Well, I think I have settled on something of a rule. It's Avatar/Skyrim, then Mass Effect, then Avatar/Skyrim, then Mass Effect. It seems like a good order to do things in.
Also, to the Taramancer(s?) out there: You will grip your seats and shit bricks in this one... I hope. Also, I do believe I just invented a whole new LI-name XD
And remember Elysium? Well, you soon will ;)
The Truth
November 21st
SSV Normandy, Mess hall
12:22 (Ship time)
"Hey Jen" I say, rustling the girls sprouting hair as she runs for me and Ash, demanding as usual to be picked up. I, not really remembering just when my dad stopped carrying me around on his back, just smile, bending down to pick her up. In the more than two weeks I've been around Jennifer now, I've grown to absolutely adore her, if not outright love her. Her demeanor and spirit hasn't lessened even one bit since we met, and her gaining weight, tan and hair is a good sign that she is getting back to full health. It's also a good sign that Nikolai's kid-friendly food is improving. Until a few days ago, the only thing Jen would eat that he made was either the oatmeal with sugar and cinnamon or fried sausages, chopped into pieces and made on the side as well. That, and a whole ton of instant-ketchup. Oddly enough I hadn't imagined the ketchup of tomorrow to be pretty much the exact same kind served on burger joints in the twenty-first century. Still, biting down on a sausage marinated in ketchup isn't to be underestimated.
"Thom, Kaidan said a movie was in the cinema, and he said it's a good one. Can we go and see it?" She asks, tugging on my chest as I sit down, having to concentrate as to not drop her over my neck and break something. Lunch, as we have taken to call it onboard, is served. The whole 'taken to call it' thing is due to the fact that when we arrive at the Citadel in about one hour, the time on the station will be around 22:11. If there's one thing I hate about the future and all its tech, it's the fact that time is different anywhere you go. A new figure walks over to the table, joining our little group consisting of me, Ash, Jen and Garrus. John and Tali are sitting at the other table, Tali sucking on a tube with purified oatmeal while John is deep in conversation with Jane, currently digging into her portion of scrambled eggs and sausages. Seems like we eat sausages to all our lunches these days, but as long as they are good, I won't complain.
As he sits down, Scorch places his plate of purely scrambled eggs on the table, drawing the chair back in with a small sigh. He looks, for a lack of better words, oddly relaxed. I suppose the fact that his new left leg can break Wrex's knees with a single kick is a complimenting effect, but there's something else as well. Now that I think of it, I don't think I've seen Liara around today. Granted, since we are basically dead in the water concerning Saren, there's no need for people to get up early. In fact, Ash and I only just left the gym. Thinking of the sight greeting me as I woke up, I can't help a smile from emerging on my face. Waking up with a sleeping sexgoddess on your chest tends to do that. Also she looks abominably cute when asleep. As such, I decided to just lie there for some time, gently stroking her hair as I listened to the sounds of the ship. Tali can say what she wants, I can still feel and hear the engines when we're relaxing on the mattress.
"You look happy Scorch." I say, taking a sip from my coffee-turned-tea mug. I tend to go between those two, choosing depending on the situation instead of blind love for one and ignoring the other. The clone, starting to grow a bit more hair now, just shrugs, digging into his lunch with vigor. I know the guy is supposed to be over-cheery, but since Sev's dead, this is the first time I've seen him smile at all.
"Well… I just feel good, I suppose. That and a good night's sleep." He says, eyes slowly going over the room. It's almost like he's looking for someone, though I can't see who it is. Except for Fixer doing target-practice down in the cargo hold, we're all here. Well, all except for Liara that is. Feeling realization come to me, I shoot Ash a knowing glance, half of my vision towards her being obstructed by the girl sitting on my shoulders, munching on a sausage with evident delight. With delight not as great, I note that she has spilled more than one blob of ketchup from it, and that my right leg currently looks like I've been shot.
"Jen, could you try and use a bit less ketchup the next time? My leg looks like when I escaped from Eden Prime." I mutter, tickling her feet as she hesitates. As a reward, she smacks the remaining sausage against my face, drawing a long red smear across it. Garrus cracks up, thumbing up Jen's actions… if he has thumbs that is.
"Sorry…" She mutters, pulling her legs closer towards me. I sigh, shaking my head with a smile as I regard the mess she made.
"Ah don't be… it was my own fault, and besides, I love ketchup." I say, slurping in a part of the stain with my tongue, causing her to laugh. It is odd though, in the time Jen has been on board, the person who seems to have warmed the most towards her is Wrex. The other day I walked in on him sitting on the floor with her on his knee, telling stories of his life as a bounty hunter. Despite a slight worry at her enjoying violent tales, the sight of the old Krogan acting like a grandfather just made me smile. Maybe I should repetition him on the whole 'play Santa Clause' thing. He certainly seems to have mellowed with time.
"Okay." She says. I look at Garrus, still looking like he's doing the Turian equivalent of a smirk. His mandibles are slightly spread, and his brows are raised. Other than that his face is made of bone, so facial reading is a little difficult.
"And you, mister Scarecrow. Can the smirk or you get red face-markings." I say, pointing at him. Garrus just holds up his three-fingered hands, symbolizing a surrender.
"Easy there Thomas. You have to admit, she is downright adorable no matter what she does." He says, smiling above me. It's odd when people smile at Jen when she's on my back. It looks like they have lazy eye or something.
