Shepard clenched her jaw as she stared at the corpse of the Thresher maw, her eyes scanning for any errant twitch or jerk, any sign at all that the creature still clung to life. She was so hyper focused on the thing, that when she felt something brush her shoulder, she spun wildly, and accidentally fired two rounds, straight into Kara's gut, eliciting a growl.
"Ow." She hissed. "I'll assume that wasn't intentional, and try not to take that personally."
"Shit, Kara sorry I just-" Shepard said breathlessly, before Kara cut her off.
"Take a deep breath, center yourself. That thing's dead, and we're safe now." Well, as safe as one can be on Tuchanka, Kara thought to herself.
Shepard followed Kara's instructions, and calmed herself down. "Sorry. It's just that, after Akuze…"
"You don't need to apologize. Nobody comes out unscathed from what you went through, and shooting me was just mildly annoying. Just don't make a habit of it." Kara said calmly. "Now let's get out of here."
As they turned to leave, Kara activated her comms, and connected to Rocket's device. "Rocket, how are things on your end, over."
"Mordin told us the Shroud was sabotaged so we couldn't use it to spread the cure, but he fixed it, and he says the cure should cover the whole planet. So what do we do next? Over."
"We have to make sure that Wrex is able to unite the Krogan, we can't afford to have a rogue clan start something over old grudges. We'll meet up with you back at Wrex's compound. Kara out." She cut the connection, and followed Shepard and Grunt back through the tunnel.
On her way back, she received another incoming communique, this one from Laura and Nora. Kara patched them through, and Serina made sure the message was encrypted. "Hey boss, we just finished clearing another Cerberus base, and we found some intel about Akuze."
The Illusive Man gazed intently at the screen in front of him, displaying a report of the progress Cerberus personnel had made in both reviving Kai Leng, and augmenting him. Thus far, they had completed the cybernetic enhancements, and were moving onto implementing the Biotic augmentations. When combined, the enhancements made to Kai Leng's body would increase his durability, strength and speed far beyond what any Human was capable of, and his Biotic powers would rival even Subject Zero. Once he was revived, he'd be outfitted with the most advanced armor and weaponry that Cerberus could produce. Hopefully, that would be enough to make him a match for the creatures responsible for the deaths of so many of his agents.
He turned the screen off, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he did. Predicting where the Hunters were going to attack next was practically impossible. They would ignore targets close to the location they'd just hit, instead attacking facilities located on the other end of the galaxy; there was no pattern to their actions. Which meant the only option available to the Illusive Man was to put every cell on high alert. For all the good that did them.
When Shepard reached Wrex's "throne room", she found the area full of excitement. The news of the Genophage being cured was spreading rapidly, and judging by the reactions Shepard saw personally, there were going to be a lot of fires to put out on Tuchanka.
There was already plenty of talk about settling old grudges, and who the Krogan would bomb first, now that the shadow of the Genophage was no longer looming over them. She hoped Wrex would be able to handle everything. If he couldn't, the Krogan might end up dooming the galaxy by weakening it before the Reapers showed up.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when Wrex slapped her shoulder. "Shepard! You and that runt did pretty damn well in the Rite. Nobody's killed a Thresher Maw in generations, except yours truly." Wrex said, a hint of pride in his voice. "And I didn't have a super-soldier to help me."
Shepard smirked, and shook her head. "So, what're you going to do next? You have a plan for what to do about Krogan who might want to settle old scores?"
"As tempting as shooting them is, we can't afford a civil war." Wrex said.
"That's uncharacteristically wise, for a Krogan." Kara commented.
Wrex shrugged. "Got to save our ammo for the Reapers."
"So what are you going to do?" Kara asked.
"I'm going to call all the clans to the Hollows, where we keep our dead. Then I'll convince them to rally behind Urdnot, and we'll prepare for the Reapers."
"How will you convince them?"
"It should be easy, Urdnot is the clan who cured the Genophage, so that's gonna earn us a lot of goodwill. And militarily, as it stands right now, Urdnot is the strongest clan on Tuchanka. We've spent the last two years making alliances with the other top clans, so even if they wanted to, nobody has the strength to challenge us."
Kara nodded, her concerns somewhat alleviated.
As the conversation wrapped up, the APC carrying Rocket, Mordin and Jack came to a roaring halt. "Well, if you've got everything covered here, we'll head out." Shepard said as she watched the three hop out of the vehicle.
As Kara, Shepard and Grunt turned to leave, Kara heard Serina's voice echo inside her mind. "Are you going to tell Shepard what you found out about Cerberus and Akuze?"
Kara was quiet for several seconds, an eternity for the AI. "I don't know. She still seems haunted by what happened there. If she finds out Cerberus is responsible for the death of her unit, it could... compromise her focus on the immediate problem."
"Do you really think she'd lose control like that? Serina countered.
"She shot me not an hour ago, accidentally yes, but even so. I don't know what she'd do, and when dealing with unknowns, it's better to err on the side of caution."
Serina didn't respond, accepting Kara's reasoning.
Once the two teams regrouped, Maelon thanked everyone for their help as Shepard and her comrades climbed into the Kodiak.
