I don't own anything about the Mass Effect.


Chapter 2: The Meeting

The next day, I was wincing with each step as our small group walked through one of the many plazas in Nos Astra. My entire body felt like a giant bruise, worse even that I'd felt after some of my more severe training sessions with Aethyta.

"Have to give it you Kean." Marn rumbled as the pair of us trailed after Nyn. The rest of her large squad was loosely spread out around our little trio, calmly escorting her on the familiar path to where Illium's executive board was waiting for Nyn's counter-offer after yesterday's meeting. Nyn and I were dressed in formal clothes that felt stifling, while Marn and her people had polished up their dark armor as best they could. "Didn't expect Rane's girls to put up that good of a fight, even with you."

I shrugged slightly. "We still only one won one scenario. And I could have done without them bouncing my armor around like a fucking ball. Sorry Nyn."

My Tarath'shan had glanced around disapprovingly at my language. In her mind there was a time and a place for cursing, and it definitely wasn't in public.

"You might have only gotten one straight win, but you still managed to make all of their own wins pretty costly." The veteran squad leader countered. "In actual fights they wouldn't have been in any shape to fight again."

"Only in the defensive fights. They handed us our asses when we had to attack them."

Broad shoulders made her heavy armor rise and fall slightly. "What did you expect in that match-up? They've torn everyone apart when in that situation. Even my people got shredded when we had to try and attack them."

It was my turn to shrug. "I didn't say I was surprised. Just hopeful that we could have done better."

"There's always tomorrow's exercise."

"Speaking of," Nyn broke into the conversation, "Please inform T'laria that Matriarch Aethyta is interested in viewing your little operation. In particular, I believe she wants to make sure that you are actually putting her training to use, Cieran."

"Great." I brought a hand up so that I can rub wearily at my forehead. "That's going to make the after-action briefing all kinds of fun."

She chuckled quietly as we started up the stairs that led to where Illium's leaders met and lorded over their world. Note that I didn't say ruled, they actually did very little of that... instead they enjoyed plenty of finger foods and wine, and spent most of their time bickering with one another about slights that happened decades to centuries ago. Personally I was have convinced that they were dragging their feet on Nyn's push to open limited trade with the Hegemony simply because they were resentful that she was actually making them do their jobs.

We all paused before the massive glass doors, Nyn taking the moment to make a few final adjustments to her outfit. While she did that, I took in the ostentatious building yet again. It was stupidly tall, and the exterior of the lower area was entirely gleaming glass. Which gave everyone outside an excellent view of the massive fountains and gardens that decorated the first three floors. A statue of Athame loomed beside the entrance, the obvious skill of the sculptor more or less ruined by whoever had elected to add gaudy diamonds and gems to her eyes and clothes.

"How much do you think it cost to make this place?" I murmured, my voice low enough for only my Tarath'shan to hear.

"Enough to pay for a small army." She replied equally sotto voce. "Or for a down payment on a battlecruiser."

My lips twitched as I restrained a snort. "Ready?"

"No." It was easy to tell she was restraining a scowl, but she managed to keep her expression a polite mask as her head tilted towards the door. "If you would, Harath'krem.. let's get this over with."

Giving her a polite nod, I stepped up to move through the already opening doors. The interior was slightly more tasteful than the outside, which meant illuminated artwork and statuary that wasn't totally horrific.

The sole secretary glanced up from behind her desk, her blue skin unmarred by tattoos. "Miss Shaaryak, the Board will be ready for you shortly. Your escorts may relax in the gardens, food and drink will be provided to them."

Nynsi tilted her head slightly, and I felt my eyebrows rise as I noticed her keeping it directly even. "Thank you Brai. Marn, I believe you know where to go. Cieran, you will remain me with me."

"With respect ma'am," the Asari's tone remained polite but her smile didn't reach her eyes in the slightest. "All of your escorts are supposed to remain."

This time Nyn bristled a bit, her head shifting ever so slightly to the right. "He is not an escort, he is my Harath'krem."

"I'm afraid the executive board does not recognize Batarian titles."

