After Dahlia’s talk with Morgan she placed three orders for Savant VII and one Savant X omni-tools and had them delivered to the Janiri. Dahlia needed the extra biotic recharge boost. They could be transferred to the Medusa on Illium. Why four? It was always best to have one extra, and besides maybe Jess would have a use for it.
She also ordered the palette loads of alcoholic beverages as planned, also for the Medusa c/o the Janiri.
"You're pullin' my tail!"
There was a knock at Miss Priss' door.
"Come in! I'm all tied up in a furball on the com, but come in."
Doctor Amy Hayashi took a look around Miss Priss' cabin for the first time, and was getting an eyeful of the garish decor that she dressed it with, before Priss' conversation dominated her attention.
"Yes, Dogger, I know. Miss Gem Eyes...yes...Dahlia...had to have gone and duplicated the order. Well, if you don't mind me saying so, Dogger, sounds like you've been distracted a bit to the point of being out of character in the past few hours. You spending time on the home front? Gem eyes...yes, DAHLIA...clearly has been distracted as of late. I don't know, maybe the heat has gotten to that calico. Sakes, this ship has been running hot! I don't need to tell you, do I now? Well, yes, Amy Babylon negotiated the deal, and I did the face to face, or do you not remember? Never you mind. That makes a total of seven extremely expensive omni-tools, I promise three of which we are going to have to unload...well, do YOU need one for that cost, Dogger? Swear, no omni-tool could ever do what my mouth does, and you can take that to the bank! Or Sherie's. Or the both of you, I don't care, bring it on! No, no, I understand. And how about that booze? The Medusa and Jess Stone herself will be tiltin' sideways in an hour or two if you don't double pack that...how much? Well we better sell half that double order back! I ain't gonna be responsible for that! Not even if some leather clad Spectre is footing the bill. That's a liability. No, not the leather, the booze! The leather's an asset..."
Miss Priss finally paid attention to Amy. "Don't you worry dear, this is just about done. Why don't you have a seat right over there?"
Amy sat down, rather obediently, and patted the bun on top of her head. She spotted something interesting that was silvery in an open drawer and peeked over to see what it was...
VERA notified Naleena on her omni-tool that the download would be completed within the next 15 standard minutes. The University’s IT department had been verifying the download as it progressed, and the crews stood by prepared to disconnect the Janiri “VI” from the University mainframe.
Earth Alliance, Turian Hierarchy, and Salarian Union science delegations began arriving as no one wanted to be left out of the loop. Terra Firma candidate Charles Saracino stated that the Asari had enough of a head start on everyone and criticized the Shastri administration for not doing more to get the archive downloaded to a university on Earth. Majority Leader William Bartlett, a member of Shastri’s own party, echoed that sentiment.
Quartermaster Septerax accepted the shipments of goods delivered to the Janiri and routed them to the appropriate areas. Naleena took one last look around Thessia and boarded the ship.
“Set course for Illium,” Naleena ordered as she passed the CIC.
"So this...this is what truly awaits me...this challenge..." Essul said to himself as he looked towards the thing that would challenge him the most with this new position. The paperwork wasn't quite paperwork, since paper wasn't really used much for writing these days. There wasn't a comical stack of it, nothing of the sort as Essul sat at his new desk, but instead a simple terminal, a datapad not having quite what it took for this task, not without a holographic keyboard adapter anyway.
The terminal had a simple system of organizing the documents and files Essul would need for this job. Unread, Incomplete, and Completed. Selani had showed him where his new work quarters would be, as well as how to access the terminal and use it for this part of the job. It all seemed simple, which was what essul had commented on, and Selani had simply smiled on with his statement.
But now, now that he was looking at it, he could see why this task was daunting. "This back log...this is...this is all from just a few missions?" He asked aloud as he looked to the number of documents he'd need to go through, the unread column reaching into the triple digits as the completed rested at 0. Weapon and armor resources, identities of those participating in the missions, thermal clip usage, notable instances or actions that took place, planets visited, fuel used, all of the day to day details that required logging for missions was here, documented and ready for him to transcribe into the official reports.
