A/N: Just making a note that while I think 'Aria and Aleena are the same person' theory has a lot going for it, I have decided to ignore it for the purposes of this story. Aria and Wrex have no previous knowledge of each other apart from hearsay. :)
Chapter 139 - Krogan Gone Silly
It is already dark by the time Liara and Shepard return from the Citadel, Cortez once again being kind enough to play taxi pilot for them. Having thanked Steve they jump out of the shuttle, Morgan turning towards their house and with surprise finding that it is not sinking in complete darkness, instead there is a sparse light coming from the living room window. "Liara, did you switch everything off before we left this morning?" she quietly asks her bondmate.
"I'm quite certain I did, yes," Liara replies, her hands beginning to glow as she readies her biotics in anticipation of unwelcomed intruders.
"Let's not be too hasty," Morgan speaks calmly, making sure she can quickly draw the Carnifex, but leaving it at her belt for now, opening the door and quietly walking inside. "No burglar would do that," she whispers, pointing at a pair of black boots of small size neatly tucked together in the foyer. "Unless you bought a new pair of shoes while I wasn't looking."
"Those are not mine," Liara shakes her head and together they advance into the living room, discovering the scary intruder in the shape of a lithe female figure dressed in a black form fitting suit, her face covered by a hood, as Kasumi Goto is lazily stretched out on their sofa, busy watching some kind of old melodrama vid.
"Hey guys!" she finally acknowledges their presence with a cheerful exclamation. "You don't mind me dropping in, do you?"
"Kasumi, well that's a surprise," Morgan can't help smiling as she regards the cat-like thief. "You know, we could have shot you by accident."
"Ha! That's a laugh," their friend giggles in reply. "Besides, I'm too cute to be shot."
"Well, can't argue with that," Morgan nods, realizing that she feels a little thirsty. "Can I get either of you something to drink?" she asks, watching Liara perch on the side of the sofa and then slowly pushing Kasumi's stretched legs away to make more room for herself. "We have water... hmm, and water. Never mind, I'll just grab a pitcher of delicious water."
"So, how did the visit with the asari councilor go?" Kasumi asks when Shepard returns from the kitchen, carrying a pitcher of water, for the lack of better options choosing to sit on the fluffy sheep rug in front of the sofa.
"It was just fine," Morgan says, not in the slightest surprised that Kasumi knows, the thief herself looking a bit disappointed when neither of her hostesses show any curiosity about it. "I had written the date and time of my appointment on a datapad, which is no longer where I left it. Meaning that you have been snooping around, Kasumi."
"Me? I don't snoop! I... investigate!" Kasumi tries to sound hurt but fails miserably. "Anyway..." her eyes fall on Liara's bulging belly, smile spreading on her full lips. "I haven't properly congratulated you both so here goes... congrats!"
"Thank you, Kasumi," Liara smiles back at the thief. "I don't suppose you have any plans to contribute to the depleted population of Earth?"
"Hey, it's not like you're going to contribute to the population of Earth, Liara," Kasumi chuckles. "You've got Shepard playing for Team Thessia now!"
"And not one bit sorry about that," Morgan nods fervently. "Besides, you did not answer the question!"
"Huh? Oh no, no way," Kasumi shakes her head. "Even if it was biologically possible, and it is not, there's the whole differences in aging to consider. He's twenty nine, so I don't know, ten more years? Seems cruel to adopt a child when you know that his father isn't going to be around to see the kid grow up, you know? But..." the young thief suddenly cuts herself short, realizing that a human and asari partnership would encounter the same problem. "Ugh... well, crap, I'm really sorry to have brought that up."
"Well, the implants are giving me quite a bit more time compared to the average human," Morgan explains, not really feeling too excited about the chosen topic of conversation, even if she knows that it had not been Kasumi's intention to bring it up. But now, their friend clearly expects her to elaborate, and Morgan does not want to appear rude. "Around two hundred, they say," her words are accompanied by an appreciative whistle from the young thief.
"Not bad at all, Shep, not bad!" she chuckles. "But you've had to pay one heck of a price for it, and I'm not really sure I'd want to take that kind of a deal. I mean, dying and then being put back together by Cerberus, just not my idea of fun time."
