Chapter 16 - We Don't Know If They Know That You Know That They Know

Citadel Newsnet - Councilors Tevos and Valern, Council Special Tactics & Reconnaissance agent Jondum Bau and Destiny Ascension captain Matriarch Lidanya will have cameos as themselves in the upcoming 6th Dimension Vids production Blasto: The Battle for the Citadel. All will recreate their actions on the day of the geth attack 3 years ago, which involved Bau escorting the Council members to the Destiny Ascension for evacuation. Lidanya said she agreed to the cameo as a way to "honor the brave members of the Alliance Navy's 5th Fleet who saved my ship and the Council members on the day of the battle. Plus, the studio gave us all these excellent t-shirts and tote bags." The councilmembers declined to comment on why Councilor Sparatus refused to also film a cameo. Councilor Tevos did suggest that the studio re-examine its merchandising contracts and be certain that the clothing items included all Council-aligned species' body types. - Emily Wong reporting

Kirrahe looked around to make certain no one was within earshot, then discreetly ran his omni-tool scanner across the table. Satisfied that this would be a private meeting, he took a seat opposite his protégé. "Glad we could make lunch work, Agent Vass," the major said as he settled into his chair. "You said you needed to talk to me about something?"

Vass nodded. "Something has come up relating to the mission and I'm not sure how to handle it," he explained while trying to hide the stammer in his voice. Kirrahe signaled at him to continue. Vass took a breath and began. "Adria S'Voz offered to take Linia & I out to the theater with her tonight. Linia got so excited she shouted 'Yes!' before I could ask a follow-up question. Well, there's going to be a fourth member in our party: Aria T'Loak."

The major arched a brow and sat back in his chair. "I see. Yes, this could be a delicate situation. We must tread carefully."

"So, do you think I should go?" Vass anxiously inquired. "I can still make an excuse to beg off, I suppose. But the thought of leaving Linia alone with T'Loak is… well, it worries me. Not that I'm exactly sure why," he admitted. "You and I are here on the Citadel to basically operate on T'Loak's behalf, so… she's an ally, right?"

Kirrahe folded his arms and mulled that over. "Not necessarily…" he began. "Strictly speaking, we are here to do our mission for the Special Tasks Group, nothing more. Granted, that mission will benefit T'Loak. That doesn't automatically mean she is our 'ally' however. That determination is above our paygrade. We just follow our orders. Dalatrass Linron herself is handling the communications between the STG and T'Loak. I did meet with one of T'Loak's top people today to coordinate on the mercenaries' training for their mission but that was something Linron and T'Loak mutually set up. T'Loak apparently arranging to meet with you, however? I'm the senior field agent, but I was not given a heads up on that. That likely means that the dalatrass doesn't know either. Hmmm, T'Loak must be planning something. We need to know what she is trying to do."

Vass paused briefly as he tried to take all of this in. "So… I should go out tonight with Linia, S'Voz & T'Loak then? That would at least give me a chance to figure out T'Loak's plan, right?"

The major rubbed his chin. "Yes, I think that is the correct course of action," he replied. "We need to know more and that is our best chance."

Vass took a sip of his water. "Is it possible that this is all just a coincidence? Maybe S'Voz just has extra tickets and she likes Linia and I'm only coming along because I'm Linia's date?"

Kirrahe shook his head vigorously. "Extremely unlikely. T'Loak knows that you are an STG agent. Linron told her that both you & I were sent to handle the leak situation at the Blasto vid. If T'Loak knows, then we can safely assume that S'Voz knows as well, especially if she went out of her way to invite you to an event."

The young agent was shocked. "Linron told T'Loak I'm an STG agent? Why do that? Why wasn't I told about this earlier?!"

