Omega Chronicles -15- So what do we do now
As she watched the Inanna slowly approaching the docking bay, Aria was standing with her arms crossed, her piercing blue eyes observing the final manoeuvres of the lean frigate. She had of course already received a preliminary report of what had happened on Eden Prime, and she hadn't liked any of it. She wanted to hear as much detail about it as possible before trying to figure out her next move, and her best source of information was just about to come out of the main doors. What she did not want to think of, of course, was how much she wanted to ascertain with her own eyes the kind of damage her Commander had sustained in what had been basically a 'first contact' accident with the Prothean beacon. Mordin had already reassured her that nothing was wrong and that the young human was recuperating fast, but the message she had received on the side by Liselle hadn't been as positive or optimistic. Then again, her daughter could have a penchant for the dramatic at times. This not knowing was disagreeing with her in the worst way.
She hated waiting. Regardless of the proverbial Asari patience, there were things she just was not prepared to wait for, and this one was pretty high on her list. Aria shifted her weight from one foot to the other and she had to stop herself from starting to tap her boot impatiently against the hard floor.
"And we're officially home." Relan's high pitched voice sounded quite chirpy on the ship's intercom.
Shepard quickly shut down the terminal in her cabin, she grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her chair and swiftly put it on as she made her way to exit the ship. That she was able to display a little spring in her step, choosing to ignore the sharp pain in her head, was a testament to how eager she was to be reunited with her Queen.
As she approached the doors she made it a point to compliment her pilot for bringing them back in record time. "Good job Relan, maybe I can buy you a drink later?"
The Lystheni pilot seemed very proud of himself. "Thank you Commander. I'd like that."
She stepped in front of the exit and waited for the ship's log to update itself before walking out.
As she was covering the short distance of the bridge to the docking bay level, her eyes scanned the place and found what they were looking for. Aria. A grin appeared on the human's lips at the sight of the Queen of Omega. Her bondmate.
In a few moments they were in front of each other. The Commander's hands came up to Aria's face and gently pulled her in for a kiss. As their lips connected, it felt like a small spark crackled, sending a shiver of anticipation along their skin. It took but a second for it to turn hot, breathless, hungry. They were devouring each other with increasing urgency, Shepard's arms encircling the Queen, drawing her as close as possible, but it was still not enough, it was never enough.
Aria suddenly forced herself to stop, she placed her hands on Shepard's shoulders and slowly pushed her back. Their foreheads touched, as the Commander's arms held on to her waist loosely. She took a long breath, her eyes delving deeply into the human's. In stark contrast to her words, her voice was low and inviting. "Hold that thought. I need a full report first."
Shepard smirked and replied in the same tone. "I missed you too."
"What you are telling me, is that you believe that this artefact, this beacon, was actually trying to communicate with you?" The Queen couldn't help having doubts about what she was hearing, but she had seen stranger things than this in her long life, and was willing to keep an open mind.
"I can't be sure, but after being haunted by all the images I have been given by it for the past day or so, that is exactly how it feels. It's like listening to a foreign language without a translator. I can recognise the sounds but I cannot place them together in a way that makes sense."
Aria was silent and pensive for a while, going around all that Shepard had told her about the mission on Eden Prime. There was something missing, a key that could put everything in an understandable order, but she couldn't figure it out right now. She decided to give herself a break and give her mind the chance to work in the background while she took care of something that was closer to her heart.
She looked at the Commander, who was lying on the couch in their private quarters, an arm draped around her own face and eyes, obviously straining under some kind of pain, while she was pacing up and down as was her habit when she was working out a problem or making a decision. Aria stopped and finally sat down, allowing Shepard to lay her head on her lap, her gloved hand coming up to caress the human's hair in a familiar gesture.
"What about the pain?" Her voice was suddenly softer.
"It just doesn't want to go anywhere, apparently."
"Then let me take it away."
Shepard's hand snapped up and grabbed her wrist and her attention. "No! ... Believe me, you better prepare yourself for what's in there. Liselle tried it already and she was knocked out in the blink of an eye."
The Queen was possibly even more determined to give it a try then. She looked deeply into the human's eyes. "Then prepare me. What is waiting for me?"
"The best description your daughter could give of it was: a nightmare, inside a bad hallucination, wrapped in terror, with a side of torment and a soundtrack of pain."
