Nexus Effect

Ch.42

“Oh~...are you trying to kill me, Nora?” Garrus groaned from where he was limply laying on the bed while I sat on his iron-firm dick lodged into my vibrating vagina. The fact that I’m fucking him without moving as my simulated pussy pulsed and undulated on his fairly respectable 8-inch spike of a dick was plenty enough stimulation for me too as I relaxed.

“Shh, just relax.” This is the first time I’m getting to practice with the extra stimulation features I’ve had installed. I missed out with Marrow when he visited because he blew my mind so much I forgot, same as the time before. I’m so regretful I didn’t use them before.

“If I relax anymore-nng~...I might just die.” Garrus groaned as he orgasmed again, the metallic raptor man panting as he ran his hands up and down my clenching thighs.

“It’d be a good death, though not by your people’s standards.” I grunted as I shuddered in another weak orgasm. It wasn’t intense in the same way as I was used to, but it was a low simmering thing that kept drifting into edies of pleasure.

“Nora! You’re going to kill him!” Tali shouted when she rushed into the room and shook me by the shoulder.

“Aw, but he’s getting so much satisfaction.” I pouted at the young woman who held up her omni-. “Fuck!” I turned off my extra features and Garrus sighed in relaxation. “Garrus, do you know you have Corpalis Syndrome?” I knew his mother and sister had it, but Garrus didn’t have it in the games!

“Really? Damn, the doctors insisted it was benign, that I had worked around it. Ugh...well, at least I know I will have to retire early…” Garrus sighed in resignation and something pinged on my HUD, causing me to perk up.

“Nope! My medicine synthesizing microfactories just pinged me with the counter to it! Geez, what didn’t Star Swirl plan for? Time for your milk Garrus!” I groped my breasts and he blinked.

“It isn’t Levo, right? I get gassy.”

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“What do you mean I have access? I’ve never been here!” Yola demanded from the VI in the control room the ground crew had climbed up into. “Nora and I avoided small, easily secured locations like Feros on our bug-planting trips, so how is it I’m in the system?”

“Unknown, Unit Yola. You are simply in the registry of people authorized for this system. What can I help you with today?” The dumb security VI replied dully and the group looked at each other before Shepard gestured for Yola to continue, since the VI wouldn’t respond to her or the others. Shepard would have Yola rip the archives so she and Nora can try to figure out how or why Yola has access later.

“What is Exogeni working on at this facility?” Yola requested as Kaidan helped Martra out of her humanoid torso’s armor and he hissed almost as much as she did at the visible bruising around her ribs when parting her fur to check. He didn’t even care he was putting his face between her white-furred DD-cup boobs to apply Medi-gel.

“Exogeni is studying alien botanical life in the hopes of using them in future colonization efforts.” The VI replied and Shepard shook her head and gestured for Yola to try again.

“Could you be more specific? What is so special to devote a whole facility to it?” Yola winced when Martra yowled and whimpered as the ‘technically illegal, but too useful to be’ compound of flesh-molding nanites and compounds of beneficial materials penetrated into her flesh and began filling in and bonding the bones back together.

“Exogeni found an ancient plant designated Species 37. It releases spores that have slowly taken over the cerebral cortex of the people of Zhu’s Hope. Exogeni wanted to learn as much about Species 37 which announced itself as a Thorian, as well as what it knew of the Protheans since it was alive during that Era. Exogeni’s main interest in the plant is how it seems to have increased the Colony’s effectiveness towards completing goals that help them and the plant. Though it is theorized that the plant will eventually have the subjects processed into fertilizer once they become too weak to aid its growth.” The VI explained and the crew sneered.

“So this thing is a parasite. It robs people of their free will and uses them until they’re expended. It’d be a symbiosis if the people still had their own will, but they’re literally just puppets. Where is it located?” Shepard demanded and Yola repeated her demand so it would respond.

“It is located in the ancient botanical farm of Zhu’s Hope.” The VI helpfully answered and clanking echoed from below as the droids finally got around to moving the barricade.

“Yola, rip it’s software so we can examine it later. Martra, can you move?” Shepard asked the Imperial soldier who had zipped her hardsuit back up and was putting her armor plating back on with Kaidan’s help.

