John Wick liked to be in the cockpit during relay transfers. He still felt a pleasant little thrill each time they were suddenly 'thrown' somewhere else. This particular transfer had gone as smoothly as the others, and Camicia relaxed into her seat once they were through.

"Wecome to the Nimbus Cluster," she said. "A few more jumps and we'll be out of Council space altogether."

He grunted his appreciation and got up to leave. A chime from Camicia's console stopped him. "Problem?" he asked her.

"Not on our end," said Camicia. "That's a general distress call. We should check it, just in case we're in a position to give a hand." She leaned forward to call up the message.

John almost stopped her, then reconsidered. Yes, they did have a mission to perform. But space was very big, and if the situation was reversed he'd want all the help he could get. The turian read the message and clicked her mandibles. He was getting better at reading turian expressions, and it looked like she was puzzled.

"The call originally went out on the asari networks only, which is odd. It then got picked up and thrown out into the general network by some anonymous do-gooder." Camicia kept reading. "Most of the message is in asari. The alert originated from a planet called...Lesuss, if I'm reading this right. We should get Miss Not-A-Commando up here to translate."

Persephone promptly responded to Camicia's page, and then promptly went pale as she read through the message. "This is bad. This is very, very bad. We have to help with this."

John crossed his arms. "Help with what?" He didn't like the sound of this. Peresphone had been unflappable so far. Whatever this was had her scared right down to her bones.

"There's been an escape. From a monastery on Lesuss, they had someone escape."

Camicia shrugged. "So it's a crazy asari monk wandering around. What is she gonna do, preach some crazy new religion?"

Persephone's face set in determination. "No, she's going on the hunt. We need to gather everyone and come up with a plan." She gave John a beseeching look. "Please, this is important. We can help with this."

John raised one eyebrow, then shrugged. "All right. I'll call a general meeting in the mess, and then you can make your case."

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John watched Nathan scroll through what looked like about one hundred pages of text in three minutes. "So this condition only affects asari who are themselves offspring of two asari," said the analyst. It wasn't really a question. His voice was dry and professorial, indicating he was 'in the zone', as Mackie liked to call it.

Persephone nodded. "Asari who have two asari parents are called purebloods. It's considered a severe insult to my species, so don't ever use that term in polite company. Officially, prejudice against purebloods exists because we 'enlightened asari' believe that our race is stronger if we incorporate the characteristics of other races into our own." She snorted. "But in truth, it's because every so often a pureblood turns out to be what's called an Ardat-Yakshi."

"It must be a very recessive gene," mused Nathan. He was still scrolling. "It appears that a pureblood must have at least one parent who is also a pureblood in order to have any chance of having the condition appear."

Mackie was sitting next to Nathan. He was clearly trying to keep up with the analyst's reading speed and clearly failing. He looked over at Persephone. "So what is the condition? Is it contagious?"

"No. And it doesn't really affect the Ardat-Yakshi herself. That's what makes it so insidious. It only comes into play later in life, when they try to perform a Joining."

John had done more reading on the asari since he'd met Persephone in Prague. The asari act of sex also included a merging of minds with the partner, and this 'Joining' was one of the triggers required for an asari to begin her pregnancy. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of someone rummaging around in his head. Not because he had any real secrets to hide, but because it would be a horrific experience for any unlucky soul who tried it. He had done a lot of truly nasty shit in his past.

Gabby hugged herself. It looked like she was growing her hair out; it was actually touching her ears. "So they can't do a Joining properly?"

"Yes and no. You see, 'Ardat-Yakshi' means 'Demon of The Night Winds' in an old asari dialect. That's because they Join all too well. They interface and dominate their partner's nervous system to such a degree that they cause irreparable damage to the other person. That damage usually manifests as a massive cerebral hemorrhage. And usually that's the first time someone realizes they have the condition. They try to do their first Joining and then come to and find their would-be lover on the floor with blood coming out of their eyes."

There was a silence in the mess. Camicia clicked her mandibles nervously.

Persephone continued. "They gain knowledge and experience from those that they kill. It becomes an addiction. The more they feed, the more they want, and the more they hunt. There are only two ways to deal with them. Kill them, or isolate them."

Camicia looked up. "That isn't really a monastery, is it? It's more like a prison."

