Chapter 6: Lost Soul
C70 Corvette, Sayara
Enroute back to Coruscant
Remote piloting Kale's scoutship down to the surface, finding a buyer for her, and finding suitable laser cannons had taken up a fair chunk of their day. That wasn't even taking into consideration their new shipmate and getting her at least comfortable before they took off back to Coruscant with their prisoners. Despite her brave front she'd put on all day, displaying the equally intimidating and revered 'Commander' face she wore as a force of habit now, Jessica Shepard had been shaken up considerably by discovering the simple fact the slave trade was in full swing in this galaxy. Dealing with the zabrak girl had brought up a lot of bad memories, so it came as no surprise when she woke up in the middle of the night, covered in a cold sweat, her heart trying to jump out of her chest.
A soft pair of blue hands wrapped around her waist was the only thing keeping her from running to the bathroom and sticking her head under a stream of icy water. "Mindoir?" Was all she asked, to which Jessica could only nod. Liara pulled her tighter against herself and kissed the side of her neck. "I'm not all that surprised really. You've been too quiet ever since you brought her back to the ship."
"She has a name." Jessica muttered, not even able to glare over her shoulder at her bondmate as Liara gently ran her nimble fingers through her messy red hair. "I just don't know what it is yet." The Spectre grudgingly admitted after a few moments of silence.
"We'll find it Jessica. We stopped the Reapers after all, finding someone's lost name should be relatively simple in comparison." While she had no actual proof of that, Liara firmly believed the Crucible had worked, that the Reapers were gone for good. It was the only logical explanation as to how they had wound up in this galaxy. And it was all because of the woman in her arms. "We might be lost as well, but we're not defeated Jessica. We've come through so much together, and you aren't alone in your pain. Or love for that matter." That got a ghost of a smile from Shepard as she finally did look over her shoulder and met the asari's deep blue eyes.
"I know, but you know how I am. You have to take a crowbar to my mouth half the time." Shepard admitted with a small smile.
"I have the crowbar hidden away for emergencies only. Funny though, I thought you prefered my tongue between those lips of yours?" Liara asked, a sultry note in her soft voice that had Shepard's insides melting quite pleasantly.
"That and other places." Shepard chuckled before she sighed and looked away before the asari could lean in for a kiss that likely would have lead to other things. She couldn't afford that distraction, not yet, not until she had spoken her mind at least.
While it always amazed the asari how quickly Shepard could switch between emotions, just as quickly as she switched between her 'Commander' visage and the face only her close friends usually saw, she had long since grown used to the shifts Shepard constantly went through, and waited patiently for what was on Shepard's mind. She had a pretty good idea though.
As she expected, Jessica tried to make it sound like the weight of the galaxy wasn't on her shoulders. A fact made evident by the wry grin she put on her face. "You know, as much as I hate the idea of leaving this bed, I really should check on-"
"Jess, relax, Karin is perfectly capable of taking care of her patient. Honestly I'm more worried about James. He didn't exactly like the idea of having to 'guard' our guest. Now please, tell me what's really wrong." Liara gently pleaded before turning Jessica's head by the bottom of her chin, her fingers cupping the human's left cheek.
Knowing she was trapped, not that she wanted to get away from Liara anytime soon, Jessica let her eyes fall before she whispered a single word. "Talitha."
It was all the asari needed to hear as she cupped Shepard's face in both her hands. "That was not your fault Jessica."
"I still failed her Liara." Jessica argued back, her tone sharper than she originally intended.
"And you're afraid you'll fail again. But I know you won't. We won't fail her. You're not alone this time." Liara whispered, unaffected by the sharp tone in the human's voice, and brushed her thumb just underneath Shepard's right eye when a tear started to form.
A flicker of a genuine, grateful smile tugged at Shepard's lips as she placed her hands over Liara's and looked up into her beautiful face. "Right, of course you're right. Just me worrying like I always do." Jessica laid back and settled down after a moment before giving a quiet sigh. "Maybe I should just comm Chakwas real quick, just to be safe."
Liara only smiled and rolled over onto Jessica's side of the bed, straddling the grinning marine before gently pinning her arms over her head. "You need to relax Jess." Her idea of 'relaxing' was definitely not Shepard's idea of relaxing, but she wasn't about to complain as the next hour became one long hazy blissful 'dream' for the human Spectre. All she could recall was screaming Liara's name, or maybe the asari maiden had screamed hers, the meld made it really difficult to tell the difference at times once their nervous systems, some could safely argue their very souls, became one glorious whole.
Covered in sweat for an entirely different reason this time, Shepard smiled tenderly at the asari curled up against her side, half sprawled out on top of her with the blankets tangled up around them. Maybe Liara's right? I really need to relax and let things lay. Shepard couldn't help smirking at her own terrible joke as she stared into Liara's sleepy, joy filled blue eyes. They'd done all they could back in the Milky Way, and she shared her opinion, they had won against the Reapers. Forgetting the fact that they were lost in another galaxy, she was pretty sure she had seen a red shockwave emanate from the Crucible before the shuttle door had slammed shut in her face. While she wanted to know who was left standing, if the collective species of their galaxy were rebuilding or had picked up old hatreds, Shepard was content with the fact they had come out the other side at all. It's a damn shame everybody back home is probably honoring me right now, when they should really be honoring people like Steve and all the rest who pulled my ass out of the fire more times than I can count. They're the real heroes, I was just the first one to run into the meat grinder.
That slightly morbid, self deprecating thought led to another as Shepard looked at her free hand that wasn't currently trapped around the asari's waist. Her emerald eyes fell on the faintly glowing blue lines that ran up and down her arm. There was a time she had questioned her own humanity after waking up on that Cerberus operating table. Liara had managed to burn those concerns away from her psyche with various methods of persuasion, reassurance, and encouragement. Oddly enough, when it wasn't used in the bedroom, the asari meld, being able to see herself through another's eyes, had helped the most. Liara hadn't seen the machines, the scars, or any of the marks left by the Lazarus Project. She had seen Jessica Shepard, the fallible human, the woman she had fallen in love with.
