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Marked Effect (AFF Edition)	By : unrealuniverse Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 22185 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Mass Effect characters, species, locations and the universal setting are owned by Bioware and not myself. Any other brand names mentioned are property of their respective owners. This work is and always will be free for anyone to read.

Chapter List
- 52
- 53
- 54
Chapter 53 - Material Surprise
Wednesday 22nd February 2017
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Sam wakes to a knock on the door. "Let me guess it is Lianta." Sam looks over his shoulder to see Silana had also been awoken with the noise. "Could you open the door Silana as it is not exactly easy for me to get up?"
"I can see that." Sam laughs as Silana opens the door. "Morning Lianta."
"I see you spent the night with them as we asked."
"Lianta, come in for a minute." Sam shouting from the bed. Lianta does so which gives Sam a nice upper hand as it is his ground. "I need to say that while you can ask Silana to do things for you, if they are related to keeping an eye on Ami and myself it will not work. You of all people should know that if I tell her not to tell anyone something you will not find out."
"We have had little doubts since the Citadel but over the last few weeks it has become obvious to us that you could be a dangerous individual to have around Athya."
"She is on a dangerous list so that bit explains itself Lianta. Also if you think you cannot protect me from everyone else while you are distracted by Ami then it could be a good idea for you to leave. Ami protected me from Pheinova as well as being very caring and considerate towards me, so separating us is not going to happen."
"Did you tell Sam to say that Athya?"
"I only said why I did what I did."
"Which was?"
"She just wanted you to be a little friendlier by calling her Athya. I do not think that is too much to ask since we live together. As to us enjoying each other in the bath, I know I should be at least a little unnerved but I feel nothing negative. It was a rather remarkable experience with a bit of an unpleasant end which Ami has already apologised for. She really dislikes making people unhappy and was rather saddened to hear that yourself and Hymara last night may have been contemplating the possibility of her only thinking about herself.
"If you dislike making people unhappy then why did you wish me to call you Athya?"
"You got an orgasm out of it Lianta."
"Also Ami is one of only a small number of marked Asari, she willingly trusted you to show her markings to you and even though she has a bit of a fear about unknown Asari and she trusted you again last night by being naked in the same room. A little trust and appreciation in return would likely be happily accepted by her Lianta." Lianta looks a little pained.
"I apologise for my misjudgement Athya but it was a rather startling display last night which unnerved us."
"I will not do so again." Lianta nods.
"Would you either let me untie Hymara now or would you like to do so Sam?"
"You can, if you would say to her what I mentioned it would be appreciated. Also I would like a word over breakfast." She nods before leaving. "Ami, I do not care if Lianta was the Asari councillor. You do not just give up on what you want because someone is a little unnerved by it."
"Are you unnerved by me being as I was last night Silana?"
"At the time it was unexpected, not normal and a bit confusing. After what you have both said, both last night and this morning, I think that I can trust you Athya as much as I do Sam."
"Would you be happier Sam if I just continued when it is just us three?"
"The slight excitement in your tone gives you the answer Ami. It will make you happier which in turn makes me happier and the only downside is the fact you are really a seductively insidious nymph." Silana gets a confused smile on her face at that description. Amistathya seems to go a little shy as her face turns a wonderful lilac colour before she tries to hide it by hugging Sam.
"I am not sure my translation is quite right Sam but if it is then it is both a remarkable compliment and a truthful observation. I would be greatly honoured if someone ever gave me a compliment like that."
"What is it you think I said Silana?"
"That Athya is a beautiful maiden of the goddess who seduces individuals in a calm and subtle but yet potentially harmful manner."
"Insidious strictly has to include harmful effects but your translation is accurate enough to what I was attempting to say. I think we should think about getting breakfast and going to work."
-----
"Are we going to have any time this weekend to discuss plans for the event?" Kate being a little mindful that time was becoming short.
"Would Sunday be ok Kate as I do not quite what is to happen on Friday with Sam and Athya? I think Seliha's intention was to have some fun so it could be a little tiring."
"I was just worried that we need to have this all planned before we go to Thessia and the next weekend will be bioamp testing again."
"I will sort through contacts for acts and see if we can arrange anything on Friday evening. I need the time to work through my junk mail folder to pick them all out."
"I just delete all my junk mail. It ends up in that folder for a reason."
"It is a good job we are not relying on you then for performers Seliha." Adastra laughs.
"I need to be going unfortunately Fosanta as Samalya and Thea have planned to meet me this morning to discuss options for the thruster design."
"Actually I could really do with leaving as well as I have an early appointment." Kate looks to Fosanta who nods. The four of them clean up their breakfast items before heading to work."
-----
"You look a little stiff this morning Hymara."
"Quite why Silana had to tie my legs to my arms I do not know but it was not that comfortable."
