58AN: It is with a lot of trepidation that I start this story, the last one took a few years to finish and not because it was a long one. But, I can hardly stay away and now it seems that Mass Effect will be given new life through this Legendary edition.
Welcome back all. If this is your first encounter with my work, I should warn you that this story is the fourth one in a series I loosely think of as the "Degeneration" series and it follows my own head cannon of the events after Mass Effect 2 and leading up to Mass Effect 3.
The others are as follows: A Degeneration in Mass (1), the first story that starts directly after the conclusion of the main mission in Mass Effect 2. Shadow Play (2) which loosely follows the events of the DLC Liar of the Shadow Broker, and All Creatures Great and Small (3) is based on The Arrival DLC. I cannot recommend reading this out of order, I also can't recommend reading this without playing the games as there will be spoilers. I've rated it T but will change the rating to M if there is any content that requires it.
The timeline of this story will take place between The Arrival and perhaps see its end at start of Mass Effect 3. I hardly know, I sometimes feel as if I am as much a spectator as you are.
CONTENT WARNING: Nothing in particular, however, I have a general content warning in my profile which I recommend you read.
The art for this story's cover is from Dragonian Fantasy's Shattered memories series in Deviant Art. I use this with the artist's permission. You can find a link to all her work in my profile.
The aim is to try and update this once a week, at the very least once a fortnight.
Now, without further delay. I present to you:
A Dark Star Rising.
Prologue: A good day.
Dr Abigail Gable stared at the view from her table and felt… a little bit like a tourist. Which, she was technically, in more ways than one. She had never been to the Citadel prior to this week and, due to the schedule she had to follow, she had had little time to spend on the Presidium. But, her exams were behind her now which allowed her this luxury.
She as awestruck by the view and the experience was unique. Sitting in the artificial sunlight, Abby listened to the sounds around her, to the bustle of people and the faint hint of bird song. She wasn't sure whether it was artificial or not, but the breeze that came up and stirred her shoulder length black hair certainly was.
This is a gift, she thought. Every day is a gift.
For her, more than others perhaps, it was.
Reaching for the cooling cup of tea before her, Abby was about to take a sip when she felt a hand brush across her shoulder as her companion sat down. She smiled at Dr Catherine Chakwas who was grinning like a naughty schoolgirl.
"They have what I want," the older woman said. "Not here, but at another location. They'll bring it around."
Abby grinned at the woman's triumph but felt a little guilty. She had seen the price of the item in question.
"That's lovely," she said. "Though really, it's hardly necessary…"
"Nonsense," the woman cut her off as she settled. "I hardly have anything left to celebrate these days. Let me have this excuse to indulge in a friend." Abby's heart warmed at the phrase. She swallowed against an unexpected tightening in her throat and looked out over the Presidium again hoping the doctor wouldn't notice the slight catch in her voice.
"I have to say," she said. "The Citadel really is… amazing. It is so different from Omega."
Dr Chakwas chuckled warmly as she reached out and drank the last dregs of her own tea.
"Of course," she said. "Omega's a hollowed out asteroid drifting in Terminus space. This, my dear, is what all races aspire to have. Through technology, through progress. It is the future everybody aspires to." She put her cup down. "Have you ever been?"
Abby hesitated, then shook her head.
"This is my first time," she confessed. "I ah… didn't travel much before." She shifted back, feeling a little uncomfortable at the mention of past exploits because she had not really existed in this world until six months ago.
"How have you been keeping, Catherine?" Abby asked instead. "I mean, we have discussed the menu and the weather… Which is ironic if you consider we both live in artificial environments." The mood shifted a little, as she knew it would, but it was a subject Abby didn't want to avoid because she worried about the older woman sitting with her.
Catherine sighed a little then reached for a bottle of wine she had ordered to chill before Abby came.
"I know you said you want to wait, Dr Gable," she said. "But I'm only discussing current matters with a glass of alcohol in my hand. Are you taking any now or waiting for the grand finale?"
"Might as well," Abby said, pushing her own glass closer. "But just a yay amount," she motioned to Catherine where she wanted the line to be. "It's still a long day and Asura's taking me out on a date later."
Chakwas gave her a wicked smile as she poured Abby a little and then filled her own glass. "I would hate to spoil your appetite. Before I tell you about the mediocracy of my life tell me first, how are things between you two? The last time you and I discussed relationships you were still fretting about your own sexuality."
