"I am not wearing it! For-fucking-get it!" I snapped, pulling the silk dressing gown tighter around myself. Seated in Indira's bedroom, the setting sun staining the room red. My eyes fluttered, attempting to stop them closing. My body longed for a good sleep on a proper bed; my back ached, my legs ached. Everything ached! But no, this drell denied me sleep and insisted we go to a club, dragging me with her. Everything possible had to stop this drell was done, but she was unstoppable. She battered every complaint away and leapt straight back into it.
"Aw come on! You have such nice breasts, you have to show them off!" Indira said, waving her hand in the direction my chest. My face burned at her words.
"My breasts stay covered!" I shouted, muscles tensing as the blood simmered, reaching boiling point. Indira scowled, tossing the indecent thing away. Under-boob my ass! The best place for that blasted thing was the goddam incinerator.
"Alright, how about this one?" She asked as pulled out a lacy red... thing. My dignity gawked.
"It's full of holes!" I snapped.
"It's for showing off your curvy hips and your creamy skin!" Indira's sing-song voice rang, attempting to make it sound 'dreamy'. My hands covered my face, elbows digging into the gown to keep me covered.
"I've got scars on my hips, thank you very much!" I snarled. "And a bullet wound on my back, so you can ditch everything that has that no-back shite. It had to stay protected, and thus covered! I don't need an infection in a place I can't reach!" My hand supported my heavy head. Indira put her fists on her hips, pouting.
"Hmm, you will be harder to crack than I thought..." she grumbled. She earned a snort. "Alright, alright, let's see," she shovelled her way through a massive pile of material and sequins.
My frown deepened with each dress she tossed away. Everything either showed off far too much skin, had my chest falling out of them or under them sometimes. Or sparkles covered to the point it looked tacky. We had been here for a good hour now while Indira tried to find something that met my strict requirements. Nothing shorter than above the knees, no low cut, no skin-tight, no over-abundance of sequins. Not that hard to understand, was it? God, this girl was bull-headed. She refused to give up on this endeavour and I was the unwilling test subject of her entertainment. Mat'al, if you are watching, please, for God sake, help!
"Ok, ok, how about this one!" she said.
She pulled out a royal blue cocktail dress, with actual flowing material instead of pencil skirts. The chest composed of two parts that crossed over each other before meeting sequin band just above the waist. It had to lose the clunky sequin belt that attached around the waist though. But other than that, it was decent, the best one yet. It didn't matter if I turned blue in the face arguing with her, she would refuse to listen regardless. Best to take this one since the next one on the pile was nothing but straps.
"Fine, fine, just get rid of that bloody belt," I grumbled. Indira smiled in triumph, using her biotics to toss the belt in the large 'dead' pile. She tossed the dress to me, still looking smug.
"And I have just the perfect pair of shoes for you as well!" she squealed.
"No taller than two and a half inches," I cut in. Indira's grin faltered. She scowled and pouted before grumbling about me being rigid and heaven knows what. With the dress in hand, my feet trudged to the bathroom to change, but my hands pulled out the keypad to ensure she couldn't hack her way in.
What was I doing? A sigh released as the dress slid over my head. Clubs were too cramped, the base made my head dizzy, the loud music drowned out my sanity, the drunken madness that followed at the end of a night sickened me, the boys demanding my attention and the girls stuck up snorts. My eyes caught me in a mirror, turning myself to get a better look. Urg, it wasn't perfect. It had one small hole circling the side of my hip, showing off a nasty lichen looking scar which a geth on Feros had gifted me. Re-activating the door revealed a pouting Indira as she tried in vain to hack the door open. Can't hack a door that wasn't even on, you oversized child. My hands pushed her aside to squeeze past her and back into the small bedroom. Indira bounded around my feet.
"I found the best shoes! Yeah, yeah, they're 6 inches but they look stunning!" she emphasised with her voice dropping in excitement. "Just think what they'll do to your ass!" My expression flattened as the sound of her voice out droned out. Not trusting her judgement, my own hunt in the room proceeded with her trotting at my side like a shadow, telling me how wonderful these impossible to walk in shoes were. A square shawl caught my attention, navy in colour with a silver tassels around the edges. It would do. My hands grabbed it, folded it along the diagonal and tied it around my waist. There, that covered that blasted hole.
