The Omega Chronicles -32- Revenge is a Dish Best Served Scorching
"Aaargh! Fuck this!"
The young biotic was just about to explode. Literally. Liselle stared at her for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to deal with what could easily be considered a proper tantrum, then she spoke in a soft, soothing voice, mustering as much tenderness as she possibly could.
"Jack... please. It's ok. Really. Try to calm down. Just hand her over, nice and easy, I will take care of this."
She took Metis in her arms, away from the mounting rage of the human, who just looked down at her lap in disbelief. "Why? Why the fuck did she have to puke on me?"
The Asari smiled at the child as she replied. "Well, what do you know. Maybe it is because you were handling her as if she were a cocktail shaker."
"I was trying to fucking play with her! That's what you asked of me!"
She was about to stand up from the couch, but Liselle blocked her there with a well placed scalding look. "Don't. Move." She put the baby down on the pastel coloured rug that adorned her otherwise naked floor and darted towards the kitchenette to fetch something to clean the biotic's clothes. "If you stand, it will just drip all over the place, and I just cleaned up."
Jack raised her hands in surrender. "Fine. I will just sit here, letting it soak in and marinade me like a fucking steak or something."
As she was walking back to the couch, the Maiden stopped to look at her from across the room. She might be difficult, she might be raw and rough around the edges, but she knew Jack better than that. She was well aware of the extraordinary heart that was beating inside her heavily tattooed chest. That is what she had fallen in love with, after all. Not that she had found the right time to tell her about her feelings, but she wanted to. So much so that she thought she would just blurt the words out one of these days. But not now. Now did not seem to be the right time at all. She smiled a sweet smile, one of those that can blind like the sun.
Jack looked up and noticed. "What?"
Liselle walked briskly towards her, she squatted down and her hands started wiping the puke from the human's trousers in hurried gestures. "Oh, nothing. Just musing." But her smile was not leaving her angelic face.
The biotic prodded further. She leaned down towards her just a bit, slowly articulating her next word.
"... About?"
The Asari stopped for a second to return the insistent look. She replied in a mockingly sultry voice. "About just how beautiful you manage to be, even when you're covered in disgusting goo." She raised herself just enough to place a soft kiss on the human's lips.
Jack was always taken aback by Liselle's random compliments. To be honest, she never had any idea how to respond. It felt good, that much was sure, but it often put her in an awkward, imbalanced position. She just was not used to anything of the sort. So she did the best she could, and gave the Maiden an uncertain smirk and a whispered curse. "Shit."
Liselle was always delighted when she had the chance to make the biotic blush a little. Her smile got even bigger as she got up to go throw away the dirty paper towels.
The human quickly regained her composure. She leaned lazily on the couch, her legs spread in relaxation, her arms open and resting on the back of the comfortable sofa. "Tell me again, please, why do we have to be the fucking baby-sitters of this little monster tonight?"
The Asari came back with two bottles of beer, chilled to perfection. She handed one to Jack as she sat down next to her and delicately snuggled against her, resting her head on the biotic's strong shoulder. "Because Aria and Shepard are discussing some sort of... complicated plan of attack with Tali and Garrus."
Jack snorted. "Hrmph. Could have invited us too. I bet they're gonna need us anyway, for this 'complicated plan' of theirs. Fucking Hell."
Liselle looked intently at the baby as she was playing with a soft toy on the rug. "Indeed, but then who would have had the luck to spend some delightful hours with this little bundle of joy?"
The human's immediate reply was curt, to say the least. "Luck is fucking overrated."
Shepard stretched her legs in front of her, crossing her ankles. Her eyes were focussed on the semi-transparent hologram that was displayed in front of them. She took a deep drag from the cigarette in her mouth and gently blew the smoke out, towards the ceiling. This illegal shipment of tobacco she had seized from some Batarian smugglers had a divinely mild and mellow flavour. She wasn't a regular smoker, but she did indulge in the vice when it came to truly superb cigarettes.
Tali was walking up and down and all around the holographic screen, illustrating all the details of the intel she had been able to find about the perpetrators of the attempt on Aria's life a few months prior. The bastards had almost blown them out of the sky while they were en route to Thessia so that Aria could give birth on what was considered neutral ground by every Asari. Things hadn't really gone according to plan.
