Chapter 15: Getting Pulled Back In
Of all the ways
Commander Shepard could have returned in my life it just had to be
with me behind a desk of a major office in an executive dress, mouth
full of spicy veggies and local protein looking like a deer in
headlights. I honestly didn't know whether or not to finish my
mouthful or let it flop out with indignity.
Unfortunately my
brain didn't get the memo to my mouth fast enough.
“What the hell are
you doing here?!” I blurted out, sending out masticated chunks of
lunch.
Shepard flashed a
smile and sat down at my desk, in full armor nonetheless, and
responded, “I'm here to discuss a new major development that you
want to be a part of.”
I quickly wiped my
mouth with a napkin and hailed Erika to hold my calls and
appointments, mentioning I was being questioned by a Spectre. I then
flashed my most practiced toothy smile and started fiddling with my
Omni-Tool under the desk.
“Commander
Shepard, hero of the battle of the Citadel, what ever could bring you
all the way to Thessia just to see me? As you can see I'm a
legitimate businesswoman now, my criminal past behind me-”
Then the cameras and
audio recording equipment were de-activated.
“- and you have
some nerve showing up after two years off the grid.” I snarled,
letting my anger show.
“I thought you
were dead! I thought you were captured! The Reapers are more than
just geth and indoctrinated sleeper agents you know!” I blurted
out.
“Glad to see the
white collar life hasn't changed you that much, Variza,” Shepard
commented, “that's exactly why I came to seek you out. I am looking
for people to help me on a top-secret mission.”
And just like that,
my corporate induced malaise evaporated, and with it my righteous
indignation. That old rush of traveling the galaxy again, fighting
for a new tomorrow overwhelmed me. The excitement. The rush. The
terror. The danger. The fact that I nearly died on at least four
separate occasions. The haunting visage of Saren's twisted metal maw
as he put me on death's door with a single shot.
“Get somebody
else.” I said after a few dozen heartbeats. “I'm no warrior, and
I get a feeling I already know what the mission is so I can tell I'm
not suited for it.”
“Variza, if what
you told me so long ago is true, then I know you want to find some
way to help the hundreds of human colonists that have gone missing by
the Collectors.” Shepard remarked. “You still have some human
pride right.”
He did have me
there. The asari are some of the most empathic and caring people in
the galaxy. But at the same time they take forever to do anything and
think about long-term way too much. It's like being a chihuahua in a
world of sloths. And the sloths run cable news and run the stock
market.
“Yeah, but I also
know my limitations.” I finally confessed. “That fight with Saren
was a wake-up call. You, Garrus, Wrex, Tali. You guys are amazing,
some of the biggest badasses around. I don't want to hamstring that
kind of efficiency when we have trillions of lives at stake.”
“Which is why you
won't be on the front lines.”
“Excuse me, what?”
Shepard got up from
his chair and moved towards my window, taking in my view of the asari
planet.
“First, let's
evaluate the situation, including the details so we're on the same
page.”
I shrugged while
swiveling my chair to address him. “Of course. The devil's in the
details as they say.”
“First, as of a
few months ago, various human colonies have gone missing. Instances
of communications going out, several hours of silence, then when a
team goes in to investigate, no one is left. Like they just vanished.
“Then while I was
investigating a report of a similar instance happening on the colony
of Freedom's Progress, I bumped into a squad of quarians, a search
party looking for a friend of theirs who was on the colony helping
them with repairs of some kind. We found him locked down in a bunker
with a lot of improvised traps and counter-measures. But it also gave
us crucial information and confirmation of the threat to the Alliance
and what had happened to the colonists”
“The Collectors.”
I responded. Shepard simply pointed at me in confirmation.
“From there, we
were able to determine that their ships have been going in and out of
the Omega-4 relay, a Mass Relay in the network that no one dares to
use. Anyone who does is never heard from again.”
“And in order to
figure out what they're doing with the colonists you are assembling a
crack team of the best scientists, engineers, soldiers, assassins,
and pilots to go through the relay, see what the Collector's are
doing and stop them.” I rushed out. “Yes, I am aware of how the
script goes.”
Shepard then turned
to me, his face like stone, “Then you should know that things have
changed.”
I blinked several
times and took some sips from my drink, hoping to drown my
impatience.
“Please, enlighten
me then. I have been out of the loop after all.” I said after
several pensive swallows.
“What I didn't
explain was that during my time on Freedom's Progress was there was
a third party there, hostile to both my fireteam and the quarians.
Cerberus.”
“That's a bit of a
surprise. They've mostly been in the business of unethical
experimentation and human supremacy nonsense.”
