able to warn him of where we're approaching from."

"He gave Isla an order?" Rhea whistled softly, "Rather him than me, she's fucking terrifying," a few slick grins and knowing looks were exchanged as the squad nodded in agreement. Even compared to most thousand-year-old asari commandoes, Isla was pretty intimidating.

"She's also a very good marksman," Egret said, shaking her head as though they had already lost.

"But Maia's better," Jules muttered, almost to herself. She was gazing at the matriarch thoughtfully and Maia gazed back with an amused but curious smile. Over the past few months Jules had learned that Maia was useful in all sorts of situations but mainly, she was the best sniper Jules had ever worked with – even if it seemed a bit disloyal to Garrus to admit it.

"Where are Aria's squad?" she asked, turning her attention back to Egret.

"I haven't seen them," she replied, "but I heard Grunt's scouts talking, they think she's on the northern side."

"And we're on the south," Liara muttered, "so he's trapped in between us."

"Aria may split her squad into two teams to attack Grunt from two sides," Maia suggested, "that has been her tactic in the past."

"Mm," Jules made a face, "but she's not known for being predictable. It's best we don't assume anything when it comes to Aria. But if she's on the northern side that will keep her out of our way for a while."

"We should start moving," Liara said quietly, "we don't want her to reach the centre before we do."

They slipped out of the trench and Jules led the way cautiously through the quarry. The overgrown plants made it difficult to move quietly but it did provide good cover to keep them hidden from view.

Previously when Jules had thought of quarries she had envisioned circular, open canyons but this one was like a maze with thin corridors branching off and intersecting before opening out into wider sections, all walled in by high cliffs. Still, she was getting to know the terrain quite well by now and she mapped their way to the centre with relative ease.

As she moved she could feel the sweat prickling between her skin and her clothes and she grimaced slightly. She had never liked the heat. Asari were more tolerant to it than humans – probably had something to do with not being covered in hair – but even by human standards, Jules preferred a colder climate.

Mindoir had never been warm. The coastline Jules had grown up on had been stormy with constant gale-force winds battering the colony and if they ever went more than four days without rain they had officially declared it a dry spell.

There had been a stretch of moorland along the cliffs that she had often walked along, out in the open with no protection from the elements; the wind had been so strong up there it was sometimes hard to breathe if you faced into it and the cold cut through your clothes no matter how many layers you were wearing. The memories made her smile as she wiped another sheen off her forehead and swiped away an insect that threatened to land on her.

They came to a point where two of the canyons intersected and Jules fell back against the cliff face to peer cautiously around the corner. They were trampling through waist-high fern leaves and as Jules ducked down slightly she became almost hidden by them. Bugs and insects chattered all around her, making her skin crawl as she swept back another few loose strands of hair.

"Wait," Egret hissed behind her and she felt the asari grab her arm, "from here on Isla will have a clear view of us."

"Where is she?" Jules muttered quietly.

Egret leaned around her, her purple eyes searching the clifftops. After a moment she pointed at something, "See that ridge?"

Jules peered out of cover to follow where she was pointing. One of the cliffs overlooking the quarry was significantly higher than the others, a few metres from the top she could see a short, wide ridge jutting out. She couldn't see Isla but it would have been easy for her to conceal herself there.

Jules sighed, Egret was right, there wouldn't be much chance of her not seeing them.

"Maia," she hissed over her shoulder and there was a rustle of movement as Maia moved up the line to appear at Jules' shoulder. Jules pointed out the ridge to her, "do you think you can get up there without Isla noticing you?"

The matriarch paused for a while, her calm eyes scanning the cliff for potential routes to the ridge. Jules could see several ways to get there for an experienced climber, getting there without being seen was another matter.

"I can do it," she declared at last.

"Can you do it before the end of next week?" Kyla muttered dryly, she had been fidgeting impatiently as they waited for Maia's answer, as she always seemed to whenever she had to stay still for more than thirty seconds. The group ignored her.

"Contact me as soon as you've dealt with Isla," Jules told her, "don't start shooting until we attack, Grunt will probably think it's Isla at first, might take him a few seconds to realise it's his people you're aiming at."

Maia nodded and made to move away.

"Hey," Kyla hissed, making the matriarch pause and look at her, "do me a favour? If you see one of Grunt's squad about to kill me, maybe don't wait five-and-a-half years before you decide to shoot them, okay?"

Maia smiled softly, "Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe with me watching you, I assure you."

