Mass Effect is the intellectual property of Bioware and EA. The AVP franchise belongs to 20th Century Fox.
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Council Chambers, The Presidium
As a rule, members of the Citadel Council didn't have a great deal of spare time, so it was almost impossible to arrange a quick meeting between all three of them. In this case, they hadn't even tried. It was just the asari and the turian councillors that met. The salarian councillor, Valern, would be briefed later.
"Any news?" The flanged turian voice had a strange undertone, indicating a considerable amount of stress.
Tevos shrugged. "Not really. The human ambassador has filed an official protest, complaining that our intended fleet deployment in the Demilitarized Zone is an 'unwarranted provocation' that 'needlessly increases tension' and could lead to 'shooting incidents' between turian and human forces."
"As expected."
"Yes. Sparatus-"
"I know, I know. We're taking a gamble. Don't worry. General Corinthus has strict orders not to engage the human fleet unless they try to move into Citadel Space. As long as they stay where they are, he will observe them from a distance. If they move toward the Traverse or the Terminus, he will shadow them. Again, from a distance. In any case, that's not what I meant. Have the humans released any more information about Nihlus?"
"No."
"I was afraid of that." Sparatus stared out of the window. "There is something wrong there, Tevos. If there had been an incident, Udina would be playing it up to distract us from the loss of the beacon. And if Nihlus was simply killed by the geth, why not give us a full report?"
"Because they're feeling contrary?" Tevos asked. "Seriously though, I agree there is something going on, whether it's related to Nihlus, or not. I met Sha'ira at a dinner party, last night. She told me that she's invited Commander Shepard to meet with her."
Sparatus turned around. "Well, congratulations to Commander Shepard. Within three days of arrival? That has to be something of a record. But why would that concern us?"
"Think about it. Even if Sha'ira found the Butcher of Torfan so fascinating that she goes out of her way to arrange a meeting, why would she make a point of telling me? No, there is something going on. And there is more. According to Valern's sources, Captain Anderson is meeting with Barla Von today. Now, he is not involved in trade negotiations and unless the pay scale for human officers has changed drastically, he's not looking for financial advice on that level for personal investments. So, this has to be related to Von's other activities."
Sparatus nodded. "So, we have a Spectre killed under mysterious circumstances. We have a human officer suddenly meeting with the consort and another seeking access to the Shadow Broker, both of them within days of their arrival. Anderson has had trouble with a Spectre before. Do you think it is related?"
"You mean that incident with Saren? That was years ago, and the humans have not brought it up since then. If that's what it's about, Anderson is probably acting on his own. And that would not explain Sha'ira's meeting with Shepard."
"Shepard is Anderson's second in command," Sparatus countered. "Or was, until they arrived at the Citadel. With Anderson assigned to their embassy, Shepard may inherit his command. Or the humans may bring in a new commanding officer for their frigate. In any case, if Anderson needed help investigating something, who better to ask than his direct subordinate? Especially if something happened on Eden Prime between Nihlus and Shepard. Shepard may now have a grudge of her own against Spectres. Or Anderson may have something to compel Shepard to cooperate with him, even if his actions are not sanctioned by their government. Shepard has never been on the Citadel, but Anderson has. He certainly knows about Sha'ira and the contacts she has, so getting to her would be a good move if he wants to get back at Saren. As to Sha'ira's motives, who can tell?" He sighed. "I feel a headache coming up. It's bad enough when humans are acting together to make our lives difficult. When they start going off on their own, it's even worse."
"I agree," Tevos said. "But what do we do about it? Sooner or later, the situation will explode-"
"-Literally, if past experience with humans is anything to go by."
"Indeed. We need to get ahead of this. We cannot be blindsided. Torfan was bad enough. If we get caught off guard, again, the consequences could be far-reaching."
"So, we need to keep an eye on them. Do you think Sha'ira will be willing to keep you informed of her dealings with Shepard?"
Tevos shrugged. "Like you said, with Sha'ira, who knows? But I think that in this case, she will. That's probably why she made sure I knew what was going on."
"Good, that gives us a way of checking on their activities. Meanwhile, I'll contact C-Sec and see if I can arrange for some surveillance."
"C-Sec?" Tevos looked concerned. "You know Executor Palin's attitude toward humans. That will colour his judgement. The last thing we need is an incident here on the Citadel."
