AN: I have incredible people helping me with this. I want to thank those souls for all the work they do. It was ironic. When I started posting again the site's email alert system had failed. So, some of you might only start to return now. It's hard to say because the site's traffic stats are also not working. Nonetheless, I thank you for coming back. I'll write this for 1 or 1000 people.
Chapter 18
Aria stared at the Illusive Man. As it turned out, she had not needed to summon him because he wanted to talk to her.
"We were having trouble with our communications," his translucent form told the Queen of Omega. "We didn't know of this until the ships docked. Not only did they destroy my crew, but they are launching an attack on Omega."
Aria said nothing, her gaze still fixed on the security footage the Illusive Man had shared with her. He had shared with her what information he claimed they could recover. Apparently, the creatures broke through their containment seals in one of the labs beyond the Omega-4-Relay and slaughtered his people. While they had their meeting, Aria received a report saying more ships were coming through the relay. All were heading straight for Omega.
Some were shot down by the cannons, and others by the new fleet of Cerberus vessels which circled her station.
Aria's lips thinned.
"If your communications failed," she spoke slowly. "How did your fleet arrive here so quickly? And in such numbers. Far more than I've ever permitted you to have in my space."
The Illusive Man crossed his arms, one of the few signs he let slip to show concern. "In locations where we handle such dangerous materials, we have very strict procedures. I dispatched General Oleg Petrovsky's fleet the moment one of the departments missed their report. You know what's on the other side of the relay."
Aria did. The Illusive Man had been a little more forthcoming about their research there and the reaper technology they experimented with. In the weeks since Grayson's death, he had confessed they created him using materials they harvested from the collector base. He had told her they were done experimenting with such dangerous components.
She didn't believe him but had other things to worry about. Cerberus' influx into the station had created a power imbalance. The mercenary groups pulled in squads from other planets to enforce their numbers. Balancing all while ensuring that no one doubted her power had been taxing.
Aria stood up to face the Illusive Man eye to eye.
"I should never have let you on this station," she said. "Get control of the situation and then clear out. We're done."
"You can't just dismiss us, Aria," the Illusive Man said. "This is your problem now. You don't want me to abandon you to this. We must kill all these creatures on this station and beyond the relay. We can't do this alone."
Aria knew it, and it vexed her.
"Be honest with me," she said. "How many specimens did you have? Originally, before your people fucked up."
She could tell that he didn't want to share. Looking at her expression, he grimaced and dropped his head.
"Only seven."
Aria was doing math and not enjoying the numbers. She shook her head and fixed him with a look.
"And how many people were in this lab of yours?"
He didn't like the math either, she could tell.
"A hundred," he said. "And I have moved many of my assets there. Ships, resources…"
Aria made a note to tell her people to mobilise her private fleet and shoot down any craft that tried to leave through the mass relay. It wouldn't be profitable for these things to spread throughout the galaxy.
"We're wasting time," she said. "I will rally the mercenaries. You get your people in line. We need to find and kill them all."
There were almost eight million lives on Omega and a hell of a lot more ships than she suspected the Illusive Man had.
"The information we got from Aria T'Loak seems to be sound," General Oleg Petrovsky said as he watched his teams. "They seem to have a natural resistance to biotics." His mouth thinned. "It seems only the strongest biotics are able to hold them."
The man beside him voiced his disapproval. "If she gave us Grayson's corpse, we would have been able to determine it ourselves," Colonel Ashe said. "I have assigned two biotics per strike team."
Petrovsky didn't comment. "I have shared they should behead the corpses," he said. He didn't think having Grayson's corpse would have made any difference. They were so interested in how these adjuvants formed they never considered how to take them down. From what he read in the reports, they never ran through any scenarios which handled breaches in containment.
There had been no time because the Illusive Man wanted results.
And here we are, he thought. On Omega. A little ahead of schedule, but one can't look a gift horse in the mouth.
He saw a group make their way towards them. Ashe had moved towards a discarded corpse, but Petrovsky stopped him, motioning to the newcomers.
Let's see if the Queen of Omega lives up to her reputation.
Ashe hesitated, then stepped away from the corpse. Together he and Petrovsky moved to the group.
Aria T'Loak was impressive; he had to admit to that. She knew she owned the place, but he could tell she didn't like the Cerberus groups. She glared after his soldiers as they left the hangar before she approached him.
