Love and War

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"I swear to even the Asari goddess that when I get out of here, that lizard Kandros will wish I was an exile for what I'm gonna do to him!" Quinn Talos raged as she was unceremoniously shoved into a holding cell on the operations deck. The dark haired woman paced for time, thinking it was would all be straightened out once Tann got wind of what Kandros had done. She should have known better. As far as she believed, human's still weren't exactly favourites of the other alien species. On earth Quinn had an excellent service record within the Alliance, just as most members of her family did, but she had wanted more. She wanted to explore, to see things no human ever had, which was why she signed up for a place on the Andromeda Initiative. The only problem was, she wasn't the pathfinder, and her superiors didn't believe in security personal leaving the Nexus. As well as she performed her job, the call sign 'Cutie', thanks to her unfortunate initials, meant she wasn't exactly taken seriously. Quinn was slumped on the floor with her back against the wall now, glaring at the Turian guard outside the forcefield. She had fought her hardest for the safety of everyone on the Nexus, and this was her reward; being called a traitor and about to be dumped on some godforsaken planet with the rest of the exile scum. All because Kandros feared losing what little power he had to her. The asshole can keep it, she thought bitterly.

"You're human, it can't be helped." The asari replied, though she hadn't meant it to be cruel.

Quinn had little choice to allow Ardwin to pull her close, his hands so tight on her slender waist that she couldn't run even if she wished to. "You're right, I'm at your mercy." she breathed against his lips, knowing it was just what he wanted to hear.

Since her last few run ins with asari Maggie was quiet leery of them. This woman's words didn't help anything. In fact it only made matters worse. The tiny blonde kept her back turned and said nothing else, feeling worse than she had before.

Ardwin motioned for the bidding to begin as the door closed behind them. He was rough with Quinn as he took what he wanted from her, thinking he was punishing her father and even the kett caged in the other room.

The asari had quickly realised her words had been taken in the wrong way, something that often seemed to happen. Though she was rather badly inured, she limped out of the infirmary without another word.
"You really hate me this much?" It was Kandros this time, his voice coming from hwere he hovered in the door way. "You could have been killed."

Quinn had taken her share of physical pain over the years when she had been going through her N7 training, but this was different. Though it was indeed painful, it was the kind of pain that wouldn't simply disappear with further training. This pain would be a constant reminder of the price she had been willing to pay in order to try and free an alien who had once kidnapped her.

"You are the one who dismissed me." Maggie said softly, though she didn't turn back to him. Her heart thundered in her chest and she  hated herself for being so weak when it came to him. She still loved him.

Ardwin left her lying on his bed once he got what he wanted. He got up and dressed, returning to the bidding with a wicked smile on his lips.

"Same little girl... Thinks she knows everything." Kandros replied, though his tone wasn't cruel. "We've both been played for fools."

The second the door closed Quinn was back on her feet. No matter what had happened, she wasn't going to let the bastard win. The young woman threw open Ardwin's closet and pulled out a shirt, pants and a pair of boots. They were obviously too big for her, but it was that or put on the dress Ardwin had torn getting her out of. She grabbed a gun from where he thought it was hidden behind the night stand, then marched back out to the party.

"Before you say It, I know. I embarrassed you. I guess...it's what humans do..." Maggie whispered. "I tried to make you proud of me. If you couldn't love me...at least you could be proud but...all I did was get people killed." She wrapped her arms around her knees and held them close to her. "I can only imagine what Quinn would say..."

At first no one noticed her. The bidding was fierce and Ardwin was living e wry moment. He was grinning from ear to ear, clearly imagining the profit this kett was going to make him.

"It doesn't matter what she would say." Kandros breathed, stepping into the room so the door could slide shut behind him. "What matters is the betrayal you've suffered." He added as he sat down beside her bed. "How well do you really know Tann?"

