Nexus Effect

Ch.67

“So why can’t we just be in Iron-Maiden suits?” Yola asked me in exasperation and I rolled my eyes at my sister as we walked through Omega, clad once more in our enviro-suits.

“You can’t say you didn’t miss the feeling of skin-tight tech hugging your every curve, putting these asses out on display. Besides, they’re in our helmets.” I replied to my sister-wife as I fought off the feeling of everyone eyeing us like candy. It was common knowledge that quarians weren’t trapped in their suits anymore and Geth were basically tougher quarians.

“That’s not it, I just...I’ve gotten used to my assets being for appreciation at home only.” Yola muttered and patted her wide child-birthing hips for emphasis.

“Being stuck at home for so long can do that, but we can’t relax yet sis.” I sighed and squeezed her shoulder-. “Eep!” I squeaked along with Yola when pink tentacles wormed around us.

“Hello~ ladies. Remember me from Tuchanka?” Came the monotone voice of a Hanar as their tentacles draped over us. Yola cackled in amusement.

“How the fuck did you regocnize me?” I asked them in pleased amusement. Good to see they’re still alive and doing their thing.

“I recognize every ass like that and this must be your sister. Since you have nothing keeping you in those suits, mind a good time?” The floating pink jellyfish/squid asked and I sighed.

“Sorry, but we’re not here for pleasure. I’m still surprised you’re in this line of work.” I shifted tack as we kept walking, the Hanar clinging to us and floating along like a lewd balloon.

“It is lucrative, especially after the Empire came. The ladies love the tentacles.” They replied and tapped a couple along our visors for emphasis.

“It’s good you’re doing well, but is there any particular reason you are so interested in us when you could go offer your services to those unicorn ladies over there?” Yola questioned curiously as she pointed out the trio of beautiful unicorns clearly out on the town with a few turian Talon Merc bodyguards keeping close to them.

“Because I haven’t had quarian in a while, or Geth for that matter. You don’t stay in this business if you don’t derive pleasure from it.” They said with a surprising amount of glibness.

“Wait, why are you speaking in the first-person? Why are you so open? I thought Hanar kept themselves distant.” I asked in surprise. The few Hanar I’ve encountered, including this one decades ago, were so detached from others they were practically machines.

“The return of the Protheans along with the Empire’s help in our genetics and our poor Drell friends has opened up some of our rigid social structure. Most Hanar will still speak in third and otherwise remain distant, but I’m not exactly up to keeping a facade after so many years of my craft.” They replied, still trailing along casually. They were lighter than air, so it was no issue to just let them tail along.

“Okay, well this is not exactly a gr-ah~!” I yelped as the Hanar rubbed a three inch wide tentacle between my legs. “Th-this i-isn’t~...” I gasped and spasmed at the odd sensation. It was somehow like even through my suit, they were touching me directly and causing my nerves to spark with pleasure.

“Mm~, sis. Let’s reconsider. How much?” Yola purred and I folded. Sure, we aren’t dry by a long shot, but being baby factories and having casual fun are two different things. Besides, Marrow hasn’t indulged our requests for a tentacle-monster session since managing so many limbs is tough for a changeling without practice.

“For sexy things like you? Only 200 credits each. I tend to charge 1000.” They said as they actually purred with a bubbly cat-like trill behind their robotic voice. “I may be looser in my social interactions, but I would prefer to remain anonymous.”

“That’s fine. Do you have any contacts we can talk to?” I asked as we led them towards an alleyway. The idea of getting ravished by a tentacle-person, in public was getting me all sorts of horny.

“Let’s talk business after pleasure.” They replied with their body practically vibrating in anticipation.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“This place is unnaturally empty, where is everyone? It looks like they just left food to get cold on the table.” Penny said as they passed through a home that looked like the family was about to return from wherever they went and finish their meal.

“This is spooky. It’s like they were snatched up without warning, without any chance to defend themselves. There’s no sign of violence, struggle.” Jacob added on as they left the house. It was eerie. Almost immediately after exiting the Kodiak in the town square of Freedom's Progress, it was as if they’d entered a ghost town that, only minutes ago, was perfectly normal.

