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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
- 58
- 59
Chapter 59 - New Interactions
Tuesday 28th February 2017
-----
"So who was Lastoma then?" Kate's curiosity had got the better of her as she listened to the conversation over breakfast.
"She was the ships maintenance engineer Kate. If she was with us after the core discharge then I would not have been surprised if the majority of items were fixed by the time we had got to the citadel. She also helped me with some of my practical jokes which was good."
"I always wondered how you had managed to make the fire breathing taps without Lastoma noticing."
"Now you know Fosanta. I do hope that the two of them are ok but we will find out soon I guess."
"Then I will be at my new job somewhere. Rythiva gave me a message earlier to say that she would meet me in storage two. I am just hoping she is nice to me."
"I would just explain about yourself Seliha and then there are no unexpected surprises for either of you."
"I need to add to Fosanta's comment that you need to be your usual pleasant self to her Seliha. Can you do that for me?"
"I will try." Adastra put her arm around Seliha and gave her a bit of a squeeze.
"I am ready to leave whenever everyone else is." Kate with that comment moved from her seat to put her dish in the sink.
"We will only be a minute longer Kate."
"If you got up a minute sooner Adastra then I would not be waiting."
"I like my sleep Kate." Kate laughed a little as she stood watching the others finish off their breakfasts at the kitchen table. It was only a couple of minutes longer before they had all finished and were leaving the house. Adastra seemed keen to try to get to Armali as quickly as possible leaving Kate and Fosanta to travel at a slightly more relaxed pace in their shuttle behind.
"Well you know it is early when you are travelling in the morning twilight. I admit it does make Nos Astra look very futuristic though." Kate admired the view out of the window as the morning sky cast its illuminating glow over the cities buildings.
"I am not sure I would call ridiculously tall skyscrapers as futuristic Kate but it does give the city an air of tranquillity before the morning rush ensues."
"It is little things like this though which make being out here worthwhile. I mean no offence to you Fosanta but any human could enjoy these moments and yet they do not even know they exist."
"I am sure your planet has many of these little wonders Kate and we do not really know about them. Sometimes the more you know the less you realise you can know."
"I am well aware of that already given that is essentially how I have felt since I arrived. Still only five more days and then we get a break."
"I am trying to not think about it too much Kate as it will make the time go quicker." Fosanta seemed to ruin the conversation with that comment but they were close to arriving at Armali anyway.
-----
Adastra, Fosanta, Kate and Seliha walked into the conference room at Armali to see a timer hovering in the holographic area counting down the seconds until a connection is established. "This sort of looks like a mini cinema."
"I suppose everyone needs to be seen on some of these larger business conferences. We may as well sit on the front row." The four of them descended the stairs past four other rows of four chairs before getting to the front row. Adastra and Fosanta sat down in the middle of the row with Seliha and Kate on either edge. "Two minutes left."
"Does the connection make itself in two minutes then Adastra?"
"I would assume that it does if individuals are available on both ends Kate. It would be a waste of idle bandwidth if it did not." Kate have a nod to Adastra before sitting back to watch the timer tick down the seconds.
"This needs a fast forward button." The others had a laugh at Seliha's comment.
"Very true but we only have a few more seconds to wait Seliha." Fosanta settled back into her seat to watch those few seconds elapse before two Asari appeared in front of them.
"It is good to see you Tahomi and Lastoma. How have you two been lately?"
"It is also good to see you Adastra and Fosanta as well. I feel that how we both have been is too long of a story for now but we are both fairly well at the moment."
"That is good to hear Tahomi and it is good to talk to you again. I assume you feel a little upset that you could not meet Kate and Sam yourself or be at the announcement on the citadel?"
"We were unaware of what was happening to be honest Fosanta. We were essentially isolated in Serrice medical facility's psychological assessment building until February. We did hear about the announcement several days later when Doctor Yahalna mentioned to Lastoma and myself that you had arrived back at the citadel. We were not told they, sorry you, had found a new species. I am assuming it is you Kate on the end?"
"It is Tahomi. I have heard many good things about you from Adastra. The same also applies to you as well Lastoma."
"Thank you."
"I assure you Kate that being with Adastra is not always the great portrayal it seems, but that is made up for by her enthusiasm and the silly jokes."
"Adastra seems to have settled a little Tahomi now that Sam is not being a constant bad influence."
"You may have a point but Seliha is nearly as bad Fosanta. Tahomi and Lastoma this is Seliha my bondmate."
"You have a bondmate now?"
"Surely you do not think of me as such an unfriendly character that I could not have one Tahomi?"
"I thought you said your markings made it unlikely?"
"Errm. Yes, I did, but things have changed a little."
"I also have markings on my legs and body and so Adastra seemed to warm to me. It was however Sam who was the closest individual to Adastra when I first met everyone."
"Is that a slight purple tinge I see Adastra?"
"I deliberately let Sam see me naked Tahomi which was probably the most embarrassed I have ever been. He was very kind to me if a little shocked at what happened."
"Shiala and I were thinking you had seen Sam naked Adastra not the other way around." Kate questioned as she had obviously not found this out before now.
"How is Shiala?"
"We honestly do not know Lastoma as we have not had contact with any of the others since we separated just after arrival."
"I was thinking of going to meet some of them when we are on Thessia in a couple of weeks time. If you would be willing to forward your new contact details then I am sure that we could keep in contact with you both about how they are doing."
"We will do that Adastra."
"So were all the others ok Tahomi when they got back?"
"I know everyone is still alive Fosanta but that is about all I know. I am sure Lastoma and myself would appreciate if we kept away from that topic of conversation though."
"I have something to discuss which is almost entirely irrelevant to the Enlighten Tahomi. Armali may give me a class three ship to test their propulsion products and I would be keen on having both of you to help me do that testing if everything falls into place."
"Why us Adastra?"
"I know you both Lastoma. I know you would be able to repair the ship quickly if it becomes damaged and I know Tahomi would be able to provide second opinions on modifications. The current idea is to enter the ship into class three light racing to test the products. Armali have said that it has to be at least the Nos Xanthi and the Aphris coast races if the proposed race in Nos Parnalo gets approval and goes well."
"You mean you are getting a ship for nothing Adastra?"
"With a few minor caveats, yes Tahomi. Usarta said that she would be most willing to offer you a job here if you would like to take it? I am sure you would be likewise Lastoma but I heard that you had signed a contract with someone else."
"They found someone better." Tahomi gave the shy Asari next to her a short hug.
"Lastoma has been a little depressed about that lately Adastra."
"Could someone send a message to Usarta in that case?" Kate opened her Omni-tool and began to type a message out. "Thank you Kate. Tahomi, I also recommended you to be the individual to fly the ion propulsion ship which would mean you also becoming an owner of a ship as well if you are approved to do so."
"Really?" Adastra nodded. "I am not sure what to say in that case. Would you like to move to Illium Lastoma?"
"Are you two bondmates Tahomi?"
"We are Fosanta but not officially." Fosanta nodded towards the screen. "What do you think Lastoma?"
"If there is somewhere safe then I feel I would be happy to do so."
"There are two bedrooms free in our house Lastoma and next door is a house with six commandos in. I feel you would be safe enough."
"Armali also have rather tight security which Sam fell foul of quite early on." Kate added to the conversation after sending the message to Usarta.
"Fell foul in what way?"
"His chosen partner has a slightly unfavourable past. Armali found out after doing some searches and decided to terminate Sam's contract given the evidence that was provided."
"I must add to what Seliha said by stating that the documentation for Amistathya is apparently incorrect Lastoma. I doubt she expressed her personality when she was a servant but Kate and I really struggle to understand her and Sam."
"I think it is just silly fun Fosanta. I mean how many times did I swap the floor selection around in the lift on the Enlighten?" That comment brought a smile to Tahomi's face.
"I have tried to forget about those silly jokes Adastra."
"I have missed the silliness to be honest Fosanta. We could really do with just having some fun rather than having to work through these check-lists to get our lives back to normal."
"I heard that you were both currently on Cyone undertaking tests to get your pilots licenses back." Usarta walked down from the back of the room. "I am Usarta and I run the Armali Illium facility. I believe someone wished to discuss some things with me?"
"Lastoma's job contract has been cancelled as they found someone better Usarta." Adastra talking over her shoulder as Usarta took a seat on the row behind Fosanta. "I was wondering if Tahomi got a job here then could Lastoma?"
"This may be a silly question Lastoma but do you know how to produce thrusters or just repair them?"
"I did do some guest lecturing at the University of Serrice on propulsive technologies."
"I am sure that Lastoma would have found the fact that the casing on those thrusters I deliberately broke on the Enlighten were cracked and possibly even repaired them Usarta."
"Ok. I will orally offer you a position in our propulsion technologies department Lastoma if you wished to take it. I am sure that I will be able to discuss contract terms with you both at a later date."
"I feel I would like that."
"I am pleased to hear that Lastoma. You would likely work with Adastra as she mostly works with two other individuals now that Sam has unfortunately left us."
"Could you explain what happened as Lastoma would likely feel happier if she knew?"
