Chapter 7

Kasumi, Samara and Legion departed from a quarian shuttle one at a time and slowly stepped out onto the docking bay of Nos Astra. The sight of two beautiful women departing from the docking bay with figures to die for caught the attention of a few pedestrians and dock workers around them, mostly human males and asari. The sight of a synthetic assistant earned some even stranger looks from all sorts of species but they turned away from the curious group quickly enough for Kasumi's liking.

"Let's just do what we came here to do and get out," Kasumi ordered nervously.

"Afraid people will figure out what you do for a living, thief?" Samara taunted grimly.

"What? Going to attack me here and now? Just like that?" Kasumi taunted back. They were clearly getting on each other's nerves but Legion was left there confused. Why would two allies start turning against each other without reason before the mission has even started?

"Only if you try to steal something in front of me," Samara threatened.

"Why are you fighting?" Legion asked blankly, "we must cooperate to succeed."

"Yeah," Kasumi stated vaguely, "c'mon let's go." Samara nodded and the three walked past the docking bay, blending in with the group and came across the centre shopping area. The stores were still the same with practically the same stock for sale and Kasumi giggled when she walked past the same volus negotiating with the same asari sales clerk about some ship parts he wanted. Even Samara had to hold back a laugh at the fact that he must've been there for at least three months now and was still trying to get a ship. After calming down the team searched around the plaza wondering how they were going to formulate a plan that would work.

"We're not going to just know who's with Cerberus by looking at an agent," Samara bluntly stated.

"Samara, don't attack me for this but I might be able to help with that," Kasumi suggested as she walked off into the crowd. Samara had to fight back the urge to stop her. She was one of Shepard's, and because of that she was also one of her own which meant she was under her protection. Samara just put on a sweet smile and laid back trying to keep Legion from doing anything that could get her and Kasumi in trouble. Meanwhile Kasumi was out blending in with the huge crowd sneaking her hand into the pocket of every single person that came near her or that she could get close to without drawing attention and took out the contents of every pocket she could find on them. Most of the time it was just credits chits which she put back afterwards so Samara wouldn't kill her. She was also experienced with Cerberus enough to know that they were in fact willing to work with aliens so the pockets of asari, turians, salarians and any other non-human were also victims as her hand stabbed into the heart of them like an inhumanly sharp dagger and spirited the contents away from who it once belonged to. However they usually only carried credit chits as well which she always put back if she could without blowing her cover which was all the time given her skills as a master thief. After a whole half an hour of picking pockets and receiving nothing regarding Cerberus or Styx Company Kasumi came back to the group tired, beaten, ashamed and empty handed.

"Anything?" Samara asked bluntly. Kasumi knew what she meant.

"No," Kasumi stated sadly while looking down on the ground, "let's go, I need a drink after doing that." Kasumi headed straight for eternity with Samara and Legion following close behind. They passed the plaza, went by the doors, past the turian and quarian couple that always seemed to be at the same table at the same bar whenever they were here and went straight for the bar, still being tended by the same matriarch as always.

"Hey there, I'm Aethyta, asari matriarch and – wait a minute you were with that handsome human who was here a few months ago, Shepard right?" the matriarch asked.

"Yeah that's who I was with," Kasumi answered slightly more cheerful than she was a few minutes ago as she sat down resting her head on her right palm, "I'd just like a drink thanks." By now Samara and Legion were already seated.

"Sure thing," Aethyta replied as she poured a small shot glass of a strange dark blue liquor and passed it to her. She took a small sip from the glass as Aethyta turned her attention to Samara.

"What about you – damn!" Her eyes were instantly filled with an unhealthy amount of lust that no sane person would dare allow herself to feel which made Samara extremely uncomfortable, visible in her facial expression that anyone put on when they were stunned by something awkward. "You need anything honey?"

"I'm… alright, thank you," Samara stuttered out slowly.

"Let me know if you change your mind honey," Aethyta replied giving her a lustful look as she slowly turned her attention towards Legion, "what about you? No wait, actually…"

"This platform is unable to consume organic beverages," Legion replied emotionlessly.

"Yeah I can see that," Aethyta replied as she zoomed over to the other side of the bar to serve the other customers around.

"We do not understand the reasoning of self poisoning," Legion inquired.

