Chapter 4
Med Bay - SSV Normandy SR1
For what felt like an eternity, she just drifted in the nightmarish visions the beacon had assaulted her mind with. She felt as if she was being dragged through each one, being made to live them in real time and experience them firsthand. But she couldn't make sense of any of them. Something horrible was happening, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was because the voices that pressed against her mind were unintelligible. She couldn't understand anything they were trying to tell her - if they were trying to tell her anything at all.
Finally, after living the nightmare over and over again, she felt darkness again as her mind pulled her back to reality. As her eyes cracked open, she reached up and rubbed her throbbing head gently, trying to release some of the tension from a migraine the incident had given her.
"Doctor! Doctor Chakwas! I think she's waking up!" The familiar voice of Gunnery Chief Williams floated to her, penetrating the fog of her mind
Shepard groaned as she sat up on the soft bed. She immediately noticed that instead of her regular bed in the XO quarters, she was lying on a med bay table. Dr. Chakwas, the Normandy's current medical officer, stepped up to her side with her arms crossed. "You had us worried there Shepard. How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice tinged with matronly concern.
"I feel like my brain was just microwaved…" she said with a groan as her words marked another lance of pain through her skull. "How long have I been out?"
"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon I think," Chakwas explained as she grabbed a datapad.
Williams, who was standing behind Shepard on the opposite side of the bed from the doctor, shook her head as she spoke up. "It's my fault. I must have triggered something when I stepped too close. You had to push me out of the way," she said, her face downtrodden as she looked at the floor.
"Our intel about the beacon was sparse at best. You had no way of knowing it would react like that. So don't blame yourself," the commander said firmly as she looked over at the soldier. Williams responded with a nod and a small smile.
"Actually, we don't even know if that's what set it off," the doctor added, as she tapped away at the datapad. Letting out a sigh, she lowered the device and looked straight at Shepard. "Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out."
"The beacon was already damaged when we arrived. Whoever invaded probably didn't want anyone accessing it. So when it activated again, it likely put too much strain on the damaged structure and exploded. The blast knocked you out, so we carried you back to the Normandy's LZ as soon as possible," Williams told her as she crossed her arms, her guilty expression somewhat returning.
Shepard smiled slightly despite the pain in her head. "I appreciate the medivac."
Holding the datapad for the commander to see, Dr. Chakwas cut in again. "Physically, you're fine. But when you were unconscious, I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves." Shepard stared at the information in front of her. "I also noticed an increase in rapid eye movement. These signs typically indicate intense dreaming." The silver-haired doctor looked to the commander.
Shepard looked down at the floor, recalling the horrific visions that had plagued her while she was out. "I...I don't know what it was. But...I know it was death, destruction. Complete annihilation of something. But I couldn't understand the voices. It sounded like cries for help, cries of agony and sorrow. Cries that I couldn't comprehend." She grabbed her head again.
Chakwas stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm...I better add this to my report. It may-" she was interrupted by the door opening. The stoic form of Captain Anderson walked in. "Oh, Captain Anderson!" Chakwas said dutifully as she turned to him.
"How's our XO holding up Doctor?" the man asked curiously as he stood, as professional as ever, in the at ease stance with his hands behind his back.
"All the readings look normal. I'd say she's going to be fine," she concluded, waving her hand towards the datapad.
Letting out a sigh of relief, he nodded. "Glad to hear it." He turned to Shepard and eyed her worriedly. "Shepard, I'd like to speak to you in private."
Williams stood at attention and nodded. "Aye aye, Captain. I'll be in the mess if you need me." She marched dutifully towards the door. Chakwas gave one last nod to the captain before following the gunnery chief out.
"Sounds like that beacon sucker punched you pretty hard. You sure you're okay Commander?" Anderson asked as he stepped up to her bed.
Letting out a sigh, she lowered her head. "The beacon isn't the worst of it. I don't like soldiers dying under my command."
Anderson nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "I saw the video feed from Alenko's suit cam Commander. Jenkins wasn't your fault. You did well out there, even when things went to hell." He took a step back. "On the upside, I saw Williams in action as well. She's a pretty heavy hitter. I figured we could use a soldier like her on the Normandy, so I reassigned her here."
