SSV Glasgow

Liara tried to cajole the best possible images out of the probes. The deeper the teams advanced into the space station, the more critical it was to define their paths. She had to reroute most of the probes that were pulled to the initial fallout at the market sector to search for the survivors. That the pirate queen was forced to diverge from the original plan was inevitable, given the number of mutants and husks that had reacted to the fiery commotion. The latest count from one of the techs put the number at a hundred. If Aria and her squad stayed, they would have been outnumbered ten to one.

"Dr T'Soni? There's a disturbance at D5," one of the techs, Trista, communicated from her station, "transferring scans to your console."

Part of the large screen before Liara switched to a scene that was ubiquitous all over the space station; grime, dimness, debris, bones. The most notable difference was a small group of longish bodies huddled together and tearing at something by the entrance of a corridor. The shape of the bodies was lupine, reminiscent of varren. Jutting out beneath their bodies and legs was a pair of booted feet. Aria's mercenaries? D5 was the upper end market at the plaza with many branching corridors. She checked the map. The dead body lay at the entrance to one of the old mining access. Did Aria and her group make their way here or was that a mercenary who lost his way?

The image of the plaza sent back by the probes was completely unrecognizable. Covered end to end in wreckage and debris, the pillars were the only visible structures. Narrow paths wound through the mounds, some leading to a dead end or what looked like craters. Possibly the lair of the creatures. If that mercenary wasn't alone, then Aria and what remained of her men had gone through the area. The rest might have escaped down that corridor where the corpse lay.

She had a word with Trista. Minutes later, a dozen probes floated into the corridor. As they bobbed along the ceiling, Liara could see the extent of the fresh carnage, indicating that Aria and her men had indeed made their retreat through the corridor. Three more corpses lay near what should have been the entrances to the next area. A warehouse according to the map Aria had provided but there was no sign of any doorway, only a wall of debris. With four mercenaries down, there was only Aria and three other mercenaries. Where were they?

Liara frowned when the probes fetched up against the wall of debris. It looked solid. Too solid. It was as if someone had melted the metals and other materials into a jagged mess and shaped them into a barrier. Someone. Survivors. She looked along the corridor again. There was no other exit. The ventilator outlets were too small for a body to pass through. There were no hatches, no holes to indicate a tunnel in the floor. There was no asari corpse. That could only mean Aria did not die and she had vanished behind the wall. Someone had taken her there. Who?

Doru District
Unknown location

Banging. Someone was banging heavily in her head. That was the first thing Aria was aware of. The next was the throbbing ache throughout her body with the familiar tingle that spoke of extensive manipulation of biotics. The last time she employed that much energy was breaking out of Cerberus captivity. At that reminder, she reached out mentally. There was no one near her but there was the feel of many minds nearby. She was lying down, the clipped weapons on her back uncomfortable and yet reassuring. Her hands and legs moved when she shifted them. Other than the signs of battle fatigue, she was definitely alive and mobile.

She opened her eyes to see a sooty ceiling, amber light flickering dully. Lifting an arm that felt heavy, she reached for her head and encountered her helmet. Exploring the visor, she was relieved to find that it was not damaged nor was the seal broken. Her suit readings were normal. Nothing was breached. Sitting up slowly, she looked around the room she was in. There was little debris. The amber light was not station lighting but from open fires. Cooking fires she realised when she saw the pot and skewers over the flames.

A few vorcha in tattered grimy clothing were squatted around one such fire several paces opposite her. Holding what looked like broad thick strips of cooked meat and tearing away at them. One of them eyed her as he swallowed his mouthful and then visibly dismissing her, his glowing blue gaze turned to the small fire before him. He reached with a talon that looked sharp enough to pierce through thick armor, for another piece of meat hanging with several other slices from a crude spit. She didn't know if they were eating the creatures that attacked her and her men but it didn't matter. They weren't going to eat her if they were not hungry.

With an eye on them, she stood up slowly. The vorcha ignored her. She took stock of the surroundings carefully. There was nothing in the large room to tell her where she was. Small make-shift shelters were clustered in little groups. Humans gathered before them, cooking and eating at the fires. Other vorcha were bunched up in their own groups. There was no sign of any krogan although she was certain she had seen some when these lot attacked the creatures. A thought struck her. There was an asari. She didn't see one in this room. There was no sign of any of her men either. Were they dead? Her eyes swept the room once more. There should be an entrance, a doorway.