"Silana did as I asked her to do Hymara. I also believe I need to remind you that although Silana has freedom it does not extend as far as you practically demanding her to sleep with us. Both Silana and I seem to have a good understanding of where the line is and she only informed me of your request because it may help settle the nervousness."
"So it was not because I asked?"
"No Hymara. I cannot take orders from anyone else without Sam's permission. I could however express your anxiety and make a suggestion that me joining them would settle some of that. I cannot guarantee anything that I say is a full account of everything that happened but I will be truthful."
"So nothing else happened?"
"No and I was not expecting anything after talking to them both Hymara."
"Let me settle this faster as you two do not have long to have breakfast. I have given Lianta this same offer. While Ami has agreed not to do that again in front of you two it is likely to do so again in private. If that causes either of you two to distrust Ami enough to affect your protection of me then you should consider leaving. Ami has said she will not hurt me and I trust her. It is just if you two can do the same."
"So you did actually try and drown Sam Athya?"
"Yes but I knew I would be able to feel when he was becoming desperate. I knew he would trust me enough to be comfortable with such a situation."
"Were you Sam?"
"Would you like honesty or some truths arranged in a way that makes everything sound better?"
"We would really like you to be honest Sam."
"Ok Hymara. Yes I was mostly comfortable but only really through being so overwhelmed I had no idea what was happening. I am becoming convinced that Ami has been gradually conditioning me over the last few weeks as I know I should be a little scared of her trying to drown me for fun. I made a passing comment to that effect last night and the only response I got was that Ami has not manipulated me since Saturday as there has been no need. Quite how she defines manipulation I do not know."
"I will talk to you in private later Sam but we must be leaving." Amistathya jumps off Sam's knee and goes to get changed with Silana.
"You are happy to leave that kind of important information until later Sam?"
"I have work to get to and I doubt Ami will trust you two enough to tell you after you questioning her actions. If you can find a way to convince her that you trust her then she will be much happier to include you."
"How do you think we would do so Sam?" Hymara looks to Lianta with a bit of surprise. "Athya has never shown any real malice Hymara and if we give up now then last night would have been a waste."
"I think the best thing you two can do if you do not want to end up like me is just be supportive of her choices. She had her self confidence knocked when she agreed not to do that kind of thing again with you around. I have only ever seen her upset at her past before but she looked really quite unhappy at having to make that choice and the fact that she had caused you to question her."
"Her choices are difficult for us to support if they involve drowning you Sam."
"Hymara, she always has my interests in mind in the same way as I do with her or Silana. She just lacks self confidence to do what she feels is right not what everyone else thinks is right. She after getting her tribal markings seemed to express a strong desire to have them added permanently as she likes how the black balances out her sky blue markings. I think she was worried about how anyone else would accept that decision though."
"You know what the common thoughts are on tattoos Sam. I mean even Pheinova showed you that."
"I know Hymara; they are the same as for markings on the body which Ami already has. I thought it would make no real difference to her since that was the case so I essentially said it was her decision as long as the tattoos had soft edges like her natural markings."
"We will think about that Sam." He nods before going to stand at the bottom of the stairs. They do not have to wait too long before Amistathya and Silana walk down the stairs and the five of them head to Sentix.
-----
"Good morning Fosanta."
"You seem happy this morning Pheinova. Where is Whesiva?"
"She has not arrived yet but I have two test subjects after I had visited them yesterday evening. I doubt that Armali will like Amistathya as a test subject much but she was easy to find."
"I guess you saw her markings when you visited?"
"I would have preferred her to be less blatant in showing them off to be honest Fosanta."
"I never thought she would show others her makings after living with Adastra. When we came back from bioamp testing to see her in a nearly transparent dress we were all remarkably surprised. I think Sam suggested that she did not cover her markings inside their apartment though."
"It would not surprise me Fosanta as it seemed like I was the only one who had an issue with her doing so. It was very strange for me to sit there."
"Amistathya is a pleasant individual Pheinova no matter what she looks like." Whesiva walks in through the door. "Morning Whesiva. To fill you in we have our two test individuals."
"That is good. I guess Ebaea is one?"
"Yes and Amistathya is the other."
"Do you mind if we talk while testing Pheinova as Athya is not the most talkative of individuals?"
"No but I am curious as to why you would want to. Usarta seemed confident her markings were natural."
"I was just curious as to what living with them is like. I know having Asari parents gets me mocked a lot but I have no idea how natural markings would be taken."
"It seems you should ask Pheinova as I do not think she was particularly keen."
"I admit that I think the others thought there was something wrong with me when I expressed my disagreement. They are not normal and she would look fairly attractive otherwise."
"I would be very careful about saying that to Seliha Pheinova as she may do more than talk to you. Adastra has said she also has natural makings in case you did not know."