Kirrahe looked around to ensure that they were still out of earshot of anyone else. "Linron also told T'Loak that I was heading up this mission. This was deemed a necessary precaution to protect both of us. You see, sometimes people who displease T'Loak suddenly vanish. Since we are poking around in the asari's business and could therefore potentially irritate her in some way, Linron decided to make T'Loak aware that causing you or I to vanish would jeopardize her - that is, T'Loak's - arrangement with the STG. You weren't told because this information is on a need-to-know basis. As the senior field agent, I am making the determination that you now need to know."

Vass' brief attack of nerves began to subside as he processed this information. It raised fresh questions for him, however. "If that is the case, then everyone I am going to the theater with tonight knows that I am an STG agent. T'Loak definitely knows this and, as you pointed out, she presumably has told S'Voz. And Linia has known I am an agent for months," he noted. "Do I even need to maintain my cover tonight?"

The major's expression grew stern. "You absolutely must remain undercover. The fact that the others know that you are undercover does not change that," the STG officer declared. "If anything, that makes it even more important that you do not divulge that you are an STG agent."

The rookie agent puzzled over this. "Why? They already know, so there's no secret to protect."

Kirrahe's tone grew more severe. "Incorrect. You are protecting the secret that you know that they know."

Vass raised a finger to make a point in response, then paused and began mulling over what the major said. His head spun as he tried to work his way through the logic. After several long seconds, he posed a new question. "Wait, how do we know that they don't know that I know that they know that I am an undercover STG agent?"

The major shook his head. "No, Agent Vass, you misunderstand. We don't know if they know that you know that they know that you are an STG agent - and we don't want them to know that if they don't know already," the major explained. "The dalatrass merely told T'Loak that you were an STG agent, nothing else. Therefore, we cannot assume that they know that you have been told what the dalatrass said. The STG is highly secretive and compartmentalized, after all. Indeed, you weren't informed of this until just now. Assuming that they know that you know that they know that you are an STG agent would effectively be volunteering information to them that they may not already know and a STG agent must never…"

"… Divulge information to a non-agent that that individual does not already possess," Vass immediately replied. "Yes, major, the STG instructors on Sur'Kesh drilled that lesson into me. I just assumed that, since my being an agent is not a secret to T'Loak and S'Voz…" the young agent began, then corrected himself. "But, as you say, that is not the information that I'm protecting. What I don't understand is what value there is in hiding the fact that I know that they know I'm an agent. I mean, how is keeping that a secret useful to our mission?"

The major frowned in response. "I don't know how it is useful. Or even if it ever will be useful," he admitted.

Vass again tried to think this through but remained stumped. He turned it over in his head for several long seconds, then replied, "But, why protect that information if we don't know if it is useful?"

The major let out an exasperated sigh. "Because don't know whether it is useful. What I mean is, it might become useful later on. Therefore, we shouldn't throw it away now. We are STG agents. We must always think ahead."

"Well, when will we know?" Vass asked.

Kirrahe shrugged. "We have no way of knowing that. We probably won't know until it happens. Assuming it ever happens. And even if it does, we still may not know, but we might at least know to be on the lookout for it," the major declared. "Remember: espionage is about the control of information. Maintaining that control better than anyone else is what gives the STG its edge. So we never divulge secrets, no matter how seemingly minor." The major leaned forward and looked the rookie in the eyes. "Now, then, Agent Vass: tell me what you are supposed to do tonight. I need to know if you understand things properly."

Vass took a breath and replied. "I go to the theater event tonight with Linia, S'Voz, and T'Loak. I maintain my cover as a documentary maker doing the Blasto vid's 'making of' feature. I attempt, as best I can without jeopardizing that cover, to find out what T'Loak is trying to do by arranging this night out and then report back to you."

The major grinned. "Good. You were paying attention. Now, I'll forward you the credits for a decent but not too fancy suit. We must, after all, maintain the fiction that you are a struggling young vidmaker who cannot afford anything better. If we don't make that effort, they'll likely know that we know that they know that you are an undercover STG agent, which, of course, they already do know but we don't want them to know that we know this," he said.

"One other thing: what do I do if T'Loak becomes a threat?" Vass asked. "I mean, for all we know, she might try to... force information out of me."

