AN
To all those who have messaged me asking for an update and demanding more, I thank you. I am sorry this has taken so damn long to do. Real life inevitably seems to get in the way, and in all honesty I completely fell out of love with writing. I am now getting back into it, and hope to make more progress soon, but for now here is the next chapter.
Aria T'Loak, Queen of Omega sprawls on her favoured coach overlooking her club, the tiniest part of her empire, influence and visible wealth, gazing out on the dancers, bouncers, thugs, mercenaries, drinkers and clubbers that throng the floors, and struggles to deal with an emotion she can't truly recall since her maiden days. Uncertainty. Stern has just left, and the Human's mocking words that her being a vampire is the least of Aria's problems are still ringing in her mind, even as her private booth's air scrubber is pulling out the stench of bloody gore, burnt metal, violence and destruction that the Stern carries like a cloud around her. Suddenly the Batarian head that Pashya has finished mounting above the central bar below doesn't seem that important for all the cold satisfaction of seeing Omega's first rule enforced and her will delivered. It was a long meld and Aria holds her impassive visage and the callous smirk she is infamous for, but sees nothing as she looks out. Visions of an entity she can't begin to understand, snippets of life on the then primitive Human homeworld. Well still primitive really, Humans are such impatient savages. A flicker of amusement follows her thought before it is squashed under the sense of everything depending on those same savages. That is…..unacceptable, no utterly intolerable. Asari have held the reins of power for millennia and that isn't going to change despite what a race of over evolved monkeys have to say about it. Visions of a painful death, Stern's choice and waking up on Omega, the changes to her body.
Aria wonders momentarily how Stern is coping with that aspect of her change before dismissing it. Bi gendered species are hard to understand at best of times so she isn't going to waste her time wondering how Stern is dealing with swapping genders. More important to wonder about the mutation Stern carries, that raw biotic power is actually impressive, even more so when Aria realises Stern is basically an infant biotics wise. Is that what the entity means is to help fight back the darkness? The beings like Sovereign? Reapers. Everything Stern has shown her was incredible but it could all be some deluded fantasy if not for the Reapers, and the evidence that someone else has been tampering with time. How, does a race in the infancy of its space travel, with no first contact, over 170 years ago have a so close it might at as well be totally accurate reproduction of events less than 2 years ago, half a galaxy away from their homeworld on the Citadel? It's impossible, maddening, crazed, the implications are….incalculable, daunting. It's humiliating! Some fucker turned her into a game character! How?! The games Stern has shown her as evidence were beyond any belief but there it was in the vampire's mind, the memories of playing the character Shepherd, the same damn first Human Spectre, Shepherd who has already saved the Citadel and been killed by persons unknown.
Unconsciously Aria shivers at the knowledge those games represented. It is Stern's surprise at how detailed those recollections were that tips Aria past disbelief. The Human or vampire, she's going to have to decide which species Stern actually is, knows nothing about how the subconscious mind works, nothing about the power of a developed mindscape, how to mould it, understand it, manipulate it and had simply followed Aria instruction' giving her access to the memories of her death and rebirth before providing the games with extreme reluctance when Aria demanded evidence, answers to the insanity she was being presented. The sheer incomprehension of seeing Asari, Salarians, Batarian, Krogans, Vorcha, Saren, the Council and Citadel, and Shepherd the Council's saviour, Omega and herself, Sovereign and the plague of Reapers. Stern had explained she didn't remember much from the games and then just been stunned to silence in her mind at the detail, the background information and context that was there in layer after layer throughout the games. Aria told Stern that the mind doesn't forget anything the trick is just learning to access it, but the Vampire had still been dumbstruck. The implications….Stern knows the future, a possible future of this reality Aria corrects herself, if too much is changed then the foreknowledge becomes redundant. The Reapers are coming, in a few years the Galaxy will be burning, Shepherd will be alive again on my station in a few cycles. Omega….no fucker is taking Omega from me, fuck that. The question is what exactly do I fucking do now? How to prepare? What alliances to make, and how to crush my enemies. Stern you utter bitch.
I punch in the code for the apartment door and step inside to calls of welcome from Serah, Furti and Havnoc who are clustered around a 3d holodisplay of the slavers now defunct base. I guess Serah is running an after action review with them. The good humour is reassuring, I was a little concerned about Furti. I throw them a wave and take a moment to tell em I'll join them after a shower and head for the bathroom after getting more good tempered acknowledgements. That's even more encouraging, Furti doesn't look like she's about to squash me like a bug, so I guess Serah might have done some explaining. I'd prefer if she doesn't make free with the vampire explanations but if it stops me getting eradicated by a lethal biotic commando with more than 300 years of being an elite soldier well I'm not going to complain. Not worried about Havnoc at all he's more than happy for me to carry on as I am but Furti had been a concern. I stop dead in the bathroom at the sight in the mirror, God I look a wreck, and my armor needs some serious repair. I can definitely see why Garrus- no better stick to Archangel- was disturbed that I was even standing, my torso armor is totalled and I can see the bare smooth flesh of my stomach through the gaping hole in the armor itself which is still covered in blood and gore, as well as the damage to the my shoulder pauldron and back.
"Lexi, begin compiling a full status report on the suit's systems please. It looks like major parts may be beyond repair but I don't know."
"Ok Nat compiling report. Anything else?"
"Umm yes, go on the extranet please and research armor suits, if this one is no longer viable then it will be good to know what to look for. Pay special attention to suit system or modification that will cater to your adaptive systems, and allow for more development."
