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Shepard called in her ride as she secured her prisoner next to her. She also checked the “borrowed” hoverboard to make sure it was in working order, just for good measure. As the ship docked and opened its cargo ramp to receive the human Spectre and her package two turian figures waited on top of the ramp. The older one quickly went to retrieve the package not bothering to look at Shepard while the younger one went to help her up the ramp and into the medbay.
She sat on the medbay cot and with Nihlus’ help she removed her armor so the doctor could get a look at her leg. As her armor was removed both the turian doctor and Nihlus started coughing and held their hand to their nose.
“Cough. What did you do Shepard? Bath in his pheromones?” Her mentor, best friend, and, if her hunch was correct, something more asked her.
“It’s not that bad!” She protested.
“You were supposed to capture Archangel, not sleep with him.” Nihuls poked fun at her as the doctor poked her injury.
“OW!” She hissed at the doctor.
“Sorry Spectre Shepard. I don’t have any Levo supplies on the ship so the best I can do is remove the bullet, clean it, and apply medigel.” The doctor explained.
“We should get more levo supplies once we restock since you keep bumming rides off of us.” Nihuls stated.
“OH spirits spare me!” Saren said as he walked into the med bay. He sniffed loudly and scowled. “Can you go two days without screwing turians Shepard? It smells like a fledgling on his first date in here.”
“It can’t be that bad. And it’s been way more than two days.” Shepard said defensively.
“Oh it is.” Nihuls stated. “He must have scent marked you.”
“What is that?”
“Scent marking is when a very immature or young or possessive turian plasters their mate in their scent in order to let other turians know they are fucking this one. He must have smelled Nihuls on you and marked his territory.” Saren explained.
“I’m not sleeping with Nihuls”
“I’m not sleeping with Shepard.” They both said at once.
“It could be from the sparring you both do. Why so defensive?” Saren smirked at them.
“Is that why he rubbed his mandibles on me? No one has done that before.” Shepard said.
“I’m surprised, since you attract turians to you.” Saren scoffed at her.
“It’s a talent that runs in the family.” Shepard said sweetly with a smile at Saren. He flared his mandibles irritated and turned and walked off.
“AND DON’T STEAL MY STUFF!” He called back over his shoulder as he left.
“Why do you insist on antagonizing Saren? You know he doesn’t like you very much. Your free rides might end with you in the air lock if you keep this up.” Her mentor shook his head but amusement rumbled in his subvocals.
“It’s part of my charm.” The doctor finished with her leg and she moved it experimentally. Finding that it works but still painful she decided it was the best it could be. “Well, better take a shower and remove the Archangel horny smell before I stink up the ship.” She jumped down off the table, wincing as she landed on her foot.
“You can shower all you like but scent markings can’t be removed so easily.” Nihuls said with amusement. “Only time will remove them. Or a stronger scent can mask it.”
“Can you smell who it is?” Shepard asked.
“A little. We can tell it’s male but unless we KNOW the turian and are familiar with his scent then we can’t really tell more than that.”
“Damn. I can’t even use it to help me find him. I’m just going to go around smelling like I had sex with a turian.”
“Well, you did have sex with a turian.” Nihuls pointed out.
“THANK YOU!” She says sarcastically. “How long is this going to last?”
“Oh at least a week, maybe even a month.”
Shepard grumbled theatrically and threw her hands in the air. Nihuls laughed at his friend’s misfortune.
~~~~~~~~
After her shower Shepard was using the terminal that she always uses down in the cargo hold. Every time she rode with Saren and Nihuls she used this space in the cargo hold, it was like she had her own room aboard.
“What are you doing?” A voice calls from the entrance. She turns and is surprised to find Saren leaning against the door frame. He isn’t coming inside either choosing to respect her personal space on his ship or to avoid the scent of Archangel. Probably the last one.
“I’m looking for Archangel. I know what he looks like and so I have a rough idea of his age. Even if it’s still hard for me to understand turian ages I can narrow it down. He had markings for Palaven. Cipritine, I think, so he must have gone to basic and graduated. He was an excellent shot with his sniper so if I can find files of turians in basic who got exemplary marks in sniper training I can narrow it down to who is from where. It’s more of a lead than I had before.” Shepard explains.
“You have another clue as well.” Saren told her.
“I do? Please don’t make a reference to how we slept together. I’m not in the mood. I have been looking at files for the last three hours.”
“I wasn’t going to.” Saren looked like the very idea made him nauseous. “You told Nihuls that Archangel only goes after people who he believes are evil. Correct?”
“Yeah. Weapons merchants, slavers, drug dealers, people like that.”
“So he believes himself to be doing good.” Saren explained slowly.
“It’s not just a belief. During the fight he covered me instead of letting me deal with the guards myself. At the end of the fight he had a shot on his target but took out the guard that was going to kill me instead. He saved my life and lost his mark. He might actually be a good person, er, turian.”