So what if she had a few cybernetics upgrades. So what if she had technically been dead for two years, that didn't change who she was inside. Despite having wondered for the longest time if there had been anything left of herself after the original Normandy went up in smoke, Liara and the rest of her crew had shown her otherwise, in their own respective ways. She still had doubts, but they weren't about her state of being anymore.
Garrus's voice coming from her omni-tool dragged her from her thoughts. "Shepard, we have a problem."
"What's wrong?" Shepard asked, immediately on high alert.
"The girl's missing. James passed out at his post and he's understandably freaked out right now. I had to talk Chakwas into giving him a sedative." Garrus responded calmly, knowing how to talk to Shepard when she was in a situation like this.
"I'll be down. Give me sixty seconds." Shepard stated, making a mental note to have James at least clean up the armory for a couple days for this minor lapse. He was only human, but she couldn't let this mistake slide either. Not for her own people, or those that the Senator had assigned to the Sayara to help them acclimatize to their new surroundings, among other things.
Even in the middle of a potential crisis, Garrus just couldn't help himself as a sly grin, or at least the equivalent of one, pulled at his mandibled face. "That quick huh? For shame Shepard. Liara must be deeply disappointed. And unsatisfied."
"Bite me scarface." Shepard chuckled as she did her best to get out of their bed without disturbing Liara before making a beeline for her discarded clothing.
"Maybe later. ...If Liara and Tali say it's alright of course." Garrus shot back, his smug grin audible in his voice.
"So should I buy Tali the whip now or later?" Shepard quipped, distracting herself from a familiar guilt ridden feeling in her gut as she mentally drew up the most effective search pattern. The Sayara was a decent size ship, only slightly smaller than the SR-1, and it'd take almost everyone and EDI to cover every possible hiding place in a reasonable amount of time. "EDI?" Shepard called out, and wasn't surprised when the AI responded.
"The young zabrak girl is currently making her way down to the brig. I would advise caution, she seems highly agitated. It might be best if only you, David, Ashley, or Karin approach her at this time." EDI replied, her voice coming from the nearest intercom station on the ship.
"Right." Shepard replied and ran out the door once she had gotten her pants up and secured. Her shirt was half unbuttoned but she didn't really care. She was more worried about finding the girl before she got herself into trouble, or worse. That thought led to another and she sucked in a breath, alarm filtering into her voice. "Where's Jack?" Shepard asked after slamming the elevator controls with her fist. The last she had heard, the psychotic biotic had been on guard duty. She had used the time to mock the prisoners before picking up a datapad on some topic or another.
"She just left the brig. The only other guard, Jakar Exlor, one of the combat techs from Naboo, is asleep at his post." EDI reported in her usual demeanor. "Not five minutes after relieving Jack, he kicked up his feet and got comfortable."
"Shit! Get Jack back down there now, I don't want her anywhere near Kale and his men. And lock down the brig, make sure she can't get in there." She was probably going to regret that later, but Shepard wasn't about to put her in needless danger by letting her get too close to Kale. Jack at least she trusted not to hurt the zabrak out of hand.
"Already done, but I fear the zabrak girl has found another way inside. She's more resourceful than we gave her credit for. She is utilizing the ventilation system to avoid detection, and I cannot safely restrict her movements without the possibility of injuring her Shepard." The AI said in an apologetic tone.
"Damn it. This night just got a lot more complicated." Shepard muttered under her breath.
Not far from the Sayara's Brig...
She kept expecting something bad to happen to her. And when it didn't, that was when she started to get really scared. That was why she had left the medbay once everyone was asleep and the droid had deactivated for the night to recharge. The fact these people had been nothing but nice to her had only added to her fear and confusion. They had killed her master, yet they treated her as if she was an equal to them. But that wasn't right, she belonged to them now. It didn't make sense, nothing did. She knew she couldn't leave the ship, but that didn't mean she couldn't hide, at least until she found a way off the new masters' ship if nothing else. At most she was hoping that anything in her life would start to make sense again. No, no! That was wrong! A slave is never to leave her master's side. She deserved to be punished for thinking bad thoughts like that.
She needed… she needed a master, she was lost without her master's guidance. These strange new masters' wouldn't guide her or even punish her. Even worse, they insisted that she was their equal when she clearly was not. Maybe they were playing with her, yes that must be it, making her believe they were nice before punishing her. Many of her former masters liked to do that. This was the longest she had gone without being flogged to within an inch of her life, but she kept expecting arms to reach into her tiny hiding space and drag her out to be broken in like most times.
Subconsciously rubbing at her neck, she flinched when she remembered they had taken the collar away as well as the chains. The older human woman had even cleaned and bandaged her wounds, and given her food that hadn't been half eaten already. She had ate little of it, and hadn't even tasted it really. She had consumed enough to ease her hunger before meekly pushing the tray away, although the doctor had gently insisted she could have more if she liked. Slaves who ate more got beaten more, she learned that a long time ago.
Moving through the vent she had found just outside the medbay, she made her way forward, quiet as a womp rat on the off chance she was right. As terrified as she was about not having a master, she didn't want to be hurt anymore either. She shivered at the thought of what the large man waiting outside to beat or use her first would do to her now. And then there was the raven haired woman that had been marching around. Even the giant man had seemed intimidated by her, so she did not want to be caught by that one if she could help it. No, she had to find the nice older dark skinned human or the scarred, red haired woman and let one of them claim her for themselves.
"Hello kiddo." The zabrak jumped with a shriek and spun around in the vent when someone flickered into sight right behind her. "Easy, it's okay. I'm a friend." The almond eyed, hooded woman said and held up her black gloved hands up. "We're just worried about you. Shep just wants you to be safe."
