Author's note: Thank you so much for the reviews. I try to respond to them but I've been having internet problems so I'm pretty sure I missed a couple so apologies for that.

This chapter's Trish and Nikki vid call is dedicated to obsessive mangoes who pointed out Judy hadn't been mentioned in a while.

All that's left is to warn you there's an increase of swearing in this chapter due to Jack and also a warning for Morinth's twisted seductions. If you think I need to increase the rating let me know, I don't really understand the American system.

Without further ado here you go, enjoy.

…...

Jack was not ok with being on a Cerberus ship.

Very, very not O-fucking-K with it.

Admittedly, even if they weren't Cerberus she still wouldn't have trusted them. She'd learnt long ago that every person in the galaxy was only looking out for themselves.

Every, single, bastarding one.

They all wanted something. Be it her biotics or her body or her cut of the credits.

She'd been used and abused so many times when she first escaped the Cerberus labs as a child, but no more.

She'd spent years making sure she'd be the biggest, baddest biotic in any room on the planet. Any planet. Anybody trying to use her would get their face smashed in before they had a chance to stab her in the back.

Preemptive strike motherfucker!

Still, she'd been helpless when faced with that asari justicar. She knew the blue bitches were natural biotics but even so, she could normally take them. She'd never come up against matriarchal level power before.

Someone like Shepard would probably describe the experience as humbling. To Jack it was terrifying.

Not that she was going to admit that to anyone. She'd just have to stay away from the bitch and adjust her plan accordingly.

Yeah she'd had a plan when she got out of cryo. Not a great plan granted. She knew she wasn't some amazing strategist like Moon Two or whatever his fucking name was. But still, a plan.

Step one: don't die. Step two: find a shuttle or ship. Step three: stow aboard or hijack said vessel. Step four: make port somewhere and resume her life of violence.

Not a bad plan considering she made it between waking up in restraints and killing her second organic prison guard.

Steps one and two had undoubtedly been a success, but step three was proving tricky. The crew was far too large and aware for an attempt to steal the Normandy from under their noses, and it was hard to stow away when you'd been personally invited onto the ship.

Still, she tried her best.

She thought she'd found the perfect safe space to hide in the bowels of the ship. It was dark, quiet and hard to find. Didn't stop Shepard from barging down to talk to her every couple days.

Jack wished she could figure the bitch out. She talked like a pussy but there was steel in her spine and a fire in her eyes.

She was tough too. Jack had seen her sparring with the krogan in the cargo bay when she was down there stealing food from shipping containers. No way was she eating in the canteen on a Cerberus ship. Who knows what the bastards could have put in her meals. Much safer to only eat factory sealed foods, checking the packaging for tell tale needle puncture marks before opening.

Shepard hadn't said anything about the theft. Even though her eyes flicked knowingly to her stash during one of their many chats.

Despite all Jack's best efforts she couldn't get the commander to back off and leave her alone.

She had to want something. There was no need for this dogged determination for conversation.

Sex. It had to be.

But when Jack brought the topic up she was turned down.

'Married' the woman claimed. Like that ever made a fucking difference.

Jack might have believed 'straight' but she'd never met someone who'd turn down free sex before. If she wasn't interested she usually had to fight the assholes off with her biotics.

Good thing she liked fighting so much.

'Happily married' the commander stressed when pressed. Still didn't make any fucking sense to Jack. Why else would she keep coming down to talk?

After all they didn't need to be friends to go killing together.

The warm fuzzy feeling she got from fighting made sure of that.

It was the reason she agreed to take part in the ground team's little training exercises while turning down all Shepard's other attempts to make her socialise. Film night, poker night, fondue night. Nope, nope and nope. Not interested.

Fighting was what made her feel good. Made her feel alive. The training wasn't quite what she was expecting though. Pussies kept talking. Trying to work out 'effective team strategies'.

Fucking ridiculous. What was wrong with point and shoot? Throw up a barrier and throw down shockwaves. Always worked well enough for her.

"Pay attention, Shepard's good at this." The krogan rumbled beside her and Jack just stared. Surely a krogan of all beings should understand the joy of just charging in. Guess the galaxy really was as fucked up as Shepard said.

Still didn't see why she should risk her ass to save it though. What did the galaxy ever do for her?

No, she had her own plans. Step three was fucked but she still had a chance at step four. Just had to bide her time til they made port, then get the hell off this ship.

...

"So… a parcel arrived at home today. I assume it's from you?" Trish's voice on the vidcom was like a godsend after the last few days. Jack had been testing her patience to the extreme and Joker hadn't helped matters by starting a betting pool on whether or not the convict would try to jump ship when they landed on Omega.