"Yeah… I guess she is. You hear that Jen? The Turian with a stick up his ass thinks you're cute. Didn't you throw up in his tank the other day?" I muse, prying Garrus for a reaction. The thing is, about a week ago, we had chili. Apparently, Jenny can't handle chili. It was only when she explored the tank that the meal came back to bite us in the ass, and before I could get in there and fish her out, she had flooded the interior of the driver's seats with puke and half-digested chorizo. Garrus had been surprisingly calm about it when I got her out of there and to the med-bay. It was only after that Ash told me about his multi-dialect cursing and swearing as he mopped up the barf. I actually, although you couldn't have seen in on my grin, felt sorry for the guy. Still, Garrus has claimed ownership of the thing, and as such it's his duty to make sure it's fit for action. That includes cleaning up child-barf.
"Sorry Garrus, I didn't feel good." She mutters. Garrus just flaps his mandibles slowly, leaning back with a piece of Dextro-sausage pierced on his fork. Looking at it for a moment, he eats it, seemingly in thought. I sigh again, something that seems on its way to becoming a habit. Maybe we have an insane Turian to stop, and maybe the council only listened to me because I practically scared the shit out of them… but honestly I think we're quite well of. As long as no more fuck-ups in the original story happens, I think I can cope with the reality facing me. That, and the fact that I 'get laid' a few times a week.
Thinking back to the time where I used that word so casually, it seems rather crude, as if the entire word 'getting laid' actually speaks of exploiting and using the other part, or simply having some dirty fun. It seems shortcoming of what love is really about, and it makes me a bit weary of my earlier way of thinking. I knew love could and would change a person, I just never imagined I would start to realize just how big a juvenile oaf I used to be… maybe that's why I never had a girlfriend before now? Because the whole life/death living has forced me to be a lot more serious. It makes sense, I suppose, that I would have to die and get kicked to another dimension, or at least into the future, in order for me to actually man the hell up. Still, as long as no other fuck-ups in the plot-line happen, I can take it. Suddenly, the screen at the wall lights up, Kaidan having appeared to turn it on. Thinking of it, he wasn't in the room before either.
"Everyone shut up! Watch the screen!" He shouts, causing the entire room to fall silent. The image of smoking ruins and burning buildings, as well as shipwrecks in orbit of a planet starts filling the screen. Then a human woman, somehow familiar, stands in front of the camera;
"Welcome to CNN, I'm Emily Wong." Damn… I remember her now actually. I saw her when she appeared on those screens in the second game. I also think I saw her somewhere earlier, but where was it?
"I'm standing here at the town center of Illyria, the capital of Elysium. The colony that recently dropped out of communications was discovered to have been the victim of the largest slaver-raid ever seen on a human colony. The casualties are mounting to at least five thousand soldiers and possibly tens of thousands of civilians on the Alliance's side."
"Holy hell…" Someone mutters from around the room. He is quickly told to shut up.
"Due to the destruction of the now replaced communication buoy, the colony was unable to contact the Alliance and ask for help. As such, they were left to defend themselves against slavers numbering in the tens of thousands. I have requested an interview with a man from the colonial forces stationed here in the city, as Illyria was the only place to be targeted. Eden and Poseun were both left completely alone. Newly promoted Captain Zaeed Massani has joined me here for the moment. Captain, do we know why the colony was attacked, or who were behind it?" She asks, and the camera turns to… Holy mother of the divines on a tart-plate! Zaeed motha-fucking Massani! Damn he looks like shit. Why are both of his eyes normal color? I thought one was artificial, and just what the hell is he doing as a captain of the Alliance? The last time I checked, Zaeed was a mercenary on Omega, and now he's a bad-ass captain? At least he still has the scars, which means he still founded the Blue Suns. Phew…Thinking straight when I'm faced with a live interview with the most badass badass of the badasses in the history of badassry, is just… it's difficult.
"Thank you Miss Wong, glad to be alive. Although I don't thank the Batarians for that. Ay, we had just received supplies from the Quarians' detachment from their heavy fleet, led by Admiral Han'Gerrel. Where he's at the moment though… that's a mystery… anyway, as I was saying, we had just received the supplies and I had gone out drinking with a friend. The next day we then set about to outfit the garrison with the new phase-II armor. Strict by-the-book thing, we didn't have any clue the four-eyes were coming. And then, pow! My adjutant comes into the room, yelling about almost a thousand unknown ships coming from the Relay. We then found out that they were slavers, and after a brief skirmish with our orbital defenses, they started landing troops while keeping their warships pointed straight at this here city. It started out well for our side. We killed and killed and killed. Our gunships shot down fighter after fighter and our tanks massacred theirs. Then they got reinforcements and we were overrun. It became an urban war, each of the safe houses being our goal to protect, and theirs to take. I've heard that when it looked like we were going down the drain, the Quarian fleet apparently arrived in time to help out. We then butchered the slavers and took no captives. Also, we can all thank the men and women of the Quarian heavy fleet that this city is still standing. The Quarians who gave their lives in orbit will be remembered at a memorial in the colony, and they will always have a place in the heart of this colony. They even gave us help on the ground as well. Tell me Miss Wong, have you even seen a Farseeker in action? I've seen them in action, and they are a marvel to behold." Zaeed says, a smile clear on his face. Now that I notice it, it seems that he has way more scars than he did in the game.
"I take your word for it. Excuse me, but you said that you heard that they had arrived to help? You didn't see it?" She asks, her tone curious instead of snarky or vile like that Arabian bitch Jilani. For some reason, Zaeed scratches his head, looking a bit uncomfortable. Now that I look, he has more than one place covered in gauze.