"Petrovsky, I presume," she said. "You're the man I'm supposed to talk to."
He nodded and stepped up to her, holding out his hand. "Thank you for allowing us to dock," he said. "And your insight into taking these creatures down." She didn't take his hand but glared at him then at Ashe.
"Don't assume for one moment I consider you our saviours," she said. "I know who caused this problem. I expect you to fix it. Then, as I told the Illusive Man, I want you off this station."
Petrovsky chose not to comment. He glanced at the salarian's corpse as it twitched. Aria didn't miss his expression and looked in its direction. Her eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer, dark energy flashing to life around her arms.
"Shall we dance?" Petrovsky asked her and reached for his assault rifle. He made to fire, but she held up a hand, her eyes narrowing.
"I want to see it," she hissed. "I want to see what they do."
He was impressed and moved in beside her, raising his rifle. Together they watched as the corpse raised itself, sitting up, its eyes glowing and its mouth open. Tendrils snaked from its mouth, penetrating its abdomen. With unnatural movement, it stood up and hunched forward. There was a ripping of cloth and a strange release of air from the body and technology pushed out and destroyed its lungs.
Petrovsky, who had not seen a transformation in person yet, found himself blowing out a sharp breath.
"Don't have the stomach for it?" Aria breathed beside him. "Did you know what they were doing?"
Despite the noises of the transforming corpse, he felt as if a silence descended around them. The asari's voice was so quiet nobody else heard.
"No," he breathed, and it was the truth. He was not a scientist and had been needed elsewhere. He felt her gather her power and raised his weapon to his shoulder.
"And does it horrify you?"
Goosebumps travelled up his back.
"Yes," he said as the transformation completed. "This should never have happened."
"Good," Aria said, and as the creature took one step towards them, she threw out her hands, catching it in a bright display of dark energy.
"Fire!"
Petrovsky opened fire. Behind them, Aria's people spread out and concentrated their own fire on its chest. It fell, but not before her dark energy tore apart its newly formed body. Aria didn't look at him as she approached the corpse. She touched the body with the toe of her boot, turning over what was left of its leg. Though larger, the shape of the salarian's feet was still pronounced. She studied it for a moment, then turned to him, her biotics still a glow around her body.
"So, Petrovsky," she said his name with less scorn than she did before. "How are you and I going to fix this?"
There were disagreements, but Anto had expected it. Humans didn't play well with others. He stayed out of sight but kept an eye on Aria. Beside him, Griss kept shifting, his thin turian body practically vibrating.
"What is wrong with you?" Anto barked, keeping his voice low not to disturb the two arguing commanders. Griss' head snapped in his direction, his small eyes narrowing. From the other side of the room, Aria's voice rose.
"I thought you said your people could handle anything from the relay. We've had another ship dock in the past hour. How could it have broken through your defence line?"
"She's going to start slapping someone soon," Griss commented. Again, he twitched, his gaze moving to the door.
"Yeah?" Anto snapped. "And I will slap you if you don't settle down. What the fuck is wrong with you?" He regretted his harsh words immediately when Griss closed his eyes.
"My family," he said. "I don't know where they are. I lost track of them after the initial attack."
Anto felt the weight of those words.
He had known the turian for a long time. He always considered Griss' family to be both a boon and a blessing. Unwilling to do anything to compromise their way of life, Griss was loyal to Aria to a fault. He lacked the imagination to do any covert work. He liked to go home in the evenings and get his feet up. Unlike Anto, he never strived for more. Never integrated him further into Aria's business than as a bodyguard. When asked why, his answer was simple.
"No one's going to make a move on her. Not in my lifetime; she's too powerful. I want to go home at night, Anto. I want to see my children grow up. You get too involved in the dirty business; you never get that chance."
No imagination, Anto thought and sighed. He looked at Aria again. Across from him, Petrovsky's second-in-command divided his attention between the two arguing and Aria's bodyguards.
Yeah, I can take him.
"Why don't you get an update from the ground?" Anto suggested. "Comaz and I have this covered. Go to Omega Command and see whether they have any new information. We're still struggling with the sporadic network. I don't like not knowing if everything is clear or not."
Griss shifted and glared at him. "Comaz just brought an update Anto, I doubt anything's changed."
