Omega Chronicles -2- Torfan
The rough surface of rocks all around them, the squad of Alliance Marines was making its way through the underground galleries that housed an imprecise number of Batarian pirates under the soil of the planet Torfan.
It was too warm and too humid for the taste of young Commander Shepard, N7 graduate, in charge of this unit, in pursuit of god knows how many of the alien bastards. Nevertheless, she couldn't possibly be in a better mood. Every chance to put a bullet between the eyes of a Batarian was a welcome gift. The memories of her family being wiped out by those pirates on Mindoir never really left her, even if she did her best to keep it behind a tall wall inside of her.
Shots flew from around a sudden corner, the Marines took position and slowly but surely fired back until they could hear the enemy retreating further. Shepard had a feeling they were being dragged into an ambush, but she did not care. Her only goal, according to her orders, was to wipe them out, and by god she would, no matter what. And with joy in her heart.
A huge cave opened up in front of them, a perfect place to kill her squad out from any given angle. She stopped a few yards short of the entrance, her eyes took in all the few, scattered details that could be used to their advantage. In the distance she spotted a series of quick movements, Batarians sliding in and out of cover behind a ridge, in an advantageous position. This was not good. In fact it would be gruesome. She calculated rapidly just how bad it would be by the end. All things considered she knew without a doubt they'd win. But she knew the cost would be high. Perhaps too high, she mused for a moment. She allowed herself to close her eyes for the fraction of a second, her heart became as hard as the rocks surrounding her. When she opened them again they were as cold as the blackest recesses of dark space.
She gave the order. The Marines moved in.
It was a long, painful battle, she saw her soldiers going down, one after the other, trying to reach that ridge incessantly, never questioning her order once. They immolated themselves like lambs for the greater good, the greater good being the chance Shepard had waited for. An opening, small but definitely there, she and six of her squad mates finally broke the impenetrable line of defence of the Batarians.
What followed was a proper massacre. The Commander ignored the arms thrown up in surrender, the pirates kneeling and begging for pity. She walked purposefully in a straight line, her pistol relentlessly discharging bullet after bullet into their grotesque skulls. Her steps precise, without hurry, she made it a point to look into the eyes of every one of them before pulling the trigger. A shameless grin of pleasure on her face, as what was left of her soldiers looked on, some mesmerized, some shocked, some indifferent, some cheering under their breath.
Of a unit of 50 there were maybe a dozen left.
"Commander."
She was standing flawlessly at attention, back straight, chin high, hands clasped behind her back, in front of her superior officer, Major Kyle. His face was somehow twisted in a sort of internal agony that she thought was very unbecoming for an Alliance officer of his stature.
"Sir."
"I read your report. I don't know how you made it out of there alive, the odds were dramatically against you. You lost 38 soldiers of your unit. Out of the twelve that survived, some are talking about you with an adoration usually reserved for deities, and a couple of them are too shocked to speak. They are going to be sent to a facility to be treated for PTSD."
He started pacing up and down, his eyes on the floor. "I am resigning. Or at least I hope they'll allow me to. I will undergo a psychiatric evaluation willingly. I… so many dead. I can't help thinking it was my fault."
Shepard felt a fist clenching her stomach. Was this really the best the Alliance had? She pitied the Major. So fucking weak. It's a war, soldiers die. She was glad to hear he'd be resigning, it was people like him that undermined the authority of the Alliance on the galactic stage. Fucking pussies, one drop of blood and they faint. She did not let any of her musings through, her eyes staring in the distance, a steel look on her face.
He went on. "So I guess this is goodbye. I wish you the best in your future endeavours in the Alliance, Commander Shepard. You are dismissed."
She couldn't find it in herself to salute him, her feelings of disgust finally bursting through. She ostentatiously put her hands in the pockets of her uniform pants, turned around and exited the room in fast, long strides. And good riddance.
She downloaded her Shore Leave papers on her omni tool from a terminal at Arcturus Station and she decided to go to the only place where she knew no one would bother her.
