The Matriarch's Legacy: I
Featuring:
@KillamriX88
“As nice as it is to hear from you, I'm sure you haven't forgotten that I'm not working. I'd have told you if I was back.”
“I'm aware. However, I'm afraid I must still ask for your help. There are very few people I can trust right now, and fewer still who have the skills I require. I'm afraid it really does come down to you.”“I don't suppose you're going to give me more details than that?”
“I wish I could. Suffice it to say I'm in danger. This is big, Amynta. I've made some powerful people very angry, but... I feel I'm morally obligated to go through with this. I've contacted people on the Citadel, but I doubt they'll be here in time.”“That... does sound big. Well I suppose I'm morally obligated too. I'm on my way.”
“Hardly, but... thank you.”
Amynta arrived at the planet on which Matriarch Sotiria resided. As far as colonies went in the Terminus Systems, it was a fairly large one. Stepping off her ship, she could already see where she was headed. There were two, tall buildings towering over all others. The slightly shorter of the two was owned in its entirety by the Matriarch.
Amynta had once asked her why she wasn't in the taller building, and apparently that one had been erected by someone jealous of her influence in the region. It hadn't come to much, and when the Asari had inevitably outlasted them, she'd bought up that one too, but chose to stay in her original building on principle.
The Matriarch's main office was on the third to highest floor, out of about fifty if she recalled correctly. As she strode down the ramp from the dock into the colony, she initiated a call to the Matriarch.
“I'm here. I assume you're still alive if you're picking up,” Amynta hazarded a guess.
“Indeed, I am. Thank you. I already feel a little better knowing that.”“I still have trouble believing you contacted the Citadel of all places. Big or not, something like that's not going to be popular with people around here. I do hope you'll let me listen in on all this.”
“Curious are we? I thought you were more professional than that.”“I told you. I'm not officially working. Least you can do is satisfy my curiosity.”
Her response was a tense laugh,
“I'm sure they'll have no problem with my personal guard staying by my side.”“You really couldn't find anyone but me? I'm flattered, but I'm still only one person.”
“I have a few others, but you're quite special you know. I just... when I realized what I'd gotten into, I could only think that I'd feel better with you here.”“OK. Well... now I'm
very flattered. When are these people arriving anyway?”
“Actually, they should be arriving just behind you. They only recently gave me an ETA.”“And now I’ve gone from flattered to redundant.”
“Oh, hardly. You think I’ll be left alone once they’ve come and gone? If nothing else they’ll want to make an example of me.”“True, can’t have that. Anyway, I'm almost at the building. Did you ever get that elevator to move any faster?”
“Sorry. If anything, I think it's gotten even slower.”“Wonderful. Just try to keep it together until I make it up there, OK?” Amynta was easily allowed into the building, being quickly recognized. No doubt the Matriarch had let her people know she was coming.
“I'm sure I'll manage. See you in a minute.” WIth that, the call ended as Amynta stepped into the elevator. As it chugged into motion, Amynta realized it might actually take a whole minute to get all the way up there.
Finally she arrived, passing through the empty waiting area and through one of the two doorways into the Matriarch's office. Apparently it was set up that way so that, on busy days, the Matriarch could kick people out while other people came in. Immediately she was stopped by one of the guards already present. It would have annoyed her, but mostly she was just happy that the Matriarch’s people were on top of their game.
“Yep. It’s her.” The guard was one Amynta recognized, one of the more permanent people on the Matriarch’s staff. Thaleia, ex-Asari military, and while not exactly a commando, she was still more than the average mook would want to tackle. “Glad to have you on board.” She held her hand out for Amynta to shake before stepping out of the way.
“Amynta. Finally.” The Matriarch jumped up from her sea, her dress fluttering as she quickly strode over to her, enveloping her in a sudden embrace.
“With the hugging already?” Amynta was caught off guard. She held the Matriarch at arm’s length as she pulled away. “You… you’re terrified, aren’t you? And the fact that I can actually tell is starting to make me nervous.”
“. . . You’re not wrong,” the Matriarch spoke softly, lowering her gaze. “Amynta… I… I’m starting to think whoever I’ve angered is… not normal. They’re not just another band of Terminus dregs, certainly.”
“It doesn’t matter who they are. I won’t let them hurt you.”
“I know. I’m the one who owes you, and yet-”
“Will you stop already? It’s the other way around and you know it. And you know why.”
“Agree to disagree, then-” They were cut off by the sound of the door opening behind them. Amynta turned her head, only getting a glimpse of a figure in full, dark-colored armor before something was chucked into the room with them.
“GET DOWN!” The ex-soldier shouted. Amynta reached out, pulling Thaleia and the Matriarch close and then slamming her eyes shut to focus. Just in time a small bubble formed around them as a moment later the object exploded.
Amynta winced as her barrier was tested by the explosion, but let out a breath as she realized it had held just fine. She looked up to see the other guards in the room hadn’t been so lucky, and were now strewn across the room, scorched and bloody.
She grimaced, but in the end her main concern was the Matriarch.
“We have about five seconds before they realize they failed. Get the other door.” Amynta rushed to the first door, quickly working the key-pad to lock it, hoping Thaleia was doing the same with the second door.
“I’m so sorry, Amynta. I don’t know how this could have happened, m-my own building. No warning-” The Matriarch sounded more distraught than Amynta had ever heard her before.
She turned to face the older Asari, “It doesn’t matter. Just get back. I’ll deal with this-”
Once more she was distracted by the sound of the door opening. What? She’d just locked it! When she looked, she saw something she really quite hated -- an Asari Disciple pistol. She put all her focus into reinforcing her personal barrier, but the round struck her in the chest, nearly collapsing it in one go and knocking her firmly on her rear.
Before they could fire again, she threw her hand out and this time made an offensive use of her biotics, flinging the attacker into the ceiling. Of course this only revealed he wasn’t alone, as as second attack that had been behind him took aim and began spraying bullets into the room.
By some miracle, none of them hit her and Amynta was able to throw her first victim into the second, knocking both clean out of the room. She jumped up and with another surge of biotics, pulled the door closed again with such force that she could hear the mechanism sheer apart, disabling it for good.
“You clear?!” Amynta turned to Theleia who nodded, eyeing the door controls like a hawk lest someone hack that one open next.
“Amynta…” She heard a whimper from the Matriarch. She turned to see the woman clutching her side and collapse into her chair. It was then that she realized why she hadn’t been shot -- they hadn’t been aiming for her.
“Matriarch!” She rushed over to her.
“Oh, I suppose that was a little dramatic of me. Really, I should be grateful you weren't the one shooting at me.” She chuckled weakly. “I-I’ll… I’ll be fine. It’s not that bad.”
“I can’t keep this door shut forever!” Theleia slammed her fist on the door controls, locked in an almost comical battle of who could hit the button faster. It was only a matter of time, however, before their attackers just disabled the controls entirely.
“. . . You won’t have to.” Amynta stepped away from the Matriarch, putting her rifle into her hands. “Keep an eye on her.”
“Amynta? What are you doing?!” Matriarch Sotiria’s eyes widened.
“What you brought me here to do…”
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