A Matter of Time and Space
THE ILLIUM JOB: THE BROKER
Liara T'Soni's Office, Nos Astra, Illium – 10:40 LT – 21st May 2185 CE
The doors of the information broker's office slid open and Valni led her team into the room.
A large desk in front of the panoramic window dominated the office. Behind the desk, with her back to the window and absorbed by the data on her computer screen, sat an attractive asari maiden in a smart but conservative green and white dress.
Liara T'Soni glanced up from her console as the trio entered. She looked younger than Valni expected, though 'young' was a relative term for an asari. Her blue skin, while otherwise flawless, was flecked with a smattering of darker pigments across her cheeks and nose – similar to Valni's own complexion – and crowned by two subtle dark lines above her eyes.
"Officer Severan, I believe," the asari said. She gestured at one of the two lounge chairs directly in front of the desk. "Please take a seat."
Valni sat down. Zaalia turned and gestured to Lia'Vael to take the chair beside Valni while she remained standing behind the quarian.
"Please forgive me if I kept you waiting. I'm a bit short-handed today," the asari explained.
"Your assistant not turn up for work?" Zaalia queried.
"She did… however I'm afraid I had to let her go," Liara replied. Her voice, while softly-spoken, had a slight edge to it.
"We were told you'd be able to help us with a problem regarding a Matriarch?" Valni began.
"You're here about Lidanya? Yes, I'm always happy to help C-Sec in their investigations."
Zaalia frowned. "You knew we were with C-Sec?" she asked.
"I have my sources," Liara said with an enigmatic smile. "Information is a cut-throat business. Sometimes literally. My career as a broker would be short-lived if I didn't keep several steps ahead of the competition."
"You understand that everything we tell you is confidential?" Zaalia asked.
A brief look of annoyance flashed across Liara's face. "I am not in the habit of betraying a client's confidence once I've accepted a contract."
"Especially if that client is from C-Sec," Valni said. "You wouldn't want to upset them."
"Quite honestly, I would be more concerned about upsetting the Matriarchs," Liara replied calmly. "Their influence is considerably wider and they don't care about jurisdiction."
"Then can I assume you know why we're here?" Valni asked cautiously.
Liara nodded. "Maven T'Rani was vague about the details when she contacted me, but I pieced it together from other sources. You're investigating Matriarch Lidanya's alleged corruption and suspected involvement in illicit activities, including kidnapping and slavery. Activities that have legal precedent on Illium, I'm afraid."
"Slavery is legal here?" Lia'Vael blurted out. Her voice was risen a couple of octaves.
"Indentured servitude is completely lawful on Illium, but strictly controlled – the indentured sign binding contracts that stipulate the exact length of their service. No asari purchasing an indentured servant would dare risk breaking such a contract. The penalties involved could bankrupt an entire company."
"My team and I find ourselves in an unusual situation. We've uncovered evidence linking Lidanya to a series of kidnappings involving the Blood Pack. We can't follow official channels. Our only option is to smuggle a proxy into her apartment so we can access Lidanya's personal files to ascertain her guilt…" Valni said.
"Or discount her as a suspect," Zaalia added.
"A risky endeavour," Liara said. "I admire your resolve. Most law enforcement taskforces would not pursue an investigation against a Matriarch."
"Most taskforces aren't us," Zaalia replied.
"Well, you certainly don't lack for confidence," Liara observed.
"Or recklessness," Lia'Vael put in.
"Do you know anyone who can create a new identity for our proxy?" Valni asked.
"Yes, I can help you there." Liara directed her attention back to her computer and accessed her database. "Matriarch Lidanya's movements are confidential but my sources inform me that her personal secretary recently contacted an agency that offers exclusive companions to asari clients."
"All is One Escorts," Valni said. "We know of them."
Liara nodded again. "Lidanya has arranged to meet the companion at her apartment in two days. The name of the companion assigned to her is Jorgal Grax. He has only recently joined the agency. Lidanya is unlikely to have met him before. She seems to have a preference for… new blood."
"So, we need to get him out of the way and let our man take his place," Zaalia mused, leaning casually on the padded head of Lia'Vael's seat.
Valni nodded in agreement. "And the forger?" she asked Liara.
The asari smiled. "My informant prefers the term 'specialist'. I will arrange a meeting with him this evening at Eternity. Do you have a suitable candidate for reprinting?"
"We do," Valni confirmed.
"He will have to be at the meeting. The specialist will need to take a DNA sample to match his new identity."
"Chaill's DNA won't be kept on file, will it?" Lia'Vael suddenly asked in concern.
