Written 05/01/11

Disclaimer: I once claimed to own Mass Effect... it did not end well.

Would you do the whole thing all over again,
Knowing what you know now, knowing what you knew then?

-Nightmare Before Christmas

Aria

I turned around slowly. I had the sinking feeling in my stomach, that I had just escaped the frying pan, only to jump into the fire. I regarded Aria with a carefully controlled face, hiding my inner panic. She was leaning casually against the bar, one arm draped gracefully across a partially bared midriff, the other hand delicately cradling a very expensive looking drink. She was dressed in what could be termed, casual futuristic dominatrix chic, fancy with lots of leather straps, that exposed large gapes of her violet skin.

"That little family drama has been brewing for months. I was sure when David finally told the Frenchman about his affair with the man's sister, my cleaning crew would be scraping their blood off the floors for weeks. I instructed my guards not to interfere, because I was sure their bodies would only add to the carnage." Aria told me casually, nonplussed. She sounded like the potential violence had been as interesting to her as the weather.

My mouth had gone dry. I had not anticipated meeting Aria, not like this. I swallowed, wetting my lips. "Those two? No, they were harmless. Pierre was just a little upset, understandably. Just a big brother who was worried about his sister." If she could be casual, so could I. She was the most powerful person on Omega, I was... not. Still, I could do casual, despite the gross difference in the playing field.

She looked more directly at me then, her purple gaze was piercing, heavy. "They're Blue Sun. Did you know? David is one of the best mechanics on Omega. Well, best human, most salarian mechanics won't work with Blue Suns though. Eclipse doesn't like salarians working for other mercenary groups."

Well a mechanic did not sound especially dangerous to me. Which left Pierre. I had been standing straight as board, tensely regarding the asari, squared off against Omega's queen. I forced myself to relax, resting my arm against the bar, leaning, I asked her, "And his best friend? Pierre? He's also Blue Sun?"

Her mouth twisted into a small mean smile, her eyes glittered with secrets. "Pierre is mostly known as the Frenchman. He's well known on Omega, in the right circles," she gave me a look that clearly questioned if I belonged to any such circle. "He's an interrogator for Blue Sun. And a threat. He supposedly knows how to keep someone alive for days." Her tone clearly implied that those days would not be pleasant ones.

Well wasn't that a revelation? I had just flirted with one of Omega's best known torturers. Out of every person I could meet on Omega, it was the Frenchman, how ominous. And I had fed him a lie about krogan stalker, a krogan ex-boyfriend stalker. Well it had seemed like a good idea at the time, but I doubted it would endear me to him if he realized the truth. "Huh," I forced myself to reply, my voice only a little choked, "Didn't know that."

"And I didn't know that the Frenchman was afraid of krogan. But now I do, thanks to you." She turned her powerful gave away from me, staring out onto the crowd. It was like an enormous weight had been lifted from my chest. She looked at the sea of people with an inscrutable expression on her face. I swallowed some of my drink, lamenting that I decided against alcohol. I could feel my long suppressed panic welling up beneath by chest. I pressed it down, steeling myself.

"Isn't everyone afraid of krogan?" I asked rhetorically, trying to be humorous. Then changing tact I reached out a hand to her, "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Kelly, it's a pleasure to meet you..." I trailed off at the end, feigning ignorance. Hopefully I could keep myself from being found out. Again.

She gave me a side long glance, clearly amused now. "Do you really not know who I am?" I smiled pleasantly at her, and shook my head. She laughed, a rolling, deep and sensual laugh. I felt the sound crawl up my skin, I shivered involuntarily, but not unpleasantly. Aria was sex in heels, and she knew it.

She turned her entire body towards me then, a roll of her hips and a graceful dip of her shoulder. She set her drink on the bar and then grasped my hand. "I am Aria," she told me. The way she said her name, it implied so much more. I knew who she was of course, but the force of personality behind her voice, the weight of her gaze upon me, she might as well of said she was a goddess.

Her handshake was warm and firm, and like the rest of her, achingly elegant. When she let my hand go, I dropped it to my side like a hot iron. Touching her felt wrong, dangerous, like petting the tiger at the zoo. The hairs on my arms had begun to stand on end. I ignored the sensation, and asked, "You own the club then Aria?" I said trying to maintain the visage of ignorance. My instincts were torn. Half of me wanted to run away, screaming. My other half was sure if I ran, she'd give chase, and wanted me to freeze. I needed to keep her from suspecting me, from seeing me as a threat, or prey.

Seemingly I was successful. Aria smirked at me, "I own Omega, I am Omega. I am the proprietor, manager, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic." It was not quite the speech she gave Shepard, though the words were similar. She claimed Omega casually, like a pretty bauble.

I did not have to pretend to be impressed. "Wow. So you're the law then? Your will be done and all that." Flattering the most dangerous and powerful woman in the star system, maybe the galaxy, couldn't hurt. I hoped.

