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[Cainhurst Crow]

-TEAM SUSHI-

 

Vayne blinked as he heard the name, "Shin-Akiba? I think I know that place..." He said, putting down his credits as he stalked out of the resturant, looking up towards one of the hanging directories, "Okay...it's level 21 if that signs right. They're a big advertiser around here..." He said, thumbing towards one of the posters advertising the Commercial Area.

 

"Alright then...let's go save our turian..." Vayne said with a cautious smile. 'I'm nervous, and excited, all at once...' He thought to himself. He didn't want this to turn out to be a big deal, in the end. Too many close calls, too many near-kills. Yet he couldn't deny that part of him wanted to find the trouble.

 

After all, trouble meant something you could hit, and not feel bad about hitting. Simple, and not some complex plot. He'd had his fill of those for one year.

[Kel Riever]

"I didn't come quite prepared for this," Jenus remarked.  "We should get back to the Janiri by skycar, I'll take a few minutes to get quick gear, and then we should head straight there."

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

"You should carry one of these," Irina said, tapping the old double barrel shot gun on her leg.

[Cainhurst Crow]

"You should listen to that. They're good..." Vayne commented as he motioned to Irina, "Mines not travel size though...well, not unless I want "additional screening" from c-sec. Which I don't..." He said as he looked away, muttering under his breath, "I like my quad where they are too much for that...", still getting back and getting suited up would be good.

 

"We should head back anyway though. At least get some proper armor going..." He said, motioning to his more casual krogan attire.

[Kel Riever]

Jenus

With a shake of her head, Jenus replied, "You can give me anything, and I'll kill with it.  Sure, I'll take a chance with that rock thrower on a range.  If I had to go primitive, I'd go hunting bow.  Nobody ever made an omni-shotgun...but this..." Jenus took her finger and pointed at herself from shoulder to toe.  "She's my favorite weapon and I never leave home without her."

Iole

When Iole donned the last piece of her armor for the second time, she glanced down at Frank, golden eyed and satisfied.

"What happens in the secret hold stays in the secret hold."

Frank seemed like  he might still be in shock, but Iole figured he'd recover.  She hummed a bit to herself, and then pointed down between his legs as she stood up over him.


"And that's the biggest secret surprise I've come across down here.  Goddess, Frank..."

Iole laughed, as she worked her way back to exit the hold.  She tripped uncharacteristically on a seeming nothing, distracted by her very recent memory and perhaps from being thoroughly expended...

[Cknarf]

Frank just kinda laid there on the cold, hard, floor of hold five, as he relived the moment he had been waiting for ever since he first found that crusty copy of Fornax back in 2174. He almost couldn't believe what just happened. Most of that was probably due to the fact that he always thought his first time would be with a salarian. Or a human chick that kinda sorta looked like one...

 

Frank had always been a little embarrassed by the fact that he had never been with anyone before, especially after he entered his twenties. That, combined with the self-esteem issues one acquires while living on the street, might have something to do with why he is the way he is.  Or maybe it was Quintus' fault. That horny bastard was a terrible, terrible influence in Frank's earlier years. Yeah. Actually, that's probably it.

 

Eventually, he sat up. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just sit around and think about Iole's glorious blue ladybits all day.  He climbed to his feet, and started gathering armor of his own.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

The Case of the Dirty Cop - 5  Naleena and Johnny – At Lang’s Apartment Pt 1 (Cknarf & SJ)

 

William Lang sat on his couch in his stained wife beater with his shoes off and feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him while he watched Earth World Cup on the vid, his predator pistol next to him. It had been a long day. One of Iyana’s men had been killed in front of him and his chances of sanitizing the crime scene were completely sabotaged by the Spectre and her team. Iyana would not be pleased, but she would understand that there was nothing he could do about it without blowing his cover. Iyana played the long game and knew having an agent in place in C-sec was a valuable asset. For now it was waiting and hoping the Spectre would move on.

 

He picked up his phone and made a call. “Hey, Lou, what are you doin’?.... I’m watchin’ the game and I got a extra large pizza and beer. Why don’t you come over?.... Yeah, see you in about 10 minutes. Call me when you get here.”

 

////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

Lou was about 5’10” tall with a stocky build he arrived and parked his skycar at the end of the row. Naleena saw him get out of the car and really made nothing of him thinking he was just another resident, and she and Johnny got out of their car and started toward the stairwell. Lou entered the stairwell and made a call.

 

“Hey, Lang, I’m here. I’ll be at your door in a minute,” Lou said his voice echoing off the walls, then closed his phone.

 

Naleena motioned to Johnny go take him down and signal her when he was finished.

 

Johnny moved swiftly, as quietly as he could. As Lou reached the first landing, he spotted the creeping marine. Before he had a chance to react, Johnny pushed him hard against the wall with his biotics, and sprinted up the stairs.  As Lou pushed off the wall, a biotically charged fist to the face sent him staggering. Johnny wrapped his arms around Lou, and suplexed the sh*t out of him.  Seriously. Dude crapped his pants a little.

 

Johnny scooped him up, and put him over his shoulder.  Peering over the railing, he gestured with his head for Naleena to come.

 

Naleena arrived on the same landing with Johnny.

 

"What do I do with this trash?" Johnny asked. (badassfully)

 

Naleena pointed to the trash chute on the wall nearby.

 

Johnny raised an eyebrow.

 

“Don’t worry; the garbage will cushion the landing.” Naleena replied, then stepped over and opened the chute. It was about a two story drop. Johnny dropped him down feet first.

 

“Alright, time to pay Lang a visit,” Naleena said and drew her SIG.

 

///////////////////////////////////////////////

 

Lang took a bite off his pizza and washed it down with beer then cheered as the team on which he’d placed a bet scored a goal. The doorbell rang.

 

“Just a minute, Lou,” he said and got up from his seat with his predator in hand just in case, and opened the door. “Come in….”
 

Naleena knocked the pistol out of his hand, shoved him back into his apartment, and her aura flared blue. “Tell me about Broken Fang!”

 

“What the f*ck? I don’t know what you’re talking about! Where’s Lou?” Lang replied.