Quinn knew how these auctions worked. The prize would be taken off stage for inspection once it was won. She would be waiting, and would kill the pirates handling the goods if she had to. She watched Tyros with a sad gaze for a fleeting moment, reliving the way he had turned his back when she kissed Ardwin.

"Not too much. He and I went on a date a few nights ago. But...i didn't really learn much from him. Why?" Maggie asked, though she still didn't look at him. 

Tyros wasn't looking at anyone as they continued to fight over him. He blamed himself for what happened to Quinn. He was heart broken that Ardwin had come out and she hadn't. He should never have touched her when he'd seen her that day. This was all his fault.

"Did... It make you happy?" Kandros asked, unsure of if he even wanted to hear the answer. He had been working under the assumption Maggie would detest the thought of Tann being in love her, he didn't for a second think she would have willingly dated him.

The bidding was over, and like a cattle at market Tyros was indeed taken into the store room while Ardwin collected his precious credits. The pirates men dropped the cage off, nodding to those who would take care of transferring the cargo. No one noticed the small shadow slip in. They still didn't see her when she placed a single bullet in each humans head.

"Tann isn't my type..." Maggie said, trying not to say something unkind. "He's nice and all. But he's...kandros, I'm not sure why you care. You're done with me. What choices I make from now on are not your concern." 

Tyros had his head bent, praying to the goddess he didn't know or understand. He was asking for a quick and painless death for those who hand purchased him, never knowing it had already been done.

"Can you be so certain your choices are your own?" Kandros asked, staring down at his own hands. "You worked behind a desk, why did Tann suddenly choose you for this mission? Don't you ask yourself that?"

Quinn had searched the stock room they were in. It was full of crates of various merchandise, most of it illegal, but she had found some armour that would actually fit her. "That's it" She asked, feeling much better now she was encased within protective clothing. "No thank you? Oh Quinn, you're so great!" She added with a cocky smirk.

Maggie sat up at this, her eyes red rimmed from crying. "Seriously? You have to go right under the ribs don't you?" She asked angrily. "You and every other goddamn alien has to remind me how worthless I am, don't you?" 

"What are you doing here, human?" Tyros breathed, lifting his head to look at her. No matter how happy he was to see her he knew better than to show it. If he did these people might know that they could hurt her as the other human man had.

Kandros closed his eyes when he heard her angry shouts, the red rimmed eyes cutting him deep. "I didn't come hear to hurt you, Maggie. I came because I wanted to save you, save us. But... If I was wrong, If Tann is what makes you happy..."

Quinn's smile faded with Tyros's cold reception. She imagined he thought she had wanted to sleep with Ardwin, as so many other females on this rock did. She looked down at the body on the floor and took the omni tool he was wearing. A few taps and the cage swung open. "Consider my debt repaid." She whispered, already turning away.

"There is no us, Kandros. I gave you the chance and you turned me away. Before that you didn't want to be seen with a human. There is no us and screw Tann." Maggie burst into tears burying her head against her knees and crying softly. 

"What is a debt?" Tyros asked. He had gotten to his feet but wasn't quick to follow. "That word is strange to me."

The hospital bed dipped as Kandros sat down beside Maggie and pulled her into his lap. "Things aren't as we thought." He breathed into her hair. "I meant it when I said we had both been played."

"You rescued me from execution on the Nexus... I've freed you, we owe each other nothing." Quinn replied, though was seemingly unable to meet Tyros' gaze. Perhaps she had been wrong to pay such a high price.

"You made it clear you wanted me to leave so...i did..." Maggie whispered. She was so weak. It was so easy to rest her head on his chest and allow him to hold her.

"But what did it cost you?" Tyros asked her, his eyes glowing as he stepped toward her. "And...i never askd you to do that..."

"Nothing I did was... clear." Kandros breathed as he smoothed a hand over Maggie's hair. "I thought I had betrayed in the worst possible way... It was all a part of Tann's plan."

"Fine, get back in the cage then. Let them take you." Quinn snapped, her gaze cast off to the side somewhere. Apparently talking about the cost of his freedom was not something she wished to do.

