Hammerheadcruiser
Eagle-1 my beloved
- Location
- Anaxes
I blame witchcraft
Sirius and the Citadel Thread 2: Why so Sirius? (ME/Freelancer)
- Thread starter SharkGlue
- Start date
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- Tags
- freelancer mass effect
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Not really, he emerged in a asteroid field within the system, though very rarely, a jump hole does emerge in a relatively empty area
34
AN: Due to some good input by Tempera, I've decided to also start rewriting portions of the story for better cohesion and quality. Expect the Earlier snips to be rewritten again along with a general slow down in new snips.
Neural Net Update
Ilium
Controlled by: Asari Corporations (various)
System: Tasale
Radius: 7,431 km
Orbital Distance: 1.3 AU
Orbital Period: 1.5 years
Terrain: Terrestrial
Temperature: 63C
Surface Gravity: 1.2 g
Mass: 1.617 Earth Masses
Population: 84 Million
Ships for sale: Compiling
Commodities For Sale: Eezo (restricted), Luxury Food, Entertainment Media, Alcohol, Red Sand (controlled), Side Arms
Commodities Buying: Consumer Goods, Luxury Goods, Gold, Silver, Niobium
Weapons for Sale: Compiling
One of the youngest colonies of the Asari Republics, Ilium is a classic garden world, hampered only by its relatively high surface temperature, limiting habitation to the northern poles and in arcologies.The colony lies within an interesting legal loophole of Citadel Space, as Ilium is one of a few corporate run worlds.On paper, Ilium is run and colonized by asari corporate interests, not the Asari Republics, allowing the planet to bypass many of the strict laws of Citadel Space, making many things from indentured servitude to mind-altering substances legal on the planet. This in turn has made the planet a veritable trade hub for anyone looking to trade with the neighboring Terminus Systems.
Ilium
Tasale System
After the pirate encounter, the rest of the trip to Ilium was a relatively peaceful affair. Talia only came on to Perkins five times. Still, after the pirate attack, Aela looked forward to a nice week or two hunting for her colleague, Dr. Raela T'Vedri, and a sponsor for her planned expedition. She would probably also need to find some workers and, if Talia wasn't going to be around, a new transport to the dig site.
Really, if the Dom'Kavash were as impressive as she imagined... If she could find even a single working artifact, it could change the galaxy forever. Just imagining what could change with even the tiniest applications of a functional artifact was enough to send a shiver down her spine as she looked without seeing at the planet below.
"Care to share your thoughts?" a voice said suddenly, startling Aela out of her reverie. She turned around to find Talia leaning by the door to her quarters.
"Sorry," Talia said, rubbing her hands together. "It's just that, you looked rather pensive while staring at the planet, and… I'm genuinely curious to find out what's on your mind."
"It's nothing much," Aela said moving to her chair to sit. "I've just been thinking about a new dig. My colleague found some interesting non-Prothean artifacts lately. Normally, this wouldn't be of too much interest, except that the humans have found them interesting as well. If what the Humans say about them is true, it would make the Protheans seem like primitives in comparison. Hence why I'm heading towards Ilium. She was there last I heard, and if I can get some of her notes, or even an idea of her next site, I can begin my search there."
"Well… if you need a ship. The crew and I'll be around."
"Why?" Aela said after a brief moment of silence.
"I like you. You're not quite like the Matrons back home, you've still got that maidenly need to search for something new.
Plus, Perkins. He's a... perk to you having you as a client."
At that, Aela just groaned. Well, at least Talia would be a reliable captain, if not for her… stubbornness with her advances on Perkins
__
Traffic to the Nos Astra Spaceport wasn't particularly bad, so they were able to land within a few hours of arriving in the system. When they landed, as Aela suspected, Talia made her way to some bar, while Korvan and Lia disappeared somewhere, probably each off to do their own thing, whatever it was.
Right now though, she was here, Ilium, on the very edge of both Citadel and Asari space. The gateway to the Terminus systems. Omega itself was only a few Relays away, and it showed in Ilium's prosperity. Nearly anything was legal here, and could be bought or sold on a whim.
Which sadly, could very well include the Doctor's notes. Not out of any sense of knowledge of what they were capable of, but perhaps to some collector of rare and interesting artifacts. With that in mind, Aela steadied herself and began her search for the good doctor.
She then noticed Perkins walking up right beside her, as they both walked to the nearest fast transit station.
"Definitely like Manhattan," Perkins said after taking in a deep breath of air. "Just enough of that city smell to remind you of the urbanization, not enough chemicals to make you think you're on Leeds. You can practically smell the Credits being made by the second, though I do admit it's a lot warmer than I thought it would be..."
"While it's comforting to know that we share more things in common than some realize, I must ask how this is relevant to our search?"
"Easy. Follow the money."
"I don't follow." Aela replied, stopping by one balcony that gave a good view of the market below.
"Simple. This colleague of yours is either on planet, or off on a dig. Either way, digs are off on the edges of civilized space, with no one around for light years, yeah?"
"So she'd need to get supplies and crew to help…"
"And for that she needs money, that no offense, would be beyond an academic's pay I imagine."
"So we find her sponsor, we get an idea of where she is."
"Right. Problem is I don't know anything or anyone here. You're the one who'd have an idea of where to start."
Aela gave it some thought. "Thing is, I do, and if luck is with us, I may be able to get another sponsor as well..." she finished as she led the way to their hotel. She wasn't quite used to handling her own funding. Normally she begged the University for hers, but asking it from private sources couldn't be too much different.
_
The Vision Hotel had clearly seen better days. Its slightly tarnished exterior amidst the shine of Ilium marked it out among the relative shine and polish of the other neighborhoods. Still this was what was affordable, and while the neighborhood may be a bit ratty, it should be relatively safe. There was a police station right round the corner.
The important thing though was that it provided a relatively large amount of privacy for the call she was about to make. Considering who she was calling, it was best that there weren't any people listening in on them.
"Doctor D'Avo." said the distinctly calm voice of Matriarch Benezia. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. Though…" Aela said a little hesitantly. She was about to make a request of one of the most influential people in the Asari Republics after all. "I'm afraid I'm calling to ask a favor of you, Matriarch."
"Oh?" Benezia said, almost as if she wasn't surprised. "If I were to take a guess, it would have to do with funding for a new dig. Am I right?"
"Well… yes." she admitted sheepishly. "These things are expensive, and ideally I'd like to get a good mix of both students and experienced professors with me. Though, the new thing that we will be looking for is something not Prothean."
"The Isunanon?"
"No… Much older. Dr. Raela T'Vedri discovered an ancient civilization a few months ago before the humans were encountered. Apparently, the humans have encountered evidence of the same ancient civilization that they call the Dom'Kavash, but with a much wider array of discoveries that suggest the civilization easily eclipses what the Protheans did. Though the Dom'Kavash left no active technologies, they did leave behind a vast array of crystal based technology. From what the humans have told me, though every crystal they've found was too damaged to read or even begin to grasp the fundamentals, the few writings the Dom'Kavash left suggest that they had an empire that spanned the galaxy. Take into consideration the fact that Dr. T'Vedri's find was in Terminus Systems, while the Humans are on the opposite end of the galaxy in the Sirius Sector. I theorize that since these crystals are incredibly common among the sites found, they quite probably formed the entire technological base of the Dom'Kavash, they possibly had no need for eezo. We have no technological equivalent to anything they might have had, so it's probable that they used a different sort of FTL. We know that isn't impossible, thanks to the humans and their Jump Gates, so I don't think it too unlikely that a civilization 65 million years ago created another way of traversing the galaxy."
"I find that very hard to believe, Doctor."
"But what if it's true? And what if we find a live artifact? Not even the humans have discovered one, and if we do, or better yet find the equivalent of a Prothean beacon, just think of all the changes to society it would herald. It would essentially level the playing field for everyone."
Silence came from Benezia's end. Aela liked to think that it was a sign that Benezia was really thinking about this, and not thinking about how to lightly put her down.
"I think, for something like this, even if it is only a slim hope, I will support you. If the possibilities are as great as you say… I think this warrants the full support of my House."
"Really?!"