"I had my suspicions from her decorating her testing bioamps. I have not seen them though so I am not that bothered."
"What do we have to do today Pheinova?"
"There is still some minor work to be done on the power amplifier section. It uses an old method which is considered suboptimal."
"Do we just take the block from an existing design and add it in?"
"While the preliminary designs from the Nebula bioamp design look promising this bioamp is going to be doing something which the nebula one would never have to do. It is therefore just a case of refining this design unfortunately Whesiva. I hope you remember your university course on power amplification for bioamps."
"That was not my favourite course."
"I am not sure how much help I could be but if they are fairly similar to radio frequency power amplifiers I may be able to help."
"I do not think there are any substantial changes in the basic principles Fosanta. The biggest change is how the body dampens the transients but the simulator would give you an idea how it would likely react." Fosanta has a look at that section as it is less boring than trying to work out how to add the sensors in.
-----
"If I have to terminate any more fibre this week I think I will go mad."
"It was not that bad was it Sam?" Silana knowing that Amistathya and herself had the easier end.
"I admit the conversation with the orange collared individuals was good but terminating it, lying on your back in a cramped space is not all that fun. I guess we are done now though."
"We just need to test everything which should take about an hour."
"Maybe we can go to manufacturing and see the transport."
"That sounds like a good idea Ami. We could maybe pick up a few things from Silana's old room on the way back as well."
"I like that plan and I am sure Olissa would be happy to have it vacated quickly as well." Sam nods and the five of them get their meals from the usual friendly individual before sitting down at a table.
"I still dislike that I am seen as some kind of important individual given the separate tables. Do either of you two have any complaints if we see about finding a table in the normal's section tomorrow?" Sam looks towards Hymara and Lianta who had been a little quiet all morning.
"If you can find a table near the edge of the hall then I can see no reason why not." Sam nods to Lianta before beginning to eat his food. He was only two mouthfuls in when his Omni-tool beeps.
"I wonder who it is this time." Sam stated in a resigned tone as he puts his fork down to read it.
Sam,
One of our design engineers has picked up a flaw in our system so you have not received your file to design your transport. To expedite this process for you and the department they would like you to go to design room seven where you will find a design desk. If you could make your design and send it on to the address specified then everyone would be thankful.
Olissa
"Is the testing of the thrusters important to do now Silana or can it wait a while? I am asking as Olissa is asking us to go to design room seven to design the transport as there has been a flaw in the system for some reason."
"It can wait Sam as I would guess that given we were given until the end of the day that the ships controls will be tested tomorrow."
"Good."
-----
"I guess everyone has had a tiring morning." Adastra sliding her tray onto the table before sitting down and shuffling up to Seliha.
"I have."
"I am fairly similar to Seliha actually in that it has been a bit boring. I am also getting questions today where I have to try and rely on my university degree which is rather difficult as that was centuries ago."
"I can just rely on Thea for that Fosanta otherwise I would probably be in the same position. What about your morning Kate?"
"I seem to be getting a bit of a reputation for being pleasant but a little harsh or so I have been informed. Usarta said that is all she expects from me and she would rather that the individuals got to know the system as the person visiting does not know who they are to get until they arrive. Having to explain to someone that they cannot have another interviewer without going through Thessia is always a little difficult though."
"I am sure Armali appreciate your efforts and that you are doing a good job Kate. There will always be one or two which make an odd day stressful."
"I should be used to it by now Fosanta but it is taking time to become confident when myself and Sam are a new species to most individuals."
"You will get used to it. How was your day?" Seliha looking to Adastra as she finishes off her lunch.
"Actually I have had a good morning. The new design looks good even if it has grown quite a bit in scale. I cannot see it being longer than a couple of weeks or so before the design is finalised."
"I guess that is why you are late then as I am have to go back to work."
"It is Seliha but it was worth spending the extra ten minutes finishing off. I hope you have a good afternoon."
"You too."
"I guess you two will be leaving soon as well?"
"Not really Adastra as I just have forms to fill this afternoon."
"Unfortunately I do Adastra. I will speak to you both later." Kate gets a short hug before Fosanta leaves.
"I guess you have not asked Fosanta yet then?" Kate seems confused before remembering.
"Oh no. I was thinking I could make a case to Fosanta for us to consider a daughter to have two mothers as it would make me less confused."
"I can see that getting confusing when the daughter wishes to speak to one of you. It does sound like a workable solution though. We just accept that one of us will be the father but I guess we have no real gender ties to that designation."
"I will probably think about it once we actually know one is on the way as it is silly to be having this discussion now, as it would be to start thinking of names for them."
"I want a daughter named Yaira. I think every Asari has thought about what they would call a child by their two hundredth birthday. Do you have any ideas at all Kate?"
