Chapter 21 - Blockade pt. 2

Matriarch Elerrae T'daro
September 13th, 2188

I stared out the window of my penthouse atop the Elantean Tower, watching chaos on the streets of Serrice unfold before me. Today marked the twentieth day of the blockade, and the collective will of my people was starting to crumble. Unscrupulous individuals that made up the criminal underworld surfaced, starting street riots, stealing what little food was left on store shelves, and even taking control of entire city blocks, fighting off the police.

The Asari Republics were a true democracy, with each citizen carrying the same political weight as the next, but that didn't mean each had the same influence. Matriarchs used their substantial social influence to sway political decisions, including now, spitting in the face of turian demands while the everyday citizen starved.

I was one of the few Matriarchs that advocated capitulation to the demands after the confession video of Aeova T'karos was sent by the turians on the first day of the blockade. Still, Tevos had many friends and others who wanted to see the asari resume their place at the head of galactic politics. Their numbers were dwindling, however, as the riots began.

Earlier that evening, the turians announced that a targeted occupation of several cities, including Serrice, would be starting in the morning if Tevos wasn't in their custody. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Things would be getting worse before they got better.

I believed the turians when they said they didn't want a war, they only wanted justice. Now I only hoped that others would fold before the turian marines landed. There would be no way to avoid bloodshed once that happened.

When the video was released, the Serrice police department placed Tevos under arrest, identifying her as a likely flight risk that posed an immeasurable danger to the asari people. Every night, a vote was held to extradite Tevos into turian custody, but her supporters still held firm.

My omnitool beeped, alerting me to an incoming call. I answered, "Irissa." Irissa T'Aes was the leader of the Serrice Council, a powerful consortium of manufacturing, artisan, and craft guilds in the city, and a staunch supporter of reestablishing asari relations with the turians and humans.

"Elerrae, the vote won't pass tonight," The ordinarily ageless appearance of the asari had been creased by stress wrinkles around her eyes and frown.

"I figured as much. We are a slow people. It takes us a while to learn."

"We can't let that happen!" Irissa insisted, slamming her fist on the desk in front of her. I had always found Irissa to be hasty for an asari, but I figured five hundred years in the military made life move a little faster, especially when her father was a krogan.

"What do you need from me?" I asked.

"I have a team of commandos I trust. I just need Tevos's location, and I know you can find it," It was true, I had several contacts that could reveal her location, but I tensed up at the mention of commandos.

I thought about it for a moment, knowing that if I agreed, and this backfired, they'd be crucified by Tevos's supporters. "You need to promise me something, Irissa… No bodies. No one on the police team will die. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Alright, you'll have it soon."

Praefectus Visius Indion

I sat in the comms room, sitting straight up and listening to the generals finalizing their invasion plans as if I was in school again. In the center of the table was a hologram of Primarch Vakarian, Legatus Victus, and several other high-ranking military members.

The door behind me slid open, revealing a harried-looking officer, "Sirs! Pardon the interruption. There is a tight beam comm call. I thought you would want to hear it."

"This ought to be good," Victus murmured under his breath. I notice Primarch Vakarian's mandible twitch in amusement at the comment.

"Come in, Optio," I order.

"Yes, sir," The young officer replied, coming into the room and touching a few buttons.

Another smaller hologram appeared, showing an asari, "Admiral of the turian fleet, my name is Irissa T'Aes. I have Tevos Araeus in custody and wish to hand her over to you. Please allow my ship to dock." The hologram blinked out.

"What do you know, that was interesting," Garrus said with a chuckle, "Indion, let her aboard."

"Yes, sir."

Irissa T'Aes

I stepped down my ship's ramp out into the turian dreadnaught, two of my commando team flanking me, leading a resistant Tevos down to a group of turian marines. Tevos, a powerful biotic, like all asari, was fitted with biotic dampening cuffs, leaving her to only struggle fruitlessly against the grip of the turian officers.

I had spent enough time in the military to identify the man in charge. Indion stood straight as a stake in the ground, arms crossed behind his back and medals hanging prominently from his dress uniform. Two guards flanked him, their wary eyes viewing me with cautious optimism, but their body language told me they were ready to act at a second's notice.

"Matriarch Irissa, I am Praefectus Indion," the turian admiral greeted me with a nod, his body language relaxed in comparison to the guards, "Please, if you would, the Primarch wishes to speak with you." Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and started to walk down the hallway. Turians… they never changed.

I walked past the guards, who then sidestepped behind me, blocking the path of my commandos. "Ma'am?" They questioned.

Indion looked over his shoulder, "I hope you understand; we can't have armed soldiers on the command deck. They will be here when you return."

I thought about it for a moment, giving an uneasy nod but continued to follow Indion. Doors slid open at the end of the hall, revealing two more guards who straightened into attention, saluting. Indion dismissed their salute with a simple hand wave, continuing into the comms room.

A hologram of a younger turian with blue clan markings stood before me, "Matriarch Irissa, I am Primarch Vakarian." The Primarch had a far more relaxed body language than the average turian I had dealt with, even going as far as to have a slight smirk on his face, as if the night's events amused him. "Now, I must know what happened to get to this point."

Garrus

I couldn't help to be amused by the turn of events for the evening. Just a few minutes ago, I sat in the war room, alongside Victus and several other generals and admirals, planning the occupation of Thessia. Now, I was looking at the asari Matriarch who had delivered Tevos into Indion's custody.

"How did you come to have Tevos in your custody?" I asked.

