<span style="font-size: 15px"><b>***</b></span><br/><br/><br/><br/>The orb of blue light curved in its path, the trajectory of its arch suddenly increasing downward. It struck the line of heavy waist high crates. Ashana shook her head and muttered a curse to the goddess. She paced for a moment shaking out her arms  and clenching and clenching her fists, muttering quietly to herself then she stopped, started bouncing on her feet, taking a few deeper breathes, then stepped forward, planting a solid stance on the ground and firing another pull off toward the assembled crates. The pull arched and fell, diving behind the crate wall and hitting the stand in target she had placed there like an enemy hiding behind cover, but the angle was too steep and the trajectory too long. Instead of lifting the target up out of cover, it pulled it along the floor, making it skid and bounce.<br/><br/>She uttered another curse and started back toward the crates to retrieve the target and put it back behind its cover. She passed between two tall standing crates, slide over a short wall of them, then hopped over the last line. It was an ideal situation for a shooter, the way the crates were set up, providing ample cover. Ashana had made it that way, spent nearly an hour pushing and shoving and pulling the crates into position to help her train. It was utterly unrealistic of course. Who would leave a bunch of waist high and person tall crates sitting around in a perfect formation to allow a shooter to advance in cover? But still, she needed to practice, needed to get better at using her biotics from range. She was too comfortable up close.<br/><br/>She grabbed her errant target and began sliding it across the cargo bay floor back into its cover position. She had tried to sleep, to rest. But it hadn't happened. She had enjoyed their little fun in the night, watching Darion fuck Maethia while she rubbed and massaged and toyed with Milenya had been a nostalgic catharsis, one made all the sweeter by the effects they were under. But when they had all filtered out and she had been left alone, and sprawled out on her bed, naked with only a thing sheet laying across her form... she was confronted by the world around her again. When she opened her eyes, every tiny blue light in the darkness of her quarters made her heart jump as visions of those...<i>things</i>in the dig site came back to her. Eventually futility had set in and she threw on a tight sports bra and underwear and headed down into the cargo bay.<br/><br/>She could still feel the strain on her nerves and muscles as she launched another pull, this one managing to lift the target, but only just. Only real rest and meditation coupled with careful massage therapy would alleviate the stress that had been induced in the desperate fight for survival in the dig site. But she couldn't relax. She had to be better. They had survived, but it wasn't good enough to survive. It was practically luck. She was facing a new kind of enemy, one she couldn't stalk and watch, one she couldn't seduce, draw in. Now they knew who she was, what she was, where she was. And they were better than she was. The injuries the human had given her still weren't fully healed. Against there had been no contest. And now, against those things... in both of those fights her weakness was her self reliance, her comfort in controlled engagements. Aria hadn't been wrong, she was alive because she hadn't been alone. She owed those people in that ship a better teammate.<br/><br/>She paused, calculated, set her stance, took a deep breath and launched another pull. This time it was spot on. The target empty crate was hit, enveloped and sprung up out of cover. Suddenly there was a loud bang that echoed in the cargo hold and Ashana flinched, ducking as the contrail of the gunshot hit the crate and sent it spiraling backwards, still held up by the mass effect field.<br/><br/>Ashana looked behind her, at Sorv, standing there. He lifted his Mantis into the crook of one arm, judging the target with a short nod.<span style="color: darkorange">Yep. He's dead.</span>He looked at Ashana who was standing up and calming herself after the surge of adrenaline. She looked at him and he saw the tiredness in her.<span style="color: darkorange">Can't sleep? Yeah... me neither.</span><br/><br/>Ashana nodded a little.<span style="color: darkorchid">We weren't ready for that... what was down there I mean. Weren't ready.</span>She put her hands in her hips, not minding her semi-dressed state.<br/><br/><span style="color: Darkorange">They were intergalactic space zombies. Who the hell would be ready for that?</span>He asked with a slight chuckle. Ashana smirked and looked down, nodding.<span style="color: darkorange">Hey, you got more of those target laying around?</span><br/><br/>Ashana nodded, turning back toward the makeshift cover course.<span style="color: darkorchid">There, there, and behind there.</span><br/><br/>There was a moment of silence as Sorv surveyed the course.<span style="color: darkorange">Tell you what, you call one, pull it out of cover and I'll shoot it. Then I'll call one, same thing. You know, get used to working together and all that.