"They do recognize advisers and assistants." She shot back, "And he is both. Perhaps we should call Matriarch Tevos? I am sure that she could resolve this petty issue."

A scowl appeared openly on the Asari's face, obviously not happy about what Nyn was saying. Matriarch Tevos was a distant relative of the Asari Council rep, but from what I'd heard she had none of her cousin's diplomatic tact or calm attitude. Any secretary calling about allowing a visitor to bring a single human assistant along to a meeting would probably consider herself lucky to escape that call with her job.

"Very well." Her lips were pursed as she forced the words out. "He may accompany you. The usual elevator."

Nynsi didn't bother responding, simply turning away and striding towards the lifts. Me, being at least moderately intelligent, said nothing and quickly followed her to the waiting elevator.

Only once the doors closed and it had begun to move did I offer up a question, "She always like that?"

"Yes." There was a disgusted sound. "She seems to think being the door greeter makes her critically important to Illium's continued survival. The first time I was here I would have shot her if I'd had my guns on me."

Reaching a hand up I gently rubbed her right shoulder, careful not to wrinkle her dark shirt.

She leaned into my touch for a few moments, and I could see her lower eyes closing in the door's reflection. "I just wish all of this would end one way or the other. The High Patriarch has started sending update requests nearly every other day."

"Tell him to fuck off then."

"Cieran..."

"Sorry." I sighed, "I know you can't, but don't tell me you aren't tempted."

"I'm starting to think that you are a bad influence." A hand rose to gently wrap around mine before pushing it back and fixing her shirt. "Remember your role?"

"Stay behind you, don't draw attention to myself, try and keep track of everything." My lips twitched. "Which works out, I don't think I'd be any good at looming menacingly."

She sucked in a quiet breath and let it out in a strangled way, her voice tinged with mirth. "Not without your armor."

The elevator was slowing as we approached the upper levels of the building, and I blew out a slow breath and tried to school my features into bored relaxation.

A few seconds after I thought I'd more or less accomplished that, the doors pinged open to reveal another room opulently decorated with pieces of priceless art and holo-images of prior board members. None of which impressed me nearly as much as the four Asari commandos that were waiting for us.

Each was armored head to toe, and all had their hands on their weapons, relaxing only as they saw that it was just us.

Taking my cues from Nyn, I nodded politely to the guards. Only once they tilted their heads in response and stepped back, two to either side, did she move out of the elevator. Keeping myself just a few feet behind her, I tried not to stare at the guards as we walked between them.

The reason for their immediate presence became clear as I got a better look at the room. It was entirely without interior walls, being just an open space that stretched entirely across this floor of the building. Which meant not more than a dozen meters away was a massive table that had a small number of Asari lazily sipping from drinks as they regarded our arrival with every sign of actual boredom.

"Ah." The nearest Matriarch turned away after giving us the barest of glances. "Shaaryak has arrived."

"By Athame, you could at least pretend to be interested Dantius." One of the others growled.

"Director Dantius." Matriarch Dantius snapped back. Nassana Dantius's mother was every bit as morally reprehensible as her daughter from what I'd heard. Not that I knew either of them personally, nor did I desire to.

"Not for much longer if you don't take this more seriously." Another murmured, just loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Can we save your petty squabbling for after the outsiders have left?"

The Director seemed to swell slightly in anger, but said nothing else as we approached.

Nyn guided me around the assembled Matriarchs until allowing me to pull a seat out for her near the center of one side. This left the Asari spread out loosely around us. Three at least had the good grace to put their drinks aside and look attentive while Dantius and another still seemed resentful over our mere presence.

"Now," the one who'd murmured spoke up more loudly this time. She, unlike the others, had a purplish complexion to go with a rather significant amount of facial tattoos. "Miss Shaaryak. We have further questions about the trade proposal that you have brought forward."

Nyn tilted her head a few hairs to the right. "Of course Matriarch Ullai."

"We have agreed, in principle, to allow limited trade between Illium and the Batarian Hegemony strictly through the starport in the Western Reaches, with shuttles also allowed to land at your privately owned facility in Khar'shan Minor." There were a few slight nods at that. "With I-Sec officers from both cities' departments acting to ensure that only the goods to be agreed upon will be loaded."