"So, we'll leave Palin out of it, or, as much as we can. I'll tell him that I need one of his detectives for a little side-job. He won't like it, but he won't get in the way either. Especially, if I request this particular detective." Sparatus smirked a little. "Palin might even thank me for getting Vakarian out of the way for a while."
"I see. And this officer...?"
"Vakarian."
"Yes. Can he be trusted?"
"To do as he's told? No. To do the right thing, or at least what he considers the right thing? Yes. His father is an old friend and he doesn't have a problem with humans as far as I'm aware. And he hates bureaucracy, which makes him a good candidate for a little off-the-record assignment. My only worry is that he's going to be prejudiced in the other direction. He and Shepard have a few things in common."
-0-0-0-
Consort's Chambers, The Presidium
Her first impression triggered a strong sense of disappointment. So, this is what an asari whorehouse looks like from the inside. It looks... boring.
In fact, the outer room that Shepard saw as she walked in could best be described as a cross between a dentist's waiting room and a cocktail party. People of various species were scattered around the room, standing or sitting on couches while a group of asari maidens moved between them, serving drinks and engaging them in conversation.
"Can I help you?" A young asari in the 'not quite tacky, but still somewhat revealing' outfit that seemed to be the standard dress code was standing at what in a restaurant would have been the hostess' desk.
"My name is Shepard, I believe I'm expected."
The hostess' eyes widened slightly. She nodded. "Of course, Commander Shepard. The consort is expecting you. She has looked forward to making your acquaintance."
"Really?" Shepard looked over the room again. "Tell me, does this consort have a lot of enemies?"
The asari looked shocked. "Of course not! She is highly respected, not only on the Citadel but in all of Citadel Space. What makes you think-"
"When people are eager to make my acquaintance, it usually means they want me to shoot somebody. I was just wondering what kind of body count she had in mind."
"I can assure you-"
A small buzzer sounded, distracting her from whatever she would have said. Instead, she activated a communicator and spoke a few words in a hushed tone.
"Commander Shepard, the consort can see you, right now. Please go to the end of the room and take the last door on the left."
"Excellent." As the Commander moved on, she could hear the asari behind her, talking rapidly into her communicator.
-0-0-0-
Near the Presidium lake
"This is pointless." Chief Williams muttered as she walked along the Presidium lake.
"Pointless?" Lieutenant Alenko looked up. "Just think of it as standing guard, or walking a patrol. It may be boring, but it has to be done."
"I know. But this is worse than normal. Everything's bland. It's like this whole place has been designed like a nursery. Everything's smooth, all curves, no angles, and it all looks the same. "No, I take that back. It's worse than a nursery. It's like one of those places where they put psychos. Nothing that stands out, so it won't trigger an episode; and nothing sharp, so even if they go crazy they cannot hurt themselves."
"Yes, I can see the similarity. Still, I bet you didn't see this type of crowd anywhere else you were posted."
Williams looked around. "The aliens? We had quite a few on Eden Prime. Come to slum it with the humans. I swear someone is selling adventure trips to human space for them. 'Come to adventurous Eden Prime. See humans in their native environment and gape at their quaint, primitive customs'. They should keep doing that. Let them all see xenomorphs in their native environment too."
"Easy, Chief. You might want to check what you're saying out loud."
"Sorry, sir. It's just.. what exactly are we supposed to be doing here?"
"Other than keeping up appearances that we're just playing tourist? I guess we're the backup. If either the captain or the commander needs help, we can be there a lot quicker than if we had to come all the way from the embassy." He shrugged. "To be honest, I don't see much danger around here, other than getting up-sold on something by an aggressive hanar salesperson, but having back-up never hurts. Anyway, would you rather sit around in the embassy?"
"I suppose not. I just wish we could actually get something done. We're wasting time, while-" She stopped. Lieutenant Alenko had fallen behind.
"Lieutenant?"
Alenko had stopped near the Relay Statue.
"Lieutenant?"
He looked up.
"Everything alright, sir?"
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. It's nothing."
Before Williams could inquire further, his comm unit buzzed.
"Alenko? Captain Anderson. I finished my meeting. Has Shepard come out yet?"
"No, sir."
"Alright. Let me know, as soon as she's back. I have a lead."
