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Gianna was used to hiding in plain sight. Her entire career depended on being able to blend into the surrounding environment, not rousing suspicion, and not causing a stir until all the correct pieces fell into place. It came naturally to her, as though this was the life she was always destined to lead. Of course, she didn't believe in destiny – she believed only in the drive to succeed in a world set unjustly in favour of the corrupt, and failing that, arbitrary strokes of luck – but it was a comforting thought nonetheless.
Growing up without much wealth to her name meant witnessing her family struggle to pay bills while the rich kids at school bragged about owning luxuries she could never imagine being able to afford. It meant learning to lay low to avoid attracting insults and jokes being made at her expense by those who judged her as inferior. It meant overhearing tales on the playground about the shady things other children's parents got up to without repercussion and remaining silent out of fear that she wouldn't be believed over the kids whose affluent parents had close ties with the community.
Most importantly, her experiences had lead her to the realisation that in order to be taken seriously in life, she would need some kind of arsenal on her side: weaponry in the form of evidence, undeniable proof that could not be brushed aside by those who played favouritism and preferred to cast their eyes away from the truth. She'd decided then that she would do everything in her power to root corruption out of the system that had buried her family deep in hardship while elevating the people who sought to gain from their struggle.
If her place in the galaxy was to weed out the crooks who would continue to cause harm to families like hers, to ensure that less children would have to endure the same unfairness she did, then so be it. While she'd initially envisioned joining C-Sec or becoming a cop on a human colony, she was glad to have found her way to Internal Affairs; it allowed her to focus on the cases most relevant to her experiences and make full use of her skill set without having to engage with work that was too unpleasant.
It was best to leave the more undesirable work to those better suited to it. She'd gotten to know someone like that very well over her many ventures on Illium. She hadn't known what to make of Detective Anaya at first, but soon enough their acquaintanceship turned to friendship and then blossomed into something more intimate. Gianna had to admit she was happier than she ought to have been, professionally speaking, that her job sent her to Illium so often. It made the wait between the occasions they could meet in person more bearable.
Speaking of which, there was a reason why Gianna was idly milling about on the trading floor, gazing at but not truly seeing the beautiful vista in front of her. It was a sight she'd seen many times before and had now lost some of its novelty, but the truth was that the concern gnawing away inside of her was distracting her from appreciating the view as usual.
She'd received a message from Anaya asking to speak privately, giving the coordinates for where she wanted to meet. It wasn't completely out of the ordinary for the often tired, overworked detective to sometimes make spelling mistakes during their correspondence, but the frequency of the errors combined with the fact that there was something just a bit off about her wording caused an alarm bell to activate in the back of Gianna's mind.
It was probably nothing. Gianna herself had been having a stressful several days, so she was likely just feeling on edge and missing Anaya's familiar presence. She knew she'd be fine once she got to see her partner up close with her own two eyes rather than through the simulated proximity of her omni-tool screen.
Still, the restless feeling of anxiety continued. Gianna prided herself on being able to conceal her emotions but she found herself hoping that nobody picked up on her nerves.
Finally her omni-tool beeped, letting her know it was time to meet with Anaya. It was a short walk to the warehouse specified in the coordinates. That wasn't unusual; they often met in various nondescript locations to discuss business away from prying eyes.
Gianna entered the warehouse and began wandering about until she could find where Anaya was waiting for her. She did a full tour around the facility but was unable to see her anywhere. She pushed aside her spiking worry as she once again began patrolling around the rows of shelves and crates lining her path.
It was only when Gianna heard a loud clang echo from somewhere nearby that she swerved her head to the source of the noise and found an armed salarian pointing a gun directly at her. Instinctively, Gianna bolted behind the nearest crate and lowered herself to a crouch as she steadily put distance between herself and her assailant.
“God damn it, I told you not to move yet! Now she fuckin' knows where we are.”
Gianna heard the feminine voice and noted with dread that the salarian was not alone.
“I'm not going to just sit here waiting for her to leave again. We've got her now! She's cornered and we've got the advantage.” The salarian retorted back to his asari counterpart.
