FicWad

Commander Vras entered the CIC of the Morning Hope, before looking around at the bridge-crew who all stood ready at their stations.

"Is everyone on board?" he asked to the dark-haired Femme to his left, gaining a nod from her in return.

"Yes Commander, airlocks are sealed and we are ready to get under way."

"Very well. Communications, inform Unity-Control that we are about to leave, I am certain they will be glad to hear that..." the Commander then said, before looking ahead at the Turian manning the terminal at the front of the room in front of the large holo-screen.

"...Helm, clear all moorings and engage aft-thrusters." he added while walking over to the Captain's chair, which was located in the center of the large oval-shaped room and sat down in it.

"Moorings cleared, engaging thrusters." the Pilot replied, while the Blonde Bot at Communications looked over at the Commander.

"Unity-Control acknowledges, but that is all that they will say."

This earned an annoyed look from the Autobot-Leader as he shook his head in return, before looking back ahead.

"Very well, let's not waste anymore time here then. Helm, take us out." he replied, earning a nod from the Turian-male as he typed on his holo-interface.

"Yes sir, here we go." he replied as the Cruiser pulled away from the station's outer-docking section, before firing it's main engines and headed away at full sub-light as it left Unity in it's wake.

"Once we pass out of the System's edge, plot a Space-bridge jump to the Seventh Fleet's location in the Exodus Cluster." Vraz then added to the Pilot, who nodded again before the Commander just sat back in his chair and watches his crew work around him as the Morning Hope continued to fly away from Unity as it ventured out of the system.

Meanwhile in the tertiary shuttle-bay, Morinth and Inferno exited their vessel to find a group of Autobot soldiers waiting for them. But this group was made up of a Grey-skinned Turian-male, a Volus, a Krogan and a purple-skinned Asari.

"So this is the team Vasir said would back us up, only four people?" the Ardat-Yakshi stated with an unimpressed tone, which made the other Asari step forward.

"We have been working as double-Agents for Leviathan for a long time, with myself being the longest at four hundred years. Your not going to find anyone with more insider knowledge and expertise than us, and we aren't exactly thrilled to be working with you...Morinth." she said back in a hostile tone, before turning her attention to the Destron.

"But you Commander Inferno, we await your command." she added, gaining nods from the others in quick succession.

"Very good, now do you know where the targets are at this moment?" he replied with a smirk, as he could feel the annoyance and anger rippling from his Partner while she stood beside him. But he and the others continued to ignore the Ardat-Yakshi, with the Turian activating his holo-tool and bringing up a map for them all to see.

"Currently Myra Darby and Katrina Mason are currently in the Medical-Bay with Commander Ser-Ket..." he started to say, making Inferno's eyes widen in surprise.

"Ser-Ket still lives?"

"Yes sir, the Commander is in a coma though her condition is stable." the Turian replied with a nod, which brought a smile to his face.

"Good, so we can take out the Asari, her Aunt and her Human friend in one go. What about the others?" he asked, which made the Turian look back at his holo-tool.

"The Bots called Crosscut and Evac are with the Asari known as Tolae in the ship's Rec-room, along with thirty or so of the crew."

"Really don't feel like fighting through this Autobot crew just to kill our targets…" Inferno began to say as a thoughtful look appeared on his face as he went quiet for a moment, which earned curious looks from the rest of the team other than Morinth, who just stood there with a bored expression.

"…Okay, you and you with me..." Inferno then said as he pointed at both the Asari and Turian, who both nodded in return.

"...and our targets are those in the Medical-bay." he added before the looking over at Morinth and the other two Agents.

"Morinth, you will take the other Agents and find a way to take out the remainder of Darby's crew."

This immediately gained a disgusted reaction from the Ardat-Yakshi, before she began to leave the shuttle bay whilst shaking her head.

"I don't need any help to deal with Darby's friends, keep your friends with you." she said back with a venomous tone, which just brought a smirk to the Destron Leader's face as he turned back to the others and ignored Morinth as she walked out of the room.

