The atmosphere in the Armax Arsenal Arena was raucous, the crowds cheering at whatever battle was currently running in the combat arena below. The three Alliance marines had to find their way through a mass of people onto the main floor.
"So, where are we supposed to meet this Urdnot clan representative?" Rooker said, scanning the krogans in the crowd for any sign of their contact.
Jacob smiled wryly. "If we're meeting who I think we're meeting, I have an idea." Gently pushing his way through the crowd, he managed to find them three of them a spot at the railing. "That's him right down there."
Currently, the holographic battlefield was arranged to resemble a war-torn segment of Earth during the Reaper invasion. The battle being depicted, however, certainly never would have taken place during that conflict.
"Take cover," called out one of the virtual soldiers on the field. The insignia on its uniform left no mistake as to what program was currently being run. The Cerberus troops ducked behind pieces of debris, dodging the shotgun blasts coming from their opponent.
"Ha ha ha! That all you got, you whimpering pyjaks?" bellowed Urdnot Grunt, as he hurled out a frag grenade and fired shotgun blasts at the troops that scattered.
"Madre de Dios, is he running this simulation solo?" Vega exclaimed, leaning down to watch the fight in awe. "Me and two of the guys from N7 training tried this last time on shore leave, and we barely made it through, the three of us together! You'd think he would at least set the difficulty down a bit."
"I think you'll find, James," Jacob said as he watched the krogan below chase down the last remnants of the Cerberus forces, "that Grunt doesn't believe in 'taking things easy.'"
"Come here, you," said Grunt, and the crowd alternately cheered and winced as the krogan warrior got his hands on one of the last remaining Cerberus soldiers.
Rooker watched, eyes wide in fascination, "Is he doing what I... yes," she said, a mild look of disgust on her face, as the crowd let out a loud cry and Grunt laughed boisterously below. "God, I didn't even think the simulation was programmed to allow that sort of... ew."
"Do you like it?" said a voice to their side. They turned to see a volus at the railing, a box provided for him to stand and look over the high rail. His speech was peppered with wheezes from his breather as he spoke. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm Doral Munt, the owner of this establishment. I hope you're enjoying the show?"
"Yes, it's very... is he beating that guy with the other man's...?" Jacob stared down at the arena with slack jaw.
"Yes, one of the many enhancements to the program," Doral said, pride evident in his voice even through the environmental suit. "I've been putting some of the Arena's profits into improvements to the Cerberus simulation recently. Used to be people barely selected them as an opponent after the war was over, but now it's been more popular than ever." Turning back to the rail, the volus pointed a chubby finger. "Oh, here's the best part. This is always a favorite!"
"Enough!" cried out a voice from below. A distressingly familiar one.
From behind a ruined statue walked a red-headed human, clad in Cerberus-emblazoned armor and wielding a M-27 Scimitar. "You may have defeated my men, but you won't get past me," said the virtual representation of Commander Shepard. "I'll never surrender to the likes of you, filthy alien! Die!"
The crowd directed boos and hisses at the phony Shepard, while cheering for Grunt to "kick her ass!" Rooker's expression turned icy cold as she turned to the volus owner. "This... this is..." she stammered, too angry to get a sentence out.
"Quite an idea, isn't it?" Doral said, oblivious to Rooker's anger. "I figured you Alliance types would love it, seeing the deserter from your ranks get what's coming to her down in the..."
"Shut it down," Rooker said, teeth gritted. "Now."
"Sorry, but I can't interrupt a combat session while it's in progress," Doral said. "If you have a complaint, please lodge it wiiiiiiiiAAAAH!"
Doral's scream was due to Rooker grabbing him by the back of the suit and pushing him forward. He was halfway over the railing and, if the marine was to let go, would go tumbling down into the fighting arena below.
"Find a way to interrupt it, or you can go down and face off against that disgusting simulation yourself," Rooker growled. Jacob and Vega looked at each other, knowing they should probably step in but afraid to say anything to the furious Rooker.
