Note: Things get a little steamy in this chapter.

9: The Transaction

'You get much trouble in this neighbourhood?'

Natasha trails behind him by a few paces, taking in the somewhat lacking décor within the hallway around them. It is late, or rather early, seeing as how it was three o'clock in the morning local time. The dead of the night, and the apartment complex was unnervingly quiet. That in itself was a little unusual, as the streets of New Thebes were not known for being quiet, and even within this complex there was always some kind of trouble somewhere, be it an arguing couple, a drunk vagrant, or even the odd groups of vorcha mercenaries with nothing better to do than sift through the dumpsters in the apartment complex's bowels.

'Sometimes,' Kanen told her, and he stopped by the door into his apartment. There were only a few other such rooms on this level, being one of the upper floors where the larger and more expensive abodes were situated. Kanen's mercenary career had paid well enough to create a comfortable living here, even if deep down he knew it was unlikely to be permanent. Eventually, he would have to leave, be it because of sparse job opportunities or the fact that his list of enemies here on Anhur had simply become too long to keep a lid on. After tonight, he suspected he would have to clear off of here very soon, yet with Natasha with him he felt he could afford to linger a little while longer. After all, she needed his help and despite all his wariness about the whole situation, Kanen was not the kind of man to refuse a pretty young woman. Sure, she was human, but quarians were close enough in overall physical appearance that he could find more than one thing to like about Natasha's own figure.

'This place isn't really geared for anyone other than myself,' he told her, as he fiddled with the control panel by the door. First, he keyed in his passcode, and as an additional means of security the scanner within that panel took note of the unique readings his environment suit offered. After a moment, the door unlocked, sliding open to reveal the initial living area of his apartment. It was somewhat more cluttered than he would have liked, and he stepped inside and switched on the lights.

'You got a couch?' Natasha asked, and she followed after him. Looking about the apartment's interior, she gave a satisfied nod. Her eyes drifted to the couch in front of the main vid-screen. 'Of course, you do, I mean. I can sleep there. God knows I'm tired.'

Kanen locked the door after her. He watched her take some further steps inside, eyes roaming the living area and the nearby kitchen. She was taking in every detail no less, among them potential escape routes in case of trouble. The window over at the kitchen had its shutters partially closed, and the neon blue light from the large billboard across the street seeped through, casting much of the living area in a deep blue glow. This was rebuffed somewhat by the standard light fitting now switched on in the living room.

'You got anything to drink?' Natasha strolled over to the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator door. One look inside confirmed her suspicions. 'Dextro-rations. Not my thing. Too sweet.' She shook her head before she closed the door. Kanen had stopped in the middle of the room and was now watching her, trying to make sense of this strange woman and her apparently blasé attitude towards the danger they had recently evaded.

'I think you owe me an explanation before I owe you a meal,' he told her. She turned around then, her previously upbeat demeanour evaporating. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, her generally pleasant features adopting a look that was anything but.

'An explanation? You mean, do I have to explain how I saved your life?'

'From a situation you placed me into,' Kanen countered. 'You called me out there and for what? So I could have an entire criminal establishment try to kill me?'

'They were after me, not you.'

'And they knew that I knew you, Natasha. They were going to use me to get to you.'

'Obviously.'

'Yes, obviously.' Kanen scowled at her, and he knew Natasha could make out the way his eyes narrowed through the faceplate of his helmet. 'What have you gotten me into?'

Natasha did not reply straight away. Rather, she took a few steps towards him before she leaned against the kitchen countertop, her demeanour shifting to one much more ill-at-ease than it had been previously. Here was a woman quite unwilling to tell all, yet she no doubt cared enough about him to entertain the notion, nonetheless.

'You've helped me out, Kanen.'

'Yes, I have.' The quarian took a few steps closer. He had to resist the urge to simply lunge for her and grab her, as if to shake the answers out of her. He owed her after she had pulled him out of the fire, yet at the same time he knew that it was her fault he had been in danger in the first place.

'So, a little transparency wouldn't go astray,' he added. 'What's really going on? What did you do that's got most criminals and mercenaries around here gunning for you?'