In a flash, Zaalia's left hand suddenly clutched the quarian's shoulder, her taloned fingers giving the enviro-suit a cautionary squeeze.
Valni glanced at the quarian in annoyance. "Please forgive our colleague's willingness to volunteer names," she told Liara.
Liara bowed slightly. "Not at all. I worked with a quarian while she was also on her pilgrimage. She was an outstanding engineer but somewhat guileless when it came to the other species."
"How do you know I'm on my pilgrimage?" Lia'Vael asked her.
Liara smiled not-unkindly at the quarian. "Your innocence betrays your youth. In many ways, you remind me of how inexperienced I was not so long ago." Then Liara frowned and turned back to her computer. "Sometimes I wonder if I was ever that young."
Lia'Vael blinked in recognition. Back on the Flotilla, she'd heard stories about the quarian daughter of an admiral who'd been recruited by the first human Spectre into a multi-species crew to help defeat Saren and his army of geth. Lia'Vael suddenly realised where she'd heard the name 'T'Soni' before. Liara had been part of Shepard's squad, too.
"Jorgal Grax has a dwelling at Manjorus Plaza," Liara continued. "I assume as a member of C-Sec you would prefer to keep Grax alive and not have him eliminated?"
"We'd like to keep the body count to a minimum, yeah!" Valni replied with a frown.
"Very well. My informant is an outstanding tech expert. He should be able to hack into the krogan's comm masquerading as the escort agency and divert him to a new location or inform him the Matriarch has changed the time of the rendezvous. It should not be hard to misdirect him from Lidanya's apartment for a sufficient amount of time."
Just then, Zaalia cleared her throat. "Umm… Excuse me for saying so but you're pretty blasé about helping a Citadel taskforce plot against a Matriarch; they're paragons for the asari, aren't they? So where is your loyalty to the nation?"
Liara smiled thinly. "Your confusion is understandable. You are turian, you have different values. To you the idea of a dishonest leader is an anathema. Asari have a more direct approach when it comes to subterfuge and counterespionage – especially on Illium. I know enough about my government to recognise the stain of corruption in its ranks. Sometimes a Matriarch rules for so long that manipulating events and other species becomes second nature, and morally reprehensible decisions are considered normal. It should never be normal! A corrupt Matriarch disrupts the very fabric of the Republics. It is something that cannot stand!"
Valni studied the asari carefully. She was impressed by Liara's principles, but there was a definite coldness in her eyes. Valni silently wondered if this was simply an asari maiden's passionate idealism or whether something had happened to her to prompt such a callous attitude …
"Who are we meeting?" Valni asked her.
"Your contact is a salarian named Sekat. He'll be in the back room of the Eternity lounge at twenty-one-hundred hours this evening. Make sure your krogan is there. Sekat will want to make a copy of his biometric data."
"Is there anything our friend should know before he meets Lidanya?"
Liara gave another smile. "Nothing your asari crewmates cannot tell you," she answered cryptically. "Though I would warn your krogan to prepare himself. Lidanya has an infamous reputation within the agency. They say she can be quite… dominating."
"On behalf of C-Sec and the Hierarchy, we thank you for your assistance," Valni said.
Liara nodded politely. "Take great care. Lidanya is not to be trifled with. I advise you to destroy any evidence of your involvement in the break-in at the first opportunity. If she discovers you in her apartment it is highly likely you won't be heard from again."
"Then we'll do our damnedest not to get caught," Valni assured the asari.
"I didn't plan to leave a business card either," Zaalia added wryly.
"May the Goddess watch over you," Liara told them.
The meeting over, Valni and Zaalia thanked Liara again and rose from their seats, then strolled out of the office.
It wasn't until the doors shut behind them that Lia'Vael spoke.
"Is this break-in really a good idea? When one of Shepard's ex-squad mates is warning us not to cross a Matriarch, I have to wonder if we shouldn't just call it a day?"
"Ex-squad mates?" Zaalia repeated. "Wait, you mean she was on the Normandy, too?"
Lia'Vael nodded. "That was Liara T'Soni. She fought with Tali'Zorah and Shepard at the Battle of the Citadel. Everyone on the Flotilla knows the story."
"T'Soni also worked with Shepard?" Zaalia asked in surprise. "That's weird. Not the first time we've met someone who used to be part of Shepard's crew."
"Yeah…" Valni agreed hastily, neglecting to mention her recent reunion with Kenneth and Gabby. "I'm starting to think it isn't a coincidence."
"As much fun as this job sounded, I can't promise my hands won't get sweaty," Zaalia said.
