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Apollo-XL5

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  1. CHAPTER XXII Hardhead towered over the slouched Kat, who was still trying to catch her breath after that punch, with the Destron's shadow slowly casting itself over the Human Wrecker as he raised his claws up in the air. "...I had better finish you off before you get the chance to recover." the Con then said before lunging down at her with his claws and razor-sharp teeth bared, which made the young Shepard's eyes widen in return. 'No!' she thought while she suddenly found her strength and slammed her right holo-blade into Hardhead's armoured boot, cutting right through its plates and impaling his foot. "Arrragh!" he cried out in pain as he looked up at the ceiling, which gave Kat enough time to get back onto her feet, having gained her second wind. So she quickly pulled herself back onto her feet, leaning forward and putting all her weight onto the holo-blade which sank further into Hardhead's appendage, which she then twisted a little. "Arrragh!" he screamed again as the blade then sliced through the bottom of his foot and cut into the deck under it, making blood pour out into a small puddle around it. 'Got to make this quick, because the pain will soon enrage Hardhead and snap him out of this agony.' she thought before yanking the blade put of her adversary's boot, making the Con stumble back as blood squirted out from his wound. "You Bitch! I'm going to make you..." he started to say, only to be cut off by Kat rushing up to him and slashing her left holo-blade at his neck, slitting his throat which made the rest of his blood pour out like a waterfall. "No...guh...n..." he then tried to say while pressing his hands to his throat in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, which continued to seep out between his fingers while the Human Wrecker turned her attention to the other fight, ignoring Hardhead as he fell to his knees before collapsing onto the ground as the last of his life-blood left him, leaving his body lying in a pool of red. Meanwhile, Inferno rushed towards Sharp-tooth with his claws bared, while the Dinobot Leader was still being distracted by Scylla who was digging her claws into his back and gnawing at his neck. "You die now!" the Con roared as he brought his claws up in an uppercut-like fashion at the Bot's chest, but suddenly Scorn tackled the Femme and pulled both her and his team-mate out of Inferno's path, making him swipe at fresh air. "What!" he spat while watching as the new arrival then ripped Scylla off his friend and held her over his head for a moment, while she flailed her arms around and screamed. "I don't think so..." Scorn then said before pulling the Destron-Femme down on his right knee, earning a loud crack as her spine was broken. "Scylla!" Inferno cried out as the Bot dropped her body next to Sharp-tooth, with the Dinobot Leader ignoring his injuries as he then grabbed her screaming head and turned it so quickly that it snapped her neck, killing her. This brought a fearful look upon the Destron's face as his eyes widened, because now he was completely alone against the Autobots with Kat joining her allies' side as they turned their attention to him. "Looks like it's just you and us, Inferno." Sharp-tooth then said, still ignoring the blood trickling down his armour from his neck wound. "No!" the Con then spat back, tapping his com-link as he slowly backed away from the trio. "Vasir, I need reinforcements." "I can see that." the Asari said back with a disinterested tone as she watched via the holo-screen of her holo-tool, seeing the three Autobots out-manning the Destron. "Well, send them then!" he spat back, which made the Leviathan Leader look over at one of her Asari crewmen standing at a nearby station. "Are they near one of the hatches leading to the outside?" she asked, gaining a nod from the Asari in return. "Yes, Sir. At the altitude Leviathan's height reaches, anyone in that area would be sucked out the moment we open it to the outside pressure." "Do it..." Vasir then said before returning her attention the screen, noticing that the Autobots were about to kill the Destron Leader. "...I don't think so. You have failed me for the last time, Inferno..." she started to say, which made the Con's eyes widen even more as he listened to her. "...but you should take comfort in the fact that the Autobots will die with you." she finished before nodding back at the other Asari. Suddenly, the sound of something opening caught the attention of Inferno and his enemies, earning confused looks from them as the Con looked as though he had fouled himself. "What is that noise?" Sharp-tooth asked as it echoed from further down the corridor, before suddenly they found themselves being pulled off their feet as the air was quickly vacated from the area. Noooooo!" Inferno screamed as he was sent flying down the corridor, followed then by the bodies of his team-mates while Sharp-tooth and Scorn dug their claws into the ground, with the latter also holding onto Kat as he did so. "Hold on!" the Dinobot Leader roared as the three tried to fight against pull of the outside, feeling their strength slowly giving way as they did so. Meanwhile, Inferno shot through the corridor against his will, unable to claw at anything around him in an attempt to slow and stop himself. He saw the hatch up ahead and held his arms out, managing to grip the sides of the opening and dig his claws in, slowing his movement to a stop as the air continued to be sucked out. "Vasir...betrayed...me..." he started to say before being cut off as the Destron suddenly spotted the bodies of Hardhead, Devron and Scylla heading directly at him ...No..." he added as they then hit him and broke his grip, sending the Destron Leader and his dead comrades out of the Leviathan as they fell to the ground below, which was a long drop to say the least. Meanwhile, Kat, Sharp-tooth and Scorn were still clinging to the deck as the air was being sucked out around them. "I can't...hold on...for much...longer." the Dinobot Leader said whilst gritting his teeth, which earned a worried look from his team-mate as he felt his claws loosen from the ground slightly. "Me too..." he managed to say, which made Kat tap her com-link in return. "Evac, come in...this is Kat. Do you read?" In orbit, the battle was still going strong as the Autobot fleet and Vasir's forces fought, with torpedoes and cannon fire in all directions as the Eudora weaved in and out of the combating ships, firing on whatever enemy ships it could get a lock on. "I have Kat on the Com..." Tolae said as she looked over to her Lover, who performed another barrel roll as two enemy cruisers flew past either side of them. "Put her through." he said back, gaining a nod from the Ardat-Yakshi as she typed in her holo-interface. "Kat, we read you. What you need?" the Pilot then said. "We need a ground-bridge at our location...with its endpoint at another spot in Leviathan." the Human Woman said over the Com-link, which made him look over his shoulder at Tolae with a concerned expression. "Tolae..." he started to say, which made her focus on her station in return. "Keep your eyes ahead, Evac. I've got this..." she started to reply, earning a nod from the Pilot who returned his focus to the battle unfolding on the other side of the cockpit's canopy, while the Asari looked at the map of leviathan which showed exactly where the trio were. "...okay, Kat, I have the exit vortex locked. Just let me know when you are ready." "Roger that..." Kat said back just as Sharp-tooth's grip suddenly failed, which made him fly away from Scorn and her. "No!" the Bot shouted as he then let go of the ground, allowing himself and the Human Wrecker to be pulled into the air too as they closely followed their friend. "Tolae, now!" Kat the shouted as the opened hatch came in sight, getting bigger as the trio shot towards it. But then suddenly a green glowing vortex opened up in front of it, sucking the three into it and surrounding them in a bright light before then spitting them back out into an identical corridor. At this moment, a smile appeared on Vasir's face as she looked down at the screen at her place Leviathan's CIC, which had just shown footage of the three Autobots being sucked away just like Inferno had. "Alright, close the hatch and re-pressurise that deck…" she started to say before a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. 'Why wasn't Myra with them? There is no way she wouldn't be in on this incursion.' she thought while turning to the Weapons station, gaining the crewman's attention. "Wake up our Mechs and have them patrol Leviathan's corridors on search and destroy protocol." This gained a nod from the crewman before he began typing into his holo-interface, which led to a giant warehouse-sized room being brought out of darkness as it's lights lit the area up and revealed an army of Mechs standing in formation, their optics slowly powering up as they activated. PRIME EFFECT 5 As this was happening, Kat and her friends slowly recovered in the corridor that the Eudora's vortex had dropped them into. "Thanks for the help, Tolae. You don't know how much we appreciate it." she said into her com-link as Scorn patched up Sharp-tooth's injuries, earning smiles from the pair as they nodded back at her. "Your welcome, Kat. Good luck down there." the Ardat-Yakshi replied before ending the call, which made the Wrecker return her attention to the two Dinobots. "How you doing, Sharp-tooth?" "I'll be fine, Kat. they're just some scratches, nothing more." the Dinobot Leader replied, shrugging it off as his friend finished treating the last neck wound with Medi-gel and a bandage. "There, that should hold unless we come across any more fights like that." the Bot stated, gaining an appreciative smile from the other as Kat activated her holo-tool. "Okay, let's see if we are closer or indeed further from our objective now." she said back, with her eyes widening as her screen appeared and revealed their new location. "What? What is it?" Scorn asked as both Dinobots just stared back at the surprised Woman, who returned her attention to the pair. "...It's just down this corridor, we have only moved into a section near to our original location. Tolae has allowed us to skip the majority of our path." she replied with a smile, which gained mirrored looks from her team-mates. "We should get Tolae a fruit-basket or something..." Sharp-tooth replied before getting to his feet, followed by both Kat and Scorn. "Well before that, let's get this mission done." the latter said back, earning nods from the others before the trio then ran down the corridor. Meanwhile, Myra and her team exited an empty elevator shaft and found themselves in another long corridor nearing the center of Leviathan's giant torso, gaining a worried look from Slash. "Please tell me that we are getting closer, because all this running around and no fighting is starting to bug me?" he asked, having noticed Strafe looking down at her holo-tool while Myra looked down both sides of the corridor. "I am detecting a very large power source just beyond the next room at the end of this corridor…" the Femme began to say, only to be cut off by the Asari. "Let's get moving then." she said in a commanding tone, gaining a nod from the others as the three started to run in the direction that Strafe had motioned to, only to have them stop suddenly as a door opened on the right side of the corridor ahead of them. "Okay, that's new…" Slash started to say as several Mechs entered the area and looked directly at them, which brought a smile to the Dinobot's face. "…that's more like it." he said, earning an eye-roll from the Femme as Myra focused her biotics into her hands which she clenched into fists. "We don't have time for this." she spat before launching blue-energy projectiles at the enemies, hitting the ground between them and exploded in a biotic shockwave which sent them all flying. "Then go on, we'll handle these guys." Strafe then replied while Slash switched to his beast-mode and charged into the recovering group of Mechs, earning a surprised look from Myra in return as she looked back at the Femme. "But…" "We've got this, Myra. Go!" the Bot shouted back as he gripped the head of one enemy with his claws while kicking at another, before ripping the other's head off and throwing it into a Mech that was targeting it's weapon and the women. This gained a friendly and encouraging look from the Strafe as she nodded back to the Spectre, who then sighed in return. "Okay, watch your backs." she replied before charging towards the ongoing fight that Slash was currently in the thick off, while Strafe changed into her beast-mode as well and launched herself at one of the Mechs. And as the two Dinobots started to trash the enemy troops around them, Myra performed a biotic charge and smashed through three more before continuing on and running towards the doorway at the end of the corridor. As that was happening, the crewman working at the sensors station in Leviathan's CIC looked over to Vasir with an awkward expression. "…Vasir?" he said with a shaky tone, but the Asari's attention was focused on the holo-screen overhead as it showed Omega Supreme readying itself again for attack. "…Prepare for another…" she began to say before the crewman then spoke up again. "Vasir?" he said, making the Leviathan Leader look back at him with a glare. "What! Can you not see that we are in the middle of a…." she started to say before the room suddenly shook as the City-Bot took another hit from the Autobot Guardian, which then made her face tense up. "…battle here!" she finished with narrowed eyes while staring back at the crewman, who felt as though the ground should open up and swallow him. "…b…but a patrol of Mechs have come up against another team of Autobots near the Power-core." he managed to reply, gaining a wide-eyed look from Vasir in return. "Show me!" she then said, before a small holo-screen appeared next to her with footage showing Myra running through an opening door as her two Dinobot allies continued to fight the Mechs. 'Damn it, I knew she wouldn't be sitting this out and she is near to the core…?' she thought before looking over to the Weapons station, who then looked back with a fearful look as he wondered what she was going to say. "Flood the Power-Core with the Cybonic Plague." Vasir spat, gaining a confused look from the crewman. "Sir?" "Her Father was a Cybertronian Hybrid, the plague may just work on her as well." she replied, earning a nod from him as he began rerouting the plague from it's central storage tanks towards the power-core on his holo-interface as Vasir slowly smirked. 'This should finally deal with her.' Myra though found herself in a massive spherical room, standing on one of many metallic hanging walkways that surrounded the large spherically shaped power-core in it's center, with her walkway and a few others leading directly to the heart of the Behemoth, which was held in place by large cables and piping that looked like it branched out from the core into all sides of the room. 'It looks like a mechanical version of a circulatory system.' she thought while admiring the greenish-blue glow of the Energon as it was pumped out of the core to the other parts of the City-Bot's body. 'Okay, sightseeing is over.' the Asari then thought before refocusing on the task at hand and running down the walkway towards the Titan's mechanical heart, with it getting progressively larger as she got closer to it. 'I hope there is a simple 'off' switch available, once I get in there.' the young Darby hoped as she approached what looked like an entrance to the core, as a large circular door with a warning sign in it's center welcomed her. For Myra didn't want to leave her two Dinobot companions for long as they fought against Leviathan's Mechs, or Kat and her squad for that matter either. But as she hacked the door controls with her holo-tool which then beeped back with a green blinking light to signify that it was successful, the Spectre could not help but worry that it might not be that simple. 'Please let this be quick.' she thought as the door opened and she walked into the core, only for her eyes to widen in return at what she saw as it closed behind her. For the Asari was looking at two large masses of metallic cables and pipes reaching both the ceiling and the floor, but what they were connected to was blurred out by the bright greenish-blue sphere of energy being emanated from it. This earned a reluctant sigh from Myra as she stared back, recognising how advanced it looked. 'That's great. I'm guessing that whatever I need to shut down is at the center of that….' she started to think before suddenly starting to cough as a tingling sensation came over her. 'What in the…' the Spectre began to think as her breathing became heavy and the tingling started to ache in a rather aggressively painful way, which made her fall to her knees in return. '…why am I starting to feel so…' she thought while looking around the room, noticing a faint mist surrounding her which wasn't being produced by the core. '…I can't…can't think…' Myra found her thoughts slowly abandoning her as the Asari's vision started to blur as her eyes started to feel sore, so she lifted her left hand to rub at them despite how much it ached. But before doing so, the Asari managed to catch a glimpse of what her hand looked like as it was no longer the healthy Asari blue but was instead slowly being covered by dark grey veins as it's colour began to dull. 'By the…goddess, it's…the…plague. But…I am…Asari, it shouldn't affect me…like this?' Myra questioned between the painful coughs before everything suddenly went black, as the Spectre lost consciousness and passed out on the Power-core's floor. Meanwhile, as Kat and her squad were busy setting up the incendiary bomb in the Plague's storage hold, completely undetected by Leviathan's security as it was focused on both Slash and Strafe's continuous butchering of it's Mechs. Vasir could only smile as things started to look up as her City-Bot had managed to knock Omega Supreme back on to it's back. "Now, while it is down, grab and pick it up." she ordered, earning a nod from the helmsman who then made Leviathan do just that as the Behemoth then bent down and grabbed the recovering Bot by it's head and lifted it off the ground. "Try to break us free." Vraz shouted to his own helmsman as smoke billowed out around the Supreme's bridge while other crewmen tried to put out the fires and keep control of the situation. But the Commander could not help but wonder if the distraction was about to come to an end, as slowly the image of Leviathan's face came into view on their large holo-screen as it held Omega up in the air with both arms. "We have the Guardian in our grasp, Sir. Your orders?" the Helmsman then said to the Leviathan Leader, making her smile widen a little more as she looked out at her Adversary's damaged and beaten Bot. "It's time to finish this…. Rip it's head off." It was then that Leviathan, who held Omega Supreme by his head with it's right arm while also holding on to the Autobot's right arm with its left, then pulled with the former, making the Supreme's crew hear sounds of stress and straining echoing down from the top of the Guardian's body. "Everybody hold on!" Vraz then shouted before suddenly the old Autobot's head was pulled clean off it's body, making the bridge-stations explode and send all the crew manning them to the floor as the Commander fell to his knees as well. Vasir laughed as she watched the Autobot's last hope fall apart in the grasp of her mighty City-Bot, earning relieved looks from the crew around her. "That was great. Now drop the wreck to the floor." she said in a happy tone before Leviathan did just that, letting go of Omega's body which quickly joined it's severed head as it hit the ground with the sound of crushed metal. "Report!" Vraz shouted as he looked around the bridge, which was now only lit by emergency lighting as the fires gave off more light as the crewmen tried to fight them around him. But one Autobot managed to get back to his station and try to work it, which was not easy as his holo-interface was flickering on and off randomly. "We have lost main power, Sir. Emergency power has kicked in and we have sensors, artificial gravity and comms, but we have lost control of Omega himself….He's….offline." the crewman said with a fearful tone, one that the Commander shared with a stare before he looked back at the holo-screen which now had a view of Leviathan as it stood directly over them. "Send the transmission. I don't know if it will be picked up in time…but it looks like it is up to Myra now." Vraz replied, a tinge of hope underlined his serious and beaten tone, which gained nods from the crew around him as the Communications Crewman hit the button on his damaged console. In the Leviathan's CIC, Vasir could not have looked happier as she looked at the image of the defeated Autobot Guardian on the giant view-screen. "That was beautiful…" the Asari started to say in a twisted gleeful tone, before looking back at the small holo-screen beside her which showed an image of an unconscious Myra lying on the power core's floor. "…and this is just….excellent." she added as her smile widened fully before the crewman manning the weapons station looked over to her. "Sir,…" he started to say back, gaining the Leviathan Leader's attention. "…we are ready to fire the torpedo now." he added, which brought a sparkle to Vasir's eyes as she smiled back, earning worried looks from her crew once more. "This is just getting better and better. Very well,…set target and prepare to fire." she replied before ignoring the small holo-screen as she turned back to the main view-screen, which still showed the beaten Omega, but also now contained a small inner screen that showed the torpedo locking on target. Meanwhile, outside, Leviathan lifted it's left arm up into the air as a cannon slid out of it's fore-arm and prepared to fire. "The Cybertronians have lived their last day. The time of their end has come…" Vasir then said as she watched the screen with a jubilant expression, before pointing at the Weapons station. "…Fire the torpedo!" she added, gaining a nod from the crewman who then typed in the key combination on his holo-interface. "Launching in thirty seconds….. twenty-nine….twenty-eight…" But as the count-down began, the crewman's voice was barely even registered by the Asari. For she was right now revelling in what now was quickly becoming her moment of victory. 'Benezia….this is for you.' But unbeknownst to the Leviathan Leader, Myra had slowly come to and found herself lying exactly where she had passed out, which was at the foot of the power-core. 'Who…said…that?' she thought as she pulled herself onto her knees, despite the increasingly painful aches of her joints and muscles. 'I heard a voice…it said 'You must not fail'.' she thought before reaching down to her utility belt and pulling out a large Medi-gel injection. 'This won't…cure me, but…it should…help.' The Asari then injected it's contents into her body, which instantly made her like she could move again, though the pain was still ever-present. 'I've got…to shut that thing down now!' she thought as her face became focused and her eyes glowed with biotic energy before it then enveloped her body like a shield, making the Spectre look like a figure of blue light as she got back to her feet. 'Hope my biotics can hold out.' Myra then held her left hand out before her as she walked toward the energy field of the power core's centre, which felt as hot as the surface of the Sun as she got closer to it. And then just as the Asari passed into it, Myra felt pain rack through her skin like wildfire despite the protection of her biotic-field. 'Fucking….burns, but…I'm nearly there.' she thought while slowly making her way through the fiery energy of the core towards it's center, which then revealed itself to the Spectre. '…it's the…energy…reaction of…the core.' the young Darby thought as her body continued to be riddled with pain, while she found herself staring at a small sphere of energy hanging between what looked like to highly sophisticated electro-magnets. '…I…might…be…able…to destabilise…it with…my biotics.' Myra thought as she then reached out with both hands at it, focusing her energies towards them both, before suddenly placing them on it. "Arrrrrrgh!" the Asari screamed as she then flooded the core with her own biotic energies, mixing the bright blue biotics into the green sphere of the core. This made her eyes and mouth all glow with a white light as explosions started to rattle the interior around her before suddenly the energy sphere itself exploded, sending a shockwave out that knocked the Spectre away as everything onboard the City-bot went dark. "What?!…just happened?" Vasir then asked with a confused expression as everything around her deactivated, gaining similarly mirrored looks from the crew around her. "I'm not sure, but it seems that we have lost all power Sir." the Crewman manning the Engineering station said, which then brought utter silence from everyone else as they stood there and looked at the Asari. For the Leviathan Leader simply stood in the middle of them all and looked up at the ceiling where the massive holo-screen used to be, not saying a word before her eyes then narrowed and she gritted her teeth. "WHAT!" Vasir spat as she spun around and stared daggers at the crewman, who looked like he was about to die as his Asari colleague hastily activated her holo-tool. "I…d…don't know what else that could be." the crewman said back with a fearful stare as the Leviathan Leader began to glow with biotic energy, a cold and ferocious look on her face. "Get…emergency…power…running!" she replied, but all this did was make the crewman panic as he looked around at his console, which had lost its holo-interface due to the power outage. "…I can't." he merely replied, which made the Asari pick him up by his neck with her biotics, much to the shock of the crew around them. "…Then you are useless to me!" she spat back while preparing to snap his neck, only for the crewman with the active holo-tool to catch her attention. "Sir,…wait!" the other Asari shouted, making the Leviathan Leader drop the crewman and look at her. "What!" "I have managed to use my holo-tool to gain communications with our fleet…" she started to say, gulping as her Commander's glowing eyes narrowed once more. "Well…you better have some good news?" Vasir said back in a menacing tone, which only made the other Asari shake her head in return. "A fleet of ISF ships, ones not registered with our allies, have jumped in and are assisting the Autobot cruisers…" she started to say, which only made the Leviathan Leader's eyes narrow even more. "…and with Leviathan shutting down…our fleet has ordered the retreat." she added while almost biting her lip out of fear, for Vasir gritted her teeth and clenched her fists so tightly that she drew a few small drops of blood in return. "…what?" she said in a surprisingly calm voice, which made everyone's hearts feel as though they had stopped. But before anyone could say anything else, an internal explosion from the decks below shook the room. "Oh no!" another crewman then said, having guessed what that was as suddenly the Leviathan Leader just snapped and held her fists up in the air and screamed. "NOOOOOO!" she cried out while letting loose a biotic shockwave, one that knocked all the crewmen around her against the walls behind them, killing them instantly. Vasir then dropped to her knees and looked at the floor as it dawned on her what had happened, making her anger build up once more. 'First Leviathan is shut down. Then, my forces turn tail and run….and now the plague is destroyed. No, I will not let this be the end…..Myra! This all started with her.' she thought while her biotics flared up again as she got back to her feet. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, MYRA!" the Asari then spat in an enraged voice before running out of the CIC, leaving the dead bodies of her crew behind. 'And I know just where to find you!' PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, Slash and Strafe entered the exterior of the power-core, noting the low lit area as the now-dead City-Bot's heart was before them. "She did it! Myra shut the thing down." Slash said in an ecstatic tone, earning a knowing look from the Femme as they began running down the walkway toward the spherical core in front of them. "Of course she did, also shut down all the Mechs too. Luckily, they were all tied to the same power source, it would seem." she said before noticing the Asari exiting the power-core ahead of them. "Myra,…you did it!" the Bot replied before the Spectre then hit him with biotic blast, stopping him and Strafe in their tracks. "Stay back!" she shouted back, earning confused looks from the pair in return. "Myra? What's wrong?" the Femme then asked, before noticing the dark grey veins on the young Darby's face as well as the dark patches around her eyes. "I've been…infected with…the Plague, you will…be too…if you come…any closer." she said while holding her hand out at them as a warning, which brought worried looks to their faces. "We can get you a Medical team, have you fixed up." Slash said back, making the Spectre shake her head in return while coughing hard. "…No, this is…highly contagious…can't risk…." she tried to say back, just as a ground-bridge vortex opened up behind the Dinobots. "We did it…we…" Kat started to say in a happy tone as she exited the vortex with Sharp-tooth and Scorn, only for her eyes to fall on her Lover's heavily injured form. "…Myra!" she screamed before rushing towards the Asari, with only Slash and Strafe to stop her as she fought against their grip. "You can't…she's been infected with the Plague." the Femme said back, earning shocked looks from the other Elite Terracons as the young Shepard kept her eyes on Myra. "I don't care. I'm not Cybertronian!" she spat back while trying to break out of their hold, only to stop as the Asari spoke up. "You…have to…go, Kat. I'm…afraid…I can't go…with you." she said between coughs and heavy breaths, which made the Human Wrecker's eyes well up in return. "I'm not going anywhere without you." she said back, which brought a slight smile to the Spectre's face as a tear ran down her own cheek, as she raised her throbbing hand to her com-link. "Evac,…do you…read me?" she managed to say, despite the pain in her voice. "Loud and clear, Myra. You alright down there?" the Pilot replied with a concerned tone, while the Asari just kept her eyes on Kat. "I…need you…to transport…the others back…to the…ship. You…need to…do it…now." she said back, making Shepard's eyes widen more as she listened to her. "Okay? But we just took some damage up here from a fleeing enemy cruiser, so the best I can do is outside in the desert." This made the Spectre's smile widen a little more before she responded. "That will do…" she started to say before another ground bridge opened up behind everyone else, making both Strafe and Slash pull the now crying Kat back with them toward the portal. "…thanks, Evac,…for everything." she then replied before tapping her com-link again. "Yeah…wait... what?" the Autobot Pilot began to say back before the call was cut short as the sound of a door opening up several levels ahead of them was heard, making Myra's face go serious. "You…have…to go…now!" she said, gaining nods from all the Dinobots as Sharp-tooth then threw something over to the deteriorating Spectre, with it hitting the floor right in front of the now kneeling Asari. "That should help with the pain…at least." he said in a saddened tone, which earned an appreciative smile from Myra. "Thanks." she replied before turning her attention back to Kat, who was almost inside the event horizon of the vortex as the other Dinobots continued to pull her in. "Myra, I won't leave you!" she cried out while fighting against her friends, which made the Spectre smile back with a loving stare. "I….lov…" she started to say before the group then disappeared into the vortex, which then closed after them and left Myra on her own. "…love you." the young Darby finished as she sighed and looked down at the object that Sharp-tooth had thrown to her which was another injection of Medi-gel, this time an extremely strong dose. 'If…this is…how…I am…going to…go, then…I will…go down…fighting.' she thought while taking the injection in her hand and injecting it into her neck, immediately feeling the effects of the Medi-gel as it staved off the pain her body was going through, just as a familiar voice shouted down from the walkways above her. "DARBY!" This gained the Spectre's attention as she got to her feet and looked up to see Vasir glaring down at her with an enraged stare, tightening her grip around the arm rails in front of her . "I knew…this would get your attention." the young Darby replied with a slight smile, which made the Leviathan Leader grit her teeth in return. "You and your fucking Autobots have gotten in my way for the last time Myra, I am going to finish you just like I did your mother." she spat back, before jumping over the rails and launching herself at the Spectre, throwing a biotic punch at her adversary. But the young Darby managed to block the attack with energy-barrier, before grappling with Vasir as they stood together on the same walkway. "You're not looking well, Myra. Perhaps you should give up now…" the Leviathan Leader said as she noticed the effects of the plague taking a hold on her enemy, with the dark grey veins spreading over the other Asari's face. "…I promise to make your death quick." she added, but this just made the younger Woman smirk as they continued to grapple. "…Even if I had…just a cold, Vasir, you still…wouldn't be a match…for me….and today will be no different." she joked back, which made Vasir grit her teeth in return as she suddenly tried to punch her opponent. Myra, though, blocked the attack and countered, which made the older Asari counter back. The two women went back and forth like this for what felt like a long moment before Vasir looked to have the advantage, performing a spin kick which was aimed at the young Darby's face. The Spectre though used her biotics to catch the other Asari's leg and then use her inertial to throw the Leviathan Leader into the opposite direction. But the Leviathan Leader used her own biotics to slow her speed and gently put herself back onto the walkway, before spinning around and throwing several biotic projectiles at her younger opponent. Myra though slid onto her knees, aching as much as they were and slid under the balls of energy as they passed over her, before performing a biotic uppercut, which hit the Leviathan Leader directly under the chin and sent her flying on to her back with a thud. "You had enough?" the Spectre then asked as Vasir got back to her feet and wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth, staring back with narrowed eyes. "Never." she spat before launching herself at the younger Asari in a biotic charge, only for Myra to perform the same manoeuvre as the two then collided which resulted in biotic explosion that once more sent the Leviathan Leader onto the deck as the younger Darby grabbed hold of the hand-rail beside her and breathed heavily, as once more the Plague was starting to take it's toll. "Alright…" Vasir then said as she slowly recovered and got onto her knees, while the Spectre stood there and looked down at her with a hateful stare. "…I admit it…" she continued while slipping her hand down to her utility belt, slowly unclipping an injection device and grasping it in her hand. "…you are the better fighter…and I am never going to be your equal like this…" she continued to say until the young Darby's eyes fell upon the object in her hand and so moved closer to her enemy. "Wait? What is that…in your…hand?" she asked, earning a devious smile from the Leviathan Leader as she jabbed the device's needle into her neck, releasing a red liquid into her bloodstream. "Something that will tip the scales between you and I." she said, before Myra suddenly noticed the other Asari's eyes glowing red as similarly coloured veins appeared on her skin as she started to suffer convulsions. 'Damn it, she is…going to blow.' the Spectre thought before using her biotics to pick you her rival and throw her over the side, which then was followed by a bright red flash of light from beneath the walkway. 'Is Vasir…finally dead?' she thought while making her way to the other side of the walkway, taking hold of the hand-rail so she could look over. But all the Asari could see was more walkways underneath, with no sign of Vasir's body. 'Where is her body?' she thought with a confused expression, before suddenly being thrown onto her side as she felt what could only be described as being slammed in the back by a Krogan. "Arrgh!" The Autobot Spectre cried out as she hit the floor, before quickly recovering and getting back to her feet, which was getting harder as the Medi-gel's effects continued to wear off. Though her eyes widened in shock as she saw Vasir standing before her on the walkway once again, but this time she looked quite different. "What…the Hell?" Myra asked in a confused tone, as the Leviathan Leader now had glowing red eyes and veins over her skin, as well as similarly coloured biotic field emanating from her now seriously toned physique as she smirked back at her hated rival. "It's called 'Crimson Rage'. A biotic enhancer that also brings about a beast-like change to whoever uses it….much like how the Terracons own beast-mode…" she replied before then hitting Myra with what looked like a biotic hammer, knocking the young Darby back onto her stomach. "…it's made me far more stronger than you, Darby." she added before then using her red-glowing biotics to pick the injured Spectre back off the ground and hold her in the air in front the Leviathan Leader. "…And now I can finally do what I should have done the first time round…" she then started to say while pulling her right arm back, as if readying to punch her rival. "…end the Darby lineage once and for all!" the Asari then spat before performing an uppercut at Myra, only for a large biotic fist to appear and hit the Spectre so hard that she was launched up into the air. The young Darby suddenly found herself flying up towards the ceiling of the outer-room of the Power-core, but even though she was in immense pain, from both the Plague's effect on her deteriorating body and Vasir's own Mega-punch. She still managed to focus her biotics into enveloping her body with a protective field, just as the large spherical room's ceiling was about to meet her. 'This…is going to…hurt.' she thought before suddenly she stopped, finding herself once more in the grasp of red biotic energy which was holding her in place. And then suddenly in the blink of an eye, Vasir was right back in her face with another punch that hit the younger Asari in the face and flung her into one of the metallic walkways that hung from the ceiling. "I am going to make you pay for all the trouble you have caused me, Darby." she spat before launching herself at her rival, who had managed to recover and regain her footing on the damaged walkway and dive out of the enraged Leviathan Leader's path as she flew past in a red-blur. 'This formula has boosted Vasir's physique and her biotics, even allowing her to fly!' she thought before suddenly finding herself on the defensive as Vasir attacked again, making the Spectre block her attacks with a biotic barrier which started to show cracks in its blue shell as it was continuously hammered by her adversary's fiery red strikes. "You can't hide behind your biotics, Myra. This is the end for you." the older Asari spat as she went to punch at the younger Woman's barrier, only for Myra to make it disappear. This caused the Leviathan Leader's inertial to get the better of her, giving the Spectre an advantage as she hit her enemy with biotic uppercut and knocked her onto her back. "Who's hiding." the younger Darby spat back as she then tried to use her current advantage once more by launching herself at the floored Asari, only for Vasir to then hit her with a powerful biotic blast. The Spectre suddenly found herself hurtling through the ceiling as well as all the decks above that while being completely enveloped in the glowing red energy. Meanwhile, Kat and the Dinobots stood outside in the desert, not far from the right foot of the gigantic Leviathan which stood like a statue in the hot blazing sun that shown down from above. "Why didn't you leave me with Myra?! she shouldn't have…" the Human Wrecker started to vent, only for the sound of an explosion to cut her off as she and the others looked up to see a glowing red beam explode out of the right shoulder of the City-Bot above them. "What the hell is that?" Sharp-tooth started to say as they stood there and watched, while Kat's eyes widened in return. "Myra!" she gasped before running closer to the Behemoth, earning shocked looks from the Bots. "Kat! Wait!" Strafe shouted back before she and the elite Terracons followed in pursuit. But upon Leviathan's right shoulder, Myra hit the cold hard metal of the City-Bot's exterior with a heavy thud after being knocked through what felt like the entire interior of Leviathan, earning a grimace from the Asari as her body ached even more despite the protection of her biotic field. 'I don't...know how much...more I can take.' the young Woman thought as she slowly got back to her feet, before noticing that she was now outside and standing on the City-Bot's shoulder, the cold air was a shock to her system as the strong wind hit her hard. 'Wow! Now that can wake you up. Just need a moment to get my breath back.' she added, suddenly feeling a little more alert as the cold air numbed her pain slightly. But the moment was not meant to be, as an explosion from behind the Spectre knocked her back onto the cold floor with a grimace. "There you are..." Vasir then called as she floated out of the hole she had made and joined her Autobot rival, the red biotic energy looking like it was fire as it danced over her body. "...and here I thought I might have accidentally sent you into orbit." she joked with a slight laugh, gaining a blank expression from Myra on return. "You certainly like to overemphasise your abilities, Vasir, even with this 'Crimson Rage' you've taken. But truth be told, that blast barely even hurt. Sounds similar to all your other endeavours." she replied with a slight grin appearing on her face as a trickle of blood ran down her chin from her mouth, one that made the Leviathan Leader's face to look like thunder as she gritted her teeth, making her biotics glow even brighter. "I'm just going to have to make you bleed even more before I kill you." she spat back before firing another biotic blast from her arms which the Spectre dodged by leaping to the side, using her biotics to perform a somersault before landing back on her feet and launching an energy blast of her own. But Vasir simply swatted it aside, causing the blue energy to vaporise against her red biotics as she then flung herself at her adversary with another biotic punch. The younger Darby brought up another barrier, but that was smashed through by the Leviathan Leader who then grabbed the Asari by her throat. "Was that the best you could do?" she asked with hateful stare, making it hard for Myra to breath as her fingers grip tightened around the other's neck. "Well...at least...mine was naturally...created and not done...with a drug." she managed to say between the gasps for air, which only made the older Woman's rage build up even more as she glared down at the rival in her grasp. "I would do anything to make up for the mistake of letting you live, even this." she roared before punching Myra in the stomach so hard, the armour there cracked in response and made the Spectre cough up some blood as she fell onto her knees. 'I am nearly spent...' she started to think as the pain her body was currently experiencing started to double in strength and intensity, due to the Medi-gel having been completely used up in her system and allowing the Plague to continue without any further hindrance. '...I think...I only have...enough strength...for one...last attack.' she continued, before looking up at her adversary who currently towered over her. "You know...even after...all the talk...of killing me..." Myra then started to say, gaining a curious stare from Vasir who just listened in return. "...you still...can't just do it...you can't just...kill me...can you?" the Spectre added with a slight smile, which earned a dumbfounded look from the Leviathan Leader. But the Spectre's words sunk in and suddenly the older Asari snapped as she raised her fists into the air, burning brightly with biotic energy. "I will kill you right now!" she spat with a furious expression and tone while about to strike, but Myra suddenly put everything she had into her biotics as the younger Asari punched up at her adversary and hit directly in the enemy Commander's chest. Her glowing blue fists created a ripple effect over Vasir's biotic field, making it fluctuate while also making the older Woman stumble backwards until she crossed the edge of City-Bot's shoulder and started to fall. No!" the Leviathan Leader shouted with a startled look as gravity took hold of her, earning a sigh from the Autobot Spectre in return. That, though, was cut short as Vasir then punched her glowing hand towards Myra and latched onto the young Darby with a biotic tether, pulling her off the Behemoth's shoulder and into freefall as the two Asari grappled with one another. "This is how it ends." Vasir shouted as they fell to the ground below, which was quickly rushing up to meet them, but the Leviathan Leader quickly and easily manoeuvred Myra under her as a cushion since the Spectre was now in a severally weakened state. The older Woman then started to glow again with her fiery biotics, before suddenly performing a biotic charge and hurtling faster to the ground. The pair looked like a shooting star before they both hit the ground beside Leviathan's foot so hard, that it created a small shockwave of dirt and sand. "MYRA!" Kat screamed with a horrified expression as she ran towards the crater, having seen what had just transpired. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest, that she could feel it through the chest-plate of her armour. But as she got closer, the dust began to settle as the Human Woman could see an Asari standing over another at it's center. "No..." she gasped as she recognised Vasir as the one who stood over the fallen Spectre, who looked like she was dead since she was not moving. "NO!" the young Shepard then cried out, gaining Vasir's attention as she fired a biotic wave at the approaching group, knocking Kat and the Dinobots off their feet as it hit them. "Stay out of this!" she spat before returning her focus to Myra, who slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her. "For I want to enjoy this moment..." the older Asari continued to rant as she then stamped on the Spectre's stomach, making her cough up some more blood as her body quickly sat up in a reflex move from the hit. "...As I finally get to reunite a daughter..." she added while grabbing Myra by her chest-plate with her right hand while holding her left fist in the air as it glowed brightly with her red-biotics as she readied the killing blow. "...with that bitch of a mother of hers!" she finished as she pulled her fist back and then launched it at Myra's face, which suddenly made the younger Asari snap out of her daze as she grabbed Kat's combat blade from the sheath on her leg and stabbed it into Vasir's side. "NO!" the Spectre spat as the Leviathan Leader was stopped in her tracks and looked down to see the blade stuck in her torso, a look of pure shock appearing on her face. "...what? How?" she then muttered before falling to her knees, gaining equally surprised looks from her friends as they watched from the crater's edge. But Myra ignored them as she fought the pain in her body to get back onto her own feet, feeling nothing but an aching pain as her skin felt as if it was starting to boil. 'Time to finish this.' she thought while finally standing over the injured Vasir, the Woman who had stolen so much from the young Darby's life. So Myra clenched her right hand into a fist and raised it over the Leviathan Leader, who looked up at her with a fearful expression as said fist began to glow with a blue hue as the Spectre's biotics were channelled into it. Kat could only watch with her mouth slightly ajar, as her Lover looked to finally have her chance at revenge. 'Is she...going to...?' she started to think, before being cut off as Myra spoke. "Vasir, this is...for my...loved ones...that you...murdered…Liara T'Soni...my Mother ...and John Shepard...my fiancé...you bitch!" she spat before punching the older Asari so hard that it knocked her off her knees and onto her back, spilling blood from the Leviathan Leader's mouth as a thunder-like clap echoed around the area before everything went quiet. Myra then simply looked down at the fallen Vasir and sighed, before suddenly falling to her own knees and slouching there beside her. 'It is done.' she thought with a relieved heart as her attention was suddenly drawn to her left as someone placed a hand on her shoulder. "...Kat!" she exclaimed with a breathless tone as her eyes fell upon her Lover, who had gotten down beside her and looked back with a loving stare. "...you shouldn't...be near me...the virus..." she started to say between heavy breaths, only for the Wrecker to cut her off. "I'm pure Human. The plague has no effect on me. And I am not having you push me away again, especially now..." she started to say as she held her Lover's face in her hands as a tear ran down the Asari's cheek. "...I love you." she added, which made Myra's slowing heartbeat slightly faster for a moment as she enjoyed the soft touch of the Human against her own skin as she closed her eyes. "Kat..." she began to say, reopening her eyes and looking deeply into the Female-Shepard's. "I lo..." she was about to say before Sharp-tooth then cut her off mid-sentence as he and the Dinobots stood at the edge of the crater. "We'll have a Medical team here in just a moment." he said, earning the attention of both the Women as Kat nodded back in return. "So is Vasir dead?" Strafe asked, beating the others to the question, which made Myra look down at the other Asari with disdain. "...No, she is not." This made Kat's eyes widen in surprise as she pulled back slightly, regaining the Spectre's attention. "That's surprising... considering how long you have been chasing her. Why?" she asked, which brought a thoughtful look to the young Darby's face. "Because killing her...would not bring...'them' back. It would...be true justice...for 'them'...that Vasir lives...out the rest of her...pathetic...life behind bars, knowing...that her empire...and all...of her plans...amounted to... absolutely nothing." she replied with a pained tone, earning a nod from Kat who looked back at her a growing smile. "I'm proud of you, Myra." she said, which the Asari could not help but smile back to, before she returned her attention to the elite Terracons. "Make sure...to have...a biotic clamp...on Vasir...before she..." she started to say, only to be cut off as a brightly glowing object suddenly materialised before her and Kat. "What in the All-spark?" Scorn shouted as the glowing object floated in front of the two lovers, gaining a curious look from both before Myra's eyes widened as she recognised it. "It...can't be..." she started to say in a confused tone, making Kat look between it and her lover with a questioning expression. "What is it?" she asked, while the Asari simply stared at it with widened eyes. "It's the Matrix!" she replied while just making out the shape of the long thought lost Autobot relic, gaining a similar look from Kat in return. "The Matrix of Leadership? But I thought that disappeared after your father passed away centuries ago?" she said back, making the Spectre nod back as she continued to stare at the glowing object. "It did. I was there. But my mother told me that it would reappear when the next Prime was ready." This made Kat look around the crater before turning her attention to the Dinobots standing at it's edge. "Well…who is it then?" And suddenly, as if it had heard the Wrecker's question. The Matrix started to float towards the dying Asari, making Myra's face look even more confused as she watched it. "I don't…understand…" she began to say as the bright shining relic drew closer, which gained a look of epiphany appeared on Kat's face as she looked at her lover. "It's you, Myra. You're the next Prime." "But…I do not…deserve it, I've done…things…" she replied, only for young Shepard to look back with a serious but caring expression. "Well, obviously it disagrees with you there. So, who are you to argue. Now get up..." she replied before taking hold of the stricken Darby's arm as she got ready to help the Asari to her feet. "Okay…you have…a point, help me…up." Myra replied before slowly getting back to her feet with Kat's assistance, which was painful for the young Darby as all of her muscles felt like they were on fire. But then she stood before the glowing Matrix. It's star-like appearance reflected in her eyes as she looked into it, while the Wrecker looked on. "Go on, take it in your hands." she said with anticipation underlining the tone of her voice, but the Spectre simply looked at it. As unbeknownst to the Human Woman, the Asari heard a familiar voice echoing in her mind. 'Myra Darby, take the Matrix in your hands. It is your destiny to 'unite the Trinity'.' it said, which earned a knowing look from her before she then looked back at the young Shepard. "Kat.." she began to say, gaining a curious look from her lover in return. "…Yes, Myra?" "…I'll see…you soon." she then replied, bringing a confused look to Kat's face in return. "…What do you…?" the Wrecker started to say before the Asari then turned her attention back to the Matrix and placed her hand on it, which suddenly shone extremely bright, so bright that it nearly blinded everyone in the area, as Kat found herself stumbling backwards while shielding her eyes. "Myra!" she called back, while the Dinobots mimicked her actions too as the white light completely enveloped the Spectre and it shined even brighter. But then almost as quickly as it had appeared, the matrix then disappeared and Myra was gone with it as Kat found herself standing alone in the center of the crater with an unconscious Vasir lying at her feet. "Wait! Where did Myra go?" Sharp-tooth called back, earning a knowing look from the Human Woman as she then looked up into sky with a slight smile on her face. "Wherever you are, Myra,…good luck." she whispered.