It was undeniably true, but through the adrenaline of her panic Gianna noticed something significant about these criminals. In just one exchange they'd revealed themselves to be disorganised and conflicted. She didn't know how yet, but that fact alone could be the key to getting out of this situation alive.
A third voice chimed in, speaking in a hushed tone. “Let's just shoot first and ask questions later. I heard that's what they do in the Eclipse.”
Ah, Gianna realised. I'm dealing with a group of wannabe mercenaries here.
The attackers made no move to advance on her position, too busy arguing to notice she was getting away. Then, as Gianna peeked through a gap in the crates to assess the situation, she saw the well-equipped salarian and two similarly armoured asari finally begin their approach. She managed to dart out of view just as they rounded the corner.
Her heart pounded inside her chest. For all her years of working undercover, Gianna had never been in a life or death situation as strongly stacked against her favour as this before. She took a breath in to calm herself, turning her focus to her plan of action.
On the left side of the warehouse was the entrance she arrived from. It was closer to her position but out in the open. Meanwhile, the exit on the right, while more protected by shelves that could provide cover, was much further away. It was also behind her assailants, meaning she'd need to manoeuvre around them to reach it.
Gianna's mind went to the pistol she carried for when she needed to use it on the job. The unfortunate reality was that her work could be dangerous; while corporate types weren't prone to physical assaults, they could attack in desperate situations and weren't above hiring other individuals to do the dirty work for them. This wasn't the first time she'd needed to draw her gun, but it was the first time the enemy had such a strong advantage over her.
Hired thugs... that's probably what's happening here, she concluded as she prepared her weapon for use. It wouldn't do much good against the better equipped group but it was her only current defence against their might until she could get close to the exit.
Gianna remained careful not to leave cover as she started making her way towards the left side door. The salarian yelled taunts at her, though it wasn't long before he was shushed by his asari cohorts. Gianna supposed there were only so many times one could announce “I will destroy you,” or “you must die,” before it got annoying even to their own teammates.
Gianna was uncertain how long this game of chase had lasted by the time she'd made significant progress towards the exit. Realistically, it had probably only been minutes, but time seemed to stretch on for eternity while trying to avoid the barrel of a gun.
The silence now shrouding the warehouse had become disconcerting. Before she could use her attackers' voices to judge their locations; now all she had for company was the sound of her own heavy breathing and the whirring of machinery in the distance.
She was torn from her thoughts by a sudden flash of blue in the corner of her vision. Spinning her head towards the biotic energy she saw the crates concealing her position lift into the air, leaving her fully exposed to gunfire. The trio began walking towards her with purpose, guns raised.
Shit, Gianna cursed internally. Of course they would have to get smart eventually.
With the crates afloat, the only area left for her to take cover was the shelf closest to the exit door. It was too far away; if she were to make a move towards it, she would be shot down in an instant. If she raised her own gun it would be the same result. Frozen in place, Gianna searched her brain for a way out of what was now looking like certain death.
“Who sent you? What is it you want?” Gianna called out before she even realised she'd opened her mouth.
It was then the lightbulb switched on in her mind. She could use one of her greatest skills to her advantage: conversation. If she could keep these aspiring mercenaries busy with talking, make an attempt to splinter their already fractured dynamic, she could create an opportunity amidst the distraction to slip free from the warehouse before they noticed.
The salarian paused his advance, a smug expression appearing on his face.
Before he could respond, there was a deafening series of rapid bangs from somewhere behind Gianna's position. Rather than words, a guttural scream exited the salarian's mouth, shortly followed by that of the two asari that had still been moving towards her with murderous intent.
The moment ended as soon as it started. Gianna's first realisation was that she was upright and unharmed; she glanced around the room and found the three bodies of her attackers laying sprawled out across the ground.
Gianna twisted around to look at the shooter. Detective Anaya stood at the warehouse entrance, gun raised with steady arms, eyes focused on the lifeless corpses in case they so much as twitched again. After the moment of pure adrenaline passed, the pair locked eyes with each other.
“Shit.” Anaya muttered as she lowered her gun.
