A Matter of Time and Space

REUNION

Citadel, Serpent Nebula – 11:05 GSD (Galactic Standard Day) – 3rd May 2185 CE

If there was a bright centre to the known galaxy, it was the Citadel.

Known as the cultural jewel of civilised space, the colossal space-station hung against the dense silvery nebula of the Widow system, its five Ward arms spread open to resemble a shining star. Believed to have been created by the Protheans over 50,000 years ago, the Citadel was the epicentre of galactic politics, its diverse population condensed into a cosmopolitan melting pot unlike any other in the galaxy. Over a dozen races called it home. And of those 13 million inhabitants a select few lived and worked on the Presidium: the vast toroidal inner ring uniting the five massive Ward arms.

Over seven kilometres in diameter, the Presidium attracted the elite and privileged like a moth to a flame. Balcony offices overlooked the lakes and bustling promenades that lined the Presidium. Trees and foliage were dotted around the vast esplanade. Skycars soared overhead. Even birds wheeled between the lines of traffic. And above them all, an imitation blue sky crowned the illusion of a terrestrial environment.

It was a true utopia, and the people who had the honour of working on the Presidium considered themselves extremely fortunate.

But even the most beautiful artificial environments were still artificial. The Presidium's magnificent vista could only appeal for so long before the inhabitant's jaded appetites sought new diversions.

Praetor Gavanius sat at his balcony desk in the Turian Quarter, focused on his work, completely oblivious to the magnificent view stretching out behind him. He looked up from his computer screen and raised his voice to call to his subordinate in the next room.

"Severan!"

There was no answer.

Gavanius shouted again. He did have a fully-functional intercom, but, after a lifetime spent barking out orders to recruits on the frontlines, old habits died hard. "Severan! Get your butt in here."

His office doors slid open and Severan strode into the room.

Gavanius cast an eye over the officer. Smartly dressed in her regulation grey and white uniform, Severan cut an imposing figure. Lithe and strong, the turian woman stood out from the crowd thanks to her uncharacteristically long head-horns which lent her a distinctly masculine air. People often mistook her for a man. But any gender confusion was quickly dispelled when she spoke. She had a fine alto voice. And her attractive tan facial carapace was accentuated by the striking blue and red colony markings that signified she was from the famed Luciana Province in Palaven's northern prefecture.

A region with a noble history, if a little sparsely populated, Gavanius silently noted.

Severan gave Gavanius a crisp salute. "You wanted to see me, sir?" Her voice was bright and melodic

"At ease," Gavanius ordered. "Your leave has been granted, Severan. I'm happy to say that you are now officially on sabbatical."

"Thank you, sir," Severan said gratefully.

"And I've also been authorised to inform you that the PFS Vistoffia will make berth at Docking Bay 94 within the hour." Severan's eyes widened. "You can see your sister again," Gavanius finished.

Severan grinned in delight. "I wasn't expecting her back for several months."

"I'm given to understand that the Vistoffia was recalled to the Citadel ahead of schedule."

"That's wonderful news, sir. It's been almost three years seen I last saw Valni."

"Well, in that case I wouldn't stand on ceremony, Vereen."

"No, sir," Vereen said eagerly. She saluted again. "With your permission, sir?"

"Give your sister my regards." Gavanius waved his hand to dismiss her. Vereen Severan turned and exited the room at speed.

Gavanius watched her leave, feeling an unexpected pang of desire and regret.

If only I was twenty years younger…


The cavernous kilometre-long main dock on Zakera Ward was dominated by the shimmering environmental barrier that ran the length of the anchorage, pressurising the area and separating it from the vacuum of space. Vereen's skycar swept over the docking area, soaring above berthed cruisers and cargo ships, before it settled down on the landing pad next to Bay 94. The PFS Vistoffia was already landing; the elegant turian craft manoeuvred onto its moorings, its variable geometry wings retracted into the frigate's sleek white monohull.

The clamshell doors of the skycar popped open and Vereen exited the craft.

But she wasn't the only person waiting for the ship.

The Bay was heaving with personnel. C-SEC, medics, human families, asari officials and turian administrators were all waiting patiently by the frigate's main doors. The airlock opened and a swarm by alien figures emerged. Humans, asari, and a host of what looked like turian civilians – judging by their clothing – came into view, to be met with cheers and cries of joy from some of the family members. Vereen frowned at the incongruous sight, briefly wondering if she had the wrong berth.

Are they all here for the Vistoffia? she wondered.