After going to Omega for the first time a few months earlier, the Commander had to admit to herself that she had been devoting a bit too much of her time thinking back to that splendid creature that was its Pirate Queen. That Asari had a way of appearing in her mind out of nowhere at any given time. And Shepard had found herself being always very grateful for the invasion. Every instinct in her was drawing her to Aria T'Loak, and she felt that it was getting more and more difficult to ignore this call.
As she stepped onto the docking floor at Omega, she felt home. Unfortunately, her hope of not being recognized had been an empty one. She saw several people looking at her as she walked by, their eyes following her, their mouths whispering behind her. Thankfully, since they knew who she was, at least it was a guarantee that no one would try to approach her. A small victory. She was not in the mood to be social. Neither social good, nor social bad. She just wanted to relax, unwind and mind her own business.
She entered Afterlife and her whole body welcomed the loud, low beat of the music that immediately vibrated through her tired muscles. She made her way to the bar, sat down on a stool, ordered a drink. The human sitting on the stool next to her looked at her face for a couple of seconds, searching… suddenly he realized where he had seen her before and quickly got up, grabbed his drink and disappeared elsewhere. A smirk opened on her face. This was working to her advantage in ways she would have never dreamt of. Satisfied with herself, she downed her drink and waved for the bartender to refill her empty glass. As she motioned to pay a blue hand stopped her. She had a sudden, strong sense of déjà-vu as her eyes followed the naked, elegant arm to come up to the beautiful face of an Asari waitress. Their eyes locked for a few moments.
"Commander. You haven't been away long enough to justify you forgetting that anything you want is on the house. Always." She gave her a bright, sweet smile as Shepard was digging in her memories for a name… then the young Asari winked at her ever so seductively.
"Sila. Of course. I was just… distracted. Thank you for reminding me." Shepard gallantly kissed the back of her hand and let her go, the smile on Sila's face getting even bigger, if possible.
Aria had been informed already of the arrival of the young Commander. Well, as a matter of course, really. There was nothing she did not know of what was going on on Omega at all times. She knew the precise time the transport she would be on was scheduled to arrive, she mentally calculated how long it would take for Shepard to make her way into Afterlife. She sent a note to the security at the entrance to not stop her, scan her or otherwise get in her way. Then she finished some quick business with a Turian who was sporting the thickest stick up someone's ass she had ever seen, and she sat down, waiting. She hated to admit even to herself that she was actually looking forward to seeing the human again. Their first encounter, months earlier, had been... delicious, to say the least. And after reading about the recent developments in her military career, Aria had to say she had been impressed. She wondered just how much and in which direction Shepard might have changed from the person she had met. It was a bit disconcerting, this strange fascination she felt for the human, and the Queen did not like to dwell on it for too long, feeling some sort of discomfort about it. The only reason she found to justify it was her uncanny sixth sense. It had never been wrong in many centuries, after all.
Distracted by her musings, she finally noticed that the drink in her hands was now too warm to be enjoyed. She put it down and forgot about it. She got up and walked to the parapet overlooking her club and let her eyes roam, taking in the sights, not truly interested.
Then she saw her.
Wait, she wasn't supposed to be here for another three hours at least. How did this happen? Could it be that the human had fooled her intel gathering agents so easily? It did not matter. A small grin spread on her face. She stared at the human as she gulped down a drink and quickly ordered another. That's when she made her way down to the bar herself, careful not to enter Shepard's field of vision. As she approached her, she saw her exchanging a quick word with Sila, one of her most beautiful dancers, who had been Aria's 'graduation gift' to the Commander back when they had first met. She wondered if the human even remembered the young Maiden.
As Shepard was lustily watching the sexy sway in Sila's step, a familiar, painfully sexy voice came from behind her. "It's good to see you, Shepard. Or should I say 'Butcher of Torfan'?"
The human turned around to look at the splendid figure of Aria T'Loak, who was leaning lazily, her back to the bar, her weight casually resting on her elbows, just a foot from her stool.