At this Abby blushed and took a very quick sip of her wine. Her relationship hadn't started off with an easy stride.
"It's… I am much better in that regard," she said, her ears warming. "We are… We are really good, Dr Chakwas." She paused and considered what her relationship had been like in the four months since she last saw the doctor. "Our lives have actually had some time to become a little more normal since we came to Omega especially after the clinic finally opened. It gave us a sense of routine which we could schedule our lives around."
"And," Chakwas spoke with a touch of good willed humour, "it helped that your friends were no longer in a position to barge into your clinic and take you hostage." Abby didn't know how to respond but couldn't deny it. For all the friends she made there, her association with the Normandy and her crew had been chaotic. From the violence on Banrio that saw her birth into this world, being taken hostage by the former Shadow Broker in an attempt to control Asura, to being pulled into Shepard's last moments of freedom, the Normandy had always brought tides of violence to her. But, it had also been her salvation, her own freedom. The crew that stayed on it, people like this woman with her who simply accepted her and helped her adjust to this new life of hers, had become the only family and friends she had. They had given her a support foundation that she cherished so much.
"I was hardly a hostage," Abby said. "No matter what the mainstream media reported."
Her and Asura's identities had been kept out of the news, but all reports speaking of Shepard's arrest had spoken of the innocent couple she and her crazy biotic had taken hostage during her final stand in Omega. One or two amateur investigators or sympathisers had actually managed to make it all the way to her clinic's doorstep, trying to figure out what exactly had happened, but they had left unsatisfied because neither Abby nor Asura cooperated. And then, abruptly, as Shepard disappeared from the media without a trial or mention, with the Banrio incident acknowledged as a tragedy but not linked to an act of terrorism per se, the news… died. In fact, stories of the Collectors, the Reapers even the old attack on the Citadel were almost never shown. There was a lot of politics that took precedence, including the withdrawal of David Anderson from the Citadel Council. He had been implicated in assisting Shepard and his public sympathy to her cause became his curse.
That had not sat well with Abby at all who had chosen him to be a part of the Council in her playthrough of Mass Effect. She knew that Shepard had her reasons for not choosing Udina, who now held the position, and she had no doubt that he was at the heart of keeping her from the public eye.
It was hard to judge it all, but Abby had found the politics ugly and one sided. Because it made her worry about Shepard and fret over what could have happened to her, mostly in futile circular thoughts that kept her up at night, she had finally decided not pay attention to it all anymore. She had never liked watching the news in her old life and found her distaste for it had followed her here.
"But, yes, I guess there is something to say about having less danger in my life," she pointed out a little guiltily, bringing her thoughts back to the conversation she was having with Dr Chakwas. "Asura and I have been working hard on our relationship. We can't deny that circumstances forced us together in a way, but…" She blew out a short breath. "I… love her. And I respect her so much. She is an incredible partner, unlike any I have ever had. I don't know whether it comes with our means of intimacy, but she… I can't describe it, Dr Chakwas. We can have a conversation without speaking. I can sense her needs without asking. When I am with her, I feel as if I can breathe, as if I am whole. That can't simply be because her power allows me to walk in a straight line…" She trailed off, realising how she must sound. She blushed and quickly took a sip of wine before she risked looking at Catherine. She was relieved to see that the doctor didn't look as if she was judging her. Nor did she look as if she thought she was being stupid.
"She… makes me feel as if I have found something I have been searching for my whole life," Abby finished softly. "So… I guess yes, we are doing well."
Dr Chakwas' eyes were bright as she smiled at her, all the while slowly sipping on her wine.
"I have heard many say that asari love fiercely," she said. "From their perspectives, our lives are so short. They seem to relish every day. Every second. And, I have heard many confess to what you have, that their relationship are near… telepathic. When it is a healthy relationship, it is one of the most fulfilling one can have." She shrugged. "Or so I've heard."
Abby took another sip of her wine while studying the doctor. "So you've heard?" she queried. "And you've never been tempted?" She kept her tone light, almost joking and smiled when Chakwas held up her hand in denial.
"No," she said. "God, no, never. Your generation forgets that we grew up not even knowing of alien life. I have come to understand and respect all species, but in that I have always held my reserve." She took a sip of her own wine and scanned the area around them, her gaze briefly touching each of the different aliens around them. "Not that I've never been curious," she confessed. "But there are some things that I know are not for me. Besides, I'm too old now to get adventurous."
