Omega Chronicles -18- Face to face

Shepard felt a bit lost roaming around the spider web of alleyways and tight corners of the slums. The noise on the streets was everywhere, people trying to sell something, some mad preachers filling the stinking air with empty words of doom, some just asking, begging for help, for credits, some selling their own bodies for sex or labour. It was dirty, gloomy and everything seemed ruined and rotten.

More than once she had had to push away a beggar getting a bit too close, or a vendor offering things she wasn't interested in, or a drug dealer desperate to sell his low quality trip into another place, certainly better than this.

She finally found what she was looking for.

The tall building was as filthy as the streets around it, its bleary windows barely showing the lights from the apartments inside, the higher floors lost in the darkness of Omega's perennial night.

Shepard took a look at the entrance and squared her shoulders before stepping in.

As she had guessed, the elevator wasn't working, and she found herself having to climb up 30 odd floors. She was taking a break around the 16th at the moment, wondering what in the Hell had gotten into her to come all the way over here, and silently cursing herself for not wanting to wait a few more hours and having this conversation comfortably sitting in Afterlife.

She dragged herself up from the dusty stairs and continued on her ascent.

Before getting dressed to face a new day at the club, Sila was drying herself after a quick shower and donning a low necked t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She hated this place, but she didn't have much of a choice. This was what she could afford at the moment and she'd make do with it until better times would come along. She had seen worse, after her mother had been killed in action while working as a mercenary for a minor gang. It had been the classic drug deal gone bad and she had found herself having to survive on her own at an age when Asari are considered to be no more than toddlers.

She shook herself out of the painful memories and decided to make some coffee to get a little energy going. That's when she heard someone knocking at her door.

She was definitely startled. It had literally never happened before. She realised that the door chime must have been broken as she was taking the few steps to open it. The young Asari got ready for whatever would be on the other side.

"Hello, Sila." The smiling face of the human was like a little beam of light in the dim corridor.

"Commander!" The Maiden was surprised for a second, then she remembered her good manners and invited her in. "Please, come in."

She nervously started picking her clothes off her small couch and she quickly threw them in the bathroom that opened at the far end of the tiny apartment. "I'm so sorry, this place is a proper mess. I wasn't expecting visitors..." She paused for a moment, her eyes turning sad before continuing. "Well, I never had a visitor before."

Shepard sat down and made herself at home. She was still a bit conflicted as to how she wanted to face this conversation with the beautiful dancer. A side of her was angry because she could feel some sort of deception on Sila's part, but then on the other hand her feelings of protectiveness and affection towards the young Maiden made it particularly difficult to keep the anger fuelled. She looked around and realised the dire state in which the waitress was living, and whatever was still there of her animosity quickly evaporated. She let out a big sigh.

"Sila... please stop scuttling around. I don't care if you leave your clothes anywhere but in your closet, and if you haven't done the dishes in the past month." She patted the seat next to her and waited for the Maiden to sit and calm down. She shifted her body in order to be able to look her in the face more easily. Her arm rose and she placed her elbow on the back of the couch, her legs crossed loosely, her ankle casually resting on her knee.

She stared at the Asari's lilac eyes for a few moments, then she finally broke the silence. "I'm pretty sure you know why I'm here. I went to Feros."

Sila's eyes went wide instantly as they were fixed on the human. Her mouth opened slightly but she was clearly waiting for Shepard to go on, almost afraid of what she was going to say next.

"I have a message for you." The Commander brought out a small pad and handed it to her, giving her the time to read it.

The young Asari's hands were slightly trembling as she grasped it and her eyes started gliding on the words on the screen.

My Dearest, my Love, my Everything.

I cannot imagine the pain I must have brought to you by means of my choices. I wish I could take all of them back. Following Saren and Benezia was the worst mistake of my life. I should have listened to you instead of dismissing your worries and your words. They were wise. All that you had thought would happen to me has in fact happened. I was betrayed by Saren, left behind as a token of his alliance with this creature that has had her clutches in me ever since. They call it the Thorian. We believe it is dead now, thanks to a tough and stubborn human by the name of Shepard. She would be an impressive Huntress. She has set me free, she has given me a chance at repairing all the damage that I have caused, willingly or unwillingly. It doesn't matter. I still am responsible for it. Some nights I can still feel the tentacles of that creature in my brain, I wake up screaming and looking for you, but you are not next to me. I miss you. But you know that, because you must miss me just the same. I was a fool, Sila. And I have paid dearly for my mistakes. I hope that one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me, and you will consider rebuilding a life together. In the meantime, I will stay at the colony here on Feros, they certainly need all the help they can get. Please take good care of yourself.