Shepard gave the captain a small smile. "Williams is a hell of a soldier. She deserves it."
"The lieutenant agrees with you. She'll make a fine addition," he said cheerfully.
Shepard's face suddenly twisted into a mask of anger, making the captain's smile disappear. "What the hell were the geth doing there? How did the Alliance not see them coming into the system?" She squeezed the edge of her bed tightly, trying to master her anger.
Anderson sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry Commander. But the geth haven't been seen outside the Perseus Veil in centuries. It was impossible to predict their involvement."
She groaned as pain lanced through her head again. "Impossible to predict, but it still shows the Alliance in the Traverse weren't doing their jobs properly. Something I'll address with them in the future."
"Understood. And...speaking of the future…" he started, taking his formal military stance again. "I won't lie to you Shepard, this looks bad. Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed, and the geth are invading. The Council is going to want answers, and they aren't the kind to ask nicely."
The commander growled as she stared at the captain. Her anger wasn't so much towards him as it was at the situation. "I didn't do anything wrong Captain. Hopefully, the Council will see that."
"I'm standing firmly behind you and your report, Shepard. You're a damned hero in my books," he said as he began to pace nervously. "The main reason I'm here is because of the dock worker in the tram station. He mentioned another turian by the name of Saren orchestrated the attack." At the mention of the name, Shepard saw the captain's expression harden. "Saren's a spectre. One of the best, a living legend. And he's also the Council's top agent," he explained as he stopped his movement and stared at her. "If he's working with the geth, then that means he's gone rogue. And a rogue spectre is serious trouble, especially one who hates humans."
Shepard shook her head knowingly as she stared at the other man. "He didn't come to Eden Prime because he hates humans."
Anderson nodded as he continued pacing. "You're right. Saren has allied himself with the geth. That beacon was his target, and the bombs prove that he was trying to wipe out any evidence of their involvement." He turned to the commander and eyed her curiously. "You were there, the beacon interacted with you. Is there anything you can tell me or the Council about what he might have wanted?"
"Just before I lost consciousness, I had some kind of vision. One of death and carnage and screaming. Lots of voices crying out in agony, but I couldn't understand anything they were trying to tell me. If it was some kind of warning, I couldn't figure out what they were trying to warn us about." She held her head as memories of the nightmare came flooding back to her.
The captain scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Prothean beacons are known for projecting images into the minds of the users. The same thing happened decades ago when we found the archives on Mars. We need to report this to the Council as soon as we can. Hopefully they'll have a better understanding and will be able to make out what exactly it was trying to show you. It could have been a blueprint for a weapon, or it could have been some kind of prothean technology that could help us stop whatever it is if it's a warning. We just don't know."
"Whatever it was, Saren got to it first. He tried to destroy the beacon before anyone else could use it. But I guess I just got lucky," she said in mock humor as she finally started stretching herself out. Lying in a medical bed for fifteen hours had her muscles a bit sore.
Anderson nodded and let out a sigh of anger. "I know Saren. I know his politics, his reputation, and his belief that humans are a blight on the galaxy. Regardless of the beacon, his attack on Eden Prime was an act of war against the Systems Alliance." He stared at the ground, worry tinging his voice. "He has the secrets from the beacon and he has an army of geth at his command. Who knows what he intends to do with the information? Regardless of that, however, he's a threat to all of humanity."
Shepard glared at the captain with fire in her eyes. "He won't be when I get my hands on him."
Anderson shook his head. "It's not that easy Shepard. He's a spectre. He can go anywhere and do anything with the blessing of the Council. In order to get to Saren, we need the Council on our side. We need to prove to them that he's a traitor."
Shepard nodded eagerly. "If we prove that he's gone rogue, the Council will have to revoke his spectre status. Then he'll no longer have their resources or the ability to go anywhere he wants."
"The dock worker is pretty convincing evidence against him already. That, paired with your testimony, might be enough to get through to them. I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience. He'll be waiting for us when we arrive, so head up to the bridge and tell Joker we're ready to dock," he ordered, nodding to the commander.
Shepard nodded back, ignoring the pain in her head. She hopped off the bed and immediately headed out the door to carry out her captain's instructions.
