"You can not be serious "
Fedorian was hot Castis's heels, protesting and gesturing and exasperatedly huffing even as they both sped down the dim hallway. Castis just marched purposely forward, Fedorian's complaints falling on deaf ears.
"You can't - come on - Vakarian–!" Fedorian practically had to jog to keep up despite his longer legs. "This is insane! What are you thinking!? By the spirits, just when I think you can't skirt the line any closer– "
"Quiet." Castis's heart pounded and his stomach clenched. But determination buzzed in the back of his skull and there was no going back.
This was it. This was the perfect opportunity. Faldos would see Marcella in her element, he would see she was 'of use' to him, maybe even see her as reliable - someone he could call on - and that could lead to him contracting her. She could become a staple around the fort. Maybe…maybe she could even get a recommendation of her own…Maybe Faldos could even…approve of…
Adrenaline raced through his veins. It was a long shot, but he had to try.
Bringing Marcella into the fold would be the culmination of everything we had worked for, his two wants no longer at odds, able to coexist. She belonged here at his side, able to rise, not marred by her reputation. It was meant to be.
…Unless Faldos didn't accept her. There was the entirely probable possibility that he would still be suspicious of her, decide she was too much trouble, and shoot down any idea of working with her as completely absurd.
Castis shook his head violently. No, damn it! It would be fine. He needed to take a page out of Marcella's book and just go for it - anxiety be damned. This would work, it had to.
Besides, Faldos was a man of honor. He hated the caste system, hated those that skirted on nepotism and name alone. He himself fought tooth and nail to get to his position when he came from nothing and no one if his biographies were to be believed. He would understand.
Castis did his best to ignore the cold tingling on the back of his neck. He would get the recommendation and that would be the start of both of their futures. The end was the same - Marcella was simply part of the equation now. He would have them both. He had never doubted his goals before, he wasn't going to start now.
You know what you want. You always have. This changes nothing.
If they wanted him, they would have to take her too.
"This is such a terrible idea," Fedorian's voice continued to bounce disorientingly around the walls, "you can't get her involved…!"
Hot anger raced up Castis's spine and he couldn't keep the contempt out of his subtones. "Faldos will see in her what you did not."
"What!?" Fedorian was beside himself. "Faldos is not going to - you can't think - of all the ridiculous…!" He shook his head, his subtones grumbling loudly and oddly enough, almost proudly, " Sheesh - where the hell was this guy at Ortus…?!"
Castis came to an abrupt halt outside of his quarters, almost losing his footing as Fedorian slammed into him.
"Please," Fedorian continued, "There has to be someone else…!"
Castis raised a hand to the keypad next to his door but then paused, fingers hovering over the buttons.
…Damn it. He had disabled the door panel just in case. Could never be too careful. He tentatively rapped a knuckle on the thick metal. "It's me. Open the door."
He heard Fedorian hiss in his ear, " She's still here…!?" and silenced him with a low growl.
From behind the thick metal came a voice, a little hesitant but unmistakably coy. " …Password? "
Castis's mouth opened and then snapped shut, his mandibles clicking against his face fervently. Of course - he had given her a password too as an extra precaution - and it was…
It was…
He smacked a hand to his face. He had been so worked up about everything that happened in the aftermath that he couldn't remember what he had picked. No, he knew it, it was - it was…no, that was the one he considered using before finally settling on…
DAMN IT!
"...I - I don't remember. Please, you know it's me, let's just–"
"Well, you told me no one can enter without a password," Marcella said from behind the door.
'I know what I said, but–"
"–and if you can't remember the password then I need to ask a security question only you would know."
Castis bared his teeth, cursing himself under his breath. He let out a slow, defeated sigh that fluttered his mandibles. "... fine, what is it?"
There was a pause, and he swore he could hear a trill of mischievousness in her subtones even through the thick door. "...What's that cute nickname you call me sometimes that I love…?"
Castis's blood ran cold. He shot a panicked look back at Fedorian, who only stared back at him, mandibles tight and eyes wide.
Castis turned and pressed his face hard into the slit where the frame met the door and hissed as quietly as he could. "Look - there's someone here - please - open the door–"
"I believe your exact words were 'don't open the door for anyone," the cheeky voice said, " even if it's me, even if they didn't know the password–"
"Look - forget the rules - they're stupid –"
There was muffled laughter behind the door. "They're your rules!"
