Chapter 11 - Doing One's Patriotic Duty
Alliance News Network - Turian actor Tyruss Aklaysius gave the commencement address for a graduation ceremony at the Alliance Navy's Citadel training academy. The actor, who had starred in the controversial drama 'Incident at Relay 314,' which told the turian version of how the First Contact War started, thanked the cadets for the invite, saying it was important that the Council races "continue to heal old wounds." [Audio excerpts of speech] "I was a young cadet when the hostilities between our respective species first began. If your artillery had been just a little more accurate, I wouldn't be here now. So thank your instructors for me. [Laughter]... In truth, our species are very similar. We are both fiercely proud of our history. We both work industriously during times of peace and fight bravely in times of war. We both want to have sex with the asari. [Laughter]... In conclusion, I would remind you that battles are not won by soldiers fighting for admirals or for governments. They are won by individuals fighting for their fellow soldiers on the battlefield, their 'buddies,' to use one of your species' terms. As I look out into the sea of faces before me, I am convinced that you will not let your buddies down. Thank you, and may the spirits watch over you all." - Diana Allers reporting.
Solik Vass was dreaming of the beaches back on his home planet of Sur'Kesh when the call came in. As he blinked away his drowsiness, he saw that the communication was audio-only and coming in on the secure line reserved for Special Tasks Group missions. The realization jolted him fully awake. He lifted his head off the pillow and opened the line. "Agent Vass, reporting in!" he declared.
"Good morning, agent," Major Kirrahe replied. "I need you to get down to the Blasto set and check something for me. You must report back with your findings by no later than 9 a.m. It is already nearly 7:30 a.m., so you had better get moving."
Vass nodded, then realized that nodding was pointless on an audio-only call. "Right away, sir!" he exclaimed and began to slide out of the hotel room bed. Vass only managed to move a few centimeters however. He was halted by the naked asari maiden entwined around him.
The young STG agent made a second, stronger effort to get out of bed but was again immobilized when the asari tightened her embrace.
"No," Linia T'Pala sharply announced, the tone of her voice deliberately and comically childish.
Vass sighed. In all honestly, he would have rather stayed in bed too. This whole business of embracing a person for long periods of time that Linia had introduced him to was quite pleasurable. Prior to trying it, he would have assumed that such an act would be physically awkward and generally uncomfortable - and it probably was if you didn't care for your partner. But when done with somebody you did feel an attachment too, it was amazing. It introduced Vass to many pleasurable sensations that were completely new to him. He could feel the warmth of Linia's body, the soft texture of her skin, and the tingle created by her hands touching him. Even hearing the steady thump of her heartbeat was comforting. Beyond the physical sensations, Vass discovered it had an unexpected emotional aspect too. By getting as physically close to Linia as he possibly could, he found that he felt closer to her on other levels as well, that they were sharing something. It was, in its own way, like melding minds with her. The pleasure wasn't as ecstatic and his mind wasn't being flooded with new images and sensations, but this "cuddling," as Linia termed it, provided a simple, soothing calm that was like meditation, but more pleasurable. And, unlike a mental melding, Linia could do it for hours on end.
There was, however, one slight problem, Vass had discovered. Once started, Linia would often refuse to stop.
"I'm sorry, Linia," Vass declared. "But you heard the major. Duty calls." He began a third attempt to get out of bed, throwing even more strength into it. The asari responded by wrapping herself even more tightly around the young salarian and squeezing.
"No," she repeated, then began nuzzling Vass' neck. She started breathing on a spot she knew was ticklish for the young salarian.
"Please..." Vass began but his voice trailed off before he could get to "stop." He attempted to suppress his giggles but that lasted for only a few moments. Linia then began wiggling her body against his, which soon had Vass laughing out loud. "That's not fair!" he declared in between gasps for air.
"So?" Linia replied and began wiggling faster.
Both froze a second later. "Miss T'Pala, please release Agent Vass from your custody," Major Kirrahe calmly requested over the still-open com line. "He must be allowed to continue his mission. I promise on my honor as a STG officer to have him safely returned to you this evening, at which time you may resume your current activities."
