The Omega Chronicles -34- You get what you give
The dim, bluish lights of the cargo bay were a familiar sight for Shepard, who was walking briskly towards her people. She took a look at every single one of them. All were ready, she knew it. Ready to die if necessary. She felt a certainty, a security, that she had never felt, even when she had a much bigger team under her command, during her days in the Alliance. These were the ones she trusted.
The same couldn't be said of Aria, who had a habit of trusting no one, no matter what. It had been her saving grace for centuries, and she was unwilling to let it go. She held a special place for her daughter Liselle, of course, just a tad higher than the others, but even when it came to the blood of her blood, she knew there could always be a chance, tiny, overlooked, dangerous, that one day the Maiden might decide that her own mother was in fact second to something, or someone, else.
Then there was the Commander. Her Commander. Aria was walking right behind her, a million thoughts racing in her head, as usual really. Her mind never found rest, and she had come to terms with its overzealous activity long ago. Now she was considering if the human was indeed worthy of her blind trust. She had bonded with her, and as much as she would have liked to dismiss it as a spur of the moment kind of thing, she had to concede that she had been evaluating the very possibility for a while before she had let it happen, just like she did with everything in her life, as a matter of course. No, she hadn't let it happen, she had actively chosen it. And she knew she had chosen it for a reason. Ever since she could remember, from their early days, Shepard had done everything nauseatingly right, in order to convince her of her loyalty, of her trustworthiness... of her love. You couldn't argue with the many practical, even extreme proofs the Commander had offered, and never because of coercion, no, constantly of her own volition. The old Asari was infinitely tempted to just let go and trust her, but even after having a child with her, something the Queen had deemed unthinkable before, she still had a voice in the back of her head that called for her attention at times, inviting her, or better, forcing her, to be on her toes, to keep looking for signs of treason, for any crack in the shiny, nigh perfect surface of the soldier. Try as she may, she never found a single bloody one, much to her dismay and frustration. Or maybe, just maybe, to her relief. That was a pleasant thought. She dwelled on it, she let it take control of her, she let it be the winning opinion amid the contrasting voices in her head. She decided to allow herself to believe it. Of course, this fight would take place within her again, in the future. Probably countless times before her death. But for today, it was over.
They stopped in front of their squad. Liselle was there, with little Metis in her arms. As soon as the baby saw her parents approach, she leaned out from her big sister's embrace, trying to get their attention by means of cute cooing sounds. The Commander couldn't help a smile as she walked over and picked her up.
The child was not happy with her sturdy, solid armour and gave its chest a bit of an uncoordinated slap with her tiny hands. But then Shepard kissed her cheek and all was apparently forgiven. The human's voice was tender as she whispered in her ears. "You be good now, ok? Mai is going to be away for a short while, killing a bitch that threatens who she loves the most. And when I come back, we will both celebrate with... ice cream."
Of course the baby had no knowledge of the words that were being spoken, but the sweet, low tone of the Commander's voice was enough for her to feel happy. She gave the human a big smile, her tiny teeth gleaming slightly in the artificial lights.
Aria got close to them. Her eyes turned into black holes in a blink. She stayed a few seconds in her younger daughter's mind, and it seemed that Metis was pensive, but appreciative afterwards. The Queen's hand, covered by the black glove of her Commando uniform, grazed lightly along the baby's back.
Shepard handed her daughter back to Liselle. She was not one for long speeches, as they all knew. "Ready?"
Jack spoke brashly. "Fuck yeah. Let's kick some ancient Asari ass."
The Commander smirked and voiced her disappointment on the choice of words of the biotic. "Tch tch tch. Jack. Seriously?"
She looked sideways towards Aria, whose expression couldn't have been more coldly indifferent. "I don't see why you are looking at me."
Shepard laughed and shrugged. "Indeed. Let's rock'n'roll."
The sewage system of the compound was rather extensive. After the drop, they found an easy entrance to it, just as they had been told by Tali while devising this whole plan of attack. A shot in the right place had broken the electronic lock and had allowed them access to the seemingly never ending tunnels. They were now walking in ten inches of indescribable muck. The stench was threatening to go to their head, and there were unknown forms of life crawling about that any xenobiologist would have loved to put their hands on.
Jack was not a happy camper. "I'm gonna a need a week-long acid shower to rub this shit off."
There was an immediate reply from Garrus. "You're one to talk. Need I remind you that both Asari and Turians have a much more heightened sense of smell than humans? I'm about to faint."
The biotic was merciless. "Prissy, prissy, prissy."
Just as the Turian was about to retort, they heard the noise of someone walking towards them behind a corner.
"Sssshhh." The Commander signalled for them to get close to the walls, their weapons cocked and ready.
