It was weeks later when Shepard found herself storming towards the Observation room to confront Samara. She kept trying to remind herself that she wasn't mad at her, that she just wanted to understand.
It wasn't working.
Any other time she would have had more patience then this. She would have been able to control her anger a lot better. But Horizon was still fresh in her mind, and she still wasn't completely over the events that had transpired.
It wasn't seeing first hand what the Collectors were doing. She had expected to encounter something like that. It wasn't seeing the collectors up close and personal, seeing their deformed features, little better then husks themselves. It wasn't having to battle the grotesque monstrosity of the Collector's Preatorian. It wasn't even seeing the way the Collector leader took possession of individual troops, nor the realization days later that it was probably a Reaper controlling them all.
No, the reason Horizon became such a horrible enraging experience for Commander Shepard was due solely to her meeting with Ashley. What should have been a joyous reunion quickly turned incredibly sour. Her former crewmember was not at all sympathetic with her situation. Ash had refused to see that she had no choice but to work with Cerberus in order to save as many human colonies as possible.
But the worst part was when Ash called her a traitor.
Ironic that, considering what she had just learned about Samara. But then Shepard was never one who handled betrayal very well.
She opened the door to Samara's room with her command override, not bothering to knock.
"Your own daughter!" Shepard called out louder then she intended.
"Shepard. You are disrupting my meditations. I would appreciate it if you would leave until I am finished." Samara was seated in that perfect lotus position, glowing with all her biotic energy focused to a sphere in front of her as she stared out into space.
"My ship, my rules, I go where ever I want and talk to whoever I want." Shepard told her bluntly. "Why didn't you tell me this fugitive you were after was your own daughter?"
"The details of my mission are none of your concern." Samara replied.
"It is as long as you're part of this crew." Shepard insisted.
"If this bothers you, you can always release me of my Oath." Samara told her, allowing her biotic aura to dissipate as she looked up at the Commander. There was a clear undertone of a death threat in there, Shepard was certain. "How did you even discover this?"
"I happen to know an Asari Information Broker on Illium who owed me a favor." Shepard explained, "I wanted to know more about the fugitive we were after, and since you weren't being very forthcoming I decided to make use other sources." In truth given Samara's inflexible nature most of the crew tended to avoid her, Shepard included, rather then risk more of her death threats. But the few times Shepard had spoken with Samara she had been annoyingly tight lipped, not so subtlety hinting that no one on this ship was worth of speaking with her.
"And this Information Broker determined that this fugitive was my daughter?" If Samara was trying to imply that the notion was a silly one in order to throw Shepard off the trail she was doing a bad job of it.
"She's a very good Information Broker." Shepard said, mimicking Liara's words. "I also asked her about Ardat-Yakshi, she had a lot to say but it was all a bunch of horror stories, no hard facts. So I want the truth, everything, straight from you. Now."
It took a moment for the Justicar to consider Shepard's words. Likely she felt that due to her Oath she was honor bound to respond to the commander's request. Clearly, however, she didn't do so willingly. "The term 'Ardat-Yakshi' comes from a dead Asari dialect, it means "Demon of the Night Winds" Samara said as she stood up, eyes looking out into space, "But that is mythology. In reality she is simply an incredibly dangerous woman who kills without mercy."
"I could say the same about you." Shepard said crossing her arms as she leaned against the glass next to Samara.
"Don't ever compare us!" Samara said forcefully, it was probably the most emotion she had ever shown until this point. "I kill as the Code demands. She is a monster. She simply kills for pleasure."
"Alright," Shepard said without flinching, "So explain it to me."
"Ardat-Yakshi is a rare genetic disorder." Samara began, "When she mates with you, there is no gentle melding of nervous systems. She overpowers her targets' nerves, burns them out, hemorrhages their brain. Her victims end up as mindless shells, and soon after they are dead."
"You mean she mind-fucks you to death?" Shepard couldn't help herself saying out loud.
"As you so crudely put it, Yes." Samara's subtle frown was not lost on Shepard.
"So you hunt down these Asari just because they're born with a genetic condition?" Shepard asked clearly unconvinced.
"The condition manifests with maturity." Samara explained, "By the time it is diagnosed it is already too late to do anything about it. So the Ardat-Yakshi are offered the option to live life in seclusion where their existence will not endager anyone."
"You mean prison." Shepard said a bit harshly.
"It is a chance to live in comfort." Samara said in turn, "An opportunity at a life where every need is fulfilled. Guarded by those they cannot seduce so that they never have to worry about killing another creature."
"We humans have a term for that." Shepard said, "A 'Guilded Cage', it's another way of saying it's a pretty prison. But it's still a prison."
"It is the only way such a creature can be allowed to live." Samara shot back defensively, "Refusing this offer only proves her addiction to the ecstasy she gets from killing her mates. There is no redemption for such a person."
"Addiction?" Shepard responded, "You're telling me she can't, I don't know, just not to have sex with people?"
