"Mordin."

The salarian glanced up. "Commander." His lips quirked in a smile. "Becoming a regular."

"Yeah, yeah." The weary commander pulled the desk chair over to Mordin's worktable. "Aaksiepkiru nyäyp."

"Ah," Mordin said, nodding approval. "Been practicing?"

"Mmm," she grunted. "A bit. Thane's been…"

"Not helpful?"

She grimaced. "At times. He gets a bit wound up in the language and doesn't always explain it clearly."

"Ah." Mordin tapped his keyboard a few times, then pulled the display down onto the desk again and began to set up the chessboard. "Need clarification?"

"Hm? On the language stuff?" He nodded, and she shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I'm not going to become fluent or anything, I just want to know a bit about it."

"Ah." Mordin moved a pawn forward two spaces, then interlaced his gloved fingers. "Decided that interest in language purely theoretical, then?"

"I guess you could say that." She moved her own pawn, then set her chin on her hands. "You're kind of right, you know," she said thoughtfully. "About culture in language."

"Language…" He nodded sagely. "Can tell a lot about culture, civilization, socialization through language," he said frankly. "Quite interesting."

"What does English say to you?" she inquired, and he leaned back on his heels, one hand to his chin.

"Hm." He frowned. "Compared to…?"

"Anything. Covus, if you like."

"Covus." He nodded. "English… more meticulous, but pattern of dropped or slurred words indicate decline of meticulous arrangement of words over time. Possibly due to mixing with other languages, adaptation of multiple conflicting patterns. Word pattern more… progressive, not sociologically but logically. Fluid, but with 'if this then that' type of arrangement, even if nonsensical sometimes. Covus more rigid, more dependent on context. English dislikes lack of explicit context in comparison - indicates lack of collective understanding of context." He nodded again. "English favors explicit context and collects fragments of other languages. Syntax flexible enough to accommodate - paints picture of very flexible but very convoluted language."

"Ha," she said. "Well, yeah, I guess that makes sense." She stretched, then moved her bishop forward two spaces. "What about Drelleian?"

"You tell me." He moved a castle forward.

"Uh… There's a really big emphasis on time," she said slowly. "Which makes sense - for a species that has such detailed memory, indicating when something happens would be really important."

"And eryu class," Mordin reminded her.

"Ah, yeah. Intangible versus tangible - that also makes sense."

"Species generally holds religious beliefs separating tangible existence from intangible soul," Mordin agreed. " Eryu - tangible - versus iryah - intangible."

She nodded and swiped a pawn off the board. "It's really interesting," she noted, "how different some of the language is. I mean, a whole tense class just dedicated to memory?"

"Necessary in drell culture," Mordin said, capturing the bishop she'd used to capture his pawn.

"Yeah, I suppose. It's just such a foreign concept to me, I guess." She shrugged.

Mordin shrugged in turn. "Covus has tenses for varying degrees of relation," he said. "Also has modifiers for non-salarians."

"Is that important in salarian culture?"

He paused. "Non-salarian modifiers just additional information," he said finally. "Varying degrees of relation important, though. Salarian clan culture and familial loyalty important. Diplomatic."

"Huh." She fell silent for a moment. "Okay, how many tenses does Covus have?"

"Individually?" He paused for a moment. "Individual forms of single verbs, over a thousand, including all relational modifiers."

"Wow."

"More intuitive than you may think," he stated, moving his castle again. "Watch your king."

"Mm." She moved her queen to a more protective position. "Tenses for, what, different clans?"

"Clan, nation, city, district. Not homeworld - rolls over from traditional salarian language from Sur'Kesh. Technically, all considered Sur'Kesh natives, linguistically and diplomatically. Except Lystheni. Conjugation and subsequent declensions rarely used."

"I've always wondered about the Lystheni," she admitted, then rolled her eyes as he captured a knight.

"Yes? Why?"

"I just don't know much about them," she explained. "Just… political differences?"

He frowned. "To a degree." He moved a pawn in response to her moving her remaining bishop. "Evolved in tougher environment than most salarians. Dislike Council authority. Moved out to Terminus systems."

"Is that all?" she wanted to know. "Most people talk about them as if they're biologically different."

"Genetic editing," he said shortly. "Technically genetically different."

She stopped. "Sorry. Not meaning to pry"

He tilted his head to the side, looking sheepish. "Nothing to be sorry for." He paused, then added wryly, "Diplomatically tense. Not favored topic among salarians."

"I'm not trying to get into anything," she said honestly, then surveyed the game board. "Just curious. Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for," he repeated, then swiped her queen off the board with a swift move of his knight. "Watch your king," he repeated, and gave a slight grin when she glanced at him.

"Jerk," she muttered good-naturedly, moving her king. "Are you going to try to teach me Covus next?"

"Would like to learn?" he inquired, moving his queen. "Would be happy to teach you."

"Maybe," she said apprehensively, shifting her king again. "You're going to win this one, aren't you."

"Bachi," he said evenly. "Maybe."

"You're going to end up teaching me Covus anyway," she accused him, moving her king in response once more, and he chuckled.

"Bachi," he repeated, and moved his knight forward. "Check mate."

"Damn it."