"Okay, you two stay here and keep a watch on out shuttle, because we will need a fast exit ready and waiting for us once our mission is complete." he said.

"Yes sir." both said in unison, before taking positions on either side of the shuttle while Inferno looked back at both the Turian and Asari.

"Let's go."

"Wait, you should know before we head out in to the rest of the ship that we have made alterations to the internal security system." the purple-skinned Woman then said, gaining the Con's attention.

"What kind of alterations?"

"The internal sensors would usually recognise you and alert the rest of the crew to your presence, especially in Morinth's case. But we have wiped hers and your records from the Morning Hope's data-banks, replacing it with temporary programming which will instead read you as standard crewmen." the Turian added, which made the Destron Leader smirk back as he gestured to the doorway.

"Very good, now let's get moving. Darby isn't going to get herself killed…not without our help."

PRIME EFFECT 5

Meanwhile Myra and Kat were in the Medical-bay, standing beside the Asari's comatose Aunt who was lying on the berth in front of them, hooked up to several machines. The young Darby looked down at the sleeping Ser-Ket with a worried expression, which did not go unnoticed by her lover who took the blue Woman's hand in her own and gently squeezed it.

"Your Aunt's going to be fine Myra, she has the best care and she is a fighter." she said in a caring and supportive tone, which brought an appreciative smile to the Rogue Spectre's face in return.

"I know Kat, but as I look down at my Aunt now…" she began to reply while turning back to Ser-Ket, the smile disappearing as quickly as it appeared as her eyes fell upon her Aunt's still form.

"…I can't help but feel I am cursed in some way." she replied with a guilt-tinged tone, one that made her lover look back with a worried expression.

"Myra, you really need to stop blaming yourself like this. Because what happened to your Mother, to John…and now Ser-Ket were in no way you're fault…" she started to say, making the Asari look back at her.

"…they were Vasir's fault and hers alone. Don't burden yourself with something that is not yours to bear, because it will only continue to eat away at your heart…" the Human Woman continued as she looked into her lover's blue eyes, which were just as focused on her own.

"…and that means Vasir will win once again."

"I know what you're saying Kat, really I do. But what if something happens to you, I don't think I could..." the young Darby began to say as her eyes began to well up and her voice started to shake as her growing grief threatened to overcome her, which Kat recognised instantly, pulling the Asari into an embrace in response.

"It's alright, I am here with you and that is not going to change..." she said back in a caring and supportive tone while holding her lover close to her, feeling every inhale and exhale of Myra's breath as she slowly started to calm down.

"I'm sorry, I thought...that I...had a handle...on this." the young Darby began to say between breaths, her voice still shaky as she felt herself on the abyss, with only Kat there to hold her in place as she rested her head on her lover's shoulder.

"Myra, you buried all of this grief and misplaced guilt within yourself for how long now, covering it with your growing anger as your hatred for Vasir drove you forward. But that alone could never be enough to keep you going forever, as I can see now..." she continued to say as the Asari just stood there in the Human's arms and listened, her eyes bordering between not crying and just letting go.

"...but you have me now and if it will help, then let yourself go. I will not hold it against you as I know that everyone needs to...once in a while, I will just continue to hold you close...never letting go." Kat finished which made a tear run down Myra's cheek before she just started to crying openly, embracing her Human-lover even more as she let two hundred years of pent up grief and anguish go in one long cry. Kat though just held the Rogue Spectre in her arms, running her left hand down the back of of the Asari's head in a soft and caring fashion.

This went on for a minute or so as the young Darby sobbed into the shoulder of her lover, while her comatose Aunt slept quietly next to them.

"Kat..." Myra then said in a soft and less shaky tone, breaking the silence that had hung around the pair in that room.

"Yes, Myra?" the Human said back as she held her lover, feeling the Asari's breathing calming down on her chest.

"...thank you."