"I like names which sound nice but are fairly familiar if you understand what I mean. I quite like Helena as a name but I am not sure if Fosanta has any preferences or if she would like that."
"You have plenty of time to decide that as you said earlier once they arrive. Helena sounds a nice but a little odd to me, I am not quite sure why. I am sure Fosanta would be able to talk through all the options with you."
"What do you mean by odd?"
"I would perhaps change it slightly to Helayna as it is easier to write and pronounce in Asari. I would really like to continue this discussion but I must get back to work. I apologise for that Kate." She looks at her Omni-tool.
"I should be getting something done as well." The two of them vacate the table and go back to work.
-----
"Design room seven." Sam mumbling to himself as he checks each door they walk past.
"I think you have told us often enough."
"I think it is design room seven we need to go to Hymara." Sam's sarcastic tone getting a bit of a laugh, even out of Hymara. "Oh." Sam stops the others before opening the door, an Asari waiting for them on a chair behind the desk. "I did not know we had someone waiting to help us with the design?"
"I will explain what is happening if you close the door." Hymara does so before turning back. "I can only tell you what I have left if..." She looks down at her Omni-tool. "Hymara and Lianta stay. I apologise for not knowing your names that well."
"I did not think the design department had any non-servant employees."
"You must be Silana. I am not a designer and was not very artistic at school either so whatever you are meant to be designing I doubt you would want my help."
"So what is your current job then?"
"I am a marketing manager Sam."
"Hymara and Lianta, would you be willing to wait outside for a few moments as this is going nowhere? I promise to tell you more after."
"Only if we can keep the door unlocked but closed." Sam looks to the unknown Asari who nods.
"That is fine." Hymara and Lianta leave and the door closes behind them. "Would you be willing to say more now as this is making little sense?"
"Is Sam your owner Silana?" She nods. "Good. I am Asanya and I am only to be here for a short period of time. You may ask me questions but unfortunately I am under strict instruction not to answer the obvious ones."
"Some time to have prepared questions would have been nice." Sam tries to think of a question which would explain everything.
"In that case you can meet me again on Saturday the eleventh whenever it is convenient for you and you know already know where."
"Oh. I apologise Asanya."
"I know that I am deliberately not explaining myself well Sam and for that I do apologise. I have however heard you have not long had to move house. I assume that it was a little difficult for you to move away from the others."
"It was but with me accepting control of Silana it was becoming inconvenient to stay. I also had plans to end my contract with Ami which has turned out to be a surprising experience."
"I heard from the media that you gave a ritual to Sam Athya."
"I received one from someone and I still cannot work out who would know both of us well enough. Sam took it much better than I expected he would and Silana was very supportive."
"You sound like you are getting on well together."
"Well Ami seems to really like me and she makes me feel all soft inside so I think you could say that."
"That was a bit more than I wished to know Sam but I am glad you have both found someone you appreciate. I have left a small box by the door for you to take when you leave. Do any of you have any questions before I must leave?"
"I apologise for asking Asanya but why did you decide to meet us here?"
"My transports thruster is getting warn so I was wondering when it would need a repair or a replacement fitting. Sentix said they would look at it for me."
"Ion drive then?"
"It is Sam and it needs looking after as it is rather old now."
"I understand. I am sure we will have a talk to you again on the eleventh if you wish to leave."
"I wish you all well and I look forward to meeting you all again." The three of them nod and Asanya walks out of the door to Hymara and Linata's confusion who come into the room.
"What happened Sam?"
"She wanted sex but I felt it was best if I declined." Sam had to laugh at Lianta's exasperated look. "I apologise but you were asking for that response. I will explain when we get back but you can at least come in and help us with the design if you wish."
"I think we will so that Athya does not decide to write something inappropriate on the side."
"You are getting as paranoid as I am Hymara." Sam sits down at the desk which had a large holographic surface to work on. He turns the screen on to find the model of the ship already loaded with details already filled out about designations and who the design will be sent to when he sends it. "I see someone has tried to make it easy for us. Does anyone have any ideas?"
"I know it is typical to keep the design simple but one ship tends to look similar to another. I am sure you could come up with something that is a bit more unique between you." Silana thinking there are not that many ships with a slightly more complex hull decoration. Sam flicks through the various filters in the model before stopping on the atmospheric thermal profile.
"That is rather weird. The fact there seems to be almost a ripple effect down the hull is strange as I would have expected it to just heat up on leading edges not down the entire hull in waves."
"It is a bit bright though, although it is intriguing." Sam changes the filter into black and white and makes the base colour of the ship black. "You did say unique Silana."
"I did but it seems a bit too..." She moves around to the other side of Sam to get a better view. "It looks like the designers have applied the wrong layer to the hull."
"Do you think it needs something else Ami?"