Frantically, Doral waved at one of his staff, who gestured to someone else. Within seconds, the arena below powered down, and the shot that Grunt was about to aim at the fake Shepard was directed to empty air. The crowd let out a loud groan.
"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen," said Doral, having activated his omni-tool to make an announcement over the house PA. "We, urh, had a technical problem with the simulator. We should have things back up shortly, please be patient."
Looking disappointed, Grunt holstered his shotgun and made his way to the exit. The three marines moved to meet him on his way out.
"Grunt," Jacob said, greeting his former shipmate warmly. "Been a long time."
Grunt nodded. "Things have been... difficult on Tuchanka. Not much time to visit Earth since the relays were brought back up. Still, good to see you haven't been killed. How is your mate?"
The group fell silent, Vega and Rooker casting awkward glances at Jacob. Jacob's expression darkened, and he hesitated to answer.
"Was that not an appropriate question?" Grunt asked after several seconds of awkward silence, then let out a frustrated noise. "Bah, human small talk is stupid. Let's just get to your ship so we can go kill this Shepard clone."
"So I guess Wrex gave you the story, then," Vega said, trying to break the awkward silence.
Grunt shrugged. "Didn't have to. Knew from the first second I saw that video, that that wasn't the real Shepard."
Rooker laughed sharply. "Really? Wish the rest of the galaxy was as sharp as you are."
"How'd you manage to figure that out?" Jacob asked Grunt.
"I still remember when Shepard took me out of that tank," Grunt explained. "The look in her eyes was the look of a warrior, someone who had been in real combat before. Had smelled the blood of her enemies spilled on her. It wasn't the look of that fake on the video. I knew that human wasn't the real Shepard because I saw in her the krogan I was when I was first born. Made to look like a warrior, think like a warrior, but no true warrior. She's only fought pathetic simulations like the one down there, never been in a true battle." Punching a fist into his palm, Grunt grinned. "Hopefully we'll get the chance to correct that."
Jacob nodded. "That's the plan. But we're going to have to find her first." Jacob turned. "James, could you take Grunt to the Orpheus? Lieutenant Commander Rooker and I need a moment."
Vega saluted. "Aye, sir. Hey, Grunt, how the hell did you manage to beat that second round by yourself? My buddy Naylan and I kept getting taken down by those..."
As Vega and Grunt walked away, Jacob laid a hand on his XO's shoulder. "What the hell was that back there, Rooker? Things are tense enough on the Citadel between us and the aliens. I do not want to have to send a report to the brass explaining why one of my team is roughing up volus civilians, in public no less."
"Sir, I'm sorry," Rooker stood at attention as she was dressed down. "It was a moment of weakness on my part. It's just... I joined the Alliance because of what Commander Shepard did on Elysium. All through my training and service, I've always thought of her as a role model." She tried to hide the disgust in her voice. Behind her, the simulation had been restarted, and a new team of combatants was running through the Cerberus scenario. Rooker pointed back toward the cheering crowd. "And to see these people turning on her like this... even if they believe that was the real Shepard on that screen, doesn't she at least deserve more respect than this? Turning her into a shooting gallery target?"
"They're angry, Rooker," Jacob said. "What that clone said opened up a lot of old wounds. Look, we're going to get the real Shepard back, and she's going to clear this entire thing up. But I need to know I can count on you to stay level-headed and focused. Everybody on my team needs to be at their best if we're going to find Shepard and bring her back alive. You hear me?"
"Yes, sir, I'm sorry, sir," Rooker said. "Trust me, nobody is more motivated than I am to bring Shepard back. I'll keep my head in the game."
"Good," Jacob said. "Now, let's get back to the ship, so I can figure out exactly where the hell I'm going to start, trying to find a ship that was designed not to be found."
***
After a long period of staring at the walls of Morgan's office and running through every possible scenario in which she could take on ten or so angry Phantoms and come out a winner, Ash finally fell asleep at some point.
