Chapter 34: Reconciliation
As the Benevolence descended through the atmosphere of Tuchanka, Ashley was still fuming at Niala for her brazen declaration. If anyone understood the need for a shooting solution, it was her, but she was putting a vital mission at risk for reasons Williams deemed as play.
"This may be your ship," began the irritated passenger, "but this is my mission."
"Don't get all worked up," Niala said condescendingly. "And like you said, it is my ship. We're just serving as an escort." The Asari took a step toward Ashley, standing toe to toe, taking her measure. Not backing down, her stare was returned and all eyes on board shifted to watch the two women.
At that moment, Samara returned to the bridge and asked, "What is happening?"
Taking one last glare at the Human, Niala turned deferentially to the justicar and said, "We are about to land on Tuchanka and should be meeting with Dr. Solus shortly."
That explanation left out every relevant detail as far as Ashley was concerned, but Samara said, "Most excellent."
As she stood there fuming, Ashley realized this would have to be settled a different way at the right time. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have the luxury of doing just as her ego wanted.
The ship quickly reached the surface where they were informed Niala's competitor was already waiting. Quite a crowd had formed around the ring from what they were told, as having Asari battle Krogans did not happen too frequently. Most Asari were known more for their calming tendencies, but there had always been a number of maidens who chose a different path as huntresses and who formed the backbone of their militaries through their own clan structure.
Some of these clans had actually taken on a few of the Krogan traits in their melding, as they saw the genetic diversity of these warriors as helpful to them. Williams thought Niala probably got her tact from a Krogan father, but said nothing as she allowed Niala to lead out the away team. Along with her, Samara walked at Williams' side and Legion followed.
"You seem upset," said the Asari justicar.
Forcing a smile, Williams said, "She is young, impetuous, and looks everywhere for a fight."
"As you said, she is young. Perhaps because we Asari live longer, it takes her longer to learn her lessons than you Humans must. But her skills should be more than equal to whomever she faces."
"I am not worried about her winning this battle. I'm worried about having a crew that won't listen to me."
Samara turned and said, "That is a valid concern. But you won't be able to earn their respect just through orders. They are a clan, and you are still an outsider."
"And you're not?" Ashley asked.
"I'm not of their clan, but I am Asari and it is different. Having been a justicar is something special to them, and to our culture. You must find a way to become something more if they are to respect you." Folding her hands neatly, Samara walked with a stately gait as Ashley considered her words.
Ahead of her, Niala strode through the assembled Krogan crowd and reached the ring in quick order. Calling out, she said, "Where is my next victim?"
Although most Krogans would laugh at such a provocation, her opponent was not going to make the mistake of taking her lightly. He remembered the fighting during the Krogan Rebellion, and the swiftness with which the huntresses moved. The chief scout, who was also known as Urdnot Rentat, took his position in the ring beneath them.
When it wasn't being used for contests like these, the fighting pit was used for pitting varrens and other beasts against one another. While there were always a few warriors gambling their wages on such contests, this event had drawn a larger and more diverse crowd. Ashley was surprised to notice smaller Krogan watching the event with keen interest, as she assumed these must be the females. One caught her eye as well and nodded thoughtfully.
Not knowing what to make of this, Ashley redirected her attention back toward the ring where an announcer was now speaking. "We have a fight between the Chief Scout," which elicited a roar from the audience, "and the Asari huntress. The two combatants came within arm's length of each other and then were asked, "What are the rules of the fight?"
The scout smiled at her knowingly and Rentat said, "To the death. Unarmed combat, unless you are afraid?"
Mindful of what was being traded, the Asari responded, "And when I win, do they know what was bargained?"
He spat at her, "I have spoken of this, in case I should trip and break my own neck."
Nodding with a smile, Niala said "May the Goddess give you rest."
The announcer took a step back and the crowd started betting on the event. The action was favoring the Krogan with a bet of three credits needed to return a single unit. While Ashley and Samara were focused on the match, they were surprised to see what Legion was doing. He was actually making bets on the Asari.
Ashley looked at him and said, "Just what are you doing?"
He explained, "Probability suggests the Asari has an excellent chance of winning. Additional credits can be used to purchase further upgrades, so our economic situation is being optimized."
As she was thinking how she liked the Geth better when they were being used for target practice, she took note as the battle was about to begin.
Inside the ring, the two combatants were circling each other warily. The Krogan was focused and kept his eyes squarely on his opponent. For her part, Niala's body was dancing around the circle, but her eyes remained on the larger competitor.
Carefully, he closed on her. She kept sliding around the outer edge of the circle, and he took a position in the center, inching closer and closer. As she looked at him, she said, "Are you afraid to attack?"
