A/N I have not read anything regarding Jarlaxle Baenre for some time, but I plan to catch up on the Drow mercenary leader in the days to come since he will be a reappearing character throughout this story. I do apologize if he's OC but I'm doing the best I can from memory at the moment. At any rate, thanks for continuing to read and I hope that this chapter, the longest yet even without any of the definitions and stuff I normally throw in, is as good as the rest thus far, if not better since I took a lot more time this go around to get it right. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 4; More Questions Than Answers

2178 CE. March 4th

Baldur's Gate, the Western Heartlands

Duke Palace

Peaceful Negotiations…

While Alexandria waited for the Kodiak shuttle craft to return with her CO since he had said that he wanted to meet the Duke and discuss a few things in person, (although why he hadn't come in the first place was a mystery to her,) the crowd they had gathered was getting a bit thicker until several bright flashes of light let off from several small marble sized pellets made everyone go back inside in a hurry. Someone wanted a fight or at least that's what they believed until they saw when they could see again that the little girl and the strangely armored woman were no longer visible, having disappeared in that same flash. Alexandria was alone in a dark room, having been forcibly pushed through a dimensional door, a feeling of vertigo having passed over her the moment she had been pushed through, but she had no idea that was what had happened. "Here barely a day and already you're causing waves." She was brought out of her thoughts, scrambled slightly as they were, by a voice she could not pinpoint the source of. "Oh don't worry; you and the little girl you saved tonight are safe Alexandria Shepard. The Harpers aren't the only organization that has taken quite the interest in you."

"Only a madman talks to the air. Come out now!" Alexandria said, not in the mood for games after what she had gone through already as she reached for her side arm only to find that she had been disarmed. "Wha?!" She gasped, surprised that not only that but all of her weapons were gone. They had been taking notes if they had known to take all of her gear, but at least she still had her armor so there was that if nothing else to be thankful for.

A cheery laugh greeted her ears and the marine was quite annoyed that whoever had her in this dark place seemed to know quite a bit about her, unaware that her arrival had been well noted and observed by a very skilled and powerful mercenary band from the Underdark that had long since moved to the surface. "Forgive my cautious nature Ms. Shepard but I couldn't risk getting my head blown off if our talks didn't go as planned. Hence why I had you disarmed but not stripped of your armor, and believe me, it wouldn't have taken us long to figure out how to do so. My men are the best at what they do and you have been watched since you had stopped talking with the captain of the city guard. I'm honestly surprised Giselle didn't pick up on us following you two throughout the Hands of Glory guild hall but maybe her namesake is not as well earned? Oh well, nothing for it now I suppose. Suffice it to say no matter what happens here, you will be let go and allowed to continue on your business, if you behave yourself of course."

"Alright, you want to talk, but I refuse to talk to thin air." Alexandria replied a bit more calmly, finding that there was a chair and a table before her after some blind fumbling until her eyes had started to adjust to the darkness around her. Sitting down, she soon got a good look at her 'host' and couldn't suppress a gasp of surprise given her recent talk with the girl about Drow, short and opinionated as it had been. Great, her first day here and already she had the attention of supposedly the most hated and dangerous of all creatures on this planet. Still, she'd save her own opinions for later, wanting to know more about them before drawing up any concrete conclusions of her own.

"Is this better Ms. Shepard?" Jarlaxle Baenre smirked, amusement clear as day in his red glowing eyes that were quite adept at piercing the shadows and darkness that his kind were quite used to back home. Slender, handsome, and tightly muscled, Jarlaxle couldn't help but notice that his guest couldn't keep her crystal blue eyes off of him for long, which just made his smile a little wider. There was not a hair on his head, having shaved it completely, but the wide brim hat with its white feather located in the band hid the bald plate he kept to symbolize he didn't consider himself part of the mostly female dominated cities of the Underdark, mainly his home city of Menzoberranzan. Where most Drow preferred to blend in with the shadows with dark purples and black colored outfits, Jarlaxle was not one to hide since he wore bright colors that made him look garish and foolish, yet he was still alive and even thriving where few Drow in his situation could have hoped to manage so well, if at all, so was it so foolish to look like a dandy as he did?

The people that knew him would say no, and his enemies that had fallen would also agree if they had a voice to speak with of course. Dozens of bracelets adorned his person as did a number of rings and other jewelry, most of them hung with bells that although he moved forward towards the other side of the simple table, made no sound at all. That shouldn't have been possible but given what she had seen in the last day; the 'impossible' on Toril was becoming easier to take in. High boots adorned his feet, a brightly colored cape that seemed to shimmer and change its color fluttered about behind him, and an eye patch rested above his right eye, unaware that most of his clothing and valuable items, the eye patch included, was magically enchanted to make the mercenary all the more deadly in a fight.

