Who Saves the Hero by Kudara

Chapter 13

Illium - Main Trading Floor

Shepard stopped in a quiet corner of the trading floor and briefly explained in a quiet tone what had happened between her and Liara to Garrus and Tali. They immediately suggested they should go back to the ship, she overruled them. There simply wasn't time; they couldn't risk Rayna leaving before they met with her. Instead she insisted that they find a quiet place with a corner she could sit in for a short time away from everyone else. Tali found them a cafe that served multi-species breakfasts. A quiet and hidden corner table in the back suited Shepard's needs well.

She managed to choke down some food and then settled into the back corner of the booth while Garrus and Tali talked quietly, sipped their beverages, and made sure the waitress left their table alone. It was time and thankfully, due to her digging through the Cipher last night and finding the memories of Elder Instructor Lindariel, she had some ideas about how to wall away her emotions for another few hours so she could get done what she needed to do today.

Lindariel had lost her mate, a man whom she had deeply loved and had been with for nearly a hundred and sixty years, to an accident only five years prior to the last of the memories Shepard had of her. Amanda wasn't sure if that meant that she hadn't long outlived him before she died and was consumed by the Thorian, or if Lindariel had lived for hundreds of years longer and these were just the memories the Thorian had either chosen to keep or been able to absorb.

Lindariel had struggled with and overcome the almost the exact same difficulties Amanda was facing now. The prothean woman had taken time away from her duties as a teacher to mourn, but such a loss simply wasn't recovered from within a few short weeks. Despite the fact that she was still grieving the loss of her mate, Lindariel had needed and wanted to return to teaching, to do something that was useful and occupied her thoughts. In order to teach, however, she had to carefully wall away her pain and sorrow so that the children weren't aware of it.

The techniques and meditations she had used were now available to Amanda and the Spectre gratefully made full use of them, gently walling away the raw, painful emotions. As Lindariel had, she would allow herself to grieve the loss of her relationship with Liara at a more appropriate time, such as later today when she was alone in her quarters. Lindariel's memories also helped Amanda both understand what Liara had gone through when she died, and they gave her comfort that eventually the loss and pain she was feeling would fade and become easier to bear. It had for the prothean woman; Amanda had no reason to think that time would not do the same for her as well. Exploring the prothean woman's memories also solidified Shepard's belief that underneath their external and cultural differences, she and Lindariel weren't really all that different from one another. The prothean's love for her mate and her grief over his loss certainly felt similar enough to what she was feeling about the loss of her relationship with Liara.

By the time she was done with her meditations, most of the hour Amanda had allotted herself had passed. It hadn't been easy, but Shepard did feel calmer, less emotional, and more in control of herself. She knew her control over her emotions wasn't perfect, especially not by Lindariel's standards, but it was much better than it had been just an hour ago. With any luck it would be enough to allow her to meld with Rayna and not bombard the asari with her emotions, as well as allowing her to make it through the rest of the day.

In an odd turn of events, one of the things that had shifted in the past hour was Shepard's view of Elder Instructor Lindariel. Certainly she knew the woman had been a stern and demanding teacher, but she also knew the prothean had truly cared about all of her students and wanted all of them to succeed at what she was trying to teach them. Knowing of the prothean's loss and pain and the way Lindariel had gracefully dealt with it... well Shepard's respect for the Elder Instructor had definitely grown by leaps and bounds this morning. Lindariel's memories and her meditative techniques had been an invaluable help to Shepard and she certainly felt grateful toward the elder prothean and the memories she had of her. It was almost as if Lindariel had become a very good friend to her, which was very odd considering that the woman had been dead for over fifty thousand years, but it was also very true.

Illium - Transportation Center and Commercial Spaceport

Officer Dara, when they asked as to the current location of Justicar Samara, directed them to the commercial spaceport. Shepard couldn't believe their luck, considering the way the day had begun; she hoped it was a good omen for the remainder of day. They had needed to find a way to the spaceport and the Justicar just happened to provide them with the perfect excuse. Though being greeted with a worried, "Did she kill somebody already?" by the officer hadn't been at all what Shepard expected. Apparently the authorities on Illium were very worried that someone would either try to bribe the Justicar, which would oblige her to kill them for insulting her honor, or she would catch them breaking the law and kill them. If it were an asari all well and good, no one would question the Justicar's decision, but if it were a non-asari the authorities were afraid it would cause a diplomatic incident. Hence the local authorities concern with the Justicar's presence on Illium.

It didn't take Shepard long to locate the Ilara Waverunner once they arrived at the commercial spaceport, the small courier ship wasn't docked very far from where the air cab let dropped them off. No one seemed to pay much attention to their arrival, being more concerned with their own business. Rayna was busy loading some shipping crates into her ship's cargo area when they walked up. The lavender hued asari nodded to them, "I need to get these loaded and then we can talk, if you wish you can wait in the ship."

Shepard responded, "We'll wait inside, no need to draw any attention to ourselves or to you." Rayna's grey eyes, only shade or two darker than Shepard's own lighter, silvery grey ones, narrowed at that and she motioned for them to enter her ship's cargo area. They lost no time in doing so, moving toward the back of the area so that anyone passing by wouldn't see them. Ten minutes later, Rayna loaded the last cargo container and closed the hatch.

"Are you and your companions in danger Shepard?" Rayna asked as she led them deeper into her ship.

