Chapter 2 - I, Solik Vass, Documentary Maker

Citadel Newsnet - Zakera Ward merchants have filed a class-action suit against Commander Shepard alleging that the Systems Alliance Navy officer defrauded them. The alleged scam involved Shepard, the first human to be recruited into the Citadel's Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch, recording the endorsement, "This is my favorite store on the Citadel!" for multiple different businesses in exchange for deep discounts. "Shepard was incredibly brazen about it, even scamming stores just a short walking distance from each other," said the merchants' lead attorney. "The human apparently assumed nobody would notice." Shepard is currently in custody on Earth, awaiting trial for war crimes following the mysterious destruction of a batarian colony, and could not be reached for comment - Emily Wong reporting.

Asari actress Linia T'Pala had to fiddle with the settings on the intergalactic communicator for a good five minutes before the line finally opened. As the distorted, static-y image of the person on the other end came into focus, the young maiden began excitedly fidgeting in her chair. Finally, at long last, her caller appeared: a young salarian male with olive skin, large black eyes, and a warm, honest smile. Linia's heart fluttered at the sight of him.

"Can you hear me, Solik?" she asked.

"Yes, you're coming in now," the salarian replied. "I don't think we have much time before we lose the connection though, so I have to be quick: I'm leaving Sur'Kesh and heading to the Citadel soon. Just wanted to let you know."

Linia's large blue eyes appeared to grow bigger still and a wide grin crossed her face. "Really?! Oh, that's great! So, you're finished with school and… everything else?" she inquired.

The salarian nodded. "Yup, heading to the Citadel to… begin my career as a documentary maker. Still working out the details, but I'll be leaving in a few days. I'll let you know as soon as I arrive. Umm, when do you arrive?"

The asari's fidgeting became faster to the point where she was practically hopping in her chair. "Our freighter docks in a few hours. Right after that, I've got to join the cast press conference for 'Blasto: The Battle for the Citadel.' But principle shooting doesn't start until late next week. So… there's a chance I get to see my STG secret agent boyfriend before then?" she asked hopefully.

The young salarian gulped, then let out a forced chuckle. "Ha-ha! Your funny little nickname for me, Solik Vass, a documentary maker!" He gulped a second time and his voice became halting. "Because… as anyone… who had read the publicly available, declassified information about the Special Tasks Group … like I have… would know, an undercover STG agent would never reveal that he was an agent over a com line to a ship in space… Those are notoriously unsecure and… anybody could be listening."

Linia gave out a short gasp. "Oh, I'm sorry! I just got a little excited," she explained, then dropped her voice down to a near-whisper, "Do you really think somebody might be listening in on us?"

"It's a distinct possibility," announced a mysterious, disembodied voice. It's tone and timber suggested it belonged an older, and quite bored, salarian male.

Vass gulped yet again. "Yes. Another thing you learn from reading those declassified, publicly available documents is that the STG sometimes monitors its junior agents' off-planet communications to ensure they have learned and correctly apply the protocols for covert missions."

Linia cringed. "Oh, no! I haven't gotten you in trouble with the STG, have I?"

Vass shook his head. "No! Not at all! Because I'm not an STG agent," he declared. "I mean, hypothetically, an agent could get in trouble if he breaks his cover, yes. But merely being accused of being an agent isn't grounds for disciplinary action, so long as the agent denies it and maintains his cover."

"According to the publicly available, declassified information you have read," added the mysterious, disembodied salarian voice.

Vass nodded vigorously. "Yes, according to the information that anybody could find with a simple extranet search. Which I, a documentary maker, have done while researching my latest project." Vass paused to see if the mysterious voice had anything to add. After a few moments of silence, he continued, "The important thing is that I, Solik Vass, documentary maker, will be on the Citadel at the same time that you're acting in the next Blasto vid." The young salarian sighed deeply. "I've missed you."

Linia's lower lip trembled slightly. "I've missed you, too." The com line then began to get more static-y and Vass faded out for a half-second. "Before we lose the connection, where will you be staying on the Citadel?" Linia urgently asked.