They held their collective breath for a few seconds, then a strange, large creature came into view. It looked ugly, hungry, and just as slimy as the mud that covered the floors. It stared at them with all of its six eyes, its mouth hanging open and showing an impressive triple row of teeth, its tail whipping the air nervously. It let out a loud screech, bits of its last meal flying through the stank tunnel. It charged towards them at full speed.
Aria aimed her shotgun at its head, and in a blast, half of its cranium was gone. Its body struggled to stay upright for a few, slow instants, then it fell forward, perfectly still. Her voice was burning ice. "I don't have time for this. Let's move on."
They finally came to the end of the sewage system, Garrus worked his magic on a simple lock and they were in the stronghold. The welcome wagon was already waiting for them. A squad of guards started shooting at them, as they scurried to find cover behind the kitchen cabinets and refrigerators that filled the large room. It was a short battle. Jack's biotics wrecked havoc on them while Shepard's trusted Carnifex took them down one by one with incredible precision.
Once the noises died down and the last of their enemies was dead, they took a moment to decide how to proceed.
The Commander brought up a map of the compound on her omnitool. "We have two ways of getting to where our intel tells us Matriarch Vysene is holed up. Aria and I will engage this route, while Jack and Garrus will take the alternative one."
The Turian cocked his rifle. "Got it. See you on the other side."
They moved swiftly out of the enormous kitchens and into the corridors beyond.
Small pockets of resistance were showing up at almost regular intervals. Aria and Shepard were quick to dispose of them as they made their way to their final goal.
A couple of shots had grazed the human along the way, and she had been pleased to see that her new armour was easily passing the stress test. She was squatting down behind a corner, waiting for the right timing to eliminate the last few guards of this particular team. She didn't need to yell to let Aria hear her. "I'm impressed with this new suit. It is truly a work of art." She shot one of the Batarians that was trying to slow them down. One bullet, right in the head, as was her modus operandi, thanks in part to the advantage her bionic eye gave her. "There is one thing I'm not familiar with though." She looked down at her right wrist. "Any idea what this thing is for?"
From across the corridor, the Queen gave it half of her attention while her biotics were charging. "How should I know, Shepard? Why don't you take a chance and experiment with it?"
Shepard smirked. "I'm not so keen on pressing a self-destruct button by accident." She examined the commands on the right forearm of her armour for a moment longer. She made up her mind and gave it a go, punching a couple of buttons. Much to her surprise, the armour did not explode. Instead, a large, blade-like shaft of orange light appeared.
The Asari diverted her gaze from the small mob in front of them for just a second. As they focused on the new toy of the Commander, her eyes beamed almost imperceptibly. "I see. An omniblade. I heard they were developing it, this must be a prototype." She grinned a devilish grin at the possibilities. "Have fun, Commander."
She did.
The fuming remains of the last guards were laying on the once pristine floor all around them. Aria gave a quick check to her shotgun as she was taking in the view. Her voice had a tinge of deep satisfaction. "I would say your blade works flawlessly."
Shepard couldn't help herself. "The only flawless thing here is you." She flashed the Queen a lop-sided grin.
Aria rolled her eyes, a sharp irony nigh singing in her reply. "Ever the flatterer." Even if she found these impromptu compliments cloying, her immense ego was always delighted to be fed.
The human smiled and added a comment, almost to herself. "I'm not much for close combat, but this thing will definitely come in handy in a tight spot."
They exchanged a steel glance, nodded at each other and moved on to the next point of attack, then the next, then the next, working in unison like a well oiled killing machine. To the poor, doomed souls that tried to get in their way it felt as if they were unstoppable. And they were.
At the end of a luxuriously decorated hallway, a double door was waiting for them.
Standing as still as a statue, the Queen's biotics enveloped her hands as she clutched her fists, a look of pure hatred corrugating her brow, her teeth clenched visibly. She growled under her breath. "Your time is up, bitch."
Garrus and Jack were cutting through the defence teams like a hot knife through butter. He thought out loud. "At this pace, we will get there before the bosses. And they will not be happy about it. Perhaps we should slow down a bit, baldy?"
Jack turned around with a possessed look in her eyes, her entire body glowing in blue swirls, splatters of blood covering half her outfit. Her voice was menacingly low and harsh. "I don't fucking think so."
The Turian knew full well when to back down and let her do her thing. "Well then. Have it your way."
A crackling signal came through his omnitool.
"I lost them!" Tali's voice sounded truly shocked.
Garrus almost yelled at her through the comm. "What the hell do you mean 'you lost them'?"
On the Inanna, the tension was palpable. "They were right there on the screen one second ago, now both their signals are... gone. Just gone. Disappeared." Her hands were flying on the console, trying to get the signal back, to no avail.