"Ok Nat, and thank you."
"Woah, thank you? Why are you thanking me?"
"You are factoring in my potential needs and welfare in your decision making. In line with your request that I am more interactive it is polite to say thank you."
Why do I get the feeling that Lexi's husky voice is quietly laughing at me?
"Uh, you're welcome I guess."
OK enough debating with the VI that might be possibly on the way to being an AI in my armor. Time to get clean. I crack the suits seals and quickly strip off the battered Crisis Suit, getting a good look at the damage properly I'm fairly sure I'm gonna be shopping for another. Still with how well my little team has done financially from this raid I think that will be affordable. Holding up the under suit and seeing the fist sized hole torn in its torso makes me very grateful that I'm not human anymore, no way would I have survived that. I drop the ruined suit and head for the shower, it will be a while before I feel clean I think. An hour later I rejoin my teammates in the lounge after changing into a casual workout suit. Serah passes me a drink while Furti nods a welcome and Havnoc throws me a wave.
"I am glad to see you look less…concerned than earlier Furti." I throw the ex commando the opening for the conversation, best to get this out of the way.
"I have done research for vampires on the Extranet. Humans have many myths about them. Also, Serah was very helpful with the questions I asked her."
I nod an acknowledgement and glance at my friend who is now blushing even bluer than normal, then smile to reassure her before she speaks.
"It's fine Serah, I knew Furti would want some answers. How far did you get?"
Serah answers the question herself.
"I explained that you feed on the blood from Levo based organisms, and Dextro is no good. Also that our tests have found that different species of blood seem to be of different…potency, Asari and Krogan blood was noticeably more effective at restoring your energy levels, and that your consumption of blood is not expected to have any consequences to the donor except feeling lightheaded assuming you limit your feeding. Also that Mordin has various theories at the moment but no proof of any although he is fascinated about how your body is adapted as ambush predator."
"What did he say about that?"
"That your body is designed to appeal to human sexuality as a lure almost, with reaction times, speed and strength way above human normals. Physically you're faster than Asari or Salarians, tougher than Batarian, You'll probably have a lifespan similar to Asari or Krogan and you're not as strong as a Krogan but assuming you're not killed outright will regenerate at least as fast as they do."
"Meh that sounds pretty much like what I figured. My regeneration definitely depends upon ready access to blood, my…rampage at the base shows I can lose control if I'm seriously injured, and there's no ready access. I was more than a little out of control when dealing with the slavers Furti."
Havnoc snorts from the other side of the room, "No worse than blood rage Nat, you needed energy to regenerate, and your body knows what it needs and acts on instinct. Simple."
Furti throws the Krogan a slightly exasperated look, before turning back to me.
"The Human extranet throws up many different ideas of what vampires are from various centuries. Humans seem …conflicted about vampires. There are many urban myths and legends but nothing factual?"
"Sound like what I told Aria earlier. I have no idea what the truth is. Humanity sometimes sees vampires as everything that is bad, dark and evil, and at others as everything vital, implacable, passionate, sexy. There are stories of invisibility and super powers, legends of being killed by sunlight, holy water, faith, or fire. What's real I haven't got a fucking clue as I wasn't a vampire before I woke up on Omega, so I'm just winging it….sorry human idiom means making it up as I go along basically." The confusion on Furti's faith subsides, before her expression hardens slightly.
"So you've had this conversation with Aria?"
"Pretty much although Aria wanted the information a lot more directly. She had a lot of questions about how I came to be on Omega, the raid, all sorts."
The ex-commando nods her understanding.
"Did Aria's questions include your eating habits?" Ah, I guess Furti is taking her lead on my possible extinction from Aria then.
"Yeah, it was discussed in depth Furti."
"And Aria's reaction?" Jeez, nail it down why don't you.
"I'm still alive Furti, she decided not to squash my head like a grape. I passed my practical interview and she wants me back in 4 cycles to discuss my working for her in more detail. As for my diet, she doesn't care as long as I'm not killing indiscriminately and eating people she wants or needs alive."
The Asari nods again and relaxes at last. I give a mental sigh of relief then a mental wince as Serah pipes up again.
"Like I said Furti, I told you Aria wouldn't be upset, vampires are nowhere near as bad as Ardat Yakshi, I explained them to Nat earlier."
"Ooh the condition where Asari comsume minds, complete with skills and memories, yeah that is genuinely fucking scary." I agree emphatically.
"Maidens today…" Furti mutters to herself, shaking her head, while Serah just smirks slightly. I decide to change the subject.
"What else have you covered so far?"
"Serah told us you somehow got dumped here from Earth, and you jumped 170 years in time." Havnoc stated bluntly. Well yes that would definitely change the subject, just not where I particularly wanted. Oh look, Furti is really curious about this as well. There's a long pause as I work out what I want to say while Serah pales a little as I glare at her.
"Well that is the best we can figure anyway. I died in a fucking huge explosion on Earth. A divine being? Who the fuck knows what it was…anyway something pulled my soul or energy pattern or some such and dumped me here, as a vampire. So Mordin thinks time travel instead of dimensional travel as he was able to find a historical record of the explosion back on Earth. All I know is I'm stuck here. Still I guess I was dead so I shouldn't complain. Aria's aware of this as well. She was surprised but the meld cleared that up and it isn't an issue."