'Well, you know how I had you pass that information to the turians?'

'Yeah, I know. You paid me for the assistance.'

'I couldn't be seen attached to that information.' Natasha sighed then, out of resignation or frustration Kanen could not tell. 'The turians may have recognized me.'

'Is that so?' Kanen had to admit, this was getting more and more intriguing. Just what had this human woman been up to that had netted her the attention of the turian military?

'The turians launched a raid on a compound. A compound that I infiltrated. Their attack was cover, ensuring they'll take the blame for anything found to be stolen from that compound.' She blurted all of this out quickly, as if the faster she said it the better she would feel. Kanen did not reply, he simply gaped at her, trying to make sense of the full implications of what he had just heard.

'Thing is, I think I was set up. Somehow, someone somewhere knows I was involved. That's where your friends at that club come in. They were after the bounty.' Natasha ran a hand through her black hair, shaking her head slowly in turn. 'This is all kinds of messed up. I don't know what I'm going to do.'

'You're going to get out of here as soon as you can,' Kanen stated. He felt that simply being around this woman was going to get him into all kinds of trouble. She looked up, and for a moment there he thought he saw disappointment on her face. It was gone quickly however, replaced with a somewhat firmer expression.

'I've already been shot at enough tonight,' Kanen added. Natasha stepped towards him, stopping such that she was barely a foot away. She looked into his eyes as best she could, even with the tinted faceplate between them. Curiosity became apparent on her face then, and she gave him a small smirk.

'You're connected here, Kanen. I need your help.'

'No, you don't. Come morning, you're out of here.' Kanen meant what he said. Whatever mess she had become embroiled within, he hardly wanted to join her in it. She was right about him being connected, however; he had worked on Anhur for several years now, and he knew people all the way up to the colony government level. Corruption was rife here, and a talented mercenary such as himself knew just how best to take advantage of it.

'Kanen, that's hardly a way to speak to a friend, is it?' Natasha sounded almost insulted. He got the impression she was playing it up. 'We are friends, right?'

'Friends?' Kanen shook his head. 'We've done business and that's it. That hardly makes us friends.' He paused then, and the implication she had offered registered in him at that moment: 'You want my help? Does that mean you're willing to pay?'

'Ever the mercenary, aren't we?' Natasha's smile broadened. 'I want your help and I can offer you something in exchange for it. Thing is, it won't be monetary. I'm kind of strapped for cash after the last payment I made to you.' Her eyes met his through the faceplate. He saw her smile fade, almost as quickly as it had come along. 'It's just, I need help, Kanen. I'm all alone here. I've got no one I can trust.'

'You trust me?' Kanen was about to add that this was likely a mistake. However, Natasha cut in before he could continue:

'Only a little more than I would anyone else.' Natasha titled her head slightly, curiosity evident in her gaze. 'I need your help, Kanen.'

'So pay me.'

Natasha rolled her eyes, shaking her head slowly.

'I would, but I'm kind of low on credits at the moment. Sort of blew them all on getting your help, as well as setting up this whole thing.' She paused, and her expression hardened somewhat. 'I may have attracted the attention of Cerberus.'

Kanen had heard of them and had known of the facility they had here on Anhur, but he had never had any direct interactions with that particular organization. A pro-human paramilitary, numerous rumours abounded about things they may or may not have done, ranging from terrorist attacks to unethical medical experiments. He still had contacts in the Migrant Fleet, and he had heard something about Cerberus attempting to infiltrate that fleet some time ago. Details were sparse on that front, and he was not on good terms with the few friends he still had back in the Fleet. What he did know was that a bunch of quarians die, which suggested that Cerberus was one group he was best to avoid.

'They had a facility, way out in the countryside. I stole a few things of theirs.' She sounded proud of this fact. Kanen, on the other hand, simply figured it to have been a foolish thing to do.

'And now they've put a price on your head.'

'But that's just it, they couldn't have known it was me. I was careful.'

'Not careful enough, apparently.'