</span><br/><br/>Ashana looked over her shoulder at him then nodded with a light smile.<span style="color: darkorchid">Ok.</span><br/><br/>She got into stance.<span style="color: darkorange">I'll try not to stare at your ass too much.</span>Ashana smirked and got ready, deciding on a target.<span style="color: darkorange">No promises though.</span><br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>Taseer lazily dragged her arm over her face then rubbed her eyes. She could feel the distant pain in her head from the drinking last night. A pain she knew would be assaulting her soon enough. She reached down and felt a wetness between her legs, the lingering sensation in her loins.<i>Oh yes...</i>she remembered, looking at her two partners still dozing. The Turian, who's name still escaped her, had had quite a night - and had done an admirable job making sure the two women did as well.<br/><br/>And there was Kala. Dear, shy Kala. Wasn't very shy last night. Taseer smirked. The Turian had had up on a railing, cock all the way into her, making her tits bounce when she had noticed Kala enjoying her self just out of view, fingers down between her legs. It hadn't taken much coaxing at all to get her to come and join them. For such reservations before, Kala certainly had cooed when the Turian mounted her. They had taken their turns, fucking, being fucked, tongue playing with each other, fingers going places...<br/><br/>The three of them were all naked in engineering. Anyone could have walked in on them, but Taseer suspected that everyone was in a similar state somewhere or another. Sex and alcohol was a great way to relieve stress after a near death experience. She looked at Kala, laying one her side, a pile of clothing for a pillow, the Turian nearby, arm draped lazily over her waste. She looked at Kala's tan ass and debated getting a couple fingers up in her cunt, wake her up the fun way.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Briefing in 10 minutes. Crew presence mandatory.</span>A low, stern voice echoed over the comms. Taseer winced. Cantenelli always had been an unsympathetic captain to the hug over. She didn't particularly want to move, or remember the horrors of yesterday, but it was time they figured out what had went so horribly wrong.<br/><br/>She sat up legs spread, and rubbed her face. Kala and the Turian were beginning to stir. She took a deep breath and nodded. Now or never. She reached over and gave Kala's bare ass a good smack.<span style="color: navy">"Come on you two. Back to work. Lets get showered, unless you want to go to the brief butt naked covered in Turian cum."</span><br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>Ashana sat in one of the chairs, leaning back in her sports bra and underwear. The crew had all gathered, and not one of them looked good. Everyone seemed at least hungover, several of them had walked a little off kilter after having something inserted between their legs rapidly, and some of them were barely dressed. Taseer, who had showered was wearing pants and had a wet towel draped over her shoulder to cover her breasts. She had been kind enough to make something caffeinated and was handing out cups to the crew.<br/><br/>The group formed a semi-circle around the table in the crew quarters, as above the table was the only emitter on the deck. Cantenelli was standing before them along with Milenya and Beruut. Milenya didn't look like she had gotten much sleep. Beruut stood beside her, one arm set in the palm of the other, hand at his mouth while he nervously rubbed his fingers together in thought. Falkris was off behind them, leaning on a railing, one arm in a sling, a protective apparatus strapped to her chest where he had suffered the worst injuries. There was a crutch leaning against the wall beside him for his splinted leg.<br/><br/>Firas was standing before Cantenelli and the two were whispering quietly to one another. She realized she hadn't seen Firas for the entire time after the mission, and Sorv only after she had gone down to the cargo bay. She leaned over and whispered to Sorv,<span style="color: darkorchid">Where were you two last night?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: darkorange">Talking with Cantenelli.</span><br/><br/>Ashana frowned. She didn't like being out of the loop so suddenly.<span style="color: darkorchid">About what?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: darkorange">You'll see.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Alright, </span>Cantenelli said, turning to face the group, breaking off the conversation with Firas.<span style="color: blue">We're all here so let's get this out of the way. Doctors... go ahead.</span><br/><br/>Beruut nodded and stepped forward.<span style="color: olive">As you are well aware, we encountered a hostile organism on Zeona. Doctor Milenya and I have dissected and studied what samples we have and our finding are... </span>He looked at Mielnya briefly.<span style="color: olive">Unsettling.</span>He nodded to her.<span style="color: olive">Doctor.</span>He motioned for her to present their findings to the group.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>