CHAPTER 28
Luckily, for the next few weeks, Rosemary had work to prioritize her thoughts – rather than romance. Balint also seemed shaken by the new turn their feelings had taken for each other, and kept things professional. They both needed time to sort out these new feelings, and wordlessly decided to give each other some space.
With the help of her staff, Rosemary was finally getting the hand of things. She didn't even notice the official documents finalizing her position as Head Administrator until Meeno gave her the engraved name plate for her desk – and an office to go with that desk and plate. The Bridgeton office wasn't as personal as Wakey Brews, and would probably never be. As soon as things settled down more, Rosemary planned on conducting most of her business – C-Sec, Wakey Brews, and Bridgeton's – at her Wakey Brews base.
Construction was finally getting underway for the geth, quarian, and krogan embassies. Already, a small, three-raced army was moving in to protect the sites – adding the extra protection Bridgeton needed.
Rosemary's fingers twitched. She felt drained... and sore. She was thinking about all the work she needed to do back at any of her offices, while being hooked up to several quietly-humming machines. She was in the central laboratory of the Center for Synthesis Research. This was how she had spent her nights the past week – being studied, prodded, and poked by a hundred or so needles.
"Good news," one of the scientists said, walking up to her, looking at his omni-tool. "We had a breakthrough last night."
"On?" Rosemary could only think foggy thoughts, her body throbbing from exertion. A team of scientists had worked on her relentlessly, asking endless questions, and running her blood and whatever else through countless tests.
"On... what you wanted. Remember? You wanted to siphon the hybrids' excess energies into containers." The salarian scientist showed her a large cylindrical glass container, filled with a pulsing, violet light. "They won't hold though," he said, frowning.
An asari scientist walked up, nodding. "He's right, Administrator. We need something to funnel the excess krogan energies into. Something... organic. We need more of you," she said bluntly.
"Asari biotic energies, krogan toughness, salarian enhanced mental capacities... We need to find more Unique Energy Facilitators. It will be a simple enough business to siphon the excess biotic energies into Bridgeton's barrier – but we need organic vessels for the krogan and salarian energies."
They were stressing the same point – she understood them well enough. She lacked a higher education, certainly, but she wasn't an idiot. Fat chance of these college bigheads understanding that, though. Annoyed, she asked, "What do you want me to do? Use Keeya as a... UEF dowsing rod?"
The salarian scientist looked eager at the possibility. "Can you do that? Where do we even start to look," he asked his fellow scientist more than Rosemary.
Rosemary still answered. "I... don't know."
It had been weeks. The doctors at the clinic said the hybrids could last another week – maybe – before their power exploded out of them. She didn't think there was anywhere on the Citadel safe from that kind of disaster. They were running out of time – she needed to figure something out quick.
XOXOXOXO
The next day, Meeno popped into her office to give her the progress reports on the buildings and structures still in the process of construction. He was back to his aloof, competent self – as if they both had agreed not to acknowledge the fact that he was completely extranet-learned. That suited her just fine – whatever floated his professional, competent boat. She just hoped that the next time Bridgeton faced disaster, he would be more in control of his... panicky emotions.
"Construction is finished on the docking bay," Meeno informed her, tapping various commands into his omni-tool.
Rosemary frowned. "We have a docking bay?"
"It's in the plans... You know, for emergency evacuations?"
Rosemary drew up the plans herself. "Yes, but I thought I axed it. It's a docking bay that can dock only one medium-sized ship. We have thousands of people here. I submitted my proposal to Eastment for a multi-docked bay weeks ago... What's the point of having a huge ship with thousands of people – and having just one lifeboat?"
"You mean 'life pod'."
"Whatever."
"Yes, but Eastment axed your... axing." Meeno shrugged apologetically. "Construction went on, and now it's complete. It was already two thirds done when you tried to cut it, anyway."
Rosemary sighed. "Great."
"Plus – it's more of a private docking bay."
"Oh?"
Meeno shrugged. "Yeah, for one of the Council's favorite ships. You know – the one with the huge action figure set?"
"The Normandy?"
"Yeah, that's the one." Meeno cocked his head. "You're smiling."
Oliver is going to shit himself, she thought smiling, leaning back in her chair.
XOXOXOXO
Five days later, Balint walked into Wakey Brews with a present for Rosemary. She warily accepted the fancy cylindrical container and opened the lid. She burst out with a happy squeal. Haka looked over curiously. "Beans!"