And one on whether or not the ground team would bother stopping her. And on how many Cerberus crew members she would kill on the way out. AND on who would win in a fight between Jack and Miranda.

He only finally stopped when Garrus started taking bets on how long it would be before Shepard punched or castrated the pilot.

She wasn't sure what was more worrying, Zaeed's bet of two hours or the complete faith Chakwas had in betting 'never'. Either way she was thankful for the chance to relax in meaningless small talk with her wife.

"What makes you think it's from me?"

"It's a baby's ball pit."

"Great, now I know what it is. Why do you think I'm the culprit?"

It's a baby's ball pit." Trish repeated.

"Aaaand?" It was so refreshing to lay down her responsibilities and be a little silly.

"And I know you."

Nikki snorted at the deadpan delivery before admitting: "yeah alright, it was me."

"So did you get it for Nicky, Jude or yourself?"

"Why can't it be for all of us?"

"It's not big enough."

"I can get a bigger one."

"No!" Trish's immediate sharp retort gave way to a deep sigh. "Why did I say that and give you bad ideas?"

"Hey! It's not a bad idea, it's a great idea."

"The house isn't big enough."

"Could always get a bigger house." Nikki shot back nonchalantly before gasping as an idea struck. "We could make an entire room a giant ball pit!"

Trish just shook her head in despair.

"You're incorrigible."

"Don't try confusing me with big words, I know that means perfect."

"Not exactly dear."

Nikki smirked. Trish only ever used 'dear' in fond exasperation and she always considered it an achievement when she earned one.

"It might as well. It means unchangeable right? Because I'm perfect."

"Perfect my ass." The civilian scoffed dismissively.

"Yeah it is."

"What?"

"Your ass, perfect."

"Idiot."

"Yeah but I'm your idiot." Nikki completed her part of their joint catchphrase, taking a moment to savour its familiarity before asking: "So, do I get pictures?"

"What, of my ass?"

"Well, I'm not exactly gonna turn that down if you're offering but I meant the ball pit."

"I haven't had a chance to set it up yet." Trish apologised. "Someone decided he didn't want a bath unless Judy joined him in the tub."

"Ah… I can see how that might be a problem."

"Mhmm."

"So… I take it Nicholas now knows all the best cupboards and beds to hide under?"

"No, he got to throw a tantrum instead. For the entire bath time." Nikki winced in sympathy at her wife's words.

"I'm surprised you can still hear me."

"You're assuming I can hear you. For all you know I've got a speech-to-text program running subtitles along the bottom."

"I'm fairly sure you're joking, but I'm never quite sure."

Trish simply smirked rather than confirming or denying either way.

…..

"Talk to me " Shepard ordered as she jogged from the comm room to the CIC, the alarm for general quarters blaring all around. Fortunately most the crew were already at their stations in preparation for the planned landing. Although she knew the lower decks would be a hive of activity, damage control teams racing to their posts.

"Commander! We're being hailed and tracked by half the orbital guns on Omega."

"I doubt the guns are doing the hailing." The wisecrack left her lips before she could stop it. "And only half? Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"The rest are incapable of acquiring line of fire." EDI informed. Soothing the spectre's ego but not her concern.

"Alright, put it through." Shepard was only mildly surprised when, instead of some lowly traffic control operator, she was greeted by the pirate queen of Omega herself.

"Aria, I hope you're not planning on blowing holes in my ship? I thought we got on so well last time."

"You didn't have a justicar aboard your ship last time Shepard. I want to know your intentions."

"The justicar is pursuing a fugitive, a serial killer. She's no threat to you."

"I'm not naive Shepard. I know justicars stop to fight crime wherever they find it. Nothing you say will allow me to let a justicar on my station. I might lose some men. So much easier to let the void handle it."

Having already been introduced to the void via exploding ship, Nikki wasn't too pleased with the threat of a repeat experience. The last remains of lightheartedness vanished, although she managed to keep her tone even.

"What if I told you she swore The Third Oath of Subsumation to me?" Aria's surprise was only briefly visible, face quickly morphing back to affected boredom. "My orders can override her code. We're here for the ardat-yakshi, no-one else."

"I knew it. Nothing leaves a body quite so… empty, as an ardat-yakshi does."

"You knew there was one on the station and you haven't taken steps to deal with her?"

"Suspected. And why would I? She hasn't tried to seduce me." The asari dismissed casually but Nikki didn't miss the faint ripple of unease beneath the surface. The sip of a drink designed to hide the pause as she collected her composure.

