Ivea smiled so widely that his cheeks hurt as he walked out of his room beside Sam.
He couldn't believe that creature like him could find someone as beautiful and incredible as her.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure with a hand outstretched wielding a weapon pointed towards...
"Sam!" He screamed as his body, on it's own, pulled out his pistol and fired a shot that hit the figure's gun directly.
The weapon shattered and dropped to the ground.
In a split second the Assassin leaped forward directly at Sam.
In a flash the Assassin was beside Ivea preparing for a fatal strike upon Sam.
Once again on instinct Ivea reached out with his left hand and wrapped his hand around the Assassin's throat so tightly it would've broken a human's bone.
He slammed the Assassin into the ground, holding firmly, and snarling ferociously.
Sam blinked and stood motionless.
Ivea knew she didn't have her weapon and had to protect her at all costs.
The Assassin sat motionless not trying to escape or even resist.
"Who are you?!" Ivea snarled but was only answered by silence.
He dropped the pistol that was in his right hand and firmly grabbed hold of the Assassin's mask.
With all of his strength he ripped it from the Assassin's face and threw it to the side.
A scaly dark green face stared up at him.
As the Assassin blinked there were two sets of eyelids.
"What...are you?" Ivea whispered.
"That's a Drell." Sam replied from behind him.
"I've never read of your kind before..." Ivea muttered with embarrassment.
The Assassin did not smile and did not frown they simply looked at Ivea with a straight face.
"Why are you here?" Ivea asked but once more the Drell did not answer.
Ivea squeezed the Assassin's neck harder which appeared to have an effect.
It wasn't anything major, it was the smallest twitch, so tiny Sam hadn't noticed.
"I...was sent to retrieve a target."
Ivea opened his mouth to question the Assassin when suddenly the Drell jabbed two fingers into the bottom of Ivea's wrist.
Suddenly Ivea's hand went numb and he lost control over it.
The Drell pushed Ivea's hand aside then slid behind him.
Before Ivea could react the Drell wrapped an arm around his neck and slowly squeezed.
Sam stepped forward to get the Drell off but she received a straight kick into her gut which knocked the wind from her lungs.
She keeled over in pain as the Drell continued slowly squeezing the air from Ivea's lungs.
His vision began to blur as his brain tingled.
Suddenly his eyes shot open.
He wouldn't let all he'd gained be taken away from him!
He grunted and growled as he leaned forward causing the Drell to lean on his back as his legs began to strain from him pushing them to their limits.
The Drell's face was the same blank expression as always when suddenly a small hint of surprise as Ivea began lifting the Drell off the ground.
Ivea screamed out with all his heart as he stood upright with the surprised Drell hanging onto his back.
He got low and leapt into the air then turned his back to the ground.
Now the hint of surprise dominated the Drell's face.
The moment they hit the ground the Drell's grip broke.
In a flash Ivea rolled onto his front and stood over the Drell.
"Now then, who sent you?!" Ivea yelled as he pressed his foot down on the Drell's throat.
The Drell locked eyes with Ivea.
"You fight well but with too much relying on instinct." Ivea frowned in confusion.
"What does that have to do with-" The Drell cut him off by punching the side of Ivea's knee which caused him to buckle.
Within that moment the Drell rolled to the side and jumped up.
Ivea got ready to fight but nothing came.
"Curious that your knee isn't shattered." Ivea frowned and looked at his knee which was fine.
"That was supposed to shatter my knee?" He asked in confusion.
"Yes I applied the proper amount of pressure and struck at the proper angle, by all means you shouldn't be able to walk. You're a strong one."
"Erm...thank you?" Ivea said confused.
He looked back and saw Sam was leaning against the wall trying to catch her breath.
"Turning away from your opponent is a deadly mistake however." When Ivea turned back the Drell was a few inches in front of him.
He jumped back in surprise and was about to fall over when the Drell grabbed him by the pouches going around his waist and pulled him back up.
"I would grab you by your hood but I understand you Quarians are very particular about it." He slowly nodded as he stepped back toward Sam while facing the Drell.
"I...appreciate that." The Drell gave a small simple nod.
"Samantha Johnson?" The Drell asked looking at Sam who slowly nodded.
"I was sent by Cerberus to collect you. However...this Quarian was an unexpected obstacle. As such I have terminated my contract with Cerberus and am now open to new contracts. I will now depart." The Drell turned and began to walk away when Ivea stepped forward.
"Wait! How much would your services cost?" The Drell stopped and stared ahead.
"I will train you." Ivea frowned in confusion.
"You'll train me? Wouldn't that mean I'd have to pay more?" The Drell shook it's head.