"Sounds like one of my lower clubs on an average night. I'll be fine." Aria's expression did not allow for negative replies, and the Commander knew it well.
"Just be careful, I have very little control over it, but whatever energy I can give to help you, I will give." Shepard brought her lover's hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss on her palm as she looked at her blue eyes turning into the deepest black.
Liselle's description had been spot on, as the Queen found out immediately. She was engulfed and invaded by random images of suffering and horror while her consciousness was being flayed by an unstoppable screeching sound that seemed to be able to tear through any barrier she was trying to bring up to protect herself.
Shepard was acutely aware of her presence, but her mind was working frantically to keep all the screaming images at bay, her consciousness under an unrelenting attack, getting consumed by the exertion.
Aria concentrated all of her power, all of her energy, she encircled the human, fusing herself with her, their minds entwined in the most natural state of being, like deep currents flooding into each other, creating a small bubble of calm, the eye of the storm. They found new strength together. They were able to expand their safe bubble, slowly but steadily. When it was large enough, with an excruciating effort, they inverted it, flipping it inside out to capture the misguided, terrible Prothean message inside it.
In the Commander's mind, it felt as if she could breathe again, breaking through the surface after being underwater for too long. Her body literally inhaled, suddenly, deeply, desperately, her back arching, her muscles tensing for an infinite second and then finally relaxing. Her consciousness free, she exploded in a burst of energy, a blinding light engulfed Aria, grasped her, lifted her in a wave of gratefulness and love, leaving her dizzy and breathless for a few moments.
As things finally calmed down inside their minds, Aria slowly let the meld fade, feeling exhausted. She was the first to speak.
"Shepard. I don't think any human mind could have withstood such an experience without going insane. You were right, that night. It seems so long ago. What you said to me. It is true." She paused for a moment, reminiscing. Her voice came out in a low, warm whisper. "There is no one like you."
The Commander was finally free of the stabbing pain that had been her companion for what felt like forever. She was lost in the impossible depths of Aria's blue eyes as her voice came to her like a song. She wanted to say a million things to thank her, they all got tangled up and only one simple truth emerged.
"I love you, Aria."
The hot water flowed over her, washing away the sweat and the worries for a short while. She rested her hands on the wall and just stood there for a few minutes, thankful for the relaxation that had finally come over her body and her soul. She let out a long sigh as the water ran down the back of her neck, her shoulders, the small of her back.
She felt an elegant hand on her back. Her skin recognized the touch even before her brain did and sent a wave of happy shivers up her spine. She turned around to see Aria standing in the shower with her, a warm, sensual smile gracing her flawless blue features. The Asari stepped under the water flow and reached behind the Commander to pick up the soap dispenser, ever so casually. She squeezed some of the liquid on her palm and slowly, softly, started smearing it all over Shepard's skin, a thin, bubbly foam forming around her fingers as she let her hands roam on every lean, pale inch of the human.
The soldier's body reacted to that most wonderful touch with erupting goose bumps of pure happiness everywhere. She turned around slowly, allowing better access to her lover's smooth hands, doing a 360 and coming back to face her, an inviting smile on her lips. Her arms draped around that body that she couldn't stop craving for, the Asari's skin ever so slightly different than hers, more satiny, perfectly hairless everywhere, like the finest silk under her fingertips. As the water started washing away the soap, she closed the space between them. One hand came up to Aria's neck and gently drew her in for a kiss. Their lips met and they melted into each other, brushing lightly at first, then more insistently, slowly but surely deepening the kiss, without looking for more, however. Their tongues started a familiar dance together, made of slow, long strokes, tasting the warmth in each other, purposefully, they took their time, as if that was the only thing worth doing in the universe, alternating the teasing, the devouring, the nibbling, the biting.
Aria loved kissing the Commander like this. She had never placed much importance into kisses, practical being that she was, always preferring to get right to the point, as the habit of a lifetime in any and all things. But kissing Shepard was definitely one of the most pleasant activities she had ever allowed herself to 'waste' her time in. She had had very few kissing partners as skilled, and even then she hadn't truly appreciated the experience for what it was. As usual, she tried to blame her pregnancy for her willingness to indulge in this, but she was mentally laughing at herself even as she did so. The truth was simple. She just loved kissing Shepard because she loved Shepard. And because she had the softest, most delicious lips she had ever tasted. There. She admitted it. It wasn't that hard.
