Out For Karma: Mass Effect

[Book Two] Chapter 11: Girls talk

Chapter 11: Girls talk

They had, finally, arrived on Illium. Stopping on the way to help Jacob find what happened to his father had been… weird. His father had disappeared ten years ago while working on an Alliance’s cruiser and just recently its balise had been activated. It turned out that Taylor senior got a field promotion and lived his childish dream of being a lord and having a harem. The surviving members of the crew had to eat from the planet’s flora making them intellectually lessened, more primitive, while the officers hoarded the rations. The distress balise had been fixed but the officers didn’t use it, preferring to live as kings. Dissension was punished by death and or banishment and of the officers only Jacob’s father was left. They had repeatedly shared and raped the diminish women and treated them like slave. When his rations began to run out he had activated the distress balise… Ten years later. He had been hoping that someone from the Alliance would come and bribe his way out. Unfortunately for him, shepard was the one who came. Taylor senior would spend the rest of his life in jail after the commander warned the Alliance of the situation. 

Now on Illium, the team was on their way to Liara’s office. Shepard had taken with her Tali, Jack and like always Rick. He had strongly objected to go visit the asari, stating that Garrus would like to see their friend too but she didn’t want to hear what he had to say and dragged him out of the ship.

Reaching their destination Liara’s assistant sent them in and what awaited Shepard was far from what she expected.

“... If you don’t pay me, I’ll flay you alive… with my mind.” the asari in the room threatened a man she was in a holo com with.

She looked at Rick who just shrugged.

 

“Who are you, and what did you do with sweet Liara?” she said, prompting the blue woman to turn around in surprise.

“Shepard!”

In no time, both hugged then Liara gave one too to Tali and introduced herself to Jack who just nodded and said her name.

“Wait, where did he go?” the redhead asked.

“Back outside.” answered the bald woman, making the commander sigh.

Shepard had a short talk with her friend and invited her in the team but was rejected as Liara was too busy and had important things to do. The latter was currently trying to find the shadow broker, for reasons she didn’t disclose but asked Shepard for help. She wanted her to hack then disable some security at key points of Nos Astra, the city they were currently in, so she could recover viable data.

“No problem but hacking is his specialty.” referring implicitly to Rick.

“We’re not on speaking terms.”

“I know, he told me.”

“Did he tell you why?”

“Because you gave my body to Cerberus.”

“That’s not…” Liara stopped herself from saying more and thought for a bit.

“That’s not why? That’s… He doesn’t lie, Liara, why would he tell me that if that’s not true?” she replied with a confused frown.

“It is true! It’s…There is more to it than just that.”

“What is it then?”

“It’s personal… to him. Look, I may be upset with him but he’s my friend, and so are you. You can’t ask me to betray his trust to satisfy your curiosity, I’m sorry.”

“...Is it related to his killing spree in the Terminus?”

“... Indirectly, yes.”

Shepard sighed in defeat. If she wanted an answer she would have to get it from Rick. That was not an easy thing to do, she had tried multiple times and failed almost at every try.

“I’m sending him in. The two of you need to have a talk. Meanwhile I’ll be at the nearest bar looking up the files you gave me. You want help? Then I’m offering Rick, it’s the best I can do and you know it.”

She walked out of the office, grabbed the man in question that was waiting outside and hurled him inside.

“You talk.” she just said in a tone that left no doubt that there would be no arguing from his part.

She left with Tali and Jack in tow, leaving the two former lovers in silence looking at each other.  She felt lucky when the nearest bar was less than five minutes away. Sitting at a table, it was Jack who spoke first after ordering some non-alcoholic drink.

“So, Dickhead is scared of blue. How come?”

“I’m surprised you’re interested.” Shepard said.

“Told you he creeps me out. He’s like.. those serial killers you hear about on the extranet. Alone, no friends, no lovers and spend all his time in his room, you know the type?”

“Hellooo~~ Best friend here!” Tali said, raising her hand and waving at Jack.

“And no lover is inaccurate. They were lovers.” corrected the redhead

“No shit?!”

“Despite his… general attitude, he’s really a sweet and funny guy.”