Her complains were ignored as my hands snatched up a pair of small heeled, black strappy shoes. My feet slipped into them while Indira complained and whined the entire time. If my kids were ever like this... She sulked, accepting defeat for now. Two Kevlar bundles of strap sat on the bed behind me. My hands grabbed them before securing them to my thighs. The Locust and Carnifex slipped into them. Omni-tool snapped to my wrist, a sigh escaped as my mind readied itself for the night. No jewellery, despite the drell complaining about it. The less I wore, the less that could get ripped off during the night. Indira threw her arms in the air and gave up. She pouted at me in her flashy black dress, exposing the scales that made up her body. She could get away with a low cut dress because she didn't have breasts… or nipples.
"Fine, have it your way," she said. I rolled my eyes.
"Alright, so we're ready now, wh-" I said, voice dying as the front door opened. Indira blinked, flushing.
"I'm home, darling!" a female voice rang out. My gaze turned to Indira, who looked embarrassed.
"Ah, ok, looks like we need to go out the hard way," she dashed to a vent above the bedside table. My jaw hit the floor, expression dropping.
"This... isn't your flat?" I asked in a quiet voice. Indira snorted.
"Of course not! Why would I live in a dump like this!" she pulled the vent free, jumping up to crawl in it. "Now come on, don't want to get caught!"
"You- why... you... dammit!" I snarled as my legs crossed the distance to the vent.
My legs jumped up to reach it, hands aching as they pulled me into the tight vent, crawling through the tight interior as Indira used her biotics to put the vent back on. She grinned as we crawled in the near dark. After turning the first bend and used the ribbing to ease me down the slopes. A female cried out, the faint words of 'robbed' reverberate in the ventilation. A sour tang stained my mouth, muscles twitching as a cold shiver flitted over me. But my gaze could have melted the metal shaft as Indira led us out. What the hell was wrong with this girl!? Why was she so obsessed with making everything shit for me? We crawled out at street level after 20 minutes in the stuffy vents. Indira sealed our escape exit. Well, that was another lost set of armour and my blood boiled.
"Indira, you thieving bitch-" I snapped.
"Oh calm down," Indira laughed. "We're fine! Come on, I know this fantastic club over here!" she grabbed my arm, yanked me out the alley and into the street. My feet struggled to stay upright on the heels, a yelp escaping. Why was she so strong?!
My glower remained on my face as we strolled down the street. Or dragged in my case but hey, got to find the best out of every situation. My eyes hand rubbed my eyes as Indira bubbled away about some club or drink thing. My concerns were more on that we had just broken into someone's home, stolen some of their clothes and avoided getting caught as she came home. The drell is dead at the first opportunity, assuming I could get away with murder. But there was a new problem. She grinned at anything male we passed, be it turian, salarian, human or even hanar. Her long frills on the back of her head swayed with her bouncy walk. My cheeks flushed red from the raised eyebrows, the muttered whispers and wold whistles the men gave us. My eyes squeezed shut. Please, just let this end!
We came to the club, a place named Embrace. The name put me off already. A turian bouncer stood by the door, checking the faces of everyone who walked in. Indira strolled forward with confident steps while my legs limbered beside her. The turian eyed Indira up, before he frowned, moving to stand between us and the door. Indira sulked, but continued walking, if more subdued. We stopped in front of the turian, his brownish toned skin stained blue from the neon.
"You're barred from here, Drell," he said. Indira sulked, putting on her best pouting face.
"It was an accident..." she whined.
"Don't care, move on," he said. Oh God bless this turian! I could kiss him! A silent prayer of thanks flew to the gods. Indira unhooked her arm from mine, freeing me, and approached the turian. Much like our first encounter, only her eyes were lusty. Oh, God, no...
"Are you sure... there isn't some way to get in?" she asked, running her hands up his chest, tracing her fingers along his carapace. The turian perked, plates flicking up. He looked between the pair of us, a slow grin spreading on his face. My expression blanched, taking slow steps backwards.
"Well, maybe I could let you in... If you make it worth my time," his hand gripped her ass. Hard. She made a soft sound, pleased. "And you're friend will join in too?" Oh fuck…
"Of course she will," Indira answered in a husky voice, grinding herself against him.
