Thessia
"So, you're the reporter that was bothering Shepard all those years ago, hm?" Maleia said as she took a seat beside Khalisah. She wasn't alone, another one, a Matriarch by the looks of it, stood calmly at her side.
Khalisah growled and held her head with her hands. "Do I just have this sign over my head that says, 'Hello! I'm the bitch that deserves to be punched because I don't kiss the feet of Commander 'Mary Fucking Sue' Shepard, every time her name gets dropped!'?!"
The asari blinked and then answered, "not that I can see. In fact, I'm glad you do. The amount of praise my student gets is getting kind of sickening."
Khalisah paused. "What?"
"The prestigue she is given is not entirely unwarranted," the Matriarch with her said.
The Commando leaned back against the bench and smiled. "Maleia N'Kona. I was Shepard's teacher. If you need any sort of reality dose to counteract all the ass kissing, I can tell you plenty. This is Samara; a Justicar. Even with the shattering of the Athame religion, they're still a force to be reckoned with."
The smile on the asari's face worried her a bit. However, it had that quality of a child who knew a dirty secret and was itching to tell someone. Samara, on the other hand, seemed as serene as a statue and that unnerved her more than Maleia's smirk did.
Maleia N'Kona: Asari Master Commando and Biotics Teacher: Frankly, I don't understand, or care, why you want to put so much emphasis on one of my former biotic students. You could ask her yourself and she'd repeat what I'm about to say; she's nothing special. She knows this. She's a nameless, faceless street rat that made it out alive. And that's why I'm glad she was my student. And the fact that she was named a Spectre says something too.
It's her actions that separate her from the masses comprised of shit spewing nobodies. Why the rest of the galaxy insists that she's something special I'll never understand.
K: You were, if I recall right, a member of the Spectres not long before Shepard herself became one. Since you have that perspective, what can you tell us about Shepard and Saren Arterius, the turian who had been working for the Reapers?
M: During my time with the Spectres, I met Saren Arterius a few times when he was still new. Thankfully, I didn't have the dubious honor of training the egotistical little shit. Tela Vasir got that job, since he was the Heirarchy's precious golden boy and Vasir was one of the best Spectres at the time. But you could tell; Saren was livid at the news that another human was being considered for the Spectre Agency. That ass could go on for days about how primitive, backward, violent, and so on about how humans were. Nevermind the fact that all of our races have a nasty streak in them.
K: Since you knew him, indirectly, did it surprise you to see him come to that end?
M: Honestly? Most of the Agency was suspicious of him for the longest time. He wouldn't report in. He would be away from the Citadel for weeks, even months, at a stretch. And no one could get him to open up, because apparently, his time was too important for the rest of us. Bastard. His investments in Binary Helix. Indulging in secrets that went just outside Agency jurisdiction. I had been out of the Agency for a few decades when I got word that Nihius was dead. At first, most of us didn't think much of it. However, the implication that Saren was responsible got all of us to take notice. Even without any proof, the very idea that Saren would murder another Spectre, in light of his recent behavior gave a lot of present and even former Spectres something to think about.
In a way, I wasn't surprised when I heard he went rogue. The little bastard always felt he could do it better. So, it wasn't much of a surprise when I read Shepard's report about him being indoctrinated and trying to sell us out to the Reapers. What I find hilarious was that he was arrogant enough to think he could convince Shepard that it was stupid to fight them. And look where we are now? Little bastard deserves whatever hell he's in now. I saw the footage of them fighting in the Council rooms when Sovereign attacked. You want to know why I feel she deserves being a Spectre? That's why.
The ozone from the fires were beginning to darken the chambers as Shepard, Wrex, and Ashley took cover from Saren's relentless assault.
When Saren informed Nora of Sovereign's improvement, all three of them looked to each other, the same thoughts going through their heads. The fool was completely indoctrinated.
However, when Saren excused himself, believing that he had no choice, both Wrex and Ashley looked to Shepard as she began to laugh. Even Saren paused when Nora's laugh began to echo through the chambers and over the roar of the fire.