"Sam became an unofficial bondmate to Amistathya at that time. He was also her owner which confused things a little as well. Anyway, Amistathya has a documented past of not abiding by rules that had been set for security reasons and hence the council board decided that she was a security threat. I can however assure you that they were both amply compensated for their inconvenience and I feel that they do not see Armali in a bad light."
"I heard that Sam was with Sentix Spaceworks now."
"He is Tahomi and he is to get his own passenger transport which I was rather envious of. He also seems to be doing some flight training as well although he did not seem to be doing too well when I called him yesterday."
"What class would that be going towards Adastra?"
"Well his transport is a small class four ship which I would assume he wishes to fly." Tahomi gave a nod before a slight lull in the conversation ensued.
"When would we be likely to see you both if you are on Cyone?"
"It would probably be about three weeks Fosanta. Lastoma has another hundred and eight hours to fly before she can take the competency test for class five ships. I should be receiving my class seven licence back within the next few days."
"Can I ask why you had to get your licence back?"
"Being added to the watch list invokes a withdrawal of your pilots license Kate as Adastra no doubt knows." She nodded in agreement to Tahomi. "I know what has happened recently has changed my perspective on a lot of things, however seeing you today has made me feel better that what happened did have some kind of positive outcome."
"Could I ask you Tahomi if you would be interested in flying a test ship in your current situation? I am only asking as we do have several other pilots who would be more than willing to do so."
"I would prefer not to fly the ship to the race by myself Usarta. If that is no problem then I would be very happy to fly a test ship for Armali."
"I would assume they would need to be freighted Tahomi so I cannot see that as being an issue. The sports council are planning the event to possibly be on the fifteenth of April and Sentix Spaceworks should have the ships completed by the end of March. Those dates are however subject to change as contamination issues may mean the event has to be delayed a while."
"Is this plan not dangerous Usarta?" Kate seemed to be towing the cautious line.
"Lighting will be via UV lighting and phosphorous strips Kate. The UV will kill bacteria and so the only real risk is to individuals being there. If the event can be on the fifteenth then Sentix are to let the event use hanger five as the docks so that individuals are not exposed to the PCB's or the UV light. Remote cameras will deliver the coverage needed and a dedicated communications channel between Nos Parnalo and Sentix will provide all the information needed on the ships."
"It sounds as if you have quite advanced plans Usarta but I am at the moment much more interested in meeting you all in person. It has been a long ten weeks that has felt more like ten decades and it would be nice to be able to relax."
"Please do keep in contact with us and we hope to see you both in a few weeks. It has been nice to see you both again."
"The sentiment is very much returned Fosanta."
"I know Lastoma has found this event very difficult Fosanta so friendly faces are going to be very welcome. I do believe that we both have our flight tuition in a couple of minutes so unfortunately we must leave."
"I hope both of you stay happy until we meet again."
"We will certainly try Adastra. I will stay in contact and I hope to hear a message from you in the next few days. I have your contact details as Usarta forwarded them on earlier to us." The two sides say their good byes before the screen goes black and the lights in the room come up to a dim glow.
"I am confused as to why Tahomi did not know how to contact you Adastra?"
"I would assume that the Republics must have given us all new addresses upon our return Kate. That does however mean I will have to go through all my contacts and message them to inform them what my new address is."
"That is likely Fosanta as the Republics would not have wanted the media spamming you all with messages. I must however be leaving as I have work to be getting on with and I believe you four also have work as well."
"Unfortunately. I am a bit anxious to be fair."
"Just remember what we said this morning Seliha and you will be fine." Adastra put her arm around Seliha as the five of them made their way from the meeting room.
"I will try my best."
-----
Seliha cautiously made her way through the door into storage two. She could see no one around given her view was mostly obstructed by rows of thrusters, each seemingly in size order. "You must be Seliha." A voice from behind said which made her jump. "I do apologise for startling you, I did not intend to do so."
"I am already anxious about this morning."
"I do honestly apologise Seliha. I am Rythiva. Please do have a seat as I would prefer that you were not anxious." Rythiva gestured towards a small pile of crates near the entrance. "If you would rather not talk then that is also ok Seliha."
"I will as I have some things to say." The two of them walk towards the crates before taking a seat.
"What would you like to talk about to ease your nervousness Seliha?"
"I have recently had a re-emergence of my duality syndrome and have done some things I regret."
"What is duality syndrome Seliha?"
"Most individuals find it easiest to think if it as having two different personalities in a similar way to someone with a split personality may. It is however not that simple and I have found it difficult to keep it hidden recently. Last week I threw a desk through a wall in the biotics building." That seemed to make Rythiva a little uneasy but she seemed to attempt to stay calm.
"Are you warning me that you may harm me Seliha?"
"I will try my hardest not to Rythiva but yes I may do so, yes I will mean to do so, no I will not intend to hurt you. I apologise."
"Wait... How can you mean to do something but not intend to?" Seliha stood from the crates.
"I told the others trying to explain was a bad idea." She said mostly to herself. "I even told you that it was a bad idea." Seliha turned to look to Rythiva. "I will keep this very simple, I am easily irritated and if you do so I will hurt you. Is that easier to understand?"
"I know it is difficult for you Seliha but I asked if you could stay pleasant for me." Adastra speaking as she waked towards the two of them. "Hello, I am Adastra and the crazy individual is my bondmate."
"I am Rythiva."
"It is good to meet you." She gave a nod to Adastra. "So why are you trying to intimidate Rythiva Seliha?"
"I tried to explain but she needed a simpler explanation." Adastra took a seat on the crates next to Rythiva as Seliha gave her answer.
"It usually helps if you do not unnerve individuals while trying to explain Seliha. Take a seat and I will try to help." She reluctantly did so leaving Adastra free to turn her attention to Rythiva. "If you have any questions then I will try to answer them for you Rythiva."
"Could I ask why you are bondmates?" Adastra laughed a little.
"Well we both have markings on our bodies and Seliha is a very nice individual usually. I admit the duality syndrome is not easy to comprehend but as long as you offer jobs, try not to argue with her and be friendly then I hope that Seliha will be nothing other than friendly towards you Rythiva. Do you feel that is something you can do or does Usarta need to think of something else for Seliha to do?"
"I think so. Could I ask you to explain Adastra?"
"Think of it as having an urge to do something other than you want to do. You know it is inappropriate or not something you would usually do and so you push it to one side in your mind. Then moments later what you had the urge to do moments earlier you find yourself doing. You have not meant to do the action but it is still your brain and your mind performing it. Seliha is however trying to learn to have the urge at least ask for permission instead of just doing what it wants. It may take a while but just being friendly will help."
"Will you be able to do this kind of work Seliha?"
"As long as I am told how then I cannot see why not."
"Seliha is smart enough to do this work Rythiva. I will also be disappointed if I hear any comments about bullying from anyone Seliha as this is meant to try and help you. I should however leave you both as I have work to be doing."
"It was good talking with you Adastra." She gave a nod to Rythiva before giving Seliha a kiss and leaving. "Are you ok to do something Seliha?"
"I am." The two of them get up off their crates and begin walking towards the thrusters.
"You may work in any order that you wish as long as the thrusters are repaired by the deadline stated."
"How do I know what that is as the deadline is not written on them?"
"Each thruster has an identification system built inside it in exactly the same way as most bioamps do. This data will inform the Omni-tool to download all pertinent information for that thruster from the central servers. You will then have access to the blueprints, test data, testers report and the deadline for repair." Seliha scans the thruster the two of them were currently walking past.
"What can I do with all of this when it is downloaded?"
"Well if we go back to that thruster you scanned. You should be able to open up the virtual map tool on your Omni-tool and see the blueprint projected onto the thruster." She does so to see a blue shading being projected onto the parts. "If the test data is particularly bad, such as it would not even turn on or work then you can carefully scan the thruster using this utility and it will notify you of any visible defects. A full scan typically only takes a few minutes and a progress counter will show you how much of the thruster has been processed." Seliha wonders off around the thruster to begin scanning it. "Should I leave you to get on with this one for the moment Seliha?"
"You can." Rythiva turned to look at the thruster immediately behind her. After a moment or two of deliberation she thinks it would be a good starting point and so takes the thrusters identity before beginning to work.
-----
"How did you get on this morning Seliha?" Adastra said before placing her lunch down on the table.
"She is ok I think. I think it will be a while before I feel happy with the work though."
"That is the same for everything Seliha, just persevere with it and you should find it better eventually." Seliha nodded. "I wonder where Fosanta and Kate are?" Adastra mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"I was quite early in leaving, as must you be Adastra."
"I am as we are mostly waiting for simulations to complete or waiting for testing parts to be manufactured. Samalya likes having something she can physically interact with to understand its properties. We are starting to get quite a mass of parts now."
"That sounds like what storage two looks like."
"You really should come and have a look yourself Seliha. Perhaps tomorrow after you have finished in storage two would be an idea."
"Doing what tomorrow Adastra?" Fosanta said, obviously half listening to the conversation as she walked towards the table.
"Seliha should come and see what we have in our development space as it is quite interesting."
"I may well have a look as well at some time Adastra. That is if you do not mind me doing so of course."
"Feel free Fosanta as we are getting towards the end of the development of the large thruster now. Actually, there are thoughts of scaling this version down to be the final manufactured design which would be interesting."
"That is the one with multiple plasma tubes if I remember correctly."
