Omega Chronicles -5- The price to pay

Shepard thought with a bitter note that she'd never get used to how damp and humid the damn tunnels in the underbelly of Omega were. Walking along a metal walkway between two galleries she noticed even the rocks were sweating. Well, there was a layer of putrid liquid sliding down on them at any rate, and who knows what sort of life forms were thriving in it.

An anonymous intel had supplied the whereabouts of a supposed illegal exchange happening today. Illegal in the eyes of Aria of course, so here they were, checking out who would be so stupid to try to go around her authority and hope to get away with it. The Queen of Omega always made it a point to take care of this kind of business in person, she said it helped strike terror in the hearts of those who might want to follow the example of smugglers and small and big criminals who tried to pull one over her. It worked, of course, but sometimes there would be the occasional thug who thought, either out of sheer ignorance or very misplaced arrogance, that they were special and better than the previous ones, whose corpses were rotting away pretty much all over the old mining tunnels.

The Commander wiped away the sweat from her brow and let out a sigh.

"We could install some aircon in here, since we seem to spend quite some time strolling around."

Aria was not amused. "So to make the smugglers more comfortable in their attempts to undermine my rule? I don't think so."

"Well, I was not blessed with the Asari genes that prevent your skin from sweating. You know what would make this more bearable for little old me?"

The Asari raised a figurative eyebrow in her direction. "I'm sure you're going to tell me whether I care to know or not."

"The thought of your soft blue hands washing every centimetre of me once we go back." The human couldn't help a grin. She was actually really looking forward to some such thing.

"I'm not your fucking wet nurse. You are old enough to wash your own self, aren't you?" Aria's tone, regardless of its severity, had a definite undercurrent of tease in the prickliest way, something the Commander found incredibly arousing. Which in turn was very well known to the Queen, and a never ending source of enjoyment for her as well. They did love to banter.

Her squad of mercs was following them, but they were travelling under the suspended metal bridge, sweeping tunnel after tunnel in a systematic fashion, reporting to Aria's comm every five minutes or so. So far, so nothing. It was starting to get a bit tedious and the Queen did not like to waste her time. It was plain on her face. She stopped for a moment and leaned on the parapet, looking around at nothing in particular. Down below her mercs disappeared inside the next tunnel.

Shepard kept walking ahead of her, wanting nothing more than to finish this business and head back to more civilised surroundings. Well, as civilised as Omega could offer anyway. As she entered the tunnel ahead she could smell something was wrong. The air was too still, it felt like the calm before the storm. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a huge figure coming out of the shadows in quick, strong strides, then another, and another, it was as if the walls were suddenly alive. As the faint light hit them, she saw the red armors. Her hand flew to her pistol. She quickly glanced around and realized there were just too many, and Aria's men were too far to offer help in time, this would all go down in just a matter of seconds. Only one thing to do. Only one thing she cared for.

"Blood Pack! Aria! Run!"

She shot three of the Krogans charging her, they fell to the ground in loud thuds, a fourth almost got too close but she managed to put a bullet between his eyes, then it was just a fucking stampede. The Commander found it strange that they were not shooting back, but she didn't have the time to think of a reason. Two of them were on her. She dodged the first and hit him in the quads, he fell to his knees moaning, a third was right behind them, she punched them both in a classic one-two, then two more appeared, then four. She was surrounded. She fought for as long as she could. There were just too many.

Aria couldn't see what was going on inside the tunnel, but she could hear the commotion of a small battle, some shots were fired. The voice of Shepard got to her loud and clear. "Blood Pack! Aria! Run!" She couldn't believe her ears. They had planned an ambush and lured her here... for what? To take Omega from her? Idiots.

There was suddenly a deafening silence, she charged her biotics, her arms swirling in blue flames. She waited, ready for anything. Or almost anything, as it turned out. Two Krogans walked out of the shadows of the tunnel in front of her, carrying Shepard, one arm each. They threw her down on her knees, her hands tied behind her back. Behind them, an entire squad of blood red armors slowly appeared, covering the entrance of the tunnel completely. Rage was erupting from the Queen's eyes as she quickly assessed the situation. She had the time to lock eyes with the human. She saw her mouthing a few words, silently.

Then she threw up a barrier, she turned and she ran. Shots were being fired at her, but she kept running, as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her lungs, ignoring the shouts of the mercs, fuelled by an anger that she hadn't felt since her Maiden days. 'I love you. Please, run.' In her mind she could hear Shepard's voice even if she had only barely whispered the words. Heads would roll. They would die suffocating in their own blood. They had gone too far.