"Indeed. If they are as great as you say, then we most definitely can make use of what they leave behind. Especially if we were to get at it first, we would be able to make lives around the galaxy a lot easier, and perhaps even keep up the Asari superiority. Though I do have one small condition..."
"Of course, Matriarch." Aela quickly replied. For the full support from a Matriarch of Benezia's standing, she'd be willing to do just about anything short of murder.
"Take my daughter with you as a… student of sorts. She too has a passion for archaeology, and if what you suspect is true, then this would be a good time for her to learn something."
"Of course. I can meet her on Thessia when I return to assemble a team."
"Good. Do you require anything else?"
"I was hoping you'd have an idea of where to find Dr. Raela T'Vedri. I've tracked her down here to Ilium, but the trail goes cold soon after. Would you by any chance know where she is?"
"I do not," she replied. " I do however know someone who would. I'm sending you an information packet on one Dakni Cal. He's a local broker, and should be able to help you out. Present the following packet to him, and he'll help you free of charge. He knows what it means."
"Thank you once again, Matriarch." Aela replied, her heart beating faster than ever.
"You are welcome, Doctor. Take care, pirate activity seems to be increasing in the area lately, I would hate to have something happen to you or your research."
"Of course Matriarch, once again thank you." and with that, Aela cut the connection and practically leaped with joy. Sure the area may be a tad bit more dangerous than she thought, but still, she just got funding for her new dig from Matriarch Benezia! That was practically a blank check to get all sorts of things she normally wouldn't have. She could get luxuries for the dig, like decent rations, maybe even SynthPaste if her colleagues wouldn't mind.
Honestly, with a day like this, Aela expected that finding Dr.T'Vedri would be a breeze.
Neural Net Update
Ilium
Controlled by: Asari Corporations (various)
System: Tasale
Radius: 7,431 km
Orbital Distance: 1.3 AU
Orbital Period: 1.5 years
Terrain: Terrestrial
Temperature: 63C
Surface Gravity: 1.2 g
Mass: 1.617 Earth Masses
Population: 84 Million
Ships for sale: Compiling
Commodities For Sale: Eezo (restricted), Luxury Food, Entertainment Media, Alcohol, Red Sand (controlled), Side Arms
Commodities Buying: Consumer Goods, Luxury Goods, Gold, Silver, Niobium
Weapons for Sale: Compiling
One of the youngest colonies of the Asari Republics, Ilium is a classic garden world, hampered only by its relatively high surface temperature, limiting habitation to the northern poles and in arcologies.The colony lies within an interesting legal loophole of Citadel Space, as Ilium is one of a few corporate run worlds.On paper, Ilium is run and colonized by asari corporate interests, not the Asari Republics, allowing the planet to bypass many of the strict laws of Citadel Space, making many things from indentured servitude to mind-altering substances legal on the planet. This in turn has made the planet a veritable trade hub for anyone looking to trade with the neighboring Terminus Systems.
Ilium
Tasale System
After the pirate encounter, the rest of the trip to Ilium was a relatively peaceful affair. Talia only came on to Perkins five times. Still, after the pirate attack, Aela looked forward to a nice week or two hunting for her colleague, Dr. Raela T'Vedri, and a sponsor for her planned expedition. She would probably also need to find some workers and, if Talia wasn't going to be around, a new transport to the dig site.
Really, if the Dom'Kavash were as impressive as she imagined... If she could find even a single working artifact, it could change the galaxy forever. Just imagining what could change with even the tiniest applications of a functional artifact was enough to send a shiver down her spine as she looked without seeing at the planet below.
"Care to share your thoughts?" a voice said suddenly, startling Aela out of her reverie. She turned around to find Talia leaning by the door to her quarters.
"Sorry," Talia said, rubbing her hands together. "It's just that, you looked rather pensive while staring at the planet, and… I'm genuinely curious to find out what's on your mind."
"It's nothing much," Aela said moving to her chair to sit. "I've just been thinking about a new dig. My colleague found some interesting non-Prothean artifacts lately. Normally, this wouldn't be of too much interest, except that the humans have found them interesting as well. If what the Humans say about them is true, it would make the Protheans seem like primitives in comparison. Hence why I'm heading towards Ilium. She was there last I heard, and if I can get some of her notes, or even an idea of her next site, I can begin my search there."
"Well… if you need a ship. The crew and I'll be around."
"Why?" Aela said after a brief moment of silence.
"I like you. You're not quite like the Matrons back home, you've still got that maidenly need to search for something new.
Plus, Perkins. He's a... perk to you having you as a client."
At that, Aela just groaned. Well, at least Talia would be a reliable captain, if not for her… stubbornness with her advances on Perkins
__
Traffic to the Nos Astra Spaceport wasn't particularly bad, so they were able to land within a few hours of arriving in the system. When they landed, as Aela suspected, Talia made her way to some bar, while Korvan and Lia disappeared somewhere, probably each off to do their own thing, whatever it was.
Right now though, she was here, Ilium, on the very edge of both Citadel and Asari space. The gateway to the Terminus systems. Omega itself was only a few Relays away, and it showed in Ilium's prosperity. Nearly anything was legal here, and could be bought or sold on a whim.
Which sadly, could very well include the Doctor's notes. Not out of any sense of knowledge of what they were capable of, but perhaps to some collector of rare and interesting artifacts. With that in mind, Aela steadied herself and began her search for the good doctor.
She then noticed Perkins walking up right beside her, as they both walked to the nearest fast transit station.
"Definitely like Manhattan," Perkins said after taking in a deep breath of air. "Just enough of that city smell to remind you of the urbanization, not enough chemicals to make you think you're on Leeds. You can practically smell the Credits being made by the second, though I do admit it's a lot warmer than I thought it would be..."
"While it's comforting to know that we share more things in common than some realize, I must ask how this is relevant to our search?"
"Easy. Follow the money."
"I don't follow." Aela replied, stopping by one balcony that gave a good view of the market below.
"Simple. This colleague of yours is either on planet, or off on a dig. Either way, digs are off on the edges of civilized space, with no one around for light years, yeah?"
"So she'd need to get supplies and crew to help…"
"And for that she needs money, that no offense, would be beyond an academic's pay I imagine."
"So we find her sponsor, we get an idea of where she is."
"Right. Problem is I don't know anything or anyone here. You're the one who'd have an idea of where to start."
Aela gave it some thought. "Thing is, I do, and if luck is with us, I may be able to get another sponsor as well..." she finished as she led the way to their hotel. She wasn't quite used to handling her own funding. Normally she begged the University for hers, but asking it from private sources couldn't be too much different.
_
The Vision Hotel had clearly seen better days. Its slightly tarnished exterior amidst the shine of Ilium marked it out among the relative shine and polish of the other neighborhoods. Still this was what was affordable, and while the neighborhood may be a bit ratty, it should be relatively safe. There was a police station right round the corner.
The important thing though was that it provided a relatively large amount of privacy for the call she was about to make. Considering who she was calling, it was best that there weren't any people listening in on them.
"Doctor D'Avo." said the distinctly calm voice of Matriarch Benezia. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. Though…" Aela said a little hesitantly. She was about to make a request of one of the most influential people in the Asari Republics after all. "I'm afraid I'm calling to ask a favor of you, Matriarch."
"Oh?" Benezia said, almost as if she wasn't surprised. "If I were to take a guess, it would have to do with funding for a new dig. Am I right?"
"Well… yes." she admitted sheepishly. "These things are expensive, and ideally I'd like to get a good mix of both students and experienced professors with me. Though, the new thing that we will be looking for is something not Prothean."
"The Isunanon?"
"No… Much older. Dr. Raela T'Vedri discovered an ancient civilization a few months ago before the humans were encountered. Apparently, the humans have encountered evidence of the same ancient civilization that they call the Dom'Kavash, but with a much wider array of discoveries that suggest the civilization easily eclipses what the Protheans did. Though the Dom'Kavash left no active technologies, they did leave behind a vast array of crystal based technology. From what the humans have told me, though every crystal they've found was too damaged to read or even begin to grasp the fundamentals, the few writings the Dom'Kavash left suggest that they had an empire that spanned the galaxy. Take into consideration the fact that Dr. T'Vedri's find was in Terminus Systems, while the Humans are on the opposite end of the galaxy in the Sirius Sector. I theorize that since these crystals are incredibly common among the sites found, they quite probably formed the entire technological base of the Dom'Kavash, they possibly had no need for eezo. We have no technological equivalent to anything they might have had, so it's probable that they used a different sort of FTL. We know that isn't impossible, thanks to the humans and their Jump Gates, so I don't think it too unlikely that a civilization 65 million years ago created another way of traversing the galaxy."
