"Samara was bound to her duty. She never hesitated. She was more than willing to make the hard choices with ease. Her code was her life. And it put her in a…difficult position."

The Starboard Observation deck was as quiet as ever; Kacey liked the serene view and it seemed Samara agreed. The Justicar seemed to already be aware of her arrival, as she stood up before Kacey could say anything.

"Shepard. I'm glad you came." Samara said as she walked towards the window, "I must ask for your help. That is not easy for me."

"It's all right." Kacey replied, "Just tell me what you need."

"When we met on Illium, I told you about a very dangerous person I was pursuing." Samara explained, "Using the information you obtained, I have located her. She has been going by the name 'Morinth'. I would like to apprehend her before she disappears again."

"Didn't you say that you'd pick up the trail after our mission?" Kacey asked.

"I know where she is." Samara replied, "In a month, she may be gone. This is the best opportunity I've ever had."

"I understand. So, where is she?"

"Omega. A nightclub called Afterlife, which seems a perfect place for her to hunt."

"How important is this?"

"Killing her has been my focus for four hundred years." Samara replied calmly, "It is the most important thing in my life and the reason I became a justicar."

"Tell me about her." Kacey said.

"She is an Ardat-Yakshi." Samara said, her voice sombre, "It is a term from a dead asari dialect. It means 'demon of the night winds'. But that is mythology. She is simply a very dangerous woman who kills without mercy."

"So is an Ardat-Yakshi a special kind of murderer?" Kacey asked as she stood next to Samara.

"Morinth suffers a rare genetic disorder. When she mates with you, there is no gentle melding of nervous systems." Samara explained, "She overpowers yours, burns it out, haemorrhages your brain. You end up a mindless shell, and soon after you are dead."

"Why is this never mentioned in asari literature or art?"

"When we were primitive there was much fascination with the Ardat-Yakshi. Some cultures worshipped them as gods of destruction. Now the asari have a place in the galaxy, and they don't wish this defect to be widely known." Samara elaborated, "As far as I know, only three exist today. Two chose a life of seclusion. The third ran."

"Morinth."

"She ran, and I am sworn to kill her."

"So it's either seclusion or death?" Kaidan mused, "That's pretty extreme."

"You're telling me." Kacey replied, "They are dangerous, but that's an extreme way to handle it."

"Is it wrong to want freedom?" Kacey asked, "I don't know that I blame her for running."

"When she fled, she proved her addiction." Samara replied, "She was not taking a great moral stand, she simply wants to keep killing. She is a tragic figure, but not a sympathetic one."

"Can't she abstain?"

"Each encounter gives her more strength." Samara explained, "The effect is narcotic; the more she does it, the more she needs to do it. She will never stop. She can't."

"So you hunt down these asari just because they're born with a genetic condition?"

"It manifests with maturity. When one is diagnosed, she is offered the chance to live in seclusion and comfort. If she refuses, it shows her addiction to the ecstasy she gets from killing her is no redemption for such a person."

"They have to choose between prison and death?"

"It is an addictive condition. Remember how adaptive we are. If Morinth does not want to be cured, she won't be."

"This is definitely worthy of your full attention." Kacey mused.

"She confuses her victims, twists their feelings." Samara mused, "They will do anything for her favour."

"We need to stop her." Kacey said.

"Thank you, Commander." Samara replied, "There are no words to express what this means to me."

Kacey turned to walk away but before she could reach the door, Samara spoke up again, her voice bleak and sombre.

"There is one thing more; this creature, this…monster." Samara mused with a sigh, "She is my daughter."

"You said this is genetic." Kacey said as she turned to face Samara, "How many children do you have?"

"Three." Samara replied bluntly, "And three Ardat-Yakshi are in existence today. It is as it sounds. Morinth was always the wild one—she was happy and free. But selfish."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Samara." Kacey replied, sympathetic, "I cannot imagine what this is like for you."

"I do not want pity, Shepard." Samara replied, "I do not accept it. My daughter's condition is my fault. And my redemption lies in killing her. Do not pity me. Simply understand my situation."

"How did all this happen?"

"I spent my youth on the move, adventuring." Samara reminisced, "I killed people, mated with them, or just danced the night away. I learned so much, experienced so much. And then my matron days came. I could finally sit back, bask and enjoy my family. But in one moment, it was all taken away."

"It sounds terrible."

"I sat in a med lab while a nearsighted doctor droned at me. And I learned that nothing was as I thought it would be. I gave up all that I possessed. I own nothing, claim nothing. All my knowledge will die with me. Now my purpose is to destroy my own children."

"I understand." Kacey mused, "Those moments change you."

"And I've hundreds of years left to live like that." Samara replied, "I say too much. Forgive me. Help me find my long lost daughter. And kill her."

"We'll go find Morinth." Kacey said.

Kacey walked briskly towards the lab, avoiding the gaze of Kelly Chambers as she did. She didn't want to talk to the psychiatrist nor did she feel comfortable being around her after the session. There was no doubt in her mind that the yeoman would want to talk again; Kacey's goal was to try and delay it as much as possible.