"Well… it sounds insane, but I was shot by a tank… spent the rest of the battle in the hospital… honestly I'm not sure why they promoted me, I didn't kill more than at the most seventy…" Gods… can this dude get anymore badass?
"That… does sound quite insane indeed Captain. I'll leave it to the public if they believe it or not. Also, I asked earlier if you knew who had attacked the colony or why. Thoughts?" She says. She doesn't sound like she thinks Zaeed is lying, and since the guy survived being shot in the head, I'm not doubting him for even a second.
"Yes that… we managed to interrogate some of the slavers before they died from their wounds. Remember that the Alliance is strictly against torture. We made use with what methods we could afford to, but it paid off. We know who organized and paid for the attack, but it will cause a shitstorm if I say it on TV. Just, know that you don't have to guess twice as to who did it, but I'm not at a liability to reveal anymore." He says. it doesn't seem like Emily is giving up on him yet though;
"Well, I can respect that. Now, you mentioned the Heavy Fleet. Are you surprised that the Quarians stayed and helped? From what I have been told, they had a clear run to the Relay." Zaeed smiles for a second, then his face becomes neutral again;
"Honestly I'm both. I'm surprised because I often wonder if humanity deserves the Quarians as friends, and unsurprised because the Quarian people is one of honor and obligation. The Turians might believe themselves to be the epitome of naval prowess, but Han'Gerrel won with sixty ships against five-hundred. No Turian commander I have ever heard of could do that. They stood by us when they could have fled, even when they knew it was possibly a hopeless cause. Stood it to me, the Alliance would take in the Quarians right on the spot and give them a planet." I don't think I have ever been this glad that scarred guy was born. He… is just too awesome. As are the Quarians, winning a battle at those odds? I knew Gerrel was awesome, but this?
"I am sure many here will share that sentiment captain. Do you have any last words for the people watching this at home? It will most likely be remembered for a long time, you should know."
"I do, yes. To the parents and adults out there: Treat the Quarian people as our brothers, they just saved twenty million human lives. To the kids probably watching this: Treat the Quarians the best you can. They have nowhere near as good a life as you do, and yet they would sacrifice themselves to save human lives. I say, Remember the Migrant Fleet!" I don't think I've ever seen the guy like this before. He's emotionally fired up, and his eyes are shining. Holy shit, is Zaeed crying? As the interview ends, Emily goes over more facts and speculations, but idle chatter soon starts erupting around the mess. I turn to look at Garrus and Ash;
"Fuuuuuuuuck… does this mean we're going to war with the Batarians now?" I ask, feeling a sinking sensation in my stomach. This is just what we need, the Batarians reenacting the Battle of Elysium. As if the galaxy wasn't already on its way down the drain.
"Don't swear." Jen says, kicking my arm from her place on my shoulders. I ignore it though.
"Beats me… dammit, I just… thousands of people?" Ash mutters, staring at the screen as pictures of endless gurneys with casualties fill the screen.
"Normally I'm not one for wars, especially with the Reapers knocking on our door… but I think it's about time we kicked the door in to Kar'shan." Garrus says, his sub harmonics resounding with a growl.
"Garrus, it was a human colony that was attacked. Why are you so pissed?" Ash asks, causing Garrus to snap towards her, anger in his eyes;
"Those asses have been raiding colonies for years, taking thousands of slaves over time… but this was not a raid, this was a declaration of war! The Hierarchy has experienced enough of these raids ourselves to know just what you guys must be feeling. If Humanity goes after the Batarians now, I wouldn't be surprised to see Turian warships with your people." He says. I look at Ash, studying her for a reaction. I thought her mistrust of aliens had vanished completely, but I suppose old habits die hard.
"Right, I… yeah, you guys are free to join in when the time comes." She says, a thin smile of fury decorating her face. I can feel the fury myself as well. Fifteen thousand dead humans at least… just… just why?
…
November 22th
Illium, Nos Astra.
20:35
There was only one day left, one day! Tara felt a mix of panic and joy wash over her. She had been handpicked for the mission, and she would now help clean out in, and restore the name of one of the biggest mercenary organizations in the known galaxy. With Vido Santiago at the wheel, the Suns had degenerated, becoming nothing more than uniformed thugs and backstabbers, and now they were finally going to be doing something about it. It almost seemed like a dream coming true, despite the dangers connected to it. So much could go wrong, each single little part of the plan could have been upset by some means, or an informant could be a double-agent, telling Vido everything they were doing. When the Ashantí arrived at Zoryar, he could have his men waiting to board and capture her ship, and then he would rape her to death for treason, along with anyone else having been in on the plan. Mentally chastising herself, she pushed the thoughts of demise from her mind, instead focusing on what was important. She was an assassin, one of the best to do what she did for a cause and not for money. She knew that her ideals might seems weird or wrong to the general public, wanting to make the Blue Suns stronger. But she also knew that it had to happen for their name to be cleansed.
She knew the Batarians had to go. They were a scourge upon the name 'Blue Sun', and ever since they had joined the organization, they had become nothing more than terroists. They needed to set things right, she needed to set things right. If it meant her death, she would not care. Vido would die, if nothing else then for Telo. She could still see him in front of her, sometimes. Not as he had been before the Batarians had killed him, but as a mutilated corpse. They had tortured him, dragged out his end even as he had begged for death. He had been broken and battered, his body crushed and his blood infested. They had done things, unspeakable things to him, and then they had wanted to do the same to her. A young woman in blue armor had been the only reason Tara hadn't been raped to death on Omega. A young woman like herself, having seen friends die in horrible ways. Tara hadn't known then, of course, that she would be the reason Jentha wasn't killed when Batarians killed her parents. Admitted, Tara had not liked Jentha in the start, her manners and way of speaking and walking being too violent and brash for Tara's tastes, but she had found herself a friend on Omega, and they had eventually formed a bond that, while not being the sister-like type the stories all told off, would lead to a strong friendship.