"It is. It is more complex but the control is very fine and it also allows thrust vectoring without any extra complexity." Adastra looked at the individual walking past to see it was Kate arriving. "Hello Kate."
"I would have asked what you were all talking about but thrust vectoring is the last thing I wish to discuss at the moment."
"You sound a little stressed Kate."
"It is probably the earlier morning and the fact that I was attempting to make a sale of some propulsive products this morning. It does not help that I was way over my head."
"It probably does not help that you do not know how to actually fly."
"I am well aware of that now Seliha. I have asked her to come back to visit on Thursday where I will have Isphara with me."
"I would have thought that Armali would have individuals to co-ordinate sales Kate."
"They do Adastra. This is somewhat of a strange negotiation however as it is a new company wishing to procure the parts, but not a new company to needing propulsion. They therefore want to obtain solid details but we cannot give them that without non-disclosure agreements and verification."
"I would have assumed that Usarta was there with you." Fosanta questioned as she continued munching.
"She was. I will try to explain more on Thursday but I cannot say anything else at the moment."
"I am sure that I would be interested in finding out more Kate. I should however be leaving as I am sure the simulation should be complete by now. I hope you all have a good afternoon."
"I am sure we will Adastra. I hope your afternoons work progresses well." Adastra gave a nod to Fosanta after giving Seliha a kiss before leaving.
"I should leave as well as I have work to catch up with from last week."
"Do not try to do it all at once Seliha as I feel that Adastra would prefer an individual who was not stressed and tired."
"I will have a talk to the others to see what can be deferred until next months design Kate."
"I think what Kate suggested would be a good idea Seliha. I should be around in a few minutes if you need to talk to me but if not we will speak to you this evening." Seliha nodded before she got up and left. "I will unfortunately have to be leaving as well Kate as I have a meeting with a couple of the bioamp programmers."
"I hope that meeting goes well for you Fosanta."
"It should." Fosanta gave Kate a quick kiss and a cuddle before standing up. "I hope you have a good afternoon and I will talk to you later." Kate nodded with a smile before Fosanta left.
-----
"I am assuming that this is Adastra again." Sam looked down at his Omni-tool which was beeping at him. "How did I guess?"
"Luckily you have some spare time while we wait in this queue."
"True." Sam answered the call. "I see that you were keen to talk to Mysampha again Adastra." Sam said with a smile on his face.
"Perhaps you should not have such a distracting individual with you while you are trying to learn Sam."
"Mysampha is very patient with my ineptitude Adastra. If you do feel that she may be distracting me then you could always teach me another day."
"I doubt Seliha would approve Sam."
"You have an awfully restrictive bondmate there then Adastra if she would not even let you teach me to fly."
"I was not talking about flying when I said distracting Sam."
"I do not think Sam is too bad to be honest Adastra." Selayla said from behind him.
"See, even Selayla thinks everything is ok. Anyway, what was it that you wished to speak about?"
"We all got to talk to Tahomi and Lastoma this morning Sam. Usarta was very kind to give us bandwidth to make it a video call as well."
"That sounds good Adastra. Were the two of them well?"
"Lastoma seemed to have taken the ordeal a little badly but Tahomi seems to be reasonably ok. They are both busy at the moment getting their pilots licences back after being added to the watch list."
"Is that a standard thing Adastra?"
"It is discretionary Sam but it is usually the case. What Tahomi and Lastoma, and the others probably experienced would be something that could impact their ability to fly, hence their pilots licences being revoked."
"I think I can understand why that would be the case." Sam quickly scanned over the console to see that nothing had gone amiss. "So how is your prospect of a ship progressing?"
"There is nothing new to say really Sam. Tahomi is to fly a second one however as the two of them seem to be coming to Illium to live."
"You will have another friend to torment then."
"I feel that she would be a bit nervous to begin with Sam as she was rather surprised that I was bondmates with Seliha."
"Well if it is going to be a while before she comes back then you may be able to think about having a water fight in the garden."
"I would rather not do that Sam."
"I am sure that Seliha would Adastra. Also if you wore something white and thin then you could sort of hide your markings a little. I admit it would not be much once the clothing is wet but it would be a way to introduce yourself so to speak." Adastra seemed to think about that suggestion.
"What do you mean by water fight Sam?" He heard from behind his seat.
"I mean trying to get each other as wet as possible Selayla. You can even make into somewhat of a team game if you wear inexpensive white clothing and put a dye in the water." Sam turned back to giving Adastra his attention. "I would also assume a shower afterwards could be a good way to warm up Adastra. You could even break out the purple shower gel again."
"Lastoma may secretly like that. I will think about that suggestion, I would however think quicker if you said that you would join in."
"If I am around then I will Adastra. When are you expecting them to arrive?"
"Tahomi said it would be about three weeks Sam." He nods. "How is your flying going?"
"I like class four ships more than class three as they seem to fly more like I would expect."
"You mean less agile?"
"I like that Adastra as it is much easier to predict what will happen. It also feels like you are flying something solid which makes me happier as well. I was talking to Mysampha earlier and it seems it is more of a preference as to how you process inputs as to what you prefer. I have no haptics and yet prefer to have some physical feedback so a slow response to input gives me that feeling. Mysampha is to change the flight controls of the lower classes to make flying easier for me later."
"I assume that sort of makes sense Sam. I am still not sure why you would not want haptics for flying as it makes things much easier."
"It is more of a principle Adastra. I do not want to come out here to suddenly gain the ability to feel holograms, see in the dark and change my hair colour to whatever colour I wish instantly. If I have a medical need for something then I will consider it but until that arises then I am staying away from medical procedures if I can."
"I can understand that position Sam. I should however get back to working as we only have a few more days of design left on this thruster before it can be sent for manufacturing."
"You will have to tell me what the test results are like when you get to play with it."
"I will Sam. I will leave you to continue your flying."
"Thank you. I hope to speak to you soon." Adastra nodded with a smile before disconnecting. "Now where were we?"
"We are still waiting for docking clearance unfortunately Sam. I may recommend that you re-contact Illium control as it may be that they have lost you in the system."
"That sounds about right Mysampha." Sam rolled his eyes before getting bored enough to consider doing what Mysampha had suggested.
-------
Wednesday 1st March 2017
-------
"Can I sit with Athya today?" Selayla asked as the five of them made their way to the simulators in Sentix Spaceworks.
"I need to ask, why do you like Athya so much Selayla? We have already said that she is too young for you." Yasmari said, a little fed up of not knowing why she seemed so lost. Selayla's face developed a lavender tinge as the other four all turned to look at her.
"I have been unable to stop fantasising about you Athya. I feel rather envious of you Sam, being able to sleep with such an individual must be wondrous." Sam laughed.
"I think you have a problem Selayla."
"I think you are right there Kalawa. My only concern is what kind of problem it will be." Sam looked to Amistathya who just had a quiet smile on her face. "Will you give any hints Ami?" She shook her head with the smile broadening as she did so.
"Selayla and I agreed that we could have a little silliness on Friday evening as it would be rather irresponsible of us to do so before then given we are covering for Hymara and Lianta."
"That makes sense Yasmari. Ami and I need to try our gift from Aphrina and Solpha at some time as well. Then we have the ship to wire and also all this flight practice. I really need more hours in a day to be honest."
"To be fair I could always do some wiring on the ship for you Sam while you and Athya do your flight practice." Sam thought about that for a moment or two.
"Would you be happy enough to do that Silana as it would be very helpful to me?"
"I would not have offered otherwise Sam."
"Ok Silana. I am sure that we can work out how to meet each other for getting back home this evening."
"I will wait in the development building just outside the corridor to the simulators Sam."
"Ok. I hope you have a good day Silana." She gave a nod and a smile before leaving the group to make her way to the SSPL-Rapture. "Would you be happy with Selayla sitting in with you today Ami?"
"I do not see why not. I am sure that Thyansa will have a laugh."
"I am sure that Selayla will likely have a better ride as well as either I am really rubbish..." The four of them walk around the corner to see Mysampha and Thyansa waiting for them outside the simulators. "...or some individual named Mysampha keeps giving me really bad ships or just hates me." Sam said knowing full well she could hear what was being said. "Good morning you two."
"I feel that most individuals would struggle to hate you Sam."
"You obviously have not met Liphanya then Mysampha."
"We have both met Liphanya and I doubt she is what Mysampha meant as most individuals Sam. I would however advise that we begin as soon as possible. Is that ok with you Athya?"
"It is." The six of them begin making their way down to their usual simulators. "Selayla is to be with us today Thyansa."
"It will be good to talk to you while Athya flies the ship Selayla." Selayla nodded, she just seemed happy enough to be sitting with Amistathya today. The group splits into two and they each go to their simulators.
-----
Seliha walked into storage two with a little less tension in her body than she had yesterday. It was immediately obvious to her where Rythiva was as there was only one thruster in the storage bay which was in hundreds of parts, the plasma tube still hanging from the overhead crane. Seliha made her way behind the tube to see Rythiva sat on some tubing looking at a selection of parts in front of her.
"Good Morning." Seliha said making Rythiva jump a little as the words broke into her train of thought.
"The same to you as well Seliha. Do you feel happier than you did yesterday today?"
