Chapter 1: Meetings

Benezia sat behind her desk in her office on Thessia in Armali. She crossed her legs and held her head in a palm. The day had been long and trying, mostly because an ill-tempered fellow asari matriarch had made it so. She sighed as she remembered their first encounter that day.

"Oomph!" Aethyta grunted when she ran straight into Benezia in the high-ceilinged, brilliantly white Athame's Hall. She dropped all of her datapads, but she didn't really care. They hadn't been well-organized anyway. The matriarch she'd run into however, had also dropped her datapads and looked irritated in trying to fumble them back together in some orderly fashion. "Ooops." Aethyta said for both of them.

"Yes. Ooops." Benezia said coolly, not lifting her gaze to meet Aethyta's. She was mentally working on a speech she'd deliver shortly to the matriarchy. "Apologies."

"Nah," Aethyta said gruffly as she began to help Benezia. "My fault. I'm fairly new to these hallways and well, I was staring at that chicks tits to tell the truth," she gestured her chin in the direction of a maiden intern.

Benezia's brows rose slightly. It was rare for an asari to admit attraction to another asari so openly, even more so in Athame's Hall. Her new acquaintance must indeed be new. She smiled and nodded rather than agreeing more overtly that the intern held some appeal. She looked up at her fellow matriarch for the first time and saw a grin on the other's lips. She gave her a small smile in answer to be polite. "Thank you," she said as they rose with their datapads. "May I ask your name? I don't believe we've met."

"I'd sure as shit remember you," Aethyta grinned at her and eyed her a little.

Benezia immediately put up her diplomatic wall. Her interactions with males of different species across the galaxy had long made her accustomed to such glances and she'd learned the easiest way for it to stop was to not encourage it by noticing it in the slightest. "I'm Benezia T'Soni," she said with a slight nod of her chin in respect.

"Right, you asked my name," Aethyta nodded awkwardly. "Name's Aethyta."

Benezia didn't let a brow arch at the informality of only giving a first name. She smiled instead. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Matriarch Aethyta."

"Ha!" Aethtya laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, nothing like a headbutt that sends datapads flying. Sorry about that, again. I'll see you in the chambers, then?"

"Yes," Benezia nodded.

Aethtya's grin was back. "Good. It'll be nice to see one friendly face."

Benezia stroked her temples as she rung for her assistant to fetch her some tea. She hadn't exactly been the friendly face Aethyta had hoped for.

"Fellow matriarchs," Benezia began her speech at the round table of assembly. There were only twenty or so present in person, but she was addressing thousands via the extranet. "I shall get to the reason I have asked for your time straight away: I would like to call for greater funding to our diplomatic republic states. The Council is not enough to ensure our long term goals of peace and prosperity."

"Where do you propose the funds come from?" An ancient matriarch asked her.

"We haven't been at war since the Rachni Wars. Fund diplomacy over military. We strengthen our ties rather than wait for disaster with the other races."

Benezia heard a chuckle from someone three seats down. She turned in its direction and was surprised to see the matriarch she had bumped into in the Hall. "Matriarch Aethyta?" she began. "Is there something you'd like to add?"

"Yes, thanks." Aethyta scratched her neck. "What if a war does happen?"

"Then we will realocate the funds."

"It's not that simple."

"Isn't it?" She couldn't help a small scoff.

"No," Aethyta frowned at her. "You need experienced, well-trained, well-equipped soldiers if that day ever comes."

"I'm not suggesting we rid ourselves of our military, Matriarch Aethyta. We certainly should not. However, perhaps we could be more efficient with less funds rather than shower a leg of our republics that hasn't run for centuries with inordinate amounts of economic support while the turians wonder why we have so few diplomats on Palaven and the salarians make scientific discoveries that we have to pay for instead of collaborate on."

"Are we supposed to play diplomat with the Geth?" Aethyta challenged.

Benezia narrowed her eyes. "They do not travel beyond the Veil."

"Yet." Aethyta matched her glare.

"Achm." Another matriarch coughed for their attention. "Perhaps you two should meet and come to your own understanding of the other's policies so that we do not waste our forum's time with a debate that will clearly not be resolved in the short time we have today. Let us move on. Matriarch Dalana, you wished to speak?"

Benezia's assistant came in with her tea. She thanked her and dismissed her for the day. She had a lot of work to do. It had taken her months to earn a physical seat in the assembly and with one new matriarch's hot-headedness, she'd have to begin again. She knew she could post her full proposal on the forum, but she was in this for more than the betterment of her people. She hoped for the Council position that would be open in a century or so and a successful career advocating for diplomacy might earn it for her. It didn't hurt for her fellow matriarchs to be able to match a face to the policies she'd surely succeed in bringing to fruition. There wouldn't always be a Matriarch Aethtya to interrupt.

She sipped her tea and set out a few datapads in front of her terminal. Just as she began to feel a rhythm in her work, her door swooshed open. She arched a brow that the person hadn't announced themselves via the comm at least before entering, but when she saw who it was her surprise dissolved. "Matriarch Aethtya, I wasn't expecting you so soon. I assumed our discussion after the assembly today would suffice until a later date."

"Yeah, well, I thought of something else that pissed me off about your proposal."

Benezia's foot twitched in agitation. The matriarch could at least attempt to be civil. "Please, be seated," she said, ever the diplomat.

