Chapter 29 – Shopping with Shepard

Aria stood with arms crossed as she looked out into space at what looked like a giant space worm with way too many tentacles inspecting the Omega-4 relay.

"This is just getting really fucking strange.", said Aria as she tilted her head at the giant worm as it grew a giant tumor that fell off, turned into a significantly smaller but still very large bug and moved towards Omega. The larger Bioship turned around and headed towards the Omega-4 relay and began to orbit it.

"Do they plan on actually going through that relay?", asked Aria to herself as the freaky no-legged bug thing created a long thin tendrils to deposit...

"Are those Vorcha?"

Shisk and three other Vorcha wearing disguised Blacklight Armor landed on the docks as the bioship behind them went back to rejoin the larger ship. Shisk saw strangers.

The others moved away from the docks as they looked to a small group of Blacklight waiting for them.

"Hello Shisk, name's Shepard, not sure if you remember me."

Shisk sniffed loudly.

"I remember. We here to get on Collector ship."

"Cool, we're your backup, I'll explain later. The Collector ship comes and goes every few days. We'll get you and the labor teams onto it no problem, from there we'll be able to see through your armor and relay to you whatever it is you need to know. Till then you can relax, the Ship won't be back for a while, but we think we have the pattern recognized. We're going to get you on that ship when it's leaving, then you try and figure out where it goes to.", said Shepard.

Shisk sniffed loudly before looking out the docks towards the distant Omega-4 relay, his teeth clicking softly.

"Wat we do till den?", asked Shisk.

"Follow me, we're going to my favorite store on Omega.", said Shepard.

A loud shot rang through the air as the Pod Crab fell over dead. Saren lifted his rifle to look to his brother.

"Just over a kilometer away.", said Saren.

"Do you have to do that?", asked Desolas.

"Nothing much else to do, Virmire is hardly a planet to do much of anything on.", said Saren.

Desolas said nothing as he looked over to the two Krogan and an Asari walking around the many tanks. Various Geth and Collectors watched the Krogan work on the developing embryo. Desolas knew little of the first Krogan or his Asari assistant. Doctor Droyas was here for one reason and one reason only, to cure the genophage. A 'Glorious Salvation' as he called it. His assistant, Rana Thanoptis, was the nervous sort, a neuro-specialist who was developing the mental implants of the things growing in the tank.

The other Krogan, Desolas was very familiar with. Dr. Okeer, a radical if ever Desolas saw one. Not to mention a belief in only the strongest surviving while the weak die. He made his beliefs very clear. He was not here to cure the genophage, but to make the Krogan strong once more.

They however were working on something a bit different. In those tanks were the growing forms of young Krogan, however these Krogan had been modified greatly. Desolas was not sure how much, but he knew that the thing in that tank was no normal Krogan. Krogan did not have an exoskeleton. In exchange for their service each one would get something they wanted, but Desolas cared not for their desire. So long as they delivered what was needed, they could have a whole solar system for all he cared.

Okeer looked at the tank for but a moment before looking to his omnitool for the results.

"Salarian brain tissue, Yahg Muscular tissue, Asari nerve fibers, Turian shell, all built over a Krogan base. The closest to success we have so far.", said Okeer as he turned to the large collector standing next to him.

"Is this satisfactory?", asked Okeer.

"It is acceptable.", spoke the possessed Harbinger Collector.

"Abominations, that is what they are.", said Droyas.

Okeer ignored the outburst as he went over to the tank and continued looking over the strange new beast growing within its oxygenated waters. Rana shrugged as she looked to her Omnitool.

"Abominations, sure, but I know I wouldn't want to fight one.", said Rana.

"That is because you are weak. Twisted though these pitiful beasts may be, I can at least see their use. Too bad they will be inferior to my perfect Krogan.", said Okeer as he looked over to a far off tank against the wall with a seemingly normal looking Krogan embryo.

"Continue your work, you will have all you need to construct your cure.", spoke the possessed Collector before it left the room with a group of Geth.

Okeer continued looking to the closest thing they had to a success so far as he turned to Desolas who glared at the warlord with crossed arms.

"And what are you looking at whelp?'

"Looks to me like target practice...", interrupted Saren.

"Once this is all over, I think I'll hunt you down and put a bullet in your head.", said Saren as he fired another shot to down another pod crab.

Okeer growled but otherwise ignored the Turian.

"You can try. I welcome a challenge."

Rana sighed as she moved to a control panel near the tank and began the delicate surgery needed to get the implants in the things skull, but she said nothing. She only looked at the strange looking thing as she sliced its skull open and began her work.

Jobol sat and read over the data. As he feared, no pure Blacklight samples remained. There was enough infected Varren tissue to continue the project, but this really dragged things back. The Machiavellian councilor slid the report to the side as he thought on Mordin. As far as he could tell, Mordin was still on the Krogan homeworld, and working on the genophage modifications.