"You're more than welcome." Kat replied with a smile while they remained in the embrace, as a more comfortable silence descended around them.

"Well now..." a unknown male voice then spoke out from the doorway, making the pair look over to see a Caucasian Man, a Turian and a purple-Asari standing there and looking back at them.

"...isn't that an interesting sight?" he added as the two women separated, staring at the new arrivals with mirroring looks of confusion.

"Who are you?" Kat asked, whilst Myra wiped the last remaining tears from her face.

"Yes, what she said." she added as she finished and looked at the trio, taking note that they were carrying weapons.

This made the unknown Man glance either side of him, gaining a nod from both his companions before the Turian raised his weapon and the Asari powered up her biotics, which they then aimed at the Human Woman and Rogue Spectre, gaining shocked looks from the pair.

"We are 'friends' of Commander Ser-Ket and are here to ensure that she dies today...alongside the two of you of course..." he added while equipping and arming his own weapon.

"...for the glory of Leviathan."

This made Myra and Kat both narrow their eyes at the enemies as they stood between them and her sleeping Aunt.

PRIME EFFECT 5

Meanwhile Evac, Tolae and Crosscut were sitting at a table in the Morning Hope's Rec-room having a drink, while members of the Autobot crew sat around them in their own groups.

"Crosscut, what is it?" the Pilot asked as he and his Asari friend noticed the other Bot looking over at the multi-alien crew sitting around them, a puzzled expression on his face.

"I was just wondering since the ISF decided to cut ties with the Autobots, then how come they are still a number of alien crew-members like the Turian, Asari and Salarians that we have seen on this ship?"

"Well I spoke to one or two of them earlier and it appears that they personally do not agree with what their own Governments have chosen to do, choosing instead to continue working in the Autobot ranks." the Ardat-Yakshi replied, gaining a nod from Evac in return.

"That makes sense, I mean it's not like us Cybertronians have been living up to the bad name that the ISF Senate has labelled us with."

Crosscut gave a slight smirk to that line, while looking past his friends to the table behind them where two Turians and an Asari were sitting.

"It's good to know that not all the galaxy has bought into the crap that the Senate has been selling, that there are still good people out there." he added, before his face became thoughtful which gained a curious look from Tolae.

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming this way." she replied with an inquisitive tone, which made the Bot nod slightly.

"I can't help but think that back to what Myra said about Leviathan, that they have played a part in turning the Galaxy against the Autobots. Surely that means that there could be those amongst it's ranks, working secretly against our kind's interests, possibly helping Leviathan."

This brought mirroring expressions from both Evac and his Asari friend as they listened to Crosscut, who glanced around the room one more time before returning his attention to the pair.

"I guess, though it's a bit of a morbid way of thinking about those around you." Tolae replied while looking slightly taken aback by his comment, which earned a regretful look from Crosscut.

"Sorry Tolae, I didn't mean that we shouldn't trust anyone who isn't Cybertronian or Human. It's just that everyone in the galaxy is against us now, Myra said that even members of the Senate have sided with Leviathan. That doesn't leave us with a lot of allies does it." the Bot said back, which made Evac place his hand on the Ardat-Yakshi's in a supportive and caring gesture as he looked over at his friend.

"That's true, which makes it a victory for us that there are those that still want to fight at our side, and not following the questionable actions that their own Governments make."

This brought a slight smile to Tolae's face as she looked over at the Bot, who could not help but mirror her expression as he stared back. This made Crosscut feel a little awkward as he noticed the pair's behaviour, even taking note that the Asari was softly stroking the other Bot's hand with her thumb.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply..." he started to say back in an apologetic tone, only for the pair to look back at him.

"It's alright, I know you didn't mean it in that way Crosscut. It's just once you start questioning those around you, how long until you no longer see your friends and only enemies." Tolae replied with an understanding tone, which gained an embarrassing smile from the Bot in return.

"Thanks Tolae, I hope..." he started to say back, before a blond-haired Caucasian Femme suddenly stopped at their table.