"I find that very hard to believe, Doctor."
"But what if it's true? And what if we find a live artifact? Not even the humans have discovered one, and if we do, or better yet find the equivalent of a Prothean beacon, just think of all the changes to society it would herald. It would essentially level the playing field for everyone."
Silence came from Benezia's end. Aela liked to think that it was a sign that Benezia was really thinking about this, and not thinking about how to lightly put her down.
"I think, for something like this, even if it is only a slim hope, I will support you. If the possibilities are as great as you say… I think this warrants the full support of my House."
"Really?!"
"Indeed. If they are as great as you say, then we most definitely can make use of what they leave behind. Especially if we were to get at it first, we would be able to make lives around the galaxy a lot easier, and perhaps even keep up the Asari superiority. Though I do have one small condition..."
"Of course, Matriarch." Aela quickly replied. For the full support from a Matriarch of Benezia's standing, she'd be willing to do just about anything short of murder.
"Take my daughter with you as a… student of sorts. She too has a passion for archaeology, and if what you suspect is true, then this would be a good time for her to learn something."
"Of course. I can meet her on Thessia when I return to assemble a team."
"Good. Do you require anything else?"
"I was hoping you'd have an idea of where to find Dr. Raela T'Vedri. I've tracked her down here to Ilium, but the trail goes cold soon after. Would you by any chance know where she is?"
"I do not," she replied. " I do however know someone who would. I'm sending you an information packet on one Dakni Cal. He's a local broker, and should be able to help you out. Present the following packet to him, and he'll help you free of charge. He knows what it means."
"Thank you once again, Matriarch." Aela replied, her heart beating faster than ever.
"You are welcome, Doctor. Take care, pirate activity seems to be increasing in the area lately, I would hate to have something happen to you or your research."
"Of course Matriarch, once again thank you." and with that, Aela cut the connection and practically leaped with joy. Sure the area may be a tad bit more dangerous than she thought, but still, she just got funding for her new dig from Matriarch Benezia! That was practically a blank check to get all sorts of things she normally wouldn't have. She could get luxuries for the dig, like decent rations, maybe even SynthPaste if her colleagues wouldn't mind.
Honestly, with a day like this, Aela expected that finding Dr.T'Vedri would be a breeze.
Last edited:
- Location
- 404 - Location Not Found
Red Sand? How'd the Asari get access to that? It was first created by humans on Mars.
I'm guessing you meant Inusannon?
Goddamn thought I missed something. Thanks will change when I get to a computer
Hammerheadcruiser
Eagle-1 my beloved
- Location
- Anaxes
I feel a headslap is required here, but I have to wonder if it would even work with the head tentacles
35
AN: So it's not dead. i've just had a very busy couple of weeks and well overall I haven't been quite happy with the snip as is. So yeah, I figured to best post it and receive comments in hopes of improving the snip.
Also, introducing a new pair of characters who i hope to have lead to some more... interesting scenarios in a few snips down the line.
Dakni Cal's office turned out to be a lot smaller and more non-descript than Aela thought. It was located in a small overhang near one of Nos Astra's many markets, and so far Aela didn't think much of it. He didn't have any form of visible security, just the one salarian secretary who was currently barring their way in. It seemed to be just a tiny two room office, a waiting room/secretary's area and Dakni Cal's office itself, with the only remarkable thing to note so far was that the couch seemed to be made of actual bull seris leather.
Aela sighed a bit at the whole thing while leaning back on the rather comfortable couch. She got a feeling that while searching for Doctor T'Vedri wouldn't be difficult, it would be a lengthy and tedious process. The things she did for this dig...
"You know, when I was 'signed up'," Perkins air quoted. "For the whole freelancing business, I didn't expect there to be so much sitting around involved. I thought my days of hurry up and wait were over."
"Mr. Cal is a reputable information broker, and Matriarch Benezia herself recommended him to us," Aela defended. "I'm sure he's just has a… occupied schedule."
"I'm sure he is with this oh so elaborate office he has us waiting in." Perkins replied, waving his hands about. "I'm also sure he's busy researching what he can on us. I know that I wouldn't want to go into things blind. Still doesn't change the fact that we're waiting."
Aela opened her mouth to reply when coughing came from the secretary's direction.. "Mr. Cal will see you now," the salarian said, briefly looking at them before heading back to typing away on his terminal doing who knows what for the information broker.
Aela gave Perkins a sharp look, then waved for him to follow as she made her way into the office. It was a rather small thing, with an admittedly impressive view of the marketplace. Otherwise it was rather barren, with the only real distinguishing thing in the office aside from the desk and terminal was some potted plant next to it.
"Dr. D'Avo" wheezed the stumpy volus. "I apologize for the delay."
"It's no problem, Mr.Cal," Aela replied, moving towards the desk. "I'm sure you are a busy man after all."
"Indeed I am, and may I say it is an honor to meet one of you New-London-clan."
"Pleasure's all mine," Perkins replied, grinning.
"Then to business.Since Matriarch Benezia will be handling the... financial end of the transaction," he said as he brought his hands together, resting them on his desk. "Let me instead tell what I know about Dr. T'Vedri. From what my sources have… provided, she has indeed been seeking people to finance her new dig and while she has gotten a few investors, she hasn't really gotten enough for the dig. She's running out of people who are willing to listen to her on planet and she may be desperate enough to call on some favors. I do have it on good authority that the local Eclipse branch has some sort of ties with T'Vedri. I suspect she'll be there to either ask to help out an old friend through either financial or material loans, possibly even personnel if she was particularly high up the chain."
"I'm sorry," Perkins interrupted. "Eclipse?"
"A rather prominent mercenary group with a rather large contingent of asari, New-London-clan." Cal replied. "Very effective, though very... notorious for occasionally performing operations of… questionable legality."
"They are also certainly one of the largest mercenary groups around," Aela chimed in.
"Correct, Dr.D'Avo. Where their rival the Blood Pack would be the hammer to a situation, the Eclipse are the scalpel. They pride themselves on clean, precise operations with little to no combat involved if possible."
"So I imagine they're quite wealthy then," Perkins mused aloud.
"Very." Cal wheezed. "They handle a lot of shipping here on Ilium to other planets in addition to their mercenary contracts."
"I'm sensing a 'but' there," Perkins chimed in.
"A lot of those shipping routes of theirs are also suspected of smuggling drugs and weapons to locations all throughout the galaxy." Cal continued.
"So a lot like the Junkers, except more hands on." Perkins mused aloud. "I think I can see why Dr. T'Vedri would only go to them as a last resort thing."
"Either way, we need to find her." Aela replied. "So do you know where she is?"
"I believe she's currently visiting some benefactor of hers out of system. From what I have gathered, she won't be back on Illium for another month. I'm afraid all you can do right now is wait for her to get back and then wait at the Eclipse office. I've no idea who or where this benefactor she's visiting is."
"Thank you anyway," Aela said after sighing in frustration.
"You're welcome, and I wish you good fortune in your endeavour, whatever it may be Dr. D'Avo. I will contact you the moment I hear that she has arrived," Dakni Cal replied as Aela and Perkins walked out of Dakni Cal's office.
"I guess it's time to play the tourist game." Perkins quipped ,bouncing around like an excited dog. "It's certainly better than sitting down and twiddling our thumbs together."
"I guess." Aela replied, rubbing her temples with her hands. "I just wish that she could get here sooner. The sooner she arrives, the sooner we can combine our knowledge and notes to find the next Dom'Kavash site."
"No use wishing for something to happen faster if we can't do anything about it." Perkins replied. "Best we go and do something rather than do nothing."
Aela just sighed, everything was all looking so swimmingly and now… well this. "Might as well take a look around, see the sights, get a drink."
"That's the spirit, Aela!" Perkins replied, slapping her on the back . "I especially like that get a drink part. Where's the nearest bar? New liquor is always a good thing."
