The elevator arrived with an abrupt jerk, with its doors emitting a noticeable grinding sound as they parted, stopping just short of their full opening cycle. Shepard didn't want to risk getting trapped if the doors decided to slam back shut, so he took a sudden leap out of the carriage, landing with a slight stumble.
It was hardly the entrance he wanted to make when he arrived at the crew deck, but navigating the temporarily haphazard layout of the Normandy gave him no other option, not until the repairs could be made at least. The Normandy's last run in with a pirate gang had put the state-of-the-art vessel through its paces, taking more than its fair share of high impact volleys from the modified Shank Class corvette's broadside cannons, pushing the experimental kinetic barriers to the max.
But with Joker's unmatched skill behind the control console, and Garrus's modifications to the formidable weapons banks, the pirates quickly found themselves regretting going after the Normandy. With a few precisely targeted javelin disruptor torpedoes to the corvette's underbelly, the pirates found themselves floating aimlessly in their disabled ship. To ensure that the gang wouldn't be able to prey upon any future vulnerable travellers, Shepard sent an away team over to the corvette, led by the stoic Samara, with support from Jack and Jacob. The aim had been to apprehend the remaining pirates, leaving a location buoy behind to allow any Alliance ships in the system to locate and arrest them.
At least, that was the intention. But even the perpetually battle ready Shepard couldn't have predicted how much resistance the pirate crew would put up against the boarders, throwing up every shield and defense mechanism they had at their disposal, hammering the away party with gunfire and devastating explosives. However, Shepard was also sure that the pirates couldn't have expected to be facing down the force of nature that was the Justicar.
The full details of the battle on the corvette were still unknown, with Miranda being left to write up a full report, taking an account from the trio that had laid siege to the stricken ship. But given the look of pure awe on Jack's face when they returned, accompanied by the shell-shocked expression on Jacob's, it wasn't hard for Shepard to draw his own conclusions. But as the commander of the crew, Shepard always prioritised carrying out his own assessments, particularly when it involved a warrior as capable as Samara.
Shepard received a set of salutes from the crew as he passed by, headed in the direction of the starboard observation deck. A smirk appeared when he spotted Jack standing on one of the tables in the dining area, excitedly relaying what she had seen, delighting in the horror her words brought to the faces of the Cerberus crew members.
"I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes. She cracked the guy's neck using her fucking heel!" Jack exclaimed, imitating the action with her own boot, scraping it against the brushed steel beneath it. "Then, she picked him up and used him as a goddamn meat shield. Now that's a bitch I can really get behind, not some jumped up Cerberus stripper in a catsuit."
Shepard chuckled to himself, reaching the door leading to Samara's personal space on the Normandy. Despite having seen Samara in action with his own eyes during their previous battles together, he always knew that anything Jack said should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially when she was doing her best to rile up the Cerberus crew. He entered the observation deck, making sure to lock the door behind him.
As always, Samara could be found mediating in front of the large window, which provided the occupants with a dazzling view of the starfield beyond. With the Normandy's current position, Shepard spotted the scattered remains of the corvette, silhouetted against the orange flare of the system's sun, evidence of the capabilities of the SR-2 and it's crew. Looking down, Shepard watched the thin blue aura surrounding Samara dissipating, noticing the white glow in her eyes fading when she turned her head towards him, until they returned to their usual entrancing icy blue.
"Shepard? It's good to see you. Was there something you needed?" Samara asked, as composed as ever.
"Just wanted to check up on you," John replied, taking a seat in the plush bench chair that flanked the Justicar. "Let's just call it an impromptu catch up, nothing official."
"I see," Samara tilted her head in understanding, displaying a level of serenity that contrasted the fiery devastation she had left behind on the corvette. "Was there something in particular you wished to discuss with me? Perhaps pertaining to the mission?"
"Yeah, something like that," Shepard rubbed the back of his neck, aware that evading the questioning gaze of a Justicar was destined to be a futile task, "Everyone's been talking about what happened on the pirate's ship, and I'm pretty sure that Jack is one Extranet blog away from starting her own fan club dedicated solely to you. But I felt that I'd be better off getting the full story from the woman herself, if you're okay with it?"
"Of course," Samara nodded, giving Shepard her complete attention, still remaining in her meditative position, "I gave you my Oath, Shepard. I won't keep any secrets from you, especially anything regarding my actions during the missions we venture on. Do you disprove of my actions on the ship?"
