Chapter 13

AN: I must say, I'm pretty damn proud of a few parts of this chapters. I hope you kids enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it. I must confess, though; for the majority of the time whilst writing it, I was listening to Pandora radio that was set to Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, and Halo soundtracks. It actually helped me tremendously with my creativity. Not quite sure why, but I think you guys should try it, if you like classical or orchestral music.

Three months had passed since Aria had returned to Varris to resume her role. Three months since she and Miranda had saved the Cerberus operative's sister and shared that passionate kiss in the smoke-filled alley. Three very long months. Each day was absolutely uneventful compared to the few days the Pirate Queen spent in Illium with that infuriating woman. Yet Aria had found her company to not be as unpleasant as she had originally assumed. The queen could easily rile the assassin, having quickly discovered what her weak points were. Thinking back now, Aria could hardly count the amount of times where she had gotten under Miranda's skin in Illium. She was aware that some would say it's rude to taunt someone in the way that she had with Miranda. However, being the kind of person that Aria was, she couldn't bring herself to care. Much.

There was one thing Aria did regret about the long trip, though. She regretted, much to her surprise, not letting Miranda handle the backstabber known as Niket. Aria thought it such a stupid name; why anyone would name their child something that sounded like an insect was beyond her. Aria could remember the entire battle scene like it was only a few minutes ago.

"Before you all decide to collectively rush at me in hopes that you can kill me, tell me which one of you is Niket," Aria commanded in her authoritative voice.

The large group of Eclipse mercenaries halted their charge mid step, which seemed to be quite a feat. Aria was mildly surprised that the hulking mass of bodies didn't collide with each other. There were, after all, over twenty of them.

With no hesitation whatsoever, a man no taller than the queen herself stepped out from behind Captain Enyala. He had closely cropped, ebony hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. Even for a man, he was unattractive; he had a weak jawline, a petite nose better suited on a little girl, and high cheek bones. It looked as though someone had taken… What do the commoners say? An ugly stick, to his face. And the rest of him, it seemed, as the Pirate Queen gave him a quick onceover. He was quite lanky, not a shred of muscle to be found on his scrawny body. His skin was thoroughly tanned and rather wrinkled.

"I am," the man said. Even his voice was annoying.

"And why did you decide to play the hero and show yourself?" Aria inquired, her lip curling. She felt an extreme sense of loathing towards this Niket and knew exactly why. "Especially since you're the one who's going to die the worst death." She cast her gaze around, searching for something in particular. She didn't locate her target until she flicked her eyes briefly up to the ceiling.

"Because I'm not afraid of you," Niket replied.

Aria T'Loak was a woman that naturally was feared. With the way she looked at someone she held distaste for, it was nigh impossible to feel anything but fear. The way she stalked her prey, very similar to the wolf she was eternally bound to, sent shiver down even a grown and seasoned veteran's spine. That's why, when she looked into Niket's black eyes, she sneered even more at his extraordinary lack of dread. This was clearly not a smart individual.

"That will be rearranged in a few minutes," Aria said, her voice filled with derision and condescension.

Immediately after the woman announced that, a tidal wave of sapphire energy engulfed the man and carried him up to the rafters above, where thick, steel chains hung like cobwebs. Aria manipulated the flow so that it wrapped him in a tight cocoon of metal, suspending him nearly ten meters off the ground. To his credit, Niket didn't utter a sound as the short ordeal occurred. Maybe he had had worse treatment than getting stuck in the rafters of some alcohol refinery.

"Okay, bottom-feeding scum, let's do this," Aria ground out.

The mercs resumed their attack obediently, which was amusing to the queen. They followed an order issued from the one they were supposedly rebelling against.

Aria felt as the mass of lightly armored bodies pressed on her, she stumbled back a few paces from the sheer force of them. Once she regained her balance, she felt numerous punches being thrown at her. The ebony, gold, and leather armor she bore prevented her from feeling many of the blows. A few connected with her face, hitting her cheeks, forehead, and jaw. She felt the pain, though it was lessened due to the dark power swirling around her exposed areas, protecting them from physical attacks.