“Someone with that strong a moral compass must have tried out for Spectre training at some point. Check the Spectre files as well.” Saren told her.
“I’ll have to get council approval since that’s above Spectre level one.” She explained. Saren waved his omni-tool towards her like it was a dismissal and thousands of files appeared on her terminal.
“Spectre level three’s can get it and I’ll approve you to use the list.” He said.
“Thanks Saren.” She was surprised he was helping her but didn’t want to ruin it so she was as polite as she could be.
“You also might want to get C-Sec files as well. There is a good chance your “knight in plate armor” was in C-sec, trying to save the Citadel as well as apply to be a Spectre before going rogue.” Saren offered
She sighs. “That would make me talk to the Executor to get those. He hates me.”
“Being a Spectre means more than just shooting your problems away. Sometimes you have to talk to people you don’t want to.” He explained.
“Like you do with me. I know, I know. It’s just easier to solve all problems with violence.” Shepard said. Saren threw her some small object. She caught it easily enough and looked at it. “What is this?”
“A tracker. It somehow found its way onto MY hoverboard. If you are going to steal my stuff at least make sure your fuck buddies don’t install tech on it.” He didn’t sound as dismissive as she thought he might at that.
“Sorry Saren. It’s easier to move around with the hoverboard. A turian can outrun me on foot and so I took it.”
“You could have asked.”
“And you would have said no. It’s no secret that you hate me. Not that you don’t have your reasons. I figured after I brought it back you would see the practicality of it. I figured after I captured Archangel using your hoverboard I could appeal to your turian sensibilities.”
“Ask next time. And you can’t get rid of the scent marking by washing, though I can tell you tried. Nihuls’ scent is stronger; he should be able to overpower it when you sleep with him.”
“I’m not sleeping with Nihuls. Really, he’s my friend and mentor. I wouldn’t do that to our current relationship.”
“Humans are so strange when it comes to sexual relations. I thought you would have understood how turians viewed it by now.”
“I do but that doesn’t stop what the other races call me or how turians see me. Walking around smelling like the rumored turian whore that I am only confirms it. I got lucky, scent marking me was the worst that happened. I fought him and became unconscious. He could have killed me, or left me, he took me back to his base instead and helped me.” Saren got visibly angry at that. Though which part she wasn’t sure.
“The hoverboard’s fine. It didn't get more than a few bullet holes and he fixed those and calibrated the flight algorithms.” She added quickly, hoping to stop Saren’s rage.
“I don’t care about the damn hoverboard! You were unconscious when he scent marked you?”
“No, I woke up and seduced him, then he marked me. Other than treating my injuries I don't think he touched me.”
Saren seemed to calm down and relax. Soon he smirked at her. “You lost the fight though. He must be strong. I watch you spar with Nihuls and if Archangel beat you then he must be something. Add commendations for hand to hand in your search parameters.” Saren supplied helpfully.
“He didn’t beat me. We were interrupted by an army of machine gun wielding Krogan.” Shepard said more than a little pouty.
“Nevertheless. He walked away from the fight and you did not. You were at his mercy. You are very lucky he is a good man indeed.” And with that Saren turned and walked away. “Oh and Shepard, I don’t hate you.” He called over his shoulder as he disappeared into his ship.
Shepard stood there bewildered for a moment. Then she realized she was just putting off an unpleasant task she didn’t want to do, so she forced herself to turn to her terminal. Seconds later she sent off her request to meet with the Executor of the Citadel. Less than a minute later he responded with a meeting time.
~~~~~~
Two days later she was standing at the door to the Executor’s office. She was feeling self conscious as she remembered Nihuls words as she departed his and Saren’s ship.
“Good luck meeting with the notorious Spectre hating Executor while smelling like you just had sex with a turian. I’m sure he will be more than happy to do you that favor.” He laughed at her. No Spectre wanted to deal with the Executor if they could help it and Shepard even more so. Given her, “turian fettish”, and considering that C-Sec it almost all turians she had to meet with the Executor on more than one occasion. None of them pleasant and all of them embarrassing. If Saren was right and Archangel was former C-Sec then she just slept with another of his officers.
No, she was not looking forward to this.
She knocked on the door.
“Enter.” Came the hard double flanged voice of the Executor behind the door. She entered and stood facing his desk.
“Executor Vakarian, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I have a request.” She paused as he took a large inhale through his nose.
Okay, he can smell Archangel on me. Luckily he doesn’t know who it is and Nihuls said only people who know the turian can place him by his scent. Shepard thought. He turned in his chair so that he is now facing away from her.
“I need C-Sec files on their former officers so that I can find the identity of someone the council wants found.” She continued even though she was talking to his back. He turned back around to face her holding something in his hand.
“That won't be necessary.” Executor Castis Varkarian told her as he handed her the object he picked up.
She looked down at it. At first she was confused. It was just a standard family picture. There was Castis and his wife, his daughter, and his…son. His VERY familiar looking son.
“OH fuck!”