Chapter 17 Omega

Circumstances being what they are, the species known as Blacklight was no longer allowed in as many places as they had hoped. Still there were places they could go within a vast galaxy. Enter the Individual known as Shepard. Shepard was a fractured mind, one of the newer ones who were lucky enough to survive the Reapers purge.

He and several thousand tones of Biomass had shifted to a vaguely serpent like shape for greater maneuverability as they made their way to their destination of Omega, one of the few places that may allow a Blacklight individual to roam. Shepard was one who would go, along with several others. Ashley was one such mind, a fractured individual who could tie her very existence to the first evolved to consume a Turian, she was present on Feros and was one of the Evolved to first 'speak' with the enigmatic Thorian.

Next was Kaiden, an Evolved who was fascinated with Biotics and had altered himself often to be as powerful as any Asari, or as close as he could get to it. These three would represent Blacklight's ground team, while the others would remain on the Bioship.

The system they were heading to was one rich in Element Zero deposits and known for the strange Omega 4 relay, a relay through which none who went through ever returned. From Nazara's memories there was something of Reaper importance beyond it, but what that something was could not be determined. In addition, without something unknown to the Many they would never be able to get through, possibly something intrinsic to the Reapers or Reaper forces. Blacklight was confident they could go through eventually, however that would have to wait until their various improvements had finished.

Looking at it, the Hive found Omega an interesting place, a beauty among the stars, though they heard the stories and that old proverb proved true with Omega. The more colorful and flashy a predator, the more dangerous it is.

As a collective the ship released a radio signal and they waited. After nearly an hour they received a signal back.

'Dock... Meet Aria'

A lot of the message was corrupted, but the message itself was clear. The eel like bioship twisted and turned through space as it positioned itself near Omega. Three infested pustules ruptured and three humanoids flew towards the docks. Needless to say the guards were surprised to see three Evolved flying through space without a suit and land with ease on the docks.

Standing before them was a Batarian wearing red colored armor.

"Aria T'loak wishes to speak with...Which ever of you are in charge. Head down to the club Afterlife, she is there.", said the Batarian.

The Evolved nodded in sync and walked away. The Batarian shivered as they left him behind.

Aria was a simple Asari of simple tastes. Money, power, and more money and power. She had ruled Omega longer than most have been alive. She feared very little. When Blacklight had made itself known to the galaxy she thought nothing of it. Then the whole Citadel incident... Yeah... That mess happened. Still, Aria was not as much a fan of rules as the Council was, and she didn't really care if Blacklight was on Omega or not, so long as they knew the one true rule, and so long as there was no repeat of the incidents that happened on the Citadel. The fact that all out war didn't break out between Blacklight and the Council was telling that there was more to the story than she knew.

Sitting comfortably on her couch above the afterlife lounge she heard the talking cease. The music still blared, but everyone's attention was on the three Blacklight Evolved that had just walked in. They didn't look like much, but then again Volus looked like nothing to worry about until a biotic Volus vanguard is coming after you fully cloaked while flying biotic orbs are heading right for your face at relativistic speeds. Aria knew better than to judge by appearances.

As she watched the three she noted the bizarre synchronicity they moved at. Every step and twitch was mirrored by each one of them, to an eerie degree. Aria decided that hive minds disturbed her greatly and she instantly hated it. In her mind she screamed at the things to stop being creepy; Which she was almost positive was intentional on their part. Outwardly however she kept her cool.

The three made their way up the stairs as they carelessly looked around at their surroundings, almost as if they had nothing to fear. Aria began to wonder if they really did considering their nature. Now that she thought of it, what could she do to kill one if it got out of line... Thought for another day, she figured.

"We need to check for weapons.", said a Batarian that Aria felt was slow on the uptake that he was talking to a walking talking WMD. That or the guy was brain damaged. Considering what he just asked a Blacklight individual to do, Aria was willing to say that was a safe bet to take.

"You may find that difficult. We have no weapons, nor even anything else.", spoke the apparent leader of the trio.

Aria sighed. "You might as well not even try.", said Aria.

The guard looked to Aria, before looking back to the trio and leaving them. Not enough to be out of sight, but enough to give them some privacy. Aria turned her eyes to the group and examined each of them.