She smiled, but her eyes were cold. I could feel the gaze on me again. I wonder if she channelled biotics through her eyes. The weight of her gaze was certainly tangible enough. "Omega has one ruler, and one rule," I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from saying it with her, "Don't fuck with Aria."

Four words should not be able to sound quite that menacing, not that promising. She was still looking at me, clearly waiting for a response. "Good rule. Easy to remember. No loopholes or chance for misinterpretation," I said, a little breathily.

She seemed to like that. Her smile lost some of its menace, but there was still cruelty in her face. "I'm so glad you think so." Her expression changed then, so quickly I may have gotten whiplash. Her smile was mocking now, and her eyes contemptuous. "Was it true? Were you really fucking that krogan who was following you?"

I blinked, startled. "What? Oh no. Definitely not. I like my pelvis bone as it is, thank you very much. Not ground into a fine powder as the case would be." I said incredulously, my surprise overcoming my fear.

Aria let loose a short peal of genuine startled laughter. She swallowed it quickly though. "So you did shoot him then?" She seemed genuinely interested then. Fancy that, I had Aria's attention. But I suppose there was a lack of young human females being pursued by angry, violent krogan.

"Regretfully no. If I had, I'd be more understanding about this entire being hunted down business. I really was just in the wrong place in the wrong time. It's my theme today." I confessed to her with a shrug. I could have claimed to shoot the krogan, but it seemed that trying to lie anymore than necessary to Aria would end badly for me. I was a good liar, but part of that was knowing when to lie and when not to.

"So do you actually know how to use that gun? Because if it's just for show, you should consider wearing it somewhere more visible," she suggested with a shrug.

"I wouldn't carry it if I didn't know how to use it," I frowned. Apparently I had done a less then apt job of concealing my pistol after all.

"Well then if you don't want the krogan following you for the rest of your life, perhaps you should use it." She picked up her drink and sipped, arching her neck. Her outfit exposed the purple expanse of her neck, down to her navel. Unthinkingly my eyes followed the line of her outfit, from collarbone to hip, it drew the eye. Aria smirked at me. She had noticed where my eyes had lingered.

Blushing I retorted, "He's already been shot in the face, and all it did was piss him off. My game plan seems to have been successful so far. Not bad for my first day on Omega. I'm still alive," I said, trying to change the subject. "The day surely could have been better, but it could've been worse too." Then I frowned thoughtfully, "I guess Blue Sun isn't the best group to seek employment with now. I'd hate to have to ruin a perfectly good first impression. That was some of my best work."

"Interesting first day." Aria said nonchalantly. She had turned her attention back on the crowd. I took a moment to briefly look around. The krogan was nowhere in sight, thankfully. Talking to Aria had completely usurped all of my concern for my pursuer, which was less than healthy. But judging by the various batarians and turians in black armour that all seemed to have appeared at the same time as Aria, it was doubtful that even the krogan could have done much. They were all hanging back, unobtrusively, but still noticeable. They were looking for any threat to Aria, scanning the crowd, one at least was staring at me, warily holding his weapon, but not quite pointing it at me. I greatly desired to give the him no reason to point the weapon at me, it looked like it would hurt. I was impressed with how quickly her guards had appeared, and impressed by just how intimidating they were. Faces and bodies hidden within black armour, they were a malevolent and authoritative presence.

"Did you come to Omega to join the Blue Suns?" Aria asked me. She was beginning to lose interest in me. She was staring out across the crowd, and she seemed utterly bored. For a moment I debated letting myself be dismissed, blending back into the crowd. For some reason, I was not keen on the idea of disappearing into the crowd. For a moment my eyes darted back to the guards. They looked so strong...

"No, not really. Blue Suns don't seem all that impressive now. But I've always wanted to be a warrior, a knight. Swearing fealty to a liege, defending the lands, chivalry and glory and all that. Always thought I'd look good in armour. Yet there just aren't that many queens around these days. I only know of one in fact... So if I were, feeling dramatic, would you feel like accepting any oaths of fealty?" I stood up straight as I asked, and faced her fully. About then a small voice in my head starting screaming at me, warning me what I was doing was a very bad idea, but I pushed it aside.

Aria turned her head towards me, slowly, controlled. If I had thought her gaze was heavy before, this was nearly impossible to bear. I could almost feel her brushing across my mind, heavy and intense. The sensation brought a sweat to my brow, but I did not squirm under her scrutiny... much.

"Exactly what would such an oath entail? Because dramatics aside, I don't have much use for knights," Aria told me evenly.

