Fandom An Unlikely Duo (Sgt Gomez & Dovahkiin)

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



Unsolved cases, gathering information, and resisting the urge to take a day-long nap were all in a day's work for Vera. Things were especially chaotic as of late, with an assassin running loose on the streets, leaving little more than a trail of bodies and blood splatter behind in their wake. Without much evidence, pinning the killer was difficult. Vera and the investigative team were working themselves into exhaustion trying to solve the case and weed out the assassin, but so far, the only thing they found of interest were wounds that pointed to the murder weapon. The murderer's identity was still a wild mystery, and it'd only be a matter of time before the team had another body to clean up.


Rubbing the bone between her eyes, Vera sighed. After a long day of analyzing information only to leave empty-handed, she wanted nothing more than to kick up her feet, have a few drinks, and try to forget about the murders -- at least for a little while. Despite her efforts to have a peaceful walk, her mind couldn't help but drift back to the murders and she felt responsible. The longer it took for the killer to be caught, the more blood she'd have on her hands and more anxiety piled up over how in the hell she was going to deliver justice to the murdered. Shaking her head, Vera's brows furrowed. She'd drive herself insane if she kept thinking like that, so she did her best to lock away her worries and settle her nerves by taking long, drawling breaths.


The calmness was short-lived.


Though faint, the sound of fists hitting flesh pounded down the street, and before she could do so much as blink, Vera's legs were pumping in the sound's direction. The slapping of her feet on the ground boomed, but was dull in comparison to the throbbing of her heart as it damn near threatened to beat out of her rib cage. Dark silhouettes came into view, and the closer she got, the more defined they became: a couple of teenagers were beating a quarian senseless. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"


Their movements stopped -- then resumed. Vera gave growl and pried the kids off the quarian, whipping around to face them as she withdrew her badge and extended it in front of her in one, quick motion. "You see this? You wanna get taken in?" she spat, not even trying to conceal her anger. "Scram, brats." The teens exchanged wide-eyed glances with one another, their breathing still heavy. "Now." And with that, they darted off into the darkness. Vera's eyes trailed after the duo for a while, and she clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Goddamn kids," she hissed beneath her breath. Looking down at the quarian, Vera crouched. She looked rough. "You okay?"

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



Uto had her eyes closed as she sat on the tram to head back to the headquarter's of her employer. She was a quarian, but she was different from many others in her race. She was an assassin. Taken in shortly after she had left for her pilgrimage, Uto quickly learned about the darkness in the world and her employer ensured that she stayed working for him. She was an effective tool in gaining influence over the Citadel. She was a natural tinkerer so on her free-time away from an assassination, she would develop and work on tools for her killings. her most popular device was an omni-disguise. It would cloak the wearer and project a body over their own so that they could pretend to be a random civilian or someone close to the target.


As she stepped off the tram and towards the HQ, she could not help but to reflect on all of the killings she had performed. What were they for? She was just a tool and her boss and her knew it. She knew she could never get away from him without either dying or well dying was really the best option. Her boss was nearly impossible to touch and he had C-Sec running in circles right around his finger tips.


The door to the usual meeting spot slid open as she approached and she was pulled in by two krogan. "I see you finally killed that pesky business man," her boss says from the shadows.


"I did what I was told," she bowed her head as the krogan finished searching her.


"Yes you did. Does C-Sec know you are behind it?"


"Of course not sir. I did what I always have. C-Sec is still miles behind me," She says. She could hear two sets of footsteps approaching her from the shadows.


"She speaks the truth," a familiar quarian voice says.


"Darlox?" Uto asks.


"Yes, Uto," he responds uninterestedly.


Her boss laughs, "It seems the two lovebirds finally meet again."


Uto's eyes begin to fill with tears as she remembers how Darlox and her were going to be wed when they returned from their pilgrimage, but when they left he had changed. He was not interested in ever returning to the fleet. She plead with him to, but he refused and since she loved him, she could not leave him alone. Her employer took them in and Darlox quickly rose to being the second in command while she was just an assassin, a tool to implement their will.