Linia made a loud, exaggerated whimpering sound and reluctantly loosened her grip on Vass. The young salarian sat up and got out of bed.
"It's not yet 8 a.m., Agent Vass, and I've already rescued you once so far today," Kirrahe announced. "Let's try to make this the only occasion, understood?"
"Yes, sir!" Vass replied as he grabbed his clothes for the day from a dresser drawer.
"Very good. Kirrahe out," the major responded, then cut off the com line.
Linia lingered in bed for a few more minutes before she decided to join Solik in the shower. The pair shared a skycab from their hotel to the temporary headquarters for 6th Dimension Vids: several closed-off blocks on the Presidium ringed by trailers bearing the logo for the Blasto series. After bidding Vass goodbye for the day, Linia hurried over to the costume and makeup trailers to get prepared for the day's rehearsals.
Linia entered the makeup trailer and saw one of her co-stars, an asari maiden named Sayryta M'Laan, standing next to Suzra'Bonah vas Marketa. The asari was scowling and impatiently tapping her foot. No sooner had Linia entered than Blasto series director Bik Orbal also walked in and swiftly brushed past her. "Sorry, Miss T'Pala," the slender drell muttered, then turned to face the other actress. "Ok, Miss M'Laan, I am here. Now what is the issue?"
The asari actress scoffed. "You don't know?" she scornfully asked.
"No, I don't. Unlike the asari, the drell lack the ability to probe minds," the director sarcastically shot back. "Now, I have a hundred things to attend to before shooting starts, so if you want to tell me what is concerning you, now is the time. Verbal communication is probably best. Or if you know the hanar language and want to use your biotics to tell me through bioluminescent flashes, we can do that too. Whichever you choose, please get on with it."
It felt to Linia like the temperature in the room had suddenly dropped by 10 degrees. The conversation did not involve her though, so she opted to take an empty chair by the trailer wall and wait for the others to finish their conversation. She felt a slight pang of guilt as she looked over and saw that Suzra was frozen in place right near the arguing pair.
M'Laan sneered and began pointing at Suzra. "I came here in this morning to get made up for my scene. I sit in the chair and when this quarian says, 'All done,' I look up at my reflection and, by the Goddess, I'm four centuries older!" she exclaimed. "So I asked the quarian, 'What have you done?!' and she told me my character is now a matron and my makeup for the vid shoot was changed to reflect this!"
Orbal raised a finger, then paused and began rubbing his chin. "You weren't sent a memo on this?" he asked.
"No!" an exasperated M'Laan loudly shouted.
The drell continued rubbing his chin. "I am certain I told a production assistant to send you a message," he replied. "You're sure you didn't get one?"
M'Laan rolled her eyes. "I would have remembered that," she retorted.
Orbal sighed and shrugged. "Hmm, maybe I just assumed telling the makeup department implied telling you as well... In any event, what Miss Suzra'Bonah told you is correct. The producer has decided - and I agree with him on this - that your character, Dr. Ku'Garr, will be a matron in this vid," he calmly explained.
M'Laan began sputtering with anger. "My character wasn't a matron in the last vid! She was the same age as me, 150 years! Why-Why is the studio changing that?!"
Suzra'Bonah remained motionless just a meter away from the actress and the director, clearly trying to attract as little attention as possible. Linia spotted the quarian surreptitiously adjusting her exosuit's rebreathing apparatus to make it even quieter.
The drell continued speaking in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. "I am sorry there was a glitch and you were not informed earlier. The issue is this, Miss M'Laan: as successful as the last Blasto vid was, it still underperformed in a few key markets. Audience research determined that one issue in those particular markets was that viewers had a hard time telling the asari cast members apart. So we have decided to make Commander Shi'Paard and each member of her crew more visually distinct. For example, Miss T'Pala here will keep the golden highlights painted on her crests when we officially start shooting. Since your character is based on a human who is old by that species' standards, we decided that Dr. Ku'Garr would look older too," he explained, then added, "I take it you object to this?"