Her response was to kick out and claw at Kasumi like a wild animal until the vent floor gave out under the thief and sent her tumbling down onto the ground several feet away. "Ow….I'll take that as a no. Well, you can't say I didn't try doing this the nice way." Kasumi muttered as she frowned and activated her omni-tool. "Time for the not so nice one." Gracefully flipping to her feet, the zabrak stared in horror as the thief climbed right up the wall and jumped back into the vent, lightning crackling around her right hand. "Now just hold still and it will all be over." Kasumi told the frightened girl with a sigh. "I'm glad Anakin isn't here to see this, now I've got the Sith approach to diplomacy down pat along with the outfit."
"NO!" Her shriek was nearly deafening, giving the zabrak just enough of an opening to shove Kasumi's own crackling hand into her face. Kasumi stiffened and once again fell out of the vent. This time she didn't get back up, but she was still breathing from the slow fall and rise of her chest. "No, no, no! I didn't mean to hurt you master!" Gazing down on her with repentant green eyes, the girl hesitantly reached towards Kasumi's still form. But before she could build up enough courage to drop down from her hiding space, she heard the sound of boots running towards her and rapidly darted back into the vent.
Moving deeper into the network of ventilation shafts, she soon tumbled out of another exit and found herself in a relatively spartan, small chamber with several energy shielded spaces along both walls. Both of the doors were lowered and sealed, locking her inside the small room, but a quick look around revealed she wasn't alone. There were four people, each contained in their own cell. There was an empty pair of chairs against the back of the room, but no trace of their occupants.
Seeing a Mirialan woman glancing up towards her, the zabrak jerked back into the shadows, hitting her shoulder against the side of the vent in the process. "Hey, hey boss. Look. Up there."
Kale looked up and sneered, seeing an opportunity. "What do we have here? A little slave girl running scared? Looks like the Republic hound isn't as honorable as she claims to be. Listen girl, if you know what's good for you, you'll let us out." He waved his bandaged stump up in her direction and pointed it with his good hand. "Or this might be you next. Or maybe those Republic dogs will think of something more fitting for a runaway slave eh?"
"Nah, they might just let that walking, talking armored rancor eat her instead." Another of the prisoners, a male human, chuckled darkly.
"If he doesn't have fun with her first." The Mirialan woman cackled before slamming a hand against the barrier. "Let us out of here girl! We have a score to settle with that schutta and her sleemo friends."
"Now, now Velaris. No need to frighten the poor thing further." Kale admonished the smirking woman with a knowing grin before turning his red gaze back to the quivering ticket out of his cell. "She's just upset little one. How about you come out of there? You let us out, we'll protect you, take you with us even."
Kale paled when the door on the right opened and the tattooed woman, glowing from head to foot, cocked her hip to the side and glared daggers at the prisoners. "Don't count on it kid. These fuckers wouldn't know a decent gesture if it kicked them in the balls. As for you tangerine boy, shut your fucking mouth before I come in there and rearrange your face."
"Jedi freak! You wouldn't have won if not for being a karking Force user scum!" The Mirialan, Velaris, roared, only to yelp when she was promptly surrounded by glowing dark energy and slammed into the ceiling with a flick of the tattooed woman's wrist.
"Sorry precious, but I'm a step up from your average pansy ass Jedi." By this point she had since turned to the vent and trapped the fleeing zabrak in a similar field with a far more gentle 'grasp'. She didn't slam her around however, only pulled her out of the vent and brought her to a stop a foot off the ground. "Gotta say squirt, you got guts, putting Kasumi on her ass like that. 'Course, she probably had a snappy one liner she just had to say before trying to zap you. So I figure it was her own damn fault for scaring you."
As the woman pulled her closer with an approving grin, the terrified zabrak girl could feel the glowing field around her begin to weaken. Desperate and not knowing what else to do, she jerked her head forward and firmly pressed her mouth against the woman's grinning lips before she could even blink. A split second later, as the tattooed woman's brown eyes widened in surprise, she was instantly dropped to the deck. Knowing that the other crew members would burst in any second, she dared to reach out and gently caress the fearsome warrior's face, hoping the strangely glowing woman would claim her first. She was sorely disappointed when the tattooed warrior pushed her away, more in shock than anger. "What the hell was that?!"
Instead of sticking around to answer her shouted question, the zabrak bolted before the woman could recover and ensnare her in... whatever that had been again. She didn't get far before she was grabbed, by the last person she had wanted to run into. "Sssshhhh, relax. You're safe now! You're safe!" The raven haired woman shouted even as the zabrak bucked and squirmed about frantically in an effort to escape her durasteel grasp. She was a lot stronger than she looked, which only added to the zabrak's terror.
Thrashing wildly from side to side, giant tears started to roll down her face as the zabrak pleaded for mercy. "NO! No, please no, I won't be bad, I promise I won't be bad!"
Ashley knew Shepard was going to have someone's head on a silver platter for this massive screwup, but that wasn't her immediate concern. She had to calm down the poor girl before she had a heart attack. Racking her brain, thankfully William Ernest Henley came to the front of her mind, and having all but raised her fellow sisters alongside her father, she was able to turn William's masterly written Invictus into a soft, gentle lullaby with little effort.
"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed."
Ashley didn't move save to subtly shake her head when Shepard and Garrus rounded the corner. The zabrak had since stopped thrashing, but she was still wide eyed and breathing rapidly in her grasp. She paid it no mind though as she continued.
"Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."
Silence reigned in the cramped corridor for a moment with only the girl's quiet whimpers filling the void. Ashley gently rested her head on her shoulder and slowly rocked her in her arms until she finally lowered the shaking girl to the deck with care.
