Miranda Lawson wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. On one hand, she was rather glad they'd captured the rogue alien. The Earth had enough sentient species already without one with delusions of godhood running around. On the other hand, Miranda would have felt a lot better if said alien didn't look quite so smug about being captured. True, Shepard, Naught, and Zorah had beaten the stuffing out of Morinth. However, if Samara had been anything to go by, asari were made of tougher stuff than even turians.

Glancing up, Miranda climbed into the cockpit and leaded towards Naught. "Agent Zero, I don't like the look of that storm!" she yelled.

"To fuckin' bad!" Jack shouted, glaring back at Miranda. "We're headed straight for it. It came right the fuck out of nowhere. You sure one of those superpowered freaks isn't responsible? Maybe one of the X-Beings or something? Or you know, one of the ones we got in the back."

"I hardly think Captain America or Ironquarian possess weather controlling powers," Miranda answered dryly. "However, I do know of a certain asari who does."

"Well shit," Jack growled. "Don't tell me you think mommy's on her way?"

"It's entirely possible, keep an eye-"

Their craft was suddenly enveloped in a blue glow, and Morinth was sucked right out of the ship.

Jack pointed sarcastically out the back. "Look, there she is!"

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Thank you. Ms. Zorah, if you would secure the prisoner please?"

"Well, if you ask so nicely..." Tali chuckled, slapping her helmet on and jumping out of the ship.

Shepard started putting on a parachute and Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Jumping out into a thunderstorm are we Captain?"

"Can't be as bad as jumping into flak cover," Shepard observed.

Miranda sighed and started getting on a paracute of her own. This was going to be a lovely day. She could just tell.

Samara glared down at her daughter, trying to decide if she should just execute her now or take her back to Thessia for judgment.

"Hello, mother," Morinth grinned. Samara frowned. When her daughter smiled, bad things happened.

"Greetings. Daughter," Samara replied. "Perhaps you would care to enlighten me as to why you have trespassed upon this realm? You know that we are forbidden from the mortal realms."

Morinth sighed and shook her head. "Oh, I know, but these mortal's, they're just so fun!"

Samara narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you'll see, right about... Now."

A demon's fist slammed into Samara, sending her flying into the ground. She rolled and came up with her biotics active, panting. To her shock, what had hit her was no demon, but a warrior in a strange suit of armor."

"Hi. That's my prisoner up there. Find your own." The warrior declared.

Eyes narrowing, Samara started to circle, looking for an opening. "Morinth is dangerous. She must be slain, or returned to Thessia for judgment. This quarrel is none of yours, mortal."

"Really? Well, that's to bad bosh'tet. Because you see, there's two things we mortals hate. Being called mortals, and being told what to do. And you just did both. So why don't you skip on home to your castle in the sky princess. Otherwise, I'm going to have to kick your ass."

"The Code demands that Morinth be returned to my custody," Samara declared.

"Well shucks. Guess we're just gonna have to fight then."

Samara didn't hesitate. As soon as those words were out of the metal warrior's mouth, she charged forward, letting fly with surge of biotic energy. The warrior responded with a strange blast of energy of her own, and a blinding explosion erupted from where the two blasts met. Samara didn't let that stop her, rushing through to where the iron warrior should have been. To her shock she felt a rush of air and whirled just in time to block a fiery kick from above.

Samara responded with a blast of biotic force, sending the warrior crashing into a tree. Charging forward, Samara prepared to finish the job. Just as she neared, the warrior raised her hands and let fly with another mighty blast of energy. Samara was sent flying herself, crashing into a large bolder and shattering it. She stood just in time to block another attack, this one a punch delivered again from the air. Samara responded with an uppercut into the warriors belly, then a biotic shockwave to knock her flat.

Gathering her power, Samara crouched and outstreched her arms, gathering the shards of rock into the air. She flung her arms towards her foe, and the deadly stone shards sped toward the iron warrior. A small device sprung from the warriors shoulder, and a deadly stream of darts spun out from it. The rocks were shattered in a dozen explosions, and Samara was forced to raise a barrier as several more darts exploded around her.

