Scientist Salarian

[Lambert]

Dr. Mordin Solus had seen a lot of beautiful cities in his day. Sur'Kesh. Omega. London. The Citadel. Coruscant easily ranked among the list of the most technologically gorgeous city-scapes he had ever seen. Of course it was pretty, but that wasn't what drew Mordon to it. What he liked about it was the sheer diversity of machinery that seemed to run the place. From the moment he arrived through the gate from the Nexus, his senses were attacked by different sights. The advertisement screens were bright and vivid, but didn't seem to be hooked up or projected from anywhere. The massive fountain in the center of the plaza they had arrived at was floating in the air, leaving questions to where the water was draining in and out of. Mordin was a scientist of some renown, but even he was left wondering how these things were possible.

"Astonishing," he whispered under his breath. He was looking up at a slew of buildings towering above him. This wasn't an unusual sight for him, but it seem awfully clustered for such a big city in an open space.

"Come on, hurry it up," one of his escorts broke his concentration. He quickly brought his eyes back down to see the stormtrooper, who seemed to be impatiently waiting with his buddy for him. "You can gawk later."

"I don't gawk," Mordin corrected, but he did start walking again. "I am observing."

The stormtrooper didn't answer, but the good doctor didn't expect him to. Neither of the troopers seemed to be particularly talkative since they intercepted his arrival to this Omniverse at the Fountain of Infinity. Looking around, the other soldiers in similiar white armor didn't seem like they had much personality either. They were all just standing their posts or walking patrols. It was the citizens of this city that interested Mordon the most. He came from a diverse universe where dozens of different races lived among each other. Humans were by far the majority here, but he could easily spot other alien or mechanical creatures that he had never seen before. They all seemed to carry themselves with a level of entitlement, leading Mordon to think this part of the city was for the upper class. Unfortunately, he didn't see any other alien that resembled a salarian like himself.

The street they were walking along grew busier the closer they got towards the center of the city, where a looming castle took up most of his view. Once again he found himself distracted, looking up at the fortress. It stood taller then the skyscrapers surrounding it. He must have looked like an obvious tourist as his feet came to a stop in the middle of the bustling street. Someone suddenly slammed his shoulder, pushing past. "Move it, freak."

Mordin found himself spinning to see who had said that, but couldn't identify the voice. He was hit from the other direction by another rude passerby. "Excuse you!" A female said this time.

"Out of the way, lizard-boy!"

The salarian felt very small as he tried to recover himself, trying to move to the side of the street. A strong grasp tugged at his arm and yanked him sideways, causing him to exclaim out of surprise. To his relief, it turned out to be one of the two stormtrooper escorts. At least, he seemed this was one of them. He had no actual way of identifying them from the other troopers walking around. "You can't just stand like that in front of the Imperial Palace," the soldier told him. His voice confirmed his identity. "This is the busiest street on Tier One."

Mordin looked amazed again as his eyes traveled up the figure of the Imperial Palace. He then looked back at the trooper. "Apologies," he said. "I get excited by new things easily. One of the perks, and the drawbacks, of being a scientist. You said Tier One? This city is stacked on itself, is that right?" This wasn't the first city he had seen that was built on layers as opposed to taking up a wide expanse of land. He preferred the country-side kind of city more, which was ironic for a scientist who loved his tech.

"That's right," the escort nodded. "Seven Tiers. This is the top, where all the big-wigs go. The farther down you go, the worse it gets. You wouldn't survive much towards the bottom, so I'd stick up here if I were you." The soldier looked Mordin up and down, as if he was sizing him up. "No offense, doc, but you look like you'd have trouble just about anywhere. If you can't handle some tourists, you won't be able to handle the Omniverse. Prime or not."

The scientist grinned. Inwardly, it was a devious smirk. Outwardly, it was a kind, grateful smile. "Thank you for the concern," he told the armored man. "I will keep that in mind." That was one of the perks of looking the way he did. Mordin preferred it when people had no idea who they were dealing with.

"Let's go," his escort told him. Mordin nodded and followed him down the side of the street to where the other soldier was waiting.

"Where exactly are you taking me?" The doctor asked the two as he followed behind them. The trio had turned down a less busy market-like road. The merchants here were selling strange foods and expensive-looking accessories.

"Empire Research and Development," one of them answered. "Its where we take most of the new Primes nowadays." Just as the man said that, the building itself came into view. It was shaped like a semi-circle and made mostly of reflective glass, so the light from above shined off of it. The sign in front of the building suggested it was, in fact, some type of laboratory.

Mordin was excited to see a place of science. This was exactly what he wanted. A place where he could talk to other great minds and figure out what kind of world he had stepped into. The city had showed itself to be a hub of wonders and curiosities that he wanted to explore. Even the worse parts of it made his mind tinker with possibilities. This was where he'd get his answers. This was where he'd find out why he was there to begin with.

"I'm ready," The doctor declared, and stepped towards the building.

Quest attempt: There Are No Lines

1071 words

[Lambert]

"So he's a brand new Prime?" Mordin could hear someone saying. The voice was female. Human. Mordin could hear her clearly from outside of the cracked door in front of him.

"Yea, fresh as a daisy," came another voice. This one he identified as one of the stormtroopers who escorted him from the Nexus to here. His speech was muffled through some kind of transmitter in his helmet. "He came out of the Fountain yesterday. He hasn't even summoned Omnilium yet."

"He hasn't summoned anything yet?" The female voice asked, seemingly in surprise. "Then how do you know he's a Prime at all? What if he's a secondary that happened to appear in the Nexus?"

"He came out of the fountain," a third person said. It was the second escort. "There was no around to summon him. He was summoned here by Omni. He's a Prime. He might not look like it but I promise he is."

There was a pause. Finally, the female spoke again. "Very well," she seemed to relent. "I will let your superiors know that I am satisfied with the arrangement. I will take custody of the Prime and see that he is appropriately introduced to the Omniverse. Thank you."

Mordin Solus was a smart guy. Maybe the smartest, if he was being honest. He knew that this situation from the get-go was questionable. When he and his nameless escorts entered the building known as Empire Research and Development, they were immediately shuffled over to a small room on the ground floor. The staff who greeted him were polite, but clearly apprehensive of his scaly appearance and so-called Primehood. He was put in a small room with a long table, two chairs, four steely grey walls and a one-way glass window. It was an interrogation room. The only thing that was off was that the door was left cracked so he could hear the conversation outside so clearly. Despite this show of faith, he still felt uncomfortable.