Anaya strode towards Gianna, doing a quick scan over her appearance, relieved to find she had no obvious wounds.
“Did they manage to hurt you? Are you injured?” Anaya asked, needing to hear it from Gianna herself that she was okay before doing anything else.
Gianna looked into Anaya's concerned eyes. The detective's tone was professional, just as it always was at a crime scene. The subtle signs of stress and worry beneath the surface wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone aside from Gianna.
“I haven't been shot, so I'm fine.” Gianna replied, her shock starting to wear off. “I got your message saying that you wanted to meet with me here, and while I was trying to find you this group appeared out of the blue and got the jump on me. You showed up at just the right moment.”
“Thank god I did. I don't want to think about what would've happened if I hadn't gotten here in time.” Anaya shook her head. “But I wasn't the one who sent you that message. I'll explain it once we get back to the district. First I need to call in a squad for clean up.”
Anaya brought up her omni-tool and then paused, turning back to Gianna. “I'm glad you're okay. That was a tough situation but you held your own.”
As Anaya spoke on the comms line to her superiors, Gianna noticed the fallen salarian was attempting to pull himself back up into standing position. His armour must've protected him from the full brunt of Anaya's gunfire, but now it looked as battered as him. Without hesitating, Gianna raised her pistol, aimed at the salarian and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced his neck and he fell back down to the ground.
* * *
The ride back to the police district did wonders to calm the remainder of Gianna's anxiety. Putting distance between herself and the warehouse, watching the buzz of life below from her skycar window and having Anaya's strong presence by her side allowed her to feel much more like herself again.
Gianna felt more assured now that she understood what happened. One of the first things Anaya made clear was that the omni-tool she'd used to message Gianna had been hacked remotely shortly before the incident occurred. Though she still needed an investigation carried out to confirm it, it seemed likely that the hacking was performed by one of the asari attackers. Her body had been found with an omni-tool and she appeared to be the group's technician.
It was only when Anaya had opened the chat log to ask Gianna if she'd like to get a drink after her shift that she saw the message she'd apparently sent telling Gianna to meet her at the warehouse. Realising someone with malicious intent must've been laying a trap, Anaya had rushed to the warehouse as fast as she could to prevent any harm from coming to Gianna. It was a haywire trip across Illium's landscape that she'd successfully managed to make just in the nick of time.
Now the couple were hunched over a desk in Anaya's office, steadily narrowing down which of many suspects could've ordered a hit against Gianna. It was no secret she'd made enemies over her years working for Internal Affairs. They'd so far ruled out the possibility of the culprit being a past target looking for revenge and had now turned their focus to the individuals Gianna was currently investigating on Illium.
“So how about that turian merchant you've been scoping out over these past few months?” Anaya asked, picking up a datapad displaying a mugshot of a middle-aged turian man. It was the final in a pile of several datapads now strewn between them on the desk.
“You mean Murilus Dereris? It's been tricky finding the definitive evidence I need to put an end to his defrauding schemes for good. That's why it's taking so long to get a grip on the man.” Gianna considered for a moment. “I didn't think he was onto me though. Usually the people I'm investigating show more signs that they're becoming suspicious. Do you think it's possible he's the one who ordered the hit?”
Anaya flicked through the datapad. “Let's see... has a criminal record... already known to us here at the station for his financial misdeeds... aha! He was reported acting suspiciously in Eternity a couple of nights ago. The report says he was speaking to a group of young adults who looked too well-equipped to be there to enjoy a night out. Doesn't say what species they were, but it looked like they exchanged information with the turian over their omni-tools.”
“That definitely warrants looking into. Especially considering it's the only real lead we've gotten so far.” Gianna took a sip of her coffee, then continued, “The problem is that I've been keeping a close eye on his transactions and there hasn't been anything out of the ordinary for about two weeks. He's the type of fraudster who only operates in infrequent bursts of activity so it's not unusual, but it doesn't change the fact that we're missing vital evidence against him if we want to issue an arrest.”
“Maybe he's been laying low on purpose, trying not to attract unwanted attention. I can't picture the guy wanting to risk being caught by the very person he planned to have assassinated.” Anaya mused.