“If he likes you.” specified Tali.

“If he likes you. As for why he’s scared… I don’t think he’s scared of her, I think he’s…”

“Probably ashamed.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Still, you can’t convince me that something is not wrong with him! The helmet alone! He’s never without it! That’s not normal!”

“Rick is not normal, that’s for sure.” Shepard replied with a chuckle.

“The helmet though… I don’t know. He always has it on.”

“You never saw Dickhead’s face?”

“No. Tali?”

“Me neither, he sleeps with it.”

“That’s more than just being ‘not normal’.”

“He has his quirks but he’s loyal and that alone is enough for me.”

“One of his best qualities. I don’t know anyone in the fleet that would have done what he did on Haestrom for me. I mean, the marines did but because I had important data the fleet wanted. Rick did it for me. That means something.”

“You say that because you both want to bang him.” Jack stated, pointing respectively to Tali and Shepard.

““What?!””

“Oh, please! You two are sharing a bed, who knows what shit the two of you got onto. You, you’re eating him with your eyes every time he’s teaching you biotic theory!”

“We’re just cuddling! True, I love him but not like that! It’s platonic!”

“Sex doesn’t mean love.”

“And I’m not eating him with my eyes!”

“Eeeeh… Actually, Shepard, you kinda do.” Tali said, both because it was true and because she wanted the heat off of her.

“What?!”

“Everytime he starts to ramble, your eyes are fixed on him and everything around you doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Ah! See! I’m right!”

“I do not!”

They must not find out the truth! They must not know! Rick may have found out but it was two years ago so he probably forgot.

“Shepard, from what Ashely told me you were hanging on every word she said when she spoke about her times in bed with him.”

“Can’t believe Dickhead is not a fucking virgin.” Jack said to herself shaking her head.

“He’s apparently really good from what Ash said.” divulged Tali.

“Oh, yeah?!”

“Yeah, Ash even gifted Shepard with a dildo about his size so she could see what she was missing and satisfy herself with it.”

“TALI!”

“No, shit?! You have a dildo his size? How big is he?” Jack asked in amusement.

“I don’t know. It’s been a while and I lost it when the first Normandy was destroyed.” Shepard said, lying through her teeth. She was feeling quite uncomfortable.

“Roughly about this size.” Tali answered with her hands, showing Jack his length and girth.

“HOLY SHIT! There’s no way!”

“How do you know that?!” Shepard said, confirming that Tali was right in her proportions.

“Wait! It’s true?!”

“He sleeps in shorts and keeps on poking me in the morning! I was curious!”

“Where did my shy quarian friend go?” Shepard said in a betrayed tone.

“Out the window after knowing you, Rick, Ash and the rest of the team.”

“Damn! If he didn’t creeped me out so much I’ll go for that meat!”

“What meat?”

The question came from Rick himself from the side, seemingly done with Liara.

“Nothing!” replied Tali in panic.

“Jack was talking about… a… steak from some alien animal in asari space.”

“What?! N…” She couldn’t deny properly when both women with her kicked her under the table. “Yeah, totally! I heard an asari speak about how good it was.”

Rick looked at the three of them in silence for a moment then moved on, clearly not interested in knowing the truth of it.

“I’m done. Liara doesn’t need help anymore. Who are we going after first?”

“Samara, since you know her. ” Shepard said.

Rick didn’t even nod and went out of the bar.

“That was cold, colder than usual.” noticed Tali.

“The talk must not have gone well.” replied Shepard.

They quickly finished their drinks and exited the bar, with Rick being nowhere. Thinking he was probably already on the way to the police contact knowing where the justicar was they didn’t wait and went too. They finally found him near a cab terminal.

“You already talked to the police officer?” 

“Yes. Samara is at the spaceport.” he replied as he entered the cab that just landed in front of them.

The three women took a seat as well and everyone stayed silent during the trip making the atmosphere heavy thanks to Rick arctic attitude. In fact, that made Jack restless to the point that she unconsciously tapped her feet off the cab’s floor. Thankfully the spaceport wasn’t far and the trip only lasted ten minutes.