Kara watched as Tuchanka shrank while they sailed to the Normandy, hoping that she wouldn't have to set foot on the planet again. The only reason she could see herself returning to such a desolate wasteland, was because things had gone well and truly fubar.
Rocket hummed along absentmindedly to the song playing on the small radio beside him as he adjusted the sights on his weapons. His ears swiveled as he heard Shepard talking to Zaeed about some factory that a bunch of his former associates had taken over. Evidently, Zaeed was co-founder of said former associates, and his ex partner betrayed him and took sole ownership, and now Zaeed was looking for payback.
Rocket heard Shepard say she'd have Joker head to Zorya immediately. He gave his sights one final twist, then gazed through, letting out a hum of satisfaction as he saw it was zeroed.
The ship tilted slightly as the Normandy changed course, carrying out its Commander's orders. The ride wasn't too long, just a few hours. Seeing as his work was done, Rocket spent most of it comfortably nestled in Kara's lap. The final hour was spent preparing for the mission. Getting geared up, then being briefed on the layout of the factory Zaeed's old buddies were squatting in, as well as the surrounding jungle. All provided by the previous owner of the factory, who'd hired Zaeed.
There were some complications though. The workers at the factory had been taken hostage. Which in addition to the restriction of damage to the factory required by the contractor, meant they'd have to be careful.
Once the briefing was over, Shepard, Zaeed, Thane, and Tali, followed by Rocket and Kara entered the shuttle. The LZ was a small clearing roughly two kilometers from the factory; any closer, and they'd risk being spotted on approach.
The Kodiak flew low and slow, close to the treeline as it approached the landing zone. The vehicle's occupants shifted in their seats, working tension out of their muscles and minds before they hit the ground.
The floor beneath them shuddered as the Kodiak came to a halt, and Kara quickly slid the door open and hopped out of the cramped shuttle, followed by Rocket and Zaeed, the others climbing out the other side.
The ground surrounding the landing zone was beyond muddy, and with each step Kara took, she could feel the ground trying to keep her feet stuck in the mud. Rocket took point, his diminutive stature allowing him to move through the terrain the easiest.
They trekked through the jungle for a few short minutes before Rocket signaled to halt. His ears swiveled, trying to focus on the unnatural buzz he could have sworn he heard. He finally pinpointed the source of the noise, a mechanical whirring coming from a cluster of rocks ahead of them.
"What is it?" Shepard asked as she crouched behind a nearby tree.
"Camera. About 2 o'clock, a little ways ahead of us." Rocket stated.
"D'ya think it saw us?" Zaeed asked.
"Nah, it ain't got an angle on us." Rocket said.
"We should get by without disturbing it. The closer we can get to the facility without alerting the guards, the better." Thane commented.
Shepard silently agreed, and the team snuck past the camera, and made their way through the last of the trees between them and the factory.
Once they reached the edge of the jungle, the factory in sight, they took cover amidst the trees. Thane readied his sniper rifle, using the scope to spot targets, while everyone else save Rocket remained hidden.
The trees in front of them had been felled, leaving a desolate space of 108 meters in front of them. And after the wasteland, there was a small chasm between them, with a bridge connecting the two sides. After surveying their immediate terrain, Rocket took out a pair of binoculars, and joined Thane in scoping out the factory..
After nearly ten minutes, Rocket and Thane reported their sightings: A dozen guards, each manning makeshift security checkpoints at both ends of the bridge. There were four snipers posted on the railways of the factory, watching the edge of the jungle. Zaeed's buddy's were clearly expecting, and ready for, trouble.
Kara and Rocket took a minute to plan an attack. Meanwhile, Tali approached Zaeed. "I heard you had history with these people." She said.
"If by "history" you mean "fucked over and shot by a god'amn rat bastard" then yeah, I got history." Zaeed spat.
"Sounds like you've got a pretty big grudge against these guys." Shepard commented, somewhat coldly. "Can I trust you to keep your head straight?"
"Grudge is puttin' it mildly. I'll do whatever it takes to put Vido in the ground." Zaeed said gruffly.
"You didn't answer my question." Shepard said, her tone slightly more aggressive than before.
Before Zaeed could reply, Kara and Rocket rejoined the group. "We have a plan." Kara said, interrupting Zaeed.
"Shepard, you, Zaeed and Thane are gonna take overwatch back here, use your sniper rifles to take out their snipers. Kara and I will hit the checkpoints." Rocket stated.
"What about me?" Tali interjected.
"There's no cover between here and the bridge. I can move quickly enough to engage without worrying about the snipers, and Rocket's small enough to hitch a ride. You'll have to wait here Tali." Kara said.
Tali responded by muttering something in Quarian under her breath. "Fine." She said, in a way that reminded Kara strongly of a pouty child. Meanwhile, Shepard, Thane, and Zaeed moved into position, each centering their scope on their targets.
Once Shepard settled on her target, she placed her finger on her trigger, and slowly squeezed. With a sharp crack that sent ripples through the foliage around her, her rifle sent the round. A fraction of a second later, her target fell, and Zaeed and Thane fired, felling their own targets. Shepard adjusted her aim to the fourth and final sniper, just in time to see him drop, a round from Thane's rifle landing with deadly precision.