"I feel less anxious but I am nervous about getting something wrong to be honest."
"I would not worry about that Seliha as these all have to get retested anyway. If you would like, you could come around here to help me with this thruster if you wish." Seliha took a short run up before jumping and using her biotics to get over all of the parts that where laid on the floor. "I assume that you are aware that it is a little unnerving to see such biotic control for me."
"I apologise. I wanted to loose a bit of stress and doing something a little different usually helps. Would you still like me to help?"
"It would be nice." Seliha took a seat beside Rythiva. "I know one of these parts has a mechanical defect but since it is visually fine I have to methodically test everything."
"Do you know what I am to look for?"
"It will be one of these kind of valves and all of them are in crates in front of you. They may be different sizes but all of them are ovoid in shape with three wires. The item to your right is an external power supply which you can use to test the valves. You connect the two outermost wires first then connect the orange with the purple. You should be able to hear a quiet noise as the valve opens and the power each part should use should be listed on the blueprint. If it does make a noise and uses the correct amount of power then mark it with a marker and go onto the next one."
"Can the systems in the thruster not detect these defects?"
"It can detect valves which are stuck closed or stuck open. In the majority of cases this is the fault and it is simple to find. This one will be stuck in what the system thinks is the closed state but it will have an air leak. Either that or the electromagnetic control system has two shorts which is very, very rare. In either case the valve is likely to use approximately the same amount of power as normal but it will not make a noise and one end of the valve will become warmer than the other after a few minutes."
"How many are there to test?"
"I took seventy two valves off this particular three metre thruster. I have done eleven up to now as, as you can see, this one I have marked as twelve so that I know which order to put them back."
"Should I start with the higher numbered valves?"
"You may as well Seliha. They are in the green box over there and there are nine in each." said Rythiva who pointed towards a green box which was towards the back of the collection of boxes. Silana biotically lifted the box from where she was sitting and placed it down in front of herself before taking the first of the valves out of the crate and set about the task of testing it.
-----
Seliha carefully made her way into the workroom that Adastra, Samalya and Thea used. Lots of half manufactured parts or test devices were spread around the floor, the larger ones in the middle of the room obscuring her view of the consoles at the back of the hall. She could however hear an ongoing discussion and so began to pick her way through the discarded parts to get to the individuals having the discussion.
"Hello Seliha." Thea happily greeted her arrival which took Adastra and Samalya's attention from the console.
"Did you have a good day with Rythiva Seliha?"
"I felt a little happier today."
"I am pleased to hear that it is getting easier Seliha. I assume you are not all that impressed with all the items in here?"
"It looks like storage two."
"I feel we should go and get some lunch Seliha. Would you two like to join us?"
"We will go later as it gets too busy earlier on, thank you for asking however."
"You are most welcome to join us whenever Samalya as I am sure we can find a larger table."
"I will be sure to do so when we have a little less work to do Adastra as it would be nice to talk with Kate again at least at some point."
"I would like that as well. I hope you have a good lunch however."
"I will Thea." Adastra said before putting her arm around Seliha to drag her in the direction of the skylounge. "I will definitely ask you to observe the testing of this proposed design Seliha as I feel that is something you like better than all of these parts."
"I like to see results and when I saw the last thruster it was quite impressive." Seliha stated as the two of them enter the lift to head up to the top of the engineering building.
"It could be a total failure Seliha. I guess that an explosion would be just as good to watch though." The two of them shared a smile before a short kiss as the lift continued to make its slow process skywards.
-----
Amistathya, Sam, Selayla, Silana and Yasmari walk out of the lift to find an Armali box by their front door. "I see someone has a present." Sam commented getting a smile from the sky blue one.
"What is it Athya as it looks quite like a bioamp box." Yasmari asked as Amistathya collected it from the floor on the way into the apartment.
"I believe Ami said that it was a new dummy bioamp. You should at least show us all what the design is like." She placed it down on the table before carefully peeling the tape off the top to open the box. Inside was a transparent holder in a bag along with the bioamp itself. She lifted out the holder which got a little laugh from Sam.
"What was the laugh for Sam?"
"It is a transparent holder like Adastra and Seliha have Selayla. I quite like them but they are a little difficult to get on and off." Amistathya carefully pulled the bioamp from the protective packaging as she lifted it free of the box. A white bioamp with veins of a rich blue adding some much needed colour to the plain device.
"That looks nice Athya."
"Thank you Selayla. Do you like it Sam?"
"It is a bit of a surprise, I was half expecting some sky blue spirals on a blue colour or something similar. I think it will look nice with your transparent dress though."
"It is certainly different to bioamps."
"Adastra and Seliha have a little decoration on their bioamps Yasmari. I admit it is much more subtle than this design so it is not likely that you would confuse them both."
"I have not seen everyone else's bioamps Sam. Standard issue Republic's ones are black."
"Adastra's is blue with turquoise writing like her markings Yasmari. Seliha's has a slight spiral of purple to match up with the markings on her body. You could call both of the designs a little plain but they do not look too out of place on them both."
"Are you to try it on later Athya?"
"I will Silana."
"I believe it would be food first since it is rather late. At least tomorrow we could have a later start since it is only plumbing and wiring again."
"I like that idea for a change Sam." He gave Silana a nod while they both continued to lay the table.
-------
Thursday 2nd March 2017
-------
"How far have you got with wiring things up then Silana?"
"I have got a bit done but it takes time and patience Sam." Sam nodded as the five of them entered the non-working airlock of the ship. Amistathya gave Selayla a surprise kiss in front of Sam, Silana and Yasmari before wandering off to the engineering area of the ship with a smile on her face. "Are you a little embarrassed there Selayla?"
"It was a surprise Sam." He shook his head with a smile before following the path Amistathya had just taken.
"I am going to sit in with Athya in the simulator tomorrow Selayla as you two are getting too close for a professional working relationship." Selayla reluctantly nodded but her mind was still miles away in the surprise moment.
"I think that could be a good idea Yasmari. I should however go to show Sam and Athya what I have done up to now. If you could bring some of the cables in the living area with you then it would be helpful."
"We will Silana."
-----
"Hello Fosanta. I hope you do not mind me having a short discussion with you?" Whesiva said with a cheery note as she walked through the open door of Fosanta's workroom.
"Of course Whesiva. What would you like to talk about this morning?" Fosanta said gesturing her new guest to take a seat on the chair opposite.
"I was interested in talking to you this morning about the planned trip to Thessia Fosanta. I would rather not have to be packing at the last possible moment."
"Well, I am aware that it is testing on the Saturday. If you wished then you could come back to the house with us afterwards. I am thinking that it could be early Sunday morning when we leave."
"I could do that Fosanta. Should I take anything specific with me? I am not sure what will be happening."
"I do not think we know for sure at the moment Whesiva. If you did forget to take something then I am sure that we could make an excuse to do some shopping in Serrice."
"I think I may be doing that anyway Fosanta as I quite like the choices available to me there."
"I think that Kate and I would likely have a day of shopping as well Whesiva so you could certainly join us if you wished."
"I may well do that. I have however heard from others that you are not going to be at work next week. Are you doing anything nice?"
"It is just going to be a break to the Citadel for Kate and myself. We have not really had any time alone together which I feel Kate wishes to have."
"I do hope that you both enjoy that Fosanta. I should however be getting back to work but I do feel happier now that I have some idea what is to happen and when."
"You will see me on the Saturday morning for bioamp testing Whesiva so we can go through all the plans and developments then."
"That would be good. I hope you have a good day." Whesiva said as she got up from her chair.
"I hope you do as well Whesiva." She gave a smile and a nod to Fosanta before leaving her to continue with her work.
-----
"Octus Ohara?" Isphara questioned as she approached the Turian in the waiting area.
"It is." He asked as he stood up from his seat.
"Welcome to Armali Illium. I am Isphara T'Fai. I believe that you met Kate on Tuesday."
"I did. No disrespect but she had no idea what I was wanting."
"Please follow me. I believe Kate was surprised at you turning up not just for verification but for a potential sales agreement as well. That would be why she has asked myself and Usarta who manages this facility to be with her today."
"Good morning Octus Ohara. My name is Usarta and I have heard plenty about you from your visit on Tuesday. I am hoping that we can arrange some kind of agreement between us before the end of the day."
"That will likely happen. I am most surprised that this could not be done through a secure video link to Armali, Thessia however."
"Armali operate this facility as a sub entity which gives us the freedom to produce propulsive devices as well as invest heavily in research and development. We have grown to become quite a sizeable facility and one that is becoming rather well known on Illium."
"And elsewhere as well it seems." Octus noted. "As you probably know, Ohara Space Industry supply a solid proportion of the hierarchy's civilian ships as well as propulsive products for their more military oriented vessels. The hierarchy would never entertain a non-Turian module onboard their military vessels. We were however hearing good things about your propulsive modules and would be interested in potentially licensing your technology for our civilian vessels."
"We unfortunately cannot begin licensing our current products Octus as that would introduce performance variation. We would however be more than happy to produce any of our range of products for you to fit into your ships."