"Those were... dark days," Liara says quietly, almost looking eager to change the topic. "Where is Spectre Bau, Kasumi? If that's not rude to ask," she then asks, finding reminiscence about the past a little unpleasant.
"Oh, Councilor Valern sent him on a very important Spectre mission," Kasumi explains, sounding a little annoyed. "Apparently one of the top salarian scientists has gone missing from the turian enclave. The turians claim that he left on his own volition, and another report verified that he had wandered into a sector controlled by the Eclipse. So, it's not hard to imagine what happened, but the fool was supposedly carrying important intel."
"Eh? What the hell for was he carrying that with him?" Morgan wonders.
"Bau's got a theory, and I agree with him. He thinks the scientist wanted to cut a deal with the mercs, trade the intel for some supplies. But looks like the poor guy miscalculated, and the mercs decided to keep both the intel and the supplies. Bau's running ragged, trying to sniff down the traces of that intel."
"And while your boyfriend is busy, you just decided on an innocuous social visit, right?" Morgan asks, grinning. "And we are supposed to believe that?"
"Well... I heard from Miranda that you responded positively to the things she laid out before you," Kasumi's voice becomes slightly more businesslike. "So I figured I'll drop by and find out for myself what you two think of it all. Oh, and also, I was doing a delivery nearby and things got a bit hot, which made me miss my ride back to the Citadel. So I was hoping..."
"We do have a guest bedroom, so of course you can stay, Kasumi," Liara smiles.
"Sure, we'll be happy to let you sleep over. But tell us, just what is it that you are doing for Miranda?" Shepard wonders.
"Oh, just some hacking and innocent intel gathering, Shep, nothing fancy. By the way, I also forgot to congratulate you on your new appointment, too," Kasumi adds, chuckling. "I'm guessing that was all part of the plan... and if so, well done! "
"We're kinda still a bit in the dark over a lot of things, we just know that Miri wants to take out Singh and his little chorus of yes-men. Which Liara and I both approve of, but how Miranda intends to do it, and what's going to happen after that, well, we can only guess," Shepard shrugs.
"I guess it comes down to trusting Miranda, because she's playing so many sides at once that it gets really confusing," Kasumi admits. "I mean, after one of those admirals completely accidentally steered their shuttle into a rocket's path, the others have become a little paranoid!"
"I imagine they would suspect an inside source being involved into something like that, yes," Liara nods in understanding. "Is Miranda in danger?"
"Not anymore," Kasumi grins broadly. "Singh and the other admirals were running tight checks on all their moles after the accident. The delivery I brought in just recently... that was used to implicate one of Singh's men as a double agent for the resistance. I saw soldiers drag the screaming guy away just before coming over. Ah, got to love anonymous tips."
"So Miri's in the clear?" Shepard asks, still being a little concerned.
"She's a smart lady. But she needs to give Singh and his bunch something, or else they'll start suspecting foul play," Kasumi explains. "So we came up with this crazy scheme. Miranda still has a bit of a pull with the merc forces down here. So, she leaked intel about some crucial supplies in an abandoned warehouse to the local Blue Suns squads, who of course moved in quickly to secure it. Then, she reported to Singh that the resistance have moved in to secure the warehouse, and the Alliance jumped on the tip. From what I heard, they brought in so many troops and tanks that they completely leveled the warehouse with the supposed 'resistance' inside."
"So Admiral Singh feels gratitude towards Miranda and you have cleared Earth from several dozens of violent mercenaries?" Liara says ponderously. "I think that is a definite win-win scenario."
"Yeah... I think so as well, even if my mind is spinning in circles from all this twisted intrigue," Morgan sighs. "I just hope that Miranda doesn't get lost in the web she is spinning herself."
"This is the kind of thing she excels at, Shep," Kasumi says confidently. "And I guess I can play the game as well, too. You just don't have that kind of brain, my dear Shep, you're a 'See Reaper, Kill Reaper' kind of a girl. And we love you for it, really, we do!"