"Oh, please," Aria laughed. "You think this hurts? This is no more than the nail marks that your wives, girlfriends, and mothers left on my back when I visited them last."

A fist suddenly knotted in her hair and pulled hard, causing Aria to snarl in pain. She saw her eyes glaze over with an intense shade of navy as her rage flared. The queen grasped the offending hand in a vice grip, squeezing until she heard the distinct snap of bone. A man's voice cried out in pain and quickly relinquished his hold on her. She then snatched at the person closest to her, hands finding purchase on the collar of another man's faded leather armor. She found the man's chin and forced it back viciously, his neck breaking as though it were made of brittle glass. The monarch then felt a sharp point pierce the skin just under her armpit; she swiftly grabbed at the hand holding the knife, her hand encompassing the warm flesh. She crushed the fingers, feeling the digits be reduced to mere fragments as she increased the pressure of her stony grip. The knife was rapidly removed as Aria was groped at by numerous other foes. The woman threw her first punch of the brawl, smashing a few ribs through a person's armor. She didn't know the gender of her newest victim, but she saw that they were barely out of their teenage years. The person collapsed and was trampled over as the other mercenaries rushed in the open space, all looking to get a shot at trying to kill the nearly invincible queen. Aria flung her arm out again, her forearm connecting quite solidly with someone else's jaw, snapping it out of its hinges to be hung onto by only skin and muscle.

At least five different pairs of hands grabbed onto Aria's arms and torso, dragging her down to the cold, stone floor of the refinery. The shouting and rooting were intense as kick after kick and punch after repeated punch were drilled into her hard body. She thrashed like a fish out of water, almost tearing herself free before more hands restrained her. Pieces of her ornate yet sturdy armor started getting torn off, leaving more of her body exposed to the relentless attacks. The left pauldron was ripped away from the security buckles, as were the metal plates that encased the accompanying arm. Knives and swords of varying sharpness began cutting into her skin, leaking nothing but pain from the queen's body.

A hand suddenly grabbed in a spot that was reserved for a certain independent brunette. That was all Aria's mind needed to snap and launch into feral mode.

Ripping her arm away from the ones were holding it captive, Aria dug her hand, fingers poised like talons, into the throat of the one who attempted to violate her. The sinew and muscle easily gave way before her merciless strength and she closed her hand around his windpipe, effectively cutting off his breathing. With a hard yank, she tore the small pipe from his neck, scarlet blood splattering on everything around him. Her hand, removed of its glove some time ago, was now slick with his bodily fluid. With her free hand, Aria summoned a dense ball of dark power and slammed it into the ground beneath her, creating a shockwave that had a large ripple effect. Bodies thudded to the floor, knocked off balance by the force of the wave. At last, Aria was able to stand without having what seemed like a hundred different people trying to overpower her.

Those who were still left alive after Aria's brief assault stumbled back to their feet randomly. Aria quickly tore off her remaining glove and tossed it aside, not caring one bit where it went. She wasted no more time as she launched herself at the nearest target, her arm cocked back and her fist balled tightly and engulfed in blue energy. She punched a hole wrist-deep into the opponent's chest and momentarily watched in satisfaction as he fell to the floor, dead. She sensed another attacker just about to leap at her from behind and ducked quickly. A short man landed with a heavy thud in front of her, the wind knocked from his lungs from the impact. Aria seized the opportunity and took hold of his chin and the back of his head. She gave a hard twist and snapped his neck. His head flopped back on the ground, landing at an unnatural angle. The queen glanced up at just the right time to see a woman creeping toward her with a rather sizeable pike in her hands. The merc thrusted, the sharp point of the weapon coming dangerously close to Aria's eye. Before the weapon could be withdrawn, Aria snatched out and grabbed the wooden pole and tugged hard. The Eclipse soldier was yanked close enough that she had to brace her hands against Aria's body. The close contact could almost be mistaken for intimacy, were the situation altered to a certain degree. Without warning, Aria head-butted the woman directly in front of her. The soldier's nose made a loud crunch and promptly began leaking blood. Aria then grabbed the woman's head and slammed it into the ground, the bone giving way before the unforgiving stone beneath. The queen kicked the bleeding corpse away, disgusted at how easy this was becoming.