Human Embassy – Presidium – Citadel
As soon as she entered the main office of the Earth Embassy, she could tell things had already gone downhill. The ambassador, Donnel Udina, had a sour look as he walked away from the Council communicators. Anderson, as professional as ever, stood at ease before the man. But Shepard crossed her arms, knowing from what she'd read that the man was less than courteous when problems arose.
"Captain Anderson...I see you brought half your crew with you," the man said as he looked at Shepard, Williams, and Alenko, all three of whom were in their dress military uniforms.
"Just the ground team from Eden Prime, in case you had any questions," Anderson responded smartly as he stood in front of the trio.
"I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate," the man answered, his tone bitter.
"They are. Did you manage to get us an audience?" Anderson asked curiously.
Udina let out a heavy sigh. "I did, but they weren't happy about it. Saren is their top agent and they don't like him being accused of treason."
At that point, Shepard spoke, surprising both of the soldiers behind her. "I'm not going to sit on my ass and let a mass murderer go just because the Council doesn't want to acknowledge their pet is a traitor! If they don't want to stop him, then I will!" she snapped as she took a step forward.
Udina looked at the commander with a wide-eyed expression, startled by her outburst. Then his face hardened as he stared at the woman. "Settle down, Commander. You've already done quite enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres," he growled as he crossed his arms. "The mission on Eden Prime was your chance to prove you could do high priority jobs. Instead, Nihlus wound up dead and the beacon was destroyed!"
Breaking his normally professional demeanor, Anderson snapped at Udina. "That's not her fault! Saren is the one you should be blaming!"
"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up more evidence to support our accusations. As it stands, what you have has been deemed insubstantial at best. And if they don't put the blame on him, then it's going to land directly on your shoulders." Udina turned to Anderson. "Come with me Captain, I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, you meet us at the Council Chambers in the Citadel Tower in twenty minutes. I've already given you clearance to enter."
Anderson nodded and followed the ambassador out of the office, leaving the three soldiers alone. Once he was gone, Williams glared at the door. "And that's why I hate politicians," she griped as she shook her head.
Shepard looked at the two sternly. "Come on. Let's visit C-Sec and find out what they've gathered. Afterward, we'll head to the hearing." She headed towards the door, the two soldiers falling into step behind her.
C-Sec Executor's Office - Presidium, Citadel
Given her Citadel classification, it was relatively easy for Shepard to get access to the Executor's office. When she walked through the door, the turian officer looked up and immediately set down the datapad he had been using. "Commander Shepard! I didn't expect to see you here. Did Udina send you?"
The commander stepped up to Executor Pallin's desk, her body rigid with Alliance form. "I came on my own because I need information on the investigation into Saren."
The Executor chuckled lightly as he leaned back in his turian-made chair. "You humans are always so curious. Always sticking your fingers into someone else's pie. Is that the right expression?" he asked curiously, before shaking the question from his mind. "I will answer what I can, Commander. However, given the classified nature of the person being investigated, I'm sure you can appreciate the fact that there are some answers I can't freely give."
"Do you think withholding evidence from the prosecutor will look good come re-election?" Shepard asked, crossing her arms and dropping her Alliance formalities.
"Sorry Shepard, I don't make the rules, I just enforce them. And according to the Council, I'm not allowed to share any classified information about Saren's dealings outside the particular incident in question," Pallin explained, earning a glare from the commander. "Ask away, Commander. I'll answer what I can."
"Has the investigation found anything incriminating on Saren that I am allowed to know about?" she asked as she eyed the executor.
"Unfortunately, no. We have your colonist's testimony, though that doesn't appear to be convincing enough to establish guilt." Pallin folded his hands on the desk.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" she asked in annoyance. The turian gave her his species' version of a shrug, known to other species as the 'loop' as he waved his talon in a circular motion. "Given your distaste of spectres, I had expected a bit more help out of you, Pallin."
His eyes widened and his mandibles twitched at her words. "How did you-" he started, but let out a gruff sigh. "I knew from your profile that you were good with intel, but I didn't think you would go sniffing around my personal history."
"I like to know who I'm dealing with," Shepard said as she leaned forward and placed a hand on his desk. Her grimace changed into a cocky smile. "Now, I know you better than most. And I know that the executor who got his office due to a donation from the third cousin of Councilor Sparatus isn't about to give me the information I need, even with his arm twisted. So how about you give me the name of the officer in charge of the investigation, and I won't have to reveal the Council's lapdog to the world."