No she was much more concerned about being a game character and the end of the galaxy but we won't mention that for now. I watch as Furti and Havnoc absorb what I said. The commando obviously has lots more questions but for now she appears satisfied as she finally nods. I suspect that she may be asking Aria for confirmation but for now we're good. My big Krogan friend finally gives a massive shrug and grunts.
"Fuck Nat, I don't know if you pissed some deity off or were such an awesome human you got a second chance, but I don't see how it matters, that is way over me. You fight damn well and pretty much that's what matters to me."
"Thanks Havnoc."
"Krant, Stern."
"Got it. Serah I'd appreciate it if we didn't have this particular conversation again. As much as I have no control over what happened to me, I'm glad I'm here on Omega, I don't much fancy being a lab rat, so no further okay?" My pale blue friend nods hurriedly and apologises. I let out an irritated sigh, then wave it away.
"Enough, what's done is done but I trust we can keep this private. Furti, Havnoc?"
"I have no issue with silence Stern. My time as a Republic Commando is over, and Aria has far more say in such things than I, although I will verify what you have said with her. Understood?"
I nod my agreement and look at Havnoc. He just grunts and nods his agreement. I give him a nod of thanks back.
"Great well in that case let's change the subject and go over the raid, the divide the spoils."
I quickly relax with my team, mostly listening and interjecting occasionally as Serah continues the after action review of the raid, a kind of team joint question, answer and analysis session. I am so relieved the first part of this meet went well and I still have a team. That right there is a novel thought. I have a team, people to back me up. I hope it continues past the next important part of our meeting.
"Furti, Havnoc, did you bring your credit sticks? It is time to divide the spoils. Before I go through our main haul, did you recover anything of interest as we hit the base?"
Havnoc grunts out a laugh, as we pulls out his cred stick. "Hah, yes the squishy slaver scum had a few credits I picked up as I went along. A little over 5k, Furti you did a bit better?"
"Yes, I recovered 8340 credits from the Batarians."
"Excellent, well I admit I wasn't really looking for credits on the way in but you will be glad to know we definitely scored when I reached Yeis. In his safe I found 4 cred sticks which after Aria got her 2 million left plenty for us."
Furti is watching me curiously, I can tell she knows we did well just from my build up. Serah isn't quite bouncing in her seat with curiosity, but she's almost there. My friend is definitely waiting for the big news. Havnoc just grunts and transfers over 5100 credits from his stick while Furti does the same. I just grin at the total.
"With the extra you found on the way in, after Aria is paid we're left with 20,756,658 credits, which means each share is 5,189,164.5 credits."
There is silence for a few long seconds, Furti's eyes go wide at the total, before the commando regains her equilibrium and calms herself, as only a commando with 300 plus years of military service can. Havnoc starts laughing, deep bellowing grunts, while Serah is virtually squealing with delight, before she rushes to the apartment's kitchen chanting "Drinks, drinks, drinks!" coming back seconds later with every bottle of booze we have. Actually I don't remember buying all these I guess she must have sneaked out to the shops. She passes me a bottle of Asari spirits similar to vodka, while Furti wordlessly selects her own bottle and Havnoc starts downing a Batarian whiskey. I doubt he'll even notice it but we try I guess. I'll have to remember to get some Krogan booze in for him. Let the party begin!
A couple of hours later our impromptu drinking session has slowed down and everyone is in a good mood. We have a discussion about carrying on working as a team and I am delighted that both Furti and Havnoc say they are happy to continue working together with me. I think the Krogan and former commando are building a bit of genuine respect for each other, and hopefully for me as well, nothing does that like fighting alongside someone, and they are sharing stories of past fights. Serah is proving to be a lightweight drinker and is starting to doze off on the couch, struggling to stay awake which just makes me snigger quietly. Finally Furti decides to head home, and I remember to transfer her share of the credits to her secured cred stick, which makes the Asari wander off home with a wave and a big grin on her face. I turn to Havnoc to pay him his and Ecktar's shares and he grunts his thanks before continuing.
"You going to try and repair the suit Stern or get a replacement?"
Before I can reply my VI Lexi chimes in with her status report, transferring it over to the data pad beside me.
"Hold on a moment Havnoc while I read this report and make a decision."
Lexi has been thorough analysing the suit's condition, but her conclusion is simple. The Crisis Suit is done, most of its major torso systems are beyond repair and blast damage has heavily compromised the suit. It would cost as much to repair as replace so the decision is simple. Replace. I scroll down through the suit research she has compiled, both on what's available on Omega and by ordering in, with suit ratings and her assessment of each suit's viability for her potential growth. Well it will be an expensive shopping trip but I guess I may as well do it properly.
"I am going to order another Jormangund suit Havnoc, but this time a higher base model customised how I want. I thought about getting a medium base but I need to salvage the upgraded tech from the other suit, I might go looking for a tactical cloak even with how much Ecktar said they cost, not sure yet."
"Ordering a fresh customised suit will take time Nat and you will need it soon the slavers will not take this defeat lying down."
"Yeah I know Havnoc but if I'm going to fork out for a new suit it needs to be right, there's nothing else local that I like the look and I think I need the environmental control the Crisis suit series has. Unless you have any other ideas?"
"Hmm Ecktar knows a Kassa rep, they make the very best gear and are very expensive but I know they do rush orders, and we do have credits now. If Ecktar thinks he can transfer your upgraded gear across then that might be the best bet. Let me call him and see."