The door opened and in came a blonde human woman in a lab coat. She closed the door behind her. Her bookish appearance, complete with a tight bun and small-framed glasses, made him feel a bit more at ease. She was his kind of person. "Hello, Doctor Solus," she greeted. She put a small hand out to greet him, smiling. He recognized the accent as being Russian, a subset of Humans. "My name is Doctor Illyana Ivanov. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Mordin stood up and accepted the hand with a big smile. "Likewise, Doctor," he said happily. He felt better.

The two sat down on either side of the table. "I'm sure you have many questions," Illyana said. She put her hands out in front of her, fingers interlocked together. "I am excited to be the first to formally introduce you to the Omniverse. I will try to answer all of your questions while you are here with us."

"Naturally," Mordin nodded. "I am still taking in the situation. It is unusual. I was on Tuchanka. Going to die. Then I woke up and I'm here, in this place. This world. This Omniverse. First question is the hardest. You might not know. Have to ask anyway." He took a breath. "Why am I here?"

The blonde scientist smiled sweetly. "I am afraid you are right. That is the hardest question. I do not know the answer. What I can tell you is that there are two kinds of people here in the Omniverse. The secondaries, who are summoned here to take part. And the Primes, who are by design, meant to take over. You are a Prime. You were summoned here by Omni himself. The reason is beyond my understanding, but it is fact."

"It is hard to believe," the salarian admitted. "But the data is there to support you. I saw Omni when I arrived here. He told me something similiar. Next question, then. Why am I here?" He paused, realizing he had asked the same question twice, which got a confused look from Dr. Ivanov. "Sorry. I mean, why am I here, specifically? In this building? In this room? With you. And them." He didn't turn his head away from her, but his hand reached out to point at the one-way mirror, as if he was suggesting someone else was behind it.

"Our purpose here at Empire R&D should be obvious," she said in response, not fazed by him pointing to the glass. He put his hand down. "We are, like you, looking to understand the world here. I am the Director of Prime Studies. I am here to help you learn about your role in the Omniverse, and your powers in it. In exchange for my knowledge, you will be providing us data. We have never had a Prime come here straight from the Fountain of Infinity."

"You want to study me?" Mordin asked. He had done plenty of scientific tests before. He was, as a rule, against the study of live specimens if it could be helped. Especially sentient ones. "Doctor, I am here for guidance. I am here to be a willing partner in the name of knowledge and research. But I am not a test subject."

Doctor Ivanov unclasped her hands. "Doctor Solus, you misunderstand me. I want to study your training, not your body. We can teach you much here. Let me show you. Will you humor me?"

Mordin hesitated. Then he nodded. "Yes."

She smiled and reached out for his hands. He offered them up and she positioned them on the table, spread out but hovering above the table, then withdrew her own hands. "What defines a Prime is the ability to summon Omnilium. What I want you to do draw from this power and summon something from your world here. Keep it simple to start. Give it a try."

The former special task groups agent looked at Illyana, who nodded with encouragement. He looked back to his hands. He had never done anything like this. Everything in his life was numbers and data. It was consumable. It was solid. But this was like magic. The idea of summoning something into this world just because he wanted it was absurd. It was magic. And if there was anything Mordin knew, it was that magic wasn't real. If only had his Omni-Tool, then he would be able to properly scan this Omnilium and...

As that thought crossed his mind, he could feel something tug inside him. The fingertips on his left hand began to glow different colors. His big eyes grew wider in amazement. "Keep going," Illyana was saying, but he was barely paying attention. "It takes a few minutes."

A few minutes did pass. As the time passed, he could feel this mental tug inside of him turn into something physical. The implant that he had back in his homeworld began to actually appear in his palm. The Omni-Tool began to glow around his arm. It looked like an orange robotic armor covering on his skinny limb, but it was transparent and digital so he could type on it. This was what he used as a communicator or a device to connect online. He looked up at Illyana, impressed with himself. "I did it," he declared.

She smiled. She seemed content with the proof that he was indeed a Prime. "Congratulations, Doctor, you are well on your way to being a powerful Prime. Do you accept my proposal now? To study this phenomena? As partners?"

Mordin didn't know this woman, and certainly didn't trust her a hundred percent. His whole lifestyle was designed around questioning things. But the reality was that he needed to be able to study what was happening to him. He needed to know more about where he was. So he nodded his head and put his arm out. The Omni-tool disappeared. She shook his hand. "As partners," he agreed. For now.

1327 words.

2398 total.

[Lambert]

When Mordin woke up from this first full night's sleep in the Omniverse, he briefly did not know where he was. This wasn't a new sensation for him: in his previous life, he was always traveling and going to new places, so it was common for him to wake up in a new place and have to re-orient himself to his surroundings. But this it was different. This time he wasn't just in a different bed on the same ship, or a new building in the same city. He was in entirely new plane of existence. He moved to sit up on the side of his bed and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Keep yourself together, Mordin," he told himself, mumbling under his breath. "This is all explainable. There is a scientific method to what you are experiencing. You just need to find it. What could this be? Teleportation? Dream therapy? End-of-life phenomenon? Is this the after-life?" He paused, took a breath. "Am I dead? No. Impossible."

The room he had been supplied to stay in at the Empire Research and Development building wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. When he agreed to be a test subject and research partner of the Director of Prime Studies, Dr. Illyana Ivanov, he was half-expecting to be dragged into a prison cell with padded walls. But instead, he was given a rather nice room to live in for the time being. It was better then the quarters he could get on any spaceship he had traveled on, that was for sure. It was a twin-sized bed and a desk with supplies for various types of work. He doubted he would use anything other then his Omni-Tool computer, but he appreciated the gesture.

Mordin found a small breakfast snack waiting for him in a small box attached to the wall connecting his quarters to the passage-way outside. He walked up to it to find a little breakfast bar. He was never a fan of human food, but again, he was satisfied that he'd at least get some energy before starting the day. He bit into it.

He could hear beeping in front of him. He looked up to see the metallic door to his room light up green. It opened from the bottom and revealed the blonde scientist herself, Dr. Ivanov. She stepped into the room, followed by a large humanoid with small bumpy spikes on his head. "Good morning, Doctor Solus," she smiled in greeting. She was holding a clipboard. "I hope you slept well on your first night in the Omniverse."

"Hard to sleep," he admitted. He shook her hand as he spoke. "Many things on my mind. Not all of it pleasant. But yes, slept well. Thank you."

She nodded at him, in understanding. "It is a lot to digest. May I ask some of the things you were thinking about?"

