Nexus Effect

Ch.17

“So, we’re over Tuchanka.” I commented as I looked outside the bridge viewports at the radiation blasted planet. It was rather...dull. It was mostly patches of black, red and brown, with green seas. The presence of actual water on the planet helped explain how this blasted rock could support any life.

“A Coven would have this world back to green in months.” Marrow muttered quietly with a wince. “Or maybe years.” The spooks were on the bridge too, so he couldn’t be more vocal about this. When exchanging information with Mordin, he’d voiced his despair that such terraforming capability was not available currently, because there were so many worlds that were nigh uninhabitable for most species that would otherwise be wonderful locations to establish colonies.

“It may not be pretty, but it’s home. If it’s alright with everyone, when we land I would like to get in touch with what’s left of the Faith.” Wrekrov brought up as Paretia, who had become a regular in Marrow and I’s bed, guided us to dock with Tuchanka’s orbital spaceport. It was similar to the one I’d wound up on over Ekuna, likely because it’s meant as a buffer between the harsh planet and those arriving.

“Speaking of which, I would like to speak with them as well. It would help broaden the information you’ve provided, Preacher Jorgal.” Mordin politely and kindly requested of Wrekrov, who grunted and nodded affably. The last few days of the journey had seen to it that Mordin and Wrekrov had a respectful relationship with their exchange of info and even debating on said info. If I didn’t know better though, Wrekrov was trying to convert the Salarian.

Too bad for him that Mordin already knows that Urta is both real and is in the next galaxy, providing the Salarian with more concrete info and leading to him theorizing why her ‘Biotic’ power is so ambiently potent that she can influence things the next galaxy over without having a brain the size of a planet. For some reason Marrow was sheepish, but avoided that topic.

“Of course. I’ll even be a local guide for a bit until I have to come back to the ship.” Wrekrov added on and Mordin nodded in agreement.

“Quite professional of you. I eagerly accept your offer.” Mordin replied as we docked with the umbilical. “Well then, it seems this is farewell. I’m forwarding your payment now for your escort with a small bonus for the pleasant company. I hope to cross paths with you all again someday. Oh and Krarek, remember to take your medication before bed.”

“Yeah, yeah you doting matron. Now kindly leave, but come back anytime, we’ll gladly ferry you again if you need it.” Krarek clasped hands with Mordin and Wrekrov led the three Salarians out of the bridge. “Ugh. Finally. With those spooks gone we can relax. I could practically feel their eyes on my neck half the trip.”

“Tell me about it.” I groaned as I took off my helmet for the first time in nearly a week and-damn it! “Geth!” My hair was now thigh length! This is ridiculous! How come my head wasn’t getting pressed on?

That’s still active?! I thought I toggled it off! Geth irately snarled and I restrained a gasp at the sensation of her interfacing with my code without needing to be in Sleep Mode. Oh, great! You overcharged the keratin microfactories when we were electrocuted! Rerouting the excess.

“While it does cover your sexy ass, I like it.” Paretia commented as she took my black curtain of shiny hair in her hands and threaded her metal digits through it. Mrr~ the tingling on my scalp from the gentle tugging is so nice~. “But yeah, it’s gotta go. Turians don’t have hair, but I could give styling it a go.”

“You girls have fun with that. I’ve got work to be doing.” Krarek declared before deploying his helmet and leaving us be.

“Uh, did he call me a girl?” Marrow questioned before Paretia slapped his ass.

“Hey, to the rest of us you look like a taller-than-average Asari. With you stuck having that biotic thing up this whole time, it’s easy to forget you have male anatomy too.” Paretia answered before she then began pushing me by my shoulder blades. “Now let’s get you cleaned up so we can go shopping~!”

Oh no~! She’s one of those girls!

[01001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“Paretia, I have to wear a suit under anything! Why am I bothering?” I huffed indignantly with my hands on my hips while wearing a shimmering one-piece silvery dress that ended just above my knees.

