After a few more days of deliberating Morrigan and Emily, with the assistance of Nora and Sister, came to the conclusion that the commanding officers of the SS Winston were guilty of gross negligence and 112 counts of second-degree manslaughter which led to the arrest of the Admiral and as well as his Master Chief before Morrigan sent the Winston away.
With hesitation, as well as a form of payment and a lot of arguing with Shepard, Morrigan conscripted Sigurd into the Archangel’s combat unit allowing Shepard to have command over the Berserker however, for safety reasons, Morrigan retained control of his combat stim systems with the help of Doctor Tamina and Danson in R&D to develop improvements on the Berserker’s targeting systems as well as the drug dispersion system.
The week traveling back to the Void Star wasn’t without intrigue as the Archangel was forced into a fire fight with a pirate Destroyer that had been harrying a small fleet of cargo ships. Morrigan got a firsthand experience at the coordination and expertise of her crew as they expertly blew the pirate ship apart.
She also got a feeling for the warp drive the Archangel had, which had been disorienting at first to be looking at one view at one second, and a completely different view a second later as Avery, Luisa and Gunnar coordinated with Gene to position the ship at various angles to attack the Destroyer.
Her first endeavor out in space had proved to be mind bending to say the least as Morrigan sprawled out on her bed, attempting to compartmentalize everything that happened over the three weeks her first mission had taken.
“Everything okay precious?” Nora cooed as she leaned against the doorway of her bedroom.
Morrigan lifted her wrist from her eyes to see the familiar icy silver eyes scanning her from head to toe, causing her to blush slightly as she smiled, “yeah, I’m fine just… this is more stressful than I imagined.”
Nora snorted before sauntering to the bed and crawling along next to Morrigan before tossing her leg over her and straddling her, “Awe, sounds like someone needs a distraction,” she said sweetly before pinning Morrigan’s wrists above her head.
Morrigan hummed as she blushed, biting her lip as she stared up at Nora’s smiling face, her blonde hair dangling over her.
Nora leaned down and pressed her lips against Morrigan’s, enticing a soft moan out of her before letting a giggle slip as she lowered her body closer to her lover’s.
Nora held her wrists down with one hand as her free hand slid perfectly along Morrigan’s jaw and around the back of her neck. Her thumb turning her head enough to give access as Nora trailed down Morrigan’s jaw and neck with tender kisses.
“This is your idea of… distraction?” Morrigan taunted through a moan as her back arched, her breath hitching as Nora’s teeth gripped the tender skin of her neck in response. Morrigan knew Nora was smiling in triumph as she bit down.
Morrigan’s hips instinctively pushed against Nora as she squirmed with a soft moan. Nora’s free hand exploring every inch of her girlfriend’s curves.
Nora pulled Morrigan’s lips to hers with a fierce moan as she leaned forward and slid her hand along her flat stomach, burying her fingers beneath the waistline of Morrigan’s lounge wear.
“Inquisitor, Admiral Shepard is requesting entry to your quarters,” Sister interrupted.
“God damn it! Every single time I finally get you alone! It’s always something!” Nora exclaimed with animated aggression as she sat up while Morrigan groaned in agreement.
Morrigan eyed the gorgeous blonde that sat on her sulking and rubbed her hands along Nora’s thighs, “I’m sorry love… maybe we'll find some time tonight?”
Nora crossed her arms and pouted, “You do realize, the longer you make me wait, the more dangerous sexy time is going to be.”
Morrigan understood how Nora felt, any time they had quality alone time together, there had always been something to interrupt them whether it be a pesky and nosey S’randin, Inquisitorial duty or overall exhaustion.
You know, a line like that even has me curious, Apollyon whispered in Morrigan’s head.
She bit her lip with a nod as she gripped Nora’s thighs tighter, trying not to laugh, as well as suppressing the rising heat in her face at Nora’s promise of her brand of aggressive passion.
“Perv!” Morrigan retorted in her head as she tried to focus.
It’s not my fault I have front row seats… oh, wait… I guess it is… it’s your fault too! You know what, you’re more of a pervert than I am! I can see your thoughts right now and by me-they are dirty! Apollyon exclaimed.
Morrigan grinned looked at the ceiling with a shake of her head, “Sister, let Shepard in and have her wait in the living room, I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Very well, and I do apologize for causing you so much distress, Eleanor,” Sister stated.