"Mordin is a brilliant scientist; he would be the first to tell you. He told me about his work for STG; about his work modifying the genophage. He defended it, believed that it was necessary. You wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise; that data agreed with him."

Before Kacey could even open her mouth, Mordin already started to talk, "Shepard. Important news. Know you're busy. Have to deal with Collectors. Planning attack. Too important to wait. Just received data, still processing, analysing likely scenarios. Not sure how to begin. Too much intel. You remember our talk? My work on genophage modification?"

"Yes, I remember." Kacey replied, "What about it?"

"Blood Pack mercenaries captured former team member, Maelon." Mordin replied, "Last seen on Tuchanka. Might torture him. Make an example. Recovering Maelon would be a personal favour to me."

"Do you think they found out your team updated the genophage?" Kacey asked.

"Unclear." Mordin mused, "No way to determine until we get to Tuchanka."

"Okay. We'll go to Tuchanka and see if we can't find your team member." Kacey said.

"Appreciate it." Mordin replied, grateful, "My assistant. My student. Want to see him safe. Maelon last seen outside Urdnot territory. Scouts might have seen Blood Pack. Talk to them or clan chief."

Kacey knew that name sounded familiar; Urdnot. She knew an old friend with that name and wondered if she would run into him again on Tuchanka.

Kacey rarely received complaints from the engineers; in truth, Ken and Gabby seemed to be the most content people on the ship. With Tali also in engineering, the three of them worked together extremely well, which made the complaints coming from the deck to make little sense.

According to Gabby, Jack had been kicking up quite a fuss in the sub-level, and neither herself nor Ken wanted to confront the biotic. Tali had apparently tried to confront Jack, but it did little other than cause the situation to get worse. Which was precisely why Kacey found herself heading to the sub-level in the first place.

"Jack had plenty of demons in her past. Her apathy, her desire to kill, it all came from somewhere. It had to be learned somehow."

"Jack?" Kacey said as she saw the biotic pacing around the sub-level.

"I got thoughts like little bugs crawling in and out of my head." Jack said as she covered her ears, "I can't stop them. You know I have a history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?"

"No." Kacey replied, "I'll listen to anything you have to say, Jack."

"Your pal, the Illusive Man?" Jack said which caused Kacey to scowl, "Never seen him before, but Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base. They did experiments. Drugged me. Tortured me. Whatever chance I had to be normal, they stole it by trying to turn me into some super biotic. The doctors…the other kids…Every one of them hated me. They let me suffer."

"As if I need another reason to hunt down the Illusive Man." Kaidan mused.

"And we thought the experiments we saw them do were the worst of it." Kacey mused.

"What did they hope to gain by torturing a little girl?" Kacey asked, clearly angry by the idea.

"It was something about pain breaking down mental barriers, and how it might clear the way for more biotic power." Jack explained, "I'm sure there was a payoff due at some point, but I wasn't going to see it. I was wired up in a cell."

"That's it? They tortured you just to see if they could make a strong biotic?"

"Wasn't in a position to ask, Shepard. All I know is, a little girl crying in a cell, begging for the pain to stop…"

"Except you love the power they gave you."

"They never gave me a choice."

"How did you escape?"

"There was some kind of emergency and I made a break for it." Jack answered, "The other kids came out of their cells and attacked me. So did the guards. I just killed everything in my way. Guess my biotics had developed faster than they thought. I managed to get a shuttle off the ground. Drifted until a freighter picked me up. The crew used me, then sold me. That's my uplifting escape story."

"There were other children in the base?"

"I didn't know much about them. I was kept separate. They hated me, just like everyone else there. When I broke out, I had to fight through them all. I showed them, but there's a loose end I need to deal with."

"And you are absolutely sure that it was Cerberus running the facility?" Kacey asked.

"I was a kid but I wasn't dumb." Jack replied, "I know how to listen. It was Cerberus. Don't care how far down the chain it was. They thought they were so clever. Turns out, mess with someone's head enough and you can turn a scared kid into an all-powerful bitch. Fucking idiots."

"So what is this loose end that you need to deal with?"

"I found the coordinates to the facility in the files you gave me." Jack said, "I want to go to the Teltin facility on Pragia, where they tortured and drugged me. I want to go to the centre of the place, my cell. I want to deploy a big fucking bomb. And I want to watch from orbit when it goes."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan." Kacey mused.

"I owe you, Shepard."

"Grunt was a powerful addition to the team. But he lacked a place to belong. Think about it; he just woke up and the first thing he was told was that he was going on a suicide mission."

"Shepard! I need…something." Grunt growled as Kacey entered the room, "To talk to you. I don't know."

"I'm listening." Kacey replied calmly, "What's the issue?"