Natasha's gaze soured and she took a few steps towards him. She seemed suddenly more animated, and Kanen got the impression that underneath her apparently relaxed façade, the anxiety and fear of what she had fallen into was becoming all too hard to control.

'Damn it Kanen, I'm asking for your help!' Her voice suddenly raising in volume did catch Kanen by surprise, and he found himself taking one small step back and away from her. 'You almost got killed tonight because of me. I won't have that on my conscience.'

'Well Natasha, that just warms my heart.' Kanen smirked under the helmet, and despite the partly shrouded visor he could tell that Natasha had recognized the gesture simply from the movements of his gleaming eyes.

'You think this is funny?'

'It is funny, in a dark sort of way. You think someone betrayed you? Put your name out there?'

'They had to have. And it can't have been you. They almost killed you to get to me.' She had calmed down now, no doubt figuring her outburst was hardly going to change anything here. Kanen had faced far more intimidating people than her, and Natasha had probably realised that.

'But if it wasn't Cerberus, then who could it have been?' Kanen asked her, and he was honestly curious. After all, the more he learned about what was going on, the better off he would be since he could best avoid the whole mess. Becoming embroiled with Natasha struck him as a sure-fire way to get killed.

'That's what we've got to find out.'

'There's no "we" here, Natasha.' Kanen shook his head slowly. 'You can't drag me any deeper into this. Whatever's going on is your problem. You can stay here for the night but come morning I want you gone. Last thing I need are bounty hunters storming my apartment looking for you.'

Natasha met his gaze, and a mix of surprise and anger caused her face to scrunch up in a way that was hardly flattering for her.

'So, that's it, then? You're just washing your hands of me?'

'Is that a human expression?' Kanen took a moment to ponder this, before he simply nodded in the affirmative: 'Hell Natasha, I'm not just washing my hands, I'm doing a full decontamination. Once it's sunrise, I want you out of here. You got that?'

Natasha did not reply straight away. Rather, a silence fell between them, one that brought to the fore the tension that had been gradually building between them. Neither spoke, neither even knew what to really add, just that Kanen was set in his decision and Natasha was desperate. She certainly struck him as much, and no matter how capable she may have been she was in over her head. Kanen had to wonder what had compelled her to go after Cerberus, but he supposed that was just one of many things he did not know about this woman. Was Natasha even her real name? Did she work for some other organization? She had used him to involve the turians, and in so doing had created an elaborate cover for her to slip into the Cerberus facility and take what she had wanted. No doubt they would believe the turians were responsible, which then begged the question as to why she was suddenly in their crosshairs. Just thinking about it in this way only encouraged Kanen to try and steer clear of the whole affair. Nothing good could come of this craziness.

'What did you steal from them?' It was more curiosity that spurred this line of questioning on. Kanen saw her shift uneasily where she stood, and it was apparent that she was not willing to answer.

'You won't help me, Kanen. Why should I tell you?'

'If you pay me, I'll be more than happy to help.'

'I just said I've got little in the way of money. But whatever I make from what I recovered from that facility I can share with you. A small percentage.'

'I ain't waiting for a "small percentage",' Kanen scoffed. 'I've been in this game long enough to want money up front. Usually half, sometimes I settle for a quarter depending on the amount. But you always ask for something up front. If you don't, then too many of the bastards you work for will screw you over. I've even had a few former employers of mine outright try to kill me.'

'I won't try to kill you, Kanen.' Natasha sounded surprisingly earnest then. Kanen might have laughed, had his patience not been wearing thin.

'That's good to know,' he stated. 'But it won't pay the bills. The power in this place alone sets me back more than I would like. Comes with running a clean room.' He nodded to the door across the room, through which was a small decontamination chamber followed by his own personalised cleanroom environment.

'How much did that set you back?'

'Too much. But it seemed worth it when I had ongoing employment here.'

'Looks like the Governor got tired of you.' Natasha gave him a small smile then, not intending the remark to be an insult. Nonetheless, Kanen felt a spike of annoyance when he was reminded of his former boss.

