Jupiter Brains All Over The Wall

Hey its shorter than a month to get this out.

Hopefully this will feel longer...

The inside of the Normandy was just as sleek and shiny as the outer hull was. Joker was already at the helm, watching the final trio board. The CIC ran from the helm down to a large area where a holographic representation of the Normandy floated. Layla's heels rapped sharply on the metal plating which made the crew turn from their orange readouts to watch the blonde and get the searing visual reprimand from Miranda. A young red headed woman was looking through a private terminal and smiled at them as they approached.

"Kelly Chambers, my yeoman." Shepard grinned as the young woman saluted. "Kelly this is Layla Sextus. She'll be aboard for our flight to the Citadel."

"Nice to meet you Ms. Chambers." Layla replied with a nod and a smile.

"Please, just call me Kelly." The young man replied and turned to Shepard. "The Illusive Man wishes to speak to you in the debriefing room and he wants to speak to Ms. Sextus as well."

Shepard groaned. "One thing about this job I don't like." He turned to Layla. "He's my boss."

"But he's not mine." Layla replied and sighed. “I have no wish to speak to him.”

"The sooner we do the sooner we can get to the Citadel. Tell Joker to head to the Citadel." Shepard finished and waved for Layla to follow him through a couple of doors into a lab and then through a hallway to a room with a table slid into the floor when they walked.

Shepard guided Layla into the cylindrical orange grid that rose up to the ceiling. Layla's eyes adjusted to compensate for the drastic difference in light.
The other end of the holo was a darkened room with a clear view of a dying sun that burned blue. A man, smoking a cigarette, caught her attention and she stared at the bright glowing eyes of the shadowy figure. The man put his cigarette down into an ashtray built into the arm of his chair.

"I was afraid that you didn't get my message, Ms Sextus. We have a lot to talk about."
Layla quirked an eyebrow but said nothing; this was a man used to hearing the sound of his own voice. He was used to drawing people to do what he wanted when he wanted without them realizing.

Layla sighed and turned to Shepard. “We are wasting time and your thanks means nothing to me. I have a meeting to get to so if we can talk another time it would be great.”

"Shepard, I assume you will be at the meeting too?"

Layla shot Shepard a reproachful glance and the man shrugged. "I've been on Ms. Sextus' naughty list for a while."

"What would it take for you to work with Shepard?"

“I do not trust Shepard with any information of any kind at the moment and he will not be in the meeting. End of conversation.” Layla stated mildly as though the explanation was solid fact and could not be disputed.

She spun around and walked out of the debriefing room. She stayed in the connecting hallway from the debriefing room leaning up against the wall to feel the minute vibration from the ship's engine. The door to her right opened and the man known as Jacob came through.

She felt his study of her flash against her body but she did not respond and Jacob didn't engage. He his face was friendly. “Have fun talking to the boss?”

“I met a man like him before and he destroyed everything I loved.” Layla replied calmly. “I don't want to have anything to do with him.”

“Most people say that when they first meet him. But as long as he walks his talk I can't complain.” Jacob replied. “It's been a condition of my employment.”

Layla shook her head at his confession but said nothing. Nothing she could say would change his mind he would have to witness it on his own. “Well I hope it works out for the best.”

The door to the debriefing room opened and Shepard came out and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Layla. “The Illusive Man wasn't happy about you not letting me into the meeting.”

“What I have to say is for the Council and when I think you deserve it I will tell you everything that I will tell them.” Layla replied much sharper than she would have liked but she was tired of being hassled by Shepard and his boss.

“If it's about the Collectors or the Reapers then Shepard should know. He's been fighting the Reapers since before Saren and Sovereign attacked the Citadel two years ago.” Jacob interjected.

“Only a fraction of what I will tell the Council is about the Reapers or the Collectors. It hinges on something much larger and affects me personally. I am sure Councilor Anderson will be happy to tell you after the meeting if he should feel it prudent.”

“The Normandy will have us at the Citadel in an hour.” Shepard turned the subject away from the argument that was about to escalate. “I'm sure Ms. Sextus would like to get herself cleaned up and something to eat.”

Jacob saluted and spun around to head back to his station. Layla looked down at herself and sighed.

“Yes, thank you.”

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Layla stood on the bridge of the Normandy in a black, skin tight suit that Miranda had donated. She was slimmer compared to the darker haired woman, a opposition in their looks. Miranda stood beside her, arms crossed over her chest as the frigate maneuvered through the traffic that moved throughout the immediate area of the Citadel. In front of them Joker kept his attention to his instruments though he wanted to take a peak at the blonde behind him. Layla's body tightened at the lessening of the distance between her and the meeting with the Council. Doubt flitted about her like gnats causing her nose to twitch in response.

