The first trimester of Amani's pregnancy passed peacefully enough.
She carried out minor deliveries for the Collective; escorted Taya to a shady meetup and ensured she left with the information promised; spied on Yusa Voldek and discovered the woman lead a double life; and spared time for Aria's small tasks that usually resulted in payment being collected from the dead bodies of people who crossed Aria T'Loak.
Nothing major threatened her life and that's the way she liked it. She started to feel safe on Omega, confident in her own ability to protect herself despite the knowing full well Omega always won.
A call fifteen till midnight woke her up.
She stopped the pinging with a flopping hand. "Hello?" She asked groggily.
"This One apologizes for waking you up." A hanar's echoey voice sounded like a bad connection.
She blinked. "Inos?"
"This One wishes you to know your comrade is injured at Doson Cinema."
Amani rolled over onto her back. She gave Mycerra the non-verbal OK.
Mycerra rolled out of bed and onto her feet. She mindlessly dressed, adding layer after layer until the full weight of the armor helped wake her up. She yawned. "I'm on my way. Just give me a moment to think clearly. Thank you, Inos."
"This One will be relieved at your arrival."
"Thank you, Inos. Goodbye."
She ended the call and rubbed her eyes. "Which comrade?" She asked herself.
"Should have asked that before ending the call." Amani commented sleepily.
She yawned and dragged herself out of the apartment, to the taxi hotspot, and almost fell asleep in the taxi to Doson Cinema. Dragging her feet toward the cinema, the glaring lights of the sign hurt her eyes. Baccus met her at the locked front door.
"Outside of your booth?" She asked sarcastically.
"I'm in the building." Baccus pointed out equally sarcastically.
She entered the cinema. "How bad is it?"
"Fisticuffs lead to a broken nose, split lip, and being knocked unconscious. He landed solid hits himself. And the woman they were fighting over – ditched them both." Baccus explained. "In my opinion, not worth the blood shed over her."
Mycerra wondered if that's how he felt about all women or women people fought over.
"Unlike you, of course."
"Great save, Baccus, great save." She flashed a sarcastic thumbs up. "It is too late to having these types of conversation. Good god, how do you work these shifts?"
"Habit." Baccus answered.
He showed her to the office where an asari cleaned up Bohai. Bohai winced at each touch.
She crossed her arms. "Thank you, Baccus. I'll see Inos in six hours to talk. Hopefully he'll be understanding of the mess." She held out her hand. Baccus shook it.
She covered a yawn.
"I'm sorry. I told them not to call you." Bohai mumbled.
"It's fine. Who needs sleep anyway?" She tried to tease but it came off mean-spirited. "That came out wrong."
Bohai tried to laugh and clutched his side.
"You stayed for me. I'm here to help you. Stop complaining." She smiled and yawned. "Good to walk or do I need to order a hover stretcher?"
He sat up with help. "Been through worse."
"Where's a reaper when you need them, right?" Mycerra joked.
He clutched his side again. "Drifting in dark space, probably."
"Slackers."
"Whip them in shape, Boss."
She nodded to the asari they were okay. The asari cleaned up the bloodied towels and left them alone with the door ajar. "Let's get you home and we'll talk about this after a few hours of sleep." She stepped forward and held out her arm. Bohai grasped it and pulled himself to his feet.
She entrapped him in a hug.
He relaxed and leaned on her.
"We won't tell Dravis about this." She promised.
He collected himself. "I can own it. Just thought Tallyn was better than that. I was wrong."
She walked him toward the exit careful to be close enough in case he needed the support and far enough that no one could accuse Bohai appearing weak. Baccus locked the door behind them. She helped Bohai back to his apartment and out of his shirt to survey the damage Tallyn caused. Bruising spotted along his ribs.
"How bad?"
"How's your breathing?" She asked seriously.
"He hit hard but not hard enough to cause internal bleeding. I know what that sort of hit could feel like." He answered equally seriously.
She started to speak and stopped. "You'll stop at a clinic after you wake up. I want confirmation from the doctor that you're okay. Promise me that."
"I promise."
"And stop with the Boss stuff. From now on it's just Colton or Mycerra, okay?"
He hesitated. "Colton."
"I can call you Wei- "
"No, Bohai is fine. You're older than me and it's established already." He argued. "Colton." He tested out the new form of address.