Shepard responded, "Not in any immediate danger, no."

"Unless they find out about this," Tali murmured.

"Which is why we're being very careful to make sure they don't," Shepard responded. Rayna glanced at her sharply at this, but didn't say anything. They stopped in a decently sized room with a small cooking area and a table and chairs, obviously the ships small kitchen and dining area.

Rayna motioned for them to sit down, "Would anyone like something to drink?"

Since they had just eaten, they all demurred. Shepard looked over at the asari, and decided that sometimes it was easiest to simply dive right into it. "What do you know about a group called Cerberus?" Over the next few minutes Shepard sketchily explained about the Collector attack on the Normandy two years ago, and how Cerberus had come into possession of her body, though she left Liara's role in her recovery completely out of it. She explained how the organization had rebuilt her body, bringing her back to life and then requesting her help in defeating the Collectors, who were abducting whole human colonies out in the Terminus Systems. Throughout her explanation Rayna looked surprised and amazed at what Shepard was telling her, but never doubtful or as if she disbelieved the Commander, which was reassuring.

"The news reports claiming that pirates are attacking them?" Rayna questioned confused.

"The latest reports on Horizon?" Shepard asked and Rayna nodded. "Lies or at least misdirection, the Council is aware of who is actually behind the attacks. They have eye witness reports as well as the information I managed to get to them. I'm not sure why they released that statement, but in any case they can't act openly in the Terminus Systems."

"So how are you in danger and why do you need the rachni's help?" Rayna asked.

"Cerberus," Shepard replied succinctly, "despite how they are trying to portray themselves to me, they are the same ruthless terrorist organization I encountered before my death. I'm certain that their leader, the Illusive Man, though he probably does want to stop the Collector attacks, also has less than altruistic reasons for bringing me back. Somehow going after the Collectors furthers his goal of human domination of the galaxy, but to try and verbally explain to you why I'm certain he has another agenda would take longer than I think is safe for either of us. I'd like to try a meld if that's alright with you." Shepard could tell by Rayna's reaction that the asari wasn't immediately sold on the idea, "I think it's the only way to explain everything the Queen needs to know in order to make her decision, while not taking so much time here that we run the risk of this meeting being discovered and endangering all of us."

Rayna frowned in concern, "I know it may seem to non-asari as though melds are an easy way of transferring information from one mind to another but..."

"I know," Shepard interrupted her, "it isn't that way and human minds are naturally resistant to melds. I'd like to try something different, not a standard meld where you have to go looking for the information, but one where I have the memory I want you to see already ready and in the forefront of my mind." Shepard drew in a breath, and added "It's a Prothean method," knowing already that she wasn't going to be able to explain exactly how she had learned the method.

The lavender hued asari stared at her wide-eyed, "A Prothean method?" Little wonder Rayna sounded doubtful at the idea of anyone possessing firsthand knowledge of how the Protheans did things. It shouldn't be possible, but then most people didn't know about the Thorian or Saren's Reaper driven obsession with finding the Ilos conduit.

"It's something that happened when I was trying to track down Saren," Shepard tried to explain as much as she could without revealing any classified information, "I ended up receiving a prothean Cipher so that I could understand the message I received from a prothean beacon. As a result of that, I now have a few prothean memories floating around in here," Shepard tapped her head lightly with a finger, "Which is how I learned how the Protheans transferred information during a meld." Rayna was still just staring at her, Shepard didn't blame her, as explanations went it was certainly lacking. "The details are classified, I can't give you a better explanation than that, sorry."

Rayna slowly nodded, "Very well Commander, I am willing to make the attempt if you believe this will work."

"Give me a minute to prepare," Shepard closed her eyes, she already knew what she wanted to share, it was just a matter of clearing her mind and focusing on the particular memories she had chosen. "I'm ready."

She heard Rayna move closer, "Embrace eternity," the asari said the traditional words for initiating a meld. Shepard focused, mentally reaching out to Rayna when she felt the asari's first mental touch. It felt very similar to what she had done when she had joined minds telepathically with the rachni Queen, Shepard realized with no little surprise. Had she subconsciously been accessing the Cipher then or was it just coincidence that this felt similar?

The sense of another mind touching her's abruptly disappeared, "You have your mind blocked," Rayna said sounding amazed.

Shepard opened her eyes and nodded to the asari, "That's an essential part of it, blocking off everything else except for what is to be shared. You should feel a...well a pulling sensation is the best way I can think of to describe it from the memories I have. Just allow that to pull you into my mind."

Rayna looked thoughtful, "I did feel a pulling sensation," she confirmed. She stared at the human, "I did not think that anyone but another asari could block their minds from a meld."

Shepard's lips quirked in an amused smile, "I guess that's not the case, you just have to be taught how."

"Indeed," Rayna agreed, now looking mildly amused herself, "that would seem to be the case. If we could try again, please? I believe I understand what I need to do now."

Shepard nodded, closed her eyes once again, and focused on the memory she wanted to share first, shutting out everything else. "Ready," she said and waited for the touch of Rayna's mind against her own. When she felt it she gently pulled, and then, unlike their first attempt, she felt the asari's mind readily join with her own. She turned her attention to the memory she wanted to share and they were looking at the false distress beacon with which Cerberus had lured Admiral Kahoku's men right into the middle of a thresher maw nest, her first encounter with the former black-ops Alliance organization.