Aela just nodded along and led the way. She could use a good drink after today's results. Patience may be a virtue, but with something like this, she could barely stand waiting. She just knew that the discovery of a lifetime was so close, she could taste it. A drink would be a wonderful solution to at least one of her problems right now.
___
Interlude
I think this would be a good PoV change thing from an outside view but I'm unsure of what faction/viewpoint I should include here.
Tau 37 System
Malvinas Cloud
The Tau 37 system was one of the first systems to be explored by the Outcasts in the early days of settlement. The system was found to be of particular interest, not only for its unusual twin stars, but for the way it lead deeper into House space thanks to a particularly regular Jump Hole not only from Malta but also going to what is now known as the Tau 23 system.
Even with their proximity to the system, it still wasn't particularly to the Outcasts' advantage to explore the whole system. They had better things to do to make use of their limited manpower, like patrols or smuggling runs.
Which was exactly what Mariella Torres was hoping for. An Outcast smuggler veteran of over two decades, Mariella considered herself a veteran of enough skirmishes with both House Police and Military forces to consider herself an able enough pilot to know how to hide herself.
Not too long ago, she had requested leave from Don Juan himself so that she may "Think about settling down and starting a familia" Don Juan of course, couldn't refuse such a request, what with how few Outcasts there were and how difficult it was for them to reproduce.
So she took her Sabre and loaded it to the brim with Cardamine, food, and water and set off for here in the middle of the ice cloud, hoping against hope that he would come.
Mariella sighed and leaned back on her chair. Who was she to hope that he would come? She was an Outcast, and he a Corsair. Sworn enemies, and yet something magical happened during those months aboard the Trafalgar Junker station. He wanted something aside from the bloody life of a Corsair, and honestly feeding the drug habits of The Houses wasn't something she necessarily agreed with.
A pact was made (under what was admittedly a lot of alcohol) between her and Nico to meet here in the middle of the cloud as shared in their maps before they last parted. Together, they'd run away and make a new life, away from the Houses. Maybe even if they were lucky… they'd find a way to the alien systems, far away from any House authority.
Her computer pinged in alarm, breaking her out of her reverie. She immediately turned her weapons up, for all she knew, this could've been a Bounty Hunter seeking out Outcasts. But with the ice cloud messing with her sensors, the Bounty Hunter would practically be within spitting range in seconds.
"Mariella?" rumbled her helmet's speakers.
Her heart skipped a beat. He came! "Nico?" she whispered in hope.
"Si," he said, his voice crackling over the speakers. "As promised, love."
Mariella soon got a good look at what exactly he came in. It looked world weary, and was definitely a veteran of many a battle, what with the many pot marks she could make out even through the cloud's haze. Yet the Titan looked about as ready to defend itself if necessary against anything. Just like her Nico.
"And I found a little something on the way here, too," he said as she received a file on her Neural Net. "A gift from Crete."
"The translation program for the aliens?" she gasped. "But… how would we end up using it? Even in our ships, there is no way we can get past the Tau 30 Gate."
"Uh uh." he chuckled over the radio. "I said that was Crete's parting gift. I have yet to give you my gift to our bond." he said before Mariella received another Neural Net Update.
"A Jump Hole? To where?"
"It's not House space, I can tell you for sure. Maps of alien systems are still vague and out of reach to us. Though…" he dropped his voice a bit. "Tripoli has been taking apart the ships we've captured, and are busy building our own versions. We're also confident enough about using the captured loot to explore other systems, and we've found Jump Holes well away from House space. We even found a new habitable planet."
"That's wonderful news!" Mariella replied. "Maybe there can be hope for peace among the children of the Hispania one day?"
"Maybe, but even though the breeding restrictions have been loosened a bit, I don't think it'll be happening soon. Maybe for our children…" he said. "But I've taken a good look at it, and it looks to be phase aligned right now. You and me, we could take the leap, then talk to some alien freelancer and head as far away from House space as possible."
"We've already broken all the rules." Mariella replied as she started her engines. "What's breaking one more by running away with you?"
"Nothing."
___
The past few days aboard the escape pod had been miserable for Tusk. Even with the pod's onboard supplies he had loaded, the pod just wasn't designed for someone of his size within it. He was cramped like a bunch of pyjacks in a barrel, and with his recent defeat, it wasn't helping his mood at all. Everyday he imagined all of the little ways he could enjoy exacting his revenge out of the asari, and the… human. The human would be tricky though, he'd never met one before the fight, and there was no telling how sturdy they were. He'd have to take it slow and steady, and if that so happened to make revenge sweeter… then that was that.
Still, Tusk hoped someone would come along soon. The trail would start to run cold, and the moment more humans came in, he was surely going to lose them. He could only hope now that-
"Attention life pod," crackled the speakers, "anyone alive in there?" said a familiar voice.
"That you, Grom?" Garm asked.
The speakers rattled in guttural laughter in response. Yup, that was Grom all right.
"What are you doing in a life pod you old pyjack?" Grom asked about a minute.
"Long story, but I'm calling in that favor for back on Tuchanka."
"Oh?" Grom asked chuckling a bit. "Say no more, though I bet it's gotta do with revenge. Who's the poor bastard we're going to tear apart?"
"A human, had a ship that looked like a fish, said that they were headed for Ilium."
"That's not a lot to go on," Grom commented.
"It should be enough." Tusk replied. "I'll find them, there can't be that many humans with that kind of ship on Ilium."
"All right then. See you aboard in five." Grom said, chuckling at the end.
Tusk just laughed back, shaking the pod with his laughter. Soon he'll have his revenge.
Also, introducing a new pair of characters who i hope to have lead to some more... interesting scenarios in a few snips down the line.
Dakni Cal's office turned out to be a lot smaller and more non-descript than Aela thought. It was located in a small overhang near one of Nos Astra's many markets, and so far Aela didn't think much of it. He didn't have any form of visible security, just the one salarian secretary who was currently barring their way in. It seemed to be just a tiny two room office, a waiting room/secretary's area and Dakni Cal's office itself, with the only remarkable thing to note so far was that the couch seemed to be made of actual bull seris leather.
Aela sighed a bit at the whole thing while leaning back on the rather comfortable couch. She got a feeling that while searching for Doctor T'Vedri wouldn't be difficult, it would be a lengthy and tedious process. The things she did for this dig...
"You know, when I was 'signed up'," Perkins air quoted. "For the whole freelancing business, I didn't expect there to be so much sitting around involved. I thought my days of hurry up and wait were over."
"Mr. Cal is a reputable information broker, and Matriarch Benezia herself recommended him to us," Aela defended. "I'm sure he's just has a… occupied schedule."
"I'm sure he is with this oh so elaborate office he has us waiting in." Perkins replied, waving his hands about. "I'm also sure he's busy researching what he can on us. I know that I wouldn't want to go into things blind. Still doesn't change the fact that we're waiting."
Aela opened her mouth to reply when coughing came from the secretary's direction.. "Mr. Cal will see you now," the salarian said, briefly looking at them before heading back to typing away on his terminal doing who knows what for the information broker.
Aela gave Perkins a sharp look, then waved for him to follow as she made her way into the office. It was a rather small thing, with an admittedly impressive view of the marketplace. Otherwise it was rather barren, with the only real distinguishing thing in the office aside from the desk and terminal was some potted plant next to it.
"Dr. D'Avo" wheezed the stumpy volus. "I apologize for the delay."
"It's no problem, Mr.Cal," Aela replied, moving towards the desk. "I'm sure you are a busy man after all."
"Indeed I am, and may I say it is an honor to meet one of you New-London-clan."
"Pleasure's all mine," Perkins replied, grinning.
"Then to business.Since Matriarch Benezia will be handling the... financial end of the transaction," he said as he brought his hands together, resting them on his desk. "Let me instead tell what I know about Dr. T'Vedri. From what my sources have… provided, she has indeed been seeking people to finance her new dig and while she has gotten a few investors, she hasn't really gotten enough for the dig. She's running out of people who are willing to listen to her on planet and she may be desperate enough to call on some favors. I do have it on good authority that the local Eclipse branch has some sort of ties with T'Vedri. I suspect she'll be there to either ask to help out an old friend through either financial or material loans, possibly even personnel if she was particularly high up the chain."