Pallin's mandibles twitched menacingly as he stared daggers at the human. But, he nodded and activated his omni-tool. "His name is Garrus Vakarian. He should be at the Citadel Tower, fruitlessly requesting more time for the investigation."
"Thank you, Executor. Your assistance in this matter is appreciated," Shepard said before she turned and left the office, ignoring the turian's threatening glare.
Council Chambers - Presidium Tower - Presidium, Citadel
As the trio entered the Council Chambers a few minutes late, they stopped as a grumbling turian was about to leave the large room. Shepard looked down at her omni-tool and noticed the man walking towards her was the one she was looking for. His silverish-grey carapace and purple clan paint under his eyes made him stick out against most of the other turians she had met before. But before she even got a chance to introduce herself, she found him staring at her.
Stepping up to her, he nodded dutifully. "Commander Shepard?" he asked curiously.
"That's me. You must be Garrus," she said, holding out her hand for him.
Without thinking, the turian reached forward and grasped her wrist, which she returned in kind. It took him a moment to realize she had returned his turian wrist clasp. "Not many humans are familiar with that," he responded in mild surprise.
"I've learned a lot about turians in college...and through friends," she responded, looking off to the side, leaving the statement vague.
"Right…" he said with an acknowledging nod. "In any case, I'm the C-Sec officer in charge of the investigation into Saren Arterius."
She tilted her head curiously as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You look like you just got some bad news."
He let out a sigh of annoyance, his eyes set in a glare. "The Council is trying to sweep this under the rug. They gave me a whole twenty hour day to investigate him, but they've refused me access to his classified files. They might as well have handed me a toy detective kit and shoved me out the door," he growled angrily. "Then, when I went to request more time for the investigation, they denied it, saying that Saren had work to do that was being hindered with this ongoing investigation."
Shepard cocked an eyebrow as she looked the turian up and down. "You must really want to bring him down."
"I haven't trusted him since the first time I met him. It was only briefly, but I saw the look in his eyes. That of a hollow, soulless killer. As soon as they presented me with the investigation, I read his file and saw red flags all over the place. The casual discarding of civilian lives as collateral damage, the reckless destruction of property, and the fact that he mainly operates in the Terminus Systems. All of it looks like the rap sheet of a government-sanctioned thug," he snapped in frustration. He let out a sigh and his look softened almost immediately. "Sorry for the rant, Commander. It's just, red tape like this infuriates me. All it does is let criminals dance away without a scratch, leaving piles of bodies in their wake."
"I understand, Garrus. Hopefully, I can talk some sense into them," she said with a smile, appreciating the turian's vigor.
"There's a first time for everything," he responded, repeating the circular motion of his talons that his boss had done earlier. Suddenly, his omni-tool lit up as he received a call. Holding it up, his mandibles twitched briefly.
"Something important?" asked Shepard curiously.
"It's Doctor Michel…" he said thoughtfully. "I've gotta take this. And, sorry again about the rant," he said as he bowed his head respectfully.
"Here, there's still a few hours left on the investigation. If you find anything out, contact me," she said as she passed him her information instantly.
"I will, thanks," he replied as he marched hurriedly away from them and headed for the entrance to the tower.
"We should probably get up there, Commander. It looks like they're wringing Udina out like a rag," Williams said as she nodded towards the top of the stairs. Shepard returned the nod and marched towards the staircase, climbing it quickly to enter the hearing.
When they reached the top of one flight, Captain Anderson acknowledged her with a nod of his own. "The hearing's already started. Come on," he ordered as he began walking up with them. When they finally reached the top, as predicted, Udina's face was a mask of subdued rage, while the Councilors' were as cold as ice.
As the Alliance soldiers stepped up to the circular platform, Shepard looked around and found many eyes of all kinds of species. Then, she looked towards the Council and noticed a fourth figure standing next to them in holographic form. Her eyes narrowed into a glare as she saw the turian figure, Garrus' words coming back to her in an instant. But she looked over to the asari councilor - Councilor Tevos - as she started speaking to Udina once more.
"The geth attack is a matter of concern. But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way," she said in a calm, yet concerned tone.
