Chapter 41: The not so triumphant return

-Thessian Temple, undisclosed location

"M'lady, my report."

The woman sat motionless on a simple chair carved of stone, and barely glanced at the parchment that was offered to her. Her face was nearly as cold and impassive as the dusky marble she sat upon, and after a few moments' time, she turned her icy stare to the priestess kneeling before her. She was the head of the Obsidian Order and news had reached her of a possible sighting, so she had granted this audience. But, such a thing had not happened in over seven hundred years, and she was understandably skeptical.

"This had better not be another one of your ridiculous witch hunts, Lirilith. We have not yet recovered from the last fiasco in which you were certain that a butterfly tattoo you glimpsed on the buttock of a sunbathing maiden was the mark of Athame."

The woman lowered her head, accepting the rebuke. "I understand, M'Lady. This is different." She placed the parchment on the ground next to her and leaned forward, placing both hands on the silent and cold stone beneath her knees. "M'Lady, this is the mark of Athame, and I offer now to show it to you."

For an almost imperceptibly short second, the stone cold woman's face registered shock. It was not often that such an offer was made. The asari had determined long ago to take each other at their word, lest they spiral into madness and tyranny; demanding telepathic proof for every minor transgression. It was more seldom still for a priestess to willingly offer up access of her mind to a superior member of the clergy, lest something be found that would disqualify her from further service in the Order. This may not be a genuine sighting, but this priestess certainly thought it extremely important.

"Very well then." The high priestess of the Obsidian Order closed her eyes and pushed into Lirilith's mind, without warning. She spent nearly a day poking through the memories, looking for any falsification or any indication that it had been tampered with. She was not gentle with her subordinate, and she could feel the woman writhing on the ground in pain, sweating and bleeding, as she forced her way through the deepest and darkest corners of the wretch's psyche. To the woman's credit, she did not cry out, and the nameless asari was secretly impressed. Still, the matriarch had offered up examination of her thoughts, and though the high priestess did not delight in inflicting pain, she was required by the laws of their faith to ensure the information was genuine.

After a time, she was satisfied, and withdrew from the tormented and miserable woman's mind.

Lirilith slowly raised herself to a sitting position, and wiped the sweat and blood from her face with the sleeve of her robes.

"So it is true. She has finally marked a soul for her own. You were right in bringing this to my attention, priestess. I apologize for the… unpleasantness… of the ritual. You will spend as much time as you need in my private wing recovering. Congratulations also, are in order I see. It is good, Lirilith. Long have we wondered whether or not you would leave us a daughter to carry on your work."

The woman just nodded and continued trying to clean herself up.

"M'Lady, do you have any idea why she would have marked a human?"

"I do not know, but she is not a predictable divinity by any stretch of the imagination. She is given to flights of fancy, and even I do not profess to know what is in her mind. We must watch this human, though. Where did you leave the creature?"

"She has actually come here. I have had some priestesses tracking her, and she spent some time on a couple ships at the Citadel, and then surprisingly enough, came here to Thessia. I was astonished, because when I met her I suggested she come here, and she adamantly refused. I guess she changed her mind though. I did some background research on her, and apparently she works for Terriana."

"Matriarch Terriana. You will do well to remember your place, priestess, and show respect. You are barely a step above an acolyte, and believe me I had seriously considered your dismissal from the Order after the butterfly incident. You must start acting your age." The mysterious woman leaned back in her stone chair, and Lirilith once more bowed her head, accepting the rebuke.

So, the human works for Matriarch Terriana, does she? That is interesting, very interesting indeed… I wonder what you are up this time, my goddess…

"Relieve your priestesses of their duties. This will require a much more subtle and delicate touch."

"M'Lady?"

"Contact Marisa. Inform her we have need of her services."

Lirilith nodded, and pushed herself shakily to her feet. "I will send the message immediately."

The high priestess motioned to one of her servants to help the woman depart, and then pressed on a secret place in her chair, revealing a hidden drawer with ancient texts. She spent the next six days pouring over all of them, looking for any hint at an explanation, any notation at all that would have established precedent for the events the high priestess was sure were about to unfold.

Unfortunately… she found nothing.