"Does all Drow dress like you do Jarlaxle?" Shepard asked, drawing another laugh from the man before her as he plopped down in the other chair and put his feet up on the table, seemingly perfectly at ease despite the stranger before him. He was taking a chance, not wearing his eye patch which shielded his mind from mental intrusions, but he quickly rectified that as he slipped it over his right eye. He had just gotten out of a tub before getting dressed for this meeting, his men having found the opportune time to nab their little human guest, so he had had to hurry to get here. Still, it hadn't taken him long and Bregan D'aerthe still knew where their loyalties laid, making it easy for the unusual Drow to fall back into his leadership position. Today was to be his first full day back in all honesty, today's events presenting him with untold opportunities if he played his cards right, hence why he had arranged this meeting. A little short notice sure but the fact his men had succeeded in getting the woman at all said much of their continued efficiency and skill. This was a once in a ten thousand year opportunity and he wasn't about to let it slip him by.

"No actually, most prefer to be hidden and simply stab you in the back. If you were unfortunate enough to be held prisoner by my people, if asked they'd tell you about the dandy, the fool, the dangerous mercenary leader of Bregan D'aerthe who at first glance wouldn't know the first thing about stealth and striking from a hidden position even if a shadow fell on top of him. But then they'd tell you how said leader had carved a name for himself in the female ruled society of Lolth's favored city of her dark people, Menzoberranzan, and then tell you that despite the fact that most of the leaders of the city would like nothing more than to rip his still beating heart out of his chest, he had made himself too valuable to kill a long time ago." Jarlaxle replied, his smile never leaving his face since it was all true and he quite enjoyed the status he had been given, especially since the power games they often played back home just served to make him richer in the end, or at least it had until certain events had made it a little hard for him to show his face.

Mainly having a hand in a certain ranger's escape, along with his friends during the height of an invasion on the surface had forced Jarlaxle to move his business ventures to the surface, but that was neither here nor there. Besides, his own mother had tried to sacrifice him to Lolth when he was a newborn child and had instead been forced to simply exile him because of an attack by another House at around the same time. He only knew about it because it made sense given he had had two older brothers already and no House in Menzoberranzan were allowed to have more than two male children according to Lolth's edicts, the Spider Queen herself if it pleases you. Goddess she was not, but even Jarlaxle was not foolish enough to say that to a priestess's face…not without assurances he'd live beyond saying such of course. All that just proved he really didn't belong in such a place but the few seconds he had let his mind wander didn't show on the man's face.

Alexandria had a feeling he was talking about himself. He was quite cocky and sure of himself, but if what he said was true and from what little she had been able to put together of Drow life from what she had heard so far, then why shouldn't he be proud of himself and his accomplishments? Still, that did raise the question of why she was here. "I hope there's a reason for all this Jarlaxle. You didn't sic your men on me just so we could have a friendly chat, besides, I was recently warned that Drow like you are murderers and to be feared."

"You heard that from a human seven year old girl and while it is true that we can't be trusted; that we slay, pillage, and generally love chaos and destruction as well as creating it, I doubt you're a fool to think we are all the same. There are exceptions to every rule Ms. Shepard, and I am no fool to believe you would believe otherwise, am I right?" Jarlaxle asked, never losing his cool or the smile he wore since he was quite used to the things the other races said about his own. It was all true anyway so there was no use in denying it. Shepard nodded since she didn't believe every member of a race was the same as their reputation said, and besides, she was still alive so that proved that not every dark skinned elf was ready to take her head off of her shoulders if given the slightest chance. "See, I was right about you, but I normally am about these things. For being a soldier you're quite intelligent and from what my allies said about your combat abilities, quite dangerous as well. I like that combination in a person, able to think for themselves yet also able to destroy anyone that gets in their way. What can I say, I'm a people person."

"Right. You keep on dancing away from why you brought me here however…" Alexandria said, getting more annoyed as time went on with this mercenary. She didn't like mercenaries much, mostly due to the Skyllian Blitz she had endured two years before. Pirate was just a fancier word for mercenary in her personal opinion, and she had killed many during their two day straight attack on the colony. Jarlaxle noted her impatience and acted surprise, further provoking the marine before him.