The Commander was not cooperating, at all. Even just to take her back to their base they had had to half drag her, half carry her. Not screaming, and whatever for after all? But definitely kicking. She had managed to knock a couple of them unconscious along the way, much to her personal delight. Her thoughts were clear and lucid. She knew Aria was safe, she was fast and powerful, she thought that by now she must be back in Afterlife, where she was far from threats of any kind. Nobody would dare challenge her there. She didn't care about what the Blood Pack wanted to do to her. She had managed to achieve the only thing that was important to her.

Aria kept running until she saw the lights at the entrance of her Club, then she slowed down to a brisk walk. She passed by the huge Elcor standing at the door and nodded to him casually. He nodded back and kept doing his job.

Once inside she raised her comm and spoke to Anto. "Where the fuck are you?"

The voice of the Batarian came through with a bit of interference. "Southern tunnels, sector Z45."

"Get back to Afterlife, now."

"Yes, Aria. Boys! Let's go."

She passed by the bar and got herself a much needed drink. She walked up the steps leading to her personal area and started pacing like a caged animal. Saying that she was furious was the understatement of the century. She gulped down the drink and threw the glass against a wall, smashing it in a million pieces. Her biotics kept flaring up randomly. She let out a discharge of energy that destroyed the right side of her couch. As she was turning to do the same to the other side she saw someone climbing the stairs. It was a Krogan. And he was wearing the Blood Pack uniform. She caught him in a stasis field and walked right up to his face.

"Tell me why I shouldn't just crush you this instant like a fucking insect, Krogan."

He tried to motion to her that he was carrying something in his hand. "You might want to read this before you do."

She let the field fade and he fell to the floor. She picked up the padd that he was holding and read it. Then she read it again. And again.

'If you want your pet back, you will give Omega to us. You have 48 hours to make any preparations you need to leave the station. If you attempt to attack us, the human will be dead before the first shot is fired.'

Then she read it one more time, for good measure. As she was doing so the Krogan spoke.

"You have a message for me to bring back?"

Without even turning, her eyes still on the padd, she unleashed a biotic attack that literally turned him inside out, a puddle of goo, blood and bone fragments was all that remained. "No."

She needed to think fast. If these overgrown frogs thought they could actually win this, they were sadly mistaken. An idea sprang to her mind. She brought her omni tool online to make a couple of calls. She finally found the information she wanted and was able to make one last call.

A young, girly face, half hidden under a big hood, her eyes sparkling from the shadow provided by it, greeted her, seemingly unsurprised. "Aria T'Loak. Queen of Omega. Is this a call for business or pleasure?"

"Business, Goto. I hear you're the best at what you do."

"So I hear about you. What do you need?"

"Be here on Omega, in Afterlife, in two hours."

"I will."

Aria was seriously thinking that for some insane reason time was deliberately, stubbornly standing still. They must have been the longest two hours of her very long life. She was putting all of her intellect into the details of the plan she had in mind, trying to work out all the possible bumps in the road, the unexpected obstacles, not even the smallest thing was allowed to be out of her control. She was again in full possession of herself, knowing that the anger would not help, that it would in fact be in her way, making her susceptible to mistakes, overlooked little things, miscalculations. She could not afford that. She felt as cold as ice. It felt good.

She also suddenly felt a vibration in the air next to her, right on the couch, she quickly turned her head to see a light, lean woman appear out of thin air, sitting there. An evil grin spread on the Queen's face.

"Kasumi Goto. Perfectly on time. And that little gadget is exactly what I need from you."

"Oh, but my tools are not for sale, I'm afraid."

"Bullshit. Everything has a price."

The young thief was about to reply when she noticed several little bright red dots on her, lasersights from Aria's mercs targeting her head and her torso. That's how she learned the first lesson when dealing with the Pirate Queen. Never underestimate her. Being a clever, intelligent and sensible person, she immediately adapted.

"I see. Make me an offer then."

"I don't want to buy it off you. I just need to... borrow it. For a few hours. Of course you will be compensated. You can choose if you prefer credits or something more valuable. I have some intel that I'm sure you would be very interested in."

Kasumi seemed concentrated on thinking about it for just a few moments.

"I'll take the intel. And I get to play Skillian 5 on the house until you're done." A teasing smile was playing on her face.

