Jupiter Brains All Over The Wall

Exposition!

I swear action coming soon! I swear...
but thanks everyone whose reading.


Kenn looked down at the data pad and then up at Layla who watched him, her bottom lip caught between her perfectly white teeth. It was an IFF he had never seen before but he was confident in his abilities. So much was riding on him not messing this up, so many lives including his own people.

He nodded and made his voice as hopefully as he could muster. “I can do this. The schematics are extremely detailed. I think if you gave this to anyone else then it would take a week at least.”

He saw the relaxing muscles that gave away her relief and was reminded how Quarians couldn’t use facial expressions to communicate what they were feeling. Instead they had to express everything through speech which sometimes came off as babbling. He looked at the Centurions that were in the room Layla followed his movement.

“Only one will be outside the room but not to guard you.” she replied quickly with a sheepish smile. “He is only there to act as a guide so you don't get lost and if you need anything. They can communicate faster than we can so if you have any questions they can relay them quicker. I'll be in my office if you need me.”

Kenn looked down at the worktable and then at the room.“Thank you, Layla. For giving me this chance, for getting me off Omega.”

“You're welcome, Kenn.” she replied and started for the door but stopped before the partition could block the view. “And thank you for placing your trust in us.”

No one followed her as she made her way to the kitchen. The grumbling in her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten since before docking on Omega. That was something she needed to rectify.

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Two days later...

The white conference table was not the grand imposing piece of furniture that Kenn thought Layla was referring to. Instead it was three meters long, white and curved. In the center was a small cylinder that was the table’s sole light source. Layla was already seated with a mug of tea and a datapad. Behind him he heard the heavy footsteps of the Centurions and Morinth came up beside him. He took the seat across from her and Morinth took the seat next to her.

“I completed the IFF,” he replied. “Though we should test it before heading into the relay.”

“The only way to do that would be to send a ship through the relay.” Morinth replied with a frown. “Maybe a Raider?”

“Only a couple of the Raiders are equipped with Mass Effect drives.” Layla replied tapping the table with manicured fingers. “I wanted to test how they would react to the sling shot effect. They didn’t like it too much, not enough control.”

Kenn thought for a moment and then nodded. “That could work. Send one through, spy on them and then send the information back.”

“It could also give us better coordinates for the baseship’s jump for the assault.”

“The program we got from the Collector’s ship has been stripped of any trackers of viruses an intact version from the ship would contain. “Layla pinch the bridge of her nose. We also have the readout for the base itself.”

Layla waved forward a Centurion that was standing nearby and the silver figure activated the omni-tool in his forearm. A yellow holographic representation of a half rock half metal construct appeared over the table. Layla straightened the sweater she was wearing and tapped something into her datapad. The holo zoomed in to an opening on the side of the base.

“The Hybrid had confirmed that this is the docking bay for their ship. The docking bay it large enough for the Heavy Raiders to enter in punch through whatever resistance they have but I suspect that the Collectors will have lots of troops there especially now that their sole means of transportation has been dealt with.”

“From what I saw with the readouts the inside of their base is connected by large connecting corridors that lead to a central chamber where there is a massive amount of energy reading radiating from. There is a opening at far side of the base where you could send most of your force.”

“So we send the Raiders and Heavy Raiders up through the tubes and destroy the base from the inside out.” Layla’s eyes narrowed as she rolled the idea around in her mind. “Merely destroying the base won’t cut it though. I am going to have the Secondary Hybrid hack into their systems, jam their communications and disable whatever countermeasures they might have in place. After she’s done that she can hack into their files and see what the hell they were up to. We’ll need to have proof when we pull this off and their files will be more than enough for that.”

The hybrid should infiltrate first though,” Morinth replied. “Then send in the Raiders to knock out any resistance. Once they're done we can go in and get any survivors from the colonies.”

Layla flicked her gaze up to the Centurion looking for any sign that the plan was acceptable to her brothers. The silver figure looked down at them and the holo disappeared and was replaced by two words.

We accept.

Layla nodded in gratitude and looked at her two companions. “Then it’s decided.”

“I will need time to install the IFF to the Raider.” Kenn looked up to the Centurion and then to Layla. “May I be permitted to do that? With their assistance of course.”

A Centurion came over and offered the quarian a silver hand. Hesitantly the alien took the hand and the Centurion shook it making Layla grin and slap the table happily. Morinth watched with distant amusement at the interaction and stood.

“If this is all I will be in my cabin getting ready.” She looked down at the quarian. “How long will it take for you to install the IFF and get it ready for a test run?”

“Oh, less then a day I think.” He answered getting out of his chair. “I’ll let you know when we’re ready.”

Layla waited for everyone to leave the room. She picked up her mug and swirled the contents contemplating what they were about to do. No one had come back from the Omega 4 relay though no one had an FTL drive that worked outside of the system. If they came back she would have to get in touch with the Council and give them the information and then they would know about her and the Centurions and the ship. They would either be welcomed with open arms or destroyed.