The Normandy docked smoothly on one of the Wards and the slowness of the airlock was all that was keeping Layla from running out of the ship and away from the crew and Shepard. Shepard and Miranda followed Layla to the transport depot and they all went to the port checkpoint to enter the Citadel. They walked down a short hallway and waited for the turian to wave them through.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, ma'am.” he replied.

A quarian flanked by two turians in military dress waved at her from beyond the C-Sec checkpoint. “Layla, over here!”

Layla smiled broadly at the quarian and walked briskly over to him but her gaze flicked to the two turians. The grayer of the two turians with red flashes on his face cleared his throat and stepped closer to the quarian.

“Oh, um Layla this is Captain Peltrasius and Commander Mycius of the Parthian Rage.” Kenn greeted.

Layla's smiled stayed on her face and she shook both of the turians' three digit hands. “It is good to meet you in person, Captain. Commander.”

Peltrasius nodded. “It is an honor to finally meet you... Shall I call you Six or Layla?” he asked.

“Layla is fine but if you are uncomfortable with that then Ms. Sextus will do.” she answered smoothly. “How fares your ship, Captain?”

“Better than we had hoped when we first met, repairs will be completed in a couple of weeks and then we are off on tour.” The officer replied proudly. “Mycius and I are here at the Council's request to bear witness on your actions after the attack. Though nothing we shall say will be unattractive.”

Mycius nodded. “The colonists you saved are safe in Alliance care for medical reasons and would be glad to know that you are well.”

“This is a conversation best had in a more private setting.” Miranda replied bringing herself and Shepard back to Layla's attention.

The turian officers and Kenn studied both of them. Layla's smile dropped a fraction. “Kenn, Captain, Commander, let me introduce Commander Shepard and Miranda Lawson of the Normandy.”

The trio of aliens were a little surprised. “Commander.” Peltrasius greeted. “It is good to see the news of your death exaggerated.”

His eyes caught the symbol on Miranda's chest and his mandibles flared in anger. The symbol of Cerberus was not a happy symbol since it was connected to xenophobia and terrorism. “Mycius and I must be off, we just wanted to meet you before the hearing before the Council.”

Their exit was swift and left a sour taste in Layla's mouth. She would have to do something to get her back into their good graces. She looked over at Miranda and noticed the logo. She huffed and shook her head.

“Thank you for the escort, Commander, Ms. Lawson.” she replied. “I shall have your suit laundered and delivered to the Normandy as swiftly as possible. Come along, Kenn.”

Kenn looked a little shocked at her treatment of the Spectre but he was not pleased to see Cerberus in with Shepard. “Right.”

“What? You can't just toss us out after using us.” Miranda snapped angrily.

Layla spun about and pulled Miranda closer her grip stronger than she had expected. “It is not prudent for us to be around each other while on the station until after I meet with the Council. You are known to be in Cerberus' pocket and I'm trying to get the Council on my side and in turn your side. So would you kindly let me get done what needs to be done so that we can get on with our lives?”

The blonde spun around and quickly caught up with Kenn, her backside fading away from Miranda's glare. The flight back to their hotel suite was filled with one sided conversation as Kenn prattled about the investigation with C-Sec, upgrades to her ship, Morinth's disappearance and his thoughts about Cerberus and what they had done to endanger the Migrant Fleet. Her emotions were swirling about her mind and for a fleeting moment she thought about snapping Kenn's neck to shut him up.

The guilt that crested over her after the thought made her wonder about her mood. Had the Illusive Man and Shepard rattled her enough to make her prone to such thoughts? Or the thought that she was responsible for letting Morinth get away from her and loose on the galaxy cause her to lash out? Slowly she took a breath and started a silent pray to the One True God to calm her fears and sooth her mind.

The trip back to the hotel was fuzzy and her body barely let her strip off her borrowed attire and slide into one of her dresses. Being out of the tingly material that the Cerberus woman favored made her feel less dirty.

“I don't understand why you want to work with Cerberus.” Kenn replied as she skimmed the order for her appearance in front of the Council.

“I don't want to work with Cerberus. I'd rather not be around Shepard or Cerberus if I can help it. They gave me a lift, fed and clothed me. Now, hopefully we can avoid them at all costs. So C-Sec knows for sure that Aria T'Loak knows nothing about your attack?”
Kenn sighed and came to sit next to her. “As certain as they can be. But they've beefed up security around the docking bay which will give Morinth a harder time in getting back to our ship.”

“I hope she's okay.”

“She's been doing this for centuries she'll be fine.”

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Morinth kept her head down as she slid through the crowds of Bekenstein's largest city outside of the capital. Her contact planet side was an easy mark for her brand of seduction and the contacts the man had for getting her past security clearances made her life a little easier. She had stayed on this rock for two days after Donovan's death, nursing her wounds and her pride with expensive alcohol and pretty young human girls. The alcohol numbed her while the young girls tried hard to make her feel something. The battles between the two left her aching for the time before the Cylon and Omega and her promise.

