Hehehehe this is an express elevator to hell! Apollyon cheered in her head as Morrigan shook her head in disgust while the dropship rocked back and forth violently as they broke through the atmosphere.

Nora giggled and squealed with each shake of the dropship before catching Morrigan’s discomfort.

“It’s okay baby! You’ll learn to love this!” she shouted over the roar of rushing atmosphere and engines.

Morrigan gagged and shook her head looking up to see Nora laughing to herself. “I don’t know about that!” she exclaimed before tucking her head back into her chest.

“Hûn xeste Mirina Sor,” Xol grumbled calmly as he leaned back against the hull of the ship, his power mace resting against his shoulder. Morrigan looked up to see his surprising calm.

The ship stabilized as the atmosphere entry finished. “Landing zone is in sight Inquisitor Clarke, um… Inquisitor, we have a lot of dead…” the pilot mentioned over the comm piece in her ear.

She touched her ear, “Okay… just give me a second and I’ll come take a look,” she informed as she grimaced. Her stomach still wanted to flip despite the smooth flight they were experiencing.

As she unhooked her harness and stood, she looked at Nora and Xol, “We may have contact when we land. Be ready for anything yeah?”

Feeling so uneasy, Morrigan did not wait for confirmation from either of her teammates. She knew both of them would be ready for what ever came their way.

She stepped into the cockpit and saw the carnage the pilot was concerned about. Smoke billowed from the refinery as vehicles smoldered throughout the extensive parking lot that was filled with the dead. To what extent of the casualties, Morrigan was unsure.

“Do we need to pass over?” she inquired of the pilot who shook his head as they approached.

“No, I’m not seeing anyone however, I would prefer to wait up in the atmosphere, if that’s okay with you, Inquisitor?”

Morrigan nodded, “Yeah that’s fine. Just find a spot to set down and let us out and I’ll call you when we need pick up.”

“Copy that, we’ll touch down in 15 seconds,” the pilot stated even though Morrigan already left.

The drop ship banked and hovered above the ground by a mere foot with grace and precision as Morrigan opened the side door and hopped off first. She felt instant relief now that she had solid ground underneath her feet; turning to see Xol and Nora follow her out the ship, Nora smiling brightly at her.

“You okay there, love?” Nora asked with amusement.

Morrigan smiled and tapped the toe of her boot against the dusty concrete ground as the dropship rose and took off at speed, blowing the dust, dirt and ash over them.

“I am now that I have my feet on the ground… that’s going to take more getting used to than the damned…”

Hey pay attention, you’re surrounded by death little goddess, Apollyon’s voice overtook her mind, redirecting her focus instantly at the scene around her.

Dried blood, viscera, bullet holes and smoking wreckage surrounded the three of them as they stood in the middle of the refinery’s parking lot.

There was a mix of military and civilian bodies but farther back in the parking lot most were killed from gunfire however, Morrigan drew her gunblade as they started moving closer to the refinery, noticing that the closer they got, the method of death changing drastically.

“What the fuck happened here?” Nora inquired as she shouldered her submachine gun, glancing around the area while Xol hummed along with her.

Morrigan spied a wide array of severed limbs and bodies the closer they approached. Both military and civilian sliced up or torn apart in horrific display.

Whatever did this had some excellent form, Apollyon mused in her head.

Morrigan snorted quietly as she began to see deep gouges within the ground and along the walls of the refinery, “Yeah but aside from us, what could have done this?”

I don’t know but I kind of want to shake its hand haha. I mean, it’s no you, but for not being you, this is some high-end work.

Morrigan shook her head in amusement as Xol drew his two-handed power mace. Morrigan took a closer look at one of the gouges; It was thin, deep and clean respectively despite going through a mix of stone and metal.

A muffled gunshot rang out which caused everyone to flinch and duck. A distant sound of hysterical laughter echoed from within the refinery that sounded so sinister it set Morrigan’s nerves on edge.