  2. CHAPTER XXI Meanwhile, in the small town of Enterprise which was just south-west of Las Vegas, the Autobots were shepherding the civilian population through a number of ground-bridges that had been opened throughout the town as one group was herding people on West Mountains Edge Parkway towards their nearest portal. "Rewind.." one of the Turian Autobots shouted to a ginger-haired man wearing black, white and yellow armour who looked over to him. "What…we have a tight schedule to keep too, don't want these Civvies around should Leviathan appear." he said back, earning a nod from his colleague who walked over to him. "I know. But there is a group near Nathan Jones Park who is refusing to leave their homes." This made the bot shake his head as a disgusted look appeared on his face, before looking over at the civilians to his left as they walked into the green portals. "Okay…" Rewind started to say as he looked back at the Turian. "…Let me go talk some sense into them, and you stay here and maintain this evacuation." he added, gaining a nod from the soldier. "Yes, Sir." With that, the bot turned away and tapped his com-link, while the Turian took over his post. "Central, this is Rewind. I need a Ground-Bridge to Nathan Jones Park, there are civilians refusing to leave that area." "This is Mercury, I read you loud and clear, Rewind. Opening a portal for you now." a female voice spoke from the other end, earning a smile from the Autobot. "Thanks, Mercury. I owe you one." he replied as another green vortex opened up before him, with the Bot walking towards it in turn. "More than one…" she said back as he walked through the portal, feeling a rush of energy flow past him before finding himself standing in front of the entrance to the park as a large grouping of civilians looked over to him. "Oh look, another Autobot here to tell us what to do." a rather heavily-built Man said with angry tone, gaining nods and cheers from the other people around him as Rewind walked over to them. "You're wasting your time, we are not abandoning our homes." Another shouted as several held up baseball bats and other objects like weapons, which made the Bot equip his pistol and activate his holo-blade. "Now look here…" Rewind started to say as the people noticed this, looks of concern and uneasiness appearing on the faces of many as they looked at him. "…There is a ninety nine percent chance of a large scale battle occurring in this area at any moment now, so we are evacuating everyone in Las Vegas…which includes all sub-districts. Now you will get yourselves into this Ground-Bridge or…." the Bot started to say before being cut off mid-sentence by the first Man again, who started to walk over to him. "Or what? What are you going to do…" he began to say, making Rewind look him up and down with a disinterested stare. "…there has not been an attack here on Earth in over five hundred years, so all that is left for us to think is that this is just some stupid drill." he carried on saying, earning further nods from those now standing behind him. "…So we are not going anywhere and you can't make us…" he spat while stopping right in front of the Bot and looking down at him with an angry glare as he towered over the soldier. But if Rewind was bothered by this, he certainly did not show it as he simply narrowed his eyes while staring right back at this loud mouthed civilian. "I can and I will if you won't listen to reason." he replied with a calm tone, which made the Man smile broadly as though he was about to laugh out loud. "Really? You're just a small Autobot. I am not taking any crap from the likes of you." "You talk big, how about actually showing it." Rewind then said with a slight smirk, which made the Man's eyes widen in shock before rage took over. "I'll show you, you cockily little…" he started to say while throwing a punch at the Bot's face, but Rewind quickly ducked under the attack and swiped his holo-blade at the knees of his attacker, slicing the skin open as blood began to squirt out. "Arrrgh!" the Man cried out loud as he stumbled back, before the Bot then followed though by hitting his adversary with the but of his gun in an uppercut. This sent the Man flying onto his back, gaining gasps from the crowd as the Autobot simply regained his composure and looked over at them. "You two…" he then said while pointing over to a pair of Men in the crowd, earning worried looks back in return. "…pick this idiot up and take him through the portal…now!" he ordered, gaining panicky nods back from them as they then followed Rewind's orders to the letter. "And as for the rest of you…." the Bot then said before his attention was caught by one of the Women looking up above everyone else. "What is that?" she asked in a loud tone while pointing up into the sky, which made the Autobot look up to see what looked like a giant metallic figure falling down towards the ground as it continued to shift and change. "That's not possible..." Rewind began to say as he appeared to recognise it somewhat before it hit the ground about a mile outside of the town. The object hit the ground so hard that it brought up a dust cloud around it's position as the area shook like it was experiencing an earthquake, making everyone practically lose their footing as the vehicles and buildings appeared to tremble around them. But then all of a sudden it stopped as silence fell upon the town, with everyone simply staring at the shadowy silhouette that was concealed behind the dust that had been thrown up high into the sky around it. "Come on, everyone into the ground-bridges." the Autobot then said, trying to regain the attention of the civilians though they all just looked on as the dust started to dissipate, slowly revealing the giant robot to them all. This even made Rewind's eyes widen as he could now see the new arrival more clearly. "It can't be..." he said as he saw the giant's colour scheme which was severely faded, but still recognisable for it had red arms and a grey and white chest, along with a pair pf blue legs and a blue helmet around it's white face. "...It's one of the legendary City-Bots." he added before looking back at the large crowd that around him, who were frozen to the spot as they stared at the behemoth. So he then equipped his pistol and pointed up into the air and pulled the trigger, firing a shot which snapped everyone's attention back to him. "Everyone, get into the Ground-bridge!" he spat, earning shaken nods from the civilians before they then did as they were told and walked into the glowing green vortex. Meanwhile, Myra and her friends stared in complete disbelief at the image of the City-Bot on the holo-screen in front of them, for their ship and the Supreme were still up amongst the clouds. "Tell me that isn't what I think it is?" The Pilot said with a worried tone, which gained a nod from the Asari. "If your thinking City-Bot, then you would be correct." she replied, making him look down and shake his head in return. "That's what I was afraid of." "Myra, you're acting like you have seen one before." Tolae then asked with a curious tone, while placing a comforting hand on her lover's shoulder. "I personally haven't, but my Father told me how my Grandfather fought alongside one during the Reaper War. Its name was Metro-Titan." the Spectre explained. "You wouldn't happen to know which one this is?" Kat asked as she looked to the Blue Woman, taking her attention from the Holo-screen. "Sorry, I have no idea which this one is..." she started to reply, only for Vraz to speak up over the Inter-com. "Eudora, come in." "We read you, Supreme." the Spectre then said back, while Evac piloted the ship down below the clouds, bringing the City-Bot into view as it stood in there in the desert. "Using a combination of our sensors and data-banks, we have identified the Leviathan as the long lost Autobot City-Bot called 'Grand Maximus'. It was recorded lost during the battle of Chaar back in the Great War, having been killed by the Decepticon's version called 'Metro-Titan' before it was transferred to Tuchunka." the Commander replied, while Kat looked out of the Cockpit's canopy at the behemoth. "Looks like Vasir found what was left and rebuilt the Bot for her own purposes, which was why she was so interested in getting her hands on the Synthetic Energon formula." she said while noticing the Autobot Insignia of the City-Bot, which lied on its chest and was rusted and scratched out. This gained a nod from Myra in return, before the Asari turned her attention to Evac, who then spoke up. "So what's the plan? Have our fleet come down and bomb this old Bot out of existence?" he asked. "Unfortunately, no. Our cruisers are incapable of atmospheric flight. Plus, they have their hands full with the rest of Vasir's fleet. Also, we can't simply destroy Maximus..." he began to say, only for Myra to jump in. "Because we may accidentally release the plague as we destroy the target." she said while looking down at her Pilot, who then nodded back reluctantly. "I forgot about that." he replied, while Kat's eyes widened a little as something sprang to mind. "Then we board Leviathan and disable its power core. That would certainly stop it from launching the plague." she said, gaining the others attention. "Now that's a good idea. We could also find where the plague is stockpiled and destroy it with an incendiary bomb." Myra replied. "Meanwhile, I'll have Omega Supreme here keep Leviathan busy, taking Vasir's attention from what is happening inside." Vraz added, earning a concerned look from the Spectre. "Omega may be powerful, Vraz. But he still is not much of a threat to a City-Bot." "That's for me to worry about..." he started to reply back, while Tolae looked up from her holo-Interface at both Kat and Myra. "I just took a scan of the Leviathan and the area it's power-core resides is shielded against ground bridges. I am also picking up traces of the Plague's signature but I cannot lock it down to a specific location." "Just find us a spot nearby while Kat and I suit up..." she said before Vraz's voice spoke over the Inter-com once more. "And I will have the Dinobots join the two of you there." he said, gaining an appreciative smile from the young Darby. "Understood. Thanks, Vraz." she replied before gesturing to her Lover to follow, gaining a nod from the Human Wrecker in return as they then left the cockpit. PRIME EFFECT 5 Vasir looked out from her spot in Leviathan's CIC, noticing the outskirts of Las Vegas in the distance on the secondary holo-screen. "Report our status." she said while turning her attention to the crewmen around her, earning their attention as they looked up from their stations. "Leviathan's City-Bot mode is working perfectly. All systems are still in the green." one said from behind the Leviathan Leader, who then looked over to the weapons station while ignoring Inferno, who was still on his knees nearby. "Can we launch the torpedo from here?" she asked, which made the crewman nod back in return. "Yes, but I will have to recalculate the coordinates for dispersal again as we are now at ground-level..." he started to say back, only for Vasir to cut him off with a stern look. "How long?" she asked, making the crewman's heart beat faster as he started to worry for his life, considering how he saw her treat the Destron Leader only a few minutes earlier. "...Ten...ten minutes at...most, but several at...least." he replied with a shaky tone, which made the Asari look away from him and back at the holo-screen detailing the battle continuing in orbit at this moment. "Well, considering our fleet is still keeping the Autobots busy and with the fact that they will need time to build up an effective ground force to combat us, I think we still have the upper hand here..." she began to say before returning her attention to the Weapons station. "Start your calculations and inform me when we are ready..." she said before looking over to the Helm station. "Meanwhile, take us to Las Vegas. Let's do some damage while we wait." The crewman manning the station nodded back before typing onto his holo-interface, which then made the behemoth lift its right leg as it began to move. "Look!" Inferno then spat as he pointed at the other screen, gaining Vasir's attention as they saw the Supreme fly down and block their path. "Autobots! They try so hard...shoot that ship down!" she commanded, but before anything could be done, the Supreme suddenly began to shift and change which made the Leviathan leader's eyes widen in response. "What in the..." she started to say as the Autobot Dreadnought transformed into Omega Supreme, landing on the ground in front of the larger City-Bot and pointing its cannons at it. "Omega Supreme online, power - optimal, mission - terminate Leviathan." its voice boomed, which brought a slight smile to Vasir's face as Leviathan looked down at the Autobot Guardian. "That's their big plan, use that outdated Bot against me. I want that thing ripped apart!" she then shouted, earning nods from around the CIC before the giant behemoth kicked out at Omega with its right leg which the smaller Bot evaded by jumping to its left. Once Omega landed, it immediately countered by firing its cannon-arm at the Behemoth's chest. The energy blast hit Leviathan and made it stumble back a little, with the ground shaking as a tremor passed through with each and every footfall. Then as soon as the City-Bot had regained its balance, the two Titans squared off for another round. Meanwhile, somewhere on board Leviathan, two ground-bridge portals opened on either side of a large corridor. Their green energy illuminated the area as Myra and Kat exited one, while the Dinobots walked out of the other and immediately looked around with their weapons ready, only to see that there were no enemies in sight. The Spectre tapped her com-link while Strafe activated her holo-tool, as the others maintained their attention on the area around the group. "Okay, we are on board. You can close the ground bridges." the Asari said, earning a nod from the Femme in return as she looked at the readings on her device. "And it looks like we have not set off any internal security, I guess Vasir isn't expecting any guests." "Well, good luck with your mission. Let us know once you are done and we will extract you. But it will have to be from the spot you are now in, because there is some strong interference which is blocking our ground bridges from locking on." the Commander added, gaining a nod from Myra in return. "Alright, good luck with your distraction." "Good luck to you too, Vraz out." he said back before the com-link went silent, making the Asari turn her attention back to the group. "Okay, we have two targets and so will be splitting into two three-person teams..." she started to say, earning a nod from Sharptooth and his teammates. "...Team one will be Sharptooth, Scorn with Kat in charge. Your objective is to find where the Plague is being stored…" she started to say before the Dinobot Leader cut her off as he showed off the explosive device in his hands. "And take out that area with this beauty." he said with an encouraging tone, which made the Spectre nod back with a smile before noticing the concerned look on Kat's face. "…Team two will be me, Slash and Strafe. Our target is the power-core." The Dinobot-Femme nodded back before looking at her holo-screen, which also earned her team-mate's attention. "I already have the Synthetic-Energon signature locked in, we need to head down this corridor first." she said in return. "Good luck you guys." Slash then said to his friends as Myra walked over to her Human-Lover, who simply stared back with a confused look. "Why are we not on the same team, Myra?" she asked, which brought a serious yet understanding look to her lover's face. "Kat, I want nothing more than to have you by my side in this fight. But I need you to keep an eye on the Dinobots for me because you're the only one I trust to make sure that their mission is pulled off without a hitch..." she began to say in a confident tone, while the young Shepard just stared back in surprise. "...there is too much at stake if something were to go wrong and we can't afford mistakes." the Asari added, while Kat glanced back at the Elite-Terracons who were talking amongst themselves. "Wait, you don't trust them, do you?" she then said in a quiet tone as she returned her attention to the Spectre, who nodded back in return. "No, no I don't..." she began to say while remembering the Dinobots fights with both Morinth and Inferno. "...but I do trust you, more than anyone I have known for a long time..." she carried on saying with a slight smile, as Kat's eyes widened at her words. "...so please lead them, for me." This made the Wrecker mirror her expression as she nodded back in response, though her cheeks had reddened slightly as she did so. "Alright, you can count on me,...Myra." she replied with a serious yet affectionate tone, which made the Asari's smile widen. "I know I can." she said back whilst looking at the Human woman like she was taking a mental picture of her. The young Darby then sighed before beginning to turn round and face the Dinobots, but she was stopped as Kat grabbed her hand and made her look back. "Wait...I want you to have this..." she started to say, with the Asari feeling something being placed into her hand. This made Myra look down at the object as her Lover continued to talk. "...because I think you might need it more than I." The Autobot Spectre's eyes widened as she looked at what was in her grasp, completely surprised at what Kat had done. 'John's Combat-knife!' she thought while staring down at the blade. "...But this is yours, I shouldn't..." she started to say back, only for the Wrecker to cut her off with a warm and disarming smile. "Since finding out whose Knife this really was, I have come to believe that my family and I have just been safeguarding it. Because this is the last part of my Great, great, great Grandfather and you should be the one to keep it...I feel that he would want that." she said, which made Myra's eyes begin to well up as she slowly clenched onto the knife's hilt while looking at it. "Thank you…" She replied while sheathing the blade in a small utility belt on her left thigh, before returning her attention to Kat as the interior of the Leviathan shook as if something had hit it hard on its exterior. "…now you be careful." she added, gaining a nod from her lover in return. "You too. Good luck." she said back while looking into the Asari's eyes, which Myra could not help but smile at. "and you." she said before turning around and walking back to Strafe and Slash, while Sharp-tooth and Scorn joined the Human's side. They then all gave each other one final look before heading off in opposite directions down the corridors. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, the fight between Omega Supreme and Leviathan was heating up as the smaller Guardian fired yet another energy blast at its far larger opponent, hitting its chest once more, burning the armour there somewhat. This though caused one of the stations in the CIC to explode, throwing its crewman to the floor which made Vasir grit her teeth in response. "Goddess! Why is that damn Bot still standing in our way?" she spat to the others, who simply kept their heads down and focused on their duties. "…I want that Autobot scrap-heap out of my sight" she then added, gaining a nod from the helmsman who then typed in a number of commands into his holo-interface. This suddenly made several small openings appear in City-Bot's chest, revealing large cannons which fired a barrage of blaster-fire at Omega, which made him dive to his right and out of their fire. But Leviathan seemed to be anticipating that move as it then threw a punch down at its rival, hitting the back of the Guardian and slamming him into the ground. Onboard Omega, the bridge shook violently and sent everyone falling off their seats as that last hit was felt across the entire Bot. "Damage report!" Vraz shouted as numerous stations blew sparks from them, with the crewman manning the Engineering station getting back to his feet and looking at his holo-interface. "Sir, that last hit caused structural damage across the back of Omega, we can't take too much damage in that area again." he reported, earning a nod from the Commander before another crewman caught his attention. "Leviathan's attacking again!" they cried out, making the Autobot Leader look back at the screen and see the Behemoth lifting its foot into the air, getting ready to crush the Bot's back more. "Roll us out of the way!" he then commanded to the Helmsman, which then made Omega do just that as the Guardian rolled onto its back. "Return fire now!" Vraz quickly added, which made two gun-ports open on either side of its chest armour before firing two torpedoes at the enemy bot's leg, causing a large explosion where they hit and making Leviathan struggle to remain balanced on its one leg. This brought a smile to the Commander's face as he watched it on the holo-screen. "Fire again!" Omega Supreme then lifted its cannon arm and fired another energy blast which hit the City-Bot and sent it flying onto its back, causing a strong tremor to rock the area as a dust cloud was formed around it. "Get us back up NOW!" Vasir screamed at her crew as smoke billowed from broken pipes overhead as she got back to her feet, earning fearful but acknowledged looks from them as they got back to their stations and worked. "I think we have a problem…" the crewman manning the sensors then said, gaining a narrow stare from the Asari as her attention was drawn to him. "Oh…really, you think?" she replied in a sarcastic tone, one layered in a wave of building anger which made the crewman gulp in return before pointing at his holo-interface. "No…I mean yes, we already do. But…" he started to ramble, which made the Asari glow with biotic energy as she clenched her fists. "Just spit it out!" she shouted, which almost made him jump out of his skin. "…Internal…sensors have picked up movement in the lower levels, nearing the Plague containment tanks." he replied, making the Leviathan Leader's eyes widen as a realisation came over her. "So, that was the Autobots plan…" she muttered before looking back at Inferno, who just stared back with a dumbfounded expression. "Make yourself useful and intercept our unwanted guests, and take your Destrons with you." she commanded, gaining a nod from the Con who began to turn around and head out of the CIC. "I will see it done." he replied, which made the Asari narrow her eyes in return as she watched him leave. "Don't fail me again." she said back, which made the Destron Leader's spark go cold, for he knew what would await him if he did so while Vasir then returned her attention to the CIC crew as she noticed that Leviathan had returned to it's feet as shown on the massive holo-screen. "Now take that scrap-heap down!" she spat as Omega Supreme was seen to have recovered as well. A few minutes later, Kat, Sharp-tooth and Scorn were running down one the identical corridors that flowed through Leviathan like a nerve system, listening intensively to the quickening beeps of the latter's holo-tool as they closed in on their target. "How many times have we had to climb and drop down into one of these corridors, surely this would be easier if we had boarded this City-Bot when it was still in Battle-ship mode?" he asked, earning a grunt from his Leader in return. "I am just wondering why we haven't come across any enemy troops yet, surely this place would be filled with them?" he replied. "Be glad that wasn't the case, Sharp-tooth, as it means that we are still undetected by Vasir and her crew." the Human Wrecker said back just as they reached a T-Junction, taking a right turn before stopping dead in their tracks as a familiar voice spoke up. "That's as far as you go, Autobots." This made Kat's and the Dinobots eyes widen as they found themselves standing opposite Inferno and his Destrons, who had their weapons trained on them. "Inferno! I was hoping to see you again,…Traitor." Sharp-tooth replied as he clenched his fists tightly, while Kat activated her holo-blades and Slash mirrored his team-mate. But Inferno simply ignored the Dinobot Leader and looked at the group before a slight smile appeared on his face. "And where is Myra, I thought if anyone would be leading this then it would be her?" he asked, which made the young Shepard sigh slightly with relief. 'They still don't know about Myra and her team, that's good to hear. Means we can keep them busy while she shuts this Goliath down.' she thought before her attention was caught by Sharp-tooth who lunged at the Destron Leader. "You should worry about us!" he spat while shifting into his Beast-mode, tackling his adversary to the ground as Scylla, Hardhead and Devron could only watch in shock before remembering that the Dinobot was not alone, returning their attention to both Kat and Scorn. "Scylla, help the Commander. Hardhead, let's finish these two." the latter said, gaining a nod from the Femme who changed form and headed for the two Bots currently grappling on the floor just away. Both the other Destrons followed suit and shifted to their own Beast-modes, revealing their sharp claws, beast-like eyes and more built bodies. "Die!" Devron then cried out as he and his teammate charged at the two Autobots, bringing down his claws upon Kat. But the Human-Wrecker quickly spun around, making him miss her as his inertia took him forward. She then quickly brought her holo-blades round as she spun and drove them into the Con's back, making him scream out in pain as she pulled the blades up and out of his back, leaving a large bloody wound running down the back of his torso. "Devron!" Hardhead shouted back in a panicked tone as he grappled with a too changed Scorn, being unable to help as his friend bled heavily from his wound and fell to his knees as Kat then swung her left blade through the Destron's neck, separating his head from his body as more blood shot out into the air like a geyser. "No!" the other Con shouted before breaking free of his enemy's grip and then following through by throwing Scorn over his shoulder and into a nearby wall. "You are going to die, Bitch!" he roared while charging down Kat. Meanwhile, Sharp-tooth and Inferno were still locked in a standstill on the floor, with the Destron Leader now changed into his own form and growled at his adversary who bore down upon him. "I am going to rip your throat out..." the Dinobot said with gritted teeth before he was suddenly cut off by a sharp pain in his back as Scylla clawed into his back with her sharp claws. "Arrrrgh!" he cried out as she then bit into his neck and started to chew away, making the Bot climb off Inferno while trying to get the Femme off him. This gained Inferno enough time to recover as he got back to his feet and activate his holo-claws, which grew over his hand and increased the size of his own. "Hold that pathetic excuse for a Dinobot right there Scylla, so that I can gut him where he stands." he said in an angered yet relished tone while flexing his claws as he approached the pair. As this was happening, Scorn found himself torn between who he should help as he saw what his teammate was up against. So he looked back at Kat, who managed to evade another attack from Hardhead. "Go help Sharp-tooth. I've got this." the Human Wrecker said in a confident tone, which made the Bot nod and turn around, leaving her to face the enraged Destron. 'I saw what she did to Devron, so she can easily handle Hardhead.' he thought whilst charging back to Sharp-tooth. Meanwhile, Kat dodged yet another swipe from Hardhead by ducking under his strike. She could feel his claws cut through the air like a blade as they passed overhead, before performing a forward roll and returning to her feet. "How…? How did you dodge that?" the Con spat back as he turned around and faced his opponent, but was met with a kick to the face as Kat quickly countered, knocking him backwards as she readied her holo-blades. 'I learnt so from Myra, from our meld. Seeing the Asari's memories of her time learning from her Aunt Ser-Ket.' she thought as she sliced at the enemy's shoulder, earning a yelp from him before he swung his claws at her once more, making the Wrecker dodge his attack once more. '…For there were those who relied too much on their brute strength and rage, making them easy to take down for anyone who remained calm and collected.' she continued while performing an uppercut with her right holo-blade, just as the Destron clenched a fist and punched at her side. But even though her strike caught the side of the Con's face, his strike hit her dead in her side and winded the Woman the force of it sent her flying into the wall behind her. 'Damn it!' she thought while hitting the ground and slouching against it, feeling pain aching through her entire body as Hardhead wiped the blood from the cut on his face and licked it. "That smarted, you little Bitch…" he started to say before walking over to her slowly, taking note that the Wrecker was physically stunned. "…I had better finish you off before you get the chance to recover." The Con added as he then towered over the femme, reaching down at her with his claws while opening his mouth wide which revealed all of his razor-sharp teeth as he closed in to kill her.
  3. CHAPTER XX The Infirmary had gotten just a little bit more busy as the rest of its staff had arrived and begun work, while Doctor Kaput and Nurse Beta were doing final checks on Evac and Tolae. "Okay, the results for both you and your friend are coming through now..." the Femme said as she looked at the holo-interface beside the Asari's bed, earning a curious expression from her as she saw the Nurse's eyes widen in return. "...that's impossible." she then stated in surprise. "What is?" Tolae asked with a knowing tone, already aware of what the results would likely say. "The scans say that you are both completely fine and that your nervous systems show no signs of damage or strain." "Believe me now?" the Asari asked, regaining the Femme's attention. "I have just never heard of such an occurrence happening with an Ardat-Yakshi...but yes, I believe you. I apologise." Beta replied with an empathetic tone, earning a nod from her patient. "I don't blame you for your reaction, my people are not very forthcoming with the fact that most Ardat-Yakshi choose to live in seclusion rather than act on their instincts to mate, sacrificing their freedom for the safety of everyone else. There is only a small percentage that does prey on others, mating with no regard or care that their actions kill and they are the ones that everyone remembers." she said back, gaining a look of understanding from the Nurse. "I guess it is easier to remember the bad rather than the good, which is why history always remembers the wars and not the times of peace that separated them..." the Femme replied, which made Tolae nod back in return as the former looked back at the latter's scan results. "...You must have a strong will to be able to keep your mating instincts in check, especially while you and Evac were having intercourse." "Well, there is nothing that would make me want to hurt Evac in any way. Nothing, whatsoever." the Ardat-Yakshi answered, bringing a smile to Beta's face in return. "He must really mean a lot to you." "Yes, he does. Evac means more to me than anyone I have ever known." Tolae then said with a smile, making the Nurse's own widen a little more in response. "Then you are very lucky to have found someone like that, one that can inspire you to do what the rest of us would think impossible." "Everyone has it in them to achieve the impossible, no matter what their background is." "Very true, and perhaps what you have proven here will one day help other Ardat-Yakshi live beyond the walls of the Lesuss Monastery." the Femme replied, which gained a surprised yet appreciative smile from the Asari. "I hope so too. Thank you." "You're welcome." Beta added before the pair were joined by Evac, who was walking with the aid of a holo-walking stick. "So how is my girl doing?" the Bot asked, gaining their attention as the Ardat-Yakshi gave him a loving smile in response. "Hey." she replied, while the Nurse stepped away and deactivated the holo-interface. "Tolae is fully healed and ready to go, as are you by the look of it." the Femme replied, while he took his lover's hand in his own and mirrored her expression. "That's great. The Doctor just gave me the go-ahead too, though I can't get into any fights for a while...except those that require the Eudora of course." the Pilot said back, earning a nod from Beta as she started to back away from the couple. "Okay, well you can both leave at your leisure. I wish you both well." she said, earning smiles from the pair in return. "Thank you, Beta." Tolae replied before then turning away and walking to the other side of the Infirmary, leaving the two lovers alone. "So, are you alright? I mean, Beta was a little tough on you earlier on." the Bot then asked with a slightly worried expression, which made the Asari smile as his concern only made him look cuter in her eyes. "I'm fine and Beta was only concerned for the well-being and safety of everyone on the Morning Hope since the idea of a well behaved Ardat-Yakshi must have sounded like a fairy-tale to her. But we talked and she understands the truth about those who share my condition, and even thinks now that what we did could one day help others that suffer with it in the future." Tolae replied, which gained an understanding smile from the Pilot. "That sounds like a good cause to get behind, one that I would be more than happy fo help with once this conflict with Vasir is over." he replied, which made the Asari look back with a curious expression. "What are you saying?" she asked though, in her heart, Tolae knew what he was saying, but needed to hear it to truly believe it. "When all this is done, I am prepared to leave the Eudora so that we can have a life together...perhaps travel the galaxy so that you can see everything you have missed." he said in a caring tone, which made her eyes widen as she smiled back at him. "You would do that...for me?" she replied, which made him smile back lovingly. "There is nothing I would not do for you, Tolae. And I want to spend the rest of our lives showing you...as long as you do as well?" Evac replied, quickly bringing a smile to the Asari's face as she looked back at him. "Of course I would!" she said back in a joyous tone while pouncing the Bot and surprising him, which made him fall back against the wall as they embraced and kissed, gaining the attention of Beta and the Medical staff who turned and looked back in surprise. But the Nurse could only smile in return before she started to clap, which was copied by everyone else as the sound of applause caught the lovers attention and pulled them out of the moment, staring back with embarrassed smiles as they acknowledged everyone. Myra and Kat then entered the Infirmary, equally surprised expressions appeared on their faces at the sight that welcomed them. But as they looked around the room at the applauding and smiling staff and saw the direction that they were all looking, before following their stares until their eyes fell upon their two friends. "Evac and..." the Spectre then said. "...Tolae." the young Shepard added as they smiled back, which was then noticed by both the Ardat-Yakshi and the Pilot who mirrored their expressions as they fully separated and walked over to them, while still holding hands. "Hey guys." the Bot said in return as the pair joined their Asari and Human friends. "You two alright?" Myra asked, earning a united nod from the two lovers. "We are better than alright." Evac then added before looking back at Tolae with a loving stare, which made her smile widen as she did the same. "We really are." "That's great news..." Kat started to say back, gaining the pair's attention. "...and we have some more." she added before gesturing to the young Darby, which made them look back to their leader. "Yes, we now have the backing of Autobot Command and they have also reactivated our previous titles in their ranks, as we all can bring the fight to Vasir." she replied, which brought a wide grin to Evac's face. "So that means I am a member of the Aerial-Bots again..." he started to say, only for Kat to cut him off. "Yes, I am a Wrecker once more and Myra has her Spectre status back." "Congratulations." Tolae replied as she looked around the group, her stare stopping at her lover as they smiled at each other once again. "Yeah...so I want us onboard on the Eudora now, because Vraz and I want to be ready for when Leviathan makes their move, will you be alright to pilot?" the Spectre then asked, gaining a nod from Evac. "Sure, my leg and arm are virtually one hundred per cent healed. Not that I need them to fly the ship, mind you." he replied. "Okay, then let's get going then." the Asari said back, before she and her friends left the busy Infirmary, with its staff already back to work. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, Vasir stood before the massive view-screen in the CIC of the Leviathan, watching as it showed the positions of her forces as they began their attack on the colony of New Cybertron. A smirk was present on her face as her attention was purely on what was happening on the holo-screen, while Inferno walked up behind her. "Vasir, I hope I am not interrupting." he asked with a worried tone, but the Leviathan Leader did not even look in his direction as she remained focused on the screen. "That depends, do you have what I requested?" she asked with a flat tone as her smirk faded, which made the Con's spark beat a little faster in fear. "Yes, the lab has managed to synthesise this one injection of Project: Crimson Rage for use during this campaign." he stated while holding it out before the Asari, whose eyes widened in response. "Just one injection, that is all?" she said back in disbelief as she looked down at the injection device. "Well the formula is highly unstable and difficult to create, I am surprised the Labs even managed to make this one in the time they had." he replied with bated breath, wondering what her next action would be. "How will Leviathan's troops use enhanced biotics with just one injection? What am I supposed to do with that?" Vasir spat back. "I am sorry but that was all that could be produced at this moment, besides you still have your mass-produced army of Mechs to bolster your ground forces." he replied, which made her stare back silently. This made the Destron Leader gulp as he suddenly felt that his life was now in danger of being cut unceremoniously short, while Vasir narrowed her eyes at him. "Just give it to me..." she started to say whilst holding her right hand before her, to which the Con then placed the injection device as he tried not to show how fearful he was at that moment. "...and get out of..." she began to add once the device was in her hands, only for the view-screen to beep and regain her attention. "What is it?" the Asari asked, making the Krogan working at the Communication-station look over to her. "The fleet attacking New Cybertron reports that the Autobots have responded by calling for reinforcements, which should be jumping in momentarily." he said, making the Leviathan Leader glance over to the Salarian at the Sensors-station, but keeping her main attention on the view-screen as Inferno watched from behind her. "Show me." Then suddenly the view of the battle, which was from a top-down angle zoomed out to show more of the surrounding space as space-bridge portals appeared all over the area, and this was quickly followed by many scores of Autobot Cruisers entering the fight. "How many ships have the Autobots brought into the battle?" Vasir then asked with a tone to her voice that was both curious and knowing. "Over six hundred ships are present, Sir. They outnumber the five hundred and fifty-five that was sent to attack the planet." the Salarian replied, gaining a nod from the Asari as she smiled. "That is half of their overall fleet, excellent..." she started to say before turning her attention to the Comms-Station once again. "Send word to at least half of the Third Fleet and have them divert to New Cybertron to bolster of our forces there, while everyone else jumps to Earth right now." she added, gaining the attention of the Helm. "Very well, this one is setting space-bridge coordinates for the orbit of Earth." the Hanar then replied as it began to type on its holo-interface with its tentacles. "...and prepare the Leviathan's alternate mode..." Vasir added, gaining nods from the crew around her as Inferno decided to speak up as a confused expression appeared on his face. "What is it with this ship of yours?" the Destron Leader asked, which brought a thoughtful look to Vasir. "We are attacking that particular area as it currently has a weather system over it with the conditions for perfect dispersal of the plague over the entirety of planet Earth..." she then started to say while activating her holo-tool, bringing up an image of that area of the planet. "Leviathan was once a wreck of an old ship that was found on the planet Chaar, a relic of the Cybertronian Civil War. But we managed to rebuild and retro-fit it and thanks to its Synthetic Energon Core, we cannot only power it but also use its alternate mode." she explained, earning an inquisitive expression from the Con. "So what is Leviathan's alternate mode?" he asked, which brought a knowing look to Vasir's face. "I suppose you can stay and watch because I am sure we will need it at some point." she replied before turning her attention back to the helm. "Open a Space-Bridge vortex and take us to Earth." And then green swirling portals opened up before each and every ship who then flew into them, leaving the black void of space behind them as the same portals closed seconds after. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, back at the Autobot fleet, both the Eudora and Vraz's shuttle left the Morning Hope's Shuttle-Bay as both flew towards the Supreme, whose main hull had a large rectangular hull that ended in a cone-like shape with a large cylinder-like engine connected either side of it. The latter docked with the large warship while the former stopped ahead of it, giving Myra and her friends a good view of the new Autobot ship. "That's a hell of a ship you've got there, Commander." Evac said as he looked up at it through the canopy of the Eudora's cockpit as he sat in the pilot's seat, tapping at the holo-controls around him. "It really is, but if the Leviathan's schematics are as accurate as they appeared back at Unity, then the Supreme is still dwarfed by it." Myra added as she stood just behind her Pilot with Kat at her side, while Tolae sat at the station on their left. "I will be arriving at the CIC momentarily, but I have already received word that Vasir's forces began their attack by laying siege to New Cybertron. Autobot Command responded by sending a larger fleet to defend it." Vraz replied over the Inter-com, gaining a worried look from the Autobot Spectre. "New Cybertron isn't exactly a big target, I'm sure that will only be a distraction from Vasir's real one." "I thought the same thing and recommended only the necessary amount of ships to be sent to defend the Colony, while the rest of our forces wait for the main attack to begin." the Commander said back, which made the Asari nod back in agreement. "Good call." "Well, it was the most logical choice...and I have just entered the CIC..." he started to say, only for Kat to cut him off. "So what does the Supreme have that can help it stand up to the Leviathan?" she asked with a curious tone. "Very well, I will show you what the Supreme can do while we wait for news of Vasir's actual attack...activate 'Guardian Mode'!" Vraz answered as the Eudora's crew watched as the Supreme suddenly began to change its form with parts shifting and folding in on itself, making the dreadnought's shape take on a body-like appearance as its right arm took the shape of a three-pronged claw, while it's left arm looked like a giant laser cannon. "It can't be?" Myra said in a faint voice as she watched as the Autobot-ship before them into a large yellow and red Cybertronian, with its head rising up out of its torso last with its blue optics glowing once it was in position. "Omega activated!" a mechanised voice then boomed via the Inter-com, while surprised expressions befell the Asari and her friends at the sight before them. "I give you Omega Supreme, the last Guardian of Cybertron." the Commander then stated as Myra and the others stared open-mouthed at the gigantic Autobot floating in the void of space ahead of them. "Omega Supreme has been brought back to life, thanks to the completed Synthetic Energon which now powers him." Vraz continued to say over the Inter-Com, but this earned a confused look from Tolae as she looked up at the Guardian from her station. "Is it me or is Omega staring at us?" she asked, gaining nods from both Kat and Evac in return. "Yeah, it certainly looks like that." the Human Wrecker replied, but Myra gently shook her head ever so slightly. 'No, he's not looking at us. Omega is looking at me, why?' she thought as she felt the blue optics of the giant staring back at her like he could sense something about the Asari who looked back with a confused expression. But before anything else could be said, Commander Vraz's voice spoke over the Inter-Com once again and caught everyone's attention. "Space-bridge portals have been detected in orbit around Earth, looks like Vasir is making her move." he said, making the Autobot Spectre nod back as her face became serious again. "Then we know where to go, Commander..." she started to reply, only for Vraz to cut her off. "Way ahead of you, Myra. I've just sent word for every ship in the fleet which is able to plot a course for the Home-world...Omega Supreme, revert to Dreadnought mode!" he then said, which made the Autobot Guardian transform back into its vehicle mode. "How does its transformation not kill everyone onboard?" Tolae asked as she witnessed it's changing, earning a knowing look from the Pilot. "I took a scan of the Supreme, it has a small crew which is located in both Main Engineering and the CIC. Now both these sections are unaffected by the transformation as that happens around them, so as long as the crew remain in either area, then they are safe from the ship shifting between modes." he replied. "That is interesting, but let's keep our minds on the task at hand." The young Darby then said, earning nods from the pair before turning her attention back to the Supreme which was once more in it's Dreadnought mode. "All ships to Earth!" the Commander then said over the Inter-Com as every ship in the immediate area, the Eudora included opened a space-bridge vortex before them and prepared to enter. Meanwhile, a fierce battle had erupted over the Earth as the forces of Vasir and the Autobots clashed, the ships of both sides firing everything they had at each in a barrage of cannon and torpedo fire. The Battle-ship Leviathan was in the midst of the action, dwarfing all the other ships around it as it slowly moved through the fighting towards the blue planet. "Vasir to all ships, I want you to cover us as we descend into Earth's atmosphere in preparation of releasing the Plague, keep the Autobots attention on you and away from us...make it so." the Leviathan Leader said as she watched the battle unfold on the massive holo-screen. "All ships have acknowledged your orders." the crewman at the Communication station replied, earning a nod from the Asari while Inferno stood behind her and looked up at the screen. "The Autobot Fleet defending Earth is not large enough to cause us problems." he observed, which made Vasir look back at him. "I expect the enemy to be sending reinforcements momentarily, not that it will do then much good..." she began to say before turning her attention to the crewman manning the Helm station. "...take us down to at least fifty kilometres above Earth's ground level, let's put an end to the Cybertronians at their source." Then as the battle continued with cruiser firing on cruiser, torpedoes and cannon fire impacting on each and tearing their hulls apart as the massive Behemoth started to leave its chaotic surroundings. But it was quickly intercepted by three Autobot ships who opened fire with their pulse-cannons, showering the Leviathan with gunfire. Its shields held firmly against the barrage as its particle bean cannons turned and targeted them, making the three attackers turn away as they started evasive manoeuvres. Though the Autobot ships were too slow as the Leviathan opened fire with red energy beams that cut through each ship, slicing them into bits that floated away and leaving the way clear for the Battleship to continue its descent. But as this was happening, several large Space-bridge vortices opened up as the Autobot reinforcements arrived, being led by both the Supreme and the Eudora as they all opened fire on the enemy fleet and took some of the heat of the remaining ships of the Earth fleet. "This is Vraz to all ships, keep these Leviathan cruisers busy as we and the Eudora take the fight to Leviathan itself." he said from his seat in the centre of the CIC as the crewmen stationed around him worked frantically at their posts. "Sir, the fleet acknowledged you and will see it done...we are receiving a hail from the Eudora." the Turian manning the Com-station then said, earning a nod from the Commander. "Put it through." "Vraz, this is Myra. Looks like the Leviathan is making its move…" the Autobot Spectre said, while the Fleet's leader watched the unfolding battle take place on his holo-screen as the ship shook from an impact with a torpedo. "Yes, I can see it from here. I have already told the rest of the fleet to contain Vasir's forces up here and that we would take care of her ourselves, so shall we?" he then replied. "Ready when you." the Asari said back, earning a slight smirk from the Commander in return as he returned his attention to the holo-screen. Meanwhile, Evac was now in full pilot mode with a holo-visor covering his eyes as he flew the Eudora between two enemy cruisers, who were caught in their own crossfire as they tried to shoot the smaller ship down. They were both heavily damaged and started to drift as Pilot pulled away from the pair and started to head after the Supreme. "We read you, Vraz, joining you now." Myra said as she stood behind Evac's chair and held onto the back of it, while Tolae smiled over to her Lover from her station. "Nice flying." she said with an impressed and caring tone, which made his cheeks redden slightly in return. "Thanks, but you haven't seen anything yet." he replied as the Guardian Dreadnought appeared on their right side as they began their joint descent into Earth's atmosphere. "We should be in the range of the Leviathan in twenty seconds." The Commander said back over the Inter-com, while Evac squinted at the clouded view on their other side of the glass canopy ahead of him. "My sensors agree with yours, Supreme. But it's so damn cloudy, I have no visual." he said back. "I don't see how any cloud cover could hide a ship the size of the Leviathan, it's the largest ship I have ever seen." the Autobot Spectre added as she looked out at the heavy cloud cover that the Eudora was passing through. "I am transferring my sensor readings to my holo-visor." Evac then stated as he typed on the holo-interface in front of him, making the holo-device covering his eyes change from yellow to green, bringing up a tiny HUD over his eyes as data started scrolling down either side of his eyes. "Evac, what do you see?" Kat asked as she joined Myra's side, just as the Pilot's eyes widened in response. "Pull up, Supreme, pull up!" he shouted while making the Eudora pull a hard-right, while the Dreadnought went the other way. Both ships then narrowly missed the Leviathan as they breached the last cloud, revealing that the behemoth was moving toward them. "It's targeting us both, evasive manoeuvres." Vraz then shouted back as Vasir's flagship opened fire with its cannons at them, with the Eudora pulling a barrel roll as the cannon fire flew past. Meanwhile, the Supreme's shields took a beating from the incoming fire as it turned away, firing back with its own in return. "Eudora, our sensors read that the Leviathan is at the correct altitude to launch the plague. We need to stop it now." Vraz stated over the intercom, which made Tolae look over at her own holo-interface as Evac pulled a loop de loop and a barrel roll at the same time, evading the enemy cannon-fire once more. "It's weapon platforms and turrets are too well shielded, neither of our ships has the fire-power to knock them out." the Ardat-Yakshi said, which brought a slight smirk to Myra's face in return as she saw the Supreme continuing to fire on the giant Behemoth. "Then we just have to knock them out of the sky, target the Leviathan's thruster ports and knock them out..." she started to reply, only for the Autobot Commander to cut her off. "...Yes, we will disable its main engines as they are not as well protected." "Then watch as it plummets to the ground below." Kat added, gaining a nod from her Asari Lover in return. "Exactly..." she started to say before turning her attention to Evac. "You'll have to get in close to properly target them." the Spectre continued, earning a thumbs up from the Pilot. "Just watch me." he replied before making the Eudora dive down and spin back around before firing its boosters and hurtle back toward the Leviathan. Meanwhile, Vasir could not believe her eyes as she watched the action continuing to unfold on the large holo-screen before her, as both Autobot ships were still in the fight despite the firepower being used against them. "Can someone tell me why that ship and Darby's are still in my sky?" she spat, gaining worried glances from the crewmen around her while Inferno stepped to her side. "If I recall the last time I saw our Intel on the Autobots, that large ship is their newest Dreadnought…" he started to say, taking the angered Asari's attention away from the others as the Sensors crewman nodded back while looking back at his screen. "…Yes, it's called the Supreme and is heavily armoured compared to the rest of the fleet that is engaging our own, but I have no other information on it as the rest of its file is classified at the highest levels." "That's impossible, my moles in the Senate had access to all Autobot Intel." Vasir spat back as Inferno walked over to the Sensors station and looked at its holo-screen. "…Not this particular one, they didn't. As it was controlled by Ser-Ket and Vraz." he said back, which made the Leviathan Leader narrow her eyes and return her attention to the massive holo-screen as it focused on the Autobot Dreadnought. "Target our particle beam cannons and fire at both of them. Take it and Darby out." "We can target the Supreme but not the Eudora…" the weapons crewman replied, making the Asari glare at him. "Why in the Goddess's name not!" "It's flying extremely close to our hull…" he began to say before the ship was suddenly shaken by external explosions, making them all look around with confused expressions. "What in the Allspark was that?" Inferno asked. "It's the Eudora, it's firing at our thrusters and disabling them." the crewman at the Sensors station reported with a worried tone, making the Leviathan Leader clench her fists which began to glow with biotic energy. "They are trying to cripple us." "We should launch our fighters and have them protect us." the Destron Leader replied, which made Vasir spin round and encase his throat in a biotic clamp as she stared at him with an enraged look as he gasped for air. "NO! This is Leviathan and it can destroy entire fleets by itself. It will not be defeated by two ships…" she spat before releasing him, making the Con fall to his knees and breath in heavily as she looked back at the Weapons station. "Fire our Flack turrets in a defensive pattern, that should deal with Darby's ship….and fire our particle cannons at the Supreme." PRIME EFFECT 5 "We got another one, great shooting, Tolae." Evac said with a joyous tone as he brought the Eudora into another barrel roll and pulled away from the smouldering ruin that was one of the Leviathan's thrusters, though not far enough to allow the vessel's turrets to get a lock on it. "Thanks, I am already locking on to the next one." the Asari replied as she typed away at her holo-interface. Myra and Kat, meanwhile, looked out of the cockpit's canopy to see the Supreme coming around for another assault at the enemy Battleship before suddenly two bright red particle beams fired at the Autobot Dreadnought, hitting its shields hard as everyone watched in wide-eyed shock. "Supreme, report. You alright over there, Vraz?" the Spectre asked. "Our shields are holding, thankfully. We have much stronger defences than our standard cruisers. Just keep your attention on the task at hand, we can handle whatever Vasir throws at us. Vraz out." the Commander replied before the Eudora suddenly made a sharp turn away as an explosion erupted beside them. "What the hell?" Kat asked before another exploded in front of the ship, making the Pilot veer the ship out of it's way. "Flack turrets. Vasir means business." he said as even more rounds were exploded in their path, making him evade each and every one of them while Myra looked over to him as she held on to the back of his chair. "Will this be a problem?" she asked, making him smirk in return. "You know me..." he simply said in return before pulling a double barrel roll as two more rounds exploded on either side of their ship. "…Get ready to fire at our next target, Tolae." he added, gaining a nod from the Ardat-Yakshi. "Locked and loaded." she replied as the target came into range. Meanwhile, onboard the Supreme, Vraz had gotten up from his seat while watching as the Eudora continued to run rings around the Leviathan's defences, with its flack turrets proving to be ineffective against the smaller vessel's manoeuvrability and its Pilot's skill. "Sir, the Eudora has disabled most of the Leviathan's thrusters…" the crewman manning the Sensors station began to report, before being cut off as the ship shook from another impact from the enemy's particle beams, making the interior lights blink on and off for a second. "Shields still holding, though another few hits and that will be the least of our worries." Another crewman said from his station, earning a nod from the Commander in return. "Then let's finish this. Helm, take us to the Leviathan's main engines…" he started to say before turning to the Weapons station. "…target everything we have on them." The crewman manning that station nodded back before returning his attention to his work, as the Supreme then evaded another particle beam blast as it flew towards the larger Behemoth's aft section just as the Eudora took out the last thrusters. "That's it, Supreme. All thrusters down. It's now or never." Myra then said over the Inter-com as the target appeared on the main view-screen just as Vraz looked back at it, gaining a look from the Weapons crewman once more. "Target's locked." he said, making the Commander smile in return. "Fire." With that, the Supreme opened up with all of its cannons and torpedo-launchers as it sent a barrage of weapons fire at the Leviathan's engines, all of which impacted against their target and caused a massive explosion that shook the entire ship, making Vasir's eyes widen in shock. "What the…?" she started to say, before being cut off by one of her crewmen. "Our engines have been disabled, we are losing altitude." he said with a fearful tone, which made Inferno look around in a panic. "What about the thrusters…?" he started to ask as his attention was caught by the sight of the Eudora pulling away on the holo-screen. "They have all been disabled too, we are in free fall…" the helmsman began to reply as he typed away at his holo-interface. "At this rate and direction, we will crash land on the continent called North America, southwest of the city of Las Vegas. I can do nothing else to alter or slow our descent." the Pilot replied, which made the Asari Leader bite her lip in frustration as Inferno spoke up. "We should transfer all power to the structural integrity and inertial dampeners." he said, making her look back at him with narrowed eyes. "No, we can do better than that…" she said before looking back at the Weapons station. "…Activate Leviathan's alternate mode, this day is still ours to take." she said, gaining a nod from the crewman in return. "They are going down." Evac said with a joyous tone, gaining happy faces from Myra, Kat and Tolae as they watched the Leviathan begin to fall on the other side of the Cockpit's canopy. "We did it." Kat replied before looking back at her lover, who nodded back. "Myra, our sensors show Vasir's ship will crash land just southwest of Las Vegas and I have already sent a message for the city to go to high alert." Vraz then said over the Inter-com, while the Asari looked at her Pilot's holo-interface. "We can confirm that. Once the Leviathan has come to a stop, I will then board her and make sure Vasir is dead." she replied. "Roger that." the Commander replied as the Spectre looked back at Kat and smiled, but before either could say anything, Evac's voice caught their attention. "Uh, Guys, what is the Leviathan doing?" he asked, making the pair and his Ardat-Yakshi lover look out to see the giant Behemoth begin to shift and change form as it fell, which made the young Darby's eyes widen in response. "No, it can't be…." she replied in a faint and worried tone.
  4. CHAPTER XIX Myra felt so relaxed as she lied on the bed beside a still fast-asleep Kat, who was gently snoring away to herself. The Asari woke up just a few minutes earlier and had just been watching her lover, noticing how cute she looked while curled up next to her. 'Kat looks so peaceful, I know how she feels.' the young Darby thought as a smile appeared on her face, making her sigh quietly in return. 'It's been so long, so very long since I have felt like this. And now Kat has twice made me... 'almost' forget our troubles and simply...relax, I wasn't even sure I could still do that.' she added before looking over to the holo-image of a clock on the wall to her right. 'It's Seven Thirty AM.' she thought before turning her attention to the window, which revealed nothing but the star-blanketed void beyond it. 'If it was not for that clock, you wouldn't even know that it is was already morning. I certainly miss having the Sun let me know when that is, perhaps Kat and I can do something about that together once…' she started to think before stopping as her eyes widened, earning a surprised expression from the young Darby as she lied back and looked up at the ceiling. She had never thought about the future beyond Vasir, not since her fateful Wedding Day two and a half centuries ago, a day that blanketed her life in darkness where the idea of a hopeful future was all but gone. 'I can't believe it. Has my recent experiences with Kat, our growing relationship really opened my eyes to the possibility of a future with her beyond now. It has been so long that I had long given up on the idea of such a thing, since I had to remain focused on Vasir.' she thought with a disbelieving look before her attention was caught by the sound of Kat stirring from her restful sleep, so Myra quickly put those thoughts behind her as she turned back to her lover who slowly opened her eyes and gave the young Darby a loving smile. "Hey you." she said in a soft voice, gaining a mirrored expression from the Asari as she smiled back. "Hey." she said back in a loving tone, which made the Human Woman's smile grow wider as they looked into each other's eyes. "Sleep well?" the Asari added, earning a nod from her lover who began running her finger over the soft blue skin of the other's hand. "Yes I did, though that maybe because I am sharing a bed with you." she replied with a coy tone, one that made Myra's cheeks redden slightly in response. "…I slept well too, which I believe was down to you." the young Darby said with a mirrored tone as she reached over and ran her other hand through Kat's chocolate-brown hair, making her close her eyes and sigh as she enjoyed the Asari's touch. "Mmm…that feels nice, brings back a memory which I find most welcome." she replied, which made Myra repeat her previous action, taking comfort in the reaction of her lover. "I know what you mean, after all, what we shared together still resonates strongly with me." she said with a warm tone, gaining a star-eyed look from the Human woman. "So, I am very much looking forward to us sharing many more moments like that in the future..." Myra began to say, noticing the sparkle in the other woman's eyes as she spoke. "...but there is just one thing that needs to be done first." she added, earning a nod from Kat. "I know, we have to stop Vasir...and we will together. You're not alone in this Myra, you have me, Evac and Tolae with you. And we will make Vasir pay for the part she played in Crosscut's death, as well as the murders of both your Mother and my Ancestor." This brought a slight smile to the young Darby's face, taking note of the confident expression on her lover's face. "Listening to you say it all like that, makes me feel like we have a chance." she replied, with the Asari remembering all the times Leviathan's Leader had slipped through her grasp. "Well, it's because we do..." Kat began to reply as a curious expression then appeared on her face, gaining a similar one from the Rogue spectre. "What is it?" she asked as the Human Woman then sat up a little while continuing to rest her head on her arm. "You've been thinking about the future, haven't you?... Of our future?" she asked with a hint of hope in her voice, gaining a nod from Myra who breathed a sigh. "I have..." she began to reply before her expression slowly changed to one with a small amount of guilt visible for her lover to see. "...but I can't help but feel..." she added with a worried tone, only for the other Woman to cut her off. "...you feel that you're betraying my ancestor by doing so." Kat said back with a knowing tone, but also with a sympathetic look which made the Asari nod back before sitting up and looking away from her. "You know 'he' would want you to be happy in the end, right..." she started to say while sitting up and placing her hand on the Rogue Spectre's bare shoulder, making the blue Woman look back and nod. "...so stop punishing yourself for wanting some happiness in your life, because you deserve some just like all the rest of us." "I know...it's just...hard for me to get used to it because of how long I have gone on without it, you know. I keep thinking that if I start to accept it, then fate or whatever will just come down and snatch it from me again." Myra replied as a slight smile began to grace her face as she stared back at Kat, who mirrored her smile. "You needn't worry, because I am not going anywhere. I am here for long haul, Myra. No matter how long it takes." she said back in a supportive and caring tone, one that made the Asari's smile widen. "Thanks for understanding, Kat." she replied with a relieved tone as the atmosphere between the two lovers began to lighten again, only for the Rogue Spectre's expression to change to a more curious look. "Anyway...you never did answer my question." she said with a similar tone, gaining a coy look from the young Human Woman in return. "And which question may that be?" she asked, feigning an unsure tone as she smiled back. "When did you start calling yourself Shepard?" Myra then asked, which made Kat reach over to the chair that was sitting beside her side of the bed and grab her utility belt which was lying on it. "Well..." she started to say before bringing her attention back to her lover, holding her belt in her hands for both to see. "...you don't remember this, do you?" she said while unsheathing her combat knife, gaining a nod from the Asari. "Yes, it's your favourite blade." Myra replied while looking down at the weapon. "I never told you this, but I was given this knife by my mother. She told me that it was a family tradition to pass this blade to the next generation of Masons who would serve in the Military, and so she handed it to me on the day I earned my insignia for the Autobots and joined the Wreckers." Kat said back, earning a surprised look from the young Darby. "I didn't know that. I mean, I kind of guessed that you were an Autobot. I mean, who from Earth wasn't, as they pretty much took over as Humanity's and Cybertronians' only military after the Reaper War." "Yes, that is true and I had some good times working alongside the likes of Broadside, Whirl, Carlo, Roadbuster and Topspin, just to name a few..." the Human woman replied with a nostalgic smile as she remembered those times. "...But that all changed when the ISF Senate decided to take a more active role in monitoring the Wreckers activities, as they had done with the Autobot Spectres over a century before..." she added with a slightly saddened expression, earning an understanding nod from Myra. "The Senate was trying to do the same thing before I went Rogue to pursue Vasir, I guessed the Autobots would eventually cave into their pressure like they did with everything else that the Alliance wanted." "Yes, so I left...and that's when I met you and the others, which is something I don't regret." Kat then added with a smile as she placed her hand on the bed between her and the Asari, with her lover placing her hand on top in a caring gesture. "Me neither." she replied as they looked into each other eyes once more before the Human then shook her head and gave the Rogue Spectre a slightly annoyed stare. "Getting back to this..." she began to say while gesturing to the knife, regaining Myra's attention to it. "...can you see the engraving on the blade?" she added while pointing at the intended spot on the weapon, gaining a nod from the young Darby. "I can, though too much of it has been worn off." she replied, earning a knowing look from Kat who then activated her holo-tool. "That's what I thought, but then I took a scan of the knife and used its programming to clean up and recreate what the engraving looked like before...which is this." the Human added before an image of the blade appeared looking completely new with the engraving easily visible, which made Myra's eyes widen a little as she read the words cut into the weapon. "J. Shepard." she said in a slightly disbelieving tone, which made her lover nod back in return. "Yes, this combat knife used to belong to my great, great, great grandfather and has been passed down through my family and has ended up in my hands." This gained a thoughtful look from the Asari, who continued to look down at the blade. "I remember John telling me about a knife he lost, which came as a real disappointment to him due to it once belonging to an ancestor of his before being passed down through his family to him." "Really? So it perhaps it was not your John but another Shepard from long before him. Kind of makes it interesting that my great, great, great grandfather once held this knife in a similar way to how I do now." Kat replied, which earned a nod from Myra in return. "Yes, and he had to have misplaced it while he was still married to your great, great, great grandmother. He must have meant a great deal to her since she kept the knife and continued to pass it down through her lineage, ending with it in your possession. I mean, for the blade to be as old as this now appears to be, and it is still in excellent condition, considering the length of time and usage." "I know. I made sure to keep it sharp and battle-ready. When my mother gave it to me, she said that this knife had been passed down through our family and every member who used it made sure to look after it, so I did the same." Kat said back, bringing a slight smile to the Rogue Spectre's face as she gave her lover a proud look. "John would be proud to know that his favourite knife was still being used within the family and that it is still an effective weapon now as it was all the way back then." "Thanks, Myra, I really appreciate that. And anyway, back to your question 'why am I using the Shepard name? Well, that is because John Shepard was family and I want to honour his name by carrying it alongside my own..." the Human Woman replied before the young Darby then handed her back the combat knife. "…So I will now be known as Katrina 'Kat' Shepard Mason. I mean, as long as you don't have any problem with it, of course." she then added, an unsure look appearing on her face as she looked at Myra. But the Asari merely smiled back with a caring expression, placing her hand on her lover's shoulder in a supportive gesture. "Why would I have a problem with that? You're John's family and are more than worthy of carrying his name, so I have absolutely no problem with that…., Shepard." she said back in a loving tone, which brought a smile to Kat's face in return. "Thank you, Myra." she replied before the pair began to lean in for a kiss, only to have their moment broken by the sound of the inter-com activating. "Myra Darby, this is Beta. Do you read me?" the voice of the Autobot Nurse spoke, gaining the two lovers attention as the Asari tapped her com-link. "This is Myra, what is it, Beta?" "I think you should come to the Infirmary, we have a problem." the Femme replied in a worried tone, which immediately brought a fearful look from the Rogue Spectre. "What! Is it my Aunt?" she asked back with a similar tone. "No, your Aunt is still in a coma but is otherwise doing well." Beta replied, which made both Women stare back at each other in confusion "So what is it then?" Kat asked, beating her Rogue Spectre to the question. "It's Evac and Tolae." PRIME EFFECT 5 A few minutes earlier and Beta was walking down the corridor towards the Secondary Infirmary so that she could start her shift for the day before her eyes suddenly fell upon a familiar person standing by the entrance to her work which brought a slight smile to her face. "Hi." Slash said with a welcoming smile as the Femme walked up to him with a curious expression, having noticed that the Dinobot was holding his right arm with his left and looking a little uncomfortable. "Hi, so what did you do?" she asked, feigning ignorance despite having a good idea of what he had done. "I was just doing my early morning workout with Grimlock and Scorn, with the three of us sparring in two on one bouts…" he started to explain before the Nurse then cut him off. "I thought there were four of you? Isn't there a Femme in your team as well?" "Yes, you mean Strafe. She is always supposed to train with us, but she is not what you would call a Morning person." he replied with a disappointed tone, while the Femme looked at his arm. "I see. Well, as far as your arm goes, I think you have basically dislocated it, but I will need to run a scan to be sure." she replied while tapping the doors control panel, which opened them and allowed the pair to enter. "I think you're right there, Beta, since Sharptooth can be a little too hard on us during training…" the Bot replied as he stayed at the Femme's side as they walked over to her desk and watched as she activated her holo-tool and ran a scan of his injury. "…as this time while we grappled, he pulled on my arm a little too strongly and then I swore I heard a loud pop and that was when the pain started. But that was then followed by a lot of laughter, as both Sharptooth and Scorn were nearly rolling on the floor while as I was on my knees and gritting my teeth as a white-hot pain throbbed between my arm and shoulder." This earned a worried expression from Beta as she looked up from her holo-display, looking directly at Slash. "They laughed at you?" she asked with a slightly disbelieving tone, which made the Dinobot offer a lopsided grin in return. "Yeah, but I have laughed at them both too in the past." he then replied, which made the Femme roll her eyes in response. "Men!" she sighed before returning her attention to her holo-tool, which brought about a coy smile from Slash in return. "...and you're right, your arm is dislocated. But this won't be a problem, I can pop it back into place." she then said with a professional tone, gaining a nod from the Bot in return as she then took his dislocated arm in her hands. "Thanks, Beta..." he started to say as the Nurse lifted it into a horizontal position, readying to pull. "...perhaps you let me thank you by having a drink with me...some time." he then asked, earning a surprised look from the Femme as she stopped what she was about to do. "Are you asking me out on a date?" she then asked, which made the Dinobot look back with a hopeful look, despite the pain he was still in. "Yes, I am. So can I buy you a drink some time." he asked again, which brought a thoughtful expression to the Nurse's face. "Well..." she started to say, noting that Slash's full attention was now on her before suddenly pulling his arm back sharply, gaining a painful grimace from the Bot as his arm was put back in place. "Sweet Jesus...that hurt, but thanks, Beta." he said back with a pained but appreciative tone, earning a smile from the Femme in return. "You're welcome. This should help with any further discomfort..." she began to reply before injecting a dose of Medi-gel into his arm, which brought a more relaxed look to the Dinobot's face. "...and yes..." she added, which snapped Slash's attention right back to her, as though he was hanging on every word she said. "yes?" he repeated with a curious tone. "...yes. When we get a free moment, I will have a drink with you." Beta replied with a smile, which brought a mirrored expression from the Bot. "Great, okay. So when do you think..." he started to say in an enthusiastic tone, which only made the Nurse's smile widen as she was about to answer. But her attention was caught by her holo-tool bleeping, making her look down as the device appeared around her forearm once again. "Wait a second, I am just getting the results for scans I took of Tolae yesterday evening before my shift ended." she replied, gaining a nod from the Dinobot in return as she brought up the data and began to read it. "Oh yeah, the Asari friend of Myra that Strafe and I brought in yesterday. How is she doing now?" he asked. "Tolae is doing fine now, in fact..." she started to reply before her eyes suddenly widened as a shocked look appeared on her face, one that was noticed by Slash. "What is it...?" he started to ask, only for Nurse to leave his side and rush towards the patient resting rooms just away from them. "We need to quarantine her right now." Beta stated in an alert tone as she reached the door, and she was about to open it before her eyes caught the sight of its interior through its small window. "By the Allspark..." she gasped, gaining a similar surprised look from the Bot as he joined her side and looked through the window. "Oh my..." he said as the two of them could see quite clearly that Tolae was lying with Evac on his berth, with the pair in each other's arms. A few moments later and both the Pilot and his Asari lover were sitting up on the berth with the latter covering her chest with some of the blanket, while the rest of it covered the former's privates as they found themselves staring back at Beta and Slash, with the Dinobot aiming his pistol at Tolae just as Myra and Kat entered the area. "Okay what's going on...here?" the Rogue Spectre said as her eyes widened once they fell upon the pair, with a similar look appearing on the Human Woman's face too. "Why didn't you tell me you had brought an Ardat-Yakshi on board." Beta then said in a slightly volatile tone, gaining the Asari's attention though her eyes remained pinned on her two friends sitting on the berth. "Well, I didn't think I needed to say anything, especially since Tolae was vouched for by the Lesuss Monastery because she could control 'herself'." Myra replied, before giving Evac a questioning look as he simply shrugged his shoulders in response. "This is a very serious matter as it appears that Tolae here cannot control herself, so I will br looking to have Doctor Kaput's authorisation to have her put in quarantine immediately…" she started to say before looking back at the Pilot. "…and how are you still alive? Since Asari records made available when we were members of the ISF do state that anyone who mates with an Ardat-Yakshi will be killed?" The room then went quiet as everyone stared at both Evac and the Ardat-Yakshi, who just glanced at each other with an affectionate stare before the latter turned her attention back to the Nurse. "That is not entirely true, evidently, since Evac and I just spent the night together." Tolae said, which only made the Nurse's expression. "But how?" she replied, which made Myra's eyes widen as she had then figured it out. "You didn't meld with Evac, did you? The two of you just had sex?" she asked, gaining a nod from both of them. "I never put any thought into whether that was possible or not, probably because it is such a natural part of how we Asari procreate." she said with a surprised tone, which made the Ardat-Yakshi look back with an understanding expression. "I would be lying if I said it was easy, as there was a temptation to meld…" she began to say, before looking over to Evac with a loving expression. "…but I controlled it because I care deeply for Evac and would never hurt him." the Asari added as she looked back at the others, gaining a knowing smile from Kat as the Pilot then spoke up. "I too knew the risks, but I trust Tolae with my life and knew that we would both be alright." he said, gaining a nod from the Rogue Spectre in return. "I'm happy for you both, though you did take a considerable risk with this. But since nothing bad came of it, I don't see any reason to quarantine Tolae. So you can lower your weapon, Slash." she said while looking over to the Dinobot who complied, but Beta did not look happy. "But…" she started to say, only for the young Darby to cut her off. "The law only applies to Ardat-Yakshi who murder those they mate with. But since that did not happen, then there is no problem. And I am sure Doctor Kaput will agree with my assessment too." she said back, which made the Nurse nod back reluctantly. "Very well, but I request that both Tolae and Evac are given a medical scan to be absolutely sure that there are and will not be any further complications." "I see no problem there. Evac? Tolae?" Myra then asked, looking over to the two lovers who shook their heads in unison. "No, we are fine with that." "Good, so now that…" the young Darby started to say when the inter-com suddenly activated as Vraz's voice spoke up. "Could Myra Darby please meet me in the Conference Room, Autobot Command are ready to give their answer." he said, earning a sigh from the Asari as she tapped her com-link. "I am on my way." she said before looking back at her two friends as they sat on the berth, with both of them nodding back. So the Rogue Spectre turned around and began to walk out of the Infirmary, while Kat gave the two lovers a supportive smile before following. "I knew there was something between Evac and Tolae." she then said as the pair left the room and began walking down the corridor towards one of the elevators, earning a slight smile from Myra. "Yes, you did. So you want to come and see how this goes?" she replied, which brought a smile to Kat's face. "Of course, I've got your back." she said back as they stopped outside of the elevator, with the Asari tapping the control panel beside it. "I know." she answered back with an affectionate tone as the doors then opened, which allowed the pair to enter before they closed behind them. PRIME EFFECT 5 A moment later, Myra and Kat entered the Conference Room to find the holo-forms of the various Autobot Admirals standing around the room with Vraz standing in its center. They all turned and looked at the new arrivals as the Commander beckoned them to him, with Kat feeling a little overwhelmed at the audience. "Welcome back, Myra, we are ready to conclude…" he started to say, only for Bludgeon to cut him off. "Who is that and why is she here?" he asked in his usual brazen tone, which brought a not so friendly stare from the Asari. "Kat 'Shepard' Mason is my XO..." the Asari started to say as she looked back at her lover with a proud expression, earning an appreciative and loving smile back before returning her attention back to the Admirals. "...and so has every right to be here for this." she added while giving Bludgeon a dagger-like stare, which made the Admiral look away. "Very well. So now that everyone is here, we can now move ahead with the matter at hand..." Nuwani then said, gaining a nod from her colleagues around the room. "...Myra Darby, for the longest time you have been pushing for this Command as well as the ISF Senate to take seriously the threat posed by Vasir and her Leviathan Organisation. But we turned our backs on you because the Senate did not believe what you had to say and thus this forced you to leave our ranks and pursue this on your own..." she started to say, gaining a thoughtful look from the Rogue Spectre as she looked to the ground and remembered that time. "...but with the evidence that you have brought to our attention, coupled with the facts that we Autobots are no longer affiliated with the ISF and that a number of its members are with Leviathan itself..." she continued, which brought a slight smile to Kat's face as she could see the way this was going, before looking over at her lover and noticing the hesitant expression on her face as she waited with bated breath for the rest of what Nuwani was about to say. "...Myra Darby, Autobot Command stands with you and shall take action against Leviathan. For it poses a real threat to not only our interests but also the entire Galaxy and we will respond to it." the Asari Admiral finished, which brought thankful smiles from both Kat and Vraz as Myra simply sighed and nodded in return, a slightly disbelieving look on her face before Admiral Lennox then spoke up. "Also when it comes to Vasir herself, we will leave her fate for you to decide. Because she has gone on for far too long without facing justice for what she has done to your family, so allowing you the opportunity to decide it is the least we can do." he said, earning an appreciative smile from the young Asari in return. "Thank you." she said with a slightly shaky tone to her voice, for Myra was still finding that this all felt a little to good to be true which could be seen all over her face. "That is not all, Myra..." Admiral Jones then added, gaining their attention as they looked over to her. "…as the Commander has something else for you too." So the Rogue Spectre turned to Vraz, who smiled at her. "The Admirals have given me their backing to reinstate your Autobot Spectre status, which is something your Aunt had always planned for you if the Senate ever listened. But since we are no longer a part of the ISF, then we will just go ahead with it. That is if you will accept it?" the Bot said while extending his hand to her, which made the Asari look over to Kat who nodded back to her. "Alright, I accept." she said whilst turning back to him and shaking his hand, which brought smiles to most of the Admirals around them bar Bludgeon who simply shrugged. "And of course those under your command can also reclaim their former ranks if they were Autobots previously of course." Lennox said, making Myra look over to him. "Yes, that is a good idea, as Kat was once a Wrecker and Evac a member of the Aerial-bots." "We will sort out those details as soon as this meeting has been concluded, but first we need to know where Leviathan will strike. Because your Intel stated that Vasir will attack us Autobots before making a move on the rest of the Galaxy, but where will that be?" Nuwani then said, which made Abrudas speak up. "We have our fleet split up into groups that are positioned at all of our colonies and outposts. But if Leviathan's fleet is really the size that Myra's Intel says and it attacks any one of them, then our forces will not be enough to protect them…" he started to say, only for Vraz to cut him off. "Then, in that case, we should have a fleet on standby and the Supreme should lead it. There is no way that our newest Destroyer should be left out of this fight." he said, which gained a nod from Nuwani. "Agreed and I think we should end this meeting and get on with preparing our forces for the coming attack, because who knows when Vasir will make her move." she said which made the other Admirals nod back before their holo-forms faded to nothing along which hers, leaving Myra, Kat and Vraz standing alone in the room. "Alright, I will have the Morning Hope set course for the Supreme's current coordinates and have the Seventh Fleet meet us there too." he said. "Alright, Kat and I will see if Evac and Tolae are ready to leave the Infirmary and then prepare the Eudora for launch…" she started to say, only to stop as the Commander held out something in his hand. "Very well, but don't forget this." he said as the two Women recognised the Autobot insignia that he was holding, which made the young Darby smile back and take it. "Thank you." she replied. "Okay then, let's get moving." Vraz then added, earning a nod from both Myra and Kat as the trio then walked out of the Conference Room and back into the corridor outside, with the doors closing behind them as the lights turned off and shrouded the room in darkness. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, Vasir walked into the Leviathan's CIC and looked around at the crew who stopped whatever tasks they were doing and gave her their full attention. "I have just received word from our other fleets positioned at spots around the galaxy, they are ready for the attack…" she said with a slight smile, gaining enthusiastic stares from the various crewmen around her. "…so the time for us to strike is now." she added, before looking over to the Salarian manning the Communications station. "Patch me into our entire fleet, all groups across the galaxy." she then said, gaining a nod from the crewman who then turned to his station and typed onto it's holo-interface. "You are on, Commander." he then said, which the Asari then acknowledged before looking back around the room. "Men and Women of Leviathan, this is Tela Vasir. Today is a momentous day, a day when we finally step out from the shadows and put an end to our enemies. Take heart in knowing that when this day is done, the Cybertronian threat will finally be over and the Galaxy will once more belong to us…"she said, gaining confident expressions from everyone around her. "…So I want the Third Fleet to jump to the New Cybertron colony and begin its attack, destroy everyone and everything in its sights. And while that distracts the Autobots, our remaining fleets will set course for the Planet that has been their adopted home ever since they destroyed their own World eons ago…" she added as a serious and hateful expression appeared on her face while she looked ahead at the main holo-view screen. "…Set course for Earth. It's time to wipe the Cybertronians from the face of the Galaxy."
