*****A Cursed Existence*****
Entry 9: Welcome to Noveria!
AN: Yes. I'm still alive. Long story short, I was burnt out after posting the last chapter, and self-prescribed three months of anime and video games to counteract it. On the plus side, I'm all (or rather, mostly; seasonal as it is) caught up with anime, and I finally got around to buying and completing GTA V. Trevor is a lunatic, by the way, but good God are his lines hilarious… so long as you're not the one they're being directed at…
Anyway, thanks for your patience; and while I could say more, such as review responses and the like, I think you've all waited long enough (and probably forgotten what those reviews were about on top of that) for this chapter. So please, enjoy.
December 8th, 2182, 8:16 am EST. (21 hours later)
"-istress? Mistress?" I heard, the call dragging me out of a blissfully dreamless sleep.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm up…" was my slightly drowsy response, followed by a small yawn, and I moved to sit upright in bed, opening my eyes slowly.
Thankfully, the cabin lights were currently dimmed to their lowest setting without being turned off, so I didn't have to deal with that particular aspect of waking up.
"So, I take it we've arrived?" I asked her once I felt more awake, noting Aena wasn't actually in the room with me, and was instead using the ship's comms.
"Indeed Mistress. The Noveria Docking Authority is requesting we 'state our business or turn around'. Shall I warm up the spinal gun for firing?" she asked me playfully… at least I hoped she was being playful. The ship did indeed have a main gun after all; fancy space yacht though it was, the small corvette I apparently owned was also built with practicality in mind: military grade shields, armor, and weapons, along with enough supplies to last me upwards of two months if I rationed myself. It wasn't hard to figure out why the previous me would own such a vessel, all things considered.
"No, Aena, I don't want you to fire on the colony in retaliation for their 'insult'…" I answered with a sigh, pausing to stretch. "I'll be right up. Try not to threaten them too much, alright?"
"Understood Mistress," was her response; and call me paranoid, but I didn't particularly like the way she said it.
Sarcasm isn't part of her programming, right? I asked myself, or rather, the other Miri; but all I got was a shrug in reply.
Great… that doesn't exactly instill confidence, you know…
Not feeling like waiting for a response, I stood up and stretched one final time, finding myself pleasantly surprised at the cool yet comfortable temperature of the room. Then again, it did make sense considering I was the one who set the temperature.
"Right, let's hurry up and get dressed before Aena decides to spark a corporate war…" I muttered, moving to do just that. I seriously doubted both her desire and capability to do so, but I didn't really want to find out if she could, either.
…
…
…
Five minutes later, I was wearing a simple t-shirt and definitely-not-jeans – it was hard to classify most "modern" clothes, considering the style and seeing as they tended to use synthetic material – and arrived on the bridge, just in time to catch the latter part of what sounded like a particularly annoyed dock operator.
"Look, you dumb VI, I don't care if your 'Mistress is still unavailable'; just send me the damn docking information!"
"Unfortunately, I am not allowed to do so without express permission from my Mistress, and as she is still unavailable-" Aena responded serenely… too serenely. Regardless, she was cut off.
"Oh for fuc-" there was a pause, quickly followed by what sounded like a click, before a different, far more authoritative voice spoke up. "Private cruise vessel, state your business here on Noveria or vacate our airspace. This is your final warning."
Son of a- was my last thought before clearing my throat and grabbing Aena's attention. Considering she was currently tapped into the ship's security systems, I doubted it was necessary; but either way, she turned to me from her chair and smiled innocently.
Oh we are soooo having words after this, I mouthed to her, hoping lip reading was a program she'd installed. She had the good grace to flash purple in apology, which answered that question, but that was the only reaction I got from her.
Troublesome VI now taken care of, I walked up to the panel and found the appropriate screen I needed to talk into. "Apologies for the delay and whatever headache I may have caused you; my VI recently received an upgrade package for her software, and I haven't worked out the bugs yet."