After several minutes, they tossed her onto the street again while transferring a few credits into her account so she could afford food, but nothing else. She dusted herself off and continued to walk to her alley, where she slept. When she arrived there, two teens, one human and the other asari, attacked her from the shadows. The asari used her biotic abilities to shove her against the wall knocking the wind out of her and taking her by surprise. The human male proceeded to kick her in the stomach over and over again.


Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the two ran off, but why? Uto felt a hand on her and she asked a question. Did she ask if I was ok? "Y-Yeah..." She coughed. "Nothing some omni-gel can't fix..." she slowly stood up and held her chest and tried to walk off before collapsing in pain.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



Vera watched the quarian with wary eyes as she managed to make her way to her feet, Vera doing the same, only to collapse back onto the ground once again. Rushing to her aid, Vera knelt down beside her. "Don't move," she spoke, words soft yet demanding as she withdrew her omni-tool and began applying medi-gel to the quarian's wounds. Damn kids, she thought, brows furrowing. As far as she was concerned, this seemed like another hate crime; it wasn't unusual for quarians to be targeted based on race alone, and attacks like these became even more prevalent when attackers can ambush the defenseless from the dark. Vera’s jaw clenched. She hated the thought.


For a while after she finished patching up the quarian’s wounds, she hadn’t bothered moving. Vera wasn’t even sure if she had a safe place to stay, at least long enough for her to get back on her feet. She toyed with the notion of taking her to a C-Sec station, but was quick to discard it, given how late it was and the all-too-high likelihood of someone wanting to leech information out of her, even in her instability, to get answers for her beating. Biting the inside of her cheek, a sigh slipped from between Vera’s lips. She slid an arm beneath the quarian’s shoulders and carefully hoisted her up, tentative as she took small, patient steps down the street with the wounded woman at her side. “I’m going to get you someplace safe, okay?” Vera wasn’t sure if she could hear her or not, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try talking.


It took half an hour to make it back to Vera’s apartment. She shuffled over to one of the couches, eased the woman down, and took a moment to breathe. Rubbing the back of her neck, Vera sat on the adjacent couch, clasping her hands in front of her and resting them on her knees. She would need to stay down here for the night and make sure the woman was alright -- or at least make sure the woman wouldn't freak out when she realized she was in a stranger's home. So much for relaxing. And with that, she kicked off her shoes, laid down on the couch, and swept up a book from the coffee table to bury her nose into.

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



UTo felt herself being lifted up after feeling a warming sensation around her ribs. Bosh'tet must have medi-geled me Uto thought to herself. She was grateful though since she might have died without the officer's help. Her employer always told her that C-Sec was bad and showed her vids of officers beating up quarians and other races. She knew that not everyone was bad but when she kept being shown the vids, she couldn't help but to think that maybe her boss was right. He had looked out for her for a few years so there was no real reason for her to not trust him.


She weaved in and out of consciousness as the woman helped her to her feet and walked with her through the streets. She wasn't sure where she was or where she was going. Honestly she didn't care anyways since she was so hopped up on the medi-gel and the drugs her suit pushed into her system. Luckily, there was no breach in her suit.


As they entered the apartment, Uto slumped down into the couch and passed out. She needed sleep and food. She had not eaten in several days and the payment from tonight was for food. She was usually paid per kill so the more kills she did the more credits she would receive and ultimately the more food she may be able to purchase.


Early on in her "training", she was taught that she was going to be in this line of work forever and she would not be able to get out otherwise she would be hunted down and killed. Her boss did not like or want loose ends and if she strayed, he would not hesitate to eliminate her if he thought she was a threat to him.


Several hours later, Uto snapped awake and quickly assessed the situation. Where was she!? What was she doing here?! She was quickly reminded of why when her ribs began to throb and cause pain. She grunts and holds her chest as she rests her back against the arm of the couch. She slowly glanced around to room to spot the human, she assumed to be her savior. "Ma'am?" She says quietly before clearing her throat.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



With one arm dangling over the side of the couch and a book laying face-down on her chest, Vera jolted awake at the sound of a woman's voice. She scrambled to prop herself up with an elbow and scan the room with heavy-lidded eyes, only to find the attacked quarian laying on her other couch. She sighed, relieved. Vera hated how she freaked out with each bump in the night and jumped awake at even the sound of a whisper, but the fact she was in C-Sec nearly always kept her on edge. Rubbing her eyes, Vera managed to sit upright.