She finally located it at the far side. She took a tentative step, ready to dodge should the vorcha rushed her. Then another. Several more. She knew they were aware of her movements from the shifting of their heads but no one was making a move to stop her. It seemed she would be allowed to walk around freely. If none other than her survived, she would have to proceed cautiously and if possible, try to make her way to Shepard. She looked around again but with a wider sweep of the ceiling. No sign of any probes. T'Soni had not found her yet.

From the chrono on her helmet visor, she was unconscious for over an hour. The last thing she recalled was the asari looking down at her and then something dark crashing onto her. The asari did not strike, she was certain. It was probably a creature that jumped on them. The attack and battle fatigue contributed to the long period of unconsciousness. An hour she could not spare. She might have lost all her men but she was still able to fight. How near was Shepard and the Alliance squads to the objective? If she couldn't get out, she would miss the take down she had been patiently waiting for for the last few years.

Looking about her once more, she struck out for the door at a slow walk. Along the way, she tallied the number of humans and vorcha. There was not a single salarian, lystheni, turians, elcor or volus. She wasn't expecting so see any volus. Of all the council races, they were the most vulnerable. Their strengths lay in commerce, not fighting. As such, they would have been the first to be wiped out. The humans and vocha were so bedraggled they easily blended into the dim surroundings. It would be hard to spot them visually. If she was not suited up, she'd probably be able to smell them since none of them looked like they had any encounter with soap and water for quite a few years. It also meant they were exposed to unknown microorganisms and pathogens.

That they were worked over by Cerberus was evident in their husk-like eyes. There was no other outward signs of alterations. No hump along the shoulders, back and arms. Everyone appeared 'normal'. Perhaps they were altered inwardly? She found it chilling when she paused to listen to their mutterings. There were no words, only soft grunting. How did they communicate? Was it mentally? They were on the weedy side but not to the point of gauntness. Food supply would be a problem. Obviously, they found ways to ward off starvation. Feeding off rodents or on the freaks? She shuddered at the thought.

She reached the door to see another room similar to the one she was in. Shelters, cooking fires, humans and vorcha. Where was that asari? If she could find her, she could find out who these people were and who she should be speaking to. If they could speak. She stepped in, searching.

"You're in Holdover or what used to be holdover in the Solisc Warehouse."

The voice was unexpected and a shock. So was the pair of blue eyes that bore into her when she whirled around to face the speaker, perched on a broken desk set several paces back from the entrance. Aria recognised her at once. The asari cocked her head, seeming amused. The human male beside her stared suspiciously at Aria.

"Nice to see you, Aria."

That statement lifted some of the anxiety from Aria."You have me at a disadvantage," she said.

She eyed the man shifting watchfully beside the asari. Was he as intelligent or was he so changed he was reduced to mindless deference? Not a good question to ask at the moment. She turned her attention back to the speaker.

"A rare occurrence, isn't it?" the other said, patting the hand her companion placed on her shoulder. A warning or restraint? "Miona," she thumbed at herself in introduction. "In a way, I was expecting you."

"How is that?" Aria scrutinised Miona minutely.

Dressed in a grimy medium hardsuit that was patchy and showed signs of numerous crude repairs, it failed to hide the air of leanness about her. The hollows in her cheeks and dark shadows around those electric blue eyes. Her facial markings were faintly visible through the streaks of black spreading from the back of her head. The crest was completely dark with tiny silver sparkles like star dust.

"Omega is yours, you wouldn't abandon it. I'm surprised it took you this long to return," said Miona.

An indisputable fact. Everyone who lived in the Terminus Systems was well aware of it. She couldn't fault Miona's logic.

"Are you aware of galactic events?" she asked curiously. Were they aware of what was happening outside Omega?

A scornful laugh escaped Miona. "Not since those human dregs took control years ago. They bottled up each level with heavy shields when we took up arms. We were cut off from everything."

"And?" Aria prodded when Miona fell silent.