"Gotta say Williams, that was damn impressive." Garrus quietly stated and held up a hand when Jack finally caught up to them. She took one look at the very odd scene and held up her hands in a placating gesture when Shepard looked her way and put a finger to her lips. The turian had since knelt down next to the zabrak and the human who still had her arms wrapped around her. "What now Ash? I hate to even say it, but should I make a pair of omni-cuffs?" Garrus offered with a guilty glance towards his omni-tool.
"Are you fucking insane?" Ashley hissed in a whisper, deceptively lightening her tone when the young zabrak flinched in her arms. "She's terrified, slapping cuffs on her would just make it worse jackass."
"Right, sorry. My old C-Sec training, they taught us to make sure... ah, people in distress wouldn't hurt themselves." Garrus explained awkwardly, lowering his eyes in embarrassment. The ship's XO or not, he agreed with Ashley's opinion of the situation even if his old training said otherwise. Those that were as traumatized as the zabrak girl were a danger to themselves and everyone around them, so it was usually a good idea to keep them under wraps.
"She's spent enough time in chains." Ashley stated in such a way that Garrus instantly let the matter drop, her tone implying he'd have matching scarred mandibles if he tried anything. Shepard though nodded her head and offered her younger counterpart a brief but wide smile as she knelt next to her. When she saw the unspoken question on the Commander's face, Ash rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled in embarrassment. "Cost of having sisters younger than me Skipper."
"Turning Invictus into a lullaby was pretty clever though Williams. The fact it worked is just more impressive." Shepard softly told her as everyone except the traumatized girl turned to glance at her. "What, I read. Fine, it was required reading at the academy."
"Cough. Sorry, I'm just allergic to horrible liars, Shep." Kasumi chortled as she tapped on the woman's shoulder as she flickered into sight. "Those three weeks waiting for Tali and the engineering crew to patch up the Sayara let you catch up on some light reading. Usually naked, with Liara 'reading' next to you."
"Thanks for that lovely fucking image Kasumi." Jack muttered quickly before jerking her head to the brig. "What do you want to do with jackasses one through four? Personally, I'd flay some skin off of Kale and his buddies, good stress relief after they scared the shit outta her." The psychotic biotic nodded to the zabrak for emphasis just as an aura of dark energy started to emanate off of her in menacing waves. "Just say the word Shepard."
Shepard glared at the brig, half tempted to let Jack have her fun, but she shook her head and slowly stood to her feet. "I have a better idea." Jessica said when her eyes fell on a nearby emergency airlock hatch before she turned her head to look at the rest of her team. "Ash-"
"Already on it. I'll get her tucked in." Ashley said with a nod, knowing full well that the frightened girl next to her didn't need to see what was coming. No point in having her be terrified of the Skipper too, Ash mused as she gingerly picked up the zabrak bridal style in her arms, the girl's head cradled between her shoulder and collarbone.
"Commander Williams, what the hell-o there, you alright sweetheart?" Anderson's stern frown morphed into a look of fatherly concern in record time as he jogged toward the pair. "I thought she was confined to the medbay for observation Shepard." David stated rather than asked as he turned to give Jessica a scathing glance over his shoulder.
"Long story sir. She just got a little shaken up... more shaken up." Shepard corrected herself before casting a scathing look at Jakar when he decided to start backing away from her down the corridor.
"I ah, I should go start writing up my report of this incident for you ma'am." Jakar said and turned around to make a quick departure.
"It's a little late for that pal." The skittish looking tech didn't get ten feet before Shepard grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him away, her augmented strength making it an easy task. "You, James, and I are going to have a nice little chat, then you're both going to drink twenty cups of black caffstim in front of me since neither of you don't seem to be able to stay awake for your duty shift. That's just the beginning though, trust me. You're never going to screw up twice by the time I'm done with you."
Jack, David, and Garrus could only stare as Shepard dragged a whimpering Tech Specialist Jakar down the hall and around the corner. They couldn't remember the last time she'd been so angry, and that was saying something. Usually when she got pissed, people ended up dead in droves. So going by her prescribed punishment, she was most definitely in a more lenient mood.
Ten minutes later...
James and Jakar were already feeling sick to their stomachs as they drank down their tenth cup of what passed for coffee in this galaxy. It didn't help that the cups in question were rather big, but they didn't dare stop, not with the mother of all emerald death glares boring holes through their respective skulls. All the while, Shepard leaned on a nearby table, a heavy pistol casually held in her hand and being tapped against her hip, lecturing them or 'encouraging' them to go faster as it suited her. Her idea of encouragement was a non lethal but very painful concussion shot, usually aimed at a leg, shoulder, or an arm. Jakar had dared speak out against her 'non regulation treatment', only to get a blast in the chest for his trouble that had left him sprawled out on the deck, puking his guts up. He had quietly sipped at his mug since, desperately trying to keep the last of it down for fear of Shepard making him start over.
"You're lucky. In the days of ancient Earth, while we still sailed around in wooden boats and used cloth sails filled with nothing but the wind to get from port to port, they used to keel haul traitors and those that had bouts of stupidity that resulted in dereliction of duty, like you two." The false cheer in her voice was even more terrifying than her earlier shouted reprimands as she continued to tap her pistol against her hip. "I don't have a keel to haul you two on, but I'm sure if I thought hard enough, I could come up with a suitable substitute. For now, enjoy the drinks gentlemen, and be grateful they aren't your last."
"Yes ma'am." They weakly replied and continued to drink their coffee in silence. It didn't help when Shepard's omni-tool lit up and EDI almost cheerfully showed them a live feed of Kale and his buddies being dragged to an airlock. James was the first to speak up, against his better judgment. "Uh Lo-Commander?"
"Yes Lt. Vega?" Shepard asked cooly, her eyes boring into him with an uncomfortable intensity.
"I know you're pissed and understandably so, but uh, you're not doin' what I think you're doing are you?" James asked rather meekly but still managed to hold her gaze.