“That makes sense.” Gianna nodded. “He must've been using a burner account to make the payment or perhaps he used a middleman to do it for him. In that case, we can suppose he was only in Eternity to finalise the details. If only we could have a good look at his omni-tool to see what correspondence managed to slide under the radar.”
“We can bring him in for questioning and confiscate his devices for analysis.” Anaya said. She noticed Gianna looking dejected and added, her tone softening, “Hey, I know what you're thinking. You're wondering if this could've been prevented if you'd noticed sooner that something was wrong. Bastards like that are slippery. They know how to get away with their worst crimes even under scrutiny.”
Gianna said nothing, indicating that she was listening intently. Anaya continued, “There's a limit to how much you're able to monitor a suspect without provoking them. If you'd tightened your surveillance, the likely result is that he would've tried to off you sooner. And even if he wasn't the one to do it, press any target too hard and they'll become guarded or paranoid, which will only make your job more of a challenge.”
“You're right. God knows I've experienced that enough times over the years, but it helps to hear it from you now. Thanks, Anaya.” Gianna smiled appreciatively. Were they not in Anaya's work environment, she might've been tempted to use an affectionate name just to bring a blush to the detective's cheeks, but she opted to keep things professional while they investigated together.
“Anyway, if you believe we've got enough to bring him in for questioning then I want to be there when you interview him.” Gianna said, not wanting to dwell on her own somewhat bruised ego. “I'd love to see if he squirms when he sees me.”
She was partly joking, but in truth she wanted to gauge his reaction to her presence. If he wasn't the culprit then there was a good chance he wouldn't recognise her. After all, she hadn't known he was possibly suspicious of her investigation into his crimes until now.
She'd expected Anaya to laugh, but instead she nodded solemnly.
“I'm going to personally handle the interrogation. I'll interview him alone to start with and see where that gets us. If that goes well, you can join in and we'll get what we can out of him together.” Anaya stated. After a moment, she cracked a wry smile as she said, “It'd be funny to look at his dumbfounded face when he realises the woman he tried to kill is standing in front of him in the questioning room.”
“Don't be disappointed if he doesn't recognise me.” Gianna pointed out, though she matched Anaya's expression. For all she knew at this stage the turian may still be innocent, but both she and Anaya felt confident in their assessment that he was of interest to their investigation.
“Yeah, well, he could have a killer poker face for all we know. But it doesn't matter either way. I'll twist the information we need out of him regardless. He won't be leaving until I can verify that his story matches up with the results of our investigation.”
There was a determination to Anaya's words, but Gianna could see the anger beneath the surface that was being displayed as conviction. It was in that moment she realised just how seriously Anaya was taking the attempt on her life. It wasn't that she'd expected the detective not to care, but rather it was rare to see a crack beneath the surface of her outward demeanour.
Meanwhile, Anaya studied Gianna's posture as she slumped slightly over the desk with her coffee between her hands. Anaya hadn't been sure caffeine was a good idea so soon after unwinding from adrenaline but Gianna had assured her the familiarity of the beverage they usually drank together while working cases would be a welcome comfort on top of keeping her alert as they attempted to figure out who was responsible.
It was clear the event had taken a toll on Gianna. Anaya knew her partner well enough by now to know she wasn't keen on sharing her emotions, especially when she felt they got in the way of what was practical. She found the best way to help Gianna through these times was to simply be there for her as she gradually opened up about what was bothering her.
“What do you say we head back to my place after we're done here? You can stay overnight if you want.” Anaya offered.
Though Gianna usually rented a hotel room during her visits to Illium, they'd spent plenty of time together at Anaya's apartment. Gianna couldn't think of any place she'd rather be than by Anaya's side for the remainder of the evening.
“I'd like that.” Gianna smiled with genuine warmth. “Thank you. Not just for the offer but for everything you've done for me today. Maybe it sounds strange given the circumstances but I have a good feeling about the work we're doing. We make a great team when we combine our skills together to bring down criminals.”