Jobol suspected that Mordin would act after that was finished to lower suspicion. The files Jobol was getting from Mordin were drying up, evidently Mordin was being very careful what he records. Still things were running smoothly. There was only one loose end, Saleon. Jobol knew Saleon would do something like this, and in fact had hoped for it, but he didn't expect the mad scientist to escape with nary a trace. Jobol had found he had been greatly inconvenienced by trying to get the details of what happened that day in order, but at least that tedium was over.

Jobol put it out of his mind. He took some relief in the fact that so long as Saleon did not have any Blacklight material, then he was unable to continue any of his work, and in that hurry to escape the Blacklight Hunters Jobol believed that Saleon would have no time to grab anything. Still the possibility could not be ruled out. Jobol was more worried about his nephew, but it was Saleon who was the wild card, the one who knew everything that had been going on, but Jobol did not expect Saleon to bring the news to anyone.

Jobol instead let leak some of Saleon's less savory projects. Black market cloned organs and the treatment of his patients. Saleon was now near universally known and wanted by damn near every government in Citadel space; he wouldn't be able to get any real progress on what he was doing, or at least it would be very difficult. Regardless, despite a few setbacks, things were going just as planned. All Jobol had to do was wait for Mordin to make his move.

Jobol sighed. It had been a relatively tiring night, what with all the excitement that had transpired earlier into it getting all the details on the experiments in order and making sure his plans came to fruition. As he looked over everything he slowly began to realize that his time was becoming more and more filled. He was beginning to seriously consider retiring as councilor and giving the job to someone else. In fact, maybe he should prepare a successor,

Shisk watched as Shepard smiled as he leaned against the counter to look at the Batarian who was poring through his inventory.

"Hello Marsh.", said Shepard.

Shisk heard the Batarian sigh before turning back to Shepard.

"Shepard.", Greeted Marsh Blankly.

"How is my favorite merchant?', asked Shepard.

"Are you going to actually buy something this time, or are you just here to annoy me until I break... At this point I'm guessing the latter.", said Marsh offhanded.

"Come on Marsh, you know that I can't buy anything. That's what the establishment wants us to do. I could not in good conscience contribute to your slavery to capitalism."

"I don't know what any of that means. I own this store, only taxes I pay is to Aria. I keep most income, everything you said is a mess of words... Whatever, what is it you want this time Shepard?", asked Marsh.

"Well, I can't buy anything, goes against my sophisticated and complex philosophy. That said, I have a friend who needs a few things. He's nowhere near as enlightened as me."

Marsh turned his head to the Vorcha standing not far behind Shepard.

"Vorcha eh. Well, what does he need?"

"The usual, I'm thinking the deluxe package. I'd go Black Market, but I remember your irrational hatred of a perfectly legitimate business."

Marsh stared at Shepard for a few seconds, before giving off a sigh and looking to his log. He turned to Shisk.

"Vorcha, what's your name?"

"Shisk."

Marsh nodded as he looked back to the screen.

"Deluxe package is usually good for adaptability, mostly useful in near any combat situation, with a few tools and omni-tool patches useful for industrial level sabotage. So long as you don't plan on sabotaging anyone on Omega then I have no issue getting you everything. You do have an Omni-tool right?"

In response, Shisk lifted his hands showing he had an Omni-tool on each hand.

"Dual user huh. I'm guessing you have Omni-claws?", asked Marsh..

In response, Shisk unfolded the holographic claws.

"Yep, thought so. The Omni-tool upgrades shouldn't interfere with your claws, in fact makes the package a bit cheaper since I don't have to include the claws with it. Lucky you.", said Marsh as he looked over the total.

"That comes to a total of 85,000 credits.", said Marsh.

Shisk blinked before turning to Shepard.

"Great, now I have to contribute to the establishment. I'm sorry for this Marsh.", said Shepard with a small smirk as he fooled with his own Omni-tool.

"I think I can find it in me to forgive you.", said Marsh sarcastically as he watched the credits being deposited.

He looked over to Shisk.

"I'll get your stuff."

She couldn't see much beyond the web of red and black tendrils that shimmered and realigned every time she turned her head. Her arms, to the very bone, were fused to her ribcage as her skin on her back had grown out and taken root into the walls of her cell like some perversion of a tree, and like a tree she could feel her body slowly grow and develop outwards. causing the flesh tendrils to appear as webs all around her cell. The one eye not covered moved to see the squirming web that had once been her flesh feel around the room. Her vision had changed, the world was awash in a sea of red that made things glow dimly, and finally, she could see him.

"Promising subject. It is not Blacklight, but it is close to the desired result, would you not agree Nel?", spoke the man as he petted his massive pet.

His varren barked out a sound in agreement with it's master. If her upper teeth were not twisted and fused to her lower jaw she would try and scream and bite and gnash to tear into his unchanging flesh. She had once been a Salarian like him, that much she remembered. Her mind broken, fractured as it tried and failed to put itself into back together. She felt a needle enter her skin as he walked up to her prison of her own flesh and bone. He had taken a piece of her new rampant flesh.