 

“Taking a nap. I’m not here to chit chat, Lang. This is what you humans call a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting. You hired the Turian who goes by the alias Broken Fang. You’re going to tell me why you had Jill Lodge killed for starters. You remember her, right? Mother of two. Her children were probably waiting for her to come home when C-sec arrived to take them to child-protective services. You were probably there, too, delivering the news earlier this evening. I know you were on the docks helping the Batarian find the Medusa,” Naleena said as Johnny closed the door. “Start talking, Lang. My patience is wearing thin.”

 

Lang smiled with defiance. “You need proof, Spectre, and you can’t prove a thing. I’m sayin’ nothin’.”

 

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, Lang,” she said as she shoved him into the wall.

 

“You gonna beat it out of me or get your b*tch over there to do that?” Lang asked with defiance.

 

“He called you a b*tch,” Naleena said and back knuckle slapped him with biotic enhancement. Lang was bleeding from his mouth. “Does he look like a b*tch? I don’t think he looks like a b*tch. Johnny, do you think you look like a b*tch?”

 

“No ma’am” Johnny approached, calmly holstering his Hurricane, and picking up a half-eaten slice of pizza. He rested his forearm against the wall, and took position next to Lang. “You know, Lang. If she really wanted to know what was in your head, she could just take it.” He glanced at Naleena, while taking a bite. “I’ve seen her do it, too.” Johnny lied. He had no idea how that sh*t worked. “I hear the process is quite painful.” He nodded.

 

“But I’d rather not see things come to that. I’m willing to bet you’re a reasonable guy when you’re not being slapped around.” Johnny lightly tapped Naleena on the shoulder with the back of his pizza hand.

 

“So why don't you just tell us what we wanna know, so we can be on our way.” Johnny shoved the rest of the slice into his mouth, and swallowed hard. "Next time it's a full slice."

 

Naleena gestured to Johnny. “Yeah, I could rip it from his mind, but you remember what happened when I did that earlier today, right?” she said and guided Lang into a chair at the kitchen table with its back against the wall and spied the box on the coffee table.

 

“Is that a Papa Genaro’s pepperoni pizza?” Naleena asked.

 

Lang nodded.

 

“Johnny, bring the box over here. It’s been a while since I had a pizza, and I heard these are quite tasty,” she said. Johnny brought the box over and she picked up a slice and took a bite. “Mmm. This is very tasty. Johnny, see what he has in the refrigerator to drink.”

 

Johnny opened the refrigerator. “There’s a part of a six pack of beer.”

 

“Would you please bring me one to wash down the pizza?” Naleena asked not taking her eyes off Lang as Johnny popped the top and handed her the can. She took a sip. “Ah….. Nothing like an ice cold beer to wash down pepperoni pizza. Isn’t that right, Johnny? So Lang, you know you’re facing murder charges for the death of Jill Lodge. Start talking.”

 

Lang scoffed. “You guys are amateurs. You got no proof. You think this good cop bad cop sh*t is gonna work on me?”

 

Naleena shook her head and sighed. “You know, I have had a rough day. We’re not gonna get anything out of him. I say we just waste him and get the f*ck out of here,” Naleena said and tipped her head in Johnny’s direction. “What do you think?”

 

“You can’t do that! I got rights! I want a lawyer!” Lang shouted.

 

"That's not really my style, ma'am." Johnny shook his head, while uncrossing his arms. He flexed his hand. "Although..." A faint biotic aura appeared emanated from his arm, as he threw a hard right. Johnny's fist struck the wall, just millimeters away from Lang's head. "I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind."

 

Johnny withdrew his hand, and shook it. He wiped the wall debris on Lang's shirt. He brought his face closer.

 

"Next time, it's your face. Tell us what we want to know."

 

Johnny's heart was racing. He'd never admit it, but something about being an a**hole felt good.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

The Case of the Dirty Cop - 6   Naleena and Johnny – At Lang’s Apartment Pt 2 (Cknarf & SJ)

 

“See? Now you got my partner upset,” Naleena said, “and he never gets upset. And I’m …”

 

“Alright! Alright! I’ll talk.” Lang said.

 

Naleena pulled up a chair and sat across from him. She turned on her omni-tool recorder and nodded to Johnny to do the same. “Start talking. Tell me everything.”

 

Lang was sweating. He took a deep breath. “I don’t know anything about Broken Fang.”

 

Naleena started to get out of her seat with her SIG pointed at Lang’s face.

 

“No! I contacted that Batarian to do the hit. He handled it. That’s all. I swear!” Lang said his eyes shifted like he wasn’t telling everything.

 

“You’re holding out on me, Lang. Don’t make me take it from you,” Naleena said and her eyes blackened.

 

Lang felt his world crush down around him momentarily. “Wait! Stop! Jesus Christ!” he cowered in his chair. “There’s more.”

 

“I thought so,” Naleena’s eyes cleared. “So you’re Iyana’s operative inside C-sec?”

 

Lang’s eyes started darting and he was shaking. “Sh*t! I can’t say no more. She’ll do sh*t to me you wouldn’t believe if she finds out I said anything.”

 

Naleena tipped her head toward him. “Or I could flay you with my mind right now and get the information anyway. Your choice.”

 

“Okay,” Lang replied and took another breath. “Can I have something to drink?”

 

Naleena pushed her beer over to him, and reached into her pocket, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She took a deep drag and blew the smoke out her nostrils.

 

Lang took a couple of swallows. “Yeah, I’m her contact in C-sec. I met her when she was with the Shadow Broker. I’ve only seen her a couple times. Mostly I’ve dealt with Jrudek, the Batarian.”

 

“So you’re responsible for shutting down Hagen’s investigation, then.”

 

“If you know all this sh*t, why are you asking?” Lang asked.

 

“Because I have to hear it from you, and I’m sure you’ll enlighten me with new evidence. Keep talking,” Naleena said and took another drag from her cigarette. “What happened then?”

 

“Someone hacked into C-sec and downloaded the files. Hagen? Possibly, but not without some real sophisticated help.” Lang said as he was spilling his guts. “So we had to move. Iyana had an interest in this fella, Morgan Severn, but records showed that he was dead. I don’t know what she wanted with his family. She wanted us to keep an eye on them. Particularly Jen.

 

“So I contacted Chief McGowan in New York City on Earth. Hagen didn’t buy that Morgan was dead and went looking for him. McGowan had Detective Pete Richards watch the Severn family after Hagen left.”