"Kasumi is right," Liara nods with a smile, finding herself grabbed by the shins and slowly pulled down from the sofa and into Shepard's embrace.
"Oh, you two, get a room!" Kasumi giggles, watching Morgan claim Liara's lips in a soft, lingering kiss.
"You read my mind, Kasumi," Shepard grins, reluctantly parting from her bondmate's lips. "You absolutely read my mind..."
"It is such a shame that Kasumi would not join us for this visit to the krogan enclave," Liara remarks, sitting in the passenger's seat of the skycar, watching Morgan steer the small vehicle across the landscape dotted with small rural communities nestled one against other in an endless row of houses and farmsteads, most of them ruined and abandoned.
"Well, she's one busy bee, no doubt she has another important errand to run, hacking to complete and secrets to steal," Morgan smiles as she replies.
"She and Miranda seem to complement each other very effectively. If only the game Miranda is playing would be... a little more transparent," Liara says thoughtfully.
"Well, if it would be more transparent, then the admirals might catch onto it, too," Shepard tells her bondmate. "Let's just do our part and hope that we were right to trust Lawson. I think we are. Kasumi wouldn't go along with it either if she wasn't certain."
"Yes, for all her apparent childish manner, she seems to have a good and sensible head on her shoulders," Liara smiles fondly.
"Curiously enough, even after knowing her for almost a year, I still have no idea what she really looks like under that hood. I'm sure she's quite pretty, but how she manages to hide her appearance is... almost uncanny. I'm often getting this urge to just grab her and pull that hood off to take a good look at the girl underneath."
Liara laughs. "And you don't get that with Tali?"
"Nah, I mean, it's just accepted as normal with quarians... hey, maybe Kasumi is part quarian," Morgan chuckles, the skycar slowly approaching their destination, a small settlement outside Newcastle-upon-Tyne. "Well, picturesque Ryton, here we come... what the..." she lets out a gasp, staring at the view below them. There are groups of excited krogan standing knee deep in the River Tyne, pointing excitedly at something in the water, some even clapping and bouncing excitedly, causing large waves that naturally scare off the fish, and earn them angry shouting from their fellow krogan.
"They really like their fish," Liara remarks, also looking a bit stupefied.
"Well, time to kick some sense back into them," Shepard slowly sets the skycar down in a clearing close to the riverbank and they both get out, being immediately approached by a large krogan and the smaller figure of an asari by his side. "Ah, there's Grunt and Kurin. They seem unaffected by this fish madness, at least!"
"Shepard! Good to see you!" Grunt meets them with bellowing laughter, mangling Morgan's hand in a fierce shake, while at the same time she is certain of seeing Grunt being much more considerate when taking Liara's hand. "Come to bring some sense back into the old man and the others?" he points towards the river, Morgan quickly recognizing the red armor worn by Wrex, the clan leader surrounded by a crowd of the younger krogan.
"Just what is going on here?" Liara turns to Kurin, perplexed.
"Beats me," the other asari shrugs her shoulders. "They just decided that watching fish is more exciting than lifting rubble and collecting salvage, I guess."
"I'm just relieved that Okeer did not impart anything about fish," Grunt says, chuckling.
"Yeah, getting dumped in favor of fish would have been a new low for me," Kurin agrees.
"Nah, that's not going to happen, baby," the large krogan growls affectionately, patting his asari bondmate's shoulder. "But this... inaction is starting to get really boring. Need something to kill. Or well, at least some granite chunks to throw around, heh-heh!"
"Well, we're putting a stop to all this silliness," Morgan decides, heading straight for Wrex in a determined step. "Wrex! Wrex, get out of the water, you silly krogan! Yeah, I'm talking to you!"
"Keep your voice down, Shepard, you're scaring away the fish," Wrex growls back at her.
"...yeah, so what? Big deal! Now get over here and explain yourself!" she demands.
"Explain what?" Wrex slowly slumps towards her.
"This?" Shepard angrily gesticulates towards the water. "What the hell?"
Wrex shrugs noncommittally. "It's just... great. Watching them swim. You know? Just... great. Beats heavy lifting, that's for sure."