As soon as Shepard fired, Kara burst from her hiding spot, and sprinted through the open terrain, running faster than any earthbound creature should be able to, kicking up a cloud of dust behind her as she advanced on the checkpoint.
Without breaking stride, Kara unholstered her sidearm, and opened fire, killing four of the six guards at the first checkpoint. Once she stopped firing, she planted her feet, and skidded almost thirty meters. While she did, Rocket leveled his own weapon, and opened fire with a far less accurate volley, killing one guard, and injuring the last, before Kara came to a halt.
Shepard signaled for the rest of the team to regroup with Kara, and they moved as quickly as they could. Meanwhile, Kara and Rocket engaged the guards on the other side of the bridge, killing them before Shepard's team had even made it a quarter of the way to the bridge. Kara turned her attention to Shepard's team, and opened a channel. "Should Rocket and I wait for you?"
Shepard struggled to respond as she ran. "No. Go on ahead, we'll catch up."
"Affirmative. Rocket, we're moving on." Kara said somewhat eagerly as she turned back to the factory. Rocket adjusted his position on Kara's shoulder, and readied his weapon as Kara pushed on, moving towards a garage. She moved slowly and carefully, giving the rest of Shepard's team to catch up. Once she reached the garage door, she knelt down and used her claws to effortlessly lift the door open.
Kara swept her sidearm across the room as she entered the garage, finding nothing inside save a pair of run down APC's.
Her fur suddenly twitched anxiously, and she leveled her weapon towards a door on the upper deck of the garage, behind which she could feel multiple people approaching. The door opened, and an older man roughly Zaeed's age, flanked by four armed soldiers, stepped through.
The man glared at Kara and Rocket angrily. "Where the fuck is the rest of your team?"
"Not here." Kara responded coldly.
The man scoffed, then turned to shout at one of his subordinates. "Get men out there and find them!"
The fur on Kara's neck and back twitched as she felt footsteps behind her, heralding the arrival of the rest of Shepard's team. Once they entered the garage, Zaeed locked eyes. "Vido." He snarled, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his rifle.
"Zaeed." Vido responded calmly. "You hoping I make the left half of your face match the right?" Vido remarked. While Vido was talking, Zaeed's eyes flicked towards a fuel line running from the ground to the upper floor, then back to Vido.
"You won't get the chance." Zaeed hissed, before firing a burst into the pipeline, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that shook the factory to its core. Shepard was thrown off her feet and collided with what she thought was a metal pillar, but when she didn't fall to the ground, she realized she'd collided with Kara, who'd caught her.
"Can you stand?" Kara said sharply, seemingly more aggravated by the explosion then threatened.
"Yeah." Shepard said, admittedly with an air of uncertainty.
Kara set the human down, and Shepard wobbled for a moment before she regained her footing. "Sound off!" She barked.
"Alive and well." Thane stated, surprisingly calm given the circumstances.
"Here." Tali said, rising to her feet shakily.
"I'm fine." Rocket said, still resting on Kara's shoulder, practically unaffected by the explosion.
With the confirmation that the rest of her team was safe, Shepard turned her attention to the cause of their predicament, who was now absent. "Where the hell is Zaeed?"
"He ran off to catch Vido." Kara said. "Forget him, we need to get out of here before the factory caves in on us."
Shepard grit her teeth, and turned towards the door they came through. "Agreed. Everybody out now!" She barked.
Once they exited the garage, they were greeted by the devastation outside. Zaeed had caused a chain reaction that had resulted in most of the facility bursting into flames. Shepard caught a glimpse of Zaeed running through a door on a rampart beneath her. Before she could react however, a pair of factory workers burst through a door on a floor several stories above her.
She saw one of them point to her. "Hey! Our guards are gone, but the fire's spreading too fast, we're trapped! You need to manually activate the fire suppression system on the lower level!" The man said, pointing to the same door Zaeed had run through.
Kara raised her left hand to her right shoulder, where Rocket was hanging. Without saying a word, he climbed onto her hand. "See what you can do to help up there, we'll do what we can down here." She said, as she threw him to the upper floor.
Shepard felt her breath hitch as Rocket reached the apex of Kara's throw, then landed with a thud on the rampart. He followed the workers, and disappeared into the factory.
"You heard him! Let's find that system!" Shepard ordered closing her helmet, running as fast as she could. The rest of the team was close behind her, following her into the inferno.
Zaeed sprinted recklessly through the factory, ignoring the protests of his muscles, and the agony in his lungs as he hunted his prey. Vido had stolen his legacy, shot him and left him for dead. This was the closest he'd been in years, and he wouldn't let the rat bastard slip away.
The people who hired him for this job had provided him with a copy of the facility layout, which meant he knew the fastest way to get to the landing pad was through the lower levels leading to the rear of the factory.
He ignored the flames that surrounded him, and the screams of those trapped within, enemy and civilian alike. All of them were just distractions.
He saw a blurry pair of figures stumble out of one of the rooms in front of him, obscured by acrid smoke. He didn't hesitate or slow down, firing a haphazard burst of rounds into the figures on the off chances they were hostiles. He didn't stop to check if they actually were hostiles, he simply hopped over their bloody corpses without missing a beat. It didn't matter even if they weren't, they were in the way.