Once again the warrior came in, again from the air. She was fierce, but obviously in experienced. Samara trapped her foe in a gravity well, then detonated it with a flick of her wrist. The warrior was once again flung into a tree, crashing through it and impacting the ground with a loud crash. Samara lifted the fallen tree, a massive specimen. She held it over her head, then brought it crashing down to where the warrior lay.

Just as she was about to slay her foe, a third combatant entered the fray and raised a shield. Her weapon splintered as it struck his barrier, and Samara was jarred from the impact. It was as if the warriors shield had absorbed all the force of her blow and returned it to her, something not even Samara's powerful barriers could do.

Discarding her ruined tree branch, Samara rushed forward as the iron warrior arose and charged to meet her. But again, the newcomer interposed himself, throwing his shield right between the two women. They each struck the weapon and rebounded. Samara glared at him, panting as he caught the weapon out of the air.

"Last time I checked, we were all good guys," the new warrior remarked. "And by fighting, we're just letting Morinth win." He paused, turning to Samara. "I know you live by a code, the code of the justicars. Does that code allow for criminals to be taken into the hands of the local authorities?"

Taken aback, Samara actually had to think about the question and mentally reference her code. Then she nodded. "It does."

"Captain Steven Rodger Shepard, United States Military. As the senior military officer of Earth present, I must inform you that the criminal known as Morinth is in my custody. As a representative of her people, I invite you to come with us to our base, where the criminal will be imprisoned, pending trial. Will this satisfy your code?"

Slowly, Samara nodded. "It will indeed. I accept your offer, Captain. But I must warn you, my daughter is dangerous. Underestimate her at your peril."

Tali's head was still ringing. She was loath to admit it, but she'd taken a drubbing from the asari. All her tech had barely been able to keep up with the aliens strange powers, and her training had proven to be woefully inadequate. Well, tech could be improved, and training could be modified. This wouldn't stop her.

Her train of thought was interrupted as someone tapped sharply on her visor. Tali shook her head, forcing her vision to clear and brought up her HUD. She glared up at agent Lawson. "What?" She demanded.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bacy. Are you quite done playing, Miss Zorah?"

"I had her right where I wanted her," Tali groaned, then forced herself to stand. "Well, maybe not quite."

"I see. Well, if your finished deluding yourself, perhaps we could decamp? I feel rather exposed here." Miranda turned and gestured to Morinth, who was handcuffed to the agent. "Perhaps you could assist me with transporting the prisoner?"

Grabbing the two women in her arms, Tali lifted them all into the sky. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist Lawson."

"Oh, but that does sound fun," Morinth interjected.

"Shut up," Tali and Miranda ordered in concert.

Flying via biotics was a new experience for Shepard. It was certainly interesting, that much was certain. He glanced over at the justicar who was transporting him, and shook his head. First it was red-headed turians with strange pseudo magical weapons, then the beings responsible for that tech showed up. What happened to wars being fought with plain old guns and weapons?

"It's what you wanted, isn't it though?" he muttered to himself. "To fight the bullies."

They floated back aboard the transport where Zorah, Agent Lawson and the prisoner were already waiting. Shepard stepped safely into the bay, then gestured to Samara. "This is Justicar Samara. She'll be helping us transport the prisoner to the secure facility. Justicar Samara, this is Agent Lawson and Miss Zorah. Agent Zero is our pilot."

Miranda nodded politely, Tali gave the impression that she was sticking her tongue out behind her mask, and Samara stared down her nose at the other two. Shepard sighed. What a team. He couldn't wait to meet the salarian that turned into an enormous rage monster. Someone with anger issues was exactly what their little group needed at the moment. They already had the arrogant alien and flamboyant playgirl. What did that make him? Probably the grump old man. He was in his 90s after all.