Chapter 08 - An Esteemed Fellow Journalist

Citadel Newsnet - A raging fire damaged three levels of a Presidium high-rise apartment complex today. No injuries were reported by Citadel Emergency Response Services, but property damage was extensive and may number in the millions of credits, according to an insurance investigator for Elkoss Combine. Officials from both organizations believe arson may have been the cause, citing evidence that undisclosed chemical compounds were a contributing factor in the blaze. - Emily Wong reporting.

"Solik Vass, documentary maker," the young salarian announced as he presented his card to the receptionist for Westerlund News. A camera drone hovered just behind him. "I was hoping I might be able to talk to one of your reporters, Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani."

The receptionist, a heavyset, dark-skinned human woman with long, bright-red fingernails, did not bother to look up at her visitor. "I would ask, 'Do you have an appointment?' 'except I won't, 'cause ain't nobody ever come *here* to see Little Kalie. She always out there chasing them down instead."

Vass let out a forced chuckle. "Yes, you have got me there. I don't have an appointment. I called her office number several times, trying to set one up, but she never responded. So, I thought-"

The receptionist cut him off. "If she ain't never called you back, what makes you think she want to talk to you now?"

The salarian flashed his best friendly smile. "We're both journalists, sort of, and I was hoping that, in the spirit of professional solidarity-"

The human rolled her eyes, leaned back in her chair and shouted over her left shoulder, "Hey, Dylan! You gotta see this! We got one of them salamanderians out here! Says he wants to speak to Little Kalie-"

"Salarians," Vass gently corrected her.

"...Ain't got no appointment neither!" the receptionist continued, laughing out loud as she spoke.

A dark-skinned, colorfully-dressed and quite slender young human male emerged from around the corner. "For real, girlfriend?! He's trying to pull a Kalie on Kalie?! Hah!" Dylan cackled.

Vass let the humans continue laughing for a few seconds, then replied, "Yes, if you could just message Miss al-Jilani..."

The male human smirked and shot a bemused look at the receptionist. "Do it, Nessa. C'mon, don't you want to see how Kalie shuts him down?"

"Heh! Alright," the receptionist announced, then hit a button on her monitor. "Kalie, sweetie? We got one of them salamanderians here to see you. Says he's a documentary maker and wants to talk to you, and I quote, 'in the spirit of professional singularity.' Some bullshit like that..."

"Solidarity," Vass gently corrected her.

The receptionist rolled her eyes again but otherwise ignored Vass' comment. "Yeah, I know, Miss Kalie, but he's being damn rude & pushy... Mm-hmm. Alright, I'll tell him," she announced, then turned off the com line. "Go on in, Mr. Documentary Maker," she declared.

Vass entered the main newsroom, which was buzzing with activity. He was the only non-human in the room and his presence sparked a considerable amount of murmuring and whispers. He spotted al-Jilani standing just outside a door on the far wall. A sign above the door indicated it was her private office. The human's arms were crossed and her face was somewhere between a frown and a scowl as she watched the alien walk towards her.

The salarian extended his hand and grinned. "Hello, Miss al-Jilani. I am Solik Vass, documentary maker. It's a pleasure to meet such an esteemed fellow journalist. I'm doing a-"

Khalisah curtly cut him off. "Do I know you?" she asked. She stared at his hand and did not offer hers in response.

Vass winced slightly but kept up his grin. "No. Not yet, anyway. But I was hoping I could-"

The human reporter again interrupted him. "What do you want?"

The salarian withdrew his hand as subtly as he could. "I was hoping I could interview you, Miss al-Jilani," he explained, gesturing to his camera drone. "I'm doing a 'making of' documentary about Blasto: The Battle for the Citadel. I heard about the incident the other day involving you, the stunt coordinator and Miss S'Voz and I wanted to get your side of it. For my documentary, of course."

The human reporter looked the salarian up and down. "Uh-huh. Is this an official 'making of' project? Are you working for 6th Dimension Vids?" she inquired.