"I understand that. I am to be honest here Miss and say that Ohara's business model is close to collapse. The Hierarchy are essentially paying us what we need to stay afloat for the ships we provide to them. That is a waste and other manufacturers could do the same work as we can for half the price. We were wanting to create new civilian ship designs with new propulsive products and remarket ourselves as a manufacturer of quality ships. If we cannot license the propulsive products then if would lead to a loss of thousands of Turian jobs."
"While Isphara is correct in that we do not license products that are already on the market we could provide you with designs for a new developmental plasma propulsion model." Octus seemed to suddenly perk up with that news.
"I am keen to hear any potential offer Usarta along with details on the design of course."
"Kate, could you go to my office and bring back the datapad that is on my desk?" She gave a nod to Usarta before leaving the room. "Octus Ohara, I currently have quite a lot of development, side projects and expansions to finance so I am debating my offer would be to you. Could I however ask what would be your average number of thrusters sold per year would be?"
"We currently manufacture ten thousand ships of various designs per year and I believe the average number of thrusters is about seventeen thousand."
"Ok, if you like the design then I will provide blueprints and all simulation and test data on the thruster designs for a hundred billion credits plus ten percent of the cost of each thruster sold. That agreement will last for ten years and also be applicable to any development upon the design as well."
"That is a very large amount just for small thrusters between one and three metres."
"I understand that Octus. We however cannot realistically have you labelling this design as ours unless you agree not to change it in any way."
"If you would be happy to license new designs regularly Usarta then I would happily get new licenses if it means less initial outlay."
"If you label the thrusters as an Ohara-Armali design, do not change it then I will offer the designs for twenty billion plus ten percent of each sale." Kate walked back in at that point with the datapad which she handed to Usarta before sitting down. This gave Octus time to think that offer through, running some calculations through his Omni-tool.
"If you could make it eight percent of each sale with a decal on each ship containing such a thruster, and I like the design, then we have a deal Usarta." Usarta thinks over that offer for a moment. It was less than she had hoped for but the regular income for no work would be highly beneficial to the facilities bottom line.
"I agree Octus. Please however use the Armali Illium logo from the Extranet for your decal and not the Armali Council one. It must also be visible from a docking port even if it is unobtrusive."
"Of course."
"Here are the designs for one, two, three, five, eight and twelve metre variants Octus." Usarta handed over the datapad.
"Interesting... I was rather expecting a design which would be difficult to use. We could just place a shelf above the thrusters for power conversion and everything would be fine."
"You sound surprised that we produce solid designs here at Armali Octus."
"I am Miss. This design will be very helpful for us to achieve our goals Usarta. I was thinking that twenty billion was a stretch but these designs look worthy of their cost, especially so since we do not have to have any electrolysis units."
"I felt the price was fair and we do have to pay for research and development costs somehow Octus."
"I understand that Usarta."
"I thought you may. I will ensure that Kate sends you all of that data plus some more that we have via a secure link as soon as the contract is signed and the contractual costs are covered."
"I will have to go back to Palaven and meet with the other company managers Usarta. If you would send the contract to me then as soon as an agreement has been reached in the managerial meeting you will get it sent back, signed along with the twenty billion."
"I will be awaiting your final decision Octus and ensure everything gets to you quickly."
"I thought you were fairly useless after Tuesday Kate but this meeting you have organised has been highly efficient. I must commend you for today. Usarta, it has been a very beneficial meeting and one which I hope happens again in the future."
"We will certainly try to be accommodating where we can Octus but a revised design to those will be a few years away."
"I am sure that these will give us an edge over the old declassified military designs for several years Usarta. I hope you all have a good day."
"We hope that you have a safe journey back to Palaven."
"I am sure that I will Isphara." The Turian noted before leaving the meeting room with a noticeably pleased expression on his face.
"Could I ask what that will bring to Armali Illium per year Usarta?"
"It works out at about one and a half billion credits per year Kate. I still feel that they got the thrusters inexpensively with that deal but we do not have to do any work on them. It is essentially a continuous stream of credits which is always helpful for various reasons. Anyway, I apologise for this meeting creeping into lunch time for you both."
"Well I probably will not get to meet the others given the time."
"You would be most welcome to sit with me if you wish Kate. I would enjoy having a little time to talk as I have not done so much up to now."
"I will do that Isphara." Kate said as the three of them left the meeting room.
-----
"Good afternoon you three." Usarta announced as she walked into the development room where Adastra, Thea and Samalya were.
"I assume you are not here to see how the thruster designs are coming along."
"That is not my primary intention Samalya but you can at least explain how everything is progressing."
"It is looking likely that we will have the large thruster design completed in two or three days Usarta."
"We are just having some minor issues with gas flow."
"I am sure that you can resolve that problem Thea. It is also good news that you should be completed a couple of days early. My reason that I am here is to speak to you Adastra."
"What about Usarta?"
"It is about the agreement that we made on Monday Adastra. The class three race in Nos Parnalo has been agreed for the twentieth and the twenty first of May. We therefore have released the funds for the testing ships to be built. It would be up to you three to design the thruster that you specifically would like Adastra. Tahomi would be allowed to make minor modifications to a standard part upon her arrival."
"I am sure the two ship designs would be different Usarta?"
"Yes and Sentix have a good test design for an ion thruster ship Samalya so Tahomi, the other pilot with Adastra will likely be pleased with it. I will provide you with plans for your design Adastra so that you can modify them before production begins."
"I hope Tahomi gets to do the same to her design Usarta."
"Unfortunately I cannot pass on the design until she arrives Adastra but the design is adapted to racing. The ship design from your ship will be transferred to Tahomi's Adastra as her ship is just a smaller scaled version of your hull for the most part. Sentix however are going to attempt to have both ships delivered by the end of March or the beginning of April."
"Do ships for racing have names Adastra?"
"Some have names and some do not Samalya. I would assume it would depend how long a hull generally lasts before being modified so much as to be unrecognisable as the original."
"We do not really have the facility to produce entire hulls, at least not quickly. A name would start ACTLV for Asari Class Three Light Vessel and would be designated numbers. I believe Sentix said it would be 372040 and 372041, unless you chose a name which was unique, which is highly likely with that designation."
"I feel I would need to have a think about a name Usarta and I will ask Tahomi if she has any preferences on names as well as it would be inappropriate for me to name her ship."
"I understand that Adastra. I feel that Sentix would like to know your name choice within two weeks, if that is manageable."
"I am sure I can have something for you by then Usarta."
"I am glad to hear that Adastra. I am also pleased that you all seem to be making good progress with the thruster." The three of them gave a nod to Usarta who did likewise before leaving them to continue their work.
-----
"Usarta confirmed I am to get a class three racing ship this afternoon." Adastra said to Kate and Fosanta as soon as they entered through the front door of the house.
"I am pleased to see that you are excited but could it not have waited a minute longer?" Fosanta said with a light smile.
"Not really."
"I would have liked to have said that Whesiva seems interested in a shopping day around the dinner table to be honest but since we are getting everything out in the open now I may as well do so as well."
"I would be up for that." Kate said with a smile. "I also had a meeting with Usarta this morning and we have licensed the technology of your new thrusters to a Turian ship manufacturer Adastra. A quick talk to Usarta this afternoon has lead me to believe that she is to ask you to scale the large thruster down to smaller sizes for the next version from Armali."
"Wait, so which version is going to be used for the event?" Kate shrugs. "That could mean quite a bit of work after our Thessian break then as I need one for my ship."
"Well at least you know what you have to do Adastra." She nodded in agreement to Kate. "Where is Seliha?"
"I am in here." The three of them hear from the kitchen.
"She is making dinner again, something to do with test engineers being stressful. I am at least grateful that she is actually trying to combat the problem now rather than bottling it up."
"I agree with you Adastra. Have you told Sam about your new ship yet?"
"I soon will have." Fosanta and Kate head into the kitchen after sharing a smile and shaking their heads while Adastra opened her Omni-tool to give Sam a call.
-----
"I am beginning to wonder if Adastra has accidently set her Omni-tool to call me when she leans on the interface." Sam commented to Amistathya who was also in the bedroom with him.
"You should at least answer her Sam." He nodded and did so as she cosied up to the side of Sam.
"I do apologise if I have disturbed you two."
"You have not Adastra. I was just admiring Ami's new dummy bioamp to be honest."
"Oh, you mean for your dresses Athya?" She nodded.
"You may as well show Adastra it Ami." She turned around to allow Adastra to see the bioamp through her transparent holder.
"It looks very pretty Athya. You should have placed some text on it however so that it would look like a proper bioamp."
"I doubt it would look as artistic then Adastra. So have you called at this time of the evening just to see Ami and I topless or do you have something else to say?"
"The race is to be on the twentieth and the twenty-first of May Sam which means I am definitely going to get a ship."
"Congratulations. Hello Seliha, how are you?"
"I am having a tricky week, it is better than last week however."
"That is good to hear Seliha as I doubt Armali want any more of their buildings destroying. I would assume that the good news that Adastra has got today is cheering you up a little as well."
"It is a little."
"How is your flying going?"
"We were wiring up the ship today Adastra but Mysampha wants me in tomorrow so that I am ready to take the class one and two simulation tests along with the class one competency test over the weekend."
"Are you the same as well Athya?"
"I am."
"Are you to be able to modify the design of your ship Adastra?"