"Sample acquired, I'll ready the incinerator."

Her last thoughts were only the panicked thoughts of a mad woman as she burned in chemical fires that melted her prison of flesh and bone.

Saleon watched the root thing burn. Once it was over Saleon opened the cell and allowed Nel to eat the remains. He looked to the vial in his hand, before walking away from the cell and moving to his lab. He looked at the other samples on the rack. Twenty vials of blood from various subjects, each labeled. He slid the newest sample into a free slot before he pressed a button on the side of the vial rack causing the vials to lower back into the refrigerated container for storage, then he smiled a crooked smile. He was so very close.

Shisk looked over the materials as he turned to Shepard. Marsh was back to work and ignoring them for the time being. Shepard nodded as Shisk grabbed the four guns, and put them onto his back. His armor may have looked normal, but it was anything but. Chakwas produced small tendrils that gripped the guns tightly without showing the true nature of Shisk's suit.

"Think this useful to kill Collectors?", asked Shisk as Shepard added the patches to both his omni-tools.

"Killing! No your little squad won't be killing collectors, not yet. We need to figure out how to deal with the Reapers. Right now the Collectors are their main offensive measure, but they could have more.", said Shepard as he finished putting the programs into the first Omni-tools and moving on to the second.

Shepard frowned before taking a serious tone.

"Reapers... They see only meaning in their cycles, when that in and of itself is without meaning. It's all just pointless nihilism, and they don't even know it. Nihilism is a childish answer to adult problems. I think that the Intelligence that created the Reapers was but a child itself at the time it created the Reapers... Seems almost fitting.", said Shepard to himself as he crossed his arms and looked over his work.

"Well, I'll outfit the others later. When it's time, we'll get you on that ship.", said Shepard.

'Shouldn't be too difficult. They are as predictable as any machine.', spoke Chakwas.

Shepard nodded to that before looking back to Marsh who was still ignoring everything but his work. Shepard smiled.

"Bad news Marsh, I'm going to need three more deluxe packages. I feel so guilty doing this... but it must be done.", said Shepard, poorly containing his amusement of the situation.

"Oh no, whatever will I do. I'm making a profit... The Horror.", said Marsh Blankly without even looking away from the screen..

"What are you looking at anyway?", asked Shepard.

"I know a guy, he can get me info from back home. Apparently some slave saved someone in a higher caste from an assassination attempt. There is talk of the guy who got saved changing his views to something not really popular. Wants slaves to have more options or something."

Shepard nodded holding the smile in his soul from showing on his face.

"Sounds interesting, what do you think of that?", asked Shepard.

"I'm on Omega. It's not my problem what happens to the Hegemony."

Shepard shook his head.

"Sounds like someone's out of fucks to give.", said Shepard.

"My family never was in any position to own a slave. We weren't slaves by any stretch, but it never effected us. Do you care about the rising Volus economy?"

"Not really.", said Shepard.

"Exactly, doesn't effect you or me, so no reason to care. Whatever, I'm going to get those three orders ready. Watch the stand for me will ya, and don't scare anyone away with knife fingers or whatever it is you Blacklight things do.", said Marsh as he left to get to his greater stock.

"Can do Marsh.", said Shepard before he turned to Shisk.

"I'll see you soon Shisk."

Shisk clicked his teeth for a moment before he sniffed loudly and walked off.

The giant beast looked down at the swarms of Blacklight who stared at the large silver orbs that seemed to orbit it. The Leviathan looked to the undersea bioship that nearly rivaled it in size before, using its great biotic prowess, it lowered the silver orbs to the ground where tendrils emerged from the trenches to bring them to the nearest Brain Hive for better examination.

'Those are what extend our reach for enthrallment. We are too few to fight directly, but we can use these orbs to dim the call of indoctrination.'

The aquatic Bioship swam before the leviathan where it simply stared at the giant. The Leviathan responded only by moving one of its shell like limbs forward. The Bioship opened its reptilian maw as it changed from a fang filled mouth into an insectoid mandible. A long proboscis extended towards the Leviathan and slid between its shell into the soft tissues. A pair of complex parts formed on the side of the mouth, these mouth-parts created hook-like spikes to lightly grip the Leviathan shell so as to limit movement that could cause damage to either the Leviathan or the Bioship itself. A mosquito-like two part needle burrowed into the flesh. From one part of the needle-like mouth an anticoagulant was injected, while the other part began to drain blood.

Once the blood entered the Bioship, viral colonies were introduced as they began to convert and analyze the cells. A few small microbes swam into the blood to collect the anticoagulant and swim back up the needle-like mouth. After the last one went through jaw folded up and the bioship injected a weak clotting agent before pulling the needle-like mouth out of the skin as the mouth slowly shifted back into the reptilian mouth.

'A sample of our biology, as promised.'

The Bioship nodded before it swam away. The Leviathan left the seas, leaving the planet to return to its own.