 

Naleena gave Lang a glare. “Hagen had become friendly with them, you know that, right? She went back to Earth for a visit. Then Richards killed her. Was Richards another one of Iyana’s operatives?”

 

“Molly’s dead? Sweet Jesus I never meant for that to happen!” Lang replied, practically crying. “I closed the investigation to protect her. You gotta believe me! Yeah, Richards is on Iyana’s payroll.”

 

“Lang, that hole keeps getting deeper and deeper,” Naleena said and tapped her cigarette ashes in the half-empty beer can from which Lang was drinking. “So keep going.”

 

Lang sighed and gave up Elaine Richter, the SWAT team, and gave the names of nearly a dozen others working for Iyana who were involved with the Severn family in some way who are with NYPD or in other law enforcement agencies. This covered Iyana’s entire network on Earth involved with the Severn case. Lang also provided links for evidence proving that they were corrupt, and he emphasized that McGowan was her lead on Earth.

 

“That’s all I got for you, I swear,” Lang said.

 

“Now was that so hard?” Naleena asked as Lang finished giving up the goods.

 

Lang sat in a kitchen chair drenched in sweat with exhaustion. “Iyana’s gonna skin me alive when she finds out about this.”

 

“But don’t you feel better? They say confession is good for the soul,” Naleena said, closed her omni-tool and started to turn toward Johnny. “Let’s go.”

 

Lang sat in the chair at the table sweating, shaking his head. “What am I gonna do now?” he muttered to himself over and over.

 

"So... is this how it always is?" Johnny asked. "Being a Spectre, I mean?"

 

“Not always. Most of the time I take in the suspect,” Naleena said, quickly turned, raised her SIG and shot Lang in the chest.

 

Lang fell out the chair onto the floor gasping for air with blood coming out of his mouth.

 

Naleena approached and knelt over him. “I know how much it hurts. I’ve been right where you are, laid out on the ground holding my chest looking up at the ceiling and trying to find my breath. Molly was there, too. I was lucky, I made it back. Lang, you aren’t gonna make it back... You want some help with the pain?”

 

Lang grimaced and nodded.

 

“You can close your eyes.” She put the gun to his forehead, turned her head slightly, and squeezed the trigger.

 

Johnny had turned his head and winced, just before Naleena executed Lang. Unfortunately, his hand didn't move fast enough to avoid the splatter that was normally associated with this kind of thing. He wiped his face with the back of his arm, before calmly turning around and walking out of the apartment.

 

Naleena grabbed a couple of towels from the kitchen and tossed one to Johnny. “He was guilty of multiple counts of murder. Unfortunately there was no way we could make the charges stick. I’ve seen how loyal Iyana’s agents are even in the face of their own demise. At first opportunity he would have alerted McGowan, and we'd never catch them. I need to shut down her network on Earth,” Naleena said while holstering her weapon. “Sometimes extreme measures are necessary.”

 

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, ma'am." Johnny said, without looking over. The whole 'my new boss just straight up wasted some fool' thing was still kind of settling in.

[Kel Riever]

...aboard the Kurinth

“This is Starlight Control, Thessia.  You are clear for exit.  Good luck, Spectre.”

Xanthe Remi was at her usual place on the CIC of the Kurinth.  She’d gone home, so to speak, though as a third generation spacer, Thessia was really the home of her ancestors.  The tiers of checkpoints was something brought to the forefront of her mind by the trip, and perhaps only Illium had more bureaucracy when it came to traveling.  The difference being that Thessia’s checkpoints made more sense; Illium was wrapped up in burdensome fine print. 

Open space lay ahead, and Parnitha shone beautifully as it dominated one of the viewscreens.  The trip had been productive, Xanthe putting some time in with senators at a ceremonial inauguration.  She steered clear of Matriarch Syra, who was critical of the Silaris armor program being more widespread, something the Kurinth represented.  There would be nothing good that came from the conversation; Syra was straightforward to the point of being painful, and when she had an idea, she didn’t let it go.  And Xanthe couldn’t help but wonder if underlying the bent of Syra was something personal.

The exercise of asari law through the Council was a necessity for Xanthe’s.  This is why matriarchs on Omega and the sudden arrival of humanity on the Council were bothersome to her.  Tradition was there for a reason.  The Republics weren’t some martial art.  It was a system assembled by long-lived beings who stuck to rules because they meant something.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, the mention of martial arts reminded Xanthe of her new crew, and the main reason for her travel to Thessia.  Her four Serrice Guard commandos were relieved and three full teams from an alternate Serrice Guard unit had been taken aboard.  The Terminus Systems were boiling.  Xanthe’s last meeting with Spectre T’Sarius was also a reminder of the resources made available to the Janiri.  Xanthe’s demand for a dozen Commandos rather than a single team met with little resistance.  The Kurinth was going to be prepared for action on the ground if it became necessary, and little could stand in the way of twelve Commandos from the most honored unit in all the Republics. 

“If you would, Captain, plot course for the Terminus Systems, Hal Bolag’s domain,” Xanthe requested.

[Cknarf]

“This is your pilot speaking. If you look out our window, you won’t see a damn thing, because we are currently travelling faster than light through interstellar space.”

 

Kira smiled, and shook her head, as she used her biotics to clear the deck two corridor of Quintus’ crap.

 

“Also, the ship does not have windows.”

 

Adir gave a light chuckle, but remained focused on his omni-tool and the readouts from the core.

 

“If for any reason you should happen to find a window, we are likely under attack and you have already been spaced.”

 

Frank smirked, as he walked up the stairs leading up from the holds, wearing his new set of armor, and carrying two weapons cases. One of the twin revolvers rode on his hip.

 

“ETA to Boltzmann… eh…. ‘bout seven hours. Nine maybe. Sh*t, I don’t know. We’ll get there when we get there.”

 

Marius was laid out on one of the couches in the lounge. He just put a hand over his face and sighed.

 

"Enjoy the flight, kids. And thanks for choosing Gavian Brothers."

[Redbelle]

From the dock area, someone large was coming.  In fact, it was Largo (the barbarian).  He ran, or more trotted as his huge size had the visual effect of making it look like his legs were pin-wheeling under his massive torso.  With oversized arms he was pointing at the keel of the Medusa, as if the arms would do the talking.  Finally Largo spoke.

