A Matter of Race and Character
PANDEMONIUM
Pandemonium Club, City of Polos, Cyone – 20:10 LT – 22nd January 2183 CE
"People love a woman in uniform", Kenneth declared, adding to the long list of clichés he regularly vomited up. Now I'd find out if the old adage was true.
I couldn't believe his attitude. We were on an alien planet – furloughed on a colony that had been established while humans were entering the dark ages! It was an amazing opportunity to explore an alien culture. And what did Kenneth want to do? Join a poker game! Of course, Kenneth being Kenneth, it didn't take him long to find a game with the staff in the hotel. Idiot! That wasn't for me. I wanted to explore!
On vacations, I'd normally have packed more suitable clothing (like my asari evening dress) to go out on the town. But the only things I had in my kitbag were my spare Alliance uniforms, dress blues, and a few civvies, and the dress blues were a tad extravagant for going out – I didn't want to look like I'd just come off a parade ground.
So I slipped into my lucky underwear (not that I went out with the intention of ending up in bed with someone, but, no harm in being prepared), dressed in the second smartest thing I had – my uniform – then left Kenneth to his cards and went out to explore the city…
I didn't want to go too far. After all, it was night, and I was by myself in an unfamiliar metropolis. Plus, I was a human on a colony populated almost exclusively by asari. I suspected I was going to attract attention.
Yeah right, I should be so lucky!
As it happened, it didn't take long to find some action. There was a street party just outside the complex. And I needn't have worried about standing out; hardly anyone noticed me in that crowd.
God, it was mayhem!
It was a street carnival – a festival celebrating one of the Athame traditions. Asari were everywhere; performers in multi-coloured costumes paraded down the street, while scantily clad bystanders danced on the sidewalks, drinking, laughing, kissing, and singing. It easily rivalled the carnivals of Rio de Janeiro.
Unable to get through the dense crowds, I decided to retreat to one of the nightclubs in the hotel grounds. That's how I ended up at the hotel's main club, Pandemonium – the name seemed appropriate.
I could feel the music before I'd even gone through the doors. The deep base vibrated the air around me. I edged my way in through the red-hued entrance and took in the sight of the dance hall.
The chamber was vast!
I'd never seen so many different aliens in one room before, not even on my infrequent trips to the Citadel. The room heaved with writhing dancing forms – mostly asari; some turians; a few salarians; there were even one or two elcor strutting their stuff on the vibrantly hued dance floor. No humans, apart from me. Nearly all of them were wearing smartly cut, figure hugging clothing. In contrast, my blue uniform looked distinctly drab.
I had never felt so out of place. I briefly considered leaving but that would have felt like I was being chased away, like I'd given up. I don't do that.
So, I sucked it up and strode up to the bar. It was slightly quieter there.
The asari behind the bar gave me an appraising look. She was dressed surprisingly conservatively in a pale green dress. "What can I get for you, hon?"
I realised that I didn't have a clue what asari drank. "What do you have?"
"Depends on your mood," the bartender replied. "We have drinks for every occasion and every temperament. It you're looking for an interesting evening I'd recommend the 'Weeping Heart'. It's martini mixed and drell-skin toxin."
"I think I'd prefer something fairly light." Getting drunk on exotic spirits in a room full of strangers probably wasn't gonna give the best impression of the Alliance.
The asari reached behind the counter and produced a bottle filled with a dark liquid.
"What is it?" I asked cautiously.
"Sarsaparilla."
"Huh?"
"Well, we do see a lot of Alliance personnel in here, hon."
I suddenly felt very foolish. Cyone was a major hub, not some backwater colony. "Maybe something a bit stronger, then. Something from Thessia."
"Easy enough." The bartender smiled happily and poured a frothing red concoction in a straight glass.
"Should I ask what it is?" I queried.
"Only if you want more of it."
I took a tentative sip. It had a tangy yet oddly subtle flavour; the closest thing I could compare it to was a mixture of kiwi and rhubarb. It was a strange taste, but not at all unpleasant.
"It's good," I said firmly.
