Chapter 145 - Visiting With The T'Loak Family

"What the hell is going on, Nitesh?" Admiral Alexei Mayorov shouts nervously, demanding an explanation from his colleague in the Alliance admiralty. "My people arrive at the supply depot to find some resistance stragglers making off with the last of the supplies, all of Chen's people down there are dead and I have Chen himself ranting to me about asari commandos?"

Admiral Nitesh Singh winces, staring at the face of his younger colleague on the vid link, feeling the unpleasant sensation of their carefully laid plans beginning to unravel. He quickly steels himself, however, unwilling to allow such thoughts to settle into his mind and eroding his belief that they can succeed with their daring and ambitious schemes. "I don't think the resistance could have pulled off something this big," he shakes his head, looking straight at Mayorov. "Are you sure your people can't verify that the asari are behind this?"

"They have only just arrived on the scene... let me check in with them again..." Mayorov leaves the connection for a while and steps aside to exchange a few words on another line, listening as he receives a quick report before returning to pick up the conversation with Singh. "You were right, Nitesh. They found a few pools of asari blood. Also, those bitches didn't even bother to destroy the surveillance recordings. Asari commandos, dozens of them. These poor sods never stood a chance."

"Yes, I thought so, it couldn't have been a coincidence that the asari fleets just issued full battle readiness for no good reason and pulled the last of their people away from the Isles enclave," Singh nods. "They wouldn't have done this unless they knew something was up."

"What can we do? We can't really accuse the asari of anything, can we? They have swiped the resources we claimed we didn't have. No... damn them, but we can't go public with this, we need to hush this down and make sure it doesn't happen again! How did they learn of the supply depot in the first place? I thought we made certain only select people we trust had access to this information!"

"That was my main concern immediately after I heard what happened, Alexei. We have a leak... and fortunately, we have already identified it," Singh explains with smug confidence. "Someone amongst Chen's own command staff were to blame."

"Are you sure? The old man is going to be livid about this, he'll need to do one hell of a housecleaning... heads will roll if this is true."

"I'm completely certain, I verified the intel with my own source. One of the commanding officers in charge of communications apparently found the worst time to grow a conscience and be moved by the teary news reports about the starving asari," Singh scowls. "A shame that she took her own life before we had a chance to interrogate her, but the evidence we found was very overwhelming."

"She might have had accomplices," Mayorov says, looking worried. "We must demand that Admiral Chen applies certain measures, and we should double, no quadruple our forces at the other depots."

"Yes, but I haven't been able to raise Chen for the past hour now. Do you have any idea how to reach him?"

"...he went up to Tai Shan. How could you have possibly missed that, Nitesh?"

"What the... he returned to his dreadnaught? Why? What's he up to, Alexei?"

"I... don't know," Mayorov shrugs helplessly, looking a little panicked. "He was furious when we last talked. I... think he might have realized that we will decide to keep quiet about the attack... what if he has decided to take the matters into his own hands?"

"Damn it, Chen, you fool!" Singh sighs, shaking his head. "I'll keep trying to raise him on the comms and talk him out of whatever madness he intends to unleash!"

"And what if you can't reach him and he ends up doing something like openly accusing the asari and revealing everything that we have been trying to keep secret?"

"...then we'll deny everything. If he does that, then he's on his own, we will wash our hands on the whole thing," Singh says sternly, Mayorov quickly nodding, looking a little more reassured. "Alexei, get your people away from that supply depot and make sure they don't leave any traces of their presence. If anyone ever comes investigating, I want only the corpses of Chen's people to be there. I know it means denying good marines the funeral they deserve, but we have no choice if we want to retain full deniability. Chen was alone in on this, do you understand?"

"Of course," Mayorov replies, looking down at another message coming in on a terminal next to him. He checks it quickly, growing noticeably paler when he turns back to Singh. "...shit, Nitesh, I know why Chen freaked out like this, it seemed completely unlike him, but..."

"What is it, Alexei?"

Admiral Alexei Mayorov takes a deep breath before replying. "His own son... was amongst those killed defending the supply depot."

"Did they buy it?"

"Of course they did, hook, line and sinker. You should know better than to doubt me, miss Goto."

"Heh, right, Miranda. So you're in the clear?"

"I believe so, yes. That was very tricky to pull off on such a short notice, though. I hope that Shepard never asks me to do something like this again."

"Well, if she hadn't sacrificed so much to stop the Reapers, we wouldn't be having this conversation, miss Lawson. So, if she asks something... anything of me, I don't think I will be able to refuse."

