Chapter 15 - A Day In The Life Of A Blueberry Wrangler

Illium Entertainment News Update - The vid industry trade group Fantasy Adult Cinema, Interactives, and Associated Licensing Services announced today that it had created a special private taskforce to crack down on piracy of vid shipments in the Terminus Systems. The task force will be compromised of mercenary ships that will track the pirates and recover any stolen cargo.

"When Aria T'Loak ran Omega we had to pay a 'transport tax' on our vids, but it wasn't too bad and it did guarantee safe distribution throughout that region of the galaxy," explained a source for a company that specializes in inter-species vids. "Cerberus, by contrast, refuses to have anything to do with alien adult vid companies. Human colonies are among the industry's best customers but without T'Loak to keep the criminal gangs in check cargo transports are now regularly attacked." In one recent incident, raiders made off with a shipment of anal-themed vids with an estimated value of 3 million credits. The industry source grimly joked, "Thanks to Cerberus, the Terminus Systems are now plagued with literal butt pirates."

Linia T'Pala sprinted across the disintegrating catwalk as fast as her legs could carry her, summoning her biotics as she went. She knew she had only one chance to vault across the gap in the Citadel catwalk to the remaining section on the far side. Just as she felt the metal beneath her feet begin to drop away, she activated an anti-gravity warp and jumped across the chasm. For a half-second that felt like an eternity, she flew through the air in a slight upward arc, landing just on the far side's outer edge. Linia dropped to one knee as she landed.

She immediately leapt up and shouted, "C'mon! The geth dropships are-"

Before Linia could finish the line, another asari landed on the edge and slammed into her, sending her sprawling onto the ground. A half-second later, a third asari landed on the same spot, colliding with the second one and knocking her on top of Linia. This was immediately followed by a fourth asari landing and crashing into the third and causing her to tumble on top of the first two. This chain of events was repeated three more times in rapid succession. By the time the seventh and final asari making the jump had landed, the pile of flailing blue arms and legs had grown so large and was taking up so much space that the last one stumbled into it as she was trying regain her balance.

"Cut!" shouted director Bik Orbal. "Linia, you cannot pause at all once you land on the far side. You have to keep moving or else… Linia? C'mon, c'mon, all of you. Get up," demanded the slender drell. "I need to talk to Linia and she's still at the bottom of the pile."

One by one, the dazed actresses slowly pushed off of each other and staggered to their feet, eventually allowing Linia to sit up and gasp for air.

"Linia," Orbal continued, "You can't break your stride once you land on the far side. You must create space for the ones behind you to land. Otherwise, we'll just end up with a bunch of young asari piled on top of each other and this isn't that kind of vid."

Turian stunt coordinator Dar Rarbin chuckled. "Well, there was a scene like that in the first Blasto vid. Now that was a fun one to work out the logistics for!"

Cinematographer Savara Korek's mandibles flaired at the comment. "Spirits, I remember that day differently. Blasto began blowing takes deliberately so we couldn't wrap up the scene and move on to the next one. It went on for hours."

Linia, having just regained her breath, panted out, "Couldn't we just use a wider catwalk set? You know, have enough space to allow the other commandos to land on either side of me? Just getting the jump right is hard enough without also having to scramble out of the way while saying my line."

Volus set designer Tellak Gaffno shouted out a "Bah!" and wagged a finger at the actress. "This set was designed exactly to the specifications I was given. It required extra construction time to ensure it was properly reinforced. To widen the set, I would have to construct a completely new one from scratch and that would take days."

Rarbin scoffed. "Or, you could remove the railing on one side of this set, attach new floor plates along the side of the catwalk to expand it and then put the railing back along that new edge. Two hours work, tops."

Gaffno turned to the turian and threw up his arms. "Must I remind you again that the Intergalactic Brotherhood of Stage and Vid Technicians' contract with this studio clearly states in subclause 13 of section five that all work products must meet the minimum safety standards set by the Council's Vid Protection Safety Act when that law is applicable? And that since we are filming on the Citadel, the IBVST's requirement clearly applies? Therefore, all sets must be constructed from blueprints drawn to match their intended purpose, not retro-fitted after the fact."

"The 'intended purpose' of this scene being to have something to allow the performers to land on and keep moving," Rarbin shot back. "You could simply widen the set. You just don't want to do more work."