Kirrahe nodded sagely. "It could happen. STG agents must always expect the unexpected. In the case of T'Loak, however, I'm not sure there is much you could do given the extent of her biotic abilities. But being an agent means taking these kind of life-threatening risks. So be wary and try to survive if you do encounter danger," the major declared. "Other than that, just try to relax and have a good time at the event. I hear this human art form called 'ballet' is quite interesting and a natural fit for an all-volus cast."

In truth, Vass was still rather confused and quite nervous, but he decided to let the issue rest. All he really knew was that he had his orders as a STG agent: spend a night out on the town with one of the deadliest and most ruthless criminal leaders in the galaxy, a person who knew he was an undercover STG agent and, above all, be casual about it.

Vass and Linia waited by the front of their hotel, the young asari tightly holding her boyfriend's hand. She was wearing a long evening dress that Solik had always liked. Not that he much of an aficionado of fashion. He just liked the way the pattern on the skirt half of it sparkled and how that complemented the sparkle in Linia's eyes. Or at least the way they usually sparkled. On this night, the asari's eyes betrayed her nervousness and apprehension.

"I'm sorry I got you into this, Solik," she announced.

Vass squeezed Linia's hand in response and tried to flash her his most reassuring smile. It was better than anything he could think of saying in response. He certainly wasn't mad or upset. If anything, he enjoyed Linia's impulsiveness. Many asari had a cool, reserved manner that Vass guessed came from having such long lifespans. Linia was different. She lived in the moment and didn't bother to hide her emotions. Being with her was a constant adventure and usually a lot of fun. This just happened to be one of the rare other nights.

"I promise we'll laugh about this someday," Vass eventually told her. The comment prompted Linia's first honest smile of the evening and a brief return of the sparkle in her eyes. In truth he was probably as nervous as she was, but his Special Tasks Group training told him not to allow any outward appearance of that. He had an additional reason for remaining placid: his example appeared to be helping Linia steady her nerves too.

A minute later a luxury skycar pulled up to the front of the hotel and its right side door flew open. "Get in," demanded the voice of Adria S'Voz. Vass and Linia steeled themselves for a moment and entered the skycar's back passenger area. As they took their places on a long back seat facing away from the driver, Vass saw that S'Voz had already had the car pick up the fourth member of their party.

S'Voz and Aria T'Loak sat directly opposite Linia and Vass. S'Voz had recently played T'Loak in a biopic vid and bore a strong resemblance to her, but the two asari nevertheless presented a sharp contrast. The actress had dark blue-hued skin and was dressed in a chic and rather revealing evening gown. She accentuated it with several pieces of gleaming silver jewelry. She clearly intended to turn heads that evening by drawing attention to a body toned by months of preparing in a gym for the Blasto vid's stunt scenes. Her posture and poise reflected the training of someone who lived to be photographed.

The gangster queen, by contrast, made no allowances for the fact that this was supposed to be a fancy night out in public. She lounged by actress' side, wearing simple, if tight, dark slacks, a dark top and her signature white leather jacket. Her skin was a darker purplish hue and her heavy-lidded eyes cast a menacing gaze.

T'Loak slowly and quietly looked the young couple up and down. Whether T'Loak was intentionally trying to give the impression of a hungry varren ready to pounce on her prey or that was just how she ordinarily acted, Vass could not tell.

"Linia, Solik, allow me to introduce you to an old friend. We go way back-" S'Voz began, only to get cut off.

"No needed for that. They know who I am," T'Loak declared. The interruption betrayed no anger or frustration by T'Loak towards the actress, just a touch of impatience. "So, you're Linia T'Pala. I recognize you from the Blasto vid," she told the maiden. "You're pretty. But then, all asari maidens are..." she continued. The gangster queen looked Linia up and down a second time. "You look familiar. Besides from being on a vid screen, that is... Have we met before?" T'Loak inquired, the corners of her mouth curling into a slight smile.

