Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 22

"Just try not to get into any fights before tomorrow, Commander."

"Aye-aye, ma'am," I replied sarcastically. It earned a smirk as she turned and walked away, and I watched every step, because that arse was on fire.

"You're not seriously..."

"What?"

"Is she your type?"

"Do I even have a type, Garrus? Good looking, great tits, fantastic arse, thighs that could probably crack a coconut."

"Yes, I think you do have a type. I don't think she fits the bill at all."

"No reminders of Ashley? She could be a ballbuster."

"True, she could be. But in her calmer moments, she was also incredibly sweet, particularly when you were the topic."

I ignored that last bit. Didn't need to think about Ashley just yet. "I don't know her," I said, gesturing towards where Miranda disappeared, "So I'm not going to judge too soon. I think she's a loyal, card-carrying member of Cerberus, that's for sure. But I've met people before who have exteriors like her. It's an armour, a shell they've wrapped around themselves. Get rid of that, and you are sometimes pleasantly surprised. Besides, it's not like you to judge so quickly."

"I'm on a Cerberus ship with mostly Cerberus personnel, Shepard. Frankly, the only people I'm going to trust are you, the good doctor, and maybe Joker."

He had a point that I could understand, so I let the topic go. After lunch, we headed upstairs where I could slip on some armour, grabbing a pistol as I didn't think going fully tooled up was required. Garrus did the same thing, and I swear as we were leaving, Jacob gave a longing look, wanting to be invited. But I didn't spend personal time with those I didn't trust, and although I didn't think he was a fanatic like Miranda, he still wore the symbol.

Garrus admitted he could tell a million and one stories about Omega but knew it would bring down our moods. He said it wasn't like a horror film, it was generally the desperation of the people who flocked to the station, believing they could strike it rich somehow. Most ended up in little more than grinding poverty, and many were preyed upon mercilessly by the mercenaries that ran parts of the station. As for Aria, he admitted that while she was the crime boss of Omega, she generally didn't worry about 'small fry', but it was obvious she didn't give a shit about anyone but herself.

With little description available of the mercenary we were looking for, only a name, I asked the barman, and we were immediately pointed in the right direction. The mercenary looked at us approach with his one good eye, a face of scars and battle. His armour, from what I could see, bore no markings or affiliation, but it looked well designed. "You Zaeed Massani?"

"Who's asking?" he grunted back.

"Name's Shepard. I believe someone we both know has been in contact."

"You say your name was Shepard? As in Commander Shepard?" I nodded. "You're meant to be dead."

"So I've been told."

"Yeah, I've been waiting for you to show up. Sit down, have a beer. Look at the pretty girls."

I'm never one to refuse the offer of a beer, so Garrus and I slid into the booth alongside him. As we sipped on a beer, I gave him the rundown of the mission, though he was honest and admitted he only cared about the credits. He was getting paid good money to join us, receiving half now, half upon completion of the mission. He asked if I had a ship, I told him about the Normandy, and where he could possibly bunk. He liked isolation, so I suggested one of the lower decks would be what he wanted. Finishing our beers, he said he'd wander over in a couple of hours. Garrus and I headed to the bar, when I felt a hand tap my shoulder, turning to see Tara.

"Fancy meeting you here," she said with a smile that suggested she wanted to conduct some sort of transaction, "What are you after this evening?"

"Well, I was tempted by a beer. Maybe a dance too?"

"Oh, a dance I can do, Shepard. I assume you want private?" I nodded. She leaned forward, shared a word with the barman, and I was soon led by the head by Tara downstairs, hearing Garrus laugh above the pumping music. Entering a rather small room, she pushed me back onto the comfortable leather chair as she locked the door, turning on music I didn't expected.

Her striptease was incredibly erotic, needing to adjust my seating position more than once. There was a pole she used half the time, but she eventually ended up sat on my lap without any clothing. She certainly teased me relentlessly, feeling herself grind along my obvious erection. She would tease me further by lowering her mouth to kiss me but then pull away. "I'm enjoying what I can feel, Shepard," she whispered, before she grabbed my wrists, "And you are definitely allowed to touch."