Gaffno looked over at Orbal while pointing to Rarbin. "Director, please inform this ignoramus of the necessity of abiding by the proper safety requirements."

Korek snorted derisively. "Would these standards you use be the same ones that caused your set walls to fall over this morning? You know, the thing that forced us to move the scene we're doing now up in the shooting schedule? And are they the same standards that caused your three-story set to collapse and bury Dreed under its rubble in the previous vid?"

"Lies!" Gaffno shouted. "The set walls tipping over was the result of sabotage that C-Sec is investigating as we speak. The incident in the previous vid was due to Dreed being a late addition to cast and no one properly informing my department that the existing set needed to be retro-fitted to accommodate his weight. The IBSVT inquiry board clearly stated this in its report, which fully exonerated me of any culpability for the accident."

"Well, you've got me there," Korek conceded. "IBSVT inquiry board chairman Tellak Gaffno certainly did do a thorough investigation."

Orbal, who had been rubbing his forehead throughout the exchange, decided he had had enough. "Quiet, all of you!" he shouted. "We almost had it right this last time. We try a few more takes to see if we can do it and, if we can't, then we look at our other options. Performers, take your positions. Linia, please, just try to keep running forward once you land."

Script supervisor Jenny, who had been watching all of this from the sidelines with Solik Vass, leaned over to the salarian and asked, "You were around during the previous vid. Was it like this then too?"

Vass shrugged. "Pretty much. It is quieter now though. There are fewer random explosions since the previous special effects director quit." He said nothing further and didn't notice the human uttering, "Wait, what?" Vass' attention was instead drawn to a sudden ping on his omni-tool. "Yes, major, what is it?" he asked as he opened the com line.

"Nothing urgent," Kirrahe replied through the device. "I'll just be on the set today, advising. Thought you might want to get lunch together."

Vass nodded his head. "Yes, sir, I would. In fact, I need to... get your perspective on something. It would have to be a late lunch, though. Linia's shooting a physically demanding scene and I have a feeling I should stick around just in case something goes wrong and she needs help."

"That's fine," replied Kirrahe. "Be careful you don't shirk your other responsibilities though."

"Don't worry-" Vass began but he was interrupted when Jenny began tapping on his shoulder. "Yes, what is it?" he asked.

The human beamed in response. "Is that THE Major Kirrahe you're talking to?! I'd been told he was an expert consultant for the studio on the Blasto vids. I need his help on something. Could you ask him to meet with me?"

"Umm, major, this human is 'Jenny.' She's the 'blueberry wrangler.' That is, she's working with Linia and the other actresses playing Shepard's - Err, Shi'Paard's - commandos," Vass explained. "Do you have any time available?"

"There's an important meeting I need to get to, but if the human can get over to the prop master's trailer quickly - that's where I am now - then I can spare a few minutes," he replied.

"Thanks!" Jenny exclaimed and ran off in a flash.

Major Kirrahe only had to remain by the prop master's trailer for a few minutes before he saw Jenny dart out from between two nearby trailers and began swiftly striding in his direction. He arched a single eyebrow as he noticed that despite having presumably sprinted to arrive this quickly, the human didn't appear to be out of breath. Otherwise she was noteworthy only for being smaller than most other humans. 'Petite' was the term humans used for such females, he recalled. She began waving as soon as she spotted him.

"Major, thanks for taking the time!" Jenny exclaimed. "I need your expert opinion on these." The human pulled up her omni-tool and began showing Kirrahe a montage of several asari filmed from the shoulders up, each one appearing for only a few seconds. He recognized Linia's face among them and recalled that a few of the others belonged to the actresses who played asari commandos in the Blasto vid. Jenny let the footage, which ran on a loop, play out while staring at the major. She clearly expected the footage to provoke some reaction from him.

"Umm, what am I looking at, Miss...?" the major asked.

"Jenny!" the human replied, a broad smile on her face. "These are all of the new looks for the asari castmembers in the upcoming vid. You're the military consultant, so I figured you could say if any of these looked really out of character for an asari huntress. Like, point out that a huntress wouldn't use this kind of face paint or wear this type of jewelry in combat. That kind of stuff."