By all the gods, no imagination!
"Griss!" Anto barked. "Go see whether your family is alright! We've got this. And I'm serious, put some pressure on those idiots in Command. Aria wanted every single line of communication open hours ago."
The voices stopped arguing momentarily, Petrovsky and Aria turning their attention towards them. Aria narrowed her eyes at them before she turned back to Petrovsky.
"Your people are sloppy," she said. "They are undoing everything we've done here. And, when I sent out the mercenaries to assist, they started firing on them as well."
Anto would never tell a soul, but that had been hilarious to watch. He didn't know what Aria expected. Humans were very trigger-happy.
"Our communication is as broken as yours," Oleg said. "I need to get out there and take control. That is my strength."
Aria swiped her head towards one of the exits, exasperated.
"Then go," she barked. "Get out of here."
Petrovsky looked just as exasperated as she did. "Aria, your people will never listen to me," he pointed out. "I can command the Cerberus fleet, but the mercenaries will only listen to you. You must come with me."
Anto, who had known Aria for years, could tell the idea made her uncomfortable, but she didn't show it.
"I don't leave Omega," she said coldly. "They need me here."
Colonel Ashe snorted and stepped up to them. Anto moved with him, bringing up his rifle slightly as a warning. The human glared at him but carried on.
"This… station," he had the sense not to insult it in front of Aria, though Anto had heard him refer to it as a hell hole. "Needs you to bring an end to this. We need it to end; we're losing too many people we cannot afford to. And your bloody mercenaries aren't helping!"
"Watch your tone, human," Anto said and felt Comaz shift up behind him.
Aria straightened to glare at Ashe.
"I am not stupid," she said coldly. "And I don't trust you." She turned back to Petrovsky. "Though your people's willingness to try and mop up their own mess is admirable, I also know the moment I take my ship up there, one of you can take me out."
Petrovsky raised his hands in irritation. "Then join me on the Elbrus," he said. "You have my word. No one will harm you."
"On a Cerberus vessel?" Aria snorted. "Don't make me laugh. I didn't get where I was by being an idiot."
"No," Ashe's tone was filled with disdain. "Clearly, you got to where you were by being a coward."
"Colonel!" Petrovsky barked, but it was too late. A bright light grabbed Colonel Ashe off his feet and hurled him across the room. Anto immediately ran to where he had fallen and prepared to shoot him. He looked at Aria, waiting for the order, though he was tempted to kill the man and apologise later. Ashe had been disrespectful all day, barely hiding his disdain for all species other than his own.
"There is a fine line between stupidity and cowardice," Aria said coldly. "I am neither." She looked to Petrovsky. "I do not even trust most of the people here on my own asteroid. And what good would my presence be up there? If we can't even talk to each other."
Petrovsky grimaced and looked at Ashe, who pushed himself up. Anto saw the sneer on his face, but when he straightened, he brushed himself off.
"If it's a matter of trust, then take me and some of mine as collateral," the Colonel said. "If the Illusive Man's word, that you will be safe is not enough for you."
Aria considered this. "It is not," she said. "He has kept things from me in the past." Her mouth thinned as she considered Ashe. "Though I'll enjoy the thought of you enduring some Omega hospitality." She turned back to Petrovsky. "What makes you think being up there will help? Give me a solid reason, and I'll consider it."
Anto didn't like the idea and regretted sending Griss away.
"The Elbrus, my vessel," Petrovksy clarified. "Is one of our flagship prototypes. It has a sophisticated communications array. We'll be able to hail all in the field, and maybe establish communications with those beyond the Omega-4-Relay. We need to know what's going on there, and if we must take through a fleet to battle the enemy there, I need you by my side to control the mercenaries."
Aria shifted. "Many have tried to travel through the relay," she said. "None have returned. Our ships can't simply pass through."
Oleg's expression was determined, though Anto could pick up that Ashe was uncomfortable.
"We will share the IFF codes," he said. "The entrance is tricky; I suggest only the best go through. But it will be possible."
Aria motioned to Ashe. "And I keep him?" She asked. "As collateral."
