Chapter 11

"My enforcers are my most important employees. They are the ones who keep the peace and obey my will. My informants, my bodyguards, and my exterminators. They are in more danger than the rest of my people, so they are paid as such. As you can imagine, this is attractive to many so the position is coveted. To help weed out the useless, there is a test, one you will have to go through. A trial by combat."

Aria and I were walking sedately to another run-down warehouse, not quite as big or sturdy as the one I wrecked. I walked beside her even as she filled the silence between us.

"Normally, this would be where I warn you about the difficulty of the test, as you are to face one of the other enforcers, but I'll be honest. You will destroy them." She chuckled, shaking her head. "As you well know, biotics are rare and you are far from an ordinary one. Go have fun and show them why you are my student." She clapped her hand on my back and shoved me through the open door in front of us. Rude.

Inside is a barren warehouse, filled with debris and crates and other places for cover. Many of the larger object are littered with bullet scars, which while rarely used by her, Aria did introduce me to them one day during our barrier training. I could see a few individuals scattered around the edge of the building, but there was also one in the centre. I walked towards him sedately and paused only a couple of metres away.

He was heavily armoured, covered from head to toe with a full helmet and everything. I assume he also has a shield. At his waist there was a large pistol and I could see part of a larger gun sticking out of the top of his back. Just as I was observing him, the Turian was observing me in kind.

"Cocky little shit, aren't ya." He taunted. I said nothing in response. He was probably referring to the fact I'm just wearing my normal clothes, no armour or weapons whatsoever. It's not like I know how to use guns, and I didn't really see the need for armour when I've never used it before. Instead, it was just my normal long-sleeved top, pants and heavy-duty boots. Not exactly intimidating considering he had a head and a half on me.

"Fine." The Turian tsked at my lack of response. "Here's how it's going to go, girlie. We both walk to opposite ends of the warehouse, facing the walls and wait for the signal. Only then will you turn around once the fights begun. After that, no holds barred but I'd prefer not to kill you, so do be a dear and surrender. The only way you are successful is if you beat me, so good luck with that. Any questions?" he smirked and I just shook my head and turned around.

I walked to my end of the warehouse and waited for the signal. Probably should have asked what it was, now that I think about it. Eh, it'll be fine. I wait there for a minute with nothing happening, then the crack of a gunshot breaks the silence and I fling myself to the side, ducking behind a large crate. Pausing for a moment, I check myself over and feel a small line of heat on my shoulder. I wipe my hand over it, and sure enough it's red. The signal was when the bastard shot at me. Oh, he'll pay for that, I grin maliciously.

A barrier forms after my fists slam together, finishing the gesture, and it flares brightly into existence. No point being subtle here, so let's just go big – I just created one of my strongest barriers, this one will last about a minute. I stood up and turned around, looking for my opponent. I didn't see him for a moment, then another gunshot cracked through the air and struck my chest. My barrier barely even flickered. Now, I could take this seriously and duck behind cover, but where's the fun in that?

An aura formed around me as I Clenched each finger individually, rotating my wrist around, then thrusting my palm up. Matching that, a large crate in front of me lifted. Then, I punched the same fist forward and the crate shot towards where the I last saw the Turian. It crashed into the area with devastating force, the sound booming through the room.

I paused for a moment, waiting to see if the fight was already done. It was only here a much louder gunshot echoed and it felt like I was punched in the chest, a soft punch, but a punch all the same. My barrier flickered much more heavily this time, a noticeable amount of energy being expended. Alright, time to take this somewhat seriously, I now had my eyes locked onto the Turian. Repeating the same motion for lift with both hands a few times, I now had half a dozen objects hovering around me. None of them were particularly heavy, I couldn't do this if they were, but I didn't need them to be.

I started walking towards the Turian, launching the floating objects every few seconds. He would leap out of the way each time, taking cover before taking another shot at me. He only missed once, which was impressive as I didn't give him the time to aim. His technique was far better than mine, more polished in every way. Pity technique only bridges so much with regards to power, and he was seriously outmatched.

I continued my inevitable approach until I was only a dozen metre away, having run the last dozen metres after launching the final object. This gave me the time I needed.

My biotic aura flared around me again as I began the motion, holding my hands together in front of me with my elbows pointed to either side of me, palms touching as one faced up and the other down. I then began extending my arms while rotating them, creating a large circular motion as a large ball formed before me. I finished the motion by closing the rotation, bringing my hands back together both palms facing forward, I thrust both my hands in the direction as the large singularity charged up, the technique realising when the sphere was right above the Turian.