Fuck no! My skin broke out into a cold sweat, my heart pounding in my chest. Fuck no, God no! I was not sleeping with this guy! How did a human have sex with a turian anyway? No, wait, bad place to go, bad place to go! Bad imagination, bad! That was a very bad place to go! As my mind flailed to get my thoughts under control, my legs moved. My eyes burst open, or tried to, as a blue aura surrounded me. Indira's hands glowed blue.
"She can get feisty when she gets going," Indira winked. The turian's grin only widened. Fuck!
It was impossible to fight as my hands gripped his carapace, my expression all smiles and seductive looks. How did you fight biotics?! Goddam it, fighting Nyryntha was easier than this! What was that goddam Reaper doing anyway?! Laughing her damned ass off, that's what! The turian's eyes gleamed, muttering 'I can see that', thinking the biotic aura around me was mine. He slapped my ass, Indira forcing a strange sound escape my throat. This was so not happening! The turian grinned while he led us around the side of the building, a bum cheek in each hand. Indira crawled over him, while my fight with the biotics continued, the turian's rough mandibles under my fingers. We entered the darkness of an alley and through the door at the end of the dirty corridor. He led us into a small closet with a mattress on the floor. This was a common occurrence from the look of things.
Then he lowered his head and stole a kiss from me. My mind went into meltdown as the rough, metallic tasting skin touched my lips. And my limbs freed. My first squeezed and thrust forward, Never had it hit someone so hard in my life. All my panic, all my anger and adrenaline fuelled self-defence powered into that one right hook. The turian flew on his back while my hand submerged, curses flying off my tongue. The back of my good hand wiped my mouth while my stomach heaved on the metallic taste. So busy gagging at the cigarettes and foul beer, Indira's were unnoticed for a time. She kicked the turian in the head until he fell still. My eyes locked with the gurgling turian. Indira grinned with satisfaction. She dusted her hands and headed for the door.
"Easy huh?" she bounced out of the room. My eyes followed her, the size of dishes as she held the door open for me. "Nice punch by the way! Come on, the club awaits!" My back straightened, glanced to the bleeding turian on the ground. Clenched fists wished to beat him again, but remained quivering at my sides, shuffling out the room. Bastard, could die here, he slapped my ass! Even my boyfriend wasn't allowed to do that! My glare was already on the drell once free from the cupboard, gritting my teeth as my blood boiled over. Indira ignored them though, guiding me through the maze of corridors until we met a door leading into the club itself.
My eyes shut, resisting the urge to wince and cover my ears against the bounding base. The loud cries from the people themselves droned behind it. Indira locked arms with mine and dragged me down to a bar near one of the dance floors. My eyes squinted through the pink and blue neon, peering through the gloom. Members from all species dancing, talking and drinking. My arms pressed to my sides, a defensive mechanism. Clubs did that, they never felt secure. Indira leaned on the bar, fluttering her eyes at the barman. My hands pressed on the bar for support.
"Hey handsome, a drink for me and my friend here," Indira said. My mouth opened to stop her, to say I didn't drink. But the salarian barman recognised her, grinning as he made up a pair of drinks. My heated glare bounced off the drell beside me.
"Indira!" I yelled over the music. The drell laughed.
"Amazing, isn't it! I love this place!" she laughed. There was no way to tell her to stop because she never listened, now more than ever with this music! Dammit, what would make this girl stop? The drinks appeared at our arms, the barman grinning at Indira, giving her a wink before disappearing. "Slept with him once. He loved it," she laughed. Of course she had. She must've slept with every bloody male in this goddam club! Just let me get the hell out of here, please!
My eyes skimmed over the drink at my arm, the chill sending goose bumps dancing up my shoulder. A sniff investigation gave nothing away, no sign as to what kind of concoction this was. The brilliant pink liquid looked sweet and seemed harmless enough... Indira dived into hers, a content smile on her face. Feet shuffling, the thought of losing control from alcohol was high up my priority list of 'do not do'. I'd rather deal with Indira sober than have to... Ah fuck it. I downed the entire drink. Every drop of alcohol would be needed to survive this. Indira laughed at me, grinning as she turned her gaze to the dance floor. Something grabbed my hips and yanked backwards me off my feet. I yelped, spinning around to face a human male.