"Oh, I do apologize for that." She could tell he wasn't sorry in the least since his smile had yet to falter, but he did put his feet firmly on the ground a moment later before leaning forward a bit, getting down to business at last she hoped. "The truth of the matter is while we have no idea where you truly came from since I've been all over the face of Toril, and I can say that I've never seen anything like your gear before, I will say that I find you quite interesting. I want to learn more about you and where you came from Ms. Shepard. And before you try to lie to me, know that I can easily have your mind broken into since I have quite the skilled psionic on my team, meaning that if I give the signal, I can have him try to reach into your skull and read your thoughts. Do you think I'm bluffing?" Jarlaxle asked, his eye brows rising slightly in question, curious to hear what their 'guest' had to say. He didn't consider her a prisoner just yet, but depending on how cooperative she was would determine how she'd be treated. He was not one for taking chances, at least those that knew him knew as much since he planned everything he ever did when it came to dealing with other people, no matter the situation. Every contingency was thought of and every plan to mitigate or negate the damage done to his group altogether was also taken into consideration. This case however was one of the few times he let his curiosity dictate his actions.

"You talk of getting to know me but you aren't afraid of threatening me?" Shepard asked, able to tear her eyes away from Jarlaxle's form, not liking where this conversation had suddenly went. There were some things she didn't want known, mostly personal stuff but the secrets of the Alliance Military was a close second. The mercenary had every advantage and she was sure even in a fight just against Jarlaxle, she wouldn't last for long. She was way out of her depth but she still managed to keep her cool, barely though. His tactic of getting her angry and off balance had worked but now that she was getting used to his presence, she was starting to get herself back in a position to start thinking clearly again. "I can see where a man of your stature would think threats might work against everyone if it serves your purpose, but you don't seem the type to treat potential new allies in such a fashion." A sudden bout of inspiration and intuition had helped to form that sentence of hers, and she could see she had surprised the Drow as he let his smile flicker just for a second. He all but grinned as he leaned back again and put his feet on the table once more, nodding his agreement since she had seen through the ruse but not the bluff. He still could very easily give Kimmuriel, said mentioned psionist, the signal to try to read her thoughts but he held off only because she was right.

"Very astute Alexandria. Again you prove my guesses about you correct since I want a partnership between our two forces." He was about to say more but a flapping sound was heard shortly before a bat flew into the room before said creature landed on Jarlaxle's shoulder, turning into a simple black cloth after whispering something into the Drow's ear. The display only served to remind Alexandria she was in a world where the impossible was quite possible. Jarlaxle knew she had seen his little scout and its subsequent transformation and just grinned all the wider.

"It seems my little friend's scouting mission was successful despite the fact one of your own had taken a shot at him out of fright. The ship your people have in the Woods of Sharp Teeth is quite the impressive vessel. But don't worry; no harm is intended for them. Those woods are dangerous and so I asked myself, 'where could she have come from and how did she get here?' My answer was just provided for me at last." As soon as word had reached his ears about her point of origin earlier that day, he had sent a few of his men and his scout with them to learn more. The effort was well worth the risk this time despite the fact they had had to all but fly there the moment word reached Jarlaxle's ears about the newcomer in Baldur's Gate to make it back in time for the impromptu meeting he had arranged. His men were exhausted he was sure but again their loyalties had won out in his favor. That and a few well placed teleportation spells had helped speed their travels along…but the human didn't need to know how badly it had taxed his resident mage to do so.

There went the element of surprise if it had been required to bring the frigate into a position to completely bomb the Hell out of a place like this if Jarlaxle knew about the Hastings. He might know about the ship but not what it could do, but they couldn't risk innocent bystanders in such a display of military might, that and she wasn't personally thrilled with the idea of being in the middle of such a firestorm anyway so calling for a bombing run was out of the question. Besides that, she didn't know where she was anyway so it was a moot point regardless. Her military train of thought besides, Alexandria didn't want to start a war with an enemy they knew so little about, remembering the trolls that had killed her men on her way to Baldur's Gate. If they had something like that wandering around, what else was here? Did she even want to know? Clearing her thoughts of the matter for now, Alexandria nodded in agreement and Jarlaxle all but grinned from ear to ear. "What do you want to know first?"