Stumbling upon a police officer interrogating a volus they heard them talk about a murder that happened the day before with Samara also  investigating it which caught their attention.

“Excuse me! Commander Shepard, Council spectre. I couldn’t help but hear you talk about a Justicar?” the commander said as an introduction to the officer.

“Officer Anaya, spectre and yes, I talked about a justicar, what is it to you?”

“We’re here for her, actually.”

“Well, I hope you’ve updated your last will.”

“We’re not here to cause her trouble, or you for that matter. We’re here to recruit her for an important mission. Can you tell me where she is?”

“... If you’re here to get her away from here then perhaps you can be of help.”

“I thought Justicar were respected by asari?”

“They are, it’s… a bit complicated.” Anaya said in a contrite tone.

“They ask you to detain her, is that it?” Rick chimed in.

“They?”

“My superiors. They do not want a justicar running free, especially one working on a murder.”

“I… don’t get it.”

“Justicar are one track minded, Red. They’d kill and destroy any obstacles between them and their target. They generally leave a trail of destruction behind them and her superiors don’t want that. If she detains her for more than a day Samara will kill her.”

“I’d say I’m surprised that a human knows so much about Justicars but you seem to know her… Anyway, your friend here is correct. That’s why I want her away as soon as possible because I’ll do my duty and she’ll do hers.”

“I can’t believe your superior are asking you to basically commit suicide. You should not obey that order.”

“Hypocrisy at its finest.” Rick commented.

“You’re asking us at least twice or thrice during a mission, Shepard.” Tali added.

“And I have a good reason for that! This… This is wrong.”

“Look, she’s at the murder scene, there is a group of Eclipse between here and there. If you can reach her and get her to leave, all the better for me; I’ll tell my subordinates to let you pass.”

“Thank you.”

They let Anaya go back to her precinct and went on their way. The crime scene wasn’t difficult to find, with two police agents guarding the door with red tape all around. They walked a few feet when Rick warned them of hostiles ahead and picked his sniper rifle, prompting the other three to draw their weapons as well. With three shotgun users, the man was forced to switch his fighting style. He didn’t understand why Shepard made the time with those members but he thought that it was to get acclimated back to fight alongside Tali. For Jack, perhaps some kind of bonding?

The group of Eclipse wasn’t small but they were talking between them, unaware of their team. The element of surprise was not wasted as everyone hid behind a good cover. Rick was the one to open the hostilities by shooting in the head what looked like an initiate. Unfortunately the shot lacked power to bypass the shield but good enough to make the woman stumble backwards. The mercs quickly sprung into action and took cover. Some of the Lokis mech were immediately dealt with by Tali and Jack. While Shepard got charged by the last member of their opponents: a vanguard. Her shield stood strong but flickered a lot and the shotgun hit she took failed them making her defenseless. Before the vanguard could take a second shot she was impacted herself by Rick’s own biotic charge. Being too close to use his rifle he just punched her in the face making her take a few steps back. Dropping his rifle and pulling out his pistol he shot her repeatedly until the asari’s kinetic barrier failed. The blue woman was then cribbled by Shepard who had been sent flying away when Rick impacted her assailant and was still a few feet away on the ground.

“That was too close for comfort.” She said.

Rick just went to pull her up in silence before moving forward. Tali and Jack already securing the perimeter, the initiate long dead.

“Do all biotic charges do that much damage? My shield almost failed me because of it.” she said following him

“Can do less, can do more. Depends on how you do it and how much power you push in it. I’ll teach you that if you want, but it’s difficult and takes time, a lot of theory also. It would be better for you to focus on the three basics.”

They regrouped and entered the actual crime scene. Welcomed by the body of an Eclipse crashing right next to the door entrance, they looked up to see what was happening. They saw another Eclipse being thrown out an office window to the ground floor, followed by a red armored Asari whose descent was slow and graceful thanks to the use of her biotics.

“See, Red. That’s how you use your biotics smartly, and with class.”

Shepard had to admit the way the justicar was using her powers were beautiful and the way the conducted herself had some kind of regality that was awning.

Samara broke the down asari’s neck with her foot and noticed the team. Going to them for some introduction.