"I used a team of commandos loyal to me and raided the safehouse the Serrice Police were holding her in." I raised my eyebrows, and the asari continued, "Tevos tried to have you assassinated. A fool's errand to restore the asari to the top of the galaxy and to keep her minimal power as the councilor of that archaic system. That attempt brought our people to the brink of war. Thousands would have died for nothing more than her vanity. I couldn't stand for that."

"So you believe she is guilty?" I asked, bringing my hand to my chin in a very human gesture.

"Yes. I had the video authenticated."

"Do you believe Tevos acted alone or did she have coconspirators in the attack?"

"I couldn't tell you, Primarch. If I had to guess, she was not acting alone. There were too many people willing to go to war with you for her to have acted alone."

"Thank you for your candor, Matriarch Irissa. As promised, the fleet will return to Palaven. You may accompany us if you wish, or you can return to Thessia."

"Thank you, Primarch, for keeping your word, but I will return to Thessia and face the consequences of my actions. If I didn't, I'd be no better than Tevos."

"I can respect that. Good luck, Matriarch. I hope to hear from you soon." The hologram on my desk blinked out as I ended the call. I sat in my chair, leaning back and thanking the spirits that this conflict ended with no bloodshed.

-0-

I walked through the door of the house, bone-tired, but with a little extra pep in my step, the adrenaline of victory surging through my veins. The house was quiet, not a sound to be heard other than my steady footfalls on the staircase. I peaked my head into Gaius and Octavia's nursery, seeing the two little ones sound asleep in their respective cribs, taking a moment to revel in the beauty of my children.

I crept further down the hall and into my bedroom. The light and fan were off, and I couldn't hear the telltale sound of Amelia's steady breathing. "Ame?" I whispered, receiving no response. Puzzled, I continued. Moonlight illuminated my path through the room to the balcony door, and I stepped back outside into the cool night air.

"Hey," Amelia greeted, setting down the datapad she was reading from and standing up to wrap her arms around my neck, standing on her tiptoes to give me a peck on my cheek plate, "How was your day?" Her arms hung loosely around my shoulders, crossed at the wrist.

I smiled at her, returning her embrace, "We got her."

Amelia's body relaxed as she sighed in relief, "Oh, thank God. How?"

"A Matriarch named Irissa took her by force and delivered her to the command ship."

"Heh," Amelia laughed briefly, "Well, I'm glad it's over. I thought you sounded happier."

"Oh, Spirits, I am. I didn't want to go to war." For the first time since I came out onto the balcony, I looked down from her face. She was wearing a pair of shorts that barely went down her leg, leaving the expanse of smooth skin bare. Accompanying it was a simple v-neck tee with just enough space between her neck and the collar to expose the edge of my bondmark.

I felt a rumble build behind my stomach, rising up in my chest and out my throat, vibrating my entire body in the process. My hands slid down her back to her butt, gripping and lifting her body off the ground. Receptively, she wrapped her legs around my waist, squeezing a little on the sensitive area and getting another, louder growl for her troubles. My hands rested on the hem of her shorts, allowing me to feel the goosebumps that appeared on her skin. Her fair skin was flushed red, and she was already breathing a little heavier than usual. Her nimble hands wrapped around behind my head, pressing against the nerve clusters at the base of my fringe, drawing another growl out of me. "Spirits, Amelia. I won't be able to control myself if you keep doing that."

I stared into her iridescent green eyes, which were dancing with mirth as she laughed, "Good." As she said it, the smell of her arousal hit me, previously masked by the salty scent of the waves crashing against the cliff below.

Amelia bit her lip in a way that drove me crazy, dropping back down onto her feet and undoing the button at her waist, allowing her pants to fall freely. Then she lifted her shirt up over her head, letting her braless breasts drop out. She stood in front of me again, only a pair of lacy, black panties separating her from total nudity, the smell of her arousal flooding my nostrils now, still biting the corner of one lip.

I felt my erection press against the cloth of my dress pants as I drank in the sight. Amelia reached forward, deftly undoing the clasp of my pants, and pulled them down. She began to kneel, but I stopped her, motioning for her to lay down on the lounge chair. I followed, straddling her and leaning down. My hand was positioned under her pussy, one finger barely teasing the soaked cloth barrier. I dragged my coarse tongue over her hardened nipple slowly, savoring the hitched breath she had, repeating the process on the other breast. One of her hands reached down and took hold of my cock and began stroking. I continued my treatment of her breasts while simultaneously teasing her clit through her underwear, going as far as to bite her nipple lightly.

She got impatient quickly, letting go of my cock to pull down her panties and toss them to the side before grabbing my cowl and pulling me onto her, muttering something about the patience of a sniper under her breath. I chuckled and positioned myself, pushing in fully before letting my weight rest on top of her. She tilted her head up, kissing me deeply, coaxing my tongue into her mouth. I rocked my hips, swallowing her subsequent moan.

She was very ready for me, as it took little time for her inner walls to begin to contract around me in orgasm, pushing me over the edge as well. I pulled out and got up onto my elbows, looking down at my mate, watching the pure bliss on her face as she caught her breath. A few moments later, she opened her eyes and stared back at him. "Hey," she said, her words a little lethargic but also dripping with contentment.

"Do you want to see what the patience of a sniper is like?" I asked, dropping an octave from my voice.

She shivered in anticipation under me, nodding, "Don't tempt me with a good time…."

Without another word, I stood and heaved her up onto my shoulder in a fireman's carry, getting a surprised yelp from Amelia.