Jack asked the question everyone was scared to ask. "Dead?"
The young Quarian never took her eyes off the screen. "I don't think so. I am suspecting something like a dampening field of some kind. But the source of it must be -inside- the field itself, otherwise I would have noticed the energy signature of such a device before they entered it."
There was a collective sigh of relief.
Liselle was standing next to the young Engineer, she hugged Metis a little closer and brushed her lips against her forehead. The baby tried to grab her nose and smiled. "Can you calculate how wide is the dampened area? We could land a small team and start looking for them. The Matriarch is playing even more dirty then we expected."
Planet-side, Jack nodded gravely as she exchanged a meaningful look with Garrus. "I agree, that bastard has played her last trick, if I have any fucking say in it."
"Just tell me where to go and I'll fly you to within a yard of your target." Relan's voice was determined and focused as he kept the Inanna on a fixed position, just outside the moon's atmosphere above the stronghold.
"Everybody, calm down. We can't just jump and hope to land on our enemy's head." Garrus seemed to be the voice of reason in a rather heated moment. "Let Tali see what she can work out, then when we have more precise data to work on, we can get organised and give this attack a go. The last thing I want to do is putting Aria and Shepard in more danger than they already are."
The heavy doors slammed open and out of their hinges, slowly falling to the floor in a loud noise.
Weapons in hand, Aria and Shepard walked in. An entire squad of mercenaries was waiting for them, standing in a half circle across the large room, which was decorated in marble and gold, a show of the wealth and power wielded by the owner of the entire structure. They stood in front of the faceless pawns, fearless.
The Matriarch was watching them from behind her last line of defence, a confident smirk on her cold features. "Finally. I thought you would never get here."
Aria replied in the same tone. "And I thought you would be less eager to die, Vysene."
She didn't wait for a retort. Her biotics flared up and an impenetrable defensive cocoon surrounded her and the Commander, protecting them from the wave of bullets that was being discharged against them. As the troops were reloading, the biotic field faded and they rolled to either sides of the room, taking cover behind two statues of questionable taste. They started shooting, with an unavoidable precision. As bits of stone were chipped by the fire of the mercs, Vysene allowed herself a smart comment. "Careful! Those statues costed me a small fortune! I guess I will put the repairs on your bill, T'Loak."
A Vorcha grabbed something from his belt, pressed a button on it and threw it in the vague direction of Shepard. The Queen's eyes went wide as she yelled. "Grenade!" She tried to deploy a biotic shield around the human, but she was an instant too late. The explosion rang in the air, deafening everyone for a few seconds. The statue shattered into a thousand pieces. When the dust settled, Aria saw the Commander laying on the ground, still. If her furor hadn't been so overpowering, she would have panicked. She wanted to run over and check on her bondmate, but she knew it would be a stupid move.
In just a second, the body of the human stirred and she laboriously pushed on her hands to get up, her face was a mask of pain.
Shepard felt like she had been out for an hour, but her soldier's instincts took over right away and she shook it off. She didn't need to do a damage check, her body was being very clear as to where it was hurting. A sharp fragment of stone was embedded in her thigh. She jerked it out and immediately applied medigel on the wound. Then she took notice of her ribcage screaming for attention. The armour seemed intact, so it had to be simply pain from being smashed against the wall behind her. She released some medigel to take care of it as well. The pain remained, but at least she knew she could move, and more importantly, she could keep shooting. Her eyes searched for Aria and found her. The look on the Asari's face would have been enough to scare a Thresher Maw.
The human was quick to reassure her. "I'm fine. Send that bitch to Hell." To underline her wish, she took out three mercs with three shots.
As soon as the guards had all been killed, the tone in the Matriarch's voice changed from confident to downright angry. "Looks like I will have to take care of this nuisance myself, then."
The battle that ensued was one for the history books. Vysene's biotics were just as deadly as her SMG, betraying a past as a Commando that must have spanned centuries. No quarter was given, and none was asked. Aria and Shepard took turns attacking, retreating, reloading, and mostly trying to jump or roll out of the way of the relentless shots that flew around them like hail.
In a second of respite, the Commander's hand slid to her thigh, a short moan of pain exhaled from her lips as she watched some fresh blood oozing down on the armour around the wound. "Maybe we should have sent an assassin to take care of this one too."
Aria's eyes were pure blue fire as she readied herself to charge again. "No one will take this pleasure from me."
Shepard got up from her crouching position and grinned her reply before jumping back into action. "Wouldn't dream of it, my Queen."
That's when a shockwave from Vysene caught her full on, sending her flying across the room and slamming into a piece of furniture. Her first thought was of gratefulness for the uncannily solid materials her new armour was made of. She heard a terrifying, beastly scream coming from the Queen's throat as she watched her unleash her frightening rage without restraints.