Vass shook his head. "No, you misunderstand. I am an independent vidmaker - a journalist just like you, really. Now, I do have a contract with the studio to have my documentary included as one of the extras in the Special Collector's Edition of Blasto: The Battle for the Citadel, whenever that comes out. You know, it'll be in there along with the deleted scenes and outtakes. My contract gives me full access to the production, but also guarantees me complete editorial independence, which means-"

Khalisah leaned in towards the salarian and narrowed her eyes. "So, you *are* contracted to work for the studio then?"

"No, I am not an employee," Vass insisted. "But my independent documentary will allow you to present *your* side of the story regarding the incident the other day to anybody who buys the Special Collector's Edition. So, if we could just-"

Fire flashed in Khalisah's eyes. "Do you honestly think that I am *that* dumb? That you can just waltz in here and I'll tell you everything I know about what's going behind the scenes at the Blasto vid?" The human began poking Vass in the chest. "You tell your superiors at 6th Dimension Vids that I am on to them. I know what is really going on over there. And soon everyone on the Citadel will know!" Khalisah's poking got steadily harder as she continued to speak, causing Vass to grimace. "And you tell Aria T'Loak that I have hired the best protection that money can buy. If she sends any of her goons after me, I swear she'll get them back in body bags! Relay that for me, would you?" With that, Khalisah turned, walked through her office door and closed it behind her.

Vass slowly turned around to see the entire office silently staring at him. The exception was the two individuals he had met at the front desk. They were both standing in the doorway to reception area and convulsing with laughter. The salarian sighed and started his walk back through the newsroom. Just as he neared the door to the reception area, a youngish human male with sandy brown hair began talking to him.

"Hey, umm, sorry about that. I don't want you to come away with the impression that Westerlund News is anti-alien," the human declared. "Khalisah's just a little on edge at the moment."

Vass shrugged. "It's okay. She doesn't know me, so I figured she might be wary regarding my interview request. Do you think I might have more luck if I tried again in a few days?" he asked, then extended his hand. "I'm Solik Vass, documentary maker, by the way."

"Nice to met you, Solik. I'm Jake," the human replied as they shook hands. "Honestly, I doubt Khalisah would talk to you even when she's in a good mood. Well, one of her better moods, anyway. And right now? Nahh, that definitely ain't gonna happen."

Vass nodded. "I see. What, uhh, caused her to be 'on edge,' as you say? If I'm not betraying any confidences, that is."

Jake shrugged. "Nothing to betray. As Khalisah just told you, she's working on a big expose about the Blasto vid and it involves Aria T'Loak... somehow. Khalisah always works solo though, so no one else at Westerlund News knows any more than that - and we won't until she files her story. It's gotta big, though. There was a major fire at her apartment complex last night. Luckily, she wasn't around. The authorities think it was arson and that it started on her floor. So somebody may have been trying to get Khalisah. And, on top of all that, things are rocky between her and the asari she was dating."

The salarian gave a sympathetic smile. "I understand. I'm dating - That's the human term for a courtship ritual, right? - an asari myself. She's wonderful but it can still be confusing at times. Being involved with somebody outside of your own species, I mean."

"I imagine so," Jake replied. "It surprised a lot people at Westerlund News when Khalisah started dating Jacana. They met when they were both covering the embassies. She seemed to have a real positive impact on Khalisah. A lot of us here are rooting for them to patch things up."

"For what it is worth, I am too," Vass remarked. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you but I guess I should be going..."

"Before you leave," Jake interjected. "There was one thing I wanted to ask."

"Uh, sure. What is it?" Vass inquired.

Jake dropped his voice to just above a whisper. "This asari that you're seeing, Solik: does she have any single asari friends?"

Vass rubbed his chin. "Sorry, no. She's from Thessia and doesn't know any asari that live here on the Citadel. Why do you ask?"

"Dammit!" muttered Jake, then added, "Oh, no reason..."

Linia T'Pala sighed and rolled her eyes as the argument between the technical crew entered its 15th minute with no end in sight. She was restless and bored and if this went on much longer, she'd have to excuse herself to go to the bathroom. That would mean removing her costume armor and then having to redo the complicated and delicate special effects devices that were attached to it as part of the scene rehearsal. Doing that would add at least another 15 minutes to the delay.