"I know!" Castis shrieked, his voice bouncing off the walls of the narrow hall. He cleared his throat and attempted to compose himself. "I know I…" His stomach flip-flopped violently and he squeezed his eyes shut.
Why are you like this? he thought, not for the first time that day.
"...Please don't," he begged.
The voice behind the door was at least sympathetic. "...I'm sorry. You made me promise."
That he did.
He rested his crest against the cool surface of the door in defeat.
I am the worst. I deserve this.
He again pressed his face against the line where the doorframe met the door, his nose and mouth smashed against the metal. His only hope of Fedorian, not over-hearing.
"…Mrr-mrr." he mumbled into the door jamb.
"What was that?" To his utter dismay, it sounded like she was enjoying herself.
"Mrr. Mrr ."
"One more time…?" she trilled.
"MAR-MAR." Castis's entire body shook, his skin feeling like it would ignite. "PLEASE. THE DOOR."
Next to him, he heard a shuffle and an awkward cough. He whirled around, jaw clenched and finger raised to Fedorian, daring him to say something.
Fedorian immediately averted his eyes and put his hands up defensively. Thankfully, it seemed he wouldn't say a word.
With a sharp click, the door slid open. Marcella stepped out and immediately reached for him, trilling playfully.
"We're not alone - we're not alone - we're not alone-!" he shrieked, grabbing her shoulders and keeping her at arm's length.
Marcella blinked, looking from him to Fedorian. "...Oh." She took an exaggerated step back. "I thought you were kidding."
Fedorian stood up to his full imposing height and hummed in a friendly tone that seemed a little forced. " Hello again, Khatirus!"
Marcella slowly pulled her mandibles into a smile that carried no mirth at all. "Hello, whatever-your-name-was." But She paused, eyes darting suspiciously between them. "...What's the occasion?"
"Erm, listen," Castis said, heart still racing. He held his hands behind his back to keep from wringing them. "The thing is, we uh - we were speaking with…I thought we could use your help to…I may have mentioned that, um…!" He stiffened out of instinct, parroting orders like a private fresh out of boot camp. "General Faldos demands an audience with you"
Marcella shot him a look, browplates furrowed but a slightly devious curiosity creeping into her voice. "Oh, does he now…?"
To say Marcella did not think highly of General Faldos was the understatement of the century.
Their first meeting was certainly memorable - he showed his true colors almost immediately. Brash, arrogant, short-tempered, a prime example of the Hierarchy's finest. She didn't care for authority figures in general and this guy was definitely at the bottom of the list. And she especially didn't like biotics.
She didn't trust them, as cliche as that was for a turian. She didn't have a bad experience, it was just…something about having that kind of power, wielding this incredible force she didn't fully understand - dangerous and unpredictable. They didn't need a weapon, they were the weapon. The thought that someone could simply crush your skull from across the room without warning wouldn't sit well with any level-headed person.
And yet here she was outside one's door. She eyed the grimy nameplate that adorned the adjacent wall: Andin Faldos.
So, here we are again.
Castis was so antsy she thought he would jump out of his plates. He seemed to have reverted to some default soldier mode out of fear because he herded her around like a sergeant shadowing a new recruit. It would have been funny if the way his hands shook and his mandibles twitched didn't put her so ill-at-ease
"Here are his quarters'' he announced and gestured dramatically to the door as though they hadn't been to this very office just a few months before, "I should warn you, the general can be abrasive, so it's best to stay on your guard."
Marcella scratched at her arm a little nervously. "...Yes, we've met, remember?"
Castis shrank a little. "...Right. But he's been even more uptight lately—"
"- Can't imagine why." She heard Fedorian but in.
"- so - uh - just so you know, keep your head down and don't speak unless he addresses you." Castis shot a look over his shoulder that Marcella couldn't see. Behind him, Fedorian crossed his arms and pretended to be interested in something on the ground.
"Last time was…not ideal, but this time we'll be ready." Castis continued, still with an air of stilted formality, "Don't worry. He's resourceful. He'll see value in your services."
"Ooh, lucky me." She mumbled.
"I've told him all about you - how, uh, good you are - just - like i said - stand at attention, answer all questions - eyes forward - and he'll like you."
Marcella raised a brow plate and scoffed. " Sir, yes, sir."
"...I mean, he won't like you, he might tolerate you, but even then he barely tolerates most people,'' She watched as his hands slowly came together. "He's usually quick to decide if you're competent or not - and I know you are, but he might not–"
"Cas…"
"–But hopefully he won't because, as I said, we're desperate and need all the help we can get–" he mindlessly started twisting and pulling his fingers.