In her dreams, she had come to rescue Shepard and Liara from Cerberus, only to discover that the two of them had been brainwashed, and turned into slutty dominatrixes. She snapped awake just as Liara aimed her strap-on at Ash's ass.
The door to the room slid open, and a brightly cheery voice called out, "I'm back, bitch!" The obscenely-muscled Cerberus operative strolled into the room, and Ash immediately noticed the good and bad news.
Good news: Morgan was carrying a covered tray. It made Ash realize that her stomach had started to growl. She didn't know how long she had been out when she had been captured, but she could definitely go for something to eat.
And then the bad news: running down Morgan's right leg was a sizable bulge, the unusual addition to the woman's anatomy straining against the cloth of her Cerberus uniform.
Morgan noticed Ash staring, and smiled as she rubbed her cock underneath her pants. "You see what you've done to me?" she said, her voice playfully accusatory. "I'm supposed to be patrolling this ship, keeping my people in shape and getting them ready for our next mission... and all I can think about is my brand new bitch and her tight little ass." Pulling her hand away from her bulge, Morgan gestured. "Take that blanket off and stand up. Let me get another look at it."
Maybe it was because she was still half-asleep, and the world still felt somewhat dreamlike to her at that moment, but Ash obeyed the instructions without hesitation. Turning around and bending over like before, Ash grabbed her asscheeks and spread them wide. Part of her expected the psycho pervert to just drop her pants and start in right then, but Morgan just cooed appreciatively.
"Stand up straight now," Morgan said. As Ash turned back around to face Morgan, her eyes locked again on the tray in Morgan's hand. She noticed the stare and grinned. "A little something I whipped up in the commissary," Morgan said. She removed the cover to reveal a salami sub sandwich, piled high with tomato, shredded lettuce, and cheese. With how hungry Ash was suddenly feeling, it looked like the most delicious meal imaginable. "Gotta keep my bitch well fed, after all."
Ash reached forward for the plate, only for Morgan to slap the lid down. "Oh, no no no. Silly bitch. This is for later. You don't want to have a big meal just before we break in that virgin asshole of yours. I'm not one of those perverts who gets off on that sort of filth."
Of course. How could I have thought you were some sort of pervert? said a voice in Ash's head. The sort of thing she would normally say if voicing her true thoughts wouldn't end up with herself dead, and with Shepard and Liara in even greater danger. I mean, a woman getting a cock attached to her body so she can rape other women is a perfectly normal thing to do.
Placing the covered tray on her desk, Morgan pointed over to her bed. "Alrighty, why don't you go ahead and get on your hands and knees over there? Don't want to keep that pretty little asshole of yours waiting any longer, do we?"
Ash didn't move at first. She tried her best to keep her eyes from drifting down to the tent that Morgan was pitching in her pants. She remembered how it had strained her jaw to fit the woman's thick cock down her throat before. And now she was going to have to bend over and let this psycho bitch fuck her up the ass? To die on this ship, beaten to death by Cerberus, was a horrible way to go, but the alternative was starting to look just as bad in comparison.
Seeing Ash's hesitation, Morgan's cheery expression wavered. "Oh, I know how it is, bitch," she said, her voice soothing but with the slightest undercurrent of menace to it. "This is a special moment we're about to have, and you want to prolong the anticipation as long as possible, don't you? I appreciate the sentiment, I do, but I think the wait has gone on long enough." Pointing again to the bed, Morgan's eyes narrowed dangerously, while her smile remained locked on her face. "Get on the bed, and do it quickly."
Ash turned, taking a step towards the bed. She felt a chill run through her, and taking the next step was a struggle. She was about to raise another foot, when she felt powerful hands grip onto her wrist. In a flash, her arm was wrenched painfully behind her back, and she let out a cry of pain and surprise.
"I said, quickly," Morgan hissed into her ear. All trace of her joviality was gone, her voice bubbling with anger. "Stop fucking around and get your ass over to that bed."