Aria smiled as well, only quite devilishly so. "Done."

Half her face was completely numb. She couldn't see from her left eye anymore and there was a throbbing pain all along her brow. She had already spat out two broken teeth, along with an imprecise amount of blood. They hadn't asked her a single question, hadn't threatened her, hadn't spoken to her at all, really. It was just some mean ground and pound. Maybe this was their way of passing the time. Maybe they had a bet going, with credits being thrown in on how long it would take for her to faint. Or die. What they didn't know was that in comparison to what she had had to go through in the N7 program, this was the equivalent of summer camp.

Another Krogan walked in and kicked her in the face, making her chair fall backwards, with her tied to it, of course. By now the hit on the back of her head actually hurt more than the kick to the face. She found that thought strangely ironic and let out a short laugh, dripping with irony. The Krogan picked her and the chair up and set them straight on the floor again. Then he punched her face until he got tired. He walked out.

She sighed and waited for the next merc, tentatively feeling around her mouth with her bloody tongue to see if any more teeth needed to go. Yep. Ah well. She still had plenty. For now. And she also had something else. If there was one thing the Commander was, it was ready for anything. Old habits dying hard, and years in the Alliance Military, but especially the training she had undergone in the gruesome N7 program, had made her a precise, sly, cunning killing machine. By now she had timed the intervals of their visits to her cell, she knew she had some time to work her magic. On the way to her holding cell she had wrestled out of the grip of the merc who was dragging her and letting herself fall to the floor she had rolled on her back to pick up a small screw from under an abandoned, tossed table in a corridor. She used it to undo the rudimentary shackles they had used to tie her up. These guys were an insult to real, honest, organised mercs, she thought with a hint of amusement. Free of her restraints, she just sat there, pretending nothing had changed.

The next merc walked in. She could swear he had already seen his face before. He must have enjoyed punching her, to be back so soon for more. He was sporting the Vorcha equivalent of a smug smile. Little did he know that this would be his very last one. As soon as he was at the right range, Shepard killed him. Swiftly, silently. Which is also how she got out of the cell and started walking down the corridors and halls of the abandoned refinement facility. It was in a complete state of disarray, furniture like old tables and desks and chairs had been thrown here and there, or gathered up against the walls, offering her all the cover she needed to make it past the few mercs she encountered on the way out. When she spotted an access to the main ventilation system, she quickly got inside and travelled on her elbows along the relatively wide tubes, making her way towards her freedom.

She finally found a broken air valve leading outside. She put all of her strength into kicking it open. She jumped down and started running as fast as she could towards the tunnels.

After five minutes she stopped. She was exhausted. Her lungs were wheezing, her legs were trembling. She sat down with her back against a disgustingly wet wall of rock to catch her breath and tried to assess just how hurt she really was. She touched her forehead and felt a big cut on her left eyebrow, the blood hadn't stopped flowing from it yet. She cleaned her eye with the back of her hand and was happy to find out the only impediment to her sight was the blood crust from the oozing wound just above it. She let her head rest against the rock for a moment.

Her nerve endings were playing havoc with her. Some were firing in pain, some felt dead. And then right now she felt the strangest thing. It was as if a hand was caressing her cheek, softly. Like only Aria did. And only when they were alone. She must be hallucinating or something. She smiled anyway, remembering how good it actually felt when the Asari's hands glided over her skin so sweetly.

Then all of a sudden Aria was in her mind. The wave of warmth and reassurance that the Queen surrounded her with made Shepard shiver. 'And here I was coming to rescue you.'

Shepard collected her thoughts and passed to Aria whatever information she had been able to gather about the Blood Pack base, just by observing everything she had laid her eyes upon while they were carrying her to the cell and as she was escaping from it. In her mind, she materialised herself like the Queen had taught her to do, and saw Aria doing the same right away. In the blink of an eye they were in each other's arms, their lips coming together with an urgency neither of them had ever felt before. They melted into each other for just a few precious moments.

Aria spoke again. 'Do you think you have enough strength to keep walking on your own?'

The human smirked. 'Walk? Oh, yes. I intend to walk over every single one of their fucking bodies.'

In the real world, the still invisible Aria took a moment to place a kiss on the Commander's split lips, as lightly as she could. Then she raised her omni tool and applied a generous amount of medi gel to the human's face. It would have to do for now. 'A squad of them is coming, probably looking for you. I'll take care of them. Then I suggest you walk a few paces behind me as I make my way to their base. I do not intend to hold back. Your pretty clothes might get a few bloodstains if you stay too close.'