"Reasons I'm here. Reasons you are here. How to determine my abilities in this place. Where I am came from. The people that I left to come here. If they succeeded in their mission. If they survived." He paused, as usual, to collect a breath. "If they are happy." He shook himself out of his own daze to look up at her. She was smiling at his words. He focused his eyes on the bulky gentleman behind her. "Greetings. You are?"

"Jor." The big man said. He spoke about as many syllables as Mordin expected him to. He didn't sound like he could, or wanted to, say anymore.

Illyana, thankfully, spoke up for him. "Jor is one of the orderlies here." She put his arm up towards the door to motion Mordin towards it. "Are you ready to begin, Doctor?"

"Yes," Mordin nodded in agreement.

Dr. Ivanov led Mordin out of the room and down the hallway. He noted the security guards posted either end of the hall that the living quarters were based in. They weren't stormtroopers, but the pistols at their hips and the energy weapons in their hands told the story that they were still there for a reason. This area had much higher level security then the other spaces he had been in. Part of that made him nervous. As they made their way deeper into the facility, he considered his situation once again.

He had agreed to work with Illyana and her division to study what he could do in the Omniverse as a Prime. He was the first subject they had met that was freshly summoned, so it made sense for them to be able to see what he could do with a clean slate. He accepted the offer because he had knew that he needed their resources and information to get him started, and figure out what he needed to do here in this place. But there always a sinking feeling his stomach when he thought about testing on living things, even himself. It was something he didn't do in his past life, and he didn't intend to do here. But studying himself...perhaps that was okay.

Illyana led Mordin into an empty room. It was about as basic as it could get: just a steely grey floor and white walls. Jor followed closely behind them. "This is where we will start our first trial," she told him. She pointed up at the top corner of the room, where a small window sat. "That is where I will be, observing and communicating."

She began to walk out of the room, but Mordin spoke up. "Small room." He said simply. She paused and looked back at him. He continued: "Small enough to monitor everything in it, but large enough for close-quarters combat. Also, you have a typical big brute you are leaving me here." He nodded at Jor, whose face showed annoyance at the word brute. "You are not planning to simply test my powers. You are forcing me into a confrontation. This is not science."

The blonde Russian smiled. Mordin was starting to not like it when she smiled. "With all due respect, Doctor Solus," she told him, "But you are not able to be unbias in our scientific method when you are the subject. After this test is over, and we have some results, I think you were appreciate our methods more. Just trust me."

She walked out of the room, and it shut automatically behind her. The green lights on its exterior turned red, signifying it was locked. Mordin turned to look at the horned humanoid orderly known as Jor. Prime or not, Mordin did not have confidence he would be able to contend with someone of his size and power.

"Jor," Mordin said. He was left alone with the big man, and this was his moment to ask a question. "You are not an orderly here, are you?"

"No." He said as simply as possible.. Then he jumped forward, one bulky hand back over his head to strike.

1162 words.

3560 total.

[Lambert]

Before Mordin could say another word to Jor, the bulky hand came down and slammed into the side of his head. The punch was so hard that it knocked the salarian clean off of his feet. He flew sideways and hit the ground unceremoniously. For being a Prime and Jor supposedly being a secondary, the punch still hurt him like any other giant's fist would. Mordin shook his head to get the cobwebs out and then began to stumble to his feet. "We do not have to fight," Mordin tried to tell the mammoth of a man. "This is not an acceptable way-" but he didn't get to finish his sentence. Jor pushed off his feet and trucked right through Mordin, sending him backwards into the wall behind them.

"Shut up," Jor growled at him. He was using one heavy arm at chest level to pin Mordin into place and keep him there. "No more talking."

This was the first time that Mordin looked into the eyes of the man who called himself Jor. Mordin's initial assumption was that this monster of a man was an idiot, because of the short syllables he used in his responses. He also had the visual appearance to take into account. Jor wore scrubs, like an orderly would, but there were scratched up and not completely clean of stains. His head had short stubby-looking horns atop it, making it seem like small spikes grew from his skull. But despite all of those facts leading Mordin to think Jor was not intelligent, he realized now that this man completely understood everything he said. He was processing it. He just simply chose not to talk.

"Jor," Mordin pleaded over the strength of the arm pinning his shoulders to the wall. He was being held up in the air, against the bulkhead. "There are better ways to study Primes. Less primitive. You don't have to hurt me."

This time, Jor didn't respond verbally at all. He simply grabbed the collar of Mordin's lab coat and yanked backwards, throwing the amphibious researcher half-way across the room. Mordin hit the ground hard and rolled to save himself more damage. He once again moved to his feet.

"Doctor Solus, this is not about scientific research right now." Mordin looked up at the one-way window up at the corner of the room. He couldn't see through it, but he knew who was speaking to him through the speakers. Doctor Illyana Ivanov. The mastermind of this confrontation. "This is about training you. I know that you are just a scientist, but you are a Prime. You have to be battle-tested to survive here. You will thank me later."

Jor was moving back towards Mordin, who was backing up to prolong how long it took him to catch up. "Jor. I am not a gladiator. I am a man of science. Reason. Nothing to be gained from this fight. Only lost." The big man, predictably, didn't listen, and launched himself forward again. Mordin suddenly rolled to the left to avoid getting run over again. Jor's momentum carried him forward and he took a few extra steps to stop himself from hitting the wall.

"You will not run from me!" Jor shouted at Mordin and turned to launch himself at the scientist. Mordin once again rolled to the side, but this time Jor saw it coming and reached from it. He barely missed getting a hold of the lab coat, but still juked himself after the salarian. Mordin spun along the wall and narrowly avoided a punch that slammed hard into the surface next to him. "Stop running!" Jor screamed in frustration. Mordin moved back towards the center of the room.

As Jor spun around, Mordin began to shrug his shoulders, as if he was stretching his neck muscles before an exercise. Jor seemed visibly irritated that Mordin was not staying still and fighting him directly. He did not enjoy this cat and mouse game that the scientist was playing. He grew even more annoyed as Mordin began to stretch his arms, as if taunting the idea he was just warming up.  

The speakers came to life again with Dr. Ivanov's Russian accent. "Mordin, you will have to confront Jor if you want to leave this room."

He ignored Illyana and instead focused on the giant in front of him, who looked more and more angry. "Jor, who so upset?" Mordin asked his would-be opponent. Now that the alien had the chance to see Jor's bulky movements up close, he felt a bit more confident about his chances here. "You are bigger then I am. Stronger. Supposed to test me. Force me to draw my abilities. You were expecting to beat me down. Because I am just a scientist. " He paused, but not to take a breath as usual. No, this time he was pausing for dramatic effect. "You will be disappointed."