"Yes... yes, I agree, of course."

"So, how did you throw them off your track exactly, Miri?"

"Well, I had my agent amongst Chen's people set up one of his officers for the fall. Then I allowed the leads incriminating Chen's officer to subtly fall into the lap of one of Singh's men, someone not too bright but very eager for promotion. They didn't even bother to investigate where the intel came from, but quickly claimed it for their own work and went with it to Admiral Singh. After that, it was time to dispose of the scapegoat... suicide is so easy to fake if you know what you're doing."

"That does sound like you've covered your tracks well enough. Maybe have the informant himself meet with an accident too, just to be safe?"

"Yes, but right now it would be too suspicious. I'll take care of it later, once I can find a good moment for it. By the way, why are you still on the Citadel?"

"Did you need me back on Earth already?"

"No, I was just wondering. We did plan that you would bring Shepard and Liara back later in the evening."

"Well, they decided to stay here overnight. I think the asari councilor herself invited them to stay as her guests... guess Sheppy can't say no to her own boss, can she? So... uh, Jondum and I decided to stay on the Citadel as well. Hey, even when partly in ruins, the nightly Presidium is still rather beautiful!"

"Ever the romantic, miss Goto?"

"Hey, I wish some of that would rub off on you, miss Lawson!"

"Oh yes, now that you mentioned the asari councilor, I should thank both her and Shepard for making sure that the asari commandos left plenty for our people to plunder before Mayorov's reinforcements arrived. And miss Goto... they even picked up something that I thought you would enjoy as a gift."

"A gift? For little ol' me? Aww, you shouldn't have!"

"It's a crate of saké. I thought you might enjoy it."

"...ooooh! Yes, please! I've been dreaming of getting my hands on a bottle and introducing Jondum to it. Oh, thank you, Miri, thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome, Kasumi. Now... enjoy the rest of the evening, and I'll see you again in the morning, alright?"

"Sure thing... and Miranda? Thanks!"

'This is Khalisah al-Jilani, with a special bulletin for the Westerlund News. Earlier today, we reported unusual activity from the asari fleets, with both Matriarch Lidanya, the acting commander of the Destiny Ascension as well as Councilor Tevos T'Naori declining to comment. The reason for this unusual activity appears to have revealed itself forty minutes ago, when the Systems Alliance dreadnaught SSV Tai Shan suddenly and unexpectedly opened fire upon the asari vessels.

We can report that two asari frigates were destroyed, but we currently have no information on the amount of casualties. It is believed that most of the personnel aboard were able to reach the escape pods and get to safety. Before more asari ships could be targeted, the Destiny Ascension and several other asari dreadnaughts responded with return fire, targeting the weapon systems and engines of Tai Shan, attempting to cripple the ship, while at the same time trying to persuade the Alliance vessel to cease its deadly attacks, threatening to then retaliate with deadly fire.

It is believed that after receiving this ultimatum, the crew of SSV Tai Shan refused to follow the further orders of its decorated commander, Alliance Admiral Chen Shan Li, attempting to remove him from command. Communications with the dreadnaught are not yet completely restored, but we understand that Admiral Chen refused to surrender his command of the ship and the confrontation resulted in a bloody firefight on the bridge, leaving the admiral and two others of the command staff lethally wounded. The SSV Tai Shan has since then powered down its weapons systems and issued surrender to the allied forces.

We currently have no explanation for this shocking attack by one of the most decorated admirals of the Alliance, a veteran of the First Contact War, aimed towards the humanity's closest allies amongst the Council. The asari High Command have refused any comments, while Councilor Tevos has issued a statement in which she condemns this brutal attack on the asari people, but also expresses a firm belief that this is merely a freak accident that will not repeat itself, refusing to treat this as a shift in the intentions of the Systems Alliance. We have asked Rear Admiral Hackett and his colleague Admiral Nitesh Singh of the Third Fleet to provide an explanation for the shocking actions of their comrade, but neither of the admirals were able to shed any light on the situation, claiming that Admiral Chen had acted without any authorization on their part, unable to clarify motivations behind this incredible act of madness.

Rest assured, dear viewers of the Westerlund News Channel, we will continue to investigate this incident, until we discover the real truth behind these events. No doubt, we will see many exciting developments over the course of the next days, and we will be here to bring them to your attention... for Westerlund News, this is Khalisah al-Jilani.'