There was a pause on the other end, but before it went on long enough to concern me I heard what sounded like a sigh. "Understood. Your name and reason for being here ma'am?"
"Mirilley V'Seila of Armali Council, Independent Vessel Sapphire Mist. I'm here to attend a number of scheduled meetings with various corporate representatives who have branches on Noveria," I answered calmly and mostly honest, figuring that with the typical "business" handled here, a response like mine wouldn't be out of the ordinary.
A moment came and went before I got a response. "Could you repeat your name, affiliation, and vessel ID, ma'am?" the dock operator asked me, sounding far more… subdued than before, for lack of a better term.
"Mirilley V'Seila of Armali Council, Independent Vessel Sapphire Mist," I complied, raising a brow; not that they could see the gesture. I say 'they' because it was hard to tell over the mic; they could've been a human, asari, salarian, or even a turian for all I knew.
"ID confirmed, Miss V'Seila; the Noveria Docking Authority wishes to extend its deepest apologies for any problems we may have caused you," they told me respectfully, resulting in a mental pause on my end.
Uhhhh… what? Wasn't I the one to cause them problems thanks to Aena?
Unknowing of my confusion, they continued on. "If you'd like, I can switch you over to a company operator for the remainder of the docking process."
"That… that'd be perfect, thank you," was all I could come up with, still trying to figure out the reason behind the sudden change in attitude.
Maybe I've been here before? I thought, only to get a definite no from the other Miri, along with even more confusion.
"Of course Ma'am. Switching you over now; please wait," the operator told me, and wait I did… for a remarkably short eight seconds max.
"Matron V'Seila?" a new voice asked, this one definitely belonging to an asari given the pitch and almost musical sound of High Thessian being spoken; though her accent was one I could only identify as not from Calabsa or Thessia proper.
Maybe it's an accent unique to the Terminus or Traverse, I pondered, before shaking myself out of my thoughts. "That would be me, yes," I responded.
"I will be your dock operator from here on out, Matron. Armali Council sends its appreciation for your recent efforts; a hotel and transportation has already been arranged for the duration of your stay, and any expenses incurred while on planet will be charged to the company directly as gratitude."
Huh… guess being a shareholder brings with it certain perks. Well hey, I won't complain; looks like I won't have to worry about a budget while I'm here.
"Much appreciated," was my response. "Do you have a docking bay available for me?"
"Of course, Matron: the Executive Pad is currently unoccupied. Could you tell me the duration of your stay?"
"At minimum, three human days. At maximum, six. Will that be an issue?"
"Not at all, Matron. We only rarely get executives from the company, being so far from asari space, and according to our schedule, we aren't expecting another visitor of your position for the next month."
"Good. Send my VI assistant the docking procedures; I'll be on the ground shortly."
"Of course, Matron V'Seila. A company aide will be awaiting your arrival to see that your needs are taken care of."
That problem handled, I hummed in acknowledgment and ended the call, now heading back to my room to slip into something more… appropriate for the reception I was about to get. The good news was that even my ship came with a fully stocked wardrobe, though compared to what I had at home, it was nothing more than a revolving hanger rack and dresser. And, in the case of the former, that's exactly what it was: a revolving rack with around 20 or so outfits and a few coats of varying thickness, from what appeared to be a simple black windbreaker, to a pure white, hooded trench coat with a thick layer of soft and undoubtedly warm fur inside, along with a ring of fur around the face and wrists. It looked like something you'd see in a women's winter clothing magazine, and I had no idea what it was called.
Hmm… what to wear, what to wear… the leather coat maybe? No, no, I'd look too much like Aria thanks to that ridiculous design… really should've clarified the type I wanted when I asked Aena to buy one… hmm… Oh, I know! If Benezia can make it look good, why can't I? Though I should probably try to keep it practical as well considering the local environment, I thought, picking up the trench – or is it fur? – coat alongside a sleeved, insulated black dress that, for some reason, had a diamond-shaped hole in the center of my cleavage.