"Shut up!" Jor shouted again and then ran forward. Mordin predicted this move, and tensed as if he was about to dodge and roll again. But he stood his ground and triggered a device on his right hand. When Jor's big hand came crashing down, a light blue shield appeared around the researcher and deflected the attack. Jor was visibly stunned by the sudden repulsive field and threw his other arm. This time he got a little pull on the shield, feeling it give way, but still could not get through it.

Mordin jumped back a bit. Jor stood his ground, looking as if he was ready for another of his pounces. "Kinetic Energy. Repulsive Field," Mordin explained. "Summoned it last night. That is what you wanted to see, correct? Doctor Ivanov?"

He didn't get an answer from the observing Director of Prime Studies.

"You said I was just a scientist. That I happened to be a Prime. You were wrong." He once again brought himself into a defensive position as Jor growled again. "I was a member of the Salarian Special Task Groups. STG. The elite supterfuge agency of my people. I have fought hundreds of people. Killed dozens. No offense, Jor. But you are not a challenge."

"SHUT UP!" Jor howled again, this time the loudest he had given. He was driven entirely by emotion. Mordin didn't know why the man was so fueled on anger, especially given he seemed to understand everything happening around him. He rushed forward with as much speed as his muscled body could muster, heading straight for the scientist. Mordin turned and jumped towards the wall, kicking off of it to the side and rolling back to his feet expertly. Jor spun around just before hitting the wall with his head, instead connecting with his back.

Mordin was in front of him now, but towards the middle of the room again. His kinetic shielding was off. In his hand, pulled from his lab coat, was a small firearm. "M-Twelve-Locus." He explained. Jor tensed as the salarian scientist held the weapon in front of him, gripped in both hands expertly. Suddenly the tables were turned, and the prey was armed. "Sub-Machine Gun. Small mass effect drive inside. Excellent for infiltration. Quiet. Fast. Deadly. I'll show you."

"Do it!" Jor screamed, and started to jump forward again. The good doctor pulled the trigger just as Jor moved, spraying the big man with energy bursts along his legs. The shots clearly cruised and staggered the horned human, but didn't penetrate his skin. Once he realized that the first few shots were not damaging Jor the way he expected, he brought the sights up and finished the remainder of his 20-shot limit on the man's torso.

Jor fell back against the wall. The Locus went quiet in Mordin's left hand as his right hand moved quickly to detach the heat sink and replace it with a new one from inside his lab coat. He prepared to fire again. "That's enough," he suddenly heard. The locked door to Mordin's right, previously lit up red, suddenly turned a lime green. Illyana came on the loudspeaker again. "That was exceptional, Doctor Solus. Thank you."

Mordin waited to see what Jor did. The man didn't do anything, instead just standing there, leaned back against the wall. A normal human in Mordin's previous universe would have been crippled by a whole clip from the Locus, but for some reason Mordin's gun didn't do maximum damage against this man. He wasn't sure if the gun was under-powered, or Jor's skin was particularly resilient. Either way, Jor did not seem to be a threat anymore, having stood down.

The salarian secret agent dropped his weapon and tucked it back into the inside of his lab coat. He stood up straight. "We'll call this a draw," he decided.

1462 words.

5022 total.

[Lambert]

When Mordin awoke, he was already sitting up on his bed. He had fallen asleep leaning back against the head board, using a pillow for support. His Omni-Tool was still activated around his arm, indicating that he had fallen asleep while he was working on it. Fortunately, thanks to being a Salarian, he didn't require a lot of sleep in order to function and was ready to get right back to work. "Where was I?" he asked, not even taking a moment to wake up as he got right back onto his device. "Ah yes. Geography."

He brought his arm back up and went right back to studying the Dataverse, which he had learned was the Omniverse's version of the internet. He was used to dealing with mass effect communicators and quantum entanglement-based communication, but here in the Omniverse it was just a simple matter and summoning this device for it to connect online. He would learn that different Primes could summon the same thing and it could look and act as if it came from their realm: thus, that is why Mordin ended up with an Omni-Tool when he tried to summon something to help him learn.

"Coruscant, Jewel of the Omniverse," Mordin was reading as he looked through the various points of interest. "Camelot, shining Kingdom of Magic. Vasty Deeps, beach haven. Tangled Greens, jungle. Ashen Steppes, volcanos. Frozen Fields, snow." He paused and considered his warm-blooded nature. "Should avoid that one."

He had been in the Omniverse for a few days done, but none had been as eventful as the second when he was put in a confrontation to test out his Prime abilities. He had successfully survived an encounter with the massive Jor, who he hadn't seen since then. He seemingly had earned the respect of his colleague, Dr. Illyana Ivanov, who was in charge of the research he was assisting with. Prime Studies, she had called it. Since that first big test with Jor, it all been much quieter: blood samples, stress tests, interviews. Mordin couldn't help but feel like something big was coming.

That was why he wanted to leave. It was his intention that today, he would tell Dr. Ivanov he was planning on leaving the Empire Research and Development. He had, after all, accomplished what he wanted. He knew how to be a Prime and he was now connected to the rest of the Omniverse, so he could explore and continue his research on his own. The truth was that he still didn't fully trust her or her team. He was worried about what the next test would be, once they determined they weren't getting the results they wanted. As soon as they stopped learning new things, how far would they push him to get the next piece of data? How quickly would they determine they were running out of time before he wasn't considered a 'fresh' Prime anymore?

He rose up out of his bed and adjusted his lab coat. Inside it, like a trenchcoat, he had tucked away his machine-pistol and heat sinks for it. They hadn't asked to test his gun yet, but he was sure that was coming. He was not intending on letting them. Mordin made his way over to the door, and moved to open it.

The door slid from the bottom up, revealing a figure in the passage-way outside. It was big, hulking and familiar. "Jor," Mordin squeaked, surprised. The big man looked about as cheerful as usual, staring down at the lizard-scientist with an emotionless face. He was tense, however, eyes shifting to the side back and forth down the hall. "You are alone. No Doctor Ivanov. No guards. You are not supposed to be here," Mordin surmised. "You are here to assassinate me. No, you would have attacked already. You are here to kidnap me. No, much too obvious out here with all of the cameras. Ah, makes sense. Of course." Mordin looked up after finally working his way to the conclusion. "You are here to tell me something about Dr. Ivanov. Something she doesn't want you to tell me."

Jor grunted. He seemed almost impressed, but didn't want to come it. Instead, he took a step back and encouraged Mordin to follow. "Come. I will show you something."