Tendrils of dark energy furled out of the core as gravity reversed and objects began to enter its orbit. The Turian tried to leap away, but it was too late and he was caught mid-air and joined the pile inside the core, probably rather uncomfortable amongst all the other debris.

"I would surrender before I make the singularity explode. It would be a shame if that happened." My voice resounded through the room, louder than I ever remember it being, but the singularity emitted a rather loud humming so I had to do so to be heard. I'm not going to mention imploding, it's something I've been testing out and I've found promising results. I can't do it with a singularity of this size though, it needs to be bigger.

"Fine, I Surrender! Now let me out of here!" The once proud Turian now sounded panicked. I left him there for another few seconds, by accident of course, before letting the small bit of concentration keeping the gravity well stable fade away, as did the singularity. Everything came crashing down to the ground, including the probably rather bruised Turian in the middle.

I walked towards him sedately, stopping when I was standing over him. I should be gracious about this, he was just doing his job.

"Satisfactory?" I smirked down at him. On the other hand, he was an asshole so maybe a little taunting is fine. He grunted back at me, so I turned around and walked towards the waiting Aria, standing there with a smug grin on her face.

"Have fun?"

"Yes."

"Heh, good."

Aria placed her arm around me as we walked off, ignoring the other stunned looking enforcers as she took me to another building nearby.

Honestly, I really did enjoy myself. It had been a long time since I fought anyone other than Aria, and it is nice to win every once in a while. It's been nearly a year since anyone tried to fight me at the club, I had somewhat of a reputation after beating one too many patrons with ease. Even the drunkards thought better than to resist when I told them to leave, and it made for a boring job to say the least. It wasn't the main reason I wanted to become an enforcer, but it did contribute. Being a bouncer was boring enough to almost bring me to tears, almost.

"It was quite fun to watch you beat his fully armoured ass while dressed in normal clothes, but you will not be doing so as an enforcer." I opened my mouth to respond but she placed a finger on my lips.

"This is not negotiable. You will be fully armoured up and that's final. Your barrier is good, but it works far better when added to the shields of the armour. Armour's shields also don't expire after a time. Now, what do you like?" She waved her arm around the room we just entered, an armoury.

It was littered with armour and weaponry of all types, but I didn't care that much as long as it wasn't flashy. Before Aria shushed me, I was going to say it was unnecessary, not that I didn't want it, but it was pointless to tell her that now. I didn't really know anything about armour, so I didn't really know what to pick. I looked back towards the Asari watching me with a smirk on her face.

"Pick me something plain." Any trace of whining in my voice was imagined, I assure you.

Thankfully, Aria didn't tease me about it and did as I asked, finally settling on a black number that looked sleek enough. It'll do, but I didn't like the helmet. I'm not sure why, but it didn't feel right. I placed it back and looked around for another one.

Not protective enough …, looks stupid …, no …, wait.

This one was promising. It was black like the armour, the face shield was fully reflective and the shape looked like it could fit many of the races. I ignored the first glimpse of my face in years and turned back to Aria, bringing her the helmet.

"Fully reflective?" she raised an eyebrow at me but accepted my choice all the same. At the very least, it might make me less recognisable out of the armour. I assume I'm going to get some sort of reputation as an enforcer and the option for obscurity is always nice.

"It's a good helmet either way."

We went to a change room to make sure it all fit right. I needed a custom-made boot for my right foot but everything else fit well. I especially like the helmet, it was sleek, comfortable and hid my features completely. The armour itself bulked me up decently, disguising my figure as well. Probably because it was rather heavy, Aria insisted I wear at least Medium armour, which I'll have to get used to. For now it felt clunky and awkward.

"One last thing. I know you don't grow your hair so it can't be used against you in fights. You're going to be wearing a helmet now. Something to keep in mind while you give them hell."

And time marched onwards.

"Hurry, we can't be noticed," was hissed at one of the Batarians. There was a group of five, three Batarians a Vorcha and a Salarian. They were in a rundown workshop, standing guard around their cargo.

"What's the problem? No one knows what we smuggled here. We'll be fine and rich soon enough. The prices have never been higher." He replied, nonchalant even as he continued carting a large crate to join 20 others inside of the decrepit building. It hadn't seen much use in recent times, having fallen into disrepair with no one bothering to clean it up. It was near the slums of Omega, not exactly prime real estate.