“Yes. That gel was obscenely painful compared to Imperial healing potions, but I’m good to go.” Martra declared and slapped her chest for emphasis before readying her blaster rifle once more.

“Good, because we need to get out of here and fast.”

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“Doctor. Let me be the first here to say you need to shut the hell up.” Wrex snarled at Doctor Karin Chakwas, who Nora had caught trying to contact someone to have her detained. Unfortunately for her, she’d altered Alexa to monitor any sort of communication like that and cut it off with apologies to both parties about there being a short in the line, which would then ping my allies on the ship via their omnis or comms with who tried to rat me out.

“She’s an abomination! She’s an AI, a machine that is producing gene modifications in her chassis! She’s defying so many laws it’s unfathomable that the Commander would even consider leaving her alive, let alone on this ship!” Chakwas gasped around the krogan’s claw that had her pinned by the throat up against the wall of her med bay.

“That’s where you’re wrong. The Commander knew damn well what Nora was before inviting her onto the ship.” Garrus leered at her and even had his pistol ready. Alexa had been quite accommodating in closing, locking and darkening the windows and doors of the med bay, so nobody would see or hear what was going on here if things got...nasty.

“Also, there’s the fact that she is Suited Citizen. I don’t know if you have the clearance to know what that means, but it basically means you’re trying to have a known asset to the Earth Systems Alliance be jettisoned out an airlock.” Tali snarled as she held my hand firmly. I don’t know if it was for my comfort or hers.

“Which will be you if you try anything like this again. Damn regulation or that you’re the only doctor on board this ship. I have Alexa, you have nobody. Say this to anyone and it will be your last mistake Doctor Chakwas.” I snarled and approached her to look her in the eyes. “Not quite the romantic space odyssey you were hoping for when you joined the navy as a medic, is it?”

“W-what?” The doctor paled and I brought up my omni.

“Doctor Karin Chakwas, age 31, sign Libra, A-negative blood type, caucasian, blond, gray eyes, born on Manhattan island to Dorothy and Kurtis Chakwas February 2nd 2151. PHD in human biology, general medicine, surgery and botany. The last one was just a side-study to round out your syllabus. You have two siblings, one deceased, a surviving father, no children, two nephews. You joined the navy instead of settling for a residency at any hospital that would’ve gladly taken such a skilled doctor because you wanted to travel. You were dissatisfied with living on bases that you were transferred around so you jumped at the chance to be on a ship such as the Normandy.” I let it sink in that I knew everything about her and she was looking terrified.

“Way I see it doc, you have two choices. Either shut up, accept the situation and move on. Or you try to squeal and I pulp you like a pyjak!” Wrex roared and she actually pissed herself in fear.

“Or, better yet. You can cooperate and be on board with perhaps one of the potentially best things that could happen to the galaxy technologically and biologically.” Tali said before-Tali no~! “Look me in the eyes, doctor and tell me she is a mistake.”

“Tali! Put your visor back on!” I wailed and grasped for the purple visor she’d taken off, but she stopped me by gently pressing the visor into my hand and looked at me. Wow...she’s so pretty…

“I just took an immunobooster and I tested it already. A few minutes of exposure aren’t a risk anymore thanks to you.” Tali smiled beautifically, which even with most of her mouth covered by her helmet was dazzling. She then turned her bioluminescent white-blue gaze to the stunned doctor. “Her gene modifications and medicines have allowed me to become healthier and stronger. Soon, I won’t need to wear this suit anymore. If you could help synthesize the mods independent of Nora, you could be hailed as a hero, Doctor Chakwas.”

“So, what do you say doctor? Are you going to be a good person? Or a dead one?” Garrus demanded as he brandished his pistol.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“I hate this thing!” Lizbeth Baynham, Miss Baynham’s daughter, wailed as the Mako jumped and rocked while dodging fire from the HMP Droid Gunship that was harrying them after they’d cleared the Exogeni tower and were taking the Mako back across the bridge.

“We all do!” Ashley commiserated with the young woman as she held her firmly to her since there wasn’t enough space and Yola was lodged in the gunner’s seat.

