Omega Chronicles -6- New wings are spreading
"No. That is not how things work, General Kastus." The Turian was showing signs of impatience as Shepard started explaining to him again how the deal was going to go down. Evidently she hadn't conveyed Aria's terms clearly enough the first three times. She didn't care. She had all the time in the world, whereas this pompous ass was apparently in a bit of a hurry. She had had enough dealings with the Alliance brass to know what buttons to push and how to manipulate them to within an inch of their lives. This guy was not going to get out of here before having agreed to what the Queen wanted. And the Commander had every intention of enjoying the process. At the snap of her fingers the two dancers that were at the sides of Aria's business area stopped and left.
His voice was raspy and booming at the same time. "I cannot see why I should agree to terms that are so unfavourable to me. And why can't I speak to Aria directly?"
"You have to agree to those terms because those are the only terms Aria has laid down for you. And talking to me -is- talking to her. Do not forget that." Shepard was quickly and carefully dismissing all of the useless objections coming from the Turian, meanwhile thinking about what she was going to have for lunch.
General Kastus needed the kind of help that only the Queen of Omega could grant him, so it was fairly pointless of him to try and negotiate, but he had indeed tried. Now, seeing that the human was not budging even in the face of his best efforts, he finally realized he had no choice. His head bowed in defeat.
"Let Aria know I agree to her terms. I need three days to come up with what she requires, I will expect a note from her detailing the place and time."
'Finally.' The soldier thought to herself gingerly. She got up from the comfortable couch and motioned with her hand for the Turian to leave. He got up as well and walked away in perfect silence.
This whole business of sitting in for Aria from time to time was a wonderful chance for Shepard to hone her diplomatic skills. Not that there needed to be much convincing or manipulating to do when clearly anyone who walked up those steps was in more or less desperate need of the Queen's help, but sometimes, like today, there would be the odd guy who thought they could actually have some weight in whatever transaction was going on. Those days the Commander liked the most. Especially when the guy in question was a proud Turian. They really needed some good spanking from time to time, to remind them that being the strongest military in the galaxy did not mean they owned it.
And sure enough, three days later Aria was making her way to the rendez-vous point she had directed the Turian to, a small group of her mercs following her, Shepard at her side. The sight of them never ceased to make heads turn all around Omega. When they walked together, side by side, they looked so different and yet so much alike. In spite of being of two different races, they showed the same posture, the same arrogance, the same focused, don't-even-think-of-fucking-with-me look in their eyes. It was a sight to be seen.
The transaction was going quickly and smoothly, until Aria casually put a hand behind her back. One of the Turian guards, obviously on edge, must have thought she was going to draw a weapon and immediately raised his rifle to point it at her face. He didn't even have the time to line it up that Shepard's voice interrupted him.
"Put it down, boy. Now."
The Turian soldier turned his head enough to see that the Commander had her pistol pressed against the General's head.
As the guard slowly put up his hands in a gesture of surrender, Shepard quickly shifted her aim and blew his face off, his limp body fell to the floor. Her pistol was back on the General's head in the blink of an eye. The human spoke in a clear voice, slowly, so that her words would be perfectly heard.
"Nobody points a gun at Aria and gets out of here alive. Understood? Now Kastus, I believe you can keep your dogs on a shorter leash than that. Or are they free to do any foolish thing they want?"
The voice of the Turian General was low and loud. He was upset. Whether by the stupidity of his own men or by Shepard's cold blooded execution, was of no interest to the Commander. "No, they are under my command and will do as I say. Everybody: stand down. I don't want to see a single weapon being raised."
"That's better. I don't like to waste bullets on idiots."
There was a devilish smile on the Queen's face, and a sparkle of pride in her eyes. She was always delighted to see this side of Shepard and often marvelled that one so young could be so perfectly in control, fearless, decisive. When she was the human's age she was naive, full of silly dreams and had nothing more than a crystal encrusted thong to her name.
Once the last details of the deal had been settled, they watched the small Turian group make their way out, carrying the body of the dead soldier with them.