"So, now that we are all here, mind giving me a reason why I shouldn't run you off this station?", asked Aria blankly as she stared unblinking at the Evolved.

"We were under the impression your station was an area we would be welcome. Based on what we have heard, and our own visual observations that does appear to be the case.", said the apparent female of the group.

"Blacklight has not been to this part of the galaxy, until of course that little incident on the Citadel. What does that make me, the second best? I'm not sure if I should be insulted or honored.", spoke Aria with some venom.

"Plans were delayed. Acceptance was our goal. This incident as you called it has torn our well crafted plans apart.", said the other male of the group.

"So you come here because it's the only place you are allowed. You just might fit in around here.", said Aria who was beginning to realize that staring unblinking at an Evolved was a fight she was going to lose.

"There are other reasons. A certain relay has attracted our attention. Those who we believe emerge from the relay have branded us an enemy.", said the Leader.

Aria rose a brow as she looked at the leader. She turned her head over towards the clubbers below as she blinked her now red eyes. To her credit they didn't tear up. She was beginning to realize that 'the Aria Intimidating Stare, Trademarked' was not going to work here, so she didn't even try. Not like she was trying to impress them... Maybe the 'Aria speaks to you while not looking at you, Trademark Pending' would fair better.

"The Collectors. They don't come out often. Usually every few years or even decades. They did come out a few weeks ago, them and a very big ship.", said Aria as she stared seemingly disinterested at a wall.

The Leader knelt down as tendrils danced around his hand. Her guards aimed but were stopped by Aria as she turned and watched the strange action. After only a moment the Evolved held a small cuttlefish like thing in his palm.

"The other ship, did it look like this?", he asked as he stared at Aria in her eyes.

Aria looked at the small thing in his hand. Other than the organic parts it was a match of the ship that was reported to have exited the Omega 4 relay. She said as such to the leader and he merely blinked. Strangely the other two Evolved blinked at the same time. She decided not looking at the crazy hive-minded virus race was not her best idea.

"Then this area is of interest to us. Shall we discuss our inhabitation of this station, or are we to leave Omega?" asked the Leader, oddly emotionally considering the previous emotionless tone.

Aria ignored it, the novelty of the virus people was slowly falling and she found her boredom slowly but surely coming back.

"I don't really care. There is only one rule on Omega. Don't fuck with Aria. Obey that rule and we will get along splendidly."

The leader of the small squad nodded as he reabsorbed the model of that ship back into himself.

"Will our numbers be limited?", he asked.

"I don't really care, don't cause trouble and your whole race can stay here for all I care.", said Aria.

"We will assume you are not serious with that remark. We are to depart now.", said the Leader of the group before he nodded and they left the area without so much as a fuss.

Aria propped her feat on the couch as she watched them leave.

"Keep an eye on them.", she said to the nearby Turian guard.

Several other Evolved had broken off from the Bioship as they made their way to Omega. Dozens of them falling and landing with animalistic grace and poise before they spread out. The denizens of Omega watched with a look of panic, but they kept the chaos down to only that.

Shepard and his group had moved throughout Omega looking at the various species who would glare at them, at least they assumed it to be a glare. Aliens being what they are were not as easy to read.

The group split for now as they went out to search. What for, they did not know, but they hoped to find something or someone that could aid them in the future.

Omega was a vile place. If the Evolved visiting had to put a word on it, it was somewhat reminiscent of the cyberpunk genre of the old humans, at least superficially. The look was there but not much else. It was interesting to see after the high culture appearance of the Citadel.

Red was a common color, lights seemed to drown the place in an eerie red glow with contrasting blue and white lights added in. The effect would actually be somewhat calming if it wasn't for the blacks and greys of the surrounding buildings. It was to be expected of a station that once served as an Eezo mine that had been retrofitted into a community. Eezo still exited deeper in the station, down below where the actual mining was taking place, so the aesthetic was logical, if oddly contrasting.

The aliens around were interesting. While it was similar to the Citadel, there were more Krogan and Quarians around, not to mention a large portion of Vorcha that roamed in packs of three to five. Vorcha were an interesting race that had interested Blacklight greatly. They were similar to Blacklight in many ways, yet so very different. They exist as individuals, but function in collectives and rely on resilience and adaptability, something that interested Blacklight greatly.

