Chapter 13: The Calm before the Storm

-Thessia, Matriarch Terriana's Compound, Security Offices

Yesterday was a good day.

Danger awoke early, only just before dawn. She rose out of the small cot that she had set up in the security offices, and pulled on a pair of tan trousers. She favored loose fitting cargo style pants, the kind that humans wore on earth before they started to become assimilated into the galactic community. They allowed free movement of her left leg and were just generally comfortable. She slipped into a pair of boots and put on a black shirt that had the marking of the asari nation on the shoulder. She looked in the mirror at her outfit and silently laughed.

You look ridiculous.

Danger had never really liked her appearance. She felt awkward. She was too tall and far too blonde. She felt goofy and out of place, though everyone told her she was very attractive. She certainly didn't feel attractive, especially when standing next to Jane. Jane was the attractive one. She wasn't as tall as Danger, but her black hair and eyes, set in pale, chiseled facial features really gave her a bearing of presence that Danger could never hope to have. Jane was perfectly proportioned, while Danger just felt tall, thin, and maybe a little... gangly.

Maybe Jane's right about all that Alliance stuff. She was just a goofy kid ten years ago, and now look at her. Maybe I should have joined up when she did. Then I would be buff and hot strutting around in a military uniform too. Maybe. Meh. It's too late now, and I need some exercise.

She turned away from the mirror and gripped a quarterstaff that was leaning against the wall, a gift from a woodworker she had done a job for on Earth years ago. She ran her hands lovingly over the carefully hand-carved wood, thinking about the hours that had gone into designing each image. The carvings depicted many of the animals natively found on Earth.

She remembered the job like it was yesterday. The man had saved his entire career to purchase a wedding ring for the woman he loved, and it had been stolen when a gang of thieves raided his small shop and took everything he owned. He had heard that Danger was in town, and begged her to get the ring back for him.

He didn't care about his things; he didn't care about the money, all he wanted was that ring.

Danger had been moved by his story and his sadness. She had never been in love herself, but saw the pain the man was in. Somehow, that ring symbolized everything about his love for his mate, and he felt there was no way he could ask for her hand without it. He had spent his entire life loving only one woman, and just when forever was in his grasp, he felt it slip away.

It wasn't hard to track the thieves. Admittedly, it was one of Danger's easier jobs. The group was inexperienced, and Danger didn't even need to plan a covert op on them. These were novices – breaking into a woodworker's shop of all places. All it took was a suggestive wink here and there in a bar or two, and she stood before their safe house. A few gas grenades later, and all of the thieves were on the floor. Danger took her time as she quietly picked through their spoils in search of the man's ring.

She would never forget the look on his face when she returned it to him, along with his money and his other belongings. He barely glanced at the other items in the satchel, instead immediately retrieving the ring and pulling Danger into an uncomfortable and awkward embrace.

It was the first and only job Danger had ever done pro bono.

Well, almost the only one…

She refused to accept payment from the man, and hopped a transport back to the Citadel to take a break from extractions. A month later, the quarterstaff arrived, along with a note from the woodworker.

Danger, my dearest friend,

Please accept this staff as a token of my thanks. It has taken me a month to complete, and is my greatest achievement. I want you to know how grateful I am to you for returning my life to me. That very night I presented the ring to Barbara and she accepted my proposal. It would never have been possible without you.

Please remain safe, and if you should ever find yourself in need of fine carvings, please stop by.

Woodworker Alan

Danger smiled, and threw the staff over her right shoulder.

Time to get some exercise!

-Thessia, Matriarch Terriana's compound, Training Gardens

Danger was beginning to enjoy her routine here on Thessia. She had always been an early riser, but she found that if she awakened an hour earlier than usual, she could slip into the garden and pick up with the morning shift of warrior training. The asari didn't seem to mind her presence, and always moved apart to make room for the mercenary. She would spend an hour training with them, mirroring their exercises, and have enough time to clean up before Terriana arose to have her morning meal.

Danger knew they whispered about her being the matriarch's 'pet', but she didn't deny it. It actually sort of amused her. Some of the older women had offered Terriana regiments of Commandos for protection, but strangely enough, the asari had refused them, stating she already had a security team.