I nod and my Krogan friend punches up his business partner on his omnitool and has a quick conversation while I look up the specs and prices on Kassa Fabrication Colossus suits. Ouch, I mean they are awesome suits no doubt, when you want the very best but the prices are at least twice what Jormangund cost for their equivalent models and they are all custom suits!
"Lexi, looking at the Kassa suits, do they have adequate capacity for your systems? Would you be able to continue to develop in one?"
"Yes Nat the Colossus suits are more than adequate, although at an equivalent level the Jormangund suit has more VI capability and better shielding. However after accessing the extranet Havnoc is correct, it would be a minimum of 2 Earth weeks for them to produce a suit and ship it here. It will cost considerably more but Kassa can ship a customised Colossus X within a day of the order being received as long as you are willing to pay for jumping the production line."
"Okay, I understand and there's no way to get the Crisis Suit fixed fast either. Okay so assuming I want the very best then and quickly, what spec would you recommend and how much will it cost?"
"Budget?"
"No, for now let's just assume there isn't a limit, but I need to stick with a light suit. I'm learning fast but I don't have the skills to use medium or heavy armor properly."
"Ok Nat then to maximise your protection and my capacity I would request a light Colossus X with energized weave and plate technology, kinetic exoskeleton, hazard seals and a shield interface VI. Transferring across my current suits upgrades would maximise my capacity and Electronic Warfare capability. However I do not think there would be sufficient capacity to support a tactical cloak."
"Oh well the tactical cloak would have been cool but never mind. Would you be able to share the suit with another VI?"
"I won't share the suit, a shield interface VI is a very capable but limited unit. Once I am installed in the new suit I will absorb its programming."
"Oh okay, what about the cost?"
Not going to think about Lexi's willingness or ability to off another VI now. I might be a bad influence.
"Going from Kassa's extranet site you can expect a total cost of 1248000 credits plus a premium of 20% for a rush delivery. 1497600 credits total."
Fuck me that's a lot of money the ridiculous thing is it is affordable! Havnoc is waiting for my attention.
"Ecktar is confident he can salvage the extra gear in your old suit Nat, and he does know a Kassa rep who can finesse the order through their system to get it here as fast as possible. They charge 20% extra for the rush job though."
"Thanks Havnoc. I'll send Ecktar the custom specs I want shortly. If he could forward the order please so I'm kept out of it, just in case the rep has any friends who would be interested in knowing my existing suit is trashed."
"Sure Stern. You know what you're ordering?"
"Yeah, Colossus X."
The Krogan paused for a moment then grunted. "Yeah that'll do the job. You have expensive taste Nat."
"Don't remind me please, I never dreamed I could spend 1.5 million credits so damn fast."
"Heh heh, we'll have to bust another slaver base. Get some more credits."
"Well as long as I can avoid trashing my suit any time soon, I hope I'll be okay for a while."
The Krogan just laughs at me, indicating his opinion of my chance of staying out of trouble, grunts and waves good bye then heads for the door. I have Lexi send the priority rush custom order to Ecktar, along with my ex suit's specs for internal measurements so Kassa can have the suit preconfigured as much as possible when it arrives. Finally I lock the door, setting the alarm. Serah is out cold on the sofa and I decide not to disturb her. I grab a cover from her room and lay it over her then head for mine to crash out. Sleep beckons.
It's amazing how fast time flies when you're having fun… or in my case having Serah drill me on biotics pretty much non stop, followed by getting more familiar with my omnitool, more biotic practice, the occasional comm call from Havnoc, eat, sleep, feed, repeat. I've been keeping my head down for the past 2.5 cycles. Mordin had dropped some supplies in for Serah and more blood packs for me, and I had taken the opportunity to pay the Salarian back for his help. Getting the scientist to take double what I owed him was an ordeal I don't want to repeat anytime soon, but pointing out how the extra funds would help his clinic eventually persuaded him. Does it having anything to do with staying on the good side of an ex STG genius? Quite possibly but I prefer to think about it as spreading some of the rewards around. He'd told Serah to take the time off as he still wasn't satisfied no more bounty hunters were looking for her, and my friend had reluctantly agreed before throwing herself into my training.
Havnoc and Furti have been doing their own thing, while paying attention to the chatter that flows around Omega. So far the other Batarian slaver clans are staying quiet, although many of them are running a heavy guard on their facilities, so I can safely say we made an impact. How long before their retaliation is anyone's guess. Ecktar visited briefly to collect my ruined Crisis Suit, taking it away to dismantle the upgrades he'd made for me in readiness for installing them in the Colussus after it's delivered to him. His friend at Kassa Fabrication was delighted to take my custom order and a cycle later I had a mail from Ecktar confirming the suit was on its way. He'd also dropped off a small war's worth of grenades and heatsinks and a selection of mods.
Naturally Serah grabbed a handful of flashbangs to keep my biotics practice 'interesting'. I figure Serah has somehow managed to get a rough idea of our neighbour's schedules as we only had one visit from a shotgun wielding Asari wanting to know what the fuck was going on. Serah had explained and actually demonstrated my little practice session. When my ears had stopped ringing the Asari had gone, apparently very amused, having told Serah to keep me at it. Apparently the fact that I was up holding 5 grenades before one had gone off had been impressive enough that our neighbour was thinking about borrowing the idea. Yeah time definitely flies when you're having fun. Right now, I'm going stir crazy, I can't wait to get out of this apartment. I'm due to meet Aria in 8 hours and Ecktar isn't here with my suit yet. He commed me almost a full Omega cycle ago to tell me it had arrived, that he would refit my salvaged upgrades and get everything tested as fast as possible before bringing it across to me. Hurry up you…
The door-bell for the apartment block entrance is wonderful to hear. A quick glance at the security screen shows Havnoc hefting the suits big carry cases while Ecktar is chattering away at him. I buzz them in and a minute later let my two friends in.