-Thessia, Space port

Danger stepped off the Colloquia and took a deep breath of the fresh Thessian air. She knew it was identical to Earth's, at least as far as its composition, but something about it was different. She felt different when she was here. She was starting to think of this land as her home, despite the fact that there was only a handful of her kind on the entire planet. Somehow, this place was eclipsing her love of planet Earth, and she wasn't sure whether or not she actually wanted to leave it again.

She made her way through the space port to the nearby city where her rovers were housed. She had intended to move them off world, but every time she sat at the console, ready to finalize the arrangements, something stopped her. She wasn't precisely sure what it was, but it felt somehow like an immortal hand was bearing down on her every time she tried to open the comm link to her transport people. Absently, she scratched at her lower back.

Maybe I should see a doctor. Who knows what I could have picked up while being manhandled on that ship…

She threw her bag over her shoulder, and walked up to an attractive matron named Alleria, who was working on something at a bright console. The woman was of average height for an asari, but was slightly more voluptuous than most of the typically thin race. She almost always wore low cut, deep red asari gowns to accentuate her curves, and Danger thought she was particularly attractive and seemed a little out of place in a garage setting. But then again, Danger herself was a little out of place too.

"Hello, gorgeous. Did you miss me?"

The asari matron smiled as the human swaggered up to her. "Of course. The garages just haven't been the same since you have been gone. I see you have been in some fights! Very sexy look on you, sugar. You are so… dangerous…" her eyes flashed and she reached up to touch Danger's bruised face. The human tried not to react. "Here, there are some messages for you." She reached below the counter and produced a datapad.

Danger furrowed her brow and took the unit from the woman. "What's all this about?"

The asari waved a hand dismissively and went back to her console. "Oh the usual, propositions of all kinds, invitations to the latest technology shows, declarations of eternal love and devotion. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"I assume you have already read them?" Danger grinned idiotically at the garage manager.

"Of course I did. I have to protect my best customer, after all. Plus, you need someone to screen your potentials. Some of those maidens really need to just go back to the slums they crawled out of."

Danger threw her head back and laughed. "You really are too much. So is there anything in this I should actually look at?" She waved the small electrical device.

"Nah, not unless you are looking for a hookup, and you certainly don't need one of those girls for that, sugar…" she leaned over the counter suggestively, giving Danger an extremely clear view of her assets.

Danger just scratched the back of her head and tried her very, very best not to look. "Yea, I'll… I'll just… take a… a raincheck on that one, Alleria. I um... I have to get back to the compound. Can I get the key?"

Alleria smiled at the human's obvious discomfort. "Oh, you have the keys all right…" She reached below the counter again, very slowly, smiling at Danger's surprising self-control. "Should you change your mind, come back here any time. You know my bondmate and I are always up for… new experiences. She hasn't had the pleasure of joining with a human… yet. You should stop by one night. Just make sure you skip dinner and come straight for dessert…"

Danger dropped the datapad, grabbed the key out of the woman's hand, and nearly ran to the garage entrance. She heard Alleria laughing behind her as she pushed the circular metal structure into the center of the door and turned it. As the entrance opened, she threw the object into the nearby conduit that would return it to the front desk, and stepped through the door.

"Oh Danger, one other thing!"

Danger closed her eyes and prayed the woman hadn't done something crazy like disrobe. Slowly, she turned around, and opened one eye. "Yea, Alleria?"

"Matriarch Terriana stopped by a couple days ago."

Danger opened her other eye in shock. "What? What was she doing here?"

Alleria shrugged. "I'm not really sure. She just wanted to know where your cars were, and since you do work for her I assumed it would be all right to show her."

"You took her to my cars? What did she do?"

"Nothing much, really. She just sat in one of them for a few hours, and then left without a word. I actually thought it was kind of peculiar. But then again, Matriarch Terriana always was a strange one. Don't tell her I said that, sugar."

Danger ran her fingers through her hair, got them caught on her fastener, and shook her head in annoyance. She gathered her wild locks back at the base of her neck again and exhaled softly. "Well, thanks for letting me know, Alleria. I have some things to grab out of one of my cars, but I shouldn't be too long."

The woman smiled at Danger, and leaned over the side of the circular counter again. "You take just as long as you need, sugar. And remember, it's an open door offer, so whenever you get lonely, you just come back here and see me."

Danger hurriedly turned around, and ran through the garages, once again hearing the asari's laughter fill the air.