"I considered it." Shepard replied honestly and shrugged. "But that would just make Tarkin happy. And I hate making that gaunt faced bastard happy."
"So... what are you doing?" Jakar asked, realizing his mistake instantly when her emerald eyes narrowed ever so slightly and she started to raise her pistol. "Um, Commander ma'am."
"Nice try, but not fast enough Exlor." Shepard informed him before she sent a concussion round slamming into his chest. Once again he fell to the deck in an indignified heap, coughing and gasping for air. Cold coffee splattered across the floor in front of him, almost getting her shoes wet in the process. "Refill that glass Specialist, you got ten more to go. Eleven more, if you don't get up in the next ten seconds."
James had no particular like or dislike for the poor kid, but seeing him sprawled out, wheezing on the deck was not helping his already guilty conscience. "Commander, permission to relieve the Tech Specialist? I'll finish his share, I'm still thirsty." Vega made a point of downing his the rest of his mug in one gulp, somehow able to keep it down as his stomach violently protested.
"Congratulations Specialist Exlor, you're off the hook because the Lt. here is such a nice guy. You're not relieved from external cleaning duty though. Soon as we drop out of hyperspace, you're going to be scrubbing every inch of the Sayara, stem to stern. Hope going EVA doesn't make you sick, wouldn't want you to throw up in your helmet, would we? Now get out of my sight." Jakar didn't waste any time to get to his feet, snap off a perfect Alliance salute, and run off with one hand on his roiling stomach and another over his mouth. Jessica hardly paid him a second glance before turning on James and snatching his newly refilled coffee cup out of his giant hand before he could take another drink. "Easy Vega. You might have screwed up, but you've been through enough. 'Sides, you stepping in for the kid was admirable. But the crew, the whole crew has to get the same discipline or none at all."
"Kinda figured that out myself Commander. Ugh, ya didn't have to keep shooting us though." James replied and gingerly rubbed at his own tormented stomach. "But I deserved it for letting the kid sneak past me in the first place."
"You're only human James, you were standing guard over a terrified, traumatized former slave as of several hours ago. Jakar however was watching four dangerous criminals in the brig, or rather he should have been until EDI had to wake him up to help in the search for our new shipmate after he relieved Jack. Bit of a difference wouldn't you agree?" Shepard questioned rhetorically and shrugged.
"Like you said, same discipline. Far as I'm concerned we both messed up." James admitted and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Just make sure the damn kid doesn't choke on his own vomit when you're out there buffing the hull. I like my ship like I like my weapons, clean, oiled, and shiny." Shepard said with a slight twitch of her lips.
A glimmer of a smirk tugged at Vega's lips as he nodded his head. "Figured you'd say that too Lola. So Commander Tightpants, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go throw up now before I teach Jakar some hardsuit 101."
"Dismissed Vega." Shepard chuckled and patted the giant man on the back, wincing as he doubled over and spewed caff all over the deck. "Damn James, I thought those five half cups I gave you were a good hint."
"Hate to say it but you're mas alla de loca en la cabeza when you're pissed Lola." He groaned, a hand on his belly and the other on the nearby bulkhead as he waited for the world stop spinning. "Didn't want to take a chance. Sorry, I'll get that." James muttered as he wiped at his mouth and started towards the closest sanitation unit.
Shepard stopped him though and steered him towards the medbay. "No, I'll get this Vega. Besides, Chakwas might put me in a medically induced coma if I let you do anything else without checking in with her first. Probably should tell Exlor to head that way himself."
"Let me grab him first, then I'll go see the doc." James insisted stubbornly.
"This isn't a negotiation." Shepard sighed and leaned in closer to the doubled over marine. "I'm not dumb enough to piss off Karin either, by now I figure she's probably jabbed our over caffeinated FNG with enough sedative to take an alpha varren down." No sooner had the words left her mouth did another injector slam into Vega's neck from behind Shepard's back. She paled visibly when she turned and looked over her shoulder, meeting Karin's less than pleased gaze. "Hello Doctor...funny thing, I was just talking about you."
"Save it Commander and help me get James to medical. Now. I dare not leave Specialist Exlor to Jack's tender mercies any longer than I have too." Chakwas said in a tone that made clear that anything less than complete compliance would have severe consequences.
"Really? Jack?" Shepard asked, surprised by that bit of news as she slung one of Vega's meaty arms over her shoulders. She grimaced when she saw the front of his gray gym shirt was stained with coffee and vomit.
"She's rather concerned for my new patient. I wouldn't mention it to her though, she almost smashed my last bottle of Serrice Ice brandy when I questioned her. Then she opened it instead. Going by the ghostly pale look on her face, I figured she needed it more than I did. You might want to address whatever's bothering her when you get the opportunity."
"I think I can guess why." Was Shepard's cryptic response as she helped Chakwas drag an unconscious James down the hall. It didn't take long, despite his considerable bulk, and they soon had James on one of the spare beds in Karin's medical bay. Blue was busy flicking her photoreceptors between a nervously pacing Jack and a still terrified and nauseous looking Jakar, uncertain who needed her help more or who would actually accept it. So Shepard wasn't at all surprised when Blue turned her faceplate to Karin, herself, and an unconscious Vega, and seemed to let out a sigh of relief before moving to the marine's bedside.
Shepard only shook her head and smiled at the medical droid before walking over to put a hand on Jack's shoulder, stopping her just as she started another revolution of the room. "Jack, take a breath. What's bothering you?"
"Fuck Shepard!" Jack cursed and nearly dropped the bottle in her grasp when she jumped.
Jessica deftly snatched the last known bottle of Serrice Ice brandy in the galaxy out of her grasp before Jack could polish it off single handedly. "What's got you rummaging through Karin's private stock Jack?"
"Other than your new little friend kissed me? Not a damn thing Shepard. Shit….that came out wrong." Jack groaned and threw her hands into the air in frustration at her inability to explain herself. "I got her away from that bastard and his merry bunch of assholes, started to drop her on the deck, and the first thing she does is kiss the hell outta me."