“You still look good in things you put over your suit! Like your hood, cape and sarong!” Paretia countered cheerfully while Marrow, properly an Asari right now, rubbed her chin with an appraising eye.

“Your friend has a point miss. I haven’t dressed a Quarian before for your stated reasoning, but it does look rather good with your body type.” The Asari shopkeeper of this small boutique on the station stated with a bit of envy in her tone. I tell you, having an Asari envious of my figure was an enormous ego boost.

“But I don’t want something this nice! It’ll get ruined!” I protested with a whine, followed by a mewl as Marrow got behind me and wrapped her hands around my waist.

“Hm...I like it. I don’t want you to just have stuff for utility with only small things like the added bits to your suit. You deserve nice things.” Marrow insisted with a kiss to the side of my helmet.

“Grr...you could probably talk me into anything. Fine. I’ll buy this, but only this one dress.” I insisted and the shopkeep gladly opened her Omni-tool and I forwarded the credits to pay for the dress. It wasn’t overpriced, but this much money for a single dress? Yeesh. No wonder she’s able to stay open with such a small shop.

“Pleasure doing business! Are you sure I can’t interest you in a fox cowl?” The shopkeeper, surprise, was actually a casual Urta worshiper. While Urta’s worship didn’t really extend beyond Tuchanka, the overly buxom deity was apparently quite a hit with the Asari who came to call the orbiting station home.

“I’ll buy one.” Marrow perkily announced before snagging one of said gray/white fox-eared hoods off a nearby rack and putting it on. “It’s cute, fluffy, warm. Sure, it clashes with my hardsuit, but whatever!” Marrow paid for the hood and then we left the boutique. “Funny enough, you can buy stuff like this almost anywhere in the Empire. Commerce is one of Wiatr’s spheres of influence and she loves her wives and husbands so much she promotes products based on their likeness.”

“The more I hear about your galaxy, the more I want to visit.” Paretia declared as we walked the ironically safe interior roads of the space station. Krogan warriors stood watch on every street corner, leering at everyone balefully, as if daring them to fuck up and disturb the peace.

It’s rather funny really. People believe that everywhere on Tuchanka, even this station, are a chaotic anarchistic hellhole. Instead, the Krogan guard and protect their charges like stern watch dogs rather than abusive corrupt assholes. Then again, I have seen these guards butcher people in the streets for infractions like attempted muggings or assault. No arrest, no warning. Just brutal violence to quell the unrest. No wonder it’s so orderly here.

“Hello ladies.” Someone’s monotone voice said from behind us and I eeped at someone’s arm-long pink tentacle-draping over my shoulders, Marrow was also subjected to the same as a Hanar floated between our faces. “Where are you headed?”

“Huh? What?” Paretia blinked as she looked at the sapient floating jellyfish draped over us. “Uh...why are you doing that? Hanar are genderless. I thought you didn’t have sexual urges.”

“I enjoy the pleasure of others and I am offering my many limbs to that end for a fee.” The surprisingly lewd genderless alien replied.

“Uh, as interesting as that would be, we’re busy. Sorry.” Marrow apologized with genuine regret, reminding me that my boyfriend was technically genderless too, she just chooses to be male most of the time.

“Very well, I hope you have a good day. May the Enkindlers bless your days.” The Hanar prostitute bid us farewell and floated off.

“But...they don’t...why did they…?” I couldn’t fathom how a creature without sexual organs would find prostitution a suitable line of work! I mean, sure, those tentacles would be all sorts of fun for women and-oh~! That’s why they approached us! A trio of women out on the town, we must be their usual demographic!

“Shame they’re genderless. Wiatr has been hoping to find a sapient tentacled species for thousands of years. How do they reproduce?” Marrow commented sadly before asking out of curiosity.

“Nobody’s sure, they just seem to show up.” Paretia shrugged and then smirked with that metal jaw of hers. “Shame we don’t have time to take them up on their offer, but let's go get Nora’s junk and then have some fun when we’re back on the White-Out.”

“It’s not junk, it’s treasure nobody’s given time to.” I pouted as we continued on our way.