"Is that how they call me now?" Shepard took a big swig from her glass, her eyes not leaving the Ruler of Omega, drinking in her flawless body and her cocky attitude with a barely concealed look of hunger on her face. Flashes of their first encounter coming vividly into her mind and eliciting a subtle pang of desire in her groin.
Aria's eyes were panning slowly and aimlessly around her club. "Among other, less flattering things… I must admit I felt a small amount of pride upon learning of your ruthless exploits. You are growing up to be quite the military leader indeed. I like your style."
A compliment from the centuries old Pirate Queen herself was an extremely rare occurrence. The Asari had been in control of Omega longer than humans had had access to space flight. That she had taken the time to check on the progress of Shepard's career was exceptional to say the least. And Shepard knew that. Her dark piercing eyes not leaving Aria's face, she replied. "I have been lucky enough to have a bright source of inspiration… my Queen." The human's trademark lop sided grin was happily pasted on her face, displaying just a touch of irreverence behind the adulation.
Aria turned her head to face the soldier and scanned her from head to toe, just as she had done back then upon first appraising the human, and it suddenly felt as if not a day had passed. Only it wasn't really so. Shepard had just graduated from the N7 program when they had met, and as jaded as she had been then, it was still nothing in comparison to the person she was now. The Butcher of Torfan indeed. Cold, calculating, ruthless, soulless. She had heard all of these comments being muttered under their breath by soldiers and civilians alike after the battle on that god forgotten planet full of the Batarian scum she so hated. She didn't care. Better to have that kind of reputation than being a goody-two-shoes that brown-nosed the brass in order to build their career.
As the Asari's eyes came up to meet hers they stared at each other, almost as if recognizing a kindred spirit. A small smile curled the delectable blue lips of the Queen of Omega just as she motioned with her head ever so slightly for Shepard to follow her.
The human swiftly hopped down from her stool and walked after Aria, both mirroring the arrogance in each other's step naturally.
They got to a small private area that was not the Asari's usual upper floor audience lounge. It was like a private room, separated from the club by heavy doors covered in red velvet. The bodyguard at the entrance didn't even blink as they entered. It was wide enough to accommodate a private bar with two stools, a plush couch with a low table in front of it that could have easily supported a dancer, and in a dim lit corner a king size bed. Shepard looked around and took in all the details with interested eyes.
"Is this your… den?" The human couldn't help a smirk as she noticed the very expensive bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy the Asari got from a shelf.
Aria was generously pouring it for them and did not look at her as she replied evenly. "Call it as you wish." She was surprised at the way she felt. It had been such a long time... it was a powerful feeling of anticipation and she did not expect it nor want it. She got it under control right away.
She turned around and walked to Shepard, handing her the glass. The soldier took it, her fingers brushing lightly against the Asari's leather gloves, she fixed her eyes on Aria's, a mute understanding passed between them. Shepard threw the glass against a wall, smashing it, a wet patch soaking through the red velvet wallpaper. Her hands came up to Aria's neck and she pulled her into a crushing, breathless kiss. The Asari let her own glass fall to the floor in a careless motion. Their lips parted to let their tongues dance in slow, hot movements, exchanging strokes of undiluted passion, devouring each other. Aria's arms encircled the human's waist to draw her even closer, making their bodies connect, the heat seeping through their clothes, both hungry for more.
As they kissed, ever more deeply, their hands started frantically getting rid of their clothes. Half naked, Shepard pivoted them around and nigh slammed the Queen on the table, lowering herself on top of her, her hands grabbing the Asari's top and tearing it apart in one raw movement, revealing her full, perfect breasts. The human's mouth started leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses from her sensitive throat all the way down until she took a purple nipple between her lips and sucked on it roughly, feeling it stiffening against her grazing tongue. Her hand came up to the other nipple and pinched it to attention, a deep growl escaping Aria's mouth, which in turn fired up the Commander even more, making her ravenous in the most animalistic way.