'The Governor is a corrupt bastard,' Kanen countered. 'But corruption pays better, because all that money they get under the table can be used to pay you more. You haven't been here long, Natasha, so I'll try to make it as clear to you as I can: Corruption and violence are facts of life here. If you can't bribe someone, then the next best thing is to kill them outright. It's a damn free-for-all and it has been ever since the war ended. Except that it never really ended, it just went underground and out in the wilderness. And here you are, diving feet first into the muck and now you're in a panic because things didn't go quite according to plan. You're desperate, Natasha, and I can smell it a mile away even through my environment suit.'

He had spoken harshly but succinctly, preferring honesty more than anything else. He could see Natasha's mood sour then and there, smile fading, her demeanour shifting to something distinctly more morose. And then, within a matter of moments, she straightened up and took a few steps towards him.

'I thought we were friends, Kanen.' Her voice was low, just loud enough for him to hear her. Was she upset? Kanen supposed if she was, she was more likely to leave. He could try and upset her some more then, yet her sudden change in mood had caught him by surprise. This was not her being upset, and he found her looking at him in a manner she had not before, not really. It was the kind of look that, from a woman, could stop a man in his tracks regardless of species.

'Hardly…' Kanen started, but she interrupted him.

'You worry about money; you worry about getting by here. You must be so alone.' Natasha injected her voice with just enough sympathy that whatever Kanen had been about to say caught in his throat. 'We can help each other. You're the only one on this damn planet I can trust to some degree. And you know it better than most.'

'Yeah, but I like to get paid for my services.' Kanen was not sure what to make of this sudden turn in the conversation. He knew he was being obstinate, and to say he did not care at all about this woman would be a lie. Of course he cared, he was simply afraid of the consequences of getting further caught up with her.

'As I said, I can promise you something of what I'll get paid if I offload what I found to the right people,' Natasha said. 'But if you're so determined for payment upfront, well, I can offer you some other form of incentive.' She reached out and put a hand to his chest, resting it upon the modified chest plate of his suit. To a quarian, this was a somewhat more intimate gesture than it might have been to an unsuited species. Did Natasha know this? Maybe, it was hard to tell. Nonetheless, she seemed to know exactly what she was doing.

'How long has it been since you touched someone, without the suit in the way?' She asked him, and she trailed her hand down his suited chest, over the pouches and compartments there, all the while looking strangely disappointed that she was unable to actually touch him properly. 'You're the only one of your kind here. You must be so alone.'

'I get by all right,' Kanen said, although even he thought his voice sounded hollow. Natasha was right, of course; he had gone a long time without feeling the touch of anyone but himself. Sure, Anhur was a world in which every vice one could imagine could be found in its seedy underbelly. And yet, as a quarian such dalliances tended to be more trouble than they were worth.

'You're not a very good liar, Kanen,' she told him, offering him a small smile. 'It's in your voice.'

'Yeah, well, I think you're going in the wrong direction here, Natasha.'

'Am I?' She looked almost hurt, although he suspected she was playing it up a bit, complete with slightly widened eyes and pouted lips. 'I want you. Do I have to put it in writing?'

'There are millions of human men on Anhur,' he countered, trying to ignore his increasingly rapid heartbeat. 'Surely one of them is willing to sleep with you?'

'What if I said I was curious? About you, about what's under that mask. And that I'd gladly take any opportunity I could to take a look?'

'In exchange for my help?'

'Consider it a friendly arrangement.'

Kanen's gut instinct told him that becoming anymore entangled with this woman would be a mistake. He had almost died tonight because of her, although to her credit she had saved his life. And now it seemed she was willing to provide certain favours to get him on board with her further. There was no denying her overall attractiveness, even if she was human.

'It doesn't have to be anything more,' Natasha said.

'No, of course not.' Kanen sighed. Damn it all, this woman was going to get him into some serious trouble. More so than she already had.

'Look, if you really want to see what's under this mask, there are a few things we have to do first.' He nodded in the direction of the door at the other end of the living area, a sealed metal one that went into the confines of the custom decontamination chamber that, in turn, opened to the clean room.