But any lingering doubts were soon dispelled when a group of turian officers followed the civilian crowd. And Valni was among them!

Vereen grinned. Despite the time spent apart from her younger sister, Vereen instantly recognised her. She was hard not to spot.

Shorter than the average turian by a good 20 centimetres, Valni had always stood out from the crowd thanks, in no small part, to her unusually long head-horns. Vereen reached up and stroked her own crest of horns. It was an inherited trait that seemed to have skipped a generation (their mother never had horns), and both Vereen and Valni had received their fair share of teasing from kids in their youth. Valni, though, had always fared worse. With her slight build and horned crest she was often mistaken for a teenage boy. As a consequence, she had been bullied when she was a child, and preyed on when she was an adult.

But if there was one thing Vereen admired her sister for it was her perseverance in the face of adversity. Valni had never given in to anyone, and had fought against discrimination and injustice her whole life.

Vereen weaved through the crowd of people, hoping to attract her sister's attention, but then stopped when she noticed what Valni was carrying. Her kitbag was draped over one shoulder, and tightly grasped in her arms was… an asari child!

Vereen stared in surprise. The alien youngster was hugging Valni as she approached a group of asari officials; the blue aliens smiling warmly. Valni spoke to them, exchanging pleasantries, though Vereen couldn't make out what they were saying.

Vereen moved closer. After much encouragement, the young asari was eventually persuaded to let go of Valni's neck, and, somewhat reluctantly, handed over to the officials.

As Vereen got closer she could make out snippets of conversation.

"… Asari Republic thanks you for your service. Your conduct has been admirable," said the asari now holding the child.

"It was my pleasure," Valni replied modestly. "She's been very brave through the whole ordeal."

"Her family are ecstatic that she's safe, and will want to thank you personally."

Valni nodded and turned her attention back to the young alien, curling her fingers over the girl's crest.

"Time for you to go now, Sweetie. The nice ladies are going to take you home."

"Are you coming?" the young asari asked.

"Not this time," Valni replied gently. "I've got other places to go, but we'll see each other again. I promise."

The asari nodded tearfully and waved a small blue hand. "Bye, Vally."

"Bye, Sweetie."

The young child was escorted away to another skycar. Vereen waited until the girl had been settled into the back seat of the vehicle and the skycar had lifted off before she called out to her sister.

"Val!"

Valni turned and spotted Vereen. Her eyes lit up as a broad grin spread across her face. "'Reen!" she yelled.

The sisters jostled across the docking platform and embraced. Vereen bent her head to nudge her fringe against her younger sister's forehead. Of course, the fact Vereen was a full head taller than Valni meant that she had to bend forward quite a bit.

"Oh, I've missed this," Vereen said. "Feeling that crick in my neck having to reach you! It's like the touch of an old friend."

Valni pulled away from her sister's embrace, smiling.

"We haven't seen each other in years and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is a crack about my height?"

"I thought I'd pick up where we left off," Vereen replied with a brazen grin.

"And to think I was planning to surprise you at work."

"You already have surprised me," Vereen replied. "An asari child? Not what I was expecting! Anything you want to tell me?"

"She was abducted by slavers," Valni explained. "Along with the majority of the people here." She indicated the alien men and women being tended to. "They were being held at a base in the Hades Nexus. We rescued them."

"I just thought it'd be nice to be told that I have a niece. Even if she is asari."

"She's not mine, doofus!" Valni fired back. "Since when have I ever shown any interest in asari?"

"Well, considering how much your tastes have changed over the years, I thought it best to ask," Vereen said with a wry smile, her comment a not-so-veiled reference to a certainincident in Valni's past that had led to her expulsion from her previous ship. "It's not like it's unheard of. You could have met some attractive asari on your travels and decided to settle down and start a family…"

"Not unless I had her when I was twelve! She's fifteen years old."

"Fifteen?!" Vereen exclaimed. "But she looked so young."

"It's easy to forget how slowly asari mature."

"True!" Vereen laughed. "Aliens are bizarre!"

"Weren't you the one dating a salarian?" Valni reminded her.

"Two, as a matter of fact," Vereen replied. "Not at the same time, of course. I do have certain standards." Valni shot her sister a withering look. "Hey, just because aliens are peculiar doesn't mean I can't find them attractive," Vereen added.

Valni smiled. "I'd almost forgotten what a strange weirdo you are."

"Yeah, I think it must be genetic!" Vereen replied cheekily. The pair shared a laugh. Vereen regarded her sister, as if seeing her for the first time. Valni looked older; there was weariness in her eyes. She squeezed Valni's shoulder affectionately. "It's really great to see you too, Val."

