Chapter 10: Haunting dreams

-Heavens, Undisclosed location

They sat together, looking once again at the play board in front of them. He could tell that she was angry, but there was little he could do. Long ago he had decided that he would not force any of his children into situations they were not interested in, and he had stood by that decree of 'free will' for millenia. He could not break one of his most ancient of tenets now, just because his champion had shown no interest in her chosen daughter. She would have to 'get over it'.

"This is not going according to plan."

He nodded. "It is not, but there is still time. Perhaps I should have selected a different mate for her. My Champion is focused on the machine-gods, now that my humans are aware of the threat. It is actually good, my friend. Your people aren't moving at all, and the machine-gods are coming. They are coming, and it is up to us to stop them."

She decided to change the subject. "Have you heard from Keelah?"

He nodded happily. "I have, and she has offered one of her most gifted daughters to our cause. My Champion has already collected her, as well as Hollow's mighty krogan son. Valluvian has even joined us, and one of his sons also follows my Chosen. We are all in this together, so you need to decide what to do now. Do you allow the child to stay, and risk her life in this cause, or do you remove her?"

"I don't have a choice, now that Benezia is gone." She snapped at him, but he just sat there calmly, knowing that she did not wish this burden on the youngest of her line. It pained her to have to put one so close to her straight into the fire. "I am a part of this as well, and I will not stand by and allow the machine-gods to just trample all that we have created again. She will stay with your Champion, but I do not wish to give up on our original pairing agreement. It may be that something will grow, if I keep inserting them into situations together and find a way to get rid of that... other... human."

He nodded. "I am glad you are still with us on this. I know that you didn't intend for the young one to get caught up in the fight, but we need will need your people as well if we are going to win this time. I know that there is... no one left... for you to send."

"There are some left to send, but none that are ready right now. She isn't even ready, but I know what's at stake. She is the closest I have at the moment. It must be her, and I must push my personal feelings aside." She leaned back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. "I understand what is at stake better than most of you. I no longer have the luxury of time, and I didn't realize the machine-gods' influence was so far reaching already. I would have intervened, and this wouldn't have happened..." She turned her face away from him, and he focused his gaze on the board, allowing her this moment to grieve the loss of one of her most powerful matriarchs.

"Very well then. I can promise you this, my friend: My Champion will be ready, and she will guard all of them with the vigilance of the Silver Hand. She will be ready, when the time comes."

She looked back at him, a lone teardrop in her eye. "I hope so, Palladium. I hope so. These few are our last, best hope, and if they do not succeed... I don't think that I will participate in the next rebuild of civilization. I cannot keep doing this..." Her head fell forward into her hands, and she wept, for all the lives lost and souls scattered over the millions of years they had ruled these heavens. He stood, and knelt beside her, taking her in his massive arms and turning her head into his shoulder.

"They will succeed, Athame. My Champion is the best that ever lived among my children, and she will save the universe. She will save it for us all."

He looked at the high crystalline ceiling that adorned the room they were in, and fought back his own tears as he lent his strength to his oldest and dearest of friends.

-Dreams

It was the single most captivating sight I had ever seen.

The woman has her back turned to me, the moonlight glistening on her pale blue skin. She must have just had a bath, and was refreshing herself in the cool night air. The only acknowledgment she gives of being aware of my presence is a slight turning of her head, revealing light circular patterns high on her cheekbones. My breath catches in my throat, and I feel every muscle start to tense. It is beginning.

She turns back to the window now, where she is watching the younger maidens train, seemingly unimpressed with my intrusion. I feel certain that if she wanted to, she could run with the strongest of them. Her skin is perfectly smooth, and betrays nothing of her advanced age. Her lithe form is that of a dancer, untainted by the debauchery that so many of her younger kin fall victim to.

She is wearing a thin silken gown that sits low on her shoulders, and I feel certain that it wouldn't take much encouragement for it to fall to the floor. The thought sends the beginnings of electrical current coursing through my veins, and I move as silently as an assassin to stand behind her. Her scent is intoxicating; I close my eyes and inhale deeply. She doesn't move away, though she is surely aware of my proximity, but she doesn't move closer, either.