-0-0-0-
Consort's Chambers
"Commander Shepard. I am Sha'ira. I'm so glad you could make time to visit me on such short notice." Estimating an asari's age was difficult, but even to Shepard's inexperienced eye, it was clear that the consort was considerably older than the other asari in the establishment. Her face was sharper, with a more defined bone-structure and her dress showed off the more pronounced curves that asari developed when they entered the matron stage. "Though it really was too bad of you to scare poor Nelyna."
"Nelyna? Oh, the girl at the reception."
"Yes. She was quite shocked by your comments. I fear she believes you to be a quite dangerous individual. Tell me commander, am I in danger?"
Shepard considered for a moment, looking around the room. Then she said, "A human once wrote that every person is surrounded by danger because they themselves are all dangerous in their own way." Her lips twitched. "Right here and now? Well, we're about three meters apart. I can close the distance before you can pull a weapon or power-up biotics. So, it would come down to a wrestling match. If you fancy your chances at that, by all means, give it a try, but," She jerked her head in the direction of the large bed that stood in one corner of the room. "You might want to move closer to the bed. It would probably make for a softer landing."
"Oh, absolutely." The consort smiled and there was a slight mocking edge to her tone. "But you can rest assured that I have no intention of using either a weapon or biotics. Tell me, am I such a frightening figure, Commander? Or do people attack you so often, that it's simply the first thing that comes to mind?"
Shepard shrugged. "I have a few enemies. When I receive an invitation from a stranger I get suspicious."
"And yet, you came."
"I was curious. I wanted to know what kind of person hears the words 'Butcher of Torfan' and decides that she just has to meet that individual."
"Oh, that is not so surprising, Commander." The consort smiled again. "Should anyone ask, other than satisfying a natural curiosity I simply wished to express my gratitude."
"Gratitude?"
"Oh, yes. You see, it wasn't just human slaves you liberated on Torfan, Commander, as I'm sure you remember. There were quite a few non-humans as well. Do you know how many of them were asari?"
"About two-thirds of them, if I remember correctly. Figure six-hundred."
"Exactly. You never came here, Commander, so you didn't see it happening. But I can assure you that in the weeks afterwards human soldiers found themselves very welcome in the bars and clubs of the Citadel. Even in places that had previously been closed to them. Some of them even took advantage of that sentiment and enjoyed some, 'cultural exchange' one might say, on a personal level. Even today, that sentiment lingers."
"Because of six-hundred freed asari slaves. Out of how many?"
"I'm sorry?"
"How many? How many asari slaves in the galaxy? Hundreds of thousands? Millions?"
The consort nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Shepard. "Between the Hegemony and the Terminus systems, absolutely. More, if we count the indentured workers on Ilium. Six-hundred seems like a small number when you look at it like that. But six-hundred is better than none, Commander. And I can assure you that to those six-hundred, and their families, it made a great deal of difference."
"I'm sure it did." Shepard nodded. "Just like it made a big difference to five-thousand humans and their families; well, what was left of those families, after the Blitz. Tell me, do you know how many human slaves were taken in the first place?"
"I'm afraid, I don't. I don't think that information was ever released."
"No, it wasn't, and with good reason." Shepard stopped herself. Bad call. Five seconds alone with her and you're about to spill secrets. "But never mind about the past. Now that we've established what I should say if anyone inquires as to your motives. Tell me, Sha'ira, why am I here?"
"Other than my desire to express my personal gratitude? It has come to my attention that I might be able to help you with a small problem you seem to have."
"A problem?"
"Yes. I understand that you may need to communicate certain things to people in high offices; communicate discretely. I might be able to facilitate that."
"Is that so?" Shepard managed to keep her face impassive, but she had the uncomfortable feeling that the asari could pretty much read her thoughts anyway.
"Oh, yes. I provide many services to all manner people, Commander. Comfort and council that is sought by many. And when I call and ask for a small favour, such people are often quite willing to give it. Especially, if all I need is a few moments of their time."
"Access to those with power." Shepard nodded. "That can be valuable indeed. So, tell me, why would you exercise that kind of influence on my behalf."
The consort had closed the distance as they talked and was now standing right in front of her.
"As I said, Commander, you have earned some gratitude, as have some of the people that you're working with. Besides, I was hoping that you could do me a small favour."