The actress, now thoroughly infuriated, threw up her arms. "Goddess, yes, I object! Audiences that remember me from the last vid are going to see me in this one and think, 'Wow, M'Laan has really let herself go!' Why can't my character continue to be a young, sexy doctor?" she growled. "And just what exactly do you mean by 'underperformed in a few key markets'? No, wait, let me guess. You mean human audiences didn't pay to see it, right? Is that what you meant?" she asked, prompting Orbal to give a slight nod 'yes.' The asari's voice rose even louder. "They've never liked the Blasto series! Why does them not seeing the latest entry change anything?!"
Orbal gave a slight shrug. "Correct, Blasto vids have never done well in the Systems Alliance or in non-aligned human colonies. For some reason, that species just won't accept a member of a sapient jellyfish race as an action star. Look, I don't get it either, but that's the way it is, alright?" the drell remarked. "But humanity is a rapidly growing market and 6th Dimension Vids' investors want the studio to get a foothold in it. Humans do seem to like vids starring your species though - Well, certain ones like 'Vaenia,' anyway - so the studio was hopeful that with S'Voz and so many other asari in the cast the last vid would be the breakthrough. We're not sure why it didn't happen, so we're fine-tuning things a bit with the current vid."
Suzra cautiously raised a finger and spoke up. "Umm, maybe the vid would have gone over better with humans if the studio had cast humans in it?" she speculated. "Remember that human reporter at the press conference who was so upset that S'Voz had been cast as Commander Shi'Paard? I do recall seeing other humans in the audience nodding along when she said that. The real Normandy crew was mainly human, right? Maybe the humans just, you know, resented their heroes being replaced with asari?"
The director waved off Suzra's comments. "Casting humans was never a realistic option. If the studio hadn't cast asari, then ticket sales on Thessia and its colonies would have dropped off drastically. Those are much larger markets the studio cannot afford to lose," he explained. "That being the case, the studio's best course of action remains making smaller adjustments to accommodate human audiences, such as redesigning the look of each character."
M'Laan snorted derisively. "If that's all we need to do, then why can't we just alter my character's costume?"
Orbal shook his head. "That's not enough by itself. We also need something to distinguish the characters during close-ups," he replied, then turned towards the makeup artist. "Miss Suzra'Bonah, please tell Miss M'Laan what Adria S'Voz has agreed to for her Commander Shi'Paard character."
Suzra glanced at M'Laan, who was now scowling in her direction. The quarian gulped and began speaking. "Yes, umm, we're scarring S'Voz's face! That is, her makeup will include fake gouges on both cheeks, just like you see in pictures of the human Spectre, Commander Shepard. Miss S'Voz was not only okay with this idea, but she had this great suggestion to have the scars get gradually more prominent over the course of the vid!" Suzra announced, getting steadily more excited by the idea as she talked about it despite the other asari glowering at her. "Shi'Paard won't be getting new ones in battle though. The existing ones will just sort of... grow. It will subtly symbolize the commander's inner fury and her willingness to stop at nothing to defeat Saren Arterius. I've had to map out each stage of S'Voz's makeup to do this so that-."
The director interrupted Suzra while casting a smug look at M'Laan. "If a headlining star like S'Voz is willing to do that, then a supporting character actress should be willing to play a matron part."
M'Laan was unmoved. "S'Voz is willing to have fake scars painted on her face because she is trying to escape typecasting from having appeared in 'Vaenia,'" the actress retorted. "I, on the hand, would honestly have no problem whatsoever being typecast as 'sexy.' You could even say I am aiming for it. Now, dammit, change my character back to a maiden."
Orbal was silent for a few seconds, then replied. "If that is how you feel, Miss M'Laan, then go talk to the producer about being let out of your contract. There is certainly no shortage of matron-age actresses who would be willing to take on your part."
M'Laan glared at the director, but said nothing in response. After a few long, awkward seconds, she stomped out of the trailer. Orbal turned to Linia and Suzra and sarcastically asked if either of them had anything they wanted to complain about. Both shook their heads 'no.' "Good," the drell replied, then exited the trailer, leaving them alone.
A few more moments of quiet followed before Linia broke the silence. "You're not going to make me look any older, are you?" she asked Suzra.