When the laughter died down, Shepard stood up, locked eyes with Saren and growled, "You deluded piece of shit! You really think you can convince the Reapers that you're worth keeping? I met Sovereign on Virmire. I already know what he is. In case you forgot, the prey does not bargain with the predator! You may have given up, but I haven't. I won't and I never will. I'm going to live to see the Reapers die and if you want to throw in your lot with them, I'm going to kill you first and they'll be next!"
Her defiance and the fire in her eyes, reflected off of the devastation around him gave Saren that single moment of clarity of where he had gone wrong.
"I see," he said calmly, before taking out his pistol. "Thank you, Shepard," he then raised the barrel to poke underneath his own jaw, "and good bye." He pulled the trigger and subsequently fell to the Council Chamber gardens.
M: Of course, the Hierarchy, at that point, wasn't all that happy with the idea of their golden boy being smeared with the truth. So, naturally, they hired movie makers to make him look to be the victim, while making Shepard out to be some delusional Council shill that people would never listen to. Pretty funny how the Reaper War pretty much not only destroyed the ideas of that 'documentary' but also the careers of everyone involved.
K: And how about yourself and Shepard? You were her biotics teach after all.
M: If you must know, she was a member of my T'Cra. Being unable to bear or sire children myself, I wasn't all that interested in bonding or melding. So, any accusations of infidelity on Shepard's part are pretty baseless. Besides, I could already tell she was pretty messed up inside, even when I was her teacher. Being intimate with her only verified it.
Maleia was always grateful for the occasions when Shepard was on shore leave. Her promotions from a few months ago had given her some much needed leeway and as a result, it had allowed them some time to be discussed less as students and closer to equals.
Well, that wasn't entirely true, however, Maleia liked Nora enough that the struggle for dominance during sex always made it exciting. She had the experience and Nora had the energy. She recalled a few turian associates of her bragging about 'reach' and 'flexibility' and held back a snort. They always seemed to brag about it, but when push came to shove, they were more talk than action.
She also could not fathom how humans would consider Shepard being in her T'Cra to be a bad thing. In asari culture, Teachers and Students who worked well with each other would often do even better in such a relationship. It didn't mean that she fooled around like those stupid maiden strippers or sex workers. Many maidens would have killed to be in the relationship she was with Shepard. The human could benefit from her knowledge and experience and she would benefit by having intimacy with someone she felt she could trust.
Despite others species' overly conservative view on it, or even the more 'refined' members of asari society were concerned, it was sacred. The trust and intimacy involved were central tenants of the T'Cra in the Doctrines of Atheme. She preferred to downplay her devotion to the dying religion, since it was her own choice and be damned if some Siarist were to give her a hard time about it.
With a small smile, she looked over to the side of her bed to see Nora still sleeping peacefully, bereft of clothing. Thankfully, she slept on her side and that left her muscular back exposed. Maleia liked that about humans. When they took care of themselves physically and mentally, it was no wonder her people took to them so eagerly.
She rolled slowly over to Nora, and with her right hand, started to stroke her way down Nora's exposed hip.
Nora took a deep and satisfied breath as her eyes fluttered open.
"You like what you see?" she mumbled tiredly.
Maleia smirked and leaned inward to her neck and kissed the back of it. "Maybe. I still have my reservations."
Shepard chuckled and looked back to her with a confident stare that matched Maleia's own. "And here I thought you didn't like smelly, ugly humans."
The asari responded by taking the same hand and slowly moving it up and down Nora's torso. "I still don't. However, there always happens to be exceptions to the rule. And I don't care how hypocritical it sounds."
Nora chuckled, "I always thought you were the hardest on me because you hated me. Yet, it seems that I was wrong, you wanted to get into my pants the whole time."
Maleia gave a small snort as she held Nora closer. "Don't flatter yourself. I have my own reasons. The same reasons why you don't want any of my kind swimming in that head of yours."
The subject had been brought up before. Thankfully, those boundaries were respected and it would remain that way. "Fair enough."