"Okay, go on." Shepard offered, knowing there was a lot more to her discomfort than a simple kiss.
"Then she, well, she gets up and sort of... clever little thing, I think she was trying to seduce me Shepard! Like I'm some sick bitch who gets her kicks getting young innocent things off or something. Fuck I feel like a dirty ass slut just thinking about it!"
"Jack, calm down." Shepard gently stated and pinned the biotic's arms to her side. "And you liked it, didn't you? That's what this is about isn't it? You got a harmless little thrill and now you want to beat yourself up about it."
"Harmless? How is any of this shit harmless for her? I know I'm messed up but damn it Shepard! Part of me wanted her to keep on going, but the rest? The worst thing is the person I used to be would have been all over that! Now I'd have caved her fucking skull in for even looking at that kid the wrong way." Jack said with a shudder, obviously disgusted with herself.
"Jack, she was just trying to survive the only way she knew how. The fact you're so ready to throw yourself out an airlock tells me you're a lot better than the people who hurt her." Shepard reassured the young woman.
Jack shuddered in disgust at the images that single sentence brought to mind. Despite Shepard's attempt to soothe her emotional turmoil, it didn't help all that much as she slumped against the wall before falling to her butt. "Fuck Shepard… I knew I had it bad…gang raped in prison, forced to fight kids my own age in that fucking ring on Pragia, but I survived, I retained something of myself despite everything. She doesn't even have that left. Bastards took everything from her. Even her name. How can anyone do that to another person?"
"I honestly can't tell you Jack." Shepard replied softly after she sat down next to the former convict, and glared up at Jakar when she caught him looking at the tears running down Jack's face, daring him to say something. He looked away so fast she was sure his neck would be sore later. "I can only promise we'll do everything we can to help her now."
"You got me straightened out, and I was pretty rough around the edges." Jack managed a weak smile before wiping away the tears with the back of her hand.
"That's one way of putting it." Shepard teased, a small a grin on her face.
Ignoring the playful barb, Jack smirked and crossed her arms under her chest. "Point is, if you could fix a screw up like me, then I'd say she's got a chance."
"Not to be rude, but I would appreciate it if the two of you would leave my med bay, it's a minor miracle Jane is still asleep." Karin nodded towards the distant corner of the med bay, where the zabrak girl was deep asleep under a layer of warm blankets.
"Jane?" Jack asked confused. "I thought that she didn't have a name yet."
"Jane Doe. For the time being, I suppose any name is better than none." Chakwas explained patiently.
"Got a point doc, better than calling the poor kid 'girl' or Horns." Jack chuckled as she got to her feet with Shepard right behind her.
"Jack, come on, I have something that might just cheer you up." Shepard offered, gesturing towards the corridor.
"You know, I'm good now Shepard. So if you're planning on getting me shit faced or something, the thought's nice and all but I really don't need another patented Commander Shepard pep talk." Jack replied and rolled her eyes a little at the prospect.
"Nope, this is better." Shepard stated and started out of the med bay. She knew Jack would follow out of curiosity.
"Better huh?" Jack paused mid step and grinned ear to ear. "Bitch, did you find a nasty looking shotgun and not tell me?"
"Sorry, still working on that one. But this is almost as good." Shepard said with a dark smirk as she stopped by the emergency airlock and thumped her fist against the hatch. She heard a string of curses and fists slamming on the other side. Looking at Jack, Shepard's smirk widened when she saw her little 'gift' had had the desired effect from the evil grin plastered on the woman's face. "One rule only, you can't actually space them. Barring that, have fun, but we do need them alive, if only to give Tarkin's orders the middle finger."
"Shepard, you can be one scary bitch, but that's why I like you so much." Jack said with a dark chuckle, the cheerful demeanor utterly unsettling.
"No spacing. Say it." Shepard demanded before she unleashed Jack on the unsuspecting prisoners.
"No spacing... in my thank you note. Just fucking with you, I don't waste my time with that shit. Too quick for assholes like them anyway. Prison's more fitting." Jack answered, her unsettling grin never leaving her face once.
"I'll let you know when we land, I want to see their faces when the counter gets down to zero." Shepard told her and turned around.
"Yes ma'am, Commander ma'am. That I can get behind." Jack grinned and nodded her head, all too eager to see that green skinned alien bitch piss herself if nothing else. Something in that woman's eyes reminded Jack of herself, before she had gotten her head on straight. Unlike her, she got the impression the alien pirate was beyond help. Probably from hanging around assholes like Kale and his merry bunch for too long. Activating the display next to her with a devilish grin, Jack turned up the intercom volume before shouting into the mic. "Hey Asshole, Princess, how are my favorite morons doing?"
Joreeson seemed almost bored as he casually glanced up at the security camera. "Just for the record, when I get out of here, I'm going to enjoy-"
"Blah blah blah I've heard it all before Kale. I've fucked tougher men than you into submission. Right after they begged me not to stop." Jack said to him, already annoyed by his attempt of bravado.
"Why don't you go play with your new horny little zabrak toy and kark off schutta?" Velarus retorted, smiling wickedly through the small screen. Even with the multitude of fresh bruises Jack's biotic lift had given her, the alien was still as smug as ever.
"Fuck you say Princess?! You do know I could vent your ass into space right now and sleep easy. You know what, that sounds like a great idea to me." Jack's almost maniacal laughter echoed in the small airlock as the warning display flashed red. She hadn't touched the button herself, EDI was more than happy to play along though. Kale, the Mirialan, and their two buddies didn't know that as they started to look around frantically for a way out of the airlock. "Must really suck to be in there. Get it?" Jack feigned a sigh and slapped a hand on the airlock control, stopping the thirty second count just after it crossed the ten second mark. "You know, I honestly feel a little shitty for Blue, sticking her with mopping up whatever's left of you assholes. Fuck it. She'll get over it." A bead of sweat rolled down Joreeson's pale orange forehead as the count down started up again, the display now warning of imminent explosive decompression as the airlock's inner purge valve opened. Jack had to hand it to EDI for originality. "I always wondered what it'd be like to see about seven hundred pounds of jackass get squeezed out a tiny hole. Let's find out."