Aria's biotics flared up, a swirling blue cocoon enveloped them and Shepard felt both of their bodies being lifted back up to a vertical position and turned around, then they were gliding through the small room towards the bed.
As they collapsed on the sheets they kicked off their boots, quickly followed by their pants and underwear.
Finally naked against each other, Shepard's entire body was humming with the heavenly sensation of the satiny skin of the Asari brushing against her own, every movement causing sighs to escape her throat unbridled. She was revelling in the weight of Aria pinning her down, as their mouths were melting into each other, their hot breaths coming together in short gasps of arousal.
Aria had never imagined she would enjoy a human so much. This young Commander was so eager, so hungry, and so wonderfully skilled. And she had every intention to take full advantage of it.
The soldier applied some leverage and swung them over to be on top, her own body pressing down on the Asari for the briefest moment before she found herself being flipped back to the bottom again. She broke their kiss for a moment and gazed into the eyes of the Queen, her hand slowly massaging the tender tendons at the back of her head in sensual movements. It was strange to be in such a struggle for dominance, since the Commander was used to being the Alpha at all times. She took only the fraction of a second to come to a decision. 'Why the Hell not…?' she thought to herself as a grin opened on her androgynous features and she pulled the Asari in for another deep kiss, at the same time opening her legs to accommodate Aria's thigh between them. The friction of that silky blue thigh against her swollen folds made her head spin, she murmured loudly inside Aria's mouth in pure pleasure. She instinctively, slowly rocked against it, craving for more.
The Queen was absolutely delighted in how adaptable the human was showing to be. She had foreseen this possible fight to be on top, knowing perfectly well that Shepard was nowhere near being a passive sexual partner. But as she felt her hips grinding on the top of her thigh, so marvellously lasciviously, so openly, holding nothing back, she couldn't help drawing a sharp breath, and she found herself incapable of waiting one more moment.
That's when Shepard felt her. The Queen's consciousness was such a powerful presence, it was dizzying to feel her again inside her mind, the human enveloped her in a welcome embrace of lust, a wave of desire coming from both of them, meeting, grappling, fusing, causing sparks and shivers both in their minds and in their bodies.
As Aria's hand cupped her sex in a possessive, almost harsh grasp, Shepard let her own hand mirror that movement and found a warm, slick moisture waiting for her between the Asari's legs. Their minds melded, their hearts now beating as one, their bodies perfectly attuned, they moved in unison, their fingers entering smooth walls in one avid thrust, they both threw their heads back in a throaty, sharp grunt. Their hands started rocking in perfect rhythm, every push causing ripples of delight, their inner muscles pulsating, both now completely lost in that blissful tsunami of sensations and emotions, their pleasure building steadily, blindly, until it was the most pleasant ache, until they were hovering on the edge, not wanting to move, their minds suddenly perfectly still for an instant that felt like an eternity.
Then it exploded. In an eruption of white hot passion they came together, their walls clutching at each other's fingers so tightly it was almost impossible to move. A raw cry escaping their mouths, over and over again until they were gasping for air.
Aria's body collapsed on top of the Commander in the sweetest way, revelling in the small aftershocks as both their bodies were lulled by the sheer bliss. They slowly came down from their shared orgasm, their minds entwining in caresses, their hands sliding out from between their legs and slowly roaming on each other's body, soothing, gently. Those few precious moments were in such stark contrast when compared to the reality of their everyday lives. This time of true intimacy, naked in both body and soul in front of one another, a side of themselves that no one else was allowed to see. They were staring at each other in perfect silence, a smile on their lips, their minds still as intimately entangled as their limbs.
Shepard's hand came up to Aria's face and caressed her with the back of her fingers, lingering for a second before drawing her closer for a soft, long kiss as she felt her finally retreating from the meld. She felt her body shifting to lie next to her, the Asari placing her head on the Commander's shoulder, one arm around her waist, one leg sprawled on top of her groin. It was so comfortable, and Shepard was suddenly so tired… she closed her eyes for a moment and without even noticing she fell into a deep, much needed sleep.