Aria dismissed her mercs and walked the few steps to where the human was standing. She put her forearms around Shepard's neck in a loose, casual way and stared into her eyes. Her voice had a hint of tease.
"So... 'Nobody points a gun at Aria and gets out of here alive', mh?"
The Asari brought her hands to her lover's neck and drew her close to her face. She whispered on her lips in a low, seductive tone.
"I like the way you think, Commander."
Shepard's arms encircled her waist and pulled her even closer, making their bodies connect, delighting in the pleasurable hum that spread across her skin.
"You know me. I always like to make sure that Omega's only rule is enforced."
"Wise beyond your years."
Aria closed the few millimetres of space between them and let their lips lock in a hot, slow kiss, her fingers entwining possessively in the Commander's hair. Their tongues met, sending an electric charge of lust through their bodies. The Queen broke the kiss.
"I don't know about you, but I am hungry." She grinned on Shepard's lips.
"Then it will be my pleasure to feed you." The human's hands slid down to her thighs and brought her legs up around her waist, lifting the Asari from the floor, she carried her over to the nearest wall and pinned her there, her teeth grazing along her sensitive throat, biting down on her tendons there, not entirely too lightly. A low moan of bliss escaped Aria's lips as her fingers grabbed Shepard's hair and pulled her head back to make their eyes meet.
"Mmmhhh. Delicious. But don't get carried away, Commander. I still have a lot of things to do. You will have to wait. And I really meant hungry for food."
The human's lips twisted in a lop sided grin at the sight of the fire deep in the Queen's eyes, the pupils of both fully dilated with arousal. A twinge of desire shot through her groin as she slowly lowered the Asari's legs back to the ground. She didn't miss a beat.
"Pity. I hate to think of all that warm, welcoming moisture going to waste in your underwear."
Aria laughed her deep, sexy laugh. This human was too delectable to be true. Her hands moved to Shepard's shoulders to slowly push her away.
The Commander thought that only Aria could make a push feel like an invitation. Nevertheless, she obliged and they separated.
They made their way back at a sure, steady pace, and as they reached the docking level the Queen caught her attention by taking her hand and dragging her in an unexpected direction.
"So, would you like to see what I got from my deal with dear General Kastus?"
The human's lips opened in a smirk. "I thought you'd never tell."
The Asari led her to one of the docking bays and pointed to a small, lean, war frigate, that looked like it was armed to the teeth and up to no good.
"I figured: since you are my Commander, you should have a ship."
The human was stunned for a second. She took a good look at the little masterpiece of Turian engineering and design that was docked right in front of her eyes and needed a couple of seconds to process what Aria was actually saying. Her mouth opened. Then it closed. She was speechless, for the first time in a long time.
The Queen grinned at the human's reaction. "I think we should take her for a test ride. I want to make sure everything is in flawless working order."
They walked in, and Shepard felt immediately at home in the small vessel. She went directly towards the bridge, she could see someone sitting at the pilot's seat. As she approached it, a Salarian turned around to greet her with a big smile on his face. He got up and saluted her very officially.
"Welcome aboard, Commander. I am your pilot. I'll spare you my full name, you can call me Relan. It will be quite an honour to work for you, I have been a big fan since your work on Torfan. I never dreamed I'd meet you in person one day!"
"At ease." She couldn't help a smile at how easy it was to revert back to her military ways. "How long have you been a pilot, Relan?"
"A few years now. I have served in the STG as one for nearly five years, and was flying military transports before that."
"Ever been in a war zone?"
"I have been attacked by Batarian pirates on more than one occasion. Thankfully, I am a very skilled pilot." His chest sort of puffed up with pride. Well, as much as a Salarian's chest could anyway. "Another small thing, just to avoid any possible misunderstanding in the course of our time together. I'm not a Salarian, I am a Lystheni."
"A what?"
"Lystheni. I won't go into details, as they are inconsequential, suffice it to say we Lystheni were exiled from the Salarian homeworlds and from Council space at large, so now we make our living together with the other unwanted, in places like Omega."
"I'll... keep it in mind. Maybe some day we'll have the time to talk about it. In the meantime, let's see what this little beast can do. Take her out nice and slow."