"I've got a better idea," Aethyta surprised her with a smile. "Let's go get a drink. It might loosen you up a bit and I can get to why you really want to push this policy forward so much."

"You seem as adamant as I in wanting it to not go through," Benezia challenged, ignoring the invitation. It didn't work.

"I'll tell you my reasons if you tell me yours. Come on."

Benezia sighed. "I'm afraid I have quite a lot of work to do, Matriarch Aethtya. Perhaps another time?"

Aethyta looked dejected. "Look, I'm not trying to hit on you, at least not tonight. I just think we'll be more relaxed and less hostile with a few drinks in. Meet me halfway here."

The matriarch's candid attempt at opening negotiations made Benezia consider it for a second. "Where were you thinking?"

"Place not far from here. Don't worry, no dancers, so there won't be any tits to distract me this time," Aethtya smirked.

Benezia leaned back in her chair away from her desk and folded her arms. "You speak quite openly about your interests."

"I 'speak quite openly' about everything, T'Soni." Aethyta shrugged. "What do you say? Join me for a peaceful drink?"

Benezia sighed. She'd need to resolve their disagreement eventually anyway before presenting again and the drinks might work to her advantage. "Very well."

"Athame's ass, you'd think I was asking you to pull out your fingernails. It'll be fun. Come on." Aethyta began walking out of the office. Benezia scrambled to secure her files and grab her things to catch up.

…

"So what's your deal?" Aethtya cut right to the chase. "What's in it for you if this goes through?"

Benezia took in their surroundings. The bar was not exactly the sort of place a future Councilor should be spotted in. Aethyta had been true to her word, however, in that there weren't any dancers. Instead there were…videos. She averted her eyes from a screen and nodded for the bartender to attend to them at her convenience and turned on the stool to face Aethyta. "What's in it for you if it doesn't?"

"Typical," Aethyta smirked.

"What is?" Benezia asked. Before Aethyta could answer the young bartender arrived and asked for their drink orders. Aethyta flirted with the maiden as she ordered, winking at Benezia who rolled her eyes in response involuntarily. After she'd ordered she repeated her question. "What is typical?"

"That answer you gave me. It wasn't a fucking answer at all. You just asked me another question."

"I see." Benezia saw the bartender returning and took her drink, gingerly setting it down. She turned to say something more, but Aethtya had raised her glass.

"Toast?"

Benzia took up her glass and tilted her head. "To what, exactly?"

"To figuring this out. We both want what's best for our people, I'm sure, so let the best babe win," Aethyta grinned and clinked her glass on Benezia's.

Benezia blinked before she drank. She hadn't heard such a noble intent from a matriarch in centuries. "You really do don't you?" She asked aloud though she hadn't meant to.

"Do what?" Aethyta asked over her drink as she took another swig.

"Want what's best for our people."

Aethtya cocked her head to the side, looking at Benezia with a gaze that made the other matriarch avert her eyes momentarily. "Sure I do. Don't you?"

"I-" Benezia stammered for a second. "I suppose I haven't really thought about it in a while."

"No offense, but that's a bit shitty, don't you think?"

Benezia took another drink uncomfortably. "It's not that I don't think about that. I just see other things in what I do as well." She mentally berated herself for being the one doing all the talking. It gave her opponent power.

"Such as?"

"Well…I can help our people, but I can also help the galaxy."

"And yourself?" Aethtya snarled a little.

"That's not inaccurate, but it's also not the whole story."

"I'm listening."

Benezia sighed. "Shouldn't we get back to the policy?"

"I told you—I want to know why you're fighting for this so hard. If it's a good enough reason I might lay off you." Aethtya frowned. "Even if I think it's a stupid idea."

Benezia let the insult roll over her. "What would constitute a good reason?"

"You tell me," Aethtya shook her head.

She's too good at this for being new to the Hall, Benezia thought. "How did you—" she began aloud on accident again then shook her head to focus, taking another drink.

"How did I what?"

Benezia eyed the asari next to her warily at first, but then relaxed. She had already started the question. What was the harm in finishing it? She was curious after all. "How did you…receive your training?"

"What?" Aethtya leaned on the bar table, regarding her with a frown of confusion.

"You've barely come to the Halls, but you argue as if you've been here for centuries."

Aethtya laughed heartily and loudly, surprising the other asari. "How did I receive my training? My father and mother were enemies in the Krogan rebellions. Every conversation in my house growing up was an argument."

Benezia smiled. "I see."

"Your turn." Aethyta said as she waved and pointed at her drink for the bartender to send her another.

"My turn?"

"Yeah. Your turn to tell me something about yourself." Aethyta grinned. "I think if this going to work, it'll have to be a give and take, don't you?"

"'This'?" Benezia asked, arching a brow. She wasn't about to let the fellow matriarch think she held any tendencies toward their own race and the asari beside her had already flirted with her once today. It could devastate her career if she didn't nip things in the bud right away.

"Keep it in your pants. I was talking about our discussion, as you put it, T'Soni." Aethyta smirked. "Instead of battling back and forth (as I would put it, by the way), we'll ask a question and the other will answer it. Then we'll switch. Deal?"

Benezia pursed her lips to the side and chuckled slightly, surprising herself. "I suppose."