There was a brief moment before Nynsi sighed. "The trade-able goods again, then."

"Regrettably." Ullai agreed. "Tevos?"

Councilor Tevos's relative didn't look much like her beyond similar facial marks. Her face looked as though laughter and smiles were a foreign concept best avoided, and when she spoke her voice was nearly arctic in its lack of warmth. "You continue to press for element zero to be included on the acceptable list. This is contrary to strict Citadel regulation."

"Good." An until then silent Matriarch spoke, her tone waspish. "We don't need to kowtow to your goddess damned cousin on everything we do Tevos."

Tevos barely even glanced at her. "And when the Republics withdraw their defensive fleet, will you still say that?"

"As if Thessia would withdraw the fleet. Without our profits the economy would go into a whirlpool within a matter of weeks."

A tattooed brow rose. "I was unaware that we were so critical. Perhaps you were imbibing your own product while examining the records again."

"Enough." Dantius finally snapped, glaring at the both of them. "Not in front of the Batarian and her human toy."

I tried not to bristle at that, while Nyn's hand found my leg under the table and patted it in what she probably thought was a calming manner. Her own anger made it a bit rougher than that, and I was sore enough that it hurt more than anything, but I gave her the slightest of nods in thanks for the thought all the same.

The other Matriarchs gave their nominal leader grudging nods before settling back in their chairs.

"Now. Besides the element zero, what else was there? Iandanni?"

There was a shrug from the only Matriarch to have yet to say anything. "The vast majority of the list is domestic goods, and the quantities in question are unlikely to cause any issues between us and the Council. The only sticking points remain the eezo as well as military equipment."

Tevos glanced at Nyn. "I thought all military arms were removed."

My Tarath'shan's cheek twitched slightly. "And they were. Only civilian purchasable equipment remains as per our last discussion."

"We will have to review the full list to ensure that nothing excessive could be inserted." The Matriarch glanced pointedly at me, "Powered exoskeletons for example."

"They aren't on the list." Nyn sounded utterly exasperated. "And the updated list has been provided to you all multiple times over the past week. You're saying that you require further review?"

"Yes." Tevos replied bluntly. "We currently have a split vote with one undecided as to whether or not to allow element zero shipments, with three of us in agreement that those amounts will be sharply limited."

She went still. "How limited?"

"Perhaps three standard containers per month." Ullai replied evenly.

Nynsi's mouth dropped in stunned disbelief. "That's less than half of an eezo hauler's capacity."

"It is more than you are currently receiving." Tevos reminded her sharply. "And while I do support this trade endeavor, we must protect ourselves from any possible Council or Republics sanctions."

There was a long inhale and exhale as my Tarath'shan tried to calm herself. "Then perhaps we could establish an interim agreement to allow for trade on everything but the goods you have mentioned. Those could then be added as later modifications."

Ullai nodded slowly. "That might be possible. We will consider that proposal, as well as the controversial items and will summon you again when we have a decision."

Another calming breath was required before she spoke again, her tone one of forced politeness. "Surely that cannot take very long. If you could agree on the interim concept now, I could draft the proper documentation and have it prepared for tomorrow."

"That won't be necessary." Dantius spoke up again, sounding as bored as ever. "As Matriarch Ullai said, we will contact you once we have reached a decision."

Nynsi didn't bother politely replying to that, instead standing quickly enough to knock her chair back before spinning on her heel and stalking back to the elevator.

I hastily, if a tad more tactfully, rose and tried not to dash after her quick pace.

She hissed the moment the elevator doors closed. "Not a word Cie, not until we've left this forsaken place."

My mouth, wisely in my personal opinion, stayed shut. It took a lot to get Nyn this wound up... but when she got to that point you either sacrificed someone to her anger, you got the hell out of her way, or I dragged her back to her chambers for a lot of wine and sex until she'd worked her way out of it. Unfortunately, none of those options were really available inside of the elevator, so I settled for staying as still as I could and thinking quiet thoughts as she seethed.