Jentha had taken her in, given her food meant for the Turians in Omega's Blue Suns, and taught her to defend herself. In the end, she had not wanted to leave, and Jentha had not wanted to be left alone again. Mostly out of want for company, Tara had joined the Suns as a simple maintenance tech. She had been happy enough, making sure that weapons and gunships functioned when they should. A fair amount of time went by before she killed her first man, a Batarian harassing a fellow pilgrim trying to sell salvage in the bowels of the station. It hadn't even been fully intended. She had just felt an overwhelming urge to kill the man. She had hardly considered the consequences when she pulled the trigger. She had been told that the marks on her suit identified her as Blue Sun, and therefore none would dare mess with her. She hadn't believed it fully until the point where she shot the Batarian between the eyes, and then no one had even looked, as if it hadn't happened. Instead of the fear and dread she had expected and almost hoped for though, Tara had felt glee and satisfaction when she had looked at the corpse of the Batarian thug. When she later went back to simply fixing machines, it hadn't held the same glamour as it did before the kill. Everything else had seemed dull in comparison to the idea of taking a life, especially the life of a thug. She could see why Jentha was in the Blue Suns. At least back then she could. They had been the protectors of the civilians Aria didn't bother protecting, and as such they had established a name as the only descent group of mercs on Omega. She had, with some strings pulled by Jentha, been allowed to join the regulars on patrols, provided she wore shields and armor. She had been confused at the last part though. First of all, she had never seen a Quarian wear anything but a few scraps of reinforced metal over their suits. And second, the fact that she was told to be careful and had been instructed to don armor. She had not imagined that the leader of Omega's Blue Suns, back then being a Turian named Arius Feltan, cared about the well-being of a Quarian. And yet, she had been told to don armor, and she had done it.
When they had been on patrol, she had felt more alive than ever before, instantly deciding that she had no desire to return to her job as maintenance. Instead she wanted to do something she could see have an effect. She took her second and third life that day, when they had come into contact and combat with Blood Pack Vorcha. She had been given a rifle by her sergeant, and she had used it to gun down a Vorcha. The feeling of adrenaline and glee it had given her, had at first scared her, but then, after she had talked with Jentha about it, she had learned to embrace that side of herself. At first it had been odd, knowing that she liked taking life. Then, slowly she had accepted it as a fact connected to her wish to protect the unprotected and those who didn't deserve the treatment they were given. Understand, the Suns weren't running a charity, but in her opinion it had been the second best after that, maybe even better. Instead of just supporting the poor, they were ridding the station of those keeping them poor. Then Tarak had taken over, Arius had vanished from the galaxy and she had been reduced to scouting duty. Arius was found a few weeks later, most of him at least. The vacuum of space could preserve a body for a long time.
It was an unspoken secret what had happened, and more importantly, who had done it, but Tara, as well as Jentha and the rest of the uncorrupt Suns had kept their tongues, secretly planning for the days where Vido couldn't just dispose of certain commanders because he had a personal issue with them. Where Arius had been relatively noble, for a merc at least, Tarak was an utter bastard. He didn't care about the civilians in the areas, took twice the regular fees in protection money and dabbled in torture. On top of that he was a Batarian, which just made him all the worse in Tara's eyes. And yet, they kept it to themselves, Jentha became second in command through means Tara would rather not think of, while she herself stayed as a recon-sniper. If Tarak had ever done anything good for her, it was the transfer to a job with a customized Viper in her hands. She still took down Vorcha and other mercs, but now she could feel their fear as well, not knowing from where she shot them.
One of the remaining people still loyal to Arius's ideals had been a human by the name of Conrad Verner, a relatively new, but vigorous and cunning man, he quickly rose to the rank of Operative. He had a way of obtaining his goals without leaving any traces or suspicion that he had ever been there or had it in mind. he had even managed to 'convince' Anto from Aria's personal guard to talk. Had there been screaming? Most likely. Had there been blood? Of course there had been blood. Did Anto get to live? Sure he did, he was now on their payroll, and fed info to the Blue Suns about what Aria was doing and planning. The best part was, on the outside Conrad was just the biggest fan Admiral Oleg Petrovsky had. Tara didn't know much about the admiral, but apparently he liked Quarians and disliked pirates, slavers and other scum who mistreated the innocents. In Tara's eyes, that was all she needed to know, and frankly? She hardly cared either. If there had ever been a military commander she had been interested in, it would have to be John'Shepard. He had been given the chance to promote their people with the rest of the galaxy, and therefore he was interesting to follow up on.
Tara had taken more and more lives over the years as a sniper and an assassin for the Suns. Her job had mostly consisted of providing cover-fire for friendly troops of civilians, the last part being Jentha's, not Tarak's orders. She had also been given her first big task about half a year through Tarak's new regime. It had been simple, and easier carried out than she had thought. The leader of the Eclipse on Omega, a Salarian by the name of Jaroth. She had done her homework, and had only briefly considered playing a prostitute to lure him into an alleyway. The she had remembered that Salarians were practically unfamiliar with the term 'boner', and had scrapped the plan. In the end she had simply lied in wait for him, her customized Viper with the attachable silencing muzzle loaded with two disrupter rounds for his shields, then three incendiary rounds to kill him. If that didn't work, the last rounds in her rifle were toxic, coated in poison from the Black Widow spider from the Human Homeworld. The arachnid was surprisingly common on Omega, living both wild and in captivity as the pet of weirdoes. The Suns had their own use for the tiny creatures though, as its poison was lethal to both Dextro and Levo.