"I can so I am going to take my time over balancing weight and still try to have something that I can use to travel to places in."
"I am sure that you know exactly what you want out of such a design."
"I am certainly going to try and get something I will be happy with Sam. Usarta said that it could be about the beginning of April before it is delivered."
"A month does not sound too long to wait."
"It is not. All I have to do is think of a suitable name now."
"If you would like a suggestion or two from me Adastra then I would have to get back to you, possibly on Saturday."
"I am sure that we will be able to think of something Sam but if not I will ask." Sam nods. "I think we should leave you both to get some sleep if you are to be learning to fly again tomorrow."
"I hope you both have a good night as well. I hope to see you both on Saturday."
"You should Sam." Sam gave a nod and Amistathya a light wave before Adastra disconnected.
-------
Friday 3rd March 2017
-------
"I only have one meeting today and it is the last day before a little break as well. It is just a pity that it is early."
"Please do not forget that I have to work tomorrow morning Kate."
"I am not forgetting Fosanta but it does mean that I can take my time over packing."
"I do not think we have decided what to do yet while you are both away. I think Seliha would appreciate something a little different."
"I think it would be better to decide a little nearer the time."
"It is not too long after that before we go to Thessia as well. Have you two booked your hotel yet?" Adastra and Seliha look to each other then smile.
"No. I know we should Kate but I doubt either of us will be too bothered as long as it is reasonably clean and has a bed in it. It was however fortunate for you that you got that free room."
"To be fair, I have not got what anyone could call a large amount of credits. If I can save something on a room then I think that can only be a good thing Adastra."
"I just wish I could have done that Kate. Anyway, I should be thinking of getting to Armali as Thea and Samalya will be waiting for me."
"I am ready when you are Adastra."
"Now would be good if that is the case Seliha." She stood up from the table. "I will talk to you both at lunch time."
"I hope you both have a good morning." Fosanta got two nods from the vacating Asari before they left the kitchen. "We should be leaving soon as well if you have an early appointment."
"I will not be long Fosanta. I just think the giddiness of this being the last day for a while is distracting me."
"I noticed that hence why I gave you a little reminder Kate." Fosanta said with a joking smile. Kate responded with an unimpressed look as she finished off her breakfast.
-----
"While we are floating around somewhere in fake space I have something to discuss with you Selayla about this evening." Sam said as if an idea had just sprung into his head from the boredom of sitting around.
"What would that be Sam?"
"Do you feel that Yasmari would like to join in this evening or should I just get some drinks in? I am just thinking that Ami manipulating you to her whim will likely not leave much room for everyone else."
"Are you sure you should discuss this here Sam?"
"You sound like Hymara Selayla. I am sure that Mysampha is happy with me talking as long as I pay some attention to the simulator." She gave a nod of agreement. "See, the sexy voiced one agrees. So what do you think Selayla?"
"I feel that Yasmari would be happier with some honey mead as I don't think she really approves."
"As long as you have a bit of fun then I am not bothered and I feel that Yasamri will not be too bothered either. Perhaps she is more bothered about what Kalawa will say."
"You could be right but Kalawa knows me reasonably well so I think she will understand."
"I am glad to hear that." Sam said to Selayla before turning his attention back to the console. "How long is there until I can crash the ship again Mysampha?"
"Eleven minutes Sam. You do however fly the larger ships much better than in the smaller ones, and so I hope that you do not have any issues."
"I do try Mysampha and I do quite like these class four ships as they actually seem to have a feeling of inertia. The class threes seem a little twitchy for me as if I am flying a block of air or something."
"As Adastra said to you on Wednesday Sam, it is why most pilots use the haptic interface. You should however manage ok with the lower classes once you have some more practice."
"I am just hoping that it does not take me years and years to get a licence to fly my ship."
"If you come in for one day over the weekend I will set you the class one test which should allow you to complete those hours in a class one shuttle whenever you wish in the future as long as you continue training and flying."
"How long would it take to get to class two from that point?"
"It would probably be about another week like the current one Sam. If you did not have a holiday after that time then it may have been possible to get your class three simulation license by the end of the month."
"It sounds as if I may be lucky to get my license by the end of the year."
"I would not rush Sam as it is very much a skill that is best learned slowly. Taking one step at a time is the best option, just as we are doing now." Sam sighed with a nod before settling back down in front of the console, just waiting for the FTL timer to elapse.
-----
"I assume you are looking forward to your visit to the Citadel." Adastra asked Kate after Fosanta and Seliha had finished their lunch and left the two of them alone at a table in the Skylounge.
"I definitely am Adastra as I feel as if I have been working here for many months now. A bit of a break should be good as I feel a need to see some of the galaxy since I have the chance." Kate looked out of the window at the slight haze that had descended over Nos Astra. "Have you got any plans for Seliha and yourself Adastra? I know you have both had a slightly difficult time lately."
"We unfortunately do not have next week off so there is nothing extravagant that we can do. I am sure that we can find something to do however."
"I am sure you can..." Kate seemed to have a think for a moment. "Have you had a talk to Tahomi about various plans yet?"
"I was thinking of giving her a call later this evening or perhaps tomorrow. It would be better if I actually had the design specifications of the ship but I assume I do not have them for a reason."
"I will have a talk to Usarta this afternoon to see if I can get you them."
"I would appreciate that Kate."
"That is no problem. I should however get back to work. I hope you have a good afternoon."
"You too." Adastra said with a smile as Kate departed the table.
-----
Sam, Amistathya, Silana, Selayla and Yasmari arrive back at the apartment to find notification of a parcel having been left at security. "I do not think I was expecting a parcel."
"I am." Amistathya said with a smile.
"Could you go with Ami Silana to get it?" Silana nodded and the two of them made their way back into the lift, Amistathya having a slight spring to her step. "We should get some food sorted out and then settle in for the night."
"Do you have anything to watch Sam?"
"I have loads of things but they are not in Asari unfortunately Yasmari."
"I may well be too drunk to care so that sounds fine with me." Sam had to laugh at that comment has he put the crate of honey mead on the table.
"I would take a bottle of that out for yourself if you want some Sam."
"I am not too fond of it actually as I find it a touch too sweet. That said I am sure I can make do with it for this evening." Sam looked over his shoulder after the apartment door opened to see Amistathya walk in carrying a reasonably large box. "I seem to remember that company from those marker pens."
"I was thinking that as well Sam when we collected the box. I know what happened with the edible sand and the lubricant last time." Silana said as Amistathya carefully placed the box on the table before beginning to open it. "What have you got this time Athya?" She tipped the box upside down on the table before removing it to leave the box's contents in a fairly neat pile to dig through. Taking hold of a thin white box she removed it from the pile before holding it out to Sam.
"Is that for me Ami?" She nodded.
"I hope I can trust you with it." Sam took the nearly metre long box from Ami with a smile.
"I hope in that case that you do not use it then." Sam said with his tongue slightly in his cheek before he opened one end of the box with everyone else watching on. He looked into the open end to see a green thing which he gently coaxed out using his fingers revealing that it was a handle for a deep orange coloured cane. "I am not sure if this is a hint or just so that I can use the ruler as a ruler from now on. I do like the colour and the green soft silicone grip on the end though."
"Is that natural or artificial Sam?" Yasmari asked with a little curiosity.
"The wooden bit feels natural but I could be wrong."
"It is a sapling of an ochros tree Yasmari." Amistathya explained as Sam struggled to really give the cane a bend due to its reluctance to be flexed. "Do you like it Sam?"
"Errrm... I was expecting it to be somewhat more flexible to be entirely honest. It also feels somewhat wrong accepting such an item from an ex servant. That said it does look aesthetically pleasing."
"What else do you have Athya?" Silana asked.
"I got some purple and black rope as I liked the colour, a bath foam with a slightly fruity smell and a strap-on as I did not have one. I also got something else which I am not going to say anything about for the moment."
"Is this all for tonight Athya?"
"Not everything." Amistathya teasingly said to Selayla as if she was keeping future plans under wraps.
"I think that food is the first plan though Selayla." She nodded in agreement to Sam. "I must ask you Silana, how interested would you be to see what the sapling is like?"
"Errm." Silana seemed a little tentative to say yes with Yasmari and Selayla around given the slight purple tinge that had developed on her cheeks.
"I know Silana, I feel somewhat hesitant about it as well but if I know you well enough then I think you would enjoy it."
"Oh... I think I understand." Selayla said with a seemingly knowing smile.
"I do not fully understand yet Selayla but I am sure I will eventually. All I know is that Silana rather enjoys the bruising. I have a strange feeling that it could be a somewhat conditioned reaction but still."
"Situationally enhanced and not conditioned would probably be a better description Sam." Silana said as she was getting food from the kitchen cupboard. "I will offer ten and I trust you to know what I like afterwards."
"I will have a think about what should happen over dinner. Yasmari, I assume you just want to sit in front of a screen with your honey mead?"
"I am somewhat interested in just observing at first if that would be ok. I would like to make sure things are relatively reasonable before getting drunk."
"That sounds fair enough to me Yasmari. Could I ask why you were interested in the sapling earlier anyway?"
"Aumarva has a natural one about two thirds the length of yours Sam. I was just curious as most that I have seen have been manufactured."
