FIRST CONTACT

"You've never been swimming?"

Vereen's skycar glided above the towering high-rises of Tayseri Ward. She turned the vehicle, breaking away from the dense stream of traffic to plot a course towards the multi-domed structure on the far horizon. Ethan sat beside her in the passenger seat, watching his turian friend (and now girlfriend) piloting the skycar with the ease and skill that came from years of training with the Hierarchy. He wasn't entirely sure when exactly they'd become a couple. There was no moment he could pinpoint that signified the official start to their relationship. They just sort of fell into it, as if it was a right thing to do. The difference in their ages (he was a good seven years her junior) mattered as little as the fact they were both different species. He had gravitated towards her like a ship caught in a gravity well, and Ethan was frankly happy to be caught in her wake.

They'd been out on a number of dates the last couple of weeks. Vereen enjoyed physical contact, though they'd never gone further than kissing, cuddling, and the occasional foot rub (which she seemed to especially enjoy) but Vereen's invitation to share a sudatorium at Polonius Thermae had prompted questions for Ethan. Of which the first and foremost was: What is a thermae?

A quick search on the extranet provided the answer. They were communal steam baths not unlike the Finnish saunas or Japanese onsens of Earth. Further reading revealed that thermaes played an important social role in turian society, and implied a level of trust and intimacy that led Ethan to wonder if Vereen wanted to take their relationship to the next level.

Strangely though, it was the discovery that turian thermaes didn't have swimming pools because turians couldn't swim that had fascinated him the most.

"I wouldn't say I've never swum," Vereen told Ethan. "Swimming lessons are an important part of basic training."

"Really?"

"Well, floating would be a better description. They started my lessons in my second month of basic training. It's in case we're in a situation where our ship makes an emergency landing in a large body of water, or we're given an assignment on an ocean planet like Kahje. We wear specialist vests equipped with floatation pads."

"What's that like?"

"Terrifying!" Vereen said with a slight shudder. "At the academy on Palaven, we're given flotation vests and then dumped in a specially designed pool that can simulate any strength of storm the instructors desire. Then the instructors turn on the wave generator and leave us floating in there for an hour. It's a test of character. The longer you stay in the pool, the further up the Hierarchy you're likely to climb." Vereen shivered at the memory. "Most of the students in my class tapped out after ten minutes."

Ethan didn't ask when Vereen had tapped out. Instead he asked, "Is that why the thermaes don't have swimming pools?"

Vereen nodded. "We don't float. Not without help. We sink. Something to do with our high body density."

Ethan nodded as Vereen brought the skycar into land outside Polonius Thermae.

She exited the vehicle and led the way to the entrance. Behind them the skycar lifted off to return to the transportation depot.

The thermae's reception area was as luxurious as the pictures Ethan had seen on the extranet site. with terracotta walls, an attractive water-feature behind the reception desk, a pleasant melody playing over the speakers, and a friendly and effusive receptionist who smiled warmly and didn't seem to react when Vereen told her she and Ethan were sharing a session together.

The receptionist smiled again and directed them off to a set of male and female changing rooms down the brightly-lit corridor.

Vereen looped her arm through Ethan's and together they sauntered away from reception just as another couple arrived in the entrance.

At the entrance to the changing rooms, Vereen released his arm and moved into the women's room, giving her human friend a coy smile as she disappeared inside. Grinning, Ethan glanced back down the corridor. Then he stopped. The asari and human couple that had followed them into reception caught his attention. They looked familiar. He frowned. He could have sworn he'd seen the pair somewhere before.

Ethan shrugged and disappeared into the changing room. He didn't want to keep Vereen waiting.

In truth, Ethan was more nervous than he liked to admit. During his research into turian thermaes he discovered that the sessions were usually conducted in the nude. This had prompted him to wonder what Vereen had planned. The turian mind-set was still something of a mystery to him, and the last thing he wanted to do was misread her signals or commit some cultural faux pas that would embarrass him or, God forbid, put an end to their relationship.

He undressed somewhat hesitantly, stowing his clothes away in a locker and then threw on one of the bathrobes the thermae had provided.

Then he walked towards the translucent door leading to the sudatorium.