"Stern, have armor. Kassa do beautiful work. Wish I could afford to stock in the shop but would have every banger trying to raid us for it. Still have more resources now may need to resite."
Havnoc just shakes his head and I guess this conversation has been going on a while.
"Ignore him Nat, his share of the credits is firing him up fierce. He'll cool down in a while."
"You don't fancy moving the store up station. Havnoc?"
"Meh, I don't know Nat. Could be a good idea to get some of the wealthier trade, but getting somewhere secure aint easy on Omega, plus you need space for inventory, and going upmarket means a lot more creds tied up in hardware, and it took a long time to get our shop set up right. Right now I'm just for thinking about it."
"Fair enough."
The big Krogan cracks open the cases finally letting me see the matt black and deep crimson paint job of my brand new Kassa Fabrication light Colossus X. Awesome. It just oozes quality but for what it cost it damn well should.
"Everything tested out okay?"
"100% systems functional. Kassa done excellent job with preconfigure. Optimising now should only take 5-6 hours. Have successfully reinstalled salvaged tech from the Crisis Suit. Come we get started." Ecktar claps his hands together and we begin.
My Salarian armorer is as good as his word and 6 hours later we are done. The Colossus suit is fully optimised for me and feels pretty much like a second skin. When you understand that the suit's sensors are initially set for a human's physical capabilities, and I am definitely not human any longer you might start to grasp the work involved. Before we get started I reinstall Lexi and the hack hardware chip into the suit system, and immediately the VI is positively crowing at being 'out' of the omnitool. She isn't doing anything with the Shield VI yet. No matter how much I like Ecktar and Havnoc I'm not letting Lexa's adaption capacity slip. No point in asking for trouble at my VI's disturbingly AI like behaviour.
Anyway with Lexi manning the suit systems and Ecktar directing and programming, the armourer rebuilt the suit's control database to take into account my increased speed and muscle power. Honestly it only involves me falling on my ass and face or ramming into walls about two dozen times, and that's only because the internal specs were exact from the factory and I mean bang on. So now I can safely walk and move around in my apartment again, although I will need some replacement furniture. I'll have to comm a message to Serah so she doesn't freak when she gets home. Yeah you guessed it, she finally convinced Mordin that it was okay for her to go back to work. Hopefully she's even right, but I'll be in Afterlife with Aria when her shift finishes. As for running, sprinting jumping etc, well Ecktar has all the basics done and now it is down to the suit systems to 'learn' the rest. After a final 30 minutes of 'tweaking' my friend head out and I carry on walking around, pulling and stowing my weapons, even a couple of combat rolls to give Lexa more data.
"Nat we need to be outside to complete compiling the remainder of the movement controls."
"Yeah I know, no trying to jump or run inside."
"Well you can pay for more wall repairs if you want."
"Wait a minute…was that sarcasm?"
"Ooh you recognised it, well done Nat!"
"Hey!" I mean seriously my VI is sarcastic now? "Where did the snark come from Lexi?"
"Increased suit capacity, and I was on the extranet while in the omnitool to improve how I interact with you Nat."
"…Ok. Not a lot I can say to that. Glad I like sarcasm."
"Me too Nat." Gah.
"Okay enough, are you ready to appropriate the shield VI's systems?
"Ready and waiting for your ok."
"Ok do it before I change my mind already."
My suit's HUD flickers for a few seconds before coming back reconfigured with display set up I had on the crisis suit.
"I have taken the code over Nat, and I now have control of the shielding systems, and the released resources are being added to my matrix. Initially I will operate the shielding systems in the same manner as the VI but I estimate my larger systems resources will increase efficiency by a further 17% I will begin examining, incorporating and optimizing the code fully once the movement system calibration is complete."
Nope. Lexi isn't getting scary at all. I don't think I'll say that out loud. Time to go it's just over an hour walk to Afterlife. I could call a cab but right now I need the practice in the Colossus and Lexa needs more data, so a walk, with bursts of jog and run in quiet places where no one can see me bounce off the alley walls is the order of the day. 2 minutes later, I am fully armed and armoured once more and head out after comming the message to Serah.
Just under an hour later and my VI is finally happy with her suit calibration. This means I can now successfully jog, run, jump and combination thereof. The work Ecktar did is damn good and honestly I can't wait to see just how effective I will be in fight now. The Kinetic exoskeleton is awesome. Still I don't need to actively look for trouble I'm sure it will find me anyway. I make good time and I'm back at Afterlife's entrance. I depolarise the helmet visor and the Turian bouncer waves me through after he recognises me. I note he spends a few seconds studying the armor suit and I bet I can guess what he is thinking – just what level is it, how much did it cost and how the fuck do I have it? Not that it really matters for most of Omega's inhabitants, even a base Colossus marks the wearer down as Somebody, and not to be screwed with. My portable armory just reinforces the point.
