CHAPTER 39
Kill me now... Kill me now...
"Your clothes have too many... what are these things," Rynak growled.
"Buttons. Vintage is in," Imitha said breathlessly.
"You're so beautiful."
Aw. This would be romantic, Rosemary thought, if she wasn't in the room. No, she had to be hiding, terrified of discovery, behind not-nearly-large-enough sacks of sugar! She was about to hear her best friend have sex! Ew, ew, ew, ew, EW!
"IMITHA," Haka bellowed from the front.
"Shit!"
Rosemary heard the unmistakeable sound of turians scrambling to pull their clothes back on. Oh, I love you Haka. I love you so, so much!
"Quick, back out the door," Imitha hissed. "I can't let her see me – us – like this!"
"She already knows," Rynak sighed, but let Imitha drag him out the door anyway.
The large krogan stopped right in front of where Rosemary was hiding. "They're gone now," she told her boss gruffly.
"You smelled them," Rosemary said incredulously, crawling out from her hiding place.
The krogan female grunted. "She thinks she's keeping this big secret. Rynak keeps reminding her of our... krogan advantage – but, and I quote, 'no one can smell that good'. We can, and believe me, it has its disadvantages."
"That's incredible."
"Lucky you can turn yours off," Haka grumbled. "They stunk. But it's a smell I've gotten used to. Then I smelled you – or rather, your fear."
"Try horror," Rosemary said dryly, brushing sugar off her pants. "Again, I'm so grateful."
"Grateful enough for a raise?"
Rosemary shook her head, smiling. "Haka – you've only been here a few months!"
"And I have yet to soil any area of this shop with sexual congress," Haka pointed out, somewhat imperiously.
Rosemary felt ill again. No... "Imitha's been...?"
"Oh, yes."
"Oh, gods... For how long?"
Haka shrugged. "A month now, I believe. Do not worry; I have made it clear that they would not have their 'business' any space customers might occupy."
So Imitha knew that Haka knew... "Oh, good. Wait... but back here...?"
"I've let her do as she wills. She is the owner, after all," Haka reminded her.
Rosemary covered her face with her hands again. "Oh, no..."
"Fret not. I've stressed the importance of cleanliness," Haka said, patting Rosemary's shoulder. "Every area has been disinfected and generally santitized after every love session."
Rosemary scowled at her employee. "You're torturing me, aren't you?"
The krogan grinned, completely unabashed. "Yes, I am. You amuse me."
Was she supposed to feel honored by that, Rosemary wondered grouchily. But, then... "So... you were just joking... about everything?" Hope!
"No. I do not often jest. I merely ensure that the truth emits maximum hilarity for my entertainment," Haka informed her, her expression perfectly serious.
"You are a jerk."
Haka's grin came back at that. "And I don't deny that."
XOXOXOXO
Bridgeton was... changed. For the better, though, almost everyone expressed. With the excess energies gone, the hybrid children were enjoying simply being... children. And their guardians no longer exuded an air of helplessness and frustration. With their new abilities, they were more confident in the protection of these... happier children.
Still, Rosemary wanted to make sure everything was still going fine. "Everything's fine," Chakwas snapped, trying to wave her away. "Stop hovering!"
She couldn't help it. "No side effects?"
"Nothing but increased appetites. They're absorbing energies better than you, actually."
Rosemary could only feel relief at hearing that. "How is that possible?"
"I asked Executioner, and it seems that they refined the venom for this very purpose."
The note in the doctor's voice was... strange. Rosemary frowned. "You sound... admiring of them."
Chakwas paused, and turned off her omni-tool. "... Make no mistake. My fear of the creatures run deep. I don't know if you recall from your brother's... interest in our tale, but we... the Normandy crew... were taken by the Collectors. I saw... people dissolve in front of my eyes... screaming..." The doctor was pale as the memory overtook her. "It is a nightmare that I will live with to the end of my days. But... my fear of the Reapers and their creatures overwhelms my hate. It... opened my mind... to pity."
Pity? For the Reapers? "What? Why... how?" She was confused.
"Executioner is gone."
Again, Rosemary felt relief, but this time – it was enough to weaken her knees. She sat in one of the chairs opposite Chakwas, suddenly feeling exhausted as tension left her body. "Oh... That's good. That's... good."
Chakwas smiled, but it was wry. "I'm right there with you," she sympathized. "Before it left, I asked about the refined venom. They reall did alter it to fit this purpose. The Devourers all left last night, but before they did – they ensured that were left with ample reserves of the stuff... and that it could be duplicated."
Rosemary shook her head in disbelief. "Really?"
"It's a difficult process, but it can be done."
"Why... would they do that? … Guilt?"
Doctor Chakwas shook her head. "No... I don't think so. They... They have no purpose, Rosemary. No... drive to live. No purpose, no mission... All of their 'memories' are of pain, inflicted and born."
Remembering the blankness of Executioner's tone and expression, Rosemary shook her head. "I... can't imagine that." But... pity? Like so many people, Rosemary bore the physical and emotional scars of the war to this day. Maybe she didn't hate them anymore, but... To pity those... things – one thing's for certain. Chakwas is a better person that I could ever be.
"Me neither," Chakwas murmured in agreement. "Executioner... thanked me for allowing it and its kind to finish their final mission."
Rosemary lifted her head, startled. "'Final'?"
"They are returning to dark space... to die. They see no need to continue their existence."
Shocked, Rosemary could only stutter, "Th-that's..."
"I know."
Rosemary didn't know how to feel. Executioner had told her as much, but it hadn't really registered. Shock, maybe. She... wasn't happy about it, but not... sad, either. To say she felt nothing at hearing this would be false, too. "How... do you feel about that," she asked the doctor.
"There isn't a name to this feeling, I think," Chakwas said softly. "But it makes me grateful."
"For?"
"Living. I've had a good life." Chakwas was standing straight, her chin high – but her eyes were bright with unshed feeling. "I've shared my time in this galaxy with good people."
Rosemary turned to leave the doctor's office, to give the doctor time alone with her memories.
"Rosemary?"
"Yes, doctor?"
"Would you like to have a drink?"
Rosemary smiled. "It would be an honor."
"Glasses are in the top right cupboard. I'll get the drink."
Rosemary's smile broadened as Chakwas pulled a slim bottle from the bottom drawer of her desk. "Serrice Ice Brandy?"
The doctor looked surprised. "Yes, how did you know?" Then she grimaced. "Don't tell me: your brother."
Rosemary laughed. "Got it in one."
Chakwas shook her head as she poured their drinks. "It's only cute now. If he was any older than he is now... his obsession might disturb me. He's a good kid, though. How does he feel about pursuing a medical career?"
Rosemary shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, but he's got his sights set on a Shepard-like military career."
"Aren't they all," Chakwas grunted. "And Keeya?"
Rosemary laughed. "Doctor, she's not even five!"
"Call me Karin. And you've got to get them while they're young. Brand loyalty... it's a real thing, you know."
Rosemary shook her head, laughing, and clinked glasses with the doctor. "What should we toast to?"
"Like I need an excuse to drink," Chakwas scoffed. Then she raised her glass. "To Shepard – and life. May we live it long, well, and drunkenly!"
"Well said," Rosemary approved.