Mordin stepped out of the room, looked down the hall, and then followed the big man for answers.

734 words

5756 words total

[Lambert]

Mordin had seen a lot of the Empire Research and Development over the last week, but this area that Jor was guiding him too was a new one for him. The security presence was still there, but the overall feel of the eastern second floor was much more downtrodden then the rest of the building. The quarters he had been living and working in felt like they were straight out of some strange science fiction novel, but this place felt more like a prison. The light blue paint was dried out and peeling, making it look more like a musty grey. The doors were all traditional style, with doorknobs rather then automatically opening from the bottom up. Mordin didn't usually go into a situation looking for a fight, but he was ready for one in this case.

A security guard stood in a narrow passage towards where Jor was taking Mordin. Mordin expected to be stopped, but instead both Jor and the guard exchanged a knowing nod. "This way," the big man told the scientist.

"Where are we?" Dr. Solus asked as they passed through the corridor and stood outside of a single door at the end of it. The sign read 'Prime Studies Lab A.'

"Where do you think?" Jor asked back. It didn't seem like he was trying to be rude, but rather actually wanted Mordin to figure it out himself.

"Hm," Mordin began to look around. "Less security here. Maintenance neglected. Still staffed with guards but no actual scientists. Used to be a lab for something. To study Primes." He paused, and looked at Jor. "But no longer. Now used to keep something important hidden. Something not worth studying. Still worth guarding." Jor nodded his bald head. He seemed to be both annoyed by the drawn-out style Mordin would take to figure something out, but also impressed by how quick he seemed to puzzle things together. Mordin had that effect on people, in general. Nobody could understand what he was saying, until he had finished speaking. Then it all came together, somehow. 

Jor turned and opened the door to the room they were standing in front of. Mordin followed him in.

Inside, it looked more like an operating room then an actual laboratory. There were still some metal tables along the wall and a tall filing cabinet in the corner. The room was well lit by the lights up on the ceiling, but it still gave Mordin a creepy vibe as one of them flickered a bit. In the center of the room was a long metallic table with someone laying on it, propped up slightly by the adjustable bend in the table. The figure was as tall and bulky as Jor was, but curves at their chest and mid-section made it very clear that it was a female. Unlike Jor, who had no hair atop his horned head, this figure had long blonde hair bundled around her cranium and neck. Like Jor, she also spotted small bumpy horns. Even though this figure was clearly not conscience, Mordin noted that she was not hooked up to any machines, which made him think the worst.

Mordin's first reaction was check her pulse. She was alive. "Not conscience," Mordin noted. "But not being kept alive by technology. Poison? Overdose of drugs? Forcibly-induced coma?"

"That one," Jor said. He moved to the opposite side of the table Mordin was standing. "She is in a medically-induced coma. They only hook her up when they need to check her vitals or feed her. It keeps her off the system."

"Humanoid, female," Mordin spoke aloud as he examined the woman. "Muscular. Blonde hair. Horns suggest same race as you. Same facial structure. Related in some way. Sister?" Jor nodded at his question. "Twin?" Again, Jor nodded. "Question, then. What is her name?"

"Kior."

"What race are you? Never met a human with horns."

"Zabrak," Jor said. Mordin immediately was unsure why he even asked that question. He had no idea what a Zabrak was. He made a mental note later to look it up. It sounded interesting.

Mordin looked along her arm to note the entrance markings of needles. There was no question that she had been injected with something, multiple times at multiple places. "Why is she like this?" Mordin finally asked the most important question. "Why are you showing me this?"

Jor looked down at his sister. Previously, the only thing that Mordin could see in the eyes of the spikey-headed Zabrak was anger and emotion. He could see now that there was a lot more to this big guy then he had let on. Mordin cursed himself a bit that he was so quick to judge this man, whose ulterior motive was strictly the care for his sister. "Kior is a scientist. She is everything that I am not. She is smart, selfless and brave. She would use her research to make Coruscant a better place. The entire Omniverse benefited from the trials she would do to best the abilities and limitations of Primes." He paused, long enough for Mordin's big lidless eyes to bulge wide in realization. "That's why they chose her, among all others, to be the Director of Prime Studies."

"Your sister is the Director of Prime Studies?" Mordin asked, incredulous.

"She was," Jor nodded. "Until she was disposed of by the Board of Directors by her aide. Her work was stolen and she was voted off of the Directors' Board in a hostile takeover. She wasn't even given the right to appeal to the Emperor before she was put here. Locked away."

Mordin looked down at the woman who lay prone, unconscious. It was hard to believe that this bulky, muscled woman could be the former director to a research institution, but Mordin had already learned his lesson about judging books by their covers. Jor was proof of that. "You are working here for her," he assumed. "Waiting to take her. Or working to keep her alive. Insurance policy. Blackmail." Jor nodded. "Unethical! Detestable! Absurd! This breaks every scientific law ever written!"

As the good doctor raised his hand, one of his three fingers sticking in the air, the lights began to flicker again. This time, all of the ceiling lights switched off and on three times before shutting off all together. Then the emergency lights, dimmed crimson, turned on above them. Mordin knew immediately that someone was messing with the power.

"The aide." Mordin said to Jor, who was tense at the sudden lighting change. "I know who it is. Don't I?"

A gas began to leak from the vents situated near the corners of the wall, where bulkhead met floor. "Yes," Jor said. "Dr. Illyana Ivanov did this."

Mordin's fingers squeezed the railing of the operating table that Kior was laying on, sleeping helplessly through the conversation. The gas began hit Mordin's senses and began to disorient him immediately. It was strong stuff, making him dizzy instantly. He was sure that if he had been a secondary, he would be dead already. With his Salarian immune system, he felt lucky that he didn't drop dead anyway. He watched as Jor stumbled to his knees, under the same effect.

Whoever realized they were there, in that room, had gassed them. The Salarian Scientist was certain, in the last moment, that they would not kill him. They still needed him alive to experiment on. They would still assume he was easy to control, even if they had to be rough. But that was there were all of Mordin Solus' past enemies had gone wrong, and that was where these would too. He was used to being underestimated.

As he dropped to the ground sideways, asleep and drugged, he vowed to himself that they would never see him coming.

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[Lambert]

One of the upsides to being a Salarian was that medicines or poisons didn't affect him nearly as long as it would a Human. He had a strong immune system to make up for the fact that he simply wouldn't live as long as other races. So when he woke up after being gassed to sleep, he was very aware of the fact that he wasn't completely locked up or strapped in somewhere yet. He was very careful not to move or blink his eyes, and instead opened up his other senses to get an idea of where he was.