The quarian shook her head 'no.' "That's why I suggested the golden highlights for your crests. I knew the producers were brainstorming how to make the asari cast look different. So I went ahead and gave you something eye-catching that I knew you could live with." The minor revelation left Linia at a loss for words. Suzra noticed her wide-eyed stare and shrugged in response. "You shared your cabin with me on the ride over to the Citadel. Most of the other asari cast members can't even remember my name."
Suzra motioned for Linia to take a seat in the makeup room's main chair. The quarian began touching up the asari's crest highlights. A thought struck Linia. "You know, S'Voz is hosting a private dinner tonight for the cast members playing the Normandy crew and a few other people working on the vid. It's supposed to help us feel more like a real team. Maybe coming along tonight will help the rest of the cast to get to know you better too? It will be mostly asari, of course, but Savara Korek is coming too, so they're certain to have dextro food you could eat. Jorgal Dreed will also be there. So, in the worst case scenario, you'll still have at least one other person you can talk to besides me."
Linia could just make out the frowning expression on the other side Suzra's semi-opaque visor. "I don't know. I have a lot of reading to do."
"Reading? About what?" Linia asked.
"Things," Suzra curtly replied.
The quarian's sudden secretiveness puzzled Linia. The actress' gaze wandered until she spotted a small stack of datapads on a nearby counter. The asari impulsively reached out and grabbed the top one. "Is this what you're reading?" she asked as she glanced at the device's title page. It read, 'Duty, Honor, Respect & Discretion: The Complete Guide to Turian Manners & Etiquette.'
Suzra gasped, dropped her brushes and snatched the datapad out of Linia's hands. "Do you mind?!" the makeup artist howled.
Linia blushed, her already dark-hued skin to turning a slightly deeper shade of purple. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was private! It was just... lying right there," she exclaimed.
Suzra put the datapad aside and began gathering up her brushes. "I'm... sorry I yelled at you," the quarian replied. She took a deep breath and added, "You know what? I am a little stressed out. Maybe I could use a night off. I think I will go to S'Voz's private dinner - if she'll have me."
The private dinner was held in a single large room at one of the Presidium's swankier hotels. A small group of volus waiters and a solitary human female waitress carried trays in and out to the room's three tables while an older asari prepared drinks at a bar set up along the wall. Linia and Suzra arrived a little early just in case Adria S'Voz refused to let the quarian join in. That would make it less embarrassing than if all of the cast was there to see Suzra being turned away, Linia thought.
S'Voz wasn't terribly excited to have a gatecrasher at her event but didn't raise a fuss about it either. "Like Savara, you're partly responsible for how we look on the screen. So maybe you should be here anyway," she noted, then pointed to a stack of chairs in the corner of the room. "Help yourself." Suzra grabbed one and placed it near turian cinematographer Savara Korek's reserved spot.
Eventually another dozen asari actresses arrived as well as their krogan co-star and Korek. After the last invitee had straggled in and taken a seat, S'Voz began tapping a glass to get everyone's attention. She cleared her throat and began speaking.
"Relax, this is not going to take long," the actress began. "First off, I just want to thank you all for coming here tonight. I'm sure the prospect of a free meal at a five-star hotel was only a minor consideration," she quipped, prompting nervous laughter from some of the maidens. Her tone grew more serious. "Second, I want to say that I will be expecting a lot from all of you in the coming weeks. We cannot coast on the success of the last vid. We have to prove it wasn't a fluke. On this production we will have to work hard and keep at it for long hours. We will have to perform our scenes with conviction, even when - especially when - the script could be better. We will have to take physical risks to ensure that the action scenes look good. You have all done stellar work on these things before. I have confidence that you can do it again. Don't let me down, but, more importantly, don't let yourselves down."
S'Voz paused for a moment to let her words sink in, then continued. "Don't let the fact that this a 'Blasto vid' lull you into thinking that the work we're doing isn't important. Everything you do is important. We have the opportunity to change peoples' minds. We can make audiences - including the ones on Thessia - realize that the asari can do more than just appear in romances and comedies," she declared, then nodded in Jorgal Dreed's direction. "We can make them realize that krogans can do more on screen than just be thugs. Don't waste the opportunity."