"Aumarva has a sapling?" Selayla said with some surprise.
"I think you and Kalawa had gone for a shower or something when she brought it out one evening. It looked nice but it stung rather strongly and I have a greater fondness of loosing myself in my mind rather than in physical feelings. It is therefore not something I would particularly like."
"I am not sure whether to be surprised at Aumarva having one or not as she does seem the most rebellious of you eight."
"I feel that is a safe assumption Sam given she is the one with the biotic limiter."
-----
Kate, Fosanta, Adastra and Seliha were eating their evening meal at the dining table when a comment that Seliha made jogged a thought in her mind.
"Do you have any specific plans Fosanta as it would be nice to have an idea as to what I need to pack?"
"I was just planning to have a look around really Kate. It would of course be nice to have a good meal somewhere while we are there as well. The hotel is already booked so do not worry about that."
"Actually... That has just reminded me that I should try and find somewhere for us to stay next week when we go to Thessia." Adastra noted as if it was another job to add to the to-do list.
"Maybe Seliha could help you with that Adastra?"
"I probably will as she will be stuck talking to Tahomi about the ship all weekend."
"I forgot to mention earlier Adastra. Sentix are to send the design files to Armali today, they may already have done so. Usarta said that she would arrange to have them placed in an area you can access on the Armali servers as soon as possible afterwards."
"I will have a look using one of the consoles upstairs shortly before having a talk to Tahomi. What are you two planning to do this evening?"
"Well a reasonably quiet night and a bit of packing sounds like a plan, at least for me." Kate said to Adastra before she looked towards Fosanta who was to her right.
"I think I will be somewhat similar as I will not have as much time tomorrow to get everything sorted out." Adastra nodded before looking to her right to see Seliha getting up to move her empty plate away.
"That was quick, were you hungry?"
"I guess I was just getting somewhat bored." Seliha said frankly before walking off into the kitchen.
"I think she has not had the best of days today." Adastra said quietly to Kate and Fosanta. "I am sure next week will be somewhat different for her which I hope is something good."
"I think as long as the house is still left standing when we get back then I feel Kate and I will not be too bothered as to what you do."
"I was not planning on destroying anything Fosanta. Anyway, I will leave you two to finish your food in peace while I have a look to see if those designs have arrived." Adastra got a nod from the two other occupants of the table before taking her empty plate into the kitchen.
-----
Amistathya and Selayla had gone up to the bathroom with a couple of items leaving Sam, Silana and Yasmari downstairs. "Would you mind doing so here Silana between the sitting area and the kitchen as there is quite a bit of free space and no walls or ceilings to worry about?"
"I will be where you want me to be Sam. I am however a little nervous now."
"Is it an exciting nervous or a scared nervous Silana? Do remember that you are free to say softly if you wish or even to not continue. I do not want you to be unhappy about this."
"Can I say both Sam? I am a little scared about what you may do but excited at the prospect."
"I would just like you to kneel down for the moment Silana." She did as Sam asked before he collected two pieces of rope and a white ball gag from the kitchen table. He then went to kneel down beside her. "I am sure you understand why I would prefer you to be gagged and restrained a little Silana. All I would like you to do is once you are gagged is to touch the bottom of your feet with your fingers." She gave a nod along with a slight smile before opening her mouth for the gag. Sam noticed out of the corner of his eye Yasmari intently watching on over the back of the sofa. "Are you so interested for a particular reason Yasmari?"
"Call it entertainment while I drink." Yasmari said with a smile, her second large glass of honey mead in hand. "I am somewhat curious as to how much it will hurt though."
"I would guess quite a bit Yasmari." Sam replied as he continued tying Silana's wrists to her ankles so that her arse was in the air. Once done he moved around Silana who had decided to place the right side of her face on the floor. "Are you ok to do this?" She managed a small nod which comforted Sam enough to stand and pick up the barked ochros sapling from the kitchen table. He swished it through the air a few times, turning it slightly before hearing a noise on the balcony behind him. He turned around to see Amistathya stood there. "I half assumed you would not miss out Ami. Where is Selayla?"
"In the bathroom hopefully behaving herself Sam." Sam shook his head a little before taking a breath to settle himself. He walked forward a little to Silana before lining up the first shot. A whistle followed by a crack and a groan occurred moments later, Silana tensed up with the pain as it flowed from the deepening purple mark all over her body. Over the period of nine more hits the physical tension in Silana's body seemed to grow given her toes were curling and her back arching more and more. A puddle of drool and tears leaked out of Silana's slightly purple face and onto the floor. Her backside at the end of a minute had ten purple and swelling lines, although they were not all parallel or even between both cheeks as Sam was not that experienced. He did however put the sapling on the floor immediately after the last stroke to give Silana a bit of a hug.
"I will remove the rope and the gag Silana. Could you kindly not touch your backside for me?" He gave her folds a stroke as he got a nod in response. Sam therefore quickly untied Silana before helping her get up onto her knees and removing her gag. "Do you need a break Silana just to calm a little?"
"That would be appreciated if I can." Silana asked softly as she wiped away the tears from her face.
"Of course Silana." Sam said as he helped her to stand.
"How badly does it hurt Silana as it seemed and sounded painful?"
"It is not particularly the sharp impact that hurts Yasmari but it feels as if it has been heated in a fire before being used. I would have really liked to have sat in some cold water about now."
"In that case Silana I have a proposal. Do you think you can lie on the kitchen worktop with your backside over the sink?" Silana nodded before walking over and climbed up onto the worktop. She laid down being careful of her new bruising before propping herself up on her elbows. "Would you be interested in joining in Yasmari?" Sam asked as he was running cold water into the sink between Silana's legs.
"I will resist Sam."
"So what you are saying is that you are somewhat horny but are deliberately trying to be responsible?" Sam said in a joking manner as he turned off the tap.
"The situation is not quite right." Sam laughed as he jumped onto the worktop and sat down next to the sink opposite Silana.
"What you mean is you like being the centre of attention when drunk."
"Not just when I am drunk, although that helps." Sam sighs with a smile before turning his attention to Silana. "Do you still feel very sore as the marks do look somewhat swollen?"
"Yes. I assume that it feels how you imagine it does given how you describe it Sam." He dipped his finger into the cold water before running it over her left butt cheek, and several of the marks, getting a long breath out in response.
"That sounds like a good feeling." Sam got a handful of the cold water and gently slapped it into her bruised backside causing her to jump a little and gently bite her tongue as she moaned. Sam grabbed her legs and moved her a little further over the sink. He got down from the counter top before moving the tap so that the stream of water would hit her sensitive lips. He then turned the cold water back on making Silana baulk a little at the chill. "I know it is cold Silana but I am trying to cool the bits that are burning." Silana took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Look at me Silana." She did so, her eyes almost aching with her need for a little more, yet also still glassy from the tears. Sam began to stroke the back of her neck with his fingers which caused a little extra tension to build into her body. "Do not close your eyes yet Silana." She nodded a little as if in apology. Sam put his left hand between Silana's legs to splash a little of the cold stream of water across her bruising. A slight whimper escaped Silana's mouth as Sam lightly brushed his hand against her cold and wet folds between her legs. He moved slowly to give Silana a kiss and as he did he began rubbing the icy mountains in the stream of water. Her breathing immediately began to quicken and he could feel Silana's body tensing up and her back arching as he continued. She tried moving her head but Sam grabbed the back of her head at the same time as he began squeezing her dark blue mound hard in his left hand. Silana stopped breathing and went rigid at that moment before her arms collapsed from underneath her leaving her to rely on the comfort of Sam's right arm for support. Her breathing returned but continued to be intermittent and ragged for several further seconds before her body relaxed causing her to skate along the smooth countertop into the sink with a thud. Sam immediately turned the tap off with his left hand while still propping her limp body up with his right. "Are you ok Silana as it looks a little uncomfortable in the sink?" She closed her eyes and just nodded a little. He took it as a good sign given she seemed a little vacant just at that moment.
"I am confused Sam as to how you got such a reaction?"
"I am going to be mean and say that you should have joined in then you could have found out yourself." Yasmari shuffled around a little uncomfortably on the sofa at that thought. Sam rubbed Silana's warm back to help bring her back to the land of the living. She opened her eyes and a warm but relaxed expression descended over her face. "Are you ok to get up now before you become stiff with sitting in the sink?"
"Yes." Sam let her move her legs around to hang off the edge of the counter top before putting his hands around her waist to help her to pull herself out of the sink and onto the kitchen floor. "Thank you Sam."
"It is honestly no problem Silana." Silana smiled to Sam before carefully making her way to get a towel to dry herself. "Right. Honey mead and film time I think as I need to relax a little." Sam took a glass from the cupboard and began making his way to the room with his computer in. He turned around just before entering to see Yasmari not far behind carrying the crate of honey mead with the nearly finished glass still in her left hand.
-----
"Hello Adastra." A slightly patchy sounding Tahomi said upon answering her call.
"I was somewhat unsure how good the quality would be and also what time it was there but it seems reasonable."
"It is early afternoon here. Lastoma is currently in a simulator so she is not around to talk unfortunately."
"That is fine... Could I ask really what happened to you two though Tahomi as you seemed somewhat bothered about bring it up in front of her on Tuesday?"