"Besides, things like that get in the way of me noticing a few details and figuring out why my kind likes yours so much," the asari continued as intertwined her hands with Nora's.
Shepard gave a small, hearty laugh, "and what would that be?"
"Well, the fingers for one. General body shape and size. Though, I still can't fathom the hair all over your body, kind of unsettling, really. But, in your case, it's a nice addition."
Nora laughter got a bit bolder as she turned around and faced Maleia, "you'd rather I shave myself all over?"
"Pfft. Don't be stupid. If I wanted an asari in my T'Cra, I'd get a damn asari," she said as she reached up and let her fingers relish the softness of Nora's hair for one of the few times she allowed it to grow long. "That's one reason. Though, I know some of my kind don't mind human males, but they're far too... uncanny for my tastes. It's like, humanity was supposed to start with what you call female, but then something happened and you got a second gender out of nowhere."
That was when Nora lost it and she started to laugh to the point where she curled up, failing to hold in her amusement. "You do realize it's because of that second gender that I'm here, right?"
"Minor details," she said, indifferent to the implications.
That was when Nora took the initiative, rolled on top of Maleia, and pinned her to the bed. "You're such a bitch, you know that?" she said with a smirk.
Maleia smiled with her teeth bared, ready for another round, "if you're really that eager, Nora Shepard, you're going to do more than try and sweet talk me."
K: So, since you were involved with Shepard for a time, did that last when she and Liara T'Soni became an item?
M: Not really. We both agreed that any possibility of a relationship was doomed to fail considering our responsibilities. It was probably for the best. *Smiles* Besides, if Liara T'soni was able to meld with her then she was able to make her open up. Good on her. So, in spite of all the stupid things my student was and has done, I'm proud of what she's accomplished. Bear in mind, Tiny, if you're reading this, that's the only time you'll hear me say that!
K: Thank you for your time, Justicar.
Justicart Samara: It is no bother.
K: Firstly, you were registered as someone who assisted her during her campaign against the Collectors. Was there any events of note that you feel colored your opinion?
S: During our initial encounter, we held differing views, however, I made my oaths and I would keep them. Despite her vocal objections about my adherence to the code, she never acted upon it. However, there was an occasion where I required her help. I was chasing a dangerous criminal from asari space and our differences came to a head.
"You can't be serious," Nora said as Samara had informed her of the identity of whom the target was. "She's your daughter?!"
"Was my daughter. The asari I am hunting has no right to be called such," Samara said without missing a beat.
Shepard took several steps around, clearly conflicted as to how to proceed. She needed Samara's help, badly. She had seen the Justicar's skill on the battlefield and it couldn't be denied. However, the fact she was more or less asking her to commit murder on her daughter threw her off balance.
When she turned back to the asari, her frown grew.
It had been a mistake when she had learned about Samara's past. The fact she had abandoned two of her daughters into a monastery where they would live in isolation for the rest of their lives and now hunting the third as though she were a wild animal.
Now, all their conversations about Samara's black and white code in a galaxy of grey seemed to paint the idea that bringing the Justicar was a bad idea. In fact, Shepard was beginning to actively wonder if she would hunt her after her oath was completed.
However, right now, she needed a powerful ally. And it wouldn't be the first time she had to kiss the ass of someone she hated in order to get to where she needed. Too bad Samara never seemed to be aware, and even if that were the case she wouldn't are, that life wasn't as simple as she thought it would be.
It seemed this was going to be yet another instance of her having to swallow her pride.
"Fine, I'll do it," she said with noticeable difficulty.
"I am aware of your criticisms, Shepard. However, I am more grateful that you have chosen to assist me in this endeavor in spite of them," she responded calmly as if the argument they had never existed. Granted, it was more of a one-sided argument, since it seemed Shepard was the only one that was showing any excess emotion.
Dressed in a simple violet tank top, a leather jacket, and worn jeans, with the leather boots, she strode into the lower levels of the club where the asari in question was known to hang out.
A few conversations, a few drinks to liven the mood for the rest of the patrons, an investigative journalist subtly removed from danger, and a turian that needed to take a hint later; Nora was already exhausted. Morinth was supposed to be here.