Vass shrugged. "That's one of the details I have to figure out before I head over."

A smirk crossed Linia's face. "6th Dimension Vids is putting me up in a hotel room for the duration of the shoot. You can stay there."

Vass tilted his head and furrowed his brow. "But… If I take your hotel room, then where will you stay?"

Linia rolled her eyes. "The same hotel room, Solik."

Vass' expression grew more perplexed for a second before the realization finally dawned on him. "Oh. Ohhhh…" the young salarian exclaimed. Linia's smirk then turned into a rather devious grin, prompting Vass to let out another, even longer, "Ohhhhhhh…"

"Say, 'yes,' dummy," interjected the mysterious salarian voice.

"Yes! Ok!" Vass announced. "So, where is the—" The com line suddenly went dead.

"Grrr!" snarled Linia as she smacked the side of the device. It was no use. The signal was lost. Linia grumbled again and leaned back in her chair. The smile soon returned to her face. The important thing, she mused, was that she would be seeing Solik again much sooner than she had previously expected. Her attention was then diverted by the sound of a person asking, "Hand, please?"

Linia spun around and spotted her cabinmate, Suzra'Bonah vas Marketa. The quarian, wearing her favorite brown & gold exosuit, was attempting to enter the cabin while simultaneously balancing a stack of a half-dozen boxes in her arms. Linia dashed over to help, arriving just a moment before the top two boxes slid off and fell to the floor.

Suzrah'Bonah was a rarity in the entertainment industry: a quarian makeup artist. Like other members of her species, she was unable to wear cosmetics herself. Most quarians therefore never bothered with them. Suzra'Bonah, however, found alien rituals for decorating exposed skin fascinating and had voraciously read every thing she could find on the subject while growing up on the Quarian Flotilla. During her pilgrimage she was finally able to put this knowledge to use and her innovative approach led to 6th Dimension Vids' hiring her as it's top artist. She had befriended Linia and Solik, then just a studio intern, when all three worked on Blasto: The Hunt for Saren. Suzra'Bonah was usually the only quarian working at the studio and, while she never complained about it, Linia guessed that she got lonely at times. So the actress suggested they share a cabin during the trip to the Citadel.

"What is all of this?" Linia asked as they placed the boxes on Suzra'Bonah's bunk.

"The bare essentials," the makeup artist replied. "Most of my professional equipment is still packed in crates in the hull. But we have the cast and director press conference today right after we dock. Adria S'Voz isn't likely to be very understanding if I can't glam her up beforehand." The quarian pulled the lid off one box and inspected the contents. "Keelah, just getting this stuff was a huge hassle. There's so much cargo being moved around in the hull, you'd think we had already docked." Suzra'Bonah pulled a few items from the box and motioned Linia to take a seat. "Hey, I want to see how this idea I had to highlight your crests looks in practice." Linia sat down and let Suzra'Bonah begin her experiment. "So, was that Solik you were just talking to?" the quarian asked.

"Yes, he was calling to say he'll be on the Citadel next week," Linia replied.

"Lucky you. He's a sweetheart," Suzra'Bonah declared as she began rubbing a concoction onto Linia's scalp. "Hey, can you do me a favor? After the press conference, can you head down to the hold and just check to make sure the rest of my equipment gets sent to the right place on the Citadel? When I was down there earlier, I found that the delivery address on some of the crates was off. I fixed the ones I spotted but I couldn't get access to some of the others."

Linia regarded the quarian quizzically. "Why can't you do it?"

"Ohhh... I have a prior engagement shortly after the conference that I cannot break off," Suzra'Bonah replied. "It's pretty important and I need to make a good first impression." The quarian said nothing further and her body language indicated the subject was making her uncomfortable.

Linia decided not to pry. "Sure, I'll check on your stuff," the actress promised. "Just tell me how to spot the crates and where they should go."