The asari nodded glumly. "A very nice prison but yes, you're right. The monastery's inhabitants are those with either active Ardat-Yakshi traits or those with strong but latent Ardat-Yakshi genes. We asari don't really like to think about them, which is why we stuck the monastery in an out-of-the-way place like the Masana system." She took a deep breath. "And it gets worse."

"Worse?" squeaked Gabby. "A psychic vampire that kills you via mind-rape isn't bad enough?"

"They don't always kill," replied Persephone. "An Ardat-Yakshi can also dominate the minds of others and put them in thrall to her. They will do anything she asks them to. And yes, I mean anything. Depending on how long she's been on the run, this fugitive may already have several thralls to aid her. The longer she's loose, the more help she will get."

John wasn't sure he liked the idea of getting involved in a monster hunt like this. "I'd like to help, but we do have a mission to perform. This sounds like more of a police or military matter."

"No! We..." The asari folded her hands on the table as she controlled herself. "We need to do something. Prior to this escape, there was one other known Ardat-Yakshi at large. Her name is Morinth. She decided to go on the run rather than go into seclusion, and she's still at large. It's believed that she's killed at least eight hundred people during the last four centuries." Persephone raised her head and met John's eyes. "And that's what happens when an Ardat-Yakshi decides to be subtle. If this new escapee decides to go big, she could be even worse. There have been incidents in our past where Ardat-Yakshi have set themselves up as godlike figureheads for fanatical death cults. Thousands could die."

John nodded. "I understand. All the more reason to get the asari government involved."

She shook her head. "Thessia? They'll debate the whys and hows and wherefores until it's far too late. The fastest response we can hope for is for Councilor Tevos to send a Spectre or two out here ASAP. But either way will take time. We're here now and we have some unique skills that we can bring to bear."

He tapped a finger on the table in thought, then turned to Nathan. "What information is there in the original distress call?"

Nathan closed his genetic research and then called up the text of the distress call. John noted that he seemed able to read the asari script just fine. "The message is vague on exactly when the escape happened. It's also light on other details. We have a name, Batara V'Lali, and a photo. Neither really help us. She must have already changed her name and her appearance."

"What do you need to help in further analysis?" asked John. Persephone gave him a grateful look. He shrugged to let her know It's no big deal.

Nathan tapped a finger on his chin. "Access to the monastery's information network. We need to figure out how Ms. V'Lali achieved her escape. And I need more about her background. If I can build a sufficiently accurate mental model of her, then I can more accurately predict her actions."

Mackie leaned back. "Okay. Do we ask nicely, or do we do this sneakily?"

"Sneaky," said John. "We're trying to keep a low profile."

The young fixer grinned without humor. "Of course. We gotta hunt down a alien-psycho-killer-vampire-babe, so why not make it a real challenge?"

"We don't have time to set up some sort of heist," said Persephone. "I'll just go make the request. They'll only see me, and I can keep us anonymous. Trust me, they'll be desperate for help."

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The warden...sorry, the abbot...of the Lesuss monastery rubbed her crest and stared at Persephone. "You know I looked up your name. Your real name, not what you're calling yourself now." There was a very nice-looking fountain nearby that gave out a gentle and silvery splashing noise which echoed through the courtyard.

"I would be shocked if you hadn't," replied Persephone. She clasped her hands behind her back and stood at parade rest, almost as if she was a soldier being inspected by a superior officer. The sun shone down gently, and a warm breeze rustled their clothing. It was altogether far too nice of a place to house something so horrific.

The abbot crossed her arms. "Why did you come back to asari space? Did the humans kick you out as well?"

Persephone did not allow a single hint of anger to show in her face. "I was just passing through. My group received the distress call and I knew the importance of it."

"Your group?" the abbot raised one eyebrow.

"That's all you will know. I have access to several people who have skills that can help. One of them in particular is unparalleled at hunting others. If you wish it, our help it is yours, provided you can give us the information we need. Otherwise we will be on our way. And you can sit here and wait for Thessia to pull their collective crest out of their nethers and send you help."

There was a long pause, broken only by silvery splashing.

Finally the abbot nodded. "I am desperate, so I'll take any assistance I can get. Even if it is anonymous. But I will only give you information regarding Batara's background as well as how we think she got out." She blew out a breath and turned away. "We have...we had only three occupants here with fully active Ardat-Yakshi genes. Two sisters, Falere and Rila, and also Batara. Fortunately, the sisters' condition was caught early. They chose seclusion before they hurt anyone. Batara's condition was not caught in time. She killed her first partner. Without meaning to, of course. But now I wonder...anyway, I will give you her complete file."