"You seem to have forgotten something, Wrex," Morgan growls at her old friend. "The embassy? Ambassador work? Campaigning for the spot on the Council?"
"Ah... that. You make it sound so important, Shepard. Can't it wait?"
"It is important and no, it can't wait!" Shepard yells, her face slowly starting to change color from the exasperation. "Wrex, the quarians have overtaken you in the race for that spot and are about to get rewarded with a place on the Galactic Council! They have been working diligently, showing themselves off as great allies, while you have been... watching sodding fish swimming around in the river!"
Wrex looks a bit incensed now. "Damn those quarians, stealing our rightful place!" he snarls, clenching his fists, crackling with biotic glow.
"Well, providing your support during the war was a huge bonus, but that alone won't cut it, Wrex. You need to continue working together with the others, and then the councilors will see the worthiness of the krogan. But as it is now, even the geth are about to surpass you, they have also been given embassy rights on the Citadel, and they certainly are not standing around idly, watching fish swim or grass grow."
"What? The quarians I can just about tolerate, but they'll trust the flashlight heads before the krogan? Unacceptable! I'm tempted to just tell the Council to go and screw themselves, ungrateful bastards the lot of them!" Wrex rages.
"The councilors all as one want you on the Council, Wrex, I can promise you that," Shepard tries to appeal to Wrex's sense of reason. "But they also want to see you putting in a bit more effort into earning that spot. You may think that you have earned it already, but they also made humanity wait for so long that we became increasingly angry and frustrated... so please, just be patient, get those krogan asses out of the river and back to work, and you will have your Council spot in no time!"
"Hmph," Wrex grumbles. "Maybe I should pay a visit to the Citadel and remind them all why they should feel properly thankful to the krogan."
"Sure, do that, but also kick your clan down here to pick up the slack," Morgan says, then thinking of something. "I spoke with the asari councilor yesterday, and she was asking about you, feeling concerned. She really wants the krogan to join the Council, but she feels as if you're letting her down a bit, because she can't support your case as effectively as she could if you were putting in a bit more effort."
"Asking about me, was she?" Wrex grins. "Well... I better drop by the Citadel and reassure her that we want to remain the best of friends. I mean... the fish are great and all, but they don't have a nice pair of-"
"Nice pair of what, Wrex?" Liara asks sweetly, stepping closer.
"Err... nice pair of eyes, like the Councilor," Wrex quickly corrects himself. "And I'll kick these louts back to work, too, immediately," he turns around to yell at his clansmates. "All of you, krogan! OUT OF THE WATER, NOW! We have work to do, now get into the shuttles and off to the city!"
A chorus of collective 'Awww!' echoes around them as groups of dejected looking krogan hobble towards the shuttles. "The fish will be there by the time you get back, guys," Morgan offers supportively.
"But it will be too dark to see anything!" a particularly young krogan cries.
"Well, use flashlights, or grab a pair of geth with you on your way back," Morgan chuckles. "It will be even more exciting, I'm telling you!"
The krogan looks at her, blinking rapidly. "You... you might be right! Shepard, that's an amazing idea, night-watching! I'll tell the others all about it! You really are a true Hero of the Krogan!"
"Glad to be of help," Shepard smiles, turning her head towards Liara. "What do you think it says about me that I can only do successful diplomacy with krogan?" she whispers to her bondmate.
"Hey, I'm a quarter-krogan, so I definitely approve of your efforts," Liara grins back at her. "But I think I'll better drop a line to Councilor Tevos and inform her that a very friendly krogan is on the way to meet her," she whispers, watching Wrex making his way towards his private shuttle with the intention to return to the Citadel. "Perhaps Aria could provide assistance in discouraging Wrex."
"I don't think it will be necessary," Morgan chuckles. "Wrex seems to appreciate her in purely aesthetic terms... or at least, I hope he still remembers my warning not to cross the line. Eh, I think he'll do just fine, he might be a bit crude, but otherwise he's almost a perfect krogan gentleman."
