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Tip of the Iceberg: A Mass Effect RP [TBM and Lord DreamCrusher]

The crude remark from Kar didn't bother Sera. It was somewhat unexpected from Kar, given Sera's impression that he usually was trying his best to be the utmost professional Spectre in all regards in order to prove himself, but to say it actually bothered her would be a lie. She'd worked with enough people with much coarser comments, and many of them aimed at her. Commenting on a random turian's potential body didn't really faze her at all.

"She was definitely the easiest to identify," Sera commented. "She's been keeping herself pretty busy after washing out of the Hierarchy. Nothing that gives me a lot of confidence if someone like Belia Industries is utilizing her talents, of course. She's just the right kind of unstable to be useful to someone who doesn't care about collateral damage, but controllable if they want to pull on her leash a little. At least, that's the impression my sources give me. As for the others, I'm doing my best as well to get any information on them, but when all you have is a fairly generic slur. From what you said, combined with what I've heard on my end, I'm betting it's some combination of both. She doesn't seem to stick around to any one planet for long, and even outside of the nickname she has, I've heard brief mentions of someone "odd" working as a freelancer. I bet if we were to combine notes, we'd see at least some intersection between companies I've heard of her working for and the small companies you mentioned. That would at least be a sign that we are on the right track. As for the assumption...I think it's safe to trust but verify in this case. We have little enough to go on, and his information about Aptis proved to be quite accurate. Unless he just happened to randomly describe a turian renegade by sheer luck."

As she spoke, Sera looked at her omnitool as something beeped. "Oh. Now, that's interesting. I have a...contact that I reached out to. I figured you'd have plenty of your own sources, but not quite as personal as some of mine. Databases are solid, especially Spectre ones, but eyewitnesses can be just as good. In this case, we seem to have caught a break. He said someone who looks a lot like Aptis is heading from Ilium in a bit of a hurry. Even paid extra to not tell anyone where she is going. Want to place bets on what planet she is heading to? Starts with N."
 
He nodded in regards to cross-referencing their information. He wasn't exactly hiding his discoveries or anything but he couldn't give others direct access to the spectre database. Pulling data and passing that along was more than fine, however. The process probably wouldn't give any major revelations but every little bit helped and there was no excuse to leave any stone unturned when it would cost them nothing but spare time that they already had.

Kar focused on his food while she continued her thoughts and was working on a reply when her omni-tool beeped and she furthered with a tip-off regarding Aptis. "We can't do anything about that now though; we have to wait for the council ship so we can make the transfer." It was frustrating that this process might cost them a chance to track down the turian but there still was a chance this could amount to something. A slim one but a chance nonetheless. He spent a few moments doing the math in his head as he envisioned a map of the galaxy and plotted the two most likely courses she might take from Ilium to Noveria. Both paths were equidistant and he assumed she'd rather avoid council space right now so that meant she'd go around through Omega. Three jumps meant a standard estimate of three cycles, though such a rough estimate was never close to accurate when considering different ship types or local conditions in a cluster could change things, but right now the Pa'vex was only two jumps away from Noveria. So long as this transfer didn't take a whole cycle they could beat her there... though he wasn't certain how much good that would end up doing for them.

"We could beat her there but it will be a close race. Better question though would be what that would do to benefit us? The council will approve this case officially and give us more breathing room now but we can't just make arrests as we please. Tracking her on-planet and getting any meaningful data would be just as difficult and likely to get more assassin's after all of us... just like how this started." His tone dipped a little as he reminded her of how close she had come to death, though he couldn't help but remember the view of her exposed ass in those brief moments after he'd killed her would-be rapist. Kar tried to shake that mental image fairly quickly though but damn he needed to get laid. To try and shift focus though he latched onto her mention of contacts from earlier and circled around with a passing remark. "I actually don't have many contacts. Most of the people I know aren't keen to speak to a spectre... even if we are still friends on a personal level. That said, I've spent enough time on Omega to know that information is an easy commodity if you've got the credits to throw around. We'd have to visit though. Nobody there does business remotely, Aria included."
 
Sera sighed softly. She knew Kar was right, that they couldn't do anything for the time being until the prisoner transfer was complete. That didn't mean she had to like it, however. She was so used to working on her own schedule, by herself, that it could be hard for her to reconcile that with their current situation. "You're right, of course. We need to take care of our current issues before taking on any new ones."

It was the thought and implication of what he said next that truly troubled Sera, and led her to speak without much consideration for her words. "I wasn't suggesting arresting Aptis. Just finding out what she is doing on Noveria would be enough of a lead. Yes, it could be tricky to track her, but you have resources for that, and to deal with any assassins that they might send at us. With Spectre protection and Council approval, they might well hesitate as well to do so. And if they don't...well, I've survived one attempt, thanks to you. I'm sure we could handle another when we are actually prepared for it."

Sera sighed softly, closing her eyes. "You wouldn't be likely to have my contacts, and the prices on Omega can be quite steep. And not only available in credits, either. I know this from experience. I am willing to do what must in order to get anything that can help us with this investigation."

