Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

A/N: Apologies for the late update. RL got in the way and may again for the next few weeks. I will try to keep updates as regular as possible, however. Also, this chapter is rated M for language because Jin is rather irritated and because I quoted Riddick.

Chapter 34

A four man team for me? Fucking insulting.

I sighed, resting my head against the warm metal of the wall, and scanned the floor of the docking bay beneath me. I had a lovely bird's eye view from my high perch as I replayed the night's string of events in order to make sense of it and maintain some semblance of sanity. I knew the team that attacked Vale and I couldn't have been Cerberus – too poorly trained. Aria wouldn't have sent such sloppy assassins, and Treia was dead.

That left one option: an unknown third party.

My gut told me it was likely some lackey, or even a rival of Treia's looking to move up in the world by taking out her killers and making a name for himself. It was piss-poor planning carried out by an untrained, untried team. I sighed again. I was slowly losing respect for Illium's seedy underbelly, disappointed that such rich and prominent criminals didn't present more of a challenge. While I did favor living, triumphing over an intelligent adversary was a feeling I had yet to experience on this planet. I quite enjoyed that feeling.

However, given my growing disdain and the continuous attempts on my life, it was good that we were leaving Nos Astra behind, although my stomach churned at more time spent inside a crate. Vale and I had few options left to us, and as subtlety had worked in our favor before, we thought to try it yet again.

After our frenzied dash through Nos Astra's streets we found ourselves in the shipping district, enormous docks dominating the brightening skyline. We continued deeper into the neighborhood, intent on losing anyone still on our trail, and found a warehouse that looked promising. Vale hacked into the system while I secured our perimeter. Upon my return to the terminal, Vale announced success and showed me to my new quarters for the trip off world. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

Before me was a large shipping container only partially filled with a variety of canned goods – mostly alien foodstuffs according to the shipping manifest. That it wasn't completely full surprised me little as it was a tactic used by many shipping services out of Omega. Freighter captains used oversized containers for smaller orders and charged full price for the amount of space used aboard their ship. They then used the extra space for "side orders," contraband and smuggled goods hidden away in legitimate cargo. Granted, in the Terminus smuggling was itself a legitimate business, but for those freighters who crossed into Council space, smuggling could well be a death sentence. Those captains who succeeded were slick fucks and I was wary of crossing them.

Vale did not share my concern and I wondered at his lack. He had bid me wait in the container while he scouted the area and gathered supplies, but I was still on edge and restless. With my nerves frayed, my judgment still remained sound, and I slipped out of the container as soon as he was out of sight. Being on the run together was not a good basis for trust.

Ill at ease with his sudden absence I hacked into the docking bay's terminal and attempted to trace his work. I wasn't surprised that he'd erased his keystrokes, hiding any evidence of his tampering, but I was able to note that he'd looped the security feeds. It was only a temporary solution, though. Once the dockhands arrived for their shift, someone was bound to notice that the warehouse surveillance was faulty. If Vale was back in time and we were safely ensconced in the shipping crate, our presence would remain unnoticed. Of course, that all depended on Vale and if he returned at all.

I huffed in mild irritation and skimmed through the many cargo manifests, recognizing our crate. It seemed Vale had changed the shipping status from active to full, and the contents to O2 dependent. We would not die of asphyxiation on this trip, but in my mood I couldn't help but wonder if that might be a better alternative to boredom.

In an attempt to thwart my sour mood, I scrolled further down the data stream, curious as to what else was stored within these walls. The list ran the gambit from construction equipment and parts to toiletries, 3D imaging panels to the very latest in interactive pornography. I frowned, irritated that there seemed to be little of use in easy reach.

Frustrated, I wiped clean my keystrokes as Vale had and switched off the terminal. Wary of my surroundings, I climbed up a series of crates until I found a satisfactory perch, the view below open to my ever watchful eyes.

And so I sat and waited, pondering the mysteries of my recent life, musing about the vagaries of men and the discomforts inherent in space travel. So intent on my mind's wanderings was I that I didn't recognize the ring of my omni-tool. She had not attempted to contact me for some time, so it was with a measure of surprise that I switched on my 'tool's feed and faced the slightly distorted face of the pirate queen.

The sly smile gracing creamy blue skin mesmerized me immediately. She knew what she was about, Aria always did, and even in my fatigue I knew she never acted without purpose. As to her current motive, though, I could only guess, and so I fought through the tangle of attraction and exhaustion in order to keep a level head. I could face Aria with no less.

"You're looking rather haggard these days, Jin." Her lips curled ever so slightly and I felt a tingle of excitement shoot up my spine. "You should take better care of yourself."

I nodded in greeting. "Aria."

Her image wavered on the screen, but her expression changed not a whit. "In a bit of a bind, are we?"

"You tell me." I'd no doubt she knew exactly what game was being played, who the players were, and who had stacked the deck. She didn't get to where she was by assigning her agents strictly within Omega's walls. Aria had eyes everywhere.

"You've gone far too long without contacting me." Her smile vanished. "Report."

The steel in her voice cause me to cringe inwardly. After all these years and across such distance she still had a powerful grip on me. I had never before resented her power nor longed to slip my prettied-up leash. Until now.

"My source fell through, but I'm working on another." A partial truth, one I was certain she would believe. The destruction of one of Nos Astra's more decadent hotels was news that would not go unnoticed.

"Another?" I recognized the flicker of amusement in her eyes, the shadow of a smile upon her lips. "Come home, Jin. Save your meddling for those better suited to it."

I'm sure she recognized the hot flash of anger that shot through my system, despite my best efforts to suppress it. "I have to go. I'll report back once I have answers."

I cut the transmission before she was able to respond. I doubt she believed me and it mattered little anymore if she did. I had spoken truly. I would report once I had answers, although to who was uncertain at this point. The more I replayed our brief conversation in my mind, the more unease pooled in my gut, and as I saw Vale slip back into the docking bay and into our crate I realized I would have nothing but time and space with which to contemplate the puzzle surrounding me.

o O o O o O o

I winced as I pulled the large door closed behind me, the metallic ring echoing loudly inside the close confines of the crate. Vale turned about abruptly, the warring expression on his face subsiding as he realized it was only me. He set the newly procured supplies on a pile of goods and eyed me skeptically.

"I told you to wait in here."

"I thought it would be more prudent to keep an eye on our surroundings." I shrugged nonchalantly. "And you know how much I like crates."

His gaze remained on me for a time and I could only imagine the direction of his thoughts. "And did you notice anything interesting about our surroundings?"

I pulled a protein shake from his bag of goodies and leaned back against a large stack of canned Salarian beets. "For starters there was no one trying to kill us. How'd you do?"

He pulled a second shake from the bag and plunked down roughly on a short stack of crates. "Not too bad. We have food." He shot me a rueful smile and gestured broadly around the container. "And we have room to move this time around."

I cocked an eyebrow as I sipped on my shake. "Oh joy. I'll be able to hide behind the tower of eezo-tainted powdered milk while you take a piss in the far corner. My excitement knows no bounds."

To my surprise he laughed heartily and propped his feet up against the wall. "Oh, Jin. I do so love our heart-to-hearts."

I sighed in resignation as I heard the dockhands arrive, their boisterous shouts signaling the start of the morning and our latest venture. I dearly hoped I had the patience and strength of will to resist harming Vale during our trek. I needed him alive, as I was certain he would smell worse as a corpse, a fact which could stay my hand during prolonged bouts of tedium. At least, that was my theory.

Lonely Day - System of a Down

I'm so Sick - Flyleaf