She had not had to wait long, as the Salarian had flown in in an aircar, then parked it right in front of the Eclipse facilities. She could thank the cloaking device in her armor for her even being able to get this close. Eclipse guards and mercs were everywhere, and she would have had to kill too many if she had not had it. After all, the set of armor she had been using for the mission was unmarked and untraceable. Had she been killed, she couldn't have been traced back to the Suns. She had still been considered expendable, until she had put all twelve slugs through the shields and body of the Salarian, killing him with a combination of fire, kinetic energy and poison. The only ones to see him die had been the two bodyguards following him around, and as she slipped away under the cloak, none had been the wiser as to where she had been. That mission had been her first of many, and the then-leader of the Blood Pack, a Krogan by the name of Gatatog Zan had been the next to be killed by a combination of polonium rounds, incendiary projectiles and an exploding fuel-tank somehow having been rigged to explode on her signal. After that, the idea of killing people with stealth instead of close-up and desperate had become a way of life for her. It had not been what she had planned setting out on her pilgrimage, surely, but events had turned her down that particular road, and she had turned out all right in her own opinion. Still, a thing she had missed ever since parting with Jentha on Omega had been an actual friend, or someone she could trust. This in turn led her to her current problem. Actually it was more like an emotional crisis.
The one person she trusted and knew cared about her on an unprofessional level was blissfully unaware of her status as a marksman and assassin of the Blue Suns Reformists. She had seen how Magnus reacted to people or things he disliked in the time she had known him. Racists were dangled from ledges or hit with pottery. Burglars and rapists he had tried to save her from, ending up losing a finger in the process, not to mention his facial scar. She knew Conrad had taken care of the turians as well as the Volus, but she could not give him back his finger. Even if it was salvageable she would have to explain how she got it back.
Now, as she heaved her glass with a false exterior of happiness, she looked at Magnus, pouring a large glass of Batarian Dark Ale down his throat, exhaling with a content sigh when he put the glass back down on the counter. They had, in order to celebrate having finished all work on the Ashantí, gone out drinking and eating. Tara knew a bar that served great meals of both Dextro and Levo types, although she had made it sound as if it had been Verner who had told her. She had also said that it was him who had paid for the meal. It was not a complete lie though. He had been the one handing her the new credit-chit from the organization's secret branch of conspirators. Receiving payment through the net was just not safe from the prying eyes of Tarak's informants. Instead, unknown people such as Conrad were tasked with bringing the chits directly to the employees. As bizarre as it seemed, it actually was safer. Using the money, which were quite a sum really, she had suggested going to the bar known as Eternity. Magnus had said that, much to her surprise, he knew the place and the owner.
"Hey kid. You and your lady-friend here enjoying the evening?" A gruff female voice asked. Tara looked up to see the Asari owning the bar standing in front of them, cleaning a glass with a white handkerchief. She was a Matriarch actually, and had owned the place since before Tara's dad had been born. She seemed nice enough to Tara, even if her way of speaking seemed a little different from how Asari usually spoke. It was both a comforting change from the usual hidden racism and prejudice she had face from lots of Asari, as well as it disturbed her a little. The way Atheyta spoke, there was actually a good piece of evidence that Asari, just because they had breasts and gave birth, weren't inherently female. They were just monogendered. In itself, that thought should have earned her what humans called a 'facepalm', since it was a millennia-old piece of knowledge.
"Yeah, we're neat. And this time, you'll be paid for anything we get. I'm still not sure if you should just have given me the wine last time. Didn't do me much good to be drunk." Magnus said. Tara frowned. She remembered that when they had met, or rather when he had charged in, his movements had seemed a bit off. Him being drunk could explain that.
"Ah well, never did anyone any good, and yet drinking is more popular than shagging. At least more people do it from what I know." Tara suppressed an urge to cough at her words. Did this woman have no morals as to what you said in other people's company?
"Sorry, forgot there was an actual lady here. Been at least five months since a descent woman stepped in here. Last time was, oddly enough, another Quarian as well. She was on a night in town with her Turian friend, I think… poor shit, that guy. Even I could see he was completely lost in her, and she really had no clue at all. Ah well, at least you two had the sense to do it. So, how long have you known each other?" This time, Tara coughed, nearly falling from the chair in shock. At least it seemed like Magnus was no better. His face reddened up like a… like something red. She wasn't going to compare his face to Zan's crest, not now. Mixing up a friend, if not potential boyfriend with past hits was a bad idea. Even if she kept it to herself. She had managed to keep him from finding out so far, but it was only one day till she would have to leave, and he had showed no intentions of not wanting to come on what he believed was a freight haul. She had even managed to keep him from finding the hidden compartment in her apartment by hiding it under a cheap rug, then placing his mattress on it. She would never be able to explain the set of Blue Suns Tactical Cloak armor hidden in it, and he would leave her, shout at her and leave her, shout at her and steal the ship or something entirely different. She had to tell him on her own terms. She had decided to tell him once they got back, and then just pray that she hadn't sinned enough against the Ancestral Code that she would be punished in this particular case.