"If the justicar is truly leashed then I see no harm in letting you remove the defect." Aria continued, and it was only then that Nikki truly realised how dangerous and horrifying an ardat-yakshi must be; for the pirate queen to willingly back down and change her stance on an issue.

"Her last victim was a young girl. Pretty thing. Lived in the tenements near here. I'd start there if I was you. But Shepard… if the justicar goes rogue… you won't live long enough to see me put her down."

You mean: "I won't live long enough to see if you can put Samara down". The commander ever so briefly considered correcting. Until remembering just how many orbital canons were pointing at her ship and wisely holding her tongue.

…

"-Zaeed, Thane and myself, that's four immensely skilled snipers. Why don't we just stake the place out?" Shepard asked.

"Morinth is paranoid to the extreme. She will have a hundred different escape routes; her barriers are substantial and she has no qualms about sacrificing innocent lives as collateral damage. Should she get the slightest sense of being watched she will go to ground and simply disappear."

"Fine, we'll do it your way." Nikki conceded with a sigh.

She wasn't too proud to admit her stomach was tying itself in knots at the thought of being used as bait, but they needed someone to lure Morinth out and she'd never ask a member of her crew to take a risk she wasn't willing to make herself.

It wouldn't be so bad if she was at least allowed a gun.

"Just do me one favour Samara. If this all goes horribly wrong... tell Trish I died jumping on a grenade or something. Not from having literal mind blowing sex with an asari."

...

Bass pounded through air and bodies alike. The dark music pulsing like the very heartbeat of the club; stirring beings of all species into motion and even the metal tables thrummed to its rhythm.

A tall cylindrical holoscreen projected the sensual sways of professional asari dancers but the roiling mass of patrons below were far more primal as they ground against each other, lost to hedonistic urges.

Morinth surveyed it all, taking a generous sip of serrice ice brandy and savouring the way it slid down her throat, longing to sate more carnal vices.

It had been a week since sweet, delectable Nef and the urge to meld was growing stronger again.

Usually she preferred a slow and subtle seduction. Savouring the hunt while knowing her prey never truly had a chance of escape.

She'd found a promising young artist, charcoal on canvas, more evocative than a thousand shades of colour.

It was intoxicating. The power of seeing them fall slave to her will.

Unfortunately while Omega's high crime rate was useful for hiding her activities, it had also cruelly snuffed the spark of life from her chosen morsel before she had a chance to finish reeling them in.

She would need a new victim but she had standards.

An altercation near the entrance caught her attention. A male turian trying to demand services outside the asari dancers' job description.

"Hey asshole! She said no!" The turian went flying as a human intervened. The punch looked hard enough to crack a mandible and Morinth leaned forward with interest.

Here at last was someone with a fire inside. The blazing spark that drew her in.

Despite the high density of human patrons in the club, it was easy to track the woman's movements as she made her way to the bar.

Morinth couldn't see what she ordered, but she slammed the shot back with ease. Picking up a second she paused, glass halfway to her lips, turning to face the krogan sat at the counter.

Morinth recognised the bulky form of Verf, a regular in the VIP section who liked to goad the other patrons. Insulting their species or their parentage or their choice of drink. Whatever he thought would get a rise and start a fight.

To her surprise the human didn't back down. Staring Verf squarely in the eyes until the krogan turned away. That was certainly a first.

Interest piqued, Morinth glided out her seat, leaning casually against the wall as the woman neared, adding just enough husk and allure to her voice as she made her introduction.

The woman's eyes looked her up and down with a predatory gleam that Morinth would enjoy breaking. Apparently liking what they found, the tattooed woman followed her back to her booth in the shadows.

...

"Do you want to get out of here? My apartment is nearby and I want you alone."

"Toilets are closer." The human counter offered. The toilets were also a sure fire way of getting caught. The asari somehow doubted she could sneak a dead body out of there, and people would become more cautious in her hunting ground. She couldn't word her distaste quite like that though and tried a different tactic.

Morinth won, her prey following her willingly out the club.

Jack won when she pushed the asari against the alley wall half way to their destination. Wrists pinned above her head.

They both wanted this. Both wanted to dominate the other, be the one in control, but no matter how much the initiative went back and forth, there could only be one winner.

"Look into my eyes and tell me you want me."

Jack had no problem with watching people's eyes as she fucked them. Seeing their emotions and reveling in her power. The asari's were already dark with the desire to meld.

"I want you. I want to make you come screaming my name."

