Mass Effect: Book 1- Transgressions (Complete)

That warmth that usually comes with strong alcohol was flooding out from the center of her body to her finger tips. It made her drink just a little more, made her think that rancol would actually be tasty right about now, made her... “What the hell do you think you're doing?” Razi stared at Felix behind her, surprised at this behavior. She wasn't angry, just genuinely confused as to the turian's sanity. “If it's not your bad driving, it's trying to get me killed through your own suicidal tendencies. I'll help you at him if he misbehaves again,” she added to Bane, holding two empty hands up in case of an angry krogan. Bargain their safety now for future turian mauling if he pulls a bad stunt!

But then it was hair demonstrating time, and after all that was said and done she made sure to clear up some misconceptions, just in case. “I can pull it out one or a few strands at a time. There is a lot of hair... But if you grab a hold of it, it is extraordinarily painful and generally a method to attack someone in a way. It is a hindrance, and most people in a combat situation keep it short or shaved for a reason.” She flips her own hair over her shoulder, obviously not following her own rules about keeping it short.

While Razi had been very good about keeping an eye on her surroundings, she definitely was letting things slip with the alcohol now invading her system. She had just finished her drink when she caught sight of the men approaching in reflections. It was only movement but it made her stiffen. By the time she tilted her head that way to see the approaching danger, Bane was already dealing with it. She watched with a side-glance, not even giving the men that much attention. If they looked closely, the human woman was certainly sending them her own death glare... Instead of thanking the krogan, however, she slid her own rancol drink over to Bane. Razi was perfectly capable of handling it herself, but she certainly did not need anymore alcohol to impair her attention anymore.

“It certainly isn't the perfect atmosphere we are creating here, and even less so for serious talk,” she mumbled... A lot of it had to do with the fact that she felt the occasional stare from old contacts as well. She was certain they were no where near happy she was hanging around authority figures and looking pretty buddy-buddy with them. At least she was going on a potentially one-way trip to... “Omega?” She knew she was in this mission all the way through and perhaps it was the booze that made her show her discomfort at the way this conversation was going. Famous Specters, space ships, immediate departure. No, Razi was not a happy Razi.

She was certainly not happy at the second person in just moments making a claim she couldn't take care of herself. She bristled at Felix now, narrowing her eyes at the turian. “I certainly can agree with the old turian that there are plenty of human scum that make up the majority of our population, but I can take care of my own damn self especially among authority. I'm somewhat of an expert at staying out of their damn way, unless they drop credits at my feet with a job offer.” That being, of course, Felix himself. She only listened to the rest of the conversation among the turians, nurturing a third drink already that came by some time ago. She had been chatty, usually more quiet, very much like Bane was... She nodded her head politely at Leon but the alcohol also made her waggle a few fingers his way. “Meeting, sure. Thanks for the job, if I live I'll be seeing you again.” Whether to demand more payment, another drink, or even more likely... a job. She wasn't setting good resume for her previous job description, hanging around Specters and C-sec. Word probably already traveled.

“Thoughts? We're leaving across the galaxy tonight, with an old turian that will probably be thinking of killing me in my sleep, chasing a group that is already out to kill us with everything they have. All that and we're going to start it off pretty damn tipsy--” Raziya knocked back her third drink and placed it down, finally calling it a night. It was already hitting her, and having just had breakfast with Felix that morning, it definitely was hitting her hard. Had it really just been that morning? “Let's go kill these bastards and save everyone. It's about time I do something good,” she adds more to herself. Even if it cost her her life. Her own thoughts were running overtime, trying to sort itself with her alcohol-addled mind.

Raziya made sure to stand without a wobble, looking as sober as if she had just woken up, even if she did not feel that way. She had a krogan at her side and at the moment did not fear for her life, but that did not mean she wanted to show weakness. She made eye contact with a burly batarian across the way and lifted her chin. Someone that knew her, someone watching what she was doing exactly... She made sure her back was turned to the batarian before addressing Felix. “ If I could meet you there, I'd like to try to make one last stop before leaving.” She paused and her eyes scanned the room. So many potential attackers to follow her if she left alone... “Though I've come to fully accept the fact that I lost that opportunity when I accepted the job.” Within moments, she made a decision. And it was not one she was happy with... Her shoulders dropped; it could have been missed except for someone really looking for the change. “Nevermind. Let's go.”

There was no way that Raziya was going to endanger her mother even more. It was best to not make any contact, not leaving behind that opportunity at this point and leading any potential threats right to the person she was trying to protect in that galaxy.