"Did you ever think that may have been for a reason?! It's because it's almost impossible to do so anymore. We should have stopped after the last shipment, this is too risky." The Salarian groaned, frustrated with the other's idiocy. He was the only one who had reservations about the shipment, not because of hismorals, but because he was scared.

In the last 6 months, rumours had spread. Of a new enforcer on Omega, one that was especially viscous on a certain trade. That trade used to be frowned upon, distasteful to most, but that had changed. It was now being cracked down upon by someone with a vengeance.

The final Crate was loaded out of the ship and placed amongst the rest, slamming into the ground from its weight. The Batarian doing so was out of breath, panting, from the exertion.

"Why was I the only one unloading them?"

"Because we have to stand guard." The Salarian replied. As he said, the other four were all located around the edges of the building, watching different exits. The other man whined, but said nothing else. He was on thin ice with the group, having messed up already on the trip. He mixed up their cargo for something else, it was lucky there were buyers for the new cargo on Omega, likely due to how restrictive it was.

"Who was this buyer you found again? They're late." The Salarian grumbled.

"Some Turian fellow. Sounded very interested, enough that he didn't even haggle with me. Accepted the high price I gave him without complaint!" he laughed.

"What?!" the Salarian whirled around, his eyes wide and his face paling. "You fool! That wasn't a buyer, this was a trap!"

In that moment, a blue glow struck the two of them closest to the crates, pulling them up into the air where they flailed, panicking.

"A rather blatant one too." A quiet voice cut through the silence, barely loud enough to hear, but the anger in it could be heard. The sharpness in the word unmistakeable even as a fully armoured figure walked out of the darkness where one of the guards used to be.

The Salarian looked around him, but the rets of his crew were either floating or on the ground. He didn't hesitate to reach for his gun, whipping himself around to face the figure again hoping to surprise them, only to be struck by a blue flash, his body freezing in place.

The figure strolled up to the Salarian, taking their time as it became apparent they weren't actually that tall, or armed. That didn't abate his fear though. His eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets, but that was the only sign he gave, the only one he could give.

"It's a pity you're crew is so stupid, you seemed like a smart one. I almost couldn't believe it when my idea worked." The figure chuckled, the sound low and raspy. It echoed through the silent warehouse, trailing off shortly. The figure then raised their hand, and pulled the currently floating aliens towards them, but high up in the air.

The woman, recognisable now that she was closer, said nothing and pulled her hand down. The floating figures screamed as they accelerated to the ground, the noise halting with a splat. The warehouse, while decrepit, was large. It was nearly three stories high inside and falling from that height was unforgiving.

The Salarian could only stare at the grotesque sight, the corpses of his crewmates mangled, blood dripping from them even as they were surrounded by a halo of viscera. It was here that the woman raised a glowing hand once more and the Salarian began panicking. He tried begging, but the stasis was still up.

She released the energy at him, and the stasis reacted explosively. Chunks of the Alien littered the building, some of them even on the woman who just stared at the spot the Salarian previously located. She then touched her wrist, calling someone on her Omni-tool.

"I have another batch. A small one this time"

…

"Dead."

…

"The building is old enough not to bother with the cleaning crew."

…

"Fury out."

A scarred Turian looked around the ruined building with horrified fascination. There was dead Vorcha everywhere, their blood and guts littering the floor, the furniture, the walls, even the ceiling. Some of them were little more than chunks, but many others were separated into multiple pieces, the separations clean as if they were cut apart. The walls showed the scars of the battle, but it was weird. There were only a few bullet holes, mainly gaping lines.

"Fury's in fine form today." The Turian chuckled, shaking his head. The smaller, less scarred one next to him was too busy gagging to reply.

"How can you – " he swallowed a couple of times, even as he continued to cover his nose "- just stand there and say that?" his voice was disgusted, and he winced every time he looked around. "How can you be so calm at such a sight, at what this …, this monster did."

The clearly older Turian chuckled at the question. "Easily. This is just one of the times I've had to clean up after her, and it only makes the top 3. Also, this wasn't a surprise. I always new how terrifying Fury would be, from the very start."

"What do you mean Vassen?"

"I won't say any more than that. Aria wouldn't want me talking about her enforcer like that. Now, time for you to grab a mop!" he clapped his hands together, grinning.

"What?!" the grimacing Turian asked, snapping his neck toward Vassen.