Oleg's mouth thinned. "That is his plan," he said. "I would like to think nothing is necessary, but if you feel it will even the score. Yes. Keep him, and of course, you can take some of your people with you." His voice dropped in tone. "But I warn you Aria, I don't want to see him harmed. Ashe is invaluable to me. We have lost a lot of good people these past few months."
Aria relaxed. "These terms are acceptable," she said and turned to Anto. "I need to prepare. I will meet you at the Elbrus." She motioned to Ashe. "Make sure he's there. And pack him lunch; my people won't feed him."
Anto smiled at Ashe and joined Aria's side as she left.
"Boss," he said. "Do you think it's wise?"
Aria's face had become less pleasant as she frowned.
"It would be a very ballsy move for them to try and take me off my own station," she said. "And, despite everything, the Illusive Man and I do have an accord. Of sorts. Get Teslin, Rigby and Klorus. They will accompany me to the Elbrus." They left the room. Aria remained quiet until there wasn't another human being in sight.
"I want you to stay here and keep an eye out for any fuckery. Any sign of trouble, you spread the word to the mercenaries that Cerberus is fair game. There's a lot more of us than there are of them. Where did Griss go to?"
Anto realised that he might be in trouble for dismissing the turian.
"He… went to find his family Aria," he said. "He wasn't concentrating. I thought it best to get him out of the room."
The Pirate Queen was quiet for a long time, and the irritation and rage he expected didn't come.
"Let's hope he found them," she said. "Otherwise, he'll be hell to live with. Do me a favour and get Patriarch on the line. Tell him to go and collect Dr Gable. She'll either be at her home or the clinic. He must make sure she is safe." She must have caught his surprise because she glared at him.
"I expect Omega to endure beyond this event," she said. "Her partner is a force to be reckoned with. I don't want her hunting me if something happens to Dr Gable." Her eyes narrowed as she looked around them at the mutilated corpses. Residents were starting to move around them, looters, no doubt, scavenging what they could.
"I trust you to keep things in order here Anto. I know you have the talents to do so."
An hour later, Aria had to admit General Oleg Petrovsky had been right. Organising the chaos was easier from the Elbus than Omega. She stood with Petrovksy in the CIC of his ship, watching the scanner as it revealed the position of their allies and foes. She could feel him watching her as she put her hand into the picture and drew one ship out, pulling its image towards the communication line.
"Maxim!" She snapped; the line cracking open immediately. "I recognise your sorry ass! Who do you have at the helm? A vorcha? Hold your position!"
"A… Aria," a human voice crackled through the line. "I thought I could…"
"You're not capable of thought," she snapped. "I want you to join the Cerberus cluster close to you. Show them the path through that debris belt. We need to push. Hold nothing back!"
"Yes, Aria," the voice said immediately. "As you command… Damn you."
She sneered at the last and turned to Oleg, who looked impressed.
"So, if you can't buy them, you threaten them," he pointed out. "I'm impressed, Aria. Your allies aren't much for strategy or firepower. But I'll give them points for enthusiasm. And they listen to you. That's some loyalty you have there."
Aria snorted, dismissing the thought. "It's got nothing to do with loyalty," she said and glanced around the bridge to see if her guards were still in place. There was an island of space around the three Omega residents, but they seemed unharried. "Don't be mistaken. They're not interested in dying for Omega or me. They know what I can do for them when they succeed." Her eyes narrowed. "They also know what I will do to them if they fail. Klorus!" She addressed her krogan guard. "Let that woman through! What is she going to do, eat me?"
The Queen of Omega snorted with a wicked glint in her eye.
"She'd be so lucky."
General Petrovsky blinked in her direction and accepted the datapad a harassed-looking Cerberus woman brought him.
"We have a break in the fire," he said and put the report aside. "Disabling their weapons systems worked. It looks as if they are still struggling to get them back online." He had given an order, to concentrate all fire on the adjuvant's weapons array. "Or they have given up on it completely and are continuing to try and dock at Omega or board our ships." The machines were incredibly resilient, and they lost a few ships when the adjuvants managed to breach the vessel hulls and convert the crew. Fewer were coming through the relay, but Oleg constantly evaluated ship movements. The moment one behaved erratically, he immediately considered it hostile.
Aria crossed her arms and studied him before looking back at her people.
"You're in the way," she told them, making eye contact with Teslin. The ex-Eclipse sister inclined her head and wordlessly spread her colleagues out. They were still in strategic positions, but Aria didn't feel the need to have them so close by. If Oleg wanted to kill her, he would have tried already.