“Hah, I wouldn't want to be the idiot who thought it was a good idea to mess with us.” Anaya laughed casually, but she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at Gianna's words. They were both talented individuals, but side by side they made a truly formidable duo.
The couple remained at the office a while longer to finalise the details of their plan, then hopped back into the skycar ready to make their way to Anaya's apartment.
* * *
The following week was a flurry of activity as the investigation into the merchant got underway. What had initially been an overnight stay at Anaya's apartment had turned into living together for the duration of Gianna's time on Illium.
It was a new experience for the both of them, but from a practical standpoint it made sense. It was faster and more convenient; time spent meeting at the precinct and then travelling to the day's place of interest could be time spent travelling together, reviewing case details and discussing what they wished to achieve over the next several hours.
It was a decision based in logic, that much was true. But on a personal level there'd been an unspoken closeness between the pair as reality sunk in that their relationship had almost been fatally destroyed. Gianna didn't want to lose her life and Anaya sure as hell didn't want to lose Gianna to some low level mercenaries because she showed up too late to save her. Though neither acknowledged it yet, the experience had served to strengthen the bond that had steadily developed between them.
At first the case had seemed straightforward, but arresting the fraudulent merchant was just the start. The turian did not have a killer poker face as Anaya had suggested, and in fact had audibly cursed under his breath as Gianna entered the interrogation room. When Gianna asked how he'd managed to hide his knowledge of her investigation into him given he clearly recognised her, he admitted that he really hadn't known until a couple of nights before the incident occurred. He'd panicked, worried about what his employer might do if they found out, and hastily decided to have the 'problem' permanently removed.
He'd found the inexperienced freelance mercs on an extranet site and decided to take his chances with them due to their affordability. The night he'd met with them in Eternity his anxiety about the risk he was taking was eased by seeing how well-equipped they were. He'd banked all his hopes on the hit succeeding; he was already on thin ice for having his past crimes become known to the cops and was not about to let his employer find out until the matter had been fully taken care of.
The revelation that the merchant had been working for somebody else had raised significant questions. Who was his employer? And how had the man managed to conceal this information in a way that wasn't detected by the bug Gianna placed in his network?
The second question was answered by studying the devices seized from his office. The encryption software they'd found responsible for blocking Gianna's detection of his communications was unlike any they'd seen before. Having been specially developed for the use of a small group of people, it was unavailable to the galactic market. It was undetectable to standard scanners and only the police's high end equipment had managed to discover it.
That, at least, had resolved Gianna's self-doubt around her abilities as an investigator.
They'd gotten the impression that the merchant was just one small pawn in a larger scheme, so now they were investigating a wider case of financial corruption than either had originally anticipated.
“–ake a look at this.”
Gianna was pulled from her thoughts by the detective's voice drifting over to her from a short distance away.
“Sorry, Anaya. Can you repeat that?”
“I said come take a look at this. There's something interesting going on with the initials on these documents.” Anaya repeated.
Gianna wandered over, eyes scanning over the papers Anaya held in her hands. Interestingly, these were physical documents, shoved hastily into the back of a drawer in the office of a client the merchant had frequently transferred credits to over the past few months. It appeared the client was going by different initials depending on who they were contacting.
“So they were going by 'LR' in their messages to our suspect, and 'KV' in their correspondence with this other mystery person. Any idea what either of those abbreviations stand for?” Gianna asked.
“I can hazard a guess on what LR stands for. Humans have a placeholder name for when a person wants to stay anonymous, right? You use 'John Doe' to protect your identity. Well, this is the turian equivalent of that. These initials likely stand for Lirus Rix. As for the other name, we'll need to take a look around for something that can tell us what it is.”
Gianna nodded. “Seems we're heading in the right direction. This client definitely has something to hide.” Formulating a plan, she continued, “These documents are a gold mine of information we can use to our advantage. I'll read through these while you scan the room for anything else that might be useful.”
“On it.” Anaya replied, wasting no time getting to work.
They came away hours later with a lot more information than they'd started with. Given that the merchant wouldn't spill who he worked for and they were getting thin on leads, they'd somewhat optimistically arrived at the client's office this morning with the hope of finding out who the merchant's employer was. As it turned out, the client had plenty of condemning evidence just sitting around in their filing cabinet waiting to be discovered.