"Just come back and ask for the same again. I'll remember you."
Being the only human in the place I didn't doubt it. I settled up and moved away to watch the crowds.
I spent the next ten minutes just watching the dancers while I sipped my drink, trying to work up enough courage, or drink enough, to go out on the dance floor.
"Are you a soldier?" a voice behind me asked.
I turned. A turian in an expensive-looking red and black suit was staring at me.
"Alliance engineer," I replied
"Well, I got the Alliance part," the turian said. "I like your uniform. It's very… blue."
"Thank you." I smiled at him.
"I'm Roscius." He extended a hand.
"Gabriella." I shook it.
"A beautiful name. Now, I'm going to guess that you're part of the Interspecies Engineering Programme, correct?"
"Yes, how'd you know?"
"Polos is something of a hub for the exchange programmes, and often used as a muster point for rendezvous. We get members of lots of different species making fleeting visits. Just ships that pass in the night."
"Or strangers in the night?" I suggested.
"If you'd prefer…" He smiled. It was a nice smile.
"Hey, Roscius!" someone called out. A giggling asari in a skimpy red dress dashed over and grabbed the turian by the arm. "Junia is here. She really wants to meet you!"
Roscius gave me an apologetic grin. "Will you be staying in the club?"
"I might stick around, yeah."
"I'll be sure to look out for you," he promised.
I watched as he was dragged away by the enthusiastic asari.
Emboldened by the encounter, I decided to mingle, and approached a group of asari.
But my new-found confidence was short lived. I tried to engage the asari in conversation, but they just stared at me, scrutinizing my clothes as if it had offended their sensibilities. All my questions were snubbed until, finally, one of them hissed at me in an imperious tone, "What makes you think we'd possibly be interested in your kind, human?"
The words stung. It was like high school all over again. They were acting like they were in a clique. That was all I needed: a room full of alpha female, prom-queens.
But I was damned if I was going to let them ruin my evening.
As luck would have it, I was distracted by a commotion on the dance floor. Cheers were sounding from the centre of the crowd; the throng was parting to allow two dancers more space. I stared, hardly believing my eyes: A large krogan in red and grey patterned coveralls was dancing with a glamorous asari. And he was really moving.
Even with his back towards me, I could tell who it was – there was only one krogan who moved like that…
"Hey, Chaill," I yelled fruitlessly. There was no way he could hear me over the music.
I grinned. Of everyone I'd met in my life, Chaill was possibly the most unusual set of contradictions I'd ever encountered.
Where most krogan were selfish or mercenary, Chaill's creative; an engineer. Where others strove toward violence and aggression, he actually helped bolster colony defences that were being threatened by pirates. Practically everything you expected a krogan to be, he wasn't. That isn't to say he was entirely altruistic; he's a krogan after all. He still loved violence. But those urges were channelled into a fanatical enthusiasm for different sports: Rugby, kowla, ice hockey, wrestling, biotiball, and, for some reason, ping pong… I still haven't figured out why.
There was one particular away mission I'll always remember. Chaill he'd been serving on the SSV Perugia for about two-weeks when we were ordered to help repair the irrigation system of Terra Nova colony out in the Exodus Cluster. The colonists weren't that keen on Alliance personnel, although, one of them did give me a very nice asari-made semiconductor as a gift. Actually, looking back, I pretty sure she was flirting with me!
The Perugia's shuttle descended onto the colony's landing pad, and this ten-year old kid rushed up to the shuttle doors to greet us.
I vividly recall the look of terror on the kid's face when, instead of the humans he'd been expecting, a two-metre tall alien monster stepped out of the shuttle in front of him. The child was frozen rigid, staring bug-eyed at the wide smile of this massive bogeyman. There hadn't been any screams, the kid was too frightened for that, but his mom eventually hurried over to drag him away after he'd wet his pants. This hadn't gone unnoticed by the colonists and Chaill was met with more than a few hostile glares directed his way. Chaill took it in his stride, preferring to simply get on with the job. The next week of solid maintenance and repair of the colony's irrigation system helped thaw the resident's attitudes and even the kid, after he'd gotten over his initial fears, began to follow us around wherever we went.