With that, she stood up, her chest swaying slightly from the movement. "I hope the Council is getting the transfer ship here shortly. We don't have very many avenues of information to go down, and it would be a shame to have to let any of them close off unnecessarily." With that, she turned and left, barely noticing her curves swaying a bit more than usual as she did so.
 
He shrugged as Sera blurted out her thoughts on the matter of Aptis, of trying to track her. It wasn't impossible but it would be difficult. Yes he had resources as a spectre but he got the feeling that the quarian overestimated how much he could really do on short notice. Putting requests into the system took time and could be denied if they weren't considered important enough. Most spectres fronted their work with personal funding... of which was fairly limited as well. The job paid decent but not well and spectres were responsible for covering almost all of their personal costs in equipment and personnel outside of what was strictly necessary for their direct crew and vessel.

In any case he did chime in when she spoke of information trading on Omega however, seemingly insinuating that she'd be willing to trade the services of her body if need be; though he could be misreading her words. "I've spent plenty of time there and I've done many trades. The Blood Pack doesn't usually go out of their way to get intel on jobs beforehand but I made it a habit to know what I was getting into... and to keep an eye on my competition so nobody could so easily stab me in the back. The prices are much better when you have a reputation in those circles. Still, I... appreciate your determination." If she overestimated his pull in official circles then it seemed she underestimated his weight in unofficial circles perhaps. True he hadn't spent much time in the seedier parts of the galaxy lately but criminals and mercs had long memories and he was confident he could still navigate such things despite his spectre status.
Before she left though he gave her a bit of information to cling to so that she felt a bit less helpless. "Give it a few hours. If the ship isn't here by then I'll contact the council and figure this out. So far the delay isn't enough to consider unusual." After that he got back to eating, his yellow eyes staring without shame at her ass as her gait caused her hips to sway side to side as if tempting him into action. Kar couldn't be certain if her movements were actually exaggerated or if his lustful mind was just interpreting things in a more favorable manner but, either way, he couldn't get the temptation out of his mind for the next couple of hours no matter how hard he tried.

Thankfully a ship did enter the system before he needed to contact the council. It had taken a good while though, nearly four hours when Kar was only intended to give it upwards of six for waiting. Calius was quick to call him to the command deck once initial contact was made, tight-beam signals sending over coded credentials to ensure that both vessels indeed were in the service of the council before any voice or video contact would be allowed. The ship was a somewhat smaller civilian vessel at a glance but Kar knew better; it most certainly was some form of espionage ship designed to blend in rather than cloak emissions.

With everything ultimately cleared however, Kar opened a channel, sharing his face with the captain on the other end who turned out to be a human woman in sharp dress; clearly the type to ensure her appearance was always crisp. He couldn't even begin to guess her age, humans didn't live all that long and he had always struggled to figure out their age based on looks. "Spectre Ganar Kar." He stated in relation to himself though it was likely obvious considering the nature of this meeting. "You kept us waiting. Any trouble?"
 
Sera sighed softly as he spoke about the resources he had on Omega. "You have a point, and I definitely appreciate the fact that you are willing to consider many methods to gather intel. And it's nice to be appreciated in other ways as well," she commented quietly before making her leave. She knew that the krogan stared at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention. What was somewhat complicated for her was how it made her feel. He was a krogan, and as such had shown himself to be fairly crude. But he'd never tried anything with her, as easy as it would be to do so even if she didn't want it. Problem was...she wasn't sure how she'd react if he did try something. She might put a bit of resistance up, but it could well just be token on her part. That was at least part of the reason she put a bit of sway into her walking out of the room. Not enough for anyone not staring at her, but she knew Kar was. Wouldn't say anything, but that just made things more complicated for her.


When the ship arrived, the woman on the other end sighed softly, running a hand through her short blond hair, cut to make sure she looked professional at all times. "Theresa Vilan," she responded. "Apologies for the delay. We didn't have much trouble, but Belia Industries does have a bit of a long reach. Now that they have shown themselves to be working against Council interests, at the very least, we wish to avoid contact for the time being. We had to avoid a supply ship, which added an unexpected delay to our arrival time." She smiled slightly, hoping to ease any tension due to her late arrival. "On to business, as it were. You have some prisoners for transfer, I was told. How many people are we transferring over, and how much cargo? We'll have room for a fair bit, but we don't want to have any miscounts, or missing prisoners or cargo."
 
Kar nodded at the woman's response and felt there was no irregularities with what she said. The codes had checked out and her story made sense, he was satisfied. At her question of the exact nature of the prisoners and cargo he tapped a few buttons on his seat to transfer over the relevant data. "Not very many prisoners and only a handful of cargo crates. Your vessel shouldn't have any trouble handling things. The foreman and six engineers as well as ten crates. It will take a few trips by shuttle to move everything but I'd rather not take any of this onto the station as a precaution. So you are aware, these crates are filled with geth parts. Remnants from the reaper invasion and the geth schism and not anything newly manufactured."