Shepard moved up to a small pack of the feral species who were digging through garbage. As he approached they began making hissing sounds at each other to alert their kin. Each one turned to face Shepard but they did not move. Their nostrils flared as they noticed he was moving towards them. Vorcha smelt the stench of sickness on him. It unnerved them a bit, but not by much. Vorcha were a stubborn race after all.

"Wat you wan' Blacklight."

The one who spoke seemed to be the leader of the bunch. The complex eyes of Shepard noted the skin of this one was thick, and covered in a slick material that seemed to be a fire retardant. This alone spoke a lot of this individual and what he had been through. Vorcha were unique in many ways due to their adaptation abilities. Shepard watched and observed the actions of the Vorcha and opened his mouth to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth much like that of the Vorcha. He bent down a bit. Classic Vorcha display of submission. Then he began staring at them while clicking his teeth.

The Leader clicked his own teeth together as he looked to his kin who were hissing lightly. This continued for several seconds until one of the older looking ones sniffed loudly, the Vorcha equivalent of a nod. The Leader walked up to Shepard and paced around him much like that of a predator. All the while his teeth were clicking away.

"My name is Shepard. I just wanted to talk."

"Shepard. Shepard... Shepard.", said the Vorcha leader, as if he were testing the name.

Shisk sniffed loudly and examined the Evolved before him.

"I Shisk. This my clan. Why you wan' talk?"

Shepard tilted his head up. Shisk sniffed loudly as he rose high, straightening his spine as he tilted his head down. Shepard recognized the display, the Vorcha was giving him permission to speak.

"We, like you, heal very well. We wondered if you could tell us the leaders of your planet, or at least the strongest clan. We have a deal we wish to make on Heshtok."

Shisk hissed. "All clans weak. Shisk clan strongest. Heshtok clans fight. Clans weak, but members in clans strong. Why you wan' make deal with them. Shisk clan better. Smarter. More cunning. Make deal with us."

"Because you don't own Omega, our deal is a bit drastic. We want to ally. Make friends with you, so to speak, and in return we would help you. As we understand it Heshtok is scarce on resources. We can help your people with that."

Shisk clicked his teeth as he looked to the others. The others hissed but a few sniffed loudly before Shisk did the same in return.

"Wat if Shisk clan go home. You help us then."

Shepard sniffed loudly, hoping that a much more familiar form of their unique communication methods would win them over. The surrounding Vorcha gave no real indication that it did, but they left the junk pile and began to circle around Shepard, inspecting him. Shepard kept low to the ground but kept his face and posture firm.

Shisk walked forward. The other Vorcha backed off as Shisk stood tall over Shepard, still examining him like a curiosity, before he sniffed.

"We go home then."

Shepard sniffed loudly as he rose. He watched as the Vorcha began clicking his teeth this did not go unnoticed.

"Is there an issue?" asked Shepard.

Shisk looked to his clan, then to Shepard,, then back to his clan, before looking back at Shepard. The display was rather amusing, but not as much as the next words that came out of Shisk's mouth.

"How we get back home?"

Shepard blinked, before he sighed. "How do you feel about traveling in a Bioship?"

"Wat Bioship?"

"Blacklight Ship.", said Shepard blankly.

"...Meat Ship?"

"Yes. Meat Ship."

"We go then."

Shepard could only watch as the small clan left without so much as a fuss. He really wished all political discussions were as straight forward as that, even if it was rather awkward towards the end.

As they left the area Shepard quirked his head just a bit as he furrowed his brows. There was something about the term Shisk used that came to mid.

Meat Ship. No, they wouldn't actually try and...

'I better make sure they don't try to eat it.'

Ashley watched as an Asari left the table and left a tip, she was a cheep one, leaving only five credits for what was obviously a very expensive meal, still Ash wasn't one to judge. She moved to the table the asari was once at and saw the saliva on her cup hadn't been wiped off, meaning a sample could be easily taken to learn more of this strange seemingly artificial gene. The problem was it was difficult to pinpoint which Asari were infected, or rather afflicted and which were not.

