Chapter 24
Illium Entertainment News Update – Hanar superstar Blasto issued a statement today that he was recovering from his collapse and feeling much better. The actor said he planned to return to the set of Blasto: The Hunt for Saren as soon as he was able, stating, "This One does not disappoint his fans." He scheduled a full press conference for later this afternoon. A spokesperson for 6th Dimension Vids declined to comment. Sources told our correspondent that the studio was not given a heads up on the statement by the actor.
It was well past midnight when Special Tasks Group agents Solik Vass and Major Kirrahe broke into special effects director Mara T'Rue's office at 6th Dimension Vids. The agents were looking for any evidence they could find that tied her to the Eclipse mercenary group. It was a delicate operation. Not only did they have to evade studio security and then hack the door's locking mechanism but they were potentially walking into a literal deathtrap: T'Rue's office was where she created and stored the explosive charges used in filming action scenes.
"You say you actually saw her smoke cigarettes while mixing the compounds for the munitions?" the major asked as he used his omni-tool to hack into T'Rue's desk monitor.
"Yes," replied Vass, who was using his omni-tool to scan the workbenches where T'Rue created the explosives. "I watched as one dangled from her lips while she leaned over that mixing table right there. It was kind of terrifying to be honest."
"Doing things like that may actually have served a purpose for her. It kept people from snooping around her office," the major noted. "Nobody is going to barge in here or even knock on the door if they're worried that they'll be blown into a wall just by walking past."
Vass shivered. He tried to ignore the highly volatile munitions all around him and instead focused on scanning for traces of the narcotic red sand. The first two benches were clean but the third revealed trace elements of the drug, which induces biotic powers in its users.
"I've got the proof, major. T'Rue has definitely been doing something with red sand," Vass announced. Both agents knew there was no chance that the special effects director was using the drug recreationally since the naturally-biotic asari were mostly immune to its effects. This was widely assumed to be one of the main reasons the asari-run Eclipse mercenary gang was so heavily involved in the drug's trade: it was largely risk-free for them. There was no chance the gang's leaders could ever get hooked on their own supply.
Kirrahe leaned over the main desk and began tapping away at the monitor's interface. "It appears T'Rue has been hiding red sand inside the charges she mixes. She wouldn't use those charges in the scenes being shot, obviously. That would be a waste. Rather, the ones mixed at that bench are probably packed up and taken along whenever there's on-location shooting for the vids. The studio will have the legal permits for the charges and red sand is chemically similar to some explosive compounds so a scan wouldn't automatically detect it. No customs officer is going to rip open an otherwise legal package that could blow up in their face. It's a rather ingenious system - almost salarian in its craftiness."
A thought struck Vass. "Remember when that set collapsed and Dreed got buried? They were having issues with the charges not going off properly that day. Maybe T'Rue accidentally brought the wrong ones to the set. They wouldn't have been properly mixed for the scene, so that's why they weren't going off at the right times. It would also explain how Linia T'Pala and Adria S'Voz's biotics were activated when the set began to collapse - They were reacting to the red sand being released as unexploded charges broke open."
"Very possibly," the major replied as he continued to try to hack into the desk computer. After another minute, he broke into a smile. "Ah, access!"
T'Rue, it turned out, was careful enough to not leave any incriminating messages directly on the computer. Kirrahe kept up the search, meticulously going through T'Rue's private folders one-by-one, talking aloud as he went. "No, that's just Fornax back issues... Extranet clip of Blasto being dragged away by Eternity's krogan bouncer... Aria T'Loak's unauthorized biography... Councilor Tevos' unauthorized biography... Hmmm, this folder is pictures of varren litters, little pups just stumbling around. She has got one with nothing but pyjak litters too. And there is a third one with varren and pyjak litters together. Rather cute, actually, to see them-Oh, maybe not. Yes, baby varren are considerably less cute when they are covered in blood... Well, this is interesting. Solik, did you know that T'Rue was writing her own 'Path of the Justicar' fanfiction? She was up to Chapter 187 of a serial titled 'Seductress of the Night Winds.'"
"Is it any good?" Vass asked.