6th Dimension Vids's chief stunt coordinator, Dar Rarbin, and the company's top cinematographer, Savara Korek, both turians, were locked in a heated discussion with the company's new special effects director, Ohsheh Nspaktah. Or at least as heated as an argument got when the other individual speaking was an elcor. Krogan actor Jorgal Dreed sat at the other side of the set, oblivious to it all. He was talking with an unknown individual though his omni-tool.

"Surly obstinance. We cannot go ahead with the rehearsal until all mandatory precautions have been checked off," the eclor announced. "Have either of you determined precisely the rate at which the krogan will be heading towards the asari?"

"The rate?!" exclaimed Rarbin. "That's up to Dreed! There's no point in timing him though because this is just a rehearsal! He's only here because the actual krogan stuntman isn't available. Who knows if they run at the exact same speed anyway? We just need to see how it looks as it is filmed!"

The elcor slowly - even by his species' standards - shook his head. "Harsh scolding. Then we cannot shoot the rehearsal. You have been wasting all of our time."

Korek threw up her arms in frustration. "Yes, we can shoot it! You just need to finish connecting the devices to T'Pala's costume," she declared. "Why are you even saying we need the precise time?"

"Exasperated shouting. Precise timing is mandatory for all special effects scenes," replied Nspaktah in the same slow, flat voice. "It is required by the Council's Vid Production Safety Act. The guidelines clearly state it."

Rarbin shook his head in confusion. "The Vid Production what now?! What are you even talking about?"

"Sarcastic contempt. It is something known to people who possess the ability to read," the elcor announced. "Snide joke. That would clearly exclude you."

Rarbin glared at the elcor. Before he could respond, Korek chimed in. "Spirits! 6th Dimension Vids is incorporated on Illium, you numbskull!" she yelled. "We are not subject to Council regulations!"

"Snorting derision. You are subject to them if you are making the vid in Council space," Nspaktah languidly replied. "The Citadel is - strong emphasis - most assuredly part of Council space."

T'Pala's eyes glazed over as the technical crew began arguing over the minutiae the production's permits to film on the Citadel and whether they included exemptions from the Council's safety requirements. The asari's eyes quickly regained their characteristic sparkle when she saw Solik Vass stride onto the Blasto set and start heading in her direction.

"Solik! Thank the Goddess you're here!" she exclaimed as he drew near. She nevertheless motioned him to keep his distance. "I'm afraid I need you to say back a bit though. My costume is covered with these special effects gizmos that are kinda delicate."

Vass halted in his tracks, his cheerful grin suddenly replaced by an expression of deep concern. "What kind of things? And what do you mean by 'delicate?'" he asked.

The young salarian knew from his time as an intern for the previous Blasto entry that 6th Dimension Vids' took realism took to a whole other level when it came to filming action scenes. The explosions and other dramatic effects audiences saw were almost never computer-generated fakery. A scene that looked highly dangerous for the characters in the vid was usually just as risky for the actors involved. On top of that, Rarbin believed strongly that allowing unexpected things to happen during stunts was the best way to create truly exciting scenes. Accordingly, his attitude towards safety measures was charitably described as "lax". So the fact that Linia's costume was covered in gizmos meant to be part of such an action scene was immediately worrying for Vass.

"It's nothing hazardous. I don't think it is, anyway," replied Linia, her excitement level amping up now that her salarian boyfriend would be watching her perform. "They got halfway through setting all of this stuff up when Rarbin & Korek got into an argument with the new special effects director over how to do the rehearsal. I'm still waiting for them to finish."

The asari actress explained that the scene was part of long section where the heroes had to run up the outside of the Citadel Tower in order to stop the main villain, Saren Arterius. This particular scene involved her character, Kada A'Lenko, taking on a charging krogan battlemaster. The script called for A'Lenko to use a biotic charge to hit the krogan head-on and take him out. Linia's own biotic abilities weren't that high level though, so various devices had been attached to her costume to make her biotics look even stronger.

"The gizmos all detonate in a big 'ka-pow!' moment when I'm supposed to hit the krogan," Linia exclaimed. "They still haven't hired the regular stunt guy for the scene though, so they talked Jorgal Dreed into helping out for the rehearsal. He actually started out in vids doing stunts, didja know that?"

Vass looked at Linia's costume from head to toe, then asked, "So, how is the stunt supposed to work? I mean, if Dreed is going to be charging at you and the devices only make your mass effect fields look strong enough to stop him, then, umm, how do you actually stop him?"