"Ehm… we're not… we're just friends. We live together, but seriously we're just friends." Magnus coughed out. Despite feeling relieved that he had managed the talking, part of what he said also made her sad, even though she knew it was selfish. She had already been given a friend, and still she longed for more?
"Ah… sorry about that then. Anyway, what'll it be?"
22:47
As the pair made it into the hallway where the door to the apartment was, Tara felt her heart starting to beat faster and faster. This would be it. She would reveal her true self to Magnus, and Keelah knew if he would accept her or get insanely mad. As he palmed the door, her world seemed to slow down.
She breathed in heavily as he unlocked the door, allowing them inside before he turned on the lights.
Tara's breath and heart-rate grew faster and faster.
She forced herself to calm down, if nothing else, then to avoid passing out.
She watched as he slumped down on the mattress.
She breathed in again. Was this really a good idea?
She chastised herself, realizing that now wasn't the time for self-doubt. If Magnus found out the wrong way, Conrad or someone else watching over them could have him killed when he reacted poorly. She needed to be the one to tell him, and it would have to be now.
"Magnus… There's something I… need to talk… about, with you…" She said, cursing and swearing for not being able to talk properly. She was supposed to be a lethal assassin, what was wrong with her?
"Alright… shoot." He said, sounding as tired as she was anxious.
"I… I… need to get this out of my… I need to, Keelah why is this so hard? I… okay, lift up your mattress." She said, biting her lip as she was forced to be firm in her behavior. Magnus seemed to notice it, as his eyes shot to her with a small amount of worry. He cared for her, and now he would find out that she had lied to him the whole time. And she cared for him, Keelah and Ancestors did she care for him. She watched him lift up the mattress, revealing the cheap yellow rug underneath. Not wanting to have him open that part of her life, she instead waved him away with the mattress, then she bent down and removed the rug, unveiling the hidden hatch for the compartment. With her audio-sensors being more sensitive than normal hearing would allow for, she could hear the change in breathing with him, yet it was not the signs of angry foaming or the preparation before shouting. Instead it sounded more like an hmm.
She tore open the hatch and unveiled… nothing. The compartment she had stashed the gear and armor in was empty. Tara felt her mind and world spin around. Was she going crazy? Had someone broken in? Had someone snuck in while they had been gone, taken the armor and then made it look like nothing was wrong? How long had it been missing? She could feel her world crumble around her. It was as if the universe had just made her into a joke. Sure, Magnus would wonder why she had that compartment, but he would not believe it when she told him who she really was.
"I… I… it was there! I know it was here, right here!" She exclaimed, sinking to her knees. Feeling like she could start crying any moment now, she just went with it, allowing her shoulders to sag and her body to tremble due to the waves of shock and horror washing over her. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up.
Magnus was looking at her with a worried mine, being so needlessly sympathetic to her feelings, so… so Keelah be damned kind!
"Tara, what was in that compartment-room?" He asked with a soft if firm voice. She nodded to herself, then shook off his hand from her shoulder. She turned to face him, drawing in a long breath that would allow her to speak with a somewhat coherent voice.
And then she told him.
She told him everything, right from how her Pilgrimage had started out well, to the death of Telo on Omega, to how Jentha from the Blue Suns had saved her life from the very same thugs who had just robbed her friend and ship-brother of his young life. She told him how she had wanted to repay Jentha, living in her apartment and eating her food, how she joined the Blue Suns and how she had started out being content with simply working as maintenance, repairing gear and equipment. She then told him how she had killed a Batarian with her own finger pulling the trigger, how she had enjoyed the feeling of killing the oppressors of the innocents, how she reveled in the power to change the world and lives of those around her, that came with having a firearm in her hands. She told him how she had stayed in the Suns because she had believed in their cause, believed in making Omega a better place. How her likeable superior had been killed and dumped through an airlock, most likely by his successor Tarak. She told him why she was on Illium, the true version, and why she had been repairing the ship. She told him how she had been tasked with helping make the Blue Suns honorable once again, how she would help kill and replace Vido Santiago on Zoryar. And finally, she told him how she had had to struggle to keep the agents watching over her from taking him out, that she wouldn't let anything happen to him…
"…And then… Conrad, my friend from the other day, he came and gave us the money. It was actually my salary… I'm so, so sorry that I have lied to you Magnus. Believe me, I really am! I always just wanted to be liked, to be accepted and cared about for something else than what I could do against other people. And then you came along and trusted and liked me, and I knew that you would just hate me if you found out about my real… job. I'm sorry, I'm… I'm not a sweet innocent girl simply on her pilgrimage, I… I have killed people. I have killed so many people I have lost count. I- I- I never thought it would… I just… I don't know. I don't know what else I can say. I just… please don't leave me! I can't be alone again, not again… not again." She started crying, feeling her breathing become strained as her speech and breathing was interrupted by sobs. She could feel the tears roll down her face as she sat in front of him on her knees, awaiting his final judgment of her as the worst filth the galaxy had ever spawned.
Therefore her heart almost stopped when he pulled her into a tight embrace.
For a long while, longer than she cared to count, the only people who had touched her with affection were the ones who had tried to sweet-talk her on Omega. Now, she just sat on her knees, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Her mind simply could not process the feelings of being embraced by another person; it was just too alien to her. If anything it spoke of a youth having been spent in company with people for whom compassion wasn't the highest thing on the to-do list.
For what felt like days, or even years, she sat there, feeling his strong arms around her form as he embraced her, providing whatever comfort the simple gesture was capable of transmitting. Finally, her mind seemed to register what had happened, and she found herself dumbstruck with horror and confusion as she realized that he had hugged her. Hugged, not screamed or shouted or dismissed her after she had poured out her secrets to him. He had hugged her, and she now realized that he still was.