"Hard to say," Kirrahe answered. "The beginning of the most recent chapter is, 'Shackled and at the crime boss's mercy, the justicar declared that she would die before betraying her oath and divulging the matriarch's secret. Privately, she tingled with breathless anticipation at the prospect of being pushed to her breaking point.'"
Vass shrugged. "It still sounds better than the most recent official entry in the series."
Kirrahe moved on to T'Rue's extranet search history. "'Symptoms of biotic neural itching'… 'Treatments for biotic neural itching'… 'Causes of biotic neural itching'... 'Can melding with vorcha cause biotic neural itching?' … 'Can melding with hanar cause biotic neural itching?' ... 'Can melding with krogans cause biotic neural itching?' ... Hmm, there's quite a few more in that vein..."
Eventually, Kirrahe found what he was looking for. "T'Rue definitely has Ariake Tech's SecureMessenger 3.5 software installed. In fact, I've found the message used to separate you & Linia during your date in Nos Astra. There's no doubt T'Rue is working with the Eclipse mercenary group, if not actually a full-fledged member herself. She is a former asari huntress, after all," Kirrahe noted. "Now, is there anything else in here…? Hmm, well, there is a recent message from her to director Bik Orbal. She was asking if the bio-luminescent flashes Blasto was shown giving off in a recent news report meant anything."
Vass shook his head. "They couldn't have. There are plenty of hanar who work for the entertainment news outlets. If Blasto had said something significant in his flashes, those other hanar would have reported on it."
Kirrahe rubbed his chin. "Not necessarily. The other hanar may have understood what Blasto flashed, but they may not have grasped its true meaning. Like, if I were to say 'your date with Linia,' you would know I actually meant the Eclipse mercs kidnapping you. T'Rue seems to have thought that Blasto might have been speaking in some sort of code. She asked Orbal because he probably knows Blasto better than anyone. He never responded to T'Rue's message." Kirrahe clicked off the monitor. "Maybe she was on to something."
The major glanced across the office now and his eyes settled a solitary container of cigarettes. It was a special brand called 'Illiumination' that used tobacco grown on Illium rather than earth. The container was still about half full. "I suspect she'll probably grab it when she comes in this morning," the major declared as he carefully placed a bug inside it. The major then reactivated his cloaking device and motioned Vass to do the same. Both silently slipped out of the office.
Kirrahe and Vass snuck across the studio grounds to director Bik Orbal's office, then hacked their way inside. The office was a simple set-up, with several wall monitors that cycled through the various promotional images from the Blasto vids, as well as excerpts from trade publications announcing the vids' box office success. There was one exception, a monitor near Orbal's desk that cycled through images and scenes from low-budget productions mostly featuring drell.
"Huh, these are his student films from when he was getting started on Kahje," Vass announced. "Looks like he was doing some seriously experimental stuff before he became the Blasto series director. One depicts a massive drought on Kahje, with the drell as the only survivors."
The major turned on Orbal's monitor and activated his hacking software. "He must have given up on those early ambitions," Kirrahe declared. "Don't let that happen to you, Agent Vass. Life is short, after all."
It took only a few more seconds for Kirrahe's omni-tool to hack into Orbal's computer. The STG agents learned the director was the recipient of frequent messages from the hanar star, mostly involving trivial matters such as whether the other actors had larger trailers than him. One lengthy series of missives revealed that Blasto had come to strongly dislike actress Adria S'Voz, describing her as "stuck up." Blasto asked Orbal to recast her part with an asari dancer the hanar had met at a club the previous night. He claimed the dancer was a "much prettier shade of blue." Orbal's response to that and most other messages was, "I'll look into it," evidently his way of placating the star without actually following through on any requests. There were no messages after Blasto's hospitalization, however, and nothing that shed any light on anything he might have said recently. Kirrahe searched through Orbal's other messages. This proved more fruitful.
"Well, Orbal may not have responded to T'Rue's question about Blasto's flashes but shortly after she messaged him, he sent an urgent one to producer Mlax Ventkad," Kirrahe announced. "That message warned that Blasto might soon do something 'even stupider than usual' and to ensure that his hospitalization had not caused 'any complications with the studio's insurance policies.' Let's check Orbal's extranet search history, shall we?"