Linia smiled. "I don't. At the last moment, I dodge out of Dreed's way - woosh! - right as the devices on my costume ignite - Boom!" she explained, acting out the scene as she went. "It will only look like I am crashing into the krogan."

The salarian nodded, somewhat reassured. He reminded himself that while Linia was an actress, not a commando, she was nevertheless nimble and quick on her feet. Dreed was remarkably agile too - for a krogan, anyway - and fond of Linia, so he'd make an extra effort to avoid hitting her. The stunt could still go awry though, especially with Rarbin coordinating it. There was something else about how the stunt was set up that troubled Vass though he could not put his finger on precisely what it was.

"What's the story with the new special effects guy?" Vass asked.

Linia shrugged. "The studio still doesn't have one. Mr. Nspaktah's only contracted for this vid. The studio had to get somebody on board quickly so they could get the production underway and he's located here on the Citadel. He does the effects for an all-elcor action series that's set on Zakera Ward."

The phrase "all-elcor action series" seemed like a contradiction in terms, but Vass elected to keep that thought to himself. "Let me guess: he's not meshing well with the rest of the crew?"

"Goddess, is that ever the case!" exclaimed Linia. "He's slowed the rehearsals down to the speed of, well, an elcor production. It's driving the cast & crew alike crazy. The rumor is producer Mlax Ventkad's cousin recommended Nspaktah for the job and now the producer regrets taking that advice. For now though, the studio is stuck with him."

Vass peered over to Korek, Rabin and Nspaktah and saw that their argument was still in full swing. He shrugged and returned to Linia. "Sorry to bother you with this again, but is there anything else you can tell me about the incident on the set with Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani? Any detail might be helpful," he inquired.

Linia look around to make sure no one was within earshot of them, then dropped her voice down to a mock-whisper. "Psst! I have a message for you to pass along to a super-secret, hush-hush, undercover and very handsome Special Tasks Group agent: he can interrogate me anytime!" Linia replied with a wink and a barely suppressed giggle. "Unfortunately, I have no further intel on enemy agent al-Jilani. I wasn't there when the incident happened. Tell the STG agent that Rarbin was coordinating the scene so maybe he knows something."

"I'll pass it along," Vass remarked. In truth, he didn't understand why he would ever need to interrogate Linia or, for that matter, why she would volunteer for it. It wasn't like she ever withheld information or gossip, he thought. Perhaps he would ask Linia what she meant by it later. For now, he needed to focus on his STG mission. "I'm, uhh, going talk to Rarbin, but I'll be back soon, ok?"

Korek, Rarbin and Nspaktah had reached in impasse in their argument and were all sullenly staring at each other. Or perhaps the turians were just waiting for the elcor special effects director to respond. Either way, things were quiet until when Vass approached them and awkwardly declared, "Uh, hey, guys! Remember me?"

Rarbin's scowling expression immediately switched to a warm smile. "Of course! Spirits, it's good to see you again, kid. I'd heard that you snagged a contract for some special project on the vid. Causing trouble, I hope," he chuckled.

"He's doing the behind-the-scenes feature," Korek told Rarbin. "Good pick, too. We can count on Solik not to get in the way of things and prevent us from doing our job... unlike some *other* people involved in this vid," she added, her mandibles flaring as she cast a withering look at the elcor.

Vass smiled and cleared his throat. "Thanks, both of you. Umm, Mr. Rarbin, can I ask you a few questions?"

The turian threw an arm over Vass' shoulder and drew the salarian in close like he was a younger sibling. "Kid, how many time do I gotta tell ya? Call me 'Dar,' ok?" Before Vass could respond, Rarbin leaned in closer and whispered, "Play along with me, kid, and I'll tell you anything you need to know. You scratch my carapace, I scratch yours, understand?"

"Uhh, of course... Dar," Vass stammered at regular volume, hoping he hadn't just agreed to be featured in a stunt scene.

"Knew I could count on you!" Rarbin announced as he gave the salarian a hearty slap on the back. "Hey, Nspaktah! Solik here actually has the answer to your question. He was an intern on the previous Blasto vid and handled the stopwatch for the timing of all the stunt scenes. He remembers the specific numbers for Dreed 'cause salarians are brainy like that."