Linia gulped. "We briefly shared a tram after the ship docked at the Citadel. We didn't speak. Not really, I mean. You were too busy talking to a mover about getting your cargo out of the hold," she blurted out.

T'Loak's smile turned into a grin. "Ah yes. I remember now. You were shaking like a leaf... Hard to believe you play a seasoned huntress on the screen. But then, that is the magic of vids, isn't it? Things are never what they seem, hmm?" Linia mutely nodded in response, then squeezed Vass' hand to the point that it took all of his willpower to not yelp in pain.

The gangster turn her attention to the salarian. "And you must be Solik Vass. According to S'Voz, you somehow managed to be everywhere during the previous vid despite being just an intern. I admire such... ingenuity."

Vass cleared his throat in the hopes that would suppress the stammer he was certain would appear when he began to speak. "Thank you," he replied. "I just wanted to learn as much as I could while I was there. To help me get my career in vids started, that is. You know, directing. So I made myself as useful to the vid crew as I could."

T'Loak raised a single finger and, in a deliberately exaggerated manner, pretended as though a thought had just hit her. "In fact, according to Adria here, you were even right there when she had a secret meeting in Nos Astra with the Special Tasks Group's Major Kirrahe. Yeah, she and the major cooked up a little scheme that day to get the Blasto script rewritten to feature her character more. A scheme that apparently involved Kirrahe having one of his STG cronies on Omega talk to me about forgiving a rather large tab that Blasto had run up in my club. A scheme that Adria was never given all the details to. Which seems a little odd until you realize that if Adria had known that that was the plan, she could have contacted me directly and just asked for a favor. Of course, that would have meant the major and the STG wouldn't be the ones calling the shots. Another example of salarian ingenuity. And you were right there for all of that," T'Loak concluded, her face breaking into a wider grin.

"Well, yes..." stammered Vass, his mind racing as he weighed to how to respond. "I was officially the major's assistant, you know? And, umm, who wouldn't want to tag along to a private meeting between him and a vid star as glamorous as Ms S'Voz here? I mean, right?" he replied, gesturing to the actress.

T'Loak smirked and continued, "The really interesting part is that you, Kirrahe and Adria had another meeting after that. And a fourth person showed up at the second meeting: that nosy human reporter, al-Jilani. The human claimed to want Adria to autograph her copy of Vaenia. She just happened to be at the hotel that morning. The same hotel that Adria just happened to tell Kirrahe to meet her at just the night before. The same human that's now causing so much trouble on the Blasto set that Adria says the studio has banned her from it AND made it a firing offense for any member of the cast or crew to talk to her." T'Loak paused to let that sink in, then added, "Quite a coincidence, huh?"

Vass was dumbfounded by the revelation. "That human was... al-Jilani?" he sputtered, then began scratching his head. He momentarily forgot his STG training and began thinking aloud. "I hadn't made the connection, but... yes, I recall it now: human female, darker than ordinary skin tone, black hair... You're right, Ms. T'Loak. It was the same person that the studio has banned," he declared, becoming lost in his own thoughts. "She walked right up to our table! But she's based here on the Citadel. Why-why would she have been on Illium while the previous vid was being made? That couldn't be a coincidence... Could it?"

T'Loak said nothing in response. She instead crossed her arms, leaned back in her seat and studied the baffled expression on Vass' face. S'Voz recognized the gangster queen's body language: it was reserved for situations where something happened or was revealed that T'Loak hadn't expected and she was trying to process what it meant. Whatever it was, T'Loak had at least gotten the information she wanted.

"Ok, so we're not strangers. Good. In any event, we've got quite a night ahead of us," announced S'Voz, resuming the role of the evening's hostess. "The curtain on the Francis Kitt show rises in just 15 minutes. After that, we have reservations at Kalpion's and then... who knows? We'll see where the night takes us."