"And how did she escape?" asked Persephone.

The abbot didn't meet her eyes. "She had outside help."

"Oh, Goddess."

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Nathan leaned against a tree and enjoyed the feel of real sun on his face. Much of Lesuss was uninhabited, and so they'd landed the Helen of Troy in an inconspicuous clearing while Persephone went off to offer their services. He had just finished reading the files on Batara that they had been given. It was not a pleasant thing to 'build' a murderer in one's mind. Having the sun on his skin helped to keep him calm.

"So she had a thrall on the outside?" asked Mackie.

Persphone nodded. "At least one, perhaps more. Officially, the only time that Batara killed anyone was during her first Joining...according to her. But I think that was the only one that we know about. She probably killed a few times before that and only got caught with the one she 'claimed' was her first."

Mackie looked down and continued his reading. "And she probably gave them a sob story about 'Oh, woe is me, I didn't know!', eh?"

"Yep. And then she enthralled someone right before she went in."

He looked up at her, his face puzzled. "That was twenty years ago. Would a thrall still be under her spell that many years later?"

"Do you remember your first real crush on someone?" asked Persephone. Mackie nodded sheepishly, and she continued. "Imagine that multiplied by a thousand. Imagine there's someone who you can't stop thinking about, someone who you are convinced is the only one for you. Someone you will do anything for."

Mackie shrugged. "Okay, I guess I see it. But why wait twenty years?"

"Indeed," said Nathan. The other two started with surprise; they clearly had forgotten he was there. "That is the question of the hour, Mackie. At first I thought that the delay was to give the thrall time to set up a new and airtight identity for Batara. But that would only require two years at most. No, I believe Batara's timing is significant. If we can figure out why she escaped now then we have a chance at finding her." He looked over at them. "And it is our only chance. The thrall has had plenty of time to set up an iron-clad identity for Batara's escape."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

While he was speaking, John descended the ladder from the Helen. "It could be that Batara's new identity is the reason for the timing of her escape."

Nathan cocked his head. "How so?" His eyes unfocused as he thought. "Ah, yes. Rather than create a whole new identity, maybe she's going to kill someone in particular and take their place. That would be even harder to discover."

"It's what I would do in her shoes," replied John.

"You just may have a future as an analyst, Mr. Wick. Mackie!"

The young man flinched again. "Er, yes?"

"Be a dear and see if you can find anything newsworthy regarding visitors to the Nimbus Cluster."

Mackie gave him a sideways look but went ahead and started scanning through news sites. "You could probably do this better."

"I'm busy getting a model of Batara set up in my head. I have faith in you."

"Thanks, I think. Lessee...we've got the asari dreadnought Janassa and her support craft patrolling through the cluster. There's a team of archaeologists who are setting up a dig site on Carcosa in the Agaiou system. The T'Nevia opera company is performing Wagner's 'Ring' cycle. It's the very first time any asari have performed a human opera, and they have a tour stop in Trategos. There's also a..."

"Stop." Nathan tapped his fingers on his thigh, almost as if he was listening to invisible music. "The Carcosa expedition. Tell me more."

Mackie scrolled further down. "There's some very ancient ruins there which predate the Protheans. They're about 2.7 million years old. At least, that's the best guess. There was some controversy about the dating for a while. It wasn't until recently that they finally got the true age of the ruins all sorted out and put the expedition together. They're going to be there for about two months."

"That's it," said Nathan with finality. "She's planning to kill someone on that expedition and take their place . It's a remote location, with people who are known but who aren't too much in the public eye. It's ideal for her purposes."

John nodded. "I guess Mr. Hadlock is going to get a hankering to visit the oldest known ruins in the galaxy. We just have to figure out some way to encourage them to let us land and take a peek around."

Nathan leaned his head back against the tree and tried to soak in the feeling of sun on his face. He had only read a little bit on Carcosa a long time ago, although he could remember it perfectly. It had sounded like an absolute armpit of a planet. It would be quite a while before he felt the sun on his face again.

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Carcosa was indeed a hot-house world. It was nowhere near as bad as Venus, but it would still require full environmental suits to move around on the surface. Fortunately John had splurged on quality when buying their pressure suits, and Camicia assured him they would hold up just fine in the harsh environment.