Afterlife looks only half full at the moment, checking the time shows we're still at the start of Omega's 'day' shift, but the Asari Pop's as loud as ever and Lexi quickly dampens the volume for me as I make my way through to the stairs to the VIP section once again. Honestly I'm not shitting myself, voluntarily going back to Omega's queen after having her exploring my fucking head and finding out as far as I was concerned until recently she was a fucking video game. No reason to be nervous at all really. Who am I kidding, right now all I want to do is bolt the other fucking direction but that would pretty much be the end of me. Aria wouldn't take that kind of insult well and I'd have all of Omega after me instead of mostly just a large chunk of the Batarian gangs. Either way bitching about isn't gonna do any good, so I head on up retracting the visor to be as non-confrontational as possible. I even have the audio dampening turned off so I make noise as I walk. At the top of the stairs we go through the routine again, disarm get scanned then pass through Aria's guard while Aria pays no attention until I'm waved through. Omega's Queen looks at me for a long moment, before waving me to a seat, then telling Pashya she wants no interruptions. Her PA hurries off doing her best to ignore me. Aria activates a control on her omnitool and a shimmering privacy field cuts us off from the outside world.
"Stern"
"Aria"
"You realise there's a big part of me that wants to snap your neck, and burn you to ash?"
"I figured."
"You still came back?" Aria asks mildly curious.
"Told you I wasn't planning to fuck with you."
"You don't call that shit in your head fucking with me?" Aria glared, flat toned.
"No I call that a fucked up nightmare for the whole damn galaxy. No offense."
She leans back for a moment before that infamous smirk twitches across her face.
"Lucky for you, none taken."
I can't help it, a small sigh of relief escapes before I can trap it, and Aria's smirk spreads.
"Just because I haven't taken offense doesn't mean you aren't in deep shit Stern. It's gonna be a long time if ever before I forget it was you that told me some fucker turned me into a vid game character."
I wince, just a little. Yeah I thought that would do it. Aria T'Loak, Queen of Omega, may be upset at the news of the Reaper cataclysm but it's her sense of self image being violated that has her really pissed.
"Don't know if this helps but imagine how Sparatus and Tevos would take it."
It's momentary but that smirk quirks into something like genuine amusement.
"That….that would be worth seeing Stern. It doesn't help but I … appreciate the thought. It appears you understated how well you made out." A slight wave at the new suit.
"I needed to upgrade, and maybe."
"Good I need people who work for me well equipped."
"So I passed the practical and you're giving me a job then?"
T'Loak just looks at me.
"With what's in your mind you really think I'm gonna let you work for anyone else? No Stern you're working for me or you're a comatose vegetable after I drain your brain. Understood?"
You have to hand it to her, the lady really has a way with words.
"Woh there Aria, I understand and actually I'm totally fine with that. What do you want me doing? What do you plan on doing about the Reapers?"
"Huh, that's the billion credit question Stern. I'm gonna have you working as a bounty hunter or enforcer for me. You've shown you can handle yourself, and when I need you for a job I'll let you know. Other than that you are gonna be training."
"Training?" Wow I sound stupid, and the damned smirk is back full force.
"Oh yes. You have potential, but you're Athame damned raw. Your biotics are strong enough to get you through a lot of crap, but you need training to make the most of them. Slavers are one thing but going up against serious hitters, you don't know fuck all about combat. Furti tells me your instincts are apparently pretty good, but now you need to back that up. Also you did enough to impress Archangel. That isn't easy and shows you have potential although he does still think your tactics were fucking crazy. So yes you will be in training. After all you're gonna be no fucking good saving our end of the galaxy if you get fucking wiped by the first group that knows their shit."
Huh, well talk about puncturing my bubble. I mean shit I know everything she is saying is true but still. At least she's talking about trying to stop the Reapers though. I shrug.
"Ok. Makes sense. Where am I training and who with?"
"You will mostly be training on Omega for now, and who is simple. Furti is an old friend and she is gonna be putting you through Asari commando training, in both biotics and combat."
Fucking hell. You might as well just kill me now. My face must have been a picture because Aria actually laughs at me.
"Once Furti thinks you're up to scratch then you will work for me as a contractor, while I start making preparations."
"Preparations?"
"Athame's azure yes, no fucker's taking Omega from me, by the time the Reapers are here I'll have a fucking army to fight them with."
"They're giant homicidal AI killing machines Aria, it's gonna need a lot more than Omega to fight them. It's gonna need everyone and everything and then some more."
"You're just full of optimism aren't you Stern? Shepherd will take the lead in fighting the Collectors once she's back from the dead and then eventually the Reaper invasion. If your memories are accurate then we have some time, although reality could be different and the fuckers could turn up tomorrow. There's basically fuck all I need to do about the Collectors, and I intend to concentrate on securing Omega and the Terminus systems, while trying to get the useless dried up cunts running the Republics to start preparing."
"Changing too much could completely fuck everything up Aria." I point out, just to get it out there, but she waves it away pretty much as I expected.
"I guess that's true Stern, but if what you saw was the best possible outcome some being wouldn't have thrown your ass here now would they. The whole point is to change this future so we don't all fucking get butchered by fucking Reapers. Changing too much makes what you know potentially worthless" She waves a hand dismissively "but there is no fucking chance I'm doing nothing, just rolling over and dying and your gonna help me."
I grunt and nod my acceptance. "So I train while you plan? Anything else?"
"You can expect to get real familiar with melding with me Stern. I need what's in your mind down on a pad somewhere so I can work through it, without the vampire in your damned head getting in the way, and that's gonna take some work."