"Alright...Captian Tsauris trusted me with this position...she trusted me to do this...so by the gods I Will." He said, clenching his fists as he moved quickly into position, left hand over the letters, right hand over the 10 key number pad as he let out a held breath, "I have conquered challenges greater then this...something so simple will not stop me." He said to himself, getting fired up as he got to work, accessing and reading over the first report on what weapons who took on the mission, opening a seperate report file as he put in the infromation simultaneously.
Jen
Jen was sorting through the archives of data available in the medical bay of the Janiri. One of her quirks was that she wasn't linking the system to her datapad. Instead, she would type notes on her datapad about what she was seeing on screen with VERA.
A new stream of data appeared suddenly based on some of the upload from the university. It seemed an update was available for the medical archives.
VERA sensed Jen's apprehension, likely from the realization that she'd have to resort her work, and compare it to the new data, and given VERA's capacities, that was quite extensive. But what was unusual about Jen is that she didn't outwardly react at all. No explicatives, no sighs of frustration. Jen simply took ten or fifteen minutes to examine her notes on the datapad, rearranged them, and went back at the computer again.
The device that treated Jen had worked on her for the past hour. It was done, thereby no longer requiring Jen to wear her silvery suit. But VERA also noted that Jen seemed quite comfortable in the suit required for her treatment, and worked away without a thought of changing into another piece of garb.
Morgan
With Jess busy visiting Kolme and taking care of herself, Morgan was back on the bridge. Dahlia was also at her station and the two of them made sure the Medusa was set for departure. All was in order, working smoothly for a change, though there was a fill-in, since Dr. Hayashi was technically off duty. Morgan wondered a bit about what she was up to, and realized she hadn't been in contact with someone else in a while; a certain gunnery chief.
Then Morgan thought about Amy Babylon.
Idleness wasn't something Morgan felt great about when it came to Amy Babylon, so he started wondering if he shouldn't check in. He swore if she could, Amy Babylon would start pitching TerF to the crew, unless of course, Babe had it under control. Babe's control being another part of that same concern.
Jess emerged from the maintenance deck with a haggard step, the result of Doc keeping her under while Kolme worked.....
She'd screamed when she'd become lucid enough to realise what Kolme had added to her in it's unravelled form.
It had taken minute's of holding her down, then a sedative, then Doc telling her to focus on what Kolme was saying, at which point she'd tuned him back in as she blinked the sweat out of her eye's. Kolme's words rolled into her hazy conciousness.
Focus.
Think of your arm.
Envision.
Let it become......
When she'd opened her eye's again, she was looking at her arm. Her hand connecting to the forearm, from the forearm to the bicep, from the bicep to the shoulder.
It tingled
"That's perfectly normal". Kolme had told her. "It's currently adapting it's connections to adopt a standard configuration. Simply put, when it's done, you won't need to stay concious for it to remain as it looks now".
Jess held up her hand, her new, artificial hand. The flesh was just like that of the old. Indistinguishable.... the ridges of her old hand now there on her new one. It felt wrong to Jess in a way. This wasn't her old hand. It was new. It was pretending to be her old hand but as she flexed her finger's she had to admit it felt nothing like her old one.... Her old arm had been mechanical. Utterly mechanical and as such, for all it allowed her to do, it was mostly effortless for her. The machine doing to the work while she directed it.....
This one? It was like muscle and sinew were worming there way inside of her, she could feel it. The gap between where flesh ended and machine began was blurred to a point where she no longer knew where it ended and she began. And because of that, she had absolutely no idea how she could modify this one.... The old harpoon gun she'd added to her old arm? She had no idea how anything of the sort could be added to this one when Kolme had told her.....
"You will find the elasticity will render a need for a hidden weapon mote. This can become such a weapon that shall give you far more options than killing the one you wish to defend yourself against".