Of course, any hopes of us making it back to the mansion without incident died the moment the doors slid open at the ground floor, revealing a figure blocking our way. She was an Asari of average height, with light blue skin, and dressed in medium weight armor that had been painted with a light golden hue.

Nyn took a half step before freezing as we both realized just who it was.

"Well now." A smile that didn't reach Jona Sederis's dark eyes curled her lips as she regarded us. "What a happy little coincidence."

Coincidence... yeah fucking right.

"Madam Sederis." My lover managed to keep her voice even, letting none of her residual anger color it. "We were just leaving."

"You were just leaving." The head of the Eclipse mercenary company corrected her without any hint of shame. "Your alien lover and I need to have a little chat."

I blinked slightly, but kept my tone as polite as I could manage. "No offense Miss Sederis, but you know that anything you tell me I will tell Nyn."

She waved that off irritably. "Regardless, I don't owe her shit anymore, she called in her marker. You didn't, so you're the one who gets it, and then we're even and I'm done with you short lived things."

That took me a few moments to process. I'd honestly forgotten that Sederis thought that she owed me anything. After all, she wasn't the kind of person you just called up when you needed something and said 'hey, remember that time I helped save your life? Mind doing a bit of work for me?'.

"I would rather not leave my Harath'krem." Nyn spoke slowly, as if she was working through her thoughts as she did. "Would this conversation take time?"

"Depends on how much of a brain he has underneath that fur." A little Asari shrug followed. "And you can wait outside girl. I already told that prissy little bitch at the desk to fuck off, it's just going to be him and me in here. Now get."

"Cieran..." There was a long breath, "I will be right outside."

Which wouldn't save me at all if Sederis's mental switches flipped into a combination that said 'kill-the-human', and from her tone she knew that as well as I did.

But... shit, it wasn't like we could say no either. Mentally unstable or not, the Asari in front of us could probably kill us, Marn's team, and then work her way up the skyscraper floor by floor, murdering everything in her path, without too much trouble.

"Maybe find a bar and some wine." I tried to keep my voice casual, "You could use some after dealing with them."

Sederis chuckled, for all appearances honestly amused, as she moved out of Nyn's way, "You heard him little girl. Go get drunk so he can pin you to a wall later."

My Tarath'shan reached back to squeeze my shoulder firmly before leaving... and then I was alone with a psychopath.

"Stop standing in the damned lift like a pyjak. It's not going to do tricks."

"Which is a shame." If she was currently amused, I could work with that. I hoped. "Maybe it should learn some. Like stopping at every floor whenever Dantius gets in it."

That got another low chuckle out of her. "No. That bitch deserves a very long fall with a sudden stop at the end."

"I don't know her well enough to go that far." I spoke as I exited the elevator, cautiously following Sederis as she started to slowly walk back towards the now empty desk. "I don't suppose I can ask about what this is all about?"

"Hmm? Oh, I was picturing the pretty smear she'd make on the grounds outside." There was a moment of silence before she snapped her head back around to look at me, her expression utterly serious. "Right. You did me a favor by crushing that asshole's skull, but he was also mine to kill. So for that, you get this conversation, and after it we're even."

Which she'd already said, but rather than making a smart-ass comment about her repeating herself I moved on. "Thanks."

"Whatever. The Blue Suns have gotten their asses handed to them by me and Aria, plus her little school of warlords I suppose. That's left a vacuum in the Terminus." Her hands rested on the desk for a moment before she heaved herself up and onto it, spinning around until she was sitting on the edge of it with her legs swinging free. "Two groups in particular are moving in to try and seize power. One of them is good for you, one wants your head. Nothing attached. Maybe not the scalp either, they could use that as a separate trophy."

It didn't take a genius to figure out who she meant. "The True Sons? I thought they'd been totally wiped out by now."

"Oh here they are. Racist dicks... well, they were until my girls cut them off." She almost giggled at that. "But the ones that they hauled off to Omega to train are still there. Traded everything they knew about the Suns to Aria in exchange for her not killing them all. Now they're building up again, and a lot of them are pissed at the people who fucked them over."