Ash felt herself falling forward, as Morgan delivered a hard shove to her back. Her calves hit the bedframe, and Ash wasted no time in arranging herself on the bed. On her hands and knees, ass up in the air and presented to Morgan.
"Aw, what a beautiful sight," Morgan said, snapping instantly back to her cheery, chipper tone of voice. "I should check and see if anybody on the ship knows how to paint. A portrait of your pretty little bitch ass in the air, ready and waiting for my big fat cock... they could hang it in an art gallery, I swear."
I could think of something better to hang up, said The Real Ash in her head, the one who was going to have to take a back seat and watch the vile shit that was about to take place. Like your pretty blond severed head, with your pride and joy shoved right down your goddamn throat.
But The Fake Ash, the Ash she was going to have to play if she ever wanted to leave this ship alive, simply stayed in her degrading position on the bed. She watched over her shoulder as Morgan opened a drawer and withdrew several items.
"It's your first time, so I'll let you decide, bitch," Morgan said, holding up two plastic bottles. "The cherry-scented lube, or the rose-scented?"
How about the smell of your rotting corpse? The Real Ash offered her opinion.
"Cherry," The Fake Ash picked at random.
The selection seemed to amuse Morgan. "Cherry. Just like the anal cherry I'm about to pop. You're such a clever little bitch," she complimented, as she threw the other bottle back in the drawer and squeezed a long stream of lubricant into her hand. "Okay, let's get you ready for it. Spread those asscheeks for me again."
Resting her head on the mattress, Ash reached back to grip her ass and spread them open. She couldn't see Morgan from this position, but after a few seconds she felt a cold sensation on her anus.
"Let's get that beautiful little ass all nice and slippery," Morgan said. She felt Morgan's finger begin to slide inside of her, bending inside her anal passage to thoroughly coat it in the cool liquid gel. Ash was disgusted to realize that Morgan was humming to herself as she "worked," squirting out another dollop of lube onto her fingers and penetrating Ash's backside to apply it to her insides. "Fuck, I can barely get my fingers in, you're so tight back there," she mused. "And so clean, too! Guess you Spectres get a lot of fiber in your diet, huh?"
Ash didn't respond, as she was too busy mentally willing herself to be anywhere other than here. Held hostage by Batarian terrorists, pinned down and under fire by a squadron of Reaper-indoctrinated horrors. Just about anything would have been preferable to this.
Finally, Morgan's fingers withdrew. "There we go. Now it's my turn," she said, as she unzipped her pants and dropped them to the floor. Propping herself back up on her hands and looking over her shoulder, Ash's eyes locked on Morgan's length. She had thought that, considering the first time she had seen it had been with it right in her face, that maybe it wasn't as thick and long as she remembered.
But nope. Twelve inches easy, and nearly as thick as a can of Tupari. As Morgan rubbed a handful of lubricant all over the massive cock, Ash began to suspect that even a gallon of that stuff wouldn't make that gigantic prick fit inside of her.
"It's your first time, bitch, so let me give you a few pointers," Morgan said, as she rubbed the last of the slippery fluid on her cock. "The big thing is that, above all else, you're going to need to relax."
Relax, sure. Nothing like a crazy bitch with the biggest cock in the galaxy aiming for your rear entry to get you all nice and serene. Screw meditation, this is the true way to Zen, The Real Ash opined.
But The Fake Ash simply nodded as Morgan rested her hands on Ash's hips, resting the head of her cock between Ash's cheeks. "The more you relax your body, the easier this gets. You keep all tense back there, and it's going to be a long night, let me tell you. I'll take it slow at first, let your body get used to it. Okay? Here we go, bitch."
Morgan pressed her hips forward, and Ash gritted her teeth as she felt the thick head of Morgan's cock start forcing open her anus. Morgan let out a long, pleased breath as she carefully pushed her prick inside of Ash.