All in all, it was a massive guessing game that probably would only provide a bit of understanding and produce minor results at best. Still, Ashley walked past the table, wiping her finger against the glass where the asari's lips touched as her body absorbed and analyzed the sample.

As expected, another carrier, this one more removed from the Asari gene pool. The randomization process used by the mother of this Asari seemed to indicate that the 'father' was a member of a dextro-amino species, though it was difficult to pinpoint whether it was Turian or Quarian. Asari genetics was an interesting thing, like a huge puzzle. By looking at the patterns, one could slightly determine the species of the father, though not to any great detail. There were similar signs between 'fathers' of their species. Normally it would be difficult to tell, if not outright impossible, but Blacklight had learned much about the Asari genome.

Ashley left the table just as quickly as she arrived and looked around for other samples no one would notice her take. The unusual artificial gene within most Asari was worrying, namely how it acted, or rather how Blacklight theorized it acted if the pattern they saw was there.

While the sample size was diverse, it was all from carriers, and not particularly good ones either. Pureblood Asari seemed to be the link they needed, though the Asari stigma against that would make them rare, not to mention that it would have to be several generations of purebloods and a series of unlikely circumstances before the gene would activate.

The gene was scary good at hiding itself, and would probably not be seen in much more than a handful of individuals. The gene needed very specific conditions to activate, conditions that were rare in the current age for the Asari. Chances are that the time for discovering what this gene actually is had past, and there was the distinct possibility that this gene was close to being bred out the gene pool. Though if not, then Blacklight would find it.

Ashley saw a young Asari with a few of what were presumably her friends sneeze into a napkin. Once the young asari wiped her face she threw away the napkin onto the floor. Ash looked at the litter through narrowed eyes. She supposed a sample was still a sample no matter where she got it from... She didn't have to like it though.

Kaiden moved carefully through the crowds as he eyed the surrounding shops and aliens as the day to day happenings of this mining station/city went by. Curiously, unlike the memories that were not his own from the Citadel, these aliens did not give him any space to move around, or at least not any more than they gave any other.

There were fewer glances of controlled fear on any of the aliens. At most they would give him a confused glance before dismissing him as nothing to worry about. That along spoke much of the status of Omega.

Still, he had a job to do. A very important one. While Shepard would gain possible allies and Ashley would try and learn more of the strange artificial gene found in some Asari, Kaiden had a much more interesting duty.

It was a well known fact that Omega was once a Prothean mining station, or at least part of one. The nigh indestructible nature of the asteroid itself made deep mining almost impossible. It wasn't until another asteroid had hit what would become Omega that mining deeper became a possibility.

While most of the station was made by the races that lived today, there was the fact that it was built around the old Prothean station. Which is what Kaiden was looking for. While a mining station would hold very little data, it would still hold secrets of the Protheans that could be used.

Kaiden moved toward the nearest railing as he looked down over Omega. With eyes far better than any other species that lived, he saw the old Prothean station far down. It had been altered quite a bit to serve as a storage area.

When Kaiden confirmed no one was looking, he leapt off the side, over the rails and fell downwards towards the station. As he fell he began to break down. His skin twitched and squirmed as his insides changed into something else.

Once that was done, his skin split open, revealing a swarm of insects that had grown within him. As they exited, his loose skin had likewise became more of the strange flying swarm. The swarm dispersed to reduce the chances of anyone seeing them as they buzzed toward their destination. However a large majority remained close together, as if they were hiding something hidden within their swarm.

This unique ability was a new one Blacklight had only recently developed. It was done by turning the insides of any given individual into a swarm of insect like creatures and using the resulting swarm to move about unseen. The only real issue was controlling multiple bodies, which could be difficult, but not impossible.

As the swarm descended they flew tightly together and began to fuse to each other and slowly reform into Kaiden, who calmly walked forward as he examined the area around him. He saw some machinery that he could confirm matched Prothean design.

He moved towards it as his chest began to bulge. As this happened he reached up to his chest to pull out a small football sized mechanical orb. This was what the swarm was attempting to hide, something that they could not be seen with.

Kaiden threw the orb upwards where it began to unfold and change shape to reveal a large mechanical drone.

"Geth Drone active. This platform holds 798 programs. Beginning diagnostic check."

Kaiden waited as the small drone did its thing. The process was thankfully short before the drone moved again.