  5. CHAPTER XVIII It did not take long to reach the Medical Bay as Tolae was guided there by both Strafe and Slash, as the trio walked down one of the many identical corridors that ran through the length of the Morning Hope like a circulatory system. But as they reached the entrance, the young Asari looked at it with a confused expression, one that was noticed by the Dinobots. "Tolae, what is it?" the Femme asked with a curious tone, gaining the Ardat-Yakshi's attention as she pointed at the door. "This isn't the main Medical Bay." she said back, earning a nod from Slash. "No, that was heavily damaged during Myra's fight with the rest of Leviathan's hit-squad, plus most of its staff were killed as well. So this secondary Med-bay will take over the other's role as the ship's main Infirmary, once the rest of the equipment needed for it has been transferred and installed." "I see. Well thank you for the help, but I can take it from..." Tolae began to say as she reached with her left hand for the control panel on her side of the door. But as her finger came within an inch of its large white button, the Asari's strength suddenly left her body, which caused her to keel over. "Tolae!" both Dinobots said in unison, quickly grabbing the Ardat-Yakshi and stopping her from falling over. "I think your fight took more out of you than you realise." Strafe said back, gaining a nod from Slash in return. "Good thing Myra asked us to come too, or you would have had a close encounter with the floor." he added before tapping the button on the door panel, which opened the Infirmary's doors and allowed them access. "What's the situation?" one of the nurses then spoke as she approached the trio, noticing that they were carrying the nearly unconscious Asari between them. "We think she is just exhausted, but it would probably be a good idea to give her a full medical scan, just to be on the safe side." the Dinobot-Femme replied, which made the Nurse point to the berth just aways from her. "Get her on that bed over there and will see to her in a moment..." she started to say, gaining a concerned look from Slash as he and the Femme did just that. "Why can't you help her now?" "Because if you haven't noticed, we are kind of understaffed right now. Ever since some maniacs murdered our friends in the main Medical-Bay, it's taken the rest of us just to stabilise the man lying over there." the nurse spat back whilst pointing to her four friends, who were standing around another man lying on the berth next to them. Both Dinobots went quiet as they looked at what remained of the ship's medical staff, while Tolae looked over to a man lying on the berth similar to her own, her eyes widening as she recognised him. "Evac! Is he okay? Is he alright?" she asked with a worried tone to her voice, gaining the Nurse's attention as she turned away from the two Elite-Terracons and joined her side. "You know this man?" "Yes. His name is Evac and he is..." the Ardat-Yakshi began to say before stopping as her face relaxed a little, looking directly at the Pilot with a caring expression. "...my best friend." she added, which brought an encouraging smile to the Nurse's face as she could see what the other patient meant to her. "Well, you should know that your friend is going to be fine. All he has is a broken hand and leg, as well as some heavy bruising over his body. But he will be fine, we just have to take him into surgery to work on his broken appendage and limb first." she said back whilst activating her holo-tool and giving the Asari a quick scan, while the patient then lied back down and closed her eyes, just as Strafe and Slash walked up to the Nurse. "I didn't mean to cause offence, I am sorry for your loss." the Bot said back in an apologetic tone, which made the Nurse look back to him while her scan was still going on. "I am sorry too. It's just...Minerva was a close friend of mine, and those bastards killed her along with most of my colleagues." she replied before Slash put his hand on her shoulder in a supportive gesture. "We will get them and they will pay for what happened here, I know we will." he said back in a soft tone, gaining a slight smile from the Nurse in return. "Thank you..." "The name's Slash, I'm a Dinobot." he replied, while Strafe just rolled her eyes and looked back at Evac. "My name is Beta..." the Nurse began to reply, before her holo-tool beeped and regained her attention. "By the All-Spark..." she started to say as her eyes went wide in shock, earning similar reactions from the pair of Terracons. "What is it?" Strafe asked, beating Slash to the question as Beta looked back to her colleagues. "This Asari needs a neural stimulator, right now!" she shouted to her colleagues, ignoring the two Dinobots as one of the other Nurses left Evac's side and picked up a device shaped like a halo off the table next to them and brought it to Beta. "What's going on?" Slash asked as the two Nurses placed the item on Tolae's head and activated it, which began to bleep a soft sound and blink with yellow and blue lights. "My scans showed that your friend's entire nervous system was under a great amount of stress, with her brain on the verge of shutting down…" she started to say before gesturing to the device. "…so this Neural Stimulator should now stop that and give it the time to recover, but she will require a number of synaptic injections at key points on her body over the next several hours to ensure her nervous system makes a complete recovery." Beta replied before looking back at her colleague. "Please prepare the first set of injections." she then said, gaining a nod from the other Nurse who then left their side and walked over to the far side of the Infirmary. But before anything else could happen, everyone's attention was caught by a Bot in gold and green light-armour entering the room. "Doctor Kaput!" Beta said aloud with a relieved tone as the Doctor looked between both berths, before turning his attention to her. "Nurse Beta, what is the situation?" "We have a man with a broken leg and hand, as well as multiple bruises over his body…" Beta began to say as she gestured to the Man, gaining a nod from Kaput as he then looked at the Asari. "And what about her?" "…this Asari's nervous system was on the verge of total neural collapse, so we using a Neural Stimulator to stabilise her brain and were about to start administering the synaptic injections…" she started to continue, only for the Doctor to cut her off. "…yes, I know why. Alright then. Since your attention is now on this Woman, I will instead perform the surgery for this Man." "Very well, Doctor." the Nurse replied before looking back at the two Dinobots, who both looked a little out of place as the Infirmary began to look very busy since Kaput had entered the room. "It is probably best for you two to leave, for now. We will keep you and anyone else these two patients know apprised of their situation." she said, gaining a nod from the Bot as he gestured to unconscious Tolae and Evac. "Okay, we will inform their Commander and Vraz. Thanks for helping us with this. I know it's tough with what's just happened, but I know they will appreciate what you're doing." Slash then said with a slight smile, gaining a similar look from the Femme in return. "You're welcome, Slash." Beta replied before both Dinobots then turned around and left the room, allowing the Nurse to return her attention to her patient. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, Myra was walking alongside two Terracons, who were carrying a full body bag between them as the trio walked down one of the Autobot cruiser's corridors. "Myra, there you are." a familiar voice spoke from behind which made the Rogue Spectre stop and turn round, only to find Commander Vraz walking over to her from the nearby elevator as its doors closed. "I take it that's Morinth's body." the Autobot Leader added, gaining a nod from the Asari in return. "Yes, these men are taking it to the Morgue back at the main Medical-bay and I am heading there to see Kat and my Aunt." "Well, I just received a message from there telling me that both are fine, your Aunt is currently being moved to the secondary Infirmary as we speak and Kat is with her, so you should probably head the other way." he replied before gesturing to the two Terracons to continue, while he and the Asari stopped. "Alright. Thank you for letting me know." she said back. "Look, I am going to be in a meeting with Autobot Command inside the next thirty minutes, reporting to them about everything that has happened recently..." Vraz said back, before the young Darby cut him off. "Okay, what does this have to do with me?" she asked back with a curious tone, which brought a knowing look to the Commander's face. "...I want you at my side when I do so that you can inform them about everything you saw back at the Leviathan base. We need to be prepared for when Vasir makes her next move, but I think Command will need a push in the right direction and that is where you come in." the Bot replied, which made the Woman shake her head in return. "Last time I tried such a thing, they never even gave me a chance to take a breath before speaking. So I have a hard time believing that this time will be any different..." "But this time you won't have the other Senate Members there pressuring to silence you, and I will be there to back you up one hundred and ten percent." the Commander said back with a confident tone, which brought a thoughtful expression to Myra's face as she looked away for a moment. "Well..." she began to say before returning her attention to the Bot, while numerous crew members continued to walk past the pair in the corridor. "...alright, I will be there. But they better listen this time, because I will not do this a third time." she then added with a stern and honest tone, earning a nod from Vraz. "They will listen, I will make sure of it. I will be in the Conference room, see you there." he said before walking away from the Asari, who in turn moved to the nearest elevator whose doors opened and allowed her to enter. "Infirmary." she then spoke out loud, which made it's doors close again before moving to the deck of her choice as her thoughtful look returned. 'They had better listen to me this time.' A few minutes later and Myra entered the Infirmary to find Kat waiting for her, a relieved look on the Human's face as her eyes met the Asari's. "There you are..." she started to say before the Rogue Spectre pulled her into a warm embrace, which she returned in kind. "...nice, I could get used to that." she added with a coy tone, while Myra simply sighed. "I'm just glad you're alright..." she started to say before pulling away just enough to look into her lover's face. "...and my Aunt?" "Ser-Ket is fine, the Nurses have already moved her into a private room over here." Kat replied as she pointed to the door behind her, so the young Darby walked over to it and looked through its window. "That's good to know, I didn't like leaving the two of you as I did." she said while staring at the peaceful-looking Ser-Ket through the glass, noticing how peaceful her Aunt looked as she slept. "I know, but that biotic upgrade you gave me did the trick." the Human replied with a smirk, regaining Myra's attention as she looked back to her friend. "I wasn't entirely sure that would work, but I wanted to give you something to tip the balance more in your favour." "Well, I am glad you did. Thank you." she said back while taking the Asari's hand in her own in a caring gesture, which made the other Woman smile. "Your welcome, Kat…" she began to reply before looking back at her sleeping Aunt. "...but now that I know that you are both alright, I guess I should get going." the Rogue Spectre replied, gaining a confused look from Kat as she turned away. "Where are you going?" she asked, mirroring her lover. "Commander Vraz has asked me to join him when he debriefs for Autobot Command, he believes that they should finally listen to what I have to say." Myra answered, though the tone of her voice did not sound very confident and Kat could not help but pick up on this. "Well, I hope they do. I mean I saw your memories too, Myra. I know exactly what you went through the last time you tried to get through to them about Vasir." "Yes, well maybe this time things will go better. I mean, I do have the current Leader of the Autobots at my side." the young Darby replied, earning a nod from Kat in return who had a knowing look on her face. "I guess, but Vraz is only in that position because Ser-Ket is currently unable to." "I'm not going to lie to you, I would rather face those Admirals with my Aunt by my side..." Myra said back, taking one last glance at her only remaining family. "But unfortunately that isn't possible, so I will take what I can get." "I can come with you if you want?" the young Mason replied, only for the Rogue Spectre to shake her head in return with a slight smile. "I really appreciate that, Kat, but I need you to find out where Evac and Tolae are and if they are okay since I have heard nothing since I had Slash and Strafe take her for medical treatment." "Alright, I can do that..." the Human Woman began to say, only for a Nurse to look in their direction with a curious expression, gaining the pair's attention. "Can we help you?" Myra then asked, trying to hide her annoyance with a calm tone. "I apologise, but I could not help but overhear your conversation, mentioning the names Evac and Tolae?" the Nurse replied in a professional tone, making both Asari and Human look at her with a surprised expression. "You know them? Where are they? Are they alright?" the young Darby then asked with a worried tone, but the Medical-Femme looked back with a calm expression. "Before I answer your questions, I need to know what your relationship is to both patients?" "They are our friends and teammates." Kat then replied. "Yes, and I am their Commander, Myra Darby." the Asari added, earning a nod from the Nurse in return before she turned her attention back to the other's friend. "I see...and you are?" "Katrina, Katrina…Shepard, but my birth name is Mason." Kat replied which gained a surprised look from her lover that did not go unnoticed by her, while the Nurse nodded in return. "Okay then. In that case, I can tell you that both Evac and Tolae will be fine. The former is still in surgery, though Doctor Kaput has informed me that they are nearly done. I, meanwhile, have been treating Tolae who is making a good recovery as well, though both will need at least twenty-four hours to recuperate." she said back, earning a relieved look from the two Women. "That's good to know. Thank you..." Myra began to ask as she looked at the Medical-Femme with a curious expression, which made her smile back. "Beta, my name is Beta." "Thank you, Nurse Beta." Kat then said, while the Asari nodded and smiled in return. "Yes, thank you." "I am just doing my job, but you are welcome. I will notify you when your friends are ready to leave." Beta replied before turning around and heading to another side of the Infirmary, leaving the pair to their own company as they began to move towards the exit. "So, since we know where Evac and Tolae are now and their current condition, Is there anything else I can..." the Human woman started to say, only for the Rogue Spectre to cut her off as they entered the corridor. "When did you start using the name Shepard?" she asked with a curious smile, which only made Kat mirror the Asari with a grin of her own. "Don't you have a meeting you need to get to?" she asked back with a coy tone, making Myra's smile widen a little more in return. "Don't change the subject, I'll go in...a moment." she said back, trying to sound commanding. But this only made her Lover's stare all the more coy-like. "You are so cute, but you have to go and meet up with Vraz for the talk with Autobot Command. But when you are finished, meet me in your quarters and I'll tell you..." she started to say before planting a soft kiss on the Asari's left cheek, which earned a sigh from her in return. "Okay, you win." she said back whilst not attempting to hide the warmth she felt from that kiss, making Kat cock her head in response whilst remaining coy. "I know, so go and show those Admirals whose boss." "Yes, Sir." the young Asari replied with a half-hearted salute before she then walked away from her Lover, who watched her go as she stood there. 'I hope they actually listen to Myra this time.' she thought before turning around, walking away in the opposite direction. PRIME EFFECT 5 Several minutes later and the Rogue Spectre walked up to a medium set of double doors at the end of yet another similar looking corridor, which was located near the centre of the Morning Hope. She held her hand up to the control panel beside the door, though only enough for her fingers to be just a few millimetres from the buttons as she took a deep breath. 'Okay, here goes.' she thought before sighing and pressing the button which opened the door and revealed the room's interior to her, which looked much larger than the doorway she was standing in would let on from the outside, it had a circular shape to it with ten circular pads around one and a half metres in diameter stationed on the floor in a formation that followed the shape of the room. "Good. You made it just in time." Vraz then said, gaining the Asari's attention as she entered the room and walked up to the Commander who was standing in the room's central point. "Well I just hope that this actually counts for something this time." she replied with an unsure tone, which brought a supportive look from the Autobot Leader as he could read that in the expression on her face. "Don't worry, this time they will listen." he replied before looking down at his forearm as his holo-tool activated and surrounded it, glowing orange as he typed a sequence into its keypad. And suddenly the room went dark as it's overhead lights dimmed and the circular pads began to activate, a light-blue glow emanating from the edges of each pad as a holo-image appeared over them. "Here they come…" Vraz then said as he and Myra watched as the Autobot Admirals all appear around them, dressed in armour and looking at the pair with stern expressions. "…Welcome to the Morning Hope." the Commander then said while the Rogue Spectre looked around the room, only recognising a handful of the new arrivals. "Enough with the pleasantries, Vraz. Why have you summoned this meeting?" a black-haired man with a pale complexion replied as he stood in his orange and green armour, earning the attention of both the Bot and Asari. "I am the acting Leader of the Autobots, Admiral Bludgeon. You would do well to remember that as you speak to me." The Commander spoke with a stern expression, though the older man simply shrugged back in response. "And…'acting' is the appropriate word, because you certainly are not Ser-Ket. I would much rather speak with our 'actual' Commander….and what is she doing here?" he then said while pointing a finger at Myra, who just copied the Admiral's previous look as she stared back at him with an unimpressed expression, whilst another Asari standing to Bludgeon's left spoke up. Admiral, please restrain yourself…" she started to say before looking back at the Commander, a questioning expression appearing on her face. 'Never met a bot with a more appropriate name.' Myra thought while the other Admiral continued. "…Despite Bludgeon's behaviour, I find that he does have a point. Commander Vraz, care to explain why you have this Rogue Spectre in your midst?" the Asari Admiral asked with a curious tone, while the others remained quiet. "Admiral Nuwani and fellow Admirals of Autobot Command, I have called this meeting today because of a very real threat that is in our midst. Not one that is focused solely on our own civilisation, but on the whole galaxy." Vraz said, which made the Turian Admiral standing behind him speak up. "And what threat would that be? Because the only news that is of relevance right now is that the Autobots have been relieved of their duties as the protectors of the Inter-Stellar Federation." "Yes, and it cannot be a mere coincidence that the ISF Senate sped up our exit due to the fact that we discovered a Leviathan Base on Unity Station, one that…." the Commander began to say, only for Bludgeon to roll his eyes in response. "So that is why this Rogue Spectre is standing in our presence because she has you believing in her Leviathan theory now. You know we should be focusing on the fact that we are no longer part of the ISF, not on this. Would you not agree, Xaaron?" he then said, looking over to the blonde Bot in gold and blue armour standing on the other side of the room opposite him. "That would be a more appropriate subject for this meeting, now that we are all here." he replied, only for the Nuwani to shake her head in return. "Despite that making sense, I do find myself intrigued to know what Myra Darby has now which would bring her back to us after so long in exile." This gained a nod from both Male and Female Human Admirals, who stood beside each other to the left of her. "Both Admiral Jones and I wish to hear out Miss Darby too." the man said, gaining a sigh from Bludgeon in return. "Admiral Lennox, you and Jones are here because you replaced Ahern and Goldfire just a few months ago, what makes you think you can dictate how this meeting plays out?" "In that case, we should vote on if we should hear out or Rogue Spectre here. So far it is Nuwani, Lennox and me for..." Admiral Jones then said, before Xaaron then cut her off. "...and Bludgeon and myself against, with only Abrudas left to vote." he said before gesturing to the Turian Admiral, who had kept quiet throughout the exchange as he stood there and listened. As the Admirals stood there and looked over to their colleague, looking at him with curious expressions as they awaited his vote. Myra just watched them all as they bickered between themselves, her anger was building up to exploding point as she clenched her fist and made it glow blue with biotic energy. "I believe we should arrest this Rogue Spectre and get back to the matters at hand." the Turian then said, making the young Darby grit her teeth. 'This is getting us nowhere.' she thought, while Vraz took a step in front of her. "Myra is here as my guest, so there will be no arresting her. Not since her crimes were against the ISF, not against us." "It does not matter, she is an enemy of the state and so will be held accountable for the crimes against her name." Bludgeon spoke up, but before anyone else could say anything, the young Asari's biotics flared up and illuminated the entire room as her entire person began to shine with blue light. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" she cried out loud, making everyone stop and look at her in shock as she glowed brightly with her power. "Wow..." Commander Vraz whispered under his breath as his friend slowly calmed down, with her biotics fading as the audience just watched while she stared back with an angry expression. "Now I came here because Commander Vraz invited me so that I can share my Intel and experiences in investigating Leviathan as I was chasing Tela Vasir across the galaxy. As you are well aware, she was responsible for the murders of my mother Liara T'Soni and my fiancée and fellow Spectre John Shepard. Now all I ask is that you allow me to show you what I have and then once I am finished, you can then choose to either help me or not. So what will it be, because I am frankly running out of patience?" Everyone just stared back at the Asari with shocked looks, especially Bludgeon before Nuwani then spoke. "Myra Darby, you were one of our best Spectres before your self imposed exile from the Autobots and the crimes you committed against the ISF thereafter. But as we are no longer a part of the Alliance, I see no reason to adhere to their rules. So if no one else feels the need to speak up..." she started to say before looking around the room, noting that the Admirals just remained quiet and nodded back. ...we will hear out your evidence. So, please begin." the Asari Admiral added as she looked back at Myra, who merely nodded back and activated her holo-tool. "Thank you." she replied before bringing up a large number of holo-images and in Intel reports, which floated around the Rogue Spectre as she began. PRIME EFFECT 5 At this moment, on the other side of the galaxy, the Leviathan floated in the middle of its ever-growing fleet, with more ships joining their ranks with each passing hour. Onboard the massive battleship, Vasir stood in the center of her large ready-room and looked at the large image being emitted from a holo-emitter in its centre. "So how is the synthetic-energon core, everything running smoothly?" she asked while looking at its holo-image before a voice spoke from the speakers in the ceiling. "The core is running at one hundred and ten percent, more than enough to run every system on this impressive ship of ours." a male voice replied, gaining a nod from the Leviathan leader. "That's good and what about Leviathan's speciality, can the core handle that too?" "It will handle that and everything else asked of it. In fact, the entire ship is now fully functional." the voice replied, which brought a smile to Vasir's face. "Excellent, keep me apprised to any further developments. Vasir out." she said back before tapping a button on the holo-image, ending the call and making the hologram change into an interface with several smaller screens hovering around it. 'Everything is coming together nicely. All there is to do is make sure all my fleets are ready.' the Asari thought before having her attention drawn to the door behind her opening up, making her turn around to see Inferno enter. "You're back, I hope your mission was a success?" she began to say before noticing that the Con was on his own, which made her look back with a confused expression. "…Where is Morinth?" This made the Destron Leader stare to the ground as a worried look appeared on his face while sighing in response. "Vasir…" he began to say before turning his attention to the Asari, who just stood there and looked back at him. "…I am sorry to say that Morinth did not make it." Inferno added with as much of a sincere tone as he could muster since in reality, the con had left the Ardat-Yakshi behind. But Vasir just looked back at him and narrowed her eyes before tapping her com-link, turning away from him as she did so. "Communications, this is Vasir. Patch me through to one of my operatives onboard the Morning Hope, if there are any left of course." As the Leviathan Leader stood there and waited, the Terracon could feel himself getting nervous as he watched her. 'Oh scrap, please tell me there were no other operatives on board.' he thought before the Asari began speaking again. "Yes, this is Vasir. Can you give me a report on our strike against Eudora's crew that just occurred….." she then said as the room remained deathly quiet, with Inferno feeling his spark beginning to feel cold as he awaited his Boss's next move. "…I see, thank you." she then answered with a toneless voice, making it hard for the Destron Leader to guess her next move. But the Asari just stayed quiet for a moment after deactivating her com-link, which made Inferno feel even worse as that short passage of time felt like an eternity. 'Well, what is she going to…' he began to think before Vasir suddenly spun around and grabbed him by the throat with her biotics, pulling him up into the air as the blue energy glowed around her hand and his neck. "Did you think I would not find out?" she asked with a venomous tone, while the Destron Leader dangled before her and grasped at his neck frantically. "I…gh.." he tried to say back as he felt his throat slowly be crushed which only made the furious Asari to squeeze her fist a little more, making him splutter and gasp for air. "I knew the two of you didn't see eye to eye, but why in Goddess's name did you leave her behind?" she spat while Inferno's face started to turn a light shade of blue, which made her release him from her biotic grasp. The Destron fell to the ground and collapsed as he took several deep breaths, trying to recover as Vasir stood over him. "Are you going to keep me waiting, Inferno, because you know I don't like that?" she added as the Con slowly got onto his knees and looked up at her. "…You're right, I…didn't like her…but she wouldn't…follow orders…and was…never much…of a team player. She…went after three…of Myra's friends…on her own." he said back between deep breathes, earning a nod from the Leviathan Leader as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, and managed to kill one whilst injuring the other two, which puts her in a better position than you doesn't it. Since you failed to kill Darby, her friend Mason….or even her comatose Aunt. How do you even explain yourself there?" she shouted at him, making the Terracon feel very small in her presence as her eyes glowed with biotic energy as she stared daggers at him as he raised his hands in a submissive gesture. "It was…my plan to take…Darby out first, in a coordinated attack. Once she was dead, the others would be easy targets as they would come to assist her. But Morinth and her loose cannon-like ways ruined that option, Leviathan is better without her…" he answered, feeling his breathing come back into control as he was almost grovelling to the Asari. "…you know this too. Our operation will go much more smoothly without her ruining it all with her Ardat-Yakshi ways…" he said which made Vasir grab his throat with her biotics once again, though only with half the strength she used before. "Maybe you're right, but I make the decision to cut people from 'my' operation…" she began to reply, kneeling down in front of him so that she could look him in the eyes. "…not you. So if you dare do something like this again…I will cut out you from Leviathan myself, do we understand each other?" she asked with an ice-cold tone, which made Inferno nod frantically in return. "…yes…yes, I understand." he replied before the Leviathan Leader let go of his neck and turned away from him as he fell back onto his hands and knees. "Good, now get out of my sight and see if 'Project: Crimson Rage' is ready." she ordered, gaining another nod from him as he got to his feet and began to back away from her. "Yes, Vasir, it will be done." he added while keeping his eyes on her as she looked at her holo-interface. "Then get out of here." Vasir spat, making the Con turn around and leave the room at a brisk pace, leaving her on her own once more. 'If I did not need the help of him and his Terracons, I would kill him right now.' the Asari thought as she looked over the reports and Intel appearing in the smaller holo-screens. 'I really hate Cybertronians.' PRIME EFFECT 5 Several hours had passed before the meeting with Autobot Command had come to a close, with Myra feeling as tired mentally as she did physically while walking down the corridor towards her quarters. 'Well, that went as well as expected, I only hope that they take it seriously.' she thought as walked past two crewmen, who were heading in the opposite direction. But she found a smile slowly gracing her face as her eyes fell upon Kat, who was waiting outside of her door. "There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back." the Human Woman said with a relieved tone as the Asari approached, reaching for the door control panel as she stopped beside her lover. "You haven't been standing here all this time, have you?" she asked as a slightly worried look appeared on her face, though Kat simply shook her head in response. "No, I have been waiting in my own quarters. I just came and checked to see if you were back once every other hour, so how did it go?" "Well…" the Rogue Spectre began to say as she tapped the door control, opening the door and allowing the pair access as they then walked into the room. "…the reason I was gone so long is that the Admirals wanted to know everything." "Everything? You mean the entire time you were working in exile." the young Shepard replied with a confused look, while her blue lover sat down on the edge of the bed and nodded as the door closed behind them. "Yes, everything to do with my pursuit of Vasir…for the past two hundred and fifty years." "But that's good isn't it…" Kat then asked as she sat down beside Myra, placing her hand on the Asari's in a supportive and caring manner. "…it means that they are taking it seriously, doesn't it?" she added with a glimmer of hope to her voice, though the young Darby merely looked away for a second and sighed. "I hope so. I mean, I have a feeling that Nuwani believes me, as well as Lennox and Jones, but I am not sure about the others." "Wasn't Nuwani a member of Autobot Command back when you first approached them about Vasir, after what happened at your wedding?…" Kat then asked, gaining a nod from the other Woman. "…Yes, she was and I had a feeling that she believed me back then too. I mean she was friends with my Mother and I had worked alongside her at one point during my early Autobot career, but she like Ser-Ket must have been overruled by the Senate." she said before giving off a yawn as her eyes-lids started to feel heavy, something did not go unnoticed by Kat. "I have a feeling that things will be different this time, but right now you could do with some rest." the young woman replied while gently helping the Asari to lie down, earning a nod from her in return. "Yeah…you're right there…" she said back with yet another yawn, which made Kat smile at how cute her lover looked as she began to curl up on the bed. "…will you stay?" Myra then asked while looking up at the Human, whose smile widened. "With you? Of course. There is nothing that would pry me from your side." she answered in a soft tone, which made the Rogue Spectre smile back as she fought to keep her eyes open, something that had become that much harder the moment her head had come in contact with the soft and comfortable pillow of her bed. "Hold me." she replied, earning a loving stare from Kat, who then climbed onto the bed and lied next to her Lover. The pair then wrapped their arms around each other as the young Darby rested her head on the other's shoulder, slowly allowing themselves to fall asleep as they both enjoyed their warm embrace. Meanwhile, in the Infirmary, Tolae awoke to find herself lying in one of the private patient rooms. The lights were dimly-lit and only offered a little illumination to her surroundings, but it was enough for to see that she was lying on a Medical berth with a light-weight sheet covering her body, while dimly-lit holo-screens either side of her pillow showed her heart rate and current condition of her health. 'Well I am feeling much better.' she thought while glancing at the second screen, before noticing that another bed was just away from her. 'Is that who I think it is?' the Ardat-Yakshi added as she sat up and looked over to the other bed, seeing another person lying on top of it. So she got off the bed and was about to walk over to the other berth, but not before noticing that all she was wearing was a white hospital gown that was open at the back and giving her a slight chill. 'I don't think so.' she thought before taking the sheet off her berth and wrapping it around her, covering up the gap. 'That's better.' So with that done, the Asari began to walk over to the other patient's berth, though as she got halfway between her bed and the other one, her eyes widened as she recognised the person lying on it. 'Evac!' she thought before finding herself rushing to his side, only to see that he was comfortably asleep with his own bed-sheet covering his body. This made Tolae smile as she looked down at him, taking note of his calm and relaxed expression as he lay there sleeping. 'He looks so peaceful like that.' she thought before her attention was caught by the two holo-screens that surrounded the back part of his bed, much like her own. 'His heart rate is steady and his injuries are virtually healed, that's a relief.' she thought with a sigh, before reaching down and placing her hand on his in a caring gesture. But then, as if sensing her touch, the Bot opened his eyes and looked up at her with a warm smile appearing on his face. "Hi." he said in a soft tone, which made her smile back in return. "Hi." she said back, unsure of what else to say as the Pilot took her hand in his own and gently squeezed it. "I'm alright, Tolae, the doctors repaired the damage done to my leg and hand." he said while holding up his once broken hand for her to see, which gained a nod from the Ardat-Yakshi as a look of worry and relief appeared on her face. "I'm so relieved to hear that…" she started to say as her eyes began to well up, which did not go unnoticed by the Bot. "…because when Morinth attacked you and hurt the way she did….I nearly…" she started to say before looking down at the edge of the berth, which made Evac take her hand in both of his like it was the most precious thing in the world. "I know. I thought I was a goner too…" he started to say while gently caressing her hand, making the Asari look back up to him as a single tear ran down her cheek. "…I shouldn't have gone at Morinth like that, but…" he added, only for the Ardat-Yakshi to nod and cut him off mid-sentence. "I know why you did what you did, Evac, and you were right too. Crosscut deserved justice for what she did to him, not only with enthralling him against his will and having him kill us but also in killing him." she replied. "He did break free of it, I knew that bitch could not make him hurt us, he was our friend after all." the Pilot said back with pride in his voice, earning a nod from the blue woman as she looked down to see that he was still holding her hand in his own. "…So I guess since we are both here and Morinth isn't because you caught up to her and made her pay." Evac then said with a knowing look, which brought a slight smile to Asari's face. "Yes…yes, I made sure that Crosscut was avenged, as well as everyone else that monster had killed during her lifetime." "That's my girl." the Bot then said with a sparkle in his eyes, one that nearly took the Ardat-Yakshi's breath away as she blushed in response while coyly looking away as a smile graced her face, which only made his smile widen. "…What?" she said back, trying to sound surprised by his admission. But he simply replied by gently pulling the Asari closer to him, making her lean over the bed as her face was drawn closer to his. "You know, I mean that, right? You are my girl." he replied while looking up at her beautiful face, taking note of her blushing cheeks as she stared back at him. "…I know, and despite what I said before…I have come to care for you just as much, which is why I was afraid to…" she said back, her eyes still welled up as more tears threatened to be unleashed upon her blue skin. "It doesn't matter, none of it does…" he started to say as he leaned in close towards her, with the pair feeling each others breath on their skin. "…I know there is a reason that we shouldn't be together, but I don't care about it and neither should you, because I know we can make this work." he added while Tolae simply continued to look into his eyes, seeing his resolve and his passion in his stare and hearing it in his words as he brushed his fingers against her cheek. 'Evac, he has such belief in me. It makes me feel like I can do anything…and I want him just as much as he wants me.' she thought, closing her eyes and enjoying the touch of his fingers on her skin, which felt like tingles of electricity. "I want that too…" she began to say, which made the Bot cup her face in his hands despite the slight throbbing he felt in his still-recovering hand, earning a slight moan from the Asari as she enjoyed his touch. So he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers with a gentle and caring kiss, which felt like a surge of energy between the two for a long moment as Tolae closed her eyes and melted into the kiss. Evac then pulled away just enough to look the Ardat-Yakshi in the eyes as the need for air surfaced between them. "I trust you with my life, Tolae. You are everything to me." he then said with utter clarity to his words and his expression as he stared into her eyes, making them widen in surprise momentarily before she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate embrace, pressing her lips against his with enough force to make him moan into the kiss. But he returned the favour before putting his hands on either side of her slim athletic figure, before lifting her onto the bed to straddle him. This gained a cry of surprise from the Asari before they resumed kissing while letting their hands explore their upper bodies, feeling every inch of each other through their gowns. They never stopped their kissing as they did this, not until the bot had his hands around the Asari's back and under the open end of her gown, feeling her bare back against his hands which made her gasp in surprise. The pair then looked into each other's eyes as Evac took hold of each end of the open back of the gown before she then nodded, which made him rip off the gown in one move, exposing the Asari's blue body to him and earning a surprised yet loving smile in response. "Nice." she replied as he then kissed her on her bare neck, earning a soft moan from the Asari while he then made a trail of kisses down her collar bone, towards her breasts which he then took in his hands. This gained a shiver of delight from the Ardat-Yakshi as he then kissed and licked her left nipple while gently massaging the right, making Tolae almost bite her lip as she was awash in the sensations this created. 'By the Goddess, this is amazing...' she thought before managing to regain some control, focusing her biotics on the Bot's gown and making it glow a light blue before ripping it off in a similar fashion to how her lover had, which made him look back with a mirrored reaction. "Wow." he said in response as he also noticed that the bed-sheet too had left the berth, leaving the pair completely naked with the Asari on his lap. "You like?" she asked in a coy tone as he looked her up and down, letting his eyes drink in as much of her natural beauty as he could before looking back into her own, only to notice that she was eyeing up his own toned body in return with a big smile on her face. "You bet I do." he replied eagerly, to which she wrapped her arms around him. "Kiss me then." she said in what might have sounded like an order, but it was something he could do without any persuasion as he pulled her back into a passionate embrace and kiss, pressing their bodies together as their tongues playfully wrestled in their joined mouths. But as the pair were fixed in this moment of bliss, the Ardat-Yakshi felt not only her own building desires as her body reacted to all his touches and kisses but also the need to bond was slowly coming over her. 'No, Evac is right. I can hold this back...for him...for us.' she thought while pushing that feeling to the back of her mind and focused instead on the pleasures that the pair were experiencing at this second. But this did not last long as the Asari was pulled out of the moment by something else, making her pull away just enough to look back at her lover. "What is it?" he asked with a slightly confused tone while she looked down at his crotch, which instantly made Evac blush in return as Tolae stared down at his nearly erect member. "Oh...yeah, well you do have that effect on me." he added with a smile, gaining a coy look from the Asari as she reached down with her left hand towards it. "Let's see if I can really get it going because you have already got me going." she said gently while suddenly teasing him by stroking her index finger from the base of his member, all the way to its tip and all while it was glowing with biotic energy, which felt something like static electricity to the Pilot, making his member go fully erect in a second. "Oh my god!" he almost cried out in surprise, letting go of his lover and using his hands to steady himself on the berth as the sensation travelled through his body. But suddenly Tolae was pulled out of the moment as she witnessed Evac grimace a little as he looked down to his recovering hand, having put a little too much pressure on it and this made her remember his other injury too as she glanced over her shoulder in the direction of his leg. But the Pilot noticed this and gently cupped the left-hand side of her face with his hand, bringing her attention back to him as they looked into each other's eyes. "It's okay, I can handle it. I don't need my legs right now anyway." he said with a light tone, disarming Tolae with his smile as she found herself smiling back. "Okay." she replied before suddenly surprising him by lifting herself onto him, letting his member enter her. This action brought on the most surprising reaction from Tolae as she looked into Evac's eyes and moaned out loud, gaining a similar if more controlled look from him. "This is your first time?" he asked, knowing full well what her answer would be. Tolae, though, merely nodded as her body shivered on his lap, which made the bot wrap his arms around her in a secure yet gentle embrace. "It's alright, I'm here...I've got you." he said back gently, before slowly raising his lover up and then back down on his member, earning another softer moan from her in return. So Evac then continued to do this, giving the Ardat-Yakshi time to get used to what she was feeling as they made love. 'By...the...Goddess, this is...I want more.' she thought before placing her hands on his shoulders and taking control of the movement, which made the bot's smile widen as he too enjoyed the sensations and building feelings that they were creating together. The two lovers continued with this for several minutes, getting heavy breaths from both as neither wanted to stop while their skin started to sweat as their bodies tried to keep up with their actions. Also, their heart-beat monitors were sounding far less calm, with the pair's pulses speeding up as they closed in on their respective orgasms, like two volcanoes readying to erupt. Tolae suddenly let go of her lover's tightly toned shoulders and put her hands behind her, letting her arch her back and make the thrusts quicker and more pleasurable. But she could also feel the need to bond coming back to her and at this point, she was close to exploding as exhaustion was ready to take her. 'I can't fight...it any...longer, I have to...let it happen!' she thought as she came to the brink of orgasm, as both that need and her instincts became entangled and hard to separate. So just as she dropped down onto Evac's pulsing member one last time, which made her whole body shiver as her orgasm ruptured throughout it. This made Tolae throw her head back and cry out loud in pleasure as she stared up at the ceiling, her eyes going black for an instant as she tore her focus away from her lover and concentrated on her own body. Then a few seconds later, Evac followed suit as his own orgasm took hold, closing his eyes as he moaned out loud before the Asari pulled herself back to him and the pair embraced again, both panting heavily and visibly shaking from their climax. The bot then opened his eyes and looked back at his lover as they held each other, noticing the surprised look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked with a curious tone, which made the Ardat-Yakshi smile a little as she looked into his eyes. "You're…okay." she replied with a surprised tone, making Evac smile back with a bemused expression before pulling her closer to him as he kissed her cheek. "Of course…I'm okay, that…was…amazing." he replied with a breathless tone before resting his head on her shoulder, with the Woman following suit as they embraced each other's sweaty and still slightly shivering bodies. "…Yes…yes, it was." she replied with a relieved yet loving tone before letting out a sigh as the pair sat on the bed in each other's arms, just listening to each other's breathing and the sounds of the holo-screens around them.