Nora glared at the ceiling, her hands curled into tight fists, “Call me that again and so help whatever gods there are, I will pull your mainframe apart byte by byte!”
Morrigan pulled Nora back down to her causing her to yelp at the sudden attack as she rolled Nora underneath her and nibbled her neck with childish playfulness.
Nora laughed and let out a high-pitched giggle as Morrigan began tickling her as she attacked her neck, laughing as well.
“Ugh, I so need a cold shower now,” Nora grumbled as Morrigan lay on top her, nuzzling her face into her neck.
Morrigan hummed, “Probably, I should probably find out what Shepard wants.”
Nora scoffed and kissed Morrigan’s forehead before patting her arm to let her up. As Morrigan let her stand, she reached out and slapped Nora’s butt with a resounding crack, Nora yelping and sliding into the bathroom on her heels, laughing.
Once the bathroom door closed, Morrigan sighed as she straightened what she wore and ran her fingers through her hair. All she wanted was a little private time but there always seemed to be something that required her attention, if anything, Morrigan felt like a bad girlfriend.
Stepping out into the living room, Shepard spun on her heels with a gracefulness that did not befit her age as she held her hands behind her back, “Mori, thank you for seeing me. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything?”
“You god damn know you did! Old pirate lady really knows how to ruin a good time!” Nora shouted from the bathroom before slamming the door closed again.
Morrigan bit her lip as she blushed, shaking her head in disbelief. Shepard chuckled at Nora’s grievance before stepping around the sofa, “No matter, you’re young and you'll have plenty of time for… extracurricular activities and such,” she stated before taking a seat and pulling out a small flask from the inside of her officer’s jacket.
“Will I though?” Morrigan asked sardonically before walking around and taking a seat across from Shepard. Normally, she would have felt more inclined to be properly dressed and speak with more dignity and professionalism however, Morrigan considered her quarters her safe space to be herself out of view from the rest of the crew.
If Shepard took offense to her causal demeanor, she made no notion of it as the old woman took a sip from the flask, “Oh sure, I’ve spent my fair share in the rigmarole of passion over the years heh, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about,” she said ominously.
Morrigan shuttered at the mental image before she leaned back and crossed her arms and legs with her head cocked to the side, “I would assume so, am I in trouble or something?”
Shepard glanced at her and smiled, “No, not at all. Actually, I figured you would wish to know that Solomon asked me to observe you and assess your aptitude as an Inquisitor.”
Morrigan frowned, “So much for blind faith,” she thought to herself.
Come now, you really think that man has faith in anything? He’s an observer, a man who doesn’t do anything without calculating four steps ahead of every possibility. You can’t be that surprised, Apollyon noted.
“So? Why bring this up?” Morrigan asked with a higher level of vehemence than she would have preferred.
Shepard smirked as she looked at Morrigan, holding out her flask though the girl waved the offer away and leaned underneath the coffee table to reveal a crystal decanter of golden amber liquid as well as two rock glass to which she poured two hearty glassfuls before sliding one to the Admiral.
Accepting the glass, the old woman took a sip before sighing blissfully, “Good stuff you have here… anyways, I brought this up because I figured you would like to know. Solomon wanted to be sure, and my assessment would have determined whether or not you continued your journey as an Inquisitor.”
Morrigan frowned but did not say anything. Shepard glanced at her and inspected her displeasure before continuing, “Seeing as we will be working together, I figured a bit of transparency was warranted between the two of us. Would you like to read my report?”
Morrigan’s face shifted to several different emotions in lieu of Shepard’s words before she sighed and took a long sip of her drink, “Why don't you just give me the abridged version?”
“Ah, no need for the gritty details, huh?” Shepard chuckled before clearing her throat, spying the curious glance Morrigan gave her.
“First and foremost, you’re young… yes, I’m aware that's obvious but what I mean is you're still childish and lacking experience. However, after observing your thought process when it comes to your decision-making skills, I do find that your penchant for being thorough as well as being accurate with your investigative skills is backed by a surprising amount of depth, albeit trained, or naturally occurring. Despite the fact I’m not fond of the idea of having that Berserker running around or your, taste in company… you have displayed great thought and consideration with those decisions,”
Morrigan was surprised by the level of calm she was feeling in regard to what Shepard was telling her. She knew that any other time in her life she would have taken offense to being called a child and having a poor choice in a girlfriend, yet the way that Shepard spoke to her revealed the hefty amount of sincere respect to whom the old woman spoke to.