It was a bit odd with how the galaxy had gotten so paranoid regarding geth scrap. The geth themselves had become intelligent beings due to some reaper tech or something and now coexisted with the Quarian people; mostly on Rannoch. The old parts though, what had been destroyed before the event of their 'transcendence' as it were, had been labeled a hazard by the council, ordered to be destroyed on sight due to fears that the latent programs within could somehow corrupt the other geth. To Kar's technological savvy that sounded like a load of crap to him as they were functionally different operating system now; the remnants being still mechnical in their outlook compared to the newfound personalities and such of the awakened geth suggested they would simply be incompatible. Ultimately though there wasn't a fuss from the quarian on behalf of the inteligent geth for this decision so it stood without contest but to Kar it seemed like a waste of resources that could be repurposed. It wasn't a big deal to him in the end; just an oddity that he couldn't completely shake.
 
"That's troubling," the woman commented, her voice showing some mild concern even if her expression didn't show a change in emotion. "Geth parts are not exactly easy to come by, even old scrap. Much less without someone catching on before they can smuggle it out. In any case, that's something for the Council to ponder. And possibly you, Spectre. I'm just a transporter in this case. We'll have the shuttle bay ready for the transfers. Given the circumstances, I believe it would be wise to do so as efficiently as possible. The sooner we can get these prisoners and cargo to the Citadel, the sooner they can determine the next steps."

While the discussion was going on, Sera was continuing to read up on Aptis. Even if it was ultimately determined to be too risky to go after her directly, Sera had a suspicion that Aptis was going to be a problem at some point, and knowing what she could from her resources would give her at least a bit more of an edge when that time came. Of course, Sera's research was a bit troubling. She was still glad that she had read up on Aptis, because going in blind against her would not go well for a lot of people, combat-hardened or no, and Sera was certainly not that. Still...What can give me an edge against someone with her skills?
 
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Kar agreed on getting things over with quickly and efficiently and sent the orders out to his crew to begin transferring the prisoners and cargo over via shuttle. In his paranoia he also ordered the prisoners to be separated and moved with the cargo, hoping to ensure that if any accidents or outright attacks occurred then not every living soul could be so easily silenced in a single moment. To Theresa however he explained what he figured was the best plan between them. "My ship only has one shuttle. If you can provide one of your own we can load and unload respectively at the same time. Speed things up. We will keep our cargo bay open when we launch to allow your shuttle to enter." There wasn't much for him to do personally at this point so he resigned himself to staying on the command deck in case any complications arose.


Looking more into Aptis could certainly give information regarding her time in the military, though her time spent elsewhere could certainly have shaped the woman's combat capabilities further and in more unpredictable ways. In official capacity Aptis had trained as a havoc soldier, a frontline assault specialty that used jump jets for mobility to get over rough terrain and plow into enemy lines. While all turian havoc soldiers were skilled with dual omni blades in close quarters, and skilled at evading enemy attacks with their boosters, Aptis also had a penchant for explosives that stood out as unusual on her record. Not making them or anything that could tie her into the Belia Industries plot so directly but rather using them. She favored grenades for both destruction and utility purposes and had her armor modified to house far more than a standard soldier could carry.

All that omitted the usual facts of turian soldiers to be expected as well that she was skilled in a variety of firearms and drilled into a disciplined warrior that would not break or falter under extreme circumstances. Of course, clearly something had changed to mess with her state of mind but those details weren't available even in the spectre database. The incident that caused her to be discharged was only summarized simply in that her actions were responsible for a number of civilian casualties in what was deemed a blatant disregard for protocol. Such a black mark on the turian military would explain why the details would be so closely guarded. Even if the incident was considered to be small, even if only a few civiliains lost their lives due to her actions, the blow to the hierarchy's pride would resonate far further.
 
Luckily for the crew of both ships, but possibly unluckily for Kar and his potential boredom, the transfer of the prisoners and cargo went smoothly, Theresa able to loan a shuttle to make the process run that much smoother and more quickly. Once the prisoners and geth parts were safely secure on the other ship, Theresa connected with Kar once again by comm chat, opening a channel. "I believe that's the last of the prisoners and crates. We should be able to take these to the Citadel without much issue. We will depart as soon as able. I have a feeling this is not something that should be delayed any further. In addition, the Council did wish to pass along a message that, with this now being an official investigation, they will be open to any reasonable requests or authorizations connected to information that may assist you in the investigation. That should go without saying, in my opinion, but I promised to let you know." With that, the woman disconnected, heading back to the Citadel as soon as she had permission to leave from the station.



With the new information on Aptis, Sera grew more troubled. Reading between the lines, it seemed likely that this Aptis had likely blown up something that had caused collateral damage, and given her activities after being discharged, she likely didn't have any regrets over doing so. She probably still had a penchant for grenades, even if certain rumors that Sera had gotten word about suggested Aptis was at least open to changing up her game plan if the need arose. It wasn't surprising for a turian to be adaptable, but that didn't make it easy for Sera to even begin to formulate a plan if their paths crossed.