"I was here." Miona waved at the room. "Overseeing the goods to be transferred when news filtered down that there was a plague outbreak and Cerberus had taken over the station. There were reports that you were killed but others said that you left after striking a deal. Some believed you died but I knew better. No way and no how. Not after what happened to Liselle. If you left, you left because they got you in a bind. Didn't take much to guess what it was." She tilted her head up as her gaze swept the room before considering Aria curiously. "I've to wonder which outweigh the other?"

Aria was impressed with her astute inference. She was not however, going to answer the question. "You said the levels were cut off by heavy shields," she said, more interested to learn what had happened after she left.

"I ran back down to headquarters for more information. It didn't take us very long to suspect Cerberus was behind the viral outbreak."

"That was what you thought?" asked Aria. "A viral outbreak?"

"At that time, yes. There were wild stories we put down as fevered imaginations," Miona said with a shrug. "It wasn't until later that we knew they were real. We closed things up as fast as we could while they were consolidating their hold. There were skirmishes when they tried to shut down other operations. The regulars and rovers that didn't run off when the trouble started stayed as far down as they could."

The ordinary people and homeless would be the first victims, Aria knew. They would shut themselves in their homes, bolt holes and hoped the trouble would pass but it never would.

"How long?" she asked.

"The residential districts were the first to go. The people were told they were being evacuated off station for their safety. Most didn't question because they heard about the viral outbreak, about people turning sick immediately if they were cut by the infected. They may not trust the Cerberus.." Miona stopped short when the man who was getting agitated every time Cerberus was mentioned, threw his arms around her protectively. Patting his arms to reassure him, she murmured something before pushing him away gently and returned to her narrative.

"Some of the regulars were suspicious but the soldiers were behaving like a legitimate relief force. They offered medical aid, food and protection. Not all took the offer. There were some who did not trust Cerberus at all and moved each time a district was cleared. Some commercial dealers tried to get contracts but were rejected. No trade negotiations were welcome. They never gave any explanation and that told us that they were up to something. They wanted to get people off, perhaps they wanted to turn Omega into a military base. When they tried moving one of the gangs, they used force when they didn't get what they wanted. Several were flat blotted out. No survivors. We dug deep after that and bolstered our numbers with some of the regulars who refused to take Cerberus's blandishments. We stuck it out for a few months."

"Which district were you at then?"

"Gatame district."

Four levels below Doru district, Aria remembered, in what was considered the bulwark of the Blood Pack. A hard place to get into without a well-trained and well equipped force though a wily turian had shown that it wasn't necessary to step foot in their territory in order to draw them out. When he had to finally ventured in there, his tactics bordered on the suicidal and yet he lived to prosper.

"We were isolated, district by district when they installed force fields. All comm channels were blocked. With shipping cut off, we were pressed for supplies. There was only one reliable source so we went to get them."

"How did you get pass the force fields?"

"Each level was blocked off by entrenched shield emitters tied in to the station reactor but district shields were set up with shield pylons and mechs to guard the generators. It wasn't too difficult to bypass them although those mechs gave us an unpleasant surprise at first."

"I imagine they did," Aria murmured. "How long did you manage to hold out?"

"They were losing more than we were and they didn't like that. Word came to us that most of the regulars who accepted their help had left the station. The next thing they did was to try to pull in those who were still thinking about it. They announced they had removed the viral contagion but that disreputable groups were purposely making war." Miona pointed to herself with a mirthless smile. "They would evacuate anyone who wished to leave to anywhere they wanted. One of the colonies or even the Citadel. They said they would rather have the innocents elsewhere than have them suffer the consequences of a struggle not of their own making. They painted us black in every way they could imagine."

"Those who were on the fence were persuaded. Some of our regulars went too. A few of them managed to help us tap into their comm channels and made a few message drops. From what we could tell, there was some kind of war going on out there. Several places were hit?" Miona looked at Aria who nodded. "We became worried. If there's a large scale war, commence and supply would be badly hit. No one was going to bother with the silence from this side of the galaxy. There were also some exchanges in their messages about live and dead shipments from Omega, especially the emphasis on living and whole products. That set our backs right up because there's only one thing that's alive on this station."

Aria nodded. "Did they mention where the shipments were going?"

Miona eyed her intently. "Sanctuary."

"Sanctuary!" Aria hissed venomously. The word left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.

"What is it?"

"A laboratory ran by a business associate of Cerberus. Their main interest was human subjects."