As a… former man and current asari, I could certainly appreciate the view, but from the perspective of someone intending to wear it, I could only think it was a means of showing off; like how some bodybuilders prefer going shirtless when they exercise to establish superiority… or whatever their reasoning is. The point, anyway, is that it looked similar to what I remember Benezia wearing during the brief time we see her in the game; a little shorter in length, perhaps (not counting the winter underwear/stockings that were a must according to Noveria's travel guide) as it ended just above my ankles, and lacking that ridiculous headdress she wore, but similar nonetheless.
Heh. Black dress underneath, white fur coat on top. Looks like I get to dress up as a stormtrooper after all… well, "Stormtrooper, Winter Fashion Edition." A sexy snowtrooper then? Yeah, let's go with that.
My outfit chosen, I spent the remaining time until we docked getting ready for the departure. If there's one thing I can say above all else in regards to what I enjoy about my current situation, it's this: I can finally fly to and visit places without any fear whatsoever of losing my luggage. It only happened once to me in my last life, but being forced to wait over an hour for airport workers to find my suitcase, when it was on the same damn plane as me, is an experience I never wish to repeat again…
"Mistress. We are nearing the docking bay," Aena chimed in over the speakers while I made sure everything I'd need was in order.
"Good; I'll be right there," I responded, doing one last check to be sure.
Well, looks like it's all in order. Ready or not, Noveria, here I come…
Noveria, Port Hanshan, Armali Council Docking Bay, 8:33 am EST. (17 minutes later)
"-can't tell you how glad we are to have you here, Matron. My name is Eleris Dok'sah, an intern at Armali's branch office here, and I'll be responsible for ensuring all your needs are taken care of during your stay," my asari greeter finished her introduction with… a shy blush? Say what?
Wait… she put more than a bit of emphasis on "all" my needs, didn't she…
A quick onceover convinced me that was indeed what was happening here, and I had to resist the urge to facepalm.
Not sure if I should blame that on asari being incredibly forward compared to humans, and me looking like a supermodel; my Ardat Yakshi abilities hard at work trying to convince anything with a brain that I'm the hottest thing in existence, on top of my looks; or simply the kid spotting an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder if she performs well enough in bed… or possibly a combination of all three… I'm honestly not sure which one I'd prefer it to be… And since when were people close to a century old, or older, kids in my eyes? Is it just the fact I know I'm four times her age, physically anyway, or something related to sharing my brain with… well, me?
My thoughts were interrupted by the greeter, Eleris, shuffling awkwardly while waiting for a response and struggling to look me in the eye after her presumed blunder; all while I just stared at and examined her expressionlessly. Internally however…
Oh. My. GOD. She's the shy, yet friendly, submissive type… that's three of my weaknesses in one package… maybe, just maybe…
Not really putting much thought into it, I allowed a slight smirk to form while looking her over, starting to stroke my no longer present beard – also known as my chin – on habit. This apparently counted as a positive reaction, though, and Eleris once more managed to look straight at me… with an even more prevalent blush…
"May I… help you with something, Matron V'Seila?" she asked again with that oh-so-innocent look to her that my instincts were telling me was anything but.
Oh please, call me Miri… perhaps I can spare some time before the meeting after all… no! Down boy! Down! Business first, pleasure later; even if the sight of her stripping out of tha-
"Mistress, your luggage has been unloaded, scanned, and is awaiting transfer," Aena suddenly spoke up behind me, causing both Eleris and I to jump a little in surprise.
"Dammit Aena! At least announce yourself beforehand!" I hissed at her sharply, which resulted in Aena flashing between green and purple – confusion and apology – and doing her typical half bow in acknowledgment; while I caught sight of the greeter acquiring an embarrassed expression if I ever saw one, before quickly switching back to a friendly, albeit less inviting, expression with impressive professionalism.