Once in orbit they performed a full scan of Carcosa's surface. They found the ruins of interest, located beside a huge dry lakebed. A small cluster of temporary domes were nearby along with the expedition's ship. Twenty kilometers away from the camp they picked up another signal that indicated a small metallic lump of some sort. They brought the Helen down near the latter, and Persephone and Mackie volunteered to go take a look.

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Mackie's breath sounded loud in his helmet as he approached the long-range shuttlecraft. The sky overhead was a mottled sour yellow color and the rocks underfoot looked almost polished from their weathering in Carcosa's hot and corrosive atmosphere. The shuttle's sliding door was open, but there was no external damage that he could see. "The ship looks intact from the outside," he said into the comm. "It was definitely landed here."

Persephone came up next to him and touched his shoulder. "Hang back a bit." She opened her omni-tool and waved it towards the nearby shuttle. "I'm not picking up any life signs inside. It looks like it was abandoned."

The two looked at each other. Mackie could see that Persephone really didn't want to go in there either. He ordinarily would have made some crack about 'age before beauty'. But his sense of humor seemed to have fled into the murky twilight of Carcosa. "Shall we?" he finally asked.

She shrugged. "We've got to make sure."

"Both of you be careful," said John over the comm. He was behind them and peering at the shuttle out of the Helen's cockpit windows.

"Don't need to tell us twice, boss," muttered Mackie.

"I'll take point," said Persephone with finality. "You just watch my butt."

Mackie nodded. She squared her shoulders and drew a pistol, then flitted silently up to the edge of the door. Mackie was close on her heels and also armed. What he could see of the interior of the shuttle was dark and still. All that was visible was a couple of benches; the cockpit was around the edge of the door and still out of sight. Persephone's pistol had a built-in flashlight, and she turned it on without shining it into the shuttle.

She looked up at Mackie. "I'm going to check out the cockpit area. In three...two...one." Persephone pointed her gun fluidly around the edge of the door frame and recoiled. Her scream sounded deafening in Mackie's ears.

"Report!" snapped John. "What is it?"

Persephone only screamed the once, and then got her breath under control. "Sorry. I'm okay, I just had a bit of a scare. It's..."

Before she could finish Mackie pointed his own gun around the edge and nearly had a heart attack himself. Framed in the beam of his flashlight was a blue asari face staring right back at him. Her eyes were unnaturally wide open. Purple streaks ran like bloody tears down the sides of her cheeks, and her teeth were bared in a wide rictus grin that could be due to complete bliss or utter pain. The face didn't move or react to his light.

"Jesus!" he barked and drew back. "Sorry, John. It looks like we found Batara's thrall."

They both carefully stepped up into the shuttle. The dead asari was wearing the black catsuit of an asari commando. She was strapped into the copilot's seat, which was swiveled back to face the door. Persephone checked her vitals as a formality, but it was clear she was dead.

"This is indeed Janraus D'ronenus. The one who helped her escape." Persephone sighed. "It looks like we made the right call. This is definitely an Ardat-Yakshi kill. It looks like Batara is already here. The body isn't too decomposed even in this corrosive atmosphere, so it can't have been here more than a few days."

Nathan's voice now came over the comm. "That's still enough time. By now she's certainly killed and replaced the person she planned to impersonate."

"Do we have any information on the expedition members?" asked John.

"Some," replied Mackie. He regarded the dead asari and shuddered. "The head is a gal named Valissa Shay'ma. There are five expedition members including her, and they're all asari." He looked around the interior of the shuttle. "It looks like Batara stripped the inside of the ship pretty thoroughly. I don't think we'll find anything else here."

Mackie heard John humming a little as the assassin thought. "Who can we call about this? We've managed to track down which planet she's on. That's got to be a big help for the authorities."

Persephone thought a bit. "The abbot back on Lasuss is not an option. She'll just issue a general alert. Batara will see that alert and escape...and probably kill or enthrall everyone else on the expedition while doing so. I can send a private message to both the Council and to Thessia. At least they'll know to keep it quiet. I just hope that somebody takes it seriously."

Mackie turned away from the grinning corpse and towards the door. "Hey, can we come back in? This place is really giving me the creeps."

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In his past, John had sometimes been required to take on other personas. He was now wishing they'd come up with something other than 'Mr. Hadlock'. There were times when it was a real pain to pretend to be a rich doofus. He put on a vacuous smile for the asari who now peered out of the Helen's terminal screen. This was Nisell T'Zeran, the second-in-command for the expedition.