Shepard's team moved through the fire quickly, and without conflict. Most of the facility's former guards were in the process of fleeing, which meant the fire was the only threat they faced.
They came to a flight of stairs, and, after reassurance from Serina they were moving in the right direction, descended. As they moved through the smoke and flame, Shepard couldn't help but be reminded of the destruction of the original Normandy. Being surrounded by fire and debris.
On the bright side, if she died here, it wouldn't be a slow death by asphyxiation like last time. No, she'd just be crushed to death by the building she was trapped in.
They reached the bottom of the stairs, and were about to proceed through the door, when another explosion roared from above. The ceiling above them collapsed, and giant pipes and girders crashed through the flimsy staircase above them.
Shit. Shepard thought. Before even the lightning quick Thane could react, Kara shoved him, Tali and Shepard through the door. Before Shepard even hit the ground, she caught a glimpse of Kara in the stairway.
The Hunter knelt, placing one knee on the ground and covered her neck with her hands. With her metal reinforced skeleton, Kara could withstand a shocking amount of physical punishment, and with her knee planted firmly on the ground and her back angled, rather than crush her against the ground, the pipes, girders and other debris simply stacked on top of her rather than crush her.
Kara snarled as she felt the pain of her knee withstanding an otherwise crushing weight. With a roar of exertion, Kara pushed herself up with her other leg, the muscles burning as they complied. As the weight crushing her knee vanished, Kara planted her other foot firmly underneath her, and unfolded her hands from her neck, and placed them on the chunk of debris above her. That slight adjustment caused the debris to shift, and she felt the weight threaten to crush her again.
And still she stood, her legs planted firmly. Kara squatted, before using every muscle in her arms and legs to throw the weight up with a roar. Before it could come crashing down on her again, Kara darted forward, joining her comrades in the hallway.
The debris crashed down on the now vacant spot, throwing dust and smoke at the former occupants.
Her heart racing and her muscles almost trembling, Kara turned to face her comrades.
Thane and Shepard stood in shocked silence, while Tali meekly pointed to Kara's left arm. "You're… you're on fire." She said in disbelief.
Kara looked down at her arm, and noticed a patch of fur was indeed on fire. She gazed at it in dispassionate amusement as the fire quickly burnt itself out. "Let's go, the suppression system is close by." She said as she walked past the others.
"What do we do after we've stopped the fire?" Tali asked.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but Zaeed and I appear to have a disagreement that needs settling." Kara snarled angrily.
Zaeed reached the end of the long hallway, and came out to the landing pad just in time to see the hatch to Vido's shuttle close.
"No!" Zaeed roared, raising his rifle and drowning his shout with the sound of gunfire, unleashing scores of rounds on the shuttle.
His weapon quickly overheated, and Zaeed stared in seething rage as the shuttle escaped unharmed. He heard the door behind him open and he turned to see Kara and the rest of Shepard's team approach.
Before anyone could say anything, Kara lunged forward, her hand easily wrapping around Zaeed's neck, and she effortlessly lifted the grizzled mercenary ten feet into the air.
He kicked his legs against the alien, having no effect beyond amusing her. Her grip tightened, and in desperation, Zaeed unsheathed his knife. But before he could even move to use it, Kara snatched his wrist. The bones in his neck and wrist began to pop and crackle in her adamantine grip.
He saw Shepard stop at Kara's side, looking like a child beside the giant. Shepard crossed her arms, scowling. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty damn tempted to let Kara kill you. You jeopardized the mission, nearly killed the rest of us, and everyone else in this factory because of a stupid grudge." Shepard growled. She used her Omni-tool to send a ping to the shuttle, then turned her attention back to Kara and Zaeed just in time to see the older human reach down with his left hand, towards a second knife on his thigh. Before anyone could react, Zaeed slashed at Kara's neck.
His arm came to a sudden stop, his wrist ensared by Kara's tail. Zaeed grit his teeth in agony, dropping the knife as Kara tightened her grip on his wrist, the bones popping and crackling as she threatened to break his arm.
Shepard cleared her throat, and the pressure on his arm relaxed slightly. "I called the shuttle to pick us up. If you come with us, you follow my orders, and you don't pull anymore of this lone wolf shit. Let him go." Shepard said authoritatively.
Kara didn't respond, nor did she release Zaeed. The man had already proven himself a liability, willing to jeopardize their mission and cause catastrophic collateral damage and loss of life in the pursuit of childish goals, at the risk of his own comrades. Kara fully intended to kill Zaeed then and there, Shepard's wishes be damned.
But when she felt a small paw laid gently against her ankle, her grip relaxed slightly. Kara dropped Zaeed with a hiss, and turned to leave. Shepard released a pent up breath as Zaeed hit the ground unceremoniously. Her eyes shifted, and she caught Thane's hand drift away from his sidearm. She felt her mood darken. This mission had been a reminder of just how tenuous the alliances made aboard the Normandy really were. She'd have to do something about it quickly, before people started killing each other.
To say the ride back to the Normandy was uncomfortable would be a massive understatement. The tension was so thick, it'd take a jackhammer just to scratch the surface; so when the shuttle came to a halt and its occupants exited without incident, Shepard relaxed somewhat. She watched Tali, Thane and Zaeed leave, then turned to Kara, who was sitting on a nearby crate, her rifle resting against her thigh. "We need to talk."