"Yes Sir! Or... would you prefer Madam...?"
"Sir will do just fine, Relan."
He sat back down and his hands started flying on the semi transparent command console in front of him.
As the ship was released by the clamps and slowly made its way out of the docking bay, the human was smiling brightly. She made her way to the CIC and climbed the few steps to have access to the Galaxy map, the Asari following her closely. Aria came up behind her, her arms encircling her waist, drawing her near. Shepard's back delighted in the contact with her supple breasts even under their clothes and she felt her excitement for this maiden flight turning into a very welcome hunger in her groin. She chose a route to a nearby system and communicated it to Relan, who planned it in.
The Queen brought her lips to her ear and whispered.
"Does my Commander like her new toy?"
Shepard turned around in her embrace, put her hands behind her neck and kissed her, deeply, slowly. As the momentum dampeners kicked in she felt the familiar slight sense of vertigo and a stab of pure pleasure shot inside her. Their tongues caressed each other hotly, their bodies now brushing together, sending shivers on their skin. The Commander's hands moved down to Aria's hips and pivoted them around, making her lean against the metal rail that overlooked the map, spreading her long blue legs with a couple of well placed kicks to her boots. Shepard settled between them, grabbed her ass and started kissing her throat, licking her sensitive tendrils, grazing on them with her bared teeth, knowing how much Aria enjoyed it. She delighted in hearing her breath becoming more laboured as she closed her lips around her neck and sucked on it, one centimetre at a time.
As she realized they got to their destination, the human stopped what she was doing and opened the comm to the pilot. "There's an asteroid field off our starboard bow, I want you to navigate through it at your top speed. Show me what she's got." Just as nonchalantly, she went back to ravishing Aria, a low moan of pure lust escaping the Queen's lips.
"Mmmhhh. You were certainly born for this."
Shepard grinned on her skin. "Commanding a ship, or pleasuring you..."
"You seem to have many skills, Shepard. All of them delightful to me."
The frigate picked up speed immediately, Aria lost her balance for a second, her hands grasping the Commander's neck to keep herself steady on the rail. The human swiftly put a hand on the metal and one around her waist.
"I got you."
They stared into each other's eyes, intensely. Insane as it was, swayed by the excitement of the moment, Aria found herself replying sincerely instead of hiding behind her usual sarcasm.
"Yes. You do."
Shepard was breathless for an infinite instant, her heart skipped a couple of beats. She felt like she was drowning in those impossibly blue eyes. It was so rare that the Queen let her feelings through, it made her head spin.
Their lips met again and they started devouring each other in slow motions, their tongues connecting hungrily, giving in to an uncontrollable moment of passion.
Aria pried the human's mouth away by sheer force, breaking the kiss. They were both panting slightly on each other's lips, a mere breath apart. "As I told you earlier, you will have to wait. There are other things to be done right now."
"As you wish, my Queen." Shepard's lop sided grin almost made the Asari lose her resolve. Almost. She put her feet back down on the metal platform and walked around the human to head down the steps.
"Follow me. There's at least one other member of your crew you should meet. She will explain a lot of technical stuff that I have no interest in. But I'm sure you will be very happy to learn about it. Fuck knows why."
Shepard made it a point to let her pilot know she was happy with his flying, she opened the comm to the bridge. "Nicely done, Relan. I really enjoyed the ride."
It took all of two minutes to get to the Engineering level, the doors swished open and the low, loud hum of the engines was suddenly drumming in their ears. Shepard saw the lithe form of a Quarian at the main console, her fingers sliding through screen after screen of the diagnostics panels, correcting minor details here and there at an incredible speed.
They walked over to her and as soon as she noticed their presence she turned around.
Her face was hidden behind the typical visor that sealed the Quarians inside their environmental suits. Her voice was metallic as it came out of her built-in speaker.
"Good to see you again, Aria. And you must be Commander Shepard. I am Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. You can simply call me Tali."
"Tali." Shepard nodded. "You sound quite young. Are you in charge of Engineering?"