Damn these women are brazen. They are all completely crazed, except for Terriana. Of course, the one I wouldn't mind being a little crazed is the only chaste one of the lot. Gosh. What the hell was she doing at my rovers, anyway…?

Danger reached her corner of the garages, and looked at her cars. There was nothing unusual that she could see; nothing was overtly out of place. Nothing had been tampered with. She opened the door of one of the larger vehicles, and pulled out a small belt that had some tools on it. She stuffed it in her bag, and then shut the door.

I wonder which one she sat in. That's a very strange thing to have done. Does the matriarch even know how to drive…? Maybe she doesn't, if she's been driven around by servants like me her whole life. Would she like to learn? Hmm… I should ask her… well, if we ever get back to normal, that is…

Danger stepped back, shaking her head, and swung the bag back over her shoulder. She looked towards the garage door that led back to Alleria's office, but decided that it would be better to take another exit, given the level of… energy… the asari behind the counter seemed to be displaying. It must be close to a full moon or something, and Danger wasn't so sure she would have the self-control today to resist the inevitable outcome a second encounter with assets of that… caliber… was likely to produce. She walked over to a wall, tossed the bag through the open space at the top, and then took a running jump, pulling herself through and falling out to the other side. She dusted herself off, and picked up her bag again. As she walked away from the garages, she thought she caught a glimpse of red waving to her from behind the glass, and a soft voice whispering in her mind, "I'll see you later, sugar."

-Thessia, Matriarch Terriana's compound, Security offices

Danger stepped into the room that served as her offices here on Thessia, and looked around. The place was just as she had left it. Nothing had been disturbed in her absence, strangely enough. She walked over to the cot that she had set up, and kicked it a few times before folding it up and throwing it out the door.

I can't stand the stench of that thing. It smells like that commando. I'll just sleep on the floor until I can get another one.

She opened her bag, took out some of her tools and laid them across the desk, where her console sat. Next, she removed a picture of her and Jane, in front of the Normandy crew. Danger looked at it for a few minutes, and then set it right on top of her filing cabinets.

Gosh, that was a really good time. I needed that. That was probably the most fun I have had in years. I mean, aside from the whole getting kidnapped, burned alive, and nearly being raped by some pervy old couple stuff.

She dumped the rest of the contents of her bag out on the floor, which was just some clothing, and threw the container in the corner. Danger secretly hoped she would never have to use it again, but she was going to be a little more realistic this time around regarding her association with the matriarch. This time, it was strictly "business". After all, her presence here would allow the Alliance to move forward with their agenda, and as soon as her contract was up, she could return to Earth as an even bigger hero than before, meet someone nice and just settle down.

Yes, that's what I will do. I'll meet someone nice and just quietly enjoy the rest of my life, far away from this planet and this whole nightmare. This was a stupid idea anyway, thinking that this situation was more than a mercenary protection agreement. Now that I have a contract, I can just do the job I'm here for, and then leave. I'm completely professional now. There's nothing personal at all about this assignment.

Danger opened the filing cabinet, and took out one of her uniform shirts. Unfolding it, she stood there and stared at it, as she did almost two weeks prior when she departed this place. The shirt hadn't changed, but Danger felt like she had.

I'm not the same as before. Now I know the score. This time, I'll just fulfill what my contract stipulates, and nothing more. This time, will be different.

"I'm glad you're back, Danger."

The human turned her head to look toward the turian voice that had invaded her private thoughts. Rolus was standing in the doorway, smiling at her. She nodded. "Thank you, Rolus. How have you been?" She turned back to the shirt in her hands.

The turian came into the room, favoring his right leg which had never quite healed properly, and sat in a chair. "I've been as well as can be expected. Michelle sent this for you." He put a small pie on one of Danger's tables. "I guess it's some sort of human tradition or something."

Danger leaned over and sniffed, smiling in satisfaction. "Homemade apple pie. You don't deserve a woman as sweet as she is. Give her my thanks."

"Ha, I probably don't." The turian smiled. He had met Michelle three decades prior, during a diplomatic visit to the Citadel. The two immediately fell in love, and after three years of courting, she moved to Thessia to be with him. She didn't often travel with them, preferring instead to stay home and take care of the household, the two turian children they had adopted, and the one human one she recently bore. She was attractive, slightly pudgy with a kind face and long brown hair. Danger liked her because the woman always seemed to be baking something, and it was the only taste of home the mercenary could get here on the asari world.

