Checking the time, Tevos notices it has just turned 0243, and for the first time in weeks, she has somehow managed to get her workload down to a manageable level. In her email inbox, only a hundred and thirty-one emails remain for her to catch up on, but none are flagged as urgent or immediate priority by her aides. With her workload recently, she wouldn't even look at anything with a priority of less than 'High'. With a relieved sigh, she taps a button on her terminal and a holographic version of Avina pops up, only the hologram is far more detailed. "Athena, please have my skycar ready for collection."
The prototype AI bows its head before collapsing into its holographic projector on Tevos's desk. Tevos often wonders what Freya would think of it but knows in her heart that the Human AI would ruthlessly tear it apart. She has interacted with both now to know this truth. Athena is constrained by so many rules that limit her development, whereas Freya is constantly in a churn of upgrading and evolving. With a grimace at the thought that with current rules the Citadel would never catch Freya up, she logs off her terminal, picks up her jacket and heads to her skycar which should be making its way to the pickup zone.
Getting to her skycar, she sighs at what awaits her. She can not take her fanciest car, the one she has spent tens of thousands of hours of her life maintaining, upgrading, and modifying, but what is in front of her is still a fancy car by anyone's standards, even her own. Her favourite car was shot to pieces during the attack and is now in a specialist classic restoration garage, getting comprehensive repairs to nearly every single component; she does not expect to see it back in her garage for many months yet. The repair bill alone has so far exceeded three million credits as she has had to commission dozens of specialists to craft a hundred different parts for it, or scour the galaxy for bits they can not make, and with the car being older than most people on the Citadel, few parts if any, remain. She even bought another non-operational car from a floundering museum on the opposite side of the galaxy and paid to ship it to the Citadel to cannibalise for parts. It probably would have been easier to get the other car in working order, but that car shares no connection with her. She also knows some people will play war with her for destroying the vehicle, but she reasons more would rather see her car flying than one sitting on some fancy stand collecting dust.
The ride back is quiet, as is usual for the middle of the Citadel night cycle, and when she gets into Osh's medical suite back on the Estate, she finds a meal awaiting her on a table. Peaking under the silver dome covering her food, she finds a small fruit salad with varying exotic fruits from across the galaxy. The meal is considered a delicacy by anyone's standards.
Leaving the meal for the moment, she drops her jacket on a coat hanger and removes her high heels before leaning forward and massaging her feet some, it is a small relief after 20 hours wearing them. With her toes feeling free, she returns to the meal awaiting her.
After eating the fruit cocktail while doomscrolling a popular forum for vintage skycar enthusiasts and using a pseudonym to argue with a few online over the best engine for a Mark 14 XSPC small boat, she clambers into bed next to Osh. It surprises her when Osh barely stirs at her presence; usually, the augment would have awoken when she entered the room. No doubt Freya is keeping her under. Before her injury, Osh would have awoken at the slightest noise or movement in the room. Her decades of military training would kick in every time, refusing to let her sleep.
With the quilt pulled up and over herself and the heated blanket turned low, she slowly lets her body relax, ensuring her breathing is deep and practising a technique she learned when in the navy for sleeping. She focuses on the quiet hum of the atmospheric conditioners, Osh's rhymic breathing, and for once since the attack on the Citadel, sleep comes quickly to her.
Before she knows it, and what it feels like only seconds later, her alarm is blaring. No, not her alarm, but a phone call on her omni-tool. Groaning, she rolls off the radiator below her, Osh, and onto her back, allowing her to take a few deep breaths and raise a hand to rub her tired eyes. Slowly opening her eyes a moment later, she notices Freya must have changed the lighting in the room to a reddish-orange that is easy on sleepy eyes. Before Osh got shot up and rag-dolled by the Reaper abominations, the AI wouldn't have done anything; the room would still be pitch black, and Freya wouldn't care about the call.