"That accounts for it," Miona muttered.

"What?"

"They separated the humans from the others in the evacuation phases. We thought it no more than a matter of species prejudice since everyone knew what Cerberus thought of non-humans."

The man growled and took Miona's hand and caressed it, his glowing eyes seemed to soften when she smiled. Aria watched the little byplay expressionlessly. Inwardly, she felt the prospect of rejoining Shepard raised a bar with the display of open affection. These people were not too far gone in their mental acuity.

"We tried to get the word out," said Miona, returning to her narrative. "We were able to make contact with some districts but it was sporadic. Even so, we knew when they began to move against us in earnest. Level by level, district by district they began to clear out whoever remained."

She absently scratched her arm. With alarm, Aria noted the healed lesions on the back of her hands. Were those inflicted in clashes with other groups of freaks?

"We made preparations and armed as many as we could. There were not enough rifles so we made whatever weapons and traps we could think of. Even primitive stuff we would have scoffed at. Defensive walls, anything. We scoured and stripped the entire district."

"A futile effort since they had access to the environmental control facilities," Aria pointed out, crossing her arms she regarded Miona.

"Is that a trick question?" A throaty amused laugh rang out. "You know as well as I do that each level has its own bubble. The old makers made sure of that to prevent a fallout with each expansion."

Aria was pleased with her response though she did not show it. "How did they get you?" she asked instead.

Miona's eyes turned chilly. "We tried. They came in hard and fast. They weren't looking to capture us. They were out to stamp us down. Those who were lucky, died. Those who were not so fortunate, were captured." She cast her gaze around as if seeking out the perpetrators, visibly seething. "I was injured at first, then knocked out by a blast. When I woke up, I was in a holding cell with many of our sisters who were captured in the other districts. One look at where we were and I knew we were doomed. It was a medical facility. There were other holding cells too, filled with many of us."

She fell silent. Aria did not press. Instead, she tried to see if the human's arms displayed the same kind of lesions Miona had and was perturbed when she saw lumps instead of lesions. A few looked half-healed. Her eyes jerked back to Miona when she spoke again.

"One by one, we were dragged out. There was nothing we could do. We had planned to try to attack in unison when they came for us and we found, to our horror, we could not use our biotics. It wasn't there."

"It's something they had been perfecting against biotics," Aria said in cold fury, "especially against asari. It's called omega-enkaphalin. It disrupts biotic powers but not permanently unless used in excess."

She could well imagine how it was like for Miona and the others. She herself was crippled at one time and had to nearly kill herself in the attempt to overcome it. It was that or getting herself turned into an adjutant.

"Were you caught?" asked Miona.

"Something I found out from a source," Arias said, not liking that astute query. It was Liara who had supplied that bit. For a brat, she certainly knew a lot and done a lot. She would go far, perhaps beyond what Benezia had achieved. A force to be reckoned with in the coming years.

Miona shrugged. It mattered not to her if Aria refused to admit she had suffered another setback.

"We were stripped and tied down to medical tables. They were merciful enough to knock us out before they did their cutting. I do not know what they did but it hurt and burned. Our eyes." She touched her face. "They were no longer our own. Many of us took ill and died. Those of us who lived, envied such an end. Time and again, they took us out for their cutting. We knew what they were doing but not where they wanted to take us. We lost track of time. We never knew how long we were held. The only times we knew something terrible was going on were far off screams."

She shuddered. "The most terrible screams, the pleadings, the crying-." The man made soothing sounds and embraced her. This time, she didn't push him away.

"How did you escape?"

"One day, I was brought out with another, Jedria, to a room and left there for several hours. It-." Miona paused for a moment, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember. "It was sudden. I did not know why but I had this terrible overwhelming urge to kill. The only thing I could kill was Jedria. I fought against the compulsion. I could see Jedria was under the same influence too but she failed to hold out. She threw me across the room. What she did completely undone what little control I had. By the time I came to myself, Jedria was dead."

"How did you kill her?"

In answer, Miona's hand flared. Aria stared in fascination for unlike the faint glowing aura of active biotics, this aura had a sort of dark fringe.

"Biotics. Not just any biotics."