The crackle of Xol’s mace connected a very specific dot for Morrigan, “I think what ever did this, is using a power weapon…” she said aloud in thought.

“Yeah, a damned big one too, sorry Xol, I think they may even have you beat,” Nora mused as she leaned against the side of the building. Xol ignored her though as he looked around their active space and he sniffed the air.

“Well, whatever this is, we need to get inside and find it, draw it out and either destroy it or subdue it,” Morrigan pointed out as she glanced at the setting twin suns in the distance.

Xol nodded in agreement and without warning, hauled back and smashed the energized head of his mace into the wall next to them, shattering the stone, plaster and metal and leaving a sizable hole in the wall.

“Now we hunt,” Xol grumbled with what Morrigan could figure was excitement as he stepped into the hole in the wall.

Nora giggled at the surprised look on Morrigan’s face, “Come on precious, after the big lizard!” she cheered as she jumped in after Xol.

Morrigan shook her head with a sigh, shrugging to herself. “I guess I shouldn’t expect anything different,” she murmured to herself as she shifted towards the hole in the wall.

I’ve always said the most direct way is the best way, Apollyon noted.

“Yeah, but that’s not always the case, history has shown that,” she shot back to Apollyon aloud.

Eh, only by those who don’t do it right. Come on, I trained you better. Get in there and murder this thing, Apollyon hissed.

Morrigan let out a sigh and stepped into the hole.

She originally thought the difference in lighting had more to do with the shadow of the suns however, Morrigan found that the interior of the refinery had gone dark as she moved through a small room trying to catch up to Xol and Nora.

Lights flickered in the hallway as Morrigan’s eyes adjusted to the low light, catching glimpses of Nora’s flashlight attached to the barrel of her gun at the intersection as another hysterical laughter echoed faintly. Morrigan touched her comm, “Nora, Xol, hold up.”

“Yeah, we hear it, we’re around the corner, we got a lot of dead bodies up here,” Nora replied.

Morrigan eyed the body hanging through a hole in the right wall and scrutinized it as she made her way down, glass and drywall grinding underneath her boots.

“What ever did this has some serious strength…” she noted to herself as she inspected the poor soul forced through the wall.

A piercing girlish scream echoed through out the complex followed by the same laughter, sounding significantly closer. Morrigan sprinted and slide around the corner to find Nora standing behind Xol, a bright blue energy shield protruding from his left forearm while he held the trigger handle of his mace in his right.

“You heard that too? I didn’t think there were people still alive…” Nora huffed out. Morrigan could see even she was slightly unnerved.

“I’m just glad that it wasn’t you…” Morrigan said as she looked past Xol to see large double doors leading into the main production area.

“Aweee, you’re so cute,” Nora cooed before nudging Morrigan, who looked back at her for a moment before stepping forward, crouching low as she stepped over a body that was bisected.

“Let’s get this over with, this place is beginning to give me the creeps,” Morrigan stated. Xol grunted and took a heavy step forward only to step on a severed arm and shattered the bones inside with a sickening squelch.

Morrigan shivered and looked back, “That is not helping, Xol…” she huffed as Xol let out a hissing chuckle as his mace crackled again.

Do you feel that Morrigan? That mix of terror and pure bloodlust rage coming from ahead? Apollyon inquired.

Morrigan held up a fist and closed her eyes to focus. Waves of nausea and tasteful pleasure crashed against her as she picked up on the radiating emotions. The fear was significantly closer source than the rage however, Morrigan could feel the other source moving around sporadically which felt odd to her.

She silently followed the sickening feeling as Nora and Xol held back, tracing it back to two rooms ahead on the right. The room she entered was some type of manager’s office that looked like a tornado went through it.

The concerning part was the body strewn across a desk that looked as if the head was physically torn from the shoulders as she felt the concentrated fear radiating from a tall standing cabinet against the back wall.