Taking a pouch out of a chest pocket although where said pocket was Alexandria couldn't tell since her Drow host's hand was too fast to see in the dark, Jarlaxle put the little bundle between them before the human picked it up and took a closer look. "Identify that for me if you will. It's been appearing for forty years in the possession of mages, wizards, and sorcerers alike and we've yet to figure out what it is or where it's coming from, only what it does." Shepard recognized it immediately as her omni-tool flashed a warning in its holographic display. Jarlaxle stiffened slightly at the orange light that suddenly appeared before him, stinging his eyes a little, but otherwise he remained still. Alexandria didn't notice as she read the name and contents of the drug before her, having not expected to see Red Sand here of all places. She had forgotten that she had set her omni-tool to silent scan mode earlier and now she was really glad she had since the chemical compound she was seeing was identical to the biotic enhancing drug that was illegally sold all across the known galaxy despite the Citadel Council's best efforts to get rid of it.

She knew what it was since she had helped accidentally bust another soldier for having possession of the stuff when she was still a civilian on yet another ship with her parents. A former friend of hers, a few years older than her 16 years of age at the time, had been hooked on the stuff and while it was known he was a biotic, they hadn't known he was working with the Eclipse as an informant, setting up supply ships for raids by one of the smarter groups of mercenaries that ran amok out there. When the truth came out, it also came out a missing engineer had been murdered by her former friend, which made sense for the Eclipse rules of membership which said that each new recruit had to murder someone before being given the uniform. Turning to Jarlaxle, Alexandria's blue eyes flared dangerously since she didn't like the implications of Red Sand being on a backwater planet like this at all. "What you have there is called Red Sand; it's a dangerous and illegal drug where I come from. It's outlawed in nearly every corner of this galaxy yet it is worth a lot of money to the right people, and like anything illegal, people go to great lengths to get their hands on it and those that know how to make it keep delivering. You said that mages, wizards, and sorcerers have been found with this?"

Jarlaxle nodded and turned to a hidden member of his group who nodded silently before going to collect their prisoner. "I wouldn't have worried so much about it since a common saying here on our world says that it's best to leave the affairs of wizards and their ilk to wizards, but then we managed to get our hands on someone that like this Red Sand, he or she, I haven't been able to tell which and neither have my men, has never before been seen on this world before. They managed to seriously injure two of my group with strange magical blasts from a weapon like your own, but they are doing better now at least, otherwise I'd have had them killed then and there, if I was like my darker brood of course. Suffice it to say, we've kept them alive just in case we found where the rest of them hole up. Maybe you can help us there as well?" Shepard nodded, having too many things of her own to tend to yet before she could even consider helping to break up whatever was going on here. If there was a smuggler's den of some sort here on Toril, then she needed to inform her superiors as soon as she got what she needed out of their prisoner or prisoners. "Despite our best efforts, they've managed to stay pretty tight lipped about their operations here. Maybe you'll have better luck?"

Shepard was afraid to ask what said efforts had entailed but she soon had her answer as she saw a beaten and battered Salarian be pushed into the dark room before two more armored Drow warriors sat the alien down in the only chair that was left, at least the only one she could see anyway. She hadn't seen the Drow guard until he had opened the door to retrieve the prisoner Salarian, so that wasn't saying a whole lot at the moment for her eye sight. All that aside though, she stood and approached the mostly dusky gray creature before her, a few red stripes decorating his horn like protrusions on the top of his head the only color change she could readily see. He was in the yellow Eclipse uniform though, that much was clear but the damage done to it and the person underneath was also easy to see. Burn marks across the chest, several crossbow bolt made holes in the back yet the skin underneath was unmarked from what she could see. The only recent damage she could see at present were chafe marks from the iron manacles they had put on the man's hands which were tied tightly behind his back. "It had tried to escape several times and only by destroying the source of whatever magic it had been using after we finally found it did the escape attempts stop."

"How'd you capture him? And yes, it is a him." Alexandria confirmed for Jarlaxle, earning a simple nod from the Drow, glad for that much at least. "What's your name, why are you here?" Shepard asked, venom clear in her voice as she leaned in close, nearly eye to giant pupil with the Salarian before her. The alien just grinned and tried to spit in Shepard's face but the Drow behind him grabbed a hold of his horns and pulled back hard, almost snapping the creature's neck in the process. The Salarian growled but said nothing.

"Sorry, should have warned you but he likes to spit. Rather foul mannered if you ask me but we have been holding him prisoner for a month so I can't say I blame him for being upset." Jarlaxle grinned, earning an annoyed look from Shepard before both turned to the Salarian who still looked as upset as ever. "I'm not a personal fan of torture like my kin are Ms. Shepard but I am not afraid to use it either if nothing else works. I know he understands us and he has talked in the Common Trade Language used over most of Toril, yet how he understood my native tongue I am a bit confused about. I gave a couple of orders in Drow and he seemed able to immediately pick up on the difference but he wasn't able to speak it himself, but more likely he was unwilling period."

