Gods below the pain!
I opened my eyes slowly, looking at a sky that wasn't quite right. I hurt all over, and my suit was giving me all kinds of warnings. There was pressure all over me. Some of it had to be suit breaches. Still, it was not that terrible. I remembered the pressure wasn't that bad.
What pressure? Where's that coming from?
"Jinx, tell me you're alive!" a voice called, yelling over a cacophony of battle sounds.
Wait, I know that voice.
"Kim?" I said.
My head was starting to get back in place. I could hear the distant rumble of explosives, and firefights. I was laying on my back. And so much pain. I struggled to get my omni-tool up, and open the medical menu. I didn't have a medical interface on my suit, but I did have a way to give myself a jolt of stims. And painkillers.
"I knew it!" she said. "Gimme some cover will ya?"
I grunted in pain as I turned myself around. Broken leg. Freaking broken leg. The place around me was a mess, but somehow they had missed me. I reached and grabbed the Black Mamba, and then pulled myself to the edge of the crater. The turret was now throwing rockets at the downed frigate instead of my fellow marines, and the turians were in a real bind.
"Can't believe they missed," I muttered, getting myself to a shooting position. "Where the hell are you girl?"
"Turret!" she yelled. "And they didn't miss, I hacked the IFF."
I took aim and started shooting, aiming for the turians nearest to the tower. Damn, a whole mess of them were there. As soon as the first turian fell, the others started looking for the sniper. I saw the glint of scopes heading towards me, so I concentrated on those, making sure I had the upper hand. Shit, I wasn't giving Kim proper cover. I tried to alternate between those shooting at me and those shooting at Kim, making sure every bullet counted. Six, eight, at ten the heat gauge of the Black Mamba was teetering on overheating, but I was staying ahead.
A shot graced my helmet and made me dive deep into cover. Damn, they had made me. The gun didn't have much in terms of muzzle flash, but there was some. More shots landed, forcing me to crawl back.
"Goddammit, Kim! I've got incoming, I have to move!"
"Can you move?" she replied.
"I better, I'm not leaving you there!" I snapped.
The pain was back.. Shit, I had used most of my stims, and I still was having trouble moving. I couldn't even stand. I painfully crawled backwards, slowly, while more and more fire was thrown in my direction. I was about half a meter back when the first RPG landed. Rubble started falling around me, and I had to haul myself out as hard as I could even with the broken leg. I yelled in pain and anger as I tried to get out of the firefight, until I fell on the ground, nearly blacking out.
It was as if the entire planet was spinning around me. I felt sick, in incredible pain, and couldn't make two coherent thoughts in a row.
"Jinx!" Kim shouted.
I grunted something in response, I wasn't sure what. The sky was a nice off colour, kind of yellow. I had heard Venus was similar, thought I had never seen it. It was weird how thoughts drifted off when one was loopy. With Kim screaming in my ear I finally started to put myself together.
First order of business was damage assessment. Yep, everything hurt. Second order, find my rifle. Third, get myself to a shooting position.
That proved tricky. I couldn't let myself black out again. I dragged myself as far as I could, until I got clear of enough of the debris to have a view of the battle. Reinforcements had arrived at the tower, and I couldn't see Kim.
Without another thought, I got myself into position, and tried to match my aim to the sway and spinning of my vision. Shit it was hard.
"Kim?" I mumbled, taking a shot and missing completely. Dammit.
"Waiting for my knight in shining armour!" she yelled at the comms.
My second shot was a hit, but not a very good one. A turian went down, but he crawled away, still alive. Shit, I had to focus. Kim needed me focused. A few shots were being thrown my way, but no decent snipers in that lot. Kim came out to draw some of the fire and give me a chance to take some targets down, but I wasn't making much of a dent. My accuracy was way down.
Fuck this!
I hit another load of stims. Too much and too fast, but fuck it if I was going to leave Kim on her own. It took just seconds, an eternity in combat, but soon I was sharp and focused again. My hands trembled, but it was something I could control. Fuck, I hate stim overloads. Hate them. I took advantage of them to prop myself better against the dulled pain, and started laying down the hurt with real gusto. Accuracy was still not great, but I was seeing the targets properly now.
So where they. On the third downed turian they started to worry more about me, and I could catch the glint of sniper rifles pointed my way. Too many of them. Two bullets hit around me, a third glanced at my shields, and I had to dive into cover. Dammit, I had to move again. I had to move.
I moved a foot before it became clear I wasn't going anywhere.
"Shit," I grunted. "Kim..."
"It's okay Jinx, I'll manage. I'll-"
She stopped talking under a barrage of fire. I tried to get out, but I couldn't even get an inch out without getting shot three ways till Sunday. One of the shots even glanced my helmet, breaking through my barriers.
"Fuck. I have to move," I muttered. "I have to..."