Natasha's gaze followed his gesture, and as she strolled past him with curiosity set in her face, Kanen emitted a sigh. Quieter, barely above a whisper and only just loud enough for him to hear, he spoke:

'I feel like I'm going to regret this.'

To say that Natasha was a fine example of the human female would be, in Kanen's view, somewhat of an understatement. She was young, that much was clear; barely twenty-five, or so he figured. Lithe in frame, her body carrying with it a wiry athleticism, it was readily apparent that she worked to keep herself fit. This was not a woman who engaged in much real leisure and given what she had done here on Anhur it seemed likely she had been running about the galaxy from one spot of trouble to another for some time, always somehow slipping her way out of it. One had to keep in shape for such a lifestyle, much in the same way Kanen always worked to keep himself fit if he intended to survive as a mercenary on a dangerous world. And now Natasha was here, ingratiating herself into his life for better or for worse.

The decontamination chamber was small, taking up what had previously been a bathroom in the apartment before Kanen had paid thousands to have it overhauled. It was all a sterile grey in here, lit by cool blue lighting that cast everything in a cool, if subdued, glow. Natasha's previous confidence seemed to have given way to a muted shyness now, a result of having been requested to divest herself of her clothing in order for a proper decontamination scan. Kanen had started doing the same, feeling only a bit awkward now that he had another set of eyes to watch him do it.

Whereas she had stripped easily, depositing her clothing into a compartment built into the wall, Kanen's suit took a bit more effort. Various pieces had to be carefully unclipped and set aside, and for this he had a larger compartment in the wall complete with specifically arranged clips and hooks for each piece. Natasha watched him with a small smile, eyes taking in every bit of new exposure as he slowly pulled away the protective plating of his suit. And then came the flexible under-suit, and this was somewhat easier, using something akin to a zipper to peel parts of it away from him. He loosened up some sections, before he made a move for his helmet. However, it was then that Natasha approached him in all her naked glory, and she offered him a smirk as she put a hand to his face plate.

'Can I?' She asked, an eager look to her face.

Kanen tried not to stare at her naked form for too long. Damn, this was more awkward than he had expected it to be. He had not been this close to a woman for far too long. And by "close", he of course referred to something beyond simply brushing past one in the street. From the way Natasha was watching him, broad smile on her face, he got the impression that this whole thing was more than a mere transaction.

'Sure.' He took a deep breath, a reflexive action when faced with the imminent removal of his helmet. Natasha found the appropriate clips at the base of his faceplate, and with a careful tug she pulled it free. Kanen felt the rush of purified air from the decontamination room's scrubbers, and he saw Natasha's expression lighten with what he took to be pleasant surprise. She put aside the face plate, before she helped him pull his helmet clear altogether. He was still trying not to stare at her naked body, but this was far easier said than done. She had all the right curves in all the right places, and her breasts were perky, if in perfect proportion to her overall size. The chill of the decontamination room had caused a rush of gooseflesh upon her, and he saw that her nipples had firmed up as well. Her skin was mostly bereft of any noticeable blemishes, no real scars to speak of, with light freckling and the odd mole here and there.

'Come on Kanen,' she told him, smirking. 'You're way overdressed.'

Kanen worked himself out of his under-suit altogether, his muscular physique on full display. He could feel her eyes roaming over his body now, as bare as hers was, and he could only wonder as to what she thought of it. The decontamination scanners started up then, a gentle blue wall of light that passed over the both of them several times over. Just about every potentially harmful bacterium and general unwanted particle was sterilised off of the pair of them, and to Kanen the sensation brought a light tingle across his bare skin. His eyes gleamed all the more so now, stark in the subdued lighting. His skin was a subtle blue shade, and a set of vaguely glowing lines worked their way down from his face, along his neck and then across his torso.

Natasha stepped forwards, and here she touched him for the first time proper. Her hands went to his chest, trailing lightly over the muscles of his pectorals, and her fingers briefly touched upon the pair of glowing marks that wormed their way down his chest. She seemed curious, although it took Kanen a moment to realise she was talking to him then. He was simply too taken aback by the sensation of her fingers on his bare skin, every caress setting his nerves alight. To have spent so long in that suit, starved of direct physical contact, had ensured that what he felt now was almost overwhelming. He had to calm himself, and he took a few deep breaths in an effort to do just that.

