Scavengers

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Clean up was slow in the weeks after the battle for Earth had concluded. The rubble that remained of the citadel was still being picked over by many. Not all of them were the good guys. Commander Shepard's people had already come through and collected the body, leaving everything else as it was. They wanted no part of it. Not even to make it a memorial. 
At that moment a group of Salarians were poking through the rubble, scowling deeply. "No." One them said to the other. "This is not the area. It wouldn't have been here." 
"Quiet, fool." The other hissed. He was looking in the other direction, frowning deeply. "The Quarians are here. We don't want to tip them off. We can't afford to lose this to them. It's too much. Do you hear me?!"

"Seeing as this is my first time on the ship that would be kind of hard to do." Jared pointed out. "And besides, I like my women a bit more comfortable." He bent to put his pants on, giving her a full view of probably more than she wanted to see. "Do me a favor, Ceres?" Before she could react he had turned on her, pressing her against the wall of the engine room. "If you want to start shit with me, be prepared to back it up. Never chicken out on me like you did last night."

Both Thomas and Golias had gotten to Lolly at the same time. The tiny woman flinched as if she'd been struck, her hands going to the collar and her eyes squeezing closed. "Okay...I'm sorry..." She whispered. "Bait..." 
The krogan that stood nearby shook his head, giving the Turian on the floor a nudge with his foot. "I know you're not going to tell me, big guy," he said to Golias, "But I'd like to know what the hell she is so I can avoid her from here on out. And then I'd like to know why the hell you're not doing the same. Last time I saw shit like her I was fighting ground troop reapers along side the Blood Pack."

Ceres felt every part of her body surge with sensation when Jared shoved her roughly to the wall, his own well built frame pinning her there. "You said you did not like what you saw, I gave you an easy way out!" She hissed before slamming her knee up into his privates and punching him across the jaw for good measure. "Do me a favour also, Bosh'tet, do not assume I am some helpless little girl!" She hissed.

Golias really didn't know what to tell the Krogan. The truth? He couldn't risk Lolly like that. "Need to know, tough guy." He responded. "And all any of us need to know is that if it comes down to it... Her life takes precedent over anything else."

Despite the assualt to his privates, Jared did not let to of her. He gritted his teeth and leaned in closer. "Do not assume you know anything about me either, honey. You'd be dead wrong if you did." He snarled.

"Well that doesn't make me feel any better." The krogan snorted, again helping the Turian to his feet. The other alien was putting great distance between them now. It seemed he might have learned a little bit of a lesson.

Ceres was struggling against Jared, though finally seemed to realise he wasn't going to move until he wanted to. "You're still a Bosh'tet." She informed him haughtily. "And a pervert!" The young alien added, despite the fact she had been the one staring at him through the view screen when he had gotten wet last night.

"You okay?" Golias breathed as he turned to Lolly. "Sorry, things got a little out of hand for a while there. You're not hurting too much, I hope..." He was rambling on now, and he knew it.

"I seem to be in good company then." Jared said as he let go of her and buttoned up his pants. "So...I'm assuming you're here about the funny noise the engine is making. Good. I hope you can fix it. If not I'll be hitching a ride with that starship there and stealing engine parts. That's something I'm hoping to avoid." He went on, stepping further away from her and pushing his fingers through his hair. 

Lolly shook her head slowly. "We have too much to do to worry about that now." She whispered. "The humans are starting to stir. I'll have to start over. You and the others go for the matience hallways. I'll do what I'm supposed to do. I'll listen for my orders, sir." She added.

Ceres turned away from Jared and pretended to busy herself with looking for a certain tool she needed. "I am an engineer. Fixing machines is what I do." She informed Jared coolly.

Golias didn't move. He was watching Lolly, worry in his strange looking eyes. "I never make promises, little bird... But I'm coming back for you."

"I'm not so sure you have what we need this time." Jared said, turning to look at the starship that blotted out the sky several feet away from them. He shook his head. "Fix away but it will be hard without all the right parts." He muttered, clucking his tongue. "It'll be fun to watch you try though." 

Lolly didn't look like she truly believed him. She'd never put much thought into being saved. The one time she'd tried for herself she'd ended up right back where she started. "I'll be fine here." She promised him, finding a seat and lowering herself into it. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the humans. After a moment they voices began to whisper again.