Abby wanted to tell the woman that it wasn't true, but somehow she didn't think denying it now was the right approach. She played with the rim of her glass then reached out and put a light hand on Chakwas' wrist.
"How are you doing, Doctor?" She asked. "Are you holding up? I mean, I know what your letters say, but..." She trailed off. "I think everybody's cautious with their communication these days." In the weeks since Shepard's incarceration Asura had warned Abby that she had to be careful what she said. Even now she got the sense that both she and Catherine were counting their words, which was a shame for this was the first time Abby had seen the doctor in months. She watched as the older woman sigh, her gaze becoming a little bit more distant.
"Well," she said finally. "I can't complain if I have to be honest. The work I am doing now is considerably more exciting than what I did on Mars. It doesn't quite have the same... appeal as working on a starship, but I doubt I'll ever get that chance again." Abby could hear the regret in her voice and the hint of pain.
"Never say never, Catherine," she pointed out. "I've learned not to underestimate life and the surprises it can hurl your way. Or hurl you into I should say." She thought of her time on the Normandy. "Have you heard from anybody else? Do you know if they are all well?"
Catherine nodded slowly. "Kelly's here," she said. "Though you know this. She was very upset that she missed your trip, but she had to go to her sister to meet her new niece. She said once that she considered coming to Omega for a bit of a change of scenery, but I don't think she's found the time."
Abby nodded at this. Kelly had come back to the Citadel where she had had a counselling practice before she joined the Normandy. They kept up regular contact, in which Abby had learned that she chose to focus on working with those individuals who either survived the Collector attacks or lost people due to them. She even did some work down in the refugee wards in one of the more obscure regions in the Citadel, coaching those who had lost their home when the Ba'hak Mass Effect Relay got destroyed. Abby admired what she did.
"I get the odd letter from Garrus and Tali," Chakwas continued. "And Wrex says that Grunt is doing well. He was here… Oh, three weeks ago? Did you ever meet Wrex? No, I shouldn't think so." The doctor corrected herself. "And I... don't hear much from the others to be frank. Have you heard anything?"
"Well," Abby mused. "I hear from Jack fairly regularly."
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Lucky you," she retorted. "I haven't had one letter. How is our teacher doing?"
Clearly, Dr Chakwas had as much trouble swallowing Jack's new role in life as Abby did.
"She doesn't really talk about her work all that much," Abby said. "But, I get the impression she's doing better. Her letters of late have been…" She struggled to find the word. "Peaceful? No, I'd rather say content. She's talking less of everything she disagrees with in the system and is starting to talk about her plans to make it better. That's always a good start."
Catherine's eyes danced with amusement. "I would imagine it is," she said. "When Anderson and I spoke again, he immediately told me where she was. I didn't approve, but…" She shrugged. "Her fate would have been worse than mine. I was simply… discarded. A tool out of place. Jack… well…" She trailed off. "It could have ended worse for her, if she ended up in the wrong administrative system."
Abby had hoped she would end up in their guest room rather than any system, but that had not been meant to be. She sighed and finished her wine. When the doctor offered her a top up, she acquiesced though knew immediately that she was going to be buzzed.
"Then, I don't hear from Ka…" Catherine stopped her speaking immediately.
"Abby," she spoke levelly. "Don't… mention that acquaintance. I…" She shifted closer to her, dropping her voice. "A week or so after I came to the Citadel I was approached by a salarian Spectre Jondum Bau. He is involved in White Collar crimes and wanted to know if I had any information regarding individuals, they were looking for. And of course, one specific one that was rumoured to have been associated with Cerberus. Needless to say, you know as well as I do that we had no such individual on our ship but… The wrong name in the wrong place can draw the wrong attention to you."
Abby blinked. She had forgotten that Kasumi Goto was a thief. Or… No. She hadn't forgotten but it hadn't occurred to her that the woman might wanted. She shifted a bit uncomfortable, touching a necklace she wore.
"Well… I ah…" She stumbled, then fumbled for the clasp to take it off. "I ahm, got this present. In the mail. It happens sometimes. I'll receive small bobbles and trinkets." She couldn't make her fingers work the clasp and gave up, leaning forward so that she could get closer to Chakwas's outstretched hand. The doctor looked at the silver pendant that had a single serpent winding up a rod that was all set in a V. The doctor smiled as her thin fingers caressed the emblem.