"I'm impressed, Oleg," she said. "Your reputation is not unearned."
He looked at her in surprise, his dark brow shifting up his forehead.
"You know I have a reputation?"
She smiled at him, happy he seemed so surprised. "They told me you held off a turian assault for weeks as a corporal." Humans held the ability to survive and save others in high regard. Shepard had also earned her reputation that way during the Blitz. "Your career is filled with battles won through caution and patience. Interestingly, you joined Cerberus. Your military career was nearly flawless."
The man snorted. "Nearly," he said. "But during the battle for the Citadel, I chose to protect my own people and not the Council." His mouth tightened, and she could tell it still irritated him. "I was told my outdated practices were no longer needed in the Alliance. I was discharged." He looked at the map. "I always considered myself a student of military history. I have read all the books. The Art of War by Sun Tzu. De re militari. That book is nearly a thousand years old. I have read long-forgotten diaries and the latest publications." He looked back at her. "And you know what made me decide my attack tactic on the day the first reaper declared war on us?"
Aria didn't comment but waited for his reply.
"Salvation for my people," he said. "I wanted to keep my men safe."
What he said resonated with her, though she tried not to show it.
"I can imagine the Alliance thought it foolish," she said dryly. "Many left their ranks after the battle. You must not like Shepard much."
The man snorted. "I don't think our salvation should have been hitched on one woman," he said. "I could have done much with the money the Illusive Man spent on her." He shrugged. "But I also cannot deny her success. It's because of her we expanded beyond the Omega-4-Relay."
Aria hadn't thought of it. "Remind me to thank her personally," she said dryly and thought of her home. "Long before your kind came to this galaxy, Omega was a battleground. Mercenaries, gangs, now forgotten, fought for control." She barked a laugh. "They considered it safe. Safe from the Council, safe from those trying to enforce order." Memories surfaced. Memories of a time long forgotten by most. "The irony is they made it so unliveable all they did was kill themselves. If there is one thing, I have taught those denizens, it's you cannot crap and live in the same place. This is how you ensure peace by not enforcing it. Harmony, even if it is a bit flammable occasionally, becomes sustainable. That rock is their home, their livelihood. It's why they are out there fighting. Blood Pack, Eclipse, Blue Suns…" She shrugged and found he was looking at her in admiration.
It's been some time since someone looked at her like that. Without fear or need…
The world around them began to burn.
Aria could not keep her footing as the floor shook loose underneath her. People screamed as the air became unbreathable. Metal twisted, and sparks of electrical fire grazed across her skin.
"We are too close to the relay!" Petrovsky shouted above the noise. "Get us out of here! They jumped right on top of us!"
That and they were firing. The adjuvants' reinforcements had arrived. There was another explosion, and Aria felt her stomach lurch as the artificial gravity disengaged. Globules of burning debris danced around her. Aria threw her arms out and pulled herself away. A body drifted past her, and she grabbed at it. There was a hissing sound as the fire suppressant engaged. Aria closed her eyes and held her breath. Seconds later, the gravity re-engaged, and she hit the floor, still clutching the body. When cold air touched her cheeks, she breathed in and opened her eyes.
Lying on the floor, Aria felt a weight in her arms. She looked down and realised she had grabbed the young yeoman who had brought Petrovsky the status update. Her mouth was open, a deep gash and burn down the side of her face. Aria moved quickly, laid her down and checked for a pulse. She found one, but the girl wasn't breathing.
"Damn you," Aria breathed and got to her knees. "I don't have time for this." She turned the girl on her back and punched her on her ribs. The timid thing started coughing immediately. Aria didn't bother to see if she continued breathing and put her on the floor.
"Petrovsky!" She yelled, but he had vacated his position. She heard him shouting orders on the bridge. Aria decided to leave him to it and dove underneath a panel still sparking with electricity. Aria tore open a panel, found the circuit breaker she was looking for and pulled it. The whole workstation powered down, as did the threat of fire.
"Aria!" It was Klorus.
"Here!" She barked and looked for her people. Klorus was pushing his way towards her, but Teslin was kneeling on the floor, her hands covered in batarian blood. As Aria watched she sat back from Rigby, her expression grim. A quick glance showed a large piece of shrapnel lodged in her guard's neck. His body was shuddering, but Aria knew there was no hope to save him.