One of the tools sailed past Jared's head and struck the wall next to him. "Do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do!" Ceres hissed.

Jared sighed heavily, not sure what had gotten into him anyway. He was used to being on the run, looking out for someone else had never been a thought he entertained. "I'm coming back for you." He told lLolly again, this time more firmly before following the other aliens.

"Just like I can't presume to tell you that you can't take care of yourself?" Jared asked, rasing an eyebrow at her as he crossed his arms over one another and shook his head. "What is your problem with me, little girl?" 

Lolly didn't open her eyes when Golias left. Her darkness swept through the ship. Even the Elcor women could feel the saddness she was sending out among them. She truly believed that he would leave her behind and she certainly didn't blame him for it.

"You cannot stand what I am!" Ceres blurted, and instantly regretted it. "No, I think the bigger question, is what is your problem with me?" She added quickly. "You say you have given yo your whole life to smuggle me to Ilos, and then you say you do not like to look upon me!"

The darkness was affecting Golias. Every few minutes he would whirl around, his gun pointed at nothing. Other times he was see Jared instead of the other aliens.

"You're the one who started things with me last night." Jared reminded her, shaking his head as he turned away from the windows. "You started the banter and then you backed off. You couldn't handle it and I don't get it. You're angry with me and you started it. What do you want from me, woman?!" 

Without realizing it Lolly was pulling out dark memories from everyone's psyche. Everything people were trying to hide from was becoming all but tangible to them. Their worst fears, things they hated the most...it was all taking a life of it's own.

"Woman? I'm surprised you noticed at all." Ceres hissed, too tightly would now to even think about what she was saying.

Golias had his back pressed to the wall, like he was waiting for something to pass. He was by no means a coward, but his mind was telling him there was banshee out there... And he hadn't slept in a week.

"Oh I noticed all right." Jared couldn't stop the sly grin that spread over his face. And since it was far too late to take it back he didn't even bother. In fact he patted Ceres on the bottom as he passed her in the direction of the cock pit. "I didn't think quarian tits could be so....round...." 

"Stop being such a pussy." The shimmering image of Jared hissed as it leaned against the other wall and peered around the corner. "She doesn't even see us. She's going after some hapless krogan. This is all your fault by the way."

Ceres didn't know whether to be offended, or giggle like a teenager. She was again cursing in her own language, though it was simply something to distract her from the memory of Jared's firm body pressed to her own.

"My fault?!" Golias hissed, remembering what was out there and trying to quieter his voice somewhat. "You're the one who just had to try and shoot your way out, typical human!"

"Ceres..." It wasn't long before Jared's voice came to her over the loud speaker. "Look out your starboard window. That ship we saw before is listing toward us. I've been hailing them for the past ten minutes and all I get is some strange sobbing sounds. Something's not right...We don't have enough time to swing out of their way. You know how to pilot right?" 

"Stop blaming everything on humans. You were the one out there murdering folks, Golias." Jared chided, crouching down as a brute passed by them. The beast paused and looked over their space, inspecting the darkness a little too closely. "You keep blaming everyone else for your sins. You left her behind. You leave everyone behind."

"Of course I know now to pilot, if the need calls for it!" Ceres huffed, clearly still rather annoyed. "When you say sobbing sounds, do you mean it's a sound like sobbing, or it sounds like someone sobbing?"

Golias' head shot up and he scowled at 'Jared'. "I made her a promise! I'm not leaving her behind, even if it kills me getting her out of here!"

"It sounds like more than one person sobbing, honey. It sounds like a whole crew of people sobbing." Jared came onto the view screen, showing her that he was putting on a flight suit. "You're going to have to get up here and try to position us so I can get on there and figure out what's going on. Otherwise we're all dead, damn it! Be annoyed with me later if you don't mind!"

Jared shook his head. "I've known you for a very long time, Golias. You never keep promises. Not to anyone. I don't need to be a mind reader to see that." The banshee's scream kept him from saying anything more. The foggy creature was taking out half the room ahead of them and was now headed their way.

"You are not going over there alone!" Ceres insisted hotly. "You don't know what's over there, it could be disease making them act that way!"

Golias screwed his eyes shut at the sound. "Yeah? Well you are just a drone, you have no life of your own, so you keep me from getting back to mine!"

"Who's going to pilot the ship then?" Jared snapped, holding off on putting on his helmet. "I'll turn on an oxygen filter and hope for the best. We're dead either way if I don't, honey." 