As Jess stepped into the Spine and began the long walk back to the command module, she decided to check her omni tool for the time. Her new arm brought up the display and she stared, disbelieving at the time. Her comm was back in her omni tool and she called Morgan.
"Morgan? Jess. Just came out of Kolme's house of horrors. I've been under for a spell. What's been happening while I was out"?
Anika stretched her back as she paused her record search. It had been hours staring at the names and faces of those in the records for the huntress who had trained her, but whose name had been kept from her. Kricking her neck she decided to take a break and called up to VERA.
"VERA? Where are the squad"?
"By Squad, I assume you mean Jenus and her team"?
"The only squad I know".
There was a pause. "They are currently below decks, working to set several new training records I surmise by the level of focus Jenus is encouraging her team to exhibit".
Anika raised her eyebrows and turned to head towards the door. "Let them know I'm on my way". She passed her armor, stored in it's frame, staring ahead silently. She looked at it, then walked past it and entered the lift and headed down towards the girls.
Morgan was in the Captain's chair, looking out through the portal towards the Relay that was so large it could be seen visibly. "A few things. We're about to Relay jump to Illium, Miss Priss and Dahlia got us...more than we needed as far as supplies go; liquor as well as Savant omni-tools. We're loaded with regular supplies as well. I'll spare you the cost details for now. At least until I see you. I hope you're feeling all right."
Then as an after thought, Morgan said. "By the way, I haven't checked in on either Babe or Amy Babylon in a while. You know I have my concerns on not hearing from the one, the other is no surprise..."
~ ~ ~ ~
Iole backed away from Irina who'd gotten the last three scores on her. "All right, that's good, Red! You've got the reach. I haven't been able to get inside you the past few times." Iole took a look at the scores. "We've got some work to do though if we're going to catch the Spectre's score."
The door opened to the sim room and Anika came in. Jenus was cooling down from what was an advanced treadmill sprint exercise, where she handily took whatever Naleena's score had been. She stretched her head and body to the side, calmly. "Two-tall has joined us everybody. Looks like she's finally up for some actual training."
Anika thought Jenus seemed unusually welcoming. The asari's dark eyes examined her with a removed stare. "Well, Anika? That's why you're here, right? You aren't waiting for your girlfriend to show up, are you?"
Anika stood with her hands behind her back, coolly looking over the exercise room before moving inside allowing the door to close. "Vayne and I aren't that close". Anika quipped as she walked over to where towels were hanging. Pulling one off it's rail she swung it up and around her neck where she hung onto it with her hands. "As for Naleena, I'm sure she has things she has to deal with that stop her from putting in the hours". Looking around the room, she eyed a bench press and stepped over to it, examine the mass inducer's on each end of the bar.
Reaching out, she turned one on and found them linked so that turning up one turned up the other. Turning them up to their maximum she frowned. "I'll need someone to retune these. Three hundred pounds is a little light for me".
Jess sighed. "Shoot the costing's to my message queue. I'll check them out later. As for Babe and Amy..... I'll check in if I see them on the way over. Don't worry luv. Babe's got a handle on herself..... I'm think..... I'm investing some trust in the gal. She could use the faith. Catch you later.... Oh, and yes. You can see the new arm when I'm up. Looks pretty much like the old one though. Not so sure about the party trick..... Talk about it later. Jess out".
Jenus grinned. "You know, Anika, I was thinking about that! And about you..." She stopped her cool down and came over to the mass inducers. "So what happens here is the whole system is set for, you know, people like us Commandos. But all you have to do in this pretty advanced system is.." Jenus went over to the settings menu, hit a couple of buttons and said, "Ask VERA to do the retuning. VERA?"
"Yes, Jenus?"
"This range of weight isn't going to be sufficient for some of our more...outstanding members. Surely you can change the settings for someone who can do a lot more. Would you be so kind as to make the settings for Vayne's workout available?"