'What are these lines of yourd?' Natasha asked him, looking up to meet his gaze. Her hands roamed down his sides, and Kanen could feel at least one of them working its way around to his rear.

'Natural skin patterns,' Kanen answered, as soon as he brought his heartrate under better control. 'Every quarian's is unique. I'm not exactly sure what they do, it's some kind of evolutionary holdover.'

'They're nice,' Natasha stated, although her interest had gone elsewhere. He felt her then firmly grasp one buttock, and from the look she gave it seemed she was pleased by what she felt. 'Has anyone ever told you that you have a nice ass?'

'Well, not many people have seen it.' He had to relax; this was supposed to be fun for him. If anything, he felt as if he was simply satisfying this woman's curiosity more than anything else. He realised he still had his hands hanging by his side, whereas hers were now proceeding to feel all over him. He had to shut out the thought of those human hands being covered in germs; the decontamination beam had taken care of them, at least for the time being.

'You seem nervous?' She asked him.

'Just how I get when I'm out of the suit.' He was about to add a remark about how sick he was going to feel after tonight, but he decided against it. No need to spoil the mood any further. Slowly, with some trepidation, he placed his hands upon the woman in front of him. They roamed her sides, then her chest, and her found himself fondling her breasts, realising once again that it had been far too long before he had done such a thing. He heard her gasp at his touch there, and Kanen finally smiled. He was doing something right, and he felt his confidence start to rush on back to him.

She was a few inches shorter than he was, and as such she had to put a hand to the back of his head to coax it down to her. The move took him by surprise, but he leaned into it nonetheless. Her lips went to his own, his first kiss in what felt like a lifetime. Her tongue worked its way into his mouth, and Kanen pushed out any and all thoughts of hygiene as he plunged headlong into a long, intense kiss. It was one that spoke of what felt like wasted time to him, time spent in his suit alone on a dangerous planet where everyone wanted something in return for even the smallest of favours. A place where mercenaries were easy to find, but good ones far more difficult to locate. A place where every day was a fight for survival, all the more so for the exiled quarian, now turned mercenary, who was now perhaps biting off more than he could chew when it came to the young woman now pressed up against him.

Suddenly, she broke from the kiss and, sultry look to her face, brought one hand downllower. It found its way around his now engorged member. Kanen gasped as she grabbed it, the sensation there all the more sensitive than anything anywhere else on his body.

'Are quarian men all this gifted, or is it just you?' Natasha remarked.

'You don't need to flatter me, Natasha. Honestly, I think I'm kind of average.' Kanen looked her in the eye, seeing within it hours of plans intended for him this night. Who was really getting what they wanted here, he wondered? If anything, Natasha was far more eager than he was and it showed.

She kissed him again, trailing a line of them down his chest as she lowered herself to her knees. Kanen knew what was coming now, bracing himself as she brought her face to the level of his crotch. She looked up at him, offering him that smirk of hers once more, before she leaned forwards and slowly worked his length into her mouth. He let out a hiss at the sensation, at the warmth and the wetness that now engulfed him, and he put a hand through her hair as she began to bob back-and-forth steadily upon his erection.

They were on the bed in short order, and he found himself above her, Natasha splayed before him with her hair loosened down from its prior ponytail. The lighting in here carried with it the same muted blue shade as what had been in the decontamination room, offering just enough for him to take in her every inch of her. He steadied himself on one arm as he leaned forwards and kissed her again, nipping at her neck, suckling on her breasts, before he trailed further attentions down her stomach and towards her moistened core. She kept this part of her clean-shaven, which suited him just fine; he heard her emit a gasp as he lavished attention on her slit, finding that small bud that sent her writhing before him.