"I do but I am not quite sure what."
"What do you two think?" Hymara and Lianta looked at the design from the other side of the table. Sam rotated the display for their benefit.
"It is different. I do agree with Silana in that it feels a little hollow somehow."
"I have a suggestion but I am not sure you could do it Sam."
"I am interested as I quite like it as it is but something else may make it that bit better Hymara."
"Can you make all the grey into dots of white of varying size?" Sam looks confused for a moment.
"You mean use larger dots where it is whiter and use less small bots for where it is nearer to black?" Hymara nods. "I understand what you mean now; it is just that I may not be able to do it." Sam spins the display around before looking in the filters section of the menu. "Great this is just for filtering simulation data."
"If you move this design into the hull design layer it may give you some more options." Sam opens the layers in a panel on the left and drags the design onto the hull design layer. "See what you can do now Sam." Sam opens up the filters menu to be greeted with a large number of effects and colour filters. The colour filters are not helpful but the effects were what he was after.
"Well there is enough choice in here. Also in case none of you realised I have no idea what I am doing. Luckily it is fairly intuitive." Sam hears a few laughs as he looks down the list. "Oooh. I have got to try this one at least." Sam selected the cubic option which opens up a new panel where the layers one was previously on the left hand side of the screen.
"I am not sure about that." Silana was obviously not keen on the paving slab sized pixels. Sam increases the range between the largest and the smallest and makes the largest possible no bigger than a beer mat. "I am still not convinced." Sam zooms out so Silana can see the full ship. "Ok that works quite a bit better than I thought it would. Can you show me what it would look like when docked from say ten metres away?"
"Errm. I have no idea where anything is. I can try and guess the distance." Sam looks to Silana who nods and with him knowing the wing is eight metres in length he adds a little more on to get to the ten. "I think that is about ten but I would guess a dock for this size of ship would mean the hull would be about fifteen metres away from the dockside."
"I was thinking if it looks ok that close then you would be ok Sam. I can see the squares but also see what it is trying to represent at that distance. I quite like it but then again it is not my decision."
"What do you think Ami?"
"Can I request that the ships name is written in sky blue?"
"I was after your opinion on the actual hull design really."
"I like it. Can you put the name on in sky blue?" Sam had to laugh at her enthusiasm as if it was her birthday and she was being given a present. Sam looks through the ships specifications to find it has the designation SSPL-Rapture only with no number.
"I am glad it is not called SSPL-372048 or whatever it was. That would have been a pain to remember for space port communications."
"372032 Sam. You would get used to it eventually."
"I apologise for not having a great memory Silana. I did at least get the first bit right which was more than I expected." Sam adding in Rapture with the 'R' starting just to the right of the hull door. "I think that will still be visible even with the walkway attached. What do you think now Ami?"
"It is not quite the same colour as my markings but I will not complain as it looks good."
"I know it is more a slate grey but I thought too much colour would ruin the aesthetics of the design. What do you two think?" Sam puts the Sentix Spaceworks branding on the tail of the ship and an Armali Council Illium logo on the rear just above where the wings join the hull.
"I thought the colour of the name would stand out but it is not too bad and it is still easily legible. Does the branding have to be in colour?"
"I am sure I could make the Sentix one black and white as it only has a tiny amount of green. I could make Armali's the same colour as the ship text as it is not that much different."
"Or just a slightly more subtle green." Sam changes it to be slightly less bright. "That is better. It actually looks unique."
"That was what I was after Lianta but nothing that shouted look at me as I am really not that kind of individual."
"I would be interested in actually viewing it on an actual hull."
"I take that as an approval them Hymara." She nods. "Are you two happy?"
"I am but as I said it is between you and Athya really." Sam looks to Amistathya who smiles and nods. Sam sends off the design to the pre-filled out recipient before turning off the display. "Do not forget your box." Amistathya jogs around the desk to pick it up.
"Has someone been feeding you something to make you excessively energetic this afternoon Ami?"
"No I just feel good today." Sam shakes his head as the five of them head back to hanger three to finish the thruster install.
-----
Usarta walks through the doors into Adastra's development room which catches Adastra's attention. "I was just about to finish off for the day Usarta."
"Unfortunately it seems I have some cleaning up and repairs to organise before I leave Adastra. Would you kindly finish off where you can and come with me?"
"I can but can I ask why?" Adastra notes where she is up to on the design file before saving it and locking the console.
"Seliha seems upset for some reason Adastra and we do not know why." Adastra joins Usarta and the two of them walk to the lift. "She has done some damage to a wall of her room. Lucky her room is one with a wall out into a corridor."
"Was anyone hurt?" The surprise of what Seliha has done evident in her expression as the slow lift continues.
"Fortunately not Adastra. Could I ask if you know what may have caused this as others I have spoken to have seen no signs of her being unhappy?"