"I know waking up in a stranger's house must be... strange, to say the least," Vera said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm Vera Strunner. I'm with C-Sec. You got attacked last night. It was rough." She let a soft sigh slip before she clasped her hands in front of her, elbows resting on her knees. "I gave you some medi-gel and took you back here -- my house -- to rest."


Tilting her head to the side, Vera's face contorted with concern as she scooted a bit closer. "How're you feeling? Need food? Water?"


Vera put off questioning the quarian for now. Waking up in a new environment on top of getting beat senseless was more than enough to overwhelm a person, especially considering they both happened within a day of each other, and Vera felt she didn't need to add to her stress.

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



"I am not...used to having a place to sleep or having food...I do not wish to take up too much of your time. Someone must be thinking that I broke in here so they might be calling C-Sec right now," she frantically stood up, but was forced back into the couch thanks to her, probably broken, rib. "W-Wait...did you say you were with C-Sec?"


She put one hand on her forehead, or where it would be if she did not have her mask on. "Keelah!" She says loudly. If word got back to her boss that a lady from C-Sec helped her, he might want her dead out of fear that she would squeal. "I...I have taken up too much of your time already, I should get going." She keeps trying to stand, but it was obvious she was not going anywhere anytime soon.


"I...I thank you Ms. Strunner for your time, but I really should get going, especially since I left something back at where I was attacked and I do not want someone else to take it..." she lied. She needed to get out of there before word got to Darlox or her boss that C-Sec was talking to her. What time is it? How long was I out? Questions raced through her mind as the possibilities raced through her mind. She blinked a couple of times and shook her head.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



Vera's expression softened as the woman told her she wasn't used to having a place or sleep or food in her stomach, and she shook her head. After hearing this, Vera was adamant on getting the quarian food, but when she'd began sitting up to cook up something, the woman insisted on leaving. Cocking a brow, Vera rushed over to the quarian.


"Nonononono," she said, words tumbling out of her mouth. "You need to lay down. Get some rest. You don't have the energy to leave yet, and I'll be damned if you leave without eating." Speaking of which, what did she have that a quarian could eat? Her face assumed a pensive position, with her eyes squinted and drawn to the floor, until realization brightened her features. She had a few turian friends in C-Sec, and sometimes, on drunken nights mostly, they'd leave behind some turian alcohol or food. Luckily, quarians could eat the stuff.


She looked back at the quarian. "Stay here, alright?" Vera strode over to the kitchen and sifted through her fridge, then frowned. Nothing. Vera sighed. Eyes scanning her choices, she delved into thought. Can quarians eat... fish? She pulled out a dish of cooked salmon from the fridge and, after a moment of thought, reheated it, making her way back to the quarian. Almost sheepishly, she held out the plate. "Uhh, does this work?"

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



The quarian shook her head. "I have to eat dextro food or I could get indigestion or even worse, die."


How can quarians be so hated, yet no one really knows anything about us? Uto thought to herself. She sighed and stood up. "I will be fine, I have some credits to buy some paste for myself so do not worry yourself too much." She winces as she makes her way over to the door and opens it. "I appreciate the help."


Uto stumbles out of the apartment and into the night. As she reached the end of the street, Darlox stepped out from the shadows and pulled her into the alley before pinning her against the wall and pushing his arm against her throat. "What are you doing in that C-Sec officers house?" he pressed against her throat more.


"I was attacked and she happened to be there to help me...I told her nothing I swear!" She chokes out.


"You expect me to believe that!?" he says through gritted teeth.


"Darlox...you know....I...wouldn't," she says through gasps for breath.


He eases his arm and looks at her. "I will give you this one chance, but if I ever find out that you betrayed me or the boss, I will kill you myself."