"Down.  Ship.  Close to fall off,"  Largo flattened his hands and put them close together, to indicate a small distance between them.  "Babe!"

 

"What's that Largo? Babe's on the outside of the ship and she's hanging precariously in the well of the stations rotational gravity pull"? Jess moved to the railing's of the docks walkway and looked to the underside of the Medusa. The vantage point wasn't good however and Jess grinded her teeth. "Morgan, go get changed. I'll go see what the fuss is about with our little big gunner".

 

Casting her eye's about she looked back, over the walkway to the storage container and workshops. One seemed occupied and Jess bustled over and stuck her head inside. "Scuse me luv. Know where I can find a flyer"?

 

A young man. So young the spots were warring for room against the fresh skin on his face, stood up from the floor where he had been welding. The now dormant torch shifted to one hand. "Heeey"! He half whined, half grunted. "No one's supposed to come in here".

 

"Cept an inspector whose waiting on her flyer".

 

"An inspector? I didn't hear about an inspector from my supervisor". The young man's face slid somewhere between panic and confusion as Jess saw him trying to make sense of what was going on. "I should call my supervisor".

 

"That's a good idea luv. Call him right now so I can give him an earful about my flyer not being ready! What's your name luv? He'll probably want to know who gave your supervisor his contact details".

 

"Uhhhh". The sweat was beginning to come through and he wrung his welding torch in his hands. "Why does an inspector need a flyer"?

 

"To inspect the SHIPS"! Jess let go of the door and walked into the workshop, throwing her hands in the air for effect. "Dearie me your dense! I'm not here to inspect your workshops! I'm here to inspect that piece of junk parked outside there! Got me out of bed and on the clock because they made a late berth entry and would you believe that ship is still space worthy? The flight control office didn't! The mooring officer didn't! Heck I expect they probably have a Varren about that cover's it's eye's with it's paws! All that means I get rung up and called out for an inspection and here I am without my flyer the office promised would be here waiting".

 

Taking a long breath, Jess calmed and sighed as she took a step towards the young man who, suddenly discovering that their proximity was a lot closer for comfort than he was sued to, found himself sweating for an entirely different reason as he now found himself eye to mismatched eye with the woman in green. "Maybe you can help m out luv. All I need is a flyer. Two seater if you have one. Better to keep my notes on the other seat".

 

"Uhhhh, Suuuure.... I think we got one in the next shed over".

 

Ten minutes later, Jess was soaring into the shipping lanes in an inspection bubble. The large round canopy sat on an engine and looked positively comical to Jess when she'd first seen it. Despite that however, she popped open the top hatch as she spotted a figure hanging upside down on the Medusa's keel and she brought the bubble under and slowly caused it to rise before locking the bubbles altitude controls and standing up on the seat. "Hey luv! Not that I'm blameless in the risk department, but there's a very worried hunk of a man on the docks asking about you"!

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

The Case of the Dirty Cop – Epilogue (Cknarf & SJ)

 

"I need a drink. How about you? There's a bar nearby... nothing too fancy, good atmosphere, they make good drinks, and they have pretty good food for a bar. You did well; I was impressed. I'm buying," Naleena said as they walked down the stairs and headed to the skycar.

 

Johnny almost declined her offer. What he really wanted was to go back to the ship and crash. He'd had quite the day.

 

"I suppose a glass of wine wouldn't kill me." He shrugged a little.

 

Naleena drove them down to a cozy place in the wards a couple miles away called Jake's. That was it. It was a small club with a bar, pool table, tables, a dance floor and a stage. Tonight there was a live band. The Brandon Davis Quintet. Naleena paid the ticket charge at the door, and they walked in. The human hostess escorted them to a table with a good view.

 

The band had begun to play, and a dark haired human cocktail waitress took their order.

 

Spoiler

 

"My name is Mona. I'll be your server tonight. What can I get started for you?"

 

"I'd like a Serrice Ice Brandy," Naleena said, "and what kind of wines do you have?"

 

"Here's the wine list, Sir," she said handing the list to Johnny.

 

They were listening to the music and watching the band when their drinks arrived. Naleena ordered another one immediately and downed hers. She lit a cigarette and turned to him. "Morgan found this place and I was surprised they even have clean glasses," she said. "that's not his usual style. I like to come here alone sometimes now. Just sit here and have a drink in the quiet, or like tonight listen to a real band play some real music, not that electronic crap I can't stand. It's also one of the few bars on the Citadel that allow smoking. I can come in here and just unwind.

 

"I know this was a big day for you. Probably a bit too much," Naleena sighed and took a deep drag off her cigarette. She turned her head and blew the smoke off to the side. "We went there to interrogate a suspect, Iyana's insider in C-sec. But when he gave up McGowan and the New York City connection to the Severns... well it got personal. Molly is a friend and she was a member of my team, and I will make sure she will never have to worry about her medical care. She's still alive, barely. Richards shot her in the abdomen with an explosive round. I don't know if she'll be able to walk again let alone have kids of her own. The story I heard was that she almost bled out in the back of a limo with Jess trying to stuff what was left of her guts back inside. So... yeah... it was personal. I've got to stop letting things get personal, but my team is family. You understand?"

 

"Yes ma'am, I do." Johnny said, just before taking a drink. "My squad, as far as I'm concerned, is the closest thing I have to family, and I would do anything for them." He turned his attention to the band.

 

"I... can't say I would have handled Lang the way you did, but I can promise you that he wouldn't have been able to walk out of there on his own."

 

“Just… Naleena in here, please. We’re off the clock,” she replied and took a drag from her cigarette. “You’re a good kid, Johnny. I like you. You’re part of my team.

 

“When Morgan became part of my team, his family became my family. I dispatched part of my team to New York to bring them to safety.”

 

Naleena took a deep breath and took another drink. “My sister was murdered by a dirty cop. Director of Salarian Special Tasks Group. Real sadistic bastard. She was a dancer earning some extra money on the side doing ‘favors,’” she continued. “I warned her to be careful, but she said she needed the money to pay the rent on her condo. We were on Illium and she was used to nice things. They found her brutally beaten and tortured. Despite the evidence the authorities did nothing. Ten years later I tracked him down and killed him,” Naleena downed the rest of her drink. “I hate dirty cops.”