"Tell me you'd kill for me. Anything I want."

Jack loved the power of killing even more than she loved the power of fucking. She couldn't see a problem with the asari's request but somewhere deep in her mind she could hear her own voice screaming that something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

"I... no, what's-" There was something pressing in at the edge of her mind. An oily, insidious presence. She'd been with blues before but not like this.

"Shh darling, just relax and listen to my voice." Her hips bucked instinctively against the thigh pressed between her legs.

When had she become the one pinned against the wall?

With a snarl, Jack summoned the strength to flip their positions. She had the power here. She was the one in control.

She looked up, expecting to see either acceptance or challenge in the asari's eyes. Possibly amusement or lust. Instead she found herself lost in the hypnotic gaze.

Nails scratched against her back and claws scraped inside her skull.

Whispers trickled through her mind without entering through her ears.

Dark promises tried to drown her, her lungs gasped for air but all they found was fear.

Without warning her body collapsed to the ground. Mind reeling from a sudden emptiness.

There was a rush of noise but she was unable to process it past the roaring of blood in her ears.

She could taste a high concentration of eezo in the air. The prickle of near but distant biotics tickling across her skin.

The mess of colour in front of her slowly resolved into shapes.

Clarity hit suddenly with the force of a blood raging krogan. Although she was half convinced she was hallucinating.

Why else would Shepard suddenly be there? Looking hot in a tight pair of jeans and a leather jacket. A cheap pistol clutched in her hands.

Jack's eyes followed the barrel of the gun to a truly impressive sight. A biotic battle on a scale she'd never before witnessed.

The justicar was clearly holding nothing back but somehow she was being equalled by the... the thing that had tried to consume Jack.

There was no love lost between her and Samara, she had hated how powerless the justicar made her feel. It was nothing compared to Morinth though.

White hot rage boiled up in her, she dug deep into her biotic reserves, pulling together every last vestage of power she could and charging at her tormentor.

Morinth swatted her away like a fly but Samara made the most of the opportunity provided by the distraction. Her biotic attack connecting with enough force to throw Morinth to the ground.

She covered the distance with easy strides, straddling her opponent and snapping their neck with a glowing punch.

For a moment Jack fancied she caught sight of an emotion on the justicar's face but it was gone by the time she turned to her.

"Are you okay?"

Jack nodded, not knowing what else to do. She glanced at the body at the justicar's feet. It all seemed so anticlimactic.

"Are you okay?" She frowned as Shepard repeated the asari's question. Frown deepening when she realised the commander wasn't talking to her.

"I just killed the bravest and smartest of my daughters." The justicar claimed, that strange emotion back on her face and audible in her voice.

That made no sense. Nobody would pick Jack over their own family. She was missing something, she had to be, but she was too tired to try and figure out what.

So exhausted she didn't even protest when they decided to go back to the ship.

Deep down she knew she wouldn't survive a night on Omega in this condition.

She'd regroup and regain strength in the relative safety of the Normandy then try again tomorrow when Shepard was out fulfilling whatever mission had brought her to this crime riddled asteroid.

Except when tomorrow came they were already in transit. On their way to a new destination unknown.

Down in her hideyhole Jack trembled. Ants itching under her skin. Memories of a voice that wasn't hers echoing inside her head.

She'd suffered a lot of abuse in her short life but right now struggled to remember ever feeling so violated. Not just her body, but her very mind. The only place she'd had left to retreat as a child, it's sanctuary torn asunder.

Her breath quickened. Coming out in short gasps.

Her body wanted to cry. What was left of her mind wanted to kill.

Instead a wild burst of biotics flared out, knocking aside everything around her not welded down and buckling some of the metal that was.

She wanted to howl in rage but to her dismay what came out was a sniffle.

She knew Shepard hated uncontrolled biotics on the ship. Or at least hated hers, with their power to damage the hull if she were to keep attacking the same spot over and over again.

The commander was probably already on the way with her asari bitch. Ready to put Jack down once and for all.

Like a rabid varren. She remembered the spectre's words. Eyes hard and certain.

The steady clang of footsteps on the metal grating made her tense, but they were heavy, and the voice when it came was deeper, rumbly.

"You ok?" The krogan, Grunt, asked as his head rounded the corner to her hideyhole.

"What do you think?" She shot back with as much venom and bluster as she could muster.

"You wanna punch me" Jack looked up sharply. She couldn't quite tell if that was an observation or an offer.

"What?"

"Shepard lets me punch her when I can't name emotions. It helps."