Aria's biotics exploded in a surge that obliterated everything in front of her. Everything except for the Matriarch, who found herself flung against the far wall, she barely had time to notice her SMG flying from her grip, and the berserk Queen was upon her, straddling her, beating her with her gloved fists like she was a ragdoll. One punch, then another, then an avalanche. Vysene jerked in a gut reaction and got out from under Aria, only to be caught again in the blink of an eye, and the pounding continued.
The panic set in, as did the pain, and the Matriarch was not in control of her moves or her will anymore.
Just as she had begun, in an unexpected moment of clarity, the Queen suddenly stopped. She knew her enemy was conquered. She could clearly feel it in every molecule of her tired body. She slowly got up from her and fixed her stare on her green, glowing eyes.
A rivulet of blue blood was slowly making its way down Matriarch Vysene's chin. She struggled to push herself up so she could be sitting with her back against the wall. There was a look of pure hatred in her eyes as she spoke in a raucous voice.
"You are an embarrassment to us Asari, 'Queen of Omega'." Her tone couldn't have been more caustic. She spat out some blood on the floor in a gesture of disgust.
Aria stood in front of her, defiant and indignant. Her fists clenching by her sides, an electric flame in her eyes, she let the older Asari go on speaking.
"Don't ever forget this: you are nothing but a glorified thug, Aria T'Loak."
The Queen inhaled a deep breath before replying in a calm, bone chilling tone, every word enunciated slowly and clearly. "I may very well be. But I am alive. And you are dead."
A biotic discharge left her hands, enveloped Vysene for just the fraction of a second, and ripped through her body like a bomb. Small bits of what once was the proud Matriarch were scattered everywhere, Aria's face and body were covered in blue splatters. She brought a finger to her cheek to clean some of it in a simple, slow swipe, then licked the blood off it, her eyes closing for a moment. She tasted her victory.
Then she collapsed to the floor, and she passed out, the exhaustion of the inhuman battle finally taking its toll.
Crawling on her hands and knees, ignoring the pain along her thigh and coursing through her ribs, Shepard made her way to her unconscious lover. Once there she brought her omnitool online and released the last of her medigel into Aria's body.
She sat with her back against the very same wall where a big stain marked the last remnant of the Matriarch, she put her arms around the Queen and slowly pulled her limp body into a warm embrace. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath, her cheek brushing tenderly on Aria's face, she whispered in her ear. "You did it. Rest now. My love, my life, my everything. I will watch over you."
Jack and Garrus were running through the huge rooms of the building, now deep inside the area that was supposed to be covered by the dampening field. Their only goal was to reach the center of the structure as quickly as possible. Unexpectedly, they heard Tali's voice crackling again through the comm.
"Landing team, please respond. Garrus... Jack?"
The human was the first to answer. "And just how the fuck can you talk to us now?"
Tali sounded relieved. "The field seems to have dissipated. I don't know how or why. I'm reading the signals from Aria and Shepard again, they are in a room straight ahead and to your right. I can guide you there, just follow my instructions."
The scene that appeared in front of them as they stepped into the huge room was of utter destruction. The dead bodies of an indiscernible number of mercenaries were scattered about in varying degrees of carnage. What were once the decorations of a room that had been opulent to say the least were laying in broken pieces and shards everywhere. Pools of slow blood of different colours were slowly spreading on the marble floor.
Garrus' eyes darted around quickly to find what he was looking for. He exhaled the breath he had been holding when he saw them. There they were. Shepard was holding on to Aria's unconscious body like it was the most precious, most delicate thing she had ever held.
The human's eyes were half closed, but as soon as she heard noises she reacted, as fast as a snake, immediately grabbing her gun and pointing its deadly muzzle in the direction of the huge doors. She recognised her friends and visibly relaxed. Her voice was low and strained. "About time."
Jack smirked at her as she swiftly ran to them. "Yeah, well, you should have saved some fucking fun for us."
She tried to pick up Aria's body, only to be stopped immediately by Shepard. "Nobody. Touches. Her."
The young biotic got up and stepped back, her hands raised. "Ok. Ok. No harm intended, no harm done." She smiled a knowing smile and gave the soldier the time to get her bearings, find her strength, or what was left of it, and stand up, with the Queen's body in her arms.
Garrus put his rifle on his back and limited himself to keeping an eye on the Commander as she walked out, stubbornly, on uncertain legs, ready to offer his help in case she needed it. She didn't.
Even as she was limping at every step, with pangs of pain shooting through her body, Shepard made it a point to carry Aria all the way to the pickup location outside the stronghold. Her tired eyes watched intently as the Inanna approached. She murmured to her bondmate, not caring in the least that she couldn't hear her right now. "We're going home."