I couldn't. I had to listen to the fight going on, completely impotent and unable to chip in. I heard Kim cursing and fighting, the marines yelling at each other in encouragement. It wasn't going to end well for Kim. I tried to move a third time, and all I managed was to make the world go spinning while searing pain blacked out the edges of my vision. Shit.
Then, I heard a noise that was out of place. It took me a few seconds to recognize the whining of an Alliance gunship's engines. Two. More? I couldn't tell, but the subsequent roar of large calibre automatic fire rang like music to my ears.
Roy,
I heard from Kim you're out and being stitched together bu the doctors aboard the Trynn station. Seriously? What were you thinking? You better be more careful.
Training is going okay. We're starting weapons training at last. It kind of reminded me of the Einstein. Not the batarians, but the days before that. It feels easy, really.
Okay, I want to hear from you.
Shepard out.
"All right maggots, listen up!" the drill sergeant yelled. "So far you have been the worst group of recruits I have ever had the displeasure of training, and I intend to change that today!"
The entire platoon was formed at the shooting range, with the sergeant yelling at them keeping his back to the targets. He turned around, put his assault rifle to his shoulder, and started shooting. Targets popped out all through the entire range, at distances from twenty to two hundred yards, and every burst found one of them. He made it look almost effortless.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Shepard and a few others turned to the voice, while most of the recruits kept their eyes on the drill sergeant. Brown hair and a bad shave, she knew she had seen the man before, and when their eyes met, he drew a big smile.
"Ah, miss Shepard, was it?" he said, and approached the line to shake her hand.
"Yes um, mister…"
"Patrick, we met aboard the Einstein a bit over a year ago! Why, you don't remember of course. I just have that kind of memory for people." He spoke quickly, confident with every word he said with a certain air of self-suffering arrogance about him.
"I kind of do…" Shepard said.
"Ah, of course of course. So, what do you think?" he said, and gestured at the swath of destruction the sergeant was cutting with his rifle. "Our new Lancer, we finally managed to convince the Alliance that the Elkoss Combine couldn't possibly provide a weapon adequate to their needs!"
He had gotten her attention, and that of several other recruits. There was something about the way he spoke that drew people in. His enthusiasm, or his hung-ho attitude perhaps.
"About damn time too," the sergeant said. His grating voice made everyone snap to attention, but not Patrick. "You done?"
"Why, no!" he replied enthusiastically. "Damage rating of one hundred and fifty two, forty four shots in full auto before overheat, and programmable semiautomatic modes to boot. And now you have chance to test it!" He turned and made a flourish towards the sergeant. "Do take it away, sir."
There were a few smiles, until the sergeant gave Patrick a look just shy of being capable of summoning lightning to strike him down. After that, nobody was in the mood for jokes. He muttered something about civilian observers that nobody caught, and turned to the recruits.
"Guess what!" he yelled. "None of that means a damn thing! Because the important thing is that this is going to be your weapon, and you will not leave this place until and unless you're good enough to join my beloved marines!"
He racked the rifle on his back, and took his pistol instead.
"But before you can even get near the Lancer, I want to see you hitting the targets with the Kessler! This is your sidearm. This is your best and last resort, the gun that will never leave your side! You will learn it inside out, you will care it better than your own damn mothers cared about you! Now get to the line!"
All the recruits filed in, making for the range. Shepard took her pistol out, and got to her spot. That brought the memories back from the Einstein. Gomes instructing her on how to use the thing, how to assemble, and how to clean and maintain it. She unfolded it, took aim, and as soon as the VI kicked in, she started taking the targets.
One at a time.
One well aimed shot is better than ten thrown away.
That was what Roy had yelled at her when they were being overwhelmed by the batarians. It was a lesson that had engraved itself into her memory. She aimed carefully, each shot carrying her hatred for the batarians. It had felt different aboard the Einstein. It had been panic, mixed with an indescribable load of emotions. Now it was almost cathartic, each shot made her feel like she was in complete control.
They didn't shoot back, but her heart did speed up on every shot as if they did. She had seen the bad end of batarian weapons before.
"Damn Mindoir, you're damn good with that thing," Castor said.
Shepard looked at the big guy and smirked. "And it feels damn good too," she said.
She heard his brother laugh on the other side. "Stop drooling, ya big muppet!"
Their discussion, if it could be called that, was interrupted with the sudden noise of automatic fire. Every single pair of eyes turned to look at the origin of it. Goldie. She had the assault rifle in her hands, and was grinding down holographic targets like nobody's business. It didn't take long before the entire range was looking at her.
"Goldie!" the sergeant called. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"
"Just shooting targets sir!" she responded, not even looking away. "This thing's the dog's bollocks!"
Shepard winced at that and looked at the twins around her. Yeah, they were doing the exact same thing. So, they exchanged a look, Castor grinned, and the three of them pulled their assault rifles and started shooting too. Only took a moment for Chad and Robbins to get the memo, and go for their assault rifles as well.