“Martra, I need you to jump off the roof so I can get a clear shot! Wait until we reach some cover for you!” Yola shouted over the comms and the frazzled tigress breathlessly replied in the affirmative. She jumped when they neared several wrecked trucks. Yola instantly used the freed range of the turret to sight and blast the ship in the ‘cockpit’, which sent the deadly autonomous ship plummeting with its control system ruined by 155 millimeters worth of magnetically accelerated super-conductive mass punched through it. “Keelah~ that was close!”

“Good shot, Yola. Martra, get back on.” Shepard huffed as she took a moment to breathe. Driving a Mako in live-fire was far too stressful. She’ll need a full stress-relief session with Nora after this.

Thankfully, the halfway point of the ancient bridge wasn’t much further and when they disgorged from the Mako they relished at the sight of Lizbeth rushing to her mother and the two hugging. “Did you clear out the tower of those things?” The moment was ruined by Ethan Jeong, the local Exogeni Director approaching with awe and surprise in his expression as he looked back towards the tower. “There were so many of those things. I’d be surprised if you took out even a few of them.”

“Yes, they’re disabled, but so are you! Ethan Jeong, you are under arrest for violations of ESA treaties on the lawful treatment of sapient research subjects!” Kaidan declared and biotically pinned the man’s arms to his sides before quickly getting behind him and cuffing him. The nearby guard winced and Miss Baynham retreated with Lizbeth into the building.

“U-unhand me this instant! I’ve done nothing-!” Ethan Jeong was silenced by Ashley punching him in the gut.

“You’ve turned an entire colony into your own personal ant farm! I’d kill you now, except the people you’ve handed over to the Thorian deserve justice!” Shepard snarled vindictively at the Korean-descended man as he coughed and regained his breath.

“The Thorian was infecting them before we even knew what it was doing! Please! We were trying to research a way to release the colonists without killing them! You have the research Doctor Gavin Hossle asked for, don’t you?! The reason we needed it is because it has the last cure culture we’d been working on when the droids attacked!” Ethan hurriedly declared and the crew sneered at him.

“What about the fact Exogeni is interested in how fast the colonists are finishing the colony infrastructure?” Yola demanded as she looked over the data she ripped from the tower’s archive. That said, everything, because they didn’t have the time to be surgical with droids constantly attacking until the last of them were cleared out.

“Because...because we were planning to try and arrange a deal with it. The Thorian is sapient! It’s an alien species, not just a parasite! Once we had the ability to negate its spores, we were going to give it an ultimatum: death or service to help it’s species survive. We were going to contact the ESA, tell them we have a way for penal colonies to exist without constant risk of revolt. After the prisoners did their time in community service, they’d be given the cure and released. The citizen we freed, Mary Freeman, she said she was vaguely aware of everything when under its thrall, like a half-dream. It seemed to be a sensible plan.” Ethen admitted.

“Yet one that condones brainwashing and slavery! Idiot!” Ashley snarled, but Yola raised a hand.

“Um...that is actually a rather novel idea. Punish prisoners without physically harming them, they do their time, they know they have so it isn’t a pointless punishment. They prepare the infrastructure for settlers, then are released. The Thorian could do this for new colonies once the initial startup is done and the cycle begins anew.” Yola declared, causing everyone to gawk.

“But this is still slavery!” Kaidan protested and Ashley looked unsure now.

“Well, it’s no different from the penal colonies the ESA already uses, only the prisoners are kept sedated…” Ashley considered and they looked at Martra who blinked.

“What? This is similar to how we have Changeling Overminds enthrall prisoners for our own penal colonies, only more invasive and less pleasure involved.” Martra replied, causing even Ethan to look at her in surprise.

“The Empire condones slavery? After what the Lust Demons and Hell did?” Shepard asked in shock. She’d only studied the Empire’s early history and recent history, not anything in-depth or esoteric like this.

“It isn’t slavery, it’s serving a prison sentence without the prisoner just sitting in a cell and rotting. The prisoners also prefer it because of the pleasure involved. They misbehave, they get punished, they perform above what’s asked of them, they get rewarded. It’s a simple psychological method combined with the mental compulsions provided by the warden.” Martra shrugged, as if the thought of brainwashing wasn’t anything new or inherently disturbing.