Miona stood up, beckoning to the man to get off the desk they were sitting on before she drove down into it with a hand stiffened like a blade. The hole left behind when she withdrew her arm was substantial. As she did so, the human hurried off.

Amazement held Aria still. The top of the desk was two inches thick. A multi-purpose desk that had ready made circuit runs that could accommodate electronic devices and made of plasteel that would only warp in extreme heat. Miona had gone through it as if it was no more solid than jelly.

"Have you heard of any biotics capable of cleaving through plasteel?" Miona said pensively as she examined her hand, her biotic aura ebbing away. "Throw them, bend them, pull at them, yes but not this." She waved at the hole. "There was such a pocket in Jedria." An ill look flashed across her face. "I knew it was me. I killed her without any reason but I knew it was not by my own will. Somehow, those dogs took control of me. They forced such a confrontation to see the results of the experimentation they wrought on us. As to how I escaped. Something happened after I killed Jedria. I heard an alarm and a call for troop reinforcements. In the chaos, the dogs made a mistake when they removed me from the room. They forgot my biotics were active."

The man ran up at this point to thrust two items at Miona. Aria recognised one as an energy bar and the other, a cup. Smiling her thanks, Miona tore off the wrapper with her teeth and bit into it. She waggled the bar. "A drawback to using my biotics."

"It uses more than the ordinary amount of energy," Aria observed. She was surprised that Miona would admit such a weakness. But was it a weakness?

"Nothing escapes you," Miona said mockingly as she leaned against the desk, chewing and drinking. "The dogs that came to get me didn't escape. They died, as did those who tried to stop me. I freed those who were held with me and we went through the entire building, releasing the prisoners."

"All asari?"

"No, it was a mixture. Asari, krogan, vorcha." Miona stared into the cup. "We thought we would find all the laboratories, free the prisoners, take back the station. They wanted to turn us into tools they could use, enhanced our abilities but we thought we would use it against them. It turned out differently. Much more contrary to what we envisioned."

"You ran into those whose mental stability was not a factor in their experiments."

"Yes," Miona hissed, showing her teeth. "We got out of that place and found we were at Frodik district. There was the wail of the alarm, the sound of gunfire and screaming. We ran to it, thinking other prisoners were fighting for their freedom too. It turned out the screaming was coming from those dogs getting hacked and eaten by creatures we did not recognise. We were not sure what we were seeing but those creatures turned on us too when they saw us. We lost a quarter of our number before we got away. In the confusion, the group was scattered. I managed to stay with my current companions and we decided to get out of the district. If possible, to make our way to one of the docking bays, get on one of the dogs' ships they surely would have docked there and escaped. It didn't turn out as we planned. We found our route perilous, populated by dangerous creatures. I didn't know what had happened but it seemed like the dogs lost control. The entire station was no longer safe."

"We tried again and again to get to the docks. For all our efforts, we kept losing more and more of our numbers." Miona sighed heavily as she thought of those who were gone. "Finally, we decided we should make for Omega Control. Over-run the main base, take control and put out a call for help. The heavy shields that blocked each level were gone so we should be able to get to our destination, but-." She closed her eyes.

"There were so many of the warped creatures, more than what you see now out there. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Our only choice was to find a safe place, dig in and try to survive so we returned to the lab." Miona chuckled at Aria's start of surprise. "Perhaps it was madness to return there but it was the only place where we thought we could find food supplies. We did."

"How many times have your people shifted?"

"I lost count. After supplies ran low, we look for other food sources and planned our route here. We hit on any of their outposts we found and took what they had. We also came across the supply convoys the dogs sent out to supply those outposts. They didn't make it to their destination naturally. It was slow but we finally made it here."

Finishing the last of the energy bar, Miona drained the cup and set it aside. "I think they didn't manage to grab everyone on the station." She regarded Aria gravely. "I don't know when their control slipped but we came across signs of clashes between station survivors and the mutants as we made our way up the levels. None of the survivors lived."

Aria nodded. "That's what we found when we went through the maintenance corridor. When was the last time you came across their supply squads?"

"I'm not sure," Miona said slowly, head tilted. "None of us have omni-tools but it seemed like months. Many months. Which brings me to, how long has it been since you left?"

"It's more than five years, close to six. It's the beginning of the Wane on Thessia."

"The Wane," Miona whispered longingly. "It's been years since I tasted the air of home."