Might as well run laps around the compound as a team.
To: Roy Morgan, Corporal, SSN: 5742-AB-2814
Subject: Re: Recommendation for Special Duty, Interplanetary Combatives Training.
Mr. Morgan,
Following exemplary performances in the fulfilment of your duties, as well as recommendations from Captain Edwards and other command staff, you are thereby invited to join the Interplanetary Combatives Academy, at the Vila Militar in Rio de Janeiro.
It is our expectation that you will perform in accordance to the honour you have been bestowed, and live up to the expectations of your superiors. Transfer orders will be forwarded through your CO, pending medical approval.
Staff Commander Jose Pereira, Vila Militar, Rio de Janeiro.
"To the craziest bitch I've ever seen!" one of the marines shouted, raising his beer.
"Wait, which one of them is that again?" I said, pointing at Elisa and Kim. That got me some bodily harm, but a lot of roaring laughter and more cheers.
So, Kim was going to N-school. So was I, for the matter, but I still had no idea why. I could see her doing that crazy stuff, whereas all I ever did was shot things. From afar, most of the time. Something wasn't right, my spidey senses were tingling but I couldn't tell what it was. It made me fucking paranoid.
We were still recovering from the op. We had lost a lot of good people, including half of my unit. Brod, Chyse, Ramsey. Elisa was just out of medbay, having had to be put together again with enough medi-gel to pain the ship several times over, which wasn't that much worse than how I had ended. It was hard, and that was part of the reason for the boisterous celebration for the N-school invitations. I think most of us were trying to work our way past the loss. We were at a bar aboard Trynn station, an Alliance installation halfway between Arcturus and the edge of the galaxy. It was close to Citadel space, and about half of it was dedicated to civilian interests. Traders, the headquarters of a couple of the more enterprising mining corporations, all that. A decent presence of aliens, though mostly asari and volus.
Kim had gotten a Distinguished Marine Star out of the shitty op, a couple of holes, and a whole lot of drinks and rapport from the rest of the marines she had gotten out of hot water. I got a Marksman Commendation, a broken leg, three broken ribs, a concussion, multiple lacerations, and a laundry list of lesser wounds, including exposure to the alien atmosphere. I had not been able to stay in the fight till the end, but Kim hadn't held it against me. As long as I had made it out alive, all was well with her. Once she turned the turret to shoot at the turians, things had changed very quickly on the ground, although it hadn't really looked that way from where I had been laying down. As soon as the remains of the turian fleet had run away, the reinforcements had arrived, moping up and finishing the enemy forces. A few prisoners had been turned to the Hierarchy, but not a lot. They fought hard, and died harder.
Despite being out of the fight for quite a bit, I walked out with fourteen confirmed kills. Patrick would be chuffed, that Black Mamba was a beast. A lot of people from the platoon were very interested in it now.
"We-ellll," a seductive voice called from behind me. I froze in recognition, and managed not to turn around. A moment a pair of naked blue arms got around my neck from behind. "Hello handsome. Celebrating?"
"What the hell?" I said, and looked over my shoulder at her. Damn, she was wearing damn near nothing, I had no idea how the little fabric on her dress was even clinging to her body.
"I'm Shiala," she said, flashing a million credit smile.
What the fuck is Shiala doing here?!
"Kim," Kim said. "This is Elisa, and the lump of wood you're leaning on is Jinx," she finished, matching Shiala's smile.
"Jinx? That's a curious name," she said, eyeing me intently.
"Blame my drill sergeant," I said, trying to get some feeling in my voice but ending up with a deadpan delivery.
"I'd love to hear the story," she said, grinning. "What about we get to a private booth and you tell me all about it."
There were other asari in the bar, of course, and more than a few had found their way into our little group. So, adding another asari to the mix wasn't out of the question. However, as soon as she said that, a few people started laughing, including Kim and Elisa, the latter grimacing in pain slightly.
"Oh blue, You'll have better luck with crazy bitch here," Elisa said, pointing at Kim with her thumb.
"Sorry, not into that," Kim said.
"Por eso!" Elisa replied, laughing. "I think he's broken or something. Like, his gear ain't there."
"Hey!" I protested, trying to sound good humoured.
"Ah, that can't be right," Shiala said, her hand sliding down my chest. "I'm sure I can figure something out…"
"That I'd pay to see," Elisa said.
"Ooh, that sounds like fun," Shiala said. "I wouldn't mind. What about you, Jinx?"
"Har har," I said. Okay, it was starting to become annoying, and I had no idea why the hell this… She, was there. "You know what? Fine. Just so these two will shut up. What did you have in mind?"
I may as well have mentioned I was the second coming or something, with the faces the two women made at me.
"Really?" Elisa said, and her face was a treatise in surprise.