 

Johnny nodded in agreement. The more time he spent with Naleena, the easier it was for him to see why she was chosen for the job. She obviously never gave a damn about red tape even before becoming a Spectre.

 

"So..." Johnny began, trying to think of a way to avoid any further conversation about family. "I..." It wasn't working.

 

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss."

 

He quickly downed the rest of his glass, and poured another.

 

“That was a very long time ago, but thanks,” Naleena said and ordered another drink. She crushed her cigarette and lit another.

 

Spoiler

 

Their attention turned to the stage and the band playing. It had been a long day for both of them fighting the good fight. Lang had turned out to be another cardboard cut-out bad guy. A bad cop on the take. A cowardly right-hand man hiding in his apartment hoping to be rescued before the real cops showed up, but it didn’t happen.

 

Naleena had taken on the role of the mythic detective: Bogart as Marlowe with a touch of Jack Bauer added. To unravel all the mysteries, following a path of clues to that final revelation, even it could take her down to the cold cavernous depths of a grave.

 

And Johnny, he just joined the team. Turn around, walk away, blow town. That would have been the smart thing to do. But like the others on the squad, something drew them together like insects to a streetlamp on a hot summer night.

 

THE END

[Kel Riever]

Morgan

“Never a dull moment.  Come on, Largo, the captain will take care of everything.”

Largo looked at the underside of the Medusa like a worried puppy.

“Largo!”

“Largo come.”

Morgan entered the vessel with Largo, and had Dogger direct him somewhere before the mound of muscle worried himself to death.  After that, Morgan hurried.  It wasn’t like him to rush but something had his blood flowing about this upcoming meeting. 

Getting to the place where he stored his gear (he hadn’t settle anywhere to get a solid night’s sleep yet on the Medusa, some of the reasons for that being rather obvious), Morgan found his new casual outfit, though he left off the vest, preferring the loose fit of the white shirt that was newly cleaned.  He wondered to himself if he wasn’t putting on a show, but Jess had a way with words and he had another suspicion why she might have said such a thing.  Last, he fastened his Phalanx into a loose fitting leather holster.  It seemed a bit out of place, but there was no going without arms.

Making haste back, Morgan wondered what Jess had found from Largo’s panicked alert.

Babe

Thirty meters to a solid deck far below, at least from Babe’s perspective, was certainly enough to finish off any person, even in the extremely reduced rotational pull of the Citadel’s gravity well.  It wasn’t dead center, after all.  But what the lowered gravity did let Babe do is work without worry, as long as she had a good foothold, and lift the parts she needed without much effort.  Besides, any effort was covered by her the physique she prided herself on. 

The denim jacket had bee removed and tossed back up into the turret.  Everything else fit fairly tightly, except for Babe’s belt, which wasn’t a problem.  The extra slack was used to fasten this or that tool.  One of Babe’s hand held a long replacement cable, the other, a power tool, her right heel was pushing the cable protective cover against the turret dome to pin it in place, and her left heel was hooked into the rung that was the turret’s evacuation hatch handle.

All in all, it looked pretty precarious as Jess approached, but Babe didn’t notice her craft coming.

Babe was overjoyed about being outside the Medusa, working on her favorite things, and not worrying about anybody seeing her much.  If they did, they wouldn’t bother her, she figured.  A satisfied giggle escaped Babe as she clipped the next section of cable into place.

Then the memory of the woman in pink kicked in, her face, a dimpled, knowing smile, before she saw Babe she ran in terror…

The little one with the dimples…

“I don’t want to!”

The flashback hit Babe like a brick.  But it came incomplete, severed from another part that was supposed to be there.  Where the blank space was, it made Babe’s stomach whirl, and she felt like she was reaching into her past for something that was supposed to be there, like a handhold, and it wasn’t.

And when Babe snapped back to the present, she saw herself let go of the cable, to reach up for the edge of the turret hatch opening, for something to hold onto.  Her left foot on the rung had slipped, just so, and she strained all of that leg’s muscles to keep herself barely connected.  The foot was slipping now, though, but finally, Babe nearly bent herself upwards, in half, using her abdominals, to clutch with her free hand.

Unable to maintain the folded over position, Babe let her feet go, to hang now by the one hand.  She was actually in a strong position again, but the protective cover was slipping away.  With her now free legs, Babe caught the cover between her knees.

A bubble was heading her way.  Jess was inside it.

“Hi, Captain,” Babe greeted, trying to let it seem like she had everything under control.  Her heart pounded at the thought of the drop.  “Please don’t worry about your turret.  It’s a quick job, I can finish it on my own.”

[Cainhurst Crow]

Between Irina's shotgun, and Jenus's confidence, vayne weighed the options. "We'd probably be a bit too suspicious with armor on..." He muttered to himself, and besides, now that the news story hit, time was of the essence.

 

"Might as well not wait on this then, if you two are up for it..." Vayne commented, opening his omnitool and getting its combat programs up and running. He'd just need to hope a grenade launcher, flamethrower, and explosive sharpnel gun, would be enough protection on this one. "Let's go rescue our comrade."

 

///////////////////////////

 

Machaera, proud commander of the External Forces black ops branch, accomplished swordsman in an age where combat was an impersonal distant relationship, sauntered away from the holographic generators field of view, towards a rather impressive looking blue lounge chair and plopped himself down on it, letting out a digitized and distorted sounding sigh as his artificial limbs dangled over the sides.

 

"That...was....Exhausting." He said as he brought his stock white hand up to his forehead, rubbing his temples as he enjoyed the cool metal on his face, "Tenzo, give me a status update on our data mining. Aldal, tea..."

 

Tenzo stepped forward with the datapad in hand, looking to his boss with concern, "Well, we've scoured the omnitool as well as any terminal data from the cerberus operations that hadn't been wiped. It lists a number of monetary accounts used to fund the operation. It seems the goal was to get the 3 corporations to stop fighting the krogan long enough to take the relic for themselves..."