When both felt sated enough for the time being, Aria turned the water off, reached for a towel and proceeded to pat Shepard's skin dry before doing the same for herself. Then she turned to walk back into the room with a sexy sway in her step, leaving the human to nigh drool behind her. She stopped a few paces away, her head slightly turning back, her hypnotic blue eyes locked on Shepard's, she twisted her lips in a mischievous grin, her eyelids half closed, a look of smug delight on her impossibly beautiful face. She brought a hand up and curled her forefinger, calling to the human to follow her. And then she was gone from Shepard's view.
The soldier shook herself from the dreamy state her lover had just put her in and followed her. She saw her kneeling on her heels in the middle of the bed, a small bottle in one hand, the other patting the sheets next to her. Shepard obliged and went to lie belly down, her arms crossed under her face, head slightly tilted so to be able to watch Aria. That didn't last, however. The Asari moved out of her line of sight, lifting her leg and easily straddling Shepard's ass. The Commander felt a distinct warmth and wetness on her buttocks and a familiar hunger dawned inside her, but she decided to wait and see what the Queen wanted to do.
She heard a squishing sound, then hands rubbing together and then a pleasant fragrance filled the air, sweet and pungent at the same time.
As Aria's hands started caressing her shoulders in lazy circles, applying just a slight pressure, she thought she had died and gone to heaven. It just felt too good to describe. Her eyes closed of their own volition, every nerve ending on her back suddenly tingling, she was aware of the sensation that the Asari's biotics had on her skin, making it hypersensitive in the most exquisite way.
A contented murmur escaped her lips. "Mmmmhhhh. One of these days, I want to go to Thessia, find the best artist on the planet and commission a monumental statue of you, then I will demand for it to be placed in Athame's temple. That's the only place worthy of you."
She heard a short snort coming from Aria, as she replied. "That must be the single cheesiest thing I have ever heard. Do try to contain yourself, Commander."
Her hands were slowly massaging the scented oil into the soldier's tired muscles. When she decided that the human's back had had its share, she tugged at Shepard's side to make her roll over.
Lying on her back, the sight of her bondmate now straddling her hips so casually, their sexes barely, teasingly brushing together, Shepard felt a deep throb of arousal growing in the pit of her stomach and automatically brought up her hands towards those full, supple breasts that seemed to be calling her, only to be slapped back by Aria's hands. She scowled a little, mockingly, and then settled down, hands resting on the Asari's thighs, ready for whatever she wanted.
The Queen poured some more of the oil on her hands and started caressing Shepard all over, slowly, deliberately, carefully avoiding her breasts though, much to the Commander's chagrin. Then she shifted positions, gently but firmly forcing the human's legs open with her knees and settling between them. The Commander was hungrily anticipating where this was going.
She saw Aria's skin starting to swirl with the electric blue currents of her biotics and felt weightless. The sensation startled her. She was positively floating in mid air, a couple of feet above the bed. Even with her military training in zero gravity, it felt weird and wonderful and new at the same time.
The Queen brought her hands up to caress the human's thighs, the contact attracting her attention. She regaled Shepard with a grin that was a sure promise of delicious things to come.
Looking deeply into her flaming blue eyes, the Commander bit her lower lip, her heartbeat picking up the pace.
Aria's hands were roaming on Shepard's strong legs in long strokes, then she gripped her behind the knees and effortlessly drew her closer, her blue lips sliding on the human's inner thighs. The Commander's eyes widened as she finally understood where this was going.
At the first touch of the Asari's mouth against her folds she felt her whole body hum, her breath came in sharply and her head started spinning. Aria put her hands on Shepard's hip bones, locking her in place as she literally hovered in front of her face.
The Queen's perfect control over her biotics was certainly strong enough to keep this up, even once her own body would become completely aroused itself, as it invariably happened when she pleasured the Commander this way. There was no way Shepard could get out of that blue cocoon any time soon.
And on that thought the Asari let her purple tongue out and took a long, slow lick that covered all of Shepard's sex, lingering for the fraction of a second on the place that she knew was just created for her pleasure alone. She loved the taste of the Commander, and she loved how that little bundle of pure raw nerves slightly twitched under her ministrations. Spurred by the delightful growl of pleasure coming from the human's lips, she started savouring her in earnest, applying just the amount of pressure she knew that Shepard liked. Her tongue licked her entrance, then slid up to flick on her clit, over and over again, every movement eliciting a low cry of pure bliss from the Commander.