“Well they got
some help. Apparently some of the technology obtained from
Sovereign's remains got into Cerberus' hands. Whoever that fireteam
was, they were good. Really good. Apparently they were after
information about the Collectors as well, and were willing to put us
down to get to it.”
“At least you put
them down right?”I asked hopefully.
“No. We managed to
pin them down but they got away with some well placed flashbangs.
Whoever they are, they're still out there. Bolstered by
reverse-engineered Reaper tech.”
I took several
moments to mull this over.
“So you're still
recruiting for your big suicide mission, but due to the interference
of Cerberus, you can't be in two places at once. Which means you need
my help for the recruitment procedure.”
“To go to places
in the galaxy I can't, to convince the kind of people that won't
listen to me.” Shepard added, a hint of relief in his tone.
“Why? The Council
too worried about legal ramifications or war breaking out?” I
sarcastically remarked.
“Actually, no. The
Council is behind this mission completely. The problem is my new
organization doesn't have enough agents to undertake such a mission.
Which is why I'm recruiting your services.”
A new organization?
I stared at him utterly puzzled. His expression turned to one of
amusement.
“It's quite
fitting considering Cerberus started as the Alliance's black ops
organization before splintering off that we created a new version of
it to fight them, don't you think?”
I couldn't help but
laugh at the irony.
“Alright fine,
Shepard. I'll help you recruit some crazy people for your big suicide
mission. Forward the information to my account and I'll keep in touch
with who I find and send them your way.”
Shepard gave a
genuine smile after that. I rose to shake his hand and he made his
way towards the exit.
“Just one more
thing before you go.” I called out. He stopped at the threshold.
“With all the
money the council is giving away with the Hephaestus Initiative to
bring up arms development and you having their full support, why are
you still low on supplies and recruits?”
Shepard turned to me
and simply said, “Because they're too busy working on the Crucible
project. It wasn't on Ilos, it was on Mars. You can thank Liara for
the discovery.”
Then he left.
I slumped in my
chair and finished my lunch. The closest thing to comfort I'm going
to have for a long time.
The rest of my day
went by in a haze. By the time I fully absorbed what I was about to
undertake I was already at my elevator going back up to my penthouse.
As per my ritual, I undid my high heels and slumped into the wall,
just glad it was over.
Then the doors
opened and instead of my usual welcoming abode of solitude, there was
another asari in my bed. Spread out in luscious erotic glory like a
pin-up girl in a dirty magazine. Her figure alluring in every way.
The lights didn't full illuminate her face, but her voice came out
like sweet honey.
“Hello stranger”
she crooned, taking a moment to stretch her arms out, if only to arch
her back and thrust out her chest.
I carefully kept my
hand near my thigh holster and approached slowly.
“Hello yourself.”
I responded back, looking around my apartment for signs of a
struggle. Blast marks, cuts, broken glass. My eyes turned up with
nothing. “I don't recall giving my number to anyone at a bar,
miss. So forgive me if I'm not exactly running up to greet you.”
“Oh, I think this
might clear that up.” she responded, her voice full of sultry
temptation. She tapped my personal holo display on the bedside table
and a recorded message came up.
“Hey boss, it's
Erika. Listen, we here at the company really do appreciate what you
do for us. Compared to other companies you've been generous with our
health care packages and even took several pay cuts rather than
downsizing. So we kind of chipped in and got you a little companion
for the night. It wasn't exactly cheap, but you're worth it. Besides
you clearly need a night to yourself. Hope you have fun Miss T'Som.”
The mysterious
figure then sat up and started casually stripping. It looked like a
tight leather outfit of some kind. It has been forever since I've
been with someone....
I quickly scanned
her with my Omni-Tool searching for weapons on her person. She came
up clean.
“Are you done
examining me Miss T'Som? I mean... you do have me for the entire
night.” she added that last part with a kiss.
Sometimes I hate how
my base needs destroy my logic. But screw it, it was my last night
before another mission for Shepard and I was going to make the most
of it.
It was within two
minutes that I was under the sheets with her. Kissing and biting and
cooing the entire time. But something wasn't
right. Some harsh feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like being in a
shark tank.
I pulled myself away
from one of her forceful french kisses, her biting my lower lip with
such force.
“Wait,” I
gasped, “I'm a bit old-fashioned I mean...can I at least get your
name?”
She gave me a
wolfish smile as she threw me to the bed, holding my arms down with
her wait and straddling me.
She then whispered
in my ear, “Morinth.”
The bottom fell out
of my stomach and my heart stopped.
The look she gave me
was pure sadistic glee.
“The Shadow Broker
says hello,” she moaned, her eyes turning to midnight black, “and
good-bye.”
And then my body
erupted into my flame and my brain was filled with acid.
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