Purgatory

CHAPTER TEN

Not The Best of Partners

Stiff tight leather squeaked as the two women walked down the corridor making the rounds. The only sound louder was the deep sighs from the senior officer as the human's annoying voice continued beside her. Kaira's thick southern accent jabbered endlessly; her utterance seemed to rant forever. If the asari's eyes could have rolled back in her crest any further, she would surely have gotten the true meaning of hindsight.

Attempting to focus on anything but the sound next to her, Lieutenant Vasir occasionally smacked the bars of a cell; hoping to get a rise out of someone. Any distraction would do, just to shut the irritating blonde up. Two women reading in their bunks jumped when the sound of hard plastic slammed against the metal bars. A smile slivered across the blue tattooed face. "I'm watching you". Although brief, the asari was able to get a reprieve from the pointless conversation.

"Sterling, do you ever have anything valuable to say?"

The dirty blonde stopped short, "What?"

"Sometimes I wonder if Miranda assigns you to me to just keep you from being killed, or hoping I'll kill you myself?"

Turning to face the senior officer, the human spat, "OMG you can't be serious. I am an outstanding member of the ERCG guard. Do you know what that is?"

Lazily wiping her forehead, the huntress sighed, "Of course I know what it is, but I highly doubt you're an outstanding member after…" her voice trailed off.

"What!? What!?"

Pressing the Lieutenant, she answered in an all-knowing tone, "Well, I highly doubt that an outstanding member of the ERCG would have botched the easy assignment you had on Noveria." Leaning heavily on the wall, she continued, "I mean come on. How hard could it have been at Port Hanshaw? Everyone had to be cleared before they could even land. All you had to basically do was carry their luggage." Leaning in even closer, she added, "And as I heard it you couldn't even handle that."

"Fuck You!"

Not missing a beat, the asari continued, "No thanks but I did hear that you royally fucked up at Synthetic Insights. Smuggling data out of there. You were either really brave or really stupid." By now Vasir was chuckling, "I mean everyone knows that's why you are here after all. It doesn't take a genius to know which one you are."

Kiara Sterling was fuming as her biotics began to glow. "You bitch!"

Amused by the human's weaker biotic rating, compared to the asari, Vasir sneered, "Bring it on human."

Drawing a small crowd around them, the two prison guards squared off. The dirty blonde's aura was almost completely enveloped with biotic power while Vasir's fingers barely snapped and crackled with blue light. This was a confrontation that had been waiting to erupt for over a year now. Face to face, the two stood in the middle of the corridor.

"Sterling, I don't know if it's that hick accent of yours or your face that I hate more." The crowd oohed and awed around them.

"You don't know Vasir" spat the junior officer, trying to make a cleaver come back, "I'mmmm bout to, ruinnnn …. your face."

"Oh, don't worry Stttir liiiiing, I bet I won't even get dirty wiping the floor with your sorry ass." The lieutenant's hand suddenly became engulfed in blue light.

A large illuminating light unexpectedly resonated behind the senior officer. It was Miranda in that damn skintight outfit with thigh high boots. The ex-Cerberus Officer's outfit had no business in an all women prison; especially one that contained a healthy dose of asari and lesbians of other species. "Now, now Vasir, it's not polite to pick on humans who can't properly defend themselves." She quipped, her powerful biotics pulsating all around.

The comment was supposed to be protective, but everyone involved knew it was a backhand slap from the beautiful brunette to the junior officer who was not on the Miranda's favorite.

"She started it." Snapped the asari.

"It doesn't matter who started it. I will be the one to end it."

The seasoned huntress' gaze shifted slightly towards the dark-haired woman. She wanted to throttle the annoying corporal anyway, but she knew better than to pick a fight with perhaps one of the strongest human biotics. It wouldn't be an easy fight even for the superintendent, could the warden's bitch really best her? It wasn't a question she wanted to know the answer to."

Miranda's biotics dissipated as fast as they had started when Vasir finally softened her biotics. Almost as if nothing had happened, the dark-haired beauty barked, "Vasir with me," as she quickly strolled past her. The seasoned asari huffed but quickly followed as commanded, anticipating a lecture from the prison's deputy warden.

It wasn't until after three or four turned corners before Miranda spoke. "You know, the why I stopped you, correct?"

Feeling if the wrath of the deputy warden was about to unleash Vasir muttered, "No ma'am."

Without missing a beat of her fast pace, the brunette replied, "It's not that I like the annoying pain in my ass but,". She suddenly stopped in her tracks to turn and face the former Spectre.

Vasir could not help but think, here it comes, the wrath.

"I really hate the process and all the paperwork needed to find a replacement if something were to happen to Sterling."

Without missing a step, Miranda continued her swift pace down the hall calling back to the asari. "Now keep up Lieutenant."

Moving with purpose, Miranda continued her jaunt through the mess hall. This stroll gave her the opportunity to observe the prisoners while they were busy eating or casually chatting, unlike the large clusters in the common spaces when the inmates conspire to kill each other.

The asari lieutenant wondered, what is Miranda doing? What is she up to?

It did not take long for the prison's superintendent to spot her objective. It was the new arrival, the former Prothean expert. Snapping her fingers at Vasir, she commanded, "Come here Lt."

"Yes?"

"Collect our new arrival and escort her to the medical bay please."

"Right away ma'am." The unexpected procedure did not go unnoticed by the asari huntress, neither did her own formal response. Shaking it off, she went over to the table with the lowest ranking asari.

"T'Soni, come with me."

The young Prothean expert began to ask where they were going, "Now!" Vasir barked, not giving her a chance to finish her question. The asari inmate rose to her feet and followed the prison guard without further delay.