"Please I will prove to you that I would never do such a thing...I can link my suit with yours and..." she goes quiet.


Darlox reluctantly accepts.


An hour later, Darlox walks off back to the boss' side leaving Uto laying on the ground. She was in extreme pain and was on the verge of crying. Why would he think I would betray him? I LOVE him! He is all that I have!





She began to fall asleep as her system was flooded with antibiotics again for the second time in a day.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



Vera, though hesitantly, allowed the quarian to leave. Her eyes lingered on the door as it closed before she made her way back to the kitchen, dumped the food out, and set the plate in the sink, questions swarming her mind. Why was she so insistent on leaving? Discomfort? Brows pinching together, she shook her head. No. Something's up.





Still, Vera decided against chasing after her. She couldn't do much else for the woman aside from keeping her here until C-Sec could question her, but even then, she wasn't in the right state to be interrogated and prodded for information. Despite how determined the quarian was to leave, perhaps it was better for Vera to be keen on keeping her here -- it was a step-up from going back to the streets, bereft of the security a home offered. Vera sighed, running a hand over her face. I should've kept her here.


Before delving too deep into regret, she took a glance at the time and damn near jumped out of her skin. She told her C-Sec co-worker, a turian named Opeus, that she'd meet up with him at his place to talk about the murders, and she was terribly late.


The next ten minutes were a whirlwind of swearing, flying clothes, and coffee. She rushed out the door and was off into the night, all the while mentally cursing herself for forgetting and frantically attempting to contact Opeus through her earpiece.


"Vera?" Opeus' voice chimed in through her earpiece, and though her breaths were harsh from running, she tried her best to speak.


"Hey! Listen, sorry I'm late -- will explain when I get there."


"Everything alright?"


Despite only talking to Opeus through the earpiece, she nodded just a bit too enthusastically. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just... I think there's something going on. Something --" The words died in her throat as she saw a limp, familiar figure sprawled on the ground. Her heart plummeted. "I-I'll call you back. Come over to my place. I'm gonna need help."


She made a beeline for the quarian and couldn't fight anxiety as it clenched her throat like a snake constricting its prey, eyes frenzied and desperate as they searched for a sign, any sign, of life. Oh, God... I knew I shouldn't have let her go. Hands darting to the quarian's chest, she held her breathe, bit on her bottom lip, and waited to see if she was breathing. Though slight, her chest lifted and fell. Relief was immediate, and she slipped one arm beneath her legs and the other between her shoulders, and rushed her back to her house again.


Vera placed her on the same couch.

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



Uto slowly began to wake up from her slumber in a semi familiar setting. Where am I? she holds her head and sits up slowly before wincing from her ribs. Keelah! She was back in the same apartment.


She stands up slowly and holds back tears as she spots the C-Sec officer sitting in a chair nearby eyeing her cautiously. "I am fine, keelah. I'm fine." She begins to leave again, but the doorbell rings causing her to freeze in her tracks. Who is here? She didn't call more C-Sec officers did she? she asks herself. She was beginning to get short of breath so she leaned against the wall. "What do you want from me!"


Meanwhile, her boss, Mr. Wolff, was eyeing the television in his penthouse apartment as the Citadel news station discusses possible leads and clues with the C-Sec chief. "Is she causing trouble?" He asks without turning around.


Darlox steps off of the elevator and shakes his head. "I do not know sir. She was attacked as you ordered and the C-Sec officer came to help. Do you want me to order her to be eliminated?"


"No, this could work out in our favor. Computer search the nearby camera's to see who this officer is," Several seconds of silence later, "Ah yes, Detective Vera Strunner. She seems to be leading the investigation into the killings. This could work out better than I had hoped. Let our little assassin know that she WILL meet with us in the normal meet up location tomorrow night. We will need to discuss her alibi."


"yes sir," Darlox sends a secure extranet message to Uto.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



Sleep was a stranger to Vera that night. Her mind wouldn't lay down its arms, no matter how hard she attempted to soothe it with assurances that the quarian's injuries were of no fault of her own. It wouldn't have it. Looming "what ifs" haunted the woman throughout the night, and overthinking sent her teetering on the edge of falling into a stupor. It wouldn't be the first time.