"The investigation of Citadel Security has yet to turn up any evidence to support your accusation of treason," added Sparatus, the turian councilor to the left of Tevos.
But Udina refused to relent. "An eyewitness saw Saren kill Nihlus in cold blood!" he snapped as he pressed a button on the holographic display in front of him to bring up the video of the man's testimony.
But the salarian, Councilor Valern, spoke up next. "We've read the Eden Prime reports and we've watched the account of this traumatized dock worker as well. It's hardly compelling evidence for a charge of treason," he said as he waved the claim away with a hand.
"I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre and a friend." Saren's voice came from the projection of him that appeared near the council dias.
"That just let you catch him off guard," Anderson spoke up, a mask of anger on his normally placid face. Shepard was slightly surprised by the amount of vitriol the captain was currently aiming towards the spectre. She began to wonder if his knowledge of Saren was a little more than skin deep.
She didn't realize she would have her answer as soon as the holographic spectre spoke again. "Captain Anderson, why is it that you always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me?" he asked condescendingly as he stared down at the man. Suddenly, Saren's eyes turned and looked directly down at her. "And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one responsible for letting the beacon get destroyed."
Shepard smirked up at the turian as she crossed her arms. "Saren, how was it you knew about the beacon exactly? The files were Rank 5 classified and were strictly for the eyes of the crew of the Normandy."
"When Nihlus died, his files were passed to me. I've gone over the report extensively Commander, and I saw your carelessness first hand," he smartly explained.
Shepard's eyes widened and she immediately glared at the Council. All of them seemed rather passive until she spoke. "You allowed someone under investigation for treason access to Class 5 encrypted files?" she asked incredulously. All three of the councilors were taken aback at the jab, looking between one another. Udina's eyes widened slightly at seeing such emotion from the three statuesque figures who had been toying with him for the past ten minutes. "The report of Saren's betrayal came with, and I repeat WITH, the Eden Prime report! And you honestly thought it was a good idea to pass him files that implicate him!?"
Finally, Sparatus spoke. "Commander Shepard, I'd suggest you lower your voice before we end the hearing early," he snapped with authority. But the commander's glare never ceased. "Let's try to stay focused on the case at hand."
"Humans are always trying to change the subject when they have nothing to grasp onto. Typical," the holographic turian said as he looked away in boredom.
"Big talk coming from someone who was too cowardly to show up to his own trial," Shepard shot back maliciously.
Saren glared at her, ice filling his voice as he responded. "Unlike you, Commander, I have important work to do that is essential to the Council and the galaxy as a whole. Your species needs to learn its place. Your kind can barely keep a single covert mission from falling apart, let alone handle as many as I do."
Udina immediately picked up on the implication and stepped forward, snapping at the turian. "He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!"
Tevos sighed and looked at Saren sternly. "Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting."
"This meeting has no purpose! These humans are wasting my time, and yours Councilor!" he argued as he stared back at her.
But Shepard spoke up again, getting his attention once more. "You can't hide behind the Council forever, Saren. Soon enough you'll be looking over your shoulder for me!"
Anderson placed a hand on her uniformed shoulder, giving her a look that she knew meant for her to cool down. "There's still one outstanding issue, Councilors," he said, stepping forward. "The beacon activated one last time before it was destroyed. The Commander says it transferred visions into her mind."
"So, the Commander was knocked senseless by the explosion and had a bad dream afterward? What kind of charade do you think this is?" Saren snapped as he glared down at Anderson.
"The effect of the beacon on Shepard's mental health can be discussed at another point in time. Right now, do you have anything else to add?" Valern asked as he looked down at the humans with his voluminous eyes.
"How good are your memories Councilors?" Shepard asked, stepping forward herself.
Again, they looked taken aback by the question. "I don't see what this has to do with…" Sparatus began, but Tevos cut him off.
"My memory, while not flawless, is fairly reliable, Commander. Does this have something to do with this hearing?" she asked sternly.
"You remember the video of the witness's testimony then?" she asked, getting a nod from the asari. "If you'll recall, Lieutenant Alenko's camera was hot as soon as we touched the ground. You'll notice in that unstopped footage there were two witnesses to another turian on Eden Prime, not just one."