From there Shepard simply followed the chronological sequence of her successive encounters, Cerberus' experiments on the rachni, Thorian creepers and husks. Her finding the body of Rear Admiral Kahoku at the same location Cerberus had been experimenting upon the rachni. The rachni soldiers had not touched him, but from the needle marks on him Cerberus had questioned him extensively before killing him and dumping his body there. Their exposure of the colonist team on Chasca to what they had thought then was geth technology to turn them into husks. Her encounter with Corporal Toombs and what he had told her about the horrific experiments Cerberus had done on him while studying thresher maw venom, and his assertion that Cerberus was the one responsible for the thresher maw attack on the colony on Akuze.

Those were her pre-death experiences with the terrorist organization, after she had shown Rayna those memories she began showing the asari exactly why she thought Cerberus and the Illusive Man couldn't be trusted now either. Why she thought the Illusive Man was purposefully keeping needed information away from the Council to keep them from properly responding to the Reaper threat, and why she thought he had an ulterior motive in sending her after the Collectors. Shepard also brought up her memory of the controlled Collector and her certainty that the Collectors were being directed by a Reaper who called itself Harbringer.

Finally Shepard made her request, she only needed the rachni to watch and listen for Cerberus, right now she only knew what the Illusive Man wanted her to know, and she didn't trust him at all. She needed to know the truth and that meant spying on the organization and intercepting their communications if possible. He was keeping an eye on the Council and Alliance, of that Shepard had no doubt. He was probably already expecting her to go to them for help and already had plans in place to deal with any such action on her part. What he hopefully wouldn't expect, or even know about if Udina had kept his mouth shut like the Council ordered him, were the rachni and Shepard's link to the rachni Queen, which made them a much better choice for Shepard to turn to for aid against him.

She was done; Shepard silently indicated to Rayna what she wished to end their meld. She could have ended it on her own by simply pushing the asari out of her mind, but that was considered rude by Lindariel. It was the mental equivalent of tossing someone out on their ass from what Shepard gathered, so she politely waited for Rayna to withdraw on her own. As soon as she felt the asari withdraw from the meld, leaving her alone in her mind once again, Shepard took a moment to rebuild her mental barriers, closing the opening she had created in them for Rayna. She had just finished rebuilding them when she happened to consider the fact that she had just created her first mental barrier last night and that it already felt natural to have them constantly in place. That was a little strange and Shepard knew her instant comfort with her new mental barriers were influenced by Lindariel's memories, but that didn't mean that it wasn't a good habit to get into now that she knew how to build and maintain them.

She opened her eyes; Rayna was staring at her, the asari's expression quite concerned and serious. "I understand why you are concerned about this organization Commander, and why you do not trust their intentions. As soon as the Queen contacts me I will take your request to her." She bowed her head for a moment and then looked back up, her expression troubled, "I will also tell her of your suspicions regarding the Collectors."

"Thank you Rayna," Shepard replied quite sincerely. She looked over at Garrus, "How long were we in the meld?" she didn't think it had been long but she wasn't sure.

"Sixteen minutes," the turian replied.

Shepard smiled, pleased, "Good, the less time we spend here the better." She turned toward Rayna, "How do you suggest we leave to draw the least amount of attention to ourselves?"

"The same way you entered, the cargo bay doors," the asari began leading them back through the ship to the cargo area. Once there she turned to Shepard, "How can I get the Queen's answer to you?"

Shepard hated doing this, but there was really only one possible answer. "If we're not here then leave a sealed message with Liara T'Soni, she was also with me when I freed the Queen. Just tell her it's for me and it's from the person we rescued on Noveria. I'll make a habit of stopping by to say hello, she can pass it on to me then."

Rayna nodded, "Very well Shepard." They turned to leave through the open door, before she could leave Rayna stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Take care of yourself," the asari said to her, "and be careful."

"I will be," she assured the worried asari, "and remember don't change your routine. Leave exactly when you intended to leave before we met."

Rayna nodded, "Do not worry, Shepard I will be careful as well."

Shepard joined Garrus and Tali on the dock, and they headed toward the police station, which was where Officer Dara had suggested they inquire next for the Justicar's specific location. Amanda's mood had lifted some from earlier. She was still sad, but she was also pleased at how the meeting with Rayna had went and the fact that she had successfully melded with the asari and passed on the information she wanted to get to the Queen. Not at all bad for her first attempt at a prothean mind to mind data exchange, Shepard thought. The three of them paused to watch as a purple hued asari in a police uniform exited the station and headed with a determined pace toward a volus with two turian guards pacing behind him.

"Where do you think you're going?" the asari halted and asked the volus sharply.

The short, rotund alien turned around, "I'm taking my goods to Omega, Detective," he responded as if that should be self evident.

The detective shook her head, "You're not going anywhere merchant," she replied firmly, "not till I solve this murder."

"I had nothing to do with that," the volus protested, "it was those mercenary thugs you can't seem to get rid of."

The asari didn't appear pleased at that comment, "The victim was your business partner and I'm not ruling you out," she coolly informed him. She pointed at him, "I'll let you know when you can leave."

"What about that Justicar that just showed up," the volus said and Shepard's interest in the conversation they were overhearing sharply increased. "Everyone says she might go crazy and just start killing. I need to leave."