Aria understood that longing. She had but only returned once to Thessia since she left as a maiden. That return was not a happy one but it was necessary. The remains of her daughter had to return to the bosom of her homeworld and she had to enter an account in the annals of the clan. Shaking the memory away, she focused on Miona as she considered her options.

"Cerberus.." This brought an angry hiss from the human. Aria ignored his reaction and continued, "have research bases through the Black Gate..."

"They are working with the Collectors?" Miona interrupted.

"No. The Collectors were destroyed by Shepard."

"Shepard?" Miona interjected again. "She destroyed the Collectors?" she said in amazement.

Aria eyed her severely. "Yes, she did. In order to study the Collectors' technology, Cerberus went through the Omega 4 Relay-," she put up a hand before Miona could cut in again, "I know you have a lot of questions but let me finish. They went through to pick over the remains to learn what they could of the Collectors. One of their research bases was the source of the dangerous aliens that first invaded the station. As to why they want this place, besides being the biggest lab they could ever find, it's an easy and ready made staging area for their supplies and troops. The Collectors were not what they seemed. They were slaves of another race that began a galactic war not long after I lost Omega."

"Galactic..." Miona quickly added up the pieces. "The war we heard about. That's..." she trailed off when she met Aria's eyes.

"Yes. A war to end organics in this galaxy."

"End organics? Who was this race?"

"They were sentient synthetics. No, not the geth," Aria said before Miona could say the obvious. "No, these were far more dangerous and merciless. They were called Reapers. Where they came from, no one knew. They hibernated in dark space until it was time for them to wake and make their war on organics. Any species that are technologically advanced would not survive."

"I don't understand."

"You will learn more once you get out of here. In short, Cerberus allied themselves with the Reapers. They recognised that the Reapers were technologically centuries ahead and wished to seize that knowledge. With it, they could conquer their homeworld and rule supreme. They would do anything to achieve that end. Hence." Aria spread her hands at her surroundings and looked at Miona.

"They were trying to make extremely powerful biotics and finding ways to control them," Miona stated flatly in comprehension. "The others would have been shock troops to be thrown away in their war." She turned to look at her people around the room before turning back to Aria. "You are here now. Is the war over?"

"Yes. Cerberus however, are not completely uprooted. I'm going to need your help to retake the station."

"You couldn't have moved into the station with one group," Miona observed shrewdly.

It was pointless denying the fact so Aria nodded. "There are others. Systems Alliance marines, led by Captain Shepard."

"Commander Shepard?" Miona smiled in amazement. "Captain now. Where is she?"

"Working her way towards Omega Control as we speak. My group was decimated and we lost contact. Did any of them make it?"

"Two." Miona turned to point. "Over in that corner. They were distressed and we had to disarm them. As to helping," she turned back. "A condition."

Of course there would be. "Which is?" Aria asked. She could guess what Miona would ask for.

"If we live, those of us who wished it, should be allowed to return home. In peace. That means there must be no medical examination to be done on us."

"That is impractical," Aria objected. "Even you know that."

"We will submit to tests to prove that we are not carrying contagions. That is all." Miona stared at Aria. "Is that too much to ask?"

It was not really. Aria would grant it readily, with stipulations. The decision however was not hers alone to make. Krogans, vorcha, humans, asari. Each of their respective government would not be too happy to find their prerogative regarding their own people usurped by a pirate queen. She didn't have to think of the opinions the Assembly would venture. Yet, what choice did she really have? Miona and her group would perhaps let her and her men go if she refused. Their chances in breaking through to Omega Control would not be affected. But since Miona knew there were Systems Alliance marines onboard, she and her people might create problems in an attempt to join them.

She did not know them well enough to turn her back on them. She dared not. This was an opportunity to negotiate peaceful cooperation and have a support group of powerful biotics who were no doubt eager to take down Cerberus. She shouldn't throw it away. A thump from behind distracted Aria. She turned to see a krogan in battered grimy hardsuit stomping towards them.

"Shepard ... Aria!" he growled before he swung a large glowing fist at her.

No doubt, if it had connected, it might have left a hole in her chest plate but she dodged out of the way. "What do you...?!" she began angrily before she realised the krogan looked familiar, even with a missing half headplate. "Patriarch?"