“My name is Samara, a servant of the Justicar Co… Rick?”

It’s been years since she had last seen him and was surprised to meet him here. Especially when his intentions when they separated was to go back to Alliance space and live a peaceful life. He had kept in contact a bit, sending messages when something important happened in his life. The last one was to tell her he was going to be a father. To see him here heavily armed and with other heavily armed people puzzled her.

“Hello, Samara. We came in peace.” he said, then Shepard took the lead of the conversation.

“I’m commander Sherpad, and I need your help for a critical mission, Samara.”

“I’m honored but I’m in the middle of an investigation.”

“The murder of a volus last night?”

“No. I’m chasing a fugitive, I cornered her here but she got away aboard a ship. Eclipse helped with her escape and I need the name of the ship she was smuggled off on.”

“We’re taking care of the Collectors. I think they’re more important than a simple fugitive.” Shepard replied.

“Your fugitive, is it who I think it is?” Rick asked, earning a nod of affirmation from Samara.

“Shit.” he said, sighing.

“You know…”

“Not your business, Red. Samara, if we help you get the name of that ship, will you join us?” he interrupted Shepard as they wasted enough time as it was.

“I would prefer if you join the Commander, Justicar. I’ve been ordered to take you in.” said Officer Anaya who just came through the door.

“Very well. By the Code I must comply but only for a day. Do I have to tell you what happens after that time limit ends?”

“No need, Justicar. I’m well aware.”

“It’s fine, we’re on it.” Rick said.

“And that’s why I’m hopeful that everyone here will get what they wish.” replied Samara, as she followed Officer Anaya back to the police station.

“You know, I want to yell at you so much right now, but you know her better than I do so…”

“It’s personal business for Samara. You would not have changed her mind.”

“Any idea where to start from?”

“The volus the blue policed talked to when we arrived. From their conversation the one who was murdered was an associate. Eclipse is on the crime scene and was the one to smuggle off the one Samara is looking for.”

“Let’s go, then.”

____________________________________________________________

The Volus interrogation lasted less than a minute. The alien had been resistant at first but between Jack’s mean look and her tattoos and Rick’s build and height, he sang like no tomorrow when they flared their biotics. They got out of him a pass leading to a part of the spaceport. From there it quickly turned to a festival of annoyance. One thing after the other.
First was the container of highly toxic chemicals laying around absolutely everywhere. While they enhanced biotics they damaged the body; permanently if the exposure was too long. Second was the fight against an airship coming and going, destroying the bit of paltry cover the area had. With the team composition they had to rely on the biotics and their warp to take it down, with a really frustrated Tali who couldn’t do anything but shoot with her pistol and that wasn’t really effective. In the end they spent a good fifteen minutes fighting the thing.

Third was the murder of an eclipse new recruit by Rick. Despite the young asari talent for acting the helmeted man vaporized her head in the middle of her act to the shock of even Jack.

“She’s wearing an eclipse uniform, meaning she passed her initiation already meaning she murdered someone and I’m pretty sure she was the one who killed the volus” was all he said before leaving the room they had entered.

The three ladies looked at each other in silence before Shepard shrugged her shoulders and followed him out. If Rick said that she was guilty, then she was guilty. She mentally laughed at that because had it been two years ago she would have given him a stern dressed down. Now she didn’t care. His explanation was good enough for her and it wasn’t like that young asari mattered. She was an eclipse mercenary so yes, she had to commit murder. It wasn’t a great loss if it was a loss at all.

I guess I’m finally coming to terms with my status of spectre.

Without the help of the alliance and the council and ever since they sent her to her death in the Traverse, she found herself doing things that normally would be questionable, at best, and that she was fine just seeing it happening as long as it was within reason.

It is certainly more efficient to get things done that way.

The last annoyance of the mission was at least amusing. They met a volus completely high on drugs that the eclipse mercs injected him. He believed himself a biotic god, able to do feats that no one has ever done with biotics. Feeling himself invincible he made his way towards the next room to confront the eclipse captain. As Shepard tried to knock him out and avoid the little alien to get himself killed, Rick stopped her by grabbing her by the arm and shook his head in a negative way.