"Wait, wait, wait a damn second. Jinx is going to get laid?" Kim said. "Should I be worried?"
"I'll go check for raining blood or other signs of the apocalypse!" Elisa said, making as if she was going to stand up.
"Wait, what?" I said, playing up my surprise, and looking back at Shiala. "What did you have in mind?"
"We'll see," she said, her voice annoyingly low and purring.
Her hand slid back over my chest as she stood up, and she then beckoned me with her finger. I gave Elisa and Kim a last look, which was greeted with all sorts of hoots and catcalls, and took off after Shiala. The whole thing may sound rather seedy, and well, it probably was, but it wasn't as bad as that. There were a few booths at the back for privacy, most people who "hit it off", so to speak (because with asari, it's really a so to speak situation) moved somewhere else to get their rocks off. Or meld. Whatever rocked your boat. The booths were simply a place to have a private drink, and possibly make out or something.
Shiala picked up a bottle and two glasses on our way in, and closed the curtains behind as I sat down. I gave her a cross look, and was about to say "what the hell" when she stopped me with a finger on my lips. Smiling, she straddled my legs, and her eyes turned the deep dark of an impeding meld.
Oh boy, here we go.
"Embrace eternity," she whispered.
Really? All that just for this? What the hell were you thinking?
It is an effective way to hide in plain sight.
She was just oozing amusement, which seriously annoyed me. She was a bit confused by my annoyance, but as I said, mostly amused.
In case you haven't noticed, I don't go for this kind of shit!
No matter, I am bringing news. Watch.
The strange in-between dissipated as Shiala invited me to focus in one of her memories. I did so, and I had this weird feeling of being pulled into it. Deeper than I was used to. It was as if I was experiencing those memories myself. Shiala noticed how I recoiled because she jumped in quickly.
Relax, Roy. Let the memories flow. I promise you are safe. I am not here to take anything from you by force.
By force.
I was hoping you would be willing to share. Her thoughts were teasing and playful.
I didn't bite. I focused on the memories again, and I saw where she... I was.
This is just plain fucking weird.
You will get used to it.
Shit I hope not.
She didn't answer to that. I was sitting inside a shuttle, with two other asari. One I didn't recognize myself, but I remembered her name. Pathize. Asari Justicar. I didn't know it, but I remembered it instead. As I said, melds are weird. She was tall, taller than Shiala. Deeply dark eyes, light skin with lighter traces over her head and forehead, numerous thin lines in a starburst pattern. And yeah, she was racked. What the hell did they fed asari as they got older? I remember making a joke about biotics making boobs bigger, but this was ridiculous.
Shiala seemed amused at my tangent, but shared a different thought.
Yeah, a Justicar. Can you believe it? And I got to run a mission with her.
You sound like a fangirl.
A fan... girl? What's that?
Oh god no, now I can't stop thinking about it.
A flash of memories came through, and I let them. Fangirls. Cosplay. The whole kit and kaboodle.
That's... interesting.
Yeah, that's one way of looking at it. Can we go back to business?
The other asari I recognized immediately. Matriarch Aethyta. She was decked in full armor, a shotgun the size of my leg clamped to her back, and a grin on her face. I could feel Shiala going all fangirl on the matriarch too, and I have to say, I didn't go all fanboy but I was suddenly looking forward to what she was about to do. With a krogan father, I was expecting some real crazy stuff.
"We are close enough," Pathize said. She stood up and, to my amazement, went straight for the door of the shuttle and opened it.
"What?" I said. "That's crazy!"
"Come on girl, harden up," Aethyta said, following suit and standing next to her Justicar friend. "You know how to do this, don't you?"
"Yeah, but-"
I didn't even finish my complaint before Pathize jumped out of the shuttle, her body glowing as she wreathed herself in biotics. Aethyta followed the Justicar, and I concentrated on summoned the dark energy of my biotics. My mass lowered noticeably, and I jumped out of the ship. The planet was covered in overgrown vegetation, and I kept my suit filters closed to avoid allergic reactions to the crazy, poisonous stuff out there.
Yeah, so I... so Shiala is slightly hypochondriac.
Oh shit, this is Pragia!
Of course it is.
... you wanted to make it a surprise?
Yup!
Ahead of me, the Justicar and the Matriarch were already hard at work. I saw Pathize summon a singularity at the closed gate, then with the same movement pull the singularity back just as Aethyta launched a huge biotic attack at it. The interaction between the two biotic powers was nothing short of spectacular, with the heavy gate being torn apart and smashed to smithereens. A gap the size of the shuttle was all that was left.
I felt Shiala go squee in my head, and I did a mental facepalm.
"Stop!" a human shouted.
Shiala... I landed on the platform as the fight started, the humans' weapons bouncing harmlessly on some of the strongest biotic barriers I had ever seen. Pathize didn't bother with a weapon, she just sent a biotic pull that tore a huge section of the ceiling and crashed it on top of some of her assailants, while Aethyta unfolded her shotgun, took aim, and just grinned.