However, as fun as the foreplay was, he would not be content until he had ravished her. Opportunities like this did not come often for him, so he was hardly going to waste it now. Hovering over her, he kissed her on the lips again so that she might taste herself upon him. And then he leaned back slightly, catching sight of the desire cast in her blue eyes. He stroked his cock against the inside of her thigh, allowing her to feel his need for her. It was her who took hold of it then, gently guiding it for her slick, warm core. Slowly, working himself into her inch by inch, he finally hilted himself inside her. She wrapped her legs about his waist then, drawing him closer as if to try and pull him in deeper.

Kanen relished in the immediate sensations offered, so much more amplified for a quarian used to being in his suit. The thought that he would have to thoroughly decontaminate the bedsheets occurred to him then, a worry for another time that he promptly pushed out of his mind. Instead, he began to rock his hips slowly, drawing a low moan from the woman beneath him. He leaned in and she brought her head up as to plant their lips together once more. At the same time, he bucked into her steadily, feeling the heat and the pressure building within him. To put it simply, she felt amazing. And judging from the noises she was making beneath him, he felt just as good to her.

He might have changed positions, but he was too far along to want to bother. He simply wanted her, wanted to commit this whole experience to memory, the feel of her clenching around him and the sight of her naked and flushed body spread before him. Who knew when he would get another chance like this again? With that in mind, he steadied himself with one hand clutching the headboard above him and started to rut into her quickly. Her moans turned into cries then, and just as he was nearing his utmost peak, he felt her get there first.

She let out a mostly incoherent cry as she spasmed beneath him, and as her inner walls tightened about him Kanen was brought over the edge with her. His rhythm halted, his hips jerked forwards and he buried himself inside her as deeply as he could, spilling within her.

Panting heavily, he allowed himself to relax somewhat as he descended from that high. He looked down at her, at her heaving chest and the way her breasts wobbled with each breath she took, at the way her face had flushed and how her skin felt slightly sweaty. It was cool in here, but their exertions had seen Natasha work up some measure of sweat.

Kanen rolled off of her, manhood softening, glistening in the cool blue light. He laid down beside her, staring up at the ceiling and wondering just how sick he was going to be tomorrow.

'Hmm…' Natasha rolled over and pressed herself against him. She looked up, drawing his gaze back to her. 'Feel better now?'

'Yeah.' Kanen watched her closely. She seemed content, yet he also detected an element of hunger in the look she gave him.

'Don't fall asleep just yet,' she told him, and she ran a hand down his chest. Kanen sighed at the touch, and he wrapped an arm about her as to draw her in closer. 'There's so much more I want to do to you.'

The next few hours were ones he made sure to commit to memory as best as he possibly could. This woman was insatiable, all too eager to put this quarian through his paces. And in the end, when she had finally laid down to sleep, Kanen followed suit. He went to sleep feeling somewhat more content than usual, even if deep down he figured this whole escapade would be a one-off thing. Somehow, he figured Natasha would not be offering it again anytime soon. Still, it was something to hope for, even if that was probably exactly what she wanted of him. To be left hoping, hanging around and doing as she wanted whilst entertaining some small hope that she would take him to bed again. It seemed human women could be every bit as cunning and manipulative as quarian women.

At some point in the early hours of the morning, he awoke with a start. Natasha was asleep, still pressed up against him, so it had not been her who had woken him. Instead, it was an incessant beeping noise, one emanating from the small desk at the other side of the room. Carefully, he extricated himself from Natasha's clutches, the woman stirring slightly where she lay but otherwise remaining asleep.

He stepped across the room and went to the computer terminal at the desk. He saw at a glance that one of the cameras out in the hall had activated at the passing by of an unidentified individual. The systems virtual intelligence was programmed to alert him to any unusual visitors, and it knew the regulars, primarily other tenants of the building, by sight. It was close to six o'clock in the morning, and Kanen sure was not expecting anyone at this early hour. He rather preferred to sleep in, especially when he had no job on the cards at the moment.

The cameras he had hidden about the corridor outside were something he had done shortly after moving in, without the knowledge of the other tenants. They were well-hidden and on a secured network, so no outsiders would be able to hack the feeds (not easily, anyway). One could not be too careful on Anhur, especially the one and only quarian on the planet.