T'Loak's grin returned and she winked at Linia. "Hope you can keep up," she remarked, then turned back towards the salarian. "You know, Solik, there are people who would... kill to be in your position right now. Seriously..." the gangster queen declared. "By that, of course, I mean being out on the Silversun Strip with three beautiful asari at the same time, two of them movie stars and the third a... hmm, let's say, 'controversial businesswoman,' shall we? There's so much mischief the four of us could get into before the night is over..." T'Loak cast a sly grin at the undercover STG agent, leaned slightly forward and slowly winked at him. "So, tell me, Solik, do you feel... lucky tonight?" she purred.

Vass forced a smile and made a point of showing that he and Linia were holding each other's hands. "Absolutely! I've felt lucky every day since I first met Linia, in fact. So, so happy, too! Can't think of anything more I'd want, actually. Yup, just ask anyone who knows me. They'll tell you, 'Yeah, Linia sure made Solik into a one-asari-salarian!'"

T'Loak arched a brow, chuckled and glanced over at Linia. "Hang on to this one, maiden. He's a rare find. So polite and respectful. Smart too," she declared, then looked back at Vass. "Being smart, polite and respectful is a good way to ensure that you'll live a long, natural life. By your species' standards, anyway."

The driver announced they had reached the theater. "Well," said T'Loak as she opened the door and exited the car. "Let's get this evening started, shall we?"

"Are you certain this is a comedy, Ms. S'Voz?" Vass asked. "I'm not sure that the volus are intentionally stumbling around. The program for the show does call it an 'avant garde exploration of beauty and identity through the art of ballet, a human dance.' Shouldn't dance involve deliberate motions?"

The asari actress rolled her eyes. "Well, the audience is roaring along with it. What does that tell you? This show is a huge hit, by the way. Tickets for 'Francis Kitt's Swan Lake' are selling faster than crates of Eterna-Gel at Consort Sha'ira's chambers. Even I had to pull some strings to get us in."

Linia squinted at the stage. "Solik, dear, does the program say what those things are that the volus are wearing around their waists?"

The salarian scanned through the booklet. "It appears that they are ceremonial decorations called 'tutus.' Apparently the volus wearing them are supposed to be the females and represent the 'delicate, ethereal beauty of the swan,' which is an Earth avian."

The quartet watched as a volus dancer struggled to lift another dancer above his head, eventually stumbling backwards and dropping the second volus onto the stage head-first, creating a loud "thunk" sound. The audience hooted and laughed in response.

"The choreography used in this human art 'ballet' is pretty strange," Linia remarked. She noticed that the taciturn fourth member of their party had a slight grin on her face. "Are you enjoying the performance, Ms. T'Loak?" the maiden asked.

The gangster gave the maiden a brief sideways glance. "No, I find it quite tedious. What made you think otherwise?"

Linia gulped slightly. "Oh, it's just that this is the first time since we arrived at the theater that I have seen you smile."

T'Loak chuckled. "Oh, no, that had nothing to do with what we're watching. I was just thinking about what I'll do to Cerberus' General Petrovsky when I regain control of Omega," she explained. The gangster queen leaned back in her seat and put her hands behind her head. "I had planned to throw him into one of the varren-fighting pits in the krogan-controlled districts and say, 'Place your bets, boys.' I liked it because it would be a pathetic and ignominious way for him to go. But now I think that I want something a bit more... personally gratifying. So what I plan to do is strangle him with my bare hands and then, right during that bastard's last few gasping breaths, meld with him. That way, I'll be able to feel his fear and panic as he realizes that these are his last moments alive, while at the same time he'll know my feelings of triumph and... satisfaction as I take everything from him, including his life."

S'Voz looked over at Linia and saw that the maiden was staring silently at T'Loak and her eyes appeared to have doubled in size. The older actress forced herself to chuckle. "Ha-ha! Oh, Aria, you can be funny when you kid around in that melodramatic way of yours. But, c'mon, you know as well as any asari that the other person has to be a willing participant for a melding to happen. So, joking aside, you couldn't do that with Petrovsky even if you actually wanted to."