Shepard forced herself to remain relaxed. She had not been lying completely when she said that she was expecting an ambush. Now she had the uncomfortable feeling that the trap had already been sprung. "Go on."
"I have a small situation with a friend of mine that I think you could help me solve."
"A friend."
"Yes. A turian general named Oraka. The name might be familiar to you. He served in what you call the First Contact War."
Shepard nodded. "I've heard the name. I don't know if it's a common name among turians, but-"
"It's the same person. General Oraka commanded the turian fleet when your people counter attacked at your colony of Shanxi. I'm afraid he never fully recovered from the loss of so many of his soldiers. I was able to be of some comfort to him. Unfortunately, that has created a 'dependency' you might say. He wants something more than I can give, and when I made that clear to him, he became angry." She hesitated for a moment, then continued. "Since then, he has been brooding and in his anger, he has started to spread rumours about me. That I have broken the confidence of people that spoke to me in private. That I have been selling those secrets to the highest bidder. In particular, that I have been the source of rumours about a diplomat here on the Citadel."
"I thought you said he was a friend," Shepard observed. "This doesn't sound like the actions of a friend."
The consort sighed. "I blame myself. I should have been more careful and not raised expectations that I cannot possibly fulfil. However, that doesn't change the fact that I cannot let this situation continue."
"So you want me to make him stop. By any means necessary?"
Shepard had trouble stifling a grin as the consort seemed shocked for the first time. "Nothing like that, Commander! Goddess, no. I wouldn't think of it. I simply thought that you could talk to him, one soldier to another."
"You want me to talk. I would think that a human would be the last person he would listen to."
"You underestimate him, Commander. He doesn't blame you, or your people for what happened. Quite to the contrary. No, he blames himself, and that has been slowly destroying him for years. He spends most of his time in a bar in the Wards, drinking to forget."
"I see." Shepard nodded. "And you want me to have a talk with him. Fair enough. But I thought we were supposed to be discrete. If I'm seen about the station, running your errands, I suspect people would take note and wonder what was going on."
The consort was now standing so close that Shepard could feel her breath when she spoke.
"Trust me, Commander, there is nothing out of the ordinary about me asking someone to perform a service for me. Or for that person to be eager to do so. My gratitude is thought to be quite valuable. Besides, it will give you a reason to visit me again."
"So I can tell you all about it and impress you with my prowess?"
"Something like that. I'm so glad we understand each other, Commander."
-0-0-0-
Human Embassy, the Presidium
"This guy Fist keeps popping up," Shepard said when captain Anderson finished. "Harkin named him as a major player in the underworld, the consort sent me to his club to talk to that turian general, and now I understand he is involved with both the Shadow Broker and Saren."
"Yes, the coincidences just keep piling up, don't they? According to Von, Fist was the Shadow Broker's main agent in the Citadel underworld, just like Von himself is the main contact in the legitimate business world."
"Which makes his information suspect, to say the least," Ambassador Udina broke into the conversation. "Fist's connection to the Shadow Broker is a public secret on the Citadel, but the idea that he betrayed him... With that kind of low-life, it's not impossible, but it seems short-sighted. We may be looking at an internal power struggle. Von may be trying to eliminate Fist to make himself more important within the broker's network."
Anderson nodded. "True. But whether Fist really has screwed over the Shadow Broker or not, we definitely need to talk to him, and quickly too. Von told me that the Shadow Broker has a krogan bounty hunter on a retainer, who is now going after Fist. If that's true, time is running out. Commander, I suggest that you pay a visit to this club. If you can get to Fist, great. You may be able to make a deal with him for information, especially if he feels he needs more protection than his thugs can offer. But at least take a look at the situation, see how we can get in if we have to. Meanwhile, I'll talk to my acquaintance again. We have to know more about the consort before we trust her with any sensitive information."
Shepard snorted. "An interesting question. Especially when she has admitted that she's being accused of breaking confidentiality."
"Indeed." Undina nodded. "That might well have been a ploy to gain your trust and explain away those rumours before you heard them from another source. In any case, we may actually have caught a break here. If Saren has suborned one of the broker's agents, or even if that is just what the broker believes, he may cut Saren off. That means that your conversation with Barla Von may never reach Saren, Anderson. We may have a little more time than we thought."
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A/N Still on an accelerated schedule. No promises, but I think I can do a few more chapters before the new academic year begins and I have to slow down again.