The asari smirked, "She'll only kill the unjust Pitne For so I'm certain you have nothing to worry about." Shepard chuckled quietly, and decided she would probably like the detective then and there.

"I think I like that detective," Garrus commented quietly from beside her, echoing her thoughts.

"Find me in the station if you need me," the detective said to one of the volus' turian guards' right before she turned on her heel and headed back into the police station.

Shepard considered what to do, go into the police station and ask the detective for the location of the Justicar or ask around and get an idea of the situation on the docks first. Asking around won, the detective would still be there in a few moments. She eyed the volus merchant; Pitne For the detective had called him. He seemed like a likely place to start.

Her instincts were right; the merchant was a veritable font of information, about the Justicar and the murder of his partner, whom he suspected had been killed by Eclipse mercenaries. Pitne For wasn't too grieved by his partner's death, he only seemed interested in leaving as soon as possible before the mercenaries or the Justicar got too close to him.

"I would have thought he would be more concerned about his partner's murder," Tali commented disapprovingly as they approached the police station.

"Not that type," Garrus said, "thought it's interesting that he's so certain that the Eclipse mercenaries want to kill him a well as his partner. If they didn't have any reason to target his partner, why is he so convinced they are targeting him?"

"Yea, I noticed that as well," Shepard confirmed as they entered the station, "seems a bit suspicious, but I have a hard time telling whether or not a volus is telling me the truth," she admitted.

"It's that high pressure environmental suit," Garrus responded, "and the breather." Shepard nodded, that was exactly it, between the two it was hard to get a read off a volus.

"What about quarian's?" asked Tali curiously.

"Much easier," Shepard teased her, "your eyes always shine brighter when you lie," she said deadpan.

Garrus, not missing a beat, nodded, "Dead giveaway every time," he agreed.

Tali's head wiped back and forth between them, and then she protested, "They do not!" Shepard snickered at her and Garrus chuckled. Tali reached out and slapped first Garrus and then Shepard on the arm, "Boshteks!" she cursed at them, which of course only caused them to laugh harder. By now every officer in the area was watching the well armed trio, including the detective to whose desk they were slowly making their way.

"Nice guns," the detective commented dryly as they walked up to her desk, "try not to use them in my district."

Shepard's brow rose, "So long as no one shoots at me first, it shouldn't be a problem," she responded firmly.

She locked gazes with the detective for a few seconds, and then the asari sat back in her chair and nodded, "Fair enough. What can I do for you?"

Shepard sat down in the chair on the other side of the detective's desk; the nameplate on it read Detective Anaya, "I'm looking for an asari Justicar named Samara."

The detective's eyes narrowed, "If you've got a score to settle with Samara, take it somewhere else -- I've got more than enough trouble here already."

She shook her head, "Actually I just need to talk with her. I'm hoping to recruit her for a mission."

Detective Anaya eyed them curiously, "Justicars usually work alone," the purple complexioned asari said, "but they are drawn to certain causes, especially if they involve protecting the innocent or stopping an injustice, and the more difficult the better."

"Difficult," Garrus commented wryly, "we've got that covered."

"And saving many innocents," Tali added, obviously thinking of the abducted colonists.

The detective's now bemused gaze returned to Shepard, "If you're getting her out of my district, I'll get you to her ASAP. She's at the crime scene."

Shepard frowned, "You're letting her into a sealed crime scene?"

"I'm a cop," Anaya explained, "I'll work with a Justicar all I can. Besides, she's been looking at crime scenes longer than our two lifespans combined. She knows how to handle herself."

Well put that way it did make sense, there was something else though, especially given the detectives otherwise respectful attitude toward the Justicar. "You're awfully anxious to get Samara out of your district," Shepard noted.

The asari grimaced, "My bosses want me to detain her," she admitted. "They're worried she'll cause some kind of cross-species incident," the detective explained, "but her code won't let her be taken into custody. If I try it, she'll have to kill me. I have no interest in dying, so if you lure her away with some big noble cause before I have to carry out my orders, I'm thrilled to help you."

Shepard frowned, "Samara would kill a cop? That doesn't sound very just."

The detective shook her head. "She would die defending an honest cop," the asari said, "but she would fight an army of dirty cops to the death. I admire her dedication, but her presence is still a big problem. I need her gone before I have to carry out my orders."

Hmm so detaining the Justicar would automatically shift the detective into the dirty cop category, interesting, Shepard thought. "Your superiors are sending you to certain death for no good reason; you have a right to disobey."

Garrus immediately quipped from behind her, "We can disobey suicidal orders? Why wasn't I told?"

"That's at least twice a day," Tali chimed in, joining Garrus in the peanut gallery.

Despite the terrible timing, Shepard had to smirk, "When exactly have I given unnecessary orders, and when have I not been out front leading you personally?"

"Never, Shepard," Garrus replied, his tone fond.

"Which is not what the detective's superiors are doing," Shepard finally made her point.

"I'm a cop and I know my duty," Anaya responded with a frown, glancing between the three of them. "I've been ordered to detain her and I will - unless I can get her to leave my district first."

Curious, Shepard asked, "What do you think of Samara herself?" She would like to get some sense of the asari before she tried to recruit her...if she decided to recruit her; this code was starting to sound like it might be a problem. Not that she might disagree with what the Justicar wanted to do, but in that it might obligate the asari to act in situations better left alone. Omega and her tentative live and let live policy with Aria T'Loak came immediately to mind as an example.