She smiled. "People are a little weirded out by the Boss thing, and you're your own man. Your sister has a bit of a point about the codependency thing. It's a hard habit to break, but I have faith in you."
He made himself comfortable on his fold up bed.
"And Yu does love you. She worries. Give her better reasons to not worry. Sleep tight. If you need help, call me. I don't care what the hour is."
"Don't tell Yu about this."
She saluted him. "Sleep as long as you like but go to a clinic."
He lazily saluted back. "Yes, Colton."
"We'll talk about what happened after you're clear headed and well rested. G'night, Bohai." She bowed out of his apartment and returned to her own bed. She took a shower out of habit before collapsing into bed carefully and cuddling up next to a sleeping Amani.
They met up at Tentacle Delights shortly after noon to discuss the details. Mycerra spoke to Inos earlier via omni tool. Inos wanted an official apology from Bohai and a month's janitorial service as penance. Bohai agreed to both without hesitation.
"It was a date gone wrong. Tallyn said I should date. So, I asked this crazy turian chick out for a movie and drinks? Normal, right?" Bohai started nervously.
She lifted her pyjak sandwich and ate slowly, the juices oozing out of her sandwich and onto her fingers.
"Liked the tats. Liked the height. She was down for drinks and a movie."
He gestured broadly and ignored his pyjak sandwich.
"We hit up Afterlife first. Decent place to drink. No question about that. After a drink or two, we're at Doson Cinema. She wanted to watch this gritty war film. I didn't want to. Too many bad memories. But I agreed to. We ran into Tallyn. He was there with Taya. One of the asari apart of – y'know – and we happened to be watching the same movie. Taya is serious about her movies. Anyway="
"Best eat that sandwich before it gets cold." She warned him.
He touched it with a finger. "Anyway, I'm talking to this chick. She's talking about her life on Omega. She had this drug, called it Ice. Started adding it to her drink. I dipped. Told her I wasn't- "
She saw exactly why Amani said Bohai was a character. She liked natural Bohai.
"-interested in the movie, in drugs, and I didn't want a second date. She goes off. And I mean OFF. I leave. She follows. Tallyn follows me. Taya stays for the movie. Missed the whole fight. Words exchanged. Turns out Tallyn liked her, a lot. And she doesn't date batarians. But I was exotic meat. And she wanted the meat."
She choked on her food.
"Sorry."
"No, no…So you refused her advances?" She asked diplomatically.
He nodded. "She tripped out on both of us. Tallyn blamed it on me and swung. So, I swung back, and one punch led to another. Next thing you know I'm knocked out, Inos is calling you and there's an asari hovering over me. My face hurts, my ribs hurt. And then you showed up."
"Did this crazy chick have a name?"
"Not worth remembering." Bohai said with finality.
She wrapped the remaining half of the sandwich. "She's not going to pop back in your life again then with the urge to kill you? Screw up your missions?"
"I don't think so. Tallyn might."
"Do you need an intervention with Tallyn?" She asked seriously.
He shook his head. "I have Voss and Wilmak. They're the cooler heads."
"Let me know if it doesn't work out. No shame if you need to step back for your own protection." She assured him. She checked the time. "I must go. Something something Aria something something."
He flashed a thumbs up.
"Enjoy the food and tell Craid and the boys that I'll walk them to and from tomorrow, please."
He flashed another thumbs up.
She left him alone with his sandwich and advanced to the lower levels. The approach looked familiar to her from the taxi. Her gut sank. She lowered in the seat.
Where Omega started for her.
The taxi landed. She walked toward and past the dock the SSV Philadelphia docked at. She approached the docking bay for the Teviot, one of the ships permanently assigned to Aria's private armada. Bray waited for her.
"I feel like I should add you to the holiday card email list, Bray. We keep crossing paths." She greeted him jovially.
He sighed heavily.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of adding you to it. The list is too long as is." She smiled ear to ear. "Shall we?"
He motioned for her to lead the way. "Aria is on the bridge."
"Are we traveling somewhere?" She asked.
"No. A private meeting." Bray answered.
She stepped onto the ship, immediately feeling trapped. She backstepped into Bray and apologized. Dispelling biotic energy, she bottled up the nerves and put on the Colton front. Too many people believed she'd confront anything. Truth be told, she had limits. Those limits saved her.