 

Machaera reached out and took the citrus tea, taking a gulp of the stuff as he threw his head back, bringing a hand up as he wiped off the "teeth" he now sported with his sleeve, "I'll have to get Ren'Danna to work on that..." he muttered to himself, eyes going up towards Aldal, "Next time, use some Sharmask Fruit. None of that orange earth crap..." he commented, not enough bitter in it for his tastes.

 

"I want those accounts drained into our personal funds. Any programs try to track us, I want them tracked in turn and to know exactly whose watching..." he ordered, Tenzo giving a silent nod as he got to work on his datapad, "Also, give me as much data on Lorek as possible...."

 

"Lorek? Why?" Tenzo asked, not expecting that to be his next orders.

 

"Because someones destroyed some rather sensitive assets to the hegemony there. And I'm going to find out who..." Machaera said with a growing smirk, 'I have a feeling I know who it is though...asari spectre, let's see your handiwork first hand...'

[Redbelle]

Jess's eye narrowed and she reached down to give the bubble some extra lift till she was within arms reach. Taking the protective cover in her hands from between Babe's legs she held it and rested it on top of the bubble. "Get anchored luv. Then give me me a good reason why being out here by yourself shouldn't mean I take you to my quarter's for some creative punishment"!

 

Easy girl.... Can't go hammer on tongs on the new crew. "Let's..... let's just get this gun done right. You look like your capable luv but somehow I think hanging by your fingernails with this weighing you down wasn't in the plan. Dogger went over extra vehicular safety equipment right? There are plenty of ties in the locker. Handy for letting a hatch like this dangle while you work". Looking up Jess ran her eye's over the work she'd been doing. "Not bad luv.... Let's finish it up and get back inside. If I don't present you to Largo he'll be worried about you all day".

[Kel Riever]

Certainly, without her denim jacket, to blunt any of her curves, Babe was killing it in her striped pants, crop top, and thigh high boots.  Then there was the dragon tattoo, or what could be seen of it, winding its way up her back, her golden coifs of hair, and her musculature...

But it was clear to Jess that there was a storm that came and went because she had felt it for an instant as much as she felt Babe's alluring force. 

"Don't pretend you wouldn't like it," Babe said as she clipped in the last of the cable, and Jess held the protective cover so she could one hand power bolt it in place.

The comment was a witty reply, on one hand, referring to Jess' punishment remark.  On the other, Jess felt it was like someone else was talking at that moment, and not quite Babe.

When they were done, Babe aimed herself towards the top aperture of the inspection craft, and deftly dropped herself into it.  She didn't say anything more at the moment, but she was rather close to Jess in the generally meant for one person bubble.  Babe didn't seem to notice much how distractingly close she was to Jess as she made the most of the situation by kicking her feed up on the control panel to the right corner, and turning a bit so her left side and hip butted up against the Captain.  Babe stared out the bubble window, away, and then realizing her visibility, she hit the polarizing controls on the craft, making the bubble's sphere a one way window. 

Safely unable to be seen, Babe sighed, staring at the dock while Jess moved the craft. 

"You should get going as soon as you are done with your business."

The words were even stranger than the remark made before.  It was as if that other person speaking was trying to warn Jess.  But before any sense, or inquiry, could be made, Babe looked over her shoulder at Jess with a timid, but warm and friendly smile.  "That's be nice, getting out once in a while.  In this craft, I mean.  It's cozy.  No guns though, sadly.  Nothing like the Medusa."

Jess watched as Babe stared longingly at her ship.  She could see it in Babe's eyes, the love, the irrational attraction that Babe had for the Medusa.  It occurred to Jess that Babe seemed as enthralled with the vessel as much as people seemed to be enthralled with her. 

"I mean, who gets out much these days anyway, with so much to attend to.  And nobody can really get around anymore without being noticed.  Can't attend a rally safely, as I hear, not that I'm about politics.  Can't wander the Citadel safely, it seems...heard the other article on the murders.  I don't mind being locked up, I suppose, as long as I get to work on a ship like this."

[Redbelle]

Jess grunted and leaned back, watching as Babe regarded her ship. It was funny. Many times she'd been aware that she was looking at the hull of the Medusa, appreciating everything, outside and in that made that ship unique and special.

 

"What's on the inside counts as much as what's on the out". She said finally. "We can't go just yet. Something tells me you like the view".

 

Looking up at the underside of the Medusa didn't provide the greatest of views, but then Jess didn't need a view. She could recall the Medusa perfectly. Every plate and bolt on the old girl was in her memory from all the times Rasgul had made her clamber about on her hull. The rear section on stern next to the gaseous detector that detected the engine emissions still held a scar of burnt metal. Her attempt to use a zero G weld torch for the first time. Rasgul had torn a strip out of her for losing control of the torch. They'd been in the depths of space and the torch's business end would have cut through their suits like a hot knife through butter......

 

"Babe. Why'd you come out here by yourself? I could chew you out for putting yourself at risk but.... your smart enough to know the risks.....". She was aware of Babe's breathing now. The proximity and enclosed space making it impossible to not notice. "Look, I get that your.... careful.... about being around people. I'd be lying if I said you weren't easy on the eye.... And maybe everyone else doesn't have a reason to hold back from I don't know what. But I'm your captain and to me that puts a wall between us that I can't breach....". She thought for a moment. "Well.... Not without strings and an understanding attached. The point is luv. If you want to talk to me I'm here. And I may not be immune to your charms but I can damn well tell myself that I have a responsibility towards you for agreeing to ship with me. This isn't a one way relationship where I take take take. I need to know that things are okay with you. Or Largo and I are going to be forming the 'Let's worry about Babe' club. Meetings every Thursday. I'll bake cake. People will come for the cake mainly. Sherie will get jealous. She'll start making cakes. They'll be a cake standoff I'll be drunk and I'll bet the captaincy that my cakes better than her's..... Is that what you want luv"? Jess stayed deadpan throughout, but couldn't help but let the traces of a smile appear at the end.

 

"Maybe it's to soon. After all, you know how people react to you. I'm just another gal whose probably like all the rest. I can be patient. Sooner or later you'll see that I care for all my crew regardless of how they look. But like I said, what's on the inside counts as much as the wrapping and presentation. A rough diamond is worth more to a diamond cutter than one that's cut and polished after all".