…

They stayed low as they moved steadily through the undergrowth, sticking close to the rock face.

"Do you think Isla can see us?" Rhea asked in a whisper, like she thought the sniper might hear her too.

"Probably," Jules muttered, giving the ridge a cursory glance, "I doubt she's got a clear shot on us though and she won't want to give her position away until she has to."

"If she's watching us, there's less chance of her spotting Maia," Liara said softly, she was directly behind Jules as they moved in single file and the close, familiar sound of her breathing was strangely comforting. It reminded Jules of a hundred missions like this, creeping through an enemy base or a hostile world.

"Has anyone seen her yet?" Jonan asked from further down the line and Jules glanced back to see the turian scanning the cliff face for any sign of Maia climbing it. They all paused and watched for a second but there was no sign of movement. After a while, Kyla snorted.

"She's probably still standing at the bottom thinking about it. Maybe someone should remind her that poor Jonan here doesn't have a few spare centuries to wait for her like the rest of us do," there was a wicked edge to her smile as she threw Jonan a wink; the turian merely glared.

"She'll be ready when we need her," Jules assured them, "let's keep moving."

She carefully pushed through the thick fern leaves in front of her, trying to keep the noise to a minimum. The gentle hum of insects and the rustle of plant life were the only sounds as they crept through the canyon. As they rounded a rock face, the centre of the quarry came into view and Jules signalled to the others to stop.

They crouched in the leaves to stay out of sight, though it made the air seem even closer and muggier and Jules found herself itching for a cool breeze. She ignored the discomfort and peered cautiously through the foliage.

She could see three asari watching the canyon they were approaching through, past them Grunt was pacing around the statue of Icarus, whose wings could just be seen poking out from the leaves that were engulfing him. Grunt looked restless, impatient, spoiling for a fight and Jules smiled, she had seen him like that plenty of times before. He may have been older now and not as juvenile but he was still Grunt and the waiting was pissing him off.

"He looks angry," Egret whispered and Jules looked back to see she was also peering out from the undergrowth, watching her bondmate carefully. There was a hint of reluctance in her frown, she didn't want to have to fight him. Jules had been interested to see how she would react when she had to go up against him, it was part of the reason she had picked her.

"Grunt doesn't think straight when he's angry," Jules muttered with a smile.

"From what I recall, he becomes even more formidable," Liara reminded her with a frown.

"Yeah, but holding that position is going to take more than brute strength and rage. It's far too open, too many routes to it that he needs to cover. It's easier to attack than it is to defend."

"Shepard," Jules' omni-tool bleeped and Maia's voice came across the comm.

"Go ahead," Jules replied quietly.

"I'm at the ridge, Isla's unconscious."

The group exchanged looks, none of them had seen or heard anything on the cliff face to suggest that Maia had even managed to climb it.

"Good work," Jules told her.

"She's been giving Grunt updates on your movements, he knows you're out there."

"Understood, any sign of Aria?"

"Yes. Her squad is in the canyon opposite you, she's been there for about ten minutes I don't know what she's waiting for."

"Us, maybe?" Jules suggested, "We'll take Grunt down more easily if we attack at the same time."

"You shouldn't delay too long," Maia told her, "you'll want to attack before Grunt tries to contact Isla again."

"She's telling us to get a move on?" Jules heard Kyla snigger, "You've got to admire her sense of irony."

Jules snatched her shotgun from its holster, prompting the rest of the squad to also ready their weapons. They were using stun rounds, which were incapable of physically injuring anyone but they did send a nasty shock through the nervous system that would knock most people unconscious for a few hours. The after effects, however, were so unpleasant that people were still very motivated not to get shot with them.

She loaded the weapon then turned to nod at the others, "Let's do it."

She and Liara moved up first, shoulder-to-shoulder as they darted through the undergrowth; Kyla and Jonan split off from the group and mirrored their position on the other side. Kyla may have been an asari but she wasn't a strong biotic and she was much better at conventional fighting, for that reason Jules liked to keep her near the front. Also it was easier to keep an eye on her that way.

Rhea, Lesha and Egret flanked them and they made swiftly for the clearing ahead. Jonan got spotted first and ducked abruptly as a shot was fired over his head, they all dived into cover and the fighting began. Liara fired a volley over the rock she and Jules had slid behind and then casually tossed a singularity into existence above two of the three asari guarding the path. Their barriers countered its pull however and it soon dissipated without causing them any problems. Fighting highly trained asari was never going to be that simple.