Since the Queen of Omega did not harbour grudges, but preferred instead to obliterate her enemies without too much pomp, here they were, laying down a course of action that would put the old Asari in a position to exact justice against the Matriarchs that seemed to be so keen on eliminating her.
The voice of the Quarian was quick and precise. "The main difficulty we are facing is that these hags... pardon my rudeness. These Matriarchs, I meant, spend most of their time safely inside what can be considered a proper stronghold. It is located on one of the three major moons of the planet Hito, which is in the Ismar Frontier. As you might know, the law there basically doesn't exist, they are well out of the boundaries of Council Space. The main source of security are the Blue Suns, whose company's home planet is close by, on Zorya. But these moons, and the planet itself, are dominated by the presence of other cut-throat commercial companies that are exploiting all the natural resources they can find. I am willing to place a good bet that our Matriarchs own a few of these key companies and that this could be one of their main sources of income."
Aria was listening attentively, but you could see in her eyes that her mind was already several steps ahead, already plotting actual actions to be taken, possibilities, weaknesses, points of entry, a whole strategy was developing and unfolding in her uncannily sharp mind. She interrupted Tali. Her finger pointed at a specific feature of the three dimensional blueprint of the stronghold. "There. What is that."
The young Quarian chuckled quietly. "Am I ever glad you asked. That would be, for lack of a better word, the sewage system."
The Queen got up from her chair and started walking around the display, her eyes studying it thoroughly. "And pray tell, where does it lead?"
"Well, as usual, nobody cares about the small print, so it actually leads all the way inside this wannabe fortress, to the very heart of it, underground, in what is basically the room that stores all the silly machinery that is needed for every single technical function and task of the entire structure."
A grin was forming on the Asari's lips, unbridled. "Access?"
Tali nodded her approval. "Incredibly enough, it is not protected. Not even by a tiny thin shield. Not by a forcefield, not by a brick wall. I guess they are too haughty to think of anything regarding their own waste and its disposal."
Shepard put out her cigarette and smirked. "The Devil is in the details." She stood up and stepped close to Aria, an arm coming up and around the Queen's waist as she herself pointed at their potential breakthrough. "Small team, armed to the teeth, blast the door, get in, kill, get out."
Aria beamed and smiled a demonic smile. "That's the plan."
The Engineer hated to be the bearer of bad news. Minor bad news, but still bad news. "There is just one thing. You will not find all of the three bitches... pardon me. Matriarchs, the three Matriarchs, in the stronghold at the same time. They seem to make sure that while one of them is always there, the other two travel constantly around the Systems where most of their business takes place. Which includes a substantial number of planets, I'm afraid."
Garrus finally spoke, with a touch of satisfaction in his raspy, low voice. "And that's where I come in. I have been in contact with a special informer in the past few months, and I have finally cracked the code, so to speak, of their schedules. We know with a definite amount of certainty who is going to be where, and at what times."
Aria and Shepard both looked at him. The Commander couldn't help asking. "A 'special' informer? Do they have a name?"
"Indeed she does." The Turian seemed quite proud of his own work. "I believe you might remember her from the brief but meaningful encounter we had in the past. You know, Shepard, when you decided to let her go free instead of putting a bullet in her head?"
Their curiosity was piqued at this point. "Well? Are you going to make us guess, Vakarian?" There was just a hint of teasing in the human's tone.
He replied quickly and in one breath. "Liara T'Soni."
A shadow of surprise quickly passed on Aria's eyes. "I do remember. She works for the Shadowbroker, though. And I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. Which is nowhere, since no one knows who he, or she, actually is."
Garrus' reply was immediate. "Apparently, she is not an employee of the Shadowbroker any longer. Hasn't been for a while. She has started her own... 'Information Agency'."
It was Shepard's turn to be suspicious. "And you trust her? She could be feeding you with whatever lies the Shadowbroker is willing to construct in order to gain your, and our, trust. You must be aware of that possibility."
The Turian was half expecting such a reaction, of course. "I've done my homework. All of her background checks are clean. You can see for yourself, I will send you everything I have collected on her ever since she left this station on that fateful night."