"She's been a Justicar for three of your life spans," Shepard barely stopped herself from quipping 'which one?' thankfully the detective didn't seem to notice her amusement, "Whoever she was before she swore that oath, that person is dead."

That was an interesting statement, and Shepard wondered how much truth was in it and how much was just a romanticized notion. She commented, "People seem nervous about Samara's presence."

"Asari admire Justicars," Anaya explained in a serious tone, "but we also know that they will kill without mercy when they find corruption. And Justicars never leave asari space. Why is she here? I doubt it's to investigate the murder of some corrupt volus."

Shepard doubted it too; undoubtedly the volus had come to Samara's attention as part of whatever she was actually investigating. Certainly she had gotten involved in all types of strange little side issues while pursuing Saren. People had probably wondered why a Spectre was involved with such trivial investigations back then too. Helping Ginanna Parasini nail Administrator Anolaeus came to mind as an issue that a Spectre would not normally be interested in, and she hadn't really been interested except as something that should be done while she was there and able to help. She had just needed a damn garage pass. Amusingly enough, if the officious salarian had just given it to her she would have probably never gotten involved with Parasini's investigation of him because she would have never even been aware of it.

With a few more questions to the detective, Shepard had the information she needed about the local Eclipse mercenaries. They were involved in smuggling red sand, trading illegal weapons tech and smuggling criminals off world, seemed fairly standard for what she had seen of the mercenary group already. Certainly not much different from what she had seen on Omega, except for the smuggling criminals' part, that was hardly needed on Omega. As for the murdered volus, the detective seemed just as sure as Pitne For that it had been an Eclipse hit. As for why, Anaya wasn't entirely sure and she didn't have any proof to support her suspicion...

Shepard rose from the chair, ready to leave, "How do I get to the crime scene?" she asked.

"It's around the corner - go outside, take a left. Look for the police line. I'll send word to let you in," the detective replied, looking relieved, "be careful, the local Eclipse mercs have been all over those back alleys lately."

"It sounds like we'd better find Samara before the detective goes after her," Garrus commented as they left the station. Shepard agreed.

The asari officer at the police line waved them through with a friendly warning, "Watch yourself, there's merc activity back here. We're waiting on backup."

The officer hadn't been exaggerating; they hadn't gone very far at all before they heard a female voice say, "Get the rest of bravo squad prepped. Alpha squad went after that Justicar twenty minutes ago, and they've gone dark." Shepard moved into cover, she glanced behind her, Garrus and Tali had found cover as well. It was one of the reasons she liked having them with her, the three of them worked together well without needing a lot of direction from her. She began to move forward, going from cover to cover, until she reached the corner where the alleyway took a turn around a building. She could hear the mercenaries moving around now and talking among themselves along with the metallic clanking sound of mech footsteps. They weren't making any effort to be quiet.

She glanced quickly around the corner, as with the alleyway they were in now, there was plenty of cover. She stood up and walked around the corner and stared at the two asari mercs accompanied by three mechs, not making any move yet toward her weapons. She was only a few feet away from a handy crate to duck behind.

It took a few seconds before one of the asari's in Eclipse armor looked up and finally noticed her. The asari's expression was one of surprise at first as the two of them simply stared at one another. That didn't last long however, as the merc's expression quickly shifted to anger, "A human, open fire!" she yelled. Shepard was already behind the crate she had decided upon earlier, her pistol drawn, that seemed like enough intent to fulfill her promise to the detective not to use her weapons unless fired upon first.

While Garrus and Tali returned the mercenaries fire from nearby cover, Shepard concentrated on building a mass effect field. When she was ready she stood up, trusting her shields to stop any weapons fire, and gestured forcefully with her arm. The motion focused her mind on the effect she wanted, which was to shape the mass effect field she had gathered into a wave form and then start it moving in a powerful undulating shockwave down the corridor. The rhythmic booming of the biotic wave as it swept down the enclosed space of the alleyway seemed very loud. It slammed into the crates and containers in its path, knocking them askew and sending the mercenaries and mechs crouched or standing behind them flying several feet through the air to land sprawled on the hard floor. Garrus and Tali lost no time in taking advantage of the resulting disarray, killing several of them before they could scramble back into cover.

Shepard's eyes widened in pleased surprise, she hadn't quite expected that, her biotic wave seemed stronger or at least more coherent than usual even allowing for her new amp and increased biotic abilities. Well...her biotic teachers had always said that a focused mind could do more with the same mass effect field than an unfocused one and she had certainly been working on focusing herself this morning. If she was right, it was an unexpected benefit from her efforts. Shepard popped up out of cover, taking aim with her pistol and firing at the last remaining Eclipse mercenary. It was a clean head shot, the asari went down immediately. The three of them continued up the alleyway, turned another corner and then went through another doorway, somewhere ahead they should find the Justicar.

An incoming scream and then an Eclipse armored asari impacting forcefully against the wall only a few feet away from them was their first indication that they had walked into someone else's altercation with the Eclipse mercenaries. The asari who had flown into the wall was clearly dead by the time her body fell to the floor. Shepard quickly looked upward in the direction from which the Eclipse mercenary had come; she needed to figure out whether or not whatever fight they had just walked into endangered her team. There was some type of glassed in overlook one floor up and on the right wall, Shepard could see another asari in Eclipse armor in the overlook with her back towards them. The mercenary's pistol was out and pointed toward someone else who was in there with her. Shepard couldn't see who it was from the ground. "Those were my best troops," she heard the Eclipse merc said in a high, nervous sounding voice.