The humans dove into cover on the first shot, and went down in a splatter of blood on the second, as the abomination in the matriarch's hands spat a double-barreled load of anger and death. Right through the cover they were using.
I think I recognize the gun.
Krogan use those on Tuchanka to hunt thresher maws. That one's been customized too!
… is it me or she's as insane as I always thought she was?
You did?
Well, kind of.
I was falling behind, so assault rifle in hand, I rushed between the two asari and dropped into cover, spraying at the assembled humans. Alarms were blaring overhead, and a surprising number of guards were coming out of the woodwork. Even with three of us, I was forced down into cover as my head started pounding in pain. I let my biotic barrier relax slightly to take a deep breath. The door had opened to a sort of loading bay, with large containers stacked at the back. That was where I caught a glimpse of the first kid. Human. Small, thin... Probably too thin, except I had no idea how thin healthy humans could be.
That kid's at death's door, Shiala.
I see.
The senior asari had gotten a glimpse of the kid, too, and the response was immediate. The Justicar, of course, was the one who jumped in first. She shouted as she made a huge release of biotics, throwing humans, crates, and all sorts of paraphernalia aside as she rushed through. The human trying to drag the kid away squealed, but it did him no good. He was literally pulled back at breakneck speed. Literally, because he hit a beam with a loud crunch, falling to the ground like a broken doll.
Aethyta put a bullet in his head for good measure. With her shotgun. She turned his helmeted head into paste.
The kid recoiled in horror, but Pathize didn't seem deterred. She lowered herself to one knee, and slowly reached up with one hand. She was ignoring the alarm blaring, the fact that any minute more humans would probably come through, everything. I gave them a wide berth as I rushed past to take position at the opposite door. I could see activity in the distance. A group of humans was approaching, but they didn't seem in a hurry.
I couldn't blame them. I risked a glance back, and saw the kid reaching for the offered hand.
"It will be all right. You are safe now."
The kid hesitated, and looked at the Justicar with a mix of fear and awe. Par for the course for a Justicar, really.
You're such a fangirl.
And proud of it. I think.
"What is your name?"
I couldn't continue watching the conversation because the humans had finally found their gills and were making towards us. I concentrated, slapped a singularity at the front of the group, and raised my assault rifle, picking at the targets that had not been thrown in the air.
"Don't waste that much time," Aethyta said, walking past me with careless abandon, her barrier shimmering as bullets pinged on it. "These bastards don't deserve a good fight before they go."
Her biotics then flared so brightly I had to squint, and with a push, the obviously, tremendously heavy crate half the guards were using for cover was flung back like it was made of tissue paper. It dragged the humans with it until it crashed on the opposite wall with a wet, splattering crunch. So much blood.
Holy fucking hell, remind me never to piss her off.
I doubt you could ever anger her this much.
Shiala herself just radiated anger and hatred. I felt it as my own as I stood up and blew my singularity with the strongest push I could muster. Nowhere near the display the two older asari had done at the entrance, but satisfying enough to see the guards running in terror at it. Those that didn't get caught in it and the subsequent assault rifle fire, that is.
"You can stop running, you'll just die tired!" Aethyta shouted. "I'm not even having fun, I'm pissed!"
The facility had opened up to a sort of atrium, and it was starting to look rather deserted. A couple of guards at the back were taking potshots at us, but it didn't look like they had particularly large caliber guns. I dropped behind cover and swapped weapons as fast as I could, pulling my sniper rifle and coming out to take careful aim. Breathe, breathe, hold, and boom. One headshot.
You think you can do better?
Let's discuss that some other time.
… meanie.
The hell?
Aethyta hadn't bothered with it. She just got her shotgun up, shooting until it overheated and the platform with the other human had been reduced to confetti. Pathize finally joined them, her steps firm and menacing.
"Where's the kid?" I said.
"I asked him to hide and wait for me. He seemed happy to do so. He will be safe."
I was going to answer, but she didn't seem to care one way or another, so I didn't bother. I just pushed ahead, assault rifle up. If I didn't stay ahead, I wouldn't get a chance to shoot anyone. Then, I wished I hadn't. The door opened to a corridor with doors lined up to the sides. I looked at the first one, and I felt something turn in my stomach.
The girl inside looked emaciated. And dirty. I could even smell it from the outside. She was curled up on the ground, not really doing anything. She had her eyes open wide, fixed at a point somewhere in the distance. And wasn't even moving. I could only tell she was alive because she was breathing.
Roy?
I wasn't focusing on the memories anymore. I could feel my heart hitting my ribcage hard, so much fucking anger I was having trouble focusing on anything. This was sick, sick beyond anything. It's one thing to know about it, but to see it like that, real?
I'm feeling sick, these... these fucking... I couldn't even articulate the thought.