The first thing he heard was wheels, followed by the sensation of being bounced. He was on a stretcher of some kind and the wheel must have caught on something. He lightly moved his wrists and ankles, one at a time. They were not tied down.

"Where are we going again?" Someone asked near him. They were located near his head. "Isolation Two?"

"No, four." Another voice responded. They were positioned on the opposite side of him, near his mid-section. "Two is where they're putting the big guy." Based on the sound of the wheels of the medical bed he was on, Mordin concluded he was in a hallway of the Empire Research and Development building. He was likely being guided to some kind of containment cell. Jor, one of the orderlies who worked there, had told Mordin they were keeping his sister in a comatose state to stop her from running the Prime Studies department. Unfortunately, now knowing that information made Mordin a liability, and they were gassed to sleep. Jor was probably the 'big guy' these two were talking about. Mordin pocketed the knowledge of which isolation room Jor would be in.

"What do you think they're gonna do to him?" The first voice asked. Mordin could feel the bed turning sharply at what must have been an intersection of passage-ways.

"I don't even want to know."

"I thought he was cooperating. What do you think happened?"

Mordin listened intently to the answer. "They probably couldn't get any information out of him the easy way. I'm surprised we didn't just lock him up from the beginning. Makes things easier." Mordin felt a surge of disgust in his chest. Science was Mordin Solus' middle name. Any hint of unethical protocol made him furious. This was about as 'over the line' as it got. But he kept his cool and remained motionless in the bed.

"He's always seemed kind of weak to me, anyway." Mordin inwardly smirked. "He must be pretty smart if even the Director is scared of him. But even as a Prime, he never seemed like he was all there to begin with, you know?"

"He's a scientist, too, that's why she liked him." The bed stopped momentarily and the sound of an electronic door opening came alive. "Seems like a waste of Prime Powers to me."

The hospital bed was rolled past the door. "Bring him in," a new voice said. Female. Human. Mordin could hear the sound of buttons being pressed on a panel nearby. Given the location of the sounds in relation to where he was laying, he could remember the layout of the Isolation Exam Room. He had seen them once before, in passing, but hadn't given them much thought. He had imagined these rooms were for more formal, long-term exams. Now he could see they were being used as a kind of holding cell.

"Is he ready yet?" A new voice. Fourth. Another female human. This one was much more familiar to Mordin. He stiffened a bit nervously. It was the Director of Prime Studies. Dr. Illyana Ivanov. She always seemed a bit shady to Dr. Solus, but now it was confirmed that she was a criminal. She was performing very illegal experiments and was keeping the former director sedated to look like an illness.

"Almost, doctor," the other female said. She spoke softly, almost submissive. Mordin assumed she worked for Illyana in some capacity. Perhaps a nurse, or technician. "I am setting up the Isolation Room to your specifications now. Once it is complete, some of his powers should be suppressed." That didn't sound good.

"Why is he not locked up?" Illyana asked. "His hands are free. He should be chained down. What will you do if he wakes up right now?"

There was a series of stammering, followed by one of the original voices responding. "I-I'm s-sorry Doctor, I..."

"I think we can handle him, Doc," the second one said, confidently. "No offense, but I think we can take a confused skinny lizard-man in a lab coat."

"Do not underestimate him," Dr. Ivanov warned. She was smart. "He is much more then a scientist. Never mind that he is a Prime, but he is also a soldier. I've seen him in action. You would do well to remember not to judge a book by its cover." She paused and then spoke again, seemingly to someone else. "I'm going to check on the other one. Have the Prime Suppression Protocol ready to go by the time I get back."

"Yes, Doctor," the female technician  said.

The door opened again. Footsteps. Heels. The door closed, and the tension seemed to lift as Dr. Illyana Ivanov departed just as quick as she had arrived. There was a silence in the room after the door shut behind her. Mordin could tell one of the guards, probably the one who was stuttering, was breathing differently. He was relieved. It was strange to see how much respect Illyana had in her staff. Or was it fear?

"It's strange." The girl was right next to Mordin's head. She was very close. "He seems to be very calm despite the dramatic situation he was in right before he went down. He must be having pleasant dreams." She touched his arm lightly, as if trying to find a pulse. It wasn't difficult to find, thanks to his skinny limbs. "His heart rate is normal. A little fast, but his is usually quicker then a human's."

"Fascinating," the gruffer guard said. He dripped of sarcasm. "How long before you can block his powers?"

"It won't block them," the girl corrected. She lightly put a hand on Mordin's forehead, feeling the clammy, scaly skin. He felt a bit of comfort.  "But in a few minutes we should at least be able to..." She suddenly stopped talking.

"Should be able to what?"

The eyes of Mordin Solus suddenly came to life. They were big, black and endless. He was staring up at a caramel-skinned human woman in a lab coat, whose voice seemed to drift off as she stared down at him in surprise. She had a small, cute face with chubby cheeks. Her hesitation when he suddenly startled her was the perfect opportunity for him to act. He brought his head up and slammed it right into her nose, causing her to squeak in pain and fall backwards.

"Shit!" One of the guards shouted. This was the first chance Mordin got to actually get a look at them. One of them was much younger then the other. Mordin reached in his lab coat much quicker then either of them could draw their weapons, and pulled out a small metallic firearm. He fired once at the older guy, who seemed more of a threat. Then he fired at the second one. Both shots hit center mass and sent them flying back into their respective bulkheads. Mordin's guns weren't as strong as they were in his previous life, but his accuracy and shot placement was second to none. They were unconscious upon landing.

He spun his feet to the side and then stood off of the bed. The young medical technician was cowering up against the wall, underneath the observation window. Mordin assumed no one was the other side of the two-way mirror, otherwise an alarm would be going off by now. The female was holding her face, seemingly nursing a broken and bloody nose. "Sorry." Mordin said. "Don't like to hit women." He glanced to the side, at the console that read 'Suppression Activating.' "Had it coming, though."

"Your gun..." she stammered, surprised to see him armed. "I thought they took it."

"Always keep a spare," he recited, as if he was lecturing. "Lots of pockets. Can keep tons of things in this coat. You'd be surprised."


She tried to shrink further up against the wall. Her big eyes blinked up at him. "Please don't kill me, please don't..."

"Of course not!" Mordin shook his head. "Would never kill an innocent." He pointed with his armed hand at the two fallen guards. "Non-fatal shots. Guns aren't as strong here. Still hurt. A lot." He stepped forward towards her, which only made her whimper again. "Need you to open the door." She nodded frantically, thinking more about herself then the people she worked for. She quickly moved towards the controls.