Bray gave her directions to the bridge. She listened, taking turns with growing apprehension the ship would take off with her on it. She hated not having feet on solid ground. Give her soil, rock, grass. Anything except a space station in space. Surrounded by emptiness. With no atmosphere.
She almost walked into a salarian in black armor.
"Ahz is clearing up the communications, Colton." Aria addressed her.
She glanced around the bridge, taking in the command console, the pilot seats, the monitors stations and the view of space. In space, the darkness made her feel small and vulnerable.
"First time?" Aria asked after a moment.
She started. "On a bridge? I suppose, yes. I was taking in the view. It's…a view."
"You don't travel often, do you?" Aria asked peculiarly.
She shook her head and ran her hand through her neck length hair. She pulled it up into a ponytail and slipped the hair tie in place. "If by travel you mean in space, no. By air vehicles like shuttles and taxis, sure. I've traveled a lot that way. Just not off planet. Until the SSV Philadelphia."
Aria didn't say anything further. Ahz and Bray entered the bridge, followed by a group of asari commandos armed to the teeth.
"My replacement for Omega." Aria motioned to the asari at the front.
The commando removed her visor.
"Meet Lotticia Hinder."
"You must be my contact." Lotticia said to Mycerra.
Mycerra looked between the ladies. "Contact?"
"You're going to help Lotticia establish herself. If she needs anything, you make it happen. I can't be seen helping her." Aria explained patiently.
She absorbed it slowly.
"So, this ship is yours?" She asked Lotticia.
The asari nodded. "My crew is on the station at the moment."
Mycerra would have words with Aria later, but now she turned her attention to the replacement. She crossed and uncrossed her arms. "I'm not as capable as Aria likes to think I am." She said to Lotticia. "Furthermore, I do have limits. Physically, biotically, and socially. I'll help where I can. I'm not suicidal. I'm not stupid, contrary to what Aria might say. And I know I'm a pawn- "She gestured toward Aria. "But if I'm going to be used, I have demands too."
She once again looked at Aria a moment too long before turning back to Lotticia.
"So, before anything launches, I want to know exactly what you're using me for and how dangerous it can be. I reserve the right to say no- "She nodded to both Lotticia and Aria. "-and as I said, I'm not suicidal. I have a child on the way, and I will be returning to Earth when that child is born. You have me for six months and that's it. Bottom line. We're not raising Tia on Omega. Period. No argument."
Lotticia crossed her arms, popped her hip and focused on Aria. "Some help."
"Fuck you." Mycerra snapped. "Aria, all due respect, I'm out."
"Colton, this is an opportunity you can ill afford to miss." Aria warned.
Mycerra backed away and faced both the women. "I don't want the crown, Aria, and I certainly don't want the network either. I just want to be left alone. And live. I only do what I do to survive. I could have left months ago. I stayed because of Amani. That's it. Fuck all of you."
"Don't walk away."
"Why? You're offering me nothing except death." She faced the commando. "You're not even offering compensation for my time." She almost said 'I matter' to people who cared not one bit about her well being and happiness.
Aria motioned toward Mycerra. Bray blocked her path.
"Don't fucking do this, Aria."
"I'm invoking my rights, Colton. You're helping if you want to remove Tia from Omega." Aria threatened.
Mycerra glared at all of them.
"We'll respect your right to abstain from involvement in riskier assignments."
"So, I'm putting my life on the line for free?" Mycerra countered emotionally. "This is bullshit, and you know it, Aria. I never wanted to set foot on Omega. I'm doing the right thing by staying. And this is how I'm being treated?"
Aria's hard stare met Mycerra's glare.
She counted four biotics and a batarian versus her.
"I end up dead, the Primarch gets all the dirty laundry." She warned Aria. "I know you know that will affect her as well." She pointed at Lotticia. "Nihlus Kryik is my brother-in-law. I have Primarch Victus on speed email. I'm on communication terms with Garrus Vakarian. I have a sister in the Alliance Military. Who is married to Nihlus Kryik. Do I really need to explain why this is a bad plan for all of you?"
Aria paused.
"She's lying." Lotticia shot down the statements incredulously. "She's a nothing human. There's no way she knows the turian who saved the universe."