A different female voice, serenely calm and commanding, responded, "Tell me what I need to know and I will be gone from here. Where did you send her?" Shepard's eyebrow rose, if that was the Justicar they were looking for she certainly sounded like someone to take seriously.

"You think I'd betray her?" the Eclipse mercenary's voice said in a rising, frightened tone, "She would hurt me in ways you can't imagine."

"The name of the ship, your life hangs in the balance Lieutenant," the calmer, more mature voice now had an edge to it that it hadn't before.

"You can kill me, but one of us will take you down Justicar," the merc's words were pure empty bravado and the confirmation Shepard had been looking for; the calmer voice was the Justicar they were searching for, Samara. Shepard also guessed that wasn't going to be the answer the Justicar wanted.

A moment later there was another scream, breaking glass, and then another flying Eclipse armor clad body. No, that hadn't been the answer the Justicar wanted. Damn, and she thought her interrogations were sometimes a little on the rough side when she implied that she might throw someone around, Shepard thought to herself. A figure, lit in the bluish glow of a mass effect field appeared above them, standing for a moment at the edge of the broken overlook window before the Justicar leaped from it, using her mass effect field to control her descent. It was an impressive use of biotics, and one not often seen, for the focus and control it required was difficult to master.

"Keelah," Tali exclaimed softly as the bluish-white glowing asari landed gracefully on ground twenty-five to thirty feet away from them.

The red clad Justicar strode over towards the fallen Eclipse Lieutenant and Shepard frowned, remembering what the police detective had said, somehow she didn't think this would end without Samara killing the wounded merc unless the asari answered the Justicar's question. And if they tried to stop her from killing the merc, Samara would probably be obliged to fight them. Still it wasn't as if the Eclipse Lieutenant was an innocent, Shepard reminded herself. The asari couldn't have risen that high within the Eclipse ranks without being neck deep in killings and other illegal activities.

"What was the name of the ship she left on," Samara demanded once again when she was standing above the Eclipse merc. At least that's where Shepard thought the Justicar was standing; the asari on the ground was hidden behind several containers. All she could see was the Justicar from the hips upwards.

"Go to hell," was the strangled sounding response. Shepard grimaced and shook her head; all that was left was exactly how the Justicar was going to kill the other asari.

The Justicar stared down at the Eclipse mercenary for a moment longer, and then she said with finality in her tone, "Find peace in the embrace of the Goddess." The Justicar's hips twisted and there was a sickening crunch, accompanied by a cut off groan. Shepard's eyes widened as she realized the Justicar had just broken the other asari's neck with her foot. Ok, that was a bit weird, but she supposed it was less messy than a close range shot to the head.

The Justicar's confrontation with the Eclipse mercenary over, Shepard began walking toward the asari who was still staring down at the body of the other asari she had just killed. The Justicar's head turned just slightly and she glanced at them out of the corner of her eye, then she stepped back and turned to face them. Shepard couldn't help but notice that the asari's pale blue eyes were almost the exact shade as her skin tone. It was unusual and striking. Angular metallic symbols in the same red as the Justicar's armor adorned her forehead, their shape reminding Shepard of the ornate headdress Matriarch Benezia had worn. Shepard suspected they were the Justicar's equivalent of the symbols of service to Athame, the asari Goddess. The Justicar had a strong, almost square face, and was undeniably attractive, as were most asari.

"My name is Samara, a servant of the Justicar Code," the asari in a calm, almost melodious tone as she approached them, "My quarrel is with these Eclipse sisters, but I see three well armed people before me." She stopped a few feet from them, and Shepard added that adjective regal to all the rest, the Justicar was definitely one of the more regal women she had ever met. "Are we friend? Or foe?" Samara asked her.

Shepard's brow rose, it was interesting question considering everything they had just seen, "Commander Amanda Shepard, Council Spectre," she introduced herself, "Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah vas Neema, members of my crew. As for your question, we are not foes, but I'm not in the habit of naming someone I've just met a friend either. I'd say that perhaps we are potential friends depending on how things turn out."

Shepard thought there was the slightest curious tilt to Samara's head; otherwise it was hard to read the Justicar. "Commander Shepard," the asari said, and Shepard could tell that much from the slight change in Samara's tone that the asari recognized her name, not surprising after the Citadel battle, "How may I be of service to you?"

She didn't immediately answer, instead glancing over at the dead Eclipse mercenary for a second before turning back to Samara, "I don't know much about the Justicar Code. It seems rather strict and it seems to require you to kill in circumstances that I can't say I would necessarily make the same decision." Shepard's tone was even as she made her comment and then she waited, very interested what the Justicar's response would be.

She was definitely starting to worry that the Justicar's code might mean that this was a fool's errand and it might be best if Samara just didn't join them. The possibility for mayhem between Samara and Jack, Samara and Miranda, Samara and Grunt, Samar and Zaeed... Goddess it gave her a headache just thinking about the numerous potential conflicts if Samara's code forced her to kill whenever she had proof that someone was a criminal. And to think just yesterday she had thought having a Justicar along for the mission was a wonderful idea. Perhaps she was wrong though, and this code wasn't as strict as nearly every asari they had met today was making it sound, because it would be nice to have someone else besides Tali and Garrus she could trust with her back. Shepard really did want to be wrong, because after meeting Samara her first impression was that she could trust the Justicar as much as she had first hoped she could when she read the asari's dossier and after she had spoken to Shiala.