He seemed fascinated by Chaill, but it was several days before he plucked up the courage to talk to us. At first, Chaill merely tolerated his company, but, when he started asking questions about our work, Chaill found he was keen, intelligent, and a good listener. He was interested in engineering and Chaill spent many hours teaching him the function of each device from the colony. Eventually, they became inseparable.
There was very little work done on our final day; most of the time was spent playing tag and giving piggyback rides, which Chaill submitted to wholeheartedly. It was quite a sight to see a human kid squealing with delight as he was carried around on a krogan's hump!
Tears were shed when we eventually left; the kid was devastated that his new found friend was leaving. Apparently, Chaill still gets messages from him, and the last I'd heard he was dead set on becoming an engineer, following in his big, scaly friend's footsteps. In one of our chats over the link, Chaill grumbled that the kid was still pestering him with questions, but I could tell he was secretly thrilled he'd had such a positive influence…
Chaill finished his dance and bowed low to his asari partner before moving to join a group of salarians. I called out to him and he turned at the sound of my voice.
"Gabriella!" he roared, and rushed forward, sending several asari skittering out of the way. Having a krogan charge towards you is an interesting experience! The krogan pulled me into a bear hug. "If it isn't the best damned engineer in Citadel space! And next to me that's saying something! It's so good to see you. How are you?"
"All the better for seeing you, Chaill. You can put me down now." Chaill glanced at my feet. He'd lifted me clean off the ground. "Not that I don't enjoy our hugs," I added.
"Me too," Chaill said happily, returning me to the floor. "So, you're here for the exchange programme, too?" I nodded. "They've chosen an excellent place for the rendezvous. I've had nothing but compliments from everyone I've met." Chaill then paused and glanced around the club, he seemed to be confused. "Where's the hairy Scottish one? I thought you two came as a set?"
I rolled my eyes at the mention of my 'other half'. "The 'Scottish one' is playing poker."
Chaill spread his arms wide and gestured at the room. "And missing out on all this culture?"
"Oh please. The only culture he cares about is printed on the back of a playing card!" Chaill laughed. "Those were some moves you were pulling," I added.
"A little thing I learned on the Migrant Fleet," Chaill replied.
"You're kidding! When did you work with the quarians? I didn't think they'd be very accepting of help from outsiders?"
"I spent a couple of weeks with them last year. Fixing the eezo core on one of the ships they'd acquired. Blood Pack vultures had practically gutted the cruiser; installing their own static charge regulators. They needed someone familiar with that hardware. I was happy to help. Excellent dancers those quarians, and very sociable once you get to know them."
"So, what's next for you? Working on another Alliance ship?"
"Not this time," Chaill replied. He turned to the Salarian beside him. "Gabby, this is Madik." He placed his hand gently on the orange-skinned salarian's shoulder. "He's the head researcher on the ship I'll be serving on." I was surprised to say the least. I never imagined a krogan would ever be welcomed on a salarian vessel. Madik was visibly trembling. But not from fear it seemed. I extended my hand which was eagerly shaken by the salarian.
"Chaill's told me so much about you." His speech was unusually rapid, even for a salarian. "So nice to be here love these interspecies programmes learn so many new things great chance to interact Chaill's friendly not what I expected his work is impeccable glad to have him on-board never been to Cyone before what do you think of the place so many aliens here mostly asari really like them not sure why have you got a drink yes you have I'm all out must get another one lovely to meet you goodbye."
And he was gone, scooting back to the bar as I stared after him.
"I think he's discovered the energy drinks," Chaill stated wryly.
"For God's sake, keep him away from espresso!"
"Too late – he had three before we came here! Don't worry; I'll keep an eye on him."
"It's great to see you, Chaill."
"And you Gabby. Oh, gotta dash." Chaill wandered off after Madik. The last thing I heard before he was swallowed by the crowd was: "No! Not the Irish coffee!"