"I'm not cleaning this up myself, I have more important things to do. Have fun." Vassen waved at the distressed alien as he walked out.

"What does this make, the 22nd location?" Vassen muttered.

[POV: Aria]

Fury, fully suited up, stood across from Aria panting. They were in their ruined battle-ground once again.

"That all you got?" Aria taunted, a hand on her hip as she smirked at Fury. Fury said nothing, taking the pause as a moment to rest and think. Aria let her, not minding the pause herself. Putting on this act of nonchalance was getting difficult to do. Fury was good, and not taking her seriously had lead to more than a few close scrapes for Aria. She was going to lose her invincible aura soon, sooner than she thought. Not to say Fury could beat her yet, that was still a while away, but it was no longer easy to win.

Fury burst into movement, her faltering aura surrounding her as she raced across the ground towards Aria with the assist of a charge. Aria panicked, surprised, and threw a larger than expected blast at her, trying to slow her down. Instead of her hoped for reprieve, Fury punched the ground, screaming with the effort, and released a colossal shockwave. It propagated forward rapidly, impacting the explosion and powering through it before heading towards the surprised Aria.

Aria reformed her barrier, boosting its strength significantly, just before the shockwave struck her. It hit her like a charging bull, throwing her off her feet and into one of the still standing boulders 10 metres behind her. Aria laid where she landed, the wind having been knocked out of her. She had to take a moment just to recover from her shock, she hadn't expected Fury to pull that out of her ass. She should have been spent, yet instead Fury threw Aria onto her back, with the second biggest shockwave Aria had ever heard of.

Groaning, Aria leveraged herself out of the cracked boulder and looked around for Fury. She found her passed out on the ground where she threw her attack, evidently having exhausted herself fully. Aria saw this and laughed, letting her guard down.

"Only you."

She sat down next to the girl and pulled off her helmet, letting her see Fury's face. She took a moment to stare down at it. Fury's face was flushed and sweaty, her now neck length hair plastered to her skin, but she also looked satisfied with herself, a familiar smug grin present. Aria's eyes bathed in the sight, having done so rarely in recent times.

Getting her that helmet may have been a mistake, Fury almost refused to ever take it off. Something was wrong with that, it wasn't normal, but it may have been normal for Fury. Aria had noticed how she covered her mirror years ago, it was still covered to this day. She didn't know what Fury's issue was, but she didn't press. Fury was hesitant to trust and could never be forced into anything she truly didn't want to do. If Aria questioned her about it, Fury would just clam up so she said nothing. She knew it was something she would have to bring up eventually, such a blatant weakness in such a strong warrior was appalling.

Aside from that, Fury had also been busy. Reports of slaughters had reached her ears periodically for the last few years, only a few of them on her orders. Say what you will about her methods, they were effective. Child slavery had been effectively eliminated from Omega, all due to the young woman passed out beside her. She had worked hard to do so, and if she was honest Aria missed her. She had gotten used to speaking with Fury regularly, seeing her regularly. It had been a long time since she did so with someone she trusted.

She laid her hand on Fury's face, stroking her cheek for a moment while no one was looking. Is there a way to keep her closer? She was effectively finished with her crusade and likely in need of a new task. Aria could certainly think of one.

Fury was now hands down her most capable employee, combat-wise – she was still quite incompetent with technology. She was good enough to put up a proper fight against her, something some Matriarch's couldn't do. Admittedly those were the peaceful ones but still.

Yes, that would work nicely. Fury would become her bodyguard, she would happily be rid of her current two, the useless sods that they were. And if she occasionally needed Fury to do a mission for her, that would be their little secret. If she also happened to be able to see Fury more, that would be her little secret.

"Bodyguard huh, all right." I nodded, accepting the offer. Aria smiled at my easy acceptance and turned to leave my room. Short visit, that.

I might have put up more resistance if I wasn't looking for something to do. I had only found one case of child slavery in the last two months despite rigorous searching. That probably means it's happening somewhere else, but I can only do what I can, which is rid Omega of it. I've done that, and I need something else to do. Aria's offer was convenient like that, possibly too convenient.

It didn't matter anyway, and I'd missed her. The teasing remarks, the playful nudges, even the small hugs. I had grown used to them, and now that I had, I found I missed them. I'm not telling her that, but I deeply enjoyed spending time with her. Doing so filled me with a feeling I couldn't possibly describe, but I certainly liked it.

Time to be a bodyguard.