'More than the blood they're already soaked in? I doubt it.'

Aria let the meld fade, leaving behind tendrils of her powerful presence. She turned off Kasumi's stealth tool and brought her comm to her ear. "Move in."

She helped Shepard up, steadying her for a moment, realizing the kind of punishment the human had endured in the past hours at the hands of her captors.

The Commander saw a shadow of pain pass on the Asari's eyes and joked. "Don't tell me I look -that- bad."

Aria didn't reply. She quickly turned around and made her way towards the team of mercs that were coming. The human was trying to keep up as best she could but she had to admit she was lagging behind. She heard them scream. Loudly. As she arrived on the scene there wasn't much left of them. The Queen's white jacket had blood splatters all over it, as did the rest of her. The Asari slowly turned around and Shepard saw a burning fire of undiluted rage deep in her eyes like she had never seen before. Then without saying a word Aria made her way to their base.

It was a proper blood bath. Aria's mercs had blown up and shot any Krogan and Vorcha that the Queen hadn't taken care of herself. Their dead bodies were scattered all over the dirty floors, of some of them all that was left was a stain on a wall. Shepard was looking around with a growing feeling of pure satisfaction and whatever small grin her broken, bleeding lips allowed her. As they came to the last stronghold of the Blood Pack, a security room deep inside the facility, Aria turned to her and spoke in the most deliciously threatening way.

"How many shall I leave for you?"

"Oh, just one Krogan will do, thank you dear. I wouldn't want to take away too much of your pleasure."

They shared a smile of complicity just before Anto blew the reinforced door and the shots started flying. It all ended in a few seconds. Aria's barrier was strong and wide enough to offer protection to the Commander, who was walking slowly right by her side, truly enjoying the slaughter.

As promised, Aria disarmed the last standing Krogan, brought him to his knees and ordered Garka to tie his hands.

Shepard looked right into his eyes as she cracked her knuckles and approached him. Without saying a word, just as they had done to her, she started pounding on him, blow after blow, punch after punch. She disregarded the pain that was making her hands sore and just kept on hitting him, even after he had fainted and fallen to the floor, even after he had died, his head cracked open by her boots, some grey matter sticking to her soles.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and slowly turned around, a fire storm in her eyes.

"He's dead, Shepard."

Her head turned back to the Krogan. Yes, he was dead. Nevertheless, she kicked his face one last time before replying. "Let's go home. As I recall, you owe me a pampering shower."

This time Aria didn't retort with one of her sarcastic remarks. She took the Commander's bloody hand, brought it to her lips and kissed each knuckle, then she just smiled.

Shepard's eyes quickly scanned the room, looking for something but not really hoping to find it. And instead there it was, still grasped by the cold, dead hands of the leader of the merc group. She walked over to his body and pried her Carnifex from his stiff fingers. A lop sided grin appeared on her marred face as she holstered it at her hip, back where it belonged.

They walked out, in silence.

As they entered the Queen's room back in Afterlife, Shepard had just about enough energy to put one foot in front of the other all the way to the bed and let herself just fall on it. She mentally thanked Gravity for doing that job for her and closed her eyes, the fatigue and the wounds finally taking their toll.

Aria approached the bed and started to take off the Commander's clothes, trying as much as possible not to cause more suffering to her obviously devastated body. As she peeled off her top her eyes went wide at the crimson, purple and deep brown bruises over her torso, her breath caught in her throat and she felt an all new wave of rage surging inside of her. She wished she had more of those lowlifes to maim and mangle. Her fingertips traced lightly over the biggest of the bruises, just below her ribcage. Regardless of how featherlike her touch was, she heard Shepard moan softly. The Asari retreated her hand, but Shepard caught her wrist and put it back on her bruise.

"It wasn't pain that made me moan."

The Queen couldn't help a small smile, even in the face of all that she had just been through, her Commander was her usual, incorrigible self. She caressed her battered skin for just a moment, then she finished the job she had started and the human was naked on the soft, clean sheets. Aria disrobed herself and stepped into the bathroom, she knew perfectly well that Shepard couldn't possibly stand in the shower, so she walked to her luxurious bathtub and filled it with steaming water. She went back into the room to collect the contused human.