Their barriers could take a hell of a lot of bullets and they could counter most biotic attacks, meaning that after a few moments, Jules' squad still hadn't made much progress against them. Jules noticed that Erecleia was among them, the other two were younger and seemed to be taking their cue from her.

"We outnumber them!" Kyla cursed as she sent a hail of bullets at them and still made little impact, "This should be easy!"

Jules smiled as she wondered how many of her own enemies had said that about her in the past. She could hear Grunt shouting something from further ahead and suddenly the sound of a biotic explosion radiated out through the quarry, echoing off the high cliffs and making everyone duck well down out of sight as the ground shuddered beneath them.

"What the hell was that?" Rhea demanded from behind.

"It came from the other side of the canyon!" Jonan yelled back.

"Aria," Jules realised, "it must be. C'mon! Push forward!"

Erecleia hadn't been distracted by the explosion but the other two had, so much so that they became suddenly startled when they looked back and saw Jules and her squad running at them. A shockwave from Jules forced the pair of them apart and though neither fell they both staggered, their barriers weakened.

Kyla – who seemed to prefer hand-to-hand combat to a firefight – leapt on one of them, smashing her in the face with the butt of her rifle before wrestling her to the ground; Erecleia had grabbed the other and pulled her out of the way, the usual cheerful demeanour was gone from the matriarch's face to be replaced by a stoic calm as she methodically faced her opponents.

Jules could see in her eyes that she knew she was outgunned now. She spared a single glance for the asari at Kyla's mercy and then took the other one by the arm and fell back. Jules let her go.

As she turned towards Kyla she saw she was straddling the younger asari on the ground, she had already landed two punches on her and as she aimed a third Jules caught her sharply by the wrist.

"Steady on Kyla, we're not trying to kill anyone," she muttered before aiming her gun over Kyla's shoulder and firing a shot into the girl's chest. She screamed as a painful shock of energy crackled across her body and then she fell unconscious.

Jules hauled Kyla to her feet and took stock. They were at the mouth of the canyon where it opened out into the large, circular centre of the quarry, which reminded Jules very much of an arena. Cries and shouts were coming from the far side where she could see Aria's squad flooding out with all guns blazing.

The rest of Grunt's squad were forming a defensive line to try and keep them back and she saw Grunt direct Erecleia and the other one to join them before turning towards Jules' squad himself. She saw a devilish gleam in his eye and couldn't supress a smile. He was looking forward to fighting her, she realised. She also realised that she should take that as a compliment.

"You lot," she indicated to Rhea, Lesha, Jonan and Kyla and gestured to the fighting going on between Grunt and Aria's squads, "take out as many of them as you can, the rest of us will deal with Grunt."

'The rest of us' meant her, Liara and Egret; she had deliberately included Egret in this so she could see how the asari would react when pitted against her bondmate. Jules noted that she already looked uneasy about it.

As Grunt stormed towards them, both Egret and Liara drifted away from Jules' side so that they were surrounding him in a triangle. He watched them but seemed unconcerned as he kept his focus on Jules.

A sniper shot rang out above them and Jules briefly wondered who Maia was aiming at but the thought was soon brushed aside as Grunt's face split into a grin.

"Battlemaster," he greeted her in a low growl, "so you don't have the nerve to take me on alone?" he cast a glance back at the other two and Egret immediately looked very uncomfortable, though Jules noticed he gave her a reassuring wink. She couldn't tell if that meant he wasn't going to hurt her or he didn't mind if she hurt him.

Jules chuckled, "I'm not an idiot, Grunt. But if you're worried I can send them away."

"No need," he shrugged, "I prefer a challenge. And I know Liara can still put up a fight these days even if you can't."

Jules frowned in mock offence, "Ouch."

Grunt slammed one fist into the other and Jules had to resist grinning as he pulled a shotgun from his back that looked so heavy most people wouldn't have been able to lift it let alone fire it. Jules strengthened her barrier, feeling the strong ripple of biotic energy across her skin before she slowly began to circle Grunt where he stood. Liara and Egret matched her movements to keep him surrounded but his eyes never left Jules as he rotated to keep her in front of him.

He moved suddenly and without warning, charging towards her with a roar that echoed through the canyon, forcing Jules to dive out of the way before he could slam into her. She hit the floor as he ran past and blindly directed a small shockwave at his back. The impact made him stagger as he skidded to a halt but he didn't fall, instead spinning on the spot and firing a shot that deflected off her barrier. She still felt the impact like a sharp slap and growled in annoyance as she leapt back to her feet.