Rentat offered no response, but warily staked her out further while Niala made her dancing seem even more whimsical. Shouting out to the audience, she said, "Will the next Krogan I fight at least have some quads. Shall we fight or shall we dance?"
As the guffaws rose up from the audience, Rentat lost his cool and went into a devastating Krogan charge aimed directly at Niala. Having her perfectly lined up, he charged at her, only realizing at the last moment she was gone. He ran into a wall as she sidestepped his blow and delivered a stunning kick to the back of his head. As strong as the kick was, it was the blow to his pride that was more fearsome.
Rentat turned to see the Asari huntress had taken a position in the center of the ring, and this time charged with his arms opened wide so she couldn't evade the attack once more. As he approached, standing seven feet tall, she leapt and went above him so he charged past her once more. When she landed behind him, she delivered two more powerful kicks to his lower back, and planting her hands, swept his legs to the ground causing him to fall into a heap. Then she back flipped to the center of the arena and bowed.
The crowd was getting behind her and started chanting, "Asari, Asari, Asari." She gestured for the Krogan to come closer. Calling out, she said, "You have one last chance to live. Call off your death bout and give me what I want or I will have to take it."
"You will get nothing from me," he growled, now determined to do nothing more than kill this meddling interloper. His singular focus was her defeat, and the crowd faded to silence. With the trained skill of a warrior, he kept his eyes on her legs, and slowly closed in on her. As he took the center of the ring back, she left for the perimeter. He knew one blow would be enough to daze her and end the fight.
Watching his approach, Niala stopped playing to the crowd and put all her focus into the fight. She moved her feet constantly, seeking to reveal nothing and keep all her options open. She was quickly being cornered, and knew the Krogan would be looking for her to flee.
As he drew very near to her, she feinted with her right leg that she would escape to the right, and as the Krogan turned, she fell into the split and delivered a two handed punch right to his abdomen. Pressing the attack, she got her feet under her and sprang atop him, mounting his body the moment it felt, and delivering powerful punches to his head. As he tried closing his arms on her, she pulled herself past his head, and grabbed his neck.
Her last words being the whisper, "I warned you," she wrapped her arms around his throat, hanging on tightly as he passed into unconsciousness. Choked of air, the Krogan flailed his arms uselessly as he tried to reach behind him to grab the Asari but could not. With a final twist, she jerked his neck and his life was ended.
The crowd was chanting for her victory and gleeful in their bloody jubilation. As shots fired in the air, the Asari rose and said to the crowd. "If there is anyone who thinks they could do better, face me now!"
Ashley looked around as the Krogan simply continued cheering this woman. No one dared step forward to challenge such a trained warrior who had defeated one of their best. It was an incredible moment, and she was a very skilled combatant. She was one of the best Ashley had ever seen, which made her next decision all the more surprising.
Stepping forward into the ring, Ashley said to the Asari, "I challenge you, Niala."
A wide smile spread across the face of the huntress as she saw the human woman step forward. No words were necessary for these two.
They came close to one another, and looked each other in the eye. Both were still until Ashley reached out and slapped the other woman hard across the face. Even though the Asari's head jerked, she gave no other response than to spit a little blood.
"That's for making me look like an ass before my crew," the prospective Specter told her.
"You do that well enough on your own," said the Asari as the announcer entered the ring once more.
"We will have a second match between the Asari huntress and the Human female. What will be the terms?"
Ashley said to him, "One fall. No weapons." Turning to look at the Asari, she said, "Is that violent enough for you?"
Her answer was just a smile as the women retreated to their respective ends of the circle. Looking back at Samara and Legion, Ashley saw Legion placing more bets and wondered on whom. Samara kept a serene face, but looked like she had the slightest hint of a smile.
This would be the first true field test of the training she had undergone. While she couldn't know what the Asari had done, Ashley had passed a series of tests designed with input from all the Citadel council species to prepare her for anything. Building upon her martial arts background, she had become as limber and able as any woman could, and she knew she would need it.
When the fight began, the two women rushed toward each other in a blur of motion. Anticipating one another, there was a flurry of punches and kicks between them, each blocked in turn. Both continued probing looking for an opportunity, using their legs more than their arms to try to deliver the winning blow.
Niala leapt backwards in a flip, prompting roars from the audience. Determined not to be outdone, Ashley flipped herself backwards as well, showing she was able to do such a trick. A smile on both their faces, they charged once more into each other. Recognizing that her opponent's speed was her greatest asset, Williams engaged the Asari in close combat.
She began raining blows on her in quick succession, each of which was blocked, but the time Niala needed to stop them prevented her from attacking or fleeting. With a series of kicks aimed at her midsection, Ashley drove Niala toward the back wall. Now, she reached in deeper and was sweating heavily as she increased the tempo once more. With hard work, she had cornered the Asari as they moved so quickly now the crowds couldn't see their individual attacks any longer.
