Hi guys, this chapter is a bit short but I decided that I wasn't going to write filler in my story, this story was content only and if I decided to make it longer then it would have ended up around 8000 words and it has been far too long to make you wait another couple of days to write that. Speaking of which thanks for waiting patiently for this even if it is a little short, I just couldn't summon up the mojo to finish writing this chapter before today, it was a mixture of me wanting to take a break off of writing and for some reason fanfiction had decided that I had no use of the upload system and broke it for like three days D:
Note - In this story Asari do gain minor elements of their 'father' races rather than the bullshit cannon explanation of using another DNA to scramble their own, that is horribly inefficient and sounds like it could cause any number of morphed babies or abominations *Cough*Ardat-Yakshi*Cough* from where their DNA joined together to make an arm somewhere an arm wasn't suppose to grow and such. In this story Asari take minor amounts of DNA from their partner and use it to fill in the small amounts of DNA that get corrupted as the cells destroy and remake their DNA constantly loosing miniscule parts of it when they make new cells. (This process is obviously slowed down in Asari, something that explains their lifespan) I.E - Drell memory, Krogan attitude, Salarian intelligence.
"This is an... interesting way of training, however did you come up with this idea?" Asana heard her instructor ask as she strained her legs to her limit as she continued running laps while routinely stopping to do pushups every twenty seconds as she ran the course, despite the pressure that pressed down upon her.
"I thought 'Hey, if biotics can make us lighter, then why cant they make us heavier' and the thought of using it in training or combat appealed greatly to me." She just managed to grunt out as her legs nearly collapsed when she took concentration away from keeping herself upright to focus on her discussion.
"It is a ingenious way of training if you don't have a high gravity environment at hand, even better than that as you can set your mass yourself rather than rely on a planet to push you down. It is good training for the both of us, I've never actually focused my biotics into something for this long, usually I use it for short bursts to make use of them but this is nearly straining me to my limit trying increase your mass this much for this long. If this was mastered just think of all of the opportunities that are open to the Asari in combat and otherwise." Verada said, her oncoming was exhaustion obvious to all who looked as she was panting slightly and sweat was beading on her brow, several Asari gathered around curiously when she didn't order them out for loitering as they noticed the effort and strain she put upon herself as she continued whatever she was doing, something that was a vast difference to the normally calm and composed Asari Matron she usually was.
"Yes, I had something more along the lines of combat in mind but I'll take what I can get." Asana panted out as she collapsed onto the ground after finishing her course, having done so three times with her mass being altered to three times heavier than normal, she was so exhausted that even her biotics felt feeble and sluggish as her control slipped with her concentration after the workout she had received by helping to keep the biotic field active.
"It is good to see you dedicating yourself to training as much as you do, I see that you have chosen the path of the Huntress?" Verada said while helping her to her feet.
"Yes, there was an... incident that made me think hard on what I wanted to do with my life and I decided that I wished to walk the path of the Huntress." She sighed as she made her answer, it wasn't that she didn't want to stay with Liara, but she felt that she needed time alone away from her after what had happened. It had been three weeks since her failed exercise but she could feel that ever so slowly as long as she was away from Liara, the void inside her was being filled with something instead of getting pulled out through her, and when it did pull on her it left her unnaturally tired as the void pulled and seemed to pass through her leaving her briefly drowning in sadness before she pushed it down to let it fade as it she knew it would do, and let it take something with it as it retreated, that something leaving her exhausted with its loss as she panted even harder.
Verada could see that something was wrong with her young student, at times she seemed to sag as if all of her energy had been taken from her before she braced herself and pushed through her current exercise which she then collapsed after and slept for several hours. But she said nothing, unless Asana wanted to talk to her then she wouldn't mention anything to anyone although she decided to keep a close eye on her, even if she had been training previously being a huntress was a dangerous occupation. She would have asked if her student was pregnant but even for an Asari she was far too young to bear child so she made no comment. Without any idea what was wrong she decided to ignore the niggling in her gut and focus on teaching her as she prepared to wait out any possible information that the maiden would let slip.
"It was a difficult choice, but I feel that this is what I want to do, and as much as I love Liara." She said hiding her reflexive cringe of the phantom pain the void caused at mentioning the words Liara and love in the same sentence "I don't think that I could deal with spending the rest of my life digging in the soil for clues and hints to something that may or may not actually be there."