"Hey there, sweet thing. Not seen you 'round here before. I've got a cosy little booth is you... wanna get more comfortable," he said, eyes swirling in his skull. My jaw dropped, throwing his hands off my hips.
"No thanks," I snapped, struggling to free myself.
"Ah, come on. Why else would a pretty thing like you come to a strip club if you didn't want love?" he drawled. My expression froze, eyes wide and jaw slack. My eyes spun around the room. Well... that explains why there were pole dancers everywhere. And... why were people removing cloth- oh stop looking! My arms shoved the male away, backing up to Indira. This is why I hated clubs!
"Not by choice," I growled at him. "Piss off," I marched over to Indira as she wooed some poor asari. My hands grabbed her arm, making her and the asari jump. "Excuse us for a moment," Giving the asari a smile before dragging Indira to the nearest bathroom. Well, we got as far as the corridor outside them because of the loud moaning coming from both male and female bathrooms. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" I screamed at Indira. She blinked.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Wrong? What's-," I gaped, taking a deep breath. Calm down, Dell, or you will murder someone. "A strip club, Indira?!" Indira rolled her eyes.
"Well, I decided the best way to get you to loosen up was to find a man and have a tumble. Or four, depending on how many guys you find," she explained with a wide grin.
"Indira, I've only ever had sex once and that was bloody enough!" I thundered, although it sounded more like a whisper with the pounding base.
"But you have so much pent up sexual tension!" She answered, squeezing the top of my shoulders as if that would prove this tension. How fire wasn't snorting out my nose by this point... a snarl contorted my face.
"My 'sexual tension' is mine to do with as I wish. That is something you have no right to even be trying to 'help' with. I've only just met you!" I growled. Indira sulked, leaning on a hip.
"Man, you are the toughest nut I've ever tried to crack... what about dru-" she started. I held up a finger like she was a small child.
"Don't. Even. Go there," I interrupted. Indira snorted before she shrugged.
"Fine, but just keep an open mind. You might find someone, maybe a tall chisel faced human or a dark skinned salarian," she said. Wait... what? "Or a lovely brown turian. Always had a thing for the bronze or copper ones you know-" she beamed.
"Arrrh!" I screamed, covering my ears. Indira jumped, gaped at me in surprise. "Thanks Indira!" I roared. "Now I've got images of Val and Mat'al on strip poles! That's just the thing I wanted to see! Fucking hell!" My head banged on the wall beside me, buckling as the thoughts leapt through my mind. Indira ogled at me before covering her mouth. Her twitching shoulders told me she was laughing her ass. A punch swung for her, but she ducked and ran into the crowd, laughing.
Well, my mind was scarred for life! The image of Mat'al on a striper's pole sent bile rising to my mouth. There had to be a way to get rid of the image, anything! The bar seemed like my one and only hope to rid of the images Indira planted in my head. The salarian blinked at me as my elbows slammed into the wooden bar to cover my face with my hands. My hands flopped on the bar, ignoring the odd looks from the people around me. All of my fucks were gone regarding me or my behaviour at this point. Raisha would be so proud. Well, not of what I was about to do.
"Give me the foulest tasting drink you've got!" I managed over the music. The barman's eyes lit up.
"You doing the Swa'hila?" he asked, a slow grin appearing on his face.
"The what?" I asked, too frustrated to care.
"Two pints of the most foul mixture of drinks. We burn off the alcohol so you can't get drunk to make it pass easier," he pulled out a list of the drinks in this thing. My eyes glanced over it. Batarian Ale, Hanar Whiskey, Scottish Scotch. Fuck, I hate scotch. That alone made it perfect. The list continued.