She had no time to think before Grunt was on her, he swung his shotgun at her forcing her to duck and then dance round behind him where she aimed a kick at his leg; he was too quick for her though and soon spun round to face her again, a glint of glee in his eye as he aimed one punch, then another. The sparring continued with Jules very much on the defensive before he finally knocked her off-balance and sent her tumbling to the ground.

"You're getting slow, Shepard!" he laughed as she landed hard on her shoulder. Pain shot sharply through her joints before she scrabbled back to her feet, tossing back the stray locks of hair that had come loose through the scuffle.

She breathed heavily as she stood before him, the adrenaline from the fight was pumping through her blood making her heart pound inside her chest and she couldn't resist a smile as she realised she was starting to remember what it felt like to be alive.

Grunt wielded his shotgun and another roar broke from his throat but before he could move there was a shout behind him. A blast of biotics hit him, knocking his feet out from under him and sending him straight up into the air with a yell. He somersaulted so that he was dangling upside-down rather comically and Jules actually laughed as she saw Liara directing the attack with skill, a devilish smile painted across her lips.

Grunt hovered in the air for a moment, flailing his arms wildly like he thought he might be able to fly before Liara let him drop, "NOW JULES!" she yelled and before he could hit the ground, Jules sent forth a wave of energy that slammed into him, hurling him across the canyon with an audible bellow of frustration until he crashed into the statue of Icarus.

Jules winced at the sound of armour hitting stone before Grunt fell into the thick foliage that grew around the statue. As he disappeared beneath the greenery, they heard a string of shouts and curses.

"Whoops," Jules grimaced, "now we're in trouble."

Liara flashed her a smile before the pair of them advanced towards him with their weapons raised. Egret followed at a distance, still yet to contribute.

Grunt emerged, covered in dirt and leaves and with scowl that almost hid his enjoyment. They were closer to the rest of the fighting here and Jules could see it was a chaotic mess. A small pocket of Grunt's squad were taking on a group of Aria's while Jules' people danced around them taking whatever advantages they could.

Kyla was locked in fierce wrestling match with Barbet with neither of them seeming to have the upper hand, Jonan was pinned down behind a rock and Rhea and Lesha were coordinating their attacks from twenty feet apart and kept ducking in and out of cover so no one ever quite knew where they were.

A biotic explosion from behind the statue told her that Colt was nearby and Aria was probably with him, she seemed to have singled out the biotic turian as her wingman and was never far from his side. But Jules filtered most of that out for now, her attention solely on the angry krogan currently bearing down on her.

Jules fired two shots, which weakened his shields but didn't bring them down. He barely flickered as his icy eyes narrowed menacingly and he raised his own shotgun.

The first two shots were aimed at Liara which she deflected with ease, Jules saw a chance and made a run for him; he spotted her and swung round to aim a blow which she dodged, she channelled her power into one fist and punched him squarely in the jaw, staggering him briefly.

As she raised her gun, however, she suddenly found it ripped from her grasp and had to jump backwards as Grunt tried to smash it into her jaw. Now without a weapon Jules moved forward and punched Grunt twice, the blows seemed to disorient him but not enough to stop him from grabbing her roughly by the neck.

Before she had a chance to register the cocky grin on his face she found herself being picked up and hurled backwards through the air. She smashed into something that crumpled beneath her with a yell and rolled over to find herself lying on top of Liara.

She didn't look pristine anymore, her clothes were dusty and crumpled and she was flushed and panting from the fight. Jules could feel the heat coming off her and the hammering of her heart through her chest and for a brief second the battle ceased to exist as she became distracted by just how close their faces were to each other; close enough to kiss...

"Now's not the time, Jules," Liara broke the moment with a disapproving smile, reading Jules' face like a book as always before shoving her away.

They both scrabbled back to their feet and turned just in time to see Grunt preparing to charge at them again.

"He's learnt a few new tricks since we last saw him," Jules commented but before she could prepare herself to fight, there was a shout.

"Oi! Shepard!" she snapped her head around to see Aria appear from behind the statue, she was circling around behind Grunt and had managed to distract him too as he turned to growl at her, "What do you say we work together?" she yelled across the battlefield.

Jules frowned, "We're on different teams, Aria!" she reminded her. The asari shrugged.

"Do you want to take on me and the krogan?"