“I want to see what this biotic god can do.”
“No need to be a genius to know he’s going to die.” the commander replied but let the matter drop.

Following the volus to the next room, they arrived in some sort of warehouse. There the biotic god exchanged words with the eclipse captain and attacked her with a throw that was so weak it dissipated a few inches in front of her before another fast and powerful throw hit her right in the head and sent her back.

“Oh my god that’s amazing!” exclaimed Rick with his hand raised and biotic flaring just behind the little mand.
“Behold my power! I’m so powerful my biotics act without them without even thinking about it!” the volus declared.
“All hail the biotic god!”

From then on the volus sent biotic attacks one after another towards the eclipse captain that got up on her feet, enraged. Rick matched every single one of them with his own, putting the captain in the tight spot as she could only dodge.

Jack was laughing at the absurdity of it all while Tali had a hand on her head. Shepard was just done if her blank face was any indication.

“Really? That’s why you stopped me? To have fun?”
“Who do you take me for? Of course not, it’s to help make the legend of the biotic g…”

He stopped talking when he saw the volus passed out from exhaustion.

“Aww, the fun is over.” he said in a regretful voice.
“I knew it!”
“I’M GOING TO MURDER YOU ALL!!” screamed the asari from the other side of the room glowing from her biotics being activated. Sadly from her she was against an elite team and even with her reinforcements she didn’t last long.

“We’re going to have a long talk about this.” Shepard told her friend.
“Do we really? No one got hurt, the mission was successful and we got a bit of fun out of it.”

“I’m with Dickhead on that one. After all the shit we went through to get here, that felt good.”

“See? Two against one, we win.”

That left Shepard speechless at the absurdity of it all. She turned towards Tali for help but Rick interrupted her.

“Don’t count on Tali to help, she knows better.”
“Actually, Shepard is right.” replied the quarian making Rick gasped ostentatiously.
“Traitor! You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”
“We don’t have a couch.”

“Not yet.”

The conversation stopped as he walked towards the desk the eclipse captain was working on and found the datapad with the information they needed for Samara. In a complete 180 of his mood he shared the news to the rest of the team and walked on his way towards the exit.

“You know, his sudden shift in attitude gives credit to what I said about him being a sociopath.” Jack said.
“You get used to it.” Tali said following the path Rick took.
“Sometimes he just… needs to vent. I’d rather he do it like this than blow everything up or fuck every lady in his way.” Shepard explained.
“That doesn’t make me wrong.”
“It doesn’t make you right either. That’s his way to cope with the things that happened to him just like we all cope in our own way.” Shepard explained as she began to walk.
“What things?” Jack asked, surprisingly curious.
“The murder of his wife and unborn daughter on Eden Prime two years ago for one.”
“Damn.”
“And it’s just the most recent.”

“What about you? How do you cope?”

“Finally interested in getting on with the team?” the redhead said looking at Jack with a small smile.
“Not really, no. Just curious. And I guess… perhaps find a better way to cope myself with the shit Cerberus did to me. Alcohol, murder and sex are just temporary, you on the other hand look alright all the time.”

“Well.. I think… I’m more… childish? I expressed myself more in private and I’m more lax on certain things in public.”

“Lax?”
“Two years ago I wouldn’t have allowed Rick to do what he did. The murder of the eclipse recruit or that stunt with the volus; I would not have let it slide. I would have dealt with him the military way.”

“A military bitch, huh?”
“Yes.” Shepard admitted with a laugh before going further with her answer. “A true lapdog of the alliance going by the book. That’s all I knew all my life and it got me killed.”
“Oh yeah you died. Damn, that must be on the top of things to cope.”
“Actually… not really? The missing two years is but dying and coming back… In a way it freed me from who I was. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a soldier through and through but I have a new perspective on life. Now… I actually enjoy it beyond the small and rare R&R. I mean, as a soldier and furthermore a spectre my life could end rather quickly and I don’t want it to happen with regrets of things I didn’t do. Not this time.”

Jack simply nodded in silence and stopped the conversation there.

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