"Shepard lets you punch her?" Jack found she could name her current emotions just fine: surprise and confusion.

"Well... not lets, I have to work for it. We spar. It helps. You wanna try?"

She thought about it. She couldn't deny punching something sounded good right now.

She nodded. Facing off against him.

His feet switched seamlessly into a fighting stance and he opened his arms in invitation.

An invitation she quickly took. Fist landing against him with a resounding thump.

"I know you can hit harder than that." He goaded and so she launched another attack. Fist glowing blue with biotic power. Letting her grief and self pity turn to anger.

He sidestepped. Counter attacked. The force against her overextended shoulder knocking her to the deck.

It wasn't even his full strength. That knowledge pissed her off even more.

She jumped to her feet, launching a flurry of blows.

He dodged them all with a speed she wouldn't expect from someone of his bulk.

"Come on! You want to hit me, you need to think."

Her rage cooled to tempered steel as she focused on the fight itself rather than the pain she wished to inflict.

Watched the ebb and flow of battle in a way her usual tidal wave approach didn't have time for.

A feral grin stretched her face when she finally scored a hit. Mirrored by a manic laugh from the krogan.

"Good! Again!"

They ducked and weaved. Trading blows and words as they danced in liberating violence. The krogan's jabs and insults morphing into tips and advice somewhere along the way.

The realisation that he was channeling Shepard in some weird role reversal of his own ritual with the woman was... a strange thought. One Jack chose not to think about too hard as adrenaline sung through her veins.

Eventually they paused. Grinning and gasping for air as they warily watched each other's bruised and bloodied forms.

"You got anything to eat?" Grunt suddenly broke the stalemate. Standing to his full height and glancing round the somewhat disheveled sub deck.

She should have told him to fuck off. To go to the mess hall if he wanted food.

Instead she walked over to her stash and grabbed a pair of unopened cereal boxes, throwing one at him.

"Awesome! Shepard said we'd run out." Jack glanced over in surprise at the over enthusiastic response before shaking her head. Of course the giant fucktard would like children's cereal.

She was further amused when after the initial pouring into his mouth he started rummaging around in the box. Pulling out a plastic wrapped toy.

His grin grew even wider before he seemed to remember where he was and hesitantly offered it out to her.

"Nah, it's good. You have it." It was junk after all. If they put free guns or grenades in cereal boxes she'd have taken it.

You'd think she'd given him a carnifex from how happy he seemed. Fucking freak.

Whole crew was mental. Had to be for Cerberus and aliens to be working together on the same ship.

For the first time she wondered why none of the non humans were doing the smart thing and running away.

"Why are you here Grunt?"

"Heard your biotics from my room. Didn't want to miss out if we were being boarded." He claimed with a shrug.

"No." She frowned, briefly contemplating whether he was lying or he really was that stupid. "I mean here, on the Normandy, with Cerberus."

"Not with Cerberus, with Shepard. Difference." He insisted. "But where else would I be? All I know is how to fight and Shepard gets into the best fights. If I wasn't here, I'd still be fighting but it wouldn't be as fun."

Jack nodded absently as she rooted around her cereal box. She could relate to his words a little more than she'd like.

The cult hadn't worked out. She had no cause to fight for beyond survival and each time she survived she had to start looking for her next fix.

She'd tried all kinds of drugs over the years but nothing came close to the euphoria of combat. She was hooked on the feeling and couldn't even imagine a life without violence.

She'd been so focused on escaping. From Cerberus. From the justicar who could overpower her. She'd never really thought about where she'd go.

Why not stay? At least until she found some answers in the Cerberus databanks.

She still didn't trust Shepard. Definitely didn't trust the cheerleader. But then she didn't trust anyone, so she guessed it didn't make that much difference.

If it became too much she could always hijack the shuttle or launch an escape pod later.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when her fingertips brushed plastic and she pulled the free toy out her box.

It really was worthless to her so she threw it at the krogan, slightly disappointed when he caught it instead of being hit in the face.

He examined it briefly through the wrap, his eagerness for the first toy slightly more subdued this time.

"You sure you don't want it? I already have two."

"The fuck am I supposed to do with it? What the hell even is it?"

"Kakliosaur." Came the bizarre response.

"Whatisaur?" She shouldn't have asked because the next thing she knew he was launching into a long and passionate explanation about dinosaurs.

It was kinda interesting though. Not to mention funny to watch, so she let him carry on as she munched her way through her cereal without milk or cutlery.

Unseen by either of them, Shepard finally holstered her shotgun and silently slipped away.