"Now. Do you want me to pick you up like a damsel in distress and carry you in my arms, or would you prefer to keep your big ego intact and make one last effort to stand and walk on your own?"

Shepard stared into her eyes for a long moment. Then she grinned. "You're just such a sweetheart." She put all the strain she could on her body and got up.

Somehow she managed to get halfway to the bathroom before she stumbled. Aria's strong arms immediately came up to catch her and bring her back to a standing position.

The Asari offered her arm to support at least part of her weight. "Stubborn. Stubborn. Stubborn."

"That's how you like me, admit it. If I stopped being a stubborn, lovably roguish smartass you'd probably die of shock."

"I'm sure I would." Aria rolled her eyes and her smirk betrayed a deep affection.

They finally reached the tub and Shepard let her body slide into it, welcoming the heavenly sensation of the soothing, hot water on her marred skin and bruised bones. The Asari got in herself and settled behind her, letting the Commander lay back on her comfortable chest, her long blue legs on her sides, her elegant arms encircling her as Aria's cheek gently brushed on her ear and her chin came to rest on her shoulder.

Shepard felt so completely enveloped by love in that moment, it was like all of the pain, all of the adrenaline, all of the hurting left her body with the long breath she exhaled. She couldn't help a tear rolling down her mangled face. She was suddenly so tired and so happy at the same time. And she felt safe.

Aria noticed she was crying. She knew this was not the time for sarcasm. "Let me dry your tears."

The human's pride got in the way for an instant. "Marines don't cry. Our eyeballs sweat." She turned her head slightly to look at the Asari and when she saw the very uncharacteristic caring, loving expression on her face she melted. She half turned in the Queen's embrace, in an almost foetal position, burying her face in Aria's neck, feeling her arms closing around her, and in perfect silence she let out all of her tears.

The blue, soft, smooth hands of the Asari comforted her, running warmly over her skin, soothing her, for as long as she needed it. After a few minutes she calmed down and regained a semblance of control on herself. She let a hand stroke Aria's cheek and her broken lips kissed her throat, slowly, softly. Then she turned to rest her back against her satiny skin again and closed her eyes. She imagined for a second that if there was a Heaven, this must be it.

Aria picked a sponge from the side of the tub and a small bottle containing a liquid the colour of amber. She soaked it in and started washing the human's body in long, slow caresses. The perfume of the oil she was using was so pleasant to Shepard's senses, she felt like falling asleep right then and there. The Asari could feel it. She whispered in her ears. "Rest now. I will take care of you."

It was like she had spoken magical, hypnotizing words. In a few seconds the Commander lost consciousness.

Aria finished washing her lover, taking her time, knowing that the oil she was using would actually help with the bruises and speed up the natural healing process of her skin. When she was done she used her biotics to lift Shepard out of the tub, it was safer than using her own arms, she didn't want to accidentally cause her pain by straining an already injured muscle or any such thing. She set her down on the bed and patted her dry, then she applied some more medi gel, for good measure. She let her hand run through the human's hair for a minute, she loved its texture between her fingers.

Unfortunately the day was not over for her yet. She got dressed and headed out to the Club, she still had some business to finish.

Approaching the gambling tables, she spotted Kasumi playing Skillian 5, a huge pile of chips right in front of her and a big smile on her face. With her usual sexy swing in her step, she covered the distance between them in a few long strides.

"I see you're enjoying yourself."

The young thief turned around with a sparkle in her eyes. "This is more fun than I ever thought! And look! I must have a natural talent for it."

"I usually don't let people with your 'talent' into my establishment. And if they do get in, they are just as quickly thrown out."

"Aw. And here I thought we were best buddies now."

The Queen let a half smile grace her face. "I believe this belongs to you." She handed Kasumi's omni tool back to her.

"Oh, that's just a copy. It only contains the stealth program you wanted. You didn't seriously think I would part from my personal omni tool, did you?"

"Not for a second. But this still belongs to you, so I am giving it back, since it was part of our deal."

"I'll tell you what. You let me play a couple more hours and you can keep it." A hopeful smile was plain on her half hidden face.

Aria considered how many credits she'd be able to win in another two hours and deemed the final cost of the stealth tool acceptable. "Two hours, Goto. Enjoy."

"Good doing business with you, Queen of Omega."

Finally free to catch a breath, Aria went back to her private room, she got undressed as she made her way to the back of her living quarters, leaving her clothes wherever they fell, too tired to care.