Mycerra crossed her arms. "I mean, I could call my sister and I'm sure he's no more than five minutes from wherever she is." She offered up to Aria, voice shaking. "Or I can call up the Primarch, inform him about all of this. And her."
She heard the pistol before she felt the barrel against the back of her head.
"Your call, Aria."
"We'll sort out our own details after this." Aria conceded.
"And Bray?" She jerked her thumb behind her.
Aria motioned for him to lower the weapon.
She turned around to confirm he holstered his weapon. "This 'nothing human' knows the Primarch. Ask Aria." She realized escaping the space was impossible without playing along.
"Primarch Victus. He's aware that Miss Mycerra Colton stayed on Omega to provide for her partner, Amani Ysett. Amani Ysett is pregnant with their child, first trimester."
Mycerra observed the commandos suspiciously. Lotticia Hinder absorbed the information neutrally and the support commandos prepared to attack on short notice.
"You'll help Lotticia Hinder." Aria ordered Mycerra. "We'll discuss the more specific details at dinner tonight." Aria's tone dropped dangerously.
She angled to back out of the door Bray obstructed. She bowed dramatically to Aria and ignored Lotticia altogether. The dramatic sarcasm would cost her later. "May Warlord Aria long live."
Get out. Get out. Get out.
Aria motioned for her to leave.
She promptly backed out of the bridge and into the hallway. Turning on her heel, she walked off the Teviot determined to screw over Lotticia Hinder and anyone who thought to step on her before her time on Omega ended.
She called Nihlus directly.
"What's wrong?" Nihlus demanded 'casually'.
His tones edged on alarm.
"Aria T'Loak is helping a new warlord of Omega into office. The transition training is starting. The replacement is a supreme, uninformed bitch who is trying to kill me with her rise to fame. Lotticia Hinder. Owns the Teviot."
"And you?" He asked critically.
"I can read turian's dual tones reliably now, Nihlus. I don't need you running to Omega to set anyone straight. Don't worry Pacyra. I'll play it smartly."
If Aria enforced the 'no removal' rule, Mycerra might have to risk her neck for that bitch.
"I can read human voices too."
"I got it handled, Nihlus. On the off chance I don't survive this bullshit, however, I want Amani and Tia safe and off Omega. Can you make that happen?" She kept walking, aware of a tailing asari trying to be subtle.
After living for five months on Omega, her instincts finally assisted her in being more attentive.
"I will." Nihlus promised.
"Good. I have someone tailing me so I'm going radio silence. I'll send you an email when things have cooled down on my end." She ended the call and cut down an alley that would lead to another alley that would eventually lead her to a taxi stand. From there she planned to escape to Doson's Cinema, catch a movie, and hoped the movie dulled her outrage enough to not biotically strangle Aria in front of Amani.
She lost the tail three streets down. Taking the taxi to Doson's Cinema, she crossed paths with Bohai cleaning the atrium.
"Hey, Boss."
"Keep up the good work, Bohai. We'll talk after dinner tonight. Something big happened."
"Am I at said dinner?" He asked optimistically.
She shook her head. "Better that way. In fact, just keep your head down and keep an eye out for anyone suspiciously following you. I'll fill you in more later tonight." They bumped fists.
"Good luck."
"Don't start that shit, Bohai. Don't trash my luck before the night starts." She shook a finger at him.
He returned to his vacuuming.
She bought a ticket for On the Range, a movie featuring an asari and turian bonding over farm work and slowly falling in love. She sat in the bottom row, kicked her feet out, and made the mistake of closing her eyes for a moment.
She jerked awake to an advertisement and a warning to keep her omni tool volume off as to not disturb the audience's enjoyment of the movie.
Her omni tool displayed a fifteen-minute gap.
"Hi." A turian sat next to her.
She raised a brow. "Hi."
"You must be Colton."
"And you?" She glanced around the seats, noted half of them filled with people still filing in for the movie. A few regulars filled in the back row. At best, a tail. At worst, a chatty stranger looking for her services. Either way, not the day to make contact.
He turned toward her the best he could in the cramped seating. "You're Brom's range friend."
"Shooting range? Yes." She relaxed.
"He told me you know your way around the shipyard."
She looked up at the screen at the mention of no throwing graxen and popcorn. "You could say I had the grand tour of it, yes." She answered him.