She had looked all over, trying her best to keep her activities downwind of the attention. However, there was a chance Samara's intel could have been wrong.
The clink of a glass on the counter brought her out of her thoughts when the bartender inclined his head across the floor.
"Compliments from the asari over there," he said calmly before returning to the additional drinks he was now selling.
Tentatively, she took the glass and turned to the general direction the bartender had indicated.
Sure enough, there in one of the darker corners of the establishment, a single asari, clad in body conforming leather, watched her with a smile.
Curious, Nora took the drink and quietly made her way through the crowds and the noise to join the mysterious individual who had paid for a beverage she couldn't really drink, due to her biotic metabolism. However, she knew how to keep the appearance of being at a party where alcohol was passed around and still join in the festivities.
So, she gave the asari a smile and a nod. "Thank you."
She nodded in turn then inclined her head to the seat across from her. "Have a seat."
When Nora did, it only dawned on her how eerily familiar her face was. In fact, under the right circumstances, she could easily pass for Samara. Naturally, she kept this to herself as she and what could easily have been the one called Morinth began to speak in idle matters.
She knew how to kiss up to people and when to back off, she had to. That was how she survived on the streets when she was a kid. And it was then she realized that she and Morinth were more alike, in a way, than she wanted to admit. Both were on the edge of society. Both hated for reasons beyond their control. And on the other side of the coin, Samara and the law of Old Los Angeles being one in the same; without pity or mercy for the rejects and deviants like herself.
That was then Morinth inclined her head slightly, curious at the almost distant look Nora had. "Is there something wrong?"
She looked to the asari and took a deep breath. What she was doing was dangerous, but she was too tired and too angry with Samara to care. She'd be dead soon enough anyway.
"You mentioned how people feel safe, but it's just an illusion. I know it's not safe. It never was. And it makes me angry," Nora said as she leaned forward and placed her glass on the table. "You give and ask for so little in hopes for some acknowledgement. However, little is apparently too much for some people."
Images of both Samara's complete indifference and Liara's cold reluctance to come with her seemed to stir the pot.
"It's because they don't want to give up what they have," Morinth said calmly, as if she had been down that road far too many times. Inwardly, she was smiling. Soldiers, especially ones that reeked of bitterness and rage, were far more fun to break. Not mercs. Mercs enjoyed the baser aspects of their work. Soldiers did it because it was their duty and their personal desires were always pushed aside for some reason or another.
What made it fun for was gently pulling at that lever to increase the pressure.
"If they did, then, they would be like you are. They don't want to be like you, because it satisfies their pride and their delusions of safety," Morinth said smoothly.
Shepard looked up to her. "What?"
"It's true. You and I are what they don't want to be, because they possess. They have something we both want and they know it. They know you have nothing and you want it."
A frown crossed Nora's face as she returned to the sight of her drink and the images that only seemed to stoke the fires of her anger. All of the politicos, the so-called romances, and the armchair generals who had no idea what it was like for her.
"So," Nora continued for her, "they fear us because they know that our need for what they have makes us strong. Our limitations give us power."
Morinth's smile grew as she nodded. "We're not content with 'nothing'. There is nothing wrong with wanting something better for us and we hate them for denying that which we want."
Nora's eyes returned to the glass as her grip tightened. "They fear. They fear us because they know we would take from them."
The smile faded from Morinth's lips as she continued to tug just a bit more. "But even when you take it, there is weakness in it. Because you know that once you have it, there'll be others who will want to take it from you. There always seems to be people who want to take what's yours. How dare they..."
A snarl developed on Shepard's face as her grip started to develop cracks in the glass. "I earned this! It's mine! I worked for what I have! I paid my dues!" Immediately, her mission was forgotten and all there was left was her anger.
"Of course you do. Never before did you need to justify yourself and what you earned before. It is yours, after all."
Nora's breathing settled a bit when she noticed what she was about to do. "Then things change. You fight it all you want, but it changes regardless. Especially how you see them."