[01001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“I can’t believe they just dump their scrap down on the planet!” I snarled as we entered the White-Out after a fruitless search for the local scrap deck. Unfortunately, the Krogans don’t give two shits about Tuchanka’s environment because it’s already fucked, so they just dump their garbage and junk in massive disposal fields down on the planet.

“There’s a reason why the Krogans are considered dirtier than the average sapient.” Paretia huffed in similar disgust, though her frustration was mostly due to the hours wasted trying to find the scrap deck. They don’t even have a damn recycler! This is basically the region’s dump site!

“Don’t worry sweetie. When the Empire comes for the Terminus and distressed systems like this one, we’ll be cleaning up places like this as a priority.” Marrow soothed my fury as she carried our clothes towards the private rooms with Paretia and I following. “So I’m guessing sex is out for now?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Not in the mood.” I muttered disgustedly. “You two have fun if you want.” ‘Sorry if you were looking forward to it Geth.’

It’s okay Nora. This Disgusting mistreatment of a potentially viable world has us turned off too.

“Um, are you sure? I mean, I’ve always been a fun third wheel between you two until now.” Paretia nervously questioned us with her hands wringing in front of her.

“We’re all consenting adults here. If Nora is comfortable with it, I’m okay with it.” Marrow said as she morphed into his base form. “That will involve all kinds of fluids going into very tight and sensitive places of course.”

“Yeah, it’s okay.” I chuckled as we reached Marrow’s room, which was unofficially shared by the three of us even if Paretia and I had our own rooms. “You two have fun, don’t break her, buggy boy~.” I winked as I unzipped the front of my Enviro-Suit and walked away, pulling my silvery dress up and stuffing it into my cleavage where my fancy Inventory manifested.

Now then. Since I don’t have any new scrap, what can I do to pass-? “There you are!” Eep! I jumped and hastily zipped my suit back up before spinning to see Krarek approaching me. “I was wondering why you three were gone for so long. For that matter, are Marrow and Paretia back?”

“Uh, yeah? They’re-.” I was interrupted by Krarek grunting and pulling me by the hand towards the bridge.

“Tell them to put their respective libidos away, we need to go. Now.” Krarek growled as I hailed my lovers with a text to their Omni-tools for them to get dressed and to rush to the bridge.

“U-uh, okay! What’s going on?” I questioned while synchronizing with Alexa and preparing the ship to disconnect. I hope Wrekrov is-.

“Wrekrov is having some issues planetside. It turns out local thugs have ousted the remnants of his people’s native faith and have occupied the Urtanka Cathedral at the capital.” Krarek angrily informed me as he rapidly used his captain console to do the things that Alexa doesn’t have authority for.

“What?!” I yelped as Marrow and Paretia, half-dressed and zipping their hardsuits on, entered the bridge with the former going to the comm station and the latter rushing for the pilot seat.

“Urta’s local temple was taken over?! At least tell me it’s a military occupation!” Marrow pleaded as he sent out a request for emergency dispensation to detach from the station and head planetside for the spaceport at the capital.

“No, just a band of local bandits under a warlord deciding the old faith was only worth as much as their relics could be sold for.” Krarek grimly replied as the station surprisingly gave us launch credentials while other ships were pinging us to follow. Oh shit. Those stupid fucks down there have woke a hive up here!

“I’m going to slaughter them!” Marrow snarled as his hands clenched into fists, his body shaking with rage. This anger...it wasn’t like anything compared to when he was miffed with Mordin’s actions against the Krogan. It was intense, very intense and I was beginning to worry for him. “We need to get down there now before Urta can manifest!” What?!

“What do you mean?! Isn’t she a galaxy away?!” I squeaked as the White-Out was released from it’s tether along with several smaller ships ranging from personal fighters to gunboats. They all opened fleet channels and Krarek began rapidly coordinating with them with short-script words I couldn’t understand.