Morrigan released her focus on the energy before she gagged, “My name is Morrigan, I’m an Inquisitor… is anyone in here?” she whispered loudly as she listened intently.

There was no response though, so she shifted to the cabinet as she sheathed her gunblade and summoned crimson claws in her left hand. The red energy cast a soft glow ahead of her as she reached for the handle as soft murmuring came from within.

A young woman cringed and twitched as the light of her energy washed over her and blinded the trembling woman.

“No… monster-monster, no monsters… death,” the woman murmured as she covered her face from the light.

Morrigan’s eyes went wide at the bloodstained woman cowering in the cabinet, “Ma’am, I’m Mori, I’m here to help,” she tried to say soothingly only to watch the woman tremble and shake her head.

“No, only death… terrible monster… so much…blood, laughter… the laugh…”

Morrigan’s expression twisted in confusion as she visually inspected the woman for wounds, though she did not see anything alarming. She surmised that the blood the woman was coated in was someone else’s, possibly from the body on the desk.

“Nora, get in here, Xol, you need to guard this room,” she whispered into the comm.

After a moment Nora shifted into the room as Xol stomped up just before the room, the glow of his energy shield radiating through the door as he guarded the hallway.

“Oh shit, is she okay?” Nora exclaimed as she dropped down next to Morrigan.

“I think? She’s traumatized for sure…” Morrigan said as she watched the woman shake her head and pull herself tighter into a ball.

“Can you try and get her out of here?” Morrigan asked looking at Nora.

Xol hissed loudly and fired his mace’s energy burst twice down the hall only to get a loud, psychotic laughter in response followed by the stomping of something concerningly heavy.

Morrigan and Nora didn’t get a chance to look before something crashed into Xol and carried him out of sight followed by the sound of a wall collapsing.

“Xol!” Morrigan exclaimed before she heard Xol roar followed by more crashing and the discharge of energy. Before Morrigan could make it to the door, something large flew past her down the hall and crashed through the double doors, tearing them off their hinges and disappearing out of sight. The hysterical laughter echoing out from the production floor.

Xol roared again and barreled past Morrigan in hot pursuit. Morrigan looked back at the young woman who began bawling her eyes out and screaming, and to her wide-eyed girlfriend. “Get her out of here!” Morrigan commanded before racing off after Xol.

Nora deflated and looked at the hysterical woman before forcefully grabbing her wrist and dragging her out of the cabinet, “Come on, we’re out of here.”

“No! It’s the laugh of death! It is death incarnate!” the woman screamed and fought against Nora’s grasp.

Nora barked a laugh as she yanked the woman out of the room and dragged her along, the dainty woman being no match for Nora’s muscle.

“It wishes, no, I’ve met death incarnate lady, and she happens to be my girlfriend,” Nora mused aloud as she dragged the struggling woman down the hall kicking and screaming.

Morrigan sprinted into the main production floor, scanning the low-lit room as rays of fading sunlight cut through the high windows along the walls as industrial lights flickered periodically.

Xol growled as he brandished the energy laden mace and searched the dark atop of a conveyer.

“Where did it go?” Morrigan called to Xol as she brandished her crimson claws.

“Don’t know…” Xol growled out as it took a heavy step forward along the conveyor.

The amount of heavy machinery made for a lot of places to hide as her eyes constantly adjusted between the darkness and amber light of the setting suns.

This thing is like you Mori, I can’t even track it.

“What do you mean?” She inquired of Apollyon.

I’m saying this thing, whatever it is, has a rage that burns so bright it just coats the area, I mean, just like I’ve felt you do, Apollyon stated in awkward confusion.

Morrigan furrowed her brows as a manly, psychotic giggle echoed throughout the area, bouncing off the walls in a way she could not follow.

Morrigan stalked through the left side of the production area while Xol took the center atop the central conveyor.

Something fell from the ceiling and landed with enough force to crack the concrete floor, kicking up dust and ash around it as energy crackled along the length of a massive sword.

