Ambassador Rialla smiled and kept her true opinion to herself as Director Tann paced back and forth in her office. He had once again decided to make her job very difficult. At first she thought the Salarian didn't understand the significance of the Vesaal, but now she realised he just didn't care. In his book it wasn't the initiative's problem. He offered to allow any of the Angara that wanted to join the Nexus to migrate there, and therefore he could conduct himself guilt free of their impact here. Despite making a strong recommendation that the ambassadorial team on Aya should remain small due to the Vesaal, he went and hired her not just an assistant, but a diplomatic team! That would mean at least three Angara wouldn't rotate from the battlefield to live in their luscious and safe home world.

"-properly and efficiently representing our interests here with the Angara. We may have won Meridian, but the entire initiative can't live there. That means we still need to colonise other worlds in Heleus. Angaran worlds. So it's important that relations are maintained and nurtured here to allow our expansion and greater presence on those worlds."

"Of course Director." Rialla finally got a word in edgeways. "I know what my job role is here. However, I can't stress enough that-"

"Ambassador? I am not here to further discuss your objections. I am here as the first meeting of the Heleus council is to commence here, on Aya. In her infinite wisdom, Pathfinder Ryder has put the Moshae forward as our councillor. The Angara therefore have an overwhelming amount of sway in decisions that will affect all the races in the initiative. That being said." He finally stopped pacing before the stiff purple Asari. "You expect to organise and facilitate such a monumental event on your own?"

"Under normal circumstances I understand that I would have a team to-"

"And you have a team Ambassador. They are being woken from Cryo as we speak. I expect them to be made welcome and to be briefed fully upon their arrival."

For a Salarian…Tann could stare you down like a Krogan when he put his mind to it.

"Yes Director."

"Excellent. I selected your team myself. With the approval of other departments of course." He handed Rialla a data pad and put his hands behind his dipped lower back. He was smiling victoriously and Rialla reaaaaaaally wished she could smack it off his face. "Your second in command is Species Relations Officer Amber Jaynes. Human. Your Resources Requisitions Officer is a fellow Asari. Sasava Gaana. And finally your Specialists Exchange Officer is Ethan Queen. Also human." Tann shrugged and turned to face the door. "We have more humans than I know what to do with. Of all of the initiative races to reach the Heleus they have suffered the least casualties by far. I find most of my appointments these days are human." Rialla took a deep breathe and decided not to voice how it wasn't their fault that the Kett attacked the other Arks and decimated the other races numbers. Instead she'd focus on the task at hand.

"Director please I don't need-"

"I will expect a full report on their integration into this base of operations one week after their arrival. I will also read their reports, so don't bullshit me Rialla."

"No sir."

"Good. Now my shuttle is waiting. I have an appointment with the Moshae. If the Angara truly are going to have so much damn influence over us, then I better make sure their opinions of us are as high as possible."

Perhaps you shouldn't be the one doing the brown nosing then? Rialla thought to herself but didn't reveal the nature of her mind. One thing she learned very early on when entering the political arena was to keep your motives and opinions to yourself whenever possible. Especially when the subject is hostile. Or an arsehole. "Good day Ambassador. Do us proud."

"I always do Director." She saluted him, and grimaced only once the door was shut. "Ok. I better start smoothing over public opinion on more Vesaal places being given up to the initiative. And read up on my new minions. By the Goddess they better be good at their job. I've not worked so hard these last 5 months just for some cryo fresh newbies to screw it up for me."

Chapter

Two days later Rialla was stood with her arms folded over her chest and thoroughly unamused. The shuttle she'd been waiting for was already an hour late. She had so many reports to file, orders to process and grievances to settle, she really didn't have time to stand around. The purple Asari found her internal grumbles interrupted when she saw a very welcome acquaintance walk through the docking bay doors.

"Pathfinder!" Rialla hurried towards her with a big smile. "So wonderful to see you again."

"Likewise Ambassador." Sara had her hands into the pockets of her black combat trousers and shrugged, making her shoulders rise through her green jacket. Her brown ponytail swayed with the movement and her baby blues twinkled with her smile. "I hope you're not working too hard?"

"I'm apparently working too hard." Rialla openly frowned and rolled her lilac eyes. "I'm about to get a team of subordinates to make my job more efficient."

"You don't sound too pleased about that?"

"I follow orders, of course." At that moment Jaal came through the door and made a bee line for the pair. He acted like he couldn't see Rialla and stepped very close to the pathfinder. His voice was hushed and he tenderly extracted Sara's right hand from its hiding place in her pocket. He brought it up to his chest and looked down at her with all-consuming adoration in his big blue eyes.

"Darling one?"

"Mm Hmm?" Sarah blushed but inclined her head to look up at him.

"I will go on ahead. My mothers are likely waiting in hiding like an Adhi pack beyond the main gates." He chuckled at her daunted expression. "They have many questions and yet you must remember it is part of their desire to welcome you properly. They mean well. My True mother wishes to separate you from me of course. So she might grill you accordingly."

Rialla bit her lips and kept the laughter that was brewing inside her chest. The most influential woman, no, person in the entire cluster, and she was terrified of her lover's family. Somethings traversed all species and galaxies. "I will do my best to keep you with me, but it will happen. Rest assured that they already love you, and can't wait to introduce you all of Aya as their new daughter."