"I'm sorry," Perkins interrupted. "Eclipse?"
"A rather prominent mercenary group with a rather large contingent of asari, New-London-clan." Cal replied. "Very effective, though very... notorious for occasionally performing operations of… questionable legality."
"They are also certainly one of the largest mercenary groups around," Aela chimed in.
"Correct, Dr.D'Avo. Where their rival the Blood Pack would be the hammer to a situation, the Eclipse are the scalpel. They pride themselves on clean, precise operations with little to no combat involved if possible."
"So I imagine they're quite wealthy then," Perkins mused aloud.
"Very." Cal wheezed. "They handle a lot of shipping here on Ilium to other planets in addition to their mercenary contracts."
"I'm sensing a 'but' there," Perkins chimed in.
"A lot of those shipping routes of theirs are also suspected of smuggling drugs and weapons to locations all throughout the galaxy." Cal continued.
"So a lot like the Junkers, except more hands on." Perkins mused aloud. "I think I can see why Dr. T'Vedri would only go to them as a last resort thing."
"Either way, we need to find her." Aela replied. "So do you know where she is?"
"I believe she's currently visiting some benefactor of hers out of system. From what I have gathered, she won't be back on Illium for another month. I'm afraid all you can do right now is wait for her to get back and then wait at the Eclipse office. I've no idea who or where this benefactor she's visiting is."
"Thank you anyway," Aela said after sighing in frustration.
"You're welcome, and I wish you good fortune in your endeavour, whatever it may be Dr. D'Avo. I will contact you the moment I hear that she has arrived," Dakni Cal replied as Aela and Perkins walked out of Dakni Cal's office.
"I guess it's time to play the tourist game." Perkins quipped ,bouncing around like an excited dog. "It's certainly better than sitting down and twiddling our thumbs together."
"I guess." Aela replied, rubbing her temples with her hands. "I just wish that she could get here sooner. The sooner she arrives, the sooner we can combine our knowledge and notes to find the next Dom'Kavash site."
"No use wishing for something to happen faster if we can't do anything about it." Perkins replied. "Best we go and do something rather than do nothing."
Aela just sighed, everything was all looking so swimmingly and now… well this. "Might as well take a look around, see the sights, get a drink."
"That's the spirit, Aela!" Perkins replied, slapping her on the back . "I especially like that get a drink part. Where's the nearest bar? New liquor is always a good thing."
Aela just nodded along and led the way. She could use a good drink after today's results. Patience may be a virtue, but with something like this, she could barely stand waiting. She just knew that the discovery of a lifetime was so close, she could taste it. A drink would be a wonderful solution to at least one of her problems right now.
___
Interlude
I think this would be a good PoV change thing from an outside view but I'm unsure of what faction/viewpoint I should include here.
Tau 37 System
Malvinas Cloud
The Tau 37 system was one of the first systems to be explored by the Outcasts in the early days of settlement. The system was found to be of particular interest, not only for its unusual twin stars, but for the way it lead deeper into House space thanks to a particularly regular Jump Hole not only from Malta but also going to what is now known as the Tau 23 system.
Even with their proximity to the system, it still wasn't particularly to the Outcasts' advantage to explore the whole system. They had better things to do to make use of their limited manpower, like patrols or smuggling runs.
Which was exactly what Mariella Torres was hoping for. An Outcast smuggler veteran of over two decades, Mariella considered herself a veteran of enough skirmishes with both House Police and Military forces to consider herself an able enough pilot to know how to hide herself.
Not too long ago, she had requested leave from Don Juan himself so that she may "Think about settling down and starting a familia" Don Juan of course, couldn't refuse such a request, what with how few Outcasts there were and how difficult it was for them to reproduce.
So she took her Sabre and loaded it to the brim with Cardamine, food, and water and set off for here in the middle of the ice cloud, hoping against hope that he would come.
Mariella sighed and leaned back on her chair. Who was she to hope that he would come? She was an Outcast, and he a Corsair. Sworn enemies, and yet something magical happened during those months aboard the Trafalgar Junker station. He wanted something aside from the bloody life of a Corsair, and honestly feeding the drug habits of The Houses wasn't something she necessarily agreed with.
A pact was made (under what was admittedly a lot of alcohol) between her and Nico to meet here in the middle of the cloud as shared in their maps before they last parted. Together, they'd run away and make a new life, away from the Houses. Maybe even if they were lucky… they'd find a way to the alien systems, far away from any House authority.
Her computer pinged in alarm, breaking her out of her reverie. She immediately turned her weapons up, for all she knew, this could've been a Bounty Hunter seeking out Outcasts. But with the ice cloud messing with her sensors, the Bounty Hunter would practically be within spitting range in seconds.
"Mariella?" rumbled her helmet's speakers.
Her heart skipped a beat. He came! "Nico?" she whispered in hope.
"Si," he said, his voice crackling over the speakers. "As promised, love."
Mariella soon got a good look at what exactly he came in. It looked world weary, and was definitely a veteran of many a battle, what with the many pot marks she could make out even through the cloud's haze. Yet the Titan looked about as ready to defend itself if necessary against anything. Just like her Nico.
"And I found a little something on the way here, too," he said as she received a file on her Neural Net. "A gift from Crete."
"The translation program for the aliens?" she gasped. "But… how would we end up using it? Even in our ships, there is no way we can get past the Tau 30 Gate."
"Uh uh." he chuckled over the radio. "I said that was Crete's parting gift. I have yet to give you my gift to our bond." he said before Mariella received another Neural Net Update.
"A Jump Hole? To where?"
"It's not House space, I can tell you for sure. Maps of alien systems are still vague and out of reach to us. Though…" he dropped his voice a bit. "Tripoli has been taking apart the ships we've captured, and are busy building our own versions. We're also confident enough about using the captured loot to explore other systems, and we've found Jump Holes well away from House space. We even found a new habitable planet."
"That's wonderful news!" Mariella replied. "Maybe there can be hope for peace among the children of the Hispania one day?"
"Maybe, but even though the breeding restrictions have been loosened a bit, I don't think it'll be happening soon. Maybe for our children…" he said. "But I've taken a good look at it, and it looks to be phase aligned right now. You and me, we could take the leap, then talk to some alien freelancer and head as far away from House space as possible."
"We've already broken all the rules." Mariella replied as she started her engines. "What's breaking one more by running away with you?"
"Nothing."
___
The past few days aboard the escape pod had been miserable for Tusk. Even with the pod's onboard supplies he had loaded, the pod just wasn't designed for someone of his size within it. He was cramped like a bunch of pyjacks in a barrel, and with his recent defeat, it wasn't helping his mood at all. Everyday he imagined all of the little ways he could enjoy exacting his revenge out of the asari, and the… human. The human would be tricky though, he'd never met one before the fight, and there was no telling how sturdy they were. He'd have to take it slow and steady, and if that so happened to make revenge sweeter… then that was that.
Still, Tusk hoped someone would come along soon. The trail would start to run cold, and the moment more humans came in, he was surely going to lose them. He could only hope now that-
"Attention life pod," crackled the speakers, "anyone alive in there?" said a familiar voice.
"That you, Grom?" Garm asked.
The speakers rattled in guttural laughter in response. Yup, that was Grom all right.
"What are you doing in a life pod you old pyjack?" Grom asked about a minute.
"Long story, but I'm calling in that favor for back on Tuchanka."
"Oh?" Grom asked chuckling a bit. "Say no more, though I bet it's gotta do with revenge. Who's the poor bastard we're going to tear apart?"
"A human, had a ship that looked like a fish, said that they were headed for Ilium."
"That's not a lot to go on," Grom commented.
"It should be enough." Tusk replied. "I'll find them, there can't be that many humans with that kind of ship on Ilium."
"All right then. See you aboard in five." Grom said, chuckling at the end.
Tusk just laughed back, shaking the pod with his laughter. Soon he'll have his revenge.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
So it lives...
The star-crossed lovers bit was quite nice, and I'm sure Tusk will be running into Perkins and Aela sooner or later. BTW, is Dakni any relation to Niftu Cal, the BIOTIC GOD?