"I was passing by Omega on my Pilgrimage and heard that the Boss was looking for the best engineer around, so I went and introduced myself."
"Pilgrimage?"
"It's a rite of passage. We leave the Flotilla to travel the galaxy in search of something to bring back that proves our worth as part of the community. I thought: what better chance? So as part of our deal, once I bring this ship up to its peak performance and train three more engineers to my level, Aria will let me bring the schematics of these new engines and of the stealth drive back to the Flotilla with me."
"Wait... did you just say 'Stealth Drive'?"
"Yes, apparently this is a prototype the Turians had been designing together with the Human Alliance for the past few months. It is small, light, fast and packs a punch. It is the smallest ship you'll find that is equipped with a new, experimental Thanix Cannon."
Aria interrupted. "And that's where I become not interested. I'll be in your cabin, might as well check if the extranet works and try to do some business while you two discuss the finer points of bolts, screws and grease." She walked out with her usual sway in her step, making Shepard's head follow her, mesmerized, until the door closed behind her.
The Commander brought her attention back to the subject at hand. "A Thanix Cannon?" She was more and more surprised. She had never seen anything like this ship before, it sounded like the Turians and the Alliance were getting serious. And since when were they best buddies?
The young Quarian replied quite enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! It is impressive. We haven't fired a single shot yet. Do you think you might want to do the honours? I'd love to see what it can do. I know there's a deserted moon in this system, it orbits around the fourth planet, we could just use it for target practice, it is uninhabitable and so we wouldn't be bothering any form of life..."
"Woah. Slow down." Shepard was stunned at how fast the Engineer could talk. Not as fast as Mordin, back on Omega, but still...
"Oh. Sorry. I tend to get over excited when I have the chance to do something I haven't done before. Young Quarians have to be curious about everything while they are on their Pilgrimage, because when they go back, life in the Flotilla is not very... well. It's a bit boring, really. It's always the same people and always the same ship and instead out here there is so much to see, so many places to go, the things I have already learned just by travelling in the past year..."
"Didn't I just ask you to slow down?" The Commander couldn't help a smile.
"Oh. Sorry. Again. I'll shut up now."
"You don't need to shut up, just make it easy for me to follow what you're talking about without making me dizzy, deal?"
"Yes, Commander. Uhm. Shepard. How shall I call you? Is this like a military ship? Oh. Have I offended you by not following proper protocol or something?!"
The human let out a short laugh. "Relax. Relax. This is how things are going to be around here: I expect respect, because I know that I have earned it. I also give respect to those who earn it. This is not a military ship, but there will be discipline because I believe discipline is a good thing. You remember this and we'll be fine. And of course: don't fuck with Aria. Not only because she can make you pay for it in the most unpleasant ways, but also because it pisses -me- off, and you don't want to piss me off."
Tali unconsciously took a small step back. "I... yes, of course. I will remember. All of it."
Shepard gave her a smile. "As I said, relax. You seem clever and quick. I like clever and quick. I don't see us having any kind of problems, Tali." She offered her hand for the young Quarian to shake.
The engineer looked at it for just a second, then she grabbed it in a genuine gesture.
As the human was turning to leave, she called after her. "Commander! Don't forget you need to give her a name."
"Thanks for reminding me, I'll think about it. See you later."
Shepard made her way to her cabin. As soon as the doors opened, she froze. Aria had made herself comfortable. Her splendid blue body was naked and sprawled on the bed at the far wall of the room, half propped up on a pillow. She put down the padd she was reading and looked at the human.
"About time."
"Have you been waiting long?" A naughty grin spread on the Commander's face as she started slowly walking towards the bed, taking off her leather jacket, then her top, then her bra. She reached the feet of the bed just as she was undoing her belt.
"Always one minute too many." There was just a hint of hunger in the Asari's voice.
Shepard climbed on the sheets and kneeled between the Asari's legs, she grabbed her foot and brought her leg up to rest on her shoulder. Her lips kissed Aria's ankle and started moving downwards at a leisurely pace, the tip of her tongue coming out to lazily lick her satiny skin. She took her time. She felt the muscles in Aria's thighs twitch in pleasure and bit down lightly, teasingly on the inside of her knee. She moaned and closed her eyes.