Now there was a jubilant energy in the air as the couple pulled into the parking lot of a nearby restaurant, ready to enjoy a meal as they pieced together the evidence they'd found.
“Do your records show anything for the name in those files?” Gianna asked before taking a bite of her food. Savouring the taste, she added, “I didn't realise how hungry I was until we were back at the skycar. Thank god we were able to find this place locally instead of having to fly all the way back to your office to eat.”
Anaya smiled at the sight of Gianna enjoying her food as she begun scrolling through her datapad. She joked, “Why, don't you think the grub they give us at the station is as good as what they serve at this five star establishment?”
Gianna chuckled. “You know as well as I do that they could accidentally stock the station's cafeteria with food for the prisoners and it wouldn't make a difference to the taste.”
“It isn't that bad.” Anaya countered in a tone that suggested she knew she was fighting a losing battle, “I mean, the snacks in the vending machine are fine. Usually.”
“What a glowing review. Have you passed that feedback on to your superiors?” Gianna teased.
Anaya narrowly avoided snorting out her drink. “Hah! Not if I value my existence. They'd have my head for wasting their time with irrelevant bullcrap instead of doing my damn job.” She then said, getting back on topic, “Anyway, you wanted to know about the name in those files. Yeah, we have someone in our records called Korvia Vellin. Turian woman who's been caught hanging about with some unsavoury types in the past. Nothing that directly ties her to the merchant though.”
Gianna got a contemplative expression on her face. “I wonder about that. She was going by a codename to our suspect but her real name to her other contact. That would suggest this person is important enough to know her true identity. And there was a difference in tone between her messages to our suspect and the messages she sent to this mystery individual. More formal and respectful.”
“You think she could've been corresponding with her superior? Maybe a boss or someone higher up the chain of command?” Anaya asked.
Gianna nodded in agreement. “That's a possibility. But what I'm more interested in now is the address that was included in one of the letters I found. I suspect it's from early on in their communication, before any collusion between the two took place. It might be a stretch but perhaps we should pay this person is a visit to see what they have to say.”
“That's a good idea.” Anaya agreed. “Hell if I fully understand what we're dealing with here, but the sooner we can bring an end to this the better.”
On that decisive note, the pair finished their meals, plugged the address into the Illium properties database, and made their way to the coordinates given on their omni-tools.
* * *
“Where do you get it from, detective?” Gianna teased almost coyly after Anaya dragged the handcuffed salarian out to the skycar for arrest.
They hadn't long been interviewing the man before he confessed to his crimes. Not only were they correct in that he was the contact the client had been exchanging messages with, but also that he was involved with the wider scheme involving the merchant and his employer.
They'd been able to get a good chunk of information out of him too. Far more than either had hoped for when the salarian initially tried wriggling out of responsibility for his role in the whole affair.
“Chalk it up to having a salarian for a father. You get good at reading their body language. Makes it easier to talk them into a corner.” Anaya answered matter-of-factly, but the lighthearted tone of Gianna's words weren't lost on her.
Gianna had a good reason to be happy, of course. They were getting extremely close to solving the case that had trickled down into an attempt on her life. Once the employer that had put enough fear into the merchant's heart for him to resort to drastic measures had been brought to justice, Gianna could fully put the incident behind her and refocus on her other investigations.
For Anaya, it was important that both Gianna and herself could move on knowing all parties involved in the surrounding financial corruption were behind bars. Now that they'd learnt the employer's identity from the hapless salarian, the only thing left to do was pay him a visit and bring a close to the case once and for all.
The problem with that plan became apparent as soon as they approached the address they'd been given. Just as they rounded the corner they spotted the distant figure of someone hurrying to a nearby skycar. They made eye contact with the figure who then broke into a sprint, launching into the vehicle and taking off into the air before either Anaya or Gianna could catch up on foot.
“Damn it!” Anaya exclaimed, watching powerlessly as the employer got away. “I should've known it wouldn't be as easy as unexpectedly storming in while he was on his lunch break. I bet the bastard's been keeping tabs on us from the moment we arrested the merchant.”