"You do that." Aria's voice was like a diamond, clear, sharp, hard. "And on top of that, if she really wants to prove to us that she is indeed working -for- us in all this, I want her to be the one who... disposes of one of the Matriarchs. She can pick and choose of course. I don't mind in the least, as long as the job gets done to my satiety."
Garrus nodded his approval. "I will let her know. I'm sure she will be eager to prove herself to us. I believe she feels she is in debt. After all, we could have easily disposed of -her-, and instead we gave her a second chance."
Shepard grinned in his general direction. "Good ol' Vakarian, always finding the best in people. I hope you're right this time. We will see." She took a few seconds to consider an important aspect of their plan. "Of course, as soon as the first of them will be killed, the remaining two will jump to red alert and that will make our job to track them down and murder them just a tad harder."
The Queen had a glint of sadistic envisioning in her hypnotic electric blue eyes. "The more they try to avoid meeting their bitter end at my hands, the more it will be deeply satisfying to me. They deserve nothing less. Nobody fucks with Aria."
Liara T'Soni was sitting at her desk in her neat office on Illium when she got a call. She had been waiting for it, even looking forward to it if she had to be honest with herself. She welcomed the sight of Garrus Vakarian on her screen, and hoped that he would be giving her some good news.
"A good day to you, T'Soni."
The Turian always made it a point to be well mannered, and the Maiden appreciated it. The Goddess knew she had to deal with way too many crass assholes in her line of work. But she was proud to have been capable enough to make a name for herself in the business of not-so-legal intel exchange. Breaking free from the claws of the Shadowbroker hadn't been easy, by any means, but in the time she had spent at his service, she had learned to fend for herself all too well. Now she was using all of her acquired knowledge and wisdom for her own goals, and she had no intention to let her hard-earned reputation be ruined. The smile on her face was genuine as she replied.
"I hope your day has been good as well, Garrus. What can I do for you?"
"The Queen has decided to put a move on her plan. She of course appreciates all the helpful information you have been providing, and has an ulterior task for you, if you are willing to dirty your hands with some... manual work."
He felt free to talk as he saw fit, given that their comm line was as protected as it could possibly be. Tali herself had made sure of that. He waited patiently for a reply, even though he had a feeling the Maiden would jump at the opportunity.
And sure enough, she did. "Ready and willing. What do you need me to do?"
The explanation was brief and to the point.
A coy smile played on the lips of the young Asari. "Consider it done. I will have a window in the next 72 hours. I am sure you won't even need me to send proof, the media will cover the result of my actions more than enough, I believe."
They clinked their glasses together and made a toast. "To good business."
The old mercenary nodded his approval and drank. His eyes gleamed. "Damn, this is the finest Noverian Rum I have put my lips to in the past twenty years, at least."
Shepard grinned. "I am guessing it made your trip all the way from Zorya worth it."
He chose to not be too enthusiastic for the time being. "We will see about that. It is a long ass trip, and I hate to travel these days. You never know what might happen to you."
An alluring, sure voice came from the stairs. "Oh, don't be such a little bitch, Massani. You're here for a very lucrative deal, don't forget that." Aria elegantly swayed her way to her couch to sit next to Shepard. She picked up her glass and added her own toast. "To good, homicidal business."
He agreed. "Hear hear. My favourite kind."
The Commander's free hand caressed Aria's flawless legs for a lingering moment before they started discussing the nature and details of their deal. Her odd coloured eyes locked with the Asari's, carrying all the words she was not saying out loud. They spoke of a burning lust for each other that never left them. The Queen returned the look wholeheartedly as she addressed the leader of the Blue Suns without the need for censorship. "I want you to simply stay away from us and our short but meaningful activities around Hito. Just a few hours will do, I can assure you."
"Hito you say? The Blue Suns do have a strong presence there. In fact, I can make a good guess as to where you might end up, fulfilling your... activities. May I enquire as to what was done to you to grant such a strong and swift castigation?" He knew it wasn't his place to ask, but he had indeed travelled all the way to Omega, which was not on his list of most appealing destinations, and he was willing to indulge in a few curious questions. The Queen was asking for a lot on his part, after all. Granted, she would pay handsomely, as she always did, but that wouldn't stop him. He knew that if he ever decided to switch teams, he could probably get a lot more credits from her enemies. And then he could just bounce from one side of the banter to the other and finally abide by the highest bidder. Then again, Shepard did spare his life, and made him the leader of one of the largest gangs of mercenaries in the Terminus Systems, so there was that little incentive to take into consideration. He pricked up his ears and waited for his answer. He wasn't disappointed.