"Me and Nyn then." I brought a hand up to my forehead as my head started to throb. "I'd really hoped we were done with those assholes."

"Not even close." There was a growl as she suddenly leaned forwards, her eyes locking onto mine. "They hated ul Shaaryak and his bitch for what they did, but they had their own plans to be rid of them... plans you and your girl ruined. They'll be coming for you, and anyone you know."

Which was just fucking great. So in addition to worrying about what the Hegemony was up to, and helping Nyn calm down after meetings with the old hags upstairs, we'd also have to be looking over our shoulders again.

"May I ask a question or two?"

Sederis eyed me, her head tilting to one side before she nodded brusquely.

OK then.

"You said there was another group. Who are they?"

"The Talons." Her lips twitched as she shook her head. "Turian group that used to be one of the largest sand dealers in the Terminus. They got their asses kicked trying to push on the Suns too soon, and someone took out their entire leadership. Now they're reforming and turning all noble and shit."

Huh. Looked like Nyrix...Nyree.. Aria's Turian girl whose name was escaping me had made her move a few years early. More power to her I suppose...hell, maybe she'd be able to clean the station up a bit before things really go going.

Shaking off those thoughts, I returned to more pertinent questions. "Do you know if there's any of the True Sons on world already?"

"There were." Teeth briefly appeared as her lips pulled back, "Now there aren't."

"Oh. Thank you, I suppose."

"Stop thanking me." Her voice almost rumbled as eyes narrowed. "It's annoying."

"Yes ma'am. Ah, that was all I had really." If she'd been anyone but, well, her, I probably could have kept my wits about me long enough to ask more and better questions. But at that moment all I wanted to do was get away from her before she decided that I was too annoying to keep breathing.

"We're even then. Get your pale ass out of here."

Tilting my head politely I backed away, careful to keep her in my sight all the way to the doors.

"Looks like you survived." Marn glanced up from where she was seated on the steps, apparently waiting for me to emerge. "Come on, your Tarath'shan is in the car already."

I nodded slightly, blowing out a long breath as I tried to calm myself down. It wasn't exactly easy, especially since my instincts were still screaming that the crazy bitch was watching us move. "Fuck."

"That bad?"

"She went from giggling like a little girl about cutting people's dicks off to quiet as a statue and staring into my eyes." My body shuddered. "Seriously, does anyone know what's with her?"

"I think she murdered the last mind-healer that her family brought in. That's the rumor anyway."

I grunted, finding that to be entirely believable. It was with a massive sigh of relief when we reached the aircars idling in the small parking area attached to the plaza, and I wasted no time before sliding into Nyn's.

She'd apparently had someone run and grab her a drink, but she quickly set it aside when I collapsed into my seat.

"Thank the Pillars you're all right." A hand reached out to grab one of mine, "I hate dealing with that woman."

"That makes two of us." I eyed her drink. "Do you mind if I...? Thanks."

It was plain Asari beer, and honestly wasn't to my taste. But it was cold and frothy, and did wonders for helping me calm down a bit. Once I'd taken a few sips, I quickly and tersely brought Nyn up to date on what Sederis had relayed to me.

She buried her face in her hands about halfway through, letting out a long groan as I finished.

"As if we didn't have enough going on right now. We'll have to alert Aethyta about this tomorrow, maybe she can watch for any of them trying to sneak on world." There was a pause, "That mission yesterday, did you have any luck catching that smuggler? That would be the kind of person they'd use to slip agents in and out."

"No, no sighting of her or anyone on the list we got." It had been a very long, very boring twelve hours for me and Trena. Rane had enjoyed herself thoroughly, using the Republics money to get plenty of shopping in before spending better than five hours hopping between restaurants and bars. "And I don't know if they'd use her, she's an Asari after all... but who knows."

There was a sigh before she reached out and gently patted my forearm. "We'll manage Cieran. About the board... I need your thoughts on them while they're still fresh."

"Right.." I blew out a breath, shifting mental gears as quickly as I could. "Dantius isn't long for her spot and she knows it, she could have cared less about what was happening and didn't bother hiding it."

Her head tilted slightly. "That much was obvious. What else?"