"Loading now.
Jenus went back to the spotting position, though there wouldn't be much she could personally do if the system went awry; the technical failsafes would have to suffice. But she was there so she could talk to Anika as she would take her position for the excercise. "Two-Tall, let me fill you in on the details of what this little Commando team, and of course Red, are doing. We're having us a little competition. It keeps everyone on their toes, you know? More than that too, but I'll spare you the pep talk since you come well equipped to handle any situation. Let me show you the display."
With a spin of her wrist, Jenus turned the readout screen for the bench press user towards Anika so she could see it. "That there is my score, this is Tallis' just above it. Tallis, she'll surprise you with that frame of hers. Anyway, here's your girlfriend's name right below us. It's a pre-sorted list, and that's why you don't see anyone else's name on her but our team's and T'Sarius. Now, you can take a look right here and notice all our scores are on the old, you know, non-Vayne workout system. So I bet if you put half the effort we did into it, you can blow away what we've been pressing. Nothing like some physical exercise to get the blood flowing, huh?"
Jenus seemed calm and gestured with her palm towards the press. And her eyes were that of a cat about to eat a mouse.
Anika saw the new weight range of the bar and opened her mouth to say something.... Then closed it as she re-examined the readout that now read seven hundred. Silently she walked to the bench and sat as she lay down. "So what is it I'm looking to beat? If we're looking to make records"? She asked.
"Well...," Jenus said, leaning in towards the display over Anika, then turning her head downward. She was close and leering. "I'll tell you what, why don't you show us what you can do since you are unique enough to have us change all the settings." Jenus pulled back, stood up out of the way, and smiled.
Inwardly sighing, Anika leant into the padding of the bench as she raised her hands up to grip the bar. Testing it's weight, Anika found the right grip as she took a deep breath. She let half out, then lifted.
The bar came up, slow and carefully, then Anika held it, her elbows bending as the bar lowered to just above her chest. Anika's face was a still mask as she exhaled and lifted. The bar raising slowly as she lifted it up, then down one more time till she'd done a full rep. At which point, lifting it up and over the frame of the bench, she let it clang back into the metal frame and Anika's long stretched out body curled as she rose back up breathing a little harder.
"Well? Is that the benchmark"? She asked, face carefully neutral as she turned to face Jenus.
"Oh, I think you've passed that," Jenus said, looking at the display. Obviously, Anika was drawing attention as well, as Tallis took a break from her own work to come over and watch. Jenus then said, "But you hardly look like you're trying. Aren't you going to show us what you can do? I don't think any of us is interested in holding back here. That wouldn't be sporting, would it?"
Jenus was baiting Anika. But she certainly was good at it as she took two fingers, held them over Anika's face, and drew them in as if to say, 'Come on.'
"Let me show you something. We humans don't have biotics to fall back on as a rule, so we learn a lot of these," Irina said as she was about to show Iole a submission move. "This is a non-lethal take down and hold that can have your enemy screaming, but you have to be quick. Let's go over it slowly."
"What if your opponent is biotic?"
"No one can keep up biotic defenses forever. You know that," Irina said. "Don't depend upon your biotics for everything."
Irina showed her the move several times. "Now you try it. Slow."
Iole threw Irina and had her in the hold.
"Good. Again. Same speed."
After several times and several increases in speed. Irina countered the hold and caught Iole by surprise and had her screaming with a pressure point hold. "You have to lock the hold. You got lazy on it and left me an opening. Again."
Jenus watched with amusement.
Iole countered. "You're forgetting I'm the one on the team who doesn't have the biotics to fall back on."
This time Iole came in, but faked Irina and got a kick into the side of her knee, dropping her, before putting a fist to her throat. "Dead, Red. You're dead. Want to try again?"
Jenus had to focus on Anika. "Hey, you better get to that lifting before someone thinks you can't do any more than what you did, and we go find some other challenge to interest us."