"Of course not, I doubt anyone around here is going to be too cut up about the loss of some pirates, particularly ones that decided to go up against a ship they were woefully outclassed by," Shepard said, letting out a small chuckle when he remembered Joker's disbelief when the corvette actually dared to move into an attack position. "I was just curious about your feelings about what happened. You're like a one-woman army, but I don't think I've ever met a calmer person in my life, even in the heat of battle. I'm not sure if I've ever seen you express even a flicker of anger."
"If you had met me as a maiden, then you would have encountered a girl driven by her emotions, pursuing a life of cheap thrills. It might surprise you to discover that I was once a performer on Omega many centuries ago, before Aria T'Loak staked her claim," Samara explained, with a level of disconnect that made it sound as though she was talking about a different person altogether. "My powerful biotics made me untouchable, arrogant. Far too many of the beings who were on the receiving end of my powers were innocents, people who had the misfortune of encountering the mercenary organisation I eventually found myself working for. Being a Justicar allows me to atone for my misdeeds, and to cope with what happened to my daughters."
"So wiping out the pirates was you making amends for the things you did when you were a merc?" Shepard questioned, always fascinated by the idea of uncovering the past lives of a species as long-lived as the asari.
"Pirates, mercenaries, slavers, they all share the same lack of morality, a lack of compassion for the beings they turn into victims. They bring misery to this galaxy, slaughtering and pillaging in the name of profiteering," Samara rose up and walked towards the window, close enough for her aristocratic face to reflect in the glass, gazing apathetically at the floating wreckage, "I feel no guilt for what I did to them. There is no anger, no hatred, no sense of vengeance, there is only the Code."
"So you don't feel emotion?" Shepard winced, understanding how blunt the question sounded. "Sorry, that didn't come out quite as I planned."
"That's quite alright. I wouldn't say that I feel nothing. But years of training have allowed me to keep my emotions contained. Justice must be unbiased, free from the judgement of the Justicar tasked with carrying out punishment for the crime," Samara recited, turning to face Shepard.
"But don't you ever let yourself free from the Code? Even in private?" Shepard fought off the sudden urge to let his eyes explore Samara's body, a truly difficult feat given how exquisitely her opulent armour hugged her athletic figure. Her scaled armour might have appeared flimsy to the inexperienced eye, but Shepard had seen for himself what sort of punishment it could take, escaping even the most intense firefights with mere scratches. The deep plunge that fully displayed her cleavage only served to make his resistance far more difficult. "Surely you have time to yourself every now and then, outside of meditation."
"The life of a Justicar allows for little in the way of personal time. Once we complete one mission, we're immediately sent on another," Samara replied, spotting the look of disbelief that appeared on the Commander's face. "Why? Is it truly so difficult to believe?"
"A little," Shepard hesitated, trying his best to not offend a woman he knew could throw him through the solid steel wall with disturbing ease. "When I was still working for the Alliance, I was one of the most by the books soldiers you could meet, and I sure as hell didn't slack when it came to carrying out my duties. But once I went off on shore leave, I lived it up, hit every club across Alliance space. What I'm saying is, even the most dedicated soldiers need to unwind occasionally."
"I find peace from my meditation," Samara said, before letting her gaze drop for the first time, "it's one of the few freedoms I entitle myself to."
"And don't you ever allow yourself to do more?" Shepard gently pushed the subject. "You're six hundred years old, Samara, that's barely the middle age for the asari, you must feel certain urges?"
"I will concede that there are times where I feel certain... desires," Samara admitted, letting her blue eyes jump back up to meet Shepard's. "As much as I try, even I can't always prefent the natural urges of my body from rising to the surface of my mind."
"And you haven't tried to act upon them?" Shepard asked, closely watching the subtle sway of of her hips as she stood in place. "You said that you couldn't allow yourself to have a relationship because of what happened with Morinth, but that doesn't mean you have to stop yourself from having sex with no strings attached, a hook-up of sorts. Sometimes, sex is just sex, nothing more. The relief it brings is immense."
"A tempting suggestion," Samara nodded, "but my current location makes 'hooking-up' difficult. If I was to engage in coitus, it would have to be committed with someone I knew I could trust to not pursue anything beyond intercourse. Someone mature enough to provide me with the relief I need. If you're willing, I believe that you fit the criteria, Shepard."