They strode down the wide stairs and between the exchange of shops towards the Threads of Fate.
Eternity Lounge, Nos Astra, Illium – 20:55 LT
Several things immediately struck Lia'Vael about the Eternity lounge.
The first, and most obvious, was how diverse the clientele was. Being an asari controlled world, Lia'Vael had expected the blue aliens to make up the bulk of the patrons, and while it was true there were plenty of asari in the bar, Lia'Vael was surprised to see turians, salarians, and volus openly mixing with a few quarians.
The other thing that struck her was how everyone was being treated. Different races were enjoying each other's company. Asari waitresses moved from table to table, giving drinks to turians and quarians alike. Unlike the Citadel, her own people were being treated equally here – as customers. They weren't being called 'suit-rat' and told to leave.
But what surprised her most of all was how much she liked the place!
Most species tended to avoid large crowds and noisy environments. To a quarian, however, and particularly one who hadn't seen the Flotilla for a while, the place was so crowded that it reminded her of home. Even the music – an asari tune that was completely alien to her – evoked memories of the dances back on the Flotilla and Lia'Vael immediately found herself tapping her hand against her leg to the beat.
With a grin forming on her face, she followed her turian and krogan crewmates between the crowds.
Valni and Zaalia led the way to the back room. Lia'Vael shadowed Chaill closely as she trailed after them across the dimly lit bar. There was something comforting about the krogan, which surprised Lia'Vael considering the first time she'd met him his face had been an ugly mass of bruises. That, coupled with her natural distrust of krogan (reinforced by history lessons about the Krogan Rebellions back on the Flotilla) meant that working closely with him should have felt scary and intimidating.
Surprisingly, it wasn't.
The krogan engineer had been intelligent, witty, out-going, erudite, and remarkably laid-back. In short, Lia'Vael felt safe around him, which was something she never thought she'd say about a krogan, and she was rapidly growing to like his company.
They moved up a set of steps and entered the back room. Inside, a scowling white-hued salarian in a smart green suit was standing by the wall.
"Are you Sekat?" Valni queried.
"Yes," the salarian replied with a petulant glare. He was shifting from foot-to-foot, seemingly anxious to leave. "I prefer not to linger. You can never be sure if we're being monitored."
"Have you been briefed about what we need?" Valni asked him.
"Of course!" Sekat nodded at Lia'Vael. "Perhaps your servant could get some drinks?"
"I'm not a servant!" Lia'Vael protested.
"Let me rephrase that: a large crowd attracts attention and we have enough of that with him here." He jabbed his finger at Chaill. "I don't like to draw a crowd. If you want a new identity, only those people who need to be here should be here."
Valni turned to Zaalia. "Why don't you two head to the bar?"
"Alright," Zaalia agreed. She turned to the quarian quietly glaring at Sekat. "Let's go."
Zaalia led Lia'Vael out of the back room leaving Valni and Chaill with the salarian.
"Bosh'tet!" Lia'Vael muttered once they were out of earshot.
They moved through the crowds to the bar area on the other side of the room. Standing behind the bar was a purple skinned asari in a red dress and no markings on her face.
"What can I get for ya, babe?" she asked Zaalia. Her voice was unusually deep.
"Two Cipritine brandies, neat, and…" Zaalia nodded toward Lia'Vael, "… I have no idea what quarians drink," she confessed.
Lia'Vael gestured at Chaill's distinctive krogan silhouette in the back room at the far end of the bar. "I'd like to order a drink for my friend. Can you recommend anything?"
"The Harvey Wallbanger is popular with krogan," the bartender replied. "Partly for the name, but mostly because I mix it with ryncol instead of vodka."
"Yeah, one of those, please," Lia'Vael agreed.
"And what about you?"
"Oh, I can't drink."
"Sure you can. I can whip you up a turian whiskey smash."
"But I couldn't drink it," Lia'Vael insisted.
"You have an induction port, don't you?"
"Well, yeah, but… it wouldn't be safe, would it?"
"Honey, I've been mixing drinks since before your people were wearing those damn suits! I know what I'm doing."
The bartender really did know what she was doing. Before they knew it, two brandies, a whiskey smash, and a lime-green Harvey Wallbanger were on the counter. Lia'Vael peered at the rose coloured whiskey in the short glass.
"It's very pink," she observed.
"And guaranteed to do send your inhibitions running for the hills," the bartender replied. She plopped a pink straw in the glass to finish the effect. "Scan it to check it's sterile if it'll make you happier. Just don't drink it too quickly." Lia'Vael reached into a pocket for a credit chit, but the bartender waved it away. "On the house."