Trying her best to follow Morgan's advice, Ash forced herself to breathe slowly. Gradually, painfully, the cock pressed past her sphincter muscles. Ash clenched the bedsheets in her hands tightly, eyes winced tightly shut as Morgan's impossibly long cock penetrated further... and further...
"You're doing great, bitch," Morgan encouraged, as she sank herself deeper still inside of Ash. "Fuck, your ass feels just as good as it looks! I'm gonna fill you up with so much cum, it's going to be shooting out of your ears!"
Breathing rapidly, Ash felt a wave of relief, as Morgan's cock seemed to have finally fully penetrated her insides.
"The hard part's over, bitch!" Morgan exclaimed, giving Ash a firm slap on the ass. "Now... comes the fun part!"
Ash felt her breath leave her lungs, as Morgan suddenly slipped her cock out of Ash's ass and, just as quickly, penetrated her again, fully to the base in less than a second.
"AAAAAAH!" Ash cried out at the sudden intrusion, and wasn't even finished screaming before Morgan did it again, pulling out and thrusting back inside. Bending down to the mattress, Ash grabbed one of the pillows and pressed her face to it, biting down to keep herself from screaming her lungs out. Morgan, meanwhile, was now fucking Ash's backside in earnest, her well-lubed cock forcing Ash open again and again and again.
"Oh, it's okay," Morgan assured Ash, her hands now tightly gripping Ash's hips to keep her from wriggling away from Morgan's anal intrusion. "It's hard at first, but you'll get used to it eventually. Three... four more times, and you'll wonder how you ever went through life without getting your bitch ass filled by some thick hard cock."
As the sounds of Morgan's hips slapping against Ash's asschecks mixed with the wet squishing sounds of Morgan's slippery cock thrusting in and out of Ash's sore ass, the full enormity of Morgan's words hit Ash like a freight train.
This crazy bitch is going to keep doing this, The Real Ash calmly informed The Fake Ash currently screaming into a pillow. And how long do you think you're going to be held prisoner here? A few days? A week? Months? Longer? How many more times is she going to be fucking your ass before you finally get rescued? Assuming you even do get rescued, that is.
"Shit, here it comes," Morgan gasped, interrupting Ash's dire thoughts. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck.... unnnnnh!"
Ash felt Morgan's hot cum gushing inside of her. What felt like a gallon of fluid spurted out of Morgan's cock and started filling Ash's intestines. She could feel Morgan's cock jerk and spray, Morgan letting out another grunt with each fresh jet of semen inside of her. Finally, after an orgasm that seemed to last for five minutes, Morgan let out a satisfied sound.
"Okay, now. You're going to do something for me, bitch," Morgan said, breathing heavily, her cock still buried inside Ash. "I'm going to pull out of you, and you're going to clench yourself tight. I don't want to even see a drop of cum drip out of that pretty little asshole of yours until I tell you, okay?"
The Real Ash was too disgusted with herself, for letting something like this happen, to say anything. The Fake Ash simply obediently nodded.
"Okay, get ready," Morgan said. Her cock, still feeling quite sizable even after Morgan had cum, slipped outside of Ash's rear passage. "Now clench!"
Ash flexed her sphincter muscles, the effort of holding in Morgan's massive climax more difficult than she could have thought.
"Keep holding it," Morgan urged her, and Ash struggled to maintain the tight clench of her ass. She felt like Morgan's cum was sloshing around inside of her, and soon she was sure that there was no way she'd be able to keep it inside of her for much longer.
After several seconds of effort, Ash finally heard Morgan say, "Okay, bitch! You can let go now!"
Ash breathed out, and with an obscene sound her anus opened and began spewing out the remains of Morgan's climax. Head still buried in the pillow, Ash forced herself to push out as much of the cum as she could from her backside. She felt the hot spunk spraying out of her asshole and dripping down her crotch and thighs. Finally, relieved that she'd purged as much of the slimy cum from her body as she could, Ash collapsed down onto the bed, gasping for breath.