"She was unhappy at lunch time for some reason but I do not know for sure what caused her to be unhappy. I guess that you know Seliha has duality syndrome?"
"We did not Adastra. We have no records from before she joined us as an indentured servant. Usually there is something but some servants are born into servitude and are treated well enough by their owners to avoid hospital visits. These individuals generally end up with no medical records and even lack birth records."
"If an individual lacks a birth record are servitude contracts valid in that case?"
"They are as a lack of a birth record means an individual is defined by physical attributes and not a name. Seliha is easily unique enough in that regard for legal purposes."
"So an individuals markings define them?"
"Markings, iris and retina, any distinct colour variances or scarring on the skin and DNA can all be used to define an individual. Not one single item of these is enough to be legally binding for a servitude contract however as they can all be faked to some extent." The two of them exit the lift and begin to make their way towards the skybridge and the biotics building both of which are visible out of the glass wall of the corridor.
"Has no one wished to talk to Seliha if she is unhappy?"
"She threatened one of the individuals who attempted to do so. I thought at that point you may be able to help since you have previously said that you two are together."
"I would perhaps have called Sam in at this point as I know he tends to be a good individual in these kinds of situations. I think he is busy working on his passenger transport today though." The two of them enter the biotics building and turn right down a corridor.
"All we really need is her taking home Adastra so that we can clean up and make temporary repairs. I would also like you to take her to a mental health specialist soon, perhaps tomorrow if you can get an appointment. Armali would be interested to know more about her duality syndrome before any more damage is done to any more walls."
"I can understand that. Is Seliha to stay off work for a while?"
"I am not sure as I am weary of speaking to her myself Adastra. I will allow a day off for her appointment which I hope is tomorrow or Friday. I will wait outside for you to have a talk if you can."
"I think the debris gives away her room." Adastra noting the crumpled desk along with chunks of the wall strewn around the corridor. Usarta nods and Adastra makes her way to the door of her room which she opens. Seliha is sat on a chair facing away from the door and the hole in the wall, her head in her hands. "Are you ok Seliha?" Adastra can see a number of small items within easy reach for her as she shakes her head. She tentatively moves towards her. "Would you like to come home with me and have a quiet evening?" Seliha takes her head out of her hands and stands from the chair. Her face was a little damp but her expression was not of unhappiness but fairly neutral.
"I will."
"Usarta does not seem too unhappy about what has happened Seliha so do not worry about what has happened." Adastra puts her arm around Seliha as the two of them walk out of the room and back towards Usarta.
"How are you Seliha?"
"I think Seliha is not really wishing to speak to people Usarta. I will have a talk once we get back to the house and I will give you a message to keep you informed."
"I appreciate that Adastra." Adastra nods and Usarta begins to walk back across the skybridge as Adastra and Seliha make their way to the lift.
-----
Adastra and Seliha sit down in the kitchen back at home. "You feel a little nervous or scared Seliha. Are you a little unsure about how everyone will react to what has happened?"
"How did I get back home?"
"I collected you from the room that you had thrown a desk through the wall of and brought you back in my shuttle as I usually do."
"I did not hurt anyone this afternoon did I?"
"Usarta said that you had not done so but whether there was someone in the room with you at the time I do not know."
"I hope you do not mind if I have a drink and then go to sit somewhere quiet. Please try not to disturb me and I will find everyone when I feel I can."
"Anything that will make you happier Seliha as you look scared, tired and confused."
-----
Adastra gets awoken from her pondering when her Omni-tool beeps.
Adastra,
Seliha has an appointment to see Doctor Lamisa at ten tomorrow morning, the twenty third of February. Please arrive at the Nos Astra mental health clinic and speak to the receptionist upon your arrival. If you cannot make this time then please send a message back as soon as possible.
Elamia, Nos Astra mental health clinic receptionist
Adastra makes a mental note of the time as she hears the front door close. Kate soon comes into the kitchen. "Hello Kate. Have you had a good day?"
"It has been fairly usual to be honest Adastra. Where is Seliha though as she is usually with you?"
"She has not had the best of days Kate. By that I mean I think she gets overly tired being nice to us and then having to be friendly at work. Usarta had turned up this afternoon saying she had thrown a desk straight through a wall in the biotics building. I doubted it at first but when I went to look for myself before bringing Seliha back there was indeed a large hole in the wall. Usarta has said we should go to meet a mental health specialist so I have an appointment to see a Doctor Lamisa in the morning."
"Well that is not quite what I was expecting to hear when she was not around, especially since you do not seem too depressed about it."
"I was waiting for something like this to actually happen Kate so it is not really a shock. She was less friendly than usual at lunch time and that was one reason why I got talking to you as it made me feel a little happier. What scared me a little more was the fact she did not seem to remember even coming back home."