"Something…is wrong, Shepard." Grunt replied, "I feel wrong. Tense. I just want to kill something. With my hands. More so than usual, like it's not my choice. Like I just want to, I don't know…"

Grunt headbutted the glass window, causing it to crack. Kacey was thankful that the window only overlooked the shuttle bay and not outside.

"See?" Grunt continued, "Why do that? What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Kacey replied, "Okeer didn't imprint anything to help you figure it out?"

"I see pictures of old battles, voices of warlords. But this is…a blood haze in my head." Grunt explained, "I want control. When we're moving, fighting, I focus. But here, my blood screams, my plates witch and even you are just noise! I'm tank born. What is this?"

"Let's ask EDI." Kacey said, "EDI, anything in your files about krogan diseases that could cause this?"

"Cerberus has a number of autopsies on file, but nothing on a living krogan of this stage and situation." EDI chimed, "Krogan are reluctant to share medical records."

"My people were defeated by doctors and labs." Grunt growled, "They will never let stuff like this leave the homeworld, Tuchanka."

"Then we'll go to Tuchanka." Kacey replied, "I need everyone at their best after all."

"Thank you, Shepard. I don't like this." Grunt mused, "Fury is my choice, not a sickness."

"Tali seemed worried about something. After what happened with Saren and Sovereign, and how we helped her with her Pilgrimage, I assumed that she would be content with returning to the Migrant Fleet. But she wanted to help with the mission. Unfortunately, the Admiralty Board had other ideas."

"Shepard! I'm glad you came by." Tali said, "I may need your help."

"Of course." Kacey said, "What's wrong, Tali?"

"I just received a message from the Migrant Fleet." Tali said anxiously, "The Admiralty Board has accused me of treason. I'm scared, Shepard."

"They accused Tali of treason? That's insane!" Kaidan said.

"Agreed." Kacey replied, "Tali wouldn't jeopardise the Fleet. We both know that."

"That's crazy!" Kacey said shocked, "Nobody who knows you could believe you'd betray your own people, Tali."

"I don't know." Tali sighed, "They don't lay charges like this unless the evidence seems absolute. But thanks. I appreciate your faith in me, Shepard."

"Is it because you're working with Cerberus?"

"I'm not working with Cerberus, I'm working with you." Tali replied, "And I got leave to serve on the Normandy again. I have no idea what they're accusing me of. You'd think I would remember if I'd betrayed the Fleet."

"What happens when a quarian is accused of treason?" Kacey asked.

"There's a hearing, with members of the Admiralty Board acting as judges." Tali explained, "My father is an admiral on the board. He'll have to recuse himself from judgement. I can't even imagine what he's thinking right now. The punishment for treason is exile. If they convict me, I can never go back."

"So you have no idea why they're accusing you?"

"None. The specifics of charges like this are rarely discussed on open channels. I won't know any more until I get to the flotilla."

"So if you're convicted, you're exiled?"

"The specifics are up to the judges. If it's deemed only a tragic mistake in judgement, the guilty party might receive a small ship and that it really matters. Either way, if I'm convicted, I'll never see the Migrant Fleet again."

"Exile's an odd choice." Kacey mused, "Most people end up incarcerated or facing the death penalty."

"We don't have the spare resources for long-term incarnation." Tali replied, "Monitored work detail is more effective. And we don't have people to afford executions. An exile can still have children, and those children are welcomed back to Fleet."

"How often is someone from the Fleet charged with treason?"

"It's rare." Tali said, "It must be something that affects the entire flotilla, not just one ship. The most recent one Anora'Vanya vas Selani, an engineer who handed over Fleet defence schematics to the batarians. She had good intentions. The batarians were contacted to upgrade our systems. But they passed the defence schematics to a pirate gang."

"Was she convicted?"

"No. She made a suicide run on the pirate gang. She destroyed them before they could attack the Fleet. She was pardoned…posthumously. Let's hope I don't have to prove my innocence that way."

"So how does the trail work?" Kacey asked, "How soon do we need to get you there?"

"They'll wait a reasonable period of time for me to come and defend myself." Tali replied, "Eventually if I don't show up, they'll try me in absentia. As for how it works…it's less formal than an Earth trial, or something you'd see on the Citadel. We're family. This is just the worst kind of family meeting."

"Okay, let's go find the flotilla and get this all straightened out." Kacey said.

"I was going to book passage on another ship. I didn't think there would be time for you to help." Tali replied, "Thank you, Shepard."

Kacey headed back up to the CIC, and reached the galaxy map. Pragia, Tuchanka, Omega and the Migrant Fleet. She took a good look at the map as she tried to decide where would be the best place to go first. Tali's trial, Mordin's missing teammate, Grunt's potential illness, Jack's closure and Samara's fugitive. She weighed up all the options before reaching her decision.

"Joker, I'm sending coordinates for the Migrant Fleet." Kacey said, "Try to get us there as soon as possible."

"Aye, aye, Commander." Joker said, "Setting the course for the Raheel-Leyya cluster in the Valhallan Threshold. We'll be there soon, Commander."