"About me ignoring your order?" Kara said, not surprised in the least.
"Yeah. Thane was about ready to pull his weapon on you."
"I noticed." Kara said.
Shepard sighed. "Look, Zaeed was out of control on that op, I agree. But I told you to let him go."
Kara snorted. "This is the part where I remind you, politely yet firmly, that I don't take orders from you Shepard. I work with you and your team."
"Believe me, I know. But tensions are high enough on this ship. Jack is probably one bad look away from tearing a hole in the hull. I can't have you making things worse by almost killing my subordinates, or ignoring me. And if you can't do that, I need you off my ship." Shepard said firmly.
Kara snorted, then stood, using her rifle to help herself up. As she reached her full height, Shepard couldn't shake the feeling that she was a pouty child making demands from an adult.
"Very well Commander. I'll make more of an effort to get along." Kara said, an air of respect in her voice. Very few people would have the backbone to speak to her in such a way. Not when they were in the same room as her.
"Good."
Samara gazed out the window at the endless expanse of stars that lay beyond, her mind as calm and empty as the void itself. A shrill beep caught her attention, and she gazed at her omni-tool. With Serina and EDI's help, Samara was able to track the ship her target had taken to Omega, and she'd just been alerted that there was a death reported that was consistent with the methods of the killer she was pursuing.
She needed to get to Omega as fast as possible. She sent a request to EDI to notify Shepard she'd like to speak to her, and Kara.
Kara was in the process of dulling her claws when she heard EDI's voice over an intercom. "Kara? Samara would like to speak to you in her quarters."
Kara raised her claws to her visor, inspecting them as she took the elevator to the third deck. Once the doors opened, she turned right, and entered Samara's room. She saw Shepard was already there, standing beside Samara.
"You wanted to speak to me?" Kara asked, moving her tail just before it was caught in the door behind her.
"Yes. I believe I've found my quarry. She's on Omega, and I was hoping I could count on your help to trap her."
"Of course. How can I help?"
Samara hesitated before answering. "Before that, I must explain why I'm hunting this person. There exists a rare genetic abnormality among my people, only occurring among the offspring of so-called "pure blooded" Asari, creating an Ardat-Yakshi. Normally during reproduction, our nervous systems bond with our partners, but when an Ardat-Yakshi mates, they overwhelm their partner's nervous systems, killing them. I've been tracking this individual for centuries. She is cautious and cunning, but I believe that with your help, I can finally put an end to my mission."
"Whatever you need. If time is of the essence, we can take one of my ships." Kara suggested.
"Thank you." Samara said graciously. Kara turned to leave, allowing Shepard past her before she followed, but halted when she heard Samara. "There is one more thing I should mention. The killer we're looking for is named Morinth. She is my daughter."
Kara froze for a moment as she processed what Samara had said, before she left without saying a word.
One of the smaller ships in Kara's armada arrived soon after her conversation with Samara, and Rocket, Samara and Kara took a shuttle to board the destroyer. After Kara shut the door behind them, she turned to Samara. "How exactly will I be helping you?" She inquired, as the shuttle lifted off the deck.
"Morinth was always attracted to artists, musicians, anyone with a creative spark."
"So you're going to use me as bait?"
Samara hesitated, caught off guard by Kara's bluntness. "That's… not quite how I would have put it, but yes."
Kara let out an amused huff. "In that case, I should probably wear something more alluring. Wait here." Kara said to Samara, stepping through a nearby gateway connected to the Dreadnought with Rocket. She quickly picked out and put on a different top, one that gave onlookers a much more generous view of her chest, compared to the one she usually wore, which covered everything from her clavicle to the bottom of her rib cage. And between her breasts, sat the sapphire necklace Rocket had gifted her years ago. She also removed the thigh and shin plates she typically wore.
Kara gazed down at Rocket, a small smirk on her face. "Do you think this'll work?" She asked, crossing her arms under her bust to tease him.
"It'd work on me. Come on, you got work to do." Rocket said, tearing his gaze away from Kara with some reluctance. They stepped through the same gateway, and rejoined Samara. The Asari gazed at Kara's change of "clothes".
"You certainly look the part." Samara said. "Though that necklace may draw some attention on Omega."
"That is the point." Kara said, dispassionately.
Samara nodded. "As you wish. How long before we arrive?"
"We're already there, we just need to take a dropship to dock." Kara stated, walking past Samara to another gateway, this one leading to the hangar.
Rocket shrugged, and followed Kara, and Samara wasn't far behind.
Once they arrived on Omega, Kara was somewhat pleased to see how it'd changed. Despite what Aria's inflated ego would have had her believe, the populace of Omega regarded her death with barely a shrug. Nyreen and her troops had, with some minor help from Laura and Nora, established a new government, with Nyreen and her band serving as a temporary security force while an election was held.
There was something approaching optimism in the air. Aria was a dispassionate ruler, allowing any act of cruelty so long as it didn't affect her, directly or indirectly, which had left the populace with a pessimistic outlook. An outlook that Garrus, and Aria's recent death had helped alleviate. People could feel a chance for change, and the people of Omega were eager to take it.