"There's an easy explanation for that." Shepard replied, having done her quick examination and found where a number of fist sized bruises and cuts had been left behind which was consistent with Jarlaxle's admittance of torturing the Salarian. Sitting back down, the Drow mercenary leader waved his hand for her to continue, curiosity getting the better of him. "Oh right, to put it simply nearly everyone where I come from are implanted with what we call a universal translator. It allows us to understand and be understood no matter what language we come across, that's how we can talk so easily with each other. It wasn't always so easy but thankfully it is now which makes dealing with the countless other races out among the stars all that much simpler, at least as far as actually understanding each other is concerned. There are still words and phrases that might get lost in translation or the translator can be adjusted to allow certain words and the like to still be heard in their native tongue, but for the most part it works as I described."

Jarlaxle was intrigued although not as much as Shepard would have thought. He shrugged and leaned back in his chair once more. "We have magic spells and incantations, as well as some magic items that do the same thing. Given your experience with our ice throwing half breed Giselle and her now dead lover, may the Abyss take him, I'm sure you can believe that it's possible for such things here." Shepard nodded but she cocked her head to the side since she hadn't thought he cared enough to seemingly curse Marik as he just had.

"Surprised I care about the Do'Urden woman? Yes, I'll readily admit that her father and I have had a few adventures of our own. We recently saved Neverwinter from being buried, again, as well as what was left of Luskan at the time from a massively powerful entity called a Primordial a couple decades ago. Before that there was more but those are stories better asked of Giselle and her family themselves since I have more pressing matters here. The reason why I want this drug gone is because it's dangerous. You haven't seen what a mage hyped up on this stuff can do. Even a rank amateur could easily level a small town in a matter of minutes. A lot has changed since last I walked Menzoberranzan's dark halls, I have actually started to care for those I come into contact with….usually; I blame Drizzt and his friends for that." He joked, but Shepard could see in Jarlaxle's red eyes that he missed said friends of this man he called Drizzt. Drizzt she rightfully assumed was Giselle's father. "As you yourself said, it's illegal out there, and if you can help make it disappear here or at least point me and my group in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated, and hey, you'll have earned yourself a new ally here in Toril since I'm sure you won't be the last visitors we get out here."

"You're right, I probably won't be. The Council, the ruling government for the entire galaxy except for a few small parts, will most likely send contact teams to try to come to some kind of peaceful agreement with this world's population and see where things go from there. I'm sure my CO will be happy to help get things rolling as far as taking care of our mutual problem." She said, looking at the Salarian just as Jarlaxle did, the Salarian himself having looked away. Then a thought occurred to her, something that Jarlaxle had mentioned earlier. "Didn't you mention you had someone that could read minds? Why didn't you do that to this guy if you were so worried about the Red Sand?"

Jarlaxle shrugged but sighed since this wasn't just his story to tell. Kimmuriel was not going to be happy but he needed Shepard's trust if he wanted that stuff gone, or at least Jarlaxle thought he wouldn't be happy anyway. His faithful lieutenant was so unemotional it was very hard to get any truly passionate response out of him, but that didn't stop Jarlaxle from trying, just for his own personal amusement if nothing else. He had done quite a good job though, running Bregan D'aerthe during the leader's sabbatical to the surface so he did deserve quite a bit of credit for keeping things together as he had, although it was always at a cost if Jarlaxle ever asked for any favors without taking back leadership, as he knew Kimmuriel wish he would so he could get back to developing his psionic abilities and continuing his research into Illithids, or mind flayers as they were more commonly called. All that aside, he didn't have to signal for his second in command's presence as Kimmuriel himself appeared behind the Salarian, taking the guard's place once the Drow warrior knew there was someone behind him. Shepard immediately felt chilled to the bone given the stony expression that met her crystal blue eyes.

He was like Jarlaxle in his facial appearance only. Where the mercenary leader was bald and clean shaven, Kimmuriel was typical in his appearance by Drow standards, (although she didn't know that), meaning he wore his hair long and down both of his shoulders and his back as well. It was well taken care of too from the look of the healthy if unnatural silver shade it possessed. His eyes were of course red, something Alexandria was getting used to given they lived in the dark for most if not all of their lives as far as she could tell. It would explain the dark room, although Jarlaxle's earlier comments also came to mind regarding where their home city was in relation to the surface. Kimmuriel's black and purple threaded robes also matched with Jarlaxle's comment regarding most Drow's habit of striking from the shadows. It was the look in his eyes that caught her instincts and sent them to red alert, to put it one way. There was a coldness there that was reserved for killers, merciless and cruel, and she had seen her fair share of them on holoscreens and news networks back home to recognize the look. Jarlaxle at least didn't seem nearly so cold, at least he didn't seem that way anyway. Kimmuriel simply glanced at the human but looked to the Salarian again; paying her no more mind as if she were an insignificant bug to be examined at his leisure.