"Your form is embarrassing it'd be a disgrace to let this continue, knowing you'll stop embarrassing yourself will be payment enough." Ivea's face burned as the Drell smirked.
"My name is Alenia." The Drell said slightly bowing it's head.
Ivea frowned in confusion.
"Alenia? That sounds like a woman's name. Are you?" He asked hoping not to offend the Drell.
In reply the Drell stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before replying, "That would explain why I have breasts wouldn't it?"
Ivea's face burned as he looked down at the ground in humiliation.
"Sorry I didn't know." He muttered rubbing his left forearm.
Suddenly the Drell smiled.
"Don't worry, I wear this bulky suit for a reason. Men don't seem to want to hire females." Alenia looked over at Sam who stood up straight and stared back.
Then Alenia looked back to Ivea. "They must be intimidated."
Ivea gave a small chuckle but truth be told he was intimidated by her, her skills were incredible.
"Samantha, where shall I stay?" Alenia asked looking to Sam who was silent for a moment as she stared at Alenia.
"The cargo hold will have to do, I don't want the crew feeling uneasy around you." Alenia bowed her head in return.
"I see your logic. If you wish to find me I will be meditating there." Before leaving Alenia looked to Ivea.
"Your training will begin tomorrow, get rest." Then she turned and walked down the hall.
"Don't you need someone to show you there?" Ivea asked causing Alenia to stop and look back.
"Not required, I have the complete layout of the ship already...thank you though." Then she turned and continued to walk.
Ivea looked over at Sam who was still staring were Alenia was moments before.
"Sam?" Ivea asked.
She looked over but wore the same frown.
"She's a risk Ivea, why did you enlist her help?" He blinked in surprise then nervously fiddled with his pouches, he could feel the anger she felt.
"W...Well I just thought she'd be an asset to the mission and since she was in contact with Cerberus she may be able to tell us about them." Sam's frown seemed to only deepen however.
"That wasn't your call Ivea, you can't just recruit people for the mission." Ivea gulped as his legs locked.
"I...I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking I just wanted to help and-" Sam spoke up cutting him off.
"This isn't your ship Ivea." He froze as his heart skipped a beat.
Wh...What? Not my ship? But...I thought I was a member of the crew...I thought that she accepted me!
They both stood there for a tense minute before Ivea gave a single stiff nod then turned and began walking away.
Sam stood there a minute in confusion.
She wasn't an expert on body language like Quarians but she could see the obvious change in his body.
She silently nodded to herself thinking that he was upset.
But so was she, he couldn't just go around recruiting potential threats.
She was the Captain not him and she had to make that clear.
He just needed time to cool off as did she, besides, she needed to check with the bridge to see their status.
. . . .
The Illusive Man sat in his throne re-reading the termination message the Assassin sent him for the tenth time.
The phrase "unforeseen obstacle" stuck out to him.
He took his eyes off the message and stared into the star before him as he took a long drag off his cigarette.
"The Assassin has failed. Liquidate all resources at the Binthu research base." The Illusive Man ordered into a holoboard on his chair's arm.
Within a moment he was getting a call from the research base.
His eyebrows raise slightly at the speedy response.
He tapped the screen and spoke, "Were my orders unclear?"
"No sir but...We're so close to finishing the Enhanced Defense Initiative! If we had just a little more time we'll be all finished with the coding and be able to put in effect the shackles on ED-" The Illusive Man cut him off.
"My orders have been given and are to be carried out swiftly. You will be having company so I'd suggest you get to work." Before the scientist could reply he ended the call.
. . . .
Ivea stood in the bathroom with his visor in his hand as he stared at his face in the mirror.
His horrible face.
He glared at his own reflection with disgust.
I thought I was finally accepted, that I'd finally found somewhere to belong.
He shook his head as he looked down at the sink.
"I'm an idiot..." He whispered as he sat his mask on the top edge of the sink the gripped the sides.
His nostrils flared as he growled squeezing the sink harder.
"How could I be so stupid?!" He yelled shaking his head.
Sam's words endlessly echoed in his head.
"This isn't your ship!"
He slowly released the sink and leaned against the wall to his left.
"It's not...my ship." He whispered as he slowly slid down the wall and sat on the floor staring at the wall.
. . . .
Sam stood on the bridge with her hands clasped behind her back.
"The trip to Binthu is a long one but we should be there in about two days." The navigator confirmed to Sam.
Giving a nod she stared out through the view port at the tunnel they seemed to be flying through at FTL speed.
Even though she'd been on ships for so long it was still amazing how much Humanity had achieved in such short time.
"If anything happens I'll be in my quarters." She informed the crew then turned to leave.
. . . .
The next day Ivea got up and went straight to the cargo bay.