"Yeah I know." Sara's cheeks burned but she smiled nervously. Clearly the pathfinder hadn't come to Aya on business. "I'll let you go on ahead and mellow them out a bit." Jaal barked with laughter, showing how realistic he thought that request was, and brought her hand from his chest and up to his lips. Rialla felt her heart melt in her chest when he pressed a tender kiss to her knuckles and winked down at her.

"Don't keep us waiting long. Or a search party will be organised."

"I don't doubt it." Sara chuckled and glowed with love. "Just protect me Jaal."

"Don't I always?" He then swept down and captured her lips, numbing her mind for a moment before retreating. "Don't keep us waiting." Finally Jaal turned to look at Rialla. If her beaming smile could be summarised into a noise it would be 'awwww'. "Greetings Ambassador. I hear you are doing great work."

"Well thank you very much. That complement comes highly coming from you."

"Indeed. I shall leave you in very capable hands." He turned to look at Sara once more winked at her, and strode off towards the main gates; his Rofjinn swaying behind him.

"Well." Rialla held her hands together in front of her and grinned at the loved up expression on Sara. The pathfinder tore her eyes off Jaal's receding back to look at the ambassador. "I take it we're on Aya for a social call?"

"Oh social doesn't cover it." Sara chuckled and folded her arms over her green jacket. "With my urgent need to activate the vaults and find homes for us all I've always been too busy to answer the call of Jaal's family. I always made sure to reply to the emails they sent though." Sara looked off to one side and chuckled nervously. "Their questions were very…personal. Especially from his mothers. Sahuna especially especially. I'm thinking if they can ask me about human child birth in an email then what will they ask me face to face?"

"I wonder?" Rialla chuckled, then looked over her shoulder towards where Jaal walked off to. "Why are you hanging back here?"

"Oh I need to get you to sign this." Sara lifted her left arm and used her right hand to interact with her omni-tool. An alert pinged on Rialla's omni-tool and she soon saw a transfer order shimmering orange before her. "There was an issue with transport allocation. The only way your 'new team' were getting here was by piggybacking on the tempest." Sara shrugged and returned her hands to her pockets. "I was in the neighbourhood and I was coming this way anyway. So when Tann 'asked' I did as I was told."

"A huh." Rialla grumbled as she entered her personnel code to acknowledge the transfer. "Doing as we're told seems to be a theme when it comes to Tann."

"A huh." Sara chuckled and then took a deep breath. "Well time to get stuck into the trenches. See you later Ambassador."

"Pathfinder." Rialla bowed her head with respect and watched the brunette walk nervously towards the main gates.

Curious. She's faced Kett, exiles and Remnant death traps and yet she's scared of meeting Jaal's family.

She chuckled once more when the docking bay doors opened. Three bight faced and eager to please looking recruits came marching towards her. Heads high, smiles wide and chests puffed out. Oh great. Newbies.

"Ambassador Rialla." The human male reached her first and offered her his hand. She took it out of reflex from working in the Milky way and shook it once. Hmm. Strong grip. "I'm Ethan Queen. Specialist Exchange officer."

"A pleasure." She nodded and looked him over. He was tall, athletically built with wide shoulders and narrow racing snake waist. He had short black curtains and bright hazel eyes. The body of a man and the charming face of a gentlemen. He has a dashing smile. I don't trust dashing smiles. The white leather uniform accentuated his strong form. It had the same panelling as her uniform, high neckline and zipped into gloves, boots and at the belt. He had his top zip down slightly to reveal a black vest beneath.

"Ambassador." The second human took Ethan's place and also shook Rialla's hand. Her grip was more gentle than her colleague. "Species Relations Officer Amber Jaynes. I'm very excited to be posted on Aya Mam. We all are."

"I'm sure." Too peppy. Her passion is coming across as intensity…then again the Angara might respond well to that. They are very emotive. The human woman was pretty actually. She was a little on the petite side but had a subtle elegance to her frame and gait. Her long golden hair and block fringe added to her bright sunshine disposition and her steel blue eyes showed that she had a sharp mind beneath her warm aura. "And you are my Resources Requisitions officer?" Rialla took her attention to the Asari and the matron could almost smell the Maiden coming off the younger woman in waves. Youth shone through her deep green eyes. Her skin was a very rare teal colour, and she was also very curvaceous. Yes she would have been a favourite dancer in places like Afterlife and Choras Den. Only the faintest white freckling across her forehead and fringe highlighted her exotic visage.

"Yes Ambassador. Sasava Gaana at your service."

If it wasn't uncouth to do so she'd ask for the young woman's age immediately. I bet she isn't even in triple figures yet. Great. I have three children to keep an eye on, on top of my normal duties. Thanks Tann. Make my life harder why don't you?

None of this translated to her warm and welcoming expression.

"Welcome to Aya. I trust your belongings are being unloaded from the Tempest as we speak?"

"Yes Ambassador." Ethan nodded.

"Then you will all follow me to the embassy and you will refrain from gawking at the Angara as we go." Rialla turned on her heels and trusted her little ducklings to follow her obediently.

Here we go. Let the games begin. Damn you Tann.