"Yes, I can see the wisdom in that and it doesn't sound like you at all, you would want to be on the front lines of a war somewhere making a difference wherever you could." Verada said with a smile as she gazed fondly as her, watching as her cheeks colored with embarrassment over her childhood fantasies being made comment on. "But alas, as much as I wish to spend more time talking with you Mekera wants to speak with you, she said she had an something for you that you would love."
"Really, I haven't seen Mekera in years, not since she was sent off to the other side of Armali." Asana said sadly, it was a decision she hated but knew had to be done, after all she wasn't the only child that Mekera had decided to guide as children at Benzia's behest.
"She misses you as well young one." Verada said keeping hiding the smile that wanted to bloom on her face, it seemed that even in her strange state Asana cared more for Mekera than she did for brooding. 'Silly maidens, was I that silly when I was her age?' She thought to herself before deciding that she probably was and kept quiet about it.
"I missed her too... Do you think she would mind if I waited for her at her home? I mean I'm sure that she is busy..." Asana started tripping over her words in her haste, something that made Verada smile as it brought back memories of a certain young Asari that Asana was close too.
Verada burst out a sudden laugh at the thought of Mekera not wanting to see her 'Favorite' charge "No, she would be delighted to see you again, you should talk to her as I'm sure she doesn't mind going back to her home".
"Thank you for helping me train Strike-Mistress!" Asana called over her shoulder as she began running towards where she knew Mekera's house to be, leaving Verada with a smile on her face before she turned stern again as she moved towards the practice mat, pointing her finger at another un-lucky recruit to fight her, because even as biotically exhausted as she was, she was still physically fine and eager to work off the stress that came from overuse of biotics.
Ash'ara stilled as her Matriarch moved her eye's to her, taking in her scuffed armor and noticing the melted slag that was her shoulder piece with a investigative eye while she raised her eyebrow markings in realization as most of the anger fell from her form. "A Thresher Maw?" The way Benezia said it made it sound like a question even if she knew that it was a confirmation of her suspicions, you couldn't mistake the pitting Thresher acid left on carbon-polymer armor, including where it had partially melted through the ceramic reinforcements that laid in between and underneath the armor plating.
"Yes Mistress, there was a medium sized Thresher Maw a short distance outside of the compound that proceeded to destroy the area once alerted removing any chance of recovering information due to the eclipse cruiser following standard Anti-Thresher Maw procedure." She replied, still keeping herself perfectly still, a way of hiding her grief at the loss of a teammate and avoiding aggravating the predator that now stood in front of her.
"This was an intentional move." Benezia mused out loud as she turned her back to the Commando, who slumped slightly in relief that her Mistress angry gaze no longer rested upon her, "It is standard procedure to slag the surrounding area that a Thresher Maw is found in from orbit, a barrage like that would leave any evidence well and truly destroyed." Benezia said as she started to pace while looking outside her window."Hmm, it seems that the new Shadow Broker isn't as incompetent as I had first thought. Perhaps the attack was a rash move on my part, a move born from anger and frustration? But it has worked, even at the cost of a valuable Huntress the Shadow Broker has been struck at and he understands, he wont be sending anymore agents after my girls, proxies perhaps but nothing directly from him." Benezia said with a slight hint of grim triumph underneath her steely tone, it's not every day that someone get a leg over on the Shadow Broker after all.
Ash'ara wasn't angry at her Mistress, she understood that every Asari that had been ground-side that day had all volunteered for the job, so she felt nothing but pride for a good job done and the stirrings of grief that she was suppressing so that she could let it out in her private time or perhaps with another Asari's assistance, sex was a wonderful stress relief if both parties were willing and experienced.
She had something that she needed to ask her Mistress though and it was only because she had known her for over five hundred year's that she was confidant that she had any chance of receiving a positive answer "I would like to request some time to mourn El'ir's passing Mistress, I wish to send her to the Goddess with the other Huntresses help, if I may have your permission, Mistress?" Ash'ara was too tired to care much about her training as she bowed her head to her Matriarch and old friend with the request.