The gangster queen scowled back. "That's where you're wrong. When a sapient knows it is dying, it's mental defenses crumble and you can meld with it even if it is unwilling. And without even drugging them first. The timing of it can be tricky, but..." T'Loak noticed S'Voz subtly nodding in the direction of both Linia, who was now in a state of mute horror, and Solik, who seemed merely perplexed. T'Loak paused and continued, "...that's what I've been told. You learn a lot of unusual things when you've lived for nearly a millennium."

Vass raised a finger to signal that he had a question. T'Loak gave him a slight nod and the salarian began speaking. "You said you'd feel not just gratification but also 'satisfaction' at the general's death. Your body language when you said that implied you meant erotic pleasure. How would melding with someone as they die provide that?" the young salarian asked. T'Loak stared at him and said nothing in response. After a few moments of silence, Linia leaned over and whispered to Vass, prompting the salarian's eyes to widen. "Oh. Ohhh..." he replied, then added an even longer, "Ohhhhhhhhh..."

It was late evening when the skycar pulled up in front of the nightclub and its four occupants exited. T'Loak was the first out of the vehicle and took the opportunity to stretch her limbs.

"Walk with me, Solik. We need to talk a bit. Alone," T'Loak announced. She said it without raising her voice or adopting a threatening tone. Yet it was clearly an order, not a request.

Vass patted Linia's hand. "Hopefully, this won't take long," he told her, then took a deep breath and walked up to T'Loak's side as requested.

T'Loak spotted the worried look on Linia's face as he did this. "Relax, maiden. You'll get him back after I'm done with him. Until then, you and Adria go inside and enjoy the bar. Talk about whatever it is you actresses talk about."

The gangster queen led the young salarian to a sparsely-populated section of the Silversun Strip's boardwalk. Most of the people out earlier in the evening had by now headed home. A light wind blew steadily across the area. It wasn't a real breeze, but rather the Citadel's climate control systems' approximation of a slightly windy night on a garden planet. T'Loak and Vass walked side-by-side for nearly a hundred meters in silence before the asari began speaking.

"I've had centuries of dealings with the Salarian Union, the various dalatrasses that have come & gone over that period and the Special Tasks Group," T'Loak began. "I know how the STG operates. I know that an agent must never divulge anything, especially when undercover. Or even admit to being undercover. So, instead of us wasting time by talking in circles, I'm going to speak and you're just going to listen, then pass all of this along to Major Kirrahe. Are we understood?"

Vass looked T'Loak in her eyes and nodded, maintaining an even pace with the asari.

"Good," T'Loak continued. "First off, I... appreciate the fact that Dalatrass Linron and the STG are helping my effort to re-take Omega. You've delivered on all of your promises so far. That said, I know that you're not doing this as an act of charity. Or because the Salarian Union sees liberating Omega as a noble cause. You're doing it because you see Cerberus as a potential threat to your people. Correctly so, I might add. I'm your proxy to put that threat down in the Terminus Systems. I don't begrudge that. I understand it perfectly. If I were in Linron's position, I would do the exact same thing."

T'Loak paused to gaze out at the Citadel's skyline. Solik stared at it as well. It was beautiful at night, he noticed, the lights from the endless rows of buildings shining steadily while the lights from the distant stars above and beyond them twinkled. He gazed at them for so long he only belatedly realized that T'Loak had resumed walking. Vass scurried to catch up with her. As soon as Vass caught up, T'Loak continued speaking.

"Marriages of convenience are just that however. You should always look out for yourself first. So, you'll understand my... concerns when Adria told me about that human reporter showing up on Illium during her secret meeting with the major and yourself," T'Loak explained. "It just didn't seem like the kind of thing that could happen randomly. Couple that with the fact that the STG, the best intelligence-gathering agency in the galaxy, says it doesn't know who in the Blasto production is leaking to al-Jilani... Well, my concerns grew. Concerns that maybe the STG and al-Jilani were connected in a way that I had not been alerted to. So I had Adria arrange this evening so I could get to know you a little better, maybe find out what the STG is really up to."