With my friend gone, I went back to watching the crowds, waiting for an opportunity to strike up a conversation. After Chaill's enthusiastic greeting, I noticed a few asari glance at me with renewed interest. I caught one of them smiling my way, and smiled back.
Truth be told, I wasn't really interested in asari. Not in that way. They looked too much like human women for me to be attracted to them. But, a little interest in me might have been nice. I'd read about asari; heard stories about how they could bond with anyone, and I'd have liked it if at least one of them had shown me some attention. I would have politely refused, of course, but it would have been an ego boost. Then, at least, I wouldn't have felt so hopelessly unattractive in this club filled with glamorous aliens.
As it happened, I didn't have to wait long to be approached again – and I recognised the voice.
"Interesting company you keep," a flanging voice said behind me.
I turned. Roscius was standing with a drink in his hand, looking casually dashing. The asari in the red dress was nowhere to be seen.
"An old friend," I explained, gesturing in the direction Chaill had gone.
"I'm intrigued," Roscius said. "Any woman who can tame a krogan is obviously quite the adventurer."
I think I mumbled something about just being an engineer, trying to brush his compliment aside.
"Would you like to join me at my table?" he offered. "You could tell me how you met your alien friend."
"Chaill. His name's Chaill. And, yes, I'd love too."
He offered his arm, which I accepted, leaning in close to him (oh, he did smell nice!), and he escorted me to one of the private booths off to the side of the chamber.
I must admit, I was basking in the attention. Having a stranger show any kind of interest in me almost never happened, and I was secretly relishing the envious glances directed my way by some of the asari.
His private booth was a wide curved upholstered seat with a table set slightly away from the dance floor. It was secluded enough to allow for conversation without having to shout, but still offered a clear view of the club patrons. We sat opposite each other and talked for about fifteen minutes, mostly about each other's work; our exchanges interspersed by sporadic observations of Chaill's footwork as he gyrated with a succession of enthusiastic asari dance partners.
It was turning into a surprisingly pleasant evening… Well, up to a point.
"So, just how adventurous are you?" Roscius asked, during a brief lull in the conversation.
"I like to think I'm open to different experiences," I replied. "Travel is really quite liberating. You can see and do things other people could only dream of."
"Oh, I couldn't agree more." Roscius pointed at the dance floor and the asari in the red dress who'd dragged him away when we'd first met. "Flavia is also quite adventurous. Open to all manner of new experiences. Maybe you two should meet?"
"Well, I'm always happy to meet new people," I replied hesitantly.
"That's the spirit. And, if you two hit it off, perhaps you might like to get better acquainted with her?"
I frowned. "I'm… not quite sure what you mean."
"As I said, Flavia is really quite adventurous. Even for a maiden. She wants to experience as much as the galaxy has to offer. But she's yet to meet a human in the flesh, so to speak. I'm certain it's an encounter she would enjoy immensely. And I'm thinking maybe, if the mood takes us, we three might go somewhere more private?"
My heart sank. I leaned away from him. "That really isn't my thing," I insisted. "I don't do that with people I hardly know."
"Now, that's not what I'd have expected from an adventurous alien such as yourself."
"That's my position, and I stick to it."
Roscius frowned. "Such a shame. And we were getting along so well… If it makes you feel more comfortable, I could just watch?"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"You humans are fascinating. Like asari, but softer around the edges. And your skin colour is so exotic. I'm curious to see how it would look next to an asari."
That was the last straw. I grunted in disgust and moved to get up, but Roscius held my wrist in a tight grip.
"I'm not in the habit of taking 'no' for an answer." His friendly manner had vanished, his warm smile replaced by a steely grimace. "Ask anyone around here, ask anyone in Polos… you'll find I always get what I w…"
A large hand descended forcefully onto his shoulder.
"I believe the lady made her decision, pyjak!" a familiar voice rumbled.
Roscius looked up into Chaill's baleful glare. Chaill was standing over him, still gripping Roscius' shoulder. The krogan parted his wide lips to show his teeth. It could have been described as a smile.
"Know when to walk away," Chaill warned.