"You're a chicken. That's all you've ever been." Jared said as the banshee appeared just outside their hiding place. "You can't even take care of yourself. Look at you, cowering like a little girl."

"I can dock the ship and come with you!' Ceres insisted. "I think of the two of us, I can find my way around a ship a little better." She snorted.

"And when was the last time you had a girl, pussy?" Golias snarled. "That's why you're so fucking hard on me, because no bitch will go near you!" He roared before jumping out and shooting his weapon off, though in reality of course there was nothing there.

"Sorry, honey. You're keeping my ship going. I see no reason not to use this whole thing as an excuse to get the parts we need besides." Jared told her. "No more discussion on it. Now get up here and give me a hand." He paused, still waiting to put on the helmet. "Please?" He added gently.

Golias wasn't exactly alone at least not until he'd started firing. He'd managed to take out the Turian he was working with as well as those on the crew. He would trip over the body of his teammate as he passed. Unrealistically, all the bodies would hiss words of abandonment at him as he left the room.

Ceres called him all manner of alien names as she stomped to the airlock. Even when she got there she let out a further string of abuse before remember to use Jared's own primitive language. "You, you Bosh'tet , are an idiot!" She informed Jared curtly.

Golias was shaking his head as he moved, Jared's words still hissing inside his skull like a sickness. "Lolly, lei dess, can you hear me?"

"How exactly do you plan to get to Iilos of you are dead, sweetheart?" Jared's tone was gentle. He waited until she was directly in front of him, resting his large hands on her forearms. "You're not giving me any credit here. You can't prove the galaxy wrong if you are dead on some diseased ship " he added, not even flinching at the sound of gunshots. 

"I'm here, sir." Lolly's voice came through his ear piece almost inaudibly. The darkness around Golias faded somewhat and the scream of the bashee abruptly stopped. "Are you all right, big guy? I heard gun shots..."

"And I was wrong, I can't get to Ilos alone." Ceres found herself breathing, as much as she hated to admit it. "Jared... You need someone to watch your back over there. It doesn't... How do you people say it... Smell right?"

Golias glanced around as he felt his head clear, leaving him a little disorientated. "Princess, where are the rest of the team? I can't pick up their life signs nearby."

Jared nodded, fingering the helmet in his hands. "I couldn't agree more but we need things from that ship and I'm worried about what's on board. I can't leave others to that fate, Ceres. If they are suffering I need to help them. That's another reason you need to stay here." 

"The turians are dead all except for you." Lolly answered after a moment. "You're in the room with their remains. Can't you see them? You were there when they winked out. Didn't you see anything?"

"You think me incapable of ending their misery?" Ceres asked thinly, snatching the helmet from Jared's fingers. "I think it would be best for the engineer to find the parts needed." She added, entering the airlock and letting the pressure door closer behind her before Jared could argue. As the compartment adjusted to the different atmospheres, the young Quarian actually waved at Jared, like she was mocking him.

"What? No, there was a banshee here, but the rest of those guys were somewhere else!" Golias insisted, though as he said that, he stumbled over one of the bodies. "No... Jared wouldn't do this..." He was still suffering the effects of the hallucination and couldn't tell fact from fiction.

"Damn it, Ceres!" Jared roared, unable to believe he'd fallen for that. He pounded on the air lock for what seemed like hours, cursing in several different languages. 

"They are killing themselves and you're finishing them off. If there was a Jared, he's dead now. Was that the name of the Turian that was being so mean back here?" Lolly said, her voice all but lifeless. "Do you have more orders for me? It's hard to ignore those of Thomas if you don't."

Though she wore her helmet, it almost seemed like Ceres blew Jared a kiss before she disappeared from view.

"It's... It was, the name of my human handler." Golias breathed. "I..." He was rubbing at his head, trying to make sense of everything he was hearing. "Lolly, when you say people are killing themselves... Is that the whispes making them do it?"

"I don't know." Lolly answered simply. "The whispers talk about fears and make people feel things they want to forget. I saw it happen to the people like me and the scientists. Everyone was paranoid and angry all the time... Orders, Golias. Thomas is trying to contact me."

"Just tell me which direction the Elcor are in, we can go from there." Golias breathed, wanting to get off this ship as soon as possible, he didn't like what it was doing to Lolly.