"Good, Iole. You caught me napping," Irina said. "Alright, let's go at it one more time, then take 5."
Frank
It was the sloppiest, floppiest, most one-sided battle in galactic history, with Lilith dominating the fight. If you could even call it one. She was mostly toying with Frank, much like a cat with a cornered mouse.
“Damn. That was one of my favorite pieces.”
F***.
Frank looked down at the remains of his blade. Apparently, katanas weren’t those unbreakable superweapons like in the movies.
Wait. Why am I using this?
An excellent question! Why was Frank bothering with a sword, when he could just freeze her ass and be on his way? He made the motion to launch a cryo attack, but nothing happened. He tried again.
“You act as if you’re the only one in the galaxy with a Savant.” Lilith chuckled, as her own omni-tool faded. “Do you really think I--” She stopped, as Frank’s katana remnants, thrown at full force, lodged into her left shoulder.
Frank took this opportunity to book it.
“Hm.” Lilith smirked, not taking her eyes off of Frank as she firmly gripped the Tsuka. Without even a flinch, she pulled it out, and cast it aside.
“Come on...” Frank couldn’t get his omni-tool to respond. Frantically, he tried to pry the doors open.
Lilith took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. Glowing with biotic energy, she launched herself hard into Frank’s back, forcing him into the door and knocking the wind out of him. She pushed herself up against him, and took hold of a rather sensitive area, all while holding her blade near his throat.
Lilith tightened her grip, as Frank began to struggle.
“Now now, that’s no way to be.” She kissed his neck lightly, and began pulling him back from the door. “Why don’t you come back to bed, and just…”
Frank gritted his teeth, and tried to throw back an elbow. His eyes watered from the increase in pressure.
“The more you fight, the harder I squeeze.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kira
"Are you close?"
"Nearly there. Have you made it to Eli?"
"Just about."
The crowd on the floor parted, as a barefoot and bloodied Kira marched through as if they weren't there. She didn't bother trying to hack the door to Ezra's room. Instead, she placed a palm against each side, and closed her eyes...
From over Frank's shoulder, Lilith saw the doors explode inward, completely demolishing the frame and a good portion of the surrounding wall. She watched as Kira stepped carefully into the room, using her biotics to clear a path for herself.
"Kira..."
Lilith stared hard at the matriarch, who was still glowing with energy. It was clear from the blood that covered her body what had happened. She released her grip on Frank, who immediately fell to his hands and knees, before rolling onto his side.
Without warning, Kira launched a hunk of marble at Lilith, and sprinted towards her.
Anika inclined her head slightly as she looked at Jenus. Then sighed.
"Jenus, I appreciate what your trying to do. But me breaking other people's records is unfair. I was made to be in peak physical prowess all the time. And then they pushed the boundaries of human limits to raise them further. It's true, I can lift more than even the largest weight ever pressed by humanity..... which is over one thousand pounds..... but until I meet someone like me, putting records that no one else can acheive isn't fair...... How much do you weigh"? She suddenly asked.
Jenus scowled, but there was a victory mixed even amidst her angered expressions. She leaned in close over Anika. "Don't distract from the point if you've got to make one. At least you're smart enough to know who you are."
Then Jenus stood up and away again, going over to the screen. She grabbed it with one hand and turned it with unnecessary force to place it more easily within everyone's view. "You're score isn't showing on the sort anyway, see? And that's because this sort, when I set it up, doesn't place any unnaturally enhanced performance numbers. That's whether they are genetic, or from drugs, such as the case with a certain batarian aboard. It's like you say, Two-Tall...just like in any sporting event or competition that is meant to be fair, the playing field is meant to be level, and favoritism doesn't allow for ethical results. I don't mind that you are a mutant, Two-Tall. I mind that someone wants to break the rules for you because they like you."
Iole stopped her bout with Irina, having overheard Jenus. She didn't want to get this any deeper than it had gotten, but she had to intervene. "Jenus, she didn't come down here to pick a fight."