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“Even your methods of investigation with this entire mission were empathetic and calculated. You took great care to hold those responsible guilty, as well as finding opportunity in the mix as well. Not only that, but you also recognize where your experience is lacking. Take the pirate ship recently, I know you have no ship-to-ship combat experience and instead of trying to put yourself in the pilot’s seat so to speak, you stepped back and let the seasoned crew members handle the situation while observing what needed to be done,”
Shepard paused to down some of her drink, “That speaks highly of your character Mori. Most Inquisitors I’ve met become too complacent in their power or feel they are much more than they truly are. Our most recent one would have executed both the Admiral as well as the Berserker, assuming they survived the encounter, and simply written it off as a war crime.”
“Seriously?” Morrigan asked incredulously.
Shepard nodded sincerely before giving her a wrinkled smile, “Suffice to say, despite missing well rounded experience, you are a fine Inquisitor, Mori, and I am proud to have you aboard the Archangel and work alongside you. Together we will do many great things for those who need us,” Shepard finished in a grandmotherly tone.
Morrigan blinked repeatedly as she processed the woman's words, realizing she was telling her that she not only passed whatever assessment there was, but that she was welcomed as the Archangel’s Inquisitor with open arms.
She cracked a wide smile, “Thank you, Shepard… it’s been a pleasure so far. Hopefully we will make our galaxy a better place, maybe even take some of the Federation bastards down along the way,” she said raising her glass in a toast.
Shepard smiled, giving her as solemn nod as she raised her glass, “Damn right we will.”
ΩΩΩ
Being back on the Void Star was an odd feeling to Morrigan. Even though she spent the time making it her home, there was a distinctive nuance between walking along the smooth paved streets of the bustling hive world and the energetic cold steel corridors of the Archangel.
Both had become her home in a short amount of time, and now she felt torn between which version of home she preferred as she walked with Xol and Sigurd down the main road to the Cathedral. Though she vaguely recognized some of those she passed on the streets, her pristine and distinguished uniform of her title, as well as the towering Kêzi’kân following her, turned many heads in her direction in awe.
As humble as she was, Morrigan preened at the attention. Morrigan had always been eccentric and outgoing as a young girl until the threat of life in prison and the horrors of innocence lost threatened her livelihood, withdrawing her to the shadows of life in order to keep out of the light of attention. Now, she felt good being able to stand in the light again without the hostile energy of scrutiny.
Solomon stood waiting for her in front of the grand archway of the Cathedral, pride radiating in his smile.
Despite the conversation she and Shepard had hours before, the urge to hug the older man who gave her a chance won over as she threw professionalism to the wind and wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m glad to see you home, Inquisitor Clarke, I hear your first mission was a great success. I’m quite proud of you,” Solomon stated with a wide grin as he returned her hug gently.
“Aye, the wee lass here gave me a proper spanking,” Sigurd interjected with levity. Morrigan face palmed before revealing an amused smirk across her face.
“This is Sigurd Ericsson, Lord Inquisitor. He is the Berserker mentioned in my report,” Morrigan introduced, nonchalantly gesturing towards Sigurd.
Solomon smiled and gave them a respectful nod, “Yes, I was quite surprised to hear that the CoU deployed such a volatile… weapon, on civilians, even armed civilians. Have your prisoners been transferred to holding aboard the Void Star yet?” Solomon inquired.
Sigurd grinned, as if he were complimented, though respectfully did not say anything though Morrigan eyed the loud-mouthed Berserker in preparation.
Once she was certain he was going to remain quiet, she hummed, “They were currently being transferred before we made our way here. What is it we do with them from here?”
“I will move forward with the interrogation process, being high ranking officials of the CoU, I will be conducting a separate investigation with your investigative findings as the primary evidence to build a case against the CoU. Not only will those you arrested be given life in prison, I will also be demanding compensation to those affected by such negligence on IPC-98, as well as payment for our services in removing such disgraceful personnel from their ranks,” Solomon said firmly, giving Morrigan a knowing look.