Balint smiled, enjoying Rosemary's reaction. "It's a new blend from Eden Prime. It's apparently become quite popular in its system."
Rosemary inhaled the fragrant, buttery aroma – Oh! It smells fantastic! She couldn't wait to try it out! Then Balint dropped the bomb, "I also want to talk about our... relationship."
Rosemary cleared her throat, suddenly panicked. "Oh... do you?" She tried to keep her nervousness from showing in her voice.
She failed. Haka cackled and took the container from Rosemary. "This is really funny," she snickered.
Balint grinned, thoroughly enjoying Rosemary's unease and Haka's mirth. "How so?"
"You're male – and wanting to talk about feelings. Rosemary's acting like a cornered male. That's hilarious," Haka declared, grinning.
"Oh, we'll be talking about sex, too," Balint assured the krogan.
"OKAY, we'll talk!" Mortified, Rosemary grabbed Balint's arm and dragged him to her office. Haka was cracking up behind them.
Rosemary closed her door and drew the curtains. "I can't believe you said that," she wailed, distraught. "I'm her boss, Balint!"
"I thought you were just the manager," the turian teased.
"Well, I'm still her boss, and Imitha's my boss – but I'm still her boss," Rosemary argued.
Balint didn't sit in the chair across from Rosemary's. Instead, he drew her up and close against him. Any further complaints fled Rosemary's mind, as she fought the distraction of this intimate position. "We needed to talk, Rose," Balint said softly – seriously.
Rosemary couldn't argue with that. She slumped. "I know, but..."
"Your new employee was right. You are acting like a cornered male afraid of commitment," Balint teased. Rosemary looked at his face then. His tone was teasing, but his expression told a different story. The vulnerable look in his honey-gold eyes touched her more than his words ever could.
"Balint... I'm not afraid of commitment. I like you. I really like you." She wasn't ready yet to voice her real feelings. … Not yet, anyway.
"But?"
"I..."
Balint sighed. "Look, Rose. I really like you, too. … Reapers, I just sounded like a teenager."
Rosemary grinned; he really had.
"Let's cut to the chase. I want us to be exclusive. You and me – that's it."
Rosemary blinked. That really was cutting to the chase. She narrowed her eyes, suddenly suspicious. "What brought this on all of a sudden, Balint?"
The turian shrugged. "Maybe I'm tired of us keeping our distance. Maybe I'm impatient."
"Maybe... because a certain ship got their own private dock at Bridgeton and they might be visiting soon – maybe with a certain turian of Vakarian persuasion?"
Balint scratched his fringe, looking sheepish. "Okay, maybe that has something to do with it."
Rosemary rolled her eyes. "And you want to stake your claim before Garrus shows up."
A possessive look entered Balint's eyes. "Yes, I do."
She couldn't let him keep thinking... whatever it was he was thinking. "Balint – I should have told you before. Garrus and I were friends with benefits. Meaning – friends first."
Balint smiled slowly. "... 'Were'?"
Rosemary blushed. Why draw it out any longer? She liked Balint, and Balint liked her. What was she so afraid of? "Okay... fine. We'll be exclusive. You and me. That's it."
Balint liked her answer. "Good. Now that that's out of the way – we need to talk about Divide." Balint pulled away from her and sat in one of her squashy chairs.
Seriously? "You have a miserable sense of romance," she grouched, disappointed.
"Oh, we'll mark each other later," the turian drawled. "But for now – we have work-related things to talk about."
"What do you mean 'mark'?" The term sounded familiar. Maybe Imitha had mentioned at one time or another.
"Turians mark each other to show their... unavailability. It's just a nick on the neck. The markings for marital bonding is much more severe."
"Really?" That was a... unique way for couples to brand their partners. Rosemary wasn't overly concerned, though.
"Yeah. Good thing I know you already like things a little rough," Balint purred, leaning forward. He had that familiar, heated look in his eyes.
"Work! You said we have to talk about work stuff!" Rosemary quickly took her seat behind her desk. Then another thought hit her. "Wait... then that means I have to mark... you, right?"
"Yes."
Rosemary ran her tongue across her square, very-human teeth. "I don't know if my krogan strength extends to my teeth," she worried aloud.
Balint chuckled. "My neck, Rose – my neck. Nowhere on the carapace."
"Oh." He had said that. Feeling stupid, she smoothed out some papers. "So you wanted to talk about Divide?"
Balint's expression was serious once again. "Yes. I think Saeli's planning something."