My hands were soon all over her body, feeling the smooth skin of her back, the perkiness of her breasts, her flat stomach, her defined legs, even caressing her face. When I moved my hand down between her legs, I thought she was going to stop me, but all she did was kiss me hard and so I took that as an invitation to get her off. She must have been turned on as she eventually had to break the kiss, resting her forehead against mine as she was incredibly wet. "Don't stop," she breathed.

I wasn't planning on it, but when I made her orgasm, she kissed me even harder to cover her cries. She then rested on my lap, a series of deep breaths as her kisses turned soft, her hands on the back of my head, before she moved one down to my trousers, and within seconds, my cock was free so she could slide down it. I lifted myself up so I was a little more comfortable, sliding my jeans down to my knees. "Big tip," I stated as she leaned back so I could lick her nipples and kiss up and down her body. She was soon riding me hard and fast, trying not to make too much noise, but she was definitely enjoying herself. "Fuck," I groaned.

"Going to cum?"

"In a minute."

So she sat me back as she leaned forward, now riding me even faster, her forehead against mine as her eyes focused into mine. My hands were resting on her arse, keeping her steady, as she was definitely riding me to get herself off again. "Hold on," she breathed.

"Doing my best here!"

I was never going to last forever. She was far too cute, and that pussy was far too tight. I groaned loudly as I felt myself erupt, Tara now riding me with urgency, and I knew she was getting close when she started to make these little moans I remembered from last time. When I felt her squeeze my cock, that's when I knew she was enjoying another orgasm, eventually collapsing forward with her head on my shoulder. I just wrapped my arms around her, feeling rather good about life once again.

"I was only expecting a dance," I said with a chuckle.

"You don't mind?"

"No, because I thoroughly enjoyed our first time." She leaned back and kissed me again, soft and tender. "That's a good reason why."

"How much longer will you be here?"

"Maybe tomorrow night. I'm not sure."

"Well, depending on what you're doing..."

"I suppose I could handle another night in Afterlife. Are you talking another dance or..."

"Sex, Shepard. Definitely sex. Another experience like what we shared."

"Well, I can certainly afford that."

"Maybe you could pay a little more, stay the night?" That was a surprise and it must have shown. "Look, you're clearly a good guy. During our entire time, I never felt uneasy and you were polite and even gentlemanly. As I said, most of the time, I feel rather used at the end. You cared about my enjoyment too."

"I can certainly return for one more time tomorrow night."

She kissed my cheek and slid off me, laughing away as cum certainly dripped out of her. What surprised me was the fact she then got down on her knees, and with her eyes only ever looking at mine, she sucked my cock for a few minutes, which she said was to clean me up. Damn, what a woman... asari... Whatever! She then packed it away and did up my fly before helping me up. "How much was the dance?" I asked.

"Private dances are fifty creds."

I sent her a lot more. When she saw it, the smile on her face was worth it. I wasn't falling for her or anything like that, but she seemed like a nice girl, and I knew how hard life could be on Omega. I remembered my time on the streets and I didn't know which would be worse. She might have chosen to sell her body, but I wasn't so sure, but didn't want to ask either. She hugged and thanked me, and hoped to see me the next evening.

Walking back out to meet Garrus, he took one look at me and burst into laughter again, suggesting I looked smug and that I'd had a lot more than a dance. I wasn't going to say anything, though Tara appeared behind me, and she looked like an asari who had just been fucked, causing further laughter from Garrus. "Things never change, Shepard."

"She's a sweet girl."

We sat at the bar and enjoyed a few more beers until it was time to get back. Garrus said he was ready to head out the next morning to find Doctor Solus, and that was good enough for me. Heading back to the Normandy, it was later than I thought, as I realised for the first time that the lights were dimmed during the night. Figuring we should probably just to go bed, he took the elevator down first before I headed up to my cabin. I showered again, and I couldn't the slight grin that remained on my face. Maybe I should ask her to join for entertainment value?

It certainly caused me to chuckle at the reaction of certain people if I were to do it.

*****

Zaeed turned up at the Normandy first thing the next morning, and was ready to join us straight away. Garrus wasn't one for sympathy, stating he was ready to go at breakfast, though he was soon moaning away as we left the ship about having an on board psychologist, no doubt referring to Kelly. "I don't like that line of questioning, Shepard."