You don't have to tell me, I can feel it.
… right.
"Goddess," I muttered, reaching for the door.
Aethyta stopped me, grabbing my hand. "No, not yet. We'll come back for them once we clear this place. They'll be safe."
"But-"
"Later," she insisted. The harshness of her voice sent a chill up my spine.
I nodded, and followed them. Pathize had pulled ahead, walking through the corridor of cells like they weren't there. But I could tell. The pulse of her biotic energy was making my fingers tingle, so much restrained power.
The power became unrestrained as she opened the door, and the poor bastard standing on the other side was pasted against the wall like it was a finger painting. It was a medical centre, or so it seemed. There were no real guards in there anymore, just doctors. It seemed like a very large medbay for such a small facility, really. Then I realized it wasn't just a medical facility. There were bodybags on one side. Small bodybags. Piled up way too high for my liking.
Son of a bitch.
I didn't even think about it when I opened fire on the so-called doctors. Their shrieks and pleas for mercy were just like so much noise in my ears. Nothing. Six dead people and we moved on. There wasn't much left, really. Most of the guards had thrown themselves at us already, the ones that were left were simple civilians. Scum.
It was all a blur. Killing the adults, getting the kids.
Seems pretty clear now.
We're melding.
Uh...
You'll learn.
I didn't quite like how she had said... how she had thought that. She was still confused by it, but whatever. The three asari had taken most of the facility now. There was just the back room left.
"All right kid," Aethyta said, looking at me. "Go get the other kids, we'll be right there."
Wait, what? No! Jack's back there!
Yes, I know. You... knew her name?
Yeah! What happened-
Watch.
I turned around and started to walk out when this huge biotic pulse just hit me. It was... raw, painful, angry. I turned around and rushed back towards the last room, and turned the corner to find a sight I hadn't expected. A girl, eleven or twelve, perhaps. Shaved head, big dark eyes, rounded face... She was glowing with biotic power, yelling and throwing attack after attack at Pathize. The Justicar didn't move, she was standing in place, her barrier taking all the hits without a blink.
How long it took, I still cannot tell. Minutes, maybe. Amazing, in one so young. The girl started angry, raw animal instinct guiding her attacks. Then, concern. Worry. Fear. Panic. Nothing she was doing was having any effect on the blue woman in front of her.
She fell to her knees in exhaustion, tears running down her face. The Justicar took one step, and the girl recoiled in horror, crawling back on her bum until she hit the corner.
"There is no need for fear, little one. You cannot harm me. And I will not harm you."
"Stay away!" Jack shouted.
"I am here to take you away from this place. Away from your captors."
Jack looked at her like she didn't understand. When Pathize took another step, she tried to recoil again, but got nowhere. Thus, the Justical kept walking, slowly, each step with a sense of power behind it.
"They will not harm you again," she said, and came down to one knee in front of Jack. "It is time to go, young one."
She offered a blue hand, and waited. Waited for what seemed like an eternity, stoic as if she had been carved in stone. Finally, the girl reached for the hand. Slowly. When they touched, a small smile appeared in the Justicar's face.
"My name is Pathize. What is yours?"
"J-Jack," she said.
"Come with me, Jack."
When the meld finally ended, I had to take a few seconds to get my bearings back. Shiala was still sitting straddling my legs, her face close to mine. Shit, that had been intense. It was fucking weird to think of what Shiala had done as myself, but that's how it had felt.
"Damn," I muttered.
"Yeah," Shiala said. She put her hands on my chest, and started lowering them slowly. "As promised, it's done."
"Thanks," I said. "What's going to happen to Jack? And the kids?"
"Pathize has taken Jack as her apprentice," she said. That got a look of surprise from me, which made her chuckle. "Yeah, she says she has a lot of anger to let go of, or her power will consume her eventually. It's all very Justicar-ish, as you'd say." She looked at me and chuckled. "Fangirl?"
"Fangirl," I replied. "What about the- What are you doing?" I said, looking down. She had put her hands under my shirt, and was working her way up my chest with her hands.
"What do you think I'm doing?" she said, her voice slightly mischievous.
"Har, har. Get off please," I said.
She looked at me in surprise, and took her hands off when I pushed them. She took another moment, like she was thinking of something, and her eyes turned dark as she leaned over to kiss me.
I felt the meld, and felt the tingle running up her spine. Her hands on me, the feeling of her hands on me, the reflection of how I felt, it was like feeling myself through someone else's hand.
It was too much. I managed to get my wits back and push her off me, making her land on her bum as I did. She gasped and managed to steady herself, and looked up at me in complete surprise.
"What the fuck!" I snapped.