"For fuck's sake, give me a fucking challenge," Aria roared, her voice coming out more primal and from her gut. She was beginning to sound like the animal that she could be, would be if she didn't properly control the immense rage that boiled inside her. She was certainly becoming more uncivilized.

The remaining mercenaries, only twelve at most, charged once more. Aria dropped down to her knees and smashed her bare fists into the ground, creating another shockwave. It was more powerful this time, actually lifting up the stones of the floor in a fluid-like wave and toppling over the enemies before her. Many of them were catapulted off the ground a ways and landed in various spots, all over five meters away. A few crashed into the wooden crates and were impaled on the broken, wooden beams. Others burst through the metal lining and into the silos that, conveniently, had boiling water inside of them. Screams could soon be heard as the Eclipse mercs were literally cooked alive. Certainly not a pleasant way to die.

Now there was only one Eclipse soldier left: Captain Enyala. That slippery witch was standing exactly three meters in front of Aria, one hand clutching a wicked sword and the other placed comfortably on her hip.

"Is that all?" the captain asked in a bored voice. "Because it's time I come out and play."

Aria crouched down into a fighting stance again. "Have you got something up your sleeve I should be worried about?"

"Oh, absolutely." A burst of blue energy identical to Aria's surrounded the captain. "I'm sure you know what this is. So we'll have fun trying to kill each other, don't you think?"

"I will take great pleasure in killing you," Aria replied, her tone quite relaxed, considering the state she was in.

"There will only be one of us who makes it out of this refinery alive," Enyala stated firmly. "And I intend it to be me."

"Let's skip the foreplay already and get straight to fucking with each other," Aria retorted with a smirk.

Enyala's sword ignited with raw power and she darted forward close enough that the blade slipped into Aria's thigh. The monarch grunted in real pain as she realized that she'd found her match after all this time. Aria grabbed at the blade and pulled it out, wincing as it was removed from her skin and bone. She yanked the weapon from Enyala's grip and flung it away, hearing it land a few seconds after. She formed a fist and lined it with the energy coursing inside of her. She then punched the captain with all of the strength she could muster into the blow, watching in satisfaction again as the other woman's head snapped back. Enyala quickly recovered, though.

"You know," Enyala spoke up as she wiped her nose, which started to drip blood. "I figured out what to call this energy we harness." She threw her own fist, aimed at Aria's face. The queen barely dodged in time.

"Oh?" Aria asked, a brow quirked. She quickly dodged another punch. "And what's that?"

"Biotics. And since I control it, I'd be considered a biotic."

"What the fuck?" Aria grabbed the front of Enyala's armor and delivered a solid blow with her knee to the captain's abdomen. While the blonde was still slightly incapacitated, Aria clapped her palms over the other woman's ears, rupturing her ear drums. The queen then grabbed either side of Enyala's head and brought down to forcefully meet to undamaged knee. The smaller woman stumbled back a few steps, clutching her broken nose.

Enyala only laughed, though. "It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me, sweetheart." With a surge of her "biotics," the mercenary's injuries were quickly remedied.

"I know exactly what it takes to hurt you," Aria responded. "I just haven't been worked up enough to get there, sugar."