The Queen was enjoying the slow rhythm of Shepard's seduction. There was no hurry whatsoever now. She had taken care of all that needed to be taken care of, and she could just kick back and relax. And mind blowing sex with her lover was just the kind of relaxation she was looking for. She had certainly deserved it. As she felt the human's teeth on the sensitive skin of her knee, she couldn't stop a moan escaping her mouth.
"Mmmhhh. That feels good."
"Why, I live only to please my Queen."
"As well you should."
The human kissed her never ending thighs all the way to her groin, then she kissed all around it and kept kissing up her torso, she stopped to take a purple nipple in her mouth, sucking on it, tugging at it lightly with her teeth, feeling it stiffening, Aria's back arching into her ever so slightly, a long sigh coming from her lips. Then she resumed her path up to the Asari's face, letting her weight rest on her blue body. She stared into her eyes and whispered.
"Your pleasure is my pleasure."
Her fingers came up to the Queen's jaw and moved her face to the side, exposing her neck. She nibbled her tendons, she licked them one by one, thoroughly, all the way up to where they met with her crest, meticulously.
Aria revelled in the divine sensations the human's mouth was giving her, making her skin crawl in bliss. She felt her heartbeat picking up the pace, a warm throbbing of desire surging between her legs.
Shepard began making her way down again, getting eager by the second, she couldn't wait to taste the Asari's delicious juices she knew were already waiting for her. She stopped along the way to take care of her other nipple, her hot mouth closing on it, her tongue flicking on it until it turned into a small hard ball.
The Queen found it difficult to stay still, ripples of pure pleasure were shooting from her breast to her very core. This human was so damn talented, it always surprised her in the most delectable ways. Her back arched again as she started panting lightly.
The Commander resumed on her path to her final, much craved for goal, she left a trail of wet kisses all the way down. She grabbed Aria's hip bones and stared at her prize. It was so beautiful, glistening in the dim lights of the cabin, the blood that had rushed there had turned it into a dark shade of purple, a clear sign that the Asari was definitely excited and more than ready to be ravished. Shepard exhaled on it, slowly, enjoying the quivering in Aria's muscles. Then she kissed her. Her lips gently brushed on her folds for a long moment before her tongue parted them to stroke her deeply.
Aria's breath came in sharply as she felt the human's tongue opening her folds to enter her, then slowly dipping in and out, over and over again. Her eyes became black holes and she invaded the Commander's mind. Like tides of burning water they bled into each other. Shepard's mind was always breathtaking, the Asari allowed her consciousness to be swept up by the consuming passion that was feeding hers so intimately. They swirled together in a whirlpool of fire, breathlessly. She felt the human's mouth move up to lick her ridge, an explosion of lust blinding her as her lover's fingers took the place of her tongue, easily pushing inside of her, filling her, caressing her inner walls in long, slow strokes.
The Commander was so hungry for this magnificent, delicious Asari, she couldn't get enough of her. Her head was spinning as her fingers penetrated that slick hotness, Aria's inner muscles immediately reacting to her movements, clasping down on her in small pulses of pure pleasure. She found it difficult to control her mind, every trace of rationality abandoned her and she unleashed a burst of undiluted craving onto the Queen, lifting her to a frenzied rapture. Her lips closed on her sensitive ridge and sucked on it and lapped it mercilessly, keeping the same rhythm her fingers were sliding at.
Aria's mind was blown away. Her hand grasped the human's hair as if it was the only thing she could hold on to. She felt Shepard's pleasure build and carry her to the brink in an unstoppable rush. With a surprised, half strangled gasp she was suddenly swayed, engulfed by the Commander's orgasm, her own release exploding in an eruption of flames. She heard a long, heartfelt scream leaving her mouth as her inner muscles clenched around Shepard's fingers so hard, it was the most divine ache.
As the contractions slowly died down, the Commander gently withdrew her fingers and kissed her way up Aria's body. Their minds still entwined, she surrounded the Queen's consciousness in a warm blanket of caresses. Her mouth pressed down on the Asari's blue lips and her tongue forced them open.