[Kel Riever]

"You flatter me," Babe said distantly.  It wasn't a long trip back to the dock, so for a bit, it seemed as if she was going to ride out the rest of Jess' questions with silence, but as Jess maneuvered the craft for a landing, Babe turned and looked over her shoulder with those blue eyes that made someone just want to dive into, her allure plainly apothegmatic.

"I don't know, maybe I like it."  Babe's eyes drifted.  "There are events I don't wish to remember, but many I also can't.  Sometimes there's a blank space where a part should be.  The Medusa, I love her.  She's complete.  You can see her working, from bow to stern.  Those guns, the clicks and clanks they make, they remind me of how much they work, how well they work.

"But I don't know why I wanted to go out there without the ties, or some mag locks at least.  I guess I trust the Medusa to not let me fall.  And...I feel like I would know if I was going to."

Babe paused.  Her blowpop was down to the stick and she fiddled with it as if there was some magical piece of candy she hadn't sucked off yet.

"I like cake, also."

What might have surprised Jess, if she could just pull away one moment from watching Babe's beautiful lips move, was that Babe didn't seem to be bothered by the presence of her own stare.  If Babe was conscious of her effect, she either didn't seem to care, or didn't notice about how it affected Jess.  It made her wonder how Babe saw her, and if it was in a different way than most people.  In fact, it made the effect somewhat worse, knowing that Babe didn't reel from Jess, or try to get away, as if she could in the extremely small inspection bubble with very close proximity....

Babe reached out and hit the button for the autopilot.
 

"Captain, I'm not much of a ship handler but you're drifting away from the touchdown area.  I would like to talk to you more, but don't you have somewhere to go?  I've got to get back into that ship and with the way I am badly received, I should do my best to stay away from anyone I might influence." 

 

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Naleena arrived back on the Janiri with Johnny. Johnny went to his quarters for some shut eye, and Naleena went to hers to relax and hopefully catch up with Anika. She needed one of Anika's famous massages right about now. Fighting for her life earlier, then interviewing and blowing away a suspect was not her idea of shore leave. She'd learned something about her new squadmate: he was a good one and he'd be reliable when the chips were down.

 

When she arrived in her quarters, VERA informed her that she had an important call from C-sec. Of course I do. No rest for the wicked. "Put it through."

 

"Spectre T'sarius, this is Commander Bailey. Sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, but I need to see you in my office."

 

"Can it wait until morning?"

 

"No. It can't."

 

"Then we'll have to handle it over the com," Naleena replied. "What's this about?"
 

"We found one of my officers shot to death in his apartment a couple of hours ago," Bailey said. "One of his neighbors reported hearing gunshots. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

 

"Cut to the chase Bailey, you know the answer, why are you asking?" Naleena said as she lit a cigarette.

 

"It's unusual, that's all. An old slug based weapon was used. Ballistics reported it's the exact same one that was used to shoot that Batarian in the Terminal earlier."

 

"Yeah, okay, you got me," Naleena said and poured herself a drink. "You're not going to like this. Just know he was dirty. Bag him and tag him. I'm shutting down your investigation, and I'm turning it over to the Spectre's Office."

 

"Dammit, T'sarius! I have a department to run and I can't have people, even Spectres shooting my people."

 

"I'd suggest you have Internal Affairs start running checks on everyone in your department. You've been infiltrated and you need to take out the trash. Don't worry, departments do this from time to time. It will look normal. Just make sure that when someone buys tickets to the Charity Ball the donation isn't excessive," Naleena said. "Have a nice evening, Bailey."

 

Naleena disconnected. She smiled enjoying the perk that came with the job of not having to deal with the red tape. She took a sip of her drink and wrote a message to Anika.

 

Anika,

 

I'm finally free. Come on up. Soft music. Candles. Drinks and just you and me.

 

Nally

 

*send*

 

Naleena clicked on some music and stood with her cigarette in one hand and drink in the other watching the fish swim lazily about in the large tank while she waited.

Spoiler

 

[Kel Riever]

-TEAM SUSHI-

"The Omni-tool signal is coming from this way, over by that skycar."

Jenus was back in her black and red Commando leathers.  Her own Omni-tool was active, and she double-checked that she'd read VERA's information correctly.  The skycar she referenced was ahead, and had darkened windows.  Standing close to it was a woman, perhaps fifty-five Earth years old, with long black and grey hair.  She was buying a bratwurst from the stand VERA referenced, and putting copious amounts of ketchup on it.  There was nothing really unusual about her, other than that she was likely the owner of the skycar.

Wheels seemed to turn oddly under Jenus' crest, as she twisted her lips in confusion. 

"Void with it, let's interrogate her."

Iole

There were things to set straight in that room Iole would be staying in with Frank.  And Iole found going through things to be interesting, if not a bit 'bacheloresque'.  She made little comment, but filled a big box of material to be exported from the premesis.

Iole wasn't much of a personal affects asari.  She liked her amenities, which definitely included the best audio-visual experience possible, with proper gaming links.  That part seemed to be handled pretty well.  What she did do is fasten a side table next to the bed, which she could call her own.  As soon as she could find a holo-display with a frame loop, she'd upload pictures of the people she figured she'd miss the most:  Jenus, Tallis, Mira and, of course, Red.

"Goddess, I have to message Red!"

Pulling out her Omni-tool to type, Iole placed her fingers at the ready position.  Then she froze.  She didn't know exactly what to say to Irina and her thoughts piled up like a jet-bike race crash.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

While standing waiting for Anika, Naleena's thoughts drifted to something she'd almost forgotten.... Iole and Frank.

 

"VERA, would you please draft a message for me to Iole. Tell her that I'm aware she's gone AWOL. Tell her that I'll give her 48 hours to return before I turn the matter over to the Asari Military, at which time she will be considered a deserter. I do not want that to happen. Give her an account number for transit in case she needs it. Make sure she knows that. Tell that when she returns that she and I will sit down and talk," Naleena said.

 

"Do you wish to proof it first?"

 

"Yes."

 

Iole:

 

I am aware that you have gone AWOL. I am giving you 48 hours to return to the ship. Use Acct 43-6657A95NT if you require transit to the Citadel and report to C-sec if we are not here. If you fail to return within the allotted time window I will be turning the matter over to the Asari Military at which time you will be considered a deserter. I do not wish for that to happen. We will talk when you return.