Which made the reason they were here so tragic. They entered the former Afterlife, which Nyreen had rebuilt into her temporary headquarters, and what would eventually become the center of the new government.
Nyreen saw Kara approaching, with Samara and Rocket in tow, and her expression immediately soured. "So what bad news brought you here?"
Kara responded calmly. "Someone was murdered recently. My friend here has been tracking the killer for sometime now." Kara said, gesturing to Samara.
"A Justicar? Fuck." Nyreen muttered.
Samara tilted her head, intrigued. "You know what I am?"
"Yeah." The Turian responded. "I picked up a lot from Aria. Besides, anybody who hangs out with one of them is somebody you should be afraid of." Nyreen said coldly, looking at Kara, who simply huffed.
"Well as much as we're lovin' this conversation, we do have work to do." Rocket said.
"You know where you're headed?" Nyreen asked.
"Yes." Kara responded.
"Then why did you waste time by bothering to talk to me?"
"I thought it was considered polite to introduce yourself to the local sheriff when you're passing through." Kara replied as she turned to leave. Nyreen simply shook her head and sighed. At least she knew who to blame when something bad happened.
Kara, Rocket and Samara followed Serina's directions to their victim, Nef's, home. When they arrived, Kara knocked gently on the door. She felt rushed footsteps to the door, and it slid open to reveal a middle aged human woman, her eyes red from the river of tears streaming down her face.
"Pardon the interruption, ma'am. Are you Diana?" Kara asked gently.
The woman nodded. "Yes. Are you here about Nef?"
"Yes, we are. May we come in?"
Diana nodded, and stepped aside. "Please."
Kara motioned for Rocket and Samara to enter first. Kara barely fit through the door, and she had to crouch once inside the room. "Thank you for coming." Diana choked out. "Everything seemed like it was getting better. Aria was gone, people didn't have to worry about the gangs anymore. And then Nef met that girl…"
"Did she meet an Asari?" Samara asked.
"I think so. Nef never told me much about her, I barely saw her anymore… and then she just disappeared." Diana collapsed as another wave of grief overwhelmed her.
Kara placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, and her other on her head, gently pulling Diana into an embrace. "We'll find the person who did this to your daughter, I swear." Kara whispered as Diana melted into her. "Do you mind if we look through your daughter's things?" Diana sniffed, and pulled back.
"If it helps you find the person who did this."
"Thank you. We'll be respectful." Kara said. She jerked her head towards Nef's room, and Rocket and Samara disappeared inside.
Kara turned back to Diana, and placed her right hand gently atop Diana's, while her left rested on the woman's shoulder. Diana reached up with her free hand, placing it atop Kara's, thankful for her comforting presence. "You said you didn't see your daughter much before she disappeared. Did she change much before then?'
Diana nodded. "Yes. She used to be shy and a little awkward around people, and she was always working on her sculptures, she even had a few people ask about buying them. But after she met that girl, she was different. She seemed… off. I think the girl gave her drugs or something, and Nef could never stop talking about her, but I never knew anything about her. Just that she was so "amazing". She was obsessed with her. She even stopped working on her projects."
Rocket and Samara closed the door behind them as they entered Nef's room, giving Kara and Diana privacy. Nef's "room" was barely a step above a closet, with just a bed, and shelves. Upon which rested various sculptures and the materials necessary to make them.
On her bed was a datapad. Samara activated the pad, and saw that it contained Nef's diary. The Justicar read through the entries meticulously while Rocket regarded the sculptures.
Once he saw Samara set the pad down, he gazed at her curiously. "Find anything worthwhile?"
"Yes. I know where to find Morinth." Samara said. She walked past him, and opened the door.
Kara turned her head slightly as they approached. "What did you find?"
"Nef had a diary. She said she met an Asari at the VIP section of afterlife. It seems to be where Morinth finds her targets."
Kara nodded. "Then let's get going. The sooner we catch her the better." Kara turned back to Diana, and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, and gave Diana a small smile. "Thank you." Diana whispered.
Samara tried to clear her mind as she accompanied Kara and Rocket to the VIP section, to ready herself for her confrontation with Morinth. This was the closest she'd ever been in centuries, and the fact that her pursuit might at long last be over, filled her with equal measures of dread and anticipation. She wondered if she was truly ready for this…
Once they reached the VIP section Kara gazed at Samara. "So how do I approach Morinth?"
"You don't. You'll have to pique her interest first, overcome her caution. Once you do, she'll approach you…" Samara was silent for several moments. " Morinth was always adventurous, she wanted to see the galaxy, see and do things no one else had. You are an exceptional woman, Kara. Your power, your grace... your very being. Morintha will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame, just be yourself."
Kara snorted. "Very well."
"A word of warning before you go: Morinth has had centuries to perfect her techniques. She can influence the minds of her targets. Morinth will do unspeakable things to you if given the chance, and if you lose control, you will want her to."
"Don't worry so much. You've seen how tough she is to kill. It'll take more than Morinth's got to kill her." Rocket said.
The Hunter huffed, amused. "Remind me to tell you about the story about tortoise and the hare sometime Rocket . Now get into your hiding places." Rocket disappeared inside a nearby vent, and Samara knelt behind a stack of nearby crates.