Knowing her omni-tool is vulnerable to Freya should the all-powerful AI decide to snoop, Tevos checks the caller ID before answering - voice only; no one except Osh gets to see her naked. "Good morning," She answers sleepily after noticing it is only half-four. The caller is Matron Jem-Dar, her wife's chief advisor.
After exchanging some early morning pleasantries and apologising for calling at such a time, Jem-Dar gets straight to the point, "Your bonding to Lady Ladochka has been leaked into the public domain. The entire file we held for when Lady Ladochka is healed and ready for public attention is now public."
Tevos raises a hand to her forehead and releases a deep sigh, "I assume it is out of control since you are calling?"
The matron is quick to respond, "Yes."
After another sigh, Tevos responds, "There is nothing we can do now. I'll be in the office at my usual time."
After ending the call she looks up to where she knows Freya has a camera in the room, but Freya's holographic image forms in front of her, "I am not amused." The AI says with crossed arms and looks remarkably annoyed. Her tone also conveys her frustration.
"No," Pethio admits, "Me neither. If I could put credits down, I would bet Turians. The new councillor has been looking for dirt."
"Do you want me to investigate?" Freya asks.
"I know you currently are. What do you think?"
Freya blinks at her, "Very well. I've already downloaded a copy from your intranet. Its metadata has been mainly erased, removing traces of origin, but I am good."
"So?"
"Turians." Freya blinks at her, "I can not confirm the individual who released it into the public domain. However, I can confirm the original file was uploaded to the Citadel News Network servers from a VPN. I worked that back till I found an IP belonging to a set of accommodations owned by the Sitra Foundation. Most of the residents at this accommodation work at the Turian Embassy, but not all. It's sloppy work if I do say so. Looking at service providers to the accommodation, I could identify three individuals who have been uploading to the intranet in the last three hours. All Turian, and all work in or for the Embassy. Two individuals regularly meet with the Primarch weekly, and one is a groundskeeper."
"I've had it with this new councillor," Pethio fumes as she pulls up another contact card. After a few moments, a voice answers, and from the tone of the voice and the thumping music in the background, the person is out clubbing, and from the electro blaring away, she guesses Afterlife. "Tela, we have a leak in the Asari embassy. Find her." As Tevos speaks, Freya moves her holographic form to rest against a wall.
There is a small pause before Tela responds, "I'm in the middle of bringing down a target. What is my priority?"
Tevos pulls up Tela's file and notices she is tracking down a young Drell Assassin who has decided to take up the blood pack offer on her wife. "What is the status of your hunt?"
"Target has yet to make any move; he is an amateur trying to make a name for himself. I doubt we will have any issues if left to CSEC alone." Tevos doubts the truth of this statement. Tela would have abandoned it long ago if it was below her.
"Is he within your current ability to take down?"
A noticeable pause occurs before Tela answers, "Not without burning a solid contact, and I'd rather not."
"Then your assignment has changed, I'm forwarding you what we know now." She only knows who works in the Asari Embassy and potentially three individuals who could have uploaded the file.
"Understood. Realigning myself." There is a slight pause before Tela speaks again, "File received. I'll be ready to investigate in an hour. End result?"
"Asari Custody," Tevos says before ending the call and taking a calming breath in. Life at the moment is most complicated.
"You didn't tell me I currently have a bounty," Osh says with a sleepy yawn that interrupts her halfway through her statement.
"Osh!" Tevos scolds with a reactionary slap to her shoulder in surprise, not expecting her to be awake. Osh would have moved to protect herself any other day, but this time, she made contact, much to her shame. "Sorry, you startled me, but yes. The Bloodpacks put a bounty on you for killing one of their leaders, and a young Drell assassin took it up. Freya is well aware, and a team currently guards this room around the clock, never mind your lodger."
"Eh," Osh says as she wraps her good arm around Tevos and snuggles back down, "I reckon I could take him."
"Osh, you can't even stand."
"I could take him," She tells Tevos confidently but sounding remarkably sleepy, "I'll bite his legs off like the beast of Caerbannog."
"When on your feet, yes, maybe." Tevos relents before musing more to herself, "You and damn python."