"Make it!" I demanded, slamming the list down. The salarian's eyes sparkled while he made an elaborate play as he mixed the drink. He delivered two pints of... grey liquid? Foul, it lived up the name in terms of looks. This time, my sniff inspection wrinkled my nose, warning of the bitter, nose burning taste to expect. A small crowd gathered, the luxuriant play of bottles attracting those nearby. Looking around, many an eye watching me. The smell coming off this... thing. Part of me regretted this, asking to take it back. But then an image of Mat'al on a strip pole-
The cheers deafened me as one hand grabbed a glass and downed it. Chants roared up in several languages, the noise deafening the music. Well. It did what it said on the tin. My throat gagged the taste hit me, only the thought of drowning these horrible images out of my head kept me from throwing it right back up. The glass slammed back to the counter, empty, gasping for air over the thunder of voices and stamping feet. The flavour quenched all images of inappropriate men on poles, now replaced what sewage they had thrown into this. My gaze found the second pint and my stomach whined. My brain switched to its best behaviour, no murderous intents, no dirty images, nothing. It was trying to save my poor stomach from myself. The second pint was no longer needed, the first one had done the trick. The hush settled in as they waited, gearing up for the second. Fuck, it was a challenge right? The eyes on me burned my skin. My weight shuffled as my hand encircled the second one. Shit, shit, I had to do this, didn't I? Alright, what else could I vent on? The turian's hand on my ass, the human dragging me off my feet, Indira stealing my Locust, dragging me into some poor woman's house and robbing her-
My eyes found the bottom of the empty glass, the noise around me vibrating the air. My stomach rolled, my throat seized, yet my boiling blood held it all together. Which was good if you were the barman. I slammed the glass down, doubling over on a stool to let my now aching stomach recover. A moan leaked free as hands battered my back. My body shuddered, feeling cold shivers consume me. It reminded me of a cold. That thought only made my stomach cramp. It wouldn't be long before it broke me in a few minutes.
Someone touched my shoulder, feather light but my skin burned from the touch. My head lifted to face an asari with hooded eyes. Her smile curled my toes something awful but with my blood simmering, my mind was more concerned about calling a cab to the nearest hospital now. She leaned on the bar, ignoring the base. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way, forcing me to shuffle away to get some distance. She tracing her fingers along my jaw. My head jerked free, giving her a warning glare. The jerk sent my sight swimming, the room swirling and dancing before me. My stomach wailed in response.
"I'm impressed. Few have withstood my challenge. It takes a certain fortitude to take on the Embrace Swa'hila," she caught my chin with her hand. I jerked it free again, whimpering from the way my brain seemed to spin in my head.
"Thanks, but I drank it to clear some thoughts. Now, if you excuse me," I said, dropping the few credits on my person on the counter, not even caring how much it was, before pushing myself up. The room swam once more. My body swayed for a time, holding onto the bar before my legs felt confident enough to stumble towards the door. My stomach rolled when she yanked me back.
"But what about your reward?" she asked, catching my shoulders in her hands. My chin raised a notch, my vision darkening at the edges, black spots marring my vision. She was a good head taller than I. And stronger. Wait, had her eyes always been black?
"Don't want it, thanks," I said. My whole body shivered from the drinks. First Indira, and now this asari? I didn't need this, not now.
"But darling, a private show with me? My name is Morinth, I can make it worth your time," she said.
"Sorry, don't swing that way," I struggled to say, my head floating away from me. She blinked. My limbs pulled free, stumbling back against the bar. "General rule of thumb, 'If it has tits, I don't fuck it'. Though if that's how you go, I don't care," M hand grabbed the counter of the bar, steadying myself. "Men only, I'm afraid. And asari are all females," Morinth drew her eyebrows down. She held out a blinking disc.
"Well, if you ever change your mind, call me," she winked.
I took the disc from her without a word and took a few strides back towards the door. The whole room swung. My gaze fixated to the door, ignoring the way Morinth stared after me. The silence was telling, but then the bump of the base got people talking. My legs stumbled through the front door. The cold air smacked me like a crane, snapping my vision awake for a moment. I turned down an alley and threw the entire contents of my stomach up. My arm clung to a wall, desperate for help as the chills evolved into pins and needles. My body warmed, my joints ached. Then a chill ran down my spine and it chased the illness away for now. My eyes blinked, trying to see straight. Looking up as Indira finished the medi-gel application. Her face was one of awe.
"Oh, my God, you turned down Morinth!" Her voice was too loud. My body recoiled. "No one turns down Morinth! How did you do it?" she pleaded. A frown grew as my sight stabilised.
"By... saying no?" I shrugged. "I dunno. But what I do know is I'm going to a hotel and I will sleep this goddam thing off. Away from you and all your crazy,"
"Um, yeah about that," she cleared her throat. "That... disc you got," My head swung to face her. "Can I have it?"