Jarlaxle didn't seem bothered by him at all Alexandria noticed. "Ah Kimmuriel, so glad you could join us old friend." Kimmuriel's face remained unchanged. No surprise but Jarlaxle kept going. "Explain to our guest if you would about why you won't try to read this creature's thoughts." The mercenary leader received the briefest of glares from the psionist but he turned his gaze to Alexandria next who was determined to not be so easily cowed again. Jarlaxle had to give the human credit for trying since she wasn't the only one that found it hard to meet the gaze of such a cold hearted individual. They hadn't earned their reputation for nothing after all.

Kimmuriel looked bored but in reality he was not happy since his power normally worked regardless of who a person was or what they happened to be, unless they knew enough to keep their thoughts guarded from the likes of him. This thing, whatever in the Nine Hells it was, he could not get a handle on it, and he didn't like it. He didn't like feeling powerless against anyone, but his disciplined mind wouldn't allow him to rant and rage over it either. "I simply cannot penetrate its thoughts. It is alien in every sense of the word, and I had suggested that we simply kill it and be done with this business, but Jarlaxle insists that we stop this thing and its allies at their source." Kimmuriel replied, his voice holding the slightest bit of annoyance that everyone present could detect if they were observant enough. Alexandria didn't miss it, a fact that Jarlaxle noted with a small smile of his own which disappeared before the human could see it when she looked back to him.

"No need to be like that old friend. We all have our challenges in life. You just happened to find something you can't mentally dominate is all." Jarlaxle replied, positively beaming but he grew serious a moment later as he looked to their guest. "He did suggest we kill it but what he didn't say was that he had wanted to examine the thing's corpse afterward so that he might better understand why he couldn't see into his thoughts. That's Kimmuriel for you though, always the researcher. But that aside, now you see our problem." Alexandria nodded, unsure how Kimmuriel's abilities worked but she had a few guesses. She was no xenobiologist by any means but the one thought that came to mind was that the Salarian was too different from what Kimmuriel was used to dealing with, so he just hadn't figured out a way to make his power work was all. Regardless of the reason, this was going to be trickier than she thought if the Eclipse merc hadn't broken yet under their interrogation techniques, whatever they might have been.

The Salarian had finally had enough as far as being talked about as if he wasn't even there and spoke for the first time, fast and quick as any Salarian since they lived short lives yet they developed fast, moved fast, thought fast, and generally considered the other races slow because of it. "I can hear you all you know. Being held in this man's 'care' for a month hasn't exactly been comfortable. For being a backwater dirt pile they have some creative means of torture that the Batarians would just love to learn." He said, his lizard like eyes full of venom for his captors mostly but his hatred extended to the System Alliance bitch that had joined them, Alexandria quickly realized. "And you're just as bad, human. Your kind shouldn't have been allowed out of the primordial muck you crawled out of, let alone allowed to join the other Council races as you have in recent years." It was going to be like that Alexandria realized. He wasn't the only one that thought humanity didn't deserve what they had in regards to the other Citadel races, but she wasn't here for that particular song and dance.

"Ah he speaks at last. I was wondering if these people had ripped your tongue out personally." Alexandria stood, cracking her knuckles as she let her voice fill with her own version of 'don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you' tone of voice. "You're lucky I don't just walk out of here and let them have at you some more, after I give them a detailed biological profile on how to really get to you, Eclipse fuck." The Salarian wasn't sure what to think on that. She was System Alliance; they didn't torture their prisoners, even their alien POWs….right? They didn't let others do it either if they knew about it and could do something about it, right? Her tone of voice made him question his earlier resistance however since he really didn't want to know how much more effective Jarlaxle's men might become if armed with such knowledge, a fact that Jarlaxle and Alexandria, as well as Kimmuriel could see for themselves. The psionist briefly looked impressed but the facial expression came and went so quickly Jaraxle was the only one that saw it.