"Ah yes, that rambling lunatic of a scientist," snarked Sparatus as he shook his head.
"That scientist was isolated from the dock worker. There was little to no chance that they had met one another in order to share information. And you're going to ignore this tidbit of important information, on top of the fact that from the time we hit the ground until we met that traumatized dock worker, the name Saren wasn't mentioned. As you can recall, none of us," she gestured to herself, Alenko, and Williams, "ever mentioned his name. What was mentioned, however, was that Nihlus was killed by a turian, and he had heard his name was Saren. He was not coerced into saying so, as your little pet seems to imply." She sent a glare towards Saren, who gave her a menacing look in return.
"While you are correct in the startling coincidence - that this man managed to name and describe the race of Saren - there's nothing saying that he couldn't have heard the name before and dropped it in a delusional haze," Sparatus stated matter-of-factly.
"I have to agree with Sparatus. While it does raise some questions, it is not enough evidence to declare someone an enemy of Council Space," Valern added as he stared down at the commander.
Shepard's brows furrowed as she looked over all three of them. "So you've made your choice?" she asked firmly. "No extension to get more evidence, no freezing his status due to inconsistencies, no nothing. You're just going to let a mass murderer loose over inconvenience?" She shook her head. "Can't say I'm surprised."
"Commander, your back talk has been tolerated quite enough!" snapped the turian Councilor as he stepped forward and glared down at her with his predatory eyes.
Tevos placed a hand on his shoulder, which immediately seemed to calm his fiery mood. "We must all stay calm," she said as he took a step back. Looking to Shepard, she nodded.
Shepard examined her face, mapping every detail into her mind. She was a matriarch, which meant she was over half a millennia old at least. Despite her age, she looked as heavenly and young as a human in their young thirties. This was typical of most asari who weren't heavy drug users. Tevos looked to be at least three seasons into her aging and the petrification was beginning to show.
"Commander, there are still a few hours left in the investigation. Perhaps if you were to assist C-Sec, then you could find something a bit more convincing than what we have now," she said, giving the human her heavenly smile. Shepard snorted sourly at the remark but nodded. "Good," Tevos said with an air of finality. "We shall reconvene after you have either collected more substantial evidence, or once the investigation has come to an end. Until then, I wish you luck." She reached forward and typed on the pad in front of her.
Saren turned away from the trial and vanished into nothingness, leaving the humans with nothing to do except step down the stairs and head straight for their embassy.
CODEX ENTRIES
Loop | Body Language | Turian
Due to their arm rotator cuff connecting directly into their hardened, plate-like torso, turians do not have the same mobility and freedom with their shoulders as other species do. This has resulted in much more of their body language developing in rapid movement of their hands and talons. The turian 'loop,' or the movement of their hand in a rapid circle, is the equivalent to a human shrug and can simply mean "I don't know."
Wrist Clasp | Culture | Turian
Turians, in similar fashion to a human handshake, express their respect for one another by using this gesture. By reaching their talons forward, they both wrap their fingers around the others' wrist and grip them firmly in a show of treating them as equals. The origin of the gesture also included a turian style blade in the opposing hand; adding to the gesture that the two trust each other not to used the blade while their other hand was locked in a clasp.
Seasons | Biology | Asari
Similar to some humans, asari often compare their aging process to the seasons of their planetary year, or more specifically, the aging of their skin. Newborn asari skin starts pebbled like a snake's scales, but soft and supple to the touch. This lasts throughout their childhood and maiden phase. It will start to shift after the matron stage begins. The older the asari gets, the less textured their skin feels. Eventually, nearly every inch of their skin will succumb to petrification, making it nearly as smooth as marble. However, this process also makes it nearly impossible for them to move without pain. Once this occurs, the asari is considered to have entered their final season and will begin to prepare for the end of their life.
Petrification | Biology | Asari
Unlike human skin that begins to wrinkle and sag as the human gets older, asari skin has a reversing effect. Starting soft and supple, it will continuously harden throughout their life. Near the end of their impressive lifespan, their skin will have smoothed to the texture of glass, causing them immense pain with each movement and making it impossible for them to do anything other than prepare for their inevitable return to the galaxy. Many asari attempt to buy products to make their skin softer for longer, but none have shown any tangible effect.