The door slid open revealing a hot and humid circular room about six metres in diameter. The room was featureless except for four circular pads built into the floor and ceiling. There wasn't even anywhere to sit.

Just then, the second translucent door to Ethan's left slid apart. He turned. Vereen emerged from the changing rooms, barefoot and wrapped in a similar white fluffy bathrobe with what looked like a red loofah clasped in her hand.

She smiled at him. "What do you think?" she asked.

"It's very… hot," he said. Then cleared his throat. "Do we, erm… sit on the floor?"

"You can sit wherever you like." She lifted her head and called out, "Seats."

With a small clunk, several curved benches unfolded themselves from the walls and snapped into an upright position. The entire room was now lined with curved benches.

"It's all automated," Vereen explained.

Ethan nodded. There was an awkward silence as he toyed with the tie of his robe.

"So… what usually happens now?" he asked hesitantly.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna have a shower."

She turned to face the wall and the row of hooks at head height. Vereen hung her bright red loofah on one of them.

"Right," Ethan said nodding.

Ethan moved over the row of hooks. He undid the tie and slipped the robe off his shoulders, hooking it up on the wall and quickly turning away from Vereen to preserve what little modesty he had remaining.

As he peeked over his shoulder he noticed Vereen's gaze lingering unashamedly on his backside, and specifically the tattoo of a reclining asari adorning his left buttock.

She gave him a bright smile.

"Very cheeky! Does she have a name?" she asked.

Ethan's face coloured. "I never really asked her."

"We'll have to give her one. I never told you this, but I have a piercing."

"Where?" he asked.

"You'll have to find it," she replied.

Vereen's hands slid slowly down the front of her robe to the tie at her waist. Then, with unhurried ease, she undid the knot. Turning to face the wall, Vereen opened her robe and let the fabric drop from her shoulders.

She hooked her bathrobe on the wall and turned around.

Ethan's mouth dropped open.

"Oh!"

Vereen placed a hand on her hip and smoothed out the creases in the fetching, blue and gold one-piece bathing suit she was wearing.

Ethan's face reddened further. "I… thought these sessions… I thought we had to be naked?" he stammered.

"It's not a rule. You can wear a bathing suit in a thermae if you wish."

Ethan covered himself with his hands, shielded the part that was rather exposed. "Letting me know beforehand may have been helpful," he admonished.

Vereen's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Yeah, but not as much fun!"

"Has anyone ever told you you're an evil genius?"

Vereen nodded. "It runs in the family. Where do you think Val gets it from?"

Vereen moved away to step onto one of the circular pads. She called out, "Water," and a deluge engulfed her. Vereen closed her eyes as the falling water pounded off her head and back. Ethan watched in fascination. After a few moments, she turned her head. "My loofah's hanging next to the robes. Would you mind…?"

Ethan nodded and obediently retrieved the loofah from the hook.

He stepped under the curtain of water behind Vereen and handed it over.

She didn't take it. Instead, she hooked her thumbs under the straps of her bathing suit and pulled them away from her shoulders, exposing more of her plated skin. "Could you do my back?" she asked.

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"Sure." Ethan's reply was slightly higher than he intended.

Tentatively, he touched the loofah to Vereen's back, moving it in slow circles across her spinal carapace.

"Ooh, that's nice," Vereen purred.

Ethan swallowed and continued to sponge her back.

Gradually, his other hand moved to grasp her shoulder and slowly massage the firm flesh. Her skin, while harder than her facial carapace, flexed comfortably under his touch. Her alien but undeniably feminine scent was fanned with every stroke of the loofah, the enticing aroma permeating his head. Ethan swallowed again, trying to suppress any involuntary reactions. He was acutely aware of his nakedness and the warmth of the woman's skin beneath his fingers.

Desperate for any kind of distraction, he suddenly piped up and asked: "Why did you move into logistics?"

"It's the role I was assigned," Vereen replied. "I was good at organisation and the Hierarchy decided that was the position that suited me best."

"Is that what you wanted to do?"

Vereen hesitated before replying. "No," she confessed. "My real passion is sculpture."

"You're an artist?" Ethan's hand paused mid-stroke. "I didn't know you were creative."