Unwilling to lose, Niala played the last trick she had up her sleeve, and used her biotic powers to try to lift Ashley into the air. Enjoying a biotic ability as all Asari do, she was stunned when the effort failed and the moment's distraction was enough for Ashley to deliver a stunning roundhouse kick to her head that sent the woman in blue flying against the wall.
A massive cheer let out from the crowd, and Ashley walked to Niala offering her hand.
As the stunned Asari looked up, she said, "How did you resist that?"
"A girl has her secrets," said Ashley. "But will you listen to me now, or will I have to beat you again you silly bitch!"
With that, the Asari started laughing despite herself and accepted the hand. "You must have been lucky," she whispered.
"Must have been," agreed Ashley. Of course, her survival wasn't luck. It was rather an old trick she had learned while serving in the infantry. It was all about the shoes, but she would reveal that secret on another day.
The crowd chanted for both women, having appreciated the fine fight. Both took a bow, and Samara and Legion came into the pit to join them.
"Quite the display," said the justicar. "But did you learn anything from it."
"Yeah," said the Asari, "Size isn't everything. Maybe she wasn't a mistake."
Legion chimed in, "The odds favoring Niala over Ashley were 10 to 1. So, betting on Lieutenant Williams with a portion of the reserve has substantially increased our reserve."
Laughing, Ashley said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Niala said, "So you're tough. But you have to tell me how you stopped that attack. Are you a biotic?"
"Thank God, no," she said. As for the second question, her response "Another time maybe," and the Human watched as a woman approached her from the crowd.
The same Krogan female whom she had seen earlier came up to her. "Ashley Williams," she said, "very impressive. Wrex often said you were the toughest woman he had ever met."
Accepting the compliment, she said, "Wrex is pretty tough himself. But he never mentioned you before, which is my loss. And you are?"
"My name is Varla. I'm the leader of Clan Marwal. Before you leave this planet, please come speak with me. I would appreciate the opportunity."
Before Ash could utter a response, the Krogan female turned away and several other women fell into place behind her. The three women watched the entourage leave as the arena was emptying out.
Samara said, "It seems like she is a woman of some influence, but I don't know what to make of it."
Distracted by her departure, the three women didn't notice as another Krogan came toward them. He called out saying, "You women can fight. You're better Krogan than most of these men. I'm Fortack, Lord High Researcher here on Tuchanka. I was instructed to take you to Dr. Solus. Follow me."
He began walking through the wreckage that still littered the capital and past a series of vehicles. When the women walked by the Krogan men, they often called out their congratulations for their strength and toughness. Whomever said the Krogan weren't friendly just weren't tough enough, thought Ashley. Maybe Niala was right in how she approached the situation. Diplomacy meant different things to different people.
As they reached the laboratory, Ash spotted a single Salarian moving back and forth between a number of research stations. Assuming this was Dr. Solus, she called out, "It's nice to meet you, Doctor."
Solus looked up for a moment, and took in the party. "Samara, Legion, an unexpected surprise to see you here." Peering more closely at Ash like he was trying to remember her, he finally said, "Ashley Williams. Shepard spoke often of you. Have you joined the mission?" he asked her.
He continued going between the stations with the frentic urgency that was his nature, explaining, "In the middle of a test. Must compare these results with the first modification. Just one more moment please."
As they watched the Salarian move quickly, Fortack chimed in, "He's always like this. Ever since Wrex asked him to solve this problem, he has worked day and night."
"And what problem is that?" asked Ashley.
Mordin spoke for himself, "I'm reducing the impact of the Genophage."
Ash was taken aback as she realized how important this work must be. She also wondered who else knew of what was happening here, thinking how many races might feel uncomfortable to hear such a plan. It began to explain why the Krogans and Humans were becoming closer, but it opened up so many other questions. She was thinking of enough other things that the purpose of her mission almost escaped her.
Legion intoned, "Dr. Solus, we have travelled here to seek your assistance with Tali'Zorah. She has passed into a comatose state after exposure with some contaminant, and we hoped you might be able to help revive her.
"What other information do you have?" he said as he continued working the panels. "Is she here?"
Williams said, "She's on board the Benevolence. We have her in a stasis field."
Mordin hung his head in disgust and said, "This sample is no better than the last one. Maybe the wrong peptide strand is being isolated. I will have to continue this later," he said as he closed up the station and picked up a weapon. Leading the way out of the laboratory, the Salarian said, "I will examine Tali. Tell me everything you know."
Author's Note: I wish I could do more justice for that fight scene. It would be great to watch though.
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