“It’s the same as the others. In-and-out, no distress beacon, no signs of struggle. Whoever this is, they take these people before they can even blink.” Miranda commented as they looked around at the snow-covered area. Penny couldn’t feel the cold at all, which reminded her how unnaturally hot she was unless in contact with a living being, who only felt pleasantly warm when she touched them.

“I doubt it's that quick, they must be doing something to take their time. Unless these abductors can use magical teleportation, they must be using some tech to freeze colonists.” Penny said as she crouched at the floor and looked about. “Most of this stuff could have been placed about just right in that time before authorities come and by taking outer, lawless colonies, no-one questions it all that much. Though why make it look like no one was fighting? It's a big tell out here in the Terminus that it was not pirates.”

“Then there’s the drones. They’re still intact. Someone must still be here if they’re attacking us when by all rights their sensors should be reading us as non-hostile.” Jacob continued his observations, likely hoping there was still someone left. He was a good man like that.

“Yes, let’s keep-*sniff*.” Penny felt her contained ears and tail perk. She sniffed the air and looked around. Where is that scent coming from? That delicious, musky scent? It was so...oddly familiar and all around her. “Do you smell that?”

“The crisp snow? What is it?” Miranda asked curiously, acknowledging Penny’s inhuman capabilities.

“It smells delicious.” Penny was starting to pant, she felt hot. “Where…”

“Uh...Commander?” Jacob backed away and she looked at him with a devious curl to her lips.

“Duck.” Jacob heard a voice inside his head command and he listened, ducking just in time as the Commander pounced in his direction, but she was scooped up by a towering man in a grey hooded cloak that everyone was made wary of, especially in higher levels of Cerberus and government agencies. “Commander, you need to-.”

“You sexy beast, take me now! All of you, ravage me~!” Penny snarled and moved to open his cloak, but his eyes lit up with a turquoise light and a matching aura went over her head before she collapsed in his arms, panting and shivering. “W-what the fuck was that?”

“I am sorry. I should’ve anticipated you would react to us.” The man looked at the two shorter humans, who while of average height for humans, were still only chest-high to the tall and lithe man who looked like some sort of warrior of legend from Japanese folklore with his sharp asiatic features that were quite striking compared to the Brazilian facial structure most of humanity had evolved into over several centuries of interbreeding. “Put those toys down, mongrels.”

“Why should we?” Jacob asked while he stepped back from the clearly dangerous man.

“Because if you don’t, either I will make you.” The man whose voice echoed in their heads without his lips moving leered at them. “Or my siblings will.” As soon as he said that, the rest of the Doom Marines revealed themselves and completely surrounded them. Miranda obeyed, gesturing for Jacob to do the same.

“We might as well do what he says, we’re goners otherwise.” Miranda sighed and Jacob complied. “What are you doing here?”

“We are here for her.” Hunter squeezed the shivering and whimpering woman in his arms. She kept sniffing his chest and pawing at his stomach needily. “She’s taken the boon from Wiatr, which was a distilled mutagen made from Urta’s body. It was meant to be a back-up in case Urta was fully annihilated and it would allow someone to essentially sacrifice their body to share mind and soul with Urta. We have here The Empress of the Empire in all the ways that it matters.”

“N-no~...” Penny mewled and shook her head. “I’m me damn it, even if I have thoughts that aren’t like me.” Penny quivered at the idea she was being overwritten by someone else.

“That’s why my brothers and I are here, Commander. To help you get yourself back in order. For instance, this incipient neediness? This isn’t like you. This is like Urta after several days without any attention from one of her wives or husbands. Our wives should never have given you that boon.” Hunter pet Penny’s head and she shivered at how nice that felt. Then, she began to calm down and sighed as the roaring need to breed was quelled.

“Thank you. Okay then, since I’m stuck with you guys, welcome aboard. Any ideas where to look?” Commander Shepard snapped into control, her carnal desires bottled up, shaken, then stabbed multiple times to slowly trickle rather than pour. Damn she hated doing that, but duty calls.

“I have on record that another important asset of the Empire is here. Miss Tali’Zorah was sent here along with a rescue team to find a stubborn pre-unification pilgrim of the now-defunct Migrant Fleet.” Hunter reported to the group.