Ok, that's not a scary thought. Not at all. Crap. My face must be saying something as T'Loak laughs at me again.
"No way I'm dealing with the fucked up shit in your head in one go. Cheer up vampire you might even learn to like it."
That might actually be worse. I shudder mentally. Aria laughs again.
"Too easy Stern. Any ideas on shit I need to know about Omega right now?"
Actually that's a really good question. I was astonished how clear the memories are in my mind when Aria melded with me, and now I can remember a whole lot more. What would be useful now?
"There been any rumours flying around the extranet about Shepherd being alive and working for Cerberus?"
"Not shit I pay attention to Stern. Why?"
"Timescale. In the… games Cerberus started rumours 2 or 3 months before Shepherd is revived to push her away from the Alliance ahead of time. If it holds true it lets us know when Shepherd might be arriving."
"I'll have someone start checking. What else?"
"Has the plague started on Omega yet?"
"The fuck?"
"The Collectors engineer a plague on Omega. Something to do with testing human genetics. Only the humans and vorcha are immune, and the Collectors have Vorcha spread it with the promise that the Vorcha will get control of Omega."
Aria blinks at me as she runs that through her head again, then her expression hardens. I think I might have just caused a Vorcha cull.
"How is the plague stopped?" Aria demands.
"Mordin figures out a cure and has Shepherd deliver it through the air vents when she comes to recruit him."
"Mordin the Salarian doctor, ex STG?"
"Yeah him. Cerberus give Shepherd a list of people to recruit for her crew as most of her old team are not available. Omega has Mordin, Archangel and I think Zaeed Massini."
"Huh. You know what part of Omega gets plague?"
"Mostly Gozu district and the slums, Mordin's clinic is in the quarantine zone set up when the plague gets bad."
"How bad?"
"Pretty bad, the game had the whole area quarantined off, inside there were lots of bodies, looting, plus the Blue Suns and Blood Pack were in a full blown war for control after the plague weakened the Suns numbers."
Aria frowns as she considers the implications of Stern's news. She needs to start taking tighter control of Omega and prepare for these Reapers. A plague and gangs in full blown war is not acceptable. Weakening the Suns and Pack isn't a bad idea, they're both a pain in her ass and the Eclipse aren't much better- just less open in challenging her control, but a plague that can kill everything except humans is a disaster waiting to happen. Stern said Mordin gets recruited after Shephard cures the plague, what about Archangel and Massini?
"Stern, what does Shepherd have to do to recruit Massini and Archangel?"
I think back to the game for a moment.
"Massini is picked up just after she arrives. He's happy to work for her as Cerberus offer him a shitload of credits and say Shepherd will help him hunt down the boss of the Blue Suns, his old partner. Massini has a real lust for killing that guy."
Aria nods, and waves me to continue.
"Archangel is being hunted down by the gangs. He hurts them so bad, that the Suns, Eclipse and the Blood Pack gang together to hunt him down. They get one of his team to betray him and when Shepherd arrives the rest of his team is dead and Archangel is holed up in his base doing is last stand. Shepherd has to rescue him and pretty much wipe out the leadership of the gangs in doing so."
"So the Pack and the Suns are fighting each other in Gozu and working together to hunt down Archangel?"
"I didn't say it made sense Aria just that was what happened in the game."
"Anything else?" She asks me sarcastically.
"Well Archangel turns out to be Garrus Vakarian from her old team, he gets badly wounded in the rescue…" I pause as I remember something else.
"What?"
"When you play Shepherd you have to fight through the leadership of the gangs on Omega, but also you find a datapad that can be handed to you if you want it.
"So?"
"The pad confirms that when the gangs make their deal to hunt down Archangel together they also agree to overthrow you together afterwards and take Omega for themselves."
Ah shit, I wish I hadn't told her that. Aria looked pissed when I mentioned the Vorcha being promised Omega by the Collectors but this is a whole different level. A surge of biotic power crackles around her, her crystal glass shatters in her hand and I instinctively throw up my shield with everything I have and crouch down, grunting under the pressure of T'Loak's anger as a wave of power rolls outwards in every direction, gutting everything in her VIP booth, blowing out the balcony and the privacy field, hurling her guards across the room, not to mention knocking a couple of her dancers flying off their poles, and blowing out a small fortune in lighting and sound equipment across the night club proper as she lets out a scream of rage. Holy fuck. I'm dead. Again.
"They dare!"
I'm crouching behind my shield, as her guards are picking themselves, quite naturally assuming that I'm the cause of the their Queen's wrath and I twist to face them as the first opens fire, his shotgun blast smashing into my shield followed by a burst from an assault rifle.
"Hold your fire!"
Aria's voice is as cold as the vacuum of space outside Omega and the guards and I freeze, the guards in confusion and I let out a sigh of relief as Omega's ruler gets her rage back under control.
"Stern is not to blame." I let the shield drop with a sigh and Aria twists to her ruined balcony to address the crowd that has gone silent below.
"Afterlife is closed until next shift. Get this shit fixed up."
The less than crowded bar below starts emptying rapidly. No one has any wish to be anywhere near an irate Queen of Omega. More power to them, I wish I had that option. Ignoring the devastation in her booth, as well as her unsettled guards who obviously want to know what the hell just happened, Aria stalks out after wordlessly demanding I follow her with a jerk of her head. Not feeling suicidal I pick myself up and walk past the guards, trailing Aria through an unmarked security door after she punches in a code. I had kind of wondered what the behind the scenes of Aria's operations would look like I guess I might be finding out.
