Sarena hated the gleam in the Human politician's eyes as they looked her over with glee. She knew that her father General Steven Hackett was going to hate what they told him. Getting the feeling, her new Turian brother was going to dislike it as well Sarena stepped closer to him. She was no longer human. Not completely anyway. She saw the Primarch step forward then his coat sitting neatly against his cowl. Seeing the Primarch's mandibles twitch Sarena knew she would love what he had to say.
"It would benefit both our races if we had a union of some kind." said the ambassador with a purr in his voice.
The Primarch's eyes narrowed. "What type of union?"
"A marriage between two people, one human, and one turian."
The Primarch's mandibles spread in disbelief as he stared at the ambassador. "You can't be serious."
The ambassador looked affronted. "I am very serious Primarch. A marriage between a turian and a human will help heal our people's relationship."
"A marriage between a turian and a human? Do you even have a human in mind for this?"
Again, the ambassador's eyes cut to Sarena. Her bad feeling was about to come into reality. "I do, indeed have someone in mind. I think Sarena Hackett would be the best one for the position."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Adrien stepped forward a growl vibrating his keel. Sarena's hand shot out and gripped his arm, stopping him from attacking the human ambassador. She could tell her father was furious as well, but he held his tongue, having dealt with politics far worse than this. The Primarch, however, looked equally as angry as her father and Adrien. Sarena couldn't stop him, and she knew it.
"You want to force this girl to marry a turian knowing everything she has been through already?" The fury behind the words made the ambassador stumble out of the enraged Primarch's reach.
"Yes, everything she's been through makes her the perfect person for this."
The growl that rose from the two turians was as threatening as it sounded. Sarena kept her head bowed, ignoring the pain she felt flaring in her head. She'd mentioned the possibility of a control chip when the hierarchy asked her questions on Palaven. It seemed Cerberus was trying to use it now. Saren and his older brother had been the ones who she has been in the care of until now. She fought back the pain and closed her eyes tightly as the Primarch argued with the ambassador. She heard the Asari councilor try to mediate between the two, but she became the Primarch's, next victim. That's when it happened.
"I'll marry her." The voice was one with whom she was very familiar.
Sarena's eyes opened, and she met the silvery blue gaze of Saren. She heard Adrien's angry growl fall away into silence. Hackett's eyes narrowed for a moment before he nodded slowly. The Primarch's rant died away at Saren's words, and he stepped away from the Asari councilor. Only the human ambassador didn't look happy.
"I think not the marriage would need to be with one of the best your people have to offer." was the ambassador's response.
"You want one of our best well Saren Arterius is one of our best. His clan is also highly ranked among our military, and his brother is a general." the Primarch said.
The ambassador sputtered but conceded on the terms that Sarena accepted Saren as her husband. She felt the pain in her head flare higher as if they were trying to get her to demand someone else. Gritting her teeth, Sarena pushed the pain to the very back of her mind. Locking eyes with the ambassador, she stepped close to Saren. Her arms extended forward the five fingers she had regained morphing into three for a moment before changing back. She placed her hands on Saren's shoulders and guided his head closer to hers. Pressing their foreheads together, she closed her eyes as a rumble built in his throat.
"I couldn't think of anyone I would rather go through this with." her voice was soft as she spoke, but she knew Saren's eyes were closed as he listened.
She was vaguely hearing the ambassador curse over the blood pounding in her ears. The pain in her head increased, and she gripped Saren's shoulder a bit tighter, alerting him that something was wrong. Her vision began to darken from the force of the pain as his eyes opened. Sensing something amiss, his arms shot out and wrapped around her tightly. Sarena's balance failed her as the pain in her head increased. As consciousness left her, she heard words spoken in anger and something sharp said to the Salarian Spectre stationed nearby. Her eyes closed as a gunshot rang through the air, then silence as the world fell away.
Eyes fluttering open the first thing she was aware of was the firm grip on her hands on either side of the bed. She heard low voices in discussion in the doorway barely audible over the steady noises of the machines she was hooked to. Then a voice rose from her left, and she recognized it as Saren's voice telling the two in the doorway to be quiet or either leave the room. The voices fell silent before the door slid shut.
"I swear their idiots." Saren huffed.
Sarena's lips spread into a soft smile, and she felt Saren carefully trace a talon over her cheek. His talon brushed her eyelashes.
"You can open your eye's woman. I know you're awake."
She made a rumbling sound in her throat imitating his brother when he'd chastised Saren before the Hierarchs. There was a cough trying to cover a laugh from the right. It was a human sound and one with which she was very familiar. Her eyes opened, and she turned her head to the right. Her eyes landed on the familiar grim face of her father. Her head turned toward Saren, and she noticed that he was glaring at her.
"You'll be the death of me, Sarena I had thought for sure the Spectre was going to shoot you not the fools who were using the implant in your head." Saren scolded her.
"I didn't exactly ask for them to use the chip, but I did notice the pain in my head grew with every word the ambassador said." She snipped.
"Spirits, why did I agree to marry an impossible woman?"
"You'll live Saren, you know I've grown on you impossible male."