What stood in front of her was not a creature, but a man of six-foot height and muscular build. He was slimmer than Taylor had been however, given by the power great sword he held in his right hand, his strength was beyond human capability. The armor he wore was dense metal plating that covered very little though it was surrounded by dense, fibrous weave in between the plates. His shins and hands were mechanical and tipped with small talons only adding to the sinister demeanor of his skull shaped helmet.

Morrigan had heard tales of beings such as the man before her from her father’s team, Peter’s even likened her to one of them on her 19^th birthday, the man before her was a CoU Berserker.

Drawing her gunblade, she leveled the blade at the Berserker and fired a slug center of his chest, only to be surprised by the lack of reaction or damage the solid bullet caused.

The Berserker chuckled as it flexed its mechanical fingers and fell into a fit of hysterical, psychotic laughter.

So much rage… its beautiful! Fucking kill it!

Morrigan sheathed her gunblade as Xol roared and leapt from the conveyor and landed on a different conveyor next to Morrigan, bringing his mace down with two hands.

With surprising swiftness, the Berserker blocked Xol’s attack with the massive sword, both weapons sending clashing sparks flying in a brilliant display as the Berserker laughed.

Xol was sent flying with a impossibly fast backhand with the flat of the blade and crashed into a massive pump of some kind.

“Xol!” Morrigan cried out in fury as her wings flared out which drew the man’s attention, responding with hysterics. She launched crimson claws that ripped through everything in her path whether it was stone or machinery.

The Berserker jumped unnaturally high above her attack and attempted to bring his sword down upon her only to get batted away by one of her crimson wings, sent flying back and buried into a machine along the back wall.

Morrigan shifted forward and launched a crimson claw only to watch the man adeptly peel himself from the machine and shift underneath her attack with skillful acrobatics and leap towards her brandishing his energy weapon.

Morrigan caught the power weapon’s edge in her crimson claws mere inches from her face as the man giggled and chuckled in her face. Her face twisted into a grimace and angrily bared her teeth as she felt the edge of the blade biting into her hands while the man cocked his head to the side, pausing his manic behavior for a moment before letting out a crazed giggle.

Morrigan’s wings pulled back and thrust forward only to have the man jump out of the way again with childish glee as he landed mere feet in front of her while her wings pierced the concrete floor.

Would you just kill him already? Apollyon asked in annoyance.

Morrigan winced as her hands healed only to watch the Berserker stagger for no rhyme or reason as his laughter turned haggard.

She watched as the Berserker dropped the sword and dropped like a brick as a soft beeping echoed from something on the man’s back.

Ummm, that’s not what I had in mind. What the hell was that? Where’d the rage go?

Morrigan releases her energy and rubbed her palms tenderly, “I have no idea…” she said in confusion before rushing over to where Xol landed.

Xol was wedged into a machine and barely lucid when she approached, “Xol, are you okay?” she demanded as she looked him over, the side of his ribs was burned by the energy discharge of the sword.

To her relief he nodded before slowly pulling himself out of the destroyed pump with a pained grunt before looking down at her with an inquiring look.

She knew exactly what he was wondering and she pointed over to the collapsed Berserker’s location. Xol’s mace crackled as she followed him over.

“Xol, wait!” she ordered as he raised the mace high above the unconscious man, holding it high as he listened.

“Why?” Xol demanded as he eyed her with irritation.

She put her hand on uninjured side, “He’s no longer a threat Xol, we can arrest him.”

Xol let out an aggravated huff before slipping the hammer onto his back and grabbing ankle of the Berserker, dragging him with absolute zero care.

Morrigan understood how he felt since he just had his ass handed to him however, she knew she had a job to do and that meant arresting those she could, not that she had to necessarily arrest the man. From what she knew, Berserkers were biomechanically enhanced humans conditioned to become living weapons. Though, she did need to brush up on her knowledge on them before making a decision.