"This is very kind," she said. "Though, I'd imagine you'd have liked to see the sender instead."
Abby nodded. "Yes," she said earnestly. "I miss her."
Having shared a room with Kasumi, Abby had always been the closest to the easy-going woman and had been amazed at how quickly their friendship blossomed. She had been wonderful company and had given Abby a much-needed sense of security in those first confusing few days.
The doctor sat back and studied her for a moment. She seemed to come to some sort of decision when she finally leaned forward.
"I have to ask Abby," she said. "Have you heard anything from Samara?"
The name made her pause, it always did.
"I… no," she said. "Ahm… but, Asura received an update. Just a… simple one from Phora saying that she is… making a full recovery and resting." She shuddered as the name passed her lips, she couldn't help herself. "Samara hasn't reached out again, but… I… I didn't expect she would. I don't think she wants to draw that kind of attention to us. Phora's bad enough."
Chakwas was frowning at the name. "And who is she?"
Abby swallowed then reached for her wine and took a bigger sip than she should have. Then almost laughed at herself when she realised that justicars was probably the only topic that might drive her to drink.
"She's a justicar Asura met," she said, her heart beating loudly in her chest. "Luckily not a friend. She helped Asura clear up a matter for Aria. When Samara was released from the clinic, she came for her and took her to Thessia. I believe that… Ahm… Well, she knew we were acquaintances. I mean obviously, she was in our guest room for three days. But, but she hasn't said anything else. Asura does not initiate contact. And… And I don't know how to contact Samara." A hand found its way into the crook of her arm.
"Easy, Abby," Catherine soothed. "It's alright. I would just have liked to know… Maybe see if I can get a message to…" She stopped abruptly as another name hung between them that neither of them had mentioned out loud so far.
Shepard. Jane Shepard.
Abby put a hand on Catherine's and for a moment they were both silent. She studied the older woman's face at the turmoil that now presented itself there. At the anger she saw and knew the heart of. The unfairness of the past few months. The isolation. The old doctor's eyes were moist with unshed tears which Abby thought might finally fall till she saw Catherine swallow and take a deep breath. It was too much for her, so she pushed herself up and wrapped her arms around the doctor's thin frame. The woman stiffened at first but then, still breathing deeply, relaxed into her as she brought her hands up to squeeze the arm Abby had around her chest. When Abby senses the moment pass and doctor gather herself, she sat back and tried not to look at Catherine as the older woman tried to subtly wipe at her eyes.
"You are very dear, Abigail," the doctor said. "Thank you."
Settling back into her chair, Abby didn't look at the doctor but glanced to see their turian waiter coming towards them with another bucket of ice and two thin glasses. By the Goddess, Asura's going to be carrying me out of this place before long…
The doctor saw the turian as well and sat up, her expression brightening.
"Ah!" she said. "Couldn't have come at a better moment. I think it is time we leave these matters where they should be and look to the present, Dr Gable. I mean, I invited you here for a reason and it was not so that we can both wallow in self pity over the past and unknown future. We are here to celebrate."
Breathing out the sadness she felt, Abby took a deep breath and smiled at the doctor, starting to feel embarrassed again.
"This is really too big a fuss, Catherine," she said, looking at the bottle of champagne. "It's hardly… I mean… I wouldn't have passed that exam without you and Mordin practically pushing and leading me. You've helped me so much in the past few months, I heard your voice in my head whenever I had to think of an answer."
"Nonsense," Chakwas intoned and reached for the bottle. "Do you want to do the honours… No, probably not. Excuse me, young man, I'll tame this beast myself." The doctor expertly popped the cork from the bottle, not letting it sail across the Presidium as Abby had secretly hoped it would. "Anyway, as I was saying, Abigail, this is something to be proud of. Nobody wrote that exam for you, nobody held your hand during those practical's. You are now officially recognized as a medical professional in the galaxy. With this certificate, you can practice anywhere. You and Asura can go anywhere. You don't need to stay on Omega."