"Hello, can we help you?" Evac asked with a puzzled look, while the new comer stood there and looked at them all with a blank expression.

"I am sorry to bother you, but I need help with the terminal in my office. It isn't working like it should be." she asked, which made Tolae narrow her eyes slightly.

"Don't you have technicians who can make repairs like that for you?"

"Yes there are, but I have been unable to get in contact with them. Please come and help me?" she said back with a monotone-like voice, which gained unsure looks from both the Asari and the Pilot.

"Well...the latter started to say, before Crosscut suddenly cut him off as he got up from his seat.

"Don't worry, I can deal with this." he said while joining the Femme's side, which made his friends just stare back in confusion.

"Wait, you're going?" Evac said back, gaining a knowing look from the other Bot in return.

"I won't be long, should be an easy fix..." he started to say, while giving the pair a telling wink.

"...so you two should just stay here and talk, I'll be back."

This made the Pilot nod back before his friend waved and left the room with the Femme, earning bemused looks from Evac and Tolae.

"Were we making him feel uncomfortable?" the Asari asked with a curious tone.

"We must have been, though I can't see why. We are just friends after all, right?" the Bot said back in a similar tone, gaining a worried look from the blue Woman, which he noticed instantly.

'Oh boy, did I just put my foot in it again?' he thought before taking a deep breath, and then exhaling while Tolae watched.

"What did I do?" he asked with a slightly confused tone, which made his friend look away for a moment.

"I can't help but get the feeling that you are upset with me...about when we almost kissed." she said, which made the Bot's eyes widen in response.

"Wow, you just come out and say it." he replied in a surprised and taken aback tone, which made the Asari look back in with a similar expression.

"Well I don't know how else to talk about it, since social skills were not exactly a necessary a requirement at the Monastery. So all I can do is just come out and say it as it is, and if that is a problem for you..." she then started to say with a slightly hostile touch to her voice, which made Evac raises his hands up in submissive gesture as he cut her off mid-sentence.

"No, it's certainly not a problem for me..." he began to say in a more calm and supportive tone, which made Tolae just watch and listen in return.

"...in fact it's refreshing for me to see that quality in a Woman, since most I have met in my life are not so up front." the Pilot added, which made his friend look back with a curious expression.

"Do you mean Myra?" she asked, gaining a nod from him.

"Well Myra is a prime example of that, yeah."

"Do you 'like' her?" the Ardat-yakshi then asked, which brought a surprised look from the Bot.

"Well as a friend, yes. But not in any other way, since the only person I am interested in is sitting directly in front of me." he replied an honest expression, which caught Tolae off guard.

"...What?"

"Yeah, I just said it. I can be up front too, just like you." Evac then added, which brought a slight smile to his friend's face that she could not help.

"...I, I don't know what to..." the Asari began To say in return, but the Bot cut her off as he places his left hand on top of her right in a supportive and caring gesture.

"You don't need to say anything, for I know you feel the same way about me..." he began to say, keeping Tolae's attention on him as her eyes remained fixed on his own.

"...as I felt that back in the Eudora's cockpit, during our trip through the nebula." the Pilot continued, making the Ardat-Yakshi nod back in agreement as she listened to his words.

"But that doesn't mean that I was not hurt in some way by you calling our almost kiss a 'mistake', because that is certainly not what I would have called it."

This though, made Tolae look down at the table. As though she could no longer look Evac in the eyes as a guilty expression appeared on her face.

"Evac, I would never intentionally say something to hurt you, and for that I am sorry. But you must understand, this..." she then began to say l, whilst gesturing between them with her hands.

"...this cannot go any further, because if it did. If we crossed that line, then it can only end with me killing you...and I could not bare that...not again." Tolae added as her eyes slowly began to well up, which earned a pained expression from the Bot, having noticed this as she looked back at him.

"I am sorry Tolae, but there is something I want to say. Because since our last talk and 'that moment', I decided to do some research." Evac replied as he then quickly activated his holo-tool, bringing up the image of several articles that caught the Asari's attention.