"Well, thanks for that, Shepard," Grunt says, stepping up to them, Kurin in tow. "Another day of this nonsense and I would have gone into blood rage from boredom."
"He's not joking, you know," the asari next to him says, looking serious. "Thanks for the assist, Shepard. I was completely at a loss, myself."
"Don't mention it," Shepard sighs deeply, feeling a little relieved. "But the next time they get distracted by something ridiculous... do me a favor... don't wait a whole week before letting me know..."
"We should have done this a while ago," Garrus remarks, stretched out on the bed, watching on with a short pang of regret as Tali quickly hides her delightfully pale skin under her protective bodysuit. He has secured rights to use a long abandoned luxurious apartment in Bachjret Ward, and this has been their first night spent together in this new temporary residence, being able to consummate their relationship in much more comfortable conditions than provided by the Normandy.
"I agree," Tali says, finishing fastening the clamps of her suit and then injecting herself with another dose of the antibiotics, just in case. "You must have had an apartment of your own while working for the C-Sec, though. I'm guessing it is no longer available for use?"
Garrus snorts. "Thankfully. A small rodent hole at the very pits of Shalta. I don't want to set my foot in there ever again. It would be unworthy of you, anyway."
"That's sweet, but you know that we quarians have learned not to be choosy about our surroundings," Tali replies, coming back towards the bed and then perching down on the edge, before slowly lowering herself down next to Garrus. "That said... this is nice. Really nice. I mean... the Normandy memories will always remain special, but it was just... awkward at times."
"I'm just amazed nobody ever walked in on us," Garrus remarks innocently.
"I don't think I would have been able to live that down," Tali gulps. "I must say, I prefer being relaxed and comfortable to the constant thrill of getting caught."
"Heh... speaking of getting caught... I understand there was another issue with the supplies a couple of days ago?" the turian asks.
"You have received everything as promised, haven't you? If there are some troublemakers, we'll deal with them internally and you don't need to concern yourself with that."
"Just don't feel comfortable hearing that," Garrus shrugs. He does feel a little guilty for not mentioning the two turian troublemakers who had come up with the crazy plan to raid quarian warehouses, but then manages to convince himself that they have learned their lesson and would not dare to act on that idea. "I was about to loosen the control over what we're receiving, and this isn't helping. Means we both need to waste our time on trivial issues when we could be doing something more meaningful. And... I don't just mean this."
"So you're also subscribing to the rhetoric that my people are not doing enough to help yours?" Tali asks, her voice sounding a little strained now. "It seems to be picking up in strength, as I feared it might."
"Are you absolutely certain that you can't share a little bit more? It's hard to keep people in line when they are starved," Garrus sighs.
"Garrus, I have explained already that we can't restore the capacity of the Rayya to what it was. Keelah, we brought Sparatus and Victus onboard and gave them a tour to show them that no, we are not lying about the damage suffered by our liveship," Tali sounds increasingly frustrated by now. "The projections are the same as they were before, we can maintain the current rate of produce for seven more months, after that we run out of reserves, and the daily allotment falls dramatically."
"And the relay repairs are scheduled to take six to nine months, barring some last minute surprises," Garrus sighs. "This might get ugly, especially once we come close to that breaking point."
"That's why our people need us as calm voices of reason, they don't need us to sow even more doubt about whether the others are really doing as much as they could to help," Tali says. "And we definitely do not need the kind of pressure that Councilor Sparatus is putting on Auntie Raan. She is very unhappy with some of the insinuations laid before her."
"Ah... I might have heard something about that," Garrus nods, shifting his weight in the bed to turn onto his side and look at his lover.
"Yes, he made the suggestion that if the quarians would increase their shipments, then our inclusion on the Council could be hastened."
"How much is he asking for?" the turian asks.
"Garrus!" Tali exclaims angrily. "It doesn't matter what he's asking, it's the principle of the thing! How dare he put us under such pressure, is starving our people even more severely justified to gain us the place on the Galactic Council? It would be immoral!"
"I don't know... we're all sacrificing something," Garrus shrugs. "It's not like he's saying that unless you give us more supplies, we're going to veto your inclusion."