"Oh, I see," replied the major. "Unfortunately, I'm not really the person to ask. Though I have fought with asari commando units in the past, I can't claim to be an expert on their uniforms or how they might decorate themselves."

Jenny frowned. "But you are the military consultant, right?"

"Correct," Kirrahe replied. "But my expertise does have it's limits. Your best bet is asking Lortius, the costume designer. He does extensive research for all of his vids, so he might know. His trailer is over there." The major pointed towards it, smiled, then added, "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help. Now I must go to the meeting I mentioned before."

Jenny nodded and began walking towards Lortius' trailer. Kirrahe began striding off in the opposite direction. He didn't see that shortly after he turned around Jenny ducked between two trailers and out of sight. Nor did Kirrahe notice the translucent blur that subsequently began following him from a discreet distance.

Kirrahe continued until he reached a largely unused section of the sprawling expanse of the Presidium that had been given over to 6th Dimension Vids for the duration of the vid shoot. The area included several now-empty office buildings. Kirrahe did a quick 360 degree turn to see if he was being watched. Seeing nothing, he quickly strode into a non-descript three-story building and kept going until he reached an interior room set up as an auditorium. A handful of rough-looking individuals, mostly turian but including a batarian and a human, were loitering inside. Several were visibly scarred. The human had extensive tattoos. One turian amused himself by balancing a knife blade on one of his finger talons. Most nodded at Kirrahe as he entered and remained where they stood. One of the turians approached Kirrahe and asked, "How many more?"

"About a dozen," Kirrahe responded. "So, we wait for a bit."

One by one, others walked into the room. They included a krogan, three vorcha, a quartet of asari, another human, another turian and two salarians, all rugged, hard-living types. Kirrahe did a quick headcount and announced, "Okay, that's everyone who was invited. Let's get started." Kirrahe went to the modest stage in the front of the auditorium and beckoned the others to pick a spot in front of him. The turian who spoke to the major earlier joined him on the stage.

Kirrahe cleared his throat and began speaking. "We've all got a lot to do, so I'll try to keep this brief," he began. "This meeting is to get you up to speed on what's expected of you and the groups each of you represent over the next few weeks. You will be drilling regularly in preparation for the ground assault on the station. You will be doing this under the guise of being stunt performers rehearsing scenes -or possibly even shooting battle scenes- for the Blasto vid. Thus, to a significant degree, you will be doing this out in the open. This IS your cover. You will literally be hiding in plain sight. To further maintain the cover, the drills will use prop weapons. The real ones for the assault remain in storage and will be distributed when the mission begins in earnest. The training will be mainly in cordoned-off areas that the public and most of the cast & crew will be denied access to, with safety concerns being the rationale. This is to minimize any contact between your groups and anyone else. In any situation where you or any member of your group is asked anything by someone outside this particular project of ours, the correct response is 'I'm a recently-hired stunt performer and I'm just doing what the studio tells me to do.' Nothing more."

The major pointed to the turian by his side. "Grizz here will be your main contact and the one leading the training exercises on a day-to-day basis. I will be assisting as time permits me to do so. Grizz knows everything there is to know about Omega, so he will be taking the lead in tailoring your training to match the layout of the station and what kind of difficulties you can expect. If you have a question about that, ask him. He also reports directly to Her Majesty. So, if I were you, I would listen to what he says."

Kirrahe paused for a moment and scanned across the faces in the room. "This next point I cannot emphasize enough: this must be treated with absolute secrecy. We have all of your identities recorded and we are watching closely for any leaks. Anyone who is caught passing information not only forfeits their payment but will face the wrath of both the Special Tasks Group and Aria T'Loak. It is unlikely that you could avoid being tracked down by either one of us. It is impossible that you could hide from us both. Remember that."

The STG officer let that sink for a few moments then resumed. "Finally, I want to point out something that you may not have considered: this is a rare chance for you to do some genuine good. Aria T'Loak may not be a paragon of virtue, but under her rule Omega was free and open to all. She will fight to restore that, to liberate people of all different species, sapient life that is, as we stand here now, suffering under the boot heel of tyranny," Kirrahe declared, his voice rising and his tone getting more dramatic as he spoke. "Cerberus is evil, period. They despise non-humans and even other humans are not safe from their depraved 'experiments.' You may be hired guns, you may have done some bad things in your past, but this time you will be able to stand proud, hold your head high and say, 'I am a liberator. I fight for freedom. I fight to-'"

The room's lone krogan interrupted Kirrahe. "We are still getting paid, though, right?"