"What conclusions have you come to?" Vass asked, then hastily added, "Just curious, you know. Documentary makers like myself are curious types."

T'Loak leaned against a railing along the thoroughfare and smirked in response to Vass' comment. "Indeed you are..." she replied. "My conclusion is that you were genuinely surprised when I told you that the autograph-seeking human was al-Jilani. You're still too much of a beginner to be able to fake a reaction like that. Besides, if al-Jilani was somehow an asset the STG wanted to protect, it would have concocted some cover story to explain why she was there. Something plausible that you would have repeated to me. The STG wouldn't have let an operation be endangered by not doing that. It certainly wouldn't allow a situation where an agent could speculate aloud that her appearance couldn't have been a coincidence. As soon as you said that, I knew it was a coincidence. So, congratulations, Solik, you laid my suspicions to rest."

"I'll relay the message to Major Kirrahe the next time I can take a break from making my documentary," Vass announced. "Being a curious documentary maker, I'm curious: Why would you want Kirrahe to know that you thought the STG was withholding information on al-Jilani?"

The asari turned around against the railing, and gazed out again at the evening skyline. Vass walked over to a section of railing near her and did the same. T'Loak chuckled as he did. "Because, my curious young fellow," she continued, "the... misunderstanding we've been discussing has convinced me that I need to form a closer relationship with my allies. Establish the trust that has been lacking. Being honest about my concerns is one way to do that. Another way is to have the STG's agents participate in a little adventure I'm planning. Tell Kirrahe I'd like him and... any other STG agents that he is working with on the Citadel right now to come along. I insist on it, in fact. That means agreeing to act under my command," she explained, putting extra emphasis on the last two words. "Think of it as a trust-building exercise."

Vass did his best to act casual. He didn't want to let the various deadly scenarios involving T'Loak's mysterious mission that his imagination currently had racing through his mind rattle him. "I will pass that along too," he replied. "Now, unless there is something else you want to talk about, perhaps we could go back to the bar? Linia is probably getting worried."

T'Loak nodded. "Yes, a drink does sound like a good idea."

As the pair turned away from the skyline and back towards the boardwalk, they were greeted by an unexpected sight: two human males standing two meters away and pointing pistols at them. The pair were shabbily-dressed and unshaven, with eyes that had unnaturally orange hues for their species. Both twitched nervously as they pointed their guns. Vass had seen their type several times since arriving at the Citadel: red sand addicts.

"Well, lookie here. It's the one and only Adria S'Voz. We done hit the jackpot!" exclaimed one human. "Now, turn over your credit chit."

The second human took a half-step forward. "And don't think you can protect yerself with a barrier. We've got warp ammo for these here guns."

T'Loak made no reaction other than rolling her eyes. "S'Voz?! Goddess, this shit again?"

Vass slowly put his hands up. "Gentlemen, I would strongly recommend that you put those guns away and just leave while you can," he declared, trying his best to keep his voice calm and even-toned.

"Shaddup, alien!" barked the second human, who took a step towards Vass. The human put his gun directly in front of the salarian's chest. "And while you're at it, hand over your credit chit too. I'll bet being S'Voz's assistant or whatever pays pretty well, am I right?"

T'Loak, who was not bothering to hold her hands up, scoffed. "The salarian is not S'Voz's personal assistant. And I'm not S'Voz," she announced in a heavily sarcastic tone.

"Izzzat so?" the first human grunted. "'Cuz you sure look like her."

Vass took a quick breath and then spoke up. "You are talking to Aria T'Loak," he warned. "Trust me, leaving right now really is the best option you have."

The two humans started snickering. "Who do you think you're foolin'? T'Loak ain't a real person. That's just the name of the character S'Voz played in her last vid!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed the second human, no longer laughing. "Now, turn over those damn chits!"