He looked at the big metallic entrance to the room. On the other side would be some real answers to his questions about this place.

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[Lambert]

Mordin came around the corner of the Isolation Wing like a freight train. There was a time when stealth and espionage was the name of the game, but this was not that time or place. He was a deadline and he knew it. It would be mere minutes before an alarm announced that he had gotten loose, and he had to get as close to Dr. Illyana Ivanov as possible before that time was up. In front of Isolation Two was a single armed guard, but Mordin was up in his face way too quickly for him to do anything about it. The seemingly weak scientist slammed the butt of his heavy pistol (the always dependable M-6 Carnifex) into the side of his head and sent him to the ground in a reap.

He moved to the door's controls to open it up. Once the electronic entrance-way slide apart, he was surprised at what he saw.

The big man that he had come to rescue, the Zabrak known as Jor, was sitting on the end of the examination table in the center of the small room. He was staring at the door, as if he had been waiting for it to open. Around him was three bodies, similiar to the set-up that Mordin had just left his own room from. Two guards and a scientist all lay unconscious and bloodied. The scientist immediately identified they known of them had clear fatal wounds, so his gut instinct suggested they were not dead. "What took you so long?" Jor asked, a mix of humor and seriousness lying in his monotone voice.

"My apologies," Mordin smirked, which was difficult to read on his unusually-structured face, but Jor seemed to notice it fine. "Looks like you handled yourself fine." He looked around the room for something. "Question: Where is Illyana Ivanov?" It seemed as if Jor successfully put down his captors, but unlike Mordin, did not leave anyone awake to open the door.

Jor moved up off of the table and picked up a firearm that was resting against the wall. It was some kind of assault rifle, suggesting it belonged to one of the guards Jor had knocked out. That made Mordin even more impressed. "She went to wake up Kior. She is going to force her to resign by using me as leverage."

As Jor walked by him, Mordin's eyes followed him. "This doctor does not appear to have thought this out."

"She is a good scientist," Jor responded. He looked over his shoulder to ensure Mordin was following. He was. "But not so good at strategy. She is emotional. She was jealous of my sister's accomplishments. Now she is trying to take it all for herself." He stopped walking for a moment, about half-way down the corridor. They were at a fork. They could continue straight, or go right. "This is my fight. You've done enough. This way is the exit. Ivanov is keeping this under wraps, so you won't have a hard time fighting your way out."

"Impossible." Mordin said simply. "I cannot walk away now."

Jor grunted, but he nodded. He nodded his head out of respect. Mordin could feel that Jor likely already knew his answer. "Thank you," Jor said.

The two moved to the right, with the Scientist Salarian following the Zabrak's lead. Jor seemed to know where to go. After a couple winding turns, Mordin recognized where they were as one of the main research wings of the Empire Research & Development Wing. They didn't meet any resistance on the way to the main room, likely because of Dr. Ivanov was trying to keep the whole situation quiet, but they did stumble upon two guards in front of the main research lab. Mordin put his hand up to Jor to stop him from attacking first.

"Gentlemen!" Mordin shouted to get their attention. But he already had a small blue object in his hand. He tossed the circular device so it bounced once before resting in front of them. They looked at each other in confusion as it suddenly erupted between them. The chilly blast froze them instantly in mid-falls. "Go now!" Mordin shouted to Jor. By the time they rushed over to the two, the soldiers were starting to drop to the ground, but were slowed enough that Jor and Mordin could easily knock them out with the bottoms of their weapons.

"Neat trick," Jor complimented. "What was that?"

Mordin smiled. He was happy he was asked. "Portable Cryo-electronic Explosive Device. Lowers temperature around blast radius to extreme degrees to modify the speed in which molecules..."

"Cold Grenade," the Zabrak interrupted. "Got it." He then moved to open the door. Mordin blinked in surprise, half because he was unable to finish explaining the finer details of his device, and half because Jor was smart enough to decipher all of it so quickly. The guy was smart. Rude, but smart.

Inside the room, the attention quickly shifted to the doors opening. "...is the best thing you could do for this facility." Dr. Ivanov was just finishing saying before she (and the guards in the room) noticed they were being intruded upon. "Get them!" She screamed, pointing at Jor and Mordin. "Shoot them now!"

The firefight was immediate. Jor began to fire first, screaming as he unleashed the assault rifle's powers into the room blindly. Mordin was a bit softer in the touch as he dove behind a counter just in time to avoid being blasted by the soldiers. Joining Mordin behind the counter was a single human scientist, who seemed like he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. His face looked terrified and shocked. Before he lost sight of the room, Mordin had counted four armed guards (three right, one left) and two more scientists, plus Illyana. He noted that the blonde scientist had been next to Kior, who was sitting in a metallic chair. He couldn't tell if she was strapped down or not.

"Let her go, you bastards!" Jor screamed as he unloaded an entire magazine into the room. The guards fired back at him, some of the shots hitting by not seemingly hindering him. They were clearly doing damage, as he finally did duck down to reload his weapon. Mordin guessed that this man was a Prime, based on how much punishment he could take. Jor looked at Mordin from behind cover. "You gonna help at all?"

Mordin blinked his big eyes back at the man. "Patience." He took a deep breath as he held his pistol up to his lips, almost breathing on it. He formulated a plan in his head. "I'll go left to Ivanov. You shoot right. On my signal."

"What's the signal?" The guards had seemingly reloaded and were now blasting their weapons full steam at the two counters Mordin and Jor were hiding behind. The scientist by Mordin, who he was ignoring, cowered further as the glass jars and beakers above them were shattered.

Dr. Solus took out another circular object from inside his lab coat. He activated it, causing it to change color. It was crimson, with a small flame design engraved on its side. "This is the signal," he told Jor, and then tossed it backwards, above his head.

The firefighting stopped for a moment. "What are you doing?!" Illyana was screeching. "Shoot the-!"

The explosion erupted and Mordin immediately moved. Jor stood up. Mordin crossed the room from the right to the left. The three guards that had been at the right were now freaking out as the fire from his Incendiary Grenade had blasted them out of place up against the walls and counters. As soon as the salarian moved in front of Jor, the zabrak unloaded his rifle on the three burn victims. Mordin fired his heavy pistol was he moved, hitting the soldier at the left side of the room by surprise. He fell backwards, hitting center mass, and slumped against the wall, unconscious. Mordin was thankful his guns were not strong enough to be fatal, if aimed correctly.