"It is very simple, Zaeed. Somebody took it upon themselves to make my life hell. They were very clear in their intentions, even going out of their way to put mine and Shepard's life in the crosshair of any assassin willing to do their bidding. As you may have gathered, I do not condone any such act of defiance. In fact, I plan to crush them like the insignificant insects they have proven to be."
The mercenary smirked, and the long, deep scar on his face twisted his expression in a menacing way, his blind eye sparkling for a second. "So I see. Then far be it from me to get in the way." He sipped his drink, delighting in the texture and taste of something so rare and so perfect.
"It is a wise man who knows when to step aside, Massani. Even if it is for money." Shepard smirked back at him.
"Very well then. I will make it a point that any and all of my troops step well away from your playground. I can give you 12 hours. I believe it will be more than enough to conduct your business on or around Hito."
Samara had no idea she would be back on Omega so soon after her last, less than pleasant visit. She made her way to Afterlife and every corner seemed to remind her of the pain she had had to endure the last time she had been here. Even if she had spent centuries hunting down criminals, following her very strict, very sacred code, her last kill had left a scar inside of her. Taking down her own daughter, as just and as due as it had been, was nevertheless a source of unending regret and devastating thoughts that she shied away from dwelling on for too long at a time.
In spite of all that was negative, she had given her word to help Shepard if she had ever needed her, and apparently the young human was calling in that favour now. She just hoped that her request would not go against her code. That being the case she would find herself in a very tricky position, one that she was wishing to avoid at all costs. Then again the Commander had shown remarkable understanding for what was the old Asari's conduct, her rules, her lifestyle. She kept an open mind as she climbed the short stairs to Aria's private balcony. She nodded her greeting to Anto as she walked by, this time she did not need to do any sort of convincing in order to be let through. Thank the Goddess for small graces.
The scene that welcomed her was... unexpected. And hot, in a way. It suddenly reminded her of the centuries of carefree, debauched, turbulent life she had enjoyed prior to her decision to become a Justicar. She had indeed had such good times as what she was laying her eyes upon.
A dancer, more naked than she was dressed, was moving her body in sensuous steps and turns, standing on a low table in front of Aria's big, luscious couch.
On said couch, two bodies seemed to be so intertwined to make it difficult to tell where one began and the other ended. Fully dressed themselves, when really, that looked to be of no consequence in the level of intimacy they were displaying, the Asari was half on top of the human, their mouths soldered together in a passionate, breathless kiss that seemed to go on forever, their hands gliding on each other's bodies in fluid gestures that betrayed a familiarity that was rare to be seen or witnessed. Even if the music was so loud to drown out the noises coming from them, Samara's mind had a very easy time filling in the acoustic blanks. Their legs were tangled so to allow for their bodies to connect as much as possible, and they were undulating as one in seamless rhythm to the heady, booming sounds, their motions sensual, slow, deliberate, and perspiring a desire that was almost palpable.
She found herself not knowing exactly how to make her presence known. For a second she debated whether it would be better to just walk back down to the bar and come back in a while, hoping for a more... chaste scenario to be available then. She dismissed the ludicrous idea in a heartbeat. She took the few steps that led her to the other couch, she sat down and simply stared at them, somehow hoping that that would be enough to catch their attention.
The dancer took notice of her but kept dancing. Aria's eyes darted up from the Commander's face to stare at the Justicar. At first she just went back to ravishing the human. But in the breadth of a second it seemed to dawn on the Queen that maybe they should stop and consider their guest. Shamelessly, she took her good time. Finally, she seemed to be able to push herself to the very difficult point of separating from the Commander.
Samara, exceptionally enough, leaned against the red sofa, she crossed her legs and rested her elbow casually on the back of it. All the while maintaining whatever sparse eye contact she was given. As soon as the human was made aware of her presence as well, she gave them the time to collect themselves. And they did, surprisingly quickly, all things considered. She couldn't help rising a corner of her lips in a subtle grin. She was still flesh and blue blood, she had to admit, and that had been quite the show.