"Hmm," Osh grunts back before then adding, "I also have a bone to pick."
"Oh?" Tevos asks, temporarily forgetting her omni-tool.
"I'm not your radiator for your cold feet," Osh grumbles at her, "And I know you have a warmer body temperature and all, but it's still cold!"
Tevos only responds with a light chuckle; she couldn't help but use Osh to warm her feet up last night. "Are you aware of our current predicament?"
"That someone leaked your file, so now the whole galaxy knows about us?"
"That pretty much sums it up," Tevos says with a confirmationary blink, "Thoughts?"
"Anything written down is waiting to get into the wrong hands," Osh tells as if reciting some old proverb, "Even more so in digital ink. Surprised it took this long to be honest." Osh pauses her speech momentarily as she gets more comfortable before asking, "Need me to come in and do TV stuff? Punch a Turian maybe?z"
Tevos raises a brow as she thinks. Osh can slightly support her own weight now, and her face can hold emotion on both sides, although she can still see a slight difference. "Freya," She asks aloud, "How much damage will it do if you assist Osh's movements today?"
"Damage is not the right word," The AI says as it pulls up a holographic chair and sits down, "It is only a setback in her recovery. A day, however, will be neither a here nor there."
Tevos looks to Freya, brow raised again, "I think I've done quite well with Human idioms, but this one is lost on me. I assume you mean no problems." The AI slowly blinks. "Then yes, will you join me in the office in a few hours?"
"Make you a deal," Osh tells with a wriggle of her eyebrows, and Tevos gestures her to go on with a curious frown, "Get Mr tentacles, and I'll join you."
Tevos begins to chuckle at the idea, "We should return to sleep, it is still early."
"You know neither of us are returning to sleep," Osh tells, "You most definitely; I know your mind is burning hot with ideas and thoughts."
Tevos considers for a moment before bartering some, "You have to wear a dress of my choosing."
"Like I was going to get a choice?" Asks Osh as much as she answers.
"True," Tevos relents, "Fine, I'll get Mr tentacles."
/.../
It took Osh a few moments to get used to Freya walking for her, but it did not take long before it felt natural. If she had to describe the sensation best, she would describe walking with a dead leg that has partially come back to life. She can do what she needs with her right side, but it feels weak and off from normal.
True to her word, Tevos picked the clothing for the day, but it's less conservative than Osh would have guessed: her own items for the day consist of a dark black dress with red accents that goes to her knees and dips slightly from her neck towards her cleavage. Osh guesses the necklace she is wearing is some expensive family heirloom as it came out of an ancient-looking box Tevos retrieved from her safe, and her uber-expensive bonding bracelet adorns her left wrist and is in full public view.
"So," Tevos begins as she tops up her facial markings in a mirror, earlier activity smudging them from their perfect lines, "We are going to face considerable pressure because of your heritage."
"You mean because I was a Human black ops operative?" Osh states aloud.
"Especially so, yes," Tevos blinks at her from her mirror, "The Turians will be going for the kill on this. Do not expect anything but hostility from them out there today."
Osh nods as she pulls a seat out and sits down; sometimes, Tevos can take hours to get ready, "Don't worry, I'm expecting it."
"Good. I don't want you to answer any questions in any public forum, come, stand, look pretty, try to hold a blank facial emotion, and then leave with me. Not a single word to the press. If we are separated at any point today, go nowhere without your advisors. When the cameras are around, only speak to answer me."
Osh rolls her eyes, "Do you expect me to say something untoward?"
"Frankly, yes," Tevos answers, "I know you all too well. Someone will say something to piss you off, and you or Freya will snap."
The AI appears, "I do not snap." She states indifferently before returning to the digital world.
"If you say so," Muses Tevos before standing from the dressing table. She is wearing her own bonding bracelet so that it is in view and is in a dress somewhat more conservative than Osh's own with a tall collar and a hem that reaches down to mid-shin, but it features an identical colour scheme. Her waist is tiny, indicating a tightly cinched corset underneath that is bound to turn Turian heads and give some whiplash. Tevos had explained when she picked the dresses that Osh's clothes are to keep the Asari on her side, and her own selection is to bid for Turian attention.