The unidentified individual was little more than an unassuming man who looked to be in his mid-thirties who had passed by view of the camera. He wore a black jacket and blue trousers, his complexion light and his hair blonde. He strolled on down the corridor outside, barely taking a second glance at any of the doors he passed by. It was not unusual for strangers to come by, be they visitors to neighbours or wanderers who had snuck in off the street. The latter were usually caught by security, the former being of no concern to Kanen. However, just as he was about to head back for bed, the feed on the camera suddenly died. Little more than a black screen took its place, complete with the words 'SIGNAL LOST' flashing in red in its centre.

Frowning, he switched to another feed. He had half a dozen of the things concealed on this floor alone, and all of them were now non-functional. As soon as he saw this, he stood up and turned for the woman still sleeping in his bed.

'Natasha, get up—' He started, one hand already partway to the pistol he had stashed under the desk. Natasha only started to stir then, shifting about amongst the sheets with her eyes half open. Kanen snatched up the pistol where it had been magnetically clamped to the underside of the desk, yet by the time he had it in hand and ready to fire the door of his apartment blew open. Within seconds, whoever was now charging their way inside were at the door of the decontamination room, and there they wasted no time shorting the lock.

Natasha sat upright then, her eyes widening upon hearing the crash of the door in the next room blowing open. She threw herself off of the bed, only to remember that she had left her gun and her clothes in the decontamination room. Kanen looked to the door of his bedroom/clean room, fearful that a whole lot of unpurified air was about to stream on inside. Haphazardly, he went for his wardrobe, but he was only part of the way there when the door slid open.

There were four of them, clad in black sets of armour, human or so Kanen assumed. Their faces were hidden under helmets and tinted visors, and they charged into the room two at a time with assault rifles raised. Kanen turned to face them, well aware that he was still stark naked, yet he was in no position to get dressed. Natasha swept a blanket off of the bed and attempted to cover herself up, her wide-eyed expression having given way to something Kanen thought to be resignation.

'Get down, get down!' One of the troopers barked the words, moving towards Kanen with his rifle pointed squarely at the quarian. Kanen raised his pistol, although it struck him as foolish to try anything here. There were four guns now pointed his way, and he only had one. The armour these intruders wore offered protection he currently lacked, and no doubt they had kinetic barriers in place as well. He might fire a shot, only for it to be absorbed by any one of those barriers. In return, he would be riddled with bullets. An unceremonious end for Anhur's one and only quarian mercenary.

'Put it down, Kanen,' Natasha said, from where she stood a short distance to his right. She sighed. 'I don't think they're here to kill us.'

Kanen turned to her, and she returned his gaze with one of her own, filled with worry. Not so much for the people who had barged inside unannounced, but rather for him. Tonight's activities had been more than a simple transaction, at least for her.

'You'd best do it, Kanen'Jaslek.' A man's voice sounded from behind the four soldiers. Kanen looked up, gun still raised, as the blonde-haired man he had seen on the camera feed strolled into the room between the two pairs of armoured soldiers. He met the quarian's eye with a stern, but unthreatening look. 'We're not here to kill you. What we would like is to take you in, ask you some questions.'

'Who the hell are you?' He was exposed to the outside air now, that was for sure. His immune system had become somewhat more robust than most quarians during the years he had spent here, but it seemed unlikely that it would help him much now.

'You might ask her,' the man stated, and he nodded towards Natasha. Kanen turned to her again, and he noticed Natasha's expression had become noticeably sheepish. 'It's good to see you again, Agent Vasiya. Even if you are underdressed.'

Kanen could not help but feel some small stab of betrayal, even if he had known full well that this woman had not been upfront with him. Whoever these people were, they had come here for her, and once again Kanen could not help but think that she was dragging him into something much more serious than avoiding a simple bounty on her head. Slowly and with some reluctance, Kanen lowered the pistol, holding his hands up as the four troopers watched him.

'Fine, take me in. Doesn't look like I have much of a choice.' He felt a chill then, courtesy of the draught now billowing into his room. 'Could I at least get suited up? I'm going to have one hell of a fever soon enough.'