“If that's the case then it's no wonder he was scrambling to leave before we came for him next.” Gianna sighed. She placed a hand on Anaya's shoulder, giving a slight rub of reassurance. “But we've got resources. The whole police department will be onto him the second we put in the request for backup. He won't be able to hide for long.”
Anaya couldn't help but lean into Gianna's touch for a moment. How she wished they were back at their currently shared apartment, having finally solved the case and no longer needing to stress about it anymore.
“Yeah, you're right. We can still salvage this mess.” Anaya said appreciatively. Thinking rationally was easier with Gianna by her side. A resolute expression replaced the anger that had just been painted across her features.
Anaya pulled out her omni-tool and placed a series of calls to the varying police departments over Illium. Gianna could tell from listening to the one-sided exchanges from Anaya's end of the line that the elusive employer was now a wanted man.
Anaya chuckled slightly as she turned back towards Gianna. “Well, his days are numbered now. It won't be long before we catch him.”
The couple walked back to their skycar, deciding the best course of action would be to join the search by heading in the same direction they saw the employer fly off in.
They'd been flying about half an hour with no luck before the scenic evening vista that Illium was so famous for came into view. The planet's sun was on its steady decline towards the horizon, casting the surrounding skyscrapers in a rich golden hue.
It had been a long day; there'd be no harm in taking a break to enjoy the sight before night came.
Pulling over onto a nearby mezzanine, Gianna and Anaya wasted no time in securing their spot along the balcony to witness the setting sun, which was now vibrant orange and low in the sky. Despite having experienced many sunsets on the planet, the novelty of daylight giving way to dusk hadn't lost its appeal.
Gianna realised the stark difference between the last time she tried to appreciate the vista and her ability to do so in the present moment. Just a week ago she'd been anxiously awaiting her meeting with the person she assumed would be Anaya. Her bad feeling about the situation was proven correct in the worst way imaginable, yet she came out alive on the other side thanks to the detective and now they were able to enjoy this moment together while her attackers laid in a morgue somewhere halfway across the planet.
A wave of relief hit Gianna. To think this moment could've been taken away by a fraudulent merchant and his hired team of wannabe mercenaries. Had things worked out differently, it could've been Gianna in the morgue and Anaya facing a lifetime of grief right now rather of the both of them leaning into each other as they basked in the beauty of the natural world.
The sun fell below the distant buildings, allowing the faintly emerging stars to make themselves known as fellow spectators parted ways for the night. Nights on Illium were hot no matter the time of year so there was no reason to hurry back into the warm now that the sun was gone.
It was a good distraction from the buzz activity along the skyway. Anaya noticed a few police vehicles among the never-ending flow of traffic and concluded that they were probably continuing the manhunt she and Gianna were taking a break from.
“This is nice.” Gianna remarked contentedly. “We don't often get to just take a moment for ourselves like this.”
“Once we've gotten this whole ordeal taken care of I'll bring you out to as many vistas as you want.” Anaya said, a self-indulgent smile making its way to her lips. It made her happy to see Gianna happy. “Five star restaurants, too. Think of it as a way to celebrate our victory.”
Gianna hummed in approval. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the shrill beeping of Anaya's omni-tool.
Regretfully, Anaya pulled away from Gianna to answer the call, their fleeting moment of peace having predictably ended too soon. As Gianna watched Anaya pace around on the mezzanine floor, she repeated the detective's words from earlier in her head. The sooner we can bring an end to this the better.
She just hoped to god it wouldn't be much longer now.
A minute later Anaya returned with good news: the employer had been cornered in a district not far from their location and they were free to make the arrest when they were ready.
The full darkness of night had set in by the time they reached the brewing situation a few blocks away. The employer they were after had indeed been cornered; in fact, he literally had his back against a wall as a small crowd of cops tried to convince him to surrender peacefully.
Now able to see the distant figure up close, it was clear the turian man was shaking in fear as he tried to smooth talk his way out of his predicament.