"This doesn't concern you, krogan…" Roscius fired back.
"I beg to differ!"
Chaill hauled him from his seat and embraced him, as if he was an old friend, then bent his head to whisper something in Roscius' ear that I couldn't make out. The turian's eyes gradually widened in alarm; his mouth dropped open. He tried to pull away but Chaill's arms were inescapable. Finally, Chaill released him and clapped him hard on both shoulders.
"And I meant every word," he growled happily. Turning smoothly, Chaill forcibly ushered Roscius away from the table. "Off you go. Do try to be a stranger."
The turian left at speed, disappearing into the crowd. Chaill turned to me. He looked concerned.
"My hero?" I asked quizzically.
"Would you mind if I joined you?" he enquired politely.
"By all means." Chaill sat down in the seat Roscius had vacated. "What did you say to him?"
"I merely reminded him that it was his duty as a turian to maintain his dignity," Chaill explained, "and warned him how close he was to having that dignity forcibly removed!"
"He left in quite a hurry. Was that in so many words?"
"I may be paraphrasing a bit," Chaill admitted.
I smiled despite my recent experience. Chaill was turning out to be something of a guardian angel – though I couldn't imagine anyone less looking the part.
"Excuse me?" a shy voice uttered. We looked up to see an asari in a long cream dress hovering by our table and staring at Chaill. "Would you like to dance?" she asked him.
Chaill exchanged a glance with me.
"You're in demand," I said. "Don't disappoint your fans." Chaill smiled and looked up at the asari.
"I would be honoured," he said firmly, rising to take his new dance partner by the hand. "I'll be back," he assured me. I watched them go, feeling surprisingly relieved that Chaill was close by.
Their dance wasn't very long, and soon enough Chaill had returned. We talked for a bit, our conversation interrupted only when Chaill spotted the salarian head researcher, Madak being carried from the club by two other salarians, one supporting each arm.
After talking to the salarians, Chaill returned to the booth.
"How's Madik?" I asked.
"He crashed. Too much of a sugar rush for him. But he'll recover. The crew are taking him back to his hotel room. He'll be fine."
"I'm glad. He seemed friendly, but he was a man in dire need of punctuation!"
Chaill laughed. "Salarians and stimulants – not a good combination."
"I surprised you've even managed to get permission to step aboard a salarian vessel. They aren't the most trusting species."
Chaill nodded. "Yeah… and I realise some people will think this is just a gimmick. 'Look at how well the salarians and krogan can work together.' I know I'll be watched constantly. The number of files that'll be restricted; the firewalls that are going to be in place because they have a krogan on board their ship… But if I can show the salarians my worth; demonstrate how useful krogan can be, then maybe I can do some good. Perhaps even improve our standing with the council… I've got to try, Gabby, even if I fail."
A shadow fell across the table. Chaill looked up to see a muscular asari in a shimmering opal dress looming over him.
"Why, hello there, krogan!" Her voice was deep and husky. "You. Me. Dance. Now!"
Without waiting for a reply, she'd grabbed Chaill and pulled him to his feet. He leant down to whisper to me. "At this rate, I'll be the one needing the energy drinks!"
"A big strapping krogan like you? Never!"
Chaill grinned as he was dragged onto the dance floor.
This became something of a habit. On three occasions Chaill was intercepted by asari, his partners insisting they dance close, which Chaill graciously permitted. This puzzled me. The asari were undeniably attractive, but ever since I'd known him, Chaill had never shown any romantic interest in asari, or, indeed, in anyone as far as I could tell. He had, however, talked many times about his burning desire to return to his home planet, Tuchanka. And from the way he talked, I always suspected he had someone waiting for him there…
Eventually, he managed to disentangle himself from their clutches and made it back to our table, looking none the worse for wear. I shook my head in amazement.
"What is your secret, Chaill?"
"What do you mean?"
"The asari are practically forming a line to dance with you!" I pointed out.
"Maybe it's down to skillsets?" he suggested cheerfully. "When you can retrofit a thruster manifold, strip a static charge regulator and perform a pasodoble, then you suddenly find yourself in demand."