When he opened the door he saw it was empty save some stacked crates around the edges of the room.
Within the center Alenia sat cross legged facing him.
He took a step towards her before he noticed her eyes were closed.
"Erm...Alenia?" He called.
She opened her eyes and blinked rapidly before looking up at him.
"Forgive me I was in a trance. You are here for training?" He nodded as she stood up.
"Very well. First we will begin with your stance." Ivea nodded and stood there in as there was silence between the two.
"It would help if you showed me your stance." Alenia finally said as Ivea blinked realizing what she'd meant.
"O...Oh sorry, I don't um...have a stance really. The only time I've fought hand to hand I was...in a primal state." He said looking down in embarrassment.
His people were sophisticated and were past the times when they were tribal and animistic.
Whenever there was a fight on the Flotilla it was looked down on to give in fully to your primal side.
"There is no shame in that. Many people have only fought in such a state. I understand your people shame those who give in but there is none out here. Out here you must do what you can to survive." Ivea looked up in surprise with just how much this woman knew of Quarian culture.
"How do you know so much of us? It's one thing to know our history but you know our culture and even sociology!" He couldn't help but sound in awe of her knowledge.
Alenia chuckled lightly with a small smile.
"You flatter me, but it is my job to know about species so I can accomplish my missions efficiently. If I did not know of a Krogan's heavily plated skull then my shot would be useless. Instead it is more efficient to take out the legs then let the other Krogan take care of him for you." Ivea chuckled at the grim example.
"But how did you know about our knees?" Ivea asked crossing his arms.
"Something I picked up on the job, it is not a widely known fact." That made Ivea's blood turn to ice.
"You've killed Quarians?" He almost whispered.
She nodded stiffly.
"I have killed a member of all known races. It is rare to get a job on a Quarian but when one arises it is usually...simple."
Ivea twitched in anger but held his tongue as she continued.
"You Quarians have such weaknesses it's almost astounding. Your race has been dealt a bad hand, as Humans say, but I believe that is a massive understatement."
Ivea's rage subsided as he realized she was right.
Like it or not Quarians had many crucial weaknesses that made combat much more difficult.
"How would you take a Quarian down?" He asked as he uncrossed his arms and stood up straight.
"First it is a natural assumption that they have modified shields which would require two or even more shots which is unacceptable. So instead I must get in close. I would blend in with the crowd and become unnoticable." She began explaining as she began walking towards him.
"I would follow the flow of the crowd but gradually grow nearer. I would not stare as that is a giveaway."
She stood within four feet of him when she crossed the gap in a flash and brought her right hand up with her fingers fully extended up and into the bottom of his head where his suit was unprotected.
She pulled back and didn't strike but on instinct Ivea jumped back and swatted her arm away with his right hand.
She grabbed his right arm with her right had and brought her left hand forward wrapping her fingers around his visor.
His eyes went wide as he pushed her her hand away with his left.
Still holding his right arm she grabbed his left then snaked her left leg around his right leg and pushed her weight against him causing him to fall back but before he hit the ground he felt her pull on him and lighten the impact.
When he opened his eyes Alenia's face was above him with his arms still being held by her.
"The initial strike is to get them in a panicked state where they rely on instinct. Naturally they will swat away my hand. I grab their hand to immobilize them and prevent their escape. Grabbing their visor is also a facade to get the other arm within my grasp. Once both arms are secured I apply the proper torque on their wrists and break their wrists then get them on the ground. They will be immobilized by pain and unable to prevent me from removing their visor. To be certain the job is done I may cough on them." There was a deafening silence in the cargo hold as Alenia sat on Ivea's chest holding both of his arms still.
"The last part was a joke." She explained as Ivea sighed to himself quietly.
"What was your first job with a Quarian like?" He asked curiously.
She looked down then back at him.
"It was a long time ago on a Human colony she'd stopped at on her Pilgrimage." Suddenly her eyes went wide as the glance rapidly from side to side as her grip on his arms tightened.
"Sun shining. Cool breeze. Target spotted. Red cloth with dull blue plates. Confused body expressions. Ignored by Humans. Alone. Easy target." The she blinked and looked back at Ivea normally once more.
"I...apologize." She whispered releasing his arms.
"Wh...What was that?" Ivea breathlessly asked.
"Drell posses eidetic memory. It is when memories are triggered and we become enveloped in them. They can be mistaken for reality oftentimes. It is...involuntary some times."
"Is it painful?" Ivea wondered if maybe she could be hurt by a memory of a wound.
"It can be. I believe your lesson is completed for today." She got off him and went back into the center of the room sitting back down with her legs crossed.
Ivea slowly arose and stared at her.
"Thank you." He finally said as she gave a single nod.