Abby laughed chuckles softly. "I feel silly pointing it out, Dr Chakwas," she said as she allowed the woman to pour her a glass of wine. "But I do like living on Omega. It's… got its own charm. And this… what this means to me is… that I won't do harm." Passing the examination for her multi-species license, something that was necessary for her to source medications and be allowed to practice medicine on any planet, had meant more to Abby than she could ever tell Dr Chakwas. She couldn't explain to the woman that her credentials that Kasumi had faked so expertly for her, wasn't real. The Normandy crew knew that Kasumi had created a whole identity for her but what they didn't understand, what they couldn't understand unless they knew where she came from, was that all Abby's experience was from past that didn't exist anymore. And getting this, passing this official exam made Abby feel as if she still deserved her practice and her profession. She had been taught well by Mordin who had brought her up to speed with medical practices in leaps and bounds but, as Chakwas had rightly pointed out, he couldn't write this for her.
This was hers.
"You'll never do harm Abby," the doctor chided her and settled down, raising her glass. "To passing your exam, Doctor Gable. To the hard work you have put in and the lives you will save. I am very proud of you."
Abby raised her glass and clinked it to Chakwas's.
"To the lives I will save," she echoed and for a moment she considered how far she had come.
And she was proud.
"Well, I am sorry to disappoint," the voice on the other side of the line was fluid but Aria T'Loak found that without the ardat yakshi's physical presence near her, it was much less charming. In fact, she could pick up the hint of contempt the asari held for her. It came as no surprise, Asura Dushkriti had always been the rabid varren that would as soon snarl as you as do your bidding. "But I told you we won't be on Omega this week. Dr Gable has to stay here to complete her paperwork and then she and I are going to… linger on the Citadel. It is a good place for a break."
Asura smiled but Aria didn't even find that appealing.
Fascinating, the Pirate Queen of Omega mused. That one can be so stripped of all that makes you by being reduced to a simple image. She made a mental note to call the ardat yakshi more but immediately decided against it knowing what challenges came with electronic communication. Aria still liked to do her business face to face.
"I have very little patience with excuses, Asura," her tone was cold. "Remember that. Don't linger on the Citadel too long, I have some work here I need you to do. You have been very absent these past few weeks and unwilling to take the jobs I so graciously pass your way."
The ardat yakshi didn't blink. Asura, Aria knew, didn't fear her and it was infuriating at times.
"And I would urge you to remember that I don't work on any project that involves your new Cerberus ties and expose myself to them," she pointed out. "I made myself very clear and I am unwilling to compromise on that. You know my skills, you can use them elsewhere."
"Your skills would have been useful in discovering where the Talons keep their red sand." Aria pointed out. She wasn't really irritated about Asura's absence. The younger asari very diligently told her that they would have to leave for a week or two, but Aria still liked to show her that she wasn't afraid of pushing the line either.
"But fine," she made a dismissive swipe with her hand, "enjoy your holiday. Pass on my congratulations to Dr Gable, my sources says she did quite well. When you get back to your hotel there will be a package waiting for you. I need you to deliver to it to the specified address. Take Dr Gable along, if you wish, that ward has some amazing restaurants fitting for celebration. A good area to… linger in."
Asura shook her head at her and suddenly the screen went blank, but Aria knew the job would be done.
The asari was reliable and she knew what was at stake. Aria stared at the space where her face had been before and then found herself sighing as she moved to where she kept her drinks. A figure stirred on the couch beside her, stretching out languidly and making soft sound of satisfaction as something clicked into place. Aria turned an irritated look on the person.
"Liselle," she spoke sternly. "Can you not lie with your boots on my couch?" I have plans for that space later.
Her daughter opened her eyes and stared at her with disinterested.
"Honestly," Liselle spoke, making no effort to move. "I prefer if we don't work with her. I don't care what you think."
Liselle would never have said that if they were in public. Would never have shown such insolence. But they were alone in what Aria considered to be the most secure spot in Omega. There was no one who could see them here, no one who could hear what they said to each other. They were alone and these days it didn't happen often.
Liselle's attention was on other people.
One man in fact.
"Asura has a certain set of skills," Aria pointed out as she raised a glass in Liselle's direction to ask if she wanted any. Her daughter declined. "And, on a mission where you need a lot of subterfuge and manipulation, she smooths the way."
Liselle shook her head but her attention was sharper now.
"And leaves bodies when the road gets bumpy."
Aria knew that wasn't quite true. Since Asura's arrival on the asteroid she kept a close eye on the daily mortalities, with the pathologists under strict instructions to note anything strange. Omega had a very rate of mortality in comparison to a place like the Citadel. It came with the territory and the violence rival mercenary groups brought to the station. She accepted the victims of violence and drugs but anything else other than natural causes were unacceptable. And she didn't just do this for Asura's sake, she had not taken kindly to finding out that Cerberus were experimenting right under her nose.