Bane nodded to Razi as she slid her rancol down to her, taking that as her way of saying 'thank you'. She only half listened to Felix as he talked to Razi, looking around Chora's den in her own thoughts. Contrary to popular belief, Krogan did 'think'. Mostly the females of her race, but they did. Bane always seemed to be thinking deep complicated thoughts, she was only able to hide it well behind her scowling face. It was her eyes that usually gave her away. Whether it be emotions or thoughts, they deceived her.

It didn't take long for her to become restless, tapping her fingers on her now empty glass. Then, something Felix said caught her immediate attention.

"Omega?!"

Her head turned to stare directly at the turian, silver eyes suddenly filled with anxiety. Omega was exactly where Bane needed to be and she wanted to leave 'now'.

"When do we leave? I can't sit around anymore, Turian!"

She squeezed the glass in irritation. Where did this come from? She quickly controlled herself and calmed down, glancing away from the others. Felix asked about her past. Well, he would have to wait to find out anything. The past was not a very 'talkative' subject for Bane.

The Krogan took her sweet time leaving, downing one more glass of rancol before following Felix and Razi's lead. She cursed at herself for acting out like that. She remained quiet for the rest of the trip. It wasn't till the transit stopped ans she got out, that she really stopped to think about just who they were meeting.

Bane's muscles tensed at the mere sight of this old Turian. His facade screamed "dangerous". His presence alone made her weary. And angry. Bane caught Felix's same reaction as the other male approached, his cold eyes scrutinizing him. Then he settled on her and Razi. Blue eyes disgusted with the just the females' presence. She puffed up slightly at his look and stared right back. An unspoken challenge. Even his voice was prideful and snide, causing Bane to snort with her own disgust. Her irritation with the male rose a bit more as he talked to Felix like more of a servant than a fellow Specter. Strange. She continued to stay quiet and watch the conversation closely, until the Turian pushed his luck a bit more. Bane let out a low growl at the Turians words and was about to say something when something Felix said caught her a bit off guard.

...Friends?

She had not been called that in...well, so long she had forgotten. She turned her gaze back to Felix, staring at him with a somewhat confused expression. They were...friends???

"-and if they are not careful we will do to them what we did to the Krogan.”

Bane's body tensed and straightened, a deep snarl rumbling in her throat. How DARE he! Her fingers cracked as they curled into fists. Her plate rattled and turned red in anger at Saren's unneeded insults. She was close to ripping the worthless piece of trash a third hole to breathe out of when Felix gave a sign not to retaliate. She hesitated and thought about the mission. This over grown Varren wasn't worth their time let alone a bullet.


Their new quarters were nice but a bit too...cramped for her taste. Saren's insults still itched at her as Felix called the top bunk. She only shook her head at him. He was a strange one all right. To her anyways..She sat down on the bottom bunk across the room in silence, watching Felix take pride in the fact that females seemed to love him. Bane did find herself staring at the scars along the Turian's neck and shoulder, taking in every detail of possible weaknesses in the future. Plus, his looks were only a bonus.

She gave a tired sigh and began her own 'breaking-down' process, starting with her shoulder pads, down. When she reached her chest plate, she turned away from the two. Her back was next,unhooking quite easily. Four jagged and massive claw scars ran from her shoulder blade down to her floating rib, the tough skin slightly discolored. It was obviously old by the discoloration, but that didn't stop the impact of it. Her chest fared no better. More scars, large and small were covering her muscular frame, some of them strange and some of them recognizable as different types of bullet wounds.

Bane rotated her shoulders and flinched at a loud click.

"Its a bit cramped for my taste...but its doable..."

To say that Raziya had a lot to think about on their way to the space port was an understatement. She was leaving behind the one thing that she lived for, albeit leaving her mother behind with a large sum of credits now in her account. That morning was the last time she was likely to see her mother again... Even with the alcohol working through her body, always taking its time to really start affecting her, sh still recalled that memory clearly. Getting home, the tired older woman giving her only daughter who had been out late into a night a weary disappointed look. Her mother must have always disproved of Razi's lifestyle... and still she was always working hard in a job she hated to make sure they had enough credits, trying hard not to allow her daughter to pick up more work.