"Get him out of the way," Aria barked. "Try to deal with the damage! Help where you can!" She turned around and headed for the bridge, pulling an unconscious airman out of his seat. She checked his pulse and breathing, noting a large egg forming on the side of his head.
Someone else's problem.
His workstation was still functional, and she could settle in and pull up a series of alerts.
Hull integrity… Life support…
"Take evasive manoeuvres!" She heard Petrovsky snap from the bridge. "Show them our broadside! Starboard is compromised. Have the engineers been deployed?!"
Aria remembered one of the alerts. "Affirmative!" She yelled. "They are dealing with the damage right now." Muscle memory began to kick in. "I'm pulling a workstation report."
Petrovsky glanced back at her surprised, then nodded grimly. "See if there are any commands which need to be rerouted," he said. "Where's O'Reilly?" Aria spared a glance at the unconscious man on the floor.
"Alive but unconscious," she said. "I can handle this station Petrovsky, get some medics up here! He's not the only one injured." A glance to the side showed her that the girl was sitting upright at least, gasping for breath as her body shivered with shock.
Petrovsky seemed to accept her position for the time being. He was studying some data, his expression tight.
"These ships come from a separate station," he snapped. "The infection has spread!"
Aria growled at this. "We need to disable the relay!" she said. "These things are going to keep on coming through!"
Two years, she thought. For two years, I have allowed them to expand and grow unchecked on my border. The batarians believe humans to be a plague. I should have kept a closer eye on them!
A recent memory came to mind.
Shepard had been aghast when she let an ardat yakshi called Morinth live on Omega.
What had she said to her? It was also a problem she ignored.
"She didn't try and seduce me."
Aria had let her be simply because she didn't bother her, even though she left a trail of bodies in her wake.
Just like Cerberus.
I must stop this.
"We can't disable a relay," Petrovsky said with a touch of indignation. "It will trap our people on the other side along with all the resources we require to fight the root cause of this."
Aria growled under her breath. "Then I will order my people to seed the area around it with mines!" She snapped. "I don't want those ships coming through. How many people do you have on the other side Petrovsky? You spoke of a hundred. On just one base!"
She pulled up the Elbrus' weapons log. She recognised some of the weapon names from the encrypted data her people had salvaged from the Cerberus base where they caught Sanders and Anderson.
Very nice.
Petrovsky took time to answer her. "There are several segments," he said finally. "We moved a lot of operations here after the turians took down a lot of our facilities." He seemed to sense Aria's anger. "We needed a safe space to continue our work. Staying on Omega was too expensive. Just seeding the space with mines won't work. If one ship slips through, this whole thing will start again."
"Don't blame me for this," Aria snapped. "You have more than enough weapons here to make a plan. Most use technology that is unsanctioned by the council. You can make a plan with the relay."
Petrovsky's voice was cold.
"And cause another Ba'hak?"
Ah yes. Of course. She felt stupid. Making sure all systems were functioning, she grabbed one of the Cerberus engineers and shoved him on the chair. She glanced back to check on her people before she joined Petrovsky on the helm.
The ship was manoeuvring to avoid fire, but one structure on the shifting horizon stood out to Aria. The Omega-4-Relay had always made her uneasy because she never knew what was beyond it.
"Then we have to stop the plague from spreading," she said in a low tone and put a hand on Petrovsky's shoulder. "Can I trust you, Petrovsky? Do you want to end this as much as I do?" There was only one way to solve this. They had to cut the cancer out at the source.
He looked at her, and she could see that he did.
"We're setting a course for the relay," he announced to his crew. "Everybody prepare for the jump. Thanos Squadron, I need you to cover us. Don't let any of those ships near us again." He motioned to a chair beside him. "You better sit down; it's never an easy ride."
Aria felt a young maiden stare at her from across the space of time as she took a seat.
I never want to feel lost again, the maiden said to herself. I will have a home where I will be safe.
Aria thought of the traditional human maps she had seen and felt herself smile as the dark red relay loomed ahead of them.
Here, there be monsters; they would write on the edges of the map, and she agreed.
And I am going to slay them all.
The End of Chapter 18