  6. CHAPTER XVII Morinth lunged at Myra with a biotic blade, making the Rogue Spectre create a shield with her own biotics and bring it up to clash with her opponent's weapon, which made blue sparks fly out in all directions before the pair pulled away. "Give up, Morinth. There is no way out of this for you." the young Darby tried to reason as the Ardat-Yakshi attacked again, clashing her blade with the other's construct once again as she stared back with a hateful look. "Never! I'll die first, but I'll be sure to take you with me!" she spat before pulling back from Myra and quickly following through by creating what looked like biotic tentacles. The Rogue Spectre's eyes widened in surprise at Morinth's creations which then thrust towards her and attempted to immobilise the Asari by wrapping themselves around her. But the young Darby instinctively re-created her own biotic-blades and cut them down, but the Ardat-Yakshi simply created more and unleashed them upon her enemy. Myra though dodged the attack and spun around before firing a biotic blast that hit Morinth and knocked her to the ground. "Enough!" But the Ardat-Yakshi quickly recovered as she used her biotics to spring herself back on her feet, which surprised the Rogue Spectre in return. "I say when it is enough…" she replied defiantly as Sharptooth and his teammates joined them in the shuttle-bay, making her look over Myra's shoulder which gained her attention. "…and the more the merrier." Morinth added as an evil grin appeared on her face, while the Dinobots stood took positions on either side of Myra and readied themselves for a fight. "Looks like you could use our help after all." the lead-Terracon said, which made her shrug her shoulders while never taking her eyes off their enemy. "Okay, we take this 'scum' together then." Strafe said with relief in her voice, gaining nods from both Slash and Scorn as they activated their holo-claws which extended over their own already sharp ones. "…This should be interesting…" Morinth then said as her biotics began rippling over her body, which made Myra clench her fists and make her own energies show up visually around them as she knew what was about to happen. "…COME ON THEN!" the Ardat-Yakshi then screamed as she fired a blast of blue energy at the group, but before the Dinobots even had to dive out of its way, it was suddenly stopped in its tracks by a similar energy blast. Sharptooth and his friend's eyes widened as they stared looked on with impressed expressions, for Myra stood before them and her actions were mirroring their enemy. She was focusing her biotic energies back and holding Morinth's at bay, creating a ball of bright blue light in the centre of their attacks. "I've got this. Now get her!" the Rogue Spectre shouted, gaining nods from the Dinobots who then launched themselves at the Ardat-Yakshi. But as the Elite-Terracons lunged at her, Morinth broke off her energy blast and performed a biotic charge out of harm's way, letting Myra's own attack carry on and impact the force-field protecting the interior from the vacuum of space beyond it. "Oh...scra..." Slash began to say, before noticing its red-light absorbing the blue energy, and for a moment, had a purple glow to it before returning to normal. "...never mind." he added before turning his attention to Morinth, who created an energy wave and launched it in him and his team-mates direction. "Get out of its way!" Myra shouted, but the Dinobots had been wrong-footed by their previous charge and were unable to dodge the energy wave which hit them and slammed them into the wall. This gained a worried look from the Rogue Spectre as she was the only one left standing at this moment, which made the Ardat-Yakshi smirk in return. "These 'Dinobots' are no challenge for me, so I will easily kill them once I am done with you." she said before firing another several energy blasts, all of which Myra dodged by using quick bursts of her biotic charge which made her look like a blue-blur between the biotic blasts that were fired at her. "Stay still, Bitch!" the Ardat-Yakshi spat before suddenly felt her face come into contact with a blue fist, which knocked her back onto her arse. "Like that is going to happen..." the Rogue Spectre replied as the Dinobots recovered, joining her side once more. But despite being in their beast-modes, Sharptooth and his team-mates had this time equipped their rifles and trained their sights on Morinth. "She tries anything or even looks at us funny, pump her full of bullets." the Lead-Bot said, gaining a unified nod from the others as Morinth looked up at the group. "You should kill me, considering all that I have done." she said at them with an almost goading-like tone, which made Myra narrow her eyes as she stared back at her. "Oh, believe me, I would like nothing better than to end your life, Morinth..." she replied while holding a glowing fist at the Ardat-Yakshi, who could only smirk as she could see the conflict on her adversary's face. "...but you will tell us everything you know about Leviathan first." the Rogue Spectre added, before looking over at Sharptooth. "Any chance you have a biotic-Inhibitor on you or do we have to wait for security?" This gained a smile from the Dinobot Leader, who then unclipped a small rectangular device from his utility belt and held it out to Myra. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." he replied in a gratified tone, which made Morinth's smirk grow wider. "You think that thing scares me because no matter what you do to me. I'll never betray Vasir to you!" Morinth spat back, gaining a knowing look from the Rogue Spectre in return as the Dinobot Leader placed it on her arm, which made it activate with a pulsing light in its centre as it connected to her skin. "Really? After your friends left you behind like that, probably by her orders too." Myra then said, which made the other Asari narrow her eyes in return. "No! Vasir would not have given that order, this was Inferno acting alone." the Murderer replied, which made Scorn smirk as he looked at Strafe and Slash. "I think I can understand why he did that..." he started to say, earning a curious look from Sharptooth as he looked back to Myra. "Look, if Morinth isn't going to tell us anything, then I can't see any reason for keeping her alive any..." he began to say before being cut off by another female voice, coming from behind them. "I have to agree with that." Tolae said as the Ardat-Yakshi was suddenly enveloped in biotic energy, making her float off the ground as she tried to struggle against it. This made everyone look back to see Tolae standing at the entrance, with her right hand glowing as she held it out before her. "Tolae,...what are you doing?" Myra asked, gaining the other woman's attention. "I am ending this, especially after everything she has done, everyone she has killed. I know you understand me on this, so why keep her alive?" she said with conviction layering her voice, one that the Rogue Spectre recognised all too easily, for she had heard herself speak the same way about Vasir. 'Tolae means Samara, her daughters and Matriarch Jethra. People who were very close to her, I can certainly understand that.' she thought before nodding back, as a supportive expression appeared on her face. "You're right..." the young Darby replied as she stepped out of Tolae's way, but everything was cut short as everyone's com-links activated. "This is Commander Vras, I have it on the ship's internal sensors that you have Morinth contained. I mean her life signs say that it is someone completely different, but since you are all surrounding her then I can take it that you have the right person, right?" he asked, gaining a nod from Myra as she tapped her com-link. "That is correct, we have her contained." "Then, in that case, I want Morinth taken to the brig and held there until I can question her." the Commander said back, which earned a wide-eyed look of shock from Tolae as she turned her attention to the Rogue Spectre. "We can't, Morinth deserves to die." she replied, making Myra stare back at her with an understanding expression. "Vraz, Morinth won't tell us anything. She has already said as much to us..." she began to explain, before the Morning Hope's Captain cut her off. "And you're just going to take her word for that, I want her under lock and key." "Vraz, I know you are following the rules here. But those were written by the Alliance, the same Alliance that kicked the Autobots out. I don't think we should be following those anymore, and I can tell you for certain..." she started to say before looking over at Morinth, who stared back with a knowing look on her face. "...Morinth will not betray Vasir to us, so there is no point in keeping a dangerous murderer among us..." she carried on saying, gaining a relieved nod from Tolae in return. "...especially one that should have been killed already for the crimes she has committed. So we should carry that sentence out now." Myra then finished, before everything went quiet as they waited for the Commander's answer. "…Okay, you're right, Darby. I will leave it up to you then." Vraz then replied a little hesitantly, gaining a nod from the Rogue Spectre in return. "Thank you, Commander, and besides, I doubt Morinth knows as much as I do about Vasir's plans." This made the Ardat-Yakshi look at her with an expression that was both confused and annoyed, but Myra ignored her and turned to Tolae in return. "If anyone deserves to do this, it is you, Tolae." she then said, which made the other Asari stare back with an appreciative look before returning her attention to her quarry. "Thank you, Myra." "So how you going to do this?" the young Darby asked as she gestured to their prisoner, while the Dinobots stood around them with their weapons pointed at her. But Tolae just kept her focus on Morinth, not even looking at her friend as she spoke. "I'm going to make her suffer in the same way that most of her victims died, which will require her to be held down." the Asari replied before letting go of the murderer, who fell back to the ground. "Slash, Scorn, hold her down." Sharptooth then said while pointing at Morinth, gaining a nod from both Bots as they then grabbed the Ardat-Yakshi's arms and held her in a kneeling position as Tolae walked up to her and knelt in front of her, making the other Asari smirk as she looked at her enemy. "Aww, you want revenge for what I did to Jethra, Samara and her daughters? That is sweet…" she started to say, which gained a hateful stare from Tolae who clenched her fists tightly and gritted her teeth as she listened. "…but you are nowhere near as strong as I am in that respect, because unlike you, I have been killing using my mind for centuries and you, you only did it once. I revelled in the deaths of those I killed, while you were scared of what you could become. ...You sicken me." Morinth spat, gaining a smirk from Tolae in return. "Enough talk, let's get started." she replied before closing her eyes and focusing, making the Murderer start to laugh. "…You want to try this? Okay then, I'll play along." she then said before closing her eyes too and mirroring Tolae, before both Asari then opened their eyes and revealed them to be pure black. "So now what do we do?" Strafe then asked with a confused look on her face, gaining similar looks from the other Dinobots as they watched the two Asari staring into each other's eyes. "Now we wait." Myra replied as they stood there, waiting to see which one would be the first and only one to reawaken. PRIME EFFECT 5 Tolae opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by darkness, which completely blacked out the area around her. 'Okay…wasn't expecting this.' she thought as flashes of light suddenly appeared in the sky some distance away, revealing the barren and simplistic surroundings for a split-second at a time. "What else could you possibly have expected then?" a familiar feminine voice spoke from behind the Asari, making her turn around to see Morinth standing there with an evil smirk on her face. "What? How did you know what?" Tolae asked with a shocked expression, making the other Ardat-Yakshi chuckle in response. "Are you serious? Do you not know how our people's ability to meld works?" This made the younger Asari narrow her eyes as she stared back at her adversary, earning a wider grin from Morinth as she shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, then I will share some knowledge with you…" she said back while beginning to walk around a confused and angry looking Tolae, like a predator with its prey. "…Our minds are currently joined, yours and mine. This environment…" she added while gesturing to the blackness that surrounded them. "…this is just a representation of the limbo that our thoughts exist in, a bridge…of sorts between our consciousnesses." Suddenly the ground began to shake with the strength of a severe earthquake, like something beneath the ground that they were standing on was awakening. This made both Asari stumble a little as thunder boomed and lightning scorched the sky overhead, illuminating their surroundings, with each and every flash bringing a shocked look to Tolae's face. "What in the Goddess's name is happening?" "We are Ardat-Yakshi, Tolae, what do you think our poisoned minds are doing right now to this environment?" Morinth replied in a worryingly calm voice as she stood there and gestured around them, regaining the younger Asari's attention as her eyes widened in recognition of what her foe meant. 'We are destroying each other's bodies via our meld.' she thought as the lightning and thunder became continuous along with the earthquake-like shaking of the ground beneath their feet, before noticing the Murderer nodding back at her. "Yes, that's it." the Murderer added with a gleeful tone as she nodded back, earning a slightly fearful look from Tolae. "Stop reading my thoughts." she spat back. "Then speak freely, we can't hide anything from each other in here…" the older Asari said back while pointing at her temple. "…and it's not like we have a lot of time." "Because our meld is slowly killing us, is that it?" Tolae replied, clenching her hands into fists as she stare at her enemy. "Exactly. Time runs at a slower rate in this limbo, but in the real world our bodies are dying." Morinth answered, still with that calm demeanour to her voice and actions. "Then I guess we should waste no more time then!" the younger Asari then spat back before thrusting her fist forward at her fellow Ardat-Yakshi, only for nothing to happen as Morinth began to laugh hysterically in return. "…Oh…my, that was…priceless…" she tried to say between her laughing, while Tolae looked first at her fist and then back at the murderer with a confused expression. "What?" "Our biotics are useless here, since we are in each other's minds and not in the real world. So the only option for us is the old fashioned way..." she started to say, clenching her own hands into fists and taking a defensive stance as she spoke, earning a mirrored reaction from Tolae. "...so let's just get this over with, face me!" Morinth then spat, making the younger Asari snap, gritting her teeth as she lunged at the murderer with a punch. But the older of the two women blocked the punch and countered with a jab to Tolae's face, which disorientated Tolae, so Morinth then followed that with a second punch to her side. "Arrgh!" the younger Ardat-Yakshi yelped, while the thunder and lightning continued to crack and flash across the sky, while the earthquakes forced the two to separate and give Tolae a chance to recover. So she took a deep breath and ignored the pain pulsing from her side, while Morinth just smirked back. 'Forget the pain, it isn't real.' she thought, earning another chuckle from her adversary. "Oh, I will make it real." she said back before rushing at the younger Asari, throwing several punches and kicks. Tolae even managed to block the first few, but before she could counter, Morinth hit her in the stomach with a punch. This caused the better Ardat-Yakshi to grunt as she felt sick in her stomach, but then she felt another fist hit her face and send her to the ground. "You are not much of a threat to me, are you..." Morinth then said aloud, which made Tolae look back up at her as a small trickle of blood ran down her face from her nose. 'I hate you!' she thought, knowing full well that the older Ardat-Yakshi would hear her. In fact, this made her Adversary's smirk grow wider as she watched Tolae try to get back to her feet, though her side, stomach and face felt awful. "That's it, come on now, you can do it." Morinth said in a goading-like tone, gesturing at the younger woman as she watched. "Shut your mouth!" Tolae spat back, making the urderer feign fear as she mtook a step back from her. "Oh, I am 'so' scared..." she said back, whilst the pair's surroundings continued to be devastated by the storms around them. "...how about you get off the ground and make me." she added, which made Tolae's eyes narrow as she pulled herself of the floor and then instantly attacked again. This time with a left-hand punch that Morinth immediately blocked with her right, only for the younger Asari to swing her right arm at her enemy who then ducked under it and followed that with an uppercut, which connected with the other Ardat-Yakshi's jaw and sent her back onto her back. "So this was your plan, a one on one fight with me inside our joined heads with the Winner taking all...?" Morinth said with an unbelieving tone, shaking her head as she did so while Tolae rolled onto her side and spat a little more blood onto the rocklike ground. "...because I think I would have rather faced Myra, for she can fight." she added while the younger Asari recovered and got back to her feet, though she was aching in several spots all over her body now. "But you know what, I have a better idea for you." Morinth then added with a completely casual expression on her face, but Tolae ignored this and lunged at her with another punch. But this time a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her arm, stopping the young Asari's attack and making her look in that direction. "No, it can't be..." she began to say as her eyes widened, for standing there with her arm in his grip was a Krogan she recognised almost instantly. "Krayal!" she said, her voice breaking slightly as he looked back at her. "Tolae." he said back, before releasing her arm from his grip as he looked at the surprised and confused Asari. "I...how...are you here?" she asked with a shaken tone to her voice, completely forgetting that Morinth was standing just away from her, as her attention was now completely on her lost Lover. "I have always been here..." Krayal started to say before his eyes narrowed as he stared at the Asari. "...ever since you killed me." This made Tolae's eyes widen as she looked at him with a horrified expression, making her step back in response. "...No...no, it was an accident, I didn't..." the young woman began to say back, only to be cut off by the Krogan. "If we had not met, then I would still be alive. Do you not agree?" he said back, his voice becoming more venomous with every word spoken. "...I...I don't..." she stammered as her eyes began to well up, for she was in complete shock at what was happening and was at a loss for words. "You should face facts Tolae, you are a killer. one that should have been put down the moment you murdered me, ripping me away from my friends and family." It was at this point that three more Krogan appeared at either side of her former lover, all giving her a hateful stare that made tears run freely down her face as the storm continued around them. But it no longer mattered for Tolae, as the thunderclaps and quakes had been drowned out by what was happening to her now since she recognised these new arrivals as Krayal's Parents and younger Brother. "You stole our son away from us, from his rightful place with his own people. And then you took his life, like some parasite." the Father said in an angry tone, while the Mother gritted her teeth while staring at Tolae with a hateful glare. "We will never see our son become his own Krogan, or have a family of his own. You ripped out the heart from our family and tore it to shreds, we hate you for what you did to us!" she said to the crying Asari, who fell to her knees and sobbed while the little Krogan just stared at her with a fearful expression. "Where is my brother? Why did you kill him?" he said back in an innocent and confused tone, which only made Tolae's guilt and pain pile on her soul even more. "I didn't mean to, it...it was an accident, I didn't know...didn't know what would happen. I wish I could take it back..." she tried to say back, before crying some more and looking at the ground as she hung her head. "...I am...sorry." But as she openly sobbed there on her knees while the drowned out storm continued to ravage the limbo around her, the young Asari felt someone touch the bottom of her chin and raise her face up. So Tolae opened her eyes and found herself looking directly into Krayal's own, with the Krogan cupping her face in his hands. "That's not good enough. I want you to mean it...so see it all again." he then said before the Ardat-Yakshi suddenly found those terrible moments playing out before her eyes once again, making her feel every emotion leading up to that one mistake that defined her life. From her first meeting with Krayal, to their courtship and the moment they fell in love, all the way to the moment she killed him. The young Asari experienced it all in its raw and uncompromising form, making her break down even more. "By the Goddess. I am sorry, I am...so very sorry." she cried, her tears running freely down her cheeks and dripping onto the ground beneath her as she looked at the dead-Krogan's face. "I know...there is nothing...I can do to make it...right..." she began to say, only for Krayal to cut her off. "But there is..." he said back, making Tolae's eyes widen a little in response. "What...what can I do?" she asked, a tiny glimmer of hope in her voice. Hope that she could still repent, that she could make up for what she had done. "...you can die!" Krayal then said just a second before the Asari suddenly felt a blow to the back of her head, with the force of the hit knocking her onto the ground on her side. 'What…the…hell…was that?' she thought as her vision blurred, while the back of her head ached with sharp throbbing pain. "Seriously, just say your thoughts out loud…" Morinth then answered, making Tolae look up to see the murderous Ardat-Yakshi standing with Krayal and his family around her. "…by the way, it was me." "Get away from them!" the younger Asari spat, while trying to shake off the concussion she was currently feeling. 'It's not real pain, ignore it.' she thought while slowly getting back to her feet, much to her adversary's surprise. "You can stay down, there is no more need to fight me…" she replied before gesturing to their immediate surroundings, which were completely and totally devastated by the storm and quakes. "…as your time is now over." the Murderer added, which brought a worried look to Tolae's face as she looked over at the ravaged and desolate environment. "No, I will not quit." she replied in a defiant tone, making Morinth shake her head in response. "But you've got nothing left, even those you cared about want you dead." "No, that is not true…" the other Ardat-Yakshi began to say, before looking over to Krayal and the other Krogan. "…I don't know what you have done, but I do know that Krayal and his family did not act like this to me. I certainly do not remember it like that, so I will not accept it now." she added, making the Murderer smirk somewhat as she stepped away from the Krogan. "Oh, yes. That…" she started to say before waving her left hand before Krayal and his kin, making them fade away. This earned a look of sadness from Tolae as she watched them disappear for a moment, for even though they were now gone, her guilt would always remain. "…I kind of tampered with your memories of that pathetic Krogan and his family, because it is quite easy to do…if you know how, of course." "Why! Why did you put me through that?" the younger Asari spat, the tone of her voice filled with anger and grief which made Morinth's smirk grow into a full-fledged smile. "Why? Why not, It was so easy to do since your memories are falling apart as we speak, plus it made for a good distraction." Tolae's eyes suddenly narrowed at that comment, making her stare back at her adversary with an inquisitive and knowing expression. "You were distracting me, making me drown in my own pain and grief so that I would no longer have the strength to fight you. Just as a way to waste time, so that we both die in here." "You have to admit, it was a good plan. And it has worked a treat since the hour is now nigh. So just accept that it is over, and let oblivion take you." Morinth replied, but Tolae just clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in return. "No, I will not. Because I am not going to give you the satisfaction of taking me with you." she started to say, before suddenly Myra, Crosscut and Evac appeared and joined her side, with the Pilot taking her hand in his. "What's this? Bringing in some memories to help you fight me?" the Murderous Adrat-Yakshi replied with an unimpressed tone, which brought a smile to Tolae's face. "Yes, because my friends give me strength." she said back, which only made Morinth burst out into laughter. "Seriously…you're using the power of love against me, that is 'so' pathetic." she said back whilst trying to control her laughter, but the younger Asari merely continued to smile as she looked at her enemy. "No, not just that. Because have you forgot, our minds are joined and you gave me an idea." she said back before looking over Morinth's shoulder, making the Murderer's eyes widen in shock as she looked behind her and saw Samara, Rila, Falere and Jethra appear and walk towards them. "You murdered my friends, people I cared about….but there are so many others…" Tolae continued as even more people, made up of nearly every species in the galaxy appeared and joined the Superintendent, the Justicar and her daughters as they stared at their killer. "…and they want justice." the younger Asari then finished, which made the memories then rush at Morinth and beat her down. The Ardat-Yakshi tried to fight back, but could not defend against so many as everyone crowded around her and punched, kicked and hit her body. Tolae simply watched for a moment before the massive angry mob of memories then stopped and took several steps back, revealing the Murderer to be bloody and beaten as she lay on the floor. This made Tolae walk over and kneel down beside her as Samara, Myra and the others watched while the overhead storm and quakes suddenly stopped. "You…can't…beat…me." Morinth said through the pain and agony she was feeling throughout her body as blood trickled from her mouth and dripped down onto the ground. But Tolae just looked down at the murderer with a blank expression, taking in how bloodied and bruised her face was. "I already have…" the young Asari then started to say while grabbing the sides of Morinth's head, moving her thumbs over the other Ardat-Yakshi's eyes while her own turned black. "…now die!" she then added before pushing her thumbs into her adversary's eyes, making her enemy scream out in agony. Everybody just stood and watched as Tolae gouged her Enemy's eyes, with blood gushing out from between her thumbs as she pushed them in further when suddenly Morinth's body began to glow with a bright blue light which blinded the young Asari as she continued. Samara, Jethra, Rila, Falere and the other many victims of Morinth all began to glow too as the light touched them before suddenly they disappeared along with the Murderer's body. This left Tolae on her own with just Evac, Crosscut and Myra standing around her in empty limbo. "It is finally over, she is dead." the young Asari then said before looking up at Crosscut, who simply smiled back before he too then faded away. This made Tolae smile as a white light then appeared and enveloped her, making everything else disappear. "Tolae?" a familiar female voice suddenly spoke, making the young Asari open her eyes and find herself standing over Morinth's body as it lay on the floor before her. "Tolae, are you alright?" the voice spoke again, making Tolae look to her right and see Myra staring back with a worried expression, so she nodded back in return. "Yes, I am alright, just a little light-headed," she replied, gaining a sigh of relief from the Rogue Spectre. "Thank the Goddess. When Morinth died, we thought she had taken you with her." she said back before gesturing to Strafe and Slash to her side, with the two Dinobots quickly doing so. "Strafe and Slash will escort you to the Medical Bay for a check-up." "That won't be necessary. I said I am okay." Tolae quickly replied as she shook her head, but Myra simply stared back with a friendly smile. "I could order you to, but I would rather not do that to one of my friends, so please go as a favour to me." "Okay, I will go." the young Ardat-Yakshi then replied with a sigh. "Thanks…" the Rogue Spectre began to reply before her smile faded. "…I heard about Crosscut." she added as a look of sadness and regret appeared on her face. This gained a mirrored expression from Tolae, who nodded back in return. "Yes, I am sorry that I could not stop Morinth from killing him. But I did make sure that she paid for that, along with everyone else that died at her hands." "Good, I appreciate that. Now you better get to the Medical Bay, Evac is waiting there for you." the Rogue Spectre then said with a slight smile, which made the younger Asari's eyes widen as she nodded back before leaving her Leader's side and exiting the Shuttle-bay along with Slash and Strafe at her sides. Myra, meanwhile, turned back and looked down at Morinth's corpse, her slight smile still present. 'That's another failure, Vasir. What's next your move?'
  7. CHAPTER XVI The situation was extremely tense in the damaged living quarters as Evac and Tolae stood just away from Morinth, who held a tight grip around Crosscut's throat with her biotic construct. "Why are you doing this?" the Pilot asked, which made the murderous Ardat-Yakshi's smirk grow a little wider. "Why? Because I want to, and also Vasir wants you all and Myra out of the way." she replied casually, which made both Evac and his friend's eyes widen in shock. "Myra and Kat!" he said back, gaining a nod from Morinth. "Yep, Inferno and his friends should be dealing with that Darby-bitch any time now..." she added, before noticing the worried looks on the pair's faces. "...but I would be more worried about yourselves right now." Tolae then suddenly narrowed her eyes and smirked back in return, which did not go unnoticed by her fellow Ardat-Yakshi. "Why should we? Since the way I recall it, the last time we fought, it was you who ran away from us." the Asari said, making Morinth bite her lip as she narrowed her eyes. "I ran from Myra, not you. I can handle you guys all on my own." "Alright, then put your money where your mouth is and prove it. Let Crosscut go and face us." Evac then added, having cottoned on to what his friend was trying to do. This brought a thoughtful smile to the Murderer's face as she stood there, all the while continuing to hold Crosscut in her biotic grasp. "I have a better idea…" she started to say before holding her right hand towards the pair, making it glow biotic energy as she looked toward her prisoner. "…Crosscut, how much do you want me?" the Ardat-Yakshi asked as she blinked, making her eyes turn black. This horrified both Evac and Tolae as they watched their enthralled friend looked at the Murderer and smiled, completely ignoring the fact that she had his throat in a vice-like grip. "I want you….with all that I am." the Bot replied in a dull monotone-like voice, which made Morinth's smile widen as she glanced back at the others. "Would you kill for me?" "Yes, I would kill anyone for you." Crosscut said back with no hesitation, which only made the Pilot and his Asari friend's expressions become more worried at how much control the Murderous Ardat-Yakshi had over him. "Prove it. Kill them for me. Do that and I am all yours." Morinth said in a seductive tone, lowering her left hand and releasing the Bot. He looked at her and nodded before upholstering his pistol and aiming between Evac and Tolae, much to their horror and her amusement. "Crosscut, it's me Evac. Surely you recognise me pal?" the Pilot asked as the Murderer stepped back from the Bots, smiling devilishly as she watched events unfold before her. "Of course I know you, Evac, but nothing will stand between Morinth and me, not even you." Crosscut replied coldly as he re-aimed the pistol at his friend and began to tighten his finger around it's trigger. But just as the Bot pulled fired his weapon, Tolae suddenly brought up a biotic shield directly in front of Evac, which made the bullet riochet and return to the guns. The fire hit the pistol's barrel and exploded, making Crosscut drop it as he yelped in pain. The Asari then used her biotics to spring the Pilot's own pistol out of it's holster and up into the air, gaining a surprised expression from Morinth in return. "Evac, catch!" she shouted, which the Bot did so as he caught the gun perfectly with his left hand and fired it directly at the Murderer, a confident smirk on his face while doing so. But Morinth managed to deflect the shot with her own blue energy barrier, making her chuckle back. "Nice try, but surely you..." she began to say, only to be stopped by the sight of Tolae performing a biotic charge that smashed through the other's barrier and tackling the murderous Asari to the ground. 'That's my Tolae.' Evac thought before turning his attention to Crosscut, who was cradling his hurt hand with his other one. "Crosscut, have you snapped out of...it?" the Pilot asked, only for the other Bot to look back with narrowed eyes, while also gritting his teeth. "You ruined it!" the dark-haired man spat before lunging at his friend, making Evac go on the defensive. But he was so shocked at Crosscut's rage and hatred toward him, that he failed to block the first punch which connected with his jaw and sent the Pilot to the deck. Meanwhile, both Ardat-Yakshi were too busy fighting each other to notice as the brainwashed Bot then knelt down beside the other and then put his hands around Evac's throat and started to choke him. The two blue Women, meanwhile, had surrounded themselves with biotic energy, which they then launched at each other like whips made of blue light. There was a sound of what could only be described as thunder each and every time the lashes cracked, and every time the attacks collided with each other, there was a flash of blue lightning that shown around the interior of that room. But Crosscut and Evac were both unaware of this, as the former was more focused on ending the life of his friend after being forced to believe that the latter was his enemy, tightening his grip around the other Bot's throat even more tightly as though he was trying to crush it with his hands. "You will die for ruining mine and Morinth's moment!" he spat through gritted teeth, while the Pilot continued to gasp for air as he struggled against his friend's grip. "If...you...really...think that then...do it...because you will...never...forgive yourself...for killing...one of...your...best friends." This made Crosscut pause for a second as he looked down at the other man, whose face was slowly turning purple from lack of oxygen. "...I forgive...you." he said while letting go and resting his arms on the floor, which made the dark-haired Bot look down at him with a confused expression. "For what?" he asked while loosening his grip a little as his anger started to wane, which made Evac breath heavily in return. "…for...all...your...snoring…." he said back, which instantly made Crosscut's eyes widen in surprise. "But that wasn't me, that was you!" he said back, making the Pilot smirk slightly. "And he's back!" The dark-haired Bot smirked back before then narrowing his eyes and turning his attention toward the two Asari, their light-show of a battle still continuing with every strike and blow. "That Bitch!" he spat before noticing Evac's pistol lying on the ground nearby, so he reached over and picked it up. "Crosscut, wait!" the Pilot managed to say, despite his shortness of breath while his friend though ignored his plea as he got up and aimed the gun at Morinth's head. "Morinth!" he shouted with an enraged tone, gaining both hers and Tolae's attention as they stopped and looked in his direction. "Crosscut?" the other Asari said back with tone made up of relief and confusion, but while her focus had shifted though only for a moment. It was enough for their adversary to take advantage of as she then hit the Bots friend, knocking her to the ground with a biotic punch before looking back at Crosscut, who instinctively pulled the trigger of Evac's pistol and fired a barrage of bullets at the Ardat-Yakshi. But Morinth simply smirked before suddenly creating a powerful biotic barrier between herself and the dark-haired Bot, which caught the bullets in it's energy-field and disintegrated them before everyone's eyes. "What?" Crosscut simply replied with a shocked tone, while the Murderer just looked back at him through the blue-light barrier, a look of disdain on her face. "What a pathetic attack that was..." she started to say, before then raising her glowing hands up at the energy-field which started to shatter and reform into more shapes. "By the Goddess..." Tolae began to say as she along with the Bots looked on with wide-eyed expressions as they recognised it to be a dozen sharp blades, ones that looked like javelins. "...Now die!" Morinth then continued before thrusting her hands forward, which immediately sent the biotic blades hurtling at a shocked Crosscut. He didn't even have a chance to move before the razor-sharp pieces ripped through his body, making blood spray out of the exit wounds on his back as they then impacted the wall behind him. "CROSSCUT!" Evac shouted with a horrified expression, while the Murderer simply sighed in return as she shook her head gently. "That wasn't the way I wanted to kill him, but it will have to do." she said smugly, which gained the Pilot's attention as he narrowed his eyes and glared at the Ardat-Yakshi. "You're going to die for that you Bitch!" the Pilot spat while activating his holo-blades, gaining Morinth's attention as looked back at him. "Oh, I do like 'dirty talk'…Evac, is it?" she replied as the Bot got back to his feet took a defensive stance, all the while Tolae was just starting to recover. "…okay, give me your best shot. Let's see if you can me 'feel' it." she added while mirroring Evac, which gained a shocked look from the other Asari as she looked up at the pair. "Evac…don't face her a…." she started to say as she tried to sit up, only for the Murderer to look back with an annoyed expression. "Stay out of this…." she said back before swiping her glowing right hand back at the other Ardat-Yakshi, hitting her with biotic energy that knocked her back onto the ground. "…this between me and your friend here." But while Morinth's attention was elsewhere, Evac took his chance and lunged at her with his weapons. This took the Murderer completely by surprise as the Bot sliced at her arm, drawing blood as the blade cut deep into her flesh. "Arrrgh!" she cried out, stumbling backwards while clutching at her bleeding arm. If Evac was surprised at this, he did not let it show as he followed through with a swing of his other holo-blade, making the wounded Ardat-Yakshi go on the defensive as she let go of her hurt arm and blocked the attack with a biotic shield. 'I've got to help Evac!' Tolae thought as she recovered and began to get back on her feet, for she knew that despite her friend's valiant effort that Morinth would regain the advantage. After all, she had centuries of combat experience compared to the brave Bot, who despite his valor and eagerness to protect his friends was just not correctly equipped for the fight he was in. So as the Asari slowly got back to her feet, the Pilot was still on the offensive, swinging his two holo-blades at Morinth. And she was doing all she could to just keep him at bay, using her boitics to block and deflect each attack as her energies surrounded her arms like armour. Evac then noticed that his constant attacking was weakening Morinth, as her counters were slowing down and she was breathing heavily. So he decided to end it and swung both his blades down upon the Murderer, who just brought her arms up in time to block them, with just millimetres of air between her head and the energy-constructs of the blades. But before Morinth had the chance to push back, Evac quickly kicked her in the chest and sent her falling back against the wall behind her, with the Woman slamming hard against it and making her drop her guard. "Face it, you've lost! Just accept that it's over..." he started to say as he stood over the Ardat-Yakshi, raising his right holo-blade as he glared down at her with a hateful stare. Suddenly he found himself lost for words as Morinth looked up at him with a smile, which caught him off guard. "Really? You really think so." she said back, earning a surprised look from the Bot. "What?.." he started to ask before it suddenly dawned on him what she was doing, so he thrust the blade down at the Asari. But she simply smirked back before bringing up her glowing hands, creating a biotic construct around his blade and hand, stopping it in mid-motion. "How?" the Pilot said in a confused and surprised tone, while Tolae's eyes widened as she saw this. 'I knew it.' she thought while Morinth got back to her feet while keeping both her hands clenched as her blue energies surrounded them. "I was never in any danger from you…" the Ardat-Yakshi began to say before tightening her fists, which then made a cracking sound from within Evac's hand and caused him to grimace in pain as she broke it. "Evac!" his Asari friend shouted back, but she was then surprised once more as the Bot threw thrust his other blade at the Murderer. But Morinth was too fast for that, dodging the attack before kicking down at his right knee and breaking it in one swift action. "Arrrrgh!" he cried out before falling onto his back, while his and Tolae's adversary stood over him and looked back at latter with a smile. "…as I was saying…" she started to say once more, before looking back at the Pilot who was lying on his back with a broken hand and leg. "…you never posed any danger to me, though you did give me a nice cut here." she added while gesturing to the wound on her arm, before then creating a blade from her biotic energies which appeared in her hand. "But the fun is now over, oh and Tolae…" Morinth continued, glancing back at her fellow Asari who was just about back on her feet. "…you to watch me kill someone you care about, and perhaps you will see what it truly means to be an Ardat-Yakshi." she finished before kneeling down beside the disabled Bot, holding the biotic blade over his chest. "Time to die, Cybertronian." she then said with finality to her words before thrusting the biotic blade down at Evac's chest. "NO!" Tolae then screamed as her fear and rage suddenly sent her biotics into overdrive, making her body glow extremely bright before unleashing an energy blast that hit Morinth and sent her through the wall and into the corridor behind it. "Evac!" the Asari then said in a worried and caring tone as she rushed to his side, not even looking through the hole in the wall at the Ardat-Yakshi who was slowly recovering amongst the debris around her. "Evac, you going to be alright." she said, while the Bot cradled his broken hand in his other arm and looked up at her with a firm expression. "Don't let….her… get away…" he replied in a pained tone, breathing heavily between his words. This earned a nod from her in return before she looked up to see Morinth get back to her feet and start to run, limping as she moved. So Tolae got up and gave chase, leaving Evac to lie there while he rested his broken hand on his leg and tapped his com-link with his free hand. "I need a medic…" he started to say before being cut off by the Morning Hope's alarm system activating, which blared out its siren around the ship as he turned his attention to Crosscut's body just aways from him. "I'm sorry…Crosscut." he said in a regretful tone before the pain in his hand and leg caught up with him. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, moments earlier on the other side of the Autobot ship, everything looked nice and quiet outside the Medical Bay as two crew members walked past its closed entrance. But suddenly an explosion ripped open the doors, flinging the two people against the nearby wall like rag-dolls as the alarms began blaring and the sprinkler system activated, raining water down on the fires that had erupted due to the blast. "What….the hell…was…" the man said as he slowly recovered, only to but cut off by a bullet to the head. His female companion screamed out loud as she saw his body go limp as it fell to the ground, which was when her attention turned to who had fired the shot. "Stinking Autobots!" spoke an angry voice from a man that looked an awful lot like a Terracon, until a grey-skinned Turian gained his attention while firing back into the heavily damaged Infirmary. "Inferno, we have to fall back. That alarm is going to bring more Autobots down upon us." he said, while the Destron Leader turned his attention back to his comrade and the purple Asari who were firing their rifle and biotics respectively at the Human woman and Asari, who were protected by the latter's blue energy barrier. "You leaving so soon? I thought you were here to kill us or does Vasir only want you to test us?" Myra asked back in a sarcastic tone, earning a narrowed eyed stare from Inferno in return as he took a step toward the pair. But he was suddenly stopped as the Turian turned and held his hand out at the Destron, stopping him. "No, there is no need for you to stay and get caught. We will cover your withdrawal, now go!" he said, which regained the soldier's attention as he nodded back. "Kill at least one of them, good luck." Inferno replied before making a run for it down the corridor. "We have to stop him." the Rogue Spectre then said, while she and Kat watched their adversary disappear out of view. "Yeah, so go and get him." the Human woman replied, which made the Asari look back at her lover with a concerned expression while she continued to keep the barrier up between them and the other two enemies. "You can handle the Turian, but not a biotic, Kat." she said back with a worried tone, but Kat merely smirked as she switched her pistol to her left hand while then equipping her combat knife with her right. "I can handle myself, you know that, Myra." "But…" Myra found herself replying before her Human lover cut her off. "He has to pay for all of this…" she started to say before gesturing to all the dead lying before them, including Doctor Minerva. This made Myra glance back behind them to see her Aunt still sleeping peacefully on her berth, having been protected this entire time by the younger Darby and her friend during this fight. "Okay, but I am not leaving you without at least a chance against her." the Asari replied before reaching with her free hand and touching Kat on the shoulder, which made the Human Woman gasp as she felt a sudden shock pass over her body. It felt like static electricity on her skin as she found her entire being covered in the same blue biotic energy that her lover could control at will, it had even covered both her rifle and combat knife. "Wow…" she said in return while looking down at her body, which glowed a shimmering blue. Even the Turian and his Asari partner could not help but look surprised at what had just happened before them, while Kat then looked back up to Myra, their eyes meeting as the Rogue Spectre gave her a caring look. "Kick their asses." she said with an affectionate tone, which made her lover smile back confidently. "You know I will." Myra then nodded back before turning her attention towards the two enemies, who took notice of this and readied themselves. But the Asari merely smirked back before flexing her hand in a stretched out way, which made the biotic barrier expand outwards and hit the Turian and his comrade. The former was knocked against the wall behind him, while the purple Asari was simply made to stumble a little as she had erected a similar energy field around her body just a split second before the barrier had reached her. But before anything else could be done, Myra suddenly performed a biotic charge and disappeared in a blue flash as she left the war-torn room, leaving Kat with the two Leviathan Agents. "Alright then, who's first?" the Human Woman said as she pointed her rifle at the pair while holding her knife in a defensive pose, earning unsure looks from the enemies before they then attacked her. The Asari fired a biotic blast at Kat from her glowing fists which made the Human dive out of the way, going into a forward roll as the energy projectile exploded harmlessly against the wall. But just as she came out of the roll, ending up in a kneeling position, Kat's eyes widened as she noticed that the Turian had kept his aim on her the entire time, making him smirk as he began tightening his finger around the weapon's trigger. "Nice try…" he started to say before then emptying his gun's clip and sending a barrage of bullets at the Human, which made her close her eyes and exhale as she waited for death to take her. Suddenly she felt the bullets impact harmlessly against the biotic energy that encompassed her being, making her open her eyes and look down at the flattened bullets lying at her feet. 'Okay, that is cool.' she thought before then instinctively firing her rifle back at the enemy, making him dive out of the way as the glowing blue bullets hit the area behind him. Kat then kept her finger on the trigger and turned her weapon in the direction of the Asari, who created another barrier between herself and the Human. But the purple-skinned Woman suddenly gasped in shock before looking down at her armoured torso at what looked like three bullet holes, which gained a confused expression as she placed her left hand over them. Both Kat and the Turian both watched with curious looks as the Asari then pulled her hand back to reveal that it was soaked with her blood, making the enemy's eyes widen more before turning her attention back to the Human Woman as her biotic barrier faded away. Then the Asari fell to her knees as blood began to pour from her wounds, which made the Turian hold his hand up to her. "No!" he shouted as his comrade's body fell to the ground, while Kat looked back at her rifle. 'Myra charged my bullets with biotic energy too.' she thought before her attention was caught by the Turian looking back at her with a hateful stare. "You are going to pay for that." he said with a poisonous tone before activating his holo-blade on one hand, while dropping his gun from his other. Kat followed his lead, throwing her rifle aside before switching her glowing combat knife to that hand as she took a defensive stance. But just as she did that, the grey-skinned Turian charged at her and swung his holo-blade at her. This made the Human Woman dodge the attack and counter, which gained a similar reaction from her enemy as he stepped to the side as the blue-lit blade narrowly missed his body. So he then followed through with a thrust of his melee weapon, cutting through the air as it moved for Kat's stomach. But she brought her combat knife down and sliced through the holo-blade, it's biotic energy cancelling out the glowing orange as she then grabbed the adversary's arm with her right hand. The Turian's eyes widened as the Female Soldier then while holding on to his arm, moved under it and twisted it behind his back before stabbing him in the chest with her combat knife. "Wha…." he managed to say as Kat held the blade deep in his chest before his eyes then closed and his body became limp. So she then dropped his corpse to the floor and looked down at her free hand and combat knife, which slowly went back to normal as the biotic energy dissipated. 'Doesn't last forever then.' she thought before tapping her com-link, turning her attention back to the matter at hand. "Vraz, this is Kat. Please respond?" she said, before the familiar voice of the Morning Hope's Commander spoke back. "Kat, what the hell's going on down there?" "We are under attack by Leviathan Agents masquerading as Autobots. Please send troops and a medical team to this location." "Will do and I am also locking down the ship, but what about Myra?" the Commander replied. "Myra will be fine, just tell your men to stay out of her way." Kat said back before deactivating her com-link and looking back at the unconscious Ser-Ket, a slight smile appearing on her face. "Don't worry, I will stay with you until the medics get here." she said before picking up her rifle and reloading it, dropping the empty shells to the ground as she then stood beside the comatose patient and waited for help to arrive. PRIME EFFECT 5 As the alarms blared all over the ship, Inferno bolted down one of it's corridors as he made his way back to the shuttle bay. He turned a corner and came upon a group of Autobots and by the looks of them, had been ordered to patrol the area. "Halt or we will kill you where you stand!" one called out as the rest of the group aimed their rifles at the Destron Leader, who ignored them and looked back down the corridor he had just run through. 'No sign of that Asari Bitch...yet.' he thought before turning his attention back to the Autobots, with their guns trained on him. "Drop your weapon." the lead Bot said along with a gesture, which made Inferno glance down at his rifle. "You mean this?..." he began to say with a smirk, which earned confused looks from the soldiers. "...okay." he added before then opening fire on the enemies, tearing through the group with a hailstorm of bullets. "Stupid Autobots." he then said with a slither of satisfaction in his voice as their bodies fell to the ground in a heal before him, before the Destron tapped his com-link as he continued past them. "Is the shuttle still secure, we are going to need to leave very soon?" he asked. "The entire ship has gone into lock-down, but we have managed to keep this shuttle-bay free from the protocol so far, though there is no guarantee that it will stay that way for long." one of the Leviathan Agents spoke back, gaining a nod from Inferno in return. "Just be ready, I will be there shortly..." he began to say before going quiet. "Sir, what about Morinth? Sir, Sir?" the Agent replied with a more heightened tone, but the Destron Leader had already come to yet another stop. A surprised expression appeared on his face as he came face to face with four Terracons that he had not expected, with them looking back in a mirrored way. "Sharptooth, that's Inferno!" the yellow and light blue armoured Bot, gaining a nod back from the Leader as his eyes narrowed in return while the Femme in the light and dark blue armour sniffed at the air. "Yeah, that's the traitor alright...I can smell Ser-Ket's scent coming from him." This made the Destron Leader grit his teeth and activate his beast-mode, making his body alter itself and become more feral. "Get out of my way!" he spat, showing his sharp teeth whilst doing so. "I don't think so, Dinobots maximize!" Sharptooth then roared before activating his own beast-mode, with the others doing the same. "You think the four of you stand a chance against me? You never had one in the past, what do you think has changed?" Inferno asked, which gained what looked like a smirk from Sharptooth in return. "No...just her!" the Dinobot Leader replied as he pointed behind the rogue-Terracon, making him turn around just in time to see an Asari appear at the far side of the corridor from him. 'Shit, it's Darby!' he thought before looking back at the Autobots, who all readied themselves for a fight. "Alright, let's do this." he growled while gritting his teeth, before launching himself at the group with his claws bared. This made Sharptooth, Slash, Strafe and Scorn all dive out of the way as the Destron Leader landed between them and smashed his fist into the deck, crushing the floor panel beneath him. But before he had a chance to recover, Scorn roared and slashed at the Con's back. This gained a loud hiss of pain from Inferno who quickly turned around and backhanded the Dinobot in the face, knocking him to the ground. Slash then charged in and swing his clawed hands at the enemy, hoping to get his attention as the Destron loomed over his teammate. But Inferno suddenly spun around and caught both the Bot's hands in his own, which made the enemy smile as he looked at the surprised Slash. "I think not." he said before pulling the Bot into the air and swinging him into Sharptooth, knocking them both against the nearby wall. "Ugh!" they both grunted before falling back to the ground, which just made Inferno's smile even wider as he looked down at them. "You bring shame to the Dinobot name, I always knew Ser-Ket had bad taste." he gloated before noticing that Myra was almost on top of him, but just as he was then getting ready to face the Rogue Spectre, someone else caught his attention. "It's not over yet!" Strafe cried out before launching herself at the Destron Leader, activating her jetpack to give her extra power. "Strafe….No!" the Asari shouted, but the Dinobot-Femme had already collided with her enemy and digging her claws in his sides, gaining another grimace from him as she carried him through the air to the other side of the corridor, smashing them both into the wall of a T-junction. "Errrgh." the Femme spluttered as she tried to get back to her feet, but Inferno was already back on his and grabbed her by the throat and pulled the Dinobot into the air before ripping some parts out of her jetpack. "That hurt…" he said with an annoyed tone while looking at Strafe, before noticing Myra and the other members of the Terracon Team recovered and heading his way. "Hey, Sharptooth…..catch!" Inferno then shouted before hurling the Femme at the group, gaining shocked looks from them all. But Myra reached out with her hand, which began to glow as her biotics then surrounded Strafe and brought her momentum to a standstill. "Thanks." the Femme replied with an appreciative tone as the Asari then gently let go and allowed the Dinobot to land on her feet beside her. "Your welcome…" the young Darby began to say, before turning her attention to Sharptooth and the others. "...I'll handle Inferno." This gained a nod from the Dinobot Leader who then stepped back from Myra, with the Asari looking back at Inferno who was about to run again. "Oh no you don't!" she said before waving her left glowing-hand in front of her, which suddenly fixed the Destron to where he stood as biotic energy pinned his feet to the floor. "What the….!" he spat, gaining a smirk from the Darby in return. "Your mine." she said with finality to her words before performing a biotic charge, slamming into Inferno while his attention was elsewhere. At the same time, his feet were released and so the force of Myra's hit sent him back into the wall and created a large dent where he hit it. "That's got to hurt." Sharptooth joked as he and the other Dinobots joined the Asari as she stood over Inferno, with the latter staring down at the defeated Destron Leader. "Inferno, you are not going anywhere. Because you are going to pay for the part you played in what happened to my Aunt." she said in a stern tone, which earned a smile from Inferno as he looked up at her. "Ser-Ket got what was coming to her, I just wish I could have finished the job." he replied with a poisonous sting to his voice, which made the Rogue Spectre clench her first so tight that the biotic energy that began surrounding it began to glow very brightly. "Speak again and I will do more than dislodge a couple of your ribs, I swear I will." she said back, which just made Inferno sigh in return. "You promise…" This made the blue-skinned Woman grit her teeth and raise her glowing fist in the air, readying to strike her enemy where he sat. But suddenly she and the Dinobots were suddenly hit by the corridor-wide biotic blast, knocking them all to the ground and gaining a surprised look from Destron Leader as he looked in the direction that the attack had come from. "Can't be?" he said with a disbelieving tone as he looked upon Morinth who stood just aways from him, looking a little worse for wear herself. "What are you waiting for, run!" she spat, gaining a surprised nod from Inferno before he climbed to his feet and ran in the opposite direction towards the tertiary shuttle-bay. The Ardat-Yakshi then performed a biotic charge and sped past Myra and the Dinobots as they recovered, but the young Darby was the first to get back to her feet and spotted the blue blur as it passed her. 'Morinth!' she thought before giving chase, just as Sharptooth recovered and looked over to her. "Myra, wait up!" he shouted as his teammates got onto their feet, but the Asari was already on her way. Back in the shuttle-bay, the two other Leviathan Agents were already aboard the shuttle and warming it's engines as Inferno entered the large room and ran towards the shuttle. "Get us in the air!" he spat as he climbed into the hatch, making the two soldiers almost jump out of their seats before nodding back and began interacting with their holo-interfaces. This made the engines fire as the shuttle left the ground and began turning around, just as Morinth entered the area. "Hey, wait for me!" she shouted, but Inferno merely smirked and gave her a wave before closing the hatch, making the Ardat-Yakshi's eyes widen in shock as she watched the shuttle then fly through the force-field separating the ship from the void outside and out of the Morning Hope, before disappearing out of sight. 'That bastard left me, I should've left him to die.' she thought before her attention was caught by the sound of footsteps getting closer, so the Asari turned back to the door and readied herself for battle, making her entire body glow with biotic energy. 'If I am going down, I am going to take as many of those fuckers with me!' Suddenly, Myra ran through the doorway, only to come to a stop as she was surprised by what was waiting for her. For there was no shuttle in here or Inferno, only a glowing Morinth who was staring back at her with a hateful look. 'She has been left behind!' the young Darby quickly thought, before her attention was caught by the other Asari. "Come on then you Bitch!" the Ardat-Yakshi then spat with her venomous tongue as she charged at the Rogue Spectre, who took up a defensive stance and prepared to face her enemy.
  8. CHAPTER XV Commander Vras entered the CIC of the Morning Hope, before looking around at the bridge-crew who all stood ready at their stations. "Is everyone on board?" he asked to the dark-haired Femme to his left, gaining a nod from her in return. "Yes, Commander. Airlocks are sealed and we are ready to get under way." "Very well. Communications, inform Unity-Control that we are about to leave, I am certain they will be glad to hear that..." the Commander then said, before looking ahead at the Turian manning the terminal at the front of the room in front of the large holo-screen. "...Helm, clear all moorings and engage aft-thrusters." he added while walking over to the Captain's chair, which was located in the center of the large oval-shaped room and sat down in it. "Moorings cleared, engaging thrusters." the Pilot replied, while the Blonde Bot at Communications looked over at the Commander. "Unity-Control acknowledges, but that is all that they will say." This earned an annoyed look from the Autobot-Leader as he shook his head in return, before looking back ahead. "Very well, let's not waste any more time here then. Helm, take us out." he replied, earning a nod from the Turian-male as he typed on his holo-interface. "Yes sir, here we go." he replied as the Cruiser pulled away from the station's outer-docking section, before firing it's main engines and headed away at full sub-light as it left Unity in its wake. "Once we pass out of the System's edge, plot a Space-bridge jump to the Seventh Fleet's location in the Exodus Cluster." Vraz then added to the Pilot, who nodded again before the Commander just sat back in his chair and watches his crew work around him as the Morning Hope continued to fly away from Unity as it ventured out of the system. Meanwhile, in the tertiary shuttle-bay, Morinth and Inferno exited their vessel to find a group of Autobot soldiers waiting for them. But this group was made up of a Grey-skinned Turian-male, a Volus, a Krogan, and a purple-skinned Asari. "So this is the team Vasir said would back us up? Only four people?" the Ardat-Yakshi stated with an unimpressed tone, which made the other Asari step forward. "We have been working as double-Agents for Leviathan for a long time, with myself being the longest at four hundred years. You're not going to find anyone with more insider knowledge and expertise than us, and we aren't exactly thrilled to be working with you...Morinth." she said back in a hostile tone, before turning her attention to the Destron. "But you Commander Inferno, we await your command." she added, gaining nods from the others in quick succession. "Very good, now do you know where the targets are at this moment?" he replied with a smirk, as he could feel the annoyance and anger rippling from his Partner while she stood beside him. But he and the others continued to ignore the Ardat-Yakshi, with the Turian activating his holo-tool and bringing up a map for them all to see. "Currently Myra Darby and Katrina Mason are currently in the Medical-Bay with Commander Ser-Ket..." he started to say, making Inferno's eyes widen in surprise. "Ser-Ket still lives?" "Yes, Sir. The Commander is in a coma though her condition is stable." the Turian replied with a nod, which brought a smile to his face. "Good, so we can take out the Asari, her Aunt, and her Human friend in one go. What about the others?" he asked, which made the Turian look back at his holo-tool. "The Bots called Crosscut and Evac are with the Asari known as Tolae in the ship's Rec-room, along with thirty or so of the crew." "Really don't feel like fighting through this Autobot crew just to kill our targets…" Inferno began to say as a thoughtful look appeared on his face as he went quiet for a moment, which earned curious looks from the rest of the team other than Morinth, who just stood there with a bored expression. "…Okay, you and you with me..." Inferno then said as he pointed at both the Asari and Turian, who both nodded in return. "...and our targets are those in the Medical-bay." he added before looking over at Morinth and the other two Agents. "Morinth, you will take the other Agents and find a way to take out the remainder of Darby's crew." This immediately gained a disgusted reaction from the Ardat-Yakshi, before she began to leave the shuttle bay whilst shaking her head. "I don't need any help to deal with Darby's friends, keep your friends with you." she said back with a venomous tone, which just brought a smirk to the Destron Leader's face as he turned back to the others and ignored Morinth as she walked out of the room. "Okay, you two stay here and keep a watch on our shuttle, because we will need a fast exit ready and waiting for us once our mission is complete." he said. "Yes sir." both said in unison, before taking positions on either side of the shuttle while Inferno looked back at both the Turian and Asari. "Let's go." "Wait. You should know before we head out into the rest of the ship that we have made alterations to the internal security system." the purple-skinned Woman then said, gaining the Con's attention. "What kind of alterations?" "The internal sensors would usually recognize you and alert the rest of the crew to your presence, especially in Morinth's case. But we have wiped hers and your records from the Morning Hope's databanks, replacing it with temporary programming which will instead read you as standard crewmen." the Turian added, which made the Destron Leader smirk back as he gestured to the doorway. "Very good, now let's get moving. Darby isn't going to get herself killed…not without our help." PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, Myra and Kat were in the Medical-bay, standing beside the Asari's comatose Aunt who was lying on the berth in front of them, hooked up to several machines. The young Darby looked down at the sleeping Ser-Ket with a worried expression, which did not go unnoticed by her lover who took the blue Woman's hand in her own and gently squeezed it. "Your Aunt's going to be fine Myra, she has the best care and she is a fighter." she said in a caring and supportive tone, which brought an appreciative smile to the Rogue Spectre's face in return. "I know, Kat, but as I look down at my Aunt now…" she began to reply while turning back to Ser-Ket, the smile disappearing as quickly as it appeared as her eyes fell upon her Aunt's still form. "…I can't help but feel I am cursed in some way." she replied with a guilt-tinged tone, one that made her lover look back with a worried expression. "Myra, you really need to stop blaming yourself like this. Because what happened to your Mother, to John…and now Ser-Ket were in no way you're fault…" she started to say, making the Asari look back at her. "…they were Vasir's fault and hers alone. Don't burden yourself with something that is not yours to bear, because it will only continue to eat away at your heart…" the Human Woman continued as she looked into her lover's blue eyes, which were just as focused on her own. "…and that means Vasir will win once again." "I know what you're saying, Kat, really I do. But what if something happens to you, I don't think I could..." the young Darby began to say as her eyes began to well up and her voice started to shake as her growing grief threatened to overcome her, which Kat recognized instantly, pulling the Asari into an embrace in response. "It's alright, I am here with you and that is not going to change..." she said back in a caring and supportive tone while holding her lover close to her, feeling every inhale and exhale of Myra's breath as she slowly started to calm down. "I'm sorry, I thought...that I...had a handle...on this." the young Darby began to say between breaths, her voice still shaky as she felt herself on the abyss, with only Kat there to hold her in place as she rested her head on her lover's shoulder. "Myra, you buried all of this grief and misplaced guilt within yourself for how long now, covering it with your growing anger as your hatred for Vasir drove you forward. But that alone could never be enough to keep you going forever, as I can see now..." she continued to say as the Asari just stood there in the Human's arms and listened, her eyes bordering between not crying and just letting go. "...but you have me now and if it will help, then let yourself go. I will not hold it against you as I know that everyone needs to...once in a while, I will just continue to hold you close...never letting go." Kat finished which made a tear run down Myra's cheek before she just started to crying openly, embracing her Human-lover even more as she let two hundred years of pent-up grief and anguish go in one long cry. Kat though just held the Rogue Spectre in her arms, running her left hand down the back of of the Asari's head in a soft and caring fashion. This went on for a minute or so as the young Darby sobbed into the shoulder of her lover, while her comatose Aunt slept quietly next to them. "Kat..." Myra then said in a soft and less shaky tone, breaking the silence that had hung around the pair in that room. "Yes, Myra?" the Human said back as she held her lover, feeling the Asari's breathing calming down on her chest. "...thank you." "You're more than welcome." Kat replied with a smile while they remained in the embrace, as a more comfortable silence descended around them. "Well now..." an unknown male voice then spoke out from the doorway, making the pair look over to see a Caucasian Man, a Turian and a purple-Asari standing there and looking back at them. "...isn't that an interesting sight?" he added as the two women separated, staring at the new arrivals with mirroring looks of confusion. "Who are you?" Kat asked, whilst Myra wiped the last remaining tears from her face. "Yes, what she said." she added as she finished and looked at the trio, taking note that they were carrying weapons. This made the unknown Man glance either side of him, gaining a nod from both his companions before the Turian raised his weapon and the Asari powered up her biotics, which they then aimed at the Human Woman and Rogue Spectre, gaining shocked looks from the pair. "We are 'friends' of Commander Ser-Ket and are here to ensure that she dies today...alongside the two of you of course..." he added while equipping and arming his own weapon. "...for the glory of Leviathan." This made Myra and Kat both narrow their eyes at the enemies as they stood between them and her sleeping Aunt. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, Evac, Tolae, and Crosscut were sitting at a table in the Morning Hope's rec-room having a drink, while members of the Autobot crew sat around them in their own groups. "Crosscut, what is it?" the Pilot asked as he and his Asari friend noticed the other Bot looking over at the multi-alien crew sitting around them, a puzzled expression on his face. "I was just wondering since the ISF decided to cut ties with the Autobots, then how come they are still a number of alien crew-members like the Turian, Asari, and Salarians that we have seen on this ship?" "Well I spoke to one or two of them earlier and it appears that they personally do not agree with what their own Governments have chosen to do, choosing instead to continue working in the Autobot ranks." the Ardat-Yakshi replied, gaining a nod from Evac in return. "That makes sense, I mean it's not like us Cybertronians have been living up to the bad name that the ISF Senate has labeled us with." Crosscut gave a slight smirk to that line while looking past his friends to the table behind them where two Turians and an Asari were sitting. "It's good to know that not all the galaxy has bought into the crap that the Senate has been selling, that there are still good people out there." he added before his face became thoughtful which gained a curious look from Tolae. "I'm sensing a 'but' coming this way." she replied with an inquisitive tone, which made the Bot nod slightly. "I can't help but think that back to what Myra said about Leviathan, that they have played a part in turning the Galaxy against the Autobots. Surely that means that there could be those amongst it's ranks, working secretly against our kind's interests, possibly helping Leviathan." This brought mirroring expressions from both Evac and his Asari friend as they listened to Crosscut, who glanced around the room one more time before returning his attention to the pair. "I guess, though it's a bit of a morbid way of thinking about those around you." Tolae replied while looking slightly taken aback by his comment, which earned a regretful look from Crosscut. "Sorry, Tolae, I didn't mean that we shouldn't trust anyone who isn't Cybertronian or Human. It's just that everyone in the galaxy is against us now, Myra said that even members of the Senate have sided with Leviathan. That doesn't leave us with a lot of allies does it." the Bot said back, which made Evac place his hand on the Ardat-Yakshi's in a supportive and caring gesture as he looked over at his friend. "That's true, which makes it a victory for us that there are those that still want to fight at our side, and not following the questionable actions that their own Governments make." This brought a slight smile to Tolae's face as she looked over at the Bot, who could not help but mirror her expression as he stared back. This made Crosscut feel a little awkward as he noticed the pair's behavior, even taking note that the Asari was softly stroking the other Bot's hand with her thumb. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply..." he started to say back in an apologetic tone, only for the pair to look back at him. "It's alright, I know you didn't mean it in that way, Crosscut. It's just once you start questioning those around you, how long until you no longer see your friends and only enemies." Tolae replied with an understanding tone, which gained an embarrassing smile from the Bot in return. "Thanks, Tolae, I hope..." he started to say back, before a blond-haired Caucasian Femme suddenly stopped at their table. "Hello, can we help you?" Evac asked with a puzzled look, while the newcomer stood there and looked at them all with a blank expression. "I am sorry to bother you, but I need help with the terminal in my office. It isn't working as it should be." she asked, which made Tolae narrow her eyes slightly. "Don't you have technicians who can make repairs like that for you?" "Yes there are, but I have been unable to get in contact with them. Please come and help me?" she said back with a monotone-like voice, which gained unsure looks from both the Asari and the Pilot. "Well...the latter started to say before Crosscut suddenly cut him off as he got up from his seat. "Don't worry, I can deal with this." he said while joining the Femme's side, which made his friends just stare back in confusion. "Wait, you're going?" Evac said back, gaining a knowing look from the other Bot in return. "I won't be long, should be an easy fix..." he started to say while giving the pair a telling wink. "...so you two should just stay here and talk, I'll be back." This made the Pilot nod back before his friend waved and left the room with the Femme, earning bemused looks from Evac and Tolae. "Were we making him feel uncomfortable?" the Asari asked with a curious tone. "We must have been, though I can't see why. We are just friends, after all, right?" the Bot said back in a similar tone, gaining a worried look from the blue Woman, which he noticed instantly. 'Oh boy, did I just put my foot in it again?' he thought before taking a deep breath and then exhaling while Tolae watched. "What did I do?" he asked with a slightly confused tone, which made his friend look away for a moment. "I can't help but get the feeling that you are upset with me...about when we almost kissed." she said, which made the Bot's eyes widen in response. "Wow, you just come out and say it." he replied in a surprised and taken aback tone, which made the Asari look back in with a similar expression. "Well, I don't know how else to talk about it, since social skills were not exactly a necessary requirement at the Monastery. So all I can do is just come out and say it as it is, and if that is a problem for you..." she then started to say with a slightly hostile touch to her voice, which made Evac raises his hands up in a submissive gesture as he cut her off mid-sentence. "No, it's certainly not a problem for me..." he began to say in a more calm and supportive tone, which made Tolae just watch and listen in return. "...in fact, it's refreshing for me to see that quality in a woman since most I have met in my life are not so upfront." the Pilot added, which made his friend look back with a curious expression. "Do you mean Myra?" she asked, gaining a nod from him. "Well, Myra is a prime example of that, yeah." "Do you 'like' her?" the Ardat-yakshi then asked, which brought a surprised look from the Bot. "Well as a friend, yes. But not in any other way, since the only person I am interested in is sitting directly in front of me." he replied with an honest expression, which caught Tolae off guard. "...What?" "Yeah, I just said it. I can be upfront too, just like you." Evac then added, which brought a slight smile to his friend's face that she could not help. "...I, I don't know what to..." the Asari began To say in return, but the Bot cut her off as he places his left hand on top of her right in a supportive and caring gesture. "You don't need to say anything, for I know you feel the same way about me..." he began to say, keeping Tolae's attention on him as her eyes remained fixed on his own. "...as I felt that back in the Eudora's cockpit, during our trip through the nebula." the Pilot continued, making the Ardat-Yakshi nod back in agreement as she listened to his words. "But that doesn't mean that I was not hurt in some way by you calling our almost kiss a 'mistake' because that is certainly not what I would have called it." This though, made Tolae look down at the table. As though she could no longer look Evac in the eyes as a guilty expression appeared on her face. "Evac, I would never intentionally say something to hurt you, and for that, I am sorry. But you must understand, this..." she then began to say l, whilst gesturing between them with her hands. "...this cannot go any further, because if it did. If we crossed that line, then it can only end with me killing you...and I could not bear that...not again." Tolae added as her eyes slowly began to well up, which earned a pained expression from the Bot, having noticed this as she looked back at him. "I am sorry Tolae, but there is something I want to say. Because since our last talk and 'that moment', I decided to do some research." Evac replied as he then quickly activated his holo-tool, bringing up the image of several articles that caught the Asari's attention. "I know that Ardat-Yakshi kill because their nervous system dominates and overpowers their respective partners, which is completely opposite of what should happen when an Asari joins with them..." As the Pilot spoke, Tolae found herself staring between him and the articles with an inquisitive look. 'He certainly has done his homework, and it is all for...me.' she thought as he continued. "...so what would happen if you just didn't do that, just didn't join your minds and nervous systems?" This made the Ardat-Yakshi gently shake her head in return, which earned a confused look from the Bot. "Do you realize how hard that would be, because the act of 'bonding' is the most natural act for an Asari to share with someone their care 'deeply' about..." she began to say, with the last few words standing out to Evac. 'She cares deeply about me, the feeling is mutual.' he thought as she carried on speaking. ...and it's not something we can just stop, especially since it is a part of how we reproduce. Do you really wish to risk your life on whether I could hold myself back?" the Asari then asked with a questioning look, earning a knowing expression from him in return. "The way I live my life has me risking it every single day, and I can tell you in all honesty, that we could both die tomorrow in battle. And it would pain me more if that happened and I knew that we had wasted a chance to see where 'this' could lead first..." he added while pointing between the two of them, all just as Tolae listened intently to his words. "...and I think that would be the biggest tragedy of all. So yes, I am more than willing to risk my life on you...because I trust you." he then said, which made the Ardat-Yakshi's eyes widen as she heard him say that last part. '...I trust you.' she thought as his words repeated in her mind, making her feel that warm glow in her heart once more as she looked down to see his hand still holding onto her own gently. "...I..." she started to stammer as shyness suddenly came over her, while a slight smile appeared on the Bot's face as he noticed her cheeks reddening a little. "I know you would not do anything to harm me Tolae, hell you have saved my life once already. Isn't that proof enough that we could make 'this' work? Isn't it worth a shot?" he asked, which brought a thoughtful look to the Asari's face. "I...I need to think about this, please...give me some time to think this over?" she then replied, which made the Pilot nod back. "That's okay, take as much time as you need." he said back, before looking toward the exit that Crosscut had left a few minutes earlier. "What is it?" Tolae then asked, noticing the concerned look on her friend's face. "I can't help but feel that Crosscut should be back by now, it wouldn't take him this long to fix that woman's Terminal." he replied, earning a nod from the Ardat-Yakshi in return. "He even said as much himself, didn't he." "I think we should go check on him, just to be sure." Evac then said as he stood up and pushed his seat under the table, making the Asari do the same as she looked back with a confused look. "Why are you worried, we are on an Autobot ship after all?" "I don't know, but wasn't that Woman acting a little 'iffy'?" the Bot said back, which made Tolae shrug her shoulders. "I..I guess so, I just thought it was because of the stress." she replied, whilst the Pilot activated his holo-tool. "Well, either way, I just want to see that he is alright and we can do so with this." he said back while gesturing to the orange holo-device around his right forearm. "You're tracking him?" the Asari asked, gaining a nod from him. "The whole team has a tracking beacon programmed into their holo-tools, I even put one in yours while you were on board the Eudora. Just to make sure you were you safe, but anyway he is this way, so let's go." This brought a smile to the Woman's face as she then followed the Bot of out of the Rec-room, taking the exit that their friend had used earlier. The pair did not have to walk very far as they traversed one of many similar-looking corridors that made up in the interior of the Morning Hope, coming to a half-opened door that stopped Evac in mid-sentence. "Once we know Crosscut is alright, we could..." Evac began to say before his eyes fell upon the sight in front of him and Tolae. "Okay, that looks kind of ominous." she said as the Bot looked at his holo-tool's interface, which brought a worried look to his face. "And it gets worse..." he started to reply, gaining his friend's attention as she looked over to him with a similar expression. "...as Crosscut's beacon is coming from in there." he added before deactivating his device taking the hold of the door with both hands, preparing himself to push the door open fully. But just as the Bot was about to begin, the door was suddenly enveloped in blue energy which made him let go and look to his Asari friend who had raised her right glowing hand towards it. "Allow me." she said before moving the hand to the right, which made the door slide completely open and grant them entry. "Thanks. Now I know who to call when I need help opening the pickle jars." Evac then replied in a joking yet appreciative tone, gaining a confused smile from Tolae in return. "Pickle Jars?" "I'll tell you later, come on." he gestured as the pair then walked through the doorway, finding themselves in a dimly lit room. "Okay, this isn't making me feel any better." the Bot said as he looked around the room while its lights flickered on and off, which made it difficult to see the interior they were standing in. "I think I can help with that too." the Asari replied before clenching her right hand into a fist, making glow with biotic energy as she held it up in the air, making the darkness retreat into the corners of the room. But what the light revealed made the pair's eyes widen in shock, for the Woman that had come to their table for help was lying on the ground before them. "What in the Allspark?" Evac said aloud before he knelt beside her and checked for a pulse while Tolae looked around the room and saw that it looked like a war had been fought in there, as the furniture was all over the place and some of it was broken. "Damn it. She's dead." the Pilot then said, regaining the Ardat-Yakshi's attention as he took his hand away from the dead woman's neck and stood back up. "We should call this in." his friend then said in a worried tone as she reached up to her com-link, earning a nod from the Bot before his attention was caught by a slither of light coming out of a gap in the door which was further into the room. "This is Tolae, can anyone hear me?" the Blue Woman then said as she tapped her com-link, only to hear static in return. "I can't reach anyone..." she began to say before being cut off by the sound of the door at the entrance suddenly closing, which made the pair turn back to it just in time to see a blue energy fade away around the door, which looked eerily similar to how Tolae had opened it earlier. "What?" The Pilot then asked with a confused tone, before another female voice spoke. "Of course you can't reach anyone..." This made both the Bot and Asari turn around to see the lights activate and brighten up the room, almost blinding them as they squinted their eyes in an attempt to adapt. "...since I have erected a damping field around this room." the voice continued to say as the pair noticed two figures walk into the room at the door at the far side, abet blurred due to their recovering vision. "Who's there? Who said that?" Tolae asked, which gained a chuckle from the unidentified Female. "You know who I am, Tolae, I doubt you could forget me that easily." This made the Asari's eyes widen as the blurred figure came back into focus, revealing the new arrival to be another Asari who was now recognizable. "It's you..." Tolae began to say in a surprised voice, though her words were tinged with a building anger, which made the other Woman's smile widen more. "...Morinth!" "Yes, it's me." the murderous Ardat-Yakshi replied, while Evac's eyes fell upon his friend standing next to her in a trance-like state. "Crosscut! What have you done to him?" the Bot spat back in a worried tone, which made Morinth look at him with a devious smirk. "Well...nothing yet, I had to wait for you two to get here. But now that we are all together, the party can finally start." she replied in a cryptic tone, gaining angry stares from the pair. "What do you want, Morinth?" Tolae than asked as she slowly clenched her hands into fists, while the Bot did began to reach down to his holstered pistol at a similar pace. "To kill you all of course, why else would I be here." the Ardat-Yakshi replied in a bemused manner, before noticing the pair's actions and so raising her left hand up for the pair to see, with it in cup-holding gesture and glowing with biotic energy. "Not so fast, or else I snap your friend's neck earlier than planned." she then spat, as what looked like a collar made of biotic energy suddenly appeared around the hypnotized Crosscut's neck, making him choke a little. "Crosscut!" Evac replied in a concerned tone as both he and Tolae in their tracks, making Morinth stare back with a dark smile. "That's better, now there is a game I want to play with you and it's called...who wants to die first?"