After several seconds of what seemed like Benezia contemplating her answer she heard the Asari speak back "I will allow you this rite." Benezia said in a formal tone before her posture softened as she reached over and ran her hand down the side of Ash'ara's crest and continued downwards until she stopped when she reached her face, cupping her cheek "Please make sure she passes onto the afterlife peacefully." Benezia whispered to her as she leaned over and touched her on the shoulder in a solemn sign of respect to the fallen.
"Thank you Mistress, she will pass beyond as gracefully as she entered this world." Ash'ara said with a small smile as her mind drifted into memories of El'ir in past event's with perfect clarity, a genetic pullover from her female Drell 'father'.
Upon seeing Mekera waiting for her Asana let out a small cry of joy as she jumped at her, arms wide open awaiting the return of the gesture, something that came only a moment later with Mekera being more used to her habits that carried over from still being part human including things such as hugging, an activity that Asari surprisingly didn't do as they preferred touching with hands to the upper body, and the growling that she would sometimes let out from the deep of her throat, something that was a genetic leftover so deeply ingrained into the human DNA that was a part of her that it was impossible to remove without mutilating the her vocal chords and the fight or flight reaction in the brain, even if Asari doctors didn't quite understand what that part of the brain did, making them even more apprehensive.
"Oh, how I have missed you little one." She heard Mekera say as she let out a sigh as she snuggled deeper into Mekera's side, the hybrid turning almost childlike in Mekera's presence as she began to hum a relaxing nursery tune that always seemed to sooth Asana whenever she heard it.
After basking in her presence for a moment longer she stood straight again coming in at 5,7ft, somewhat short for an Asari but excused as she still had decades left to grow into her full height, and squeezed the caretaker in her grip and smiled as she felt her squeeze back. "I've missed you so much, loads of stuff has happened. Liara and I passed the Hunt with just Shiala to aid us!" She said with a beaming smile awaiting the response that would come from one of her precious people.
"I know, I was aboard one of the yacht's while the Hunt was in progress." Mekera said slowly in a dry tone, as her face seemed to scream 'You forgot didn't you?'.
"I mean... Yeah, uh yeah I knew that you were there I was just trying to test your memory." Asana stuttered out, not noticing that the longer she spent with Mekera being happy the more the void in her was being halted and pushed back, leaving her feeling lighter than she had in weeks.
"Yes, I'm sure." Makera said with a smile, enjoying being back in the presence of one of her favorite charges as her mind drifted slightly to past memories that that sheepish smile brought up.
"Well, are you done making a fool of yourself." Makera asked teasingly with a slight tilt to her head as she raised a eye-brow marking, something that she had drawn onto her face to be closer to Asana when she was younger and had decided to keep as she had problems kicking the mannerisms that had formed like raising her eyebrow when she didn't have them on, something that Asari didn't do naturally.
"Regardless, I have something for you." Asana heard her carer say "This is something that I've been holding onto for some time now, I knew when I saw them that they were yours and yours alone"
"Really, you brought me a present?" Asana said with her eyes sparkling like they used to again for a brief moment before they dimmed again, though her face hadn't lost any of the brightness that it had gained as she smiled wide enough to show off her canines, another thing that Asari didn't have as they were never a predatory race that needed sharp teeth.
Shivering slightly at the small predatory display by her younger charge baring her 'fangs' as other Asari called them, ignoring it as she knew that it was a subconscious action rather than an intentional one she reached over her shoulder and felt the package that she had kept secure on her back up until this point as she pulled it out of it's holder and moved it into Asana's sight range.
The second that she saw the box she knew exactly what type of present it was, she didn't know what exactly it was but she knew that it was something that she had been waiting for. Looking at the box she took in it appearance, to a civilian it would appear to be a simple storage crate but as she had been living around commando's all of her life she knew a weapon container when she saw one, based on it's size it was either a disassembled weapon, grenades or a pistol and the sixth sense she listens to was telling her that it was a pistol of some sort.
"Is that?" She started but then stopped as she started in awe at the container, she knew what the significance of this gesture was, anyone who has a older sister as a commando did. It was Makera's seal of approval, it was telling every commando that saw it that she supported Asana's goal to become a Huntress, something that almost guaranteed her at least a second look as getting the approval of a commando was almost as hard as making a Hanar believe that the 'Endkindlers' didn't exist.