Thoughts ambushed her after the grueling arguments with her fiance, first over huge, blockade-like problems in their relationship then, gradually, trickled down into petty spats over misplaced keys and messily folded laundry. At night, it was worse. Laying in bed, Vera would listen to his soft snores that she once found to be an endearing part of his persona, wondering when she began hating it. Worse yet was when he left. The fight started off like any other, sparked by a snarky remark and snowballing into something ugly, but when they would normally reconcile with sweat and breathed apologies, he left. Gone with the slam of a door.


She knew she couldn't fall back down that rabbit hole again, but God, that dismal feeling was addicting.


Now, Vera sits perched on the edge of her seat, her hands curled into a ball at her mouth and her elbows dug into her knees as she watches the quarian, glassy-eyed. The quarian's stir snaps her out of her daze. "Hey, take it easy," Vera insists as the woman hobbles to her feet, and Vera follows suit. She only takes a few steps towards the woman when the door buzzes. Opeus.


"Come in," Vera calls, and just as the words leave her mouth, the quarian becomes frantic. The moment Opeus opens the door, he sees her, and it takes only a couple of seconds for his long-legged strides to hurry him to the frightened woman.


"Ma'am, I'm gonna ask you to lay down," Opeus says, words calm and firm as he reaches out to usher her to the couch. "We're not here to hurt you."


"Opeus," Vera warns, and his response is little more than a dismissive wave of the hand.

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



Just as Opeus had touched her arm, Uto's eyes turned from soft and pained to murderous. She activated her omniblade and pinned him against the wall and held it to his throat. She was scared and even though she shouldn't have such a weapon, it was not illegal. The pain meds had begun to wear off and her attempt at hurting Opeus quickly turned into her collapsing onto her knees on the floor.


She let out a few grunts of pain before cursing and looking at the floor. She had almost blown her cover and she could only hope that they would not question her further. Omniblades were common among thieves and low lifes, but that did not mean it wasn't used among the rich and other people.


"Listen you piece of trash! You work for Mr. Wolff now!"


"O-Of course...Please Darlox don't do this..."


"It is too late, Uto. We are both working for him."


Uto grunts as she is delivered another swift kick to the stomach.





Uto snaps out of her trance and looks around confused. She loved Darlox, but...but did he love her? Of course he did! He said he did before they left...


"I...I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me..." She says softly and looks up between the two stunned officers.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



The quarian's backlash was instant, but by the time Vera rushes to Opeus' side and Opeus' reaches for his gun, the woman falls to her knees, exhausted. Pursing her lips, Vera looks to Opeus and perks a brow. He rubs his throat and nods, letting her know he's alright. Her gaze snaps back to the quarian -- her demeanor now compared to her retaliation is a stark contrast, and the speed with which she moved seemed almost practiced. Living on the streets, learning to defend yourself from thugs, could've been a possible reason why she moved like she knew what she was doing, Vera supposes, and you could find an omniblade by kicking in any direction in the slums of the city.


Vera places a hand on her hip. "Just don't pull a stunt like that again," she said. The words come out harsher than she intended, and her expression softens with the release of a sigh. Her hand drops from her hip. "Look, we're here to help you, alright?" Vera steals a glance at Opeus, nods, and he makes his way over to the quarian with cautious steps. His hand sifts through his pack and when he pulls it out, he's holding packaged dextro food.


"Thought you might want this," he says, holding the package out for the quarian.

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



Uto gently took the package and began to eat the food from it. Uto slowly stood up, albeit with a lot of soreness and pain. "I should not stay here, many do not like my...people and if you two are seen with a quarian..." she let her sentence drag off. She liked the apartment and wished she could live here, but she knew she would never have enough credits and that the officer would not trust someone she just met enough to let them live with her.


After finishing the paste, Uto decided to hold onto the tube instead of be rude and hand it back. She began to start towards the exit, but Opeus slide in front of her blocking her exit. Uto got into a defensive stance. but he was acting non-threatening so she didn't withdrawn her omniblade. She felt a ping within her suit and she froze. Why was Darlox pinging me? I didn't do anything wrong did I? I hope he didn't see me in here with these two officers! He has eyes everywhere!