One down, The Real Ash mused, who knows how many more to go.
She felt Morgan's hand gently stroking her hair. "You did so good!" she enthused. "My little anal bitch. You ready for that sandwich now?"
Ash would have thought that her disgust over what had just occurred would have killed her appetite, but she must have gone without eating for longer than she'd thought, because she could still feel an emptiness in her stomach. Although that could have been the fucking tidal wave of cum that I just expelled from my digestive system.
"Yes," she said, her voice raw from her pained cries. Turning around and sitting on the end of the mattress, she saw Morgan standing with the sandwich uncovered. Holding it at hip level, the bread at the top removed and placed to the side.
And in her other hand, Morgan held her shrinking but still sizable cock. Humming to herself, Morgan was rubbing the length of her prick along the insides of the sandwich. Where the cum that had been ejected from Ash's ass had landed, and was now being spread across every last inch of the meat and toppings.
Looking up at Ash, Morgan gave her a friendly smile, never pausing in rubbing her cum-soaked cock against the salami sub's insides. "It was a good sandwich, but I didn't notice until now that I'd forgotten the mayo," she said. "But then I realized something that would be even tastier!" Dipping the head of her cock into some extra cum on the plate, and using it to cover the last spot on the sandwich not yet tainted by semen, Morgan nodded in satisfaction. Grabbing the top bun, Morgan squished it down onto the cum and meat, and presented it to Ash.
"There you go!" Morgan grinned. "Bon appétit!"
Ash stared down at the salami and cum sandwich, unable to hide her disgust. "D... don't think I'm hungry," she managed to say.
"Nonsense!" Morgan said, oblivious to Ash's revulsion. She placed the plate onto Ash's lap. "Come on, eat up! A fit little bitch like you, she needs her protein."
From the look that Morgan was fixing down at Ash, it was plainly obvious that eating the disgusting sandwich was not considered optional. Picking up the sandwich, and watching as several drops of Morgan's copious load dribbled down onto the plate, Ash closed her eyes and took a large bite.
"There you go!" Morgan said, crossing her arms and watching Ash eat. "Delicious, isn't it?"
Ash tried her best to ignore the salty taste in her mouth as she chewed. The worst part ended up not even being the cum, but the lingering smell of the cherry lube filling her lungs and mouth. It was lucky that Ash hadn't eaten in a while, because whatever food she might have had before this would have been ejected from her stomach in an instant. She forced herself to swallow down a mouthful of sandwich and cum, and went back for another bite. Morgan continued watching, obviously not satisfied until Ash had eaten the entire sandwich.
Finally, after at least three aborted attempts by her body to vomit up the horrible meal, Ash swallowed the last bite. With a satisfied smile, Morgan took the plate from her and laid it aside. "You loved it, I can tell by the look on your face!" she said. Reaching down to wiggle her cock at Ash, the unnatural organ now almost completely shrunken down to its two-inch flaccid state, Morgan gave her a wink. "Well, there's plenty more where that came from. Now, I've got some work to do at my desk, so why don't you lay down for a bit and rest? Imagine that probably tuckered you right out, didn't it?"
And it was about that time that Ash made her decision. The Real Ash did, that was.
After pulling her pants on, Morgan turned her back on Ash and sat down at her desk, activating a terminal and beginning to look through reports. As soon as Morgan looked to be engrossed in her work, Ash reached down to the floor and grabbed one of Vega's barbells.
She couldn't do this. The thought of being trapped with this woman for an indeterminate amount of time, forced to bend over and take it up the ass and swallow down her cum... she couldn't do it. She didn't care if they would kill her after this. Death would be better than having to be this woman's obedient fuck-toy.
Moving slowly and quietly, Ash closed in on Morgan from behind. If she was going to die here, then she was going to make sure that she took this fucked-up bitch with her. She gripped the barbell tightly in her hand, raised it up slowly, and prepared herself to strike.