The star-crossed lovers bit was quite nice, and I'm sure Tusk will be running into Perkins and Aela sooner or later. BTW, is Dakni any relation to Niftu Cal, the BIOTIC GOD?
Same clan, which in Volus terms is like 5th cousin at the nearest.
36
So I'm not dead. Just really really occupied with classes.
This is the Colony News Service, bringing to you the latest in news
SynthPaste unexpectedly popular: Illium,Tasale System -- In surprising news, the limited release of SynthPaste flavors into Citadel space has shown it to have a surprising amount of popularity, especially among asari. "It really does capture the taste of home!" commented one asari captain while lining up for more outside one of SynthFood's outlets in Ilium. SynthFoods inc. has meanwhile commented that they are "struggling to increase supply" as they have announced their latest acquisition of several large portions of the asari colony Alim to grow more of their trademarked product. They hope to be able to not only meet the growing demand from the Citadel races in two years time, but to expand enough to outpace it.
Corsair sightings in Terminus Systems: Illium,Tasale System -- Around the Terminus Systems, people have reported the sightings of strange avian looking craft that none of the local races have seen before. With the recovered blackbox of the freighter "Athame" and combined testimony of its survivors, human investigators have confirmed that Corsairs have somehow found another way out of the Sirius Sector. House Police forces are already coordinating with Turian peacekeeping forces by preparing them with known Corsair tactics and behaviors. Lt. Charles Xander of the Liberty Security Force commented "The Corsairs have managed to find their way out of the Sirius sector, yet are leaving more survivors than ever before. Something's changed, though I'm not sure what." He declined to comment further. We'll bring more to you as the situation updates.
It had been a rather trying month for Aela on Ilium. Normally, she was a lot more patient, but… there was something in her gut that gnawed at her with the knowledge that her next step to finding the next great dig was mere moments away. The Dig that would change life around the galaxy forever. The sort of immortality that could only come once a generation. Though honestly that would have just been a perk to discovering something truly grand.
It also didn't help that a lot of the locals noticed Perkins. As one of the first humans to be seen outside of the Sirius sector, and with the large number of young asari maidens around… Well Aela imagined this was what it was like as a celebrity bodyguard, lots of excitable young maidens hoping to meet or touch the fame in the hopes some of it would rub off or… lead to other things.
So when she got a message on her Omnitool the moment she woke up with a time at the Nos Astra spaceport, she was practically giddy all morning as she and Perkins prepared to intercept the doctor at the reception area. Talia in that sense had been rather helpful, she had stuck around promising to provide her ship as the dedicated transport for the expedition to wherever it would go. She claimed Korvan would be very helpful with navigating the area, having "a good grasp of the nature of the Terminus systems." Aela suspected she knew why but decided to not push any further, Korvan didn't really strike her as someone who was a particularly bad person.
Still, Aela couldn't help but nervously tap her feet as they waited at the arrival terminal. Dr. T'Vedri had come on a public transport and Aela figured she knew her face well enough at this point to be able to pick her out from a good distance.
"Relax," Perkins commented as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "You look about as excited as a kid on too much sugar."
"I find it rather hard not to be excited." Aela countered. "She has a site for us to visit, and something tells me it's going to be big. I have a good feeling about it."
"Well, so long as we do things safely…" Perkins mused. "Now, when you find Dr.T'Vedri, meet me over there in that lounge, away from the rather excitable young ladies eh?" Perkins said as he slinked his way towards the smoking lounge. Soon enough, the passengers disembarked from the ship, filling up the comparatively empty lounge as passengers briskly walked towards the exit.
Aela kept a sharp eye out for Dr. T'Vedri, making sure to look for her distinct purple skin tone and white facial tattoos. Really though, it looked like the ship wasn't too full, as there weren't that many passengers making their way off. She soon spotted the doctor, wearing a plain worksuit, not too dissimilar to the one she would wear on her digs, and a rather large backpack behind her, presumably her luggage.
"Doctor"T'Vedri!" she cried, jumping to get her attention. "May I have a word please?"
Dr. T'Vedri stopped for a moment, staring at her. She seemed to think about it for a moment, then shrugged and walked over to Aela, slowly making her way past the crowd. "May I know who I'm talking to?" she asked upon walking over.
"I'm Dr. Aela D'Avo," Aela chirped after taking a moment to catch her breath. "A fellow xenoarchaeologist, and well…" she said the next part in a low whisper. "I heard about your recent discovery of the non-Prothean ruins."
"Yes..." T'Vedri replied hesitatingly, almost jumpy.
"I've been following your work, and well… there are some things I've found that I think you'll want to see as well. " Aela replied.. "Please follow me to that lounge over there, I have a human friend who has something he'd like to introduce you to." she said in a low whisper.
T'Vedri's eyes practically bulged out at the mention of a human, and she silently nodded and followed Aela to the smoking lounge.
It was remarkably deserted, considering it was Ilium they were on. Perkins was contentedly relaxing on the couch, hand behind his head, humming some chipper tune. When he noticed her coming in with T'Vedri he practically jumped to attention though.
"So the lady returns with her quarry," he said in altogether far too merry tone, throwing a rather cheerful salute along with it. "Madam, I'm James Perkins at your service, general freelancer and busybody."
"Don't mind him," Aela interrupted. "He's rather… Bretonian. Anyways, considering that together we may be on the brink of discovering the next great find, I thought you and I would appreciate some privacy," she said as she took a seat on one of the couches. "Let's sit for this, shall we?"
T'Vedri followed, and sat across from Aela, crossing her legs. Aela could see her face was tinged with both a healthy amount of caution, and that little spark every scientist has: curiosity.
"Dr. T'Vedri, as I'm sure you've heard by now, Mr. Perkins here is a human from the Kingdom of Bretonia in the Sirius sector. What isn't widely known though is that I am the first to visit and see much of the Sirius sector, from Bretonia to Kusari, I've visited and sampled quite a bit of their culture. One thing in particular though really struck me while visiting Bretonia," she said as she brought up some of the images of the Dom'Kavash in the Bretonnian museum.
Aela let the images speak for themselves for now as she elatedly watched the astonished, yet fascinated look that Dr. T'Vedri had on her face. She knew then and there she was on the right track, and grinned.
"Remarkable..." breathed out T'Vedri, leaning, practically breathing onto the images as she studied them.. "They're … from the same culture."
"What you discovered several months ago, Doctor, was the ruins of an ancient race the humans call the Dom'Kavash. We don't know too much about them, but the humans know quite a bit. They've found their ruins all across the Sirius sector, and have confirmed that they pre-date the Protheans. They think these people were capable of… well let's leave it at saying that it makes what the Protheans did comparably child's play."
"I think you'll want to look at my notes then. I assume you've heard that I've been planning another dig?"
"It's why I've been looking for you, Dr. T'Vedri. I heard on Thessia that you were looking for funding for a new dig so… I came here hoping to aid you on your dig."
"And I hope you brought a sponsor as well, otherwise this dig isn't going anywhere," she said standing up. "While I've managed to garner the support of a few sponsors, if what I suspect is correct… then it won't be anything near enough for what I… know we will need for this dig."
Aela simply smiled as she stood up and led the way to the cab. "Don't worry, Dr. T'Vedri. My sponsor is considerably more generous than we could possibly need. I'm sure we can discuss more details on the way to your hotel, yes?"
"Of course," T'Vedri replied, slinging her pack behind her. "Now tell me everything you know about them."
____
"... so what happened to them, then?" T'Vedri asked the moment they landed at the hotel, a rather modest thing located in one of the shabbier districts around Nos Astra.
"No one knows. For all intents and purposes, the Dom'Kavash just disappeared around 65 million years ago. No signs of war, or plague or… well anything really. Though of course, this is very likely an effect of the sheer scale of time we're dealing with. A lot of things can happen in 65 million years, and the fact that their ruins are still around despite all the passages of time…" Aela sighed, "Truly amazing."
"Which makes the next dig site all the more crucial then," T'Vedri replied.
"How so?"
"I'm… relatively certain that it was a very important site to the Dom'Kavash," T'Vedri paused. "Well, as certain as I can be with something this old. I discovered what I suspect is a star chart back when made my first discoveries on Faralis, and it 'highlighted' several systems."