Forever,

Shiala

Sila's eyes were filling with tears, but she maintained her composure and spoke softly to the human. "Commander. I cannot thank you enough. I was so desperate when Shiala stopped communicating with me and just disappeared... I do owe you an explanation."

Shepard could see all the emotions at play on the young Asari's face and spoke to her in a sweet, calm voice, her hand coming up to tenderly caress her cheek. "Why don't you get us a cup of coffee, sit back down, and take your time. I'm not in a hurry."

Sila gave her a small, grateful smile.

As she settled back down on the couch, she inhaled a deep breath and then she started talking.

"I was very young when I met Shiala. My mother had just died and I had been left with nothing but myself and my will to live. She was already a Commando, and a very good one at that. She took pity on me and gave me the chance at a new life, taking me in, treating me with respect and affection. It wasn't long until I started seeing the person behind her rigid training, before I found the warmth, the passion... before I fell in love. To my great surprise I discovered my feelings were reciprocated, and even if on paper it looked like madness, it just happened so naturally, we became bondmates. A Matron and a Maiden. Quite unusual, but really, can you put any boundaries on love?"

There was a sweet smile on Sila's face while she reminisced. She took a sip from her cup and went on.

"Shortly after that she started following Matriarch Benezia, and she quickly became one of her top disciples. It felt as if she had found something she had been looking for, for so long. I couldn't have been happier for her."

Her lilac eyes looked sad for a second, only to turn definitely angry in the space of a heartbeat.

"Then Saren appeared, and everything changed. I could see it in her behaviour, hear it in her words, feel it in her heart. It was disconcerting. It was maddening. I saw the person I loved transform right in front of my eyes, she became a fanatic, some of the things she said didn't even make any sense anymore, tales of invasion and renewal and heralding a new age... And one day she was gone. She left a short note for me to find. She wrote it on paper, in her beautiful calligraphy, one would think it such a romantic gesture. I didn't. I was devastated. I was furious. And I was alone, again."

Tears were slowly rolling down her perfect face. She wiped them away in a gesture full of pride and self respect.

"I had no means of supporting myself, other than doing what most Maidens do. I came to Omega, hoping that my pretty face and my dancing moves would be enough to put food on the table. They were. They are. Barely, as you can see."

She looked around the small room with a bitter smile on her lips.

"The truth is, I get paid quite well, but I have been putting almost all of it away in order to travel to the last location where I knew Shiala had been: Feros. She kindly made it a point to send me a message every time she moved from one place to another, nothing more than a name, or coordinates. How thoughtful. When I overheard a conversation that Garrus was having with Anto about your misadventure on Eden Prime and how you had met Saren there, I thought it would be worth a try to... recruit you. I couldn't help feeling so silly, playing secret agent or something, I thought you'd never fall for it, I thought you would see right through me and dismiss my 'very important information' about Feros. I bluffed, and you actually listened."

Sila let out a short, ironic laugh. Shepard thought it wasn't yet time to interrupt her.

"I never thought you'd actually find her there. I certainly was not expecting to receive any word from her, let alone... this." She raised the padd and then tossed it to the floor carelessly. "I just don't understand. I feel such a hole inside of me ever since she's been gone, and it's been getting steadily worse. Commander, you are bonded to Aria. I can smell her on you, as a matter of course really. You know how it feels when you are separated. Now try to imagine being so far from each other, for so long. How could Shiala..." Her words trailed off and she bit her lower lip in order to stop more tears from coming.

The human was pensive for a long moment, gathering her thoughts before replying. She decided to not address the small guile Sila had used in order to get her help. The dancer looked contrite about it enough as it was.

In a deeply affectionate gesture, Shepard drew Sila into a warm embrace, allowing her to finally let go and sob to her heart's content, all of her rage, all of her heartache, all of her pain. When she felt that the Maiden had let it all out of her system and she was calming down, she spoke softly to her.

"Sila, there are things you might not know about all this. You see, Saren has access to this... ship, this machine, that apparently takes advantage of some advanced, futuristic technology. The result of it is that the more time you spend aboard, the more you become indoctrinated. At least that is how Matriarch Benezia described it. Shiala was not herself anymore by the time she left you, she was not able to make her own decisions anymore, not in charge of her feelings, her thoughts, her choices. Then when she was a captive of the Thorian, it got even worse. That creature had a solid grasp and was able to enthral and control other organic life forms, and Shiala was by then merely a puppet. As you said, I know how it feels to be bonded to someone and have to be apart. No bondmate in their right mind would ever actively choose to do so. What I mean is: it wasn't her fault. She was a victim. Plain and simple."