The audience listened raptly as S'Voz spoke. "Don't listen to the naysers who will try to distract you by saying the vid isn't 'realistic,' 'historically accurate' or that we don't have the right play these characters because they're based on non-asari aliens. We have every right to play the parts we've been cast in. Never apologize for that. As for realism and accuracy, those were left behind when the story was adapted into a Blasto vehicle."
"Yeah, and they junked realism for good when they cast Ryessa as the shy, sweet, virginal character!" interjected Linia, who added air quotes to the word "virginal." This prompted roars of laughter throughout the room.
S'Voz did not join in the laughter. A slight smirk instead crossed her face as she waited for the room to quiet down. "Thank you for that observation, Linia... Alright everyone, I'll wrap it up. On the vid screen, we are an elite team and I am your hard-ass commander. For the next few weeks, your life will imitate that art. I will push you hard. I will expect you to keep up. And I will not accept excuses. I will do this because I know you can rise to the occasion. And I promise the effort will be worth the reward."
The conclusion of S'Voz's speech was quickly followed by Dreed slamming his fist down on his table and shouting, "Korbal!" It was the krogan word meaning 'victory or death!' and instantly familiar to everyone in the room. Dreed's character had shouted it during a key dramatic scene in the previous vid. The asari actresses all shouted "Korbal!" back in unison, after which the room erupted into cheers and laughter.
"Surprised you accepted the invite," Linia overheard S'Voz tell Dreed as all three waited for the asari bartender to serve up their after-dinner drinks. "I figured you'd feel a little out of place at a mostly asari event."
"You kidding?" the gravel-voiced krogan snorted in response. "I'm bondmated to one of your kind. We've raised three maidens together. Being heavily outnumbered by asari is what I call, 'being at home.' You and my mate are kind of alike, by the way. Neither of you are intimidated by me when I get in one of my moods. Speaking of which, I never thanked you for keeping me from getting fired during the last vid, did I?"
S'Voz shrugged. "You mean when we were shooting the big confrontation scene? To be perfectly candid, Dreed, I did it as much for myself as anything else. I didn't want to lose the scene. It was a big moment for my character."
Linia sat casually nearby, trying out a new cocktail the asari bartender had suggested. Neither the older asari nor the krogan seemed to pay her any mind.
Dreed grabbed a steaming, bubbling glass of black liquid from the bartender and took a drink. "Still counts," Dreed declared. "A lot of actors wouldn't think a long dialogue scene with a krogan was worth doing in the first place. You fought to keep it in the vid even after the krogan started causing trouble on the set. Tyruss told me about the other time the director was going to have my character written out of script and you made him back down then too."
S'Voz winced as she caught a whiff of the foul-smelling fumes coming off of Dreed's beverage. She proceeded to fan the air between them. "Yeah, well, you were doing good work and putting a spark in your scenes. It's what's best for the vid that matters," she replied, then coughed slightly as some of fumes reached her nostrils.
The krogan actor appeared to get lost in his own thoughts and took little notice of S'Voz's actions. His tone became somber and reflective. "My daughters were so thrilled when I took them to the premiere. They were even happier after they saw the vid that night. Couldn't stop talking about seeing their old man save the galaxy. To think of the number of times I almost walked away from doing that vid..." The krogan looked up at S'Voz and snapped out of his mental fog. "Anyway, just wanted to say I'm behind ya 100%, Adria. I'll even kill for ya. Just say the word."
S'Voz coughed again, more loudly this time, and added, "Hopefully, that won't be necessary, Dreed. But, thanks, I will keep it in mind." She cringed and wrinkled her nose. "What are you drinking?" the actress asked.
"This? Ryncol mixed with volus ale," the krogan explained. "I usually drink pure ryncol, but I'm cutting back, at least until the vid is finished. Gotta stay sharp, you know? The volus stuff is mostly... what's it called? Liquid ammonia, that's it. It makes ryncol get real fizzy when you mix'em together. You gotta drink it kind of quick before it dissolves the glass though." Dreed took a long sip then added, "Want some? It lacks the kick of pure ryncol but it'll still straighten out your crests."