◇◇◇

Morrigan and Emily spent days pouring through information Sister had dug up for them regarding the creation and use of Berserkers by the CoU as well as debated the legality of using one after the ban of creation 37 years prior to the birth of the CoU.

“This is just barbaric…” Emily sighed as she set her data-slate down on Morrigan’s coffee table.

Nora carried three plates of food, setting one down with a smile towards Emily before sitting down next to Morrigan, “What? That the CoU used lifers as biological weapons?”

Emily grimaced as she reached for her food while Morrigan chimed in, “Well from what we gathered, they took violent prisoners with multiple life sentences and psychologically conditioned them, pumped them full of combat drugs and set them loose on their enemies. However, the unnecessary death tolls as well as the fatality rate of using the amount of combat stims used was viewed as unethical and they moved to a combination of cybernetic enhancement that allows the Berserkers to be controlled, as well as enhance the efficiency of the combat drugs while reducing the lethality of them… well, as she said, it is rather barbaric though I can certainly see the appeal,” she stated factually before setting her own notes down to eat.

“So, what’s the issue?” Nora inquired as she stuffed the casserole she made into her mouth.

Both Emily and Morrigan sighed before Emily commented, “Well, I’m sure you saw what happened. The Berserker turned on its handlers and butchered not only them, but an entire refinery full of civilians before burning out the combat stims pumping through his system… at least the latter of the three options, but something went wrong when it came to the marines handling the Berserker; also, the situation did not warrant the use of a Berserker and falls under questionable legality.”

Morrigan nodded, “Yeah, basically the use of Berserkers is still legal, as rare as they are to come by, though their allowance of use is strictly limited. So essentially, the commanding officer of the Winston broke CoU law by unleashing him upon civilians regardless of whether they were armed or not. So, I’ll be arresting the Admiral, except then I have to figure out what to do with the Berserker…”

Nora nodded and mused, “I say we keep him.”

Xol hissed from the kitchen as he dug into the second tray of beef and cheese casserole.

“Oh, get over it you big baby! You watched me get my ass kicked all the time! You’re lucky I wasn’t there to see it for myself,” Nora antagonized.

“Bêhiş Mônkee!” Xol barked as he slammed his fist on the counter.

“Hey! I will come over there and take that casserole away!” Nora exclaimed over the couch. Morrigan peaked over the couch to see Xol barring his teeth and guarding the casserole defensively.

Morrigan and Emily chuckled both shaking their heads at their childishness. “You two are silly,” Emily giggled behind her hand.

“Ridiculous is more like it,” Morrigan noted before picking up the medical report for the woman they brought aboard and sighed.

“I feel bad for the girl we found…” she said.

Nora shrugged while Emily nodded in agreement who ended up giving the blonde woman a dumbfounded look, “How could you not feel bad?!”

Nora shrugged again, “Honestly, my life has been shit since I was a kid. Honestly up until I met her my life was miserable, I only made my own happiness in creating chaos. Then I met this beautiful woman, and she brought something entirely new to my life…” Nora trailed off as she smiled sweetly at a blushing Morrigan, “But frankly, I never expected anyone to feel bad for me. No one did either, I just survived and the girl we saved will survive too. Life doesn’t give a shit-it just keeps moving forward and it’s up to us to do the same,” Nora finished before taking a sip from the beer she had sitting on the table.

Emily frowned as Morrigan nodded along with Nora’s words, “But that seems so… depressing, and wrong,” Emily said sullenly.

Morrigan shrugged, “It is. I mean, it varies situation to situation but I can’t disagree with Nora. I grew up happy but then my world got turned inside out when I was 16, and it only got worse from there until now… the difference I suppose is that I did have people who cared about me back then but that still didn’t take away from my misery. Like she said, life doesn’t give a shit… we’re only lucky to find people in our lives that do. For me, it was my family and then Nora, Xol, and the rest of the Marmuro’k. For Nora, it was me… as far as the woman we brought aboard, she had us when it counted. She lives because of us and I will do what I can but we also have a job to do so we can’t babysit her and coddle her.”