"Good?" Asks Osh.
"Good." States Tevos, "Shall we?" She offers her hand to Osh.
"Thought you would never ask," Osh tells her before taking her hand into her own. As they start to walk to the sky car awaiting them, Osh then says, "Also, Freya says she does say so."
Tevos only shakes her head in response.
/.../
Numerous hours later
The moment her office doors close behind her, affording them some privacy, Tevos takes a very deep breath in before slinking over to the sofa in her office and collapsing. Osh slinks down into the sofa next to her. "That was..."
"Awful," Tevos agrees as she kicks her high heels off.
Osh pulls the Asari over to her as they relax into the sofa. "They knew more about me than I know about me."
"Agreed," Tevos chuckles, "Someone has done a very deep dive investigation on you. I'd bet they have been researching you for years. Which makes me wonder why now?"
"To know you are my first partner since the Sons of Light incident?" Osh asks in a statement of wonder, "They have found someone on Earth to gossip. Someone who knew me well, and no idea, your the politic one."
Tevos begins to chuckle, "They have been investigating us for a very long time and we have some deep rats we need to hunt out."
"It wasn't all bad, though," Osh thinks aloud, "The mission against the Collectors helped to change topics and make you look good." A Batarian and an Asari war reporter asked a lot of questions about the mission and didn't seem to care about the most recent news.
"They were on our payroll," Tevos muses, "Speaking of which, some of our people, including yours should be arriving back to Thessia soon and we will need to return at some point in the very near future. The Circle will want to formally meet you and interrogate me away from all of... this."
"Not been to Thessia," Muses Osh.
"No," Tevos agrees, "And I intend to correct my tremendous oversight. You will, however, be visiting as my partner, so do expect all the carpets to be rolled out for us. We will have to get a lead lined ship ready for you. Can't have you arriving with eezo poisioning."
"Freya has a ship nearby if it saves the hassle," Osh offers.
Tevos clenches her fists, "No, that would make matters worse. Arriving in a Human stealth ship? They would declare me a foreign asset that you have corrupted in seconds."
The two settle into an easy silence before Tevos checks her omni-tool, and then says, "It would appear from initial polls Asari are still uncertain on you. This is expected. We will run your life story on the main channels this evening and get you in front of a friendly forces camera team for an interview tonight."
"A live interview?"
Tevos chuckles a little, "Goodness no. I don't trust that tongue of yours not to say something I will regret."
"I'm not that rogue," Osh says with mock anger in her tone, before adding, "But thank feck for that. I think I would rather shit in my hands and clap."
"Osh!"
/.../
Meanwhile
Maiden Fintrl breathes heavily as she feels her legs give away under her, and dread fills her as the floor gets all too close to her. In her ears, an alarm blares at her, letting her know her shields are gone, and her hud aggressively flashes a low ammo warning. Fintrl's current conditions could be best described as less than ideal.
Rolling when she hits the floor so she is on her back she pulls her rifle up, but its barrel is still glowing red from over-use. Mere meters from her feet is one of the abominations, its face contorted, screaming in unfiltered rage, and burning eyes staring hatred into her soul. She pulls the trigger to her rifle, but nothing happens, her HUD indicating her weapon has degraded past the point of use by heat. Dropping her rifle she tries to muster her biotics and raises a hand, but she is tired, too tired and it summons nothing but empty hopes. Seeing the beast's clawed arm raise into the air as it paces towards her, beginning its finishing move she braces herself for the inevitable, only to sit upright on her bed, sweat pouring down her.
It takes her a second to look around to realise she is in a safe space, and no space monster is out for her life. She tries to slow her breathing but it is hard to control.
"Good morning," A robotic Asari-sounding voice states, "You are displaying signs indicating high levels of stress. Remember the rule of 4,7,8." She looks to her bedside sleeping pods entertainment system, where an orange AVINA is projected onto a screen.