The elcor looked at Vass. "Deep skepticism. Oh, really? What then was Dreed's speed at full charge to the nearest tenth of a percent?"

Vass puzzled over this. "Dreed's right over there. Why can't you just have him do some sprints right now and time those?"

Rarbin shook his head. "Yeah, our krogan friend says he'll help us film the test scene but that's it. He, uhh, firmly declined a request to run at full speed enough times for us to calculate his average pace."

Korek nodded along, then added, "Dreed pointed out that he's only filling in for an absent stuntman and doesn't have to be here in the first place. He told us, 'You get one free take, that's it.' Can't say I blame him either."

"Sardonically. The krogan said that anything further would, quote, cost us an arm and a leg," Nspaktah remarked. "Quiet terror. We honestly cannot tell if he is joking."

Rarbin gave Vass another slap on the back. "But we don't need to ask now that our salarian timekeeper has turned up and he can give us the pace Dreed was recorded at in the previous vid, right?"

"Snide contempt. I believe you are stalling, salarian," Nspaktah declared. "Do you actually have the information?"

Vass looked over at Rarbin and saw the turian's hopeful expression. 'Better come up with something quickly,' the salarian thought. 'Can't risk irritating Rarbin before we have a chance to talk.' Vass cleared his throat and quickly blurted out, "Dreed's average pace at full charge was 24.3 kilometers per hour." He had plucked the number out of the air and hoped that it sounded at least plausible.

Evidently, it did. "Huffy exasperation. Rarbin, you could have saved us a lot of delay by calling on this salarian earlier," the elcor declared. "Very well, set up the scene. I will finish placing the devices on the actress' costume."

"Spirits! It's about time!" Korek shouted, then began moving her camera mechs into place.

Rarbin, his arm still around Vass' shoulders, pulled the salarian a short distance away until they were out of earshot of everyone else. "You came through for us, kid! Alright, I'll hold up my end of the bargain: what did you need to know?"

Vass again cleared his throat. "Well, as part of my behind-the-scenes documentary, I wanted to do a brief bit on the incident the other day with the human reporter and her asari, uhh, friend. The human won't talk to me though. What can you tell me about the incident?"

The turian shrugged. "Not sure there's much I can tell you that you haven't already heard from others in the production. The human, who was named 'All Jelly,' was a reporter for... Varren Hound News? Something like that. Said she wanted to do a piece telling viewers what it was like to do stunts in a Blasto vid. So I put her in a rehearsal for a scene where Commander Shi'Paard rescues a human damsel during the final battle. We had just started to shoot it when outta nowhere this asari bursts in and does a flying tackle on the human. It looked awesome! It turned out though that the asari had bluffed her way onto the set by claiming to be Adria S'Voz's stunt double. That was a big mistake 'cause A) S'Voz doesn't have a stunt double, and B) S'Voz was right there in the rehearsal. S'Voz had the other asari thrown out by security. Before they dragged her off though, the other asari revealed that the human was working on some sort of expose about the Blasto vid. So our lead actress had a second security team drag the human away too. That was pretty much the whole thing."

Vass frowned. "Maybe I can track down this other asari... Did you get her name or learn anything else about her?"

Rarbin scratched his mandibles and thought for a few seconds. "She never said her name that I recall. All I can tell ya is that the asari must be close to the human 'cause she was worried that the expose would cause the reporter a lot of trouble. Why? I dunno. Sorry, but that's it. The only other thing I can do is give you the footage of the asari 'rescuing' the human. I have it on my omni-tool. It's just a few seconds though." Rarbin tapped his omni-tool and forwarded the recording to Vass.

The undercover STG agent watched the footage twice in a row, then announced, "Thanks. I'll at least have a funny action scene to add to my documentary."

Nspaktah announced that he had finished setting up the devices on Linia's costume. "Finally!" Korek shouted and then instructed everyone to get ready to shoot the rehearsal.

As Linia and Dreed took their places, Vass finally realized what had been worrying him earlier about the stunt: assuming that Linia did successfully dodge out of Dreed's way, what was then supposed to stop the krogan? Once Dreed reached full charging speed he would be incapable of suddenly stopping on his own and the set didn't appear to provide nearly enough space for him to gradually slow down either.