"Humans... so stupid," Aria T'Loak grumbles, activating her omni-tool and using it to switch off the news feed, getting up from the sofa and stretching. "No offense, Shepard," she adds, giving a quick look to Morgan. "But most humans I've had dealings with on Omega usually ended up trying to double cross me, thinking themselves so clever. I'm afraid I just don't have a particularly good impression of your people, and this admiral certainly did not help to improve my view on humanity."

Shepard grins in reply. "Don't worry, Aria, I can certainly understand where you're coming from. I mean, I do know a lot of amazing humans, mostly amongst my closest friends, but they are beginning to seem like a minority compared to the grey masses of small-minded, pathetic bigots."

"I'm afraid the more time we spend on Earth, the more bitter Shepard becomes to everything that has to do with her own people," Liara sighs, looking saddened, before turning to Aria again. "I hope you at least had good time working with the commandos."

"Oh, it was a lot of fun, though the opposition was unable to put up much of a challenge," Aria chuckles. "The most hilarious part was the look on Lidanya's face when she saw me showing up to take part in the action. She looked like she had swallowed her tongue, struggling to find words."

"Yes... well, obviously I could not tell her that you received the information regarding the mission from me," Tevos adds, also breaking into a smile. "Of course... now she suspects that there is some kind of information leak on the Destiny Ascension. She mentioned that she will be taking several engineering squads to check every console of the ship for bugs. That's going to take her a few weeks at least, the poor dear..."

Shepard lets out a guffawing laugh. "Heh, turns out you have some naughty streak, Councilor... didn't really expect that!"

"Oh, you have no-" Aria starts to speak with a broad grin on her face, but then quickly wipes it away as she remembers that Rila and Falere are still with them, sitting on soft cushions on the floor with their backs straight, politely listening to the conversation, not daring to speak up unless addressed directly. "Well... uh, I'm going to crack open another bottle of elassa, anyone wants more?"

"Gladly," Shepard calls out, waving her empty glass, Tevos also nodding after a moment of thought. "I expected that you will have a much more busy time of it after all this crazy fallout, Councilor," Morgan turns to Tevos. "I mean, I'm glad you don't have to run ragged, but..."

"This is the perfect time when to pull back, remain silent and let the whole thing blow over," Tevos replies simply. "The dust will settle quickly, because neither the High Command nor the Systems Alliance will want to talk about it too much. The less we speak, the better... especially where the journalists are involved."

"Perhaps we could stop discussing politics, since it appears that the matter has been settled for now?" Liara suggests hopefully.

"Good idea, Liara. That shit bores me to sleep," Aria grins, returning with another bottle of elassa, sharing the drink with Tevos first and then with Shepard.

"I'm curious about that new musical piece you're working on, Falere. When can we expect to finally witness the grand premiere?" Liara asks expectantly, turning towards the youngest of the Ardat-Yakshi sisters.

"I'm afraid it is not quite done yet... I'm trying to work out the last few kinks... but once it is completed, I am very hopeful that you will be pleased with the result," Falere replies, a little hesitantly.

"It is kind of you to speak on my behalf, Falere, but the truth of the matter is that I am to blame," Tevos speaks up, Falere blushing furiously. "I have been far too tied up in my work to spend any time practicing my part, and it has sadly delayed Falere's efforts in finishing her grand project. But perhaps I will find time for it tomorrow."

"I've heard some bits and pieces already, Shepard. It will fuck with your mind in all the right ways," Aria nods, giving Morgan a knowing smile. "If you thought that last performance was impressive... just wait until you hear this. Almost better than-" she cuts herself short again, catching the reproachful stare from Tevos, deciding to shut herself up by taking another mouthful of elassa.

"Well, I'm sure there's no need to put Falere under any added pressure," Shepard says, noticing that the young asari is growing more and more nervous from their expectant talk. "You'll do just fine, Falere, don't worry," she adds, smiling, before turning to the other sister. "And Rila, what of your artistic exploits? Any lovely drawings you would like to show off?"

Rila looks a little thoughtful at first. "I suppose, Commander, but it would be more convenient if you would just follow me to my little study," she says. "You could let me know what you think of the drawing I made for you. It is almost ready."

"Oh, I want to see that!" Liara exclaims, getting up from the floor and excitedly dragging Rila up to her feet as well, ushering her towards the study. "I'm sure it will be wonderful."

"I think that our human painters would never let someone take a look at their portrait until it was truly complete," Morgan chuckles, following the two asari, Tevos, Aria and Falere staying behind, no doubt having seen the drawings many times already.