Danger chuckled at that thought. She was a one woman security team. Well her team consisted of two if you counted Rolus, but he was more of a pencil-pusher, keeping track of Terriana's schedule and making appointments. Still, she was the security team and though the asari Commandos were surely better trained than she was, Terriana didn't trade in her human.

Either she really does like having me around, or the Commandos wouldn't put up with her attitude. Hmm, probably the latter. I couldn't imagine her yelling at a Commando the way she yells at me.

Danger allowed herself a smile. She didn't mind the asari matriarch taking out her frustration on her. The woman was under an incredible amount of pressure, and really had no one to talk to. Rolus was her advisor and close friend, but Danger got the feeling that he already knew the signs of an impending Terriana storm and since Danger had arrived, he always made himself scarce. He wasn't going to let the matriarch vent, so the mercenary did, just sitting quietly until Terriana exhausted herself and dismissed her from the room.

Interesting how I know the signs too, but sit there and weather the storm.

She thought about that for a while, as she became lost in the hypnotic movements of the asari training regimen. They moved like the wind, precise and clear.

Nothing is precise and clear at the moment.

She thought back over the previous day, spent with her friend Jane Shepard and Jane's new love interest Liara.

She's a cutie for sure, perfect for Jane.

Danger was happy for her friend. It seemed she had finally met someone who suited her. Liara was a little naive, but was brilliant and compassionate. She would make a perfect mate for the soldier, who needed someone to pull her back into reality on occasion. Jane sometimes took 'duty' too far, and Danger got the feeling that Liara would help her make decisions based on what was right, not on what the Alliance or the Council would have her do.

Liara is cute for sure, but I like them a little older, a little more matured, and less agreeable.

She laughed to herself. Less agreeable indeed! This whole thing was getting more insane by the minute. While she was sitting outside the Salarian Embassy, she really thought that her datapad had just malfunctioned. Danger felt stupid asking the matriarch if she knew where her next meeting was, but she had no other choice with the schedule program acting up. Terriana didn't even look at her, and informed her that the Flux was their next destination. Danger had frozen in her seat, and then shifted the rover into gear and took them to the bar.

She had no idea how the matriarch knew about the drinks date or why she insisted on being there, but once they got to the table and joined Jane and Liara, the whole tense situation from the vehicle seemed to just dissipate. Danger had slid into the booth a little closer to the woman than she intended to, but Terriana hadn't moved, and instead seemed to relax. It was almost perfect, and Danger had to consciously keep her hand on her drink. The whole situation seemed so comfortable and so natural that she imagined she could put her arm around the asari as if they belonged together.

That probably would have earned you at least two slaps, a drink to the face, and a lecture the entire ride home, if you even managed to keep your job.

No, she kept her hands to herself and just chatted with Jane about old missions while the two asari talked about whatever it was asari talk about amongst themselves. Much safer plan.

I better get back to reality.

She pulled herself out of the memory and looked around her at the warriors. She wondered how many of them would go on to become Commandos or Justicars. Every one of them was unique. Each had a different facial marking pattern, each of them had a different body shape and way of moving. They were all synchronized, but each was an individual and each of them had a story to tell. She wasn't particularly interested in all their stories, but she had to appreciate the diversity and beauty the people as a whole displayed. They seemed to much more attuned to the universe than humans.

Danger lost herself in the rhythm and closed her eyes, as the hour passed and the dawn started to peek over the horizon.

-Thessia, Matriarch Terriana's bedchamber

She couldn't sleep. Matriarch Terriana rolled to her side, her back bothering her particularly badly, and opened her eyes. She had been tossing and turning all night, unsure of what to make of the previous day. After overhearing Danger's conversation with her friend a few weeks prior, the matriarch watched her very closely for signs pointing to when the meeting was to take place. As soon as she knew the day and general time frame, she ordered Rolus to clear her entire schedule. She wasn't even entirely sure why she was doing it. Surely her bodyguard deserved a little time off. After all, the human was actually doing a fairly good job.

