Chapter 7
Franklin walked through a series of dimly lit corridors and alleyways in Kithoi ward. His destination led him far from the grand opulence of the Council Central Archives, and the bright lights of the more touristy areas such as the Sensory Gallery. Instead he found himself moving towards a small rundown residential building in the middle of the ward. Standing outside looking at the building Franklin double checked the address on his new hot pink omnitool.
Now certain that he was at the right place Franklin started forwards only to be distracted by a Quarian exiting the building. The two looked at each other for a moment before and Franklin took in their strange appearance.
On the way down he had researched Quarians as much as possible so he was able to identify this one as a male of the species. His suit was a few years old and the colors were fading, but looked to be in good condition nonetheless. It hung loose on the Quarian in most places in order to allow freedom of movement, and the colors must have at one point been vibrant and eye catching. The faceplate was dark enough that Franklin was only able to get an impression of eyes behind it, and with the rebreather in the front they looked well and truly alien. Stepping aside Franklin allowed the Quarian to go about his way before entering the building. Looking around the dingy entryway Franklin found that the elevators were out of order and marked as such with a simple plastic sign his omnitool translated for him. Seeing the stairs beside the elevators Franklin sighed to himself and started climbing.
Four stories later Franklin was standing in front of a nondescript door taking a moment to catch his breath. Just as he reached for the doorbell the door slid open revealing a Quarian clad in a skintight, jet black enviro suit that hugged her curves and left very little to the imagination about what her body looked like. Her face plate was also far more translucent than the last Quarians he had seen allowing Franklin to get a good look at her face.
She had strikingly similar features to a Human's although there were enough differences that she looked distinct. Her eyes were the most striking difference, they practically glowed and Franklin wondered if it was natural or if something else was causing it, her skin also had a slightly purple color to it that almost reminded him of an Asari.
"You must be Shan Vaas Kalerion." Franklin said.
"Must I? No I think not, that name is for my peers to use. You are a worm and as such you will only refer to me as Mistress Shaan. Do you understand worm?" She said the omnitool preserving her strange accent. Her body language spoke of derision that matched her tone, and she stood with her arms on either side of the doorframe preventing Franklin from entering the room.
Nodding he hoped the omnitool could translate the motion, and he was rewarded with her nodding along.
"I want you to understand something here worm, this is my domain and I am not like that lickspittle the consort, I do not give one shit about your pleasure. In here I am in charge and I will decide what we will be doing, is that going to be a problem?"
"No Mistress Shan, I understand."
When Franklin had read through the file and Udina's report he immediately wondered if this was just some kind of a trap to get him fired. But Franklin had to wonder what the point would be, his bosses didn't need a reason to get him fired, they could just do it.
"Very good worm, you may come in and make yourself comfortable." She said finally moving out of the way.
Entering the small apartment he saw that the entire thing had been converted into what I could only describe as a sex dungeon. The windows had curtains pulled tight over them, and the room was surprisingly well lit which gave him an excellent view of the different racks, posts, and jumbles of metal that all looked like medieval torture devices, all of them with straps and restraints hanging off them. What really caught his eye though was something in the middle of the room that looked like a cage made out of thick steel beams, and large loops of steel cables on its base and on its top.
"I think that would be a bit much for you, that was made to hold an Elcore or a Krogan." Shan said as she walked up behind me. "Now are you going to make yourself comfortable or not?"
Taking a deep breath he calmed himself, and then started taking off his clothes, folding the and placing them on a small table near the door until he was standing naked in the middle of the room. Suddenly glad for his experiences the other day with the Asari. Without that experience he probably would have been a nervous wreck. Instead he was standing buck naked in an alien dominatrix's sex dungeon.
Life goals.
Listening, he heard the gentle swish of Mistress Shan's suit as she walked up behind him. "Well well well, that's not half bad." She said running her hand over his back as she walked around Franklin, her fingers trailing over his skin leaving goose bumps as she went. "Not as bony as a Turian, as squishy as an Asari, or hard to restrain as an Elcor, and not so difficult to dominate as a Krogan. But you know when I said you should get comfortable I just meant you should have a seat." She said pointing to a small round table in the corner of the room with two small metal chairs on either side of it.
Feeling a little embarrassed Franklin put his arms to his side and walked over to the chair and sat down. Mistress Shan walked over to the table and stood to the side looking down at her chair. With a start he stood up and pulled out her chair for her.
She sat down and Franklin pushed her chair in for her. Sitting down he looked at the woman and saw that she was sitting with her back straight up, hands clasped together on the table looking as formal as the King of England.