Then again the Empire is several millennia old and it’s likely ingrained by this point.

“We don’t take their free will away, not like the changelings of old. It also isn’t like how the Skaven treat their criminals by dropping them on freezing worlds in their bare fur, giving them a month of rations and pointing to their colony site saying to ‘build that or freeze’.” Martra spat to the side, as if speaking of the fellow Imperial race was shameful.

“...Damn. Now I can’t...alright. For now, you’re on watch Mister Jeong. I will speak to the Thorian with this proposed deal and see if we can’t resolve this situation peacefully before I can contact Command and figure things out.”

“If I’m found guilty, then know I did it in the hopes of advancing mankind.” Ethan Jeong sighed in resignation as he was trooped inside by the guard who, nominally his employee, is still required to detain him by Alliance law.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“Dear gosh, Nora. Please tell me you have the blueprints.” Adams breathed in excitement as he ran a hand over the sleek sporty hull of the Nomad and used the other to look at his omni. The fact that Nora and her pit crew of two droids and a pyjak managed to build a whole new vehicle within the span of a week didn’t seem to bother him more than excite him.

“Of course!” I chirped happily, glad that something good was coming out of today while Shepard, my sister, Alenko and the Bitch were down on Feros under comm jamming so we couldn’t get reports other than the check-in. Especially since Yola managed to disable the jammer found at one of the two towers.

“You astound me, Nora. You’ve built a vehicle that, by these specs, is all-terrain, environmentally sealed, runs with an Eezo core, possesses a scanning suite suited to scouting and mineral analysis, while still having a forward-facing gun able to punch into a frigate’s hull?” Adams rhetorically asked as he looked at said nose-mounted artillery bowcaster that was mostly inset into the vehicle with a limited pivot for minor targeting. It was too powerful to have on a pintle mount on a vehicle this light, so I figured going for a semi-fixed mount was best.

“Well, I guess we should show you the interior.” I chuckled and opened up the hatch of the super-awesome space SUV and sat in the ergonomically comfortable driver’s seat as the hatch on the other side opened up for Adams to climb in. “As you can see, there’s plenty of room to go back, past the two seats behind us and into the small storage compartment with the sides lined with consoles. You can’t stand back there, but you can comfortably kneel on the padded floor.”

“Still more luxurious than any military vehicle should be.” Adams joked and reclined the seat with a sigh. “Like one of those antique cars from the early 2000s.”

“I used a luxury SUV from that era as inspiration for the seating. Why sacrifice comfort when it isn't in the way?” It also has cup holders! Glorious cup holders! “It even has food storage inside the floor just behind the two rear seats. This vehicle can go a week between charges, longer if left to sit with it’s solar cells allowed to recharge it when at rest.”

“Which means it can support long-duration and distance voyages from colonies. The moment we’re back at the Citadel, I’m having this thing delivered with a copy of your blueprints to the ESA engineers. The sooner we have a craft like this, the happier our expansionist factions will be. No more having to rely on old Grizzlies to support new colonies in scouting.” Adams clasped my hand and shook it. “Lady, if you aren’t hailed as a genius then somebody’s a damn racist.”

“I don’t need someone to tell me something I don’t know.” I boasted, my ego swelling along with the joy in my soul. With the Andromeda Initiative killed by the arrival of the Empire from Andromeda, the Nomad was never designed. I’ve fixed this grievous crime against the universe. Also, I improved it! A forward-facing cannon in case of encountering dangerous wildlife. Also, cup holders. Did I mention the glorious cup holders? Big Gulp size~!

“How about that the Andromeda Initiative has changed tack?” Wait, what? “It’s instead being coordinated with the Empire to help them expand in their own galaxy as well as get our galaxy integrated into theirs. They haven’t occupied any more of their own galaxy than we have ours, which is roughly maybe One Percent of the Milky Way. They’re hoping this cooperation will aid both of our galaxies in achieving further prosperity and discover even more civilizations. The future is still bright and curious, Nora.” Adams declared with a bright gleam to his eye and I shared it.

To think someday, in the far-far future, in a galaxy far-far away, a society was started because of my contribution. It sparked something in me and I embraced this bright hope for the future.