Still troubled by her findings, Sera headed to a different part of the ship. Kar had made an offer to share some turian brandy with her when he was healing. After all that had happened, she was just about ready to take him up on that offer while they planned out their next move, whatever that was.
 
As much as Kar wanted to keep his mind relatively focused there was just nothing to focus on. Everything went smoothly, no oddities came up to concern him, and so his mind kept wandering back to his libido. He really needed another long session of 'self-love' in his quarters it seemed though clearly masturbation wasn't enough as of late; he needed something more and the presence of his new female crew members weren't helping his condition. More Sera than Velira in truth.

When everything was wrapping up and Theresa's voice came through once more it snapped him back into the present and he agreed with everything she was saying. There was no point to wasting any time. "I figured they would make this official but hadn't heard that from them yet. Your message is still useful for that aspect. Safe travels." With the communication ended and their transfer complete it was time to make a decision about their next move. While it was risky he couldn't deny that Sera's information regarding Aptis heading to Noveria was a potential lead, though it could also just as easily be a waste of time. Spectre pull aside, official investigation aside, the Noveria board wouldn't be quick to aid him more than the bare minimum to deflect any suspicion from themselves. Their best opportunity would be to track her movements planetside, shadow her or just hack cameras and such to watch from afar. That couldn't reveal too much as far as he was concerned but it was still their only direct lead.

Fuck it, he'd put in a request with the board for information regarding Aptis Terid. Maybe they'd surprise him and be more compliant than normal. Meanwhile he'd make a formal request to the council regarding Aptis. That would be a formality to have their backing to investigate her but if it could show the authority to the Noveria Board it might help convince them. They'd try to beat Aptis to Noveria and see what they could learn from distant observation. Excusing himself from the command deck and telling Calius to make heading for Noveria, Kar headed up to his quarters to get his requests filed and in the system.

He'd still be in his room by the time Sera came to seek him out. At this point he was sitting down on his couch with the fly of his pants open and his datapad opened as he browsed through various offerings of pornography to try and find whatever 'inspiration' he would prefer for the time being. Despite himself, he kept cycling around to what little quarian content could be found. Maybe it would be good to just give in and get this out of his head. He found one that looked somewhat similar to Sera, at least considering what little he saw her out of her suit, and let it play while he started stroking himself slowly.
 
The Noverian board was, unsurprisingly, a bit slow to respond to the request by Kar. Spectre or no, they didn't exactly rush to assist anyone on the outside of Noveria, or even within Noveria unless there was a very good reason to do so. In this case, even the news of geth parts being smuggled didn't do much to sway the Noverian board. The geth weren't on Noveria, they weren't a Noverian issue. It was as simple as that. The only reason they bothered responding at all was the formal request from the Council. While they weren't officially held to Citadel law, they did have an agreement for special Spectre privileges, and the request for information on Aptis was determined to fall within those privileges.

However, it still took quite some time for the information to be sent to Kar's ship, even as they made their way to Noveria properly. As this process was making its way through the labyrinthine bureaucracy of Noveria, Sera knocked on Kar's door. "We have some down time, it seems," she commented through the door. "If it's all the same to you, I thought I'd take you up on your earlier offer. For the turian brandy. I think with all that's going on, I could use a good drink. Or two."
 
Having just gotten started playing with himself Kar's mind was a little hazy as he surrendered to the lust but, just as before, the knock at his door snapped him out of it in a little bit of a panic. He was a generally confident man but it wouldn't be a good look for any of his crew to see him like this, least of all Sera. Leaning forward he bumped his legs against the table in front of him loud enough to carry to the quarian's ear as he reached for the datapad and fumbled to shut off the screen. In his rush he knocked it to the floor but assumed that he had managed to turn it off. He had not, only managing to pause the video, however it flipped over screen downward so he couldn't tell any different and he was too focused on trying to stuff his partly erect shaft back into his pants alongside his hefty quad.

"Uh...give me a minute." He responded so as to not leave Sera hanging. The opportunity to spend some time drinking was a rare treat that he didn't want to miss and he did his best to shove aside his arousal. After a minute or so he had managed to get himself decent and moved over to the door to let her in. There would be no hiding the fact that his normally large bulge in his pants was a bit larger. Still, nothing was amiss in his room other than the table being slightly askew and the datapad on the floor in front of the sofa. "Come in. I'll get the drinks." He wasn't thinking about how this could be a very bad idea with his mental state as it was, how alcohol tended to increase his libido, he was just thinking this would be a good way to pass the time and finally get some use out of the brandy that he couldn't even comfortably drink himself.

Moving to the far side of his room, Kar would grab the bottle of Turian Brandy for her while he picked out something suitable for himself; in this case a strong vodka that would be considered moderate for his hearty constitution. He'd grab two glasses and some ice as well before making his way to join Sera at the table, taking one of the two large chairs and leaving Sera to have her pick of the other chair or the sofa. "I don't know if you heard but I've got us heading to Noveria. Not sure it will pan out but feels stupid to ignore the only direct lead we have."
 