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



Opeus eyed the quarian as he blocked her exit, then shook his head. "We're C-Sec. We can handle ourselves. We're more worried about you and your injuries."


Vera threw a glance over to Opeus and gave a nod, folding her arms over her chest. "And whoever caused them," she added. Her expression went hard, mouth pursed, brows drawn in, and eyes squinted ever so slightly. "And we'll find the sorry bastards. If it's those damn kids again, they won't be let off so easy this time."


This snapped Opeus' attention to his coworker. "This time?"


Vera sighed. "I'll fill you in later," she said. She redirected her attention back to the quarian. "What's your name?"

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



Uto looked between the two of them and sighed. She was stuck and she knew it. "I'm Uto. Uto'Saylo nar Rayya..." She didn't want to say who she worked for or what she did for credits because they would investigate her. "I don't know who did it to me, I am fine truly," as if on cue, she began to cough from infection. "Ok..I am lying, I'm developing a fever and can barely see right now."


Mr. Wolff stares out of his penthouse window at the traffic below. "Soon I will run this place. The council may be above me, but I will soon have my grip on them too."


"Of course sir," says Darlox.


"Your little girlfriend has been doing my dirty work for me for a while. Soon my work will come to fruition."


"Of course sir, did you want me to bring her in for her...modifications?"


"Yes Darlox."

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



With practiced ease and grace, Opeus ushers Uto to the couch and extends his arm outward as a signal for her to lie down. Given her earlier outburst, Opeus doesn't attempt to do it for her. Vera uses long-legged strides to make her way over to the duo, her C-Sec coworker taking a few steps back from the quarian to allow enough room for the red-haired woman to move through. Crouching by the couch, she begins applying medi-gel on Uto. The movements are familiar.


To her own bewilderment, Vera catches the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. She's a fighter, I'll give her that much. It was a trait she admires, a characteristic she strives to have -- to not cave beneath the suffocating weight of dicey situations. Though Vera earned an assortment of skills through C-Sec training, she always pushes to better herself. She could always be better, there's no limit to personal growth.


Vera finishes patching her up. "There," she says, giving Uto a small smile as she stands and tosses a glance over to Opeus. He's standing with his arms folded over his chest and his eyes absent and drawn to the ground, but his gaze lifts just in time to catch Vera's inquisitive look.


He shakes his head quickly, like he's knocking all his thoughts loose. "Sorry, just thinking," he murmurs, his eyes flickering between Uto and Vera. "About the case."


"Any news?"


He sighs. "Nothing's happened over the past 24 hours."


Relief floods over Vera, but its gone as soon as it came when an icy feeling twists her stomach. Something must be up. The killer found and all but gutted their victims in a steady routine, but now it seemed the 'murder timeline' was thrown off. Strange.

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya



Uto felt her fever disappear slowly, but it was still there. "What murders are you talking about?" She asked innocently. She knew her boss would want her to do another task soon and she was worried she would be caught if she attempted to.


"I appreciate the help though, you don't have to keep me here anymore," she awkwardly starts to stand up before Opeus stops her again.


"Darlox I have changed my mind, send our little bird her new orders."


"Sir do you think it is a good id-" Wolff quickly turns and aims a pistol at Darlox's head.


"Do not question my authority again, or I will make sure you are next on the list."


Darlox quickly sends the instructions causing Uto's omnitool to beep and blink once. Uto awkwardly hid her omnitool behind her back and typed in a code to lock it down. The instructions read "Silver Maiden midnight," the silver maiden was a well known strip club that was owned by the notorious Mr. Wolff.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



Vera raises a brow at the quarian's question, exchanging a glance with Opeus. We didn't say anything about murders.





"That's classified," Opeus replies. His tone is more firm and authoratative than it's been the entire time he's been here, and though Vera takes notice, she doesn't react. She looks to Uto. Maybe she's heard about the murders already. Talk about spilled blood gets around fast on the Citadel.