Taking his own seat the two looked at each other and Franklin was suddenly completely unsure of what to do. He had done some things in my life but this was so far out of his comfort zone he found himself completely unsure of what to do.
"So tell me worm what is sex like for your species? Lots of grunting and hip thrusting I assume?"
What followed was the most embarrassing conversation of Franklin's entire life. She asked him exactly what he had done, what he liked, what he didn't like, where his erogenous zones were and even how much pain he liked.
"Now I see that you have nipples, does that mean you are a female of your species?"
"Uh, no," He answered slowly. "Men have nipples as well in our species. They're mostly just decorative though they don't really do anything."
"Just decorative? So they aren't sensitive to hot, cold, pain or anything else?"
"I guess they are sensitive to those things, erogenous zones as well. Do you have nipples?"
"Do you have nipples, what?" She prompted.
"Do you have nipples mistress Shan?"
"Very good worm, never forget to use my title. My species has been space faring since before your people had industry and I will not allow you to talk to me as if we are equals.
Now what do you know of what I do here?"
"I know that you use shame, pain and embarrassment to heighten arousal."
At that she chuckled a little.
"Silly worm, you know nothing. I help people learn their true selves. I help people surpass their boundaries, do things they never thought possible, learn truths about themselves they never would have known."
"By tying them up and spanking their asses?" Franklin asked.
Cocking her head to the side Mistress Shan spoke again. "Is that what you like? Your ass spanked? I have a lovely collection of whips and flails we can try on you. See what color that nice pale skin turns when it's flogged."
At that Franklin blushed and looked down.
"Now you see that is what I want, and honest reaction. I want to see the real person inside of you, not the mask you wear, or the lies you tell yourself and others. But the real truths of who you are. That is what I do here worm. And yes for that I will push you, I will push you hard." She said her voice sounding almost menacing coming through her helmet and the omnitool. "But I do promise that I will not push you just to break you. Part of finding out who you are is the pleasure and exhilaration that brings, and I will bring you there." She said leaning forwards her glowing eyes illuminating her face slightly.
"I use a code system. If you tell me to stop I will not, if you say red I will stop, if you say green I will continue, if you say yellow I will slow down and let you rest. If I ask you your color then I expect you to answer promptly, if you cannot then we will stop. Is there anything you do not understand?"
"I understand the system. What I don't understand is why I have to know it, I was hoping we could just talk." Franklin said.
"Worm if you want to talk to me it will be at the end of our session and not before then."
"But why? You get paid either way, couldn't we just talk?"
"Because I wouldn't get what I want out of this worm."
"And what do you want?" Franklin asked feeling genuinely curious.
"I want to learn about people. Their likes, their dislikes, what they fear, what they love, what disgusts them and what turns them on. There is nothing better than stripping a person down bit by bit, peeling away the layers and masks to reveal who they really are underneath it all." She said after a moment.
"That's what you see what you doing here as?"
"Of course, the time before sex is when people are at their most primal, their most raw, their most honest."
"I've always felt that before sex is when people are at their most dishonest." Franklin said thoughtfully.
"You think so?"
"Yes, unless my friend Jasmine really did meet interstellar pop-star Karlicious at a dive bar near our university."
"Ah but you see that was honest."
"Lying about who you are so someone will have sex with you is honest?"
"Honest? No not really, but it is pure of purpose. This person showed who they really are to themselves, and anyone who really knows them. They are a cowardly, sniveling worm who does not deserve the warm embrace of another, and they had to lie in order to gain that sex. That patheticness is his truth, it may not be a truth everyone knows, but it is still a fundamental truth of who he is." She said leaning back in her chair.
"I think I understand. So through sex, or at least their attempts to have it people will reveal who they really are?"
"Yes, but also during sex, and after as well. The primal and physical act of sex, of making children and passing on our very DNA is the most intimate act shared by all species, and it is in that time that all pretense of civilization falls away and we are faced with who we are. I have seen Asari Matriarchs a thousand years old beg for a simple touch, I have seen Turian generals stupefied by indecision, and Batarian's promise their very souls for just a little more. I am truly curious to see what your species will show me next." She said.
The angle of her visor against the light made it hard for Franklin to see her face. But her eyes glowed behind the glass.
"So tell me worm are you ready to learn about your truth?"
Taking a deep breath Franklin thought for a moment. He had an idea but it was a risk, a huge one and if it failed then this was it for this meeting and his career. Speaking Franklin took a chance.