Jules considered for a split-second as she exchanged a glance with Liara, then she relented, "Cover his flank!" she yelled and Grunt scowled as he realised he was completely surrounded. Jules was sure she heard him curse softly.

Aria fired twice, almost taking down his shields before he dived out of her line of fire and made a sudden beeline for Liara. He gave a roar as he charged and Liara – unable to move out of the way in time – erected a wall of biotic energy between them which Grunt ran headlong into. The force of the impact shattered the barrier and sent both of them flying backwards from each other.

As Grunt hit the ground, Jules sent a shockwave ploughing across the canyon until it hit him and sent him skidding away from her. She saw his shield finally spark and fail and then remembered she didn't have a gun. Aria was too far away, Liara was still on the ground, Egret was standing by watching in silent shock.

"EGRET!" Jules yelled, "NOW!"

The asari snapped out of her trance, raised her gun towards Grunt… and hesitated.

It must have been three seconds or more that she stood there, frozen in the middle of the battlefield, utterly unaware of anything else around her. Long enough for everyone to see her as a target. A shot rang out from one of Grunt's squad, hitting Egret square between her shoulder blades and she fell unconscious with a squeal, her gun falling uselessly from her hand.

Jules rolled her eyes, launching a brief attack against the asari who had shot her before darting forwards and grabbed Egret's gun. She was still in a crouch when she heard another shot from behind her and saw a crackle of energy pass across Grunt's body before he sagged and fell still.

Aria, Jules realised. Aria had shot Grunt. Aria was behind her with a gun while she was crouched down with her back turned.

She jumped back to her feet in an instant and spun on the spot, raising Egret's gun just in time to see Aria's rifle pointed right at her.

Aria stood only a few feet away, a sly smirk on her lips and a dangerous glint in her eye as they both levelled their weapons at each other. Around them the fighting still raged but Aria hardly seemed to care as she narrowed her eyes softly and began to circle Jules slowly. Jules matched her, keeping her firmly in her sights.

"I've often wondered if it would come to this," Aria smirked playfully, her head tilted to one side as she scrutinised Jules closely, "how is it we've never been on opposite sides before?" she asked, as though she were genuinely curious.

"I suppose there's always been bigger threats to deal with," Jules told her coldly, Aria was playing games and she wasn't sure she liked it, "the reapers, the Collectors, Cerberus…" she risked a smile, "Grunt…"

Aria laughed, "And we've teamed up to take down all of them. What happens when we run out of other people to fight?"

"I suppose we're about to find out."

Aria's trigger finger twitched teasingly and she sneered as Jules recoiled just a little, "I wonder if you'll actually be able to do it," she muttered softly, "if it comes to it. Could you pull the trigger on me, Shepard? Kill me?"

"We're only using stun rounds."

"Mm," Aria grinned, "at the moment."

Jules had thought Aria might have been so distracted by this conversation that she wouldn't have noticed Liara cautiously moving around behind her, but as Liara raised her hand to attack, Aria suddenly reacted.

She twisted her body to look behind while still keeping her gun pointed at Jules and unleashed an attack of her own just as Liara launched a shockwave at her. The two biotic forces collided, causing an explosion that shook the earth and echoed throughout the canyons.

Jules dived sideways out of the way, rolling neatly back to her feet and turning so that she had Aria in her sights. She and Liara both opened fire though their bullets deflected uselessly off Aria's barrier, weakening it only a little.

Jules channelled everything she had and sent a shockwave hurtling towards her. Though the asari stood her ground, Liara then struck her with her own attack. Caught between the two forces, Aria screamed in annoyance. It was then that they heard the heavy crack of a sniper shot, taking Aria completely by surprise as it tore through the last of her barrier, leaving her completely vulnerable.

Jules felt her adrenaline levels spike as she realised this was their beast chance to take Aria down. Liara wasted no time as she threw up a singularity above Aria's head, lifting her up into the air. Jules couldn't resist a laugh as she used her own biotics to hook the helplessly dangling asari and drag her out of the singularity's pull.

The momentum brought her hurtling towards Jules with a yell until she smashed inelegantly into the ground at her feet. She twisted instantly onto her back as she landed, giving an irritated growl as her eyes flitted about frantically in search of Jules. Jules raised her gun and marched towards her; she was amused to see a brief flicker of panic pass across Aria's face as the gun was pointed into her chest and she made an instinctive attempt to scramble away.