Light grey eyes met pale blue ones; neither woman's gaze flinched from the others. Shepard knew the asari was taking her measure, and she was determined that Samara's first impression be that she was to be taken seriously no matter how many hundreds of years the Justicar had on her. After a moment Samara responded, "I answer to a code that is clearly defined. If my actions are true to that code, I am just. If they are not, I am unjust. I don't pretend that it is a simple matter or that it seems right to everyone. But I sleep well at night, and that is more than most can say."

Shepard's expression darkened as the asari's words hit home, "Sometimes Justicar, the things which haunt your dreams and wake you in the middle of the night are not your own actions but the evil which has been done to others," the Spectre's tone deepened and firmed with unyielding resolve, "and which must not be permitted to happen again." Shepard didn't know what her expression looked like then but it must have been fairly severe for the asari's pale blue eyes widened in the first show of obvious emotion she had seen from the Justicar.

"This is why you have sought me out, you seek my aid against this evil," the Samara stated, staring at her intently.

Well Shepard hadn't expected the asari to be anything other than very intelligent, "Over a million human colonists have been abducted by the Collectors," she said, "Men, women, children... they were paralyzed and taken alive in some type of stasis tubes." Samara's eyes were narrowed, she looked disturbed at this news, and little wonder that she was there weren't many good conclusions to be drawn from it. Shepard continued, "We have no idea why or what the Collectors plan on doing with them or even if they're still alive. I plan on finding out, and if the colonists are alive rescuing them. And then I plan on destroying the Collectors after I find out who they're really working for because I have reason to believe that an even greater threat to all our people's safety hides behind the Collectors directing their actions."

"I sense the truth in your words and they trouble me greatly," the asari's expression mirrored her words, a frown turning down the corners of her mouth. "I would like to join you in your mission Shepard, but I am already sworn to seek an incredibly dangerous fugitive," she said regretfully. The Justicar turned and walked toward the Eclipse mercenary she had killed, staring down at the body, "I cornered her here, but the Eclipse sisters smuggled her off world. I must find the name of the ship she left on before the trail grows cold." Shepard sighed in resignation, a prior duty; well she certainly understood that, one did not stop doing one's duty just because a more interesting offer came along.

"I wish you were willing to go with the human Justicar," Detective Anaya walked up, coming from the direction of the station. "I've been ordered to take you into custody if you won't leave." Obviously she hadn't been able to stall her superiors any longer, and this could quickly turn into a thorny problem if the Justicar got into an altercation with the local police. As far as Shepard was concerned, the only ones at fault in this situation were the detective's superiors.

The detective stopped beside Shepard and Samara walked up to them, "You risk a great deal by following your orders Detective," the Justicar said to the other asari, "Fortunately, I will not have to resist." Shepard let out an inaudible breath in relief; well that was one worry out of the way. A brief flicker of pale blue eyes and the briefest slight curve of amused lips let her know that she hadn't been a discrete in her reaction as she had thought. The amusement did surprise her; Shepard would have thought the Justicar would be annoyed at her for even thinking of interfering. "My code obligates me to cooperate with you for one day," Samara continued, "After that, I must return to my investigation."

"I won't be able to release you that soon," the detective replied.

"You won't be able to stop me," the Justicar stated. Samara sounded very certain of herself, and Shepard had to wonder exactly how good the Justicar was, what she had already seen indicated that the asari was very skilled with her biotics. Certainly Justicars had reputations as being deadly fighters.

Shepard thought she knew what was going on, but it was best to be sure, "The human is a little lost here, can one of you clarify what just happened?"

Both asari looked at her, the detective was the first to respond, "I was trying to convince her to leave with you. But Justicars and their Code..."

"The detective had been ordered to detain me; I can't force her to disobey an order," Samara added to the detective's explanation.

"So after a day you fight your way out of custody, killing anyone in your way?" Garrus inquired, his tone carrying a hit of disapproval that did not surprise Shepard.

She saw both asari glance over at him. Shepard could tell the detective was curious, as for Samara, the way the Justicar kept her serene exterior was admirable, she couldn't really tell what the Justicar thought about it. "Former C-Sec," Shepard explained succinctly.

Samara's eyes glanced briefly her way before she answered him, "Yes, I am afraid so."

Shepard frowned, "There must be some way to work this out without any bloodshed or broken bones on anyone's part."

"I see a way," Samara responded, looking at Shepard, "While I am in custody, you find the name of that ship. Do that and I will join you. Then the Code will be satisfied."

"Huh?" Shepard uttered, bemused, "A moment ago, you refused to give up your investigation, but now you'll join me?"

Samara lowed her gaze for a brief moment, an expression of regret crossing her features, "If I stay, I will be compelled to kill many innocents to escape incarceration."

"Like me," the detective noted, and Shepard inclined her head in agreement.

"I may be killed," Samara continued, "and my quarry would be free to continue murdering. If I come with you and survive your mission, I can resume my investigation. To do that I need the ship's name to track her to her next hiding place. It is a simple choice."