Vass put up his hand and began to speak. "Uh, guys..." were the only words he got out before Korek shouted, "Act-shun!"

Citadel Newsnet - A crew member in the Blasto production was rushed to Huerta Memorial Hospital today following an on-set accident. Special effects director Ohsheh Nspaktah was assisting a rehearsal for an action scene when krogan actor Jorgal Dreed collided with him and sent the elcor hurtling through a set wall and into the path of a catering truck that happened to be passing by the set. 6th Dimension Vids producer Mlax Ventkad, also an elcor, said that Nspaktah's injuries were serious but not life-threatening. "Perfunctory concern. Everyone at 6th Dimension Vids wishes our colleague a speedy recovery. Dubious assertion. We are a close-knit family and, while Nspaktah only recently joined the studio, he is a part of that. We are confident that, were he able to speak, he would say, 'The show must go on.'" - Emily Wong reporting.

"We're in," a cloaked Major Kirrahe softly announced as his omni-tool's hacking software opened the door to Jacana Aragem's apartment. "Now remember, Agent Vass: don't touch anything inside without scanning it thoroughly first. We don't need a repeat of last night's incident."

Vass, who was also cloaked and standing lookout in the hallway, winced at the comment. "Major, I'm sorry, ok? How many more times do I have have to say it?" he half-whispered as he followed Kirrahe inside.

The major shut the door behind him, turned off his cloak and switched on his omni-tool's flashlight function. "Until you prove that you can search a location without leaving behind any clue that it was entered in the first place, as a Special Tasks Group agent should be capable of doing," he declared as he slowly scanned the light across the apartment's interior. "A clue such as, for the sake of argument, a chemical fire that completely engulfs the location."

The younger agent turned off his cloak and sighed. "You were taking a long time searching through al-Jilani's files, so I said to myself, 'What's the harm in brewing us a pot of tea while he does it?' How was I supposed know the teapot was booby-trapped?"

"By scanning it first," Kirrahe drolly retorted. "If I hadn't heard the fuse start, we might not have made it out alive. In any event, we lost the opportunity to find any clues there to al-Jilani's sources. Maybe we'll make up for that here at her girlfriend's apartment. That is, assuming you don't try to bake a cake." The major's flashlight found Aragem's desk. He scanned it, then activated his hacking software. "Just stand by the door and be ready to neural shock anyone who comes through. Aragem could return at any time."

Vass sighed and did as he was instructed. He had hoped that figuring out the identity of al-Jilani's asari lover had made up for the previous night's mistake. After all, he had gotten the human's co-worker to reveal that the asari was a journalist named 'Jacana' who covered the embassies and combined that with the detail revealed in Rarbin's footage that her skin had a blue-green hue atypical for an asari. That had narrowed the list of suspects from the millions of asari who lived on the Citadel to just one. Alas, Kirrahe was still irritated about nearly getting burned alive.

A few minutes into Kirrahe's search of Aragem's desk, the monitor announced an incoming call. Kirrahe scanned the device, then announced, "Oh, my!"

"What is it, major?" Vass whispered.

"This incoming call is encrypted. In fact, it's using a system so sophisticated that even our STG tools cannot crack it or even trace it," Kirrahe declared. "There's only one individual known to use this particular system and only one way to find out why they are trying to contact Aragem: take the call on her own system." The major rubbed his chin and thought. "Agent Vass, duck into the adjacent room and wait there out of sight. I'm taking the call."

"Sir, that's completely against official protocol!" Vass sputtered. "Whoever is trying to contact Aragem will know that her apartment was broken into and-"

Kirrahe cut him off. "I am the senior agent on this mission and I am giving you an order."

Vass nodded and darted into the next room. He leaned against the wall separating the rooms and heard the familiar static of a communications line being opened. A second later a heavily computerized and quite menacing voice asked, "What are you doing in Jacana Aragem's apartment... Major Kirrahe of the Special Tasks Group?"

The major chuckled in response. "Spying on her, of course!" he cheerfully announced. "And that was before I even knew that she was one of your operatives, Shadow Broker. Now that I do, I have a couple of questions for you..."