"I appreciate the help though, you don't have to keep me here anymore," Uto says and tries to stand, but to no avail. Opeus already swoops in to stop her. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Vera delves into thought as she watches her friend block the quarian's exit, shoulders squared and body rigid. She sighs, shakes her head, and rests a hand on Opeus' shoulder. They needed to let her go.


"It's alright, Opeus." Vera reaches out and takes Uto by the wrist with a level of gentleness, fingers quick and precise on the quarian's omintool as she puts in her contact information. When she's finished, however, she doesn't let go. Her eyes squint and her jaw ticks with tenseness. "If you need help with anything," she says, eyes not leaving the quarian for a second, "Or those assholes beat you up again, you let me know. Do you understand?"

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya




When the female officer grabbed her wrist, she flinched and almost hit the girl. She nods shakily to the officer as she gave her her contact information. "I will officer..." She had no intent of ever contacting the C-Sec Officer since she did not want to be labeled as a traitor.


As she left, she began to head towards the Silver Maiden where her boss currently was. She was let in the back door by the bouncer and led into a storage room. "Uto welcome," Mr. Wolff says from the back of the room. Uto quickly falls to her knees and lowers her head. "I am glad you have arrived my child."


He runs his fingers over the top of her head and down to her neck as he walks past her. "I have a new job for you dear." He pulls an ejector gun out from behind his back and implants a chip into her neck. She falls forward and is barely to hold herself up as the chip integrates with her anatomy. Tears form in her eyes as it finishes from the painful process. "What...what did I do wrong?" she is barely able to say.


"Dear child, You did nothing wrong. I am just...making some adjustments. This chip will allow me to give you instructions directly without fear of interception. It will also allow you to bend to my will when I want you to. Now about your new assignment..."


"Please...it hurts...!"


He frowns and grabs the top of her head and pulls it back. "Do not interrupt me again!" He tosses her back down onto her hands and knees. "Now where was I? Oh yes! I want you to get on the good side of that C-Sec investigator and monitor her progress on the case. If she is getting too close to solving it, I want you to eliminate her. As for your cover. I want you to pose as an exotic dancer here just to throw her off of your trail when you go out for a kill."


"A...A dancer? I thought only people found Asari attractive?"


"Oh you poor naive girl, as I always say there is a market for everything especially quarians. I have a new suit upgrade for you too. It will allow you to make your suit transparent in certain areas."

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



Opeus throws Vera a glare, his eyes daggers. "Why'd you let her go, Vera?" He spits out his accusatory words, and Vera grinds her teeth to keep from snapping at her turian companion.


"She has my contact information now," she murmurs, the words slow, low, and precise. Beneath furrowed brows, her gaze connected with his for a moment, her own matching his with intensity, and her arm swung a gesture toward the door. "She would've just sneaked off if we kept her here any longer, anyhow."


His mouth parts to oppose her explanation, but instead, he sighs. "Whatever you say," he breathes. Making his way to the coffee table, Opeus sprawls manilla folders over its clean, glass surface and sits down on the couch as fingers through one of the folders.


After a moment, Vera joins him. "So, no news on the serial killings?"


He shakes his head, but closes and hands a folder over to the woman. She looks down at it, its only distinguishing feature from the others being "Silver Maiden" in messy, hastily scribbled letters. She recognized the word -- a name for a scummy bar/gentlemen's club somewhere in the Lower Wards. "There's been a few cases here, though," Opeus says. "And I think you would be most fitted to checking them out."


Casting a disbelieving glance at him, she cocked a brow. "If you say so," she said, then began flipping through the pages. "I'll scope out the scene tomorrow night."

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya




Uto slowly lifted herself from her hands and sat back on her legs. She was in extreme pain and her eyes were blurry from tears. If he found out that she was crying, he would just cause more pain. Mr. Wolff did not accept failure or weakness so it was severely punished. "Go get changed and use those anti-biotics I put with your suit. I cannot have you sick for your first performance.