"Really? Why?"
"If your friend is who I think he is then he deserves a little celebration. Just tell him I hope serving on the Auroto worked out for him."
Zaalia and Lia'Vael took the drinks over the back room. As they approached, Sekat appeared in the doorway and scurried through the lounge and out the door. Zaalia moved over to intercept Valni as she walked out of the back room.
"What happened to the specialist?" Zaalia asked.
"He's done," Valni replied. "Got the data he needs from Chaill and left. Glad to be rid of him, to be honest."
"Good, now we can relax for a bit," Zaalia said and thrust one of the brandies into Valni's hand. "We're about to throw ourselves into the fray. Can't do that without a drink!"
Lia'Vael handed Chaill his drink, telling him what it was called. He took a swig.
"Not bad," Chaill said approvingly, "though it'd be better without the fruit juice."
"The bartender had a message for you," Lia'Vael added. "She said she hoped serving on the Auroto worked out for you."
Chaill's eyes widened as he stared at the asari bartender. "It can't be…" he muttered.
He strolled forward, clearing a path towards the bar with Lia'Vael hot on his heels.
Chaill laughed happily as he saw the bartender. "Matriarch Aethyta, as I live and brawl."
"Figured I hadn't seen the last of you, Chaill," the bartender replied. "How's the crest?"
"Still smarting after our last meeting."
"What? I only tapped you."
"You cracked my cranial plating," Chaill protested.
"It grew back, didn't it? Whelp! I thought krogan were tough?" The asari grinned and wiped down the bar with a rag. "Well? Am I gonna die of old age before I hear your story?"
Chaill laughed. Then he told her of his experiences working on the Auroto. How he'd bonded with the salarian crew; the diversion to Gellix and the chaotic mission on the surface. He related how the turians stationed on Gellix had reacted to him, and his joy at meeting an old human friend again… At that point, Chaill broke into a wide grin. "It was one of the best experiences of my life."
"You get laid?"
Lia'Vael had never seen a krogan blush before.
Chaill's pale cheeks coloured a slight shade of orange. He shook his head and chuckled softly. "You haven't changed a bit."
"And you haven't answered my question," Aethyta noted with a sly smirk.
Chaill cleared his throat and turned to Lia'Vael.
"Lia'Vael, let me to introduce Matriarch Aethyta. If it wasn't for this asari firebrand I'd have never been granted permission to work on a salarian ship."
"Pleasure," Aethyta told Lia'Vael.
"You're a Matriarch?" Lia'Vael asked in astonishment.
"Yup."
"Why are you serving drinks at a bar?"
"I enjoy the warm and fuzzy feeling of serving tanked-up layabouts. Plus, I get to crack a few skulls in the evenings."
"Yeah, but, I thought… I thought all Matriarchs worked as advisors and lived in tall towers … Don't you have acolytes?"
"You don't have to have followers to be a Matriarch."
"So you're not sought out for your wise council?"
"Ask a lot of questions don't you, honey?"
"The galaxy is a really confusing place," Lia'Vael said, nodding firmly.
"You'll get used to it," Aethyta replied. "My advice: Love long, laugh loud, fight hard, and always enjoy the ride." She turned back to Chaill. "How long you gonna be here?"
"Probably no more than a couple of days," Chaill replied.
"Well, if you ever want some company you know where to find me. We can do some proper catching up."
Chaill grinned again. He thanked Aethyta and the pair retreated back to their turian friends.
"Do you know every asari in the galaxy?" LiaVael asked Chaill.
"Only the ones worth knowing," he replied.
Valni and Zaalia were sat at a table. The quarian and krogan joined them and Lia'Vael carefully inserted the straw through her mask's induction port. There was a slight hiss as the suit automatically acclimatized to the foreign body, disinfecting the plastic tube. She grasped the straw between her lips and inhaled, taking a gulp of the smoky and curiously warming liquid. An explosion of flavour filled her mouth, numbing her throat as it went down. Lia'Vael savoured the sour/sweet tang of unfamiliar spirits. It wasn't at all bad.
I could get used to this!
An indeterminate period of time later Lia'Vael was surprised to realise her glass was empty.
She stared happily at the twinkling lights shining above the dancefloor, her senses pleasantly blunted. She frowned, trying to recall what that asari had said… 'Don't drink it too quickly'?
Oops!
Her head slid sideways against something hard. With some effort, she turned to see she was resting against Chaill's shoulder.
"Shorry," she slurred.
"You alright?"
"I feel funny," she confessed. "The world is shpinning. Why won't the room shtay shtill?"