"I know that Ardat-Yakshi kill because their nervous system dominates and overpowers their respective partner's, which is completely opposite of what should happen when an Asari joins with them..."

As the Pilot spoke, Tolae found herself staring between him and the articles with an inquisitive look.

'He certainly has done his homework, and it is all for...me.' she thought as he continued.

"...so what would happen if you just didn't do that, just didn't join your minds and nervous systems?"

This made the Ardat-Yakshi gently shake her head in return, which earned a confused look from the Bot.

"Do you realise how hard that would be, because the act of 'bonding' is the most natural act for an Asari to share with someone their care 'deeply' about..." she began to say, with the last few words standing out to Evac.

'She cares deeply about me, the feeling is mutual.' he thought as she carried on speaking.

...and it's not something we can just stop, especially since it is a part of how we reproduce. Do you really wish to risk your life on whether I could hold myself back?" the Asari then asked with a questioning look, earning a knowing expression from him in return.

"The way I live my life has me risking it every single day, and I can tell you in all honesty, that we could both die tomorrow in battle. And it would pain me more if that happened and I knew that we had wasted a chance to see where 'this' could lead first..." he added while pointing between the two of them, all just as Tolae listened intently to his words.

"...and I think that would be the biggest tragedy of all. So yes, I am more than willing to risk my life on you...because I trust you." he then said, which made the Ardat-Yakshi's eyes widen as she heard him say that last part.

'...I trust you.' she thought as his words repeated in her mind, making her feel that warm glow in her heart once more as she looked down to see his hand still holding onto her own gently.

"...I..." she started to stammer as shyness suddenly came over her, while a slight smile appeared on the Bot's dace as he noticed her cheeks reddening a little.

"I know you would not do anything to harm me Tolae, hell you have saved my life once already. Isn't that proof enough that we could make 'this' work? Isn't it worth a shot?" he asked, which brought a thoughtful look to the Asari's face.

"I...I need to think about this, please...give me some time to think this over?" she then replied, which made the Pilot nod back.

"That's okay, take as much time as you need." he said back, before looking toward the exit that Crosscut had left a few minutes earlier.

"What is it?" Tolae then asked, noticing the concerned look on her friend's face.

"I can't help but feel that Crosscut should be back by now, it wouldn't take him this long to fix that Woman's Terminal." he replied, earning a nod from the Ardat-Yakshi in return.

"He even said as much himself, didn't he."

"I think we should go check on him, just to be sure." Evac then said as he stood up and pushed his seat under the table, making the Asari do the same as she looked back with a confused look.

"Why are you worried, we are on an Autobot ship after all?"

"I don't know, but wasn't that Woman acting a little 'iffy'?" the Bot said back, which made Tolae shrug her shoulders.

"I..I guess so, I just thought it was because of the stress." she replied, whilst the Pilot activated his holo-tool.

"Well, either way I just want to see that he is alright and we can do so with this." he said back while gesturing to the orange holo-device around his right fore-arm.

"Your tracking him?" the Asari asked, gaining a nod from him.

"The whole team has a tracking beacon programmed into their holo-tools, I even put one in yours while you were on board the Eudora. Just to make sure you were you safe, but anyway he is this way, so let's go."

This brought a smile to the Woman's face as she then followed the Bot of out of the Rec-room, taking the exit that their friend had used earlier.

The pair did not have to walk very far as they traversed one of many similar-looking corridors that made up in the interior of the Morning Hope, coming to a half-opened door which stopped Evac in mid-sentence.

"Once we know Crosscut is alright, we could..." Evac began to say before his eyes fell upon the sight in front of him and Tolae.

"Okay, that looks kind of ominous." she said as the Bot looked at his holo-tool's interface, which brought a worried look to his face.

"And it gets worse..." he started to reply, gaining his friend's attention as she looked over to him with a similar expression.