"What? Kelly's sweet."

"That's cause you wanna fuck her, Shepard," Zaeed exclaimed. I guess he had me sussed within a few minutes.

"That's not the only reason. And Garrus, she just wants to get to know people who are on the ship. She's not trying to jump you or anything."

"But you do wanna fuck her, right?" Zaeed asked.

I chanced a glance at Miranda, who tried hard not to look like she was listening, but every single word was being stored for later. I looked back at Zaeed. "I am not one to gossip, Zaeed."

Garrus muttered something about bullshit. Zaeed muttered something about me definitely wanting to get my dick wet. Jacob chuckled to himself. Miranda was stony silent, as expected. The conversation ceased as we approached the entrance to the quarantined zone. The lone turian guard attempted to stop the five of us from entering, though once I told him we needed to find the doctor, and pretty much threatened to kill him if he didn't move, he let us in, saying it was 'our funeral'.

The first thing to assault our senses upon entering the zone was the smell. It was just the dead bodies that lay everywhere. They'd clearly been burning them as well. There were more than a few mutters as we put on our helmets so at least we'd be breathing fresh air, weapons already out. If this was a plague zone, the smart people were locked inside their apartments. Anyone on the streets could be considered either a criminal or just criminally stupid.

Garrus had plenty of information about the area, calling it Gozu District, an area under the control of the Blue Suns. Hearing that name set off a series of expletives from Zaeed, suggesting he had some beef with them, but now wasn't the time to ask. We walked by the sick and the dying, though was little any of us could really do, and I certainly wasn't going to go out of my way to help batarians, and I saw a few of them around. I would always blame them for Annie...

When we ran into vorcha instead of blue suns later, even Garrus had to admit surprise. I'd never dealt with vorcha before, so in the middle of a firefight, Garrus explained what they were. Short-lived, stupid, basically pack animals. Nothing redeeming about them whatsoever, so he didn't believe they were behind the plague at least, but they were clearly making a move against the Blue Suns. Guess the plague is killing everyone.

Searching apartments as we moved, some had been left ransacked by looters, others were locked up tight. We found very few survivors, and those we did, we told them to stay bunkered down for the moment, and made sure their doors were secure before leaving. We did run into a few looters on the way, and I shot them without hesitation. Looters are far down the list of people I actually hate, but considering the people on Omega had nothing, if survivors returned to their few possessions being stolen, then all I could say was fuck looters.

Garrus spent half his time directing us where to go, and the other half helping us shoot either vorcha or Blue Suns mercenaries. Zaeed definitely took delight in every bullet that ended up in the armour or uniform of a Blue Suns mercenary, while I practically forgot Miranda and Jacob were with me half the time. They were assisting where necessary, continuing to prove useful with their biotics. I did use my biotic charge occasionally, but I was still getting used to the idea of being a biotic.

The number of bodies were passed was staggering. The death toll must have easily been in the thousands, and what concerned me was that none of the bodies were human. Turian, batarian, asari, salarians, vorcha. All of them were dying from plague, but not humans. "Cerberus?" I asked myself.

"No, Commander. Definitely not," Miranda retorted, far harsher than she probably meant, "We are not mass murderers."

"Read some of the reports from two years ago and tell me the same thing again later," Garrus stated.

I held up a hand, stopping the argument before it began. "Later. Right now, we need to find the doctor. There's a sign ahead stating there's a clinic nearby. Let's get there, grab the doctor, then you can yell at each other."

Walking into a reception area, it was emptier than I thought it would be. The receptionist behind the counter was quite obviously exhausted, looking up at us with tired eyes. "We're here to see Doctor Mordin Solus."

"You and a million other people."

"Yeah, we're not sick so it's okay. We're here for another reason."

"If you're here to help, then great." She gestured vaguely, adding, "He's back there somewhere."

We walked by a few gurneys on which the sick, dying and dead lay, some already covered with sheets to signify the plague had taken them. We found the doctor in what appeared to be a laboratory, busy running what I assumed were tests, and he barely even looked up as the five of us entered. "Doctor Solus?"