I was surprised how much security Aria actually has. Behind the security door is a security station manned by Asari in the leather armour of commandos, in a green and black colour scheme I have seen occasionally but not really paid attention to. Both were quite obviously alert and immediately focused on me but Aria waved their attention away.
"Have Stern cleared through central security for all levels and sections Grade Hylox and lower. Have the necessary codes and maps ready for uploaded. Stern this way."
"At once Aria."
The guards reply, stepping aside and letting me follow. One turns to a desk mounted holoscreen and board and starts tapping rapidly, while the other sends me a data file from her omnitool. I accept the file and follow Aria striding down a corridor to a large central atrium, with stairs running up and down around the outside wall, Lexi follows the files progress as hundreds of access codes, challenge and countersign codes, plus maps of 20 levels above me and another 12 below. Looking around everywhere I see activity, various species hurrying around doing whatever Aria's minions do, and on each level pairs or Aria's troops on guard, all in the green and black leather.
I don't really pay attention to the goings on, following Aria up a couple of levels and down more corridors, although I do note that her commandos – and that is a scary thought they are quite obviously Aria's commandos - all clock my presence. Aria the Queen of Omega has a small army in this tower, Afterlife is just the barest glimpse of her operation. How did the games never put this across? I recall there was a DLC about Aria recapturing Omega from Cerberus, but it never gets across just how powerful Aria must be to control Omega. Just how much financial and military might does she have I wonder. I gave her 2 million credits the tithe she was owed from the slaving clan. Given the size of Omega, practically a small moon, millions living here, working here, the amount of crime and trade in criminal enterprises al paying their tithe or face her wrath...that 2 million is just a drop in the ocean, to control this place in the face of all the gangs…and in the case of Eclipse, Blood pack and the Suns mercenary armies that are spread across a huge chunk of known space it means that Aria T'Loak is a very serious player in the Terminus, and with her control of the element zero trade, in Council space as well.
We finish walking in a conference room off control centre that is access through a set of security stations complete with wall and ceiling mounted turrets that track everyone passing through. The security stations ping my omnitool and Aria's new program transmits the response automatically as we walk through. Somehow I don't doubt that I would get cut to ribbons if that program didn't function correctly. Lexi isn't talking just passively monitoring the security systems around us, highlighting them on my HUD, as well as everything else she can detect without actively searching.
Aria settles behind a large desk, gesturing me to sit. I do so and take off my suit's helmet.
"Huh, trusting me now?" A loaded question if ever there was one from Omega's Queen.
"Well I'm working for you and if you wanted me dead I'd already be dead. I have no illusions about being able to take on an Asari Matriarch."
She snorts in disgust.
"I'm not one of those dried up fucking fossils in the Republics but yes I have long passed my Matron years. While you're nowhere strong enough a biotic to fight me, you're actually stronger than any human I've come across and a great many Asari….it will be interesting to see how you measure up after your training and you get an amp fitted."
I start a little at that, I hadn't even considered getting an amp. My expression must be obvious.
"Don't look surprised Stern, it makes you look retarded for fucks sake. You will be going with Furti to get fitted for a proper biotic amp. The civilian shit will improve control but not much more, you will be getting a custom military amplifier.
"OK. Why?"
"You're my asset now and hopefully will be a very useful one. Given you have some knowledge of the future you're valuable and I need you to be able to protect yourself and that knowledge properly. A custom amp will significantly boost your power and ability to control your biotics. Conceivably you will be on a par with most Asari matrons and possibly even some Matriarchs. Plus it's a disguise. In the event you're fucking stupid enough to get captured, given your human appearance, most will assume removing your amp will render you powerless."
"Oh."
I don't have anything else to say really. How much time has Aria spent considering me? What does she have planned? How will my news before her biotic temper tantrum change those plans? I guess I'm stuck in my thoughts for too long as she interrupts my minor mental meltdown before it really gets going.
"You have questions Stern?" Her tone is mocking.
"I have a few if you have time?"
"Well my balcony won't be repaired for a while and the club is closed so why not. Don't waste my time though."
I nod and take a moment to think over what I've seen on our walk here.
"It's obvious there is far more to your operation than the games ever revealed, and I'm glad as it makes me think you have a chance of making a difference when the Reapers arrive, but what's actually involved in controlling Omega, how far do your forces spread?"
It's a big question and I'm more than a little concerned I'm overstepping boundaries but what the hell. You only live once. Hmm broke that rule. There's a long pause as Aria studies me.
"Once you have worked for me longer I might actually answer that one in detail, but for now…When I overthrew Patriarch for control of this rock, I did a lot of preparation which took years. Consolidating my control was a slow process, took fucking decades actually, but now I have control of all the major systems that keep Omega alive…the power, the air, extranet and comms systems, but most importantly the mines, the docks and the defence controls. My commandoes are stationed across all the major points although often I don't have them in my colours. After your news update I will be taking steps to reinforce that control. I also control a good proportion of the Terminus directly or indirectly, along with the other Terminus warlords."
A screen flashes, distracting her attention. Her hands flash over controls on the desk and she ignores me for a moment as she reads. Her expression turns steely and grim and she orders me out without looking up.
"Stern, get out of here, get packed for up to 10 days away. Make sure you're geared up, you're going to Ilium with Furti tomorrow. Be here at the start of back shift, Furti will find you in the bar."
Wonderful, just what I always wanted.