"The ones that want what you have?" Morinth inquired innocently; well aware that she had to keep herself from licking her lips at the prospect of a full meal from this one.
"Yes," she began as she stared into the darkness around her. "Like animals. They become what you once were. Desperate. Justified. Angry. So, there's only one thing you need to do to make sure that what is yours stays that way."
"Let them know that you need, no, must become hard to keep what is yours."
"Cruelty's just one end. I've used it to send a message. Leaving a few bodies near the turf of your enemies to let them know that you mean business. There's no law, no innocents, no police to protect you once I get my hands on you."
Taking a gamble, Morinth gently moved from her sofa to sit right beside Nora, who remained still as she moved up beside her and whispered, "you want them to provoke you. Show them that you 'mean business'. Gives you a reason to kill them without mercy and without remorse."
Immediately, that same sick thrill she always experienced whenever someone she hated die, tickled its way up her back. She let loose a long and deep breath, holding back the moan that the bloodlust that haunted her since her days on the streets which kept her alive.
She looked to her right to see Morinth near her, smiling seductively, letting her fingers stroke the back of one of Shepard's hands. The desire in her eyes was unmistakable. Nora then turned her hand upward and took her hand in hers.
"You want out of here?" Nora asked with a small smirk of her own developing.
"I was hoping you'd ask," she answered with her most charming smile.
In a half-dressed state, Nora dove out of the way as the biotics of both asari left the apartment Morinth had in ruins.
The window had multiple cracks in it, the furniture was in shambles, and debris of all shapes and sizes littered the floor.
She watched in rapt fascination as both Justicar and Ardat-Yakshi fought desperately for supremacy. In fact, it appeared that despite her lack of experience, Morinth was every bit the equal of her mother in regards to her power. The line of thought was interrupted when both came to a stalemate in a maelstrom of dark energy between them and neither seemed to be able to budge from their position.
"Whoever you are, spare me and I'll serve you! I'm every bit as powerful as she is. And I will never *judge* you for what you are!" she hissed in hatred at Samara's direction.
Nora stood up and realized that Morinth was right. Samara may have gone on and on about her code, but she knew she was judging her because the rest of the galaxy didn't follow her narrow perspective. She stepped forward and for a moment, she and Samara locked eyes with one another. It was if she knew the struggle going on inside of Shepard and whether she were to live or die, she would maintain her calm.
"I..." Nora began, when immediately, images of Nora, the Real Nora, looked to her from the past.
Her teeth bared and her hands clenched, she roared, "I AM NOT AN ANIMAL!"
Her fist collided with Morinth's face and it sent her sprawling to the ground. Nora's breath came quickly and her heart beat faster as if it were ready to burst. She looked to Morinth's face, with the bloodied nose, and realized that if she had chosen her, then she would have just used her up and tossed her aside like all her other victims. She then turned to Samara and growled, "Finish her off! I'm sick of looking at it!"
K: Wow. So, Shepard really allowed herself to be bait for this murderer?
S: Correct. The list of her victims were long and probably untraceable. At the cost of her own personal safety, she was able to help avenge the victims and give peace to their families.
K: And what about Shepard herself?
S: Her burdens were heavy ones. Thankfully, a moment of clarity spared more than she'll ever know.
Samara's breathing remained steady and unchanging when she heard the slow and heavy footsteps of Shepard as she took a seat on the couch beside where she meditated. Her shoulders were slumped and her face was sunken and sad as though she were a scolded child in the presence of a parent who knew what she had done wrong.
Nora made no sound as she tiredly sat upon the cushions and slowly held her face in her hands, her unkempt hair now draping over her shoulders and down her back. The silence stretched for another fifteen minutes before Nora whispered between her hands, "I'm so sorry."
"Might I ask what you are apologizing for?"
"I almost got you killed. Morinth would have done the same had I sided with her. I wasn't thinking at all," she said as she remained still.
"From what I have observed, you are under great pressure to complete your mission against the Collectors. It is understandable."