"That is enough!" Illyana shouted. Mordin turned to aim his Carnifex at the corrupted researcher, only to find she was armed as well. She was holding the weapon he previously had, the M-12 Machine Pistol. She blasted it at Mordin first, who ducked behind another counter, and then swiftly moved to aim it Jor. Mordin watched as Jor took the shots right to his chest and fell backwards. The salarian hoped his newfound friend was okay, but couldn't tell how much damage his own weapon had done. She unloaded the clip until it stopped firing. "Come out, Dr. Solus!"

Mordin stood up. She was breathing deep. He surmised she was not suited to combat, given how much adrenaline she clearly dumped in that round of firing. The three soldiers Jor dispatched were lying on the ground, two knocked out and one hurt enough to stay out of combat. The scientists were, like the other from before, cowering. "Here I am, Doctor." Mordin said, his hands up, but his pistol still in one.

"Put your gun down," she commanded. She was panting her words. He set his pistol on the counter and slid it away from himself. "Good. Good." She seemed to relax, but kept Mordin's own gun trained on him. "You shouldn't have meddled. You should have let me do my work!"

"You should be ashamed." Mordin said to her. "Your work is unethical. Criminal."

"I get results!" Illyana shouted. "She never got the kind of results that I get!" She was screaming now, more emotional then Mordin had ever seen her. She was pointing at Kior, who Mordin had just noticed was wide awake, watching all of this unfold. She was strapped to the chair, but did not appear to be hurt. She was tense, but didn't look scared. "She was too timid. But I will find out what Primes are truly made out. I will find out what makes people like you so special! By any means necessary!" Mordin began to step forward, causing Illyana to panic and pull the trigger. Nothing happened. Her eyes went wide in shock. "W-what?"

Mordin swatted the gun away with his hand. "That firearm does not use bullets. It uses biotic energy using a micro mass effect field. If fired for too long, it will overheat. Needs a new heat sink."

Illyana shrank up against the wall. Mordin walked up by her. "Wait. Dr. Solus, wait!" she insisted with fear in her voice. "We are both scientists. You have to understand! Mercy! Mercy!"

"You are an ethical, legal and scientific disaster," he accused, vitriol in his voice. "Pain. Suffering. Separation. Fear. No scientific discover is worth those costs! None!" He punched the wall next to her head and she squeaked loudly, terrified. He was losing his temper, which was uncharacteristic of him. "Worst of all. You did not do it for science. You were selfish. Angry. Jealous of your peers. Jealous of Primes everywhere!" He stopped and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. Opened them again. "I am ashamed of you, as a scientist. As a person."

"Please, Doctor..." Illyana pleaded. "Mercy..."

"Don't kill her," someone said. It was a new voice. Female. Mordin turned to see the back of the chair that Kior, the former head of Primes Studies and Jor's sister. She was still sitting, but had been listening intently to the exchange happening behind her. "She will be punished, but she should not die. She is exposed now. Her peers have seen her true self." He was referencing the other scientists, who were now standing and listening as well. They seemed to nod, both them. "Let her live in this Omniverse. Let her live with her consequences, and maybe find redemption."

Mordin backed away from Illyana, who slid all the way to the ground in a heap of sobs. He walked over to Kior and nodded down at her. "I wouldn't have killed her anyway," he promised. He pulled on one of the straps at her arm, freeing her so she could do the rest herself.

"I know," she responded. "I could see good in you immediately. That's why my brother trusted you."

As if on cue, Jor came to his feet with a loud groan and flopped over the counter he had been behind. He was panting, his torso bruised and bloodied from the shots he had taken from the weapon Illyana had been mishandling. He looked at the two, seeing Kior was safe and Illyana was disarmed, and smiled big. Mordin, as well as he could, grinned back. It was over.

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[Lambert]

Mordin and Jor sat wordlessly in the lobby of the Empire Research & Development building. Mordin was holding one arm up to view his Omni-Tool, which displayed the Dataverse, which he had come to learn the Omniverse's version of the extranet. He was educating himself on the different worlds that this place had, as well as the important figures around him. Jor was fidgeting uncomfortably, his leg twitching as he waited impatiently.

Soon, the double doors of the conference room opened and important-looking figures began to file out. Both Jor and Mordin rose up as the meeting inside seemed to come to an end. All of the people inside seemed to be executives and scientists, wearing fancy suits or laboratory coats. Kior clearly stood out among them as she shook one's hand and then began to walk towards the duo. She was bigger then most, muscled and bulky but wore her own special lab outfit of yellow and black. She was clearly Jor's twin, in every way physically.

"Well, how did it go?" Jor asked, urgently.

"They have elected to take me back as the Director of Prime Studies," she beamed happily. Mordin had only known as a short time, but he had not known her to display much emotion. He felt like this was a rare time that she allowed herself to do so.

Jor was ecstatic. "That's great!"

"Excellent!" Mordin agreed. He was smiling as well.

"They agreed that Dr. Illyana's direction crossed the ethical boundaries of the Empire," she explained. "Never mind that she kidnapped me, but she was also abusing her powers to get tainted results from innocent Primes. If you two hadn't saved me, and stopped her, then she would have given the Empire results that she received under coercion and duress. Not to mention, she could have very well killed someone."

"What will happen to her now?" Mordin asked. "Where is the doctor?"

"She is going to be tried, and possible imprisoned," Kior answered. She seemed a little sad. "She was a good assistant to me. She's a good scientist. She just always rejected that she was a secondary. I am going to put in a good word for her, and I hope to have her carry out her sentence at a clinic, someone remote, where she can redeem herself."

Mordin nodded. "I believe that is an optimal solution. I support it."

"What are you gonna do now?" Jor asked Mordin.

The Salarian smiled. "I don't know," he admitted. "I do not know what is planned for my future. For the first time in my life. It feels refreshing. Liberating! Exciting."

"I've put in a good word for you as well, Doctor," Kior smiled back at him. "You are always welcome here at the Empire R&D, but more importantly here in the Empire in general. You will find a place to call home in Coruscant. I wish you all the luck."

Jor put his hand out. "If you ever need back-up, look me up. I owe you one."

Mordin shook his hand, and then Kior's. "I will do so. Thank you both. For everything."

The Scientist Salarian turned to walk off from the two, content with himself and his adventures here in this building. The Zabrak Twins watched as he moved to leave the building, of his own accord and freedom. He felt like this was the perfect way for him to truly learn about the Omniverse. He had learned first-hand what this world was life, from the perspective of science and research. Now he could move forward into this new place, armed with the knowledge and experience he had found there, and form his own legacy.

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