Sera could hear him stumble around a bit in the room after her knock on the door, suddenly feeling like she was intruding on a moment. After he called to give him a minute, however, she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Take your time," she responded to that, entering the room after he had indicated for her to do so. She noticed the table being a little askew, but didn't comment any further on it.

She headed over to the chair, taking the glass and brandy and pouring herself a surprisingly stiff portion. Sitting down across from Kar, she took off her facemask, unsealing it carefully. She had noticed the bulge, of course, but once again, she didn't comment or indicate seeing anything amiss. Even as she sat, however, she seemed a fair bit more comfortable around him, relaxing in the chair in such a way as to push her chest out slightly more than normal. As she did so, she took a drink.

"That sounds like a good idea. Or at least, the best idea we have." Without the facemask filtering her voice, it was fairly deep still, and just a little hoarse. "Hopefully, we'll be able to gather some information, or evidence, without getting noticed by Aptis. I was reading up on her, and she sounds like a rather tough foe, even for a Spectre."
 
Kar poured his own glass of vodka and raised it to his wide lips but paused as she moved to remove her mask. It wasn't a problem of course but this was the first time he'd seen her face since their original meeting, and the first time he actually had the opportunity to take in her features in a comfortable setting; it was enough to make him otherwise unaware of the way her posture was pushing out her breasts. Realizing he was staring in a somewhat awkward fashion he got back to lifting his glass to take a deep drink, savoring the stinging warmth of the alcohol. It wasn't close to the glory of ryncol but it was suitable for casual drinking for him. For Sera that turian brandy was probably on the higher end of things but deceptively smooth and sweet so he'd need to make sure she didn't try to drink too much.

"I've put in requests from both the council and the Noveria board regarding Aptis. Hopefully we'll get permission to spy on her when she arrives on the planet, and maybe some extra information they may have on her. At the least the board will probably stay out of our way unless we encroach on the Belia Industries property directly. Figure we could maybe peek around the public cameras to track her movements at the least." His stance was perhaps a bit overly cautious but they'd only just gotten this whole investigation legitimized in the eyes of the council so he couldn't be too bold just yet. Not without more clear information to justify such moves. In any case his yellow eyes didn't much stray from her face as he spoke, though he did eventually realize the way she was presenting herself and flick his eyes slightly downward to gaze at her breasts. Kar wasn't exactly subtle with his wayward looks but he was trying to not just stare openly at her tits.
 
Sera didn't seem to mind him staring at her. If anything, she seemed to almost relax further as he gazed at her breasts, making them even more prominent. It was probably just the alcohol that was making her feel so relaxed...but maybe it was just being around Kar in general. He admired her body, but he wasn't making active advances on her. Why not reward him a little bit for his reticence? Give him a better view of herself? As long as her outfit stayed on, what did she have to be concerned about?

"That makes a great deal of sense," she commented, taking another drink. "Taking it slow, making sure we don't rock the boat any more than we have to. I don't particularly care for it, given how my line of work usually discourages acting so carefully, but in this situation, it's probably best to know for sure what we are up against before we do anything, as well as make sure that the Council is backing us before we move. After all, they've just barely begun officially authorizing us. We don't want to push our luck, especially since I suspect one turian on there would love a reason to shut us down."
 
"Ain't that the truth." He replied while giving a small nod of his head. The turian councilor was not happy about this investigation in general but, thankfully, the council made their decisions as a group. Still, that wasn't to say that the turian had it out for him specifically. In the past the man had supported him just as often as attempted to block him. It was all just politics and Kar didn't really trust any of the council to do anything other than what benefited them most at the time; no matter what they might say otherwise. "But yeah, best not to rile up the council or push the board too hard. Hell, as you said, Aptis looks to be a tough fight if it comes down to that so best not to piss her off on her home turf."

He took another large drink which all but wiped out the alcohol in his glass and so he leaned forward to grab the bottle from the table and refill it, glancing up from the corner of his vision to see Sera shift her posture even further. Was she trying to entice him? Did she just enjoy the attention maybe? Or, again, could he just be reading too much into things and too lost in his lust to make sound judgements? For the moment he shook off any attempts at reasoning out the truth and just resolved to relax and enjoy himself. This talk of work though, it was all they ever did since he took her on. Better to try and come up with a casual topic while they had the chance.

Leaning back in his chair and gripping his newly filled glass in one hand, Kar hummed for a moment before giving a little shrug of his shoulders. "There will be plenty of time to talk about our work later. It's bad manners to drink with such boring discussions." To drink was to relax, to celebrate, or to get to know one another better in his mind. Plenty of times a mixture of the three as well. Though, despite his sentiment, Kar didn't particularly have great skill in conversation to really know what to speak of. Ultimately he fell back on something simple and safe, though perhaps a bit dull.

"How'd you get into hacking anyway? Belia originally hired you so you have to have been considered plenty legit. Still, I thought most quarian still stayed together on Rannoch or in what's left of the migrant fleet." He didn't really know the details but he thought the migrant fleet hadn't truly been discarded, more just significantly downsized. Rumor still had it around for those who didn't want to live on Rannoch but rumors had plenty of chance of being wrong. She could easily correct him if that was the case.
 