“Tali? Tali is here?” Penny perked up hard. Her carnal desires bubbled over along with giddy joy at seeing her girlfriend again! “Let’s go!” She hurried off but was stopped by Berserker and Runner grabbing her by the armpits and lifting her up slightly. “Hey! What’s the big idea?!”

“Do you know where you are going?” Berserker questioned her, the sound of his voice which carried power and purpose, but patient and understanding at the same time.

“N-no, I don’t.” Penny admitted as she looked down in embarrassment.

“Would you like us to help you find her?” Runner asked next, her voice soothing and angelic, it made Shepherd's heart pound and her already wet underpants soak.

“That’d be nice.” Penny muttered and then backflipped out of their grasps. “Well, lead the way.”

“That was amusing, seeing you run off like an eager puppy.” Miranda chuckled and Penny felt her face heat up for a reason other than arousal.

“Bite me miss perfect-ass.” It was Miranda’s turn to blush at the back-handed compliment.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

That was worth far more than 200 credits, but they wouldn’t let us overpay from their estimate. Still, I have their work number in case I’m ever on Omega and looking for some tentacle fun. “We’re totally going to keep tabs on any hanar prostitutes we run across.” I purred as I leaned against Yola for stability and she did the same in return.

“Yep.” Yola cooed as we wobbled on our unsteady legs. Holy hell can that hanar fuck like a monster. “I haven’t felt this sore in, well, ever. These new chassis are so advanced. So, mm, where was the Archangel last seen?”

“Hold on.” I pulled up my omni, which used to be Krarek’s, which hurt to remember every time I used it, but also made me sad-happy. “Somewhere up in the residential sector, a building that is separated from the rest of its district by a bridge and some maintenance tunnels, he was taking out a lot of Blood Pack, Blue Suns and Eclipse mercenaries there.”

“I swear, it looks like he’s being attacked by every mercenary band on Omega besides the Talons.” Yola observed with concern as we steadied ourselves and got walking.

“That’s because the Talons aren’t composed of power-mad or crooked assholes. Paretia made sure of that and her replacement, Nyreen Kandros, is just as firm on the stance the Talons only take upstanding contracts or at the very least do low-key work that will hurt as few people as possible. It’s why they’re so trusted and get so many contracts.” I replied, pleased that Paretia took my suggestions when she asked for my opinion. Now the Talons are on the fast-track to being considered Omega’s protectors and upstanding folks.

“I wish to see Aria now.” A huge Wookie said to an Elcor bouncer as we passed a nightclub with his roaring thankfully translated like other speech. Wait...is this the Afterlife? Holy shit, that hanar fucked us so hard we stumbled aimlessly into one of the most important places on Omega.

“Exasperated, Repeated Explanation: Aria does not want to see Imperial stooges.” The Elcor told him in that apathetic monotone I remember. I wonder how Harrot is doing back on Ekuna...

“I am Admiral Cuwbaka and I have important information for her on fleet movements. The Empire wishes to upgrade Omega's defenses, but we need her cooperation to do it!” The well-dressed imperial admiral, who I quickly pulled up the dossier on, demanded urgently. Hm, he’s pretty clean, only a few unapproved sexual encounters while he was on duty, but not unusual in the Empire.

“Annoyed Statement: If Aria was willing to cooperate, she would have called you.” The bouncer replied and I sighed as I approached while looking up some not-exactly public information.

“Listen here and pass it to your boss. Omega is one of the most important places in the entire Terminus systems, even more important than Kurshan. If it doesn’t have the best defenses, the moment Omega falls to any force, our own included, it will compromise the safety of the whole-!”

“Hey, big guy. How is the Red Sand treating you?” I casually said in a voice that wouldn’t be heard beyond the elcor bouncer and the admiral.

“How do you-?”

“How about you let us in to talk to Aria and you can go back to your office, Admiral.” Yola caught on quick and played along.

“Furious Exclamation: You cannot just-.”

“I just did. Now do you want me to tell Aria you haven’t been clean when you said you would be, I don’t know, two weeks ago?” I threatened, giving him the understanding that I could tell her, whether or not I see her in person.

“...Resigned Reply: You can go in.”

“Thanks big guy.” Yola patted his shoulder as we passed and we entered the Afterlife as I called up Nyreen.