The crowd of reporters and excited onlookers was already overflowing the room for the 'Blasto: The Battle for the Citadel' press conference when Linia and Suzra'Bonah arrived 15 minutes before it was scheduled to start. The pair slipped through to the backstage area, where the mood was tense. Blasto series director Bik Orbal, a slender drell, was nervously pacing while he spoke into his omni-tool. "Well, do you at least know if he is on the Presidium? If he's on another ward, there's no way he can make the conference in time!" the drell sputtered. Producer Mlax Ventkad, an elcor large even by his species' standards, might also have been pacing, though it was hard to tell given how slowly he moved ordinarily.

"Bitter regret. I should have had a tracking mechanism secretly implanted in Blasto the last time he passed out in a brothel. No longer an option now that he has cleaned up and found religion," the elcor announced. "Weary resignation. The crowd is too large. We cannot cancel now. We must go ahead and hope for the best."

Lead actress Adria S'Voz and Tyruss Aklaysius, the veteran turian actor who portrayed Saren Arterius in the Blasto vids, were also present. The two were casually talking shop, but their body language indicated they were also feeling anxious. S'Voz cast a stern glance at Suzra'Bonah as she strode in and motioned with a single finger to the quarian to head over. Suzra'Bonah immediately complied.

"Well, at least you got here before everything was set to start, though you cut it pretty close," the older asari remarked as the quarian began touching up her makeup. "Don't suppose you have seen Jorgal Dreed around? Nobody knows where he is. Blasto is missing too," S'Voz noted. Suzrah'Bonah shook her head 'no,' prompting the actress to mutter, "Pfft!" S'Voz then noticed the golden highlights painted onto Linia's crests. "Thinking of giving up acting and dancing in clubs instead?" the older asari sarcastically asked the maiden. "'Cause you look like you're getting ready for a stage on Omega, not a press conference on the Presidium."

Linia said nothing. Personally, she loved what Suzra'Bonah had done, but getting into a debate with S'Voz, an intense and rather intimidating individual, didn't seem like a good idea at the moment. Better to sink into the background and avoid becoming a target, she thought.

"Oh, c'mon, Adria. Don't take it out on these girls," Aklaysius declared in his deep, mellifluous voice. "We need to instead figure out what we'll be saying to the reporters if Blasto and Dreed don't show up at all. If the initial headlines are all 'Has Blasto relapsed?' or 'Turmoil continues behind the scenes,' we'll be pushing back against that all throughout the rest of the production."

S'Voz rolled her eyes. "With Blasto, I'm not surprised. But you're the one who kept going on about what a 'consummate professional' your krogan friend is."

Aklaysius frowned and crossed his arms. "Dreed is... when he's performing in a scene. But he's completely new to participating in the promotional end of things. Before The Hunt for Saren raised his profile, he never had to. Dreed wasn't even given an on-screen credit in about half of the vids he has done because the parts were so small."

The asari actress scoffed. "Stop making excuses for him. All he had to do was check the messages on his omni-tool telling him to be here." Suzra'Bonah finished her work, stepped back and turned on her omni-tool's mirror function. S'Voz contemplated her reflection for a few seconds, frowned, then finally added, "There's no more time. I'll have to make do."

"You'll have to do who now?" rasped a familiar, gravelly voice, though the words were slightly slurred. "Never know with you asari. Could be anyone!" krogan actor Jorgal Dreed chuckled as he strode into the room, adding, "Relax, it's just a joke."

The large, grizzled krogan listed slightly to his right as he walked in and grasped Linia's shoulder to steady himself. The young actress yelped as she felt the vice-like grip on her body and the krogan's 360 kilograms momentarily pressing down on her. Dreed swung around to face her, then pulled his hand back when he realized that he was causing Linia distress. "Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, then continued ambling unsteadily towards S'Voz and Aklayius. The stern, disapproving looks both cast caused the krogan to stop in his tracks. "What? What is it?" he growled.

"You're drunk!" S'Voz shouted. "It's not even noon yet! We only docked less than two hours ago! What, did you race to the lower wards bars as soon as the airlocks to the Citadel opened?"