 

Naleena T'sarius

Council Spectre

 

 

"Well constructed message, VERA. Send it."

 

"What about Frank Eli?"

 

"Although part of the team, Frank Eli is a private citizen," she sighed. "I have no legal control over his actions. If he wishes to leave he can. He is welcome to return if he wants."

 

VERA sent the message to Iole with an added PS: Tell Frank he is welcome to return if he wants - VERA.

[Redbelle]

Sighing Jess waited till the Bubble was down. Stepped out, then poked her head back in.

 

"By the way, you left your jacket on the keel. Better get it before we go. Maybe one day you and I can talk more. I have to go now.... Believe it or not I'm about to introduce Morgan to.... someone who think's I'm dead and won't recognise me when I'm standing in the same room as her. Tell you all about it". With that Jess closed the Bubble and banged the roof twice before heading off.

 

On the way, through the bubble's transparent Jess stopped behind a man whose body seemed comprised of a landmass of muscle and sinew. His face seemed etched in worry but when Jess pointed back to the Bubble and spoke a few words his face lit up in a beaming smile. After he turned back and Jess turned to leave Jess swatted his backside which caused the man to turn but Jess was already walking in the other direction.

[TheMajonese]

Zakera Ward

 

"Thanks", the woman said to the owner of the small stall when she got her meal. After dragging that absurdly tall and heavy turian to her skycar, she felt like she deserved at least a short break. There wasn't much she could do until the living cargo in her car would wake up anyway. She was hoping that her unprofessional treatment of his wound was enough, but from what she could tell, he had been incredibly lucky when the bullet hit his neck. It was unlikely that would the turian die from the injury, and for now, he just needed some rest.

 

The woman already turned away and was about to walk back to her skycar, when she suddenly saw a strange trio approaching the skycar more or less purposeful. There was an asari in commando leathers, an one-eyed krogan and a human with long, red hair. She casually walked to her car, showing no signs that she was inwardly preparing for a confrontation. She still held her meal in one hand, with the other hand she opened the driver's door of her car. It actually wasn't really hers, she had just borrowed it and even though she didn't like it, its design was her advantage. It had four single doors, like normal cars used to have on earth, instead of this large canopy that many modern designs had, so when she opened it, this unusal group had no vision of the row of backseats that were occupied by the body of a huge turian.

 

She doubted that their presence was a coincidence. She had seen the red-haired woman before, fighting in the Armax Arena, together with the turian. Although she had no idea how these three people had found her. Before she climbed into the car, she took a look at her sword on the front passenger's seat, then glanced back at the strangers. I hope I won't need this again.

[Redbelle]

Anika was back in the Medusa having returned to Keith's weapons training. On the whole simply leaving him alone with a firearm had been a bad idea. None the less, the state of the target's she'd set up for him, on seeing them on her return, left her stunned.

 

Every target had been shredded and spent thermal clips carpeted the floor.

 

Anika brushed some aside with her foot before she stepped in. "Well you had fun it seems....". She said, opening her moth to continue before her comm chimed. She looked down and saw it was Naleena. "Oh damn..... Ah, Keith. Weapons training over. I have to go. Pull the clip and collapse the weapon. Remember. Ring! Or Fingers".

 

With that said Anika turned and hurried away to disembark, typing a text to Naleena as she went.

 

Nally, OMW. A

[Kel Riever]

Keith

Looking at Anika, he gave an, "Okay, Anika!"  He waived the hand with the ring on it, and had to suddenly let go of the gun in the other hand as it snap collapsed. "You little sonofa...I love you, machine gun!"  Keith, make the Revenant ready again, but then had to spend some time looking for another thermal clip.  It was a heap of empties in front of him.

Largo

Something touched Largo's butt.  Like a tiny fly.  He turned around and looked for it but saw nothing.  Besides, he was simply relieved at the news from the Captain that Babe was all right.  Maybe she would go for a workout with him.  He had a break coming up and very much wished to do some lifting to get rid of his last remnants of concern.  Even though he'd been lifting crates all day long.

It wasn't the same.  Crates were crates.  He needed the exercise room.

Babe

Once the inspection craft was back at its rightful place (which wasn't a problem as a spotted late adolescent did nothing but stare in silence), Babe headed up to the Medusa.  She spotted the volus in a yellow suit and the light blue haired young man of delicate features she's seen before.  They stared.  Babe regretted.  She was passing them by when the young man said.

"Haven't seen you since the basic gunnery you taught us."

"Yeah," Babe answered, "We're going to cycle through all that again.  Captain's orders."

Miss Dila spoke.  "Mister Chris and I were wondering <HISS> if you got yourself some free time comin' up."

Dreading what might come next, Babe's blue eyes retreated.  She noticed Largo was just passing through the airlock from where she'd come, decontamination running its procedure.  Babe started to reply, "I'm not sure I entirely have much time...."

"Dungeons and Dragons," Mister Chris said.

Babe was caught off guard.  "What?"

Mister Chris winked and his eyes lit up.  "You'll love it.  Miss Dila and I play all the time.  And our third partner has been busy lately.  You've got to take a break at some point and we have you pegged for a gamer.  Trust us, we know.  Come on over, it'll be just us, we'll get the food, and prepare yourself for an adventure!"

Largo came up to the three at that point.

"...and you're welcome to attend as well," Mister Chris said to Largo.

With an uncertain look, Largo said, "We all go?"  He looked at Babe.

Babe tossed the golden coifs of her hair.  "I have to go get my jacket from a turret I left it in, down at the keel and aft..."

Largo looked at Babe with big brown eyes.
 

"...sure, and then we can go."  Babe couldn't say no.

There was a little cheer from Mister Chris and Miss Dila. "Name your poison, Babe.  I'll ask Sherie if she can bring up a special meal to our quarters.  Just you wait..."

Babe cracked a bit of a smile, which to the other three was like sunlight coming through a window in the morning.

Morgan

Waiting patiently, Morgan watched as Jess completely confused Largo.  He laughed inwardly and checked the chronometer.  Morgan wasn't really concerned about the time, he was mostly teasing Jess with the gesture.  

"I'm amazed how you seem to have time for it all," Morgan said to Jess.  "Your suffering from your popularity will never end, Captain."