  9. CHAPTER XIV It was still early when Myra woke up, finding herself lying on the bed in her room at the Autobot-base on Unity Station, with the Asari looking around the dimly lit room to find that she was the only one there. 'Oh yeah, I remember Kat went to her room not long after we...' she thought before being reminded of what happened between them that night, which brought a half-smile to the Rogue Spectre's face. 'I can't believe I let 'that' happen, especially since we were only supposed to view my memories. But then again, it did...feel right.' she thought while looking over to the window, making her smile widen as a warm feeling built up in her heart, for Myra did harbour a very strong affection for Kat, more than she had initially realised and the fact that they had both showed it in the way they did, made the Asari feel happier than she had felt in an extremely long time. But even though the memory of what the pair had shared the previous night warmed her heart, there was still a lingering feeling which made her smile fade somewhat. For Myra knew that she still had unfinished business, something that had to take precedence before the Asari could even begin to think about anything else. So she sat up and tapped her com-link. "Kat, are you there?" the Rogue Spectre asked in a soft voice, before waiting in silence for a reply. But the young Darby did not have to wait long as a familiar voice spoke up, which made her smile widen some more. "Yeah, I am here, Myra." she replied, though with a tired-like tone. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." the Asari said back in an apologetic manner. "Don't be silly, I was already awake…" Kat began to reply coyly, which earned a happy sigh from Myra. "...and I was thinking about you." she continued, which the Rogue Spectre could not help but smile at as she listened before looking at the time on her holo-tool. "I see..." she said in a coy-like tone, whilst staring down at the orange interface. "And since you're already up, I thought we might be able to talk as we still have some time before Yikrah is supposed to call for all for us." "Alright, I will be round in a moment." Kat replied, before ending the link on her end, earning a sigh from Myra as her smile diminished once more, turning her attention to the door to her room. 'I wonder how she is going to take what I have to say?' the Asari thought as she waited for her door to chime, which happened in just a moment. So the Rogue Spectre got off her bed and walked over to the control panel beside it and opened the door, revealing the Human Woman who smiled back as their eyes met. "Morning." Kat said, earning a nod from the Asari who smiled back while gesturing for her to enter. "Hi." Myra replied as her friend walked through the door and passed her into the room, before stopping at the window again which immediately reminded the Asari of the previous night. "So we are going to have 'the talk' now, right?" Kat then asked as she turned and looked at the blue Woman, gaining a surprised look from her in return. "Well, yes...but how do you?" she started to ask, only for the Human Woman to cut her off. "Because we agreed to hold the talk until we had a restful sleep, as we were both kind of tired from everything we went through at the Leviathan Base let alone our 'eventful melding' last night." Kat answered with a knowing smile, which made Myra nod back. "Yes, eventful is one way of putting it." she replied with a mirrored smile, which earned a caring expression from the Human woman in return. "You should do that more often..." she began to say in a sort of cryptic tone, gaining a confused look from the Rogue Spectre. "What do you mean?" "Smile, you should smile more." Kat then replied, making the young Darby blush a little. 'Myra's just too cute.' the Human thought as her own cheeks reddened in response to her friend. "Okay, so I will go first…" the Asari then said while sitting down on the edge of the bed, gaining a curious look from her lover. "That doesn't sound too ominous." Kat replied as she sat down beside her, which made the Rogue Spectre look over to her with a knowing look. "I want you to know that I do not regret what we did last night, not for one moment." "Well, what did we do exactly? Because I thought we were just sharing memories…" the Human Woman asked back, which made Myra look back at her as she continued. "…I mean, I too don't regret what we shared, but perhaps you can explain it to me?" This made the Asari smile back slightly at her friend's curiosity, taking the Woman's hand in her own. "You are right, we were supposed to simply share memories through the melding of our minds. But like I told you doing the meld about wanting to be more than friends with you, but holding myself from pursuing it due to…" she started to say before stopping, which made Kat take over. "You mean because of the guilt you were feeling." "…That's right, but then when I saw your ancestry…" Myra began to say, which brought a knowing smile to her lover's face. "Yeah, that was a shock for both of us." she replied, earning a nod from the Asari. "…I simply let my instincts take over, I guess we both did, didn't we." she said, whilst stroking the top of Kat's hand with her thumb. "I know, I mean I confessed to you that I wanted you. So when you kissed me like that, I just let myself go with it…..and it was a really good kiss." the Human woman replied coyly, which made Myra blush a little more. "It was good for me too." "But we were making love while we were in the meld, right? Because that is something else I will never forget." Kat asked, making Myra nod back with an affectionate smile. "Yes, what we experienced was the two of us...becoming 'bond-mates'. It's something that happens very rarely between Asari and their partners who decide to join each other through something other than love-making, which is why it was only experienced in the mind." she explained, earning an understanding expression from the Human in return. "I see, so you're saying we are now a...couple?" "Yes, that would be the correct description..." Myra then replied as her smile faded a little, which did not go unnoticed by Kat. "Why do I feel that a 'but' is about to come in?" she asked with a slightly worried expression. "...well like I showed you last night, I want you the same as you want me. And I want to see where 'we...us' can go, and the fact that you're related to my late fiancée is a bonus." the Asari began to say, which made her lover gently squeeze the other's hand affectionately in her own. "But there is something I have to see through first..." the Blue Woman continued, earning a nod from Kat as she looked back with a supportive expression. "I understand, you have to stop Vasir. Well, we can do this together, as I now have a personal reason to stop 'her' myself." "You mean because John was your great-great-great Grandfather." Myra replied, earning another nod from her Human friend. "Yes, it was as much a surprise to me as it was for you when we found out last night. So when I went back to my room, I did some research into my ancestor. And now that I have gotten to know what kind of man he was, through the information on the Network and from what you let me see and feel from your memories, I want to make Vasir pay for what she did to him and you even more..." she answered, gaining an appreciative smile from the Asari before looking at the ground with a regretful expression. "...I just can't believe that I forgot about it." But the Rogue Spectre responded by gently squeezing her hand whilst continuing to stroke it with her thumb. "Don't blame yourself for that, you were just a child when your Grandmother told you that. You can't be expected to remember every single detail of what happened during your childhood." she said back, which made Kat smile back. "Thanks, Myra." "You're more than welcome, Kat." the Asari said as the pair just looked into each other's eyes for a moment like they were taking in every detail in the other's eyes. "So, we take down Vasir...and then see where this takes us." Kat then said while gesturing to their hands, as she then moved her fingers in-between the Asari's, brushing her soft skin against the blue but equally if not more soft counterpart. "Yes, that sounds like a plan." Myra replied while turning her attention to their hands as they continued to move slowly against each other like in a dance, before looking back into her lover's eyes which made Kat's smile widen. "Would a kiss be out of the question though?" she asked, earning a mirrored expression from the Rogue Spectre in return. "I don't see why not." she said back as they both then began to lean towards each other, closing their eyes as they anticipated their lips meeting. But just as they were about to kiss, feeling each other's breath on their skin, the door chimed and brought them out of the moment, gaining a disappointed look from both women. "I guess that is Yikrah at the door." Kat said, not trying to hide her disappointment. "Yeah, but I wonder what would happen if we just ignore her." Myra replied before the door chimed once more, making the Human Smirk and chuckle in return. "I think she will continue to press the door chime." "Well, let's not keep her waiting then." the Asari replied as she got stood back up and walked over to the door, followed quickly by her lover as the door opened to reveal the Drell female. "Oh, Myra, have you seen Kat? Because she isn't answ..." she began to say before noticing the Human Woman standing behind the Rogue Spectre, gaining a wide-eyed look from the Autobot Agent. "...oh!" she added, earning a smirk from the two lovers as they stood in front of her in the doorway. "Morning." Kat replied, which then gained an embarrassed smile from Yikrah in return. "...Morning. Well if you are ready, Myra, I can take you back to see your Aunt?" "Yes, we are ready." the young Darby replied, earning a nod from Kat as the Drell then gestured to the pair. "Alright, then please follow me." And with that, the three women left the room and headed down the corridor towards the Medical Bay. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, Vasir's shuttle flew out of the event horizon of a Space-bridge portal, which closed as quickly as it had opened while the small vessel flew toward a large fleet of ships ahead of it. "Morinth, we are here." Vasir called back to the Ardat-Yakshi who was in the aft of shuttle, gaining a grunt from her as she sat up on the bench and got to her feet. "About time, it's taken long enough." she replied while walking back into the cockpit to join the older Asari and the two pilot-Mechs. "That's because this fleet that I have built was under orders to jump to a new system every few hours on a pre-set pattern of jumps so that the Autobots would not detect them. It only took us a while to find them as we were further behind in the list of coordinates." Vasir then said, gaining a knowing look from Morinth. "A while? It took all night to catch up to them, surely you could have signalled them to stop and wait for us to catch up?" she answered back, which made the Leviathan Leader look back as she noticed the annoyed tone in her companion's voice. "This fleet is also under orders to keep a communications blackout unless a ship enters their proximity and transmits the correct code." she replied before turning back to the Mechs, who were concentrating purely on their flying. "Send the code." the Asari then said, gaining a nod from the robot on her left. "By your command." it spoke with its synthesised voice as Vasir then turned back to the Ardat-Yakshi, narrowing her eyes in a cold stare. "I hope you're not trying to make me question my decision to bring you along, or I could throw you out into the cold void outside?" she asked, which made the younger Asari's expression change to a more worried one. "...Oh, not at all. In fact, since it was quite hard for us to find it and we knew what we were looking for, I am more than certain that the Autobots would never find it. Morinth then replied in a grovelling-like tone, which made Vasir smirk in return. "That's better, now get up here if you want a good view of the 'Leviathan." she then said while gesturing for the Ardat-Yakshi to join her side, who did as she was told and stepped up to her Boss as she stood behind the pilots. "Alright, but how impressive can it...by the goddess!" she then said as her eyes widened, making the Leviathan Leader's smile widen as they stared out of the shuttle's canopy. For suddenly a ship appeared before them that dwarfed the rest of the fleet, even blotting out the star of the system they were in as it passed between them and the burning ball of gas. "That ship is massive..." Morinth began to say, as she saw the dreadnoughts and cruisers were completely overshadowed by the Battleship. "...it must be nearly the same size as one of the Reapers that attacked the galaxy five hundred years ago." she added with a wide-eyed stare, which made the older Asari shake her head in response. "The Leviathan is actually the same mass and size as Harbinger, who history states was the lead-Reaper and the largest in the Reaper fleet." "That ship looks like it could take on the entire Autobot Navy on its own, and still have more fire-power for something else." the Ardat-Yakshi marvelled as their shuttle started heading for what looked like landing-bay on its port-side directly ahead of them. "Code has been confirmed, we are clear to land." the Pilot-Mech on Vasir's right then said, gaining the Asari's attention as she nodded back. "Very good, take us in then." she replied. And with that, the shuttle flew past several cruisers, all pf which completely overshadowed the smaller vessel. But as they closed in on the Leviathan, both Asari could not help but feel overwhelmed by the massive battleship as they got closer to it. Morinth simply looked on with a shocked expression, while Vasir's smile widened considerably. Once the shuttle had landed, the two blue women exited the vessel and walked across the large bay to find Inferno waiting for them. "Welcome aboard the Leviathan..." the Con began to say to his Boss with a smile, which disappeared as he noticed the Ardat-Yakshi standing beside her. "...oh, I did not realise that you were bringing 'her' with you?" he then added, gaining an annoyed look from Morinth. "I was invited." she replied, though the Destron Leader ignored her and kept his attention on Vasir, like he was expecting an answer from her. "Morinth saved my life back on Unity, so she has earned herself one more chance." the older Asari said back, gaining a nod from Inferno in return. "Very well." "But you didn't just meet us here to ask me that, did you?" Vasir then asked, making him shake his head in response. "No sir, we have received some Intel that I thought you would find interesting." "Alright, what is it?" Morinth then asked, beating Vasir to the question, which then gained a cold stare from the Destron before returning his attention to the Leviathan Leader. "Well...it appears that the Autobots are being forced to leave Unity station, just as you hoped they would be." "Excellent, which means that their new security force must be ready to take over." she replied with a smile, gaining another nod from the Con. "Yes, Vasir, and your troops within its ranks are ready to act on your orders." "Good, but we will reserve giving the go-ahead to them until after we have taken down the Autobots at their source. And is there anything else?" the older Asari then asked. "Yes, the Rogue Spectre 'Myra Darby' and her friends have been arrested and are being held at the last Autobot outpost. They are due to leave with the Autobot withdraw on the Cruiser 'Morning Hope', which will be the last Autobot ship to leave Unity today." Inferno replied before both he and Morinth then noticed a thoughtful expression appear on their Leader's face. "Vasir?" the Ardat-Yakshi asked with a curious tone, which made the older Asari smile back. "This could work to our advantage...and after how close that Darby-bitch came to stopping me on Unity, I would like nothing more to have her taken out of the equation." "Very good sir, how should we proceed with that?" the Destron Leader asked with a mirrored expression to that of the Ardat-Yakshi standing with them. "Inferno, I want you on this mission..." Vasir then began to say, only for Inferno to cut her off. "Very good, my Destrons and I will be able to handle..." he started to say in a confident tone, only for the older Asari to cut him off in return. "No, I need you and...Morinth for this mission." she replied, earning shocked looks from both of them. "You want me to work with him!" the Ardat-Yakshi replied with a venomous sting in her tone, while the Con simply looked dumbfounded at her. "But what about my team?" "Devron can take command while you are gone, I need you both for this..." Vasir started to say back, as a serious and cold expression appeared on her face while looking at the pair. "...and I need you to settle whatever issues you have with each other, because I want my best to deal with Myra and her friends while they are in a place that I have some control over." "And how do we do that? I mean we can't just walk into the Autobot Cruiser and assassinate them while they sit in their cells." Morinth then said in a questioning tone, gaining a knowing smile from the Leviathan Leader in return. "Of course you can, or did you forget how we got away from Unity...?" This earned a look of confusion from the Ardat-Yakshi as she stared back, so Inferno decided to speak up. "That's because Leviathan has Agents inside the Autobots ranks, and they have helped to ensure that our plans to discredit the Cybertronians have continued to be successful. That is how we heard about Darby and her friends, from one Agent among a team currently on the 'Morning Hope'." "Yes, so the two of you will head to that ship and my people on the inside will get you onboard so that you can then take care of Myra and her friends." Vasir added, gaining a nod from Morinth and the Destron Leader, though the former's was a little less enthusiastic. "Alright, so when do we leave?" she asked. "Immediately, once the shuttle has been readied for you..." Vasir replied before taking a step away from the pair and towards the exit, which had opened as it detected her proximity. "...so don't fail me, meanwhile I will begin preparations for our attack on Earth." she then added, before walking out of the open doorway. Leaving the other two standing there as they gave each other distrusting looks. PRIME EFFECT 5 Back at the Autobot Base on Unity station, Myra, Kat and Yikrah entered a briefing room to find Evac, Crosscut, Tolae with Commander Vras. "Hey guys, have a nice rest?" Kat asked, gaining a very enthusiastic nod from Crosscut as he started pointing at the other Bot. "Yes I did because I wasn't in the same room as the serial snorer." he said with a somewhat joyous tone, gaining a surprised stare from Evac in return. "No fair." "How is your Aunt, Myra? Is Ser-Ket alright?" the other Asari then asked, ignoring the two Bots as they started to argue with each other. "I've just been into the Medical Bay to see my Aunt, she is still in a coma but Doctor Minerva told me that she should make a full recovery." the Rogue Spectre replied with a relieved tone, gaining mirrored reactions from around the room. "That is good news, I am glad to hear your Aunt will pull through..." Commander Vras said back while Kat gave Myra a supportive smile, which she then returned. "...But I guess we should now get to the more pressing matters..." he continued, gaining a nod from everyone as a holo-sphere then appeared in the centre of the room. "So we Autobots are to leave Unity Station via orders of the Senate, who no longer believe that we are good enough to defend the interests of the Inter-Stellar Federation despite our five hundred years of service." "And this hasn't been a knee-jerk reaction or something similar, this decision has been a long time coming." Yikrah then added as they all stood around the holo-orb, which gained a confused expression from Evac. "I understand what has happened, I mean I have seen the news...we all have..." he started to say, earning a knowing smile from Kat to Myra. "...but what I don't get is how quickly it has all fallen apart, it just doesn't seem possible." the Bot continued, which then regained the Rogue Spectre's attention. "Oh it's not only possible, but it was also well-orchestrated...and Vasir was the one behind it." she said, earning a nod from Vras in return. "Yes, both Ser-Ket and I have long believed that Vasir was leading the secretive Leviathan group, but we never thought that she had a base here on Unity." "Wait, you guys had your suspicions about Vasir...and yet did nothing about it?" Crosscut then asked with a surprised look, gaining the Commander's attention. "That is because we did not have any solid evidence to back us up since the Senate did not believe in 'Leviathan's' existence. And with how they had treated Myra when she tried to reveal the truth about Vasir and her group, Ser-Ket knew that the only way to convince them would have been with complete undeniable proof." "I doubt that would have worked though..." Myra then spoke up, making everyone turn their attention to the Asari. "...because when I managed to infiltrate the Leviathan base here on Unity, I managed to become part of the audience that Vasir was addressing." she continued to say, while everyone in the room had their attention entirely on the young Darby as they listened to her. "And it was more than heavily implied that 'she' had not only Agents all areas of the Federation, but Senators who had secretly allied themselves with her and Leviathan." The entire room went quiet, as the Rogue Spectre's friends, Commander Vraz and Yikrah all looked back at her with stunned expressions. "Well...I think that would explain how the Senate has managed to kick you Autobots off Unity if a number of the Senate are siding with Leviathan." Kat then said, gaining a nod from the Autobot Commander. "That is the only plausible way this all would have happened, and since we will no longer be tied down by the ISF's regulations and oversight, I think that it is only fair that we go on the offensive against Vasir." he said, which brought a confident smile to each face looking back at him before the Bot then turned his attention to Myra. "Can we debrief you on everything you saw while in the Leviathan Base, as it would finally give us something to work on towards that goal?" The young Darby looked over to Kat, who gave her a supportive smile in return. "Of course I will." the Rogue Spectre replied as she then looked back at the Commander. "Good, and there is something else I want to go over with you. It was your Aunt's idea and considering the current situation we now find ourselves in, I can't think of a better time for it." he replied, gaining a confused look from the Asari in return. "What are you talking about?" she asked, which made the Commander smile back as he was about to answer her. But Vras was quickly silenced as his and everyone's attention turned to an Autobot-Turian, who entered the room and looked over to him. "Sir, the Senate has brought their deadline forward and we have to vacate this base and the station now." he said, gaining a reluctant nod back from Vras in return. "Very well, then please notify all remaining Autobot personal and have them board the 'Morning Hope' in preparation to leave." he replied, earning a salute from the Turian who then turned around and left as the Commander looked back at Myra and the others. "I apologise but it seems that our hosts have decided that we should leave now, so we will have to continue this meeting on board my ship." the Eudora crew all nodded back sombrely as Vras walked past them all and stopped at the room's entrance. "Now if you will please follow me." And with that Myra and her friends joined the Commander's side and left the room, as they like the rest of the Autobots at the base prepared to leave the station. Meanwhile, in the vacuüm of space outside of Unity, a shuttle entered the system via a Space-Bridge portal which quickly disappeared as the small vessel approached the Federation Capital. In the shuttle's cockpit, both Morinth and Inferno sat at its controls as they looked out at the station through the glass canopy in front of them. "This is Unity-Control, we have you on approach. Please state your ID and reason for arrival." a male voice then spoke over the intercom, which made the Con tap a button on his holo-interface. "This is the Shuttle 'Tydirium', we are due to dock with the Morning Hope. Our passcode is zero-four-zero-five-zero-one-two-zero-zero-eight." It then went quiet for a moment as both the Ardat-Yakshi and her reluctant partner waited for a response, while the station and their primary target continued to grow larger as they closed in on them. "Code acknowledged, your access point will be the tertiary docking bay st the Morning Hope's aft and a tram will be there on your arrival...'Victory Leviathan'." the voice then spoke once more, gaining a smile from both the Destron Leader and his colleague as their shuttle then continued onwards towards the Autobot star-ship and its unsuspecting passengers.
  10. CHAPTER XIII "My ship is this way. Come on." Vasir shouted back to Morinth as the pair ran down one of the many long corridors of the facility, only narrowly missing the group of Autobots who entered the meeting hall behind them. "There are Autobot troops entering every part of the base. We are being over-run." the Ardat-Yakshi said back while glancing down at her holo-tool, gaining a nod from the Leviathan Leader. "Have to give credit to Autobots and their quick response time, not that it will help them later." she replied as they reached a cross junction and took a left, while Morinth looked back at her holo-screen. "All of our people have managed to evacuate in time, we are the only ones left." she replied, which made Vasir smile back as they continued down the corridor. "Of course they did, we have planned for every possible action the enemy could make…" the older Asari said as they reached a large pair of doors, activating her own holo-tool. "….and we made some contingencies that they would never see coming." she added before the doors then opened, revealing the room to the pair. Inside was another warehouse-like room that was quite sparse, except for Vasir's transport which was in it's center on a landing pad. "Okay, I will go back and keep the Autobots busy so you can get away." the Ardat-Yakshi then said while turning back to look down the corridor, gaining a puzzled look from Vasir. "You know, an hour ago and I would have happily let you do that…" she began to say, gaining a smirk from the younger Asari as she listened. "…but you saved my life back there. I guess that earns you another chance, so come on." the Leviathan Leader replied, which made the Murderer turn back with a surprised expression. "I swear you won't regret this, Vasir…" she started to say back, only for the older Asari to cut her off while pointing at her. "You better not, or else I will kill you and I mean it. Do we understand each other?" she replied, gaining a nod from Morinth in return. "Good, now let's go." the Leviathan Leader then said, before the pair ran over to the transport and climbed in via its open hatch. "Alright, we are on board." Morinth then said as she closed the hatch, while Vasir turned to the two Mechs sitting in the pilot and co-pilot seats. "Get us out of here." Both robots nodded in return before firing the engines, which also coincide with the roof-top sliding open and revealing the void of space above. The transport then lifted off and flew out into space, leaving the facility behind. "Good job, now take us to the Leviathan." the older Asari then ordered, only for the Ardat-Yakshi to point out of the glass canopy ahead of them. "We are not out of the woods yet, look." she said with a worried tone, as blocking their path was an Autobot gunship. But while Morinth could not help but look worried, Vasir merely smirked in return. "They are not going to be a problem..." she replied before turning back to the Co-pilot and typing in a code on the holo-interface beside it. "Transmit this to that ship now." she said, gaining a nod from the robot before it did exactly what she said. "What's going on?" the younger Asari asked, but the Leviathan Leader just kept looking out at the enemy ship. "Just watch and learn, Morinth." So both women did just that as the transport closed in on the Gunship, before suddenly to the Ardat-Yakshi's surprise, it just moved aside and allowed their ship to pass and fly away. "Wait...how did we?" Morinth asked with a confused look, but Vasir smiled back. "Do you really think that I would have been able to keep Leviathan secret from the Autobots for this long, without at least some inside help." she replied with a knowing look, which made the Murderer smile back. The Mech Pilot, in the meantime, tapped his holo-interface, which opened a Space-bridge portal directly ahead of them that the transport then flew into and out of sight, leaving the Unity Station as several more Autobot ships arrived to secure the area before the portal simply closed without interference. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, the Eudora crew were sitting in an Autobot Transport that was taking them to one of the Faction's nearest Outpost, with it flying high over the buildings as it made some distance from the Leviathan Base. "I can't believe they got you too." Crosscut said with surprise in his voice while looking across to Evac and Tolae, gaining a nod from the Pilot. "You were only gone a few minutes before they turned up, I never even had the chance to fire up the engines." he replied while looking down at his handcuffs, earning an equally disheartened look from Tolae as she stared at her friend. "Well, what I can't believe even more is after all this, Myra did not finish the job when she had her hands around Vasir's neck." the other Bot said, gaining an angry look from Kat. "Hey, that's not fair..." she started to say, only for one of Terracons to turn round and cut her off. "Keep quiet, you traitors. Talking is not permitted." he said, bringing silence back to the transport's interior, though Myra ignored everyone and simply looked down at the ground. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Kat, who felt like she should say something. But before she had a chance, Evac interrupted as he looked out at the window to his left. "Wait, we're arriving at the Autobot Outpost already. It really isn't that far from the Leviathan Base, is it?" he said in a surprised tone, gaining mirrored expressions from his friends. "If Leviathan managed to have their Operations within a kilometer of an ISF security station, makes you wonder how they managed to stay off the Autobot's radar for so long." Tolae replied. "Maybe they have people working for them on the inside." Crosscut then said, earning nods from the others as the Autobot soldier turned back to them. "I said, no talking." he spat again, one more bringing silence among the prisoners as they sat there and looked at their surroundings. The Transport then flew down to an opening door on the Outpost's southern side which revealed a hanger-bay that the ship then entered, landing in the center of the room. "Alright, get up. Time to get you traitors processed." the Terracon then said, as he and his comrades then pointed their rifles at the prisoners. Kat, Evac, Tolae and Crosscut all looked at each other before standing up, while Myra simply did so without even a sigh as she walked out of the Transport first, earning a concerned look from Kat as she and the others followed. As the group left the confines of the ship whilst surrounded by Autobot-Terracons, everyone other than the Rogue Spectre noticed that there was a lot of activity going on around the hanger. It looked like something big was about to happen as the place was frantic, but before the Eudora crew could see any more, the soldiers hurried them out of the Hanger and into the connecting corridor. "Come on, no sightseeing for you. It's straight to the Brig for you lot..." one of the Terracons began to say, before being cut off by another voice. "Not today, I think." This made everyone there turn to see a Hispanic Man wearing silver and white armor joining them, with a Turian and a Drell on either side of him. "Commander Vraz, I did not know that you were here." the lead Terracon then said, before the new guy stepped closer to him. "Yes, well there have been a lot of changes in the last twenty-four hours. Now I want you to head back to the barracks with your men and pack your things, do it now." the Commander replied, making all the Terracons in the group salute him in return. "But what about our prisoners?" the leader then said as a confused expression appeared on his face, earning a knowing look from Vraz. "I will deal with them, now go." The lead Terracon then nodded back before the team then walked away, heading further down the corridor as the Commander turned his attention to the Eudora crew. "Please remove their handcuffs." he said to his Turian comrade, gaining a confused look from him as he looked at both the Bot and Drell-female. "But, Sir? They are renegades to our cause…are they not?" "I will take full responsibility for their actions on this base, now do as I say." he replied with a stern tone, which made the Drell look back with a knowing stare. "You do know Commander Vraz does not like to repeat himself." she said, gaining Myra and her friend's attention. "Yikrah, what's going here?" Evac asked with a confused look, one shared by everyone except Myra, who just stayed quiet. "Miss Krios and I were delivering a message from Commander Ser-Ket prior to her leaving on what she thought was a rescue mission, but turned out to be just a lure to get her out in the open." he replied with a regretful expression, looking over to Myra who was still looking down to the ground. Yikrah noticed this too, and so continued where Vraz had started. "We were instructed by Ser-Ket to help you, for it seems that she knew that her only Niece would eventually find Vasir." she added, which made the Rogue Spectre look up at them both with a surprised expression. "What?" she asked, which made the pair smile back as the Bot gestured for the group to follow him. "I do not know the full details, I will let Miss Krios fill you. But please follow me, so we can take this discussion elsewhere." he said, which made the Eudora's crew look to the Drell as they followed. "Myra, I told you earlier that I was unable to help you openly. It was also true for Ser-Ket, so instead, she did what she could 'under the table' as the saying goes. The Commander managed to keep an eye on your movements and when she could, turned any nearby Autobots away before they could detect you…" she began to explain, gaining Myra and her friends' complete attention as they listened. "…for your Aunt knew that you were the best chance we had of finding Vasir and putting an end to her schemes." This earned a regretful look from Myra as she looked at the ground again, which made Kat and Yikrah look at her with a shared worried expression. "What's wrong?" the Human Woman asked, beating the Drell to the question. "Where is my Aunt? I want to see her." the Asari asked, earning a nod from Vraz in return as he walked slightly ahead of the group. "Your Aunt is here of course, in our Medical-Bay. Yikrah will take you there now, and in the meantime, I can show your friends to their accommodation…for the short time we will be here." "Short-time?" Crosscut asked with a puzzled look, gaining a more curious look from Tolae in return. "Yeah, what is with everyone around here. They seem to be gearing up for something?" she asked, gaining the Commander's attention. "That is because, as of nine hundred hours this morning, there will no longer be an Autobot presence on Unity Station." he replied, which made Myra and her friends look back in surprise. "Wait, what?" Evac said, before anyone else had the chance. "This decision was inevitable, for the Federation has been slowly growing tired of the Autobots or more directly, the Cybertronians and Humans over the last couple of centuries. And with the way the galaxy is beginning to tear itself apart over the past few months, the Senate is more willing to blame the Autobots rather than believe that Vasir and her Leviathan are real and pulling its strings from behind the cutains." Vraz replied, gaining a nod from Yikrah in return. "That is true, but Ser-Ket does not believe that Vasir is the main reason behind the Federation's troubles…" she started to say, only for Myra to cut her off as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. "Well, Vasir is certainly a big part of it. I heard a lot during her meeting with her lieutenants back at that Leviathan base. She has been playing everyone, and even has supporters in the Senate." "Well, we will debrief you on that tomorrow since we still have just over twenty-four hours to turn over Unity's security to the new 'Unity Defence Force' that the Senate has put together on the quiet. So if you will follow Yikrah, she will take you to your Aunt now and I will show your friends to their rooms." the Commander replied, gaining a nod from Myra before Kat caught her attention. "If it is alright, I would like to come along…if you would want?" she asked, earning a slight smile from the Asari. "Okay, sure." she said before the pair then followed Krios as they walked away from the rest of the group, who turned their attention to Vraz. "Now then, if you will follow us." he said while gesturing to himself and his Turian comrade. PRIME EFFECT 5 It did not take long for Yikrah to lead both Myra and Kat to the Medical-Bay, where they were greeted by one of the Medics. "Agent Krios, how may I help you?" the red and white armored Femme asked, gaining a nod from the Drell in return. "Doctor Minerva, I have with me, Myra Darby and Kat…" she started to say before looking over at the brown-haired Woman. "…Mason." she said back, gaining an appreciative smile from Yikrah before she turned her attention back to the Medic. "…and Kat Mason, they are here to see Commander Ser-Ket." "You're the Commander's Niece, but I am afraid that your Aunt...the Commander is undergoing surgery and will not be able to have visitors, at least until tomorrow." Minerva replied, gaining an understanding look from Myra. "Oh, okay. But Ser-Ket is going to be alright, isn't she?" the Rogue Spectre replied with an anxious tone, which gained a smile from the Medic in return. "Commander Ser-Ket has responded well to the first two surgeries, and we expect that the same can be said with this third one. Please do not burden yourself with worry, for the Commander is in the best of hands." "Alright, thank you for helping my Aunt." the Asari replied before turning back to both Kat and Yikrah. "Okay, better show us to our rooms as I can't see my Aunt until tomorrow." "Very well, let's go. Your rooms are not far from either the CIC or this Medical-bay." the Drell-female said, gesturing to the two women to follow her out. Like Yikrah had said back at the Medical-bay, it did not take long for her to lead both Myra and Kat to their rooms, which were next door to each other. "I wish you both a good night's rest and will return in the morning." the Drell said, gaining a nod from both the Rogue Spectre and her Human friend. "Good night." the former replied before the young Krios turned around and walked away, leaving both Women alone in the corridor. Myra immediately turned around and went to open her door, only for Kat to step towards her. "If it is alright with you, Myra, I would like to talk with you before retiring to my room." she said, gaining a knowing look from the Asari. "Okay, come on in then." she replied with a nod as she opened the door and entered the room, with Kat following behind her. The room itself was quite basic looking, with a large window showing a view of the city that surrounded it as well ships that passed by, whilst the sea of stars provided the backdrop. There was a double bed, a wardrobe and a table with two chairs. It was a standard set-up for military accommodation, earning a sigh from the Rogue Spectre. 'Not exactly the Ritz as the Human saying goes, but it will do.' she thought before walking over to the window, which made Kat follow and stand beside her. "I know what you want to say..." the young Darby then said whilst looking out of the glass canopy before her, earning a concerned expression from her friend in return. "Alright, but I feel I have to ask it anyway. Why did you lie to me and leave us behind when you went for Vasir, did you not trust us to help?" she asked, which brought a thoughtful look to Myra's face in return. "It had nothing to do with trust because I trust you all with my life..." "Then what is it? I want to help you, Myra, but I can't if you won't help me understand." Kat replied with an almost pleading-like tone, which made the Asari turn and face her. "You know, after all these centuries that I have spent trying to hunt down Vasir, wanting to make her pay for what she did to my family. I always believed that when the time came, that I would do it alone...and that it would not matter if I survived it or not..." she began to say, while her Human friend listened. "...but then I met Crosscut, Evac...and you, and after having spent so much time on my own previously, I slowly re-learned what it was to be a part of a team, to have friends and depend on them." "Myra, I..." Kat then started to say, only for the Rogue Spectre to cut her off. "Please, let me finish." she said back, earning a nod from Kat in return as she looked back with an understanding expression. So Myra turned back to the window, noticing another transport fly past. "…But when the chance to finally corner Vasir and end her life came, my instincts took over and I left you all behind. Because I did not want any of you to come to harm...especially you." she then said, gaining a wide-eyed look of surprise from Kat. "Why?" she asked in return, waiting for her friend's answer with a now curious expression. "Because over the time that we have been friends, I have found myself opening up to you in a way that would not have happened with the others, telling you about my life...even the moments that I would rather keep buried deep inside..." the Asari carried on to say, while the Human woman simply listened as a knowing look appeared on her face. "...and not share." "But Myra, there were times when I had to push so that you would open up to me." Kat replied as she looked at the Rogue Spectre. "Yes, but if it had been anyone else, then I would not have budged. But I value your opinion, and you have really helped me over the time we have known each other." she said back with a smile, gaining a similar look from her friend. "It really means a lot to hear you say that, Myra..." she started to say before a more concerned look appeared on her face. "...So I have to ask, why have you been so quiet since the Leviathan Base? I hope the reason is not that we lost Vasir, because..." she added with a hint of regret in her voice, only for the Asari to put her hand on Kat's right upper arm in return. "Kat, it was nothing to do with that. It was..." she started to say as a pensive look came over her face. "...it was because I was confused." she said, while not noticing that her hand was still on Kat's arm, though it had not passed the Human woman's attention as they stood next to the window. "What were you confused about?" she asked with a curious tone, while feeling the warmth of Myra's hand on her bare arm. "When I had Vasir in my grasp and you were being held by Morinth..." she began to say, which earned a slight look of shame from Kat at being reminded of that moment. "...up until that point, there would have been nothing to stop me from killing her... absolutely nothing. But..." the Asari added, which made her friend look back at her with another curious stare. "...but?" "But when Morinth threatened to kill you, Kat, that was when my resolve wavered. It was something I had not experienced in such a long time. All I knew, is that if I did not do as that Murderer wanted, then she would have killed you...and I could not bear that." the Rogue Spectre said as her eyes met Kat's, while the Human woman placed her left hand on her right arm, over her friend's hand which was still there. "I know exactly what you mean..." she began to say back, while slowly guiding the Asari's hand down into her right hand, gaining her attention as she looked down at both hands. "...For I felt the same when I found out that you had left without us. I was overcome with worry that you might have been killed if you faced Vasir and her people on your own..." Kat replied while taking a step closer to the Asari, who simply looked down at their holding hands, before instinctively taking a step towards her friend as a caring expression appeared on her face. "...because I have come to care about you, Myra, more than I have ever felt for anyone in my life." Kat continued as she lifted her left hand and touched the Asari's cheek, which made Myra close her eyes as she felt the Human's hand on her skin. "...I...feel the same way about you too..." she began to reply as Kat stood directly in front of the Asari, gently stroking her cheek with her hand. "...and yet...I don't know what I should do now." she added with a tinge of confusion to her voice, before her friend then stopped and took Myra's right hand in her left, meaning that the pair were now holding each other's hands as they stood in next to the window. "I can't claim to be an expert, but perhaps all we should do..." Kat then started to say as she slowly leaned in towards Myra, who found herself doing the same. "...is this." the Human Woman finished, as the pair's lips came within a few millimeters of touching. In fact, they were so close, they could feel each other's breath on their skin. And despite just a few seconds passing by, which felt like an eternity between the two Women, they just stayed like that as though they were both afraid of what they wanted to do next. But then Kat took the initiative and closed the gap, virtually sealing the kiss, only for Myra's eyes to suddenly widen, making her pull away quickly with a worried and regretful expression on her face. "I can't do this." she said in a shocked manner, making Kat stare back with an embarrassed and sorry look. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried too..." the Human woman began to reply, while the Rogue Spectre turned back to the window and placed her right hand on it as she leaned forward, looking out past the buildings at the star-field behind them. "No, it's not your fault, Kat. I should never have..." she began to say, gaining a puzzled look from her friend as she started to close the distance between them again. "Shouldn't have what, Myra?" she asked, which made the Asari look back as a single tear ran down her right cheek. "...I should never have forgotten 'the promise'." she replied with a cryptic tone, making Kat's expression become even more confused. "Myra, what promise..." she started to ask, which made the young Darby turn away and increase the distance from her. This earned a hurt expression from the Human woman as she tried to get closer. "...please don't shut me out, not now. Not after what we...both nearly.." "I don't want to shut you out, Kat. That's the last thing I want to do, but it's not something I can talk about...I'm sorry." Myra replied as she looked back at her friend, noticing the confused and hurt look in her eyes. "...but I can show you, if you will let me." This made Kat stop and stare back in a confused way, as she tried to make sense of the Asari's words in her mind. "What do you mean?" "I can join our minds and let you see my memories. I can let you witness what it is that I am incapable of speaking of...if you trust me?" Myra asked, which earned a smile from the Human. "I trust you." she said back, gaining a slight smile from the Rogue Spectre in return. "As I do you." "So what do I do?" Kat asked, earning a gesture from the Asari to step closer. "Come here." So her friend did just that, walking right up to Myra whilst never taking her eyes off her. "When I join our minds, it will not simply be a one-way conduit. So even though you will see my memories and feel my emotions, I will be able to do the same with yours." she explained, gaining a slight nod from Kat in return as the more confident woman the Asari had known showed up again. "There is nothing I have that I do not want to share with you, so let's do this." she said, making Myra's smile widen a little more. "Alright, then close your eyes and relax." she said in a soft and soothing tone, which made her friend do just that as the Rogue Spectre did the same and leaned her forehead closer. And for a moment, the Asari focused her mind on joining her friends as their breathing slowed and became fluid. And then suddenly Myra opened her eyes, revealing them to be as black as the void beyond the glass of the nearby window. "Embrace eternity." she then said, as everything around the pair faded away. PRIME EFFECT 5 Kat opened her eyes to find herself standing in a large hall that had an oval-like shape to it, with smooth silver walls that sloped up to a light in the center of the ceiling, which had a spherical shape to it. 'This looks Asari in design.' she thought before her attention was caught by the voice of another Woman speaking, making her turn around to see two Asari standing together near a large door. "You look beautiful, Myra, absolutely beautiful." said the older woman who was wearing a long dark-blue dress that touched the floor and hid her feet, while it ended in a polo neck and had two white lines that ran down the center of the length of the dress which hugged her athletic figure. "Thanks, Mum, you look radiant in your dress too." the younger blue woman replied, who was wearing a simple yet elegant white Wedding-dress, earning a wide-eyed look from Kat as she recognised her. 'That's Myra, she looks beautiful.' she thought, before turning her attention to her Mother. And that must be her Mother, Liara T'Soni.' The Human woman watched the pair from just behind them, completely unnoticed as Liara shook her head slightly while staring with a proud smile at her daughter. "Your very kind, Myra, but this is your day to shine." "I know, but still…I wish Dad could have been here to see it." Myra replied with a slight look of regret, earning a sympathetic expression from her Mother who placed a hand on her daughter's arm in support. "As do I, for I know he would have been so proud to walk you down the aisle to your Husband in waiting, and he would have more than just approved of John." "Yes, they are both very similar men, aren't they, with a lot of the same interests and traits." the younger Asari replied with a smile, gaining a caring look from Liara. "Yes, and the interest that was most important to them was you. All your Father and I ever wanted were for you to meet someone who loved you and cared about you, and I know he would have been proud to have John as his son-in-law." she said, which made Myra smile back. "I know. Okay, time to get this show rolling." the younger Asari said with a happy sigh, earning a nod from her mother in return. "Alright, I will go in and let them know you are ready…" she said before walking to the large door, only to turn back and look at her daughter with a curious smile. "You are ready?" "Yes, I mean I would rather face down an army of Mercs than walk down the aisle on my own…but I am ready." Myra replied, which made Liara beam with a proud smile as she slowly opened the door a bit. "Good luck, Myra." she then said before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her, leaving Myra on her own as she stood there and held the bucay of blue and white flowers in her hands. "Okay…" she began to say to herself as the wedding music started in the next room, which made her take a deep breath. "...and here goes." she then added as unbeknownst to her, Kat stepped beside the Asari as the large double doors began to open. 'I know this doesn't mean much, as this is only a memory and you can't see me, Myra, but I am here for you.' the Human thought before her attention was caught by the sight before her and the Asari, as the doors opened and revealed the much larger hall where the wedding was being held. It had a massive rectangular shape to it with a red carpet running down to the altar at its far end, which separated the several rows of benches where at least a hundred guests had been sitting, as they suddenly stood up and looked back at the blushing Bride as she started to walk down the aisle towards the altar, where an Asari Matriarch stood with three Bridesmaids on her right while John Shepard and his best man stood on her left. The group was standing below the most magnificent looking stained glass window that Kat had ever seen while she continued to walk beside an unknowing Myra, who could not help but smile as she saw her fiancée looking back at her with an infectious and loving smile, gaining a mirrored look from her as she arrived at the end of the aisle while her mother looked on proudly from the front left row. The Matriarch then gestured for the couple to stand before, which made the pair nod back as they did so, turning to face each other as Kat stopped beside the front row bench and watched from there. "Wow...I am lost for words." Shepard whispered to Myra as he looked her up and down, making the Asari blush a little as she smiled back coyly. "You don't look half bad yourself Mr. Shepard." she whispered back, while the Matriarch looked past them at the audience. "Please be seated." she said aloud, gaining a unified response from the guests as they all sat back down on the benches, focusing their attention on the couple standing at the altar. "We are gathered here today, on this most beautiful afternoon to bear witness to the joining of this Man...John Shepard, and this Woman...Myra Darby as they become true bond-mates and begin their union..." the Matriarch began as the Wedding continued with Kat watching from the audience, and she could not help but notice how different the Rogue Spectre was compared to how she had come to know her. How happy she was on this day, as It was like watching somebody completely different. But just as the Human Woman found herself being whisked up in the romantic and peaceful ceremony, almost forgetting that it was simply a memory. Kat suddenly felt a sickening feeling begin to appear in her stomach, as she remembered what was about to happen or what had already happened. 'Oh no..." she thought as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when suddenly an explosion was heard outside of the church and felt as its aftershock made the building and contents shake a little, which cut Myra off as she began her vowels. " Myra Darby, take..." she had started to say before looking around with a confused expression, one that was mirrored by John and everyone else in the room. "...What was that?" the young Darby asked, making her Fiancée shake his head in return as Kat watched with a sad and regretful expression. "...I don't know." he answered while the Matriarch tried to settle the guests in the audience, as they had begun to worry and panic. "Please, if I can have your..." she started to say before suddenly the roof of the church exploded, showering everyone with debris as a large piece hit the older Asari and killed her. John instinctively grabbed his Bride's hand and tried to help get her out, while Liara tried to calmly get the guests nearest to her out of building. "Myra, we have to get out of here." he said in a panicked but alert tone, while everyone else ran about in a frenzy as the rest of the roof collapsed and fell upon the masses inside. Kat though just stood there, completely unfazed by the destruction and panic that was playing out before her as she kept her focus on Myra and John Shepard. But just as he and the Asari had made it to the doorway on the west side, the Human Man suddenly looked up and noticed a massive piece of the roof begin to fall upon him and his Bride. So he instinctively pushed Myra out of harm's way, only a split second before the debris hit him in return. 'My god!' Kat thought as she watched her friend bang her head on one of the benches that had been split in two while she fell forward onto the debris-covered floor. Meanwhile, candles that had been lit in different areas of the massive hall had been knocked over by the collapsing roof, setting fire to the flower arrangements and furniture nearby. Kat then heard someone struggling and turned around to see that Liara too was trapped in the room, with her pegs pinned beneath some debris. But as the Human observer found her attention split between Myra, Liara, and Shepard, the sounds of footsteps from the other side of the half-collapsed hall caught her attention. So she looked around to see four heavily armored people enter through the broken double doors and immediately begin gunning down the remaining guests who had not gotten themselves out. 'What the hell?' Kat thought as she watched the new arrivals mercilessly blow away the innocent people, some of which were asking for their help. Myra's friend could not make out their identities due to them wearing helmets with blacked-out visors, but they were obviously men due to their builds. Then just as the last guest was shot in the face, his blood spewing out and staining the broken bench behind him, an individual then walked in and looked around the room. Immediately, this one really caught Kat's attention as it was obviously a female due to her more athletic figure, despite the heavy armor she was wearing. But she too was wearing a helmet, but the Human observer could still guess who it was as the newcomer noticed Liara lying on the floor just ahead of her. '...Vasir!' Kat thought as the armored woman walked past her and towards the older Asari, removing her helmet and revealing herself. "Vasir!" Liara said with a poisonous tone as she looked up at the former Spectre, who merely stared back with disdain as she unholstered her pistol. "I have waited a long time for this moment, for the right opportunity to exact my revenge for what you did to your mother and our plans." "You killed all these innocent people, my friends, and family. Destroyed what was meant to be my daughter's perfect day, just to get to me?" the older Asari replied with a sickened tone, earning a nod and slight smile from the Leviathan Leader as she aimed the gun at her adversary's head. "Why not, after you destroyed everything that was important to me, including the woman who brought you into this world, who raised you, and who gave me a purpose." she spat back while Kat watched from just aways from the pair. "I do this for 'her' and before I kill you, you should know that I have rebuilt it all, everything that you and that thankfully long dead Prime had unraveled and left in ruin. It has all been restored and will help me achieve what your mother wanted from the beginning,...the destruction of the Autobots and the Galaxy back in the control of those more deserving." Vasir added, making Liara shake her head as she looked up at the other Asari. "It does not matter what you have planned, because you will fail. The Autobots will defeat you, and my daughter will be at the tip of their spear." she said back in a confident tone, for the older Darby had seen her daughter and future Son in law heading to safety moments earlier. But Vasir just sighed before looking down the gun sights of her pistol at Liara, her eyes narrowing as she began to tighten her grip around its trigger. "No, she won't." was all she said back, as she pulled the trigger and killed the trapped Asari with a shot to the head. "That was for Benezia, you traitorous pure-blooded Bitch." the Leviathan Leader replied as she watched Liara fall back onto the floor, with smoke floating up out of the gunshot between her eyes. Mom!" a familiar voice then screamed, making both Vasir and Kat turn to see Myra staring back with wide-eyed look of horror on her face. "So, you're still with us, are you?" the Asari replied, earning a confused look from the Spectre as she tried to shake off the concussion while looking up at the Leviathan Leader who walked over to her. "..Vasir!" the younger Asari said in an angered and yet pained tone as she then recognized her, earning a smirk back from her Mother's killer. "I promised your mother that this day would come and now all that is left, is for you to join her." she said before aiming her pistol at Myra's head, while the injured Spectre simply kept her eyes on Vasir as she stared back with a hateful glare. But just as she was about to pull the trigger, sirens began to blare in the distance. This made Vasir turn and look in their direction, earning a sigh from her before re-holstering her pistol as Kat looked back at where the sound had come from. "It's your lucky day, Kid." the Leviathan Leader said in a cold tone before turning her back on Myra and walking away, earning the Human observer's attention as she watched the Asari go, before hearing the sound of debris being moved. So Kat then turned back round to see the bride using the biotics to lift the heavy debris off her legs, surrounding it in a blue energy field before slowly lifting it up in the air and dropping it onto the ground beside her. 'I am so sorry, Myra.' the Human Woman thought as she watched Myra getting back onto her feet, before instantly stopping as a familiar voice spoke out from behind her. "…Myra" Both Women's eyes widened as they turned around and saw the young Asari's Fiancée, who was pinned under a massive piece of concrete from the stomach down. "John!" the Bride cried out as she rushed over to his side, earning a pained but relieved look from the Human Man while a little blood trickled from his mouth. "Myra, thank god…you're…alright. I…feared the worst." Shepard replied with a slight smile as he lifted his hand to her face, gently stroking her cheek with his fingers. "I'm alright and so will you, help is coming." she said while taking his hand in her own as they both heard the sirens in the distance, but this made her Partner shake his head in return. "…No…I won't, because…they won't…get…here in time." he said back with a grimace, which made the Asari's eyes widen as a more worried look appeared on her face. "What do you mean? "I can't…feel my legs, but…yet…the rest…of…me is…in…tremendous…pain." he said while fighting through the agony that was pulsing through his being, which made Myra shed a tear as her eyes began to well up. "We both…know that the…Emergency-Services…aren't going to…make it…here in time…" he continued, which only made the young Darby shake her head. "No, I can get this off you." she said back with a defiant tone before her hands glowed with biotic energy and she focused it around the debris that John was pinned under. As this was happening, Kat was standing behind the pair and watched in silence with a distraught expression at what she saw. But just as the Spectre began to lift the large object as it glowed with blue energy, Shepard suddenly cried out in agonizing pain, which instantly made her stop and look back in horror. "My Goddess, I am so sorry." she apologized in a frantic tone while kneeling beside him, earning a painful but forgiving look from the injured man. "We…have to…face…facts, I am…dying and nothing…is going…to change it." he replied, which brought tears to the Asari's face. "No, no, I can't lose you." she pleaded back at him, which brought a sad smile to his face. "You…haven't, I will always….love you,…Myra…" he began to say before the pain became too much for him, making his eyes roll back as he grimaced rather violently. Myra could only hold his hand in hers, hoping that her touch could keep him anchored to her. "John, John!" she cried out, regaining his attention as the pain lessened a little. "I can't…die…like this, I don't…want you…to see…me…like this." Shepard replied, which began to confuse the young Darby as she looked down at him. "What…do you mean?" "You…can help…me to…go... faster." he said back, his expression was becoming more painful as his eyes became bloodshot. This made the Asari feel even worse as she shook her head, tightening her grip on his hand, like she would not let him go. "Don't ask me to do that, John, I can't lose you. Not now, not after my mother." she replied as her eyes welled up with more tears beginning to run down her face. "I…am…sorry, I am…so…sorry, Myra. But…I need…you to be….strong…for…me, like…I know…you can be." he said back, all the while trying to look supportive and sympathetic which was really difficult with the growing pain that he was suffering. "Please,...Myra,...please...do this...for me." he added, which made the young female-Spectre look away and up at the collapsed ceiling with a distraught and lost expression, as though she had no idea what she was meant to do. But even as she did this while unknowingly being watched by Kat behind her, the painful grunts and groans from John brought her eyes back down to her lover as she saw how much he was suffering. So the Asari nodded slowly in return as she leaned closer to him, earning a shocked look from the Human observer behind the pair. "...Alright, I will...do this..." Myra began to say, gaining a painful nod from her Husband-to-be. "...Thank...you...my love." he said while gritting his teeth in pain while looking into her eyes, which started to look more focused and angry. "But...I swear to you, I will avenge both you and my mother. Vasir will pay." she replied. "I...know...you...will, but..." he started to say with a knowing tone, before a concerned and pained look appeared on his face. "...promise...me...that you...will live your...life, that...you...will...not waste...it...on...hate,...please?" he said with an almost pleading-like tone, which made the Asari stare back at him for a second longer than it should have taken to answer. "...I promise." she then said in a shaky-tone, earning a nod and smile from her Shepard as blood trickled from his mouth once more. "I...love...you,...Myra." he replied, making her lip quiver as she looked into his eyes. "...I love you, my John." she said back, earning a sigh from the Human man as a content expression appeared on his face, despite the pain he was experiencing. "...I...am...ready." he stated, making the Asari nod back slowly before leaning down and planting a single kiss on his forehead. Which made him close his eyes, trying to enjoy her touch one last time despite the pain he was feeling in his dying body. But then Myra placed both her hands on either side of his head, covering his ears as she looked down at him with her eyes welling up once more. The Spectre did not want to do this, but she could not deny the Man she loved. And so she focused her biotics into her hands, making them light up with the energy, which looked like blue fire. John meanwhile simply stared back with as content a smile as he could muster with all his strength, trying to fight past the pain as the blue fire-like energy then passed over his body, enveloping it while Kat could not help but watch from behind them. "Good...bye." John then said, with a finality that made Myra's tears flow freely as she began to bawl. "...Goodbye." she replied before closing her eyes and focusing her biotics, which then surged into the Human man's body and overloaded his nervous system in a split second. This made Shepard's body jolt once in her grip before exhaling one last time, with his eyes glazing over as the light left his eyes and his touch became cold. This made Myra collapse over his now dead body and cry loudly as her tears continued to flow freely, for the Man this Asari loved was no more and she was now truly alone. PRIME EFFECT 5 And then suddenly, everything went quiet in the destroyed church as Kat looked down at Myra as she quietly sobbed over her dead Fiancée. 