"You too," Valni agreed readily.

"I got a skycar for us. Come on." Vereen led her sister across the landing pad. The skycar doors opened automatically as they approached. "There's a bar I like down in the Wards. Fancy a round or two? My treat."

"Thank the Spirits!" Valni said drolly. "I thought you'd never ask."

The doors closed as the pair settled into their seats in the car.

"Or would you prefer to get settled in your apartment first?" Vereen suggested.

Valni shook her head. "I have spent the better part of two years stuck in a flying tin can with nothing to do except battle batarian slavers. This is the first leave I've had in ages. I need a drink!"


Vereen merged the skycar into the line of soaring traffic heading towards the Mid-Wards. The cityscape of Zakera Ward stretched out beneath them: a brilliant backdrop of hermetically sealed skyscrapers set against the 47 kilometre long station arm. Overhead, the other four Wards extended over and above the Citadel horizon, echoing the activity of each Ward like a system of gigantic mirrors.

Vereen had been living on the Citadel for almost eight years and the sight still took her breathe away.

She turned to her sister who was staring intently at the skyline.

"I have a surprise for you," Vereen said as she reached into her jacket. "I wanted to give it to you later but I suppose now's a good a time as any." She handed over a slim electronic ticket stub inscribed with the Dilinaga Concert Hall logo.

Valni frowned as she took the stub. "Concert tickets? What's this for?"

"You won't know until you open it."

Valni pressed the small thumb pad on the stub. A holographic image appeared in the air in front of her showing a looped vid of three bare-chested turian men enthusiastically hammering out a rhythmic beat on a series of barrel-shaped drums. Valni glanced at the writing below the vid.

"The Takai State Drummers!" Valni exclaimed. "How'd you manage to get these?"

"I got lucky. When I was told you were coming back early I called the box office. They had a couple of seats free for the evening performance on the 6th. It's in the ancillary theatre hall. I couldn't get us seats together, though."

"That's a shame. Still, a whole night of watching half-naked men thrash out a rhythm. It's like you read my mind."

"I had a hunch you might like it," Vereen agreed. "And I hear they've added a couple of salarian drummers to the line-up."

"Oh, I knew there was the ulterior motive…" Valni glanced slyly at Vereen. "You really need to reign in that rampant xenophilia of yours, 'Reen."

"My xenophilia? And just what exactly were you were doing on Arcadias, then?" Vereen retorted.

Vereen regretted the words as soon as she uttered them. Valni's face fell and she turned away. Vereen silently cursed. She was about to apologise when Valni gazed up through the windscreen at one of the Citadel's other arms.

"Spirits!" she exclaimed staring up at Tayseri Ward. "Look at that!"

She was pointing at an area at least three city blocks in diameter. Buildings had been levelled. The area was cordoned off while repair crews toiled away to overhaul the damaged structures. Valni noticed a domed building in the midst of the destruction and started with surprise when she recognised it.

"That's the Dilinaga Concert Hall! Is all that damage from the battle?" Valni asked.

"Yeah. They're still cleaning up after the geth attack. Tayseri Ward was hit hardest," Vereen replied quietly. The attack by the Geth Fleet, led by the massive dreadnought officially designated as 'Sovereign', had been swift and devastating; the alien A.I.s had quickly overwhelmed the combined might of the turian and asari flotillas. Only when the Alliance added their entire Fifth Fleet to the battle were they able to turn the tide and destroy the invaders. But the cost had been high. And two years after the battle the races were still picking up the pieces.

"Where were you during the attack?" Valni asked.

"On assignment on Zakera Ward. I wasn't close enough to the fighting for it to affect me, but… I saw what happened when the Alliance blew up that dreadnought. Everyone on the Citadel saw what happened. Bits of it rained down all over the station. There were so many dead…" Vereen went quiet.

"Oh, 'Reen. I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you."

"It's OK, Val," Vereen assured her. "You were serving on the other side of the galaxy – short of deserting there wasn't any way you could have reached me. I understand."

Valni looked down at the ticket stub in her hand. "How can they still have performances when they're in the middle of repairing the Concert Hall?"

"They use ancillary buildings and theatres," Vereen replied. "It's the Dilinaga Concert Hall in name only. There were plenty of private asari sponsors who were willing to help fund the shows. I believe the Drummers are performing in the Shalura Opera House." Vereen gave her sister a shrug. "The show must go on, right?"