Twelve hours later...
Shepard glanced up from her morning coffee at Jack's omni-tool display, which was currently shoved in her face. "Just watch Shepard. You're gonna love this." She didn't know what was stranger, the fact Jack was almost giddy, or the fact she was looking at four terrified faces frozen in terror until the psychotic biotic hit the play button.
"Smile for the camera. Now repeat what you said assholes." Jack's voice filtered through the recording, growling menacingly into the airlock's mic. Shepard raised an eyebrow when Kale and his three companions started rambling incoherently until Jack yelled at the foursome to go one at a time before singling out the Mirialan.
What she had to say was both disturbing and quite revealing about her past misdeeds. "The processing complex is disguised as a refugee relocation center. We were paid a lot of credits for the occasional spree of 'random' destruction and the survivors would run to the nearest refugee center. Most of them wound up there."
"Where is this shithole? You, bug eyes!" Jack roared and the rodian, if Shepard remembered correctly, about jumped out of his pants.
"It-it's in the Chorilan sector! We received orders remotely! We never saw his face, but I'm sure he wasn't human!" When Jack's hand started to inch towards the airlock controls, the rodian gave out a shriek and shouted out a name. "Malachor V! It's on Malachor V! It's a dead rock though! It was bombarded from orbit centuries ago! It's a death trap unless you know where you're going!"
"Fine, draw me a goddamn map." Jack ended the video there and grinned towards Shepard. The nod of approval she got was answer enough. "Thought you'd like that Shepard. Kale was nice enough to give detailed plans of the layout for the complex and the surrounding area. We can get in, bomb that place to hell, and get out with the poor bastards that are already there."
"I'm guessing there's a catch." There was always a catch in their line of work.
"Only this one little thing they mentioned. We have to disable this stupidly powerful weapon they have called a Mass Shadow Generator. A leftover from the war that destroyed the surface of the planet or something according to those morons."
"The Mass Shadow Generator is a much bigger variation on your singularity cannon Shepard. From records I have been able to provide to Liara and Samantha, it was only used once to destroy a massive fleet of warships during a time of great unrest. The Mandalorian War to be exact." EDI helpfully explained.
"Just what did this thing do exactly?" Shepard dared ask, having a feeling she was not going to like the answer.
"Ever stomp on a soda can?" Jack asked.
"While Jack's analogy is rather lacking, it is quite fitting at the same time. The Mass Shadow Generator essentially crushed anything within its range by using concentrated gravity waves over a target world." EDI acknowledged with a nod.
"Goddess, and I'm guessing whoever fired this thing didn't care who got caught in the blast." Shepard said, aghast at the prospect of such brutality.
"You would be correct Commander. Nearly every vessel involved in the Battle of Malachor V, as it is known according to galactic historians, was completely destroyed. The fact the weapon survived all this time is a testament to how much more advanced this galaxy is compared to ours." EDI replied in agreement to the Commander's assessment.
Shepard could only shake her head in disgust, completely floored by what she had just learned. She'd done some pretty terrible stuff, but she had never destroyed so many people at one time, on purpose anyway. "Who the hell would use a weapon like that? What's the point of destroying the enemy if you destroy your own fleet along with them?"
"In this case, the Jedi Knight known as Revan, who commanded the Republic side of the battle, had arranged to have forces he suspected of being disloyal sent to Malachor, in essence destroying all of his enemies in one massive blow. Records indicate he did not order the weapon fired personally however, the so called Exiled Jedi, General Meetra Surik, was the one who saw to its activation." The AI explained in an emotionless fashion.
"Doesn't matter, he arranged the situation and he didn't have the balls to do it himself. That just makes it worse in my opinion." Shepard spat out before leaning back in her chair and running a hand down her face, her coffee forgotten on the table in front of her. "The more I learn about this galaxy, the more I wonder if we're just wasting our time here."
"I think Senator Tightass and 'Jane' would disagree with you Shepard." Jack retorted, surprising Shepard more than a little as she looked towards the psychotic biotic in dumbfoundment.
"Since when did you become an optimist Jack?" Jessica asked, genuinely and pleasantly surprised.
"Since I started hanging around you and your crew of big damn heroes Shepard. Your goddamn conscience is fucking contagious." Jack replied, a light laugh escaping her lips before she started for the door. Shepard could only smile softly at the biotic's retreating back.
Back on Coruscant…
The Chancellor's office.
Out of the seven Naboo officers assigned to this Commander Shepard, two of them were his spies. Of course they didn't know that, having been hired by proxies to act as his eyes and ears among this woman's crew, but each report they sent told Palpatine more and more about the strangers to his galaxy. By now he was thoroughly convinced they were not of this one. Their strange technology aside, the fact at least three of the Commander's crew possessed strange abilities never before seen, powered by an element no one had discovered yet, convinced him of this fact on its own merits. The rest, their technology, the strange beings she traveled with, and more simply cemented this theory in reality. Having found time to sit down and review the basic roster once more, Palpatine's blue eyes kept flicking to the top of the list.
Commanding Officer:
Commander Jessica Shepard (First human Spectre. Colonist survivor of Mindoir raids. Hero of Elysium. Leader of a galactic defense force which successfully repelled a race of hyper advanced machines designated as Reapers. Excessively dangerous. More intel needed.)
Executive Officer:
Garrus Vakarian (Turian, Expert Marksman, more intel needed.)