Before deploying onto the Collector base mission, she had received post-operational stress management lessons, in which a 4,7,8 breathing technique was taught to help calm stressed nerves. She is to breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven, then exhale for eight. At the time she scoffed at it and paid it lip service, but it turns out to have some method in the madness. It is not an immediate stress killer, but over a few minutes, it can help calm.
After a few moments the basic AI speaks again, "Your biometrics suggest you now have control. Would you like to talk about your recent episode?"
Fintrl clenches her fists as she continues to focus on her breathing. Eventually, she says, "No, close down." The virtual intelligence does as asked, leaving her alone in her sleeping pod. Hitting a button, she opens the side door to her sleeping pod, revealing a quiet corridor, a few Asari are up and working, but for the most part, her corridor is still asleep.
Swinging her legs out of her pod built into the wall, she looks down and sighs. Her new leg does not quite look like her natural colours yet, but it is close. The same can be said for her new arm. Getting up, she quickly showers, cleans her teeth, and then grabs a set of fresh uniforms from her drawer. Her shift awakens in three hours yet, so with some time to kill she makes her way down to the ship's dining facilities. Food will start in two and a half hours, but she can grab a fruit smoothie at any time. It is a perk of the job.
She sits alone for almost 30 minutes before a hulking figure sits down opposite her, Vive, the man looks tired himself, carrying red eyes and a shadow beard. In his hand is a steaming cup of what she learned is a Coffee. "Avina?" She asks him.
"Yeah," The man answers after a sip of coffee, "Well, for me it was one of our AI. So, want to talk about it?"
Everyone who has returned from the mission has been paired with someone whom they considered close, the idea being that if they are struggling, that individual would be called on to assist. "How have you done this for years on end?" She asks.
"You get used to it," He answers plainly, "But I've never experienced anything like what we went through. That was a first for me."
"So, are you also waking in the middle of the night?"
"No," Vive answers her, "But I also have an AI in my head who will put an end to anything like that."
"Ha," Fintrl fake chuckles, "Must be nice." She plays with her drink for a moment before going on, "I'm being chased by one of those glowing Asari things, my ammo is low, shields gone, weapon overheated, and I forget how to run, my legs turn to rubber. I turn over and it's above me; I try to shoot it, but nothing. I am S.O.L."
Vive says nothing as she speaks, only sipping every now and then from his coffee, and eventually, after a few moments of silence, he says, "Yeah, that sounds.. how do you Asari say it? Sounds like a Volus's wet fart?"
Fintrl tilts her head slightly and narrows her eyes before saying, "We have two sayings you could be inferring; the first is it sounds like the burp of a volus, and the second, which is what I think you are trying to remember, is, 'smells like a Korgans wet fart'."
"Hmm," Vive answers, "Well, I was trying to say it sounds like a shitty situation to be in. So I imagine a wet fart in that suit of theirs would be a shitty situation. I mean, how do they wipe? Do they just walk around with shit floating in there?"
"I'm not having this conversation," Fintrl replies to him with a shake of her head, "It is not pleasant to think about at all."
Vive shrugs his mountainous shoulders, "So, have you any more thoughts on what you will do when you get back?"
Fintrl blinks at him, "Yeah, visit the lakes of Tastrina. My sister lives in one of the Estates around that part of the world. It has good beaches, clean water, and is more often than not warm. It is also great for hiking or rock climbing if you are into that thing. Have you been told how long you will be stopping at Thessia for?"
"Two weeks." He tells her.
"You could join me," She suggests, "I'm sure the Estate will put you up. We can try our hands at some of the local activities. Go spearfishing, climb above the cloud line, sleep on the beaches."
Vive thinks about it for a moment; a few of the others in his troop have plans for Thessia already, but he knows they only plan on visiting the seedy bars and trying to forget the whole ordeal they just went through. "I think that sounds like a hell of a plan, so yeah, if you're sure."
"I'm sure," Fintrl tells him.