“Hello?” Ah, right. She wouldn’t know me directly.

“Hey Nyreen, Nora’Feell here, Paretia’s girlfriend?” I led Yola upstairs to the section of the club not devoted to the dance floor.

“Oh, the one she said recommended me. Thanks for that by the way. What’s the purpose of this call?” Nyreen softened up at recognizing my name and I looked around.

“Are you at the Afterlife with Aria?” I spotted them over at Aria’s favorite booth overlooking the dance floor.

“H-How do you-?”

“Just answer sweetie.” Yola and I began prowling towards them, acting like we had every right to be here.

“...Not that you have any business knowing, yes.”

“Good, because I have important things to chat with you two about. You’re up in the observation booth, right?” I rhetorically asked before we got much closer.

“...You’re being very scary right now.”

“I don’t mean to be, I’m just in a hurry. See you in a sec, in fact, hey~!” I waved to Nyreen, who numbly waved at me as I approached her and Aria at their booth, the thugs on either side raised their guns only to suddenly have them short out.

[Sis, six o-clock, ventilation system.] Yola told me and shared her sight of a white feral wolf staring at us through the vent with the Cerberus logo on its forehead. It looked too real to be a droid and it didn’t register on our ‘wifi’ scans. Must be using QEC tech. Quantum Entanglement Communication was fairly new and only frequently used by the Geth after Chrys and Hermais worked together on it with us as the prototypes for it. Damn thing would be nearly unhackable unless we got direct contact with it.

“Hello, friends of yours, Nyreen?” Aria, the most dangerous asari on Omega and lover of Nyreen asked with suspicion.

“Not quite? I’ve never met them in person, but this is Nora’Feell and her twin sister Yola’Feell. They’re the ones who suggested I was the best pick to Paretia when she was getting second-opinions on her replacement.” Nyreen informed her lover who smiled beautifically at us.

“So you’re why my girlfriend suddenly became the leader of the Talons when before she was fine just running bodyguard jobs. Thanks for that, it makes working with them so much easier. I’m sure you know me, but I’m Aria T'loak, I Am Omega.” The sexy-scary asari gestured for us to sit. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, ladies?”

“Well, it isn’t going to be all pleasure.”

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“Penny~!” Tali crowed cheerfully and nearly toppled the suit-wearing goo-woman with a running tackle of a hug. “I thought you were dead!”

“Nope! Still alive. Good to see you.” Penny impulsively leaned in and smooched Tali’s helmet on the mouthpiece. “Still wearing the enviro-suits I see?” Penny commented as she looked past her sexy well-endowed quarian girlfriend at the team of quarians, or geth or both. They were slicing apart a console and a drone.

“They’re a part of our culture, Penny, even though we don’t need them anymore. It’s just habit and comfort at this point.” Tali shrugged as she gently grasped and traced her hands over Penny’s, the very quarian gesture was soothing as it always was.

“Hm, so I can’t see your pretty face?” Penny asked teasingly and Tali smacked her shoulder playfully.

“Not while on duty, you letch.” Tali then looked behind her and she could feel the judgement in her gaze. “Cerberus? Penny, what’s going on?” Then she shifted over to the Doom Marines and was shocked to see them here. “The Argentine Alliance, too? You must have gotten popular.”

“You could say that, Tali. For Cerberus, I have a debt to pay off since they saved me.” Which, as much as she didn’t like it, was more or less true. She’d fallen through the atmosphere and splattered within her suit on impact. She’d been reduced to a bubbling slurry of Argent goo with no sensation until she woke up in a pressure vessel. She might’ve been eaten by the wildlife considering she apparently tastes delicious.

“As lovely as this all is, we have work to do Commander. I’m sure Tali’Zorah can catch up with you later.” Miranda butt in, reminding Penny she still had a leash on her collar. How fitting since she’s a fox now.

Berserker didn’t take kindly to that and choke-slammed Miranda on the floor, not enough to kill her, but enough to cause pain.

“Whoa! Hey, calm down!” Jacob tried to defuse the situation while Penny felt shocked by the man’s sudden violent outburst.