Hesitantly, fearing that a single movement might cause the spell to shatter, Tara slid her hands around the small of his back. At first she only touched him lightly, but soon she found herself embracing him with all the strength her exhausted form could manage.
She could feel her breath picking up and hear heart beating faster and faster. Still, it was a new type of anxiousness and confusion now coursing through her veins and her body. She could hear his breathing, smell his body when this close, she could feel the beating of his heart under the stained and worn jacket he had worn since the say she met him. She could feel him, and it was something completely new to her. The last time she had been hugged was when her parents had seen her off when she started out on her journey. She had always believed that when she began her Pilgrimage, she would find something valuable and then return to the Fleet. Instead she had found not wanting to go back, as the new worlds had been far too enticing, and her new life in the Suns had given her another purpose than simply trying to keep an old fleet from falling apart at the seams.
Now, she had to admit to herself that she had found a new purpose in her life to go along with the rest. No, above the rest. She wanted to be with Magnus, to keep him near her and her near him. She wanted to see his face when she stumbled and turned for support, she wanted to know that he was happy and that his happiness would make her happy in turn.
Then, she slowly turned her face to look at the air behind his neck, not wishing to break the embrace. She looked at the smooth skin on his neck, the only unspoiled place she could see on his body that the years and the strain had not weathered. With a trembling voice, hoarse with emotion, she spoke;
"Why?" She found that that was all she could say. She couldn't even figure out if she wanted to say anymore, and if she did, she had no idea how to voice it. It was as if her very being stopped her from saying more than that. The feeling of despair still lingered in her mind, yet there was now also confusion ramming her mind with the questions of why he had reacted in that way. She felt his strong hands grasp her shoulders, feeling almost tiny and frail in comparison to his muscled hands. A small part of her mind registered how nice and rough his knuckles looked up close. She didn't resist when he pushed her away from him. She just looked at his deep steel grey eyes. it was a trait she had seen in few other people, and no humans. She thought they gave him a look of great experience, like the mind of an old man in the body of a young.
"Tara… I was an N6. I pick up things here and there. I've known ever since Conrad Verner was here. I backtracked and listened in. Then I just needed to find where you had your gear and… well, it may not have been a nice thing to do, but… I found your armor and recognized its markings. Sure, I was surprised and pissed, but I reckoned that you would tell me sooner or later. Sorry for having kept you in the dark, I suppose." She could hardly believe the words leaving his mouth. It simply had to be a dream. Maybe she had fainted or collapsed in his arms, and then she simply started hallucinating. He couldn't be like this, not this compassionate and understanding.
"You… what?"
"I know about your job, and the name you carry around. I really don't care if you have killed mercs in your life. I have done worse by guarantee. But I don't… have anything else in my life anymore. The woman I love… loved, I suppose, has never been born here, my entire past in the Alliance never took place. The people from the Normandy would not know me from trash on the street, and I would never be able to live with someone else commanding the Normandy than my Jane. In short, while I'm concerned about the way you feel when taking life, but… I need something to hold on to. I just need someone in my life, and right now that someone is you." He muttered, looking at her like he just saw straight through the visor and looked her in the eyes. He had done that before, looking her in the eyes, but this was far more intimate, far closer to being with him. Tara could feel heat bubbling through her body as she felt his hard gaze upon her face. she reveled in his grasp, and repressed a shiver from betraying her feelings. She could feel her throat tightening up with raw emotion and awe for him. He had just braced the storm she had unleashed on him, and now he offered to still be willing to join her, despite him knowing about the dangers it posed.
"I… thank you. You… don't know how much that means to me Magnus."
…
Three days after first contact
"Wow… this place must have an electrical bill that could ruin a country. How do you keep it all running?" Kasumi asked, looking around in awe as they walked through a long corridor on one of the upper levels. So far she had been nothing but awed by what she saw in this place. Next to her Obi-Wan smiled at her level of genuine curiosity and awe;
"The Temple is funded by the government of the Republic. We receive all our recourses from the Senate, and thus we don't need to focus on anything but keeping the peace and finding an end to the war." He said, keeping his hands clasped behind his back as he, Ashoka, Anakin and Kasumi wandered towards the Council.
Kasumi felt like being in a limbo of sorts. She could not toss a stone without hitting a piece of tech so awesome she would have killed for it, and yet she had promised not to take anything. Not that she could either, physical objects that hadn't been with her on the way in couldn't be returning with her. She found out when she had found the disks guarded by the giant men. She had stuffed dozens of them in her suit, but on the way back she had experienced a short-circuiting that left her feeling being close to death. That was the last time she had brought something physical back with her, and in the end only one of the disks had been salvageable. She wondered what Anna had done with it, and just what it was.
"Damn… makes the councilors look like beggars where I come from… so, where is it?"
"Just over there, in fact. We will be presenting you and your case to the council, and then the grandmasters will decide what to do. You should know a few things before we go in though." Obi-Wan said, stopping just short of the door allegedly leading to the Council; "The grandmaster of our order is Yoda. Don't let his size of way of speaking fool you, he is the wisest of us all, as well as the strongest. Respect is due when speaking to him. You may also be addressed by other members of the council. The most likely to be negative towards you is Mace Windu, a human like us. He is a conservative voice on the council, while I am usually a more liberal. We will present the rest as they speak." He said, gesturing for the door. Kasumi hesitated, looking at the trio behind her.
