Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect
Mass Fiction
Episode 5: Robin Hood
The Port Observatory was bathed in an eerie red glow courtesy of Dholen, the red giant in training that sat at the center of the system. Shepard had left in a hurry for Haestrom, the planet they were now orbiting after receiving some data from Cerberus. She hadn't found out all the details, but she knew that this was a Geth controlled planet in Geth space. Whatever was down there had to be important. Garrus and Mordin had gone with him, as once again, stealth was dumped in favor of sniper rifles and tech support.
To be honest her time aboard the Normandy had not gone exactly as she had thought it would considering the level of trouble Shepard was known for getting into. She had expected to be infiltrating bases and hacking security doors, but so far her skills had not been needed as Shepard usually favored a sledgehammer approach as opposed to a scalpel leaving her with plenty of downtime. The party at Hock's estate was still a few weeks away, more than enough time to work out the details. In the meantime she was content to sip her tea and dive into a good book.
The sound of opening doors interrupted her respite as she glanced up to see Samara standing in the threshold.
"I apologize if I am disturbing you," Samara said looking around the room.
"No, no please come in," Kasumi said waving the Justicar inside while placing a bookmark for later.
Samara nodded before entering, her eyes wandering about the various amenities and decorations the observatory held.
"Can I get you something to drink? I have…water," Kasumi said glancing at the bar thinking of anything non-alcoholic she could offer. "I think there might be some juice and I made tea if you'd like a cup."
"Tea would be fine," Samara said looking at a painting by the entrance.
"That is a painting of a Historical District on Earth. It's in a place called New York, one of the largest cities on my planet," Kasumi said handing Samara a cup.
"Does this painting hold some memories of Earth for you," Samara asked accepting the tea.
"No, it's special because of the memories I have from the heist," Kasumi said smiling sadly at the canvas.
"Indeed," Samara said noticing the slight change in the thief's tone.
"I had been hired to steal it by one private collector from another. I broke into the home, only to find the painting gone. On my way out I saw another thief with the painting under his arm. I chased him down, tackled him and took the painting," Kasumi explained. "That was the first time that my partner Keiji and I met. Needless to say we never did give the painting to our clients. Sometimes memories are worth more than money."
"A wise sentiment," Samara said with a nod moving towards a second painting on the far wall. "Is this also a memento from a past job," Samara said motioning to the picture.
"It is but not in the way you're thinking," Kasumi said smiling knowingly. "This is a gift I received from a sweet little girl from Elysium. She was a child prodigy who had been kidnapped by slavers to be sold on Omega. When I found out about it I couldn't stand by and do nothing, so I arrived on their ship under the guise of a buyer's rep. After they gave me the tour, I knocked out my guide, freed the girl and smuggled her off the ship. She painted that for me on the way back to her home."
"That is a…interesting story," Samara said somewhat taken aback.
"You seem surprised," Kasumi said smirking.
"I admit that my initial impression of you was not very flattering," Samara said turning to face her host. "But I see that even after nearly a thousand years of experience, ones judgment can still be clouded by misconceptions."
"Yeah that's me, a regular Robin Hood," Kasumi said sitting back on the couch.
"I am unfamiliar with that term. What exactly is a "Robin Hood"?"
"He's a character in Earth mythology," Kasumi explained. "He robs from the rich tyrant of a king and gives what he takes to the poor. All the while avoiding the Sheriff of Nottingham and trying to win the heart of the lovely Maid Marian. It's a romantic story full of action and humor, one of my favorites."
"It certainly seems to fit you well," Samara said with a small smile.
"I thought so too, in fact it was the inspiration for my annual New Year's Eve heists."
"What exactly separates these heists from the others if I may ask?"
"Well…it all started early in my career. I was still on Earth and I had just sold a statue that I had lifted from an auction house for a million credits. It was the most money I had ever made from a job and I went out to celebrate, champagne, dancing that sort of thing," Kasumi said chuckling, "worst headache of my life the next morning."
"Although it has been quite a few centuries since my maiden years," Samara said smirking, "I can sympathize."
"I was, for better or worse, stumbling home when I accidentally ran into a young boy. He wasn't much older than eight and was searching the garbage bins for something to eat. I asked him where his parents were and he said he was an orphan," Kasumi said frowning.