“Berserker.” Penny spoke softly, gaining his attention. “Listen, I need you to calm down and let Miranda go. I know you don’t like Cerberus, neither do I, but we need them. Please, do this for me. That’s why you’re here, right? To help me?” She didn’t know how she did it, but it worked. Berserker slowly loosened his grip from Miranda’s throat, where the woman gasped for air and shuffled away from the living embodiment of violence.

“I’m-.” The moment Berserker tried to talk was silenced when Penny promptly performed a flying spin kick that knocked him down and tossed off his helmet. She moved so unexpectedly fast that when she pinned him beneath her and kissed him deeply full-on the mouth, the hulking man was surprised and groaned into her mouth and even put his hands on her hips.

“*smooch* It’s okay. I’m here.” Shepard caressed the man’s tattooed and scarred face, looking deep into his blood-red eyes. “Berserker, can you make me a promise?”

“What if it’s something I can’t keep?” Berserker countered gruffly, only to button his lip at the glare from the sharp almond eyes of the mohawk-sporting woman on top of him.

“Then you try your damn hardest to keep it, no matter what. I need you to work alongside these two, they’re not bad people. They may wear Cerberus’s uniform and colours, but they work for me. Can you try not to kill them, for me?” Penny demanded, feeling oddly like that would be one of the few reasons this violent man would listen to her.

“Yes. I promise not to kill them and work with them.” Berserker vowed, which earned him another kiss, this one deeper than the first.

“Good. Now, don’t break it. Especially not with Jacob, or I’ll castrate you~.” Penny fluttered her eyes and everyone gulped.

“That was so like Urta I have a bit of a boner…” Berserker chuckled as he patted her ass. “Now, if you excuse me, I have drones to dismantle. Everyone can stay here and catch up on things, I’ll call you when it’s all clear.” He winked at Penny before the two got up and he put his helmet back on. When he left, he was followed closely by Runner and Collateral. Hunter and Pillar remained with the others.

“Well, that was something. Not many people can do that with him. Good job on calming him down, Commander.” Hunter complimented, causing Penny to feel flustered at his praise.

“Wow, Shepard. Are you sure you aren’t with these folks~?”’ Tali teased her future wife.

“N-no! I’m still going to marry you too! I-I mean, they’re not mine!” Penny felt so confused~! She’s still going to marry Nora, Yola, Tali, Ash and Marrow. Why does she feel like being in a relationship with these people was just natural?! Especially with that violent sexy jackass she wanted to just strip naked and fuck like-Hunter waved a hand over her and she shuddered on an exhale as the sudden nearly-overwhelming urge to have sex with Berserker fled her.

“Don’t worry, Tali. The Commander isn’t in a relationship with us, but the person she’s partially remotely fused with is our wife Urta, the Empress of the Empire. She used a transformative to save herself from certain death. However, in doing so, she has physically become the Empress of the Empire; Urta.” Hunter clarified and Tali hummed with her hands wringing together.

“Wow. That’s...you mean you’re now like the icon of beauty for the Empire?” Tali asked and Penny sheepishly ran a hand through her soft red mohawk with a nod. “Well then, that just means sex got even more interesting. Anyway, we’re here to-.”

“Find a quarian who never returned from pilgrimage. Tali, you can stick with them if you want. You don’t have to be here if you feel you need to stick with your mate.” The quarian or geth man interjected kindly.

“This is going smoothly.” Jacob commented sarcastically with humor in his tone. Penny knows he isn’t a big fan of Miranda, but at least he was helping her recover from the shock of her assault.

“We don’t even have the Normandy yet and we have so many people involved in the mission already.” Miranda bemoaned with a sigh. “At least with the Argentine Alliance involved, we can be almost certain that Shepard will be safe.”

“Excuse me? Safe? Miranda, your boss went to so much trouble to get me on board. If I needed coddling, I don’t think I’d be running around on Cerberus’s dime. Now, would you kindly please remove that rod from your ass?” Penny Inoue Shepard huffed in frustration.

“P-pardon-?” Penny got in her face and poked her left tit.

“Am I clear? Rod. Ass. Get it out.” Commander Inoue snarled and Miranda nodded in confused surprise. “Good, now, I don’t care if those three are going to do the job for us, I want to see if I can get some action. Move out!” Penny marched onward and everyone else followed.