Dreed was startled. "Yeah, that's right! Who told you?" the krogan replied. "Was it the bartender? Probably should have paid the tab before I left..." Dreed's voiced trailed off for a second, then he pointed to Aklaysius and added, "You tell him I'm good for it."

The turian's mandibles flared. "Spirits! You couldn't even wait to go out drinking until after the press event?!"

The krogan dismissively waved his hand. "No, I could not. Not after after being cooped up in that ship with nothing to do and that religious nutjob yammering at me all the way from Illium. Not after a trip where nobody thought to stock even a single bottle of ryncol. So, yeah, you're damn right I had to find a bar as soon as we got here. Ain't gonna apologize for that."

Aklaysius sighed and shook his head. "You finally get some momentum in your career and this is what you do? Are trying to sabotage it?"

"The fucking reporters aren't going to ask me a damn thing. You know that," Dreed muttered in response. "All I gotta do is stand there while they ask you guys the questions. Give me a few minutes and I'll have the 'standing still' part figured out. Heh." Neither of the other actors laughed at the joke. Dreed threw up his hands. "Yeah, ok. I'm drunk. But you know what? By tomorrow my liver will have regenerated and I'll be fine. But when you wake up tomorrow, Tyruss, you will still be a turian. Can't fix that, unfortunately." The krogan lurched forward and grabbed both Aklaysius and S'Voz, pulling them towards him. Dreed's expression grew suddenly serious. "You-you know I love you guys, right?"

Linia suppressed a giggle at the sight of S'Voz, who was definitely not the touchy-feely type, trapped in a group hug with the krogan. S'Voz grimaced and attempted to wiggle out but Dreed's grip was too firm. Aklaysius, by contrast, was used to this type of behavior from his long-time friend and passively submitted. The krogan didn't seem particularly aware that the others were not feeling the emotion of the moment.

Suzra'Bonah put her hand on Dreed's shoulder and indicated for him to come towards her. The krogan released his grip on the actors and allowed the quarian to lead him to a chair and sit him down. "There's a few things I can do to make his condition less obvious," the makeup artist announced, pulling some items from her kit. She cringed as she got close to Dreed's face. "There's nothing I can do about the breath though."

"Just do the best you can, Suzra. We can always count on you to make things a little brighter," Aklaysius declared. He wagged a finger talon at Dreed. "At least she thinks of others first."

The krogan ignored the comment and let Suzra'Bonah work. "Did I ever tell ya that you remind me of one of my daughters? Lujia, the middle one..." he muttered to the quarian.

"Uh-huh. More than once," the makeup artist replied. "Now remain still."

Ventkad sighed. "Casual condescension. The krogan is correct: he's not highly important to the press conference. Blasto's absence is the real problem."

Orbal walked up to Dreed. "Do you have any idea where Blasto is?"

"No, dammit!" the krogan replied. "That crazy jellyfish was who I was trying get away from."

With that, the room fell silent. The remaining minutes before the conference ticked away with no word on the hanar actor's status. "Grim foreboding. It is time to meet the reporters," Ventkad announced as he lit up a cigar and took a puff. "Quiet desperation. We will say Blasto is at the Council's Spectre office by the embassies getting a special, secret briefing. Let us hope they fall for it."

Ventkad, Orbal, S'Voz, Aklaysius, Dreed and Linia marched from the backstage area to the podium in the main room. The location, ordinarily a large banquet hall, was packed with members of all different Council-aligned species. An initial cheer from the crowd at the group's entrance quickly died down when it became apparent that Blasto was not among them.

"Feigned enthusiasm. Thank you all for coming out," Ventkad announced when he reached the microphones. "We at 6th Dimensions Vids are thrilled to announce that shooting for Blasto: The Battle for the Citadel, the follow-up to the galaxy-wide blockbuster hit, Blasto: The Hunt for Saren, will commence shortly. The vid will be filmed here at many of the key locations where the battle to repel the geth invasion was fought. Obligatory name-dropping. The studio would like to thank Councilor Donnel Udina for arranging for scenes to be shot in the Council Chambers itself, the first time this has ever been allowed."