"How do you know it was highlighted?"
"It's a guess really but with a few similar..." she waved her hands a bit. "Pictograms surrounded by circles, I guessed that would mean it would be rather important. After accounting for stellar drift, I noticed something odd. There was one system in particular that was highlighted that seems to have not drifted at all, even accounting for any anomalies. Which as you know is certainly impossible. So if anything, I bet it's that system that has what we are looking for. "
"Well it's a... lead," Aela replied as they got to concierge desk, Perkins following close behind.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." he muttered out loud, fidgeting by the counter and sending furtive glances around the lobby. Aela ignored him and instead concentrated on what she remembered. It was rather quiet all together in the lobby, with only the group and the concierge being there today.
"I'd like to pick up some things I left behind not too long ago." T'Vedri said, bringing out her omnitool and showing a ticket to the concierge.
"Of course, ma'am," the asari concierge replied. T'Vedri tapped a few buttons on her omnitool and nodded to the concierge. "Well, everything seems in order. Wait right here," she said before leaving.
Aela took the moment to drink it all in. Soon she and Dr. T'Vedri would be both leading the Dig to find what would likely be the greatest archaeological discovery in generations. Which made Perkins' current unease slightly annoying, it was really spoiling the mood.
"You should relax, you know," Aela said to Perkins.
"I can't help it," he replied. "I've got a bad feeling about this whole place. Call me crazy, but I think something bad is going to happen."
"What makes you say that? Dr. T'Vedri here has as much a vested interested as us in finding this dig site as I do. I have the sponsor, she has the location. Equal parts glory for the both of us."
"It's not the good Doctor here who I have a bad feeling about, no offense madam, but rather the fact we were talking about it in the open for a while. I can't help but feel that someone overheard us… and we're going to be feeling the consequences of that soon enough."
"Please Mr. Perkins," T'Vedri replied in turn, trying to calm him down. "Relax, we'll be fine, and if you're worried about the criminal element, then let's just say that Eclipse... owes me a few things. We should be fine."
"Excuse me Doctor," the concierge interrupted. "I've your things here as requested."
"Thank you. Now let's- Oh Goddess…" she breathed out as the concierge screamed.
Aela quickly turned around to find a bunch of vorcha armed to the teeth right by the Hotel entrance. She blinked, and then she found herself being dragged by Perkins over and behind the counter as a barrage of fire rained towards them.
She saw Dr. T'Vedri bring up a barrier for a moment, buying her time to get to cover behind the counter. The concierge wasn't so lucky as a shot nailed her in the first few seconds, azure blood pooling around her body.
"Who on earth are they?" Perkins shouted over the din of gunfire while taking a few blind shots over the counter with his sidearm, red beams blizzing through the air as they sailed toward the vorcha.
"I'm guessing Blood Pack Vorcha!" Aela screamed over the ratatat's of machine gun fire. "I don't even know why they are here! This is Eclipse territory and everyone knows that!"
"We'd best make the most out of this situation, then!" Perkins said with a grin, as he fired off a few more blind shots, luckily frying the brains of one of the Vorcha, forcing the rest to take cover. "Can you launch one of those vortex things at them?" Perkins asked during the lull.
Aela took a quick peek over the counter. She counted five of the vorcha, near the entrance, but they looked near enough that a singularity could draw them all in. "I… think so. Though I don't see why you can't just fry them quick with that gun of yours. It'll go right through their barriers."
"I've got to make my shots count," he said as he loaded a fresh cell into his weapon. "I don't carry that many energy packs on me, and while they can recharge, it's nowhere near close enough for what I think we'd need for a true protracted firefight. So on my mark, launch one, then we head for the exit. I gank the gits, then we make for the cab. Got it?" Perkins said, inserting a fresh clip into his pistol.
"Are you serious?" screamed T'Vedri, her face frozen in disbelief.
"You'll get used to it!' Aela nodded sagely. She honestly didn't know what to make of her getting used to Perkins' actions but in this manner, it was certainly better than the alternative.
Aela nodded to Perkins, and he began his countdown. "3...2...1… Mark!"
This is the Colony News Service, bringing to you the latest in news
SynthPaste unexpectedly popular: Illium,Tasale System -- In surprising news, the limited release of SynthPaste flavors into Citadel space has shown it to have a surprising amount of popularity, especially among asari. "It really does capture the taste of home!" commented one asari captain while lining up for more outside one of SynthFood's outlets in Ilium. SynthFoods inc. has meanwhile commented that they are "struggling to increase supply" as they have announced their latest acquisition of several large portions of the asari colony Alim to grow more of their trademarked product. They hope to be able to not only meet the growing demand from the Citadel races in two years time, but to expand enough to outpace it.
Corsair sightings in Terminus Systems: Illium,Tasale System -- Around the Terminus Systems, people have reported the sightings of strange avian looking craft that none of the local races have seen before. With the recovered blackbox of the freighter "Athame" and combined testimony of its survivors, human investigators have confirmed that Corsairs have somehow found another way out of the Sirius Sector. House Police forces are already coordinating with Turian peacekeeping forces by preparing them with known Corsair tactics and behaviors. Lt. Charles Xander of the Liberty Security Force commented "The Corsairs have managed to find their way out of the Sirius sector, yet are leaving more survivors than ever before. Something's changed, though I'm not sure what." He declined to comment further. We'll bring more to you as the situation updates.
It had been a rather trying month for Aela on Ilium. Normally, she was a lot more patient, but… there was something in her gut that gnawed at her with the knowledge that her next step to finding the next great dig was mere moments away. The Dig that would change life around the galaxy forever. The sort of immortality that could only come once a generation. Though honestly that would have just been a perk to discovering something truly grand.
It also didn't help that a lot of the locals noticed Perkins. As one of the first humans to be seen outside of the Sirius sector, and with the large number of young asari maidens around… Well Aela imagined this was what it was like as a celebrity bodyguard, lots of excitable young maidens hoping to meet or touch the fame in the hopes some of it would rub off or… lead to other things.
So when she got a message on her Omnitool the moment she woke up with a time at the Nos Astra spaceport, she was practically giddy all morning as she and Perkins prepared to intercept the doctor at the reception area. Talia in that sense had been rather helpful, she had stuck around promising to provide her ship as the dedicated transport for the expedition to wherever it would go. She claimed Korvan would be very helpful with navigating the area, having "a good grasp of the nature of the Terminus systems." Aela suspected she knew why but decided to not push any further, Korvan didn't really strike her as someone who was a particularly bad person.
Still, Aela couldn't help but nervously tap her feet as they waited at the arrival terminal. Dr. T'Vedri had come on a public transport and Aela figured she knew her face well enough at this point to be able to pick her out from a good distance.
"Relax," Perkins commented as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "You look about as excited as a kid on too much sugar."
"I find it rather hard not to be excited." Aela countered. "She has a site for us to visit, and something tells me it's going to be big. I have a good feeling about it."
"Well, so long as we do things safely…" Perkins mused. "Now, when you find Dr.T'Vedri, meet me over there in that lounge, away from the rather excitable young ladies eh?" Perkins said as he slinked his way towards the smoking lounge. Soon enough, the passengers disembarked from the ship, filling up the comparatively empty lounge as passengers briskly walked towards the exit.
Aela kept a sharp eye out for Dr. T'Vedri, making sure to look for her distinct purple skin tone and white facial tattoos. Really though, it looked like the ship wasn't too full, as there weren't that many passengers making their way off. She soon spotted the doctor, wearing a plain worksuit, not too dissimilar to the one she would wear on her digs, and a rather large backpack behind her, presumably her luggage.
"Doctor"T'Vedri!" she cried, jumping to get her attention. "May I have a word please?"
Dr. T'Vedri stopped for a moment, staring at her. She seemed to think about it for a moment, then shrugged and walked over to Aela, slowly making her way past the crowd. "May I know who I'm talking to?" she asked upon walking over.
"I'm Dr. Aela D'Avo," Aela chirped after taking a moment to catch her breath. "A fellow xenoarchaeologist, and well…" she said the next part in a low whisper. "I heard about your recent discovery of the non-Prothean ruins."
"Yes..." T'Vedri replied hesitatingly, almost jumpy.