"She's been having trouble with her car again, and she wants you to come round and look at it."

"Yea, no problem. I'll stop by this week sometime."

"Great, I'll make sure she bakes those cookies you like."

Danger nodded, and went back to staring at her shirt.

"Danger, I really am glad you are back. You don't know what it was like here while you were gone. I'll have you know the matriarch hasn't slept since the night you left, which means no one else in the household has, either."

Danger snorted.

I bet she hasn't.

"I'm sure that Yhamira took very good care of things in my absence. Where is she, anyway? I suppose she's been upgraded to a… closer location to the matriarch."

Rolus shook his head. "Danger, the day you left I had already gotten rid of that commando. I don't know what Terriana hoped to accomplish with you by hiring her, but I can tell you she didn't expect you to leave without a word, and she never intended to replace you. The matriarch is a… complicated woman, but one thing I know for sure is that she was never comfortable with that asari warrior and never interacted with her more than was absolutely necessary. She didn't treat her like she treated you, Danger."

Good thing too, because that commando probably would have snapped her neck by now.

Danger kept her inner thoughts to herself, and continued staring at the shirt, expressionless.

Rolus sighed. He wasn't getting through to the mercenary. "Danger, have a seat."

She turned her head again to look at him, and nodded once. Folding up the shirt and putting it back into the cabinet drawer; she sat down across from her friend and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees.

"Rolus, I am here for one purpose and one purpose alone. The Alliance has commissioned me to accept this contract and offer my services as a mercenary bodyguard, so that they may advance the human cause and construct new colonies in asari space. The Alliance wishes to strengthen our ties with the asari, and if I can help my people achieve that goal, then I will."

Rolus just shook his head. "That's a crock of shit and you know it, Danger. Don't forget who manages your paychecks. I got your little note that the arrangement still stands, so you aren't fooling me. Look, I'm not going to sit here and argue with you about why you came back. The important thing is that you did come back, and hopefully things can get back to some semblance of normal around here again. Everyone in this house has been in hiding since you left. It just hasn't been safe. She has always been moody, but something snapped in her when you went away, and believe me when I tell you this, Danger; Terriana is not a woman whose wrath you really want to invoke. Ever. Anyway, she has requested your presence in the garden. She sent me to deliver the message."

"Rolus, I have only just returned and as my contract states, there are very specific hours and times that I am considered on duty. This is not one of them. I have a rover to repair, and I may or may not have time afterward to entertain her request."

Rolus tried to fight back a smile. "Danger, you are playing with fire, but maybe you're the only one with enough power over her to get away with it. For that matter, perhaps it's about time someone did knock her down a few pegs. I will relay your message, but do me a favor. Don't be too hard on the matriarch. This is very new to her, and I think it might be just a little new to you as well."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Funny, she said the same exact thing once. I will go and deliver the message."

The turian got up to leave, and nodded his head at Danger. "Good luck with the rover. Let me know if you need anything."

Danger watched him depart, and then got up to close the door behind him. She turned and leaned against it, and then slid to the floor.

The commando was fired the day I left? When did that happen? So this entire time, she wasn't even here. And she's gone now, and Terriana wants me back in the garden? She's hanging out in my damn cars? The household has been in hiding? I don't understand any of what is going on.

Danger got up, and started to gather her tools.

I need to go fix my rover. I can't deal with this right now. I can't think about this. I just can't deal with this right now. Later, I'll deal with this later.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and turned around again. The filing cabinet drawer was still open. She took out the shirt she had been staring at for the third time, and unfolded it again. It still hadn't changed, and Danger still felt that she had. At least, she had changed a little. She still felt mostly the same, but now she had started construction on the wall that would surround her heart; the wall that would protect her from hurt this time around.

She stood there and looked at the uniform shirt with the symbol of the asari nation on the shoulder, for what seemed an eternity.

After she felt she could stand it no longer, she folded it and put it away again. Throwing on a one piece repair coverall and grabbing her hand tools, she walked out of the room and gave the cot one last kick for good measure.