"I'm not poisoning myself by having a drink," Kasumi justified.

"I think it's referring to you trying to get yourself drunk," Samara clarified.

"We're on a mission, I have no intention of getting drunk," Kasumi defended.

"What else do you not understand?" Samara asked curiously now talking to Legion. He sorted through his memory of questions he had about organics but there was one that caused more curiosity than any other question he had and it wouldn't be considered awkward by organics.

"The purpose of Shepard-Commander's sexual involvement with Creator Tali'Zorah." Kasumi and Samara just gave him a look that was beyond awkward. Perhaps he was wrong about thinking that it would not cause any awkwardness.

"What makes you think those two are involved?" Samara asked curiously.

"Tali told me all about it," Kasumi informed mischievously with the biggest evil grin anyone had ever seen.

"Humans and Quarians are incompatible. The two of them cannot produce a child. Logically there is little sense in them being together." Kasumi just stared adorably at Legion. Even though he was a machine that blew people's heads off with an anti-material rifle he seemed so innocent with his lack of knowledge when it came to love or dirty things organics found amusing.

"Legion," Kasumi started as she tried to collect her thoughts, "being in a relationship isn't done solely to have a child. There are a lot of factors to think about. What Shep and Tali are looking for is happiness with another person, someone to connect with, a form of consensus." Legion began to process what she was saying. He did not fully understand but he understood more now than he did a few minutes ago.

"How did you find out anyway?" Samara asked confused. She didn't think a machine would be able to detect subtle emotions.

"Body language," Legion stated outright, "they take every spare moment they have to stare at each other when they believe no other organics are looking. Also, topics discussed between the two during certain times of the day such as the future they wish to spend together had led us to a desire to learn."

"I've had many partners Legion," Samara informed, "and I've never looked at someone I loved for the first time and thought about having a child with them. I always stayed around them because they were people I wanted to be with."

"Organics desire the approval of others?" Legion asked.

"Exactly," Kasumi confirmed, "organics aren't always driven by logic. A lot of the time we just want comfort and happiness." Legion pondered over this and now he finally understood some of it. Organics aren't like synthetics, they aren't bound to logic but rather their own individual desires. They didn't just have needs but they also had wants. The relationship between Tali and Shepard wasn't out of logic but out of their feelings towards one another. But what was it that attracted them to one another in the first place?"

"What makes these two want to be around each other?" Legion asked. Samara decided to stay out of this and let Kasumi do the explaining. She did without hesitation.

"We're not like geth where we accept each other without question. It takes time to build trust amongst people. When we build up enough trust with someone only then do we consider them friends. And some friends feel something deeper. When it does, it leads to love and suddenly they're more important than you are." Kasumi seemed to be enjoying explaining this to Legion. It helped her remember the good times she had with Keiji. The whole time she talked she had been smiling deeply.

"Love takes over self-preservation?"

"No, it instead modifies it so you want to preserve the person you love," Kasumi replied happily. Legion found it fascinating that organics could experience an emotion so complex that they would value other people above themselves.

"We have finished inquiring. Shepard Commander and Creator Tali'Zorah share something fascinating, remarkable," Legion finished.

"More so that Shepard could see past a quarian's mask and see her for who she is. In 700 years I've never seen a more noble relationship," Samara agreed.

"He's a great guy," Kasumi added smiling, "he'll take good care of her." As Kasumi sipped her drink Samara looked around eternity to take in the look of the room but then she caught a strange human man in his middle ages, with no hair, green eyes and wearing a formal suit typically worn by humans on Illium and staring at the trio. He had looked away as soon as she had looked in his direction. Samara became suspicious and quickly turned to her two companions.

"We have a watcher over there," Samara whispered seriously. Kasumi carefully looked over her shoulder to see the exact same man who seemed to be trying to eyeball the three of them from the side of his gaze without looking suspicious. Not so easy to do when you're trying to eyeball a master thief.

"Just a pervert," Kasumi reassured as she finished her drink.

"No, I don't think so, that's not lust in his eyes. Let's leave and see if he follows," Samara suggested. Kasumi shrugged her shoulders and left with her as Legion followed close behind. If Samara was good at identifying criminals then events on Illium were going to get loud. The problem however was that she's a Justicar. She's very good at identifying criminals.