Flight Crew:
Enhanced Defense Intelligence (EDI, advanced cyberwarfare capabilities, fully sapient and self aware, can control and monitor the Sayara's systems, mobile combat platform. Suggest termination at earliest possible opportunity, crew strangely comfortable with highly advanced AIs. Responsible for shutting down known anarchist Kale Joreseen's vessel remotely. More intel needed.)
Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau (Astounding flight abilities, extremely fragile bones due to rare genetic defect. Seems slow to grasp galactic traffic laws.)
Lieutenant Steve Cortez (Shuttle pilot, capabilities unknown.)
Medical:
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Karin Chakwas (No combat experience. Capable Medic. Analysis: No threat.)
Medical droid 21-B. 'Blue' (Encouraged development of personality beyond societal norms. No threat, but would advise termination or summary mind wipe as well.)
Engineering:
Chief Engineer Gregory Adams (More intel needed.)
Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Sayara (Quarian, Combat technician, rapid understanding of new technology.)
1st Class Engineer Gabby Daniels (Engineers Daniels and Donnelly currently involved in a 'secret' relationship that seems to be common knowledge among the crew.)
2nd Class Engineer Kenneth Donnelly
Security:
Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams (Second human Spectre. More intel needed.)
Lieutenant James Vega (Possible Spec Ops soldier, more intel needed.)
Intelligence:
Dr. Liara T'Soni (Asari, natural biotic.)
Specialist Samantha Traynor
Other:
Jacqueline Nought aka Subject Zero aka 'Jack' (Warning: Extremely dangerous. See attached report on biotic abilities.)
Self proclaimed master thief Kasumi Goto FILE ERROR: Information lost in transit.
Krogan super soldier clone, Urdnot 'Grunt' (Pure Krogan, extreme regenerative abilities. Extremely dangerous.)
Justicar Samara (Asari, natural biotic, centuries old, currently follows Shepard, details attached. Extremely dangerous.)
Special interest:
Admiral David Anderson (More intel needed.)
Passenger:
Recovered female zabrak slave (Name unknown at this time. Extreme anti slaver sentiment among the crew judging by their interactions with her.)
After scanning the information on his terminal once more, Palpatine's thoughts drifted to what he knew about them already. Admittedly, it was a monumental tale to swallow, but given the fact he believed that they weren't from this galaxy, he had to trust that their story was just as real as themselves. Their success and continued survival therefore, really rested upon the shoulders of their commanding officer, this Jessica Shepard. A woman who had survived the raids of hostile aliens called batarians on her home planet of Mindoir, who would later lead the defense of another colony on a planet called Elysium. She was a war hero, a survivor, and a natural leader.
Even now, trying to get a read on this woman through the Force, he could see nothing. The one time he had seen something though had had him stumbling out of his seat as a flash of emerald eyes filled his vision, and in those eyes he had seen war the likes even he had never imagined, and he had imagined quite a bit. Still, he had recovered quickly enough and had tried to make sense of what the vision had shown him. The best he could come up with was that she was a survivor, someone who had seen the worst death and destruction imaginable and had come out the other side, scarred, battered, beaten, but not broken. If he were to draw a comparison, Palpatine would have likened her to a Mandalorian, those warrior like brutes that hailed from Mandalore. Ironically his own clone army were made from the genetic template of a Mandalorian bounty hunter, perhaps there was some connection there he had yet to see?
As for their recent accomplishments, he already knew she and her people had captured one of his hired thugs, a bottom feeder by the name of Kale Joreeson. Like so many, he had been hired by a string of proxies, making it virtually impossible to find who his real employers had been, but that didn't change the facts. Tarkin had made his wishes explicitly clear, and she had taken it upon herself to disobey his orders. The fact she had aliens among her crew should have been hint enough that she would be hesitant to simply eliminate Kale and his men, and to make it worse, she and her crew had taken it upon themselves to extract information from the togruta anarchist and those that had survived the initial slaughter of his own men. He had to give her this much credit at least, she was living up to her new status as a bounty hunter quite nicely.
But he was not concerned. This Jessica Shepard was only one woman. One woman in a galaxy that was well beyond anything she was familiar with. She had no friends here, no allies, no support. He could have her crushed and no one would care, but he had other plans in mind for her. She still had her uses, no matter how reluctant she was to play the blind soldier that Tarkin had mistaken her for. She was too strong for such a role, but even the strongest, most stubborn, willful of people could be manipulated. They just needed to be under the illusion they had a choice in the first place.
He had to look no further than the Jedi. As long as they believed that what they did was for a good cause, they were all too eager to do what he needed them to do. Perhaps he could use a similar tactic on Shepard and her companions. However, they first had to prove themselves since he had no use for a pawn that would fail at a critical moment. But he already had a few ideas in mind, missions that would test them all to the breaking point. With these thoughts, an unsettling grin began to spread across the Chancellor's face. Everything was proceeding as he had foreseen it.
Authors' Notes; Vergil1989; Okay, yet another chapter knocked out of the ballpark. Personally I think we're making up for lost time, between life sucking like a black hole from which there was no escape for any of us and other ideas wanting to take up all of our time lol. Seriously, life sucked for all of us in some form or another, but we have finally found our way back to this one, and as you guys can see, we've come back hard. And now a word from the man that dreamed up this awesome idea in the first place, Nomad-117.
Nomad-117: I would like to thank you guys for your continued support, so thank you everyone. And always remember, we appreciate your follows, faves, and reviews.
Archer83: Well I think you two pretty much covered everything lol. Like Vergil said, we're glad to be able to make up for some lost time and finally jump back into this amazing story that spans two galaxies. We've decided to take things slow for the time being, but by the time this entire story has been told, the world of Star Wars will never be the same. (Canon is gonna take a nose dive faster than Disney turning the Expanded Universe into a bunch of Legends.)
Vergil1989: Enjoy this tale in a galaxy far far away as it unfolds ladies and gentlemen. And may the Force be with you all.