She stands up and quickly leaves. She finds the back dressing room with a hastily assembled clean room. It looked terrible and like it would not keep any germs out, but it was the best shot she had so she had to go with it. Locking herself in the clean room and staring out through the clear walls, she could feel other girls staring at her. She blushes behind her mask and tries her best to cover herself as she began to change into the new suit. She injects herself with the strong anti-biotics before sliding into the new suit which looked the same as her original suit except with a modification to make certain sections transparent.


She leaves the clean room after making her suit transparent as to only cover her chest and her privatesister


(barely) and heads out onto the stage and begins to dance. She had no idea what she was doing. Uto slid on the pole and shook her hips, but everyone knew it was awkward and some of the girls laughed and snickered at her. Mr. Wolff watched her from the back of the bar in the shadows and smiled. She was going to be perfect bait to lure out the C-Sec Officers so that he can learn what evidence they had and if he needed to tie up some loose ends.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



After shooing Opeus back to his place and getting a little bit of much-needed shut-eye, Vera woke up with more energy than she had in the last couple of days, though it still bordered on none. Crawling out of bed, she rubbed her eyes as she dragged herself to the living room. She plopped down onto the couch, flipped through the case folder on the coffee table, hopped in the shower, then marched out of her house, on the hunt for a drug lord.


First stop, Silver Maiden.





The place was scummy -- what better place for criminals to lurk? She'd only been in Silver Maiden once under the guise of a parton, gathering information on a few gang-related activities she needed to weed out. It only took her one trip to get all the intel she needed. C-Sec snuffed the gang out like a candle.


Now, as Vera wandered around the club with her hands in her pockets, again posing as the average customer, her nose couldn't help but crinkle. The stench of sweat and alcohol was strong enough to drive itself into her nostrils, but she tried her best to smooth her expression. Making her way to the end of the bar, Vera took a seat and ordered a Batarian ale. Her eyes skimmed the dancers, but when her gaze fell upon one, her brows furrowed. Uto? The suit looked nearly the same -- what was left of the suit, anyway. She dismissed the notion. Quarians can have similar suits. It's not a rarity.

 

[Sgt Gomez]

Uto'Saylo nar Rayya




Uto eventually got the movements down and began to actually dance well and several men were holding up dollars to have her get closer to them. She got as close as she could and they would stick the dollar in a pocket by her chest. Most of the men would grope her as she got close. The club was barely regulated and there had been some...murders either dancers had been killed or some of the disrespectful patrons. When she got back onto the stage, Uto turned back towards the crowd.


"Give it up for our newest dancer, Uto!" She announcer said. The announcer was never supposed to use the dancer's real first name since everyone was supposed to either not be introduced or they would get to pick a dancer name. Mr. Wolff had ordered that Uto be called by her first name since he saw Vera walking around.


Mr. Wolff always had a keen eye. It was extremely difficult to hide things from him due to that fact. He hated liars and cheaters so if they wronged him, he would send Uto after them.


As one last dance move as the men cheered, Uto turned her head while walking away to watch the crowd stare at her. At that moment though, Uto noticed the woman standing at the bar. Is that the C-Sec officer?!? Vera?

 

[Dovahkiin]

Vera Strunner



"Give it up for our newest dancer, Uto!"


I'll be damned. Vera stole a disbelieving glance at the dancer, but the clink of glass on metal yanked her attention back to the bar. An ice-coated bottle of Batarian ale sat in front of the woman, the bartender giving her a nod as she murmured a quick "thanks" and took a swig. It burned. Alcoholic fumes crawled from her throat to assail her nostrils and it took her best efforts to suppress a fit of coughs, balling her hand into a fist and placing it against her mouth as her eyes squeezed shut. She recovered while the ale settled -- the most it could, anyway.


Giving a bitter look to the Batarian ale, she shook her head. Staying at the bar drinking something she could barely stomach wouldn't do much for camouflage. Standing, Vera weaved through the crowd, teeming with drunken people and hungry eyes, to make her way to Uto. If she's been dancing her for even the smallest amount of time, she was bound to pick up some information. She tried her hand at casualness.


"So, this is where you work, huh?" Real inconspicuous, Vera.