"Apologies, Mistress; I simply wished to inform you your luggage was ready for transport," Aena responded almost meekly, still semi-bowing, which honestly made me feel bad for snapping at her.
Come on, don't get mad at the VI for doing her job. My own fault for getting distracted with little miss doe eyes over here… damn asari hormones acting up at the slightest thought related to sex…
Deciding to match Eleris' newfound professionalism, I took in a breath and let it out in a sigh, gesturing with a hand for Aena to stand up straight. "No, no, it's alright. Thank you for telling me, Aena. Now then, where were we, Miss… Dok'sah, was it?"
"Eleris Dok'sah, yes," the asari in question answered curtly, straightening her dress presumably by habit. "I was about to show you to a shuttle that will bring you and your mech assistant to the hotel reserved for you."
"Right, lead the way then," I told her with a slight nod, and she returned it in kind. Aena took this as silent permission to go get my luggage, and came back carrying the footlocker I put everything in – it having more in common with a crate than actual footlocker – like it was nothing.
Hope I won't have issues getting through customs with the stuff I put in there… a suit of combat armor, four incendiary grenades, and several armor upgrades don't count as contraband, right? Heh. Knowing my luck, they'll open it up because my toothpaste counts as a "toxic substance" to turians and volus.
Sure enough, I could already see ye standard security terminal up ahead, even if the scanner drones and openly armed guards nearby were slightly different to what I was used to.
"Aena, if you could go on ahead and let the Noveria security do their jobs before we get there? It'd make this a lot quicker," I asked/told her to do.
"Of course Mistress," was her immediate response, and she went from merely keeping pace with us, to speed walking straight for the terminal, still hauling the footlocker as if it was barely an inconvenience.
Guess having a built-in eezo mass generator lets her easily haul things around that anyone else her size would have no business moving. Wait… built-in… oh fuck, her thigh holsters!
That thought causing me a mini heart attack aside, I was about to call Aena back, only to see she had already reached the terminal.
Weeeelllll shit. So much for getting in without any problems.
And yet… the strangest thing happened. Rather than the alarms going off the moment the scanner drones went over Aena and my footlocker, they simply buzzed around her for a few seconds before the turian security guard manning the nearby station looked down at his omni-tool and nodded.
"-ll clear. No contraband detected," I was just able to make out as I got closer.
…huh? Was all I could think, barely noticing when those same drones started buzzing around Eleris and I. Just like with Aena, we were waved on through after only a few seconds.
Apparently having caught my confusion, Eleris turned her head to look at me as we walked, Aena automatically falling in behind us. "Is there something wrong, Matron V'Seila?"
"I…" …should really ask Aena about this later; but no, I'm not stupid enough to tell you my VI assistant carries a pair of krogan-stopping pistols around in her legs… hmm… what to say…
"No, not really," I eventually settled on. "I was just wondering why NovSec would be in charge of security at Armali Council's dock instead of the company itself."
She looked confused herself for a moment, before understanding dawned on her. "Ah yes, I forgot you haven't been to Noveria before."
"Not in person, no," I replied, getting a strange look, to which I just shrugged. I mean, I'm pretty sure a game doesn't count, so…
Rather than ask what I mean by it, she apparently just accepted it and continued. "Then allow me to explain: As decided by the Noveria Board of Investors, all corporations that create a branch here are not allowed to actually own a private docking bay. This is to discourage smuggling, theft, and other, similar activities from taking place. Instead, each company is required to rent a dock for a set period of time if they wish for rapid transfer of cargo to or from visiting freighters, or, such as in your case, welcoming corporate executives."
"I see, I see…" I muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. "Thank you for explaining it to me."
"Of course, Matron. It is my job to aid you in whatever form you desire, after all."
And theeere's the "innocent" look again… *siiiiiighhh* But I have places to be at the moment, and I can't allow any distractions… for now anyway.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," was all I responded with, purposefully being vague as to whether I was speaking of what her statement would mean in normal context, or of what her body language insinuated she was offering.