I open my eyes again and raise one hand to trace the faint circular patterns that dot her shoulders. Her skin is magnificently soft, and I feel it shiver beneath my touch as I slowly move up her neck. The electricity is faint, but it is there. I close my eyes and allow my other hand to grip her waist, and I pull her body against me. I feel her breathing shift, and it sends waves of desire through me. She pushes back into me, and I lower my head to the soft area of her shoulder where my hand was previously tracing her perfect patterns and bite gently. It elicits the response I am looking for, and I feel her body start to rise and push desperately against mine. She tilts her head forward, exposing more flesh for me to explore, and I respond by leaving a fiery trail of soft bites up the base of her neck.

I allow my free hand to drop to the other side of her waist, and I pull her against me, hard. Now I can no longer deny nor suppress the emotions crashing over me. The shock waves start deep in my belly, and course through my veins to my fingertips. Her every movement ignites fires and I fear it might overwhelm me. But it's not enough.

I move her slightly to the right and push her body against the wall, pinning her with my weight and ignoring the open window. She uses her hands to brace herself, and pushes back against me, almost as if we were sparring. I bite harder on her neck, and a gasp escapes my partner's lips. I marvel at how well we fit together. I am only slightly shorter, but her longer legs allow her body to fit into mine as if we were carved for each other. Her asari dancer form molds perfectly into my stockier human one.

I allow my hands to move up her body, relishing the way the silk feels underneath my touch, but I want more than that. The gown is too much of a barrier between my touch and her skin, and it has to go. I reach up and remove her hands from the wall, pinning them behind her back. I get the feeling that she could end this at any time, but she makes no move to stop me, and so I hold her hands with my left and with my right gently encourage the shift to slide down her arms and fall to the floor. Replacing her hands on the wall and covering them with my own, I push against her again, and the quiet moans it elicits from her throat cause my eyes to involuntarily roll back into my head. I cannot see, and I am drunk with desire. I must explore every inch of this magnificent creature. The electricity forcing its way through my veins is very close to overwhelming me, and I cannot wait much longer.

She turns her head to look at me, and my breath catches at the sight of her deep blue eyes, pleading for my touch. I move against her again, almost trying to mold us into the wall, and I feel her barriers drop and her body respond to my silent question. I circle across her breasts up to her shoulder with my left arm, pinning her tightly against me, and paint a trail of fire across her belly with my right. She writhes and pushes against my body as my hand slowly drops lower, tentatively seeking to join us together. The electricity is threatening to overwhelm her as well, and she twists slightly, silently asking for my lips. I close my eyes and feel rather than see hers turn to obsidian, as I push into her and swallow the whispered joining words with my...

"DANGER!"

Shit what in the HELL going on here. Where am I?

Danger fell off the chair in her office and hit her head hard on her new filing cabinet.

Ow, god damn it. I don't find this funny anymore. This room is too god damned small.

Rolus, Matriarch Terriana's advisor, stood over Danger in the small quarters that served as an office for the newly appointed head of security.

"Danger, what are you doing?"

"Ugh, I guess I fell asleep in the chair. "

"Then why are you on the floor?"

"I. Gosh. I fell out. Ow.. My head."

"Why did you fall out?"

"Rolus, I don't know. This chair is too comfortable. I need to get rid of it."

Her mind involuntarily flashed back to her dream, and she had to suppress the faint trace of electricity that lingered. She definitely wanted to dissect it, but now was not the time.

"What do you need, anyway Rolus?" she asked, attempting to dust off her shirt and look as professional as she could, sitting on the floor.

"There has been a terrible tragedy, and the Matriarch Terriana's presence has been requested. Matriarch Benezia has passed."

"Oh damn. Were they close?"

God damn it, why does everyone always seem to interrupt the good dreams? Damned inconvenient asari, dying all over the place...

"Matriarch Terriana was a follower of Benezia's in her matron years, yes. She is saddened by the passing."

"All right, let me. Let me get off the floor and I'll be right there."

Rolus left, and Danger leaned back against the filing cabinet.