Only now did he look up, immediately suspicious, which I guess I couldn't blame him. His eyes moved from me to the others quite quickly, then back to me. Walking around the gurney, he then opened him omni-tool to perform a quick scan, moving on to other members of the group. "Hmm. Don't recognise you from area. Too well-armed for refugees. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect. No, here for something else. Vorcha? Crew to clear them out? Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom, not a cause." The salarian paced to a terminal on the other side of the gurney, typing away as he continued to talk, before he made do with pacing in front of me again, bringing his hand to his near non-existent chin as he thought. "Here for the plague? Investigating possible use as bio-weapon?" I couldn't help but glance at Miranda, something she chose to ignore. "No. Too many guns, not enough data equipment. Soldiers, not scientists."

"Doctor Solus! Mordin. Christ on a bike! Relax. Chill out. Take a damn breath. My name's Shepard, formerly Commander. I've come all the way through this bloody hell-hole to find you. I'm on a mission, probably critical to the survival of the human race, and I need your help."

He was rather perturbed by my request. "Mission? What mission? No. Too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?" the last question asked with a certain amount of suspicion. Yep, he's recognised the Cerberus symbols on Miranda and Jacob. This guy is clearly intelligent. No point lying.

"These two," I said, pointing at Miranda and Jacob, "Are Cerberus. He's a... turian vigilante..."

"Thanks, Shepard. Nicest thing you've ever said about me."

"And the one in yellow is Zaeed, another mercenary."

"And who are you with?"

"I am currently unaffiliated."

"But working alongside Cerberus?"

"For the time being."

"But Cerberus sent you." He stopped and took a breath. "Unexpected."

"It's a long story, Doctor Solus. One I can explain later. Ever heard of the Collectors? They are kidnapping entire human settlements. The Council don't appear to be helping. The Alliance appear unable to stop them. So that leaves us. We're trying to find out why and stop them. And we need your help."

Mordin paced once again as he talked. He was clearly a bundle of nerves. Energy. Something. It was rather amusing as his mind must have moved at a million miles a minute. "Interesting. Plague hitting these slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar. But must stop plague first."

"How can we help, Mordin?"

The salarian grinned. "Ah, good. Volunteers. Already have cure. Need to distribute it at environmental control centre. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them."

"Point us in the right direction and we'll get the job done."

Giving Mordin details so we could stay in communication, we headed out of the clinic just as the environmental controls were shut up. Garrus muttered that wasn't good, and we began to haul arse in the direction Mordin told us to go. We were soon laying waste to what seemed like an army of vorcha. Whatever the case, I was left convinced like Mordin that they couldn't possibly be behind the plague. They were complete idiots. The five of us quickly figured out to work as a team. I worked at the front, using my biotic change, shotgun continuously blasting. Zaeed worked like how I used to. Jacob and Miranda had obviously worked together before, as they seemed to have telepathic communications. And Garrus was doing his usual from the rear job, watching nearby vorcha lose their heads.

When they started to appear with flamethrowers, we simply hung back and aimed for their fuel packs, causing them to explode, sending flaming bodies flying, the explosions sending other vorcha slamming into walls and crates at the same time. The noise would have been deafening to anyone else but this area seemed to be deserted.

Susceptible to flame as they seemed to be, we all switched our ammo to incendiary and burned the fuckers away. We were not always lucky. Zaeed took a bullet in the shoulder which required a dose of medi-gel immediately and a trip to Chakwas for later. Jacob took one in the leg which simply pissed him off as he had to limp the rest of the way. I had one or two close calls after charging, but usually managed to shoot the enemy before they shot me.

As we moved, we did search for survivors, but there was no-one around. We didn't even find bodies, assuming they had either been moved by people retrieving, or moved by the vorcha for whatever reason. We did find one survivor, surrounded by three batarians. By the time they noticed us walk into the room, the five of us opened fire, leaving them on the ground as I helped the human to his feet. "Who are you?" I asked.

"Daniel. And you?"

"I'm Shepard. What are you doing out here on your own?"

"I work for Doctor Solus. I'm trying to help the people. Are you here to help too?"

"That we are, kid. We're going to make sure the spreads." I thumbed behind us. "It should be safe going back to the lab. Just ignore the bodies. The vorcha got in our way."