"I can see why you have made that appointment then Adastra."
"Usarta asked me to make it really but it is a good idea as it may get me some answers." Kate nods as Fosanta walks in to help out with the food preparation.
"Is Seliha doing something important Adastra?"
"She has just said to give her a bit of space until she finds us Fosanta. I believe she went into our top room to keep out of the way."
"Should I ask why she needs the time?"
"She threw a desk through a wall this afternoon. I have an appointment for her tomorrow but I have not told her yet about it. It was fortunate however that Usarta came to me close to the end of the day as I have been busy. She does need the advice from a professional as Armali are hardly going to keep her employed if she starts demolishing the buildings."
"I would have thought you would have had a bit of experience with mental health professionals."
"I have unfortunately Fosanta but I am lost as to how to help her. I am not entirely sure what problems duality causes Seliha as she has never really discussed her past and she only shows her feelings but rarely expresses them verbally."
"I can see why you are going then Adastra as I guess it would be nice to know." Adastra nods to Fosanta.
"Does Seliha want anything to eat do you know?"
"I do Kate." Seliha carefully walks in to the kitchen and takes a seat next to Adastra who puts her arm around her. "Please be careful not to provoke me this evening as I am not myself. I apologise for being quite so blunt with my request but I am not having a good day."
"We will both try to stay out of your way if you feel that would be best Seliha." She nods. Fosanta seemed a little nervous about what may happen but decided to just have something to eat and then do something out of the way until bed time.
-----
"Are you going to hang onto that box like it is your daughter all evening or are you going to open it Ami?"
"In our room Sam."
"No Ami. I am sick of this lingering doubt that is in this apartment and if it lasts longer than a day then I think it will become uncomfortable. Hymara and Lianta, I said I would say more about what happened this afternoon. I need to make it clear not to say anything to anyone else about what happened."
"We can do that Sam." Hymara nods.
"Ok. I think that Asanya is in some way close to Ami's mother's new bondmate. Yes this does not sound like it is making sense to me either Hymara. Ami's father died while she was young and Ami's mother got a new bondmate before she died. It is that individual who we think gave us the ritual and wishes to speak to us."
"So it was not Asanya who was your mother's bondmate Athya?"
"No, she is quite distinctive as her skin is quite light so it definitely is not Asanya. I managed to get a meeting for us to see her on the Saturday we travel to Thessia. I have also been invited to something for my birthday it sounds like."
"Would you be willing to share what is in the box?" Amistathya looks down at the box seemingly a little unsure. "I am sure that although Hymara and Lianta were not too pleased last night that it was mostly unexpected shock Ami. At least give them the benefit of the doubt." She gives a nod before looking back at the box and then holding it out to Silana.
"I would like you to open it." Silana looks to Sam.
"It is your choice Silana as I highly doubt Asanya would have put anything bad inside." She takes it from Amistathya carefully and places it on the table before opening it up. She peers in to see two datapads. She takes the topmost datapad out and hands it to Amistathya who carefully takes and reads it.
Athya and Sam,
I feel a little upset that I have to resort to datapads to communicate instead of meeting you all personally. Certain situations however lead me to this solution however unsatisfying it is for us all. I will not explain what has happened and why I am hiding behind a datapad but I will say more when we eventually meet which I hope is on the Saturday.
I get the feeling from various media sources that Athya seems rather taken by Sam. I was very anxious to begin with when I heard Athya had agreed a servitude contract but when I heard Sam got on well with marked individuals I trusted Athya's decision.
I had a rather heated talk to my friend at Atansys about not informing me of your incident (what she described as your idiocy) several weeks ago. Atansys has some dubious dealings which she would rather the media did not know about. To stop that of happening she agreed to have Athya's belongings delivered to your apartment as well as agreeing to ship onwards a couple of items from myself. I hope Athya appreciated the items but it is quite difficult for me to know what she may or may not appreciate after her latest incident.
I hope everyone stays well until we have a chance to meet which I am looking forward to as it will allow me to finally get some peace. I am really proud of Athya with how she seems to take life's happenings in her stride no matter how difficult they are.
"I am not sure what to think." She hands the datapad to Sam who quickly reads through it.
"Well we know Asanya is related to her now. I will ignore the comment about the un-empathetic individual at Atansys and you should as well Ami." Sam shuffles her off her seat onto his knee. "Is there anything else in the box Silana? You two can read the datapad if you wish."
"There is another datapad." She takes it out and hands it to Amistathya who holds it so that Sam can read it at the same time.