Anaya turned to Gianna, keeping her voice low as she said, “This should make things easier for us. Even if he's armed there's no way he's getting through so many officers.”
“Judging by his demeanour he doesn't have a weapon on him. It should be safe for us to make the arrest now.” Gianna replied.
“Agreed. I'll approach first and then you can follow behind me. There's no reason to assume a gunfight but I don't want to risk you coming to any harm if he recognizes you from your investigation into his employee.” Anaya instructed.
Gianna nodded in understanding. It was a reasonable request. She could use her gun but she wasn't as experienced as the frequently on the beat detective. Privately, she wondered whether Anaya was still shaken from having saved her from danger not long ago.
Fortunately no such force was necessary. The turian employer – no more than a slime bag businessman who believed he could buy his way out of arrest – gave in and allowed himself to be taken into custody once it became clear there were no preferable options available.
It was gone midnight by the time the investigative duo exited the interrogation room, having spent several hours interviewing the businessman. They were both drained but hadn't had the opportunity to express their exhaustion until now. Gianna's shoulders slumped ever so slightly while Anaya thudded back against the wall and rubbed her face in her hands.
Gianna watched Anaya curiously. This was the most emotion she'd seen the detective show at the conclusion of a case. After a moment, Anaya lifted her head, blurry eyes making contact with Gianna's own.
They gazed at each other until Anaya broke into a tired yet relieved smile. “What a week it's been, huh? Hard to believe it's actually over now.”
Gianna suspected there was more her partner wanted to say but didn't have the energy to express yet. She walked over to Anaya and gave her a celebratory pat on the shoulder. She wished she could do more than that, but it would have to wait until they were back at their apartment.
“Who knew a lucky breakthrough would be all we'd need to get this affair squared away in one hectic day?” Gianna teased. If they hadn't decided to investigate the merchant's transactions to that one specific client they'd probably still be stuck running up against dead ends.
Anaya chuckled. “And who could've guessed that at the centre of the whole damn case was a crazy scheme to offer illegal tours to planets prohibited by the Council?”
Gianna couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it. She'd investigated lots of financial corruption in her time but this was the first time she'd uncovered a plot by a businessman to buy a military-grade spaceship to convert into a luxury cruise liner for the purpose of selling forbidden excursions to dangerous, banned worlds.
“You heard the man in there.” Gianna gestured to the room they'd just come out from, “How thoroughly convinced he was that his genius plan would make him a fortune. I don't think he realised the risk he was taking funnelling exorbitant amounts of money into his harebrained idea until it was already crashing down around him.”
“Hah, yeah. And by then it was too late to stop us from getting him. The Citadel Council should give us medals for preventing his idiocy from being unleashed into the galaxy.” Anaya joked.
“I know you're kidding, but we've potentially saved a lot of lives with our actions today. We don't need recognition from the Council to know we've done a remarkable thing.” Gianna replied. She made no effort to hide the pride in her voice.
The detective pulled herself away from the wall and began walking with Gianna through the hallway, ready to head home at last. As they stepped outside they were greeted by hundreds of brightly lit stars glistening in the vast sky above. Though the air was comfortably warm the couple inched closer together as they admired the view, carefree in a way neither had felt in years.
They turned face to face, mirroring each other's unguarded expressions of joy as it sunk in that the stress was finally over. The case had been more personal than they'd ever wanted their work together to be; underpinning their investigation was the strong desire to bring to light the corruption that had threatened to end Gianna's life, to get justice so that they could move forward with the incident safely behind them.
In that fleeting, tender moment, they could no longer deny that the experience had strengthened their bond beyond what either of them had thought possible when they'd first entered their relationship. There was no doubt that what Gianna endured had affected her, but with Anaya's support she knew she would recover and carry on with her life with even more determination than before. They were ready to walk hand in hand into the future that had nearly been taken from them with a renewed sense of how much they truly cared for each other.
After they'd returned to her apartment, Anaya's final thought as she crashed into bed was that she should extend the invitation for Gianna to live there permanently. Gone were the days of having to book a hotel room; for as long as Gianna accepted it, there would always be a place available by her side whenever she stayed on Illium.