Aklaysius stepped up to the podium. "This studio isn't ready to shoot in the Council Chambers! It isn't even ready to film the adventures of a Spectre!" he declared in the same voice he used when acting as Saren Arterius. The turian actor shook his fist at the crowd. "The Citadel and all its secrets shall be mine!"

The crowd laughed and applauded at Aklaysius' improvisation. The noise partially drowned out the sound of Dreed slurring, "Yeah! You tell 'em, Tyruss!"

S'Voz joined Aklaysius at the podium and dropped into character as Commander Shi'Paard. "You may know that we are coming for you, Saren, but my huntresses are ready for you. We will stop you. Not just for Thessia's sake, but for the sake of all species in Council space. The galaxy is depending on us and I promise you, we will not fail!" S'Voz looked over her shoulder at Linia. "Isn't that right, Lt. Kada A'Lenko?"

"Count on it, commander!" Linia shouted back.

More applause and cheers followed. Ventkad approached the podium. "Forced cheerfulness. You guys are the best," he stated, then added, "Abruptly. Thank you all for coming out. Please check out the official 'Battle for the Citadel' extranet site for updates on the vid, special promotional tie-ins and to sign up if you want to be an extra in scenes."

Ventkad attempted to lead Orbal and the cast members off the stage, however, the group didn't get far before the reporters began shouting questions.

"Mr. Ventkad! Diana Allers, Alliance News Network. Any comment on the criminal charges the real Commander Shepard is facing back on Earth?" a dark-haired human female asked.

S'Voz stomped back to the podium. "We have no comment because that matter is not relevant to this vid. As I have explained many times, the character I play, while initially inspired by Commander Shepard, is a wholly fictional creation."

Allers expressed surprise. "Is that really true? Mr. Ventkad made a point of saying earlier that they had gotten authorization to shoot scenes in Council Chambers. That's where the real Commander Shepard fought Saren Arterius."

The asari actress rolled her eyes. "Strangely enough, I have no comment on my earlier 'no comment.'"

No sooner had S'Voz finished when another human female reporter with dark hair shouted, "If the character is 'wholly fictional,' then why did 6th Dimension Vids pay for the exclusive rights to Commander Shepard's story? Mr. Ventkad, why does this studio refuse to cast humans even when the character is based on a human?"

The asari actress twitched and her lip curled into a slight sneer. Orbal darted to the podium before S'Voz could start speaking. "This matter was fully aired out when the original vid was released, therefore we won't be rehashing it today," the drell announced.

"No, it was not!" shouted the human but before she could say anything further, Orbal pointed to a different human reporter and asked her to go ahead with her question.

"Yes, thank you. I'm Emily Wong, Citadel Newsnet," the reporter announced. "I'm sure there's one thing everyone would like to know: where is Blasto? Why isn't he here at the event?" The question prompted several in the crowd to shout, "Yeah, where's Blasto?!" Others began to join in and soon the chant, "We want Blasto! We want Blasto!" was echoing through the hall. Orbal and the others on the stage stared mutely as the chant grew steadily louder.

As she had from the beginning of the conference, Linia stood quietly. The event was spiraling out of control but at least nobody was going to blame her for that. She decided the best thing she could do at this point was to continue to avoid attention. Gazing into the crowd, Linia spotted the human reporter upset over S'Voz's casting and noticed that she was now glaring at Wong. 'She must be angry that the other reporter switched the topic to Blasto's absence,' Linia thought.

With the others on the stage now silent, Dreed decided to amble up to the microphone. "Heeeey, I got a question for the humans in the audience," he asked. "Does your species have some rule that only females with dark hair can be reporters? I'm just asking." The inquiry did nothing to stifle the continuing chants for Blasto.

Linia spotted the doors at the back of the hall opening. The crowd grew silent, then broke into enthusiastic cheers.

Blasto had arrived.