"What will happen if they don't believe me?" She asked, feeling a slight sense of dread at the prospect of being jailed again. Ashoka smiled at her, causing a small sense of comfort to appear in Kasumi;
"They will, don't worry." She said, placing a hand on Kasumi's shoulder. The Japanese thief had only known Ashoka for three days, and their meeting had been less than ideal. And yet they had just clicked since Kasumi had been cleared. She considered the alien girl a friend, even if they had started out playing real world cop and robber.
"Alright… time to meet the gang I guess…" Kasumi said, opening the door.
Inside, a large round room was brightly lit by large open windows allowing the residents a beautiful view of the city. Kasumi's eyes wandered around the room to take in the people in it. There was a black guy, bald and serious. Then there was a blue-green lady with long head-tails emerging from her head and down her back. If Ashoka had worn stripper's clothes, this lady wore even less. Next to her another woman sat, this one reminding her of Ashoka. The head-things and the color of her skin were a stark reminder. There was also an older man with a head that seemed like he had been hit in the head with a hammer, and then the cartoon-effects had taken over. He seemed like the type to be in a home, not in an order of warriors. There was also a small green leprechaun in one of the chairs, lacking the tell-tale beard and hat, but otherwise looking like the alien version of one of those little green guys. There were plenty of other people as well, including a guy with a mask on his lower face. Kasumi was glad he had, as the rest of his face looked like a carving by the butthole of a turkey. There was also a guy who looked like someone had plastered a face on a squid, then stuck in on a man's shoulders. All in all they looked like something out of a combined dream and drug-tour. Kasumi stepped into the middle of the room, fidgeting as she looked around. The stares and gazes of the people made her nervous, and just because one of them were Obi-Wan she wasn't much calmer. Then the leprechaun spoke;
"Greetings to you, young one. Heard of your story, we have. Intrigued, as to what evidence you carry, I am." Oh God, the leprechaun could speak! As silly and childish as the thought was, she could only focus on that small fact, as well as the super-cute little robe he was wearing. It was like meeting a smurf with a sense of fashion. The fashion being extremely outdated, but at least it was not running around in only a pair of white pants.
"Indeed. Your appearance on the Venator made for quite a… disturbing find. In our eyes you are still not cleared, but the possibilities if you speak the truth could benefit us all." The orange woman with the even bigger head-things said. Kasumi tilted her head, not being sure on how to respond. Part of the idea with doing what she did was that she stuck to the shadows instead of being visible. And now the possibly most powerful and important beings in this galaxy were all looking at her, waiting for some sort of ground-shaking speech.
"Going to talk you are, I hope. Very curious I am, as well as the Council." The leprechaun said, causing Kasumi's head to jerk up. She breathed in for a moment before starting the second message-vid Anna had given her. She had said herself that she had very little belief in it ever having to be used, but it was a necessary precaution. The image of Anna Fisher popped up from her ignited Omni-tool, the tool catching as many stares as the vid. In it, Anna was sitting behind her desk in a much more orderly fashion. Kasumi hadn't seen this vid, so she felt a little impressed that the Admiral could actually appear stately;
"Greetings, leaders or leader of your nation. I am Admiral Anna Fisher of the Systems Alliance, originating from the galaxy known as the Milky Way. By now I am certain that you have seen and heard the first message I gave Kasumi Goto, the woman standing in front of you. And therefore I assume that you understand the situation hers and my galaxy finds itself in. To chalk it up, we are about to be invaded by a race of sentient machines known as the Reapers. Currently we are not evolved enough to take on these beings with our own technology. Our galaxy will burn for sure, if not for the actions of Kasumi. Through means I prefer to keep a secret of state, she has the ability to travel between our separate dimensions or galaxies. Currently, as I am making this speech, I do not know if your home is in the same dimension as ours or not. To explain, I have her employed to simply scavenge any sort of useful technology that will enable us to survive the Reaper-onslaught. Therefore it is of great importance that she is not to be harmed. In a way, I suppose you can consider her my ambassador to your people, since she will by now have met with the leaders of your people.
I am going to attempt and keep this short. We need your technology to survive, and if the possibility arises, we will repay you for any aid you can lend us in this matter.
As useless as it might be, I, Anna Fisher. Admiral of the Systems Alliance, extend the hand of friendship on behalf of humanity everywhere in my galaxy. Understand that I preferred to keep that part from the initial video, as I was still unsure of your intentions. Still, if this vid is being played by an unscathed Kasumi, I consider your people to be humanity' friend far far away. Should it ever be possible to travel between our people, I would like to offer a diplomat or representative from your people to visit my galaxy, just as I would like to send a more permanent ambassador to you.
I will now go back to the point of this message. Our galaxy is going to burn if help is not lent. We are by no means weak or powerless, but the scale of the threat is too grand for even or combined forces to take on in our current state. Therefore I would like to petition you for any and all military technology that your people is willing to share. In turn, I will have Kasumi share any of our prominent technology with you on her next return. That is all. God bless you, and may you decide in the favor of life in the trillions." And with that, the video ended, leaving a dumbstruck Kasumi standing in front of an even more dumbstruck council. Even Obi-Wan who had seen the first video seemed like his jaw was coming unhinged. Kasumi breathed in, then spoke;
"Well… thoughts?"
Kasumi said it: Thoughts?
Also, since I'm too dead-beat tired to make a Codex in this one, I'm going to post-pone the one about the original Blue Suns until the next chapter. And as for Kasumi's adventure? It will take quite a few chapters to finish that part :)
See ya :D