Shepard couldn't believe just how her body was reacting to all this. She loved it when Aria used her mouth on her like this, but the biotic field enveloping her was heightening the sensation so much she thought she would explode at any given moment. Her throat felt dry and raw from her sighs and moans but she just couldn't stop. She brought a hand down between her legs, to grip the Asari's crest, holding her in place, urging her on. Every stroke of the Queen's tongue sparked lights behind her closed eyelids, she arched her back, her head fell backwards and she couldn't understand anymore where up or down was. It was disconcerting, giving her a slight vertigo that made her blood rush to her head.
The Asari started concentrating on a rhythm she knew would bring Shepard to a climax, without fail. Her tongue now steadily lapping only her sensitive bud, she couldn't help moans of excitement escaping her, and that little vibration added to the sensations that were washing over the Commander. Shepard decided that yes, this time she would indeed go mad. Her mind would just flip, it was too much, too much… That is when she felt Aria entering her mind, not able to stop herself from sharing her deepest lust with the Commander. Their thoughts flooded into each other, the sensations Shepard was experiencing catching the Asari unprepared with their sheer intensity, the Queen's head spun as well, while her hot, wet, overexcited sex was subjected to the mirrored action of her own tongue. She lost control of her biotics just for the fraction of a second, but she didn't let go. As ever, they felt their heartbeats becoming one, their individual consciousness melted into one, their physical experience was one as well. Aria pushed the meld even further, sending wave after wave of desire, arousal, excitement, like a rising tide into Shepard's mind, feeding off the Commander's own passion herself, they were sliding on each other until there was no more I or you, but only we. Their pleasure built up to the breaking point, and it erupted like an exploding nova, both of them spasming in unison, a low, long cry exhaling from Shepard's lips, Aria's hips grinding down on the bed in response to the Commander's hips rising up, driving into her tongue for more. The deliciously pulsating muscles between their legs came slowly down to a series of light aftershocks that saw them sighing in absolute bliss.
As it died down, the human's hand softened the grip on the Asari's head and started caressing her crest lazily. Aria lowered Shepard back on the bed, letting her biotics field fade. She sent hot caresses of satisfaction and fulfilled pleasure to the Commander while retreating from the meld, as her body climbed on top of her and then settled right beside her, her arm possessively draped around the human's waist, her head resting on her shoulder, her teeth lightly biting along her jaw.
Shepard shifted slightly to her side in order to face the Queen, she got lost in her electric blue eyes for what felt like an infinity. The Asari brought her hand up and stroked her cheek with the back of her fingers, then cupped her face and drew her in for a proper kiss, soft, long, deep.
"Name your poison, Relan."
Shepard hopped on the stool next to her pilot, the loud music inside Afterlife a pleasant and familiar background.
"Commander! It looks like you're faring much better tonight."
It was true, of course. The pain was gone for good and it felt like she was back in control of her own mind, which was putting her in a magnificent mood. "Indeed. The Queen did that voodoo that she does so well and I feel ready to take whatever shot the galaxy has to throw at me."
Ignoring the lack of understanding of what a 'voodoo' was, the pilot replied with genuine relief. "That is great news, certainly good enough to celebrate properly." Relan seemed particularly happy at the idea of sharing a drink and some downtime with the Commander.
As she was getting the attention of a bartender, she noticed the young, beautiful, sweet Sila sexily swaying her way towards them, walking behind her stool and lazily, softly allowing a hand to caress the back of her neck as she passed by, a smile and a wink making her face positively beam before she continued on in the direction of a table of Volus patrons. Shepard's hand, fast as lightning, caught hers and stopped her in her tracks.
"Wait, just a moment. How have things been going for you lately? Any more unwanted encounters with self-entitled assholes?"
The dancer slightly blushed at the realisation that Shepard actually remembered her shy complaints about some of the people she had to deal with in her job. "I... thank you for asking, Commander. Things have been better, really."
"Good. My offer still stands, of course. Don't hesitate to let me know if you run into any kind of trouble." Shepard gave her a smile and gently squeezed her hand before letting her go.