'I….I don't know what to say.' she thought before the Asari then surprised the Human Woman by getting back to her feet, earning a slight gasp in return. "So, now you know." she said back while keeping her back to her friend, slowly wiping the tears from her face as she regained her composure. "I am so sorry, Myra, I had no idea how…" Kat began to say back, only for the Rogue Spectre to cut her off as she turned around and faced her, a guilt-ridden expression appearing on her face as she did so. "That not only did I lose my mother to Vasir, but I also had to kill the man I loved instead of trying to save him." she replied, which made her Human Friend take a step towards her. But this only made the Asari step further back as their surroundings slowly began to fade away as darkness fell around the pair. "Myra, you did want he wanted you to do because you loved him. Because he didn't want you to see him die in agony. It isn't your fault." Kat said back as she took another step toward her friend, but the young Darby would not have it. "But it is, because less than a minute later the Emergency Services appeared. If I had held back and waited, they could have saved him." she said as her eyes began to well up again, while the Human Woman joined her side. "Would you really have wanted Shepard to go through all that pain, listening to him begging you to end his suffering? Could you? And would the Medics have even been able to save him…really?" She asked with a slight forcefulness in the tone of her voice, which then made the Asari shake her head. "…No, no it would not. For that debris had crushed John's body, that is what the Medics told me afterward…" she began to explain, while Kat listened intently with a sympathetic expression as they were now standing in complete darkness. "…they said that his body had gone through such an intense shock, that his nervous system was overloading and slowly burning itself out, so he was going to die an extremely painful death." she continued, earning a slow nod from her friend as a knowing look appeared on her face. "And so the Medics agreed that you did him a mercy, not blaming you for his death." she replied, which made Myra nod back as she looked at her friend. "Yes, you can see it too, can't you?" "I can see your memory of it, yes. It's to do with our joined minds isn't it?" Kat answered, earning another nod from the Asari in return. "Yes, you can experience my memories and feelings while we are bonded in this limbo between our minds." she replied while gesturing to the darkness that surrounded them, before noticing the confused look on her Human friend's face. "I am slowly getting the hang of this, but what I still don't get is why you think it is all your fault?" Kat then asked, surprising Myra as she stared back wide-eyed. "It's…it's because I betrayed him!" she then spat back, this time surprising Kat with her outburst. "It's because I could not let it go." she added, which then brought a look of understanding from her friend. "Because you promised John that you would not let revenge rule your life." she answered, gaining a nod from Myra as the tears began to flow again. "Yes, I swore to John that I would not waste my life in pursuing Vasir. But after he and my mother were killed, I just could not let it go." the Asari replied with a guilty and regretful tone, which only saddened Kat more as she stood beside her and nodded as her understanding expression became more focused. "I understand. I might have done the same thing if I had experienced what you have been through. But you can't keep burdening yourself with this, because I highly doubt that John nor your Parents would hold this against you…" she started to say, which made the Rogue Spectre look over to her with a curious expression as she listened. "…because I certainly don't." the Human Woman added as she tried to place her hand on the Asari's shoulder, only for Myra to pull away. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept that." she replied, earning a knowing-like nod from Kat in return, as she realized why her blue-friend had been shying away from her. "That's why you pushed me away earlier, isn't it…" she began to reply, which made the young Darby look back hesitantly. "…because you're punishing yourself for a mistake, one that no one would hold against you…but you." the Human added as she took a step toward the Asari, who shook her head in response. "Yes, because since the two of us…" Myra began to explain while gesturing between her and Kat. "…became friends, I have found myself becoming more and more attracted to you and my feelings for you have grown." she added, which made her Human friend reach out with a slightly hopeful smile. "As have mine with you. I want you, Myra, to be there for you and care for you…to take comfort in you." she started to say in a gentle and caring tone, but Myra stepped back again and looked back with her eyes welling up as she held her hands up at her Friend to stop her coming closer. "I want that too, but I can't accept it. Because I don't deserve to be happy. All I have left is my hate, and It is something that I don't want to burden anyone else with. I am sorry, but it has to be this way." she replied with a regretful tone, only for my Kat to shake her head and reach out for the Asari's hand. "No, you're not pushing me away again." she said with a hint of defiance in her voice as she grabbed Myra's hand, which suddenly made the Rogue Spectre's eyes widen as a very surprised look came over her face. "What?" she replied with a confused tone, one that surprised Kat in return as the Asari looked at their holding hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" the Human Woman answered as she instinctively let go of the other's hand, hoping that she had not offended her friend. But Myra turned her attention from her hand to a worried Kat, staring at the latter with a wide-eyed expression. "I have not felt that in a long time." was all the Asari could say, which only confused Kat once more. "I don't understand." she said back, gaining a thoughtful look from the older of the two Women. "When you touched my hand, Kat, I felt something. Something that I have not felt in such a long time, something that is impossible." Myra replied before taking a step toward Kat, her face becoming serious as she walked up to her friend. "Can I see your memories?" "Myra, our minds are joined remember. My life is an open book for you, and you're more than free to view it." the Human Woman said back with a caring smile, which made the Asari smile back as she held her hand out to her friend. "Then place your hand in mine again, and relax." Kat could not take her eyes of Myra as she did just that, placing her hand in the Rogue Spectre's open one. Then as their hands joined, the young Darby once again felt that familiar presence as she looked into her Human Friend's eyes, letting the latter's memories flow over her as she searched for where that presence was coming from. After witnessing Kat's life rewinding before her very eyes, witnessing the day they first met, to the Human woman's days as an Autobot Soldier. The journey suddenly slowed to a point in her friend's childhood, as a nine-year-old Kat sat beside her Grandmother on an old but very comfortable couch. The little girl's attention was on a large blue book that was lying on her Elder's lap, and she then opened it to reveal that it was a photo album. Myra simply looked over the pair's shoulders as they viewed the photos on every page, with the Grandmother telling Kat stories about each one of them until they came to one page near its end. A page that had several very old photos in its plastic sleeves, but there was only one photo that caught Myra's attention as it showed a man that the Asari recognised immediately,forr it was a Man that she had given her heart too, and could never forget as she listened to Kat's Grandmother as she spoke to the younger version of her close friend. "Now, Katrina, the man in this picture was very brave and courageous. He was the only member of our long-running family to be made an Autobot Spectre, he was a hero before he was wrongfully taken from this world in a building collapse." she said, earning a curious look from her Grandchild. "Who is he, Grandma?" the young Kat asked. "His name is…John Shepard, and he is your great-great-great-Grandfather." Myra's eyes widened even more as that revelation snapped her out of Kat's memories, finding herself staring at her friend who had the same expression on her face as they stood their holding hands. "You…saw?" the Asari asked, gaining a surprised nod from her friend. "Yes….I'm.." Kat started to say, only for the Rogue Spectre to cut her off in mid-sentence. "…You're…a Shepard, you're a descendent of John's." And then the pair just stood there and stared at each other for what felt like a very long moment, not even letting go of the other's hands as they stood in the darkness. But then as they both took a breath, looking deeply into each other's eyes. The two Women suddenly let go of their hands and instead took hold of each other by the arms, before pulling each other into a passionate kiss. Their lips met and in that instant, the pair felt as if electricity was passing between them through the kiss. And so they remained locked in that moment for several seconds before finally pulling back just long enough to take a breath, looking into the eyes of each other as they both smiled before locking their lips together again for another passionate kiss. As the two women did this, Myra moved her hands up Kat's back and up into her chocolate-brown hair. This earned a moan from the Human, which allowed the Asari to slip her tongue into the other's mouth. And there their tongues danced with each other in Kat's mouth, as the Human woman moved her hands up her blue friend's back and then dug her nails in slightly, which made the Rogue Spectre grimace just slightly and pull back her tongue. And Kat then followed through by pushing her tongue into Myra's mouth, exploring its insides as it moved in motion with its blue counterpart. For another long moment, the two lovers did this. Before Myra pulled away and turned her attention to Kat's neck, leaving a trail of kisses from the Human's collar bone to the top of her neck, which earned a deep and contented breath from Kat as she looked up into the darkness that surrounded them. And as the Asari then turned her attention to her lover's ear, gently nibbling it and making Kat moan in delight. The Human then noticed several small shining lights appear in the darkness overhead, looking somewhat like stars as they started to fall down toward the pair. And as the young Darby then stopped with her lover's ear, running her tongue from that spot all the way back to Kat's mouth and initiating another long and passionate kiss between them. The black sky overhead filled up with even more tiny star-like lights which then fell like a shower upon the two women, who simply focused on each other as their continued their kiss. But then that quickly changed as both the Asari's and her Human lover's clothes were touched by a few drops of the light-rain, which then made them slowly glow and burn away, revealing the Women's naked bodies to each other as they continued to embrace each other, holding themselves so close that their breasts touched whilst they kissed. And as the light rained around them, Myra then knelt down and laid a trail of kisses down Kat's naked body, stopping at her breasts and running her tongue around their nipples which made the Human woman moan gently and gasp as she felt the wet and soft touch of the Asari's tongue go over them. Kat in return ran her fingers gently over the young Darby's head, feeling the indents of her tentacle-like head crests that covered the ran from her forehead, all the way over to the back where they curled up slightly into tips. When the Human's fingers reached those tips, she gently played with them and instantly stopped Myra as she had reached Kat's navel with her kisses, earning a purr-like sound from the Asari as she enjoyed the touch from her lover. This made Kat smile as she ignored the light rain falling down around them, instead, focusing on Myra who looked like she was in heaven due to her Human friend's touch. But then Myra managed to refocus and then ran her tongue around the Human Woman's navel before continuing to lay kisses until she reached the edge of Kat's sex, which made the Asari look up at Kat and smile, gaining a similar look from her lover in return. The young Darby then leaned in close to the wet sex, feeling the heat radiating from it which made her lick her lips in anticipation. This made Kat almost bite her lip in response as she too waited, but then suddenly Myra pressed her lips against the wet sex. This earned an instant moan from Kat, whose voice echoed into the limbo that surrounded them, and her voice escalated with every suck and lick that the Asari performed to her soon-to-be-soaked sex. This went on for a good while, with the Human Woman holding the Rogue Spectre's head in place as she continued to go down on her. But then as Kat's eyes rolled back and she thrust her head back and looked into the rain of light that was still falling around them, she could take no more and pulled the Asari to her feet before pressing her lips against hers in another passionate kiss. The two wrapped their arms around each other as they embraced, kissing with such intensity that their feet literally left the floor, with the pair suddenly floating in mid-air as the light drops slowed to a stop and hovered around them. But if the two lovers had noticed this, then they did not care as they continued to focus on each other. Not even taking notice as a bright white light appeared in the distance and began to close in, swallowing up the black limbo as Myra and Kat made love. And as their joint moans and cries of pleasure blotted out the silence of their surroundings, the light then enveloped them completely. Suddenly both women opened their eyes to find themselves still standing in front of each other in the Asari's room, holding hands just as they were when the meld had began. "…Wow, that was..." Kat said with a pant as she noticed that Myra was almost shaking as she cut her off. "…I know, I wasn't expecting that." she said back with a pant, earning a worrying look from the Human Woman who noticed a tear run down the Asari's left cheek. "I guess we should talk about what just happened." Kat then said, earning a nod from Myra in return as she gave her lover a slight smile. "Yes, but later. Can we just…hold each other for now?" she asked, which made the Human Woman smile in return. "I would like that." she replied before the two women wrapped their arms around each other in a warm embrace as the stars shined in from the window beside them.
  11. CHAPTER XII "Come on. My sensors detected a power build-up just past those trees." A Caucasian Man with black hair, wearing gold and silver armour said to another Man running alongside him. "Well, I just hope it's more Mechs for us to trash, Sharptooth. I didn't like how the others ran off just as it was getting interesting." the other said, who had blonde hair and was wearing red and silver armour. "Scorn, your blood lust never ceases to amaze me. But you do remember, Slash was injured back there and that Strafe is tending to his wounds, which means that we might be even more outnumbered with more enemies ahead of us." the Dinobot Leader replied, gaining a confident smirk from his comrade. "Good, that means more for us to kill." This gained an eye-roll from Sharptooth who looked back down at his holo-tool, noticing that they were almost on top of the energy reading. "It's right behind these trees. Get ready." he then said before activating his holo-broadsword and shield, while Scorn activated a holo-dagger and chain-whip just as they cleared the tree line. "Come and get it!" the blonde Bot replied before stopping still with his friend beside him. their eyes widening at the sight before them. For there just an empty beach and not much else, which made the lead Dinobot look back down at his sensor screen with a confused expression. "I don't get it, there's nothing here. And the power signature is fading fast." "So you're saying that all the enemies 'are now' gone?" Scorn replied with a disappointed tone, which made the Bot look back and shake his head. "I didn't actually say that there 'would' be more enemies here, just that this power signature I detected should be checked out and it 'may be' the same enemies." Sharptooth replied. "Hey, Guys, wait up." another voice spoke behind the pair, making them turn to see another team-mate running up to them. This one had short brown hair and wore yellow and light blue armour, with his holo-claws equipped. "Slash? I thought you were injured." the lead Bot said back in surprise, which made the new arrival shake his head in return. "It was only a flesh wound, easily fixed. So what did I miss?" "Not much, it seems." Scorn replied, still with a sad look on his face. But Sharptooth ignored this and kept his attention on Slash as he gestured around them. "So where's Strafe?" "Oh, Strafe told me to tell you that she was going to check out the area from up high." the other Bot said, which made both Sharptooth and Scorn look up at the sky until they saw a dark and light blue armoured Femme with silver hair flying overhead via her jet-pack, so the Leader tapped his com-link. "Strafe, what do you see up there?" "There are no more enemies for at least a mile distance around us in every direction but...wait, I see two bodies lying three hundred yards north of your position." she replied before flying in their direction, gaining a nod from him before turning his attention to his two friends. "Let's go." It did not take long for the trio to run across the sandy beach as the Femme landed beside one body, deactivating her jet-pack as she did so before looking down at the corpse. "What did you find?" Slash asked, as the three Men joined Strafe. "It looks like one of us...I mean a Terracon, but I don't recognise him." she replied, making Scorn's eyes widen a little as he looked down at it. "I do, that's Archadis." he said with a surprised tone, gaining his friend's attention as they stood around the corpse. "I remember him too. The guy disappeared with a few others months ago." Slash added, which made Sharptooth turn his attention back to Strafe. "Where's the other body?" "It's over this way." the Femme replied, gesturing him to follow her. So he started to walk off with her, but not before looking back to Scorn and Slash. "Take a thorough scan of this Archadis, I will do the same with Strafe and this other corpse." he said, gaining nods from the pair who knelt down beside the dead Terracon and activated their holo-tools. A moment later and the Bot and Femme walked up to where she had seen the body, only to find a crater in the sand. "By the Allspark!" Sharptooth then gasped in wide-eyed shock, earning a mirrored expression from Strafe as they recognised the person lying in the blood-soaked sand at the center of the crater. "Commander Ser-Ket!" she replied before the pair quickly got down to the former Predacon's side, with the Femme activating her holo-tool while the Bot pulled out a number of medi-gel syringes from his utility belt. "She is still alive, but barely….and.,." Strafe started to ask as Sharptooth started to treat their Leader's wounds with the medi-gel, only to look up at the Femme when he noticed that she had stopped talking. "What is it?" he asked with a worried look on his face. "Her T-Cog is missing." the Femme replied with a horrified tone and expression, making them both look down at the gaping hole in their Commander's side. "Call us in a Medical team, while I try to slow the bleeding." he said while emptying another medi-gel injection, before placing both hands tightly over the wound. Strafe nodded in return and tapped her ear-piece. "This Dinobot Strafe, we need a space bridge to our location and a Medical team ready to come through immediately. Commander Ser-Ket requires immediate aid, I repeat Commander Ser-Ket needs immediate aid." she said with a clear and alert tone, just as Slash and Scorn arrived at the scene. "What happened here?" the blonde Bot asked as he looked at what his friends were kneeling around, with his eyes widening as he recognised the Femme lying in their midst. "Ser-Ket? What was she doing here?" Slash asked as he too recognised their Commander, just as a Space-bridge portal opened just a few meters away. "We don't know, but we have to get her out of here." Sharptooth replied as three Medics then exited the vortex and ran over to the group and took over from the Bot as they attempted to stabilize the critically injured Femme right there on the beach while the Dinobots watched. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, Morinth was feeling somewhat happy with herself as she walked down one of the corridors of the ship she was on, for the Ardat-Yakshi was certain that Myra and the Eudora were no longer going to be a problem anymore. 'The signal from the ship deactivated inside the Erebus's asteroid field and the only reason it would do that is if the Eudora had been destroyed, so that is finally that.' she thought happily while walking past a group of Mechs that were marching past her in the opposite direction. 'I am sure that Vasir will be happy to know that troublesome Asari is now gone for good, which should put me back in her favour.' Morinth added while approaching the CIC, hoping to find the Leviathan Leader there. But as soon as she entered the large Control Center, the Asari was surprised to find that Vasir was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, you there..." Morinth then said to a Vorcha who was manning a terminal nearby, gaining his attention. "...do you know where Vasir has gone? She added, earning a pensive expression from him in return. "Our Leader left on a mission with the Destrons a few hours ago, I am unsure of when she will be returning." This made Morinth look back with a surprised expression before turning away from Vorcha, who simply shrugged and returned to his duties. 'Vasir went with the robots, why wasn't I informed?' she thought before the door to the CIC opened, gaining the Asari's attention. And as if on cue, Vasir and the Terracon team entered the large room and stopped just aways from the door, which made the Ardat-Yakshi walk over to them as the Leviathan Leader turned her attention to Inferno. "I did not know that Vasir was with us down on the planet." Scylla said, earning a smile from the Leviathan Leader. "I was using this personal stealth device and just waited for the most opportune moment to strike." This gained a less than happy look from Hardhead in return. "So, you used us as bait?" he said, gaining a 'shut up' gesture from Inferno while Vasir ignored him and turned to the Destron Leader. "Take this to the lab so that we can finally complete that formula, you should find what we need in this Organ." she said while handing the T-Cog over to the Con, who nodded in return. "I will make it a priority immediately, now of you will excuse me." the Destron Leader replied before taking his leave with the T-Cog, leaving Vasir and Morinth alone as the his team-mates followed in his wake. "So what are you doing here?" the older Asari asked as she turned to the latter. "I have good news, Vasir. Myra Darby is dead." the Ardat-Yakshi answered with a confident tone, earning a disinterested expression from the Leviathan Leader. "Is that so? And how do you know this?" "While I was onboard the Eudora, checking that our transmitter was still functioning..." Morinth began to explain, only for her Boss to cut her off. "Yes, we all know about that. Get to the point already." she replied with a venomous tone to her voice, which made the younger Asari feel a little nervous as she continued. "...well, I also uploaded a virus to their Computer-Core, that would take control of the ship once activated." "And do what?" Vasir then asked, still barely showing any interest in what Morinth had to say. "It would fly the ship directly into whatever hazard that was in range of it's sensors so that it could be destroyed. And as a backup, I also allowed Darby's team to take one of our Mechs on board so that it could reactivate alongside the virus and distract them from discovering it." The Leviathan Leader then looked back with a wide-eyed stare, which Morinth could not help but stare back at. "You let Myra get her hands on one of our Mechs, one of the 'Synthergon' powered Mechs?!" the former then asked in a slow and clear voice, earning an unsure nod from the Ardat-Yakshi in return. "How could you be so stupid!" Vasir then spat at Morinth, nearly making the younger Asari nearly jump out of her skin. "But, Vasir, let me explain..." "Please do, please try and dig yourself out of this hole you have dug yourself." the Leviathan Leader replied in a sarcastic tone. "I had programmed the virus to inform me if the Eudora jumped into any star-system that contained something or someone important to Leviathan, so that I could activate both the Mech and my computer virus and have the ship destroyed before they arrived there." Morinth explained with fear underlining her words, which just made Vasir narrow her eyes back at her. "And where did Myra's ship jump to?" "The Erebus System, towards the planet Nepmos." the Ardat-Yakshi said back, noticing that her Boss was starting to grit her teeth in response. 'Oh Shit!' "You mean the system where Doctor Alcazar is located! The Scientist who provided us with the completed Synthergon formula! Please tell me that I am not the only one who sees how this came to be?" the older Asari then spat back, which made Morinth put her hands in front of her person in a pleading-like posture. "Yes, I know. But it doesn't matter. Because Myra's ship was destroyed in the Asteroid field." "And how do you know this?" Vasir asked in return, though the tone of her voice made it sound less like a question. "Because I lost the virus's signal once it was in the Asteroid field, meaning that the Eudora had been destroyed by a direct collision." the Ardat-Yakshi said back with a confident...ish tone, despite how furious her Boss was towards her. "Well, let's be absolutely sure about this,...shall we." Vasir replied before turning her attention to a Batarian manning the terminal to her right, pointing at him with an angry glare. "You! Find the Eudora's tracking signal and bring it up on the main screen." "Yes, Sir." he replied before using the holo-interface in front of him, while Morinth and Vasir looked up at the main screen, with the former looking somewhat confident. 'It's destroyed, it has to be. it...' she started to think before her thoughts just left her, as the image on the screen showed the Erebus system and a blip which had the name 'Eudora' next to it. "It can't be, I saw it..." Morinth began to say, before she glanced back at Vasir and saw how furious she was. "I think you should leave my sight...right now. Before I kill you right where you stand...go!" the Leviathan Leader spat, gaining a nod from the Ardat-Yakshi who then left the room in silence. Then the Vorcha on the terminal to Vasir's left held his hand in the air nervously, earning worried looks from his colleagues while their Boss continued to watch Morinth walk away further down the corridor. "Sir...?" "What!" the Asari spat, making everyone in the CIC jump out of their skins. "Do...Do you want us to keep monitoring the Eudora?" he asked with fear tingeing his words, which made Vasir look at him with a blank expression before turning her attention to the screen. "...Yes, I want you to keep an eye on that ship..." she replied while looking at the blip on the screen. "...and have a team of our Agents evacuate Alacazer from Nepmos, we can't afford what he knows to fall into enemy hands." "Yes, Sir." the Vorcha replied before Vasir's com-link activated, gaining her attention as she tapped her earpiece. "Yes, Vasir here...they are...excellent, we are on our way back, Vasir out." she then said with a now calmer tone that also had a tinge of excitement in it's tone, earning curious looks from the rest of the crew. "Helm, set a course back to Mother-base. And Coms, prepare to send a message to the other outposts." the older Asari added, earning a look from the Batarian manning that station. "And what do you want this message to say, Sir?" "That I want them to rendezvous with us at Mother-base for a very important meeting." Vasir then replied with a devious smile. PRIME EFFECT 5 Myra found herself standing in a long devastated battlefield, which was littered with hundreds of scorched bodies which gave the Asari a feeling of deja-vu. 'Wait, I have seen this place before.' she thought while looking at her surroundings, which filled her with a sense of dread as there was only silence in all directions despite the storm clouds that gathered above her. "This is what awaits you..." a voice then spoke, making the Rogue Spectre turn around to see a Man in orange and black armoured robes standing near her. "...should the Darkness go unchallenged." he added, gaining a curious look from the Asari. "What...what do you mean?" Myra found herself asking, which made the unknown Man point out at their surroundings. "Should the Trinity not be completed, then the Darkness will grow even stronger by continuing to corrupt every sentient being in the galaxy. Once it is powerful enough, the Darkness will free itself from the depths of the All-Spark and spread itself across the universe, destroying everything in it's path until nothing remains." The Man then pointed up at the sky, which made Myra look up and notice that the storm clouds had begun receding, revealing the stars to the pair. But then her eyes widened as the stars were slowly fading to nothing, which gained a nod from the robed Man. "You can see it, don't you. And you are the only one now who can stop it." he replied in a cryptic tone, which made the Asari look back at him with a confused look. "How can I stop it?" she asked. "By giving up the hate that is poisoning your spark and finally unite the Trinity. That is your destiny." he then said back, which confused the Rogue Spectre even more. "What?" was all she could say before everything went dark around her until there was nothing but darkness. The Asari then opened her eyes and found that she was lying on a couch in the Eudora's rec room, as Kat turned to her from her seat at the nearby table. "Oh good, your hour's nap was nearly up." she said while sitting beside Myra, who had just sat up. "Let me take a look at your hands." the Human said, which made the Rogue Spectre hold them both out before her. "So, Doctor, am I going to live?" she asked with a coy tone, earning a smile from her friend who took her hands in her own and looked them over. "It was a pretty close call back there. For a moment, I thought we would have to amputate, but it turned all right in the end." she joked back, gaining a smile from Myra in return. "Well then, I am glad that your my Doctor. Instead of someone else." "You're just lucky, I guess." the Human Woman replied, while beginning to gently stroke the top of the Asari's hands with her thumbs. Myra noticed this and found herself surprised by how much she liked it, which made her smile widen slightly more. "Seriously though, your hands have healed really well in just an hour. What about you? Did the sleep help?" Kat asked while still holding onto her blue friend's hands. "Yes, somewhat. I haven't really had time to rest recently, as you know." Myra replied, but she could not help but think on the strange dream she has just had. 'Why did I even dream that and who was that guy?' she thought, while her Human friend nodded back. "Yes, and your rest was nearly ruined by Crosscut just ten minutes in. But I kept him at bay, because he is like a Varren in a giftshop" she said back. "Thank you..." Myra replied, making Kat's smile widen too. "...did he want anything?" the Asari added, which made her friend shake her head in return. "No, just an energy bar snack. He was still working on the Computer Core, though he did say he would be finished by now." "Well, let's get back to work." the Rogue Spectre said back, earning a nod from Kat as she let go of the Asari's hands. "Alright." she replied while Myra then tapped her earpiece, activating her com-link and linking it to Kat's. "Crosscut, it's Myra. How is the Core looking?" she asked. "The Computer-Core is running fine now, I have cleansed it of the virus so we should have no more problems." he replied, gaining a sigh and a smile from Myra. "That's good news." "Yes, it is. But that's not all I have to tell you. Because I decided to take a look around the ship, taking a few scans with my holo-tool. And in the Engine room, I found a transmitter which looks to have been here longer than the virus." the Bot replied, which made Myra's expression change to a more intrigued look. "A transmitter, so we were sending our location out to someone this whole time." Kat then asked, beating the Asari to the question. "That's right, but I have managed to hack the device and set it in a loop. So it will only transmit our last location, which is right here." Crosscut replied, which made both Women smile at each other. "That should certainly put a dent in Vasir's ability to stay one step ahead of us." the Human friend said, earning a nod from Myra. "Yes, it should." she replied with a relieved tone. "But that's not all, Guys, for it has given me an idea..." Crosscut then said, regaining the pair's attention. "...since it is broadcasting a signal to who we can assume is Vasir, I should be able to track the signal back to it's source." This made Myra's eyes widen in response, as her hope of finding the Asari that killed her Mother and Fiancée was strengthened some more. "You can do that? How long will it take?" she asked with an encouraged tone, which did not go unnoticed by Kat. "Well, since I have already hacked the beacon, it is now just the case of aligning our communications sub routine to the transmission vector and following it...so about a few minutes." "Good, because I bet Vasir will already have had Alcazar moved in the time that we were fighting that Mech." "Alright, I will get right on it." the Bot replied. "Okay and once you are done, join us in the Cockpit. Myra out." she said before ending the link, turning her attention back to Kat. "Let's go and let the others know the good news." she said, gaining a nod from the Human Woman in return before they both left the Rec-room. A few moments later and both Women walked into the Cockpit, joining Evac and Tolae who sat in the Pilot's and Co-Pilot seats respectively. "Wait till you guys hear this..." Myra said with an enthusiastic tone, but found herself stopping as she saw the less than content looks on the faces of the others. "What's wrong?" Kat asked as it went really quiet in the room. "We have received a transmission from a Yikrah Krios. She says that you two are friends and that she has something important to tell you..." Evac then said while tapping sequence of buttons on his holo-interface. "...I have her on the Inter-Com right now." he added. "Myra is here, Yikrah..." Tolae then said aloud, before a familiar voice spoke over the inter-com. "Myra, can you hear me?" the Drell said, as if hoping to hear the Asari's voice. "Yes, Yikrah. I am here. So what do you have for me?" Myra asked with a slight trepidation in her voice, which was not uncalled for considering the looks that Evac and Tolae had on their faces. "I wanted you to know this…before you hear it from one of the News-Networks, I am so sorry…" Yikrah began to say, her voice starting to tremble somewhat as Myra's eyes widened in return. "What…what is it?" she asked with tension and confusion growing in the tone of her voice, which made Kat look back with a worried expression. But before she could say something, Yikrah then dropped the bomb on the place with her next few words. "It's your Aunt…it's Ser-Ket." the Drell then said, which made the Asari feel as though someone had punched her in the gut as she found herself sitting down on the chair beside her while it went deathly quiet in the Cockpit suddenly. 'Aunt Ser-Ket…' she thought, while Kat placed a hand on her friend's shoulder in a supportive gesture. "What happened?" the Human asked while the Rogue Spectre just sat there in a speechless silence, as did the others. "It seems that the Commander was lured from her post here on Unity by a distress call from her Dinobots team, who said they were under attack from a force of Mechs that were far stronger and tougher than the usual ones…" Yikrah began to explain, earning a thoughtful and angry expression from Myra as she listened. And this did not go unnoticed by the others as they watched her in return. "…and even though the group was under attack, it was actually a distance from where the distress call was actually coming from." she added, gaining a knowing look from Evac. "So it was a trap?" "Yes, because Sharptooth and his comrades soon found Ser-Ket lying unconscious after suffering from a real beating by whoever had set the trap, and she was also bleeding out from a large wound on her side…" the Drell said before going quiet for a moment, earning a worried and yet curious look from Kat and Myra, with the latter still remaining silent. "What?" the former said in return before her Asari friend suddenly found her voice again. "Is my Aunt dead?" she asked with a glimmer of hope in her voice while looking over at the com-system, earning a heart-broken expression from Kat in return. "Ser-Ket is alive, Myra, but she is in a coma. The trauma her body was put through, I mean she lost a lot of blood before the Dinobots found her…and what she has lost too…" Yikrah said, which made the Rogue Spectre widen her eyes. "What did she lose?" "Her T-Cog, it's gone. The Medics believe that it was ripped out of her body, but there was no incisions. It was more like it just shot out of her body of its own free will." her Drell friend replied, which made Myra's eyes narrow as the others all shared a confused look. "But that's impossible." Evac replied, while Tolae noticed the Rogue Spectre's expression and realised what she was thinking. "Or like 'someone' used biotics to pull it out." she said back, gaining Myra's attention as she looked back at the Ardat-Yakshi. "That possibility is far more plausible than what some of the Medics have come up with, because frankly there could be no other way to do such a thing." Yikrah replied, while Myra simply went quiet again as her thoughts overtook her. 'Vasir, it has to be her.' she thought, gaining Kat's attention as she felt the Asari tense up. "But either way, I am so very sorry to have to tell you this, Myra. Especially after…" the Drell began to say back, bringing everyone's attention back to the Rogue Spectre as they knew what she was implying. "I know, Yikrah,…I…just…need some time to…" Myra started to say back before Crosscut then entered the room and gained their attention. "What is it?" he asked, having noticed the solemn looks of the others. "A friend of Myra's has called and told us that her Aunt, Commander Ser-Ket, was attacked and critically injured." Kat replied, making the Bot's expression mirror theirs. "By the All-Spark, but… she's going to be okay, right?" he asked as his gaze turned to Myra, who just looked lost in thought a turmoil. "She fell into a coma after having her T-Cog forcibly removed, that's all we know right now." the Drell replied over the inter-com. "But who did this?" Crosscut said back, making Myra turn round and look at him. "It was Vasir." she answered, earning everyone's attention in the Cockpit. "…or Morinth..." Tolae replied, making the Rogue Spectre look over to her with a piercing glare. But the Ardat-Yakshi stood her ground and continued, which Evac could not help but be impressed by…despite the current situation. "…only an Asari could have caused that kind of injury, by using her biotics." "Well…unless anyone knows where to find either of them, then there isn't much we can do." the Pilot then said, earning a cold and calculating look from Myra as she turned her attention to Crosscut. "But we can, because you have their possible location…right, Crosscut?" she asked, gaining a nod from the Bot in return. "Yeah, that's right. I managed to triangulate the beacon's signal and followed it straight back to it's source." he replied, earning surprised looks from Tolae and Evac. "Wait, what? When did this happen?" the Pilot replied with a confused tone. "We didn't get a chance to tell you, but Crosscut discovered a tracking beacon that Vasir must have planted on the Eudora at some point." Kat answered, earning a knowing look from Tolae. "And you simply traced it's signal back to Vasir." she said to the other Bot, gaining a nod from him. "Yes." "So where are they?" the Rogue Spectre asked with a calmer tone, which made her Human friend look back with an inquisitive expression. "You're not going to believe this, but the signal originates in the public sector of the Unity Station." Crosscut replied, which made everyone in the room except Myra look back in complete shock. "What! That's impossible! If Vasir ever set foot on Unity then we Autobots would have known about it." Yikrah said back in a horrified tone over the intercom. "It's also the last place anyone would think of looking. What better place to hide than right out in the open." Tolae said with a somewhat impressed tone, but Myra simply ignored her and looked at Evac. "Then that is where we are going." "Wait a minute. We cannot just fly up to the central Hub of the ISF and just hope they don't arrest us the moment we try to dock. I mean, you are on their most wanted list, Myra." Crosscut replied with a worried expression, but the Rogue Spectre merely pointed toward the com-system in return. "Yikrah, you can buy us some time to enter Unity undetected, right?" she asked with a confident tone. "…Yes, but it would give you only a very small window of opportunity and Security would trace it back to me instantly. That would take away any further chances I might have to help you." the Drell replied with a similar tone to the Bot, but the Asari responded with a slight smile. "This will be the best chance we will ever get against Vasir, Crosscut has already repurposed the tracking beacon to tell Leviathan that we will still be exactly where we are now, even after we have made the jump to Unity. So this will give us the advantage to gain the drop on Vasir and catch her off guard. Please…this is the only way to help me now." she asked, before going quiet while waiting for her friend's response. "…Okay, I will buy you some time. But you better make your way here now, timing will be everything with this." Yikrah said back, gaining a nod from the Asari. "We are on our way and will contact you again in a few minutes. Thank you, Yikrah. Myra out." she said before ending the transmission and turning her attention to Evac. "Set course for Unity and take us there now, we can't afford to waste any time." "Okay, setting course for Unity Station and powering up the Space-bridge Generator." the Pilot replied as he worked the holo-interface in front of him, while Myra turned around and walked past both Kat and Crosscut which made the pair look at each other with a shared confusion before the Woman then chased after her friend. "Myra, wait up." she called back, making the Asari stop in her tracks and turn to her. It was then that Kat saw Myra's face, and it was cold, focused and devoid of the Woman who she had just been joking around with moments earlier. "What is it, Kat?" the young Darby asked, earning a look of concern from the Human Woman. "When we land at Unity, Crosscut, Tolae and I will be going with you,….right?" she asked, which made the Asari look away and down to the floor which might as well have raised alarm-bells for Kat. "You're going to head of in there alone,….aren't you?" she then added, having seen it in the Rogue Spectre's eyes. "Look, Kat, this is something I have to do." Myra began to reply with a guilty tone to her voice, but this made Kat shake her head in return while taking a step toward her. "No. No, you don't. You can let us help you." she said back with anger tingeing her words, which made the Asari look back in surprise. "Kat, do you know how long I have waited for this chance? How much I have suffered to get to this point?" "Yes, which is why I am not going to let you do this alone. Because you might let your feelings override everything else and that would then give Vasir the advantage. I mean, if anything happened to you…I would…" the Human began to say before stopping and taking a breath, which made Myra sigh as she took a step toward her friend. "Kat…" the Asari tried to say, but found herself stopping as she saw the worried look on Kat's face. "Just promise me that when we land on Unity, that we will see this through together...as a team...promise me that." she almost pleaded, knowing fully well that if Myra went into what was quite possibly Vasir's stronghold, that she would be completely outnumbered. Worse still, a small part of Kat could not help but think that might be what the Asari wanted. To take out Vasir in a suicide run, and was something that she could not let happen to her friend. But the Human Woman was brought out of her thoughts as Myra placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, gaining her undivided attention. "I promise, Kat." she said back in a reassuring tone, which made the Human sigh in relief. "Good...well, I will just go and get Crosscut and Tolae. We'll meet you in the Armoury. We're going to give Vasir the justice she deserves." she replied with growing confidence in her voice while placing her hand on the Rogue Spectre's left shoulder, earning a smile and a nod from the Asari. "Yes, we will. See you in the Armoury." she said back before Kat then let go and walked back towards the Cockpit, not noticing that Myra's smile faded as she watched her friend go. 'I am so sorry, Kat, but this is going to be goodbye. Because I do not intend to walk away from this.' she thought before turning around and walking away down the corridor. PRIME EFFECT 5 On board Unity Station, what had become the heart of the Inter-Stellar Federation. Vasir stood on the third level of a giant warehouse, looking down at the gathering of various Merc Leaders. There were Krogan, Vorcha, Asari and numerous others standing in the centre of the large building, and all of them were looking up towards her. The Leviathan Leader had two advanced Mechs standing either side of her as she walked up to the railing and placed her hands upon it. "Our time is finally upon us, My Friends…" she then said aloud with a confident tone, gaining the audience's attention as they all looked up at her. "…A few of you have been here since the beginning, over five hundred years ago when we founded Leviathan together…" Vasir added while gesturing to a group of Krogan, who nodded back in return as she continued. "…because we shared the same dream, to bring down the those who were wrongfully seen as our saviours in the dark days of the Reaper War and return control of the Galaxy back into the hands of those more deserving." The Asari then activated her holo-tool and brought up a large holo-screen between herself and the large audience, which showed a constant flow of information. "It has been a long time coming, but after following the plans laid out by my predecessor…the great Matriarch Benezia. We have not only weakened the positions of both the Humans and Cybertronians alike, turning their allies and friends against them in a successful campaign of subterfuge and espionage. We have also built ourselves a force that can not only stand up to those 'pretenders', but can also bury them too." she said just as the holo-screen showed bio-weapons research and Synthergon experiment data, and no one watching below batted an eye at it, which made the Leviathan Leader's smile widen. "Yes, we are working in the grey area between what is right and what is wrong. Keeping to the shadows and doing the wet work that those in power cannot or will not do themselves, it was with the secret help of a number of those ISF members that we were able to complete a number of our most ambitious projects, as well as stay hidden for as long as we have." Vasir then said, just as the schematics of a gigantic star-ship appeared on the screen. It had the design of a futuristic spacecraft carrier, with its primary hull being long and rectangular shaped. While it's secondary hull which was located on the primary's aft had a smaller box-like shape to it, which had two massive cannons on either side and the CIC located in it's center. "Behold the 'Leviathan', the first 'Titan' class battleship in existence. It was built from the remains of a derelict Cybertronian vessel that was found on the dead world of Gorlam Prime. It is powered by a large Synthergon core and can carry ten thousand soldiers and up to twenty squadrons of fighters, which makes this ship as powerful as any fleet that has come before it." she said, earning wide-eyed stares from the audience as they marvelled over the image. Ten minutes earlier, the Eudora was flying down towards a hanger in one of the many city areas that covered the Unity station. Evac was looking nervous as he focused on his flying, while Tolae kept her eyes on the sensor screen before her. "Don't worry, Evac, there is still no sign of any Autobot patrols following us." she said in a reassuring way while placing a hand on his shoulder, earning a smile from the Bot before a familiar voice spoke over the inter-com. "I have given you a window of around ten minutes, so you should be able to land near the signal's source without any obstacles." the female voice spoke, gaining the pair's attention. "Thanks, Yikrah. Now you better get yourself out of there as you said they would track this all back to you in that time." the Ardat-Yakshi replied while looking out of the glass canopy ahead of her, seeing the while skyscraper-like buildings as they shot past. "I am afraid I am not going to do that." the Drell replied, making the two both look at each other with confused expressions. "Why not?" "I will not run away from my responsibilities, because this is the right thing to do. The ISF has lived in denial over Leviathan's existence for centuries, and if you and Myra are successful in revealing the truth, then I guess nothing bad will happen to me for making this decision." Yikrah said back. "That's quite a leap of faith you're taking there, Yikrah." Evac replied with a questioning tone. "My family have been close friends with the Darbys for a long time now and they have always kept their word, never letting us down. I see no reason to question that now, so instead I will simply wish you all luck." the Drell answered over the inter-com. "Thanks, same to you." Tolae replied before the transmission ended, just as Kat walked back into the Cockpit. "How are we doing?" she asked while walking up behind the pair, gaining the Asari's attention. "We should be ready to land in just another minute." she replied, making the Pilot nod back in return. "Yeah, Yikrah's kept her end up and bought us a ten-minute window, so the rest is up to us." "Alright, I will head down to the Armoury and suit up with Myra and Crosscut." the Human Woman replied before the inter-com suddenly activated. "Hey, Kat, are you reading me?" Crosscut then spoke, earning a slight smile from Kat. "Yeah, I can hear you. I was just on my way down to meet you and Myra." "Well I am here in the Armoury, but Myra is nowhere to be seen." the Bot said back over the inter-com, gaining worrying looks from both Evac and his Human friend. "Wait, Myra said that she would wait for us both there…" the latter started to say before a holo-screen suddenly activated and gained the Pilot's attention. "Guys, who is activating the Ground-bridge right now?" he replied with a surprised tone, but Kat just sighed and looked out at the Unity Station with a sad and disappointed expression. "It's Myra….damn it! She's going it alone!" she replied as only one thought crossed her mind. 'Why, Myra?! Why?!' PRIME EFFECT 5 Back in the large warehouse-like building, Vasir deactivated the large holo-screen which disappeared and gave her full view of her audience once more. "Now as I said earlier, we are ready to move against our enemies due to them being separated and hated by the other Species. And with the 'Leviathan' and our bio-weapons research complete, the time to act is now." she said, before one of the Vorcha lifted his hand up and gained her attention. "And just what has our Bio-weapon's research completed?" he asked, earning curious looks from the audience. So the Asari used her holo-tool and brought up another holo-image, this time showing a viral strain that circled above them. "What you are looking at is the Cybonic Plague. A virus that was created by Megatron of the Decepticons during the Great Cybertronian War. It was rediscovered by the late Matriarch Benezia during her tenor as the Shadow Broker. I managed to retain a sample of it after the fall of her organisation. And have used the last few centuries to alter and improve the virus, so that it can infect and kill both Cybertronians and their Human hybrids perfectly." "And we are now going to infect them with this new version of this Plague?" the Vorcha asked, gaining a nod from the Leviathan Leader. "Exactly. I will not give you the exact details of the plan now. I have instead sent copies to each of your ships. Once you have seen and confirmed this, we can then prepare our forces and then execute it to the letter. Any further questions before I end this meeting?" the Asari then asked, gaining nothing but head-shakes from the mass of Merc Leaders looking up at her. "Alright, then head back to your ships..." she started to say, only to be cut off by a familiar female voice. "I have a question." Everyone in the audience then turned to see a hooded figure in a brown duster coat standing amongst them. "Did you really think that..." the figure started to say as the Merc Leaders surrounded her, before pulling down the hood to reveal the Rogue Spectre. "...I would never find you." she added, earning a wide-eyed stare from Vasir in return. "...Myra Darby!" the Leviathan Leader replied before composing herself, while the younger Asari just stared back at her and ignored the Mercs who were standing around her with bemused expressions. "I actually never gave much thought to whether you would ever find me, Myra, but since you are here then allow me to make you a little more comfortable." Vasir then said before tapping a button on her holo-tool, which made the doors on either side of the room open and let in a large number of Mechs that surrounded the Rogue Spectre with weapons ready, while the Merc Leaders slowly backed away as the intruder alert siren began blaring around them. "Yes, the meeting is over now. Please head back to your ships. I will just deal with this intruder before joining you." Vasir added with a confident smirk, though beneath it, she was actually somewhat worried. "The only way you are leaving this building, Vasir...is in a body bag." Myra replied with a confident tone, as she narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists, making them glow with biotic energy. "I grow tired of this...kill her!" the older Asari then spat, and with that, every Mech in the room opened fire on the Rogue Spectre. But Myra shielded herself with a biotic barrier, which made the bullets deflect harmlessly off her as the last of the Merc Leaders left the area. "I'm coming for you!" the young Darby spat viciously while launching herself at the enemy soldier nearest to her, before slicing it in half with what looked like a blade constructed from biotic energy. She then attacked and did the same to the one next to it, while it fell into two pieces, and then repeated the move with the following two. This made Vasir's eyes widen in shock before tapping her com-link. "Send in more Mechs now!" she screamed down the line, while never taking her eyes off her Nemesis who continued to butcher the soldiers on the ground. "Forget your guns, just kill her!" The remaining Mechs then dropped their rifles and activated their holo-blades, just as Myra had finished with another of their comrades, turning around to face them with a look of pure anger and hate, before glancing up at the Leviathan Leader. 'You should be scared.' she thought before one of the Mechs lunged at her with it's blades, making the Asari block both with her biotic blade. But then another lunged at her from the Woman's right, so she instinctively collapsed her blade back into her glowing hand and stepped backwards, just as the Mech passed her and was then hit by the holo-blades of the first enemy. It's melee-weapons sliced the second soldier into pieces before it, while the Rogue Spectre then surrounded the corpse in a biotic field and pulled it apart into many little and pieces. If this display had affected the other Mechs, then they did not show it as they charged at the Asari. Myra simply shook her head before punching both fists towards the enemies, launching the pieces like projectiles at the group. And just like that, the Mechs were shredded by the barrage and all fell dead at the Rogue Spectre's feet. "Is that all you've got, Vasir?" she then shouted before noticing the staircase that was directly below the Leviathan Leader's level and noticed that it looked just like a fire escape- staircase in it's design and so headed for them, which made Vasir reach for her ear-piece again. "Where are my reinforcements?" she spat in an angry and worried tone. "They should be here now, Vasir." a male voice spoke back, and just then the doors opened again and even more Mechs entered the large room and ran directly for the Rogue Spectre who was running up the stairs towards her target. "Kill her!" the Leviathan Leader then screamed, which made the Mechs jump up onto the framework of the stairs and climb up to the Rogue Spectre, Who was more than halfway there before one of the enemies climbed over the railing and landed on the steps above her. "You're not getting in my way." she said as the robot readied itself, making the Asari take a fighting stance as her fists glowed blue yet again. But then she heard a heavy thud behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see another Mech had reached her and was being followed by several more. 'Perfect.' she thought before then punching at the Mech before her, just as the one behind attacked her too. Meanwhile, Vasir was looking over the railing at the fight happening below her, hoping to the goddess that her Mechs would be able to finish of that Darby-Woman. "Vasir, we have your transport ready. You should leave now!" the male voice spoke again, which made the older Asari grit her teeth in return. "No, not until I see that damned Darby die! Just wait for me." she spat back before her attention was caught by the appearance of two strangers at the north door, one was a blonde Man and the other was another Asari. "Intruders, kill them!" she shouted while pointing at the two arrivals, which made the Mechs still on the ground turn around and run at them. Both Tolae and Crosscut stood in the doorway and looked into the room, noticing their friend fighting Mechs on the staircase at the other end of the room. "There's Myra, she needs our help." the Asari said, earning a nod from the Bot who then pointed just away from the action. "Yeah, but we've got our own problems first." he replied, earning the Ardat-Yakshi's attention as she saw the Mechs. "Then let's make this quick." she said back in a firm tone while clenching her fists and making them glow with biotic energy, while the Bot aimed his rile at the enemies and opened fire. Meanwhile, Morinth was running down a long corridor as the siren blared around her, trying to get to where the action was currently happening. 'If I can prove myself to Vasir, then this will get me back in her good books.' she thought before coming up to a T-junction in the corridor and turning left. 'I only hope I am in time.' Back in the large room, Vasir was watching as the two friends of Myra continued to battle the Mechs on the ground floor, before turning her attention to what was going on the staircase beneath her. 'I have sent enough Mechs after this bitch to take down several Yahg, surely she is dead by now.' she thought while looking over the railing, only for a fist to hit her face and knock the older Asari on her back as Myra suddenly vaulted over the railing and landed on her level. "It's over!" she said with gritted teeth while staring daggers at Vasir, who looked at her two bodyguards. "Well? Get her then!" she spat, which made the Mechs both launch themselves at the Rogue Spectre. Myra, though, merely held out both hands and clenched them into fists as she channelled her biotics, which enveloped the two robots in blue energy and pulled them into the air. The Young Darby then thrust her hands up and over her head, which launched them both over the railings to the ground far below. "Nothing is going to come between me and you now, Vasir, because you 'are' going to pay for what you did to my Mother and my Fiancée." the Asari then said in a wrathful tone, while Vasir got back to her feet and took up a fighting stance. "Am I now? Well, by all means…let's get this over with." the Leviathan Leader spat back before throwing a biotic blast at the Rogue Spectre, who then rolled under it and quickly performed an uppercut that hit Vasir directly in the face, making her stumble backwards. "This will end….with your death." Myra replied, while the older Asari recovered and wiped a trickle of blood under her nose. "You do like to talk!" she answered before throwing a biotic punch at her younger opponent, who blocked it with her own biotic charged arms, before grabbing the arm and twisting it behind Vasir's back which made her grimace in return. "You're one to talk." she replied back with a venomous tinge to her voice, but the Leviathan Leader responded by surprising the Rogue Spectre with a biotic flash from her hands, which made Myra let go as Vasir turned back round and attacked once again. Both Asari then threw several biotic punches and kicks at each other, each blocking and countering as they went before then going into a grapple. They both focused their biotic energies through their limbs, which caused sparks to fly as they were enveloped by the blue light. But while Myra kept her focus entirely on Vasir, the older Asari could not help but notice a heavily damaged Mech crawl up the stairs and look over at the pair. 'That's it, take the shot while I hold her here!' the Leviathan Leader thought, as the robot lifted its rifle slowly and aimed it at the Rogue Spectre's back. 'Go on! Shoot her!' Vasir screamed in her mind while ever so glancing at the Mech, making sure not to tip off Myra who narrowed her eyes at her in return. Then suddenly a gunshot fired that pulled both Asari's attention away from each other, making them both look at the Mech as its head was then blown off its body in a shower of sparks. "What!" Vasir spat before she and the young Darby then turned to see a Human Woman standing on the same level as them, at the other side of the building, holding a sniper rifle and aiming at the pair before looking past the scope and smiling at the younger Asari. 'Kat,…..thanks." Myra thought as she smiled back, before turning her attention back to a shocked Vasir and punching her in the face. "Go get her, Myra.'' the Human Woman thought as she watched the two adversaries fight again, before turning her attention to her two friends who were still fighting the Mechs on the ground. 'Don't worry, Guys. I've got your backs.' she thought before firing several shots down at the enemies who had the others surrounded. As that was happening, Morinth ran into the room and immediately looked round in a wide-eyed stare at the chaos that was happening before her. 'By the Goddess! How did this happen?' she thought before recognising the two intruders fighting the Mechs. 'Darby's friends? That means 'she' is here!' Then before the murderous Ardat-Yakshi started to move towards the pair, her attention was suddenly caught by the sound of gunshots being fired from above, so she looked up to see the barrel of a sniper-rifle over the edge of the third level, which made her eyes narrow. 'I have a better idea.' she thought before heading back out of the room. Meanwhile, Myra and Vasir clashed yet again on the third level, making biotic energy sparks fly out around the pair as they punched and kicked against each other's biotic barriers that surrounded their bodies. The Rogue Spectre was running purely on anger and instinct as she threw biotic punch after biotic punch, which made cracks appear on the Leviathan Leader's barrier as she failed to block those two attacks. This made Vasir grimace as she stumbled back before Myra then followed through with a roundhouse kick which impacted the older Asari's side and shattered her barrier, which dissipated into nothing as she was knocked to the ground. The Leviathan Leader immediately fired a biotic blast back at the Rogue Spectre, but she responded by performing a biotic charge and zipped out of it's way before hitting the older Asari with a blast of her own, that hit her adversary and knocked her into the railing. 'Goddess help me.' Vasir thought as she grabbed at the metal and tried to recover, only to be interrupted as Myra grabbed her round the throat and pulled her up onto her knees. The young Darby stared down at the Leviathan Leader, looking directly into her eyes as she pulled her fist back which started to glow with biotic energy. "After all this time, after all these centuries. My Family will finally be avenged." she said in a shaky tone, unsure if this was really happening to her right now. But Myra was not about to let her building emotions ruin the opportunity that she was presented with, so blocked it all out, the fighting that was going on just away from her, instead, she simply looked into the blacks of Vasir's eyes and tightened her fist even more. "STOP, right now!" a familiar voice then shouted from just aways, making both Asari look over to see Morinth standing on the side of the level. Myra's eyes widened as she saw that the Ardat-Yakshi was holding Kat by her throat and was dangling her over the railing. "Let Vasir go, or I will let your friend fall to her death." Morinth warned while the Rogue Spectre's eyes focused on her friend who stared back as she coughed, due to the Murderer's iron grip. 'I have waited so long for this, this moment that has driven me on for all these centuries. Only for it to now be a choice between revenge and my friend.' she thought before looking between both Vasir and Kat, only to turn back to Vasir and grit her teeth. "…Fine." she then replied before pushing the Leviathan Leader away and turning back to the Ardat-Yakshi. But then Morinth simply smirked back, which made Myra's eyes widen again. "Fool!" she said back before letting go of Kat, who began to fall down to the ground below. The whole world then seemed to slow down around the Rogue Spectre, as she stared with a horrified expression while she watched Kat who flailed her arms about as she fell. It was like she was trying to grasp at anything to stop her fall, but then Myra snapped out of her shock as she screamed out loud. "NO!" the Asari roared as she jumped over the railing and performed a biotic charge in mid-air, shooting through it and tackling her friend as her inertial carried the pair onto the second-level platform below. The pair crashed through the railing and hit the platform hard, rolling over each other for a meter or two before coming to a stop. Myra found that she was lying over Kat and so lifted herself up enough to look down at her friend, despite how much her own body ached. 'Goddess! I hope she is alright.' she thought before noticing that Kat was still breathing, before looking back over at the third level and noticed that Vasir had already gone. This made the Asari's eyes narrow as she looked over there, for once more the Woman she had wanted to kill for so long now, had escaped her again. 'I will get you, I swear to the goddess I will.' she thought before the sound of movement caught her attention, so the Rogue Spectre turned back to Kat who opened her eyes and looked back at her. "You okay?" the Asari asked, which earned a nod from the Human Woman in return. "Yes, you saved me,…thank you." she replied with a slight smile, which then disappeared and was replaced by a more guilty look. "I am sorry." Kat replied, but Myra simply shook her head in return. "It's not your…" she started to say before the door beside them suddenly opened and two armoured Men with Autobot insignia on their chest plates entered and aimed their rifles at them. "Freeze." they shouted, making both Women raise their hands in response while their friends did the same as two more Autobots appeared beside them.