Vass stole a quick sideways glance at T'Loak. It was as bad as he feared. The asari was now seething with anger. He could just make out the first wispy signs of her biotics being activated. 'This could be a bloodbath,' he thought. A moment later the humans noticed the biotics as well. The first human pointing the gun at T'Loak moved it to point directly at her head. The second human looked at the asari and said, "No, no, no. You don't wanna-"

The second human stopped talking and instead let out a sudden sharp cry of pain as Vass grabbed his gun arm and began twisting it in a direction it wasn't meant to bend. It was a textbook example of a special STG technique and Vass was relieved to see that he had gotten the grip right on the first try. He quickly twisted the arm even further. The human froze up and screamed, loosening his grip on the pistol. Vass quickly snatched the gun away with his left hand while giving the human a hard shove with his right arm. The human stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

By the time the first human realized what was going on and had swung around to face Vass, the salarian was pointing a gun just millimeters from his face. With his right arm, Vass reached inside his jacket and pulled out his concealed Carnifex pistol. He pointed it at the second human, who was now just getting back on his feet.

"Drop the gun. Slowly," Vass instructed the still-armed human, trying to maintain as calm a tone as possible. The mugger, stunned and speechless, complied and the weapon fell to ground. The second human also stared silently at Vass. "Please leave now before this situation escalates any further," the salarian pleaded. "I cannot protect you from what Ms. T'Loak might do to you if you don't."

The humans quickly nodded, turned and raced away from the boardwalk and into the night. Vass exhaled deeply once they were out of sight, then picked up the second human's gun. He dropped both of the humans' weapons into a nearby trash bin, his heart still pounding as he walked back and forth.

T'Loak remained standing at the same spot where the attempted mugging started. She shook her head and chortled, then broke into a bemused smile. "Well, I had no idea that documentary-making was such a cut-throat profession that its practitioners learned skills like that!" she joked. The asari turned and began walking back to the bar they had left Adria and Linia at, beckoning Vass to follow along.

As they approached the location, T'Loak announced, "You know what, Solik? If Adria ever does a sequel to 'Don't Fuck With Aria' depicting my subsequent escapades, I'm recommending you to direct."

Aria and Vass entered the nightclub and quickly spotted Linia and Adria seated at the bar. As Vass took a seat next to Linia, he realized the bartender pouring their drinks, an asari, looked familiar. He struggled to remember from where though. He then noticed that Aria was regarding the bartender with interest as well.

"Did you and Ms. T'Loak have a nice walk? It is a pleasant evening," Linia asked, clearly attempting to get the conversation started on a topic that wouldn't be too awkward.

"I'm more interested in knowing why we are at this particular bar," T'Loak interjected. "Whose idea was this? Is this one of your haunts, Adria?"

S'Voz took a sip of her cocktail while she mulled over the question. "Not really. I did have an event here a few days ago with the cast members playing Shi'Paard's commandos. Linia suggested earlier this evening that we stop by here again."

Linia nodded vigorously. "I, umm, just liked the place and wanted to come back," she explained.

"What'll it be, lucky fellow?" the bartender asked Vass, revealing a dark, raspy voice unusual for an asari. Vass suddenly remembered why the bartender seemed familiar. He had witnessed her tending bar on Illium a few months ago. She had teased him rather mercilessly at the time. What were the odds he would bump into her again on the other side of the galaxy? The salarian thought. Realizing that everyone was now waiting on him to respond to the bartender, Vass blurted out, "Oh, just a beer. Whatever brand you recommend."

The bartender nodded. "One Stellar Artois, coming up," she announced, and began pouring him a glass. "What'll you have, lavender skin?" she asked T'Loak.

The gangster queen tilted her head and contemplated the bartender warily. "I dunno. Any house specialties, Aleena?" The bartender shot T'Loak a sharp glance but said nothing in response. T'Loak smirked. "No, wait. I forgot. You go by... 'Aethyta' these days, right?"