"I've been following your work, and well… there are some things I've found that I think you'll want to see as well. " Aela replied.. "Please follow me to that lounge over there, I have a human friend who has something he'd like to introduce you to." she said in a low whisper.
T'Vedri's eyes practically bulged out at the mention of a human, and she silently nodded and followed Aela to the smoking lounge.
It was remarkably deserted, considering it was Ilium they were on. Perkins was contentedly relaxing on the couch, hand behind his head, humming some chipper tune. When he noticed her coming in with T'Vedri he practically jumped to attention though.
"So the lady returns with her quarry," he said in altogether far too merry tone, throwing a rather cheerful salute along with it. "Madam, I'm James Perkins at your service, general freelancer and busybody."
"Don't mind him," Aela interrupted. "He's rather… Bretonian. Anyways, considering that together we may be on the brink of discovering the next great find, I thought you and I would appreciate some privacy," she said as she took a seat on one of the couches. "Let's sit for this, shall we?"
T'Vedri followed, and sat across from Aela, crossing her legs. Aela could see her face was tinged with both a healthy amount of caution, and that little spark every scientist has: curiosity.
"Dr. T'Vedri, as I'm sure you've heard by now, Mr. Perkins here is a human from the Kingdom of Bretonia in the Sirius sector. What isn't widely known though is that I am the first to visit and see much of the Sirius sector, from Bretonia to Kusari, I've visited and sampled quite a bit of their culture. One thing in particular though really struck me while visiting Bretonia," she said as she brought up some of the images of the Dom'Kavash in the Bretonnian museum.
Aela let the images speak for themselves for now as she elatedly watched the astonished, yet fascinated look that Dr. T'Vedri had on her face. She knew then and there she was on the right track, and grinned.
"Remarkable..." breathed out T'Vedri, leaning, practically breathing onto the images as she studied them.. "They're … from the same culture."
"What you discovered several months ago, Doctor, was the ruins of an ancient race the humans call the Dom'Kavash. We don't know too much about them, but the humans know quite a bit. They've found their ruins all across the Sirius sector, and have confirmed that they pre-date the Protheans. They think these people were capable of… well let's leave it at saying that it makes what the Protheans did comparably child's play."
"I think you'll want to look at my notes then. I assume you've heard that I've been planning another dig?"
"It's why I've been looking for you, Dr. T'Vedri. I heard on Thessia that you were looking for funding for a new dig so… I came here hoping to aid you on your dig."
"And I hope you brought a sponsor as well, otherwise this dig isn't going anywhere," she said standing up. "While I've managed to garner the support of a few sponsors, if what I suspect is correct… then it won't be anything near enough for what I… know we will need for this dig."
Aela simply smiled as she stood up and led the way to the cab. "Don't worry, Dr. T'Vedri. My sponsor is considerably more generous than we could possibly need. I'm sure we can discuss more details on the way to your hotel, yes?"
"Of course," T'Vedri replied, slinging her pack behind her. "Now tell me everything you know about them."
____
"... so what happened to them, then?" T'Vedri asked the moment they landed at the hotel, a rather modest thing located in one of the shabbier districts around Nos Astra.
"No one knows. For all intents and purposes, the Dom'Kavash just disappeared around 65 million years ago. No signs of war, or plague or… well anything really. Though of course, this is very likely an effect of the sheer scale of time we're dealing with. A lot of things can happen in 65 million years, and the fact that their ruins are still around despite all the passages of time…" Aela sighed, "Truly amazing."
"Which makes the next dig site all the more crucial then," T'Vedri replied.
"How so?"
"I'm… relatively certain that it was a very important site to the Dom'Kavash," T'Vedri paused. "Well, as certain as I can be with something this old. I discovered what I suspect is a star chart back when made my first discoveries on Faralis, and it 'highlighted' several systems."
"How do you know it was highlighted?"
"It's a guess really but with a few similar..." she waved her hands a bit. "Pictograms surrounded by circles, I guessed that would mean it would be rather important. After accounting for stellar drift, I noticed something odd. There was one system in particular that was highlighted that seems to have not drifted at all, even accounting for any anomalies. Which as you know is certainly impossible. So if anything, I bet it's that system that has what we are looking for. "
"Well it's a... lead," Aela replied as they got to concierge desk, Perkins following close behind.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." he muttered out loud, fidgeting by the counter and sending furtive glances around the lobby. Aela ignored him and instead concentrated on what she remembered. It was rather quiet all together in the lobby, with only the group and the concierge being there today.
"I'd like to pick up some things I left behind not too long ago." T'Vedri said, bringing out her omnitool and showing a ticket to the concierge.
"Of course, ma'am," the asari concierge replied. T'Vedri tapped a few buttons on her omnitool and nodded to the concierge. "Well, everything seems in order. Wait right here," she said before leaving.
Aela took the moment to drink it all in. Soon she and Dr. T'Vedri would be both leading the Dig to find what would likely be the greatest archaeological discovery in generations. Which made Perkins' current unease slightly annoying, it was really spoiling the mood.
"You should relax, you know," Aela said to Perkins.
"I can't help it," he replied. "I've got a bad feeling about this whole place. Call me crazy, but I think something bad is going to happen."
"What makes you say that? Dr. T'Vedri here has as much a vested interested as us in finding this dig site as I do. I have the sponsor, she has the location. Equal parts glory for the both of us."
"It's not the good Doctor here who I have a bad feeling about, no offense madam, but rather the fact we were talking about it in the open for a while. I can't help but feel that someone overheard us… and we're going to be feeling the consequences of that soon enough."
"Please Mr. Perkins," T'Vedri replied in turn, trying to calm him down. "Relax, we'll be fine, and if you're worried about the criminal element, then let's just say that Eclipse... owes me a few things. We should be fine."
"Excuse me Doctor," the concierge interrupted. "I've your things here as requested."
"Thank you. Now let's- Oh Goddess…" she breathed out as the concierge screamed.
Aela quickly turned around to find a bunch of vorcha armed to the teeth right by the Hotel entrance. She blinked, and then she found herself being dragged by Perkins over and behind the counter as a barrage of fire rained towards them.
She saw Dr. T'Vedri bring up a barrier for a moment, buying her time to get to cover behind the counter. The concierge wasn't so lucky as a shot nailed her in the first few seconds, azure blood pooling around her body.
"Who on earth are they?" Perkins shouted over the din of gunfire while taking a few blind shots over the counter with his sidearm, red beams blizzing through the air as they sailed toward the vorcha.
"I'm guessing Blood Pack Vorcha!" Aela screamed over the ratatat's of machine gun fire. "I don't even know why they are here! This is Eclipse territory and everyone knows that!"
"We'd best make the most out of this situation, then!" Perkins said with a grin, as he fired off a few more blind shots, luckily frying the brains of one of the Vorcha, forcing the rest to take cover. "Can you launch one of those vortex things at them?" Perkins asked during the lull.
Aela took a quick peek over the counter. She counted five of the vorcha, near the entrance, but they looked near enough that a singularity could draw them all in. "I… think so. Though I don't see why you can't just fry them quick with that gun of yours. It'll go right through their barriers."
"I've got to make my shots count," he said as he loaded a fresh cell into his weapon. "I don't carry that many energy packs on me, and while they can recharge, it's nowhere near close enough for what I think we'd need for a true protracted firefight. So on my mark, launch one, then we head for the exit. I gank the gits, then we make for the cab. Got it?" Perkins said, inserting a fresh clip into his pistol.
"Are you serious?" screamed T'Vedri, her face frozen in disbelief.
"You'll get used to it!' Aela nodded sagely. She honestly didn't know what to make of her getting used to Perkins' actions but in this manner, it was certainly better than the alternative.
Aela nodded to Perkins, and he began his countdown. "3...2...1… Mark!"
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Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Gah. Good thing I'm not in college. Of course, that just makes it seem even longer between updates...
Generalissimo
Generalissimo of SufficientVelocity
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Minor Edit
just because we aren't the ones
Might be a tad better.
Unless you had Dr Craxton mess up intentionally?
(I know it's a little bit late to find an error so late after chapter's release)
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- 404 - Location Not Found
Hammerheadcruiser
Eagle-1 my beloved
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Fun with humans