And now Raziya was leaving her alone. She had not said goodbye for her mother's protection... All this and more waged a war in her mind during the ride over and the walk towards the right ship to meet with the famous Saren Spectre. Was Razi was getting wobblier on her feet? Was it because she was looking at her surroundings more often, for enemies or escape? Maybe nerves? When they were closer, within sight, of the older turian she certainly was able to fake sober a lot better. She straightened her posture and lifted her chin and tried to look like a stuck up Alliance soldier. That is until Saren opened his mandibles. She couldn't help the fact that her brows lowered and her eyes narrowed and made sure her steely-eyed glare met the turian in the eye if he looked her way.

There was definitely a shared glance with Bane. First the krogan made her curious about the reaction she gave at the bar about Omega, and now here she was sharing a very similar reaction with her krogan companion: Instant hatred. And this was before he turned his attention onto them... She had no love for the majority of the human race herself, but it still made her bristle very obviously. Her hand was twitching for her pistol, Specter or not! She was also caught off guard a bit when she was called a 'friend'. It helped hold her tongue even though she really wanted to say something. At least she respected Felix enough not to cause their leader more trouble with the angry man... except by the end she could not help burning a hole at the retreating Saren's back with her glare and a quip, “I never knew turians could get ugly, much less /that/ ugly. I've seen dead things nicer looking than him.” If she said that too loud, blame it on the alcohol.

Raziya was not looking forward to getting into any enclosed space with /that/ turian, but she did nonetheless. Not without muttering the whole way at Bane's side about craggy old turians with sticks up their ass, among other things. She kept close to Felix, if only because she was unsure about the procedure and because it was likely safest next to the other turian. “Gladly,” she says in regards to staying out of Saren's way as she turned to get to the barracks as fast as she could. Leon was not lying when he said he had some things moved to the ship... She immediately sought out the smaller human stuff, picking at her limited supplies and clothes.

“I'd like to call him a lot worse things than just simply being an ass,” Razi hissed back. Lighten the mood, light a fire under a drunk Razi... same thing right? “I hate humans almost as much as he does no doubt but mostly because the majority I met remind me of that Saren guy. Xenophobic waste of space, rotten pieces of--” And so came a string of drunken curses that immediately came to a grinding halt when she looked away from inspecting her limited amount of clothes and found an undressing turian in the barracks. Wanted to watch? Oops. So she was... And watch she did. It wasn't like she was drooling over the man or anything, there was simply open curiosity on her face. She saw a lot of turians in armor in her line of work and then a lot of casual clothes on the citadel. But bare chested? No, that was certainly a first. Now she was openly gawking at the scars too and her eyes were shamelessly looking over him (again, blame the alochol), her eyes moved down and down-- and oh look at that! An undressing female krogan! Her head swiveled around to the other side.

It was certainly a day for firsts for Raziya, and she was probably one of the only humans to ever see a female krogan in this state of vulnerability. She certainly felt left out right now, being the only one fully dressed. She took some lounging pants, a long old shirt that looked well worn and loved, and then joined in the stripping fun. It probably was the alcohol helping as well, as she was likely more reserved than the other two. Especially more than Felix. She may not have had the amount of scars her companions had, but there was one jagged thick vertical white line along her side at the end of her ribs that stood out against her darker skin. “If someone told me yesterday I'd be half-naked in a cramped room with a female krogan and a turian Specter also getting out of their armor... I'd probably ask them what new drug they were smoking. It's definitely been a long day,” she noted as she tossed her blood, ripped, and sweat-stained clothes off to the side. How wrong Felix was... leave the room? Now? No bloody way. It was totally not to watch more stripping turian (or krogan for that matter). It was also that she didn't want to run into Saren alone just yet. She was waiting to leave together.

“Inconvenient to have a bad arm, even if it is your less used one. That's an unfortunate handicap you received... recent?” Judging by Felix's scars and all, she was certainly curious and her loose tongue was still going at it. She gave Bane a curious look too, but it was the turian that gave her the opening. And on a completely different subject... “And what you said back there, about being friends... What's that about?” It was a surprise to hear, but she certainly wasn't going to believe it wasn't just spur of the moment to try to get Saren off their backs.

~.:Braig Hellguard:. ~ .:Male:. ~ .:37:. ~ .:Human:. ~ .:Vanguard:. ~

"Why do people get killed?"

