English Bay Blues: A Mass Effect Prequel (Shenko)

Chapter 21

"I do." Kaidan had replied, unimpressed with her implied threat.

"Good." She'd said coldly, tiring of him. "I'll be watching you all the same."

"Why?"

"Because I can." She said, taking his drink from him and sipping from it. "I'm Aria T'Loak. I'm Omega."

"I know who you are." Kaidan replied, nonplussed by her behaviour

"That's funny. I don't know you and I know everyone here. Just who the hell are you?"

"I'm no one." He'd said, allowing a touch of meekness to seep into his voice.

She'd eyed him with suspicion. "Interesting. I don't buy that for a galactic minute. But fine. Keep your secrets. I'll discover them soon enough. What I want, I get. Eventually." She said, her voice cold as she slid her hand over his ass again before sauntering away.

Kaidan had given an involuntary shudder, downing his drink in one gulp as she disappeared from view.

He assumed she'd returned upstairs to the area she seemed to think of as her "throne." It wasn't though. It was just a private seating area that looked out over the bar below and was level with the elevated dance floor. A dance floor where several half-naked asari were performing for the patrons below.

Stamping out his impulse to bolt as Aria disappeared from view, he'd ordered another drink and moved to where he was certain she could no longer see him. He'd leaned up against a wall, remaining alert for any further interference from Aria's people, but it seemed she'd lost interest.

Sighing, he'd sipped his drink and watched the room. Cheap, strong booze, dancing half-naked asari, a pounding rhythm permeated the air - music he assumed was designed to pulse in your head. He guessed it was meant to encourage you to drink more just to block out it out, since after a short time it began to grate on his nerves.

Over the years, while with the Alliance, he'd met many aliens in his travels, but never anyone as dangerous and mysterious as Aria.

He'd heard upon arrival at the station that she'd taken down a krogan overlord to get where she was. At first he thought it was nothing but a rumour. But after meeting her, he wasn't so sure.

His head had begun to protest from the sensory bombardment of the noise and light of the club, so he'd finished his drink and ensuring he wasn't being followed, had left the bar. His contact had been a no-show, so he'd returned to the apartment he'd taken as part of his cover.

If he'd known how corrupt and filthy Omega was, he might have asked Anderson for a promotion first, he'd thought absently before tumbling into bed. Scratch that. He would ask Anderson.

That was yesterday. Today he was in a dark alley waiting for his target to leave Afterlife, and lead him to the guy Kaidan suspected was in charge of the smuggling operation he was tracking.

He wasn't surprised to learn the target he was waiting on was batarian. Again with the batarians, Kaidan thought, stiffling a yawn, After what had happened on Therum, he hadn't come across many batarians in the years following.

Although he'd questioned Anderson numerous times, he'd never learned what had happened to the batarians the Alliance had taken from Therum.

As for the scientists, the Ambassador's plan hadn't worked - she had in fact lost a few more asari, who unfortunately, after attempting to join consciousness had become just as catatonic as the scientists themselves.

Eventually the scientists had been sent home to Thessia, the asari home-world. Where they were then placed in a medical facility that assisted patients with the asari version of PTSD.