Her fear of heading back to the Citadel almost made her turn away from the empty cafe her contact picked for their meeting. She had nothing to hide, she had not killed the young girls she seduced but running from a woman who had helped her made her feel less than what she was. The door to the cafe opened for her and she slipped in, heading for the trim young asian man that sat in the corner. She sat across from him and let her icy blue eyes bore into his.

He smiled at her and took a drink from his mug. “I am happy to see you in one piece. Now, shall we get on with it?” She didn't answer and he took it as an agreement to continue.

“A ship departing for the Citadel will be leaving tonight at 2100 planet time. It is captained by a grizzled looking woman by the name of Emera.” he pulled an OSD from his jacket and slid it across from her. “She'll know to expect you and will deliver you to the Ward and dock you asked for.”

Morinth nodded and slipped the disk into her coat. She left the cafe and the man and started back to the dingy hotel that she had paid for. She would pass her time at a strip joint down the street with a fix of halex and a few lap dances.

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The Citadel Tower was an impressive structure and the lavender lighting from the flowering trees that lined the walls and dotted the hall was designed to sooth the officials and visitors that strode the halls. Layla was dressed in a conservative dress like many of the other females in Citadel space did, her blonde hair pulled into a chignon and her make up light except for her lips. Kenn stood at her side and off her peripheral vision she saw the two turian officers and a couple of the colonists from the Collector ship she rescued.

They looked well, and they smiled shyly at her and she greeted them with a smile to match. The young commander, Mycius, looked as if he was going to come over and speak to her but the soft restraining grasp of his Captain stopped him.

The form of Udina appeared from the steps that led to the Council's seat of power and he waved for her and Kenn to follow them. Layla kept her steps steady but felt Kenn's hand land on her back to reassure her. The quartet of Councilor's stood on their dais with the lights from the Wards diffusing into a yellowish orange glow about them. Udina bowed to the Councilors and Layla and Kenn followed suit.

“We have called this meeting to discuss the evidence brought forth by one Layla Sextus and Kenn'Haal nar Kasla of the Kobol.” the Salarian Councilor replied to those assembled. “Councilor Anderson has said that you were given the information by a group who had taken out the base. Is this correct?”

“It is.”

“Captain Peltrasius confirmed that the design of the dreadnaught and that of the smaller ships are the same design as those that came to the Collector ship which you were involved in, is this correct?” the turian Councilor asked.

“It is.”

"They are human, are they not?"

"They are not." Layla answered and the Councilors looked at each other in confusion.

"What are they?" Anderson asked.

Layla took a deep breath and steeled herself for the revelation that she was about to drop. "They are Cylon. They are A.I.s who rebelled against their creators a hundred and fifty thousand years ago and they destroyed the Collectors to atone for their past sins."

"Who created the Cylons?"

"Humans."

Anderson frowned. "How is that possible? We only made first contact twenty six years ago."

"The humans that made my employers were originally from a trinary solar system with 12 habitable planets and no mass effect relay. Their space travel operates outside of your technology. I don't know if you are their descendents of those humans or you evolved naturally." Layla replied, her eyes locking with Anderson's. She looked over at the other Councilors. "I do not know what happened to the humans from their time. They fought against the Collectors and Reapers because they knew that organic life is worth saving. They only wish to be viewed not as enemies because of their origins but as allies."

"We have reports that you've been in contact with Commander Shepard and Cerberus."

"I have rebuffed Cerberus' advances many times and have not given them any information of what the Collectors were doing. Nor do I intend to give Cerberus any assistance."she said sternly

The quartet of officials pressed something on their respective podiums and closed in to discuss the information that they had been handed. It seemed like eternity that they spoke and Layla tried to will her stomach not to flop about. The Salarian Councilor was the first to leave the group and he came over to his podium and pressed a button. The other Councilors rejoined the ranks slowly.

“It is the decision of the Council to grant you and your brothers asylum in Council space in light of your acts against the Collectors and evidence brought. We only ask that you stay on the Citadel until we enter you and your brothers into the system.”

Layla gave them a grateful smile. “Thank you Councilors.”

She bowed to the quartet along with Udina and Kenn and followed the balding man off the audience platform and down into the waiting area where Peltrasius and Mycius were waiting. Peltrasius came over and placed a three taloned hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze.

“We heard everything from here.” he replied. “Come we still owe you a drink.”

Layla looked over at Kenn but the quarian shook his head.

“I should be getting back to the Kobol and give the Centurions the good news. You go and have some fun.”

Layla grinned at Kenn and patted his shoulder. “I shall see you later, okay?”

Kenn nodded and watched as the turian and Cylon made their way out to the elevator. He smiled and went to the nearest extranet terminal.