The hanar actor began to slowly make his way through the crowd towards the stage. He posed for a few quick pictures and used his tentacles to shake the hands of other species but nevertheless maintained a steady pace forward. "This One humbly requests a path to the stage so that all may be spoken to," he repeatedly announced. When he finally reached the stage, he used a tentacle to take a microphone from the podium. He tapped the device to be certain it was working, then started speaking.

"First, a poem. This One has titled this work, 'Saren: Harvest of the Void,'" the hanar actor announced. He gave a long, dramatic pause, then began. "To find a kindred land of darkness, and to bring us into the past is the Spectre that carries the kiss given to anger. To bring instead compassion, This One will melt into the dark times and find out why it is as it is. To do otherwise shall risk leaving the galaxy to the actions of those who were with the Spectre that seeks the void. And the land that has been consecrated by the legend of the Enkindlers shall repeat the gratification of all things to be found in the matter."

The dramatic reading prompted new rounds of applause and cheering from the audience. Linia and the others on the stage with Blasto meanwhile exchanged confused glances and shrugs. They were nevertheless relieved that Blasto's dramatic entrance and recital had won the audience back. The crowd appeared to be assuming that it had all been deliberately staged.

"This One is humbled by your love and support," the hanar told the crowd. "This One is excited to be here on the Citadel, the gleaming symbol of galactic unity, to film the next thrilling entry in This One's namesake series. And, finally, This One thanks the creators of this great symbol, the Enkindlers. They have given the galaxy so much. It is thus proper and correct that much should be given in return. Therefore, This One is pleased to announce that all profits from Blasto: The Battle for the Citadel shall go to fund houses of worship to spread the Enkindlers' message of hope! This One and the vid's other actors shall donate their salaries as well. Soon, all may know of the path that wends ever upwards towards the light. Rejoice!"

Watching the cigar fall out of Ventkad's mouth flaps and hit the ground was probably the closest Linia had ever come to seeing a look of shock on an elcor's face. Orbal raced to the wall panel that controlled the hall's sound system and began frantically tapping away until Blasto's microphone went dead. Once it was silent, Aklaysius, whose booming voice barely needed amplification, strode to the edge of the stage. "Again, thank you all for coming out and we look forward to seeing you once more as we film all over this beautiful station," the turian actor shouted. Orbal switched off the stage lights and beckoned everyone to hurry backstage.

Once they were away from the crowd, Ventkad cornered Blasto. "Hysterical panic. What have you done? How could you make that announcement on your own?" The hanar responded by generating a series of blue and green bioluminescent flashes. "Sputtering frustration. Orbal, what did he say?" the elcor asked the director.

Like most drell, Orbal had had the special eye surgery that allowed him to perfectly 'read' a hanar's flashes. "He's asking why you would want to deny spreading the word of the Enkindlers," the director replied. "He says the benefits of this should be obvious to all, even to somebody as... hmm, let's translate this as 'dim'... somebody as dim as you."

Ventkad lifted a forearm and poked Blasto's body. "Angry bullying. If you do not tell the public that the announcement was a joke, I will declare you in breach of contract and sue you for all that you own. You will not have one credit to give to the Enkindlers."

S'Voz summoned her biotics and began levitating a meter off the ground. "Do as he says or a lawsuit will be the least of your worries," she warned. Linia shivered when she saw the anger flashing in S'Voz's eyes.

Blasto responded with another, slightly longer and less bright series of green and blue flashes. Orbal sighed and shook his head. "Yes, I'm certain they are serious. They don't believe in the Enkindlers." Blasto began a series of rapid red flashes but Orbal gave a dismissive wave. "They just don't, okay? Look, if you want to give the church all you have, that is your prerogative. But you don't have a right to force nonbelievers to contribute. Remember, 'Light the path so that others might follow, but each must decide themselves to walk it.'" Orbal rubbed his forehead and turned towards the others. "Blasto was meditating at a temple - that's why he was late - when the idea to donate everything to the church struck him. He honestly thought you would all immediately jump on board with it. That's why he announced it like he did."