"Makes sense," Tali commented, and Shepard agreed, it did make sense. Not to mention the fact that it conveniently gave the Justicar a legitimate reason to do what she had been interested in doing in the first place but couldn't due to her prior commitment. Which was joining them in their mission against the Collectors; it had clearly intrigued her earlier.

"I can make a guess where Eclipse would smuggle her to..." Shepard commented dryly. Samara eyed her questioningly. "Omega," she and Garrus said nearly simultaneously. The two of them looked at each other and smiled wryly, it was the obvious choice from Illium for an asari criminal to go to hide. She turned back to Samara, "But I'll get you the name of that ship just to confirm it." And what the hell, she had helped Jacob and Miranda already and EDI was still keeping an eye out for Vido to pop up for Zaeed. Smart bastard hadn't yet though. "If it doesn't interfere with the mission, I'll help you track down your fugitive once you know for certain where she went to ground." Shepard looked at the Justicar, her mood becoming more serious, "If we can come to an agreement about you're joining us that is, I admit I may have been premature in asking you. I need to know a little more about your Justicar Code before deciding either way; it seems quite strict in dictating your actions in any given situation."

"It may seem so to you, but this is my oath," Samara explained, "The expedient path may be fast and simple; that does not make it the right path."

It was terrible, that truly incredulous moment when Helena Blake informed her that she had become a social worker just popped up in her mind in response to the Justicar's little lecture like some little mischievous imp determined to get her into trouble. Shepard coughed to cover a laugh, but a slight narrowing of the Justicar's eyes indicated that she might not have been as adroit in hiding it as she would have wished. "True enough, she said, hoping to smooth things over, "I usually only choose fast and simple when people are shooting at me. Otherwise I usually go with either the best tactical answer or with my gut instinct about what's the most right thing to do in any given situation."

Samara stared at her for a long moment, looking thoughtful at her response. As if something the Commander had said had been particularly interesting, though Shepard couldn't fathom what that could be, her response had been fairly straightforward she thought. "Could you tell me something more about Justicars?" Shepard asked her.

Samara replied, "We are individuals, who have foresworn family, children and worldly possessions aside from some weapons and armor. We travel asari space righting wrongs, as defined by the ancient code we have each memorized."

Shepard frowned, "Illium may be dominated by asari, but it isn't in asari space."

"My quarry fled to this place. I am sworn to hunt her down, and I will follow anywhere she goes. It is rare for a Justicar to leave asari space, but I must follow my oath. If I suffer for it, I will accept that," Samara responded, her tone firm.

Shepard understood duty and suffering for it, but this was a perfect lead in for her to express why she was worried about Samara joining them. "I have to admit I'm concerned about you going outside of asari space and trying to apply the dictates of the code to other races while a member of my crew, and I'm worried about how you will relate to the other crewmembers. A few of them have pasts you might disagree with, and some have political views you might find objectionable, but all of them have agreed to follow my rules and obey my orders while they're on this mission." Shepard looked directly into the Justicar's pale blue eyes, "There cannot be two Commanders giving orders."

Samara stared right back at her, "You are concerned that my Code will cause me to come into conflict with your crew and with you?" she inquired calmly, her tone curious. Shepard was starting to wonder if the Justicar was ever not calm and if so exactly what situation it would take to disturb her. Lindariel would have really liked this Justicar, the distracting thought floated through Shepard's mind.

Shepard forced herself to focus so that she could answer Samara's question. She shrugged, "I'm less concerned with the possibility of the issue being with me personally, than with you dragging us into situations where it might be a better tactical decision to leave the situation alone for now. For instance, if we stop on Omega, you can't decide to clean up the corruption there no matter how much I'd love to let you loose on it and even jump in and help you." Was it her imagination or did she actually see the Justicar's lips twitch slightly in amusement at that? "For one, we simply don't have the time, and two, I really don't feel like breaking Aria's one rule right now because we may need her goodwill later." She sighed and admitted in a quick mumble," Plus for some odd reason I actually sorta like her and she's not that bad considering, so I'd rather not fight her if she doesn't force me into it."

"Also," she said in a louder tone and quickly changing the subject before anyone could comment on what she had just admitted, "If this had been a human world instead of an asari dominated one, killing that asari once she was no longer an active threat to you would be classified as murder. By standing by and letting it happen without making an attempt to stop you, Garrus, Tali, and I would now be accessories to murder. I'm not saying a similar situation is likely to come up again but..."

Samara held up a hand, stopping her, "I am familiar with the basics of human law, and I already know that I will have to swear the Third Oath of Subsumation to you so that your orders will come before the code. I believe that will suffice to answer your concerns?"

Shepard was surprised, she hadn't heard of such a thing, but then it didn't sound like this third oath was very common. "It certainly sounds like it," she agreed, letting herself relax a little and to feel a renewed sense of optimism now that the issue was settled. "So, do you have any leads?" she asked Samara.

"The volus merchant, Pitne For, is tied to this, Eclipse merc are preparing to kill him, "the Justicar walked toward her. A few more steps, and became was clear she wished to move past Shepard, the Commander stepped back allowing Samara to pass. "Get the truth out of him; he may know a way into the Eclipse base."

"Well," Detective Anaya spoke up, "I've got to get back to my station," she looked over at Samara, "And I guess I've got to take you with me."

Samara nodded to her, the Justicar's gaze turned toward the Commander, "Thank you, Shepard," she said before turning to go with the detective.

Continued...