"Was it necessary to disperse into the swarm of insects."

Kaiden smiled. "No not really. Fun though. Anyway we're here. This should be the location where the Prothean mining station once was."

"Acknowledged. We will begin analysis.", said the drone as it flew off towards a large console.

The area around them was a simple one. Mostly filled with support structures, a few buildings arranged in a circular formation, and various antenna or other communication devices. Most of the equipment had been stripped clean, but a lot of it remained. The surrounding buildings seemed to be used as storage while the old consoles within them remained untouched. It was a strange sight to see the Prothean architecture sitting next to the more industrial look of Omega itself.

Kaiden ignored it as he followed the drone who was moving between two consoles and a small antenna. After a few moments it turned to him and flashed a few lights.

"We are uploading all Geth programs into Prothean Hardware for analysis. The communications devices are functional and will allow us to send relevant data back to Geth and Blacklight. We will require you to ensure drone hardware will remain undiscovered."

"You want me to blow up the drone?", asked Kaiden.

"Affirmative, once upload is complete, drone hardware will be rendered inert. Destruction will prevent discovery of Geth on Omega."

Kaiden nodded as he waited for the drone to finish its thing. After only a moment it fell limp to the ground. A quick hammer fist blow turned it into scrap.

Mordin did not like what information Saleon had uploaded onto his omni tool. This confirmed his suspicion that Jobol had a sample of Blacklight, and worst still Mordin learned why Saleon was chosen. The man was a sick and twisted parody of a physician, something Mordin detested. What made it worst was there was little he could do about it. He could sabotage the experiments, however there were a few issues, namely his spyware programs would be detected if he did to much, something Mordin wanted to avoid as long as possible.

The program would be able to download itself onto the STG computer systems when Saleon sent in his first report, and from there it would create a backdoor Mordin could access. That however would take time as the worm was very simple at this stage and was designed to evolve along a very specific path.

That could wait. Right now Mordin was on his way to Omega. He had already rid himself of the STG craft and gotten an unmarked craft to get there. Rumor had it that since being banned from Citadel space, Blacklight was on its way towards Omega. He would have to see if they were aware of this. It was something Mordin felt he owed Blacklight after the very eventful stay on Shanxi, not to mention the groundbreaking procedures gained simply from observing Blacklight.

After a few hours of continuous travel, he had finally made it to Omega. Once there he was surprised to see that a Bioship was near the docks. He ignored it for now as he landed on the nearest platform and docked his ship. He waited for the long, boring, tedious, and hated decontamination process to finish, something that to Mordin's own hyper active mentality felt like hours. Once it was done Mordin left and smiled as he made his way through the docks towards the market district.

Immediately after exiting he saw a familiar sight. The Fractured Individual Shepard he had met on Shanxi was here, speaking to two other Blacklight individuals. Smiling, the Salarian made his way over towards the trio. He was not shocked to see that as soon as the female appearing one saw him, the other two turned around. All smiled as if they had all known him, something that did not shock Mordin as much as it probably should have.

"Greetings Dr. Solus.", said Shepard with a bow.

"Shepard, I have news. Is there somewhere private we could speak?", asked Mordin quickly as ever.

The three nodded in sync as they motioned for Mordin to follow. The area they headed to was one mostly filled with Krogan and a few Vorcha, but otherwise was empty. Shepard turned to Mordin.

"It is shocking to see you here. In a galaxy over a hundred thousand light years side to side, this meeting would be rare. Very serendipitous wouldn't you say, or were you aware of our presence here?", asked Shepard with a sharp tone that spoke of some accusations of guilt.

Mordin shook his head. "While I was aware of Blacklight's presence on Omega, I was not aware of you personally being here. I came to exchange information, or rather to give you some.", said Mordin.

"For free? Usually such a deed has a price.", said the other male Mordin did not recognize.

"I would like for you to think of me as friend and ally to you, which is why I am here to tell you that I have it on very good authority that the STG has a sample of Blacklight.", said Mordin.

Shepard blinked. "I see. We assumed as much. However that is irrelevant, the mere action of you telling us this is a great deed in and of itself regardless of our prior knowledge. We believe you trustworthy Mordin, and you may call us friend.", said Shepard.