  12. CHAPTER XI Back onboard the Eudora, Myra entered the Cockpit and joined Tolae and Evac as the latter was typing into his holo-controls. "Myra, we are now approaching Nepmos." the Pilot stated as the brown and green planet could be seen through the canopy before them, earning a smirk from the Rogue Spectre. 'Hopefully, I'll get some answers here.' she thought before Evac turned round to face her. "Why are we at Nepmos?" he asked, regaining the Asari's attention as she noticed that their new friend was also looking back with a curious expression. "I received these coordinates from a friend in Autobot Intelligence, there should be an individual on this planet that can lead us to Morinth and Vasir." Myra replied, which earned an alert look from Tolae. "I hope we find who you're looking for here, because I have some unfinished business with Morinth" she said, gaining a nod from the other Asari. "Yeah, as do I. It would make a welcome change to gain an advantage for once, instead of always being one step behind." This gained a nod from Evac in return, as he returned his attention to flying the ship. "Well, we will be entering Nepmos's atmosphere in just under two minutes, so I guess we'll find out one way or another..." he started to say, before his main holo-screen suddenly flashed red and the planet started to drift out of view. "Evac, why are we turning away from the planet?" Myra then asked with a confused expression, earning a similar look from Tolae who stared at his holo-Interface. "And why are your controls flashing like that?" "I don't know. The user interface is not acknowledging my commands." the Bot replied, trying to correct the Eudora's course but to no avail. But then the navigation screen brought up a map of the system, which made his eyes widen as a new course appeared on it. "Wait...what?" he asked aloud, before trying to use the other areas of the interface only for it to lead to no change. "What is it?" the Rogue Spectre then asked, which made the Pilot point out of the Cockpit's canopy at the space ahead. "The computer has laid us a new course...into the system's asteroid field!" he said, gaining shocked looks from both Asari. "Can you get us off this course and back to where we were supposed to go?" Myra asked as the field entered visual range, earning a worried stare from Tolae. "No matter what I try, the system won't answer to me. I'm locked out." he replied with a worried tone, which made the Asari activate her holo-tool and link it to the computer. "I'm going to try to regain some control back for you by running my hacking program." she said back, gaining a nod from the Pilot while his friend simply looked out at the approaching asteroid field with a growing fear in her expression. "Whatever you do, make it fast." As this was happening, Crosscut and Kat were looking at the holo-screen of the terminal in his workshop as it began to flicker uncontrollably. "Why is it doing that? It's never done that before." she asked, making the former Autobot shake his head in return. "I have no idea. The interface will not even acknowledge me. It's like it is frozen in a loop, but I am unable to run a diagnostic to find out what it is or why it is happening." he answered with a confused expression as he typed in some key combinations, but all were to no effect. But while the pair were focused on the terminal, neither had noticed that the deactivated and damaged Mech on the table had begun to reboot as its optics started to glow with a blue light again. "Have you tried that 'three key combination'? You know the one that brings up that option screen, so you can deactivate a faulty program?" Kat asked, gaining a sigh from the Bot in return as the Mech slowly rose up into a sitting position behind them. "Yes, Kat, I already tried that and it failed. The system is completely locked, I can't access anything." "Well, we should probably check with the others, see if they are having the same problem." the Human replied as turned away and tapped her com-link, only to stop in mid-action as her eyes fell upon the now activated Mech that was standing beside the table. "What in the..." she started to say as the robot looked over at her, its piercing blue optics narrowing in return. "What's got your..." Crosscut then began to reply as he turned around to see what his friend was on about, only to free on the spot as he saw the Mech. "...oh scrap." he then added, while the drone suddenly took a fighting stance and then launched itself at the pair. Back in the Cockpit, Tolae watched with trepidation as Myra and Evac worked as quickly as they could to try and solve the problem with the ship's computer. A problem that was forcing the ship to fly into an asteroid field, one that was getting closer and closer to the Eudora with every second that passed. "Okay, I have managed to get access to the ship's mainframe..." the Rogue Spectre started to say, before her eyes widened at what she saw on her screen. "What is it?" the Pilot replied, wondering what else at this point could go wrong. "The whole of the Eudora's computer system has been compromised, I cannot access any of it." Myra said back before the trio's com-links all activated at the same time. "Guys, we need a hand down here. That Mech isn't..." Kat began to say before being cut off by the sound of a punch, which made Darby look even more worried as she looked back at the others. "I've got to get down there since there is no way that droid reactivating at this moment is a coincidence." she said, gaining a nod from both Evac and Tolae. "Sounds like Morinth must have gained access to the ship while we were on Lesuss." the Bot replied, as Myra turned her attention to her fellow Asari. "Here, use this and help Evac while I go help the others." she said while linking her holo-tool to Tolae's and transferring the hack program. "I won't let you down." the Ardat-Yakshi replied, earning a knowing look back from the Darby. "Good, because we are all dead if you do. Good luck." she said back before rushing off the deck, while Tolae sat beside Evac and began using her holo-tool on his holo-interface. Myra ran into the workshop just in time to see Crosscut get thrown across the table, hitting the wall on the other side as Kat lunged at the Mech with her holo-blade. But the Robot merely blocked the attack with its right arm before countering with a backhand with it's left, which knocked the Woman off her feet. "Kat, Stay down!" the Asari then shouted before focusing her biotics into a single attack, with the blue energy coursing over her being and into her hands before she thrust them both forward. This action sent out an energy blast that hit the Mech hard, sending it into the wall behind it. "That thing just rebooted itself back up and attacked us, I could have sworn that you had damaged it too far beyond repair." the Bot said while getting back to his feet, just in time to see the droid lying on its back after falling off the wall. "Yeah, well it looks like Morinth pulled off a little 'Trogan Horse' tactic on us." Myra replied as she ran round the table to Kat's side, helping her friend back onto her feet as the enemy drone started to recover. "Thanks for the help, wasn't sure if our com-link message got through to any of you guys." the Human Woman said back with an appreciative smile, gaining a similar reaction from the Rogue Spectre in return. "Luckily our com-links haven't been affected by the same problem that is currently affecting the Eudora, or else we would not have heard you at all." "You mean this is a ship-wide fault that has affected our computer here?" Crosscut asked with a worried expression, making the Asari nod back in return. "Yes, so I need you and Kat to head to the Computer Core and find us a solution before we are killed by a stray asteroid." "But..." Kat then said with a surprised and confused look, only for Myra to look at both her and then the Bot with a stern expression. "Go now!" she replied as the Mech stood back up, turning its attention back to them. "On our way." Crosscut replied as he headed out of the room, but Kat didn't budge from the Rogue Spectre's side. "Kat, I said..." she started to say, only for her friend to cut her off mid-sentence. "No, I am staying and helping you...and you don't have a say in the matter." the Human said back in a defiant but in no way insulting manner, catching Myra off-guard a little. "...okay..." she began to say back when suddenly the table was then lifted up off the deck, which gained the pair's attention as they saw the Mech holding it up over its head. "Move!" the Rogue Spectre shouted as the Robot threw the piece of furniture at them, with the Asari diving one way and the Human Woman the other. The table then smashed as it hit the wall behind the two women, who rolled into kneeling positions as the latter reactivated her holo-blade, while the former made her fists glow with biotic energy. "Let's get it done." Myra then said before she and Kat then charged at the Mech, with it mirroring them in return. PRIME EFFECT 5 A moment later as the ship continued to fly towards the asteroid field, Evac and Tolae were still trying to regain some control of its navigation systems. "I can't get into the system, the hacking program has failed to get a response from it every time now." the Asari said with panic tingeing the tone of her voice, earning an equally worried look from the Pilot. "Neither of our hacking programs is getting through, and we will be hitting the asteroid field in thirty seconds." he replied while gesturing to the timer that one of his holo-screens displayed whilst flashing in a red hue. "There must be something we can do?" Tolae asked before finding her attention drifting towards the timer, which made them widen as the count down continued without pause or reprieve. "I could try and increase the program's efficiency, but it will take a moment." the Bot replied, while the Asari looked out at the even closer asteroid field which made her stare back even more panicked. "I don't think we have a moment." she said back as a giant rock drifted into the Eudora's path, earning a gulp from Evac while Tolae simply stared at it fearfully. "Evac, can you hear me?" Crosscut's voice suddenly spoke into their com-links, gaining the pair's attention as they looked at each other in surprise. "Yeah, I hear you. Hope you have some good news for us, otherwise, we are about to get very close and personal with an asteroid." the Pilot replied a little sarcastically, though the fear was still a little telling in his voice. "Possibly, I am at the Computer-Core right now and I think I can regain control of the Eudora by rebooting it's systems." the other Bot said back, "Well, you better do it really fast, like in ten seconds." Evac said before taking a deep breath as the large Asteroid became even bigger before them, which made Tolae take his hand in her own as they looked at each other. It was as if the last thing they wanted to see was each other before oblivion took them, but suddenly Crosscut's voice cut in and regained their attention. "There! Core is shut down and you should have access to thrusters now!" This made the Pilot let go of the Asari's hand put both his on the holo-controls, quickly activating the thrusters and pulling the ship away from the asteroid with just metres to spare. "By the Goddess, that was too close." Tolae replied with a deep sigh, gaining a nod from Evac in return. "It sure was..." he replied, before tapping his Com-link. "Crosscut, it worked. How is the reboot coming?" "It is going slow. We will need a few minutes for the system to reboot." the other Bot replied, gaining a nod from the Pilot. "I will get some distance between us and this asteroid field in the meantime, Evac out." the Pilot replied before deactivating his com-link and returning his attention to the Eudora's controls, which then made the large asteroid field veer out of view of the Cockpit canopy as the ship turned away. Evac then glanced over to his friend and winked, which earned a smile back in return from the Asari. Meanwhile, Myra and Kat were still combating the Mech inside Crosscut's workshop, which had been all but trashed by their fight as the Asari threw three biotic energy projectiles at the robot. But they impacted harmlessly against its body, which appeared to absorb them into it as the drone began to glow with a blue hue. "It's no use, the Mech has made your biotics mute Myra. We have to take it the old-fashioned way." Kat said before lunging at the enemy with her holo-blade, but it simply raised its left arm and caught the weapon in its hand. "What the hell?" the Human said back in a shocked tone, as the Mech then tightened its grip and shattered the blade, sending out tiny holographic shards that faded to nothing around her. "Get away from it!" the Rogue Spectre shouted as she readied her next attack, but before Kat could move the Drone suddenly punched her in the chest. This instantly winded the Woman and sent her flying into the wall behind her, making Myra watch with a fearful expression. "Kat!" The Mech though simply turned its attention onto the young Darby, narrowing its blue optics as Kat fell to the floor just aways from it. This made the Asari mirror its look as she stared back at it, before launching herself at her enemy with a barrage of kicks and punches, all of which were enhanced by her biotics. But the Mech simply blocked each attack, completely un-fazed by the ferocity of this Asari until it then countered and grabbed her by the neck. This earned a surprised grunt from Myra as she felt it's grip tighten, making it hard for her to breathe. Just as it appeared hopeless for the Rogue Spectre as Kat still lay on the floor unconscious, the Mech suddenly looked away from her and in the direction of the Cockpit as though it sensed something. 'Why is it...?' she started to think before being cut off, as the drone threw her to the ground. Though Myra instinctively used her biotics to halt herself as she glowed blue all over her body, bringing her back into a standing position as the Mech turned around and punched into the wall next to Crosscut's computer terminal. 'What?' the young Darby began to think as the drone simply stared at the wall with its arm stuck inside it. 'Now's my chance, while its attention is elsewhere.' she thought before suddenly performing a biotic charge at the Mech, speeding across the length of the room in a blue blur. But just as she was about to impact the droid, the Asari suddenly hit what looked like a force-field, the force or hitting it sent her flying back to her starting point, just as Kat recovered and witnessed it. "Myra!" she called out in a worried tone as she moved to her friend's side, though not before noticing that the Asari's attack had caused a ripple of energy to spread out around the robot in response. "You alright?" the Human Woman asked, gaining a painful nod from the Rogue Spectre in return as she was helped to her feet. "Yeah, though I feel like I just got hit by a Yahg. Didn't think that it could generate a force-field though." she replied. "Must be it's Synthergon power supply, giving it the extra energy to power all of its extra features..." Kat said back with an inquisitive expression. "...but your attack did have an effect on the field, though I would not recommend another charge like that last one." she added, which made Myra nod in agreement before a more thoughtful look appeared on her face. "You're right there, but that has given me an idea." the Rogue Spectre said back before moving towards the drone, earning a curious look from Kat. "What's that then?" "Just grab a gun and be ready." the Asari replied with a cryptic tone as her hands began glowing biotic energy once more, which then gained a smirk from her Human friend in return as she nodded back. "I'll be back in a sec." she replied before leaving the room, which made Myra smile before punching her fists into the force field, making it crackle and glow while she then attempted to force open a hole within it. As this was happening, Evac and Tolae found themselves staring out of the Cockpit's canopy with confused expressions as the ship suddenly began turning back round towards the asteroid field. "Please tell me you're doing that?" the Ardat-Yakshi asked, which made the Bot shake his head in return. "No, the ship is moving by itself." he replied as the asteroid field came back into view, meaning the Eudora had done a complete one hundred and eighty degrees turn and was heading back into it. "Not again." Tolae said as her worried frown returned but before Evac could respond, the ship suddenly accelerated even faster as it targeted the very same asteroid again. "Oh shit!" he spat while grabbing the controls and pulling up, making the ship narrowly miss it again. "How did you….?" the Asari began to ask, only to be cut off as the Eudora suddenly aimed itself for another asteroid nearby, making the Bot spin the ship and dodge the big rock. "Something is controlling the ship, I have to keep correcting our course or we will end up splattered against the surface of one of these asteroids." he replied while getting the Eudora to evade another asteroid that shot overhead. "Call up the others and tell them what is going on, because I have to keep my attention on this or we will all die." Evac then added, gaining a nod from the blue Woman who tapped her earpiece in return. "Anyone read me? Its Tolae." As the Asari's voice spoke through the other's individual com-links, Myra had her hands full as they were both buried in the Mech's force field. Despite that her own biotic energies were covering them, she could feel a building pain in her fingers and palms as the white-hot energies began to burn while the Rogue Spectre pulled a small part of the field a part to reveal a hole. 'This…better…work!' she thought while gritting her teeth and trying to focus on the task at hand and not the pain that was coursing through her hands. Crosscut could not answer either, as he was fully engrossed in restarting the Eudora's Computer-Core. But after a few seconds, a female voice spoke into the Tolae's ear. "I read you loud and clear, Tolae, what is it?" Kat replied, earning a sigh from the Ardat-Yakshi. "Even with the computer-core down, something is trying to fly our ship into one of the asteroids outside. We can't override it from up here, all Evac can do is try to correct our flight plan each and every time this unknown aims us at another rock." she said. "…I think I know what is doing this. Don't worry, Myra and I will have it dealt with momentarily. Kat out." the Human answered with a confident tinge in her voice before the call was ended, which made Tolae look back at Evac with an encouraging look, though the Pilot did not notice, as he had to keep his eyes on the asteroids outside and hope that he was quick enough to correct the Eudora's flight plan the moment whatever was controlling the ship tried to smash them again. "Kat and Myra are on it." she said, gaining a slight nod from the Bot in return. "Good, because I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The ship is flying into the densest area of the asteroid field, it will be mere moments until we hit something." he replied as they both looked out of the glass canopy of the Cockpit, taking not of the hundreds of different sized asteroids were now surrounding them as the Pilot narrowly missed yet another. Kat ran back into the workshop to find her Asari friend on her knees with both hands gripped around a small hole in the Mech's force field, she was sweating and gritting her teeth while the biotic glow around her hands was beginning to flicker. "My god, Myra!" the Human stated with a concerned tone, gaining a grimace from the Rogue Spectre in return. "I….can't hold….this…. open…much….longer." she said while gritting her teeth, earning a nod from Kat who equipped her pistol and aimed it for the hole in the force field which was noticeable due to the energy flux that surrounded it. "The Mech has taken control of the ship, we must kill it to save ourselves." she replied. "Then…blow a…hole…in its…central…processor." Myra replied in between heavy breaths, but then the Human Woman's eyes widened as she noticed something about the hole that her friend was creating with her bare hands. "The hole is too small, Myra. I can't get a good shot at its head." "Then…get…ready…because…here…it…comes!" the Asari then spat before taking a real deep breath as she tightened her grip around the edges of the hole, before pulling either side of hole with all of her strength which began to widen its diameter. But this made the young Darby scream out in pain, which did not go unnoticed by Kat, who looked at her friend with a pained and worried expression before returning her attention to her target as she aimed her pistol at it. Myra gave it one more pull, just enlarging the hole enough. "Now!" she shouted in a painful tone, and her friend did not waste a second as she unloaded the entire contents of her pistol's clip. Every bullet fired penetrated the forefield and hit the Mech directly in the back of its head, making sparks fly as it suddenly cried out in a synthesized voice before falling to its knees. The force field then collapsed, followed quickly by Myra who fell onto her back and cradled her now very burnt hands in her arms. "Myra!" Kat replied as she grabbed a medi-pack from the cupboard beside her before rushing to her injured friend's side. "By the Goddess, that really hurts." the Asari exclaimed, while the Human Woman equipped a medi-gel spray and began treating the severe burns on her hands. "Easy, this will heal your wounds and Evac should be able to get us safely out of trouble now." she replied. And almost on cue, the ship's controls instantly returned to the Pilot. Making him grin as he pulled the Eudora out of a nose dive into one of the largest asteroids in the field, before dodging the many other chunks of rock before finally reaching the safety of the void beyond it. "Thank the Goddess, that was the best flying I have ever seen." Tolae exclaimed in an amazed tone, to which Evac simply shrugged while breathing a sigh of relief. "It's all in the reflexes, I'm just glad that we got control of the ship back before we had a real close encounter with one of those asteroids." he replied before slouching in his chair and smiling back at the Asari, who mirrored his expression in return. A moment later and Crosscut re-entered the workshop to find Myra sitting against the wall with Kat tending to her injured hands, gaining a surprised look from the Bot. "What happened here?" he asked, to which both Women gave him a knowing look. "We took out the Mech, but not without a painful price." the Asari replied while gesturing to her hands, too which Kat firmly grabbed her right wrist and held it in place. "Stop moving your hands, I am working here." she said in a commanding tone, one that surprised the Rogue Spectre and Crosscut. "Alright.." she said back in an apologetic tone of her own, before returning her attention to the Bot. "How long until we can head to Nepmos, I want to get back on with the mission at hand." she asked, which made her friend shake his head in return. "I will need at least an hour to finish off rebooting the Core…" he started to say before Kat then cut him off. "And your hands will need that much time to fully heal after the amount of high strength medi-gel I have used on them." she said back, her expression and tone still the same as she stared at her friend. "Okay, Kat…I can wait that long, thank you." the Asari said back with an appreciative tone, which softened the Human's expression just a little as a slight smile began to form. "You're welcome." she said back before tidying up the Medical kit, while Myra returned her attention to Crosscut. "Alright, but as soon as we are all ready, then I want to head to that planet. We can't waste any more time after this, since this was all obviously the work of Morinth." "I agree, in fact during the first stages of the reboot I did find evidence of a viral program buried inside of the Computer Core's memory banks." "It's not still active, is it?" Kat asked, making the Bot shake his head in return with a reassuring smile. "No, I managed to separate it from our main system. But I do have an idea that might come in handy once the Core has been fully rebooted." Both Women gave him a curious expression in return. "We are all ears, what is it?" the Asari then asked, while the Eudora meanwhile slowly made its way toward Nepmos which floated in the black void that surrounded it. PRIME EFFECT 5 Ser-Ket stood in her armor before the Autobot Space-bridge portal, which swirled around in a spiral of green energy. The Femme held onto her rifle with both hands and looked ahead at the vortex, just as a Turian walked up to her side. "Commander, is there anything I can do for you before you go?" he asked with a unsure tone, gaining her attention as she looked over at him. "I have made two audio messages, one for Commander Vraz and the other for Yikrah Krios. Please make sure they both receive their intended messages after I have left. For I wish for them to be ready, should the worst come to be." she replied, before handing the agent a small pad, earning a nod from him in return. "Are you saying that you don't believe that you will return from this mission?" the Turian asked, not even trying to hide the concern that was written all over his face at that moment. "Of course not, because I fully intend to return with the Dinobots...but it never hurts to be ready for all possible outcomes." she said back with an encouraging expression, once again making the Agent nod back. "Yes, Commander. Good luck." he then said while saluting the Femme, earning a mirrored reaction from her before she turned her attention back to the Space-bridge. Ser-Ket then walked into the portal, disappearing from view before the vortex closed behind her. And a flash of green light later and the former-Predacon stepped onto what looked like a beach, complete with a beautiful deep blue ocean just to her right with one of Drell's City-Domes on the horizon. If this was any other day, the Femme might have taken in the view. But her friends were in trouble and she immediately knelt and scanned her surroundings with her rifle ready, but could not find anything amiss. 'Alright, this was unexpected.' she thought as there were no signs of battle and no bodies lying around, which she knew from experience was always a sign that the Dinobots had been in an area. 'Something's not right.' she added while narrowing her eyes before she reached up to her ear-piece, tapping it to activate the device. "This is Commander Ser-Ket to any Dinobots in the area, do you read me?" But there was no answer as the only sounds the Femme could hear were the light breeze blowing past her, and the waves gently crashing onto the beach. "Sharptooth, Slash, Scorn, Strafe...anyone?" she added with a worried tone. "I am afraid they can't hear you." a Male voice suddenly spoke up from behind Ser-Ket, making her spin round and aim her weapon at the new arrival. Her eyes instantly widened in surprise as she recognized the Man standing before her in red and Aqua-Blue armour, which made her stare daggers back in return. "Inferno!" "So you remember me, I wish I could feel some satisfaction from that...I really do..." he started to reply while feigning a regretful tone, only for the Femme to cut him off. "Where are my Dinobots?" "They are here, just not 'right' here. The message you received was a fake to draw you to us, the Dinobots are being kept busy by some soldiers of a 'friend' of mine..." Inferno replied casually, which made the Femme tighten her grip around the rifle she was pointing at the Con. "...but I would worry less about them and more about yourself, as my team and I have to escort you to my 'friend'." he then added as Ser-Ket took notice of four more Terracons standing around her. "So you not only betrayed me and the Terracons, but you managed to convince a few others too." she said, which made the Con narrow his eyes at her. "I betrayed nothing, Ser-Ket, it was you who betrayed us all." "What are you talking about? I have been nothing but fair in my leadership of the Terracons." she said back in a confused tone, which then made the lead Con smirk knowingly. "Really? Because I think that if the rest of our brethren found out that their Leader was nothing more than a former Decepticon whose CNA was mixed with that of a...Maximal, then I guess they would feel betrayed too." Ser-Ket's eyes widened as she stared back in shock, which only made Inferno's smirk widen more as it became a full smile. 'He knows, how does he know?' she thought before a question came to mind. "If you know this, then why haven't you already outed me to the rest?" "That 'friend' I mentioned, 'she' convinced me not to. Said that they would find out when the time was right." Inferno replied, this time earning an inquisitive stare from Ser-Ket as she put two and two together in her mind. "So you're working for Vasir and she was the one that told you of my secret, I mean you said 'she' and there is only one Woman that I know of that could have gained that particular information, which isn't easy to reach." she said back, gaining a surprised if not to bothered look from the Terrcon. "Well since you are going to die soon, I guess there is no harm in you knowing. Yes, Vasir told me the truth about you...and it sickened me. To know that the one leading us was actually not of Predacon origin at all, but was a hybrid of the weaker Decepticons and our hated enemy...Maximals. So yes, I agreed to help Vasir and in exchange I would be able to free my Terracon brothers still being duped into loyally serving the Autobots, and it is something that I wish to see through...so that I can bring back the glory that Galvatron once brought to us all those centuries ago." he replied, which made Ser-Ket shake her head in disgust. "If you think that Vasir will keep her word and deliver what you want, then you are a fool." "I don't care what you think, Maximal-scum, since we are going to escort you to Vasir. And we can do this the easy way or the hard way, please choose the latter?" Inferno replied with a sinister tone and smile, earning similar expressions from his team-mates, while Ser-Ket simply smirked back. "Very well, I was never one to take the easy path anyway." the Femme replied before firing a barrage of bullets in quick succession while she spun around, making the Terracon and his friends dive to the ground as they tried to dodge the gunfire. Once she had emptied the clip, the Commander stopped and looked around at her enemies as they recovered. Inferno looked at the Femme with a hateful look, before looking at his team-mates. Scylla, Devron and Hardhead all looked fine, but then the Leader's attention was drawn to Archadis, for the Con was holding his hand to a spot on his chest and had a painful expression on his face. "Archadis?" But before the other Con could answer, blood could be seen starting to flow out from under his hand and run down the chest plate of his bronze and red armour. "I..." he started to say before falling onto his back, with his blood-covered hand falling and revealed that he had taken a bullet to his Spark. "Archadis!" Scylla exclaimed, earning shocked looks from the rest of the Terracons as their dead friend lied there on the ground. "One done, four to go." Ser-Ket then said aloud, regaining their attention as she threw the empty rifle aside. "...So I won't be needing this." the Femme added before activating her twin holo-blade, while Inferno stared daggers back at her. "You will pay for that! Drestrons, attack!" he spat, earning nods from the others who then charged at her with holo-claws activated. 'Destrons, that's not possible.' Ser-Ket found herself thinking, as the mention of that name started to sweep up one of her's or more accurately...Airazor's memories. For over the last couple of centuries, the Commander had found herself starting to remember certain moments from the Maximal's life. This included flashes of the Maximal's fight for freedom and her life with Onyx Primal, who Ser-Ket now recognized as the black metallic Dragon she saw sacrifice itself back on Virmire during the final day of the Predacon Conflict. But unlike those memories, she did not have a chance to dwell on it as Scylla charged at her and swung her claws at the Commander. Ser-Ket though saw the attack and blocked it with her right arm, before then twisting it so that it went behind the Destron's back and into an arm hold, earning a yelp from the enemy. Ser-Ket then noticed Hardhead closing in on her, so she pulled Scylla between her and the other Con, quickly diving out of the way as the two collided with each other. As the two fell to the ground, Devron pounced on the Femme's back, readying his claws for a strike. But Ser-Ket again anticipated this and swung her left holo-blade up at his face, catching his eye and making the Con cry out in pain as blood gushed out from his eye socket. "Devron, I'm coming." inferno shouted while charging into the fight, only for Ser-Ket to smirk back at him before throwing the injured Con off her back and into the Leader, making them both fall to the ground like bowling pins. "I've got to say, if this is the best you can do. Perhaps you should think of a new name for your team, because you certainly are not Destrons...that's for sure." the Femme then said while looking down at the group, as they recovered. This made Inferno grit his teeth and clench his fists as he got back onto his knees, his eyes beginning to change from Human to beast-like. "That's it. Destrons, terrorise!" he spat as the entire group accessed their Beast-modes, making their figures grow somewhat more muscular and feral. But if this was supposed to worry Ser-Ket, then she did not show it as she looked back unfazed. 'Now they are even dumber, just way I like them.' she thought while taking a defensive stance. Once fully changed, the Destrons roared before charging at the Commander all at once. But just as they were almost on top of her, Ser-Ket performed a forward flip and evades the group which made them crash into each other. "The more Beast-like you get, the dumber it makes you." she retorted after landing back on her feet, readying her holo-blades as Inferno and the other two recovered and pounced at her again, swinging their claws constantly at the Femme as they tried to slash her. Ser-Ket, though, blocked, deflected and dodged each and every one of them, making sure to move in and out of their range quickly before countering with several precise slashes of her holo-blades which made the Destrons fall to their knees and pant heavily while blood trickled from the cuts on their bodies. "Seriously, this was your master plan to capturing me? Because I think you need to re-think it." the Femme said while looking down at the four of them, while the thought of her pong deceased lover crossed her mind. 'Even after all this time, the skills you taught me are still a help to me, Quickstrike. I miss you, My Love.' she thought before another female voice spoke and gained her attention. "I think the plan went well actually." Ser-Ket turned around to face the new arrival but was met by a blast of biotic energy that sent the Femme flying several feet across the beach. As she hit the sand hard, rolling over twice before coming to a stop on her front, the remaining Destrons got back to their feet and watched as the faint silhouette of Woman appeared to walk past them. The Autobot Commander was aching all over as she tried to recover and get back to her feet, before looking back at her enemies and noticing the silhouette shimmer until it revealed Vasir. "Vasir!" Ser-Ket gasped, earning a grin from the Leviathan Leader who's fists were pulsing with biotic energy. "Oh no, you don't." she replied, noticing that the Femme was readying herself for a fight once more. So the Asari reached out with her right hand and picked up her target with a biotic lift, which enveloped the Cybertronian in a biotic sphere of energy. But before Ser-Ket could even comprehend what was happening to her, Vasir then punched towards the ground with her right hand, which made the Autobot Commander slam back into the ground so hard that it and shattered the energy sphere around her and sent the sand around her up into the air. "Destrons, you can stand down. I have got this." the Leviathan Leader stated, making Inferno and the others stay back while she walked up to the severely injured Femme, who's skin was covered in bruises as blood trickled down from her nose and mouth as she lay in a small crater in the sand. "I knew that we were never going to take you simply by force, Ser-Ket, so I had my pets here lay a trap for you." Vasir said while looking down at the Commander, who could do nothing more than look back at her and breathe painfully. "You won't…get…away with…this." she said back while gritting her teeth, but this just made the Asari's smile grow wider. "Yes, I will. For I have been planning…" she started to say before glancing back at the Destrons, noticing that they were out of earshot of the pair. So she looked back at Ser-Ket and continued. "…your species extermination for the last five hundred years, and I am all but ready to bring this galaxy back into the control of those more worthy of it." "You'll…fail, just like…all those…who…preceded you. Including….Benezia." the Femme replied with a pained but defiant tone, which made Vasir's eyes narrow as she stared daggers back. "No one can stop me, least of all you. For everything I have done has been for 'her'…" she started to say while kneeling down before the Commander, and holding out her hand over the Cybertronian. "…But I really should wrap this up, for you have something that I need. Something that you care not for…" she added before her hand began to glow with biotic energy, which suddenly made Ser-Ket scream in agony as the Femme felt excruciating pain from inside her own body. Even the Destrons heard this scream, making them all look back and smile as they took pleasure in her pain as the Asari began to slowing move her hand down toward the Femme, which made her screams and grimaces increase. "…so I will take it from you!" Vasir then added before clenching said hand and pulling it back, which made the side of Ser-Ket's torso burst open from the inside as a blood-covered object rose up from within her and float into the Leviathan Leader's left hand. The Commander suddenly passed out from the pain while she bled out from the gaping wound in her side, while the Asari got back to her feet and looked at the object in her grasp. "Thank you for the T-Cog. I will make sure to put it to better use than you ever did." she said before turning around and walking back to the group. "Is she finally dead?" Inferno asked with an eager tone, gaining a nod from her in return. "Yes, now let's get out of here and be sure to pull our troops out of that little diversion with the Dinobots." she replied, gaining a nod from the Destron Leader who activated his holo-tool in return. Vasir though tapped her com-link, whilst looking down at the synthetic organ in her hands. "Activate the Space-bridge, mission accomplished." And just like that, a bright green energy vortex appeared before the group and all five of them walked into it. And as quickly as it had appeared, it was then suddenly gone while Ser-Ket lay unconscious in the blood-soaked sand around her.
  13. CHAPTER X Myra stepped into her quarters and sat down on the side of her bed, activated her holo-tool and brought up a screen and keyboard interface in front of her person before typing in a com-frequency which caused the screen to flicker and buzz with static, earning a hopeful stare from the Asari. 'Come on, I know you always keep this channel open.' she thought before the static started to form an image and voice could just be heard through the noise. "…can…you…hear…me, am I…coming through clearly?" a Female voice spoke through the interference as the image cleared up to reveal a Drell looking back, her eyes widening as she recognised the Rogue Spectre. "You're coming through fine now, Yikrah, it's been a while." Myra replied with a smile, earning a similar expression from her friend. "It certainly has, Myra. The last time we talked was what …four years ago?" "Three and a half…and unfortunately, like last time, this isn't a social call." The Asari replied, gaining a knowing nod from the Drell. "I understand, not that we could have a lengthy chat on this particular frequency for long anyway as it will only remain undetected for the next few minutes." "Yeah, I know. So, I need some information?" Myra said back, which made Yikrah look back with a knowing expression. "Well I am not surprised, since that is my job here at Autobot Intelligence..." she replied with a smile before tapping the holo-interface before her. "..so what can I help you with?" "I need to know if you have any Intel on a Doctor Alcazar?" Myra asked, earning a curious look from the Drell. "Why does that name sound familiar?" she said before returning her attention to her terminal, which nearly made the Asari reply before her interface then beeped. "Oh right, he is one of the two Scientists that completed the Synthetic Energon formula. Yes, I have intelligence on Alaczar. What would you like to know?" "Where is he now?" the Rogue Spectre replied, which made Yikrah stare back at her even more curiously. "What makes you think that 'we' know where he is? "Because he knows about the Synthergon and you wouldn't just leave him to roam around the place without a leach, am I right?" Myra answered with a knowing stare, which made the Agent nod back in return. "Even after all your running around the galaxy, you still haven't lost that inquisitiveness of yours, have you?" "Just because I haven't been with the Autobots for a long time, doesn't mean that I haven't been doing my Spectre duty. I've just been concentrating on one 'singular' case." the Asari replied. "Yes, Tela Vasir, the Rogue Spectre who had betrayed us to the Shadow Broker. You have been after her since she killed your mother, Liara Darby, and Fiancé, John Shepard…" the Drell began to say, earning a thoughtful look from Myra as the mention of her family brought back those painful memories. "…you started to hunt her down and while doing so, came up with the theory that she had continued with your grandmother's plan to sabotage the Alliance and bring down the Cybertronians. But no one in the Autobot Command believed you on that particular detail, so you broke away and continued on your own." Kikrah continued, which made the Rogue Spectre look back with a pained expression. "I do not need to be reminded about that, thank you. My whole life from that point has been one long bitter disappointment. Every time I get close to Vasir, those one time moments where I could have done with some backup…and it is nowhere to be found because no one believed me." she said with a poisonous tone, while her eyes screamed at the screen as she stared back at her friend. "You always think that don't you, Myra? That you were always alone. That there weren't 'those' that wanted to help you if you needed it, that believed in you even if most of the galactic community did not. But there was, you just did not believe it yourself, did you…" Yikrah said back with a hurt tone, which snapped Myra out of her anger and she sighed while noticing the hurt look on her friend's face. "…but 'we' were here and wanted to help you. But if we spoke out in your defence then we would have lost the ability to help you from within the system, while you worked better outside of it." the Drell continued. "I am sorry, Yikrah. It has been so very hard living all these years without 'them'. I mean, I know that it is difficult for you to know what I mean since you were not even born back when 'they' had been murdered…" Myra started to say, only for her friend to cut her off mid-sentence. "Myra, you don't need to explain yourself to me about what you have been through. I am your friend like my family has been to yours for like forever now. I am here for you, just say the word and I am there." she said, and those last few words echoed through the Asari's mind as though she had heard them before, or in a context from someone else. 'I am here for you.' she thought as though it was spoken in another familiar female voice, which calmed her down as she took a breath. "I know, and you're right. I guess I have spent so long on my own that I have grown used to relying on myself and no one else." she replied, earning a worried look from Yikrah in return. "Sounds like you have travelled alone for far too long, you shouldn't do that." "I haven't, I mean I have three others working with me now." the Rogue Spectre answered, which then made the Drell stare back with a knowing expression. "But it sounds like you have kept your distance from them. Do me...and yourself a favour…don't. Because if they are helping you, then it is because they care about you and want to help…so let them." the Agent said back, once again making those words from earlier echo in Myra's mind. 'I am here for you.' she thought once more, making her smile as she looked back to her friend. "I'll take it under advisement, thank you. Now about Alcazar, I think he has given Vasir the Synthergon formula because we came up against a Mech that was being powered by it." the Asari replied, with her tone becoming more professional again as the Drell's eyes widened in response. "That sounds like trouble, any Mech powered by such a power source would be extremely strong and dangerous." "It was, believe me. I need to know where the Doctor is so I can…ask him about it." the Rogue Spectre replied, which gained a knowing nod from her friend. "I get it. Alright, I will find out his current location and forward it to your holo-tool." "Thank you, Yikrah." Myra said back with a smile, which earned a similar expression from the Drell. "You're welcome, Myra." she replied before the call was then ended, and her friend's image disappeared from the screen as the Asari sighed and leaned back on her bed. Meanwhile, at Yikrah's location, the Drell's attention was caught by the sound of her com-link bleeping, so she tapped her earpiece and received its signal. "Yes, Yikrah Krios speaking." she replied before a familiar Female voice spoke back. "Yikrah, it's me. Was that Myra who contacted you a moment ago, because my VI has just alerted me to one of our encrypted com-frequencies being activated." "Yes, Commander Ser-Ket, it was Myra. She wanted to know the location of Doctor Alcazar, for she believes that he has given the completed Synthergon formula to Vasir." Yikrah replied, earning a relieved sigh from the Femme. "Good, then she is on the same page as we are now, and funnily enough, is the only hope we have of getting closer to Vasir and ending the threat we know she poses…" This made the Drell's expression change to one of uncertainty as she listened to the Commander, which did not go unnoticed by the Femme even though she was not there. "…what is it, Yikrah? What's wrong?" "I am happy to help Myra in any way I can. You know that, Sir. But if I might be frank…" Yikrah began to say, earning a smirk from the Femme on her end of the call. "No, by all means, you've never held back before and I don't expect you to now." "…why are we sitting on our hands if we know that Tela Vasir is a threat to the Federation, I mean is it not our duty to defend the Federation from all threats, so why aren't we going after Vasir?" "Because there is more going on in the galaxy than just Vasir, you've seen it too. The ones that we once called Allies, even friends, have turned on us over the past few centuries and now they are turning on each other." Ser-Ket replied, gaining a knowing nod from the Drell while she looked at one of her holo-screens. For it showed an escalating situation between the Krogan and the Turians, while the Asari and Salarians relationship was starting to dissolve as were numerous others. It was as the Commander was just saying, the Galactic Community that been brought together in the time since the Reaper War was now falling apart before them. "I know." was all Yikrah could say before the Femme continued. "Now, while I suspect that Vasir and this Leviathan of hers have been a catalyst for some of these building conflicts from within, I don't believe that it is all their doing. There is 'something else' in play here, so we need to keep our eyes on the whole board and not just Vasir. But that is where Myra comes in, for she is our wild card." "Well, I think she could benefit from knowing that we have her back, I think she feels that she is all alone in this." the Drell replied back with a knowing tone. "Don't you think I want to help Myra, she is my niece after all, as well as the only family I have left. But if we come out and openly try to help her now, then we would be declared traitors and arrested for helping an enemy of the state." the Commander said back with a regretful tone, gaining a knowing nod from Yikrah in return. "And we would not be able to help her at all. I know, I told her this myself just moments ago." "So we do what we can for her, under the radar. Let her deal with Vasir, while we stay vigilant against the chaos that is slowly building up around us." Ser-Ket replied, earning a nod from the Drell. "Yes, Sir. I understand. So, I will send the data packet to Myra the moment we finish this talk." "Good, now I have to go. Because I have had several messages appear on my interface and they need to be dealt with, Ser-Ket out. The Commander replied before terminating the link, which Yikrah return her attention to her main holo-screen as she began to work on Myra's Intel. Back on Unity Station though, Ser-Ket sat behind her desk and began looking through the new messages that had appeared on her holo-screen. Each one had a title that did not bring much comfort to the Femme as she scrolled down the list, which just cemented what she was feeling after her talk with Yikrah. 'Riots on Thessia, Government Buildings bombed on Palaven, Salarian and Krogan fleets on the move…surely there has to be a little good news somewhere in this list.' she thought as she looked through the list of messages that all had very similar titles. But then her eyes fell upon one message near the bottom titled 'first Guardian class Dreadnought ready for launch', it was a completely different title which made the Commander want to view it and see some news that might actually make her feel a little better in her spark now. So she opened it and began to read its contents and by the time the Femme had reached its end, she did in fact have a smile on her face. 'Now that was certainly interesting, I hope it all works out like they hope it will.' she thought before her com-link activated, pulling Ser-Ket from her thoughts. "Commander, we are getting an emergency transmission from the Dinobots." a female Autobot spoke, which earned a wide-eyed look of shock from the Femme in return. "Put them through to my console now!" she replied before another holo-screen appeared next to her, on it was an image of a Caucasian Man who had a shaven head and a scar down the left side of his face. "Commander Ser-Ket." he spoke loudly over the sound of gunfire and explosions. "Sharp-tooth, what is going on?" Ser-Ket replied, her face looking ambivalent towards the situation unfolding on the screen. "We are on Kahje trying to help end the riots that had erupted between the Hanar and the Drell, but have come under attack and are heavily outnumbered." he said back. "What? Are the Hanar and Drell both attacking you now? I mean I don't understand how two species that have lived together for as long as they have can suddenly turn on each other, but I can't believe that they would attack…." she started to say, only for the Dinobot to cut her off. "No, it's neither of them. We are under attack by Mechs that we have not come across before. They came out of nowhere." "Alright, I will have a Space-bridge opened to your location so you can retreat back to us." she replied. "I don't think that is a good idea, we are being hammered here from every angle. We need to…." Sharp-tooth started to reply before suddenly being cut off by an explosion nearby, which left the Femme listening as the battle continued over the active com. "Sharp-tooth, come in! Sharp-tooth!" Ser-Ket shouted, her eyes wide as she waited for a response. But then she could hear breathing again on the Bot's end, making her sigh with relief in return. "You scared me for a moment there…" the Femme began to say before being cut off. "I'm not Sharp-tooth you traitorous wretch." an unknown voice suddenly spoke, earning a shocked expression from the Commander. "What? Who is this?" she said back, gaining a sinister chuckle from the unknown person. "You really don't remember, do you? Well, I will make it simple. If you wish for the Dinobots to survive, then you will transport yourself to these coördinates. And you will do so alone, or their lives will be forfeited. Don't be late now." the voice replied before ending the call, leaving Ser-Ket sitting at her desk with a worried and unsure look on her face. "Sir, what do you want us to do." the female Autobot spoke again, having heard the entire exchange. 'It's obviously a trap, but I can't leave the Dinobots in their hands. Not after I mentored and trained them into the team they are now, true successors to the original Autobot team. I have to go to them.' she thought as her face became calm and focused. "Ready the space bridge and target it for these coördinates, I will be going through alone once I have suited up." "But..." the female Autobot began to say, only for Ser-Ket to cut her off. "That is an order. Now follow it!" she said in a commanding tone as she got up from behind her desk, taking a deep breath before walking out of the room as she headed for the armoury. 'I do not know what I will face there, but I am not going to let that uncertainty stop me from helping my friends.' PRIME EFFECT 5 In the Cockpit of the Eudora, Tolae was sitting in the co-pilot's chair and observing Evac as he piloted the ship. The Asari just sat there and smiled as the bot typed on the holo-interface that was surrounding him, for it had been a very long time since she last saw someone enjoy what they were doing. As the pilot concentrated on his flying, he could not help but smile as he felt the Asari's eyes on him. So he looked over to her with a fond expression, which made her own smile widen in return. "What?" he asked while looking slightly embarrassed and puzzled. 'He is very cute.' she thought before answering his question. "After living at the Monastery for so long, it is refreshing to see someone love doing what they are doing." she replied, earning a nod from Evac in return. "You know I have never been happier than when I am behind the controls of a ship. It's like I was born to fly." he replied with an enthusiastic tone while looking over to her, but then one of his holo-controls beeped and gained his attention. "What is it?" Tolae asked. "Sensors have detected a nebula off our starboard side…" the Pilot started to say as he veered the Eudora in it's direction, making the interstellar dust cloud come into view of the pair through the Cockpit's canopy. The Nebula had a star shining brightly at its center while a layer made up of blue and violet-coloured ionised gases circling it, though the very edges of the astronomical phenomenon changed colour to a more faint red as it slowly dissipated into the void that surrounded it. "It's beautiful." the Asari stated as she looked out at it, gaining a nod from Evac as he piloted the ship closer to it. "It is, isn't it. Kind of looks like an eye from here, doesn't it." he observed before looking over to her. "Yes, it reminds me of the 'Eye of Athame'." Tolae replied, earning a curious look from the Bot in return. "What's that?" "It is nebula situated about twenty light-years from Thessia and can be seen by the naked eye at a certain time every month of the year." she answered, which made Evac stop the ship and turn his seat to face her. "Tell me about it?" he asked, showing the Asari that his attention was purely on her at this moment. "Okay…" Tolae started to say while feeling her cheeks heat up, liking how her new friend was interested in what she had to say. So she smiled before looking back towards the nebula just aways from them, and her expression changed to a more thoughtful one as pictured it in her mind. "…it looks similar to this one but was made up of both bright green and blue colours with the blue dwarf star at its center, and it's light complimented the nebula in the most beautiful fashion. Ancient Asari believed it to be the last remaining part of the Goddess Athame's essence after she disappeared from our world. It was said that she ascended to another plain of existence and that this eye was her way of watching the Asari continue from wherever she was now. But of course, now we as a people know better since science overtook religion and her doctrine were largely dropped, but I guess that even though I never believed in religion while I grew up. I did always like the stories of our past and the beauty of the Cosmos." she said with an equally enthusiastic tone before looking back at the Pilot, noticing his content expression on his handsome face. "What?" she asked, feeling slightly embarrassed as a hint of shyness slowly came over her. 'I could listen to her talk all day.' he thought as he smiled back at her. "You sounded very passionate about that then, were you into Astronomy?" Evac asked, earning a knowing smile from the Blue Woman. "Does it really show? Yes, I studied both History and Astronomy when I was younger." she replied before looking back out at the nebula, with the Pilot noting how in awe she was with the colourful phenomenon. "Would you like a closer look at it?" he asked, regaining the Asari's attention as she looked back to him with a hopeful expression. "Really? Yes I would like that, very much so." "Alright then, it is a little far to fly to at sub-light so I will make a tiny jump via our Space-Bridge..." Evac replied while Tolae sat back down beside him, never taking her eyes off him as he spoke. "…I am sure Myra won't mind." he added before pressing in a key combination on the holo-interface before him, which instantly opened up a pulsing green vortex in front of them that enveloped the ship. Then instantly the Eudora was back in space as it exited the vortex, which closed behind it as the nebula was now just a hair's breath away. "Wow..." Tolae said faintly as she watched as the interstellar dust appeared to brush against the glass canopy of the ship as it passed into the cloud, creating a ripple like effect not unlike the kind that occurs when a boat moves through water. "…this is amazing." she added as the lights in the Cockpit suddenly deactivated, letting the blue and red hue of the nebula illuminate its interior, making her look over to Evac with a curious expression. "What just..?" she started to ask, only for the Bot to cut her off while pointing to one of his controls. "I turned it off as thought that it would improve the show." he said with a look that was one part hopeful and the other embarrassed, but Tolae simply smiled back at him in return. "Well, your right. It certainly does." she replied before looking back at the red and blue glowing stellar cloud as it swirled around them, which once again made the Pilot smile as he watched the Asari marvel at it all. "So what made you stop?" he then asked, which regained Tolae's attention as she looked back at the him. "What made me stop what?" she asked back as the blue hue suddenly illuminated the cockpit for a moment, making her own blue skin glow that little bit more which caught the Evac by surprise. 'Beautiful.' he thought before the hue was then remixed into the red and snapping his focus back to the Asari as she looked at him curiously. "I mean…what made you stop your studies?" he then asked, which immediately changed the mood as Tolae sat back down in her chair with a sombre look on her face. "What's wrong..." Evac began to ask before it dawned on him why the Asari's attitude had worsened, so he set the ship's controls to automatic and turned his chair to face her. "...it's because of you being a...isn't it?" he then added, earning a quiet nod from Tolae in return. 'Oh perfect, I have really put my foot in it this time.' he thought while the Arad-Yakshi's eyes slowly began to well up, for memories that she did not want to relive were stirred up in her mind. "I am so sorry, Tolae. I didn't mean to..." the Pilot then said, gaining a nod from the Asari as she looked back out at the nebula beyond the glass canopy of the Eudora's Cockpit, which had darkened as the ship had turned away from the nearby star which resulted in the two coloured gases mixing into a dark purple which reflected the atmosphere inside. "I know you didn't, Evac,... It's just.." she started to say back, her voice beginning to tremble slightly while she spoke. "...I wasn't...expecting that." But then Evac gave her a unsure look, like he wanted to ask a question. It was one that the Asari could easily guess, while also being one that she did not want to answer. But then the bot placed his hand on hers as it rested on the armrest of her chair, looking back at her with a sympathetic expression. It was like he knew what she was thinking, and she found herself slowly calming down while looking back at him. "You can confide in me, Tolae. I will never judge you, never hurt you or push you away. Because I am your friend... and will always be here for you." he then said in a soft and gentle tone, one that Tolae found to be very disarming, as she slowly took a breath and sighed. 'I know he is telling truth, because since we have met he has never been anything other than himself. Everyone else I have met since that terrible day has either shaped themselves to be something they believed I needed, a teacher, a guardian but never just a friend. Perhaps I can ease this burden I have kept inside my heart by sharing it with him.' she thought before looking down at the ground for a moment, to which Evac simply waited patiently, leaving control of the situation entirely in her own hands. "You know...those of my Species who are Ardat-Yakshi, they aren't recognised as such when they are born. It is not until we enter puberty that it can manifest and show up, so we really do not know unless it is picked up in a medical examination or by..." the Asari began to explain, only for her words to stop as though she could not continue to say them. Evac was about to enquire why she had stopped, but he then noticed the look on her face which was still very hurt, full of guilt and regret, and this gave the bot his answer as he looked up and took a breath. "My god, I am so very sorry." he replied, earning a sad nod from Tolae who then began to reminisce, for it was as if she had just needed that little push to get over that hurdle that was in her way. ...I was never that really into socializing when I was a teenager, I was far more into my studies though I did have a small group of friends throughout that part of my childhood. But when I was Nineteen, I laid eyes on a Krogan Male at the same University as myself. He was discussing his theories in the same fields that I was majoring in and I found myself drawn to him, not for is ideas but for how he presented himself to everyone. He had such a way of expressing himself, that I found myself attracted to him in a way that I had not even considered before, let alone experienced..." As Tolae spoke, Evac simply remained quiet as he listened to her every word whilst never taking his hand off hers, even when she looked at her reflection in the glass canopy, as though she could almost picture the Krogan there. "...when our eyes met, I swear it felt like time itself had frozen around me. And then when we began talking, we found that we shared a great many interests and it was there and then that I made the biggest mistake of my life, a mistake that I swear I wish I could have taken back. Because we became fast friends and then lovers, it happened all so fast that neither of us had a chance to think it through, though we didn't want to either. We were just happy to have found each other...and it was then, three months into our relationship that we decided to go a step further and bond. And it was that night that my corrupted and cursed nervous system completely overtook and burnt out his, killing the Man I had begun to love on the night that was meant to be the start of the rest of our lives...the night I found out that I was an Ardat-Yakahi." she then said before her eyes began to well up again, making a single tear run down her left cheek. "I am sorry...I am so very sorry for you, Tolae, but do you think that 'he' would want you to blame yourself for something which clearly wasn't your fault?" Evac began to say, which made the Asari simply look back at him with an unsure expression. This action revealed the tear to the Bot, who could see it due to the reflection of the nebula's colour as it continued to slowly run down her cheek. So he reached up to wipe the tear away with his finger, while Tolae just remained still and watched him. "You're as much a victim of this as he was, and you're nothing like the rogue Ardat-Yakshi that you have had the misfortune of being labelled as." he added with a warm and caring tone while wiping the tear away, which made the Asari's heart warm at his thoughtful words and soft touch. "You're a good person." he then finished, before then gently pulling the Blue Woman into an embrace. This did not surprise Tolae at all as she simply allowed his arms to wrap around and hold her close, resting her head on his shoulders as she returned the embrace. "Thank you, Evac. You don't know how much that means to me. After all the years that I spent at the Monastery, no one ever said..." she started to say before the Bot cut her off again. "Sssssh." he whispered while holding her, which returned the Cockpit to the silence of that moment once more. Just as the nebula returned to it's red and blue glow, banishing the dark purple away as the pair pulled away just enough to look into each others eyes. And it was at that moment that both bot and Asari suddenly found themselves leaning towards each other, in what felt like the most natural thing for them to do despite everything they both knew. 'I shouldn't be doing this, but he is a caring and good friend. And I want to thank him for his kind words.' she thought as they continued to slowly lean into a kiss. 'I shouldn't let this happen, but yet I know Tolae would not hurt me...how much can one kiss hurt?' Evac thought in turn as they then came within a few millimetres of each other's lips, feeling the breath of the other on their skin as they paused for what felt like a lifetime. But before a decision could be made, before their lips either touched or did not, the pilot's com-link suddenly beeped and snapped the pair out of it as they pulled away. "Uh... Evac here. What's up?" he asked with a flustered tone, while Tolae simply sighed in return as she looked away. "Evac? It's Myra, you alright?" his friend then replied in a confused tone, gaining a nod from the Bot as he looked back at the Ardat-Yakshi. "Yeah, I am fine." Evac answered while noticing that Tolae was as red-faced as he was. "Okay, well I have our next destination. Please set course and take us there immediately?" the Rogue Spectre replied. "Roger that, receiving and loading your coördinates into the navigational computer now." the Pilot said back. "Thanks, I will join you momentarily. Myra out." his friend replied before the com-link deactivated, just as Evac had set the Eudora's next course. So he turned his seat back to Tolae, who was still looking out at the nebula. "Tolae, about what just..." he started to say, which made the Asari shake her head in return and cut him off mid sentence. "There's no need to apologise, Evac. Myra just saved us from a big mistake..." she started to say, before turning round to face him with a caring smile on her beautiful face. "But I want you to know, that I am really grateful for what you just did for me, and that I truly value your friendship." she added, earning a nod from the Pilot who mirrored her smile. "As do I. So, what do we do now?" he asked, which earned a knowing look from Tolae as she glanced back to his holo-interface. "Well now, we should probably do what Myra just asked you to do. we can talk more afterwards." she answered, gaining a nod from the Pilot before he turned back to his holo-controls, while she re-positioned her seat beside his and watched as the red and blue colored cloud as the Eudora turned around and flew back out of the nebula before then disappearing into a Space-bridge vortex. Meanwhile, Morinth was sitting at the desk in her quarters, looking out at the void of space through the window next to her. 'I can't believe Vasir would trust those lifeless androids over one of her own…' she thought before a small device on the desk activated, gaining the Ardat-Yakshi's attention with a high pitch beeping that made her stare back with a worried stare. 'That doesn't sound good.' she thought before tapping it, making the holo-interface appear with an orange hue that illuminated the room. The Asari then began typing on it's holo-keyboard which made a screen appear before her, showing a map of the galaxy. 'Wait…this isn't, it can't be?' Morinth thought while she suddenly tensed up, as a blinking yellow dot appeared on the map. This made the map then zoom in on the dot, revealing it to be entering a particular system. 'Eudora now entering Erebus system, the chances that its destination is the planet Nepmos and Leviathan Informative seven two zero is more than Ninety six point five percent.' a message on the screen then read. "Oh shit, if Myra reaches 'him'….then I am dead." the Ardat-Yakshi said to herself after reading it, before her face then became thoughtful as she looked away. 'I think it's time for my fail-safe to be activated.' So the Asari typed in another set of commands into the holo-interface, which brought up another small screen within the larger one. 'Signal sent, 'programs' activating.' This made Morinth smile as she read the message, before looking back out at the stars. "Farewell, Myra. See you in hell."