The search revealed that immediately following T'Rue's message, Orbal had looked up the news footage featuring Blasto the asari had been referencing. The drell then watched it several times. The message to Ventkad followed that. "So Blasto did indicate something that Orbal picked up on. Now we must pry that information from the drell," the major declared.
Orbal opened the door to office at mid-morning and was startled by the sight of Major Kirrahe seated behind his desk. "What are you doing in here?!" the director exclaimed. "How did you even get in? I'm calling security!"
Kirrahe adopted his best icy stare. "That would be a pointless exercise, Mr. Orbal. I would simply vanish before security got here, then corner you later in some other location. As to why I am here, it is because you and I need to talk. So, let's get this done now, shall we?"
"You're in my seat," Orbal caustically noted.
"Yes, I am," Kirrahe matter-of-factly replied. "Take one of the other chairs." Orbal winced, then grudgingly sat in one facing his desk.
Vass watched this from the corner of the room while cloaked. Ordinarily, Orbal might have noticed the blurry translucent shape in his office but his attention was riveted on Kirrahe. The drell was clearly irritated by the major's impertinence and paid no attention to anything else.
"Well, what is it?" Orbal demanded.
"I understand Blasto is returning to finish the vid," Kirrahe began. "If that is the case, I want your assurance that he remains sober. It is embarrassing enough to have that hanar playing me in the vid. I don't need him to make the situation even worse by having a second case of indigestion," the major explained, adding air quotes to the word "indigestion."
Orbal's lips curled. "You're just an adviser here. You don't get to make demands on anyone."
Kirrahe's face was emotionless. "It is not wise, Mr. Orbal, to cross an STG agent. Besides, I should think you are used to babysitting Blasto by now. I'm just asking you to do your job - your *real* job here at the studio - a little better next time."
The drell was now seething with anger. "I can't prevent Blasto from doing anything he is determined to do. You want him to change his behavior? Then talk to him yourself. Better make it quick though."
"Oh? Why the rush?" Kirrahe asked.
"He may not be around much longer," Orbal heatedly replied. "Drugs aren't the only self-destructive habit he has."
"What is Blasto going to do?" the major inquired.
Orbal crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair and began smirking. "You'll just have to wait and see," the director announced. "Now, get out of my office."
Kirrahe and Orbal stared at each other for a few seconds before the major replied, "Very well," and got up and left. Vass, as per the major's earlier instruction, remained discreetly cloaked and hidden in the corner of the room. Orbal uttered a long string of what were presumably drell curse words after the major exited, then took his own seat behind his desk and told his office VI to connect him to elcor producer Mlax Ventkad.
"That damned salarian adviser broke into my office and threatened me! I want him banned from the studio. Have security drag him out," Orbal told the producer.
"Weary resignation. That is not an option. The media would be all over it if we did that. There has been too much bad PR already. Just continue to ignore him," the eclor replied. "Cautious inquiry. What did he want anyway?"
"The pompous cloaca decided now was the time to get upset that he's being played by Blasto. As if it matters at this point," Orbal said.
"Grim dread. You are certain he is going to go through with it?" the elcor asked.
The drell let out a long sigh. "It looks like it. Blasto keeps flashing, 'Truth in all things is the lighted path to the Enkindlers.' I assumed it was just another one of his passing things when he told me the other week that he was getting religion and he needed to 'lay bare his sins and confess all.' OD'ing must have scared him into thinking he has to really follow through with it. So expect him to talk about not just his whoring and drug habits at his press conference today but his massive debts to Eclipse and everything else he knows about them."
"Loud expletive. It will be a miracle if he lives through the press conference," the eclor responded.
"If he even gets to start it," Orbal replied. "Hanar bio-luminescent communication isn't that complicated once you understand the basics. I've known asari who learned it through melding with hanar and Eclipse is an asari-run gang. Even T'Rue was asking me what he meant. So the mercs may already suspect what 'truth in all things' implies."
Orbal continued talking with the producer as they tried to map out a strategy for what to do should Blasto suffer a tragic accident. They settled on a tribute concert and a re-release of the first two Blasto vids in a combined special edition that included some racy deleted scenes cut from the vid to avoid offending followers of the Enkindler religion.
The drell didn't notice the door to his office briefly opening and a blurry shape darting through it.