It wasn't going to be quite that easy though as they all would see in a moment. "And why would I tell you what I haven't told these backwater 'people', human? What better deal could you give me that doesn't involve a prison cell or worse, a death sentence? Answer me that." The Salarian barked, struggling against his shackles a little only to be punched on the back of his head hard enough to leave a bruise she was sure. The Salarian snapped his gaze over his right shoulder at the stony faced Kimmuriel and had to look away after only a few seconds. Alexandria was glad she wasn't the only one that found him unnerving as she spoke again, coming to a stop on his left side before leaning in close to his face, her eyes meeting his so there was no confusion about her sincerity.

"Because I don't lie when I make a promise, but fuck with me or lead me in the wrong direction and you won't have to worry about them torturing you since I'll kill you myself. I am not in the mood to be fucked with. Work with me and I can get you out of here." She snapped her gaze to Jarlaxle but he didn't give anything in return regarding his agreement or his displeasure regarding what had just been offered away on his face. He had a good poker face working for him.

"And what promise can I expect from the leader of Bregan D'aearthe?" The Salarian asked Jarlaxle directly, earning a cheery and apparently disarming smile from the Drow himself as he watched the little exchange between the human and his alien prisoner.

"Considering it took almost a dozen men to capture you originally and you nearly killed two of them, the map you are going to draw better be pretty detailed regarding defenses, patrols of your people, and anything else that might help my group overrun the place before I commit to anything." Jarlaxle countered; his voice sounded cheery but Kimmuriel knew better than to assume he was in a good mood. He had gone up against one of the mages that had been taking the drug and the psionist could attest to just how dangerous they were becoming. While he could care less about the fate of the surface, he knew Jarlaxle did if for no better reason than he hated chaos not created by his own hand, and while these days he acted less and less like a true Drow, the mentalist would never betray the man since he had given Kimmeriul a home after his own House had been annihilated long ago, so he stuck with him through everything Jarlaxle got them involved in. This latest venture was just another in a long string of them was all.

A scroll and an actual ink jar and quill were provided for the Salarian who looked at the items provided like Jarlaxle had grown a second head. Alexandria sighed but got why the Salarian was thrown for a loop. Jarlaxle was quick to catch on as well but it still amazed him all the same, something that was very hard to do. On the other hand, in retrospect he hadn't considered life beyond Toril until a month ago and the appearance of this creature had toppled everything he thought he had ever known about the world as a whole. To his credit though he had recovered quickly and had adapted just as quickly. He had to be able to do so since he had survived as long as he had. The Salarian had simply never written anything in his life on paper was the problem. "Ok, directions then, detailed directions, location of your base, and of course the aforementioned requirements will suffice."

The Salarian nodded but was still unsure if he'd get a chance to walk out of this room alive since Jarlaxle hadn't said one way or the other if he'd be allowed to live if he did spill the beans. What did he have to lose now though? He was already a prisoner, not like he could just get up and walk out if he wanted to, especially with the System Alliance getting involved. At least with the human present he might have a chance….provided she didn't kill him herself of course if he did try to lie and weasel his way out. A map was provided then after the ink jar, feather quill pen, and scroll was removed from the table before the map was unrolled before the Salarian, featuring every known city, ruin, forest, and other known notable geological features. The size was astounding to Alexandria, but she noticed that a large portion of the eastern part of the world around a part of the map that looked more like a giant hole called the Underchasm, was mostly blank on this map. Why was that? She didn't get a chance to ask though as the Salarian let his finger fall on a place called Dragonspear Castle. Jarlaxle seemed satisfied and as much as it pained him to do it he nodded for his men to let the Salarian go, with one condition of course. "Can you take care of our 'guest, Alexandria?"

"Of course. He'll be taken off your world as soon as I get back in contact with my superiors. We'll take him to be judged accordingly where he'll serve time in one of our prisons or one ran by his own people. Either way, he won't be a bother to you anymore." Alexandria replied, earning another small nod from the mercenary leader as he stood to his feet and beckoned for his guards to help their 'guest' to his feet.

"That's not good enough." Jarlaxle replied, and before anyone could move save for Kimmuriel, and he wasn't about to get in the way of their version of justice, the Drow's hands moved in a blur before three daggers seemingly appeared in the Salarian's throat and head, the first winding up in his throat while the last seemed to appear right between his eyes. The Salarian blinked once in absolute surprise before he slumped back into the chair he had started to get out of before he fell face forward onto the table. Alexandria's blue eyes were as big as saucers at the murder that had taken place right before her in the time it took her to breath, having just seen the edge of two bracers that Jarlaxle wore on his wrists before they disappeared back under his shirt sleeves. She took a few seconds to get her nerves back in order before leveling her venom filled glare towards Jarlaxle once more.