Emily pursed her lips and looked Morrigan in the eyes, “Can we at least bring her back to the Void Star?”

Morrigan understood Emily’s desire to help the young woman, Morrigan couldn’t deny wishing to help as well. She remembered what it felt like to be traumatized and suffering silently with no one to lift the shroud of misery that draped over her. All the years wishing for some kind of relief to the lingering sense of doom until she took her one shot at total freedom only to lose it all.

She also understood Nora’s point of view. For the most part, Morrigan had to keep moving forward with her life despite the desire to just hide away. She could’t say she didn’t have help however, the most of her progress throughout her life was her own doing. This woman would need to do the same, but they did not have an outlet for the woman to pursue.

Morrigan nodded, “Yes, be sure to send Solomon a message in regard to her and prepare. Until then though, we will keep tabs on her health and psychology.”

“Mori, Doctor Tamina is requesting your presence in Medical Bay 3,” Sister chimed into her room.

Morrigan looked up and sighed, “I take it our prisoner is awake?”

“I have confirmed on my sensors that the prisoner is indeed awake,” Sister replied.

Morrigan bobbed her head and stood up tilting her head to the side in a stretch of her neck and shoulders, “Okay, tell her I’m on my way,” she stated before taking a bite out of her casserole she had yet to touch.

“Oh damn, I’m taking this with me, I’ll be back soon love,” Morrigan said in surprise before grabbing the plate and leaning down to give Nora a kiss.

“Are you sure you don't want me to come with?” Nora inquired as she looked up with her icy blue eyes.

Morrigan smirked, “Yes it’ll be fine, you and Emily keep at it while I go speak with the prisoner.”

Morrigan left her room with Xol looming in toe behind her and made her way through the ship towards the Medical Bay.

She had to laugh internally at the awkward salutes of respect passerby workers and soldiers gave her as she carried a plate of food throughout the ship, eating as she walked. She knew it had to look weird to see their Inquisitor behave so uncouth. However, when she didn’t require such a serious demeanor, she had no intentions of being such a hard and dismissive person. She also considered the fact Xol brooded over her all the time which may have been a contributing factor to the strange looks.

When she entered the Medical Bay, she found Doctor Tamina going over a chart and speaking with the Berserker that was restrained to a large medical chair in the center of the room while most of the remaining beds along the room were empty.

Doctor Tamina was a tall woman of fair light brown tone, with long brunette hair pulled into a pony tail and thin, adorable glasses. “Mr. Ericsson, I have run system diagnostic checks on your cybernetics as well as several MRIs and cat scans,” she said professionally, her voice accent less to hint at what her heritage was.

“Is that so? Well lay it on me doc, how long I got?” the Berserker mused with an Irish-Scottish lilt. His body was still encased in his armor though his mask had been removed to reveal a long square jaw, high cheek bones and bloodshot blue eyes topped with short shaggy brown hair.

Tamina cleared her throat and nodded, “Well… due to having been under the effects of the combat stims used for your… operation, roughly nine days in fact, a large portion of your remaining muscle mass has atrophied, your major vital organs are only working at 60% and are being compensated by your cybernetics and your nervous system is nearly fried…”

The Berserker chuckled at that, cutting her off, “Aye, swings and roundabouts that bit doc,” he joked.

Tamina huffed indignantly at being interrupted, “Listen, the bottom line is if you keep using these combat drugs, they’re going to kill you. They’re literally destroying what remains of your body and brain.”

The Berserker cracked a toothy grin, “Well no shite dove, it’s kind of me thing. I knew me life was forfeit when I agreed to become this, but I love what I do. If the drugs don't kill me somethin’ else will. So don’t worry that pretty wee head of yers and just let me go.”

The doctor scoffed and slapped the medical board on his forehead which made him chuckle before she noticed Morrigan standing there.