The Asari climbed into her very inviting king sized bed. She lay next to the Commander and took a good look at her face. She would probably carry a few scars for the rest of her days because of this misadventure. She let her fingertip trace her jaw, like she often did when Shepard was sleeping. It still amazed her that she always got the same reaction from her lover. "Mh. Yeah. Love you too." Aria couldn't help a smile. She settled as close to the human's body as possible and closed her eyes, ready to catch some sleep as well. It had been a long day.

The Commander's eyes slowly opened to a darkened room. She thought Aria must have tuned the lights down to allow her to sleep more soundly. She brought her hand to her face and lightly inspected her injuries. The medi gel had already taken care of her lips, even though she could feel a small scar on the right side of her top lip. There was one on her left eyebrow as well, and that one was not fully healed yet. All in all she felt much better. In the dim light she raised her head and took a look at the bruises on her torso. A few pale reminders remained where she had taken the worst punishment, but they were almost gone as well. She let her head fall back on the pillow and let out a small sigh.

She felt Aria's body heat right next to her and turned around to look at her. She was always stunned by her flawless beauty. She basked in the sight of her blue, lean body, half sprawled on the bed, her posture impossibly cocky even in her sleep. As the human's eyes travelled down to her breasts she immediately felt a familiar twinge of desire in her groin. She knew that as soon as she would put her hands on the Asari she'd wake up, she hadn't stayed alive for centuries with so many enemies by being a deep sleeper after all. An extremely pleasant, albeit very naughty thought crossed her mind and after assessing the possible risks she chose to put her very simple plan into action. She brought her hand to her mouth and licked her own fingers thoroughly, until they were glistening with moisture. With a grin on her face, she went for a direct approach.

In one smooth move she was on top of the Queen, her mouth sealing hers in a hot kiss, her tongue forcing her blue lips to open, her hand was already between her legs, her thigh keeping them spread, and she pushed her fingers inside her as Aria's eyes opened in a wide and wild look of shock, a moan of surprise escaping her throat and reverberating in the human's mouth. "Mmhh?!"

The Asari was woken by what could be best defined as a proper invasion. She felt a hot tongue inside her mouth and not a fraction of a second later strong fingers were entering her in a deep thrust. She was breathless for a moment and then a moan exhaled out of her throat. It took her no time to realize that the delinquent was Shepard. Well, of course it would be. For the briefest moment she felt like biotically throwing that impertinent human through the ceiling, but then her fingers started sliding inside of her, filling her walls in such a rapturous way, sending shivers of pure pleasure all over her skin. Her hips began rocking against Shepard's hand of their own volition before she could decide whether to kill her or enjoy the ride. Well, she could always kill her afterwards.

As soon as she realized that Aria was not going to turn her inside out, Shepard broke the kiss and stared deeply into her electric blue eyes. She could see there was still a bit of a fight in there, but the Asari's body was betraying just how much she was loving this assault. The Commander smiled and drove her fingers even deeper, her movements slowly picking up the pace, she placed the heel of her hand right on the Queen's ridge, her most sensitive spot, and brushed against it with every stroke. She delighted in observing how Aria was now completely giving in to the lust, her lips open, her breath coming in short pants, her eyes half closed, she never looked as beautiful as when she surrendered to desire. Shepard was getting more and more aroused just by looking at her, her own breathing suddenly more laboured, she let her own lust take control. Her fingers now sliding easily in and out in fluid motions, it felt like they were sending the divine sensations of heat, moisture and the slight twitching of the Asari's inner walls directly into her brain, her heart, her soul. She saw Aria's eyes open, suddenly they were deep, black pools. Shepard kissed her again, opening her lips to let their tongues battle in hot caresses.

The Queen was amazed at how her body couldn't seem to get enough of the delectable skills of her lover. She couldn't stop herself from moving to meet her hand as it was giving her such pleasure, filling her, touching her in such luscious ways, in all the right spots. As her desire built up, she couldn't wait one more second. Her consciousness entered Shepard's mind as demandingly as the human's tongue had opened her lips. She was immediately engulfed and swayed by the sheer passion radiating from the human's core. It felt like swimming in a river of lava, and she fuelled it with her own hunger, letting their minds melt together until the boundaries between them were blurring, dissipating. They were flowing around each other, within each other, in a dizzying waltz of yearning and rapacity. They reached the point when it just couldn't be stopped, it became a frenzy of heat and colours in their mind, the pleasure bouncing off each other only to expand, to rise, to fall in on itself and start all over again, in wave after wave of unquenchable thirst.