"Oh, these are all very beautiful," Liara gasps, looking around the many completed and half-finished drawings hanging around the study, and Morgan is quickly forced to agree. There are beautiful scenes of a wild, untamed planet, the cold, cruel monastery walls present in every painting, identifying it as Lesuss. The views of Earth, taken from before the war and after it, the inspiration likely drawn from extranet, are moving as well, but they fill Shepard with too many conflicting emotions, and she moves past them quickly. Her favorites are all the little scenes caught on the Citadel, a krogan, geth and a quarian working together to move away a large piece of rubble, a female turian C-Sec officer supporting a fallen salarian merchant with rare concern in her eyes. But her absolute favorite is the drawing that shows Falere's beautiful profile against the background of the night lights falling across the ruined Presidium.

"Do you like them?" Rila asks hopefully.

"You are incredibly talented," Liara replies, clearly awed at the other maiden's marvelous gift. "Perhaps Tevos can sponsor an exhibition of your works back on Thessia... though probably not anytime too soon..."

"I'm pretty sure that many of these would have sold for quite a big chunk of credits before the war," Morgan agrees, then quickly becoming rather surprised when the two asari face her with disbelieving expressions on their faces.

"Taking credits... for art?" Rila gasps, clearly shocked. "Oh... I could never!"

"Shepard, that sort of thing is unthinkable for a true artist," Liara explains quickly. "Pieces of art can never be sold, they can only be given away as gifts. The moment you place a price tag on a piece of art, you destroy the essence of the work, debase the piece of soul that the artist has poured into their creation. We understand that this is different in other cultures, however."

"Yeah... it used to be an entire industry back on Earth, but I don't suppose there's much use for art right now. Don't think those art galleries and auction houses will be seeing much action anytime soon," Shepard shakes her head, turning her stare back towards the painting. "I wonder what kind of a technique is this? It looks a bit like watercolor on a canvas, but..." she drags a finger across the corner of one of the portraits, not covered by the paint, finding the structure of the material soft almost like velvet, but then it suddenly buzzes with a slight spark, jolting her a little and she almost drops the painting. "What the... was that eezo?"

"Yes, that is correct, Morgan," Liara says, smiling. "It is a very expensive material prepared with a certain technique, only produced in a few workshops on Thessia. It allows the artist to do something called memory painting. The artist can conjure their memories, being able to form a link with the material... not unlike melding. I suppose Rila could explain it better, since I have not tried it myself."

"I don't think it can be put into words, Liara," Rila shakes her head. "It is like... out of body experience, reaching into your own mind from outside, scooping up a specific memory and transferring it to the medium... I don't think I even have full control over my own body at that time, I can only feel and direct my hands as they work with the ink... it was a little frightening and disconcerting at first, but now I rather enjoy the experience!"

"Uh... I might be really ignorant, but is this not something that would be a little dangerous with your condition?" Shepard asks, feeling a little worried.

"Shepard, she can hardly overload the nervous system of a piece of canvas!" Liara sighs, Shepard immediately regretting her indiscretion, lamenting her foolishness, but Rila doesn't appear to be insulted at all, much to Morgan's relief.

"Sorry... and, pardon me again, but I don't see any paintbrushes around... am I correct in assuming that this technique involves finger painting?" Morgan asks.

"Yes, that is correct, Shepard," Rila beams happily. "Obviously, to maintain the link between myself and the eezo-infused canvas, I can only apply the paint with my fingers. Fortunately, it is completely harmless... Aria always smuggles in the best materials for us, she is very proud of our talents and even more considerate of our needs. But Shepard, I am still yet to show you your portrait!"

"Okay, let's see it," Morgan says excitedly. "So, I guess that's why you didn't really need me to pose for you in the end? You could just draw me from something you memorized?"

"Yes... sometimes I still need someone to pose for a scene I have in mind, like that one," Rila replies, pointing at the picture with Falere on the Presidium. "But in your case, Commander... I caught the perfect memory the last time you visited us," she says, pulling out a smaller sized drawing and passing it to Morgan.