Morrigan was happy with his response. There were so many families affected by the CoU’s actions and she had no idea how to assist them. Solomon, true to his word, had the experience and connections to make that happen.
“Oi, if ye need an extra set of hands to make the wee birds sing, I’m yer guy!” Sigurd exclaimed with a dramatic bow that earned an annoyed hiss from Xol and a giggle from Morrigan.
She had no idea what she had been thinking recruiting the Berserker however, his comedic value so far had been worth the argument she had with Shepard. She was curious as to why Solomon did not question the situation.
“I’m quite sure I can handle it, Mr. Ericsson. It would be in your best interest to follow Morrigan’s example at being an upstanding operative of the Inquisition for the time being,” Solomon mused while giving Morrigan a underhanded compliment.
“I don’t know anything about that craic, daddy, but the wee lass has me leashed and collared. Can’t say I mind,” Sigurd said flashing a grin at Morrigan, wiggling his eyebrows.
Xol hissed threateningly as Morrigan shook her head, chuckling at Sigurd’s perversion. Solomon even cocked his head in curiosity at the display of levity the Berserker flourished before looking at Xol.
“Xol, a pleasure to see you again.”
“Solomon,” Xol rumbled with a respective dip of his head before Solomon turned his attention back to Morrigan, “Anyways, Morrigan, I would like you to remain on the Void Star and accompany me during the interrogation process. Normally the leading Inquisitor would handle this endeavor, but I would not throw you to the political wolves of the CoU government on your own. This way, you can experience the process while I do the heavy lifting.”
In an odd realization, Morrigan suddenly knew why she trusted Solomon as much as she did. Solomon had put himself in the position of an understanding and respectful father figure, giving her the guidance and care she lacked with her own father. Her heart clenched painfully at that notion as she struggled to keep her sudden shift in emotion from her features.
Morrigan loved her father and could not blame him for their relatively distant relationship. She knew her dad loved her, but his work often kept him out of the house. Thinking about it, that was where her initial hate of his line of work started when she was 13. Following everything that happened in the alley and the young Eskarii girl…
Morrigan’s world faded as the haunting echoes of a gunshot rang in her ears before she shook her head sharply. It had been some time since she actively thought about that night, which still held a cold grip on her spine as she pushed the images from her mind.
“Yeah, sure. I can do that, um, have you heard from the Trickster’s Sleight at all?” she asked tentatively shifting topics.
Solomon's curious look shifted towards understanding as he nodded, “The last transmission stated that they found their way to an outlying CoU supply depot along the edge of the system. As far as I'm aware, repairs to their FTL drive are underway. Fear not Mori, your family will be aboard the Void Star sooner rather than later.”
Morrigan gave him a hopeful smile, “Thank you, how have the Marmuro’k been? I haven’t had a chance to check in with them yet.”
Solomon pursed his lips in concern before letting out a steady breath, “Yekku has flourished however, it seems Qiote has shut himself in, holing himself up in your apartment mere days after your departure… I tried to have Hî’tet mediate between Qiote and I except with our language barrier… I decided to leave the S’randin be until your return. I do not know the cause of his sudden seclusion and would be unhappy to find out if any of our personnel were the cause however, there was only so much I could do for him with your absence…”
Morrigan frowned as worry gripped her heart, “I'll speak with him,” she said sharply as the guilt of leaving one of her S’randin on the Void Star suffering while she was off having a proverbial adventure. “I'll go do that now…” she blurted.
Solomon gave her an understanding nod before turning on his heels and returning to his work within the Cathedral.
Morrigan’s worry demanded action as she turned to Xol, “Meet me back at home,” she demanded before she focused on her power, her skeletal wings bursting in crimson radiance before launching her high into the air.
“Fecking hell, the lass can fly?” Sigurd exclaimed as he looked at the tall, white Kêzi’kân next to him.
Xol let out a deep rumbling hum, watching Morrigan take off through the sky, before shoving Sigurd forward, “Walk,” he ordered harshly.
Sigurd snickered with a devious smile, “Keep that up and I'll do whatever ye ask big boy,” Sigurd joked as he ducked underneath a lazy swipe from Xol as he hissed in irritation.
ΩΩΩ
Morrigan threw her front door open to find her three Marmuro’k sitting around the holo-screen in the living room.