"Yeah, you're the whole damned package! I just wish…"
"What?" Chaill asked.
"I just wish they'd show a little love my way. It's alright for you, Chaill. You're like asari catnip! All you gotta do is flex a bicep and they come running. I mean, seriously, are you giving off a pheromone or something?"
"Probably my cologne," Chaill suggested, a smile creasing his lips. "Guess they like to see someone fill out a uniform."
"Doesn't seem to have helped me any."
"I didn't know you were interested in asari."
"I'm not. Not really. But being asked to dance would be nice."
Chaill cursed, shaking his head. "Damn! Stupid of me." Chaill looked thoughtfully at the crowd of aliens. Then he abruptly stood up. "I won't be long," he promised.
Despite his size, he quickly disappeared into the crowd, heading in the direction of the bar. About a minute later the music in the club changed to the distinctive strains of 'Época', the same music we'd danced to on the Perugia. I grinned as I realised what he had planned.
Chaill emerged through the throng and strode towards me.
He stood at attention before the table and offered his hand. "Would you, Gabriella Daniels, do me the honour of joining me for this dance?"
I gave a wry smirk. "Seriously, Chaill? What's with the pomp and chivalry?"
"I'm old school." He grinned. "And a little drunk!"
"It suits you," I chuckled as I took his hand. Chaill led me onto the dance floor.
The crowd knew Chaill's past form and parted to give us more room.
Chaill gathered me up in his arms. As he drew me into a tango close I couldn't help but take in his familiar scent; a potent blend of spices and cut grass. And something else I'd never been able to identify: Something foreign and musky.
Chaill broke into a promenade and we glided across the floor. He remembered all the moves I'd taught him back on the Perugia and we fell naturally into a comfortable rhythm. He manoeuvred me up and down the hall, our stances constantly changing from a sensual cradle promenade, to Spanish drag, and into a series of energetic twirls, swivels, and dips.
Our tango wasn't anywhere near as energetic as Chaill's dances with his asari partners so we didn't exactly set the room on-fire, but the unusual sight of a human and a krogan dancing together was enough to turn a few heads. It was exciting to be the centre of attention, and the crowd broke into an enthusiastic round of applause when Chaill finally pulled me into a climactic open leg stance.
I was grinning wildly as Chaill escorted me back to the table. I'd finally shown that I could mix it up with the best of them, and hoped it had earned me a few points. And it didn't take long before someone did approach our table.
It was the bartender in the green dress. And she'd brought us another round of drinks.
"I thought you might want to try something different." She put down two glasses. The first, she said, was krogan ryncol, but the second was filled with a pale green liquid that matched her clothes. "It's called elasa," she explained. "It's a Thessian speciality." I put my hand in my pocket to get my credit chit. "It's on the house," she insisted.
"Didn't think the house normally served complimentary drinks," Chaill observed.
"We don't usually." The bartender's eyes darted between me and Chaill. "But I always try to make an exception for our more talented guests. Are you staying at the hotel?"
"Yes," we answered in unison.
"Just let me know if I can make your visit more… comfortable."
She actually winked, and then strode away, leaving us frowning in confusion.
"Was that meant for me or for you?" I asked Chaill.
"You can never tell with asari," Chaill replied.
"At least we're getting noticed," I chuckled and sipped the elasa. It was quite bitter but had a sweet tangy aftertaste, and I could feel a curious warmth spreading through my chest. "Wonder why she brought me this drink…"
"Well, elasa does have another name," Chaill said. "It's also called Sorrow's Companion," He took a swig from his glass.
"Okay, now I'm really confused. Do you think this is a coded message?"
"In my experience, asari aren't usually that subtle."
"You have a lot of experience with asari, Chaill?"
"Not much," he conceded. "Mostly what I've gathered from tonight's encounters. And in my professional opinion… they're a bunch of ravenous predators!"
"They've certainly been sniffing around you like a fresh kill! Notice anything else?"