Kara paused, taking a moment to get into character. She wasn't a veritable god of war, she was just an ordinary woman. A woman who was just shy of nine feet tall, and looked like a monster from human legends. She relaxed, and approached the bouncer, adjusting her gait to add a slight sway to her hips and bounce to her chest (she was supposed to be looking for a hookup after all), noting that his demeanor relaxed. "I heard this was the best club on Omega."
"You heard right." The Turian said. "Who told you?"
"Jaruut." Kara responded.
"Go on in." The Turian opened the door, and Kara entered the club.
The sound system was blasting synth music at a volume that if she'd had ears, Kara would probably have called uncomfortable. As she moved into the club, a Human approached her. "Hey lady, you got any tickets to Expel 10? There was this amazing Asari asking about them, and I have to get her those tickets." The man stated, his words slurred. Kara surmised that the man had probably come into contact with Morinth given his eagerness to please this Asari, and that would also explain his seemingly inebriated state.
Or he was just high. He was probably just high. "I'm sorry, no." Kara said apologetically.
The man cursed, and stumbled towards another patron, asking them the same question. Kara turned her attention away from the man, and towards the dance floor, where she noticed a particularly intoxicated and pushy Turian pestering one of the club's dancers, who was decidedly uninterested in his advances. Kara snarled, and quickly intervened.
"I said leave me alone!" The Asari said forcefully.
"Oh come on, don't be like that…" The Turian slurred.
"She said no." Kara growled from behind the Turian.
The boy (he didn't deserve the dignity of being called a man) turned to look at Kara, but given his shorter stature, he noticed Kara's cleavage before he noticed the mouth full of disturbingly large teeth being flashed at him.
"Hey, you or this bitch, I don't-" The Turian started to walk towards Kara as he spoke, but was quickly cut off as Kara grabbed him by the head, and lifted him to look her in the face.
"You've had enough to drink. Go home before I start pulling your limbs off." Kara snarled, before dropping the Turian unceremoniously.
He stumbled to his feet, and shambled away as fast as he could, yelling out that Kara was an insane dog of the female persuasion.
The Asari gazed up at Kara. "Thanks. We're not allowed to slap assholes with singularities for legal reasons, and security was asleep."
"No problem, but you should probably look for a job where you are allowed to hurt people like him."
"Goddess, I wish." The Asari said as she walked away.
The fur on Kara's body twitched as she looked for anything else to do. She gazed at some of the patrons dancing wildly, before huffing. Before she could move on, she felt someone walking in her direction. She turned to face them, and saw a human male.
"Can I help you?" Kara asked.
The man gulped, realizing how much bigger Kara was up close. "Um… yeah. I saw you help that girl, and I well…" He inhaled deeply. "My friend went undercover, trying to expose some local thugs, but they found out, and they're planning on killing her."
"Where is she?"
"She's with them right now, sitting at that table." The man looked at one of the nearby tables, and Kara followed his gaze, seeing a young human woman sharing a table with a Turian and another human.
"What do you want me to do?" Kara inquired, figuring that gutting them probably wasn't the help he had in mind.
"We have a code phrase to use if she was ever in danger: terminal and eternity, in that order." The man said.
Kara didn't bother asking why the man didn't do something so simple himself, it didn't really matter. And if it was a trap, she'd just kill them anyway. "Alright. Terminal, and eternity, specifically in that order." She said as she approached the table.
The Turian gazed at her, annoyed. "What do you want?"
"Do you know where I can find a terminal?" Kara asked.
"What, you don't have an omni-tool?"
"Mine's been broken for an eternity." Kara responded.
The human woman cleared her throat. "Uh, excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom." Subtle, Kara thought.
"Thanks anyway." Kara said as she turned to leave.
"Piss off." The Turian growled.
Before she could even begin to look for anything else to do, she found a Krogan stomping up to her. "Hey! I saw what you did to that Turian."
"Friend of yours?" Kara inquired.
"Hah! Like hell. I want to arm wrestle."
"That would not go well for you." Kara said uninterested in the Krogan's challenge.
"What? Afraid you'll lose?" The Krogan said, completely ignoring what Kara said.
"Terrified." Kara said, bending forward to eye level with the Krogan.
By then, a small crowd had formed around the two, and Kara heard a woman's voice speak to her. "Come on, put him in his place." Kara turned, and saw an Asari gazing at her, smiling. An Asari who bore a shockingly strong resemblance to Samara.
Kara grinned back. "With pleasure." The Krogan and Kara moved to a nearby table, the crowd following close behind. Kara pushed aside the too small chair in the way, and knelt across her opponent.
Kara placed her elbow on her knee rather than the table, and the Krogan was about to comment, before realizing that if Kara placed her elbow on the table, he wouldn't be able to grip her hand and place his own limb on the table. He was barely able to grip two of her fingers, his hand looking like an infant's compared to hers.
She saw a flicker of regret in the Krogan's eyes, but he didn't back out, instead beginning a countdown. "3, 2, 1!" He bellowed.
Rather than try to win, Kara decided she'd toy with the Krogan's fragile little pride before winning. She allowed her opponent to slowly, but surely come close to a pin, before halting all his progress. The Krogan strained every muscle in his arm, gritting his teeth and looking like he'd rupture blood vessels in his effort.