"I will, thank you again." Her hips were nothing short of mesmerising as she walked away.
"Close your mouth, Relan."
The Lystheni was suddenly reminded of where he was and who he was with. "Oh! Yes! Sorry Commander!"
The soldier ordered their drinks. "So tell me, since we finally have some time to talk, why do you call yourself Lystheni instead of Salarian?"
As the pilot's answer unravelled, in a tale of classism, racism and cultural and social battles, the conversation between them started flowing freely.
After a lovely evening spent getting to know her pilot better, Shepard was making her way to Aria's private lounge when the sound of a familiar voice, a bit too stressed for comfort, caught her attention. She turned her head to see Sila trying to fend off a very drunk, very invasive human who was wearing the colours of the Blue Suns, one of the bigger merc gangs on Omega.
Without hesitation, she strode to where the unpleasant scene was taking place, she grabbed the man by the shoulders and pulled him away from the young Asari, placing herself between them.
"Is there a problem here?" Her eyes were boring holes in the mercs skull.
"Who the fuck are you? Get outta my way. I'm closing a deal with the little hooker. I know I have something she will really enjoy." He grabbed his crotch in a crass gesture and made for the dancer in a renewed attempt to grab her.
Shepard's arm came up instantly and her hand stopped him in his tracks, her palm pushing against his chest and making him stumble backwards.
In his drunken state he evidently didn't get the message and he stepped towards the soldier yet again, his slurred voice trying to sound menacing. "Are you looking for a fight, bitch? 'Cause you just found one."
He swung his fist at the empty air as the Commander dodged it swiftly. She caught his arm and twisted it behind his back, pivoting him around and smashing his face against the nearest wall. She raised her knee and hit him squarely on his kidneys, a short moan of pain escaping his mouth. "Uhng!"
She turned him around and her elbow immediately crushed on his face, breaking his nose, a gush of blood splattering on his yellow uniform. Her knee came up again, violently slamming on his crotch. His mouth opened but no sound came out of it as he was sliding down to his knees, holding his privates, blood trickling down his chin and neck. Shepard closed her hand and socked him across the face with the back of her fist, his unconscious body finally hitting the floor.
She turned around to check on Sila. "Are you all right?"
The young Asari's mouth was slightly open, her hand covering it, in an expression of surprise. "Yes... yes. Yes, I am."
She hadn't had the time to finish speaking that she saw Shepard getting her gun out, pointing it at the merc's head and putting a bullet in it without blinking. She put the gun back just as quickly before looking at the dancer again. "I don't like having loose ends. Some people are not worth the oxygen they consume."
The human took the couple of steps that separated her from Sila and gently caressed her face. "Why don't you call it a night. Go home. Relax. Sleep it off."
"That sounds like the best idea I have ever heard, Commander. Thanks for helping me out of a thorny situation." Her lilac eyes were full of gratefulness... and a strange deep spark that Shepard had never seen in them before.
The Commander dismissed a fleeting sensation that the young Asari was somehow hiding something from her. She bid her goodnight and headed for the restroom to freshen up and wash off the unpleasant feeling that that very rude, and now very dead merc had left on her skin.
Shepard splashed some water on her face and run her fingers through her short dark hair, immediately feeling cleaner. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed that the skin on her knuckles was broken and slightly bleeding. As she was considering turning around to go grab a disposable towel to dry them, she saw the reflection of someone entering the restroom behind her. Her eyes recognised Sila right away.
The dancer stopped by and tore a towel from the nearby wall dispenser as Shepard quickly turned around and leaned against the sink. She approached the human and took her hand in her own, she wet the towel, she kneeled in front of her and started gently dabbing Shepard's knuckles. The Commander, as grateful for the help as she was, was taken aback for a second, then before she could say or do anything, she saw Sila's eyes become a dark galaxy and felt her inside her mind.
Shepard threw up a barrier to stop the invasion instantly. She heard the young Asari's voice in her mind. Somehow she sounded surer, more assertive than Shepard had ever heard her before, any hint of naiveté was gone.
'I cannot speak out loud. There are ears everywhere on Omega. I know of your mission on Eden Prime. I know what you need in order to decipher the Prothean message embedded in your head. Go to the Attican Beta cluster. In the Theseus System there is a planet, Feros. You will find help there. Be careful, there are others hunting for the same thing. Please, don't ask me how I know this. I will explain when I can.'