Athya and Sam,
I broke these messages into two parts as they both relate to different items. I assume that neither of you know that you should inform the Asari republics of your intention to be partners. The republics ideally like individuals who are considered close to the partnered couple to verify that they are together and usually a matriarch as well. Since I am the closest individual to Athya (I know I have not seen you in years but I was bondmates with your mother) I filled in my agreement to this after I had the chance to speak to Iona at Galactic Acceptance. She is still bemused as to how you two could get on so well so quickly. She has also asked me to mention that she would be most grateful if you could see her and Saymera again at some time in the near future.
Sam, your section of the form caused me a large headache as it requires that you are classed as a non-Asari and yet you are designated as an Asari sub-species. I had a talk to a friendly Matriarch who has agreed to sign it incomplete given the seemingly rushed nature of your integration. She did ask to meet you both and spend a little time with you before doing so however. She did not want to meet on Thessia but I will explain where, when and what is to happen when we finally get to talk. I know this makes no sense but it is something not many will have the privilege of ever knowing about.
I hope you all find the next few weeks treat you well.
"I am appreciative of her trying to help us but it is worrying me that she is planning something on our behalf."
"What are you planning Athya?" Lianta suspicious as to what is happening.
"About all we can say is that we need to see a matriarch who has agreed to sign incomplete documentation for us to be officially registered as bondmates. What, when, who and why are all questions we both have at the moment."
"Why would you have incomplete documentation?"
"I guess it is because I cannot list things like my planet of birth Hymara. That is likely to be the case until there is a diplomatic relationship with it."
"I understand." Sam receives a message on his Omni-tool.
Sam,
I have some news for you. Seliha threw a desk through a wall this afternoon and Usarta has requested that she sees a specialist tomorrow. I hope to still come and see you on Friday but it is a little dependant upon how Seliha feels.
Adastra
"It sounds like Adastra is having a bit of a tough time."
"Why Sam?"
"It sounds like Seliha threw a desk through a wall at Armali today. I am just thankful that she did not throw it at someone so she seems to be trying. I do hope they get to come around on Friday as I guess it will make Adastra happier and it will be something different than normal."
"I get the feeling Fosanta and Kate are the only two individuals who are relatively sane."
"You are probably right there Lianta but I am not going to see a mental health specialist with Adastra tomorrow as we should have a passenger transport to look over." Lianta nods and the five of them make something to eat.
-----
"I hope you do not mind if we just went to bed Adastra. I really do not wish to talk about what happened."
"That sounds fair enough to me Seliha as I can tell you are not your usual self. I just need you to know that I have made an appointment to see a mental health professional tomorrow morning. I hope that you do not hate me for doing so." She nods before going into the bathroom as Adastra settles down in bed with a slight nervousness that Seliha may have taken that news badly. It was only half a minute or so before Adastra could hear a whimpering from the bathroom. She gets up and peers around the doorway to see Seliha curled up in the corner of the shower. Adastra decides to not startle her by talking but instead walks to where she was and carefully takes a seat on the floor next to her. Seliha peers between her fingers to see a watery outline of Adastra. "I hope that you have not taken the news of my appointment badly. Are you still not wishing to talk to me?" She shakes her head which only seems to make the sobbing worse. "Seliha, I am not going to sleep if I know you are in here upset."
"Leave me as I do not wish to hurt you." Adastra reluctantly nods and goes back to the bed leaving Seliha where she is.
-----
"At least we know that Adastra will get some answers about Seliha tomorrow. I guess you are still overly nervous about her Kate?"
"I am becoming more comfortable with Seliha around as she has not done anything since Sam left. Well there was the day after Sam left when he and Athya had gone mad with the pallet wrap but that was a one off."
"I think it was as well. It is not too long off our trip to the citadel now."
"Do you have everything planned already?"
"Not quite Kate. I am not disorganised but I do have work which gets in the way of planning. I was thinking of doing most of it this weekend. Perhaps I could make some arrangements on Saturday if we are to do some event planning on Sunday." Kate nods with a smile. "I hope you are aware if you make me too aroused I may deliberately make the trip a little more fun."
"That hardly sounds like a deterrent." Fosanta laughs at Kate's smile before giving her a kiss.
"I hope you sleep well Kate."
"I should do and I will keep Saturday in mind." Fosanta turns off the light by brushing the panel on the wall before pulling Kate a little closer to her.
-----
Adastra feels happier when she feels the bed wobble a little as Seliha finally gets in. She decides not to turn over but the comfort of knowing she is there at least allows her to get to sleep.
-------
Notes.
Replies to any reviews for this (as of 28th december) and previous chapters can now be found at the following link - http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/35940-unrealuniverses-review-reply-thread
It would be good if you did have the time to review or rate this chapter but the next will be posted on the 29th of December. It may however be a little waste of your time to post a review so any you may wish to read the next two and review them at once. I do hope the festivities have entertained everyone and continue to do so through to the New Year.
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Marked Effect (AFF Edition)