Asari… I both love and hate how casual most of them take sex… which is in itself weird considering how serious they are about relationships… either way, time to focus on the reason I'm here.
I finally just settled on shelving all thoughts related to the topic of asari and their habits for later – though technically, the proper word to use there would be our habits, I suppose.
Just thinking about other asari tended to bring on… unwanted stimulation.
Regardless, I decided to pass the time until we arrived at my hotel room in idle conversation with Eleris. At the very least, I hoped to get some advice on a good restaurant or two nearby in case I got the munchies…
December 8th, 2182, 11:46 am. (3 hours, 13 minutes later)
After arriving at the no doubt overpriced hotel (because this is Noveria; airport prices for everything is the norm here) which was conveniently within walking distance of Armali Council's docking bay, I dismissed Eleris to go back to her duties until I needed her; went straight to my room after getting the necessary key code, Aena still carrying my luggage; spent a whole five seconds being impressed at how expensive all the furniture inside looked; closed the door behind the two of us; and then immediately proceeded to tell Aena to examine the joint for "suspicious items," while I went straight for the bathroom, undressed, and lounged in the oversized hot tub for an hour to recover from spending the better part of a day cooped up aboard my ship on the way to Noveria.
Was the Sapphire Mist a convenient ship to have on hand? Yes. Yes it was. Was it fast, tough, and surprisingly capable for its size, being small even for a corvette (roughly the size of the Millennium Falcon)? Absolutely. Was it roomy and built with comfort in mind? Ehhhhh… well, the queen sized bed was nice at least. Everything else though… efficient use of space has its downsides.
Once out of the tub, I sent off a message telling the Synthetic Insights representative that I was on planet and would be arriving at the meeting on time. A short back-and-forth email conversation later (Extranet Mail, just to be clear; closer to an intergalactic Facebook Messenger than emails, discounting actual emails, which were still a thing) between myself and the representative's secretary, and the meeting was confirmed. Which lead to where I was now: travelling to the Synthetic Insights office via elevator, with Aena and I as the only passengers currently on said elevator.
"-and make sure not to say anything unless asked to, ok? I know you're interested in any potential hardware and software upgrades being developed by Synthetic Insights, but we're not here to go shopping for parts."
"Yes Mistress…" Aena acknowledged my order like a kicked puppy. Which was truly impressive considering she didn't even change her expression; the only difference from her usual attitude was the lack of any color coming from her crest.
Oh for… *sigh* I feel like a parent that just refused to let my kid go see Santa…
"…right now, that is. We're not here to go shopping right now. We'll have plenty of time to visit some of those tech shops you saw after the meeting is over. Think you can wait until then?"
"Yes Mistress!" she answered happily, crest lighting up like a bright blue lantern.
Honestly, you'd think she'd be happy with all her other recent upgrades… well, if we do find any, I'll just hold off on installing them until I've properly gone over all the settings for her current ones. I swear, in the highly unlikely event I ever manage to have kids, I'm only going to buy them gifts on Christmas and their birthdays, and even then, only one gift each. It's too damn easy to get addicted to the pleasure of buying things for someone that makes them happy…
A minute into the ride and I felt my patience begin to wear thin.
My GOD can this thing go any slower?! We have ships that travel a dozen times faster than the speed of light, yet the elevators move about as fast as a sloth from Zootopia! I thought all those elevator jokes were just that: jokes!
Waiting another twenty seconds, I came rather close to just stopping the elevator on the next floor and walking to the meeting. Instead of that, I remembered that I had something I wanted to ask Aena.
"Aena?"
"Yes Mistress?"
"How'd you get past that security checkpoint without setting off the alarms?"
She didn't respond for a moment, yet only a moment before answering me. "That was done via the same security overwrite programs you had designed for your protection that I just used on this elevator's audio and visual recording devices. Its default settings are to temporarily loop the previous 50 seconds of data, unless otherwise specified. The programs' base code was replicated from a functional Prothean security system discovered in one of their vaults; the vault itself being empty. I am unaware of any further information on the topic."