Braig sat idly at the bar, drinking another glass of water. He was watching dumb extranet videos on his omnitool. On some level, he knew this was not the best idea, considering it left him distracted in one of the shadiest places in the galaxy, but boredom was worse, and he certainly was not a dancer. Checking the time, Braig saw that it had been about 30 minutes since he had sat down at the bar. He began to wonder if Numil, their volus benefactor, was going to show up. Braig had been subsequently informed in the past half-hour that Numil had sent a communication to his business partner back on Irune, indicating that he had discovered “the truth” about Cerberus’s activities and wanted nothing to do with it. This truth, whatever it was, made him fear for his life, which of course could not be tolerated. Numil had had too much contact and activity with Cerberus to just back out. He had been a financial contributor for just over a year.

Braig stood up and turned around to see where the heck this guy was, just as a rotund figure came waddling through the doorway. Braig sighed and walked forward to greet him. Numil was short and round in his pressure suit, which was black and accented green. He peered up through his round, lit eye holes and nervously spoke through his breather mask, “Uh, greetings earth-clan. Are you The Agent?”

“Aye, that’s me, volus,” Braig quickly replied, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “I believe we’ve met a couple times before. Am I correct, Numil?”

“Y-yes,” Numil was clearly unnerved. But then again, who wouldn’t be?

Braig got things moving, “Let’s get more private seats so we can talk.”

Braig maintained an uncomfortable proximity to the volus, always keeping him at arm’s length. He led the anxious alien to a back corner of the club to do business. They sat down at a booth. It was a little easier to hear in this corner, despite the still flashing lights and music. Numil popped out his omnitool and spoke between his heavy breaths, “Here is the agreed upon amount...is that all you need?”

“Not quite. You came all this way, let’s at least enjoy ourselves, eh?” Braig’s mannerisms were oddly friendly. The way his head darted around, scanning the area, the way he smiled. He acted like a drug dealer about to knock someone off. However, these odd mannerisms were not something Numil, with his different cultural outlook, understood. He shifted in his suit pressure suit, “Well, I have clients expecting me soon…I didn’t expect to uh…spend a lot of time here.”

“You see, I heard some sad news. A birdie told me that you want to end our partnership. Why is that?”

There was a pause. “What’s a, birdie?” Numil slowly replied.

“It’s alright, volus. Cerberus understands your hesitation. Some entities have given us a bad name, particularly smugglers and slave traders. What has troubled you about us? We would at least like to know why you want to end this business deal.” Braig never did like speaking in Cerberese.

“Wait, where did you hear that?...Look, I came into this…under the pretense that you did…humanitarian work. You were a group that stopped slave trading…and protected colonies, not kill turian primarchs! How can we be associated with you? I paid your people to protect…and assist with the development of the future…colony on the Alahya moon. My associates told me not to trust your people…but your prices were low…and you seemed more trustworthy than hiring mercenaries. In fact, since Cerberus ships have been patrolling the system…attacks and abductions have increased. Why should we keep wasting our money with you?!”

Braig took a moment to plan his next words. His mind was already made up on how this day would end up for Numil. It only depended on his response…

“If you want to end our arrangement, we completely understand, and that’s ok. Alright? No problem, volus.” He paused for a moment and looked down at the table. He leaned forward intently, purposefully. “Has anyone you’ve ever known well, been killed before? Perhaps intentionally? By someone?”

Anxiety began to set in for Numil, “Are you threatening me?!”

“No, it’s not a threat. Just a question.”

“I can’t say that I have…what do you want?” Numil replied nervously.

“Then let me ask you a question…just answer it, and you can leave.” Braig paused for a moment. “Why do people get killed?”

Numil thought for a moment, knowing his answer could be very important, but at the same time, panicking at what could happen in the moments to follow. He knew he should have hired extra protection for this meeting, but he didn’t want to waste the money. “Um, fate? Perhaps…it’s their time.”

“Alright, if you say so.” Braig replied simply. “That’s all, you can go, and we’ll pull our few ships out of your system.”

Numil hesitated before getting down from the booth seat, and carefully making his way out of the club. He breathed a sigh of relief from his bizarre encounter with the Cerberus agent he’d only met two other times. Numil had expected that to go much worse. He walked out of the automatic doors and waddled towards the docking area, where his small, rickety ship was located. Before he knew it, two hulking men in white armor briskly walked past him. Each grabbed one of his arms and hoisted him up like he was made of foam. Numil called out for help, but to no avail. Not only did few notice this event, but this was Omega, the last place to expect a helping hand. They swiftly carried him into an alley, and off into the darkness. The Cerberus laboratory was the next stop for him. The volus people had such a unique physiology, with biological secrets just waiting to be…excavated.