He cleared his throat nervously. "I need a spare part and I don't want to be haggled on the price. Is there any chance It's in the shipyard? To avoid shopping around?"
Her brow almost touched her hairline. "What's your name again?" She asked.
"Mannis." He lowered his voice and leaned in closer to be heard over the booming speakers. "I need a part for my sky car engine. One of those old sky cars, vintage. I've called around half the yards and they want twice the cost of a new engine."
"When you say vintage, you mean like you fixed the sky car up and made it usable again?"
"If I could raise it off the ground, yes."
"So, you need the engine part to raise it off the ground?" She asked critically.
He nodded. "I'm hemorrhaging credits right now. I can make it worth your time."
"I was looking for kidnapped kids. If it's a small part, I can help but I wasn't taking note of the inventory smaller than a shuttle. If it's a shuttle panel or seats, then yes, they have a lot of those." She volunteered and resorted to whispering.
"I mean the engine part is smaller, but I do need new seat frames." He found the silver lining.
She nodded. "So, you want to 'borrow' a new seat frame?"
"If you help me, I'll pay you."
"How much?" She countered coolly.
He checked his omni tool. "Three hundred?"
"Certainly." She gestured to the big screen. "How soon?"
"Tonight?"
"No can do. Tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night." He agreed.
She smiled. At least someone offered compensation without pulling teeth or shooting kneecaps. "It was nice to meet you, Mannis."
He faced the big screen again.
The movie played. Mycerra tried to lose herself in someone else's frustration.
She smelled the food before the door opened. Mycerra stepped through, the weight of the day doubling at the sight of Aria and Amani in the kitchen. Squaring her shoulders, taking a deep breath, and praying to the reapers for the strength she needed to persevere, she entered boldly.
Unloading her armor, weapons, and slipping out of her boots, she waved at the pair and dragged herself toward the bathroom.
"Colton- "Aria started.
Mycerra threw up a hand. "Not now, Aria. It's been a long day. I just want a shower. You can bitch at me afterwards."
"What happened?" Amani asked innocently.
Aria frowned. "Unimportant."
Mycerra 'bit' her tongue and disappeared in the bathroom. She soaked under the hot water until her skin turned red. She stepped out, wrapped herself in the oversized towel and exited the bathroom. Her hair hung in a tangled lump behind her head. She entered the bedroom and rooted around for clean clothes, returned to the bathroom to change, and emerged hair brushed and clothed.
"What's wrong?" Amani demanded from both.
Mycerra locked eyes with Aria. "I'm tired of being told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it by people who are going to step on me to better themselves. I'm not your chew toy, Aria. And I'm most certainly not Hinder's."
"Who is Hinder?" Amani asked quickly.
Aria held up a hand. "You challenged my authority in front of my lesser."
"Was I supposed to be a damned doormat?" Mycerra snapped back. "I've dealt with people like you all my life. From the age of six. Do you think – after I've earned my freedom – that I'm going to drop myself back into that kind of life? I've come too far for that, Aria. And I'm sorry if I made you appear weak, but I want to leave Omega ALIVE. Lotticia doesn't give a damn about me, and she was going to throw me into some bullshit risky position just so her reputation rises. I'm not DYING on Omega, Aria. If I'm going to die anywhere, it'll be EARTH."
"Who do you think you are?" Aria rose from the booth. "This is MY station."
"I've never challenged that, T'Loak. It is YOUR station, but I am not loyal to YOU. I am loyal to AMANI and BOHAI. I respect YOU. But there's a line between respect and suicide."
"What's happening?" Amani demanded loudly.
Mycerra's nostril flared, her blood figuratively boiling. "Aria's replacement is a complete bitch who called me a nothing human and didn't believe me when I said I knew important people. And how bad it would be if certain information were to be passed back to the Primarch and others. Insurance I don't want to use but I will if necessary."
Aria's jaw locked.
"Aunt Aria?" Amani asked in growing concern.
Aria held up her hand to both. "I had it handled. Until you argued back." She accused Mycerra. "All you had to was say 'Yes' and it would have been settled."
"Mycerra?" Amani switched sides.
She swallowed hard. "I'm not doing this right now. I'm not."
"Where are you going?" Amani demanded.
Mycerra moved back to the front door and mass grabbed her pile of armor and weapons. She slipped into her boots. "I'm staying at Bohai's tonight." She announced to the pair.