"It's just a hobby," Vereen said with a dismissive shrug. "It doesn't benefit the meritocracy. I can't make a living out of it."

"Have you exhibited your work?"

Vereen shook her head. "Who'd want to see my doodles?"

"I would," he said truthfully.

Ethan could see the smile spread across her cheeks.

They once again lapsed into a comfortable silence. Ethan concentrated on sponging her back and massaging her shoulders. It helped him focus. Little by little, his hand progressed past her neck ridge to knead the soft skin at the nape of her neck.

But as his fingers brushed over what felt like a knot of muscle tissue, Vereen flinched.

"Not there!" she said, grabbing his hand and moving it away. "That's very sensitive."

"Did I hurt you?" he asked with concern.

"No, but there's a… a mass of nerve-endings just there. It's very sensitive to touch. Especially if it's bitten."

"Why would someone bite you?"

Vereen sighed. "The best way I can describe it is a 'love bite'," she explained. "Our necks are an erogenous zone. And this spot…" – She touched the spot on her neck where his fingers had been – "Is extremely receptive to a certain amount of physical touch."

Ethan's mouth formed a silent 'O'.

"Well, it gives the term 'bite me' a whole new meaning," he joked.

Vereen gave Ethan a curious frown. "Are you asking me to?"

"What? No. No, it's an expression. It means… well, on Earth it's another way of telling someone to get stuffed!"

"I see…"

"What does it mean to turians?"

"Oh, 'bite me' is generally considered to be an invitation rather than an insult."

For a few moments, the only sound was the rhythmic splash of the shower.

Suddenly, Vereen reached up and grabbed the loofah, prising it out of his grasp.

"Turn around," she ordered.

"Why?"

"It's my turn to do your back."

Ethan duly rotated on the spot.

He felt Vereen's fingers lightly touch his shoulders.

Vereen applied the loofah to his back and began washing his skin.

She rubbed his back with gentle strokes. Ethan tried his best to focus on anything other than the sensation of Vereen's gentle caresses. Gradually, her hands travelled downwards. He could feel her talons tracing a circular pattern down his spine. She dipped lower, almost reaching the base of his spine. He was certain she was looking directly at his tattoo now.

Ethan was hurriedly trying to recall his work schedule for tomorrow.

"You know, in the past, mothers on Palaven used to give birth in thermaes," Vereen said conversationally.

"In the sauna?" he asked. Her hands continued to graze across his skin. Despite his best efforts, Ethan could feel a curious heat building in his core. His hands dipped to cover his centre; his face growing hotter.

"Sure. It's a relaxing environment," Vereen added. "It used to be a whole ritual. It could draw quite a crowd: There would be the mother, doctor, midwife, family members, all gathered in the thermae… There would even a singer if the family could afford it."

"And they were all naked together?"

"For the most part, sure. It was something to celebrate. But not many people mothers choose to give birth in the thermae nowadays."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ethan replied, trying not to imagine a crowd of naked turians watching a mother giving birth. Vereen's fingers were distracting enough as it was.

After a few moments, Vereen's hands crept up his back until her fingers eventually settled on his shoulders.

Vereen started to gently knead Ethan's muscles. "Your skin does feel different under the water," she murmured.

"Better or worse?" he asked.

"Just different. It's silkier, maybe. More slippery. But still very nice. Very soft." She increased the pressure. "You're carrying a lot of tension."

"Funny that," Ethan said under his breath.

Her fingers slowly but firmly dug into his skin, kneading the muscles above his shoulder blades.

She edged slightly closer until her chest made contact with his back, her fingers continuing to probe his shoulders and neck. Ethan's hands were no longer flush against his body, but held out horizontally, as if shielding something from the water.

"You want to turn around so I can do your front?" Vereen asked innocently.

Ethan glanced down. "I'm not sure that's advisable!" he said firmly.

Vereen chuckled.

Her hands slid down his arms, pausing only to squeeze his biceps, before continuing down and across his chest, her fingers toying with the wiry hairs. She leaned forward and gently nudged her lips against his neck, inhaling the scent of his golden-brown skin.

"Hmmm. You do smell good."

Ethan let out a shaky breath. "You too," he managed to croak.

Vereen let her tongue make contact with his skin. Ethan's closed his eyes; his breathing grew ragged.