"They sometimes hunt in packs." Chaill nodded at the group of asari eyeing our table. I turned to where Chaill was looking and preened with subdued excitement. Perhaps my technique on the dance floor had earned me a few admirers? I smiled broadly as the alien women sidled up to us.
But, typically, the adventurous asari were wholly interested in Chaill.
One of them bent down to whisper in Chaill's ear. After a moment, he frowned. Chaill politely declined their advances and they moved off.
It left me shaking my head in frustration. Typical. Now I'm a krogan's damned wingman! It was difficult to see how the evening could get any worse. At least Chaill was good company.
"You know, actually Gabby, there is something I'd like your opinion on," Chaill said, swirling the ryncol around his glass.
"Fire away." I took another gulp of my drink – it really wasn't that bad.
"I've been writing some poetry…"
I froze, my glass poised on my lips, and my mouth full of the asari liquor. I'd almost choked on the damn stuff. I swallowed carefully.
"Poetry?" I asked.
"Yes. If you don't mind, I'd like to hear what you think."
I was finding it hard to imagine rugby loving, ryncol swigging Chaill sitting down and conjuring up a sonnet.
Oh Lord, what on Earth is krogan poetry like? Is there a great poetry tradition on Tuchanka? Some krogan equivalent of Shakespeare, perhaps?
And then that was all I could think about. I suddenly had a vision of Chaill performing on stage in full Shakespearean costume, booming out verse in iambic pentameter: "Shall I compare thee to a nuclear winter…"
I shook my head, trying to clear the strange image, and realised that this, sadly, was probably going to be the highlight of my evening.
"OK," I relented. "Let me have it."
Chaill cleared his throat, fidgeting slightly in his seat. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn he was nervous.
"Baked dry to dust, this land of extremes,
Borne down by shattered stones and broken dreams,
Where stood towering cities once proud and taut,
And the promise of new life cut cruelly short.
Against the galaxy we fired the first volley,
Hubris and pride our greatest folly,
Damned by infection, corrupting young souls,
Only vengeance and hatred old grudges extol.
Yet from the ashes, hope still springs,
Of a world rebuilt so the young may sing,
A dream of green shoots reclaiming arid plains,
To reconquer our land with seeds and grains.
Though laid low, are we, by blight and war,
Together, as one, new life we can restore,
Our future, not lost, we need not mourn,
For that which once was, can be reborn."
I think it was a few seconds before I realised my mouth was open.
"Chaill, that was… nice…" I admitted. "No, actually, that was lovely." I couldn't believe it; I was using the word 'lovely' to describe Chaill! This was bizarre.
"When did you develop an interest in poetry?" I demanded.
"From my brood-brother," Chaill explained. "I met up with him on a recent visit to Illium. He'd been writing some love poetry for a local asari he'd been courting. His verse is far superior to mine though: Great stanza construction; beautiful narrative imagery."
My eyes widened in astonishment. Of all the things I thought Chaill would be interested in, this certainly wasn't one of them.
I chuckled. "You're full of surprises, Chaill." He beamed cheerfully. "That was certainly an unexpected poem. And I'm sure whoever you have in mind will appreciate it."
"Whoever I have in mind?" he repeated, frowning. "I…"
But something caught his eye. He was staring over my shoulder. I turned to see where he was looking. Six turians were approaching our table, with Roscius at the head. They walked up to us and fanned out around the booth, blocking us in.
"You're in my seat, krogan," Roscius spat.
"That so? Funny, 'cause you seemed to vacate it quickly enough," Chaill pointed out.
"And now I'm here to reclaim it." Roscius sneered as he looked down at Chaill. "This place isn't for the likes of you. You made a big mistake walking in here, krogan. We're here to escort you out."
Chaill gave the turian a wide grin. I recognised the smile. It was the same grin he had whenever we watched an ice hockey match together; that joyous anticipation at the prospect of violence breaking out between the players.
"You know what your biggest mistake was?" Chaill asked quietly. "Only bringing five guys!"
I glanced between Chaill and the lynch mob, suddenly feeling very sober.
The evening had just got worse.