"Was there no place for him to go," Samara asked.
"I asked him the same thing and he pointed to a nearby building that looked like it had been through a Krogan invasion. The place was run by a well meaning couple that did what they could from a few small donations and a smaller government grant, but they just didn't have the money to support all of the children there."
"I take it you did something to help the children?"
"Sure did," Kasumi said smiling as she brought up an image from her omni-tool. It was an article from a news bureau with a picture of the dilapidated orphanage.
"Mysterious "Robert Loxley" donates one million credits to local orphanage," the headline read.
"Robert Loxley," Samara asked quirking an eyebrow.
"For people familiar with Robin Hood it's pretty funny," Kasumi assured her. "After that it kind of became a tradition for me. Every New Year's Eve I'd pull a job and give the money to the people that needed it most. I stopped using the name after I met Keiji. He was always the practical one and said that eventually someone would put two and two together. But he still helped me with the heists," Kasumi said, a lump forming in her throat, "he…he was a good man."
"You two were very close. I apologize if my curiosity has brought up painful memories," Samara said bowing her head.
"No it's okay," Kasumi said taking a deep breath, "the memories aren't painful, just the knowledge that it's all I have left of him."
A peaceful silence fell over the observatory as both Justicar and thief stared out into the abyss, each taking solace in the others presence, one soul soothing the other through quiet understanding.
"I have enjoyed our talk," Samara said rising, "after so long spent in solitude it is good to speak with others."
"I'm always around if you need some company," Kasumi said the cheerfulness returning to her voice.
Samara nodded, turning to leave before pausing as she glanced at the picture on the far wall once again.
"Samara," Kasumi asked noticing the Justicar's hesitation.
"I find myself needing to apologize once again," Samara said turning around, a small but sincere smile on her face.
"If it's about Keiji, I told you that it…"
"No. I must apologize for threatening you when we first spoke," Samara clarified. "I explained to you that it is my role to fight injustice and to protect the innocent. I had at first mistook you as one of many opportunist in this galaxy, preying on the weak and exploiting the innocent. I now see that is not so."
"But what about the code," Kasumi asked confused, "I thought you said it was pretty black and white about things."
"The code compels me to act but it does not compel me to act blindly," Samara explained. "Justicars investigate to make sure that justice is upheld. I may be told that one man has killed another, but upon investigation, the man did so in self defense. To strike him down would be a violation of the very oath I have sworn to uphold."
"So what does that mean for me?"
"As I told Shepard, though our methods may differ our goals remain the same. You will seek to protect and care for the innocent, even if it is in your own way. You are of a strong and noble character and to extinguish that fire from this galaxy would be unforgivable."
For a moment Kasumi was speechless at the praise she had just been given, staring in shock at Samara's words.
"I…thank you Samara," she said humbly.
"Until we speak again Kasumi," Samara said with a nod of her head.
"Yeah…we'll talk later," Kasumi said grinning.
Samara left leaving Kasumi in a fairly good mood. She had seemed to make a friend and she wasn't compelled to end her existence. Deciding to push the day into full-blown great, she brought up the recording on her omni-tool from Mordin's lab.
The Salarian had been busy working on the Seeker swarm counter, moving from one side of the lab to the other, checking data and humming to himself. As he continued to bounce around the lab, the humming escalated into mumbled words which eventually turned into full blown song.
When I was a lad I served a term as lab assistant to a research firm
I cleaned the beakers and I mopped the floor and I monitored the data on the mold and spores
He monitored the data on the mold and spores
I monitored that data so carefully that now I fight Collectors on the Normandy
He monitored that data so carefully that now he fights Collectors on the Normandy
"I wonder if he sings anything from Pirates of Penzance," Kasumi thought smiling.
I was never really sure how to handle Samara and the code so it didn't come out contradictory or confusing. I boiled it down to as long as they weren't innocents I'll let it slide. Also I have no idea what the painting Kasumi and Keiji stole is suppose to be so if there is a real answer tell me and I'll change it. To me it looks like a couple of ruined skyscrapers which made me think of Old New York from Futurama. The verse Mordin sings is from When I was a Lad from the H.M.S Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan FTW…*cough*… As always if you have an idea you want to see drop me a review and a request and I'll see what I can do. Until next time read and review people.