"Ah. Good to know."
So in other words: As long as it's not either Reaper or Prothean tech, odds are she'll be able to hack into it. Niiiiiicce… gonna have to keep that in mind for future use. Wonder how well it'd work against STG or Cerberus security systems? Something to test in the future I suppose… though I somehow doubt that they wouldn't equip themselves with software of that caliber if a "mere businesswoman" like myself can afford it…
With these thoughts in mind, it was only then that the elevator was kind enough to deposit me on the appropriate floor. "About time," I grumbled out loud before thinking.
"You get used to it," a NovSec guard standing off to the side told me offhandedly, giving me a onceover before apparently deciding I was supposed to be there, and going back to… doing whatever it is they do while standing around like that.
"I'll take your word for it," I responded, paying them about as much attention as they did me, and walking off the elevator. I then made a right turn, taking me to a large, open area with a glass wall giving a good view of the outside.
Let's see… huh. The layout looks like an exact match to the games. Convenient. So, if my memory serves me correctly, the elevator to Synthetic Insights should be right over…
Another longer than necessary elevator ride later, and I was deposited on what I assumed was the right floor. In short: it was. One of the nearby employees (might've been the secretary, judging by the "dress to impress, but keep it practical" outfit) pointed me to an office in the area once I told him the reason for my for being there, and after thanking the salarian, I followed his instructions and walked up to the door, which opened automatically.
"Matron V'Seila, I presume?" a deep, scratchy voice asked from inside the office. It didn't take a genius to figure out it belonged to the turian sitting at the sole desk inside.
"That is indeed me. I take it you are Lorik Qui'in?" I asked in kind, taking in the details of his face so that I'd remember it for later.
The games really didn't do turians justice in terms of how positively metallic their plates looked; but in spite of that, each turian had subtle differences in appearance. Their fringe could be short; it could be long; it could be drooping (which, consequently, was a sign of old age;) and that said nothing of how their mandibles could take on different shapes, angles, and sizes. Long story short, if anyone ever told you all turians look alike, they've obviously never paid much attention.
"That I am," he responded, doing what I think was supposed to be a gesture of mutual respect and nodding slightly, gesturing to the chair across from his own. "I understand you wish to discuss possible investment opportunities with SI?"
"I do, yes," I answered him, taking his offer to sit, Aena automatically moving to stand behind me diligently… or was it vigilantly? It felt less like she was simply waiting, and more like she was anticipating one of the walls to explode for no random reason… I really need to take a closer look at those bodyguard settings when I get back home…
"I hope that we'll come to a suitable arrangement then. Given your recent, and rather impressive, mining successess with Armali Council, we here at Synthetic Insights look forward to doing business with you."
"Likewise," I answered, running the plans I had for developing a close relationship with as many players here on Noveria as possible through my mind one final time.
Well… here goes. It was a nice vacation while it lasted, I suppose. Now then, time to get down to business… that is, the business of avoiding galactic annihilation. I have a feeling the next few years of my life will have a lot of that going on…
Right, so, it has been a… well, long time is a mild term for it, since I updated. For those of you still worried, and/or curious: No, I have not abandoned this story, my other stories, or writing in general. My free time simply hasn't been as free as I'd like it recently, and writing has been on the backburner for some time now due to the reasons listed in the top AN. With any luck (and the necessary strangling of the urge to keep watching more anime) I should get back into a proper update schedule over the next month or so.
Expect a chapter for my Halo/ME crossover, An Old Machine's New Home, to be the next update. When will that happen you ask? Well, I promised I'd do it before Christmas, and I damn well intend to keep my promise.
All that taken care of, glad to be back ladies and gentlemen! To everyone here in the US, have a happy Thanksgiving! To everyone else, I hope you enjoyed this long overdue chapter, and I'd be thrilled to see you next time!