“Oh, Inquisitor… maybe you can talk some sense into this moron,” she stated before handing Morrigan the medical information.

“Ah! You’re the wee lass who put me on a leash huh? The lass who beat death,” the Berserker snickered only to receive a warning hiss from Xol who rounded the corner.

“Oh, hey big lad, how’s the ribs treating ya?” he giggled.

Morrigan skimmed the information on the board, “Sigurd Ericsson, age: 188? How is that even possible?”

Sigurd smiled, “Got a bit of longevity with the cyber bits n such ya? I mean most of me isn’t even human anymore.”

Morrigan pursed her lips and continued looking over the information, “So, tell me what happened down there Sigurd.”

“Ha! Which part lass? It’s fairly obvious I killed a bunch of people,” Sigurd mused.

You know, I think I like this guy. Knows exactly what he did and is both proud and shameless about it, Apollyon stated factually.

“Why would you like that? Never mind don’t answer that, I already know the answer…” she responded with a look of disgust.

Hehehehe oh yes you do, Apollyon chuckled sinisterly.

Morrigan shook her head and looked at Sigurd who sat grinning at her as he watched her, “I guess the question is, why did you kill your handlers?”

“Tell me, have ye ever been in a rage, lass? That primal fury of bloodlust and battle high? Ever felt the pure bliss of separating the head of someone ye hate?” Sigurd asked casually inspecting his mechanical talons that were strapped to the arm of the chair, watching her reaction.

Morrigan twitched her head as images of a blood soaked and sundered Tyrus, dangling in her crimson claws, flashed in her mind as she felt her lungs convulse in suppressed laughter.

“Ah, ye have, haven’t ye? I see it in ye as ya fight. The second I gave the big lad there proper spankin’, I saw yer rage girl. If ye were a Berserker such as I, I would have understood that level of anger I saw, yet ye just a lass in her own knickers goin’ toe to toe with me. Yer the embodiment of a savage valkyrie of old lass, divine anger… Herja,” Sigurd said coolly with a bright smile.

Damn, he’s got you pegged kid. I guess rage recognizes rage and all that…

Morrigan narrowed her eyes at the Berserker, “I recognize some of what you’re saying, a very old religion you’re speaking of, one of which has been outlawed…”

Sigurd snorted in amusement before bobbing his head, “What are laws to a dead man?”

Morrigan conceded at that and sighed, feeling unease about being theoretically figured out by the mad man, “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Right, right. Why did I kill them? That's easy lass… der anti-targeting beacons didn’t work, not for a long time,” he stated with a casual shrug.

Morrigan looked to Tamina for some sort of confirmation only to see her shrug, “Did they not keep up with their equipment?”

That enticed a barking laugh out of the man, “Oh that’s a load of craic! Ever since the ban they do little upkeep lass, ye think I’d have that much craic if they kept up with their stuff? They barely keep up with me own maintenance. No.”

Morrigan cocked her head, “If their equipment stopped working so long ago as you say, why didn’t you kill them sooner?”

The joyous demeanor fell from his face as he considered her question, “Ye pose a good question dove… ye see, the rage is not as mindless as one would think, ya? Can usually tell who me enemy is most times… huh… nine days ye say? Guessin’ they put too much stim in me cocktail this go-round,” he theorized with a chuckle.

Tamina and Morrigan both looked at each other with questioning glances, “It’s entirely possible Inquisitor, I did have to activate a purge of his system of any residual chemicals. Even unconscious, his vitals were still off the charts. I think when you fought him… you essentially pushed what human system he has left over the edge because even by then, he was essentially just riding out the high,” Tamina pointed out her opinion.

“Well, shit…” Morrigan stated as she glanced at the rest of the paperwork, “Looks like I have a few decisions to make.”

Sigurd tapped a metallic finger on the chair, “Yer not goin’ to send me back to those pansies are ye?”