And just as she was about to land the killing blow, the door chime to Morgan's office sounded. Shocked by the sudden sound, Ash almost dropped the barbell, but was able to recover and gently lay it back down on the floor in time to hide her intentions from Morgan's visitor.
"Miss Lezayen, do you have a moment?" said the man who entered. From the looks of him, he obviously wasn't onboard the Normandy for his combat prowess. He was slim-built and studious-looking, his brow looking like it was permanently furrowed in concentration. He wore a long white coat over his Cerberus uniform, and in his hand was a datapad with several incomprehensible figures displayed on it. "You aren't busy with your... new friend, are you?"
"Perfect timing, actually, we just finished," Morgan said. "Don't believe you two have met yet," Morgan gestured over at Ash, apparently unconcerned at this stranger seeing a naked woman with cum still dribbling out of her backside huddled in her cabin. "This is my new bitch," Morgan casually said. "Bitch, this is Dr. Ruben Henneman. Genetic engineer, medical doctor... you name anything, this guy probably knows something about it. He's the genius who gave me that wonderful cock you love so much!"
"Hardly a genius, Miss Lezayen," Henneman said. "With the advances in genetics we've made in the last few years, an operation like yours is fairly trivial to perform."
Morgan grinned and waved a hand at him. "Oh, you and your modesty, doc! Well, trivial or not, I just put your hard work to good use on this bitch's tight little ass," she make the comment as casually as if she were telling him she'd picked up some milk at the corner store. "What do you think, doc? She's pretty fucking sexy, isn't she?"
"Quite lovely, yes," Henneman said, barely glancing at Ash and showing no reaction to her current state of undress. "Although I think I preferred your last one. What was her name again?"
This caused Morgan to let out a long sigh. "Oh, Delilah. I really thought we had something, her and I. But I guess she changed her mind about being my chosen bitch," Morgan said. Turning in her chair, she stared intently at Ash as she continued to speak. "As a matter of fact, one night she decided she wanted to quit being my bitch... in a very decisive manner. The devious little thing, tried to sneak up on me and bash my head in. Obviously thought I was distracted and didn't notice her coming up behind me. But you know me, doc. Eyes in the back of my head."
Henneman gave Ash a simpering smile. "She doesn't mean literally, miss, I assure you. That's one operation I'm afraid even I wouldn't be able to perform."
"Anyway, you know how it is, doc," Morgan said, although her stare didn't leave Ash. "One of the most important things in a relationship between a bitch and her mistress... is trust. And when I knew I couldn't trust Delilah anymore? Let's just say that she's no longer a part of my life. Or anyone else's, either."
"Trust is important, yes," Henneman said. "Me and my girl, we..."
Morgan turned back to face Henneman. "Come on, doc. You didn't come down here just to talk my ear off about that pretty little thing you've got back home. What'd you come here to talk about?"
"Just was curious if those files have been decrypted yet," Henneman said.
"Eager to get to work, doc?" Morgan asked. "Trust me, as soon as we get word that the files are unlocked, I'll drop everything and let you know. Pity the AI on this ship got fried when Shepard shot off that big weapon of hers. Bet it could have solved that encryption scheme in no time flat."
She. She could have solved it. Her name was EDI, and if she was still alive, she would have programmed this ship to fly right back to the Citadel and plant all of your asses in front of an Alliance firing squad.The Real Ash said.
"Yes, a pity indeed," Henneman said. "And how are things going with you and your team? I assume we'll be arriving for our first pickup shortly."
"Still a little ways to go," Morgan said, calling up something on her terminal. "Our target is currently taking up residence with another one of Shepard's old friends on a remote colony planet. About two days travel from the relay, but hey. We kill two birds with one stone."
As Morgan's terminal pulled a dossier, Ash's eyes went wide. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath, too quietly for the rest of the room to hear.
And all of her plans for a suicidal attack against her captors went out the window.