These dreams are getting far too intense. One of these days I'm going to sleepwalk right into her room.

As the weeks drew on, Danger felt herself becoming more and more vested in her job. It ceased being just a paycheck, and she found that she looked forward to Rolus's visits because it meant that Terriana needed her for something. Sometimes the woman would even come to the offices on her own. Those were Danger's favorite times.

You really need to leave, girl. It's definitely time to bail...

She knew it was time to get out and she kept a bag packed just next to the door. She would surely leave tomorrow. Omega was still waiting for her. Surely tomorrow would be the day she started her new life.

Burying her face in her hands, Danger wished again that she had never taken this stupid job. This can't possibly end well.

-Thessia, Matriarch Benezia's Compound

There wasn't much for Danger to do but sit with Rolus and watch as the various elder asari chatted amongst each other, all abuzz about the passing of Matriarch Benezia. Rolus looked completely bored, and Danger just watched Terriana.

I have to keep an eye on her for security reasons, of course. After all, I am the head of security, right?

That's what she told herself, anyway.

She wondered what was going on behind the woman's impenetrable mask. Matriarch Terriana rarely showed any emotion, and when she did, it was usually anger at Danger for something or another.

She actually blows up at me a lot, come to think of it. I wonder why she even keeps me around.

She looked at Rolus, who was fiddling with an Omni-tool and not really paying attention to his surroundings.

I should have brought something to read. Or something.

"How long do these proceedings usually last?" she asked him.

"Oh, until they get tired of gossiping. The asari may fancy themselves advanced beings, but when it comes down to it they still have all the traits that women of other races have."

He turned back to his Omni-tool and continued fiddling.

Right. Of course they do.

She crossed her arms and scanned the room, looking for the matriarch. Terriana was making her way through the crowd, smiling at the other dignitaries and softly touching their hands. Danger couldn't tear her eyes away. The matriarch was wearing a silver gown underneath a deep black robe, and it was cut low at the front, leaving little to the mercenary's imagination. With every movement the woman made, the silver fabric shimmered and light danced in the air surrounding her. Danger wondered what the gown was made out of.

Wow. I've never seen anything like her in my life. She is perfect. She is stunning. She is... really distracting me...

Danger noticed that Rolus was watching her, with an almost... knowing... look on his face. She sat up in the chair and glanced at him.

"How did she die, anyway?"

Now he just looked shocked. "You don't already know? Your soldier buddy killed her. I thought you would have been the first to hear about it."

Danger slapped her forehead. Shit, Jane. I haven't checked my console in weeks. I've been too wrapped up in all…

She looked at Terriana who was now talking with a very dark skinned asari with rectangular patterns crossing her forehead that looked to be in mid matron years.

This... I need to check my damn console.

"I had no idea. I haven't checked my messages in… Well since I got here I guess."

Rolus looked at her quizzically, but let the matter drop.

The matriarch glanced at them, and Danger nodded, letting her know she was still watching. She thought she saw the woman... smile... but it could have been her imagination.

"Well, if it's any consolation, the word is that Benezia was under some sort of mind control and attacked her own daughter, who was with your soldier friend at the time. They had no choice but to kill her."

"She attacked her own daughter? That's harsh. Well I know that Jane wouldn't kill someone just for the fun of it. She isn't like that."

He nodded thoughtfully. "No, I don't suppose she is like that."

Danger settled back in her seat and scanned the room again for Terriana. She spotted her talking with some salarian visitors, and made a mental note of the colors the two were wearing. She would get into contact with Jane later when this was all over. For now, she had to keep an eye on the matriarch.

I have to earn my money, right? I can't let her out of my sight for a moment. It's my job! Who knows what threats could be present here?

Danger smiled, and rested her hands behind her head. She leaned back, crossed one leg over the other, and followed the matriarch's movements through the room, nodding every time the woman glanced her way.

I wonder why she smiles like that. Maybe her last bodyguard wasn't as alert, and she's happy to have someone who is keeping an eye on her. Yea, that's got to be it.

Danger grinned to herself, dug deeply into her thoughts, and prepared for an extremely boring evening.