The question took Morrigan aback for a moment before she tossed his information onto an empty bed and crossed her arms, “Why? I mean, what do you think should be done with you? You’re a murderer…” she inquired incredulously.

Sigurd grinned as if she had complimented him, “Aye, I’m a grand time, ya? The CoU are a bunch of pussies, too worried about what others think than gettin’ the job done an here ye were, dropping in on me good time and put me down like a proper wanker. So, if ye give me a say, I’d like to stand behind a proper lass than these fecking gits I’ve been stuck with for the past 150 years, just sayin’.”

Her eyebrows raised high in surprise as she listened to Sigurd’s rant, “You want to work for the Inquisition?”

“Meh, mainly yerself lass, but if circle makes a chain, then sure, I can live with that,” he said with a shrug.

Oh, you should do it! Say yes, come on! You got that pretty blonde of yours, let me have this one! Apollyon shouted excitedly in her head though Morrigan ignored the excitable deity with a wall of surprised confusion.

“I’ll think about it… I have to figure out who I’m arresting first,” she said slowly as her brain tried to process the unusual experience she was having.

She never expected the life of an Inquisitor to be so convoluted and strange yet here she was, being proverbially kneeled down to by a prisoner who murders things for a living, all the while, detaining an entire ship full of people from the CoU. Let alone being the one in charge of an entire ship filled with personnel from the Inquisition, who she did not even know existed, and acquired Marmuro’k followers on top of gaining an ex-pirate girlfriend. Her life had spin completely out of control and her brain no longer had the capacity to keep up with it all.

“Aye that’s fine,” Sigurd stated before jerking his arms in and snapping the heavy metal restraints and leaning down and snapping the restrains around his ankles.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Morrigan exclaimed as she shifted back defensively, her crimson claws flashing brightly as Xol drew his mace with a menacing hiss and Tamina backed as far away as she could.

Sigurd stood to his full height and rolled his shoulders before smiling at everyone’s defensive stances. “Ye stay yer hands dove. As grand a time as this has been, I can only have this lovely lass poking and prodding me for so long. Besides, I may need to eat occasionally but after this last bout of runnin’, me stomach is angrier than a mad bag of ferrets, so I’m off to find foodstuff,” he said raising his metallic hands in submission.

Morrigan scrutinized him, weighing the pros and cons of fighting the Berserker then and there before releasing her energy back into the cosmos.

She wiped her face with her hands with a heavy sigh, “What is my life now?” she asked herself before straightening and looking at Sigurd, “Fine, if you can behave yourself, you can go to the mess hall and I’ll… put you in one of the cargo holds for the time being. You will be guarded at all times until I figure this shit out,” she said mentally exhausted.

There was a loud clink as he clapped his hands together, “Awesome so, whose taking me on a date?” he asked looking between both women before Morrigan thumbed behind her at Xol.

“Xol, take him to the mess hall… put him down if he becomes a problem,” she said indignantly as she stared down the Berserker.

Sigurd only giggled at that thought, “Been a long time since a bloke took me out, I’ll take it,” he said winking at Xol before stepping around Morrigan and walking out. Xol hissing his displeasure as he activated his mace’s energy field before following.

Morrigan sat on the empty bed next to her and sighed before rubbing her temples, looking at a very shocked Doctor Tamina.

“Did I just have an aneurysm or did that just really happen?” Tamina asked with wide eyes.

Morrigan chuckled and shook her head, “If my blood pressure is any indicator, yeah, that just became a thing… Sister? Let Shepard know our prisoner has been released on restricted guidance. Tell her Xol is playing watch dog until I can come up and speak with her…”

“Very well Inquisitor, shall I keep track of Sigurd Ericsson’s movement?” Sister asked.

“Yes, please do…” Morrigan said before flopping over on the bed as Tamina regained her own composure, looking at Morrigan with worry in her eyes.

Morrigan waved her off, “It’s nothing, I’ve only just lost control of my life,” she mused before sighing, “At least being an Inquisitor isn’t boring, right?”