"Pfft, no. I've taking it somewhere quiet then putting a Carnifex bullet through it," I said. Some target practise would be amazing. But it would have to wait until I was feeling 100% again.
"Wait! Wait wait wait wait wait!" Indira crouched beside me, hands on my sensitive shoulders. "OK, let me explain! I'm Indira Thermi'a, member of the Hanar Intelligence Agency as per the Compact," Uhh... what? "Several high ranking Hanar representatives have gone missing after coming to this club over the past few months. I investigated this through any means necessary. I knew the bar owner handed out a disc to people who escaped Morinth's enthralment after completing her club's challenge. We want to know what is on the discs because any who got them is never seen again or found dead. We think it contains information on where she has taken these diplomats and what she has done with them. I convinced one winner to mark it," she pointed out a scratch on the disc. "So we know this disc is handed out to every winner. I knew I couldn't do it, but if I could find someone who could..."
"So… you stole my Locust to test me?" I blinked, illness cooling any anger that tried to surface.
"Yeah. You... did much better than I thought. I worried about your resolve... then you proved to be a tough nut to crack so I thought... yeah, maybe you could do it," she said.
"And the flat?" I asked.
"An asari spy who sent thousands of credits missing from several charity pots to pay for her new mansion on Thessia," she replied with a smile. My expression emptied.
"The barman?" I coughed.
"Inside source, couldn't get the discs himself so he downplays the challenge for my folk," she winked.
"Wait, that wasn't the full thing?" I swayed with my words.
"Oh no, you would be dead if you had drunk to proper thing," Indira laughed. "The turian brandy alone would have you in a coma by now. It's just the Hanar venom that's affecting you. I'll clear up once we get you hydrated," My mind ticked the word over.
"...venom?" I echoed. Indira flushed. "Just... don't even try," I groaned, leaning my head against the bricks of the building. "The turian?"
"A known paedophile with a love for young girls of asari and human nature. He still has several rape charges pending against him," Indira answered.
"...Can I gun his nuts off?" I asked. Indira laughed.
"Internal testicles. Go wild, you'll hit them," she grinned. Well... that was... a lovely biology note. My gaze dropped to the glowing disc in my hand. It swapped between the disc and the girl pleading before me.
"Fine, but you owe me for this and the hell you put me through to get it," I said as my hand held the disc out. Indira beamed as she took the disc, slipping it into her bra.
"Thank you, Dellion! I swear I'll make this up to you!" She bounced. Something glittered further up the alley, off to my left. My face scrunched up, squinting my eyes to focus on it. "With this, we'll find out what happened to those hanar," the glitter became a torch, and something about it reminded of something with legs. It moved up and down, like it was walking. "This handy little-"
"Geth?" I frowned, staring at the torchlight pointing in my direction. Indira frowned.
"No! Disc, not geth. Are you even listening?" she pouted. Ok, that was definitely a geth light. My hand fumbled to free the Carnifex.
"No, Geth!" I grabbed her, stumbling to my feet and as it popped free, firing at the general direction of the light. My sight was far from straight and the shots missed. Numbed from the medi-gel, the bullet tearing through my left forearm felt like a pin prick. Indira saved me from another bullet by grabbing my gun and emptying the clip into the machine. I crashed hard on the ground, trying to see through the haze before my eyes. Indira stared at the shattered remains before her, giving me a long look as she ripped some of my skirt to bandage my arm.
Why where geth here? The only person who had geth was Sare-... hang on. Sovereign mentioned the Keepers, the little bug things that ran around the Citadel? And Saren was looking for the Conduit, right? And this Conduit helped bring the Reapers back. Saren could disabled the Citadel defences so he could take manual control of the Citadel relay- Wait… the Citadel was a mass relay?! My back straightened, brain igniting into overtime. The Reapers were in dark space, so the quickest way in would be through a mass relay. And the Citadel was it, so they needed to reactivate it. My head pounded, but I understood the gist of it. Saren needed to sneak onto the Citadel, this 'Conduit' was how he did it. But where was it? My legs stumbled under me as they pushed me up, leaning on Indira for support.
"C-C'mon. W-we've got an army of geth to fight," I said. Indira frowned.
"Not like this, you aren't. This way," she took my hand, dragging me out of the alley and towards a cab. Everything still spun around me.
The Timeline has been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.