The asari shook her head. "Uh, thanks but no. Like you, I'm cutting back for the time being. Plus, I have an important day tomorrow. Need a clear head."
Dreed looked puzzled. "There's no shooting or rehearsals tomorrow..." the krogan began, then broke into a wide grin. "I get it: Gonna embrace eternity with some lucky alien tomorrow, huh?" S'Voz stared back and said nothing. Dreed chuckled. "Been bondmated to one of your people for two centuries now. I can read an asari pretty well." Dreed finished off his drink, then tossed the glass into his maw and began chewing it. "Have fun," he declared, then ambled away from the bar.
Savara Korek took the advantage of Dreed wandering off to take his spot at the bar and order a dextro-amino cocktail. "Nice speech, Adria. I've seen a lot of your vids, so I knew you could be inspiring, but until tonight I didn't know you could do it with your clothes on too," the turian quipped as the bartender handed her a drink. "Spirits, you asari really are amazing."
"It helps if your species is not as uptight as the turians," S'Voz joked back. She told the asari bartender, "Pour me one last glass of wine, then cut me off for the night, ok?" The bartender nodded and refilled her glass. "Say, Savara, how is the human working out?"
The turian leaned against the bar and scratched her mandibles. "You mean Jeddick, the new special effects director? He seems to be fitting in. Better than the elcor anyway. The human definitely has the skills. Doesn't cause any trouble for anyone else. Not too hard on the eyes either. Why do you ask?"
S'Voz took a sip of her wine. "He's human. Thought he might be one of al-Jilani's spies."
Korek shook her head. "Doubtful. I caught Jeddick once calling the journalist a 'cunt' when one of her news reports popped up on a vid screen. He didn't know one of my camera mechs in the room was on and I was remote-operating it. Looked the word up afterwards. Apparently, 'cunt' is a pretty big insult among humans, so he must not like her."
The asari smirked. "And why were you spying on him with your mech? Was it because he was 'not too hard on the eyes'? Didn't realize you went interspecies, Savara."
The turian smirked in response and slowly shrugged. "Can I help it if I have an aesthetic appreciation of the finer qualities of the male human form? Jeddick isn't quite my ideal though. Still too soft and young. Maybe in another decade..." She laughed and left the bar. S'Voz walked off a minute later to chat up one of the other actresses. Linia was left alone at the bar.
The asari bartender pointed to Linia's nearly empty glass but the maiden waved her off. The bartender began wiping down the bartop instead. "You know, it would help your eavesdropping routine if you got a refill," the bartender declared, revealing a dark, raspy voice unusual for an asari. "If you have a full glass, they'll think that's what is occupying you and not give you another thought. If they spot that your drink is empty, they might wonder why you're still at the bar and what you're doing."
Linia threw a startled look at the other asari. "I'm not eavesdropping! I'm-"
The bartender cut her off. "You're just sitting here, listening to everything that everyone else is saying and being so casual about it that nobody realizes that's what you're doing - and doing a damn good job of it, I may say." The older asari poured Linia a fresh drink and put it in front of her. "It's okay, maiden. I'm not throwing stones. In fact, I'm kind of impressed. I can't think of many people that do the whole 'hide in plain sight' thing better. And I've had a thousand years to observe."
Linia's jaw dropped. "A thousand years?! Are you... a matriarch?"
"Uh-huh," grunted the bartender.
The younger asari gazed in shock for several moments, then felt embarrassed for staring. "I'm-I'm sorry. I just never expected to find a matriarch-"
"Pouring drinks?" the older asari interrupted. "Well, let's just say that this is how I hide in plain sight. See, the matriarchs on Thessia needed somebody to quietly keep track of a few things on the Citadel. I volunteered. They said, 'Okay, then. Keep us posted.' So here I am," she declared as she poured herself a shot of brandy. "It's Linia T'Pala, right? I recognize you from the last Blasto vid." Linia nodded. "Well, Miss T'Pala, I'm Matriarch Aethyta. As it happens, I could use one more pair of eyes. Somebody who is inside the Blasto production."
The matriarch leaned forward clinked her shotglass against the maiden's glass. "So, Linia T'Pala, would you be willing to do your patriotic duty and spy for Thessia?"