Not on her asteroid.
"She hasn't since the tiff with Dr Lee Harrison. She's smart that way."
She better be, otherwise Aria would put a bullet in her personally. Ardat yakshi drew the attention of Justicars and she didn't need any more of them here. Liselle had sat up sharply, her attention now completely focused on her.
"Paul Johnson is smart," she pointed out and as dismayed as Aria was with her infatuation, she wasn't surprised that Liselle brought him up. "He'll find out where the Talons keep their drugs and get what you need. He's good at what he does, Mother, and I trust him a hell of a lot more than that demon."
The strange thing was, Aria trusted that demon a lot more than she did Johnson. She knew where Asura came from and she knew her weakness. If ever Asura stepped too far out of line, she could use her lover against her. The veterinarian was as vulnerable as a child.
Johnson however... she knew too little of the man.
She flicked an irritated look in her daughter's direction and shook her head sharply.
"Don't call me that." Not all of the ire in her voice was directed at Liselle. "Not even here."
The asari maiden, full of life and power, rolled her eyes at her. She always did around this topic because she has never agreed with Aria on it.
"Whatever," she scoffed and stood up abruptly. "I've got to go and brief my team."
Aria stepped up to her to intercept her departure.
"Liselle." Her tone was low and warning and if Liselle had not been of her blood, she would have had strong words about her tone of voice. But, it seemed that Liselle had some for her as well.
"When are you going to learn to trust my instincts?" She demanded. "I am your best operative, a reputation I didn't earn under your shadow, you saw to that. Paul is… He's the kind of guy we need here. He's smarter that Sanak and unaligned enough that he'll always serve you if you make it worth his while. Along with that, he has that kind of fucked up integrity that will see him at your side for a long time if you don't make it too uncomfortable for him. And I trust him to have my back."
Aria trusted nobody with her daughter's life, but she heard what she said. Liselle was respected, even feared on Omega. She could be cold and ruthless when she needed to be but in that same breath, she had… more compassion than Aria. Others liked her.
Others like this Paul Johnson who now shared her bed and her life. Maybe that lay at the heart of Aria's discomfort. Maybe she simply felt that he wasn't good enough for her daughter.
"He better otherwise I shall have the hide from his." Her tone had lost its sharpness and Liselle picked up on it immediately. She relaxed immediately, her eyes becoming softer as she reached out and put her hand on Aria's wrist.
"Paul says the recon and infiltration might take some time," she spoke softly. "Which means I'll be out of contact for a week or two. If we are unsuccessful by then, we can let your demon loose on them." She said the last with a smile, a beautiful smile that warmed Aria's heart. She put her glass down and stepped right up to her daughter and put a hand on her cheek, drawing her head closer so that their foreheads could touch. Aria closed her eyes as she and Liselle breathed out together and for just a moment, their minds became one.
Other species grossly misunderstood the act of melding in asari. It wasn't simply a tool to procreate or have sex. It was an intimate part of their society in which individuals who were close to each other, such as family members or close friends, would sometimes join minds to convey what words could not. Aria opened herself to her daughter allowing her to feel what she felt whenever she looked at her. The love and pride she had for her. A love that was more important to her than this kingdom she had she build around her. Liselle accepted it, the touch of her mind on Aria's like a warm summer breeze, a breath of fresh air. When she drew away and returned to herself, Liselle was smiling at her, the look in her eyes one of understanding and compassion.
How is it that I have not ruined you yet?
Liselle leaned in and brushed Aria's cheek with a kiss.
"I love you too," she whispered, her breath warm on Aria's skin. She hadn't needed to say it, Aria had felt it, that and the dismay she sometimes felt around her mother. Her childlike stubbornness but ultimately the respect she had for her and her experience. "You don't have to be so afraid."
She winked at Aria then left with an idle wave over her shoulder.
"You'll see me when the deed's done," she said. "See you around, Aria."
The matriarch and pirate queen of Omega stared in the wake of her daughter, taken by surprise by her words.
Afraid? She wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid of anything or anyone. She had always harmed all who threatened her, destroyed those who dared do it twice. She was untouchable.
But of course, her daughter was not.
Aria blinked slowly as she gathered herself, dismissing her daughter's words and her own doubts. Nobody would harm her daughter, she was too good for that.
To Be Continued…