"Shepard!" she yelled, "Wait a-!" Jules fired, turning the rest of Aria's sentence into a painful yell before she gave her a final glare and fell unconscious.

"Goddess," Liara said breathlessly as she jogged up to meet her, staring down at Aria with a mixture of worry and glee, "she's going to kill you when she wakes up."

Jules grinned, "I bet it'll be worth it just to see the look on her face."

Still, she couldn't deny a slight feeling of unease. Aria had been testing her, seeing how far she could be pushed, if she really would shoot her if she had to. And now she had her answer, Jules just didn't know what she would do with it.

She put it out of her mind and turned her attention to the rest of the fighting, only to see that it was almost over. With both their leaders gone, Aria and Grunt's squads seemed unsure of what to do with themselves. Rhea, Lesha and Jonan made such an incredible team that they had outsmarted most of their opponents, often picking them off while they fought each other. There was a small number of Grunt and Aria's people still standing and they had actually teamed up to try and deal with them. But they were backed into a corner and didn't seem to have much of a chance.

Kyla, on the other hand, was on the ground with Barbet on top of her. The pair of them were wrestling for a pistol that was gripped in both their hands. Barbet had realised he didn't need to get the gun off her if he could just twist it so it was aiming at her. He almost had it up under her chin when another sniper shot rang out and the batarian cried out and slumped suddenly on top of Kyla.

"Fucking hell!" the asari cursed as she pushed his limp body off her and jumped to her feet, looking flustered and angry, "Talk about leaving it to the last fucking second! I'm going to kill that fucking matriarch!" she was directing her yells to the ridge where Maia was hiding – though she couldn't be seen from the ground – and waving her arms wildly as though hoping it would translate how annoyed she was.

It took a coordinated effort between Jules, Liara, Rhea and Lesha to bring down Colt but the biotic turian eventually fell afoul of one of Liara's singularities and was shot neatly by Jonan. After that the battle was declared won.

Jules looked around at the carnage. Kyla was bent over double regaining her breath while the others stood in a group laughing and chatting and apparently ignoring the sea of unconscious bodies they were standing in.

Jules placed both hands on her hips and glanced about until she found Egret, lying face-down in the dirt where she had fallen. She walked over slowly – aching slightly from the battle – and crouched beside her, shaking her head.

"We only lost one," Liara said helpfully as she came up beside her. Jules threw her a look.

"One too many. Imagine if this had been real."

"Then you probably wouldn't have been ordering her to shoot Grunt," Liara reasoned, Jules frowned at her.

She was back to looking perfect again, already seeming to have recovered from the excitement as she stood tall and calm with her shoulders back and her arms by her sides. Jules stood to face her and brushed a smear of dirt from the freckles beneath her sapphire eyes.

"You never know who you're going to have to turn on or why," she mused, looking over at Aria where she lay twisted and unconscious on the ground, "you have to be prepared for that, can't afford to hesitate."

"That could be seen as a little hypocritical," Liara said, smiling mischievously as she took a step closer and glanced behind to see if anyone was listening, "as I remember, Egret wasn't the only one who allowed herself to get a little... distracted."

As Liara's eyes twinkled, Jules let her gaze wander down the length of her body and back again before she shrugged dismissively, "That's completely irrelevant. And anyway, I didn't get shot. Or put the mission at risk."

"And if we had been on opposing teams?" Liara challenged, "Would you have shot me?"

"Are you kidding? I'd probably have switched sides and turned on my own squad. Egret didn't even do that, she just stood there until the choice was taken away from her."

"You'd rather she'd turned on you? Or outright refused your order?"

"Yes. At least that would have shown a bit of character."

Liara went quiet, frowning down at the unconscious girl thoughtfully, "I didn't have much character when I first came aboard the Normandy."

Jules looked at her sharply, then smiled as memories of a much younger, more awkward Liara flooded back to her, "Oh you did. It was well hidden but it was there. You always spoke up when it came to things you really cared about and you were tough enough to stick up for yourself. There wasn't an archaeologist in the galaxy could convince you that your theories on the protheans were wrong," Liara exhaled in a small laugh as Jules looked back down at Egret, "she always seems like she's waiting for someone else's approval."

She sighed as she bent down and hooked one of Egret's arms around her shoulder before hoisting the unconscious girl up into her arms, "let's get her to the med station."

"What about the others?" Liara asked, looking around the now quiet battlefield and the many unconscious bodies that littered it.

Jules smiled and shrugged, "They're not on my team."