Kirrahe tried, with only partial success, to hide his irritation. "Yes, the STG will honor all contracts, provided you uphold your end. But this is not just about credits, it's-"

This time it was a turian who interrupted the major. "What about lunch? Is that going to be provided? 'Cause if we're supposed to stay separate from the cast & crew, how are we going to get access to the craft services tables?"

Grizz stepped forward. "Box lunches will be provided to all people participating in the drills. They'll be dropped off at midday by the caterers. It's a Presidium company, by the way, so it's the fancy, expensive stuff. And, yes, these will include dextro food for us turians."

The announcement prompted the others in the room to nod and murmur their approval. An asari raised her hand. "What if the drills go into the evening? Will we get dinners as well?" she asked.

Grizz scratched his mandibles. "I don't know. I'll look into it and get back to you."

Kirrahe, his irritation over the interruptions a bit more obvious, resumed speaking. "Okay, now that the food situation has been sorted out, I want to reiterate that-"

A vorcha jumped in. "Rrrhh! You said before 'shooting battle scenes.' We will be in Blasto vid for certain? You promise that? Gnash needs to know!"

The major grumbled for a moment, then replied, "It is possible that you will be placed in some of the vid's battle scenes to maintain the cover that you are stunt performers. That depends on the shooting schedule, which neither I nor Grizz have any control over. Even if you are, I have no idea if that footage will end up in the final cut. That's up to the director and editor. Now, getting back to the mission, I just want to remind you-"

"Will we be able to get our picture taken with Blasto?" shouted a turian. "The contact that recruited my group said that was a definite possibility."

Before Kirrahe could even respond, a salarian chimed in. "Yes, you can! I got one yesterday. You can just approach him if you see him. You do have to promise to attend a prayer service at an Enkindler temple though."

"Okay, there's your answer," Kirrahe announced. "Again, I just want to say..."

Neither Kirrahe nor anyone else in the room noticed the distorted translucent shape quietly standing in a dark corner in the back of the room. Nor did they spot it as it darted through a back exit.

Zaeed Massani was standing with his back to wall near a kiosk on a quiet Presidium thoroughfare and keeping a watchful eye on the passers-by when a voice to his right suddenly called out his name. The veteran mercenary activated his omni-blade and spun in the direction of the voice, ready to lunge. He paused when he saw that the voice's owner was a smallish Asian woman wearing a hood.

"Bloody hell, Kasumi! Why'd ya do that?! I coulda gutted ya!" Massani exclaimed.

The thief flashed a cheerful smile. "I know! That's why you're talking to a hologram. Look up."

Massani directed his gaze upward and spotted Kasumi crouched on top of an electronic advertising sign. She was somehow maintaining her balance despite it being no more than two or three centimeters wide. She winked at Massani, switched off the holographic image next to him and gracefully hopped down to the ground level, landing in the same spot where the hologram had stood.

"Not sore at me for spooking you, I hope?" the thief asked. "I just... couldn't resist. You were trying so hard to make it impossible for somebody to sneak up on you."

The mercenary shrugged. "If it were anybody else but you, I'd be worried I was losing my edge," he said as he turned off his omni-blade. "Okay, ya got my attention. What'd ya want to talk about?"

Kasumi crossed her arms and frowned. "What? A sentimental type like me can't simply want to catch up with one of her Normandy tour crewmates and re-live old times? Only a dozen other people in the entire galaxy know what we went through together!"

Massani said nothing in response. His scarred face and glassy right eye could make his expressions hard to read, but in this case his skepticism was clear.

"Okay, Okay. I MAY have a business proposition for you," the thief admitted. "It MIGHT be that I have a project in the works and that I MAYBE could use your help and I wanted ask if you were POSSIBLY available..."

The mercenary shook his head. "Ya want me fer a heist? I dunno, Kasumi. I'm semi-retired as it is. Besides, wouldn't ya want somebody more... subtle than me?"