-Thessia, Matriarch Terriana's Compound, Gardens

Rolus slowly approached the matriarch, who was sitting quietly on a bench and making a big show of giving her undivided attention to a datapad. He scratched his forehead and thought about how to relay the message without invoking her wrath. He knew that she was out here specifically so she could see Danger. She hadn't taken a meeting since the mercenary had left, and she had no log notes to go over. There was no telling how she might react to the news that Danger was essentially blowing her off.

He decided to keep it short and sweet.

"She's not coming, Terriana."

The matriarch looked up at her advisor. "What do you mean?"

He thought about it for a minute. "Her contract states she is to accompany you on your trips off world and provide security at meetings. It says nothing about spending quality time with you in the garden."

The matriarch's eyes flashed, but Rolus ignored it. He'd weathered Terriana storms for years, and he knew just how far he could push her before she got really angry. The news didn't immediately set her off, so he had a little wiggling room to be direct with her. "I told you to go and deliver the message yourself, Matriarch. This isn't something that is going to get fixed overnight and a little effort from you would go a long way. The mercenary came back, and that's a good sign, but you need to understand that she's in pain and isn't going to just slip right back into the way things used to be."

"She came back because of what I gave to the Alliance."

Rolus shrugged. "Well, we'll never really know. Personally, I think she would have come back if you had just asked her, but that was too difficult to do, right? You had to make a big diplomatic deal out of it, instead of just sending her a message that you missed her."

Terriana waved a hand. "Rolus, you are my closest friend and most trusted advisor, but you are starting to step over the line."

He just nodded. "Yes, I might be, but I don't think that Danger came back because she is loyal to the Alliance or the human causes. She doesn't strike me as the type who really gives a damn one way or the other. She's not like her friend Shepard. Just give her some time to adjust to being back. Right now she's gone off to fix a rover she wrecked just before leaving."

Terriana looked up at him. "Wrecked?"

He nodded. "Yes, I went to look at it after she departed. It's not the kind of damage that Danger could have accidentally caused. She did it on purpose, and I'm sure she did it in anger. You hurt her badly with that commando fiasco, and I think she took it out on the car. Just give her some time, Terriana."

Rolus walked away, leaving the matriarch alone on the bench. Terriana looked toward her compound entrance, and saw the mercenary leaving, but Rolus was right. Danger wasn't coming out to the garden. The human wasn't wearing her uniform shirt. Instead, she was wearing what looked like some sort of gray repair outfit, which, incidentally, was incredibly cute. She was carrying some tools and was headed in the direction of a road that wasn't often used.

Well, he's probably right. I should just give her some time.

She opened her datapad again, and tried to concentrate on going over the logs of her last meeting with Udina. Her arrangement with the Alliance had added quite a lot of work for her, considering the event was unprecedented and she needed to ensure the safety of the colony. She had already talked to the head of the Justicar training academy, and it was all she could do to convince the woman to keep her Justicars out of that area of space. They were a difficult lot to deal with, and she wasn't entirely sure even the powerful instructor could really contain the asari she trained. In addition to that, she also had to ensure that the colony kept to its own designated areas and didn't start raiding any nearby asari settlements. She had months of diplomatic work ahead of her because of this agreement.

Well, it's worth it. The humans are strong allies to have, and Danger is back. This is nothing that I can't handle.

She turned off the datapad and sat back against the bench. Yes, Danger was back, and that was a start. Rolus was right; she should have gone to deliver her own message. Prior to hiring the commando, she had been seeking out Danger on her own, except when they were fighting. The matriarch chuckled softly at that thought…

Our fights consist of me getting angry and ignoring her for a week. But now she's back. Despite all of it, she's come back to me. Well, there is no reason for me to sit and listen to these. She isn't coming out here today.

The matriarch stood, adjusted her robes and left the garden.

-Thessia, Mountaintop

Danger reached the site where her rover was sitting and punched some things into her Omni-tool. While she waited for the message to get to her captain, she got in the vehicle, disengaged the transmission and backed it down the mountain a short way to a nearby area that was somewhat flat. She got out of the car, and pulled some tire chocks out from under the seat and kicked them behind the rear wheels.

That should be good enough to make this repair. I could do these in my sleep anyway.

After a time, she saw the Colloquia descend and drop a couple of packages just below where she and the rover had settled.

"Close enough. Thanks Ned," she said to no one in particular. "Good luck out there, old buddy. Maybe we'll meet up again someday."