The Commander put her fingers on the Maiden's chin and shifted her face just enough so that she could look straight into her eyes. "Tell me something, please, just how old are you?"

The Asari shyly looked down for a moment. "76..."

Shepard's jaw dropped. "Fuck. You're just a child! I can't even begin to imagine how hard things must have been for you so far..." The human was shaking her head in disbelief and instinctively held the Asari tighter for a moment.

Sila smiled her sweet smile as she settled on Shepard's chest, her hand resting on the human's heart, welcoming the embrace. "You know, many times I wanted to tell you all about this, ask for your help with it, because you have always been so kind to me, and I thought you'd may be able or even -want- to help... But then I always stopped before saying anything because in my mind it all sounded so silly and so juvenile... And all those times I told you how fond I am of you? It is true. I may be bonded, but I am not blind and I am not stupid. I can see how special you are."

The Commander took a decision right then and there. "Gather your things, we're going."

There was a look of surprise on the young Asari's face. "Going where?"

"Feros."

It all looked too familiar to Shepard as she stepped out of the Inanna, the old ruined buildings, the stench of death in the air, the subtle noises of stone on stone. She steeled herself against the grimy memories this place held and proceeded down the docking bay and into the heart of the small colony, trying to keep up the pace with Sila.

Turning around the last corner and into the wide hall where Zhu's Hope was located, she saw the young Asari literally running and jumping into the arms of Shiala, their faces beaming with joy, exchanging kisses between big smiles, tears of happiness filling their eyes.

The Commander stopped quite a way back, letting them enjoy their moment of euphoria. She sat down on some steps and diverted her gaze, giving them some privacy.

"So that is where you had disappeared to in the past day." Aria's voice was menacingly low, her eyes followed Shepard as she walked into their quarters, around the low table and sat down on the big luscious couch right next to her.

She handed a padd to the Commander, who read it quickly. It was a note from Shiala, offering whatever resources Zhu's Hope had access to, in case Aria and Shepard ever needed them, and a short addendum from Sila, who still sounded thankful beyond belief.

Shepard had a lop sided grin on her face as she replied in a mockingly skulking tone. "Damn. You uncovered my crafty plans again. Nothing ever escapes you, my Queen."

"Funny. And clever." There was a steel look on the Queen's face. "Please refrain from vanishing like that in the future. It puts me in a severely bad mood. If it hadn't been for your Quarian Engineer sending me updates on your whereabouts, I could say I'd even have been worried. I could. But I wouldn't. And I won't."

Shepard stared at Aria's glowing eyes for a few long moments. "You're right. I'm sorry. But you know it was for a good cause."

"Ah, yes. True love. You humans tend to be quite the suckers for it." The Queen tried hard not to roll her eyes.

"As are some Asari, so it seems." The Commander's retort was a quick sting as her hands cupped Aria's face and dragged her close for a deep, hot kiss. Their mouths opened to let their tongues battle and glide, their heartbeat picked up immediately. Shepard's teeth bit down on the Queen's lower lip, eliciting a moan of desire.

The Asari broke the kiss suddenly and commented on the human's lips in a low tone. "And as a result I have now lost one of my best, and favourite, dancers."

Shepard grinned. "I'll dance for you."

Aria laughed her sexy laugh as she pushed the human back to lie on the couch and climbed on top of her, her leg settling between Shepard's hips, their faces a mere breath apart. "With all due respect to your dancing skills, Commander, you have other talents I happen to be more interested in."

"Such as...?" Shepard inhaled sharply at the rubbing motion of Aria's thigh against her groin.

The Asari moved to whisper in her ear. "The way you moan, out of control, as I fuck you senseless is a prime example."

A delicious shiver ran down the human's spine and she found herself grinding insistently against Aria's leg, hungry for more. The Queen continued, unperturbed. "I think I will also enjoy you moving like that against my hand, while my fingers are buried inside of you."

Shepard's heartbeat instantly quickened, she felt her sex getting wet and she could barely contain herself as she grabbed Aria's neck, the Asari's teeth closing on her throat in a possessive bite. The human somehow managed to reply, in a short, thirsty breath. "Just fuck me. Please."