Sera contemplated his question, refilling her own drink as her glass started to run a bit emptier than she wanted it. It was a good idea, changing the subject to something not related to the mission. Get to know each other a little bit. After all, if they were going to be spending so much time together, that seemed like something that wouldn't be amiss.

"I agree. We can talk about work later." She took another long drink before answering his question. "A lot of quarians are on Rannoch, some stay in the fleet just in case. I just never felt right settling anywhere in particular. Even being on a ship felt too confining. We're raised to put the needs of the many ahead of the one, and I did that for a while, but eventually, I just couldn't handle feeling stuck in a clan, or family, or whatever you want to call it. I felt like it was time to go on my own. So when it came time for my Pilgrimage, I just...didn't return. It's more of a symbolic thing at this point, in any case. Completing a Pilgrimage by going off for a bit, and then returning with something to help the race survive when we can manage on our own now that we have Rannoch is more of a ritual than anything. I just finished it remotely rather than returning in person. Got a job, some credits...and then once I got those credits back home, left the job, decided to put my skills towards more lucrative avenues. Bounced around planets."

She took another drink before continuing in a softer voice. "Spent time doing a few other odd jobs as well. Some letting me keep this suit on. Some not. I'm not proud of it, but it got me a few contacts that hooked me up in other ways. That's how I heard about the Belia Industries job, actually."
 
Sera was being a little... sparse in her details but he couldn't blame her. After all, it wasn't natural for someone to just divulge their history on a whim. While the feelings she described might not be typical of quarian as far as sterotypes were concerned, it wasn't hard for him to accept the idea that she wanted some freedom for herself. In a sense his desire for power and command wasn't far off. Why stay at home and be managed by clan Urdnot when he could make something of himself in clan Ganar as part of the 'Pack'?

All that said though, he was surprised to hear that she'd spent time as a prostitute, or maybe just an exotic dancer, and he couldn't resist a soft chuckle and a grin at the mental image of her getting down and dirty. "Heh, if I was going to shame you for selling yourself then what would it say about me for all the credits I've spent buying?" Of course, as much as possible he had just taken what he wanted from others whenever he could get away with it but times change and he had too... even if old habits certainly had trouble staying down.

"But I more meant what got you interested in technology enough to start being a hacker. I got into tech because I like causing trouble and hated the word 'no'. When they locked down the tomkah's I started messing with them to find a way to bypass the restrictions. Or when the females were around in their separate chambers I figured out how to bypass the locks and sneak in to have some fun whenever I pleased. When I figured out the basics I realized I could start messing with others, sabotaging equipment to instigate fights. While I'm not much of a hacker in general the engineering came easy after that. Figure out how to break something and pretty soon you understand how to put it back together."
 
"Ah. Well, being into tech is just something that tends to happen with quarians. We don't need to repair broken down or decrepit ships anymore, of course. The actual need to be tech-savvy isn't quite there, but it's still part of the culture. I was just better at it than most. I can't quite say I ever put it to quite the same uses as you. Not that I never had the thought, but no one was truly...interesting enough for me to do so on a whim."

She let that thought linger for a bit as she took another drink. "Reverse engineering. That makes some sense. I could probably write some pretty solid anti-hacking code just based off of the vulnerabilities that I've exploited in the past. I've gotten quite good at manipulating vulnerabilities." As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly, just enough to make her breasts sway as she took a longer drink. Judging from the slight smirk on her face, her doing so was no accident. She was feeling a fair bit more relaxed with the drink running through her, and she'd noticed Kar admiring her body. What harm could there be in tempting him just a little bit more? After all, it wasn't like he wouldn't respect a "no" if things got too heated for her. Probably.
 
Natural inclination made sense to him and helped color his perception of her people a little more. Would be safe to expect most quarian's to hold passing skill with technology in that case, just like how most Asari were decently powerful biotics. Him being tech-savvy was more standout among his people but not as rare as it used to be. Besides, he was far from an expert anyway. Kar took a long drink as he thought about such things, not really for any meaningful purpose but it helped to quell any boredom to keep his mind occupied and it was a far safer thing to focus on than his lust right now.

No sooner had that idea crossed his mind though did Sera move to tease him further and at this point it couldn't just be coincidence; not with the slight grin on her lips. Despite being inside a tight suit he knew she didn't keep it vacuum sealed or anything. This led to the material being more stretchy than normal and more willing to allow the soft tissue of her breasts to sway and jiggle through. It still was ultimately only a loose outline of her chest to tempt him but it was plenty effective all the same as his eyes locked onto the jiggling motion like a fool upon a swaying pendulum.

It was a good thing that he had a high tolerance for alcohol because his willpower yet remained enough to keep himself from doing anything stupid. That said, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong at this rate and he wasn't really present enough to recognize that in advance. He was, however, beginning to grow emboldened by the drink and her actions. The krogan decided to lean back a little bit further into his chair and widened the rest of his legs, opening his groin up and giving a clearer view to the generous size of his bulge through the straining fabric of his relatively tight pants.