The skycar descended onto the Dock of Level 27.

Valni exited the vehicle, to be quickly joined by her sister. The Dock was illuminated by soft mauve and orange lighting. To the right was a holographic advertising column with the flickering image of a human female in a black hood, and to the left was a desk set next to a pair of heavy-looking security doors. Vereen led her up to the desk.

"We have to go through a security screening?" Valni asked.

"New policy," Vereen explained.

In front of the desk was a rather loud and belligerent turian man who was arguing with the human female sat behind the desk. It didn't sound like the turian man was winning.

"…I'm sorry, sir, but the rules do not permit you to carry that item onto the station."

"What?" the man bellowed. "This is a ceremonial relic from my home planet!" he insisted. "How dare you try to restrict my cultural heritage."

Valni craned her neck to see what they were arguing about. On the desk was a metre-long curved turian sabre that, to her eye, looked like a very poorly made replica.

"Sir, may I remind you that all bladed weapons, no matter how 'ceremonial', are on the restricted list."

"You humans are all racists!" the man exploded.

"Sir, please step aside. You're holding up the queue. Next."

Grudgingly – and muttering curses – the man moved aside to allow Valni and Vereen forward. Vereen handed her identification card over to the human.

"Thank you… Chief Flight Technician Severan." Valni handed over her documents. The woman ran it through the computer. "And… Warrant Officer Severan. Ah, yes, I can see the family resemblance," she added as she glanced up from her console. "So, you're both brothers?"

"Sisters!" Valni and Vereen replied in unison.

"My mistake," the attendant replied sheepishly, cowering slightly under their glare. She hastily handed back their documents and waved them through. "Next!"

The doors led to a long security corridor and another set of doors with a computer panel manned by a turian guard.

"Hi, Haron," Vereen greeted the man brightly.

"Chief Severan." The guard nodded at her.

"Allow me to introduce my sister, Valni. Val, this is Sergeant Haron."

"Hi," Valni said.

Haron gave a polite nod. "Please hold still, ma'am," he said.

Two narrow beams of light swept over Valni as the scanners scrutinised her.

"Pardon me for the inconvenience," the man said as he finished the security scan. "You can go in now. Have a pleasant day, ma'am."

He waved them through, nodding at Vereen as she passed by.

"He seems nice," Valni commented as the doors closed behind them.

"Married to his work," Vereen replied.

Valni turned around and was surprised to find herself face-to-fringe with a blue-eyed, slightly grey-haired human in a C-SEC uniform. Valni could best describe his features as 'craggy'.

"Excuse me!" the human said brusquely. His voice was gruff and harsh. Valni watched him amble over to the C-SEC office and take a seat behind the front desk. She stared. Judging by his insignia he was a high ranking official.

Another turian approached the human and handed him a datapad. "LaVert isn't being very cooperative, Captain. He's stonewalling us at every turn."

"Maybe it's time we stopped asking nicely?" the human Captain replied. "Put enough pressure in the right area and everybody talks eventually. I think I might make a visit to our guest myself." He looked up at the turian officer. "Isn't it about time for your break, son?"

The turian nodded and discreetly moved away. Then the Captain stood and wandered through a pair of doors on the opposite side of the office that Valni guessed was an interrogation room. Valni looked around the C-SEC office, casually noting the number of humans wearing blue uniforms. When she was last on the Citadel she could have counted the number of humans serving with Citadel Security on the fingers of one hand.

"Didn't expect to see so many humans in C-SEC," she said.

"A lot's changed since the geth attack," Vereen replied. "Come on. The bar's this way."

Vereen escorted her sister through the sprawling corridors. The Mid-Ward was humming with different species. Asari and turian couples shopped in the stores, salarians hawked their wares, humans conversed happily or strolled hand in hand, there were even a couple of krogan having an argument about fish!

On the next level Vereen introduced Valni to the Dark Star Lounge. A pulsating beat assaulted their senses as they entered the vibrantly hued Lounge. Asari and humans were swaying on a dance floor to the right, while at the centre of the room was a bar manned by a turian bartender with a silver-grey carapace. Vereen strode forward, calling out to the bartender by name, and promptly ordered two brandys.

Passing a drink to her sister, she clinked the glasses together.

"To you, Val. Welcome back to the madhouse."

Valni grinned as she took a sip of her drink.

"It's good to be back."


Author's note: This story runs in parallel with the events of Mass Effect 2. Consequently, there may be a few cameos and familiar faces turning up in future chapters! Hope you enjoy.