"Tann's plan? For what?" Maggie asked, feeling like she was missing out on something. 

"Quinn...stop..." Tyros reached out for her, gently grasping her wrist. "You owed me nothing. There was no debt to be paid. I never should have let you get hurt. I....I'm sorry you had to save me but at the same time I am grateful."

"Kesh found some stuff out after you left." Kandros breathed. "Short version... Tann is so in love with he that he's orchestrated all this right from the beginning. The asari I didn't remember sleeping with, your cure... sending you here."

Quinn looked down at the fingers around her wrist, knowing there was bruising under her armour there where Ardwin had gotten rather rough with her. "Are you?" She asked as her sad lavender eyes finally met his. "You made it seem a lot like I wanted to sleep with that asshole."

"That's insane." Maggie breathed. "I can't even wrap my head around that. Even if this was all just random stuff...its like I told him last night, I love you too much to just get over you."

"No...that's not what I thought at all. I knew what you were planning to do. The look in your eyes." Tyros said gently. "I didn't want you to have to make that choice. I'd have died for you not to have had to."

Kandros was suddenly holding Maggie a little tighter, even glancing to the door way. He had the feeling Tann was not the kind of man who was told no very often. "And... how did he take it?" He asked uncertainly, worried that her rejection of Tann had put Maggie in danger.

"Saving others is all I'm good for." Quinn pointed out sadly. "It's my whole reason for even existing."

"Why do you think my whole crew ended up right in the middle of a kett ambush?" Maggie asked. "Tann hired that asari to do nothing but make sure I lived." 

"That's not true." Tyros said gently. "I thought you were going to be free once you answer all my questions."

"You attract the weird ones..." Kandros chuckled, lumping himself in that category.

"And what if I don't have the answer to all your questions?" Quinn countered. "Or more importantly, what if I have questions for you?" She added, jabbing a finger into Tyros' chest.

"I'm sorry you had to come here." Maggie told him. "I embarrassed you, didn't i?" She couldn't meet his eyes. She was extremely ashamed of herself. Trying to prove herself to him had gained her nothing. 

Tyros smiled at Quinn. "Ask away. I am not bothered by questions."

"Why would I be embarrassed?" Kandros asked gently. "You were being brave, there is no shame in wishing to prove yourself, even if you had no need to."

"When you kissed me, I saw a crash site, what was that?" Quinn asked rather bluntly.

"So what do we do about Tann?" Maggie asked wearily. "He can't get away with this. Even if we aren't togetger anymore."

"A crash site? Interesting." Tyros said softly. "What about when you kissed the human? Did you see anything then?"

Though he knew he had no right to be, Kandros was still hurt by the thought he had truly ruined things with Maggie. "Well, all we have right now is our word against his. No matter how much we know his reasons for everything that he has done, we can't prove them."

Quinn shook her head, again letting her gaze drift away from Tyros when he mentioned her kissing Ardwin. It was quite clear she was ashamed of what she had had to do. "No, nothing but an overwhelming feeling of repulsion every time he touched me."

"So he just gets away with ruining us...okay..." Maggie sighed. "You'd better go before people from the Nexus notice you're not there." 

"I felt the same way and he never touched me." Tyros agreed. "I'm sorry I was too weak to stop him. I will kill him sooner or later I promise you."

"That's not what I said." Kandros replied firmly. "We just need some way of catching the bastard out, confessing to his motives."

Quinn shook her head. "He got what he wanted, and it was never through any actual desire for me. I imagine we wont even see him again." She replied.

"Just forget it. This is so much bigger than Tann. The kett and the Archon are getting out of control. We don't have time to worry about one stupid Salarian. Besides, we can really piss him off by pretending we overcame him and got back together anyway." Maggie turned and gave her former lover a smile. "What do you say?"

"His actions cannot go unpunished." Tyros growled. "But that will wait. For now we need to get going. They'll be realizing those men are dead."