"I will say when we finally get to meet Adastra. That said Lastoma really does not like flying in shuttles at the moment, it makes her very nervous."
"Do you feel the same?"
"I guess that is your bondmate, Seliha Adastra?"
"It was Tahomi but it would be good to know if you are going to struggle with flying this ship."
"I know it was a rare incident and unlikely to ever happen again but there is still some residual nervousness there. I feel I can still fly a ship though and I am hoping that doing so will help me get over this." Neither Adastra nor Seliha could really think of any way to progress the topic further so a short lull ensued. "Is this what you called me about or did you want to say anything else Adastra?"
"Sorry. I just wanted to honestly know if you were both ok before moving on to other things. I have just got hold of the designs for the ships and while I think they could be a little behind the best for racing, they should be good platforms to build upon."
"Well, I would not have been expecting a cutting edge design just for some propulsion testing anyway Adastra so that does not really bother me."
"What may interest you though is that you get the chance to name the ship if you wish to."
"Oooh." There was a bit of quiet on the line as Adastra knew exactly what was happening. "There are just so many possibilities... How can I choose just one?"
"I was having the same thoughts this afternoon. I was thinking that a deep purple, pearlescent paint would be a good choice for the ship but I have no ideas on a name."
"I will have to ask Lastoma later if she has any ideas. Do you have anyone you can ask?"
"I could possibly ask Kate or Sam as their language probably has lots of nice words which would be appropriate in meaning."
"I really need to meet you all at some point as it sounds as if lots of things have changed. We have been told that we should have finished everything here by the end of March. I believe the first couple of days in April are a weekend so perhaps we could get to meet up somewhere at that point?"
"I will have to have another talk, possibly after the weekend on when we could meet up Tahomi as we have agreed to help with an event that is to be in a couple of months."
"An event for what Adastra and where would it be?"
"It is a charity event for Galactic Acceptance and I think the plan is for it to be at Sentix Spaceworks here on Illium."
"Well that sounds like a worthwhile thing to be doing. You will have to explain to me what it is you are helping with another time though as I unfortunately need to be somewhere in a short while."
"I will do that Tahomi, possibly when I know roughly what the plans are for the end of March."
"I look forward to hearing from you. I actually really want to meet you all now but that is not going to happen."
"Sam gave me an idea on what we could do when we get to meet. It is somewhat, unconventional but it should be fun."
"You were always one for making me agree to silly ideas Adastra so I doubt that will be a problem. I should however be going though. I hope that you and your bondmate have a good weekend."
"I am sure we will." Adastra said with a smile to Silana. "I hope you and Lastoma also have a good weekend and I hope to call you soon with more information."
"Thank you. Goodbye Adastra."
"Bye Tahomi." Adastra sees the connection drop on the screen.
"What idea did Sam give you?" Silana said, seemingly more curious than upset that Adastra had not mentioned anything.
"He said on Tuesday that I could maybe consider a water fight to introduce myself to Tahomi and Lastoma. He said that thin white clothing would become more transparent when wet."
"I have been somewhat annoyed lately that you feel such a need to keep yourself hidden. I would quite like to really put on a short dress and just feel happy to be who I am. I would rather be beside an individual who thinks likewise however."
"I apologise Seliha. I am making progress but I feel if I am pushed and I get negativity then it could cause everything to collapse back to how I was only a few months ago. If I can see that generally I get positivity then I can treat any negativity as something uncommon and somewhat dismiss it. I hope you understand that."
"One part of me would like nothing more than finding some drug which would make you placid, placing a collar around your neck and then leading you, naked, through Nos Astra for a night in the club."
"I admit that that idea is somewhat frightening for me, and yet somewhat erotic Seliha. I do however hope that you can listen to your kinder side and not do that."
"How about wearing a t-shirt when Sam and the others come around tomorrow evening then? All the commandos have seen Athya so why not you." Adastra sighs a little.
"I will do it just this once for you Seliha. Athya seems to have an appreciation for her body that I do not. I am aware that I am somewhat of a contradiction in that I like being the attention seeking one and yet I like staying hidden as well."
"I hid my personality from people as I know individuals do not understand. I could not contain it after melding with Sam and I felt betrayed by myself. You have the decision I could never have of choosing how and when to reveal yourself, I am sorry for trying to take it away from you." Adastra brought Seliha into a tight embrace.
"I know you struggle to control an impulsiveness Seliha but I have to say that it is wonderful to hear you compromising and also apologising. I hope you do not hate me for asking this but would you be willing to go back to see Doctor Lamisa next week?" Adastra looked into Seliha's eyes and saw both an anger and a softness looking back. "All I am trying to do is help you Seliha and you can consider yourself trying to help me with my insecurities as well." Adastra saw the anger subside just before Seliha decided to kiss her. Adastra could only smile to herself inside knowing that she was beginning to understand her bondmate.
-----
Sam exits the computer room to hear someone in the kitchen area. Silana and Yasmari follow Sam, Yasmari looking somewhat on edge and also naked. Sam quickly saw a gagged Selayla tied to a chair with Amistathya sitting on one opposite her. "Interrogation training Ami?" She looked up and smiled.
"I am just being somewhat difficult Sam." She said with some glee.
"At least you admitted it today. Anyway, I feel lightheaded from the mead so I am just going to have a shower and go to bed."
"Can I join you?" Sam heard from behind him.
"Would you be fine with me fucking Yasmari Ami? I have been teasing her somewhat all evening. I would have said Silana but the bruises could make it somewhat unwanted."
"You can have me in a minute if you would like that." Sam nodded with a smile and Amistathya placed the metal vibrator against Selayla's swollen azure. This caused an instant sound of pain as she shook her head and tried to move against her binds to get away. "All you have to do is orgasm for me Selayla. I will make it easy for you." Amistathya changed a setting on the vibrator with her thumb which instantly made Selayla squeak before beginning to moan and take shorter breaths. Her watery eyes began to glaze over as her breathing began to become ragged and her straining against her bonds just managed to lift her bum from the seat. Her skin seemed to be gradually trending towards a glossier, purpler colour just before she threw her head back. A few seconds and a couple of long moans later she gave up fighting against her bonds and slumped back in the seat. "Thank you for that Selayla." Amistathya took the metal tormentor away and turned it off before removing her gag. "If you help me untie her then we can get upstairs faster Sam." Sam and Silana began to help only for a low moan from behind them to get their attention. The two of them turn around to see Yasmari fucking herself with her fingers, slumped on a chair and propped up somewhat by the table. She either did not care that everyone except Amistathya was looking or she was too far in her own world to realise.
"It seems Selayla is going to have some bruising where the ropes were." Silana said bringing Sam's attention back to the job at hand. "I will leave you two to have a shower together and I will have one in the morning."
"Actually I would quite like your help with something Silana so do join us." Amistathya seemed a little puzzled by this but didn't seem against the plan. "I think you two need to get some sleep." Sam said to the two recovering Asari.
"I need it." Was all Selayla managed to say before unsteadily getting to her feet.
"Selayla, Yasmari, you two should get cleaned up in the bathroom before we need it."
"I am going..." said Yasmari who approached Selayla before the two of them put their arms over each others shoulders and began to make their way upstairs.
"So what was that vibrator Ami as it seemed to be quite a lot for Selayla to take?"
"It uses electrical as well as mechanical stimulation and it is quite easy to use the electricity to make an orgasm difficult to achieve."
"How do you know these things Athya?"
"I let Selayla try it on me in the bathroom Silana. I only got it because of it producing a different experience not because it can easily torment others."
"That is obviously not true as you know exactly what you are doing Ami." She only smiled in response.
"What did you want to invite me to the bathroom for Sam? I am somewhat curious."
"Well Ami and I have some simulation tests tomorrow. I was wondering if it would be possible to get some information from someone who is experienced."
"The licenses are time based and you will learn what you need within that time Sam. I personally would prefer not to try and give information to you in a meld given how your mind looked and felt last time."
"That is annoying." Sam sighs. "Still, you can join in if you wish."
"If it would be ok with you, I would prefer if I waited until the morning as my backside is a little tender."
"Ok. I think we should make our way upstairs and leave this mess for tomorrow." Sam got a couple of nods of agreement and so the three of them began to make their way upstairs.
-------
Notes.
Yes I am not padding out the full explanation of what happened at the end of this chapter as it has taken much too long to get it written and it is already very lengthy. I will fill in any important details in the next/later chapters with what happened. I am aware that there is also little description in places within this chapter. If this has caused you difficulty to read these parts then do accept my apologies, again adding this description would have taken further time to get it completed.
I am also aware there is not too much in this chapter about Kate and Fosanta but the next few chapters will hopefully have plenty of content with them in :)
I must however give my apologies to all you in readerland for this extremely late update (over 1 year IIRC). Personal and family issues have taken care of the last several months for me and so it has been difficult to produce this chapter in a reasonable amount of time. Chapter 60 will likely take a bit of time as well but I will try to keep it as short as possible. Yes things are still getting written, it is just that things are much slower than they used to be.
Anyway, thank you all for reading and if you could spare a moment to rate and/or review this chapter I would be very appreciative of your time.
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Marked Effect (AFF Edition)