"Wow..." Morgan gasps, as she stares upon the picture. She has never regarded herself as particularly attractive, just decent looking, but certainly not someone who would stand out in the crowd due to their smoldering good looks, as Wrex would have put it. But this picture of herself almost forces Morgan to reconsider her opinion of herself. Somehow Rila's drawing technique has captured the effect of a softly glowing light behind her, making her now long and cascading red hair shine in a particularly striking color. Her lips form a serene, mysterious smile that she has never caught herself capable of. The freckles on her cheeks appear darker than usual in this light, making her think that they almost match Liara's, and thus she is willing to for once consider them an attractive feature. Even that annoying and small retrousse nose that makes her look like a freshly recruited cadet barely out of her teenage years, looks rather attractive for some reason. But most of all, she is moved by the expression in her eyes which she usually considers to be dull and listless gray, now appearing anything but... they sparkle with mirth, and at the same time, hold a particular tenderness, feelings of love, plain for everyone to see... but above all, her eyes are brimming with life itself. "That is... just wow. I wish I was this attractive in real life..."

"It is a recreation of perfect memory, Commander. It does not lie. Which means that you are as attractive as the portrait implies," Rila says quietly, looking proud that Shepard is so moved by her work.

"You are more than attractive to me, Shepard, you are beautiful," Liara whispers, embracing Morgan and looking at the portrait with adoration.

"Well... uh... thanks," Morgan chuckles, a little embarrassed. "I'm not sure I ever get such a look in my eyes, though, it's almost... otherworldly."

"But, Commander..." Rila says, blushing deeply. "You... you have that look in your eyes every time you look at Liara..."

"I... I do? Oh..." Morgan stumbles, feeling a little light-headed and emotionally overwhelmed.

"I just want to put a few finishing touches on the portrait, and then you can have it, Commander," Rila speaks up quietly. "I... hope that you will accept it? You will, please say that you will?"

"Of course! Why would you even doubt that? I can't believe you are simply giving it to me," Morgan shakes her head.

"Because there can be no greater reward for a painter than to have their work graciously accepted by the subject of their painting," Rila explains, smiling with relief.

At that moment, Tevos chooses to poke her head into the study. "Rila, it is already over an hour past your and Falere's bedtime. It is time for you two to turn in," she says.

"Yes, of course, m-" Rila catches herself, instinctively putting her palm across her mouth and blinking furiously, then blushing and darting out of the study. However, Tevos stops her at the door, embracing Rila in a warm hug, pressing a kiss against the young Ardat-Yakshi's brow before releasing her, and Rila almost bounces away, delighted.

"It has been quite an eventful day, also involving far more elassa than I am accustomed to," Tevos adds then, looking at Shepard and Liara. "I believe I will talk Aria into retiring soon as well. Falere has prepared the guest bedroom for you two."

"Thank you, Councilor," Morgan smiles back at Tevos.

"Yes, you are most kind," Liara adds.

"Oh, and Liara? I spoke with Thessia a few days ago, and your father was asking about you, wondering why you are not keeping contact," Tevos says then. "Considering that you are on the Citadel now, I thought you could accompany me to the Council chambers tomorrow and speak with Matriarch Aethyta. She is getting a little anxious and worried about you."

"...I... uh, will do that, yes, of course, Councilor," Liara stumbles, and much to her surprise Shepard feels certain to have heard her bondmate breathing out something sounding remarkably like 'damnation'.

Liara is about to follow Tevos out of the study, when Shepard reaches out and grabs her bondmate's hand, stopping her from leaving. "What's going on?" she asks, keeping her voice even. "Why have you been avoiding your father?"

Liara pales a little bit when faced with the direct question. "I... you're going to laugh, but... this is important to me."

"Then I won't laugh," Morgan promises.

"I'm afraid that Aethyta will be mad at me for getting myself pregnant before the socially accepted age for bonding," Liara whispers, her eyes downcast. "I thought that if I can avoid her until the childbirth, she won't be able to protest much when I'm already cradling a beautiful blue baby in my arms... it's probably silly, but... it's important to me."

Shepard sighs. "...it does sound incredibly silly, I mean... Aethyta normally spits on the term 'socially accepted', so I just can't see her caring, but... well, if it's that important to you, just don't reveal it to her?"

"It's a little hard to hide it when I'm standing there in front of her at the QEC connector..."

"Oh god... well, I don't know, just take me with you, then you can hide behind my not so broad shoulders..."

"You know... that might actually work!" Liara's eyes spark with the sudden idea.

Shepard just shakes her head in exasperation. "You can be... so odd at times, babe," she chuckles. "But now... I'm kind of feeling a bit tired from all that elassa, too. What do you say we follow the example of the others and retire?"

"That sounds like a good idea, Morgan."

"I even brought some earplugs with me this time, and the asari equivalent for you," Shepard whispers to Liara, smiling.

"Very thoughtful," Liara replies, her returned smile growing a little twisted and naughty. "But... are you sure you actually want to use them?"