She swiftly exited the Commander's mind, got back to her feet, threw away the towel and made her way out in complete silence, her head turning just for a second to give the human a sweet smile. She left Shepard with a thousand unanswered questions scurrying around in her head. She kept her cool, as per usual, and went on to join Aria in her private lounge.
Aria lifted her eyes from the padd she was reading. "Finally. What kept you so long? I got an encrypted message from one of my contacts: there's a rather interesting development on our ongoing 'adventure'." Her voice was dripping sarcasm.
Shepard sat down, a glass of red wine already waiting for her on the low table in front of the Queen's couch. She took a sip and sat back. "What would this interesting development be?"
"It's an audio file, source unknown." The Queen played it back on her omnitool.
'Eden Prime was a major victory. The Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit.'
Shepard recognised Saren's voice immediately, her ears pricked up instinctively.
'And one step closer to the return of the Reapers.'
It was a female voice that replied to him in the audio file. There was a question mark on the Commander's head, that Aria proceeded to erase right away.
"That would be Matriarch Benezia. She fancies herself a spiritual leader and a teacher of philosophy and religion. She has a rather thick number of proselytes among Asari. She preaches a bigger Asari involvement in shaping galactic life at large, and stuff like that." She waved it all off with her hand as if it were of no importance nor consequence to herself. The Queen couldn't help adding: "She can be quite the pompous ass."
Shepard sneered. "You know her well?"
Aria's look was dangerously serious. "Apparently, not well enough." There was a bitter downward twist on her beautiful lips.
The human brought her hand up to cup the Asari's face, her thumb caressing her lingeringly, in the hopes to make it go away. "It looks like we're going to have to talk with Matriarch Benezia then. Any clue as to where we can find her?"
"I'm working on it." Aria took Shepard's hand away from her cheek and brought it to her lips to kiss it. That's when she noticed the small bruises on her knuckles and the tiny scratches on which the blood was already dry. "Commander. You know I never ask you about your hobbies or how you spend your time away from me."
Shepard replied in a heartbeat, a small grin on her androgynous face. "That's because you have eyes everywhere and you get to know about it anyway, my Queen."
"Nevertheless." The old Asari was always amused at the human's quick mind and powers of observation. She knew things rarely escaped Shepard's perception. "What the fuck happened." It wasn't even a question, Aria's inner control freak peeking out, her eyes as inquisitive as ever, basically soldered on the Commander's.
"Nothing much, just a drunk idiot giving a hard time to one of our dancers."
"Let me guess. Sila?"
"The very one."
"I sincerely hope she's not trying to put her moves on you, Commander. I like her. I'd hate having to get rid of her."
"Moves or no moves, no one could drag me away from you."
There was now a grin on Aria's stunning features. "Asari and humans, incredibly enough, share a very apt saying: words are fleeting."
Shepard shifted her body, she moved to straddle Aria's perfect, never ending legs as the Asari was leaning back leisurely on the couch, her gloved hands grabbing the human's thighs roughly, her glowing blue eyes never leaving her fiery dark ones.
The Commander bent down to within a breath of the Queen's face, her arms coming up loosely around her propped up collar, she whispered on her blue lips, her voice menacingly low, deep, harsh. "You marked me with your hormones. You tattooed my ass. You have claimed my body in every conceivable way. You have bonded with me. You have taken my soul, fully, intimately, thoroughly. But most importantly. Never forget, Queen of Omega. I have let you."
Shepard's arms forced Aria's head to close the short gap between them and they met in a crushing kiss, their hot tongues ravaging each other in an unquenchable thirst, their heads spinning, their breathing short, almost coming in grunts. Aria's arm came up around the Commander's waist, urgently trying to pull her even closer, her other hand rising up the human's front as she grabbed her breast and squeezed it, eliciting a moan deep in her throat. Shepard took the Queen's hand and moved it brusquely from her breast to between her legs, immediately grinding on it, aching for more.
Having taken notice of what was going on behind their back, Anto lightly elbowed Garrus to get his attention. Silently, and smartly agreeing to the best course of action, they decided to move quickly down the stairs, each taking a side to cover the access to the lounge and stop any unwanted visitors for the time being.