'You're spiraling… " she warned.
"—but he might , because he can be v-very…"
Marcella trailed a hand up his chest and rested at the base of his neck, gently squeezing and kneading his taut muscles. " Relax." She didn't so much as speak it as hum it in her subtones, so low they seemed to vibrate the air around them. " You're okay."
His shoulders drooped automatically and his hands fell apart. He took a breath and slowly exhaled, blinking as though waking from some kind of bad dream. "Yeah…yeah. It'll be okay."
She gave his shoulder a squeeze before letting her hand fall back to her side. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fedorian shift, squeezing his arms tighter across his chest. His eyes were wide and flicked back and forth between the two of them. Whatever. She ignored him, keeping her eyes on Cas's face. With a last determined look, Cas hit the door panel and they entered the room.
Faldos's office was even smaller and dimmer than she remembered. The single light on the ceiling even flickered in a way that almost seemed ominous. The walls were completely bare save for shadows that jumped around with the unreliable light, emphasizing a bland shade of beige. It looked more like a cell. Smack dab in the middle was the general himself at his desk, the sole piece of furniture in the room. His hands were laced under his chin and his green eyes were locked on them. Marcella looked away, her gaze instead landing on his desk, its legs partially twisted and its top dented. She remembered how he had thrown it across the room in a fit of insane biotic rage. A general, throwing tantrums in his tiny, piece-of-shit office in the middle of nowhere. It was strange to think this man was once something the Hierarchy took pride in.
And Cas stood up to him to defend her. A woman he barely knew.
Huh, if I knew then what I know now…
"Sir." Castis stepped forward and gave a stiff salute and Fedorian followed suit behind him although far less rigidly. "Here she is." He turned around and swept an arm toward her before backing up to stand next to Faldos's desk, essentially giving her the floor. Fedorian took his place silently at the other side, grinning at her like a buffoon. Marcella vaguely felt like she was on some kind of trial. Okay, then.
"Sir," she started, remembering to straighten her back and keep her arms at her sides. "My name is Marcella Khatirus and my citizen ID number is–"
"I know who you are." General Faldos snapped, rising abruptly from his chair. His eyes flashed dark green, bright against his tan plates and white markings that striped his face in an intricate pattern.
Marcella blinked nervously. Oh good, he was just as charming as she remembered. Did he remember ordering her to be shot? Judging by the way his eyes were boring into her, it seemed likely. Great.
"What I don't know is if you'll be worth my time. " he continued.
"I assure you, uh, sir, I would be happy to assist you in whatever way I can - as your officer so generously offered."
"Yes." The general's eyes were still fixed on her, unblinking. Something ominous rumbled in his subvocals she couldn't quite detect. "It seems you two know each other."
"Ah, yes sir ." Marcella attempted to hide her smirk. "I'm well acquainted with Cas."
It only took her a second to realize her mistake, but it was long enough to see both Cas and Fedorian go rigid and the general's eyes darken considerably.
"– tis Vakarian! " She blurted out, heart jumping into her throat. She swallowed and leaned back on one foot to try to look casual. " Ahem, Castis Vakarian." She chanced a glance at Cas, tilting her head toward him, and put on her best nonchalant tone. "It is Castis, right? I, uh, don't remember…"
Cas's expression was one of mute horror. Fedorian hid his face behind a large hand. The general said nothing but radiated something tense.
Marcella swallowed again, her throat becoming tight.
Fuck me, oversold it.
"...but yes," she continued, determined to get back on track, "After our run-in a few months ago, he's been…
Spirits, what was the story again? Something about exchanging information?
"...providing me with a few leads and in return, I've been giving him tips on the locals. I know my way around. " Damn, I hope that's right.
Whether Faldos bought her story or not, she couldn't tell. Despite his stiff posture and intense gaze, he neither conveyed anger or suspicion, the slight flick of his mandibles the only part of him that moved at all. As though if he just stared at her long enough she would tell him exactly what he needed to know. It wasn't entirely far-fetched; a knot had formed in Marcella's stomach and she found herself digging her nails hard into her wrists. She tried not to think about how he could probably kill her without even leaving his desk.
Finally, he spoke, his voice deep and poisonous: "...Well then, it would seem we are in need of your services."