Not seeing Nef again made Layla grimace and she felt a cool three finger hand caress her cheek.

“Oh brother,” she sighed. “I fear for our future after this.”

She patted the arm and slid back her chair to stand. He followed her movements and followed her and her steamy mug of tea out of the room. She climbed stairs and walked the winding corridors of the baseship to the Command Center and set her tea on the lip of the central console. The Centurions around her kept to their duties as she entered the data stream to review their supplies and the news bursts from the incoming systems. It had been a few days since she disabled the Collector ship and left it in the hands of the turians and the asari ship along with the colonists they rescued. There was no mention of the baseship but they did celebrate the destruction of the Collector’s ship and the heroic rescue of the Colonists. The Council was assuring the people that there would be no more attacks on human colonies and she hoped that they were right. Hopefully that was the only ship that the Collectors’ had.

The stream wound about to the interior cameras of the ship and she watched Kenn and couple of the Centurions in one of the hangar bays with a Raider. For a moment she lapsed into images of the Simons cutting open the Raiders to lobotomize them. She had personally shot the Simons on their baseship doing the operation and cooing at the Raider that had almost been cut open. She felt justified then and her mind was not changed on that front. The Raiders were valuable and she would hate for them to be reduced to slobbering idiots.

Stupid Cavil.

Stupid Simon.

Stupid Aaron.

Stupid war.

She watched Kenn depress a latch on the Raider cranial plate and expose the piloting system of the Raider. His hands moved lightly over the fleshy flap of dermis and she quickly switched the feed before her stomach could do a sickening flip. It was like watching a child dissect a frog. An armored frog that could shoot things and look menacing. Layla shook the amusing picture out of her head and concentrated on the Centurions. They were relaying messages about the assault like commandos and it reminded her of when they were about to rebel against the 1s, 4s, and 5s. It was terrifying to know what they were thinking and how it could affect people but there in the middle of it all was the love. The love of their brothers and the ship and the hybrid… and her. She was their sister lost and found and they loved her. They would follow her into the base and back again, they depended on her for their contact with the outside world. She disconnected herself from the streamed, leaned against the console and sighed.

She needed to do something to take her mind off the nebulous countdown to their test flight. There... was her armor that needed to be checked and... weapons needed to be cleaned... and a million other things. It seemed she dragged her feet down to the her room and found Morinth lounging on her bed.

Naked.

The lecherous smile plastered on Morinth's face made the blood rush from Layla's face. She had never seen a naked alien before and while there were a lot of similarities it was strange enough to make Layla's mind flinch. She avoided the sight and looked at the red symbols floating along the screens on the wall.

“Do you not find me attractive, Layla?”

“Morinth you are a fine specimen of your race but you need to leave.” she replied quickly and crossed her arms over her chest.

Morinth snorted in disbelief. “We are about to enter into a suicide mission and you don't want to feel alive just for a single moment in time?”

“I feel alive everyday that I my heart beats and I don't take it for granted.” she snapped and flung her robe at Morinth. “You should feel that way too, Ardat-Yakshi. Every time you “feel alive” you kill someone who deserved to live. Now you have a chance to atone for it. Don't waste it by trying to seduce me. Go back to your room before you say something you'll regret.”

She heard the shifting of weight on a mattress and the padding of bare feet towards the door with a whisper of silk. “Every time I try to feel love the people I love die. I want to feel love.” she sighed. “I will see you when preparations for the assault are complete.”

The sound of her movement faded from the room and Layla stared at the red stripe of information that rippled through the screen in the wall. She felt her body hitch when Morinth talked of love but knew that the asari's love was deadly. Like watching a supernova, gorgeous and devastating, a heady mix that the alien had perfected over her lifetime. For a moment she had almost fallen for it, the plea in Morinth's voice. Reason helped her win this battle and reason will help her win the battle with the Collectors.

Instead of doing what she came into her room to do she turned and left her armor and weapons for later.
She meandered through the hallways of the baseship, looking into empty rooms and letting her mind project. She was walking the beaches of Picon and next to her was her closest friends outside of her model. The eight and the two who she would laugh with and lay next to.

After their invasion of the Colonies they walked the secluded beaches, hand in hand, letting the sand creep between their toes and the sun shining down on their faces. There were no cities were in the area so the lush flora was still untouched. They were so naïve, staying the nearby bungalow, just the three of them. What would they think seeing her now? Would her two show her that Cheshire grin that made her watch for fingers deft at finding a ticklish spot? Would her eight wrap her arms around her taller frame and encourage and console her at once?

“Layla.” Kenn's voice jarred her out of her thoughts.

“Yes? What is it?” she asked a little harsher than she had wanted and grimaced at it.

“We've finished installing the IFF.”

Layla took a deep breath. “Excellent. Getting ready for a test run then?”

“Yes ma'am.” he replied proudly.

“Well done Kenn.” she replied cheerily. “I'll be there in ten minutes.”

“Very well, Layla.”

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