"This One apologizes for being presumptuous. This One promises to swiftly correct the comments," Blasto announced. "This One will then retire to the temple to meditate more on how to best spread the word." With that, the hanar walked out of the room.

S'Voz slowly let her biotics fade. "I cannot believe I am saying this, but things were better when that waste of protoplasm was tentacles-deep in drugs and prostitutes."

Dreed growled loudly. "I know, right? For some reason, that idiot thought I was a likely convert and hounded me throughout the trip. That's why I headed to a bar as soon as we got here," the krogan rasped. S'Voz asked Dreed if he had brought any ryncol back from the bar with him. The krogan grinned, reached inside a pocket and tossed her a flask. The asari caught it with her biotics, took a deep slug, coughed for a few seconds, then tossed the flask back.

"We need to come up with a strategy for dealing with that religious wacko," S'Voz declared.

"Yes, whatever ideas you have, keep me in the loop," Aklaysius remarked as he checked his omni-tool. "I have to go now. My wife is expecting me." The turian's exit prompted others to begin leaving as well.

Linia was about to suggest to Suzra'Bonah that they get some lunch, only to discover that the quarian was nowhere to be found. The asari actress pulled up her omni-tool and discovered a message from Suzra'Bonah waiting for her. "Decided to slip out early. On my way to the appointment I mentioned before. Please don't forget to check on my cargo!" it read.

Linia stepped inside the freighter ship's passenger tram heading for the main storage bay. Another asari was already in it but her face was obscured by the image being projected from her omni-tool. Linia paid her little mind as the tram doors closed and she took her seat.

"Look, we have to be careful how we move things around in the hold. We figured it would be better to leave that cargo aside while we cleared a bigger path," said a turian voice speaking through the other asari's omni-tool. "I know you're the 'Queen of Omega' and all, but this is the Citadel you're at now."

Linia nearly gasped when she heard the turian's comment. A cold sweat came over her as she slowly turned and looked over her right shoulder. The beads of sweat became thicker still once she confirmed that she was seated directly next to a clearly angry Aria T'Loak, the notorious asari gangster queen of the Terminus Systems. It had been a secret that T'Loak was traveling with the Blasto series cast and crew, though not the best-kept one. Word had gotten around once the freighter left Illium but until that moment Linia had still thought it might just be a wild rumor.

"Yes, well, 'Her Majesty' is not pleased. She wants her cargo moved out first," T'Loak growled to the turian. "Transfer it all out within the next three hours."

"Lady, you're not my boss..." the turian began.

T'Loak cut him off. "You know, I've always wondered if the carapace on a turian's back could be converted into a nice foot bath. Maybe today is the day I find out. Do you want to help me with that project or do you want to move my cargo? The choice is yours."

The asari gangster clicked off the com line and sat silently as the tram whizzed along. A few seconds later she noticed that the young maiden in the seat next to her was quietly trembling. T'Loak looked her up and down, prompting the maiden to shut her eyes and silently pray.

T'Loak scoffed. "You can relax," she announced in a mildly sarcastic tone. "I already had three blue babies for breakfast this morning. I'm full."

In theory, T'Loak wasn't a big deal anymore. The human terrorist organization Cerberus had seized control of Omega and kicked her out. The former 'Queen of Omega' was now a vagabond reduced to using public transportation. That didn't make being seated next to her any less nerve-wracking for the asari maiden. T'Loak's biotic prowess were legendary, as was her ruthlessness in dealing with anyone she didn't like. And she didn't like many people.

Among T'Loak's few friends was S'Voz. The rumor on the ship was that the actress was the one who had arranged for T'Loak and her entourage to have their own suite of cabins. It was widely assumed that ferrying T'Loak to the Citadel was S'Voz's way of paying her back for getting the starring role in the recent hit biopic, 'Don't Fuck With Aria.' Linia knew from occasional comments by S'Voz that the friendship went back quite a ways though how exactly it began the older actress had never mentioned.