Marcella nodded curtly and chanced a dry smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she watches the two men flanking the desk. Castis looked like he couldn't decide if he was gonna puke or burst into tears. Fedorian still had that stupid forced grin on his face.
"The comm station is down, our communications are severed," Faldos announced, speaking a little loudly as if addressing a crowd instead of just her. "we haven't received word from… "
Marcella had heard about the situation from Cas multiple times. He had even briefed her on their walk over. So she just pretended to listen to the general prattle on about the comm station which she already knew of in a location she was already familiar with while she just nodded silently and tried not to look bored.
Yeah, she knew the place. A few clicks further north at the end of the valley was a sheer cliff of rock that towered over the surrounding mountains. The only way up was through a narrow maze of stone you had to take on foot until finally getting to the old station that from afar looked like it was on its last legs and looked even worse up close. It was more a pain in the ass to navigate than it was dangerous. It was easy to get lost in the numerous paths, and with no shade and the identical walls of rock, it would be easy to get turned around and die of exposure. She'd only been up a few times when she had to get creative about hiding from the locals after managing to really ruffle a few feathers.
It was also very rarely used as any kind of hideout due to its location, so there wasn't any likelihood of running into bandits - not that he needed to know that, of course.
"Ah, yes." she laced her fingers behind her back and tried to look serious, "Treacherous - a veritable hive of gang activity. Definitely gonna need a guide."
Faldos just stared her down."...So you're familiar with the area?"
Sort of. "Absolutely."
"Hm." the general made a noncommittal noise in his throat and walked around his desk toward her, slow and deliberate. "And why would you help us?"
Marcella held her ground, now keen on the general's little game. Stare, stare, growl threateningly, stare. She just shrugged, attempting to maintain the facade of innocence. "Well, you have something I want.
The general closed the gap between them until was only a foot in front of her, entirely too close for comfort, and drooped his mandibles, exposing sharp teeth. "And that is…?"
Marcella's gaze slowly left Faldo's face, drifting over his shoulder to where Cas stood. For a moment they locked eyes and her mandibles twitched in a tiny smirk. She watched as his entire body went rigid.
"... information ." Marcella tore her eyes from his face, turning to look casually along the wall in an effort to hide her widening smirk. Even now, it was too easy to resist teasing him. She leaned back on one foot and pretended to inspect her nails. "I assume you have information on anyone coming in and out of the starport. Perhaps you could spare a few leads. I know you don't agree with my methods, but this place is crawling with bounties, and the fewer criminals the better. We're on the same page about that, aren't we?"
Faldos frowned, his mandibles working and his eyes menacing. He was no krogan, of course, but that piercing stare and the unnerving ripple of energy that seemed to radiate off him made the knot in her stomach tighten. With a hiss of air escaping from between his teeth, he turned away from her, his hands working behind his back. "...Fine."
Marcella chewed her tongue to hide her surprise. He actually trusted her. Unbelievable - Cas was right.
"Guide us through the area - only guide - and perhaps there can be a discussion about procuring your information when we return."
"'We' ?"
Marcella tilted her head to see Fedorian, again with that dumb smile and humming skeptically. " Pardon me, sir, but couldn't the three of us handle it?" He gestured a large hand between her and Cas. "Surely you have more important matters to attend to."
If looks could kill, the one Faldos shot at Fedorian would have reduced him to a shriveled husk. His hands began to radiate that blue glow that made the knot in her stomach clench painfully, and cold bumps ran up the unplated flesh of her arms. "...Yes, Lieutenant Fedorian," the General practically trembled with rage, "I will be overseeing this expedition personally so there are no upsets." He turned away as though even the sight of the large turian pissed him off, "We will go up first thing tomorrow. Report at 600 hours." He jerked a hand toward the door, effectively dismissing them.
Marcella let out a slow breath as the door closed behind them. She had to admit, it went better than expected, but her stomach still ached and she was vaguely aware of her heart pounding in her ears.
Okay, so maybe he didn't trust her. That was fine. Despite what Cas thought, she doubted the general would ever give her any sort of real job. His hopes were impossibly high on that front, but at least this was a start. All she had to Although, the thought of having to deal with both Fedorian and Faldos was…not great.
She met Castis's eye and was surprised to find he looked hopeful rather than anxious - although he definitely radiated a lot of anxiety. He even tilted his mandibles into a very small smile, one that loosened up any tension still remaining in her stomach. She returned the smile, feeling a little more hopeful herself.
Well, at least this might be interesting.