There had been minor skirmishes during their travels, but the human's reputation preceded her and most of the would-be thugs departed as soon as they learned of the mercenary's presence. The rest, were rather skillfully dispatched by various traps and other clever devices the mercenary had put out. Terriana got the distinct impression that Danger was far better at snaring enemies from a distance than direct confrontation. That was fine with her. She didn't necessarily want a hero-type rushing headlong into enemy fire. That sort of behavior just got everyone killed. As it was, Danger was doing a very good job and Terriana was pleased, with that at least.

What she wasn't pleased with, was how close she was getting to the mercenary. She should have just kept her meetings for the afternoon, but for some reason she didn't like the thought of Danger being off on her own. Besides, yesterday with the human's friends had been such a wonderful time.

For the most part…

She remembered sitting next to Danger, almost as if they were a couple, and being painfully aware of the human's presence. She couldn't describe the feeling exactly; it was like some sort of spirit link between the two of them, and something inside her was begging her to close the distance. She told herself to move away, to break the link, but her flesh was unwilling to obey the command. So instead, she just focused on keeping Liara talking so that she wouldn't have to answer any uncomfortable questions and prayed to the Goddess nothing showed on her face.

I wonder if Danger noticed how close we were.

Danger had been leaning back on the bench lazily, almost in the same way that she did when they were going over logs in the garden. Something was different about this, though. The human kept her right arm on the table, lightly gripping her drink, almost as if trying to keep a barrier between them. Terriana had wondered briefly what it would have felt like to have that arm around her, but almost immediately dismissed the thought. Surely the human was furious at her for intruding on the event at all. Danger didn't show any outward signs of anger, but Terriana knew that humans had a way of keeping their mouths shut when their paychecks were on the line.

At the end of the night, Danger had embraced Shepard, and the matriarch silently fumed. She demanded they return to Thessia that night, and rescheduled the rest of her meetings for the following month.

Well, I may as well get up. Maybe I will go wake Danger and go over some logs before the day starts.

She rose out of bed and picked out a light green robe. As she was adjusting it to cover her back and neck, something outside the window caught her eye. She moved over see better, and was entranced by the sight. Danger was there, training with the young maidens, and if her appearance hadn't been so drastically different, Terriana would have sworn it was just another warrior. The human moved like water, perfectly in sync with the asari surrounding her. She stepped lightly over and around her quarterstaff as if she were dancing with it, and the matriarch stood there watching for what seemed like hours.

After a time, the instructor raised her hands signaling the end of the set, and some of the asari, including the instructor, crowded around Danger, seeking her attention. Terriana felt a jealous rage bubble up from the depths of her soul, and she scraped her nails lightly down the side of the windowpane.

We'll see about this.

-Thessia, Training Gardens

The matriarch stormed out of the room and through the compound to the garden, walking straight up to Danger. The other asari backed away, recognizing a jealous sister and not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of whatever was about to happen.

"Would you mind explaining what you are doing here, bodyguard?"

Oh she's pissed. We're back to 'bodyguard' again. This isn't going to end well.

"Well, um. I. Yea. I come out here. Um. To exercise sometimes. A little." Danger started scratching the back of her head nervously, praying that the storm would pass.

"So while I slumber, instead of manning your post, you are out here fraternizing?"

"Um. I'm not. Well that is to say, I'm just training a little. I do it every morning."

"You do this every morning? How dare you abandon your post to mingle with this.. These.." Words failed her.

Danger just stared. She had no idea what she had done wrong. The matriarch was almost acting like a jealous lover. Even if she actually was, Danger still had done nothing wrong. She'd had offers, of course, but she was telling the truth when she told Jane she hadn't sampled a thing. She had no interest in sampling anything but…

Terriana turned away from Danger and walked back towards the main building. Danger took a step forward and reached out to try to stop her, but the asari was moving too fast and Danger had been caught off guard. She didn't know what she would have done if she had caught her anyway. She let her hand fall back to her side and leaned on her quarterstaff.

Damn it. Why can't I communicate with this woman?

The matriarch didn't speak to Danger until the following month, and only then it was to inform her of a change in schedule.

Danger never trained in the garden again.