I took a deep breath and looked into Aria's violet eyes. I told her, "If I were to swear such an oath, I would promise my loyalty and my strength, such as it is. I would carry out your will, and protect what was yours. And all dramatics aside, I'd hope to be fairly compensated for my service, and receive protection and loyalty in kind." I was certainly gambling. It was a very impulsive move to make, but I could almost feel the pull of fate. Aria was the most powerful being on all of Omega, maybe throughout the Terminus system. If I wanted to become strong, there was no one else in the verse better to learn from. Except maybe Shepard herself, but that was beside the point. Of course I was also being quite rash, but it had been a long day.

Aria was quiet for a moment, her face was bland, but her eyes held me, pinned beneath her gaze. Her face was unreadable, and her eyes incomprehensible. I could feel a burst of panic bubbling up from my stomach. I clenched a metaphorical fist around the fear and thrust it deep into my mind. I straightened my shoulders and met Aria's evaluating gaze. My mouth was a tight line and my jaw clenched, my muscles tightened with wary tenseness. Despite thrusting away my panic, my instincts were still clamouring for me to fight or flee, the latter being more strongly advocated.

And then Aria cocked her head with a blink and then nodded, but more to herself then me I think. She lifted a hand and beckoned to a guard with a small movement. A tall turian, covered in the black armour but for his head, separated himself from the other guards and went to Aria's side. Her eyes flickered to him and then at me. Then she tilted her head back towards the crowd looking at neither of us.

"Boros needs a new guard for his sixth squad. Take this human to him. Tell him I said she's his new guard," Aria told the guard without looking at him.

"Yes Aria," the turian said, deferentially. He looked at me not Aria when he spoke. After enduring Aria's gaze, I was hardly fazed by his own version of a scrutinizing look. He nodded towards the back of the room and then turned and started walking. I hesitated and glanced at Aria. She half looked at me, the expression on her face asking 'Well what are you waiting for? You asked for this.'

I tore away from Aria, trotting to catch up with the turian. He glanced at me when I came abreast him. I followed him down back onto the first level, my krogan pursuer was still missing, thankfully, and we went past the throngs of dancers. He led me towards Aria's box, which had its own guards on its stairs. But before we could reach the stairs or get within earshot of the guards he spun on me, looking down at me from his impressive height.

"Are you sure you want to do this kid?" the turian asked me, "You can still walk away now, but you go up those stairs and there's no going back. Captain Boros will make you an A-Sec guard and put you on a squad, and Aria will own you, body and spirit. If you disobey her orders, the Captain's orders, or your Lieutenant's orders they'll kill you. If you try to leave, they'll kill you. And it won't be just them, you'll be the enemy of anyone who counts Aria among their enemies, and that's a lot of spirits be damned people."

"I'm not afraid, I'm sure I want this. I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid of death. At least, not so much I'm afraid to live," I answered honestly.

"Joining A-Sec won't just be dangerous to your life kid, it twists the spirit too. You'll see things, do things, that you never thought you would do. Whatever lines you thought you would never cross, Aria will push you over them. And what's worse, you'll believe that it's right," the turian told me. His voice carried weariness that hinted he had endured the very things he warned me of. He was offering me a last chance, a last warning.

"Thanks for trying to help, but I know what I'm doing," I told him. And it was almost true.

He shook his head at me, "Figures the first human A-Sec guard would be some impulsive kid. Young humans are just as bad as turians that way," he sighed.

I smiled at him, amused. Then wondering I asked, "Um, what exactly does A-Sec mean? I've heard of C-Sec, but I thought that was just the Citadel."

He looked at me, the plates above his eyes furrowing, and then threw his head back with a bark of laughter. "You're really fresh on Omega aren't you? Fresh off the boat, and getting involved in this..." he shook his head, as if banishing his unwanted thoughts, "It's a joke kid. It means Afterlife Security, or Aria's Security. Aria calls on A-Sec for her special jobs. We're the servants of Aria, her eyes, ears and hands on Omega. And you just volunteered." He turned towards the box, his head shaking. He muttered lowly to himself, "Funniest thing I heard all damn week."

Well that's not promising. I thought to myself. And then I followed him up the stairs, ignoring the glares from the other guards, treating one or two to a patented Canadian smile.

What happened after that... It was the stuff stories are made of.

Author's note: My apologies for the length of time this took to write. I had to deal with final exams and papers, and found it difficult to portray Aria. I'm also posting the first chapter of the next story at the same time as this one. I'd like to thank you all for this first part of Critical Mass and specifically my reviewers, theifkingbakura1, Titus Tatius, Kudara, morbus-rus, Lifeiswierd05,Lady Kopaka and Anonymoose. Your reviews were all amazing, long and short, and if not for all of you, I would have desisted this insanity long ago.

Critical Mass: A Sec was really the prologue to the main event. The next in the series Critical Mass: Blood and Bone, can be found on my page, unless you read this impossibly quick and haven't given me a chance to upload it yet, if so you win a cookie. Critical Mass: A Sec was the first story I've written in a long while, it feels like I've been released from a decade of writer's block and my muse has returned with a vengeance. I can only hope you'll all enjoy where this leads us.