"You know what I think you need now?" she asked in a sultry voice.

Ethan shook his head. He wasn't sure he could reply now.

She moved her hands away and stepped back until she'd moved out of the spray of water, leaving him bereft.

Then she called out, "Water. Cold!"

Ethan barely had time to blurt out a surprized "What?" before the warm water turned freezing.

He yelped. The icy blast froze him to his core.

He hopped from foot to foot as Vereen's giggles echoed around the room and Ethan declared her to be an evil genius.

"Evil, I tell you!"

They arrived back at Vereen's apartment forty minutes later.

Ethan was none the worse for Vereen's mischievous prank, though he had learned that she possessed a wicked sense of humour.

She invited him in with the offer of a stiff drink and the promise that it was her turn to pay for their next date-night.

"Would a nice Zinfandel make it up to you?" she asked.

Ethan heartily agreed. Vereen's knowledge of human wines had grown rapidly over the last few days.

She led him inside. Ethan had never been in her apartment before. It was laid out much like her sister's, with a living area taking up most of the space, a kitchenette close to the door on the right, and two doors on opposite sides of the room leading off to the bedroom and a refresher.

It was sparsely furnished with only a sofa and a low table, but it held traces of her alluring fragrance, which, Ethan decided, somehow made the apartment more welcoming.

Vereen moved to the kitchenette and poured him a glass of wine. After inviting him to sit down, she disappeared into her bedroom.

Ethan lowered himself onto her sofa and sipped his wine. It was good; full bodied and warming. He was starting to feel very much at home.

A minute later, Vereen reappeared. She'd changed out of her clothes and was once again clad in a long blue bathrobe.

"That's better," she declared.

Ethan stood up. "Can I get you a drink?" he asked.

Vereen told him to relax. "You don't know they are."

"Good point," he conceded.

Vereen quickly retrieved a bottle dark blue liquor and poured herself a glass.

Ethan made a toast. "Salamati," he said and clinked their glasses together. Vereen wasn't familiar with that particular human toast, but didn't query it and instead smiled and took a sip of her Cipritine liquor, letting the aromatic spirit warm her mouth and throat as it trickled down.

The two officers were monitoring Severan and her friend from the adjacent apartment.

It was fortunate they were able to get an apartment so close to the target. Officers May and T'Pann had been tracking the Severan woman for most of the day, even following her and the human she was with to Polonius Thermae (which was by no means unpleasant), but the day had been long and both the human and asari officers were keen to call it a night.

Their relief appeared just a few minutes after Severan and her friend had entered her apartment.

The two turian C-Sec officers greeted them quietly as they entered the surveillance nest allowing May and T'Pann to officially end their shift. They waved their fellow turian officers farewell and then walked arm-in-arm down the corridor, deciding to go on to the Silversun Strip for some much needed R&R.

After all, the night was still young.

Vereen put her glass down on the counter next to the bottle of wine.

"I must confess; I feel a little guilty tricking you like that," she began. "Getting you naked. And getting you all… excited."

Ethan grinned. "It's fine. I really enjoyed myself tonight."

Vereen nodded slowly. "But, even with all my teasing, you never tried to make a move on me."

Ethan could feel his face reddening again. "Well… I suppose that's the way I was brought up. I didn't want to make a move without a clear signal…" His voice petered out.

Vereen idly fingered with the tie on her blue robe. "So, just out of interest… How clear would those signs have to be?" she asked.

"Fairly explicit," Ethan confessed. "I wouldn't dream of making a move on anyone without their express consent. As I said, my family stressed this from a young age: respect other people as you want to be respected. It's not in my nature to presume…" Then he stopped dead.

As he was talking, Vereen had untied her robe and slipped it off her shoulders, letting it pool at her feet.

Ethan's throat almost closed in shock.

Beneath her robe, Vereen was completely naked.

"Is this a clear enough signal?" she asked with a grin.

Somehow, Ethan found his voice. "Yeah, that's fairly transparent!"

He gazed almost reverently at her slender limbs and tapering waist. Despite the lack of breasts, turian bodies were by no means unattractive. Her dark tan skin contrasted sharply with the paler carapace running over her chest and face. He reasoned he shouldn't find her turian carapace as attractive as he did, and yet, there was no denying the arousal stirring at the sight of her striking athletic figure.