Military and governmental garb didn't often believe in a loose fit and, even when tailored to fit his body, there were some places that just couldn't be hidden or minimized. In this case the latent attraction and desire mixed with her steady 'inspiration' kept his shaft partially inflated to look yet thicker than its normal resting size. Folded over his quad as it was though, it couldn't achieve an actual erection without being liberated from its confines but it was as plain to see as the bounce of her chest. He could tease her back a little bit, even if he might be a touch less subtle or nuanced in the act.

"Other than getting revenge on Belia, what are you really after? I mean, sounds like you've just been scraping by since you left your people. Nothing wrong with that, just... wonder where your sights are actually set." A touch of innuendo of course now that he'd changed position but the question was an honest one all the same. Personal, yes, and she could choose not to provide him an answer but he was just simply curious. That and, well, she wasn't asking much of him in return so he saw no reason to quite probing on his end. Despite trying to keep his mind engaged though, he could feel the warmth inside him simmering. She was playing with fire and did not yet realize it; He didn't either really.
 
Sera didn't bother hiding her staring at Kar's crotch as he spread his legs. To say she wasn't somewhat intimidated by his size would be a lie. Anyone who would feel otherwise was lying to themselves. However, that intimidation was not the only thing running through her mind. Part of her was wondering how much effort it would take to convince him to take off those pants. Give him a little bit of breathing room, in a manner of speaking. It wasn't like she'd have to take her suit off. She'd be perfectly safe even if she talked him into it.

The drink was definitely getting to her. These were not thoughts that were normal for her, and she was growing dangerously close to verbalizing some of those thoughts. Of course, awareness of that was matched by a lack of concern due to the very same drinking. Maybe these thoughts weren't common for her, but she deserved a chance to...relax. Have a good time. After all she had been through, didn't she deserve to enjoy herself just a bit?

As she focused on his question, she twirled the glass slightly and, despite the softest of warning bells ringing in her head, she decided to tease Kar just a bit more, parting her thighs slightly. Not too much, and even with how form-fitting her suit was, it wasn't like her own crotch would show anything special. But Kar seemed to have a pretty good imagination, and almost certainly would have an idea of what was on the other side of that suit, and while her crotch was still fairly well concealed, her thighs were another story, the suit hugging those curves fairly snugly.

"I'm not quite sure what I'm after," she admitted, still staring at his crotch. "I've been getting by, and doing a bit more than that recently, but I haven't really thought in the long term." She glanced up at his face, her own somewhat serious, but with just the slightest hint of desire in her eyes. "I tend to more think in the short term. One thing at a time. One...day at a time. Or night."
 
The instinctual part of his mind was kicking in now as she responded to his teasing, her eyes unabashedly staring at his groin. This had become a game, a back and forth of edging, and he felt no reason to pull back now as try to stop this. As she spread her legs in kind to allow the material of her suit to cling to her inner thighs he couldn't help but exhale a bit. Most krogan tended to favor the stout and strong when it came to their sexual partners but that didn't mean the males weren't promiscuous enough to expand their horizons when the opportunities presented themselves. Kar himself had been with plenty of other races and found that, while there were differences, the important bits were plenty similar to be enjoyable. Things like breasts, soft skin, and asses were of exotic benefit in his mind rather than detractors.

He couldn't help but knock back the rest of his glass, savoring the stinging sensation in his throat as it rolled down his chest. Kar raised his head a little as a result of this, exposing the deep scarring more clearly before he shook it off and got to re-filling his drink and grabbing a bit more ice as well. Leaning forward did require him to block Sera's view of his crotch for a few moments but it was hardly a long interruption. All the while she toyed with her own drink, admitting that she wasn't certain what she really wanted from her life but very clearly speaking words lathered in sweetness, in honey to be yet more suggestive than she'd already been with her actions.

When her eyes cast up to meet his own he could almost see the fires of passion flickering faintly within them. At this rate they were going to fuck, he felt this in his gut, and this belief would start to color his thoughts more with each passing moment. Why else would she accept his invitation and then tease him so? Why else would she react so favorably to his own body? Tingles started to form upon every inch of his leathery flesh as his body temperature rose a few degrees. While he was yet far from drunk he was drinking more quickly without realizing and the alcohol was certainly working through his system. His bottle of vodka was already over halfway gone and something as concentrated as this particular variety would easily push him into tipsy territory when it was gone. Not enough to make him act a fool but more than enough to erode the barriers built up from his time in citadel space to suppress his old ways; the ways that saw him ravage and defile as often as he killed.

He was so close to blurting out something directly sexual and yet there was still just enough control left to prevent it. After all, now that he knew he was going to fuck her tonight it hardly seemed to demand any sort of rush. Why not enjoy the edging such as it was? And, of course, the drinks. Instead he reached down with his left hand and grasped his groin to shift it around a little; For the sake of comfort rather than pleasure as his clothing felt ever more restrictive. "I do miss that." He said while doing so, though was reasonably satisfied enough after the moment of adjusting to move his hand back to the rest of his chair. "Living for the day. Not giving a fuck about the next. Doing what I pleased in the moment and to hell with the consequences."
 