"Each time she kills through melding, an Ardat-Yakshi gains strength." Samara explained, "The effect is narcotic. The more she does it, the more she needs to do it. She will never stop, she can't."
"And so her only choices are life in prison or death." Shepard said, "I can't exactly blame her for running."
"When she fled, she proved her addiction." Samara repeated, "She was not taking a great moral stand - she simply wants to keep killing."
"And now you want to kill her as a result." Shepard said, "Your own daughter. Condemned simply for being born different."
"She is a monster Shepard." Samara told her.
"Because you made her that way." Shepard shot back, "This is a genetic disorder after all; she inherited this trait from you."
"And therefore it is my responsibility to correct that mistake." Samara replied.
"So you think your own daughter was a mistake?!" Shepard exclaimed.
"The mistake was hers." Samare said after a telling pause. "Of the three Ardat-Yakshi that I know of, two of them chose to accept their lives in solitude. Only she ran. She ran so I must kill her." She paced around a very small circle as she spoke, "I have given up all possessions, I own nothing, I claim nothing, and all my knowledge will die with me. My only goal in life is to kill this monster born out of my daughter."
She blames her daughter, Shepard realized. She was about to express her thoughts to that effect when something else Samara said caught her attention. "Wait, so you know of three Ardat-Yakshi, and this is a genetic condition. How many daughters do you have?"
"Three." Samara admitted, "It is as it sounds."
"Oh." Shepard said, suddenly feeling the pangs of guilt at the realization. "I'm sorry."
"I do not want your pity Shepard. I do not accept it." Samara said. Though she remained her usual emotionless self, it was clear to Shepard that she was angry. "All I need from you is to fulfill your promise to help me find and kill her."
And there it was. Shepard could see it in the Justicar's eyes. Not only did she blame her daughter for what she had become, but even worse, she was ashamed. Ashamed of all of her daughters for being born Ardat-Yakshi. Even if she was at least in part responsible for how they were born, in the end Samara laid all the blame on her own daughters instead.
Once again Shepard felt the anger inside her rising. But this time she forced herself to calm down. Despite her personal feelings on the matter, she still needed Samara. And if killing her daughter was the only way to get the best out of the Justicar, ... well no one ever said saving the galaxy would be pretty.
"Your daughter is on Omega." Shepard said, producing a datapad she had brought with her containing the data she received from Liara. "She's going by the name Morinth. I assume that's not her real name." She didn't need to see Samara's response to know the truth.
"So you found her?" Samara said instead.
"I didn't feel like waiting around while you communed with the cosmos for her location." Shepard spat out, "Besides, I always keep my promises."
"We must go there now." Samara demanded. "Before she escapes once again."
"We'll go when the time comes." Shepard said, "Before that we're going to pick up a friend." Shepard was really looking forward to seeing Tali again. After all this she could really use another friend. No doubt Garrus would appreciate it too.
Samara had other ideas, "There is no time for pointless delays! It is your duty in service to a Justicar to see this mission through as quickly as possible."
"You do not get to dictate my obligations, Justicar." Shepard told her, her tone leaving no room for discussion, "This is my ship and we will go when I say it's time. We'll get her, you can count on it. Until then you can sit your blue ass down and meditate on that."
Shepard turned around and walked out of the room before Samara had a chance to argue the point.
Meanwhile in Omega...
Morinth found her strolling into her hunting territory. Instantly it was clear she didn't belong. The girl was shy, too shy for the VIP section of Afterlife. And as hard as she tried to look the part, she was clearly not high enough on the station's social ladder to justify her presence here. Just another lowly Omega rat in over her head. Normally Morinth would have ignored her, she was on the hunt after all and this human girl just wasn't her type.
Then the awkward little human girl started to dance.
It was terrible at first, of course, all gangly and self conscious. But it didn't take long for the girl to lose herself in her own little world. Probably something she did often, Morinth realized. At that moment something amazing happened. She let go and slowly began to pour out her very soul and emotion into her dance. Certainly not intentional, and yet all the more amazing because of it. This girl was filled with so much pain and passion. No one other then Morinth could even see it.
She would not let this one get away, Morinth decided as she stepped onto the dance floor. She flowed with the music in ways that only centuries of experience would allow, using it to mirror all the same pain and passion that this girl had shown her. From the awed expression on the little girl's face it was obvious that even she herself did not realize what she was doing. Eventually Morinth realized that she might scare away the shy human with her sheer pressence. So she motioned off the dance floor, inviting the girl to talk.
"My name is Morinth." She told her with a careful gentleness to her voice, "I love watching you dance."
"Oh ... oh my." the human girl stammered, clearly in shock, "Uh, thank you. I'm sorry, I'm not used to ... um all this."
Morinth smiled at her, an inviting smile meant to ease her worries, "You have nothing to be sorry about. Why don't you tell me your name?"
"Oh right, yes of course!" the human said extending a hand out in that quaint human gesture Morinth had learned about not so long ago, "It's nice to meet you, my name's Nef."