In the physical world, Shepard's hand slowed down to a tantalizing rhythm, every push caressing Aria from the inside along all of her inner muscles, she could feel them getting tighter around her fingers. Every time Aria's hips tried to quicken the pace, the Commander simply stopped moving. When Aria gave up, she started moving again, ever so slowly, in long, deep thrusts.

It was maddening. The Asari could not believe what this human was doing to her. Her body was feeling such fierce, hot sensations, she wanted more, but couldn't get it. It was actively being refused to her. She felt Shepard's fingers moving in such a deliberately unhurried way, grazing every centimetre inside of her, putting pressure on all the most pleasurable places. In their joined mind she couldn't stop this feeling of frustration, mixed with desire and a not so well hidden hint of begging. It was maddening. It was so maddening that at every push of Shepard's hand, she got closer to the edge. So close, so close.

The Commander kept her leisurely rhythm even if every molecule in her own body was screaming for more. The feeling of self-imposed restraint heightened every sensation so much that her head was spinning in pure pleasure. It was her only drug, and it was mind blowing. She shared it with Aria through the meld, and the Queen was suddenly swept by the intensity of it. Aria thought she would lose her mind this time, and then she couldn't form coherent thoughts anymore. It was the last drop. Their orgasm imploded in such fury, they were blinded by it, the Asari clamped down on her lover's fingers so hard she couldn't move anymore, they both let out a cry of release, over and over again, their throats raw, the human's legs trembling, heavenly spasms rippling through her, inside of her, echoing the Queen's pleasure, perfectly, intimately fused together for those few instants that felt like an eternity.

Shepard lowered herself on top of the Asari's body, completely spent, small, delicious aftershocks radiating from between her legs and sending shivers all over her skin. She carefully slid her fingers out of her lover and put her arms around her, letting all of her love flow both in that embrace and inside their consciousness.

Aria felt like she was barely alive, and at the same time like she had never been so alive. Her body was awash in delectable sensations, left behind by the powerful orgasm, and as she felt the love in Shepard's embrace and within their mind, she gave herself in to it and returned it. Her arms held the human so tight, one clear thought unravelled. She knew it could be a bad idea, one instant too late to stop it. But then she didn't care right now.

'I love you, Shepard.'

The Commander knew it already, but Aria had never, ever said it before. In their linked minds she couldn't hide the surprise, which turned immediately into a wave of joy so strong, it lifted the Asari's consciousness like a warm wind and danced around her and through her, leaving her breathless and smiling.

'I love you, Aria.'

They kissed. Softly, lingeringly, their lips meeting, brushing, caressing, melting into each other. And every time they separated, even for just a fraction of a second, there was a smile on both their faces.

When they felt sated, Shepard buried her face in Aria's throat, nuzzling it lazily, revelling in the touch of the Asari's hands, which were gliding along her back, up her neck, her fingers entwining in her hair. They stayed like that, simply enjoying each other. The meld slowly faded in an exchange of sweet nothings, leaving behind a trail of warmth.

Aria couldn't quite remember the last time she had been so relaxed. So fulfilled. And so in love. She hated to admit it. In fact every time she thought about it a big conflict arose inside of her, whether she should actually give in to it or if she should stand her ground, use this human for sex, which was turning out to be quite an unexpectedly amazing experience, and not get... entangled. As her hands came up to delight in the Commander's hair, she suddenly felt so damn tired of this inner war. Yes, she loved her. So fucking what?

"It looks like you're now making a habit of raping me. Is it a fucking phase? Is it what you humans do at your age? Make no mistake, I don't condone it. It will be dealt with." Somehow the smile on the Queen's face and her hand caressing Shepard's cheek made the threat less threatening.

"I'm still waiting for the punishment for the time I mind-raped you, actually. I'd say do that first, just to keep things in a tidy, chronological order." She raised an eyebrow to better make her point and lowered her lips to the Asari's throat, kissing it casually, the perfume of Aria's skin so enticing to her senses.

"Oh, dear Commander, you will suffer the consequences of your assaults. When you least expect it." The human's lips were eliciting delicious tingles in her very sensitive tendons, her eyes closed as she savoured the sensation, her hand grasped Shepard's hair at the back of her neck, keeping her face there. She'd think of a proper revenge another time.