Yekku popped his head over the sofa and let out a shrill screech before slinking over the back of the sofa and forcefully brushing his face against hers, warbling and chirping excitedly.
Morrigan through her arms around Yekku’s neck giggling at his silly antics, “I missed you too buddy. Have you been good?”
Yekku stepped back and bobbed his head vigorously before animatedly waving his hands and squawking. His attempt to tell her things was something she found adorable despite not understanding a word he said.
After spending a moment pretending to listen to him, Morrigan smiled at him and said, “I’m glad you’re doing well Yekku. I do have good news; I spoke with a man named Robert Danson who is the Chief Engineer of the R&D lab on the Archangel. If you want, he would be more than happy to have you working with him.”
Yekku’s response to that was to raise his arms in triumph and let out a bellowing warble, telling her that he was beyond excited.
You know, this is kind of what it sounded like in your head when you had your happy going, Apollyon pointed out.
Morrigan frowned and snorted, not believing Apollyon as she turned her gaze to Hî’tet and Qiote. Qiote was curled up on the end of the couch staring off into space as if no one around him existed.
Morrigan frowned at the depressive state Qiote was in as she moved around the couch to kneel in front of the S’randin.
Qiote barely registered her intrusive presence with a blink before she broke his daze with a gentle stroke of her hand along his frill running along the top of his head.
“Hey buddy, what's going on?” she asked sweetly as Qiote’s tongue flicked against her chin. He let out a long string of clicking noises that reflected his depression.
Morrigan side eyed Hî’tet who caught her glance, “Qiote Arak’tarul wants to go home,” he responded sharply in his own tongue in a rare moment of speech for him.
“You soft-spine deny the honor of the Red Death’s glory!?” Xol boomed menacingly as he stomped into the doorway, his mace crackling with threatening energy.
Qiote curled tighter in fear under Morrigan’s touch which broke her heart and sent her anger soaring sharply.
Before anyone could react, a spectral crimson claw seized Xol by the throat mid step and slammed him into the wall next to the front door, squeezing his thick neck with inhuman strength as the massive weapon he held fell to the floor.
Sigurd sauntered inside in with a cheery demeanor only to freeze mid step as he witnessed Morrigan storming across the living room in his direction. The second he saw the eight-foot mountain of reptilian being dangled inches off the floor as Morrigan’s hand mimicked the grasp she had on his throat, he quickly stepped out of the way with as much grace as someone scrambling to avoid a live grenade.
“I see shite just got real…” he murmured as he watched from the sidelines.
“You will not speak to him like that!” Morrigan spat as Xol began to try and claw at the crimson claw crushing his windpipe.
Morrigan glared at her personal guard, before slamming him into the ground and dragging him up by his throat to eye level. “I care greatly about you lot but none of you are forced to remain here if you don't want to be,” she growled before pointing off in Qiote’s direction, “If he wants to go home then I will bring him home! He is not a servant or a slave! If I hear you speak to any one of ours in such a manner again, you and I will have a problem!” she growled before dropping Xol onto his hands and knees gasping for breath.
Morrigan ground her teeth as she watched Xol kneel unsteadily, “My apologies Red Death… it will not happen again…” Xol forced out as he groveled lowly, his voice more graveled than normal.
“Good,” Morrigan bit out tersely before eyeing Sigurd in the corner of the kitchen giggling to himself silently, only to straighten himself out when her deadly glare met his eyes.
Damn girl, that brought a tear to my eye, Apollyon interjected with an odd level of emotion.
Sighing heavily, Morrigan walked back to Qiote to find him shivering in fear, staring at her with wide eyes.
She ignored the worried looks of Hî’tet and Yekku as she knelt down and let out a steady breath, gently taking Qiote’s long fingers in her hand.
“It’s okay buddy, as soon as the second investigation is done, I’ll talk to Solomon about getting you home, okay?” she asked as soft of a voice as she could muster despite still feeling her fury regarding Xol.
Qiote relaxed as his wide eyes studied her features before giving her a sheepish nod and a gentle squeeze of her hand.
She smiled and brushed his head with her hand before giving him a gentle kiss on his snout only to have Yekku barrel into her like a jealous puppy, effectively making her laugh as Yekku rubbed his face against her.