Kasumi flashed another smile. "What I need is somebody I can trust. I asked Thane but he said 'no.' He said you were still working though. That's how I got your contact info. C'mon, compared to the Omega Four Relay this will be like a walk through a flower garden."

The mention of their mutual drell friend prompted Massani to adopt a more somber tone. "Ya saw him recently? How's he doing?"

"Still taking it day by day," she replied. "He said he had to turn me down because his Kepral's Syndrome was making it harder and harder for him to breathe and he needed to conserve his strength. He said he told you the same thing when you offered him a job."

Massani grimaced at the comment. "Yeah, after he told me that, I felt like a right ass for even asking him in the first place."

The thief nodded in sympathy, then her eyes lit up as a thought hit her. "Maybe we can help each other out! What was it you wanted Thane to do? Maybe I could do it? A favor for a favor?"

The mercenary mulled that over for a moment then replied, "I'm doing protection work fer that reporter, al-Jilani. She says she's working on something goddamn big involving Aria T'Loak. I don't really pay attention to the details of that. I just watch out fer her, usually hidden and from a distance so she can still pester people as a reporter. Thing is, it's a 24/7 gig and it's been going on longer than I anticipated when I signed up. I'm gonna need a few hours off here and there to go back to my flat and run ordinary errands and the like. Just arranging it so she would be holed up somewhere safe while I made this meeting with you took some doing. I had been hoping that Thane could fill in for me and watch her for a bit now and again. I'd still do the lion's share, of course."

Kasumi's grin widened. "Is that all?! Watch her from the shadows and take down anybody who might try something? I could do that! Heck, al-Jilani wouldn't even have to know I was replacing you. I could use some voice-mimicking tech I have to make her think I'm you if she calls."

"Maybe..." the mercenary replied. "What would I have to do in return?"

The thief held her hands up. "I'm still working out the details on my project. All I ask is that you hear me out when it's ready. If, after that, it isn't up your alley, you can bow out and that'll be it. No hard feelings, I promise."

"No shit, really?!" Massani exclaimed. "Well, Kasumi, ya got yourself a goddamn deal. Lemme know how to reach ya when I need to."

As they exchanged coded contact information, Kasumi suddenly snapped her fingers. "I remember now, there was something else I wanted to ask: I've heard they're hiring from all over, including from merc groups, to do the stunt work for the Blasto vid's big battle scenes. Is that true, Zaeed? I might want to give it a go myself. It sounds like fun! Is there anybody that you know who's doing it and might be able to tell me where I could sign up?"

The veteran mercenary shook his head. "The Blasto folks may very well be doing that, but I ain't heard from anybody I know who's involved. Watching out fer al-Jilani has limited my socializing, ya see? Speaking of which, I really got to get back to that. She can get a little cranky if I leave her alone for too long."

Massani bid Kasumi farewell and strode off. The thief likewise went on her way. A short while later as she made her way along the thoroughfare, she got a ping on her omni-tool. Kasumi opened the line using the audio-only function. "Yes?" she asked.

"Jenny, this is Orbal. Where are you?" the drell director asked.

"Sorry," the thief replied. "I had to run a quick personal errand. I'll be back to the set in a few minutes. What's the issue?"

The director sighed. "We can't find Ryessa and we need her for an upcoming scene."

Kasumi chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I know where she is. Tell me which soundstage the scene is being shot at and I'll wrangle up your blueberry."

It was late in the evening when Kasumi Goto finally returned to the apartment that served as her current home/hideout. She took off her boots and made herself a bowl of noodles, then sat at her desk in anticipation of the call she knew would be coming in shortly. A few minutes later the call came and Kasumi opened the communications line. The desk monitor was filled with an almost-completely dark image that contained the barest outline of a humanoid figure.

"Operative Goto, report," the figure demanded in an low, electronically-modified voice that dripped with menace as it rumbled through the monitor's speakers.

Kasumi grinned in response. "Hi Liara! How's Feron?" she asked.

"Operative Goto, report," the figure repeated.

The thief rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon, Liara! I helped you take the down the previous broker, remember? Do we really have to go through this routine every time I report in?"

"Operative Goto, report," the figure repeated.