"Wha-"
I didn't want to hear her explanations. I stood up, and fixed my clothes before stepping out. Damn, I was... I don't know, it felt weird, it felt like something I didn't want anyone else doing to me. Dammit it felt dirty, almost disgusting, even though I knew that wasn't what she was going for. I knew because we were melding. Fucking hell it was all confusing as hell. I just left without a word, and went straight for the bunk room. I suddenly didn't feel like celebrating shit.
Hey Lana,
Here I am, back to the land of the living! Yeah, it wasn't that bad, what kept me away was mostly the concussion. Try not to get hit on the head, it's not pleasant. I can get away with it because there isn't much up there.
So, I see you're enjoying your weapons training, huh? Laps around the compound isn't so bad, I did a few of those myself. The real fun starts when you have to do them while holding your weapon high above your head.
It's not a bad idea to explore specialization options early. Guns is all I know, but you're handy with tech. Trust me, it's a lot easier to shoot things down when you can fuck with their guns or crack their shields.
Anyway, over here not much else. Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we've lost so many people. It happens, more regularly than I'd like, but it was pretty hard this time. We got the mission done, and I know taking those turians down a peg will probably push them off Alliance space, so it wasn't like we did all this for nothing, but... Well, no need to think about this now. We managed, and apparently Kim and I got a bit of attention because of her craziness. We're off to N-school in two weeks. I have no idea why they thought I should be there too, but there we go. I'll try not to embarrass myself too bad.
Take care, and remember, once the bullets fly, keep your damn head down.
Roy.-
Shiala was confused. She had been, ever since her last meeting with Roy. His reactions had been nothing short of puzzling. Sure, it wasn't the first time her advances had been rejected, but it had never been so... She still couldn't put a word to it. She had felt Roy's reaction, and she still didn't understand it.
"So he recognized me?" Aethyta said.
The two matriarchs, Aethyta and Benezia, were sitting next to each other in the latter's office, Aethyta nursing a cup of brandy in her hand, lazily spinning it, while Benezia had, what else, a cup of tea. She was still trying to understand the relationship between those two, and failing. It seemed to have layers upon layers of complexity. From where she was sitting, on the opposite side of Benezia's desk, they looked like two polar opposites that were attracted to each other despite themselves, and who would explode if they truly came into contact with each other.
"He did. I cannot say where from, but the recognition was immediate. And he did not recognize Justicar Pathize at all, although he knew of Justicars."
"Interesting," Aethyta muttered, taking a sip of her drink.
"You seem troubled," Benezia said, eyeing the young commando.
"Yes matriarch," Shiala said, and hesitated. "I just don't understand what happened with Roy after melding."
"What, your first time someone says no?" Aethyta said, her voice amused.
"No! But... Not like that. Why such a strong reaction?"
Neither of them said anything. Aethyta just watched her drink, spinning the liquid in the glass, while Benezia sipped her tea. Damn, she hated when she did that. She was not going to give her a clue. She was expecting her to figure out what the answer was by herself.
She thought about the encounter again. Had it been the sexual advance? He had said no at first, but it had been a pretty plain reaction. No, it was when she had melded, a reflection of the physical feel of her touch. She knew most other races enjoyed that, or at least showed curiosity at the sensation, and among asari it was not a particularly bold move. Somewhat forward, at best, but not an alarming action. Not one that would elicit such a response. He had rejected it so completely she had barely had time to understand the reaction. He hadn't felt even a smidgen of curiosity. For a fleeting instant, she had felt a pang of something a lot deeper. Fear, maybe, though she wouldn't call it that. Roy was angry, not scared.
That brought her thoughts to a different track. He didn't have any previous experience with asari. She knew for a fact his first ever meld, proper meld, had been the one she had forced on him. Not her proudest moment, as her matriarch had explained to her in painful detail. So the sensation must have been new, he couldn't have had any previous bad experiences with it. Why the reaction, then? He had been aroused, that was for sure, and he didn't seem to have a problem with that particular fact. But it didn't make sense. If he did have a problem, wouldn't he want to share it?
"She's confused," Aethyta said.
"I am. Matriarch, if Roy has... If he had a reason to reject a sexual offer so strongly, wouldn't he want to unburden himself of it? Why not share it?"
Benezia gave her a small smile and put her cup down.
"You have not had much experience with humans, have you?"
"No."
"For humans, our way of sharing can be a little... alien. They value their individuality far more than we do."
"If he didn't want to share, why would he reject me? And... and if he didn't want sex, why not share the reason? It's..." Shiala furrowed her brow in confusion. It didn't make any sense. It was a sort of mental knot she couldn't untangle
"It makes little sense for an asari, Shiala. You are thinking like an asari." Benezia explained, in a tone of infinite patience. "Here, you may enjoy this."
Her omni-tool pinged, and she brought up the transferred file. A field report from Haun T'Nalle. She recognized the name, another of Benezia's agents, specialized in seduction. She was slightly surprised that Benezia had sent her after Roy, but made sense; it was a very effective means of keeping an eye on humans and turians, having someone close to them they would want to keep around. And Haun was very good. Her first report reflected this, and appeared as if she'd have no problem with Roy. Second report was a little less confident. Third, puzzled. Fourth, frazzled. Fifth, angry.