He dragged his eyes downwards and his eyebrows shot up.

He'd found her piercing!

Vereen slowly prowled (there was no other word for it) forwards until she was standing directly in front of him. She reached out and plucked the wine glass out of his unresisting hands.

Ethan's held her gaze.

They stood facing each other for a long moment.

Finally, Ethan licked his dry lips. "Does this mean…" he began, but he never finished the question.

Vereen's lips were locked on his.

It was like a jolt of electricity has shot through his head. All hesitancy flooded from him and Ethan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He could feel the different textures of her carapace beneath his fingers, the softness contrasting with the harder plates, her heart beating rapidly through his clothes, against his skin. Her scent overwhelmed him. Every part of his body was tingling.

Growing bolder, Ethan scooped her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist. She was surprisingly light considering she was taller than him. He took three steps and propped her onto the kitchen counter. A gasp escaped her lips as she made contact.

They kissed for what felt like an eternity. When eventually Vereen pulled away, she placed both hands on his cheeks and whispered two of the most exciting words he'd ever heard in his life.

"Bite me!"

Ethan didn't pause. He bent forward and tasted her neck, his lips moving down her soft skin, planting kisses as he went. Vereen's keening trills of delight encouraged him to continue. He reached the base of her neck and stopped, breathing in the lingering fragrance of the thermae waters. A quick kiss to the patch of skin Vereen had pointed out elicited a high pitched moan from the excited woman. Ethan continued to tease her with light kisses until he finally opened his mouth and let his teeth make contact with her neck.

The response was electrifying.

Vereen gurgled moan almost became a scream. She grabbed his head and pulled him tighter against her. Ethan bit down, sucking at her flesh, not enough to break the skin. Vereen thrashed about. Her hand careering into the open bottle of wine, knocking it off the counter. It hit the ground with a smash that was accompanied by another shriek of pure pleasure.

Turian women, when excited, were loud.

Too loud.

The C-Sec officers looked at their equipment monitoring Severan's apartment in alarm when they heard the scream. Then the distinctive sound of something smashing and another scream from the woman they were protecting spurred them to action.

The first officer, a woman who'd only joined C-Sec recently, burst out of the surveillance nest and quickly hacked the lock on Severan's door. As it slid open the second officer, a man fresh out of the academy, rushed into the room.

The first thing he saw was a fully clothed human male restraining a very naked turian woman.

Conclusions were drawn. A decision was made.

The male C-Sec officer launched himself on the human, tackling him and pulling him away from his victim.

The human yelled as he was dragged to the floor. The officer valiantly wrestled the attacker down, locking his limbs behind his back and forcing him face down into the hard flooring, silencing his protests. Behind him, his C-Sec partner helped his naked victim.

The female officer grabbed Vereen's robe and covered her nudity. Severan was in shock, demanding to know who they were as she scrabbled to get out of the officer's grip.

"What are you doing?" Severan screamed.

"It's OK. You're safe now, ma'am."

"Who in the Spirits are you?" Severan yelled. She was obviously hysterical.

"C-Sec, ma'am," the young officer explained. "We're with C-Sec."

The man on Ethan's back was talking into his omni-tool. "Code 1-12, Code 1-12, request back-up at 13A Huranda Towers."

"Stop that! Get off him!" Severan called out.

"Don't worry, this slâctrü isn't going anywhere!" the turian officer holding the attacker down announced.

Ethan was still struggling to free himself, but he was held fast.

"Why are you doing this?" Severan demanded.

"We're your bodyguards, ma'am," the female officer explained.

"My bodyguards?!" Vereen exclaimed. She clutched her robe to her chest. "What are you talking about?"

"Executor Pallin assigned us to look after you," the officer continued. "You and your sister. We've been protecting you for the last five days."

"My sister?" Vereen queried, the woman's words catching up with her. "You mean Valni knew about this…?"

The female officer nodded. "Of course."

Vereen glanced between Ethan, restrained on the floor, and the two officers; realisation dawned on her.

Her expression turned murderous.

"I am going to kill her!"