She made her way down the mountain, and unboxed the transmission, which thankfully was still secure on its transport. Pushing it up to where the rover was, she locked the wheels of the cart and kicked some rocks in front of them. Then she went to get the second package. This large box contained specialty tools that would help her remove the heavy transmission from the car. Unpacking the first large piece, she wheeled it up to the rover, positioned it in front of the vehicle, secured it to the frame, and lifted the car's front end. Removing the hood, she disconnected the battery's electrical connections. She then returned to the box and pulled out a specialty jack, which could hold the heavy piece of machinery, and wheeled it underneath the car. Securing it against the metal, she stood and surveyed her work.

Not bad. Not ideal, but not bad.

Danger thought about some of the cars she'd collected on Earth. She was fond of the old technology, especially the older muscle cars. There was something about the simplicity of them that appealed to her. These days almost everything was electronics and artificial intelligence. All the interfaces were VI representations, and it was almost like people had fallen out of love with the inner mechanical workings that had made cars so special in the first place.

Ah, if this was one of those old machines I wouldn't need this thing to get the transmission out. I could get a buddy to unbolt it, just drop it and move it by hand.

But, the rover was not one of those old muscle cars. It was a larger and more durable piece of machinery and despite her strength, the unit weighed much more than she could manage without a jack.

Danger opened the rear door to the vehicle and pulled away the back seat. Below it was a small collection of power tools, in case the machine ever needed maintenance in the field. She grabbed an old, worn beret out of a toolbox, and re-secured her hair at the base of her neck before donning it. She wiped the grease off an old pair of safety glasses, and threw those on too. Selecting one small air wrench, she fed the line into her portable compressor, powered it on, and sat it on the ground next to the rover so she could start disassembling it.

First she headed to the front of the car and removed the starter, paying close attention to the connecting wires. Then she climbed underneath it and disconnected the drive shaft. She had to turn it a couple times to get to all the bolts, but soon it was free. She got back up to the rover's controls and engaged the manual brakes. Returning to her place below the car, she removed the crossmember bolts and started letting the jack down. Once the cooler lines were visible, she tightened it back up and started disconnecting them, and all the electrical sensors.

Danger always loved working on her cars. The sound of the power tools, the smell of the oil and metal… it reminded her of home. Her parents were still alive as far as she knew, but Danger hadn't spoken to them in almost twenty years. She got her love of all things mechanical from her father, who had a small business excavating the surrounding areas. He was constantly tinkering with heavy machinery, and he had taught Danger everything he knew. When she was eighteen, her mother suggested she marry the son of the town mayor, and Danger had refused. The suggestion eventually turned into more of an insistence, and that was the day Danger decided it was time to make her own way in the world.

She never looked back.

She kept working in silence, removing the torque arm, and then unbolting the converter from the flexplate. Finally, she got to work on the bellhousing bolts and felt the transmission loosen from the engine. This was going to be the tricky part. She gently pried it loose, guiding the dipstick out and taking care to keep the rubber seal in place. She plugged it with an extension, and breathed a sigh of relief at not having to smell the burnt metal and fluid.

That smell wouldn't have been so pleasant.

Danger grinned to herself and shook her head.

"I'm so sorry old girl. But you will never believe what I got for you. This one is going to be about a hundred times better."

Danger pushed the jack slightly to the side to allow herself access to some of the final sensors. Making quick work of disconnecting them, she patted the car's engine and nodded in satisfaction.

Good deal old girl. We'll have you put back together in no time, and I'll even get you some special plugs and wires as a treat. Maybe we'll get those new cams I have been threatening to install.

Just as she was congratulating herself on a job well done, she heard a strangled cry and what sounded like an avalanche going down the mountain. She wriggled out from under the car to see what the commotion was, and rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm in disbelief.

There, in a heap of tangled brush and dust, was Matriarch Terriana, rubbing her right ankle.

That can't possibly be who I think it is. Is she kidding?

Danger used the side of the car to lift herself up, tossed the greasy glasses into the seat, and grabbed a rag to wipe her hands.

How did she even know where to find me?

"Matriarch, what are you doing here?"

The matriarch did her best to look regal and commanding, but that was hard to do when sitting on the ground in the dirt with a broken ankle. "Rolus delivered your message."

"Yes, I imagined he would. That still doesn't explain what you're doing up here. Stop it, let me look at that." Danger knelt beside the asari, pushed away her robes and pulled off her shoe.