Mordin blinked rapidly in quick succession. "You... Were aware? But, then why does the sample still exist?", asked Mordin highly confused at this new information.

"There is nothing we can do about it. Knowing that the STG has it does not mean that we know what is being done with it, nor where it is. Nonetheless, we are confident that the sample itself should be sufficient to hamper efforts to study it. We had encoded instructions and directives into Blacklight cells in preparation for such an eventuality."

Mordin nodded in acceptance at that answer before he sighed.

"I came halfway across the galaxy, and you already knew. I feel as if I wasted my time. Regardless, I will send you information as I get it. Am I correct to assume that the radio equipment still exists on Shanxi?", asked Mordin.

"It does."

"Then I will use that to send you any data I get. I would assume that you know how best to use that information to your advantage.", said Mordin.

"We thank you Dr. Solus... We would also be most appreciative if you are able to find the location of the sample in question.", said Shepard before he blinked rapidly and smiled. "Now, I have a gift for you. If you want it, that is.", said Shepard.

Mordin was about to turn around to leave when he heard Shepard say that. He looked on in confusion at the Individual before him as he produced an omni tool from his wrist and began to type. Mordin was somewhat shocked to see that a Blacklight individual was using an omni tool... Then again they were some of the most useful inventions around, he doubted that they could have an organic equivalent so soon after they themselves only just learned of them.

Shepard spoke as he began to type. "I told you before that one of my goals was to spread the knowledge and culture of the race once called Human. That is still my goal. This I am about to give you is a very important part of Human culture, especially for physicians.", said Shepard as he finished writing.

Shepard looked over the file and with a few gestures had sent it to Mordin's own omni tool. This wasn't that shocking, as on Shanxi, Mordin did give Shepard and a few other Blacklight individuals the means to contact him, though he didn't expect them to ever do so. He wished that he had known. Might have saved himself an unnecessary trip.

Mordin felt the soft tone to show that the message was received. He was somewhat shocked to find that the file was a text file. He began reading it and was initially confused, until he read more into the note. Shepard smiled.

"That is the Hippocratic Oath. All doctors and physicians had to take that oath. It had been modified much during Human history, but that one you are reading is the original. I thought you would like it.", said Shepard.

Mordin did like it, he liked it a lot.

"Who is Apollo, Aescul...Aescul...Who are these strange names?", asked Mordin.

"Apollo, Aesculapius, Hygeia and Panacea were gods worshiped very long ago.", said Shepard.

Mordin had only partly listened as he read the note lowly to himself, he did this very quickly again and again. After a few minutes Mordin stood a bit higher before turning to Shepard who was watching Mordin with a curious eye. Mordin stood tall as he stared into Shepard's eyes. Mordin raised his right hand.

"I swear by Apollo the physician, and Aesculapius the surgeon, likewise Hygeia and Panacea, and call all gods and goddesses to witness, that I will observe and keep this underwritten oath, to the utmost of my power and judgment. I will..."

He recited the entire thing, word for word. Each word spoken not with a bored tone, or even Mordin's usual fast paced speech, but a respectful and even proud tone of voice that he poured every ounce of pride and soul into.

CODEX: Vorcha Body Language

Vorcha are often seen as a savage race. They are seen as pests and scavengers to many parts of the galaxy. However Vorcha language is mainly reliant on body language more so than any other sapient species and is in fact quite sophisticated in it's usage for non-verbal communication. This is the main reason they speak in a broken pattern when communicating verbally. Notable Vorcha tics include the following:

Clicking Teeth-A sign of confusion, curiosity, and deep thought.

Audible Sniff- A sign of acceptance. The Vorcha equivalent of a nod.

Hissing- A sign of nervousness, and used as a tool for intimidation.

Snarl-A sign that the Vorcha is bored, angry, or hungry and may attack.

Poor Posture- A sign of submission, and a way to show others you mean no harm.

Rigid Posture- A sign of dominance, and another tool of intimidation.

Tilting of the Head- Tilting down is a way to show the Vorcha had finished speaking and is allowing a Submissive Vorcha to Speak. Tilting Up is the Vorcha equivalent of asking for permission to speak.

There are other forms of Body Language among them that has not been documented, however these are the most common among the various clans.