BAMS: Yep, I agree.
Hopelessly Blue: I'm happy you like Vetrali, HB! And yeah, I bet you didn't see that Princess Raega thing coming! (Honestly, it was in my original text but I changed it once I decided to actually share this story on FF). XP
Kachie Takahashi: She really is always in some kind of trouble, isn't she? Lulz.
Talhiri: I try, I really do. XP Thanks for the review!
Liege Lord: Yeah, I don't think the Council will appreciate it too much (not that Raegas' dad will allow any dissention to occur). Either way, they'll just have to suck it up.
A/N: Let's see if anyone will talk to Shepard, eh?
"I can now see why Raega mentioned your looks compared to this outfit." Shepard looked at Vetrali confusedly, happy that, after ten minutes, she was settled comfortably into the clothing. It actually was the most comfortable and yet complex attire she'd ever worn.
"She was correct in stating the optimum level at which your 'assets' fall into place." She finished, flustering Shepard a little with her direct and very detached way of speech.
"Uh… thanks… I guess." Shepard muttered, looking away and rubbing the back of her neck.
"Shall we depart for your 'tour'?" the AI asked, back to her tiny quirk-of-the-lip smile. Shepard almost thought she was getting made fun of, but it was hard to tell. Just like it was hard to see Vetrali as an AI instead of a person.
"Sure." The Commander agreed.
…
It had been only ten minutes of being outside of her room and Shepard managed to find herself in boiling water. She had accidentally almost run into a Brogul when she and Vetrali were leaving the main hallway into another chamber-like area. The only problem was, was that the Brogul only stared at her and said nothing, glaring harder than Shepard thought possible. The Brogul's two companions, a Viera and Vertoakan, also seemed to assess her.
"So you are the one…" the Brogul's deep voice finally rumbled. The Vertoakan leaned forward and reached out, touching only Shepard's chest. He closed his eyes for a moment and the Viera kept motionless, her face a mask.
"Pardon?" Shepard asked, confused at the strange greeting.
"You are a Grey Star, Aerin Shepard, and a Commander. You are the one meant for her majesty." The Vertoakan male suddenly stated, opening his eye once more and withdrawing. The Viera narrowed her eyes slightly, but still said nothing.
"Graide's amusement was not misplaced. I had expected humans to be less…" the Brogul paused, searching for the word. Shepard expected some other veiled insult, figuring it would be similar to one a Krogan would pull. "...than this." He finally said, surprising Shepard. There was a pause as silence hung for a moment.
"I suggest, Vetrali, that you guide this Shepard to the meeting ground. I was sent word this will occur soon." The Vertoakan said, to which the AI nodded.
"We must all take our leave." Vetrali said back, steel in her eyes. It seemed to the Commander that there were some underlying messages in that exchange, but she wasn't sure just what they meant. Hell, she was still confused that that majesty comment.
Once they left, Shepard glanced at Vetrali. The woman continued their walk, looking almost peeved.
"Something wrong?" Shepard asked slowly, raising a brow.
"Emperor Haieven has decided to get on with the meeting earlier than planned. We must go before he counts us as late." She answered, before walking slightly faster.
Shepard had a feeling she ought to hurry as well.
…
"Ambassador?" Velarn's mandibles dropped in a way similar to a frown. At least, Shepard thought it was a frown. It couldn't be a grin, that was too creepy to be anything less than a glare.
"Aerin Shepard is the only species of 'your' galaxy that understands, and is trusted by, the Vertoak." Haieven (say it like 'hey-ven'), Raegas' father and apparent Emperor, said. It seemed that the Council was surprised, but luckily only Velarn was irritated.
"If we may begin…" Sporatos said, urging the meeting to go on. It was no secret that the salarian councilor was excited at the opportunity of learning all he could. Tevos just seemed to keep calm as usual throughout, Shepard noticed as she sat down perpendicular to the two sides.
"I assume you have many questions. Ask and I will answer." Haieven stated, ignoring the glare his giant Ulaeviel was giving the turian councilor. Shepard was fairly sure Vetrali mentioned its name was Garugha.
"How is it that your people came to this galaxy without the use of relays?" Velarn asked, his already beady eyes narrowed.
"We have drive cores in our ships that we like to call Slipspace Drives. We don't need mass effect relays to get around, given there are none where we reside." Haieven answered smoothly.
"What technology is this? You don't use mass effect fields or eezo?" Sporatos inquired, gesturing around the room subtly.
"I do not label the technology of our people, but yes; we use mass effect technology in certain creations. Mainly, we use Solinium; it is a powerful and living substance that reacts differently to each user. It is complicated to explain, so I will allow you access to our main lab for reference and information." The large man offered, laying his heavy hand upon Garugha's head as if to keep him from leaping at someone.
"What is your purpose here? Why come so far?" Tevos asked, voicing the question they most wanted to know. It was understandable that they wanted to know whether the Vertoak and their races were threats or powerful allies.
"Our purpose, huh?" a sudden voice called, humor prominent. The entire room went silent as everyone turned to look at the open doorway. A lone figure stood there, tall and confident, with a giant smirk of almost triumph.
Shepard's eyes almost bugged out of their own sockets as she looked upon newly arrived woman. A sigh of mirth escaped Haieven's mouth before he stood, smothering a smile.
"My daughter, everyone." He announced, as Shepard's heart went into overtime, hammering so hard she thought her throat closed and her lungs stopped working.
"I can tell you that." She finished, arms crossed. Shepard found her eyes stinging as she stood. Her entire body began shaking when the adrenaline surge made itself known.
Everything else faded away from Shepard except for the woman in the doorway. All she saw was her crimson hair and shining violet eyes, and her brilliant smile. In the doorway was the one person Shepard had wished most to see ever since she vanished.
In the doorway was Raegas herself.
A/N: Short, fast, exciting! Tell me you love this chapter, everyone! C'mon, you know you have to read the next chapter now, right? Right! XD