Braig stood up from his booth a couple of minutes later, after he received confirmation that the operation went as planned. He started back towards his ship, hoping to get some rest in a safe place before his next mission arrived.

Bane stretched her thick shoulders and stood up, rotated her head and cracking her neck. She was relatively closely matched in looks to a male Krogan, the only big differences were a thinner waist, longer neck, and slightly smaller shoulders. She was still considered 'buff' to the males. After her usual stretching and joint popping, her stomach growled. All she had at Chora's Den was 6 glasses of Rancol. No food.

"I'm gonna go look around."

She told Razi on the way out, walking out with nothing on but the bottom half of her body suit on. She honestly didn't care who saw her scars, they were trophies for her race. Signs of toughness and victories in battle. Her bare foot made surprisingly little noise, only thudding slightly on the smooth floor. She winced as she accidentally kicked an over turned chair. She had been so deep in though that she didn't even notice. Bane kicked it up-right and wondered what it was doing all the way over here when she stopped. The very angry pheromone of Felix was all over it. Along with a faint Saren. A low rumble came from her as she continued to the hall, remembering how he mocked them like mere children.

She snorted with irritation at the confusing hallways when she heard thudding and banging from a room further down. Curiosity got the better of her. She peeked around the door and saw the source. Felix. Bane could feel the anger radiating off him in waves.

"What did Saren exactly say?...."

She watched him for a good five minutes, even after he slumped to the floor. The anger was gone from him now, only...sadness? The image of Harry flashed back into her head and it clicked. He lost a team mate. A comrade. ..a Friend. Her eyes glanced from him to the floor in thought, getting up and walking into the room. She stopped in front of and looked down at him, the usual irritated stare not there for once. It was good minute of deep thought and she held out her hand, offering to help him up. It was a bold move for the brutal female, this show of future kinship. Whether she wanted it or not, these aliens were her new team mates. She was committed to this now.

"Get up, Turian. I doubt that she would want to see you on your knees."

“Why so shy, suddenly, Felix?” Raziya teased the turian when he realized that he wasn't going to chase them out of the room by just taking his shirt off. The human in the group chuckled at the change of behavior even as she changed into clean clothes. She shoved the torn and bloody pieces that were left over from her old clothes into a corner, hoping to discard them as soon as possible. Preferably burning them, but she had a feeling that lighting a fire on Saren's ship was not a smart idea.

Listening to the story of how he got that scar, Razi suddenly started to sober up some more and the grin faded from her face. “Came out with a hell of a story, though,” she said at the end, patiently listening throughout the entirety of it. “But I do hope you've learned your lesson; not sure where that would leave me if you get your head blown off instead like that.” As far as for her own concern, she considers herself a hired thug whose life is more easily replaceable, but she was not about to announce that to the other two.

His immediate lack of response to her curious questioning made her scowl after him. “It was a simple freakin' question. Not even personal. Right?” That was to Bane, of course, since having ingested the alcohol did make her wonder if the question had come out wrong... maybe in some way referring back to the recent loss of his close human friend. “Damn it all, I should probably just shut up, shouldn't I?”

When the krogan leaves after their Spectre leader, she made sure to stay behind for a bit longer instead. She checked her things, checked over her pistol to be certain it was in top condition (wouldn't want to find it malfunction in the middle of battle) and finally was encouraged out of the safety of their quarters by the painful squeeze of her stomach demanding something to eat. It had only had breakfast, the short little meeting with food that Felix provided, and then had to go through all that energy drain during the fight. With the adrenaline using up most of it and the alcohol burning away the rest, she was starving and getting quite the headache.

Raziya was well aware that Saren lurked the ship as well, which is why she made sure that the areas were cleared before she traversed them to find food. Clearly she was confused by the emptiness of the mess hall, not finding her companions there. She did not have the olfactory senses of a krogan but she could tell something was wrong. It did not stop her from getting a quick meal, grabbing some bars to go before following her instinct (or rather the banging) to spy on what the cause of it might be. Arriving not too long after Bane, in fact, she had already managed to stuff one down before trying to figure out what had been going on. She hung back in the shadows, watching the slumped defeated looking turian and then krogan female approach... If Bane could show that sign of camaraderie, why was she still hanging back in silence?

She nibbled a bit of a second bar, stuffed it in the pocket of her loose cargo pants, and went to join the other two if only by allowing her presence to show she was with them. It was a good thing she had not heard of Saren's words before, revealing a piece of her past long buried; for now she was unaware and showed at least her own desire to form a friendship/bond in this oncoming battle.