To Linia's immense relief, T'Loak exited the tram at the next stop. Two stops later, Linia reached the section where Suzra'Bonah's cargo was kept. The area was buzzing with activity as port technicians and their mechs unloaded crate after crate. More than once Linia had to hop out of the way of mechs trudging forward with stacks of boxes. After a few minutes of searching, the maiden discovered Suzra'Bonah's cargo and, sure enough, some of the addresses for delivery were wrong. Whoever had typed them out had transposed a pair words, which would have resulted in them going to the wrong Citadel ward. Linia corrected all of the ones she could find, then began looking around to see if there were any more boxes belonging to Suzra'Bonah.

As the maiden turned a corner around one stack, she collided with a human, knocking both of them to the ground. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there," Linia began as she got up and dusted herself off. The human, a dark-haired female, got to her feet as well, glancing warily at Linia but saying nothing. The human was oddly familiar and Linia quickly realized why. "Say, aren't you the reporter that was upset over Commander Shepard being played by an asari?"

"Yes, and I never got an answer," the reporter replied as she brought up her omni-tool's photograph function and began taking pictures of the crates. "I've got a bunch of new questions now. Like, 'Why does a vid production need so much explosives?'"

Linia laughed so hard that she began snorting. "Clearly, you've never been part of a 6th Dimension Vids production!" she exclaimed, then added, "And those crates you just photographed aren't even explosives! They're cosmetics! Well, the chemicals to make them, anyway."

The human scoffed at Linia. "You expect me to believe that you need that much cosmetics just for one vid?! Come on!"

That prompted Linia to break into another fit of laughing. "Clearly, you've never worked with a mostly asari cast either!" she roared. The human's expression remained stern and humorless, causing Linia's chuckling to subside. The asari instead tilted her head and glanced up and down at the human. "Who are you anyway? And what are you doing here?"

"I am Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News," the human replied. "As for why I am here, I am investigating why this freighter is stocked with enough weapons and ammunition to start a war."

Linia was baffled that anyone would even ask the question. "Umm, because we're filming a big-budget action vid?" she replied. "You know, the one that was announced at the press conference today that you were at? And these are all of the props and equipment we'll use while making it? I know sometimes the sheer scale of things done in Council space is beyond the grasp of some humans, but even so..." The last comment caused al-Jilani's stern expression to transform into an angry scowl. Linia realized she must have inadvertently touched a nerve, and started to backtrack. "What-what I meant to say was that 6th Dimensions Vids always does things bigger and louder than anyone else. It's headquarters is on Illium, which is practically part of the Terminus Systems, so it's the wild, outlaw studio, you know? I mean, what other studio would have Aria T'Loak traveling with its cast and crew?"

The reporter slowly raised a single eyebrow. "So, Aria T'Loak made the voyage on this ship too? She just happened to be hitching a ride on a freighter crammed with weapons and explosives?" al-Jilani asked.

Linia gulped. "Uh, you know, I think I'm going to contact security because I'm pretty sure you are not authorized to be here," she declared and pulled up her omni-tool.

"Fine, you do that. But tell your bosses they cannot hide the truth forever!" al-Jilani replied. "I will find out what T'Loak and this studio are up to! The people deserve to know."

It was only about a minute later when a turian security guard accompanied by a pair of mechs showed up. Linia produced her passenger ID. By contrast, al-Jilani instead demanded the security guard produce his ID before she would answer any questions. Another 30 seconds after that, the mechs were on either side of the human reporter, gripping her upper arms and holding her about five centimeters above the ground as they carried her away. The reporter squirmed and sweared loudly the entire time.

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Linia asked the turian once al-Jilani had disappeared from view.

The security guard shook his head. "Nahh. We're just gonna take her to the public thoroughfare and leave her there. Worst case, she'll have bruises on her arms if she struggles too much." Linia breathed a sigh of relief. The guard smiled and added, "You did the right thing by reporting her, miss. And I wouldn't worry about it either. I'm sure nothing is going to come of this."