Jenus' glare subsided, but she still looked with disdain. "I know she didn't. It's not her fault she's with the Spectre, or that she's been injected with Goddess knows what to make her the way she is. I like Two-Tall, because it's clear she knows there's a reason you keep certain procedures in place, like not having mutants and people with drug enhanced performance mix with normal people even in for fun competitions. I wish her bedmate understood that, too. But I'm just a grunt. Can't change that can I? Just got to follow orders, even if they're given to me by someone who doesn't like to follow them herself."
Stepping away to another treadmill meant for running, Jenus got on the machine and started syncing it up. "Don't worry, Two-Tall, there isn't anything being said here that a vermin wouldn't tell, if there was a vermin to tell it. I'd just wish if that vermin did feel the need to spill it all, that they'd also spill how there isn't anything that can break me."
"Jenus, Jenus..." Tallis tried to interject.
"No, Tallis. There's nothing to say. That's what there is to learn today. It's time you all picked up something from me, and that's I might lose sometimes but I'm never defeated. You take that from here to your Spectres and anywhere else you'd like to." Jenus started moving on the treadmill, building up her run. "That goes for you as well, Two-Tall. You aren't an exception because I know whatever got shot into you, it wasn't that."
Anika waited patently as Jenus went on, her expression a curious mix of amusement and mirth as she stood and twisted the bar up to one thousand, one hundred and two.
"All I was going to say, is that..... if you want to hop on the bar, I'll show you what I can do. One thousand pounds is technically the structural maximum a human skeleton. And then, only those whose ligament's, sinew and muscle tissue has been trained up to be able to support that weight. I just set the bar to the maximum any human has ever lifted unaided so if you and the girls want to hop on to, I'll give you the demonstration you want....".
She paused. "And as much as I know you don't think much of Naleena right now, I want you to know that I'm keeping my private and personal life separated. So if you have a problem with Naleena's command style, boss, I want you to come out and say it. Because it's possible you might be right. And if there is a problem that our effective commanding has in using us, or leading us, we need to bring those concerns to her. Naleena's many things. But a by the book, regulation adhering three square meals a day grunt isn't one of them. She didn't come up the ranks like you. Or raised like me. Be mad at her all you want but I hope that won't blind you to the fact she needs you as you are to cover her blind spots". She smiled plesently as she sat back down on the bench. "One Naleena and one Jenus is enough for one ship. Now, do you want to hop on the bar? I'd appreciate knowing if I can carry you on top of everything else".
Her face was pleasant. Her tone even. But the twinkle in her eye hinted at the meaning behind her words as the verbal gauntlet thudded to the ground with a heavy crash as the room went silent.
Anika was sure that her point got across. But Jenus would have none of it, and she looked away dismissively. Anika was wise enough to know that, if anything, Jenus was simply taking a long circle for another attack, the only question being of when. For now, it looked like Jenus was through engaging. But she'd be back.
However, Anika saw a hand on the bar and looked up to see the owner was Tallis. The purple skinned asari winked at Anika and said, "Me, me." Iole smiled, hidden away from Jenus by her position, but clear enough for Anika to see. The golden eyed asari winked at Anika, then went back to her session with Irina. Tallis was still hovering over Anika, waiting for whatever was going to come next by placing both her hands on the bar.
"Up. Up."
Irina put a pause in her workout with Iole. "Hey, Jenus. I've been thinking about what was said during that meeting about our Batarian's duties. He's in charge if Naleena is incapacitated on the ground. But up here on the ship you're ship security, and that means you report to Selani, right?" she said while wiping the sweat off her face with a towel. "Gets me kinda confused. I haven't seen a new organization chart, and the boss better come up with one soon clarifying the chain of command. That's important. We can't have our people confused about who's supposed to be giving orders around here, right?
"Blondie, you might want to nudge the boss to get that done next time you see her."
She threw her towel down, stretched a bit. "Come on, Goldie."
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