Enyala shot forward again, mimicking a move Aria had practiced on another, much more helpless soul. Her tight fist connected with Aria's jaw, causing some spit to fly out of the queen's mouth. Aria felt a bruise beginning to form on her skin. Enyala followed up with a few rapid blows to the monarch's torso, denting and punching holes in the ebony plating. Aria grunted in pain as the shots hit her ribs and organs. The brunette managed to catch one of Enyala's hands and bent it back to a severe angle. Aria grinned as the other woman grimaced. Aria then brought down her elbow on the captain's forearm, effectively snapping it. With a hard tug, the queen ripped off her opponent's arm. Biotic tendrils snaked out, trying to reattach the limb, but to no avail. Aria flung the arm behind her. Enyala growled in pain and reached out to knot a hand in Aria's thick hair. The brunette snarled like a trapped wolf as her head was yanked back, exposing her throat. Enyala attempted to pull the queen down to the ground, but Aria removed her hand before her back touched the floor. Aria escaped from the woman's grasp, jumping back a couple of meters. Aria began to run at Enyala and, at the last minute, jumped feet first at the shorter woman. The captain was flung backward from the force of the kick and Aria landed heavily on her right shoulder, denting the metal plates on her shoulder. The tall woman scrambled to her feet and swiftly removed the ruined metal.

"Get up, Enyala," Aria demanded. "I have more important things to do."

The captain sluggishly rose to her feet, breathing heavily. She charged at Aria, the slightest limp visible in her rushed gait. Just before the pair would've collided, the queen reached out her hand and grasped the captain's neck. Aria quickly wrapped her other hand in the blonde's smooth hair and pulled with all the strength she could form, tearing the younger woman's head from her shoulders. The headless body fell, lifeless, to the floor. It landed with a solid thud.

Aria cast her gaze around once more as she searched frantically for something to light a fire with. She suddenly remembered the oil lamps hanging overhead. Not relinquishing her hold on the head she held in her hand, she scrambled up the wooden crates to one that was level with a chandelier. She reached out as far as she could, extending her arm until it was close enough to the open flames where she could leave the head on one of the support struts inside the light fixture. The head immediately caught on fire, bursting into blue flames. The flames licked their way up the iron until they met the rope that tethered the chandelier to the ceiling.

"I suppose this is the worst that I'll do to you," Aria shouted to Niket, who was still suspended in the steel chains on the rafters. "Now you'll just be burned alive."

Aria happened to glance down at the floor just before the chandelier crashed down. She saw the telltale sign of oil: a small, liquid rainbow.

"Fuck," was the only word she got out before the entire refinery erupted in flames.

The Pirate Queen felt the pain of being burned and various pieces of her body blown apart once more. It was perhaps the second most painful experience she had endured, aside from when she had originally been bonded with Thane Krios and the scars she had on her scalp. It was difficult to believe that the explosion had occurred three months ago. It really did seem as though it happened mere hours ago. Aria distinctly recalled how it felt as a metal shard tore off half of her face.

"My life seems to be filled with nothing but conflict," the monarch muttered.

"You say something?" Bray asked.

The queen only shook her head. She was stationed in her customary spot, clad in her usual outfit. She held a small sheet of parchment in her hand and was gazing at it uncomprehendingly. She knew what the words on the paper said; it was a report from Nyreen Kandros, detailing how the formerly separated merc groups were getting along under the banner of Omega. So far, there were no deaths, only a few brawls that were easily taken care of. The deaths had happened when they were originally joined together.

A sharp rap on the door interrupted Aria's thoughts.

"Who is it?" Aria demanded, annoyed.

"Courier," a male voice announced.

"Come in."

The oak door opened and a man with a neatly trimmed beard and hair, nearly black and peppered with white, walked in. He was clearly a wise man, in his early fifties and wrinkles lining his features. It looked as though he wore some admiral's uniform. It was pristine white with numerous badges and gold braid.

"You are definitely not a courier," Aria said, standing up. "So who are you?"

"Oleg Petrovsky, general of Cerberus Special Forces," the tall man replied. "And you have ten minutes to depart this city before my army forcefully removes you."

AN: Questions, comments, or tips? They're all, of course, greatly appreciated. I love when you kids help me out.