"That's going to be his next move, I just know," Tali snaps.
"Hey, now that's not fair! Now you're making baseless assumptions about what he is going to do!" Garrus protests, then letting out another deep sigh. "Ah, damn this... look at us, arguing about these things... when we know it's the last thing we should be doing. I hate this situation."
"Yeah..." Tali agrees quietly. "Listen, Garrus... I... I apologize, I don't want to let this situation come between us, though... it is hard, and it will get even more difficult..."
"We won't let it come between us, my Chiktikka, I promise," Garrus says with determination, wrapping his arm around Tali's waist and pulling her closer, relieved that the quarian does not resist, slipping into his embrace. "We'll get through this, somehow... together..."
"Took you long enough," Aria comments in a hoarse voice, lying on the bed in the bedroom of her Kithoi Ward apartment, watching Tevos entering and quietly closing the doors behind her.
"I plead guilty to the charge of neglecting the great Aria T'Loak. I will shortly submit to your mercy and you will be free to do with me as you please," Tevos offers a sultry smile, watching Aria immediately squirming on top of the sheets, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "But the girls wanted my attention as well, we have not spent as much time together as we would like to. Falere has been rewriting another classical piece to fit the violin, and she wants us to practice soon, and Rila wanted to show me her latest sketches... they are lovely, by the way."
"Yes, they are, but why are you still standing there clothed?" Aria asks, assuming her imperious voice.
"I could undress, but the girls have not retired yet," Tevos grins. "Are you certain my appearance would not simply frustrate you knowing that you cannot do anything with me yet?"
Aria bites her lower lip, before letting out a silent curse. "Undress. It will please me."
"Your wish is my command," the councilor smiles, reaching behind her back to undo the zipper of her robe, feeling it slipping down across her skin to pool at her feet. Completely bare, save for her panties, she slips onto the bed, remaining a little away from Aria, feeling the Pirate Queen's eyes greedily exploring her curves. "I think I heard the sound of doors closing downstairs. It seems that I will shortly have my opportunity to thank you for the assistance earlier today."
Aria's lips tug into an amused grin. "The famous Urdnot Wrex, himself. I must admit, he was... very tolerable, for a krogan. Rather liked him, actually. Well, as soon as he got the message that staring at your chest is the limit to as far as he's allowed to go."
"Possessive, are we not?" Tevos teases. "In any case, I am glad that the situation was resolved without violence. After all, Urdnot Wrex is an old friend of Shepard's. And he seemed to be approving of you as well."
"Yes, we hit the Purgatory for a round of drinks after you were done talking," Aria chuckles.
"Speaking of Shepard..." Tevos starts to speak. "I received another message from her a few hours ago. She and Liara both apologize, but they are forced to cancel our dinner plans for the time being. They claim to be very busy."
"Annoying. I was looking forward to mess with their heads some more," the Pirate Queen lets out a wistful sigh.
"I think they are very embarrassed and self-conscious, after they both learned of that horrible, awful thing you did," Tevos says, a little reproachfully. "I worry that it might have destroyed the seeds of relationship I had hoped to build with them both."
"You worry over nothing. They just need a little bit of time to get used to it," Aria chuckles. "Besides, I already know how to fix it."
"...why does that not fill me with confidence?" Tevos sighs, giving Aria a slightly disbelieving stare.
"Ah, I will enjoy proving you wrong, my dear councilor," the Pirate Queen replies confidently, before a more saucy grin spreads on her lips. "And speaking of certain vids... I think we should definitely watch it again."
The mere mention of that recording makes Tevos quickly close the distance between herself and Aria, pressing her delightfully nude form against her lover's side. "I really... shouldn't... allow you to drag me into this... debauchery," she manages, putting up one final token protest.
"I was not asking for your opinion," Aria's smile broadens as she observes Tevos' reaction, her lover driven wild so quickly by the insatiable lust. "I said that we are going to do it, and it was not up for discussion."
"As you would have it, Aria... but on one condition," Tevos whispers, her lips and tongue already working on Aria's neck, leaving a trail of kisses. "Get out of those clothes... now."