After several seconds, he changed strategies, gripping the table with his free hand, trying to use the leverage to pin her. Not only did it not work, Kara (without effort) moved his arm to the starting position. "Why don't you try using both your hands?" Kara taunted, much to the amusement of the crowd.
The Krogan didn't hesitate to do so, trying to grip Kara's wrist, but wasn't even able to wrap his fingers around the limb. He settled for gripping the edge of her wrist, and began to use both arms.
Again, he made no headway, and after Kara's urging, stood from his seat, and began to use his whole body to try and pin her arm. Deciding that she'd indulged him long enough, Kara effortlessly slammed her arm, and flung the Krogan to the ground, catching him with her left hand before impact.
Having lost, the Krogan muttered curses and slunk to another corner of the club with a pair of other Krogan. The crowd dispersed, some laughing at the Krogan's expense, others wondering why he even bothered.
Morinth however, approached Kara. "Watching you embarrass that guy was pretty amusing. I've got a seat that's a little more private if you'd like to join me." She said, her smile never leaving her lips. Samara hadn't lied about Morinth's abilites. If anything, she undersold them. With every word that passed Morinth's lips, Kara felt a shot of ecstasy.
"I would love to." Kara said, following Morinth.
Morinth took her seat in the booth, while Kara gazed at the too small booth for a moment, before resting her hip and arm on the seat, reminiscent of a 1940's pinup poster.
"I spend a lot of time here." Morinth said warmly. "Sometimes, I meet interesting people, and sometimes, there's nobody." Morinth's eyes drifted down Kara's body, pausing at her chest. "Tonight, it's you. Why is that?"
Kara noted Morinth's interest, and shifted to give the Asari a better view. "Maybe it's because you're attracted to strength. Maybe you enjoyed the view. Maybe, you just want to find out how nice my fur feels." She said.
"I won't lie, you're right on all counts." Morinth purred. "I've been around a long time, had a lot of… partners. But you… You look like you'll be fun. But enough about that, let's get to know each other a little better. What do you do for a living?"
"I'm an explorer. Charting new systems and planets." Kara said, which wasn't a complete lie.
Morinth's smile deepened. "I bet your work takes you to all kinds of interesting places then."
Kara nodded. "Beautiful places, ugly places…"
"Dangerous places?" Morinth asked.
Kara chuckled. "There's no such thing as a truly safe place." Morinth nodded in agreement. "But as for my hobbies," Kara continued, "I like to paint. Places I've been to, animals I've seen, people I've met… I also enjoy music too."
"What kind of music?" Morinth inquired.
"I don't really have a favorite type. Sometimes I'm in the mood for something calming, and other times I just feel like something that speaks to the… less cuddly side of me."
"The dark parts of you?" Morinth asked, her smile deepening.
"Yes." Kara hissed sensually. "I can actually play a few instruments too."
"A woman of many talents." Morinth cooed. "We should see about getting into an Expel 10 concert sometime. You ever heard of them?"
"You're a fan too?! I love them!" Kara said excitedly. The two of them conversed for several more minutes, before Morinth eventually suggested they move the conversation to her apartment. Kara agreed, and they left. Unbeknownst to Morintha, two figures followed her home.
Morinth and Kara settled onto Morinths couch, with Kara on the bottom. Morinth grinned lasciviously as she straddled Kara's hips, and ran her hands through Kara's fur. "I'm going to enjoy this…" The Asari whispered.
For a moment, Kara considered killing Morinth then and there as she placed her hands on the Asari's back and neck. Morinth's effect on her mind was growing increasingly, and Kara was reluctant to allow it to grow any stronger. It would be so easy to just crush her neck, or rip out a chunk of her spine. But ultimately, Kara decided that Samara would rather be the one to take responsibility for Morinth.
So instead, Kara did nothing as she felt Samara and Rocket's approaching footsteps. When the door opened, Morinth started to turn, when Kara pushed her to the ground.
"Morinth." Samara said, biotic energy swirling around her as she prepared for the battle ahead.
"Mother." Morinth spat.
Samara launched Morinth into the nearby window. "Do not call me that."
"Believe me, I wish you weren't." Morintha growled between clenched teeth as Samara pinned her against the glass. "But we can't pick our family, can we, mother!" She roared, unleashing a torrent of energy that threw everyone back, including Samara.
Morinth fell to the ground, and lunged towards Samara, who met her daughter's fury with her own wrath. Their biotic attacks collided, creating a mass of swirling energy that caused anything not nailed down to float and swirl in the air. "Flark!" Rocket cursed, as even he began to fall upwards, before clinging to Kara for safety.
Kara forced her way through the chaotic energy, and seized Morinth's arm, and the raging ball collapsed. Morinth's eyes burned through Kara. "Fuck you." She snarled in defiance, before a blast from Samara sent her crashing to the ground.
Samara acted quickly, gripping Morinth's throat tightly with her left hand. Morinth stared defiantly at Samara as the Justicar loomed over her. "Find peace in the embrace of the Goddess." Samara said sadly, before launching her biotically enhanced fist through Morinth's skull.