"Mr. Hadlock, you understand that this is not a developed world. There are no inns or tours here. We're a working expedition, and we don't have the space for-"

"Hey, space is not a problem, Miz T'Zeran," interrupted John. He waved an arm vaguely. "I got my own ship, ya know. And I know you guys are busy, I just wanted to see the ruins. Pretty exciting, isn't it? Oldest known evidence of sentient life and all that."

Nisell rubbed her forehead. "I understand, but this is a working scientific expedition. We're not just taking pictures. We can't have you wandering around."

"I know, I hear ya. We'll only go where you tell us to go. Besides," he gave her a wink. "You've been here a few weeks already. I figured you could use some fresh fruit."

Nisell had been reaching for the comm switch to cut the connection, but that last sentence gave her pause. "Fresh?"

"Yeah, gotta whole assortment, including an entire crate of delrach fruit. Even managed to score some Earth papaya." He gave her a friendly grin. "My favorite. I think you'll like it too."

"I..." Nisell was clearly balancing her desire to eat something that was not out of a pouch with her desire to not have to deal any more with 'Mr. Hadlock'. The former won out. "Okay, I'll give you the coordinates where it'll be safe to set your ship down. I'll talk with Doctor Shay'ma. She should be okay with it."

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The opaque bubble-domes of the Carcosan expedition looked far too fragile to John's eyes, although he was assured that their material would withstand small-arms fire if necessary. He really, really hoped he wouldn't be testing that first-hand; he'd rather not try breathing the acidic soup which passed for an atmosphere on this planet.

Nisell met John, Mackie, and Nathan at the inner airlock door. Mackie and Nathan each had a sealed and airtight crate in their arms. John gestured grandly to them. "As promised, madam. Hopefully this small token of appreciation is worth having to put up with unexpected visitors."

"Thanks, Mr. Hadlock," replied Nisell as she gave them a little smile. "I'm sure it will be." She was shorter than John, with pale blue eyes and a light dusting of purple freckles on her face. "You can put your suits in those lockers there. I'll let the others know you've arrived."

John looked over at Nathan after they'd de-suited. The analyst had a pair of spectacles on his face that gave him an owl-like appearance. Nathan looked back and gave a slight nod. The glasses were capturing faces properly and feeding the data right into Nathan's graybox.

"Who are you?" snapped an imperious voice. This asari was slightly taller than Nisell, and had icy eyes that matched her tone. Her chin was lifted slightly as if regarding lesser beings. Nisell was close behind her.

"Mr. Hadlock, this is Doctor Valissa Shayma," said Nisell. "Leader of the Carcosa expedition of CE 2185."

"A pleasure, Miz...sorry, Doctor Shayma," said John as he extended his hand. Valissa looked at the proffered hand as if he'd offered her a dead and rotting fish.

She nodded curtly in lieu of a handshake. "I assume we will not have too much trouble from you, Mister Hadlock. As I'm sure Nisell told you, this is not a place for amateurs. This planet is extremely hostile, and these ruins are very delicate."

John held up his hands in mock surrender. "We're just here to see what you'll let us see. It's really more for bragging rights, if I'm honest."

Valissa gave a little snort. "Fine. Your...donation is greatly appreciated. Please follow me." She turned on her heel and nearly ran over Nisell as she left the room. Nisell gave them an apologetic little shrug and followed her boss.

The mess room of the expedition looked to be the largest room in the small complex. Three other asari were already there as their little train came in. Mackie and Nathan set their crates on the long center table, and the younger man immediately began chatting up the other expedition members before getting silenced by a frosty word from Valissa.

"Formal introductions first, I think," said the expedition head. "Myself and Nisell you know. This is Dr. Emryes Saeri, our planetologist, Dr. Sheia Janis is our dating and weathering expert, and Dr. Anedra Janis is our cultural and linguistics person."

"And before you ask, yeah we're related," said Sheia with a cheeky grin. She and Anedra were clearly sisters. They both had the same pale violet eyes, similar noses, and the same full lips.

John gave them all a little bow. "Thanks for your hospitality for some annoying intruders. I'm Edward Hadlock, and this is Nathan Prasad and Mackenzie Smith."

"Call me Mackie," said the fixer with a equally cheeky grin. He turned to the third asari seated at the table. "So you're an expert on planets? Have you figured out why this one is such a nasty place?"