  14. CHAPTER IX Everything was quiet inside the Great Hall of the Lesuss Monastery, despite all the residents and it's staff present inside it's walls. For right at this moment, they were holding the joint funeral of both Superintendent Jethra and Justicar Samara. Myra and her friends were also in attendance as they stood amongst everyone else as they paid their respects to the two deceased Asari, as well as listening to each person who took to the stage and said a few words, which mainly was them reminiscing about the times they had shared with either of the pair. This brought sad smiles and tears from many in the audience, as they all took the time to remember the pair for who they were. Even Myra and Tolae took their turns to share their experiences with both Women, with the Rogue Spectre commenting on the Justicar's strong resolve and loyalty to those that she cared about and that it was an honour to have fought alongside and learned from such a woman, while Tolae spoke of both Jethra's and Samara's teachings to her and their encouragement to become better than what her life had led her to believe she was. The latter even began to sing an Asari-hymn, one that every other joined in with, even Myra did as her friends remained quiet and listened while the entire room sang in unison as their voices echoed throughout the Great Hall. This brought a smile to Kat and Evac as they looked on at their respective Asari friends, watching them both give their all as their vocals led the rest in harmony. And while they sang, sunlight shone down through the massive stained glass windows and enveloped the two coffins in its warm light. When the ceremony came to an end, the residents and staff started to exit the Hall and return to their daily schedules as Crosscut, Kat and Evac waited at it's entrance, while Myra and Tolae took a moment to speak to another Asari. "That was a very touching ceremony, thank you both for your contributions. I know Jethra and Samara would have appreciated it." she said, gaining thankful smiles from the younger pair as they stood before her. "Matriarch Gallae, Tolae has told me that you are now the acting Superintendent of the Monastery." the young Darby said, gaining a nod from her. "Yes, I would rather not. No one knew how to keep this Monastery functioning quite like Jethra, but apparently, I was her choice to be next in line should anything happen to her." Gallae replied with an unsure tone, so Myra placed a hand on her shoulder in support. "I am sure you will live up to the faith that Jethra had in choosing you, she had an adept skill in reading people so I know that she since has singled you out as the one to follow on from her that you are the right choice." she said back, gaining an appreciative smile in return as the older Asari nodded back. "Thank you, Myra Darby, and after updating myself on Jethra's journals, I will honour her wish not for the Autobots to be informed of your part in the events that have transpired here. I feel it is the most I can do for what you did to help defend this Monastery, I wish I could do more…" the acting Superintendent replied before turning her attention to Tolae. "…and I will also honour her wish for you to go with our new friends here, Tolae, for I too have seen that you are more than ready to see what lies beyond these walls." "Thank you, Matriarch Gallae. I am honoured that both you and Jethra believe I am ready...I will not let you down." the Ardat Yakshi replied, which made Gallae nod back with a smile. "I know you will not..." she said, before returning her attention to the Spectre. "Tolae is now a member of your crew, Myra. Take care of her." "We will, she has already done a lot for us so we will do the same for her..." Myra replied, before the Superintendent's com-link activated and cut her off. "Yea...they are here, in orbit. Okay, thank you for informing me. Have them come down and land in the next thirty minutes, Galle out." she said. "Let me guess, that's the Autobot cruiser entering the system." Darby said back, gaining a nod from the older Asari. "Yes, they will be here soon. So, I guess you should leave before they arrive." "Alright, we will get out of your hair then..." Myra started to say before looking back at her friends. "...Evac, power up the Eudora. We are leaving." "Way ahead of you, Myra. The Eudora is ready to fly." the Pilot replied with a wink as he typed on his holo-tool, earning a smirk from both her and Tolae. "Well, I wish you luck and hope you can catch up to Morinth and bring her to justice for what she did to our Monastery." Gallae then said while holding out a hand to the younger Asari, who then shook it with her own. "I will and then Vasir will suffer a similar fate." "Of course. Farewell, Myra, until we meet again." the Superintendent replied before turning around and leaving the pair, who did the same and headed back to the others. "Alright guys, we are heading out." Darby then said as Kat and Crosscut walked either side of her, while Tolae joined Evac. They gave her a warm smile as they followed the others towards the Monastery's exit, which unbeknownst to him made her heart warm. "You have a beautiful singing voice, did you know that?" he asked, making her blush slightly in return as she looked down at the ground. "I never really thought about it, plus no one has said it like that before." she replied, before looking back and noticing the golden glow of his irises. "Your eyes. I never noticed that before." Tolae then said, which earned a surprised look from Evac as he saw the way she was looking at him. "What do…you mean?" the Bot replied, feeling a little uncomfortable with the way she was staring at him as they walked. "Well, they just appear to be glowing." she said back whilst looking into his eyes like she found them enchanting. This made Evac's eyes widen as something came to his mind all of a sudden. "Oh, you mean my implants." he said, making the Asari look back curiously. "Implants?" "Yes, I had my eyes fitted with ocular implants that allow me to view the Eudora's sensor readouts and my holo-tool upgraded with a mobile piloting program, meaning I can fly the ship without needing to physically be in the Pilot's seat." he replied, earning a smile from her in return. "Impressive, but it is only visible if active…right?" she asked, gaining a nod from the Bot. "Yes, that's correct." he said back. "Good, because even though it looks nice. I do prefer to look into your more natural green ones." Tolae replied with a kind smile, earning a similar expression from the Pilot as they walked together. "Hey guys, I am the only one here who thinks Evac and our newest team member look rather cute together?" Kat whispered as she glanced back at the Pilot and Asari, gaining a nod from Myra while Crosscut looked a little unsure. "I know she helped us against Morinth and saved his life, but can we really just leave them alone together. I mean she is still an Ardat-Yakshi after all?" he whispered back, which earned a nod from the Rogue Spectre. "I understand your hesitation, Crosscut. But Jethra assured me before she passed away that Tolae would be fine with us. And I have not seen anything like Morinth's behaviour in the way she acts, have you..?" she replied, making the Bot shake his head in return. "…And I can't help but feel that harming Evac is far from what she wants to do to him." Myra then added, gaining a nod from Kat. "I agree, I think she generally cares about him and is more likely to harm those that would harm him." "Yeah, okay. I get what you both are saying." Crosscut replied with a defeated tone as the group exited the building and saw the Eudora hovering over the landing platform ahead of them. "What did I tell you, it's ready and waiting." Evac then said in a happy tone as he tapped his holo-tool, which made the entry ramp drop down and grant them access. This earned an eye roll from Crosscut who just sighed and walked up into the ship's interior, while Kat and Myra simply smiled back at the Bot. "Good job, Evac. Once we are airborne, take the ship into the mountains and activate the Space-bridge Generator." Darby then said, gaining a nod from the Pilot. "I get it. Use the mountainous region to hide us from any possible sensor scans that the Autobot ship might make." he replied before the Asari and her Human friend then turned around and followed Crosscut, leaving the Bot with Tolae as she turned around and looked back at the Monastery with a thoughtful expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, bringing her attention back to him. "Oh, it's nothing. But now that I am leaving, I find myself somewhat reluctant to go." she replied before looking back at the temple-like building, while Evac joined her side. "I understand, leaving home is never easy. I went through it myself when I joined the Autobots…" the Bot started to say, regaining the Asari's attention he continued to speak. "…I was Eighteen at the time and thought I was ready for everything like Teenagers do. When the moment came, I began questioning myself. But it was just nerves and it passes, they always do." he added, gaining a smile from Tolae in return. "You're right. Wouldn't think that such wise words would come from one so young. I mean when compared to one such as myself." she replied with a respectful tone, which made Evac smile back with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Okay, well I don't know if the others would agree with you…but thanks." he said back, as her smile widened. "You're welcome." "So, all aboard." the Pilot then said whilst gesturing to his friend as he turned back toward the Eudora, gaining a nod from her in return as she joined him. But just as she stepped onto the ramp, the Asari then looked back at the Monastery. This did not go unnoticed by Evac as he was just behind her, so he tapped onto his holo-tool and made another holo-device appear around his left arm. "Okay, how about I give you a good view of the place then." he said, making her stare back with a confused expression which just made him smile back as the Eudora suddenly began to rise up, which surprised the Asari as she grabbed onto the safety rail beside her. "It's alright, you're not going to fall." the Pilot then said as she stepped beside her, while she looked out as the ground appeared to shrink below them as the ship ascended up into the air. "What are you doing?" Tolae asked. "Making your last look at the place a memorable one." he replied as he then made the ship fly over the Monastery, giving the Asari a perfect view of the entire facility as it passed beneath her slowly. Once it had gone out of her view, the Woman then looked back at him with an appreciative smile. "Thank you." she said, making him smile back as he then pressed another button and made the entry ramp ascend, taking the pair into the ship's interior. "You're more than welcome, Tolae." he replied before the Eudora then descended down into the mountains before flying into a bright green vortex, which disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. PRIME EFFECT 5 Morinth walked down on of the many corridors of Vasir's ship, having arrived from Lesuss only a few minutes earlier, and she could not help but feel that everyone she passed by was staring down at her, like they knew what she had done on that planet. The Asari could feel their eyes on her while she simply looked ahead and focused on heading to the CIC. 'I swear, I will kill someone if I have to continue being stared down at for much longer.' the Ardat-Yakshi thought as she walked past a pair of Turians, who simply looked back with disgust. This made Morinth clench her right hand into a fist, bringing the blue hue of biotic energy out as it enveloped the appendage. But even this look of possible retaliation did not deter the stares, as numerous crew members stopped what they were doing and looked at the Asari. Despite the gauntlet of angry stares that Morinth had to endure on her way from the Shuttle-Bay, she did make it to the CIC and saw Vasir standing alongside Inferno. She narrowed her eyes while staring at the Terracon, for he was yet another person she did not trust or particularly like. 'Great, the Machine which plays at being a 'person' is with Vasir now.' she thought as while watching the pair from the room's entrance. For she did not trust Machines or at least ones that believed they're real people. 'The only good Synthetics are the ones that do as they are instructed and do not think for themselves.' she added, before being brought out of her thoughts by the Leviathan Leader. "Morinth, get over here." Vasir said in an unreadable tone as she glanced over at the Ardat-Yakshi, earning a smirk from Inferno as he looked back at Morinth who walked over to them. This made the Murderer grit her teeth in response, for she wanted nothing more than to wipe that grin of his face, but she quickly brought her attention back to the Vasir who had her back to the Murderer as she joined the pair. "Vasir, about…." the Asari began to say, only to be cut off by the Leviathan Leader who spun around and backhanded her in the face. "I don't want to hear your excuses." she spat as Morinth fell to the ground, earning a chuckle from the Cybertronian as he looked down at her. "You disobeyed my orders, went down to Lesuss and murdered not only your Mother…who is also a Justicar, but also the Superintendent of that Monastery." Vasir continued, while Morinth spat out a trickle of blood before looking up at her. "I went down there to check on the homing beacon I placed on Darby's ship, to make sure that it is still operating properly." But the older Asari simply looked down at her with a knowing expression as she activated her holo-tool. "Oh really? Well, as you can see the signal from the Eudora has worked perfectly fine from not only the time before it arrived at Lesuss, but even now that they have left." Vasir said back while motioning at the large holo-screen that had appeared overhead, making her shake her head before continuing. "No, you went down there to kill your Mother. I knew I should have called you back here the moment that Darby and her friends set course for that planet…" she added before looking back at Morinth who was no on her knees. "…you just couldn't help yourself, and in doing so have brought Leviathan and myself into the spotlight." Vasir then finished, earning a surprised look from the Ardat-Yakshi. "What, no. Myra has no idea of my connection to you, I swear." she replied with an urgent tone, which made the Leviathan Leader look back with a knowing expression. "Are you sure about that?" the Asari said back, earning a somewhat worried look from Morinth. "Well…I did tell that Superintendent before killing her but…no, there is no way that Myra or her friends would know." "You better be right about this, Morinth,…" Vasir then said with a cold-hearted stare, pointing her finger at the Ardat-Yakshi who began to look worried as Inferno smirked. "…because if you're wrong, then I will flay you alive. I already informed everyone in my organisation of your disobedience, so you will have to work extra hard to regain their and my trust." she added, gaining a grateful nod from the Murderer in return. "I understand." she replied with a sigh, while the Leviathan Leader turned her attention to the large holo-screen overhead. "You can start by assisting Inferno here in capturing the Autobots Elite Spectre…Ser-Ket." the Asari continued as she brought up the Femme's image on the screen, but then the Terracon gestured to Vasir and gained both Women's attention. "Actually, Vasir, I would prefer you not team Morinth with myself." he replied, not even trying to hide his discontent towards the Murderer. "And why is that?" the older Asari stated with a curious tone, which also earned a narrow eyed look from Morinth as she stared daggers at the Con. "Because I don't trust her. Never have, never will. And I do not need the help, for I already have at team of my own." "I was not aware that you had recruited anyone?" Vasir then asked, still looking at Inferno with a curious expression. "Every time I hunted down fellow Terracons for you, I gave them a choice first. Either work with me or die, though the latter was not going to happen till after you had experimented on them first." he replied before tapping his com-link and looking back to the CIC's entrance, which made both Vasir and Morinth look back too. And just as they did so, four Caucasian-looking Cybertronians walked in towards the trio. Three Cons and a single Femme, all wearing similar-looking armour though each had a different colour scheme. "We have Scylla…" Inferno started to say while gesturing to the female Terracon, who had a red pixie-cut hairstyle and wore silver and bronze light armour over her athletic frame. "…Hardhead…" he added as a Man long black hair in a ponytail stood beside the Femme, while wearing purple and blue armour over his rather built physique. "…Archadis…" Inferno then said while gesturing to another Man who had short blonde hair, and was wearing bronze and red armour. "…and finally…Devron, my second in Command." the Terracon finished as a rather calm and calculating Con with a shaven head joined the group, wearing black and orange armour. "These four believe as I do, that we Terracons were created for more than just guard duty, which over the last five hundred years is all we have been doing under the Autobots." Inferno then said, earning a nod from Vasir in return. "I see, and you think that you will be enough to capture Ser-Ket?" she asked while looking around the new group before her, which earned a confident smile from Devron. "Believe me…, Vasir, we would like nothing more than to bring you the 'one' that has led our kind astray." "It would be our genuine pleasure." Scylla added, gaining nods from both Hardhead and Archadis in return. This gained a smile from the Leviathan Leader as she looked at each of them, before returning her attention to Inferno. "Very well. So, you and your Terracon team…" she began to say, only for the Con to cut her off suddenly. "With all due respect, Vasir. But even though we are Terracons, that is not a name that we wish to be referred to from this moment onwards." he said, gaining a surprised yet curious expression from the older Asari. "So what should we all call you then?" she asked, which made Inferno look at the other Terracons standing with him, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. "Over the centuries since our reawakening by the hands of Galvatron, we have managed to recover a fair amount of our memories from the time where we ruled Cybertron with our Predacon Masters. And there was a group made up of the only Terracons which Predaking himself considered the most fearless and ferocious of our kind, which we wish to honour now." he said, gaining a bored expression from Morinth. "And they were?" she replied while almost yawning in return, regaining the Con's attention as he looked back at the Asari pair. "Destrons, that is what we will be referred to now. And we will do the name proud by delivering ...this Predacon traitor Ser-Ket to you." "Very well, you have my support in this. But even all that confidence that you are exerting right now, would not be enough to get you near Ser-Ket. For her Command is situated on Unity Station, the current heart of the Federation." Vasir replied, gaining a knowing look from Morinth as the others watched. "And who was it that gave them the incentive to even build that floating community in space, I mean has as many defences as the Citadel used to. And only the Reapers had the strength for a full on assault." she said, earning an annoyed expression from the older Asari. "It may have been Leviathan and myself that helped create the circumstances that brought about it's construction, but you are right about it's defences Morinth. We can't reveal ourselves with an all-out attack, nor do I wish for us to attempt to kidnap Ser-Ket with a stealth mission." she replied, which made the Destrons and even Morinth look back with confused and curious stares. "And why is that? For it seems to be the most logical choice available to us." the Murderer asked. "Because I have interests on Unity that could be compromised with even the smallest mission taking place there so no, I will not sanction missions there since." Vasir answered, which made Inferno smile as he finally decided to speak. "Then in that case, how about we lure Ser-Ket away from the safety of Unity and ambush her at a place of our choosing." he said, earning a smile from the Leviathan Leader. "Now that is what I call a good idea, What did you have in mind?" she asked, making the Con's smile widen as he used his holo-tool to change the data on the large screen overhead. "Well let's start with..." he began to say as the group started to plot Ser-Ket's demise. PRIME EFFECT 5 Meanwhile, Myra, Kat and Crosscut stood around the heavily damaged husk of the Mech as it lied on the main table in the Eudora's workshop...or as the latter like to call it. He was currently scanning the wreck with his holo-tool while the Women watched, their attention solely on what was happening before them. "So you have been scanning this for a few minutes now, found anything of interest yet?" the Asari asked, which made the Bot tap his holo-tool again and transfer the data to the nearby screen. "Yes, not only was this thing fuelled by the stabilised Synthetic Energon formula, meaning that it could last for considerably longer than the average Mech. But it also allowed the robot to use far more upgrades than a design as it should have." he said while pointing to the data on-screen, which earned a curious look from Kat. "What kind of upgrades are we talking about here?" she asked, which made Crosscut bring up two sets of schematics onto the screen. "As you can see, the basic design is very bare and allows the Mech to be very quick and agile compared to the older Mech models. But this one we fought on Lesuss has been greatly upgraded, which gives it an unparalleled advantage. We are talking polarised armour, strength and agility enhancers, holo-weapon projectors and anti-biotics hardware, and that is only a third of the capabilities of this Mech. This thing is a real piece of work, you were lucky that you managed to beat it. If one of these things is that tough, imagine taking on a whole army of them." "So who apart from the ISF would have the resources to create this Mech." Kat then asked as she looked between her friends, knowing full well what the answer would be as Myra took her attention from the schematics and back to the others. "We all know who it is….Leviathan, I know from what Jethra told me before she died that Vasir is working with Morinth and she's the only person I believe would be able to build, let alone conceive this monstrosity of a Mech." she replied, gaining a nod from both Kat and Crosscut. But then the latter gave her a curious look. "I am sensing a 'but' coming." "But... what I don't get is when did anyone manage to complete the Synthetic Energon formula? I thought it was supposed to be impossible?" she then said, which made her friends look back in surprise. "Myra, no offence, but do you ever watch the news?" Crosscut replied before tapping his holo-tool controls and changing the data on the screen once more, earning a disinterested look from the Asari. "No I don't, I have too much on my mind to care about what goes on in the Galaxy." she said back before looking away, gaining a sympathetic stare from Kat. 'I know exactly what she is on about.' she thought, while the Bot continued as he gestured to the screen. "Well, it was not publicly broadcast throughout the Galactic community, but Doctors 'Felix Adle' and 'Alcazar' made the break-through with 'Synthergon' just over two years ago for the Federation before they then…simply disappeared. Now Adle was later found dead in a crashed ship on an island in the South Pacific and was ruled as an accident, but Alcazar was never found." "Wait, doesn't that sound…suspicious, I mean both Scientists die just after completing a formula that would give the galaxy a potentially unlimited source of energy." Kat then said, earning a nod from the Bot while Myra simply listened. "Yes, Autobot Intelligence suspected that Alcazar tried to sell the formula to another party, only for his colleague to get in the way…hence his life then became forfeit." "And how do you know this?" the Asari then asked, which made the Bot smirk back. "I had a friend in Autobot Intelligence for a while, but I lost contact with him a year ago. I guess he was found out." "Well, since we now know that Vasir has her hands on Synthergon, it would make sense that this Alcazar is the one to have handed it to her. But it would be good to confirm that first…" she started to say before activating her holo-tool, making her friends look back with confused expressions. "And how will we do that, I mean we can't exactly just call up the Autobots and request the Intel we need." Kat replied, which this time made the Rogue Spectre smile back knowingly. "I know someone who could give us the information we seek. Her family and mine have been close friends for a very long time. I just need to contact her…" Myra started to say, gaining a curious look from her Human friend. "Why have you rerouted the communications system to your quarters?" "Because my friend works in Autobot Intelligence and is quick to distrust others that she does not know, I will have to make the call in private. Don't worry, I know what I am doing." the Asari replied with a confident smile before turning around and leaving the room, leaving Kat and Crosscut with the wrecked Mech and unbeknownst to them, its optics flickered to life for just an instant before shutting back down.
  15. CHAPTER VIII Tolae could only stare in wide-eyed fear at what was happening before her, as the Monstrous Asari called Morinth held Evac in her grasp. She felt that this Cybertronian had the potential to be her first real friend in centuries, just as the sisters of the Murderer standing before her could have been until that same Asari had killed them, and it was about to happen all over again and there was nothing Tolae could do as Morinth spoke once more. "Then kiss me." she said in a seductive tone, one that the former Autobot could do nothing but obey. So he leaned his face into close towards hers with their lips only millimetres apart while his horrified friend watched. 'I can't let this happen, not again!' she thought while instinctively raising her arm up towards the embracing pair, which began to glow with biotic energy. The Mech took notice of this as it stood over her and raised its holo-arm blades, preparing to strike her down. Then suddenly something hit the robot, causing a small explosion of sparks to erupt from its armour as it was made to stumble backwards. "What!" Morinth snapped as she looked towards the Mech, her eyes though falling upon Tolae who simply narrowed her own back at the Ardat-Yakshi. She could not look at where the gunshot had come from, instead of remaining focused on getting the murderous wretch away from her friend. "Get away from him!" she spat before unloading a powerful biotic blast upon Morinth, which hit her hard and sent the Asari flying a few feet away while Evac then fell to his knees and held his head in his hands. "Evac, are you alright?" Tolae asked as she looked over to the Bot while slowly getting back to her feet, though unbeknownst to her. The Mech had recovered enough to reactivate its holo-arm blades and once more lunged at her, only for a barrage of weapons fire to strike its chest and send it back onto the ground. "What the..?" the Tolae said aloud as she looked round to see the robot on it's back, before turning back to see two new arrivals entering the scene. This made the Ardat-Yakshi feel nervous and so she raised a glowing biotic fist at the brown-haired Human woman approaching her, who lowered her weapon while looking down at the Asari with a friendly expression. "It's okay, we won't hurt you." she said while kneeling down beside Tolae and offering her hand, to which the Asari looked at it and then took it in her own. "I saw what you did to save Evac, so you're an ally in my eyes." the woman added, gaining a nod from the Ardat-Yakshi in return. "Even though you know what I am?" she asked with a slight hesitance in her voice. "Yes, like I said….actions speak louder than words, Tolae, and you can call me Kat." the Human replied before looking over to her friend, who had similarly knelt beside Evac. "How is he, Crosscut?" "He should be alright." the bot said back, gaining a relieved look from the Asari before she then noticed Morinth getting back to her feet. "Look out!" Tolae shouted, which made Kat and Crosscut look back to see the murderous Ardat-Yakshi who looked back at them with narrowed eyes while clenching her fists tightly. "Alright, let's see what you've got then." she replied while a blue glow surrounded her body, which made the pair aim their weapons at her. "Tolae, we've got this. Can you keep an eye on that Mech behind us?" the Human woman asked, gaining a nod from the other Asari as she got up and looked back at the robot, which had down the same. "Yes, but be careful. Don't underestimate Morinth." This earned a smirk from the murderer in return as she looked back, ignoring the two standing before her. "Don't worry, I will get back to you in a moment." the Ardat-Yakshi replied casually, which riled up Crosscut somewhat. "I don't think so, we have you dead to rights." he said while pointing his twin pistols at her, as did Kat with her rifle. "Enough talk!" the Human then said as she opened fire on Morinth, gaining the same reaction from her friend before a barrier appeared between them and their enemy. Their combined gunfire only impacting harmlessly against the energy field, which only made the Asari's smile widen in return. "You people and your guns, you never learn." she replied before punching a fist before her, which made the barrier collapse into pure energy that then flew into the pair and knocked them onto the ground. Meanwhile, Tolae had begun fighting with the Mech once more, with the droid swinging its blades at her. But the Asari dodged each and every attack, using small biotic fields to deflect and stop the blades from hitting her as she moved around the robot. Suddenly it lunged forward with one of its sharp weapons, which made her fall to her knees and lean back as far as she could so that the attack would go right over her. Tolae then focused all of her biotic energy into her hands which she then pushed into the Mech's armoured chest and released the energy. This created a blue explosion of light that sent the robot flying over her and into the side of the mountain behind her. 'I hope that was enough to stop it.' she thought while getting back to her feet and looking back at the droid which had fallen to the ground with a thud, before the sounds of gunfire and biotic energy blasts caused her to sin around to see Morinth fighting with both Kat and Crosscut. Tolae could tell that the Murderer was toying with the pair, playfully dodging their attacks and only hitting back when an opening appeared. As their adversary hit the Human Woman in the back and knocked her away, the former Autobot came back at her with his pistols firing. But Morinth simply covered herself in biotic energy again which deflected the bullets again, before hitting him with a biotic blast. Kat got back to her feet and equipped her combat knife while turning around just in time to see her friend hit the ground hard once more, so she gritted her teeth and lunged at the Ardat-Yakshi. Morinth, though, saw her coming and managed to duck below the attack and began to throw a biotic punch, only to be stopped mid-attack by Kat who kneed her in the face. This made the Asari stumble back while the Human then swiped her combat knife and sliced her enemy's arm, earning a grimace from her as she then threw a biotic blast in retaliation. Kat then spun around and backhanded Morinth in the face, knocking the Ardat-Yakshi onto the ground. "Stay down!" she warned while quickly re-equipping her rifle with her free hand, but the enemy Asari simply looked up at her and wiped the trickle of blood from her mouth with a smile. "There are so few others who have made me bleed, I like you." she replied with a seductive tone, but Kat simply stared back with disgust. "Save it. You're not my type." "Pity, the pleasures I could give you before you die." Morinth replied whilst slowly moving her left hand over her right while keeping her eyes on the woman in an effort to maintain her attention. 'That's it, look into my eyes.' she thought, but Kat noticed her sleight of hand and tightened her finger around the rifle's trigger. "Stop what you're doing, right now!" she said before suddenly Crosscut got up and grabbed the Ardat-Yakshi from behind. "That's it, I've got you now." he stated, earning a smile from Morinth as Kat looked on in surprise. "Have you now?" she asked with a curious tone while taking note that Tolae was moving towards them, so she tapped the top of her right hand and activated her holo-tool. And even though Kat and Crosscut both noticed this, they did not get a chance to say something as Morinth's nearby ship suddenly powered up and lifted off the ground. "What the..!" the Human exclaimed in both surprise and confusion at the craft, earning a smirk from the Ardat-Yakshi as it's weapons then targeted the two women and fired. "Get down!" Tolae shouted as she tackled Kat to the ground just in time as the shot hit the area where they had stood, sending snow and earth into the air. "Kat!" Crosscut shouted while holding onto Morinth who herself noticed that despite the strong-hold he had her in, that he was now more concerned with his friend and so his attention was elsewhere. So she channelled her biotics through her body, which then burst out like a pulse which electrocuted the Bot and sent him flying off the cliff behind her. "Crosscut!" Kat screamed as she watched with a horrified expression as he started to fall out of view, but then a blue light enveloped him and stopped his fall while Morinth was suddenly hit by a biotic blast from above, which knocked her onto her back. Everyone else looked up to see Myra and Jethra drop down to them, their bodies glowing as their biotics slowed their fall so they could land gracefully beside the others. "Myra, you made it!" Kat exclaimed while the Asari then brought Crosscut back onto solid ground, while the Superintendent kept her eyes on their enemy as she slowly recovered. "Get Evac to safety." Darby replied, gaining a nod from the Bot while the Human looked back at her questioningly. "But...?" "You guys are no match for her biotics, now go." the Asari said back, earning a reluctant nod from Kat before she joined Crosscut and picked up the Pilot while Tolae joined Jethra. "I wish to help, to make Morinth pay for murdering her 'entire' family." she said, gaining a friendly though stoic smile from the older Woman. "You should help your friend, let us deal with her." "Very well, be careful." the Asari replied before joining the others as they started to leave the area, so Jethra and Myra returned their attention to Morinth who was now on her knees. "Stay down, Morinth." the Superintendent said in a commanding tone, which gained a smirk from the Ardat-Yakshi in return as she looked at the pair. "Or what? You going to 'sucker punch' me again? I thought you Matriarchs were more civilised than that." "Why did you do it? Why kill your own Mother?" The young Darby asked, her voice laced with anger and a small slither of confusion. "Because she deserved it. Samara was not the woman who raised my sisters and me. She betrayed me, tried to kill me...so I just returned the favour...though one more permanent." she spat back. "We should not attempt to reason with her, Morinth is nothing more than a murderous animal now. Killing Samara...and her sisters as Tolae says shows that there can be no redemption in this life for her..." Jethra said back, earning a hateful stare from their adversary. "...All that is left is for us to deliver the justice upon her that her victims deserve." she added, making her fists glow as she clenched them. "Oh, but my dear Superintendent. Are you aware that you have not one, but 'two' fugitives in your midst..." Morinth then said with a knowing look, which earned a questioning look from Jethra as the Murderer slowly got to her feet and pointed at Myra. "...or do you not recognise Myra Darby, Rogue Spectre. Are you sure you even want her help?" she continued, hoping to inflict some doubt between the pair. But Jethra looked over to the young Darby, a slight smile appearing on her face. "I already knew who Myra was when she arrived..." she started to say, gaining a surprised look from the Rogue Spectre. "...Samara vouched for Myra and that was all I needed to know that she was not as the Autobots would have us believe, and I still have yet to see any evidence to contradict that view." she added, which made Myra nod back with an appreciative smile before they both returned their attention to the Ardat-Yakshi. "Nice try, Morinth. But you're not going to make this easier for yourself by taking our attention from stopping you." the younger Asari replied, which made the Ardat-Yakshi smirk back in return. "Like I need any help to beat you two. After all, I have my ship behind me with its guns aiming directly at you..." she started to reply, only for Jethra to cut her off. "That is only if you get the chance to program it with your holo-tool, which we will not give you." "Then let's get on with it!" Morinth then spat as she swiped her glowing arm up in an uppercut-like motion, sending snow up at the pair as a distraction. But as the two Asari brought up an arm each to protect their faces from the iced water, Myra fired another biotic blast which the Ardat-Yakshi narrowly escaped by leaping to her left. She ducked into a roll and finished in a kneeling position with her finger ready to activate her holo-tool, but then the Superintendent tackled her to the ground before she had a chance to. "I already told you that wasn't going to happen." she said again while holding down the younger Asari's hands, earning a grunt from Morinth as she gritted her teeth as she struggled. "Did you really think I would take you and that pathetic Darby on 'my own'?" she managed to say, earning a wide-eyed look expression from the older woman as she looked back to Myra. "Look out!" she shouted, noticing a figure walking up behind the Rogue Spectre. But just as the younger Darby started to around and face whoever it was, she was suddenly backhanded in the face and fell onto her back. This made Morinth smile as it was revealed to be the Mech, though ever so slightly damaged in it's chest armour as it then stormed at Jethra. The Matriarch had no choice but to let go of the Ardat-Yakshi and defend herself, with the droid swinging it's holo-arm blades at her. But she managed to defend herself by blocking each and every attack with her forearms which were surrounded by biotic energy, but the older Asari was so focused on keeping the relentless Mech's attacks at bay, Jethra unintentionally gave the Ardat-Yakshi the moment she needed as Morinth sprang up and grabbed the Superintendent's head. "What…!" she managed to say in surprise before the murderer began to focus her biotic energies around the older Asari's head. "Working for that Darby's 'enemy' really does have it's advantages, but there are things I like to do myself." she said while making her hands glow even brighter as they grasped either side of the older woman's head. This made Jethra grimace and moan in pain as it felt like her head was slowly being crushed, so she reached up with her hands and tried desperately to pry the others off her. But this left her at the mercy of the Mech, who simply attacked again and stabbed the Asari deeply in her stomach with one of its arm-blades. "Arrrgh!" she screamed in pain, earning a wide-eyed stare from Myra as she got back to her feet. "No!" the younger Darby exclaimed as Morinth then smiled back darkly, before throwing the fatally wounded Asari to the side with her biotics. "I do not always need to do things myself." she started to say as the Rogue Spectre lunged at her with a fist, only for the Mech to block and hit her back. "Keep her busy while I escape because unfortunately, I can't kill her." she said, earning a nod from the droid before then attacked Myra again. The Ardat-Yakshi then tapped her holo-tool and made her ship fly a little closer to the edge of the cliff, dropping its landing ramp as she watched the Darby and her Mech fight. "So long Myra." she then said loudly before jumping onto the ramp, gaining an angered look from the younger Asari as she looked over the druid's shoulder while grabbing a hold of it's right arm. She could do nothing but watch as Morinth disappeared into her ship before it pulled away from the cliff, before turning around and flying out of sight as it ascended high into the cloud-covered sky. Myra then turned her attention back to the Mech, who was staring back at her with its blue optics as it struggled against her hold which itself was being strengthened by her biotics. For her hand was glowing a bright blue as she gritted her teeth and then yanked her arm back, ripping the Mech's arm from its socket which exploded with sparks as it stumbled forward. Myra then swung the arm and smacked it against the Droid's head, making it stumble backwards before the Asari then made her left fist glow even brighter while her body became enveloped in biotic energy. The robot then corrected itself and immediately attempted to lunge back at her with its only remaining arm, but then suddenly the Rogue Spectre unleashed a biotic charge and punched her fist clear through its chest while using her inertial to send the droid smashing into the cliff face once more. She then stood there and watched Mech slump to the floor with a fist-sized hole in its armoured chest that had blue liquid spilling out of it, while its optics flickered to nothing. 'That droid took some killing.' she thought before a faint painful moan caught her attention, making the Asari turn around to see Jethra lying in the snow just away from her. "Jethra!" she exclaimed while joining the Superintendent's side, quickly taking out the medi-gel spray from her utility belt and treating the wound despite the amount of blood that was pouring out from it. "You're going to be alright." Myra said as she tended to the wound but then a hand grabbed hers gently, making her look at Jethra's face. "No, it's...too late for...me." she said with a little blood trickling from her mouth, while the younger Asari also noticed how bloodshot her eyes were. And then for an ever so quick moment, Myra froze as she looked down at her injured acquaintance. 'No, she looks just like…' she thought as the image of Jethra lying before her brought up a very painful memory of hers, one that has haunted the Rogue Spectre for most of her life as her eyes began to well up. 'No, not now!' she thought while refocusing on the present, burying the pain back beneath the surface as she activated her holo-tool and took a quick scan, looking ever more horrified as the results appeared before her. "Your skull...it's...your…haemorrhaging..." she started to say with a shocked tone, only for the Superintendent to cut her off with a splutter as she coughs up some more blood. "...Like I said...it's too late, for I will...be...dead before anything...can be done for...me..." Jethra started to say as she took Myra's arm in her hand, moving it and the Medi-Gel she was holding away from her wound and allowing it to remain open and bleed out, which made the younger Asari look back with a surprised and saddened expression. "...so you should...deal with Morinth, as...she will...lead you to...who you seek." the Matriarch added, making Myra double blink in return. "What do you..." she started say, only for the dying Asari to cut her off again. "She is…working for…Vasir…" The mention of that name made the young Darby's eyes widen, earning an ever so slight smile from Jethra despite the pain she was in. "…so…go after her. And take…Tolae with you, I…know she will…want to help." "But she's an Ardat-Yakshi too, shouldn't she stay here?" Myra replied with a curious tone, making the Superintendent shake her head slightly. "No, I have not…yet told her. But I was going…to let her…visit the Home-world…next month, Tolae more than deserves…that chance. For she is…unlike…most of…our residents, so…let her join…your crew…and tell her…that I…am…very…proud…of….." she started to say before her bloodshot eyes glazed over and her head tilted to the right, as she breathed one last time before finally succumbing to her injuries while Myra's holo-tool showed the flat-line on its screen. So the Rogue Spectre deactivated that function before turning her attention to the now-dead Asari, closing Jethra's eyes as her hand moved over them while the snow continued to fall around them. "I will honour your wish, Jethra, and Morinth will pay for what she has done… I swear." she said in a soft yet resolute tone before standing back up and looking out at the snowy mountains around her. 'No matter where I go, no matter what I do, someone always dies and…Vasir is always a part of it. This has to stop.' she thought when suddenly her holo-tool reactivated and beeped, snapping the Asari out of it as she looked down and gave a puzzled expression at what she saw. 'That's the Energon detector, why would that activate?' she thought while looking down at the screen which showed a map of the area she stood in with a bleeping blue dot just aways from her, making the Rogue Spectre turn around and face the direction it was in. 'How can I be getting an Energon reading, there has been none in this Galaxy for over five hundred years now.' But then her eyes fell upon the aqua blue liquid that now stained the body of the deactivated Mech while a small puddle lay at its feet, gaining a wide-eyed stare from Myra in return. "That's impossible.' she thought while running a scan of the liquid with her holo-tool, before tapping her com-link. "This is Myra, anyone reading me?" she said before a female voice spoke back a second later. "Kat here, are you alright? Did you stop that Asari?" her friend asked, which gained a sigh from the young Darby. "No, she got away…" she started to say before going quiet, which earned a worried tone from the Human in return. "Myra? What has happened?" "…Morinth killed Jethra, I couldn't save her." the Asari replied with a guilty tone. "I am so sorry, Myra, I really am. But whatever happened, please don't blame yourself for it is not your fault." Kat said back in a supportive tone, which the Rogue Spectre could not help but agree with. 'Kat is right, I should not feel responsible for what happened. Morinth is the one that should bear the weight of this, which is something I want to ensure she comes to know.' she thought before the Human woman's voice snapped her from her thoughts. "Myra?" "Yes, I'm still here and you are right." the Asari replied with an honest tone as she looked down at the Mech's body. "Of course I am, now are you on your way back?" Kat asked, making Myra shake her head. "No, I want to bring Jethra's body back with me and there is also something else….so if Evac is feeling better, then I need him to get back to the Eudora and activate a ground-bridge for me." "Yes, Evac can do that…..he is on his way now. What did you mean by there is something else?" Kat then asked with a curious tone. "That Mech Morinth had with her, there is something really off about it. I want to get it back to the ship for further study." Myra said back. "Okay, I'll get Crosscut to go through the vortex to help you when we get back to the Eudora. Will you be alright until then, because it will be another few minutes?" her friend asked, earning a nod from the young Asari. "Yes, I'll be alright. Myra out." she then said before deactivating the com-link and looking back out at the mountainous terrain that surrounded the Monastery, noticing that the cloud was clearing in the distance as the blue sky could just be seen through the snow fall. PRIME EFFECT 5 A few seconds later, Morinth's shuttle had left Lesuss's atmosphere and was now flying out of the system as fast as its sub-light engines would allow it, with the Ardat-Yakshi sitting in the Pilot's seat in its Cockpit as she worked its holo-controls. She was smiling to herself as she looked out at the vast expanse of stars just beyond the glass canopy before her, with the only real light in the room coming from the red and orange glow of the ship's interface. "Computer, how much time remains until the Space-Bridge Generator can be activated?" she asked while looking at a holo-screens being emitted to her right, showing that particular device powering up. "It will reach full power in approximately three standard minutes." a red holo-drone then replied as it appeared to the Asari's left, gaining an angered sigh from her in return. "Very well." 'Despite how good it felt to finally make my Mother pay for what she had me endure throughout my life, I just want to get away from this star-system and bring an end to the constant surveillance of that Darby Bitch…' she thought as she waved the right holo-screen away and brought up another one, this showing the modifications Morinth had made to the Eudora. '…After I tell Vasir of what I did down there, she will hopefully agree with me and allow me to finally do more with my abilities.' But then the holo-drone moved in front of the Asari and beeped, bringing Morinth out of her thoughts as she looked back at it with an annoyed expression. "What is it?" "You are receiving a coded transmission, should I recalibrate our communications array to make contact?" it asked in its synthesised and emotionless voice, earning a nod from the Pilot in return. "Very well, put it on screen." she said, which made the Drone move back to her left as another holo-screen appeared before her and activated to show the face of Vasir staring back with an aggressive tone. "Hello, Morinth. I want you to meet me at these coordinates. Because I think it is time we had a chat." she said with a calm tone, yet the Asari could tell that anger underlined her words. "What is this about? I am now heading back to base." the Ardat-Yakshi replied with a curious tone, but the Leviathan leader just stared back with a knowing expression. "Don't play coy with me, did you think I would not hear about what you did the moment you did it. Just meet me here, now!" Vasir replied with a commanding voice before her image fizzled to nothing on the screen, gaining an unsure look from the Asari. 'Oh shit.' she thought before the drone reappeared beside her, flashing a green light within its holo-form. "Space-Bridge Generator powered up and ready for use." it said back, earning a nod from the Ardat-Yakshi as she typed in the coordinates that Vasir had sent her. "Very well, opening a vortex in three, two, one…" she started to say before a green portal opened up before her shuttle which then flew right into it before closing again. Meanwhile, Vasir stood in the CIC of her ship, looking around at the various alien members of her crew that manned the stations around her. There were numerous Asari, Krogan, Turian, Salarian and even the odd Human or two. It had not been hard for the Asari to gain followers, especially since much of what had befallen the Federation and its members over the last five hundred years had been of her own doing, from behind the scenes of course. 'Thanks to Benezia's teachings of subterfuge and espionage from her time as the Shadow Broker, I have managed to build all of this in her name.' she thought while looking back out at the starfield just beyond the CIC's glass canopy, for Leviathan was very much the continuation of the work started by the Shadow Broker. Even most of the resources that had been built up under Benezia's leadership had been used by Vasir in her plan to not only bring about the downfall of the Cybertronians and their Federation but also bring an end to the one person who killed the Leviathan Leader's Mentor. 'Even after all this time, Liara T'Soni's death still brings a smile to my face. I know Benezia would feel the same.' she thought with a smile before one of her crew walked up to her and gained her attention, pulling Vasir from her thoughts. "Yes, what is it?" she asked, which made the Turian pass her a pad in return. "Here is the current status on all Leviathan projects…" he started to say, gaining a nod from the Asari as she looked at the pad before then switching the data to a holo-screen that covered the canopy. "…as you can see, they are all on schedule for the calculated completion times. Even Project: Titan is moving faster than our original projections, it should be completed within the next week or so." the Turian added, which brought a smile to Vasir's face. "Excellent, when it is completed I will be moving my flag to that then. In the meantime, how is Project: Crimson Rage progressing?" "Funny you should ask that?" another male voice spoke from just away, gaining the attention of the pair as they saw a man in red and aqua blue armour walking towards them with a pair of Mechs behind him. 'Inferno, my pet Terracon.' she thought as the Con stopped before them. "We have hit a snag in its development." he replied, gaining a widened stare from the Asari as she gestured for the Turian to leave. "What kind of snag are you talking about Inferno?" After all, you did say that the serum was coming along well." she replied with a questioning tone. "The serum as you know is a combination of the aspect of the narcotic 'Red Sand', namely the part that super stimulates an Asari's Biotic potential. As well as a formula that replicates the Terracon's ability to use its Beast mode, so anyone who uses this serum if used by Asari would overpower their biotics while also increasing their strength, stamina and endurance by one hundred percent. While if any non-Asari were to use it, then they would gain temporary Biotics as well as the rest of its benefits as well." Inferno started to explain, only for the Leviathan Leader to cut him off. "Yes, I know all of that. What is your point?" "Your lab has successfully synthesised the serum and it works, but only before the subjects are driven insane by their own increasing rage and savagery." the Man added, making Vasir slam her fist into the computer terminal beside her. "Damn it! All I want is to give Leviathan the advantages it requires to meet my goals, the Mechs infused with the fully refined Synthetic Energon are a start…" she then started to say while gesturing to the droids standing nearby. "…as well as our other 'discovery' on Tuchanka, which is nearly completed by the way. But this serum would ensure that Leviathan, an Organisation made up of those who wish to see a Galaxy run by them… is more than a match for the crumbling Federation and its Autobots." she continued to rant while activating her holo-tool and bringing up another larger screen before the pair, showing the Milky Way and numerous data about its separate Alien governments. "Look, the galaxy is at a tipping point. All of our patience and hard work is paying off, the galactic community is falling apart and is ready for war. The time for us to come in and take control is rapidly approaching. So please, tell me what it is that is currently bringing us up short of readiness?" Vasir finished, which made the Terracon smirk and activate his own holo-tool as he then transferred data to the main screen. "As you know, I, like my Terracon Brothers, am a clone. We were produced by the long-deceased Manic known as Galvatron to be mere cannon fodder for him during his personal war with the Autobots. And therein lies the problem…" he started to say, gaining a confused look from the Asari. "The problem being?" she replied. "…as clones, our CNA is not pure enough to fix the problem with our serum. We need a purer sample from an already existing Predacon. So we basically need….'hers'." he added while bringing up the image of a woman on the screen, which made Vasir stare back with wide eyes until a smile graced her face. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go get her."
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