Shiala looked at Benezia, and the matriarch gave an imperceptible nod.
"I ordered Haun to stop and return after the fifth report, she was doing more harm than good."
"Did Roy realize she was working for us?" Shiala said.
Benezia didn't answer, she didn't have to. Haun was too good for something as basic as that to happen. Which went back to her puzzlement about Roy. It was such a strange thing for someone to react so strongly for what amounted to an, at best, somewhat forward move, either for sex or for melding, that she was having trouble wrapping her head around it. If he didn't want to share, how was she supposed to know what he was thinking? What he wanted?
"Have you heard of Matriarch Galiana?" Benezia said, throwing her off the tracks of her thoughts.
"Ah... No, I haven't."
"She has an excellent treatise on human language. I recommend you read it."
"Of course," Shiala said, recognizing the tone. Time to leave. She stood, and bowed at Benezia. "Thank you matriarch."
Language? How in the Goddess' name could something like that help me?
She needed to think. She headed for one of the common rooms, and served herself a cup of strong Green Sun tea. An algae of the cold northern seas, which made a potent and very dark, pungent brew.
"Well, look at that," one of the maidens said as she sat down. She turned to see a face she recognized. Talea. A young and beautiful asari, who was fast rising through the ranks in Benezia's service. "Is it true?"
"Is what true?" Shiala said, her voice calm. The amount of backbiting and venom, disguised as polite conversation, that was exchanged between those walls was something one got used to quickly, or fell victim to in short time.
"I heard you got snubbed during your last assignment, surely that can't be right."
Shiala relaxed on her seat and laid back, a small smile on her face.
"I'm afraid so," she said. "I might have replaced some of my more naïve charm with life experience, a shame really."
"No, don't be silly," Talea said, her voice overdoing the rejection a little bit much, just enough to convey insincerity without making it firm. "I wouldn't have that problem, how could you?"
"It is only natural," Shiala replied, seemingly taking the bait. "I am closing on to my matron years. Perhaps someone younger and more attractive would have better luck."
"You'd think so?"
"Oh yes," she said, a big smile on her face. "You'd do me a great favour, I couldn't complete my assignment because of it."
For a moment Shiala thought she might have oversold it. It was clear it wasn't a request for help, it was unthinkable for someone in her position to do something like that, to ask for help so directly. It was more of a challenge. The older woman daring the younger to attempt what she had failed at. It was also an appeal to what Shiala knew Talea considered one of her strengths. The young asari might suspect something else, but the challenge had been heard by others now, and they were coming to the same conclusion already.
After a few seconds, the maiden seemed to finally take the bait, and let a tight smile out, one of someone well pleased with themselves. She would try. And Shiala made a mental note to apologize to Roy for sending the little vixen his way, but it was too perfect to let it pass.
Author's Notes: So, the Vila! I hope you have been paying attention, I bet you can figure out why Roy's spidey senses are tingling at the sudden invitation. Oh yeah, and I'm having some fun with Shepard's bootcamp too. I took a bit of a liberty with having the Hahne-Kedar rep at the camp, but the Alliance just got back to having full weapons load from them, so he's just doing his job.
Oh, and Pragia. Yeah, it's really fucked up in-game, and I tried to convey that it was even more so if one was to look at the facility while it was running. Given that it was a secret facility, there wasn't much in terms of guards, but it was still enough for Aethyta and the Justicar to cut loose and kick some ass. Good times.
Finally, Shiala and Roy. Call it a clash of cultures mixed with deep seated issues. Not a great mix, huh?
Reviews! Loads of reviews and good times. Thanks everyone! I say it every time, and every time it's true, I'm just amazed and a little humbled at the amazing support I get on every chapter. Thanks!
5 Coloured Walker: A little medi-gel and a badass Kim to make the boo-boo go away :D And thans, good point on the correction.
RadioPoisoning: I am cursed with loads of ideas! Many of them are downright bad, but they keep coming to my head. I might take it, or do a small one-shot or cliff notes or something, it does have potential I think.
Zeru'Xil: That'd be telling! Worry not, Nazara's got plans.
BJ Hanssen: Thanks! Sometimes you just need something that'll take targets down in one shot, no questions asked. Just need the hands to make it work!
Tactus: Thanks! I've been thinking about it, but so much to write, so little time :)
Lfan8: Ye gods I laughed so hard at that comment, thanks a lot! :D
Toothless: Sowwy :-^
Next chapter, I bet you can tell what's coming. N-school! Wonder if Roy will cut it? Well, he better, because of reasons. You'll see.
I'm such a tease, I know.
Until then, thank you all for reading and supporting this adventure. Ta-ta!