Emreys smiled a little bashfully. "Not yet, Mr. Smith, but I'm working on it." She looked like a shy schoolgirl suddenly called on by the teacher. Her features were finer than the Janis sisters, and her eyes were a much warmer blue than the expedition leader.

Mackie sat across from her. "Call me Mackie, please. The only time I hear Mr. Smith is when I'm in trouble with that guy." He pointed his thumb over at John.

Emreys laughed. "Sure, Mackie, and you can call me Emry. To answer your question, it certainly is the case that Carcosa's previous inhabitants inadvertently created this hostile environment. We're just not sure exactly how it happened. The limestone cycle that sequesters carbon over geologic time periods somehow got interrupted..." Her face got more animated the more she went on, and to his credit Mackie's eyes didn't glaze over.

Sheia turned to John. "So what did you bring us?" She eyed the crates almost lustfully.

"Some fresh fruit I happened to pick up. One of the advantages of being comfortably well off is that I don't have to worry about tedious things. Things like if something is in season or how far they have to ship it."

The asari's eyes lit up and she made to open the crate, but Nisell placed a gentle hand on the lid.

"Do you mind if we scan these first, Mr. Hadlock?" she asked John.

John blinked a little in mock surprise. "Oh. Oh! I see. Yes, of course. Please satisfy yourself."

Nisell shrugged. "It's just that we are isolated out here and we do need to take precautions. You seem friendly, but these could be laced with all sorts of nastiness."

He smiled and mirrored her shrug. "Honestly, it didn't occur to me. By all means, go ahead and look."

Valissa gave a little harumph. "You really should be more careful, Mr. Hadlock. Somebody's going to take advantage of you someday."

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The three of them were now back in the Helen's mess along with the rest of John's crew. Five asari heads floated above the center table. These were reconstructions of the expedition members and had been created from the data captured by Nathan's glasses. Next to the grouping of five was another hologram of what John would call an average-looking asari. She had light blue eyes and a bit of a pout to her lips, along with a light dusting of violet freckles on her face that was similar to Nisell's. That was all, really. There was nothing to indicate the deadliness that lay behind those average eyes. This was the last known picture of Batara from the monastery.

"So it's a game of 'who's the psychopath'" said Camicia. "I take it bone structure analysis isn't helping?"

"It helps some," said Nathan. "But not a lot. Batara has been on the run for at least a month. That is plenty of time to get significant plastic surgery and heal up from it."

"Wouldn't she need to find a surgeon for that?" asked John. It might be a stupid question, but it needed to be asked.

"Not necessarily," said Persephone. "She's been setting this up for a long time. Her thrall could have procured a robotic surgery suite for her."

"Crap. Can we rule the sisters out at least?"

Nathan reluctantly nodded. "My research into them indicates that they have been close since childhood. It would be much harder for Batara to pose as one of them without the other noticing."

"I hate to play the jerk," said Camicia. "But is it possible she killed one sister and enthralled the other?"

Persephone shook her head. "Enthralling someone isn't a magic spell. If someone has a strong enough reason, or just a strong enough will, they can resist it. And if someone kills your beloved sister you're gonna resist them with everything you've got."

The turian leaned back in relief. "Good to hear there's some limits to this damned monster."

"There, you see Cammy?" said Mackie cheerfully. "We've already got it narrowed down to three. The she-bitch leader, her long-suffering number two, or the shy nerdy one. I hope it's not her, she seems nice."

"It's unlikely that Batara chose Emreys," said Nathan. "And not because of temperament. Her facial structure is the farthest from Batara's own, and would require more extensive surgery. Plus she is in a very junior role in this expedition, and my model of Batara indicates that she has an innate desire to dominate others."

John crossed his arms and looked at the holograms. "Being the bitchy leader is a little too obvious, I think. The helpful and somewhat invisible number two...that's where I'd put my money."

Nathan shrugged. "Or she knows we'd think that, and is hiding in plain sight as the obvious bitchy leader. We'll have to keep observing. Something will tell us." He frowned a bit. "We're missing something, though."

Mackie raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

The analyst spread his hands. "This was a very thorough escape attempt. It shows drive and determination, but it also shows that she is meticulous in her planning. It shows Batara is careful. So why did she get caught in the first place?"

John looked at Nathan. "Do you think there's some larger play here? What does she gain by getting stuck away in a convent for twenty years?"

"I don't know," replied Nathan. "Not yet. But we should be alert. I don't think her motives are just to simply escape and vanish. Something more is going on here."