'You taste heavenly.'
Aria pushed her away half heartedly.
'I know. I don't need to taste myself.'
In their joined minds Shepard bore down on her demandingly. She kissed her again, deeply, their tongues moving together sensually.
'How can I not share.'
The Queen was caught off balance by the sheer power of the human's lust, she found herself willingly giving in to it, her breath coming in sharply, a new wave of arousal rising inside of her.
Shepard grinned on her lips.
'See? It's not so unpleasant after all.'
'I give you way too much leeway, Commander.'
'You know I can't be kept on a leash.'
'Maybe I should try a chain.'
In the meld Shepard materialized a thick metal chain, then she materialized herself. Her hands closed around the links and pulverized them. She saw Aria's avatar forming in front of her. The human brought her fingers to her own chest and pulled out her heart, a ball of beating light on her palm. She offered it to the Queen.
'You don't really need to use restraints on me. I am yours.'
Aria was conflicted for an infinite second, she knew that Shepard knew what those words meant to an Asari. Then their eyes met, both in the physical world and in their minds. What she saw in the Commander's look made her soul dance. It was so intense, so deep, so beautiful. She didn't need to think anymore. She brought her own heart out. The two lights swirled around each other for an instant and then melted into each other seamlessly. Aria and Shepard closed the short step that divided them, meeting in a warm, all encompassing embrace, the now single light got squeezed between them and then got absorbed by both of them, at the same time. It shone through their virtual skin for an instant and then settled in, in their deepest core.
'Forever, Aria.'
Aria couldn't believe she was really doing this, but she couldn't, wouldn't stop it. She knew that she wanted it as much as Shepard did.
'Forever, Shepard.'
The Queen retreated from the meld, leaving behind tendrils of herself that burrowed deep inside the human. Her arms caressed Shepard's strong back, one hand came up to the back of her head and she lazily, sweetly ran her fingers through her hair, pulling her face down to rest against her neck. It was becoming so easy for this human to touch her in places deep inside her soul that she had closed off a long time ago. She found herself constantly debating whether it would come back to bite her, badly, to let her in. But it was impossible to keep her out. Stubborn, irreverent son of a gun that she was. Her bondmate. If anyone had told her this would happen she would have laughed herself silly and then she would have shot them in the face. How things change. Her bondmate. She questioned her own sanity for a moment, then Shepard's warm, soft lips caressed her neck and she allowed herself a smile. Why the hell not?
Shepard felt overwhelmed. Her arms held Aria so tightly. As she retreated from the meld she could distinctly feel parts of her staying behind, fusing themselves within her own consciousness, so very welcome. Her lips kissed Aria's neck casually, lazily, she was riding a wave of pure bliss.
"Inanna."
Aria's voice was stone cold. "It's not very smart of you to mention another woman right after I have bonded with you, Commander."
Shepard snickered. "So you -are- jealous." The human lifted her head to meet the Asari's gaze. "That's the name I have chosen for this ship."
"And who is she?"
"Among the Sumerians, one of Earth's oldest civilisations, she was the goddess of war and sexual love. She was very powerful, at the same time coveted and feared by humans. If I were the religious type I could swear on my life that you are her, manifested in flesh and bone."
"It sounds quite appropriate. I approve. "
"We'll have to give her a good paint job. I want any hint of Turian and Alliance to be wiped off."
"Do what you want. She is your ship." Aria's face opened in a grin. Her voice was dripping sarcasm. "Consider it my wedding gift." She placed a long, soft kiss on the human's lips and got out of bed to get dressed.
Shepard just lay there, looking at her while she was putting on her clothes. To her eyes the Asari was always poetry in motion, she never tired of observing her elegant, flowing movements, so uncannily flawless.
When the show was over the Commander got up herself and picked up her clothes from the floor.
"It looks like I'll be firing the first shot of our glorious Thanix cannon, care to join me?"
"Well, since I'm here and with nowhere to go." Aria replied distractedly as she was typing a note on a padd.