"...as Crosscut's beacon is coming from in there." he added before deactivating his device taking the hold of the door with both hands, preparing himself to push the door open fully. But just as the Bot was about to begin, the door was suddenly enveloped in blue energy which made him let go and look to his Asari friend who had raised her right glowing hand towards it.

"Allow me." she said before moving the hand to the right, which made the door slide completely open and grant them entry.

"Thanks, now I know who to call when I need help opening the pickle jars." Evac then replied in a joking yet appreciative tone, gaining a confused smile from Tolae in return.

"Pickle Jars?"

"I'll tell you later, come on." he gestured as the pair then walked through the doorway, finding themselves in dimly lit room.

"Okay, this isn't making me feel any better." the Bot said as he looked around the room while it's lights flickered on and off, which made it difficult to see the interior they were standing in.

"I think I can help with that too." the Asari replied before clenching her right hand into a fist, making glow with biotic energy as she held it up in the air, making the darkness retreat into the corners of the room. But what the light revealed made the pair's eyes widen in shock, for the Woman that had come to their table for help was lying on the ground before them.

"What in the Allspark?" Evac said aloud before he knelt beside her and checked for a pulse while Tolae looked around the room and saw that it looked like a war had been fought in there, as the furniture was all over the place and some of it was broken.

"Damn it, she's dead." the Pilot then said, regaining the Ardat-Yakshi's attention as he took his hand away from the dead woman's neck and stood back up.

"We should call this in." his friend then said in a worried tone as she reached up to her com-link, earning a nod from the Bot before his attention was caught by a slither of light coming out of a gap in the door which was further into the room.

"This is Tolae, can anyone hear me?" the Blue Woman then said as she tapped her com-link, only to hear static in return.

"I can't reach anyone..." she began to say before being cut off by the sound of the door at the entrance suddenly closing, which made the pair turn back to it just in time to see a blue energy fade away around the door, which looked eerily similar to how Tolae had opened it earlier.

"What?" The Pilot then asked with a confused tone, before another female voice spoke.

"Of course you can't reach anyone..."

This made both the Bot and Asari turn around to see the lights the activate and brighten up the room, almost blinding them as they squinted their eyes in an attempt to adapt.

"...since I have erected a damping field around this room." the voice continued to say as the pair noticed two figures walk into the room at the door at the far side, abet blurred due to their recovering vision.

"Who's there, who said that?" Tolae asked, which gained a chuckle from the unidentified Female.

"You know who I am Tolae, I doubt you could forget me that easily."

This made the Asari's eyes widen as the blurred figure came back into focus, revealing the new arrival to be another Asari who was now recognisable.

"It's you..." Tolae began to say in a surprised voice, though her words were tinged in a building anger, which made the other Woman's smile widen more.

"...Morinth!"

"Yes it's me." the murderous Ardat-Yakshi replied, while Evac's eyes fell upon his friend standing next to her in a trance-like state.

"Crosscut! What have you done to him?" the Bot spat back in a worried tone, which made Morinth look at him with a devious smirk.

"Well...nothing yet, I had to wait for you two to get here. But now that we are all together, the party can finally start." she replied in a cryptic tone, gaining angry stares from the pair.

"What do you want Morinth?" Tolae than asked as she slowly clenched her hands into fists, while the Bot did began to reach down to his holstered pistol at a similar pace.

"To kill you all of course, why else would I be here." the Ardat-Yakshi replied in a bemused manner, before noticing the pair's actions and so raising her left hand up for the pair to see, with it in cup-holding gesture and glowing woth biotic energy.

"Not so fast, or else I snap your friend's neck earlier than planned." she then spat, as what looked like a collar made of biotic energy suddenly appeared around the hypnotised Crosscut's neck, making him choke a little.

"Crosscut!" Evac replied in a concerned tone as both he and Tolae in their tracks, making Morinth stare back with a dark smile.

"That's better, now there is a game I want to play with you and it's called...who wants to die first?"