"I made no secret about what kind of people we are Alexandria. Drow justice, for lack of a better word, often times demands blood for blood. We live for revenge, we thrive on it. He nearly killed my men and I simply finished a potential problem off before it became one, nothing more." Jarlaxle replied in a tone that said it was something he was quite used to doing and he wasn't about to change in regards to killing if it suited his purposes or served his goals in the long run. "Besides, it didn't sound like he had a lot of hope of going free either, I did him a favor."

"A favor?! You just murdered him in cold blood right in front of me! He was unarmed and yes, he had a life sentence of prison to look forward to most likely, but this is where we differ." She didn't bother trying to say anything along the lines if he did it again she'd kill him herself since she doubted it'd have done her any good, but it was still in her voice all the same, that unspoken threat. Jarlaxle just grinned, admiring Alexandria's spunk and spirit despite the fact they both knew she was in deep trouble if she tried to fight her way out as they both stood from the table, having dragged things out long enough.

"I have an attack on Dragonspear Castle to prepare and your superiors are coming back to the city. You have a little girl to take back to her family, and I have a drug war to wage. We are both busy busy busy, wouldn't you say? So, despite our very different ways of doing things, that offer of alliance still stands Ms. Shepard." Alexandria sighed but saw no other way around it. It felt like she was selling her soul to the devil in a sense but really, they'd need all the help they could get if the Eclipse did have a presence here. Who knew who else or what else they'd find out here? Her superiors needed to know and she couldn't do anything if she was dead too, hidden away in God knew where, and Jarlaxle knew it.

"Just so you know, I won't have forgotten this just because an alliance was made between us Jarlaxle Baenre. Someday I will make you answer for your crimes." Alexandria replied, squeezing the offered hand that was given to her to shake, but when she tried to pull away, Jarlaxle kept her hand still in an almost crushing grip. She saw a piece of white thread seemingly appear in his other hand before Kimmuriel was suddenly beside them, binding their wrists together with the thread. She struggled but she couldn't get away fast enough as a blue light appeared around the thread before it sunk into their joined flesh after the mentalist among them finished his incantation. "What did you just do to me?!" Alexandria growled, having a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer. She was right not to.

"Kimmuriel gave me a bit of insurance just in case you did get the drop on me, however unlikely. You and I have been fate linked, meaning that if I were to say, accidentally walk off the side of a cliff, unless you proved stronger than his magic, you'd suffer the exact same injuries as me at exactly the same time. The same goes for you of course. Any injuries, or gods forbid, death that you might suffer, I too would feel the same thing unless I managed to resist and negate his spell. It's a chance but also a good way to make sure you didn't attempt anything to harm me given your clear dislike of me Alexandria." There were limits to how long his spell would work but she didn't need to know that…yet. It wasn't affected by range however which would prove handy for as long as it did last. "If you don't believe me I can demonstrate it's effectiveness for you."

"I'm sure you would. Our business is done, now let me out of here before I take a chance anyway." Jarlaxle just grinned and swept his wide brimmed hat before him as the door opened to allow Alexandria out of the dark room she had been held in for the last hour. She brushed back Kimmuriel who just smirked, having done his job since he could see the thread's mark on their skin, having a clear indication his spell worked. He was powerful enough that his magic wouldn't fade for at least two months, and it could always be renewed. It could also be negated but it'd take a strong mage to do so, and given her experience with magic so far it was unlikely she'd try to find someone to help her.

"Don't hate me Alexandria, I'm not your enemy no matter what you might think of me now." He called over his shoulder, not even earning a backward glance as she saw that the next room was her old room in the Purple Wyrm Inn, her weaponry all laid out on the bed in a neat little row. Turning back, she saw she had just walked out of a wall only to see the dimensional door she had been sent through disappear right before her, slamming shut just as she saw the Kodiak shuttle land outside once more from the window. The little girl was sent through a similar door a moment later, and upon seeing Alexandria, immediately rushed over to her and hugged her, tears of relief running down her face. Alexandria temporarily forgot her troubles and knelt down to hug her in turn.

"It's ok, it's over now." Alexandria said, earning a tighter hug as the little girl's face rested against the right side of her neck, burying her face in her short black hair. Whatever happened from here, fate linked to Jarlaxle as she was, the marine hoped that the rest of her day would run a bit more smoothly since she didn't know how much more of Toril she could take if everyone turned out like the Drow mercenary leader had already. She had shore leave coming up and if allowed, she had plans to hop the first shuttle back home before taking any more missions or assignments after today. Of course, what she wanted to do and what would happen, most likely would be two very different things.