If Nora registered the backhanded acceptance of her apology, she didn't verbally acknowledge it. Her head drooped a bit lower, well aware that she had that coming. For the first time since her resurrection, she felt ashamed. She had almost made more people like Diana, who would, for the rest of their life, wonder what kind of person their now dead children could have been had Morinth not stolen that chance from them.
And it would have been all her fault.
"If you wish to make amends, you could explain to me or give me some understanding of why you felt so compelled to consider such an action."
There was another moment of silence before Nora took a deep breath and sat up. "When you live one day to the next, wondering where your next meal is coming from, how you're going to survive, things like laws, codes, and rules seem like luxuries to those who can afford them."
Her head dipped again. "And that's what I saw you as. Just another rule, just another police officer that didn't try to understand how it's like, living on the streets in rags."
"You would not be the first, nor will you be the last who see things in such a way," she said with no indication that she took issue with Nora's assessment.
"But I don't want to be like this," Shepard said with frustration at herself. "I feel like I lost so much and my attempts at keeping any sort of control seem to work against me."
Samara considered her words for a moment before answering, "Control is something one consistently needs to refine and never cease."
Aware that she had her answer, Nora slowly pulled herself up and started to pad her way to the door. As the door opened, she turned back to Samara once more and asked, "if... if it's not too much to ask, could you teach me how you control your anger?"
"You mean, aside from living nine-hundred years?"
Shepard's eyes went wide. "Did you just make a joke?"
Samara had only the slightest of grins as she maintained her posture. "Better to give a nebulous answer when there is no such thing as a correct one." Her smile faded and returned to her previous state, "We shall discuss how at another time. For now, observe the one you call Jack as an example as to how you do not wish to deal with your anger."
Nora's demeanor brightened a bit and nodded. "I think I can do that."
S: Shepard was not without her own problems. However, it was my privilege to see her overcome them. It will take time, however, as most things of that nature do. In the end, however, she became more than an ally, she became a friend.
K: How did that come about?
S: During the war, the Reapers actively sought out the monasteries with ardat-yakshi residents in them to turn them into those abominations you call Banshees. I had requested Shepard's help once more with the one where my daughters were.
"What are you doing?" Nora said as she saw Samara take her pistol out.
"Mother!" Falere said as she took a step back, but stopped when she noticed Samara pointing the barrel up towards her own head instead of at her.
"This is the only way the code can be satisfied and I will not kill my last daughter," she said, rather to pull the trigger. She then smiled, "you, my daughters, have always made me proud. I love you all."
"Mother!" Falare screamed with her eyes becoming moist.
The justicar was about to pull the trigger when a biotic field yanked the gun from her hand and Nora threw it back into the monastery.
Samara turned to Nora with fury in her eyes, but Nora did not back down. "What are you doing?"
"Remember Diana? Remember all the others like her? Are you going to add her to that list?!" Nora answered defiantly, aware that she was way out of her league. She looked to Falare, her eyes watering and her hands a quiver, "she's already lost two sisters. Are you going to deprive her of you as well?"
"It is how the Code dictates," Samara answered with a frown. "There is no monastery for her to be in."
Shepard and the Justicar stared each other in anger until another voice cut in. "I need no building to follow the code, Mother," Falare interrupted, her courage found. "I could have left and joined Mirala at any time I wanted. However, I will stay. And if the Reapers return, they'll not take me alive. I swear it."
There was a tense moment as all eyes went upon Samara, waiting for her to act. She then relaxed and uttered, "Very well. I will stay here and assist in the rebuilding and once the war is over, I will return and visit, as a justicar should."
Falere, aware that she was not going to be alone, quickly closed the distance and embraced her mother, an act she had not done for centuries. Initially reluctant, Samara's own hands slowly enclosed and held her last daughter close.
She stole a sideways glance at Nora with her hands on her hips. She had confided to her not long ago that she had no experience of what a mother was to her, however, she admitted that she wanted a family of her own.
Nora gave her a small, and knowing, smile then turned away to call the Normandy.
S: While Shepard's influence was minimal, I consider her to be there at just the right place and time. I am grateful for her and the qualities she possess that facilitate our friendship.