Aria woke up to the unfamiliar heat of another body next to her. Her heightened olfactory sense recognized the natural perfume of the human's skin, her sweat, and most of all the heady, intoxicating, lingering smell of good, thoroughly enjoyed sex. It had been a long time indeed. She stayed there, half sprawled on the young human, allowing herself to forget about everything that had gone by and everything that was to come for just a short while. Just being. It was so rare. In fact it had been hundreds of years, literally. She breathed in Shepard's scent, her nose softly nuzzling the human's neck, and felt her stir ever so slightly, her breath coming in evenly, deeply in her slumber. As Aria was watching her relaxed features, letting a finger run lightly along her jaw, she saw the Commander open her mouth to mumble unconsciously. "Mh. Yeah. Love you too. So damn much." Then the soldier turned on her side and put her arm around the Asari's waist, instinctively drawing her close and making their bodies connect in a warm embrace, her leg entwined between the Queen's, settling against her groin so naturally, her face buried in Aria's throat.
Aria got rocked. Her eyes were wide, shocked pools of blue, her breath caught in her throat. She stayed perfectly still for several minutes, her mind racing, her heart pounding in her chest. No. No, she couldn't. Or could she? No. No, she couldn't, come on. It would be madness, not to mention a complete disregard of her own rules regarding her personal, romantic life. Or better, her decision towards a total lack of it. She felt overwhelmed by the choice she was given. Then her rational mind took control again and she shrugged the whole thing off. 'She's probably just dreaming of her high school sweetheart anyway. Move along T'Loak, nothing to see here.' Then the human's lips were whispering on her neck. "Mh. You smell so good. Never leave." Aria realized that there was actually a chance that Shepard was talking to her, not some dream she was having. She was suddenly aware that she had a way of knowing for sure.
Her eyes turned into small black holes and she drifted easily into Shepard's mind. It was weird looking at someone's dreams, she felt a bit out of place for a second and she debated just forgetting about the whole thing. Then her curiosity took over and she prepared to push further into the human's consciousness. Immediately, she felt surrounded by an invisible barrier, strong and flexible at the same time. Every time she tried pushing through it she was easily bounced back. For a moment she had no idea how to proceed. Then something stirred in the soldier's mind and Aria felt herself being prodded, examined, scanned. As Shepard seemed to recognize her, the barrier dissolved and she was finally free to roam around at leisure. She realized she had never met anyone so mentally strong. Certainly not among non-Asari.
Asari were instructed on dealing with melds since their youngest age and it was second nature to them to communicate in this way. Some chose to dig deeper into it and studied with revered, expert Matriarchs in order to achieve the best control possible over their melds. Aria had done that, many centuries earlier, because she could easily see how it would be a powerful weapon.
She felt around the human's mind for just the fraction of a second before she saw a swirling wave of warm colours dancing around her happily, enveloping her in the sweetest way, holding her, lifting her, it was an embrace of pure and simple love. She knew that the Commander knew who she was. The feeling was suddenly so exhilarating that in her mind she actually laughed as she allowed herself to be waltzed around by the soldier's all-encompassing feeling. So no, after all, Aria considered, she was not talking to her high school sweetheart. What was she to do now? As she weighed her options she suddenly realized she wasn't able to stop a surge of affection coming from deep inside her that bled into Shepard's naturally. No, it wasn't so much that she wasn't able to stop it, who was she trying to fool. It's just that she -wanted- to share this feeling with the Commander. She had forgotten how sweet it felt, how warm, how utterly perfect.
She started drawing back from the meld, slowly, their minds trading caresses as they separated.
The soldier was still asleep, the corners of her pink lips slightly turned up in an unconscious smile, apparently unaware of anything out of the ordinary. Aria decided to keep these moments for herself. No need to verbalize just about everything. After all silence was golden, as the humans said.
She smoothly got out of Shepard's arms and out of the bed.