Shepard returns to the ambassadorial bar to give Nassana Dantius the news about her sister, passing the office of Executor Pallin. As usual, the Executor's door automatically swishes open and he looks up from his desk to just catch someone passing, feeling the draught from the doorway rush against his face. He bangs his fist on his desk.

"That's it!" he shouts, then frantically presses at buttons on his console.

"Presidium maintenance?" a voice comes over the console.

"I need someone to come and fix this damn door! Opening. Shutting. Opening. Creating a draught. It's driving me to distraction!"

"Ah, Executor Pallin. Didn't we come out to you last week, sir?"

"Yes. Whatever they did didn't work. Again." Pallins voice is filled with tired annoyance.

"The P5-X door sensor is galactic standard, sir. It's already on it's lowest sensitivity setting, and I believe Watts hotwired his own circuitry in there to lower it further. We tried replacing the door with to a manually operated, but the Keepers just came along and changed it back. There's not a lot more we can do in that location, sir. The through traffic to and from the ambassadorial bar is just unavoidable."

"Bah!"

Pallin closes the channel with a heavy hand. The door opens once more as Shepard passes by again.

"Curse you!" Pallin shouts as he stands, shaking his fist.

Shepard leans back to pop her head around to see who is shouting.

"Uh. Me?" she asks, confused.

"Oh. Shepard. No. The door. It's overly sensitive. Never mind. Carry on."

He straightens his body to a military stance before sitting back down in his chair, attempting to regain some composure.

"Oh yea. I can see how that'd be annoying." Shepard says, now mock assessing the door.

"Indeed."

"Opening and shutting all day."

"Yes."

"Creating a draught..."

"Hmm."

"Sitting here all day, 'Oh is that a visitor? No, it's just someone going to the bar. Again.' That'd get really annoying after a while."

"Please, Commander. Don't let me stop you from whatever important business you are no doubt conducting at the moment."

"Indeed. Some of us worry about doors and some of us worry about the fate of the galaxy. See ya, Executor, good luck with your door."

Shepard continues on her way and the door shuts, the Executor further enraged by her facetious comments. A moment later the door opens again and Shepard stands there with a wicked grin.

"You're right. It is really sensitive."

Then she runs off like a naughty schoolgirl, with Liara laughing from down the corridor.

"Gah!" the Executor exclaims.


"Auto-turrets?"

"Executor!" Councillor Tevos admonishes, sitting at her desk in the asari ambassadorial suite.

"It'd stop the Keepers from 'fixing' it at least."

"Really, Executor. We do not have the time right now to be reallocating offices. You will just have to make do. Once the Saren and geth threat is under control, we can re-visit your request. I am sure that you understand that the current threat outweighs a little inconvenience such as this."

"For thirty years I've dedicated my life to C-Sec and the safety of the Citadel and I have to sit in a draughty office, with a malfunctioning door next to a bar. Bah!"

"Do not demean yourself, Executor. Do you really think such things important? All the species of the Citadel respect you. Was your opinion not sought during the investigation into Saren and many times before? And now you wish for an ivory tower to conduct your work from?"

"Not if it's a draughty one with a faulty door..."

"Executor!"

"Yes, yes." he says, annoyed that he cannot disagree with the asari councillor and that it is becoming evident he is not going to get his way. "I suppose I'll return to my office then."

"I am sorry but there is nothing I can do right now."

A slightly unhinged look comes across the Executor's face.

"You don't know what it's like. Sitting there, the door opening, shutting, the draught chilling my face each time, always wondering if it's actually a visitor, only to be disappointed as drunk privileged ambassadors fall past my doorway, it's... maddening..."

Tevos walks around her desk and places her hand on his shoulder, his head now dropped as he stares at the floor.

"When did you last take any leave, Executor?"

"What? I haven't taken any leave since... I don't know."

"Then I think it is high time you do, don't you?"

"Hm. It has been a while since I visited Palaven..."

"Excellent. Do you have family on Palaven?"

"But with everything that's going on, Saren, the geth, I can't just go on holiday."

"Oh I am sure we can survive for a couple of weeks."

"Couple of weeks? I was only planning a couple of days."

"However long, just forget about the Citadel for a while. Chellick is quite capable of filling in."

"Okay then. Thanks, Councillor. I've just a couple of things to do before I go."

"Of course. And I hope you have a pleasant trip."


As Pallin walks up the final few steps back to his office, two maintenance engineers are packing up their equipment outside his door.

"What's going on here?" he enquires.

"We've had another go at your door, Executor. Got the sensitivity way down now."

"Ah, excellent."

Their equipment gathered, the engineers head off down the corridor. Pallin walks to his door, which remains shut. He steps back and forth a few times then waves his hand at the sensor. Nothing. He sighs and his head lowers, then turns to head into the bar.