"Yes, it is." When she heard that statement it solidified the belief in her mind, she was getting what amounted to a guarantee that her application would be taken seriously, something that could cut down on months of paperwork and trying to get the Armali Commando's to take notice of her. She knew that this was going to be hard, only the best of the best got into the Commandos and it was even harder for Non-Asari to do so as they raised the standards to make sure that they weren't allowing those whose convictions were shaky in, even then the Biotics course limited it so Non-Biotics weren't even allowed in the Asari military including the rare few Asari born with a genetic defect that made their Biotics so weak that the best they could do is to make a feeble spark before exhaustion slammed into them with the subtlety of a falling shuttle.
"I... I don't know what to say..." Asana just about managed to stutter out before she lost control of herself and jumped into a hug again smashing the box into her chest, the beginnings of tears of joy forming in the corners of her eye's as her heart beat fiercely in her chest trying to keep up with her chaotic emotions "You would really do this for me?"
Looking down at her charge Makera smiled "Yes, I believe that you have the skill and drive to become a commando of high caliber, I expect it of you in-fact because I know that you can do it. You wont let me down." She said in a soft tone with a look conveyed her belief in a way that couldn't be faked or pretended, making Asana smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes and stood to her full height and placed her clenched fist over her heart and bowed her head, her way of showing her gratitude in the form of the Asari salute.
"Yes" Makera said looking upon her fondly before she moved her hand to the top of the container "Now do you wish to see your weapons? Your new partners?"
In her room Liara sat staring at a picture of her sister, one of the older ones that were taken straight after her Hunt where they were all hugging with smiles on their faces and as she stared in melancholy at the picture her mind drifted back to when they were younger, back when things were simpler with it just being her, Asana, Ada and Arda.
'What went so wrong' Liara thought to herself, Asana had been avoiding her and that hurt, but it had hurt even more when Asana had rejected her meld after the mistake in her training, she had never pushed her presence away before and it stung to think that her sister found something so wrong with her that she had repulsed her mind from the meld as forcefully as she had, unaware that her mind was actively suppressing what little she had seen inside the meld to make sure it didn't shatter her mind like it almost had Asana's, this factoring into keeping her blissfully un-aware the blackness that was plaguing her sister's soul right this moment, devouring all around it even if it's progress was halted and being slowly reverted by spending time with Makera, someone she loved with all of her heart.
'She doesn't love me anymore' Liara thought to herself, it seemed like a valid conclusion to her. 'Maybe she saw something in me when she was pushing her empathy out, something that made her hate me' Liara started panicking at the thought as it took a deeper root in her mind, it must have been her fault as Asana was only avoiding her, she must be a terrible sister and now she hated her.
She started crying at the thought, the more time she spent crying the more she spun into a depressive spiral as her thoughts revolved around all she had done wrong in her life. When the depression reached it's highest point she slumped into her chair as all of her energy drained out of her as she wallowed in her tears silently.
Something that was interrupted by the chiming of her terminal, indicating that she had a message. After taking several minuets to pull herself together she flicked open the message and was surprised that it wasn't from anyone she knew before she realized that it was spam mail, and just as she was about to delete it something about it caught her eye and she decided to take a closer look, not wanting to start wallowing in depression again with nothing to distract her she did just that.
It was an invitation to the 'Thessian institute of Archeology and History', it looked like they had been sent out to most young Asari who had expressed an interest in what they were teaching and in her emotional state she looked upon her terminal and saw a solution to all of her problems, something that she could immerse herself in, something that would help dull the pain of Asana's seeming rejection as she buried herself in something she loved. After thinking about it for maybe three seconds in her emotional state she made a rash decision that would change her life forever.
She entered her details and asked to apply for a position at the institution.
Tell me what you think and any errors I made and PM or Review your opinion back to me.
(A/N - I would like everyone to PM or leave a review telling me what you think her weapons should be, keep in mind that they (yes there are two) are both pistols, tell me what they should look like including what Color, Size or Shape they should be.)
This was actually a lot harder to write than combat as I need to imagine myself in the roles of the characters as I write about the emotional fluctuations and opinions so I hope you enjoy it.