"Okay…" Chaill replied hesitantly. Lia'Vael was vaguely aware of Valni and Zaalia giving her concerned looks.
"Can you stand up, Lia'Vael?" Valni asked.
To her credit, Lia'Vael did attempt to stand. She aimed her feet at the floor, but, inexplicably, the floor moved and she missed and slumped back against the krogan's chest. She looked down at her suit. "I don't think my legs are working," she replied.
Chaill shifted beside her, and hooked his arms under her knees and armpits. "I'll get her back to the ship."
"Weee!" Lia'Vael giggled as he lifted her off the couch. "Hey, you're really strong!" Her finger curled into the folds of his jacket. "Hmm, and really warm! How'd do your clothses not bursht into fire all the time, eh?"
Chaill made his way through the crowds towards the door. "I think you've had too many drinks."
"I only had the one. It was niiiice!"
"Yeah, that was too many. They probably don't agree with you."
"I like the pink ones!"
Valni and Zaalia watched the inebriated quarian and her krogan chaperon disappear through the sliding doors.
"She is going to feel it in the morning!" Zaalia said.
Zaalia was right.
Lia'Vael stumbled out from her bed (though she couldn't for the life of her remember how she got into it) and wandered, with considerable effort, into the ship's common area.
The crew of two turians and two asari turned as Lia'Vael lurched into the room.
Erata greeted her with a bright smile. "Good morning."
Lia'Vael flinched. For some reason Erata appeared to be shouting. "I'll take your word for it," she mumbled.
"Enjoy your first away mission?" Zaalia asked.
Now the turian pilot was shouting.
"To a point," Lia'Vael replied. "How'd I end up in my bed?"
"Chaill carried you in," Valni told her. "We watched him. He made sure you were comfortable and then let you rest."
"I'm still curious how you managed to get a quarian drunk, Severan," T'Rani said.
"Trade secret, ma'am," Valni replied.
Okay, is everybody yelling?
"Could everyone stop talking please?" Lia'Vael pleaded.
"It's a hangover. You'll be fine," T'Rani said. "Suck it up."
"I need water. I'm really dry." Lia'Vael made a beeline for the food dispenser.
"You could try turian coffee," Valni suggested.
"Yeah, but we don't have any straws," Zaalia pointed out.
"Doesn't matter, I'm gonna mainline the stuff!" Lia'Vael said.
"Hey, good to see you up," a voice declared. Lia'Vael turned around. What she saw confused her; Chaill was standing in the doorway, but he looked… odd. His red crest was partly covered in green patches that made him look like he had some strange, krogan version of vitiligo.
"What the hell was in that drink?" she demanded.
"Oh, I gotta dye my crest," Chaill explained, pointing at his head. "If I'm taking Jorgal Grax's identity I have to look like him. How are you feeling?"
"Pretty awful…" Lia'Vael confessed. "Thanks for carrying me back here."
"No worries. Had to make sure you were safe. You were fairly out of it." Lia'Vael cringed slightly as Chail directed his attention to T'Rani. "I have a concern… As I'm playing the part of a companion, just how far am I supposed to take it with Lidanya?"
T'Rani and Valni exchanged a look.
"That depends on the infiltration team, but it shouldn't be anything too physical," she said. "Once Severan and D'Ceni have gathered the data and have safely retreated back through the escape tunnel, I'll contact Lidanya's secretary with her the escort agency's clearance code and tell her we need to recall you with a personal emergency. I will apologise for the inconvenience and reschedule an appointment at a later date."
"You'll have to occupy her until we retrieve the data," Erata added. "But don't be concerned. I know my way around her apartment."
"Yeah, but in the unlikely event of a balls-up and you're delayed, how exactly do I occupy the Matriarch?"
"With charm, with guile, and, if all else fails, shake that cute little tail of yours," Erata said with a grin.
T'Rani stood up. "Alright, that's enough." She indicated Chaill to follow her. "We'll brief you on companion etiquette. D'Ceni, you're with me."
Erata followed them out. As they left, Erata kindly offered to help Chaill dye the armour plating on the rest of his body. "Just in case you need an extra pair of hands for those hard to reach areas!"
As soon as they'd gone, Lia'Vael sidled up to Valni and Erata.
"Could you do something for me?" she asked quietly.
"Sure, what's up?" Valni replied.
"Look after Chaill, will you?" she pleaded. "I don't think he realises just how serious this is."
Valni gave a slight smile. Lia'Vael's growing attachment to her fellow engineer hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the crew. "Don't worry, Lia'Vael," Valni assured her, "we'll watch his back."