Aria motioned with her head for the dancer to leave them and the young Asari jumped down from the table, politely nodded her goodbye to the Justicar and made her way down the stairs with a spring in her step.
Shepard gave a quick command to the AI. "Mute." The music faded to a distant echo of itself. "Samara. We obviously did not expect to see you so soon." There was no abashment in her tone whatsoever.
The Justicar regaled them with a knowing smile as she replied. "I guessed as much." She couldn't keep a half teasing note from her voice as she went on. "Would you like for me to come back later?"
Aria smiled back, the irony indifferently dripping from her own voice. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of depriving you of the only source of somewhat physical gratification you've had in centuries." She sat comfortably and straightened the high collar of her jacket.
Samara did not miss a beat. "That is most generous of you, Queen of Omega. And infinitely thoughtful."
Shepard snickered ever so briefly at the entire exchange, then she decided to be the one to bring the attention back to the much needed talk they were about to have.
"I fail to see on what basis you expect me to just kill a Matriarch in cold blood." The Justicar seemed adamant in her response.
The Commander could see, out of the corner of her eye, just how frustrated and aggravated Aria was becoming as the conversation was taking turns that were less than welcome. She suddenly thought of a loophole and was quick to offer it. "Think of it this way, Samara. They tried to have us both killed. Now I know that we are no saints, we are not innocent people by any definition. But. At the time, Aria was pregnant with our child. You do know that consciousness and self awareness develop incredibly early in an Asari foetus. Our daughter -was- innocent. And they would have killed her too, regardless of her innocence. I do believe she did not deserve to die. How do you feel about this?"
Samara was lost in thought for a few long moments, evaluating the repercussions of the human's words and of the situation she was painting. Then she suddenly seemed to have made up her mind, and her reply sounded sure and without question. "That I do see as a crime. You are correct."
Shepard let out a short but meaningful sigh.
The Justicar went on. "Very well then. Who do you want me to bestow justice upon, again?"
Tali's voice was ringing with zeal as she spoke to Shepard on her omnitool. "You do remember I keep the Inanna ready for action at any and all times. Of course we are ready to set sail. I will be waiting for you at the dock, fine tuning the very last preparations. See you soon!"
The Commander noticed a tall, slim container in the corner of their room, that definitely hadn't been there earlier in the day. As she closed the comm she looked at Aria and asked about it. " And what would that be?"
The Queen smiled her reply. "It just so happens to be a gift. For you."
The human moved to examine it with a closer look.
Aria went on. "Open it."
She did. Inside there was what looked to be a truly extraordinary armour. Military grade, light, but incredibly solid to the touch. It was matte black, with red decorative stripes in a few well chosen places, along the sides of the arms and the legs, primarily. The symbol of Omega was proudly embossed on its chest, it was small, but clearly visible, as red as the stripes. It looked like it hadn't belonged there, but had been added at a later time. Shepard took a few moments to appreciate the miracle of technology and next generation materials that made this a drool worthy piece for anyone working in dangerous environments of all sorts. She couldn't begin to imagine the price that had been paid for it. She turned to face the Asari, who was now just behind her, her strong arms encircling her and drawing her close, her blue cheek resting on her shoulder as they both went back to admiring the armour.
Aria broke the silence. "I was sick and tired of having to see you in that old N7 thing. Your days with them are long gone, and frankly, you deserve better. It's not like they ever did anything for you, come to think of it, especially in the face of all that -you- did for them. If anything, this grants you a better chance at escaping alive from the more heated fights you may find yourself in."
"I... Thank you, my Queen. This looks and feels amazing. How did you purchase it?"
"I didn't. I had it stolen. I did pay the thief though." Aria's teeth were now nibbling at Shepard's neck, sending pleasant shivers down her sensitive skin.
She revelled in the contact with the soft mouth of her lover. "And who would be the victim of such a crafty theft?"
The Asari's reply was dry and quick. "Cerberus."
Shepard moved away from her just enough to be able to turn and look her in the eye. "Cerberus? Won't they come looking for it?"
The grin on the Queen's face was positively bone chilling. "Let them try." She caressed the human's face for a moment. "I believe we are ready to go."
The Commander grinned right back. "Lead the way."