Marrow ensured his comm station was muted for the captain since he was managing the communications as our sudden small squadron of ships all flew with haste towards the capital. “She is a Goddess. If her subjects, her place of worship, is being occupied by non-military means, then she can feel it! She’ll be compelled to follow the sensation of wrongness and connect to the shrine that’s being defiled. If she comes here now, so far ahead of schedule, hopes for a peaceful introduction to this galaxy will die with all the bandits on Tuchanka.”

“Fuck!” Paretia snarled, mirroring mine and Geth’s inward thoughts. “So we’ve gotta get down there, rescue Wrekrov and have him consecrate the shrine or something?!”

“Yes, how’d you guess?” Marrow questioned in bemusement.

“This is like one of my comic book series! Shit, he needs a living sacrifice doesn’t he?” Paretia wailed and I looked at Marrow who blushed so hotly his dark green-blue chitin turned bright green.

“Uh, yes, but not in the way you’re expecting.” Marrow sighed and rubbed his face. “Fuck...I’m going to have to bite the bullet aren’t I...?”

“Um, what?” I worriedly questioned as we entered the atmosphere of Tuchanka.

“He needs to bleed and seed a female upon the altar. Krogan females are nearly barren.” Marrow looked queasy and clenched his eyes as I connected the dots.

“Oh…” That is both...upsetting, disgusting, yet oddly attractive. That he’d be willing to go to such an extent to prevent disaster is noble, yet I felt a pang of lament that he would do it at all. “Are you sure? I mean, I’m a von-neumann device. I’m sure by some odd reasoning that it’d count as seeding a female.” My return offer caused Marrow to balk at me. “Sweetie, I Love you. We haven’t been together long, but if you don’t think you could handle it, I’ll do it.”

“No. I’ll do it. You can’t risk further exposure. Besides, if I stay an Asari, I can excuse how it is that he could seed me instead of trying the whole Krogan miracle thing and draw even more attention.” Marrow then blushed again. “Besides...wouldn’t be the first time…” Say what~?

“Lovebirds, as much as I don’t want to spoil your tender moment, we’re going to have to launch via the shuttle mid-flight while Paretia flies to park the White-Out at the spaceport.” Krarek declared as he got up from his command console.

“Got it!” I acknowledged as I unzipped my suit to pull my guns from my cleavage. Magic Inventory is so useful. I holstered my weapons on my thigh and back and then rushed to the shuttle bay with our captain and my lover. ‘I think now would be a good time for tactical mode? Don’t you think love?’

If you’re sure.

Ah, that is quite convenient. Hormonal simulation suspended, emotional peaks at lower thresholds, processors cooling down. Successful parallel optimization between Unit Nexus and all 716 Geth programs achieved.

“Sweet Cheeks?” Lover Marrow questioned us with concern in his tone as I sat upon his lap in the passenger seat.

“Yes Lover Marrow?” I questioned as I pulled on the extended harness, an augment I made for just this occasion.

“Oh, I see. Well, this is a good time for that, just don’t turn into an assassin droid.” Mate Marrow commented before he morphed into his similarly attractive Asari form and wrapped her arms around my waist even though I had secured us both. I hummed in appreciation.

“Do not worry. I am battle-ready, but not without conscience.” I assured my mate, who I hoped would not suffer unduly for having to copulate with our mutual crewmate and bear a child.

“Good to know, Tiny.” Krarek commented as he launched the shuttle from the White-Out while it was still in flight, the turbulence rocking us as he flew us towards a massive structure carved into a mountain. That is quite impressive. “This is White-Glint, I’m setting us down in a corner of the courtyard!”

“Confirmed White-Glint. Be sure to put their heads on pikes!” Came a gruff Krogan voice from the shuttle’s comm. Oh dear. I’m going to have work cut out for me fixing this shuttle up again. It was already a hassle to recycle and reconstitute the viewscreen from last time. Regardless, that is This Unit’s duty and it shall be done.

“Get ready.” Girlfriend Marrow snarled as she readied her pistol and I copied while the White-Glint came under fire from below.