Kasumi groaned. "Fine... Well, 'broker,' you were correct that that T'Pala maiden was the way to find out what the Special Tasks Group is doing at the Blasto vid. I arranged for the shooting today to be delayed by causing some of the set walls to fall over. Don't worry, nobody was hurt. I was careful to make sure the walls would only slowly tip over. The delay gave me the time to just hang out with T'Pala and get her talking. I don't think she knows much herself but her STG boyfriend showed up and I caught a lucky break when he took a call from your old Virmire buddy, Kirrahe. The major's still using the cover of being the studio's military adviser, so I contrived a reason why I'd need to talk to him face to face to get his expertise as a soldier. After that, I used my cloak and eventually tracked him to a secret meeting with a bunch of mercs and one of T'Loak's top goons."

"For what purpose?" the broker asked.

"To coordinate an attack on Omega!" the thief exclaimed. "T'Loak is planning to re-take the station and the STG is backing her on this. The salarians have recruited and paid at least 18 mercenary groups to provide the ground forces for the mission. And they're using the Blasto vid as a cover! The mercs will pose as stunt performers so that everyone will think their training to fight on Omega is just them rehearsing for the vid's Citadel battle scenes. The STG has provided the weapons for the attack too. They're currently in storage somewhere on the Citadel. I watched as Kirrahe himself explained all this to the mercenary groups' leaders."

"Well done, Operative Goto," the broker replied. "Did you learn why the STG is doing this?"

Kasumi shrugged. "I'm not 100% certain but Kirrahe sure made it sound like the STG just prefers T'Loak to Cerberus."

"How is the STG able to use the Blasto vid as a cover for this?" the broker asked.

The thief shrugged a second time. "I'm not sure about that either, but Kirrahe didn't indicate that the STG was having any difficulty in using the production that way. I mean, they're even providing catering for the mercs! If I had to guess, I'd say that the STG must have agents inside the studio. I do know that the STG is working hard to keep all of this secret. Neither Thane Krios nor Zaeed Massani indicated to me that they'd heard from any of their old contacts that the Blasto vid is secretly a training ground for a private army."

"Outstanding work, operative," the broker replied, the electronic rumbling of its voice lowering to a near-purr. "This makes up for an unfortunate lapse by another operative that compromised the hidden C-Sec cameras that you hacked. Have you made any progress in determining who al-Jilani's sources are?"

Kasumi shook her head. "So far, I've hit a wall on that. I do at least understand why the reporter's sources are keeping themselves so well-hidden: T'Loak and the STG are watching everything and ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Whoever is providing information to al-Jilani is doing it at huge risk to themselves. So, yeah, they're going to do everything they can think of to stay out of sight." The thief paused to take a mouthful of noodles. After finishing swallowing them, she continued, "However, I may have a way to find out: I told Zaeed I'd fill in for him and watch al-Jilani for a few hours when he decides to take a nap or something like that. I even got him to agree to keep al-Jilani out of the loop on this, that I'd pretend to be him so he doesn't have to run this past her. That'll allow me to eavesdrop on al-Jilani and hopefully catch her talking to her inside sources. I told Massani that we were exchanging favors and I may need his help for a heist I'm planning."

"A clever deception, Operative Goto. The Shadow Broker is impressed," the underworld figure announced.

"Thanks, Liara!" the thief replied and began smirking. "It wasn't exactly a deception though. There are some projects I have on the drawing board where I could use Zaeed. But I'm not telling you, of all people, anything more than that..."

The broker was quiet for a few moments. Kasumi guessed that referring to her employer again as 'Liara' had not gone over well. "Anything further to report, Operative Goto?" it eventually asked.

The thief's smirk grew wider. "Well... I do have one other tidbit: You know Ryessa? The asari actress playing the commando character in the Blasto vid that was based on the lone asari member of Commander Shepard's crew? The character that is described as the 'shy, sweet, bookish and virginal' one? Yeah, she's been 'embracing eternity' with Blasto in an effort to get her character more lines and more scenes. I caught her with the hanar superstar in his trailer this afternoon, as a matter of fact. Just thought you'd like to know."

"WHAT?! Goddess, I would never-" the broker's electronic voice thundered through the monitor's speakers, then abruptly stopped. After several long moments it continued, "Exemplary work, Operative Goto. Shadow Broker out."

"Goodnight!" Kasumi replied.