"Mycerra!" Amani shouted at the door closing.
Aria held Amani back. "I can explain."
"What did you do?" Amani burst into tears. Her hormones kicked into overtime.
Aria sat her down in the kitchen and explained the tense standoff and glossed over the words traded. Amani listened before crying harder. Aria promised to fix it before serving up the food and eating in silence with Amani.
Mycerra unlocked the front door of Bohai's apartment, sent a message to expect her inside the apartment once he returned home, and made herself comfortable in the cramped space. Her stomach growled. She refused to leave the apartment for food.
She passed out in the corner chair.
She woke to Bohai tiptoeing around and nearly crashing into a wall. "Watch your step."
"Sorry. Long day."
"Heard that." She saluted him. Three to four hours after she arrived at his apartment passed. She checked her emails. Nothing new. She checked her voice messages. Amani left two, the first asking her to come back to the apartment so they could figure out a better plan; and the second telling her to come back the following day after some time to cool down.
Bohai stripped down to his pants. She recognized the new scars along his ribs and arms. "Been visiting the pits?" She asked casually.
He pulled his hands behind his back. "I needed the practice."
"I didn't know fists left cut marks." She pointed out the rib scars.
He looked embarrassed. "I didn't want to upset you. Nothing more than a few stitches."
"You're not an island, Bohai."
"Neither are you." He countered evenly.
They locked eyes.
She looked away after a few seconds. "I know. You going to patch things up with Tallyn?"
"He's not talking to me, but the others agree with me. He always had a thing for her. She's perfect. No one will ever compare to her."
"So why did he push you to go on a date with her?"
Bohai leaned on the opposite wall to face her and crossed his arms. "I don't know. A test maybe?" He asked equally confused.
"Have you talked to Yu since the emails?" She pushed.
He nodded and stared at the ground between them. "She's having a tough time on the Korvatos. She's stubborn. Too stubborn."
"Like you."
"They hazed her." He rubbed his foot along the floor. "They…cut her hair. And relocated her belongings around the ship. She's rethinking her decision. Privately."
Mycerra empathized. "And after the hazing?"
"She's hoping it'll stop soon." Bohai admitted.
"Cutting her hair is fucked up. Relocating her belongings sounds normal enough for a hazing ritual. Let's hope they don't escalate, yes?" Mycerra said.
He agreed.
"Go shower, Bohai. I'll head on out in the morning to walk the boys to school like promised."
"What's that business you wanted to tell me about?" He stalled.
Irritation spiked dramatically. "Aria's eventual replacement arrived. Lotticia Hinder. Owns the Teviot. She's a bitch. Aria volunteered my services to her. Do you get that feeling about certain people? She's someone I had a bad feeling about. Story short, she turned really quick. I don't trust her to not get me killed. And I know they'll find out about you, if they haven't already."
It sunk him into the reality they never wanted to acknowledge again.
"I was forced to agree to offering services. I want you to keep your hands out of it. For your sake and Yu's." Mycerra ordered. "There's something rotten in Hinder and her crew. I can feel it."
"And there isn't in Aria T'Loak?" He asked skeptically.
She shook her head. "Aria's dangerous. Greedy. Self-centered. This new person – They're more than that. They're bloodthirsty. Aria isn't. Willing to dirty her hands, yes. Willing to go out of her way to fuck over the random person, no."
"We've been through a lot. Doesn't she deserve a better shake?" Bohai asked naively.
She shrugged. "I don't want to take that chance. She must prove that. People need to earn their respect, Bohai. You respect titles, but the people behind the titles need to earn it. People want to coast on titles. They get high off the authority. And they stop improving themselves. They need to earn it, Bohai. Like you and me."
"And when they do?" He challenged.
"We'll be off Omega by then." She stated plainly. "And I have no intention of coming back."
He uncrossed his arms. "This place really crawls under your skin, doesn't it?"
"Worse than a banshee's scream." She answered. "A banshee scream just makes me feel helpless. Omega makes me feel like the world isn't worth saving. Even when we know it is. It's Hobalt's combined with the worst of the richies behavior and a sprinkling of the criminal underworld."
"I told you I'm not leaving you here alone." He reiterated. "We're in this together."
"Team Alpha." She raised a fist.
"Team Alpha."