Sera could feel herself losing her inhibitions a fair bit more quickly than Kar did. It wasn't that her drink was any stronger than Kar's, but she had quite a bit less experience with liquor, let alone turian brandy. Whenever she drank, it was generally more mild, used more to loosen up or brace herself, depending on the situation and date. This was quite a bit different. She was feeling a bit more than simply relaxed. If she had to put a description on how she felt, it would probably have been "reckless". What she had said about what she wanted, and what she had hinted at, continued to run through her head. Yes, live in the moment. Worry about tomorrow when it comes. And it never is quite tomorrow. Nothing to worry about here.

A foolish thought. Not one she would probably have made sober, but it was a thought that stuck with her, and a thought that drove her next comment. As she watched him adjust his crotch, she knew that he was quite aroused, if it hadn't already been visibly so obvious. The trouble, or maybe the boon in her current state, was that she was no less aroused in the moment. She just didn't have the parts to make it so...visibly clear. Except for the fact that with how snug her suit was, it was quite possible that Kar would be able to see her nipples harden even through the suit. He might not, the underarmor could do a bit to hide that, but alert eyes would be able to see it just fine.

"It's a good philosophy, for me." She swallowed the last of her drink, pouring another glass as she leaned forward, making sure her breasts swayed from the movement. "The question is, right now." If she were sober, she'd cut herself off at this point. If she were sober, she'd probably just stand and leave with an apology, take a nice shower. "If you were back in those days, able to live for the day, not worrying about the consequences. How much...trouble would I be in?" As she questioned Kar, her tone changed slightly at the end. It was clear she wasn't asking about the mission they were on, or the situation with Belia. Her unspoken question was pretty clear. Would you make me yours for the night? And the hell of it was, there was a look in her eyes suggesting that she would be far from upset if the answer was yes.
 
Kar didn't even pause at her question and the insinuation behind it. He was comfortable, he was confident, and believed there was no need to hide anything of himself at this point; no need to mince words. "Heh, if I were back in those days I would have picked up where that skinny human left off when we first met." Despite the fact she had pissed herself, despite the wounds on her body from the assassin's blade, the krogan would have eagerly just climbed on top of her then and there if he was still acting in his old ways. But, that wasn't what she had truly asked. No, she was talking about the here and now and he'd not leave her hanging for an answer. "But now? And assuming I was still a savage merc? Well, I don't think you'd be walking for a few cycles at least, your holes might not ever satisfy anything less than a krogan again... maybe an elcor, and your stomach would probably be searing with pain for all the amino-based cum you'd have to swallow."

He smiled, exposing his wide, flat teeth as he did so. This was fun. In a way it was a mental re-capturing of his past, his 'glory days' as they were, and he ultimately knew he'd at least be having some fun with her when all was said and done. He didn't think he'd go quite that far tonight considering he needed her to keep up her health for the sake of their investigation but he could see the faint shapes of her nipples poking through her suit as she leaned forward to refill her drink. She was clearly looking forward to getting out of that suit and feeling his strong mass pressed against her; weighing her down as he took her like a real male. His bed could take the weight. Hell the sofa or even the glass table could as well, along with pretty much any other surface in the room. He wasn't picky.
 
"Well, I certainly would need to walk in order to assist you on this investigation. Only so much I could do from a bed. But then, that was how you were back then. Always in the moment. Never thinking ahead." She took another long drink, then set down her partially-full glass.

She sat still for a few seconds, her face expressionless as the alcohol continued to lower her own inhibitions. She could tell that he was aware of how aroused she was. She could tell how much he really wanted her, and there was no use in hiding that she wanted him almost as much. She might well regret it tomorrow. Hell, she probably would regret it, or at least her body would. She'd be able to walk, but she doubted he'd care to hold back much more than that with the way he was smiling at her. And maybe that wasn't a bad thing.

Lowering her hood, Sera stood up slowly, and only somewhat unsteadily. Her recklessness was getting out of control now. She had intended to just tease him, and maybe suggest that he get out of his pants and have a good time looking her over at the most. That had been a few swallows ago. Now, she was feeling a bit more forward, a bit more...wanting.

Reaching behind her, Sera fumbled slightly with the seals on her armor. It was designed to come off either as a whole piece, or in parts, compartmentalized in case of breaches, as Kar would be aware. She didn't have to take everything off at once. She could take off just part. Just enough to entice him further. Not that she would if she were sober.

Instead, there was a sharp hiss of escaping air as her suit unsealed, the upper part clattering to the floor. While she was still fully suited from the waist down, the only thing hiding her torso at this point was her underarmor, and from the way it clung to her form, her hardened nipples far more obvious now, she might as well not have been wearing anything for all that it hid of her curves. "Maybe it wouldn't be too bad for you to walk down memory lane. Relive the good old days."
 
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