Rifling through my memories, my eyes lidded as I thought it over. "Ullai. At the start it seemed like she was on your side, but then she was the one who wanted to delay everything while they went over everything again. What are her business interests?"

"Heavy manufacturing and pharmaceuticals."

I blinked. "Neither of those is on the trade list, and there's no way they'd end up there. Why is she stalling then?"

There was a quiet growl. "I don't know. Up until today she was as annoyed as I was about the endless delays. I'll have to ask Aethyta to do some digging."

Which would probably cost her. Aethyta might have been friendly with the both of us, but official use of her spies was something that went a bit farther than her friendship stretched. Not that she wasn't willing to do things for us, but it would probably end up with Nyn having to cover the spies salaries during any time they spent on it.

"And there's Tevos." A hand rubbed at my face as I sighed. "She wants the money that trading would bring her, but she's damned paranoid about her cousin and the rest of the Council flipping out about very minor amounts of goods... Way too paranoid for someone as cold as her. Bets that someone on the Citadel sent her a rather pointed message?"

"No bet." Nyn sighed. "The longer this goes on the less they remember just what we did, and the less support I have. Dantius is the only one who could force the issue, but she has no reason to support me. Especially after my uncle nearly managed to get the others to oust her to begin with."

"So we're stuck waiting for them to deign to treat with you."

"Yes." There was annoyed hissing sigh before she reached out to squeeze my hand gently. "Once we get back to the mansion, I have some paperwork to do in regards to the clothing factories, but after that.."

"No." I interrupted her, my head shaking. "You're going to tell the cooks to have a pleasant meal prepared, and then we're going to relax for the rest of the day."

"Cieran..." Her lower eyes met mine as her upper set narrowed. "I have work to do."

"You also need to relax." Reaching out I trailed my fingers across her cheek, a little gesture that made all of her eyes lid ever so slightly. "Between the board, Sederis, the hegemony, the city, and the mansion, you're running yourself ragged. You need a break."

"Cieran.."

"Just one night. I'm not saying we should elope to the Citadel for a month. Just one night. Food, drinks, just us on a couch."

Her head bowed slightly as she exhaled. "You are a terrible influence sometimes, you know this yes?"

My lips twitched. "Clawball or films?"

"Who plays tonight?"

"The Reaches and Nos Astra."

"Clawball then." Her own curled into a little smirk. "And pray to the Pillars that Dantius's pet team gets obliterated."


Next up is Chapter 3: The Interruption

So. The Executive Board of Illium makes an appearance, as does Jona Sederis. The former is content to drag their feet on legislation that they are largely ambivalent about, while the latter obliges her strange sense of honor as her mood jumps around a bit. More on the both of them will be coming later, and the True Sons aren't quite down and out just yet.

Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."

Thanks, Kat


Author's Fun Fact: Khar'shan Minor Population

Today, the fairly small city has a population of around forty thousand, with roughly two thirds of that Batarian and the remainder Asari.

Despite those numbers, the amount willing to join groups such as Xerol, and later Nynsi, Shaaryak's security forces has always been very low. It took Xerol over a decade to accumulate the roughly seventy members of his private group, and many of them were recruited from the Terminus or within days of their exile from the Hegemony.

This is a result of just who the population is made up of. Most of the Batarians living on Illium are not the hardened criminals of the Terminus, instead being children of other exiles or people removed from the Hegemony for political or superficial reasons. Most of them are content to have a safe place to live and raise their children, and have faith in I-Sec and Captain Vasir's ability to defend them.

As a consequence, It would not be an understatement to say that Captain Vasir was as popular amongst the Batarian population as Xerol Shaaryak was. She would actually be more looked to as a leader in the wake of his death than his actual heir.


Review Responses:

The Blocked Writer – says the person three chapters ahead of everyone else :P

SilverBladeStar – Thank excalibur812 for that. I had the file uploaded but forgot to add it last night lol.

Excalibur812 – Thanks again :)

Ari989 – Rane'li isn't a new character, she was in the start of Act 2 and the end of Act 3 in Arrival. As for what the Hegemony is up to.. will have to wait and see :).