The Queen shifted her face to look deeply into Shepard's eyes, her voice was liquid fire. "With pleasure."

Getting rid of their clothes was a matter of seconds, their hands going through the familiar motions efficiently, then Aria was once more on top of her lover, this time her skin connected with her swollen, excited folds directly, and she delighted in the wetness that spread on her thigh. "Your body seems to like what I do to it."

Shepard panted a comment as her arms encircled the Queen to drag her even closer. "My body loves to please you."

"Then your body knows what's best for it." Aria let a hand trail down the human's torso, her nails lightly scratching her pale skin, she could feel Shepard's abs twitching in anticipation.

The Commander's head was spinning lightly as she felt Aria's hand grab her sex and caress it, her fingers travelling to the source of her wetness. In a quick, strong push the Asari was inside her, a gasp of pleasure escaping her mouth. She felt the Queen sliding in and out of her and her hips started rocking against her in an unstoppable motion. "Fuck. Aria. Yes."

The Asari loved how Shepard always let go so completely, giving herself over to her without restraints. It was dizzying, it felt like she was possessing the human down to her core, her lover so open and willing and truly belonging to her.

But she wanted more. Her eyes turned to the purest black and she was invading Shepard's mind, eager to be engulfed by the firestorm she knew was waiting for her.

As soon as the Commander felt her inside her mind, she let a wave of undiluted passion crash on Aria mercilessly, immediately reciprocated. The Queen was such a breathtaking presence, powerful, majestic, overwhelming. Shepard could never get enough of her. Her body felt truly taken, the Asari's fingers keeping her promise, buried inside of her, thrusting along her inner walls, making her clutch on them with every stroke, in their joined mind they were clouds of lava grappling and melting into each other, pushing each other to the edge, their desire building up, rising up, until they were suspended on the edge for an infinite instant. In a heartbeat, Shepard screamed her orgasm on Aria's lips, a starburst exploding in their mind, a hot wave expanding, contracting, imploding, then surging again and blasting through their every atom. The Queen's muscles tensed in an exquisite spasm throughout her body, her climax mirroring her lover's, breathlessly.

Their hearts still beating wildly, they slowly came down from their shared pleasure, Aria withdrew her hand, gently letting her fingers slide out of Shepard, and lowered her whole body weight to rest on the Commander, the pressure and contact perfectly welcome by the human, who opened her legs and brought them up and around the Asari's waist in an elegant and possessive move.

Shepard's arms enveloped her, her hands grazing along her lean back, all the way up to the tendons on the back of her neck, revelling in the luxury of that satiny skin she so shamelessly adored. She felt Aria retreating from the meld and noticed that every time she did that, more and more tendrils of her being stayed behind and merged with her own consciousness. A smile opened on her face at the amazing sensation.

The Queen was savouring the fulfilment of the moment, riding a wave of bliss. She put her lips next to Shepard's ear and murmured in a low, sensual voice. "You are mine."

Shepard sighed in a heavenly trance, her arms tightening around her bondmate, letting her love through. "Forever."

"Commander, thank you for seeing me." Tali was sitting on a stool at the bar in Afterlife, a tall cocktail in front of her, a multicoloured straw peeking from the frosted glass.

"Not a problem. You said it was urgent." Shepard sat down with a smile and waved at a waiter to order a drink. "So what is it?"

"After Eden Prime, I have been scanning Geth comm channels and frequencies regularly, just in case I could intercept a message or a communication that could be useful to us." She took a sip before going on. "Well, it finally paid off. I was able to decipher an encrypted message directed to Saren, from a... Rana Thanoptis? The name is not familiar to me. It's about some sort of research facility on a planet called Virmire. Think it can be something?" She went back to paying full attention to her drink.

Shepard's face had a look of concentration. It was something indeed. It was the first clue they had managed to find on Saren in a few days now, and it was most welcome. She thought of all the things she needed to do in order to prepare for this next mission. "Get the Inanna ready, we leave in a couple of hours."

"Sure thing, Commander."

His omnitool was beeping quite insistently by the time he picked up the call. His booming voice came through loud and clear. "Shepard. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Wrex. I was thinking, if you're up for a little adventure, I'm setting out with the Inanna in an hour or so. If you're interested you can meet me at the docking bay level and I will bring you up to date. How does that sound?"

The Krogan was actually rather bored and he welcomed the chance to actually do something. "Sounds good to me. See you there."