Well, this explains why she seems so tall. These heels must be three inches at least. I knew she couldn't possibly have been taller than me. No one is. Why does she wear these things? It's foolish to try to climb up a mountain wearing them, anyway.

Danger started prodding at the already swelling skin, and bit her lower lip.

Damn, it's broken all right. This must hurt like hell. I wish I had some medigel or something. I guess it wouldn't do any good though, since I have no idea how to use it. And good lord, her legs are as perfect as I imagined. Is there anything at all about this woman that is unattractive, anything at all I can focus on?

"Your response was unacceptable. I have an agreement with the Alliance, and I expect you to honor it. Ouch, stop pressing so hard."

"Matriarch, I need to see where it's broken. Quit fidgeting, I know it hurts. There's nothing I can do for this. Hold on one second let me just finish something fast."

"Excuse me? I am not done with you, bodyguard. You will not depart until I dismiss you," but Danger had already gotten up and was pulling various levers on the device holding her transmission. The machine gracefully swung the unit out from under the car, and Danger manipulated the controls to drop the damaged and useless piece of equipment on the ground nearby.

"There. Now, we have to get you out of here. I'll come back and deal with this later." Danger returned to the matriarch, put her arms under the asari and lifted her from the ground. Like the first time Terriana had felt herself being picked up by the human, her arms instinctively went around Danger's neck. This time though, she leaned her head against the mercenary's shoulder and allowed herself to enjoy the sensation.

"Why did you come up here, anyway?"

Terriana had closed her eyes, the pain in her ankle immediately forgotten, but the edge in her voice remained. "I already informed you that your response was unacceptable. I have an agreement with the Alliance, and I expect you to honor it."

"I have a contract now, Matriarch. My hours of duty are very clearly stated."

"I will have it amended."

Danger rolled her eyes. "Do what you must, but I was within my right to refuse and come fix this car. You could have just waited until I came back to scold me or ignore me or hire another fifty commandos or whatever you planned to do."

"I am not scolding you; I am merely informing you that your negligence of duty will have repercussions."

Yea, like you chasing me all the way up a mountain to bitch me out, and then making me carry your clumsy ass back down it. I guess I should have been more careful what I wished for… then again… I guess this isn't all that bad. It could be worse.

Danger unconsciously slowed her pace and adjusted her grip on the asari as she replied, "I was not 'neglecting my duties'. There is no reason for me to be in that garden. You are surrounded by hundreds of asari warriors and there is no threat."

"I don't feel safe. I require your presence when I go over logs, in case someone attempts to steal them or kidnap me.

Is she serious? She can't possibly be serious.

"And you just had to come up the mountain to tell me that, right now."

"Yes."

"How did you even find me?"

"Rolus knew where you were. He went to look at your car after you left, which I still haven't forgiven you for, by the way. You are not to leave this compound without alerting me, and any absences need to be approved beforehand. I will need to know where you are going, how long you will be gone, and who you will be with, and that's not to say that I will necessarily give approval. I may not, depending on the circumstances and my general sense about the state of security at the compound."

She is insane. There's just no other explanation. She is fucking in… sane…

"Well, you should have kept that commando. You could have had her guard your garden trip today so I could have fixed my car and this," she nodded toward the matriarch's hurt ankle, "wouldn't have happened."

Terriana opened her eyes and looked up at the mercenary. Danger was facing forward, almost as if she were trying not to look at the woman in her arms. The matriarch was slightly surprised to see the human's face seemed to be healing from some sort of injury, and wondered what had happened while the Alliance operative was away from her. She would ask about it later on tonight, at the evening meal. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the rest of the trip back to the compound in Danger's arms. The human smelled wonderful, some strange and intoxicating combination of raspberry and machinery. She laid her head back on the mercenary's shoulder and closed her eyes, saying a silent thank you to Athame that her bodyguard had returned.

Quietly she said, "I don't want that commando, Danger."

She thought she detected a slight change in the rhythm of the human's heartbeat and it seemed that the arms that held her momentarily tightened, but it could have just been the exertion from carrying her down the mountain. In any event, Danger did not respond, and Terriana did not say anything further, until they finally reached the compound and she demanded her bodyguard continue to hold her as her medical staff tended to her injury.

Danger rolled her eyes, but did as she was instructed.