Mass Effect: Manipulation/Rough Waters

Rough Waters
"I hate the sea, and everything in it," Sharon groaned as she finally stopped vomiting.

"What's wrong, human? A little seasick?" Mirole asked as she calmly steered the boats over the waves. Sharon sincerely hoped that T'Shar's continuing good mood was due to being out on the water rather than amusement at her own misery.

"I grew up on a farm, okay? Until I came here, I'd never been on a boat."

"Starships don't count?"

"Space doesn't roll beneath your feet..." Deciding that no more vomit was forthcoming, Sharon slumped down on the deck. "Why are you so cheerful?"

"I love the sea. I grew up Esan, where the habitable zone was mostly ocean, and storms raced across the islands every day. These waters are tranquil by comparison."

"So why not stay there?"

"Because there is no Esan anymore. The Hegemony took it in 1913 and renamed it Lorek. For a while, I tried smuggling for the resistance, but the batarians were merciless, and soon there was no resistance left."

"Oh. Must be strange coming here, then, to another world annexed by the Hegemony."

"I volunteered for this particular job. We were supposedly rescuing members of the Esan Liberation Army, after all. Many of my sisters and cousins resisted the annexation. I thought perhaps I'd be rescuing someone I knew-"

Mirole was interrupted by what sounded like someone throwing something against the wall, coming from below deck.

"What the hell was that?" Sharon asked.

"Fighting down below." Mirole sighed. "Theda is fighting with Arine. Again."

Sharon dropped down below the deck and barely avoided being struck by Arine, who was at that moment tossed against the wall. Thedala was charging after her.

"Take it back!" Theda demanded, as she grabbed Arine by the collar and gave her a punch that was sure to leave an impressive bruise. "Take back what you said!"

"I ain't apologizin' to a bigot like you..." Arine muttered. Thedala gave her another punch. Sharon was sure she heard Arine's jaw break when the blow connected.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sharon demanded.

"Oh, never ye mind, Sharon," Arine said, as she struggled to regain her feet. "We're only havin' a friendly conversation about politics, Theda and I. All asari are supposed to be able to talk about politics, isn't that right, Theda?"

"You white-browed bitch!" Thedala began to make another charge towards Arine.

This time, Mirole intervened, gently but firmly grasping Thedala's shoulders. "Shh, my love," she said, trying to soothe the other girl, "Calm down. Whatever she said, it's not worth it..."

"But she called me a nionyn porfor!"

"My poor baby. Come on, let's get you cleaned up..." Mirole said as she pulled Thedala back to the cabin they shared.

Once they were gone, Emmanuelle went to help Arine to her feet. "What the hell is a nionyn porfor?"

Arine grinned. "Means 'purple onion' in Imerian. 'Course, that was bein' overly kind - an onion's got twice as many brains as that stupid bitch..."

"What the hell were you two fighting about?"

"As I said, we were only having a little conversation about politics. You know how government works in the Republics, right?'

"Jim once told me it was an 'electronic democracy', or something like that. He said it was very dysfunctional."

"Well, he's got that much right. In theory, every asari in the Republics can put anything up for a vote at any time, and all the other asari can vote for or against it. 'Course, in practice, it means that almost nothing changes in the Republics, not even the things that should change."

"I'm guessing you believe something needs to change."

"Aye. What do you know about Imeria?"

"I've heard it mentioned. Is it an asari world?"

"Aye. My homeworld. It was one of the first of the Republics. Way back in 536 BC, Imeria was invaded by a race called the lirrax. They were nasty bitches who raped, pillaged, and slaughtered the asari because some great bloody voice in the sky told them to. The other republics were rightly terrified, but rather than send reinforcements, they elected to shut down the nearest mass relay, to prevent the lirrax from spreading."

"I'm guessing the Imerians weren't in on this plan?"

"Oh, most certainly not. Left to their own devices, the Imerians struggled to prevent their eradication. Finally, a Matriarch emerged, Vissania Nahir. The Goddess guided her to a fantastic suit of armor hidden in an chamber underground..."

"And, let me guess, the suit of armor was indestructible yet light as a feather, and shot fire from its eyes and Holy Hand-Grenades from its ass?"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, but you've got the right idea."

"And afterwards, Vissania ruled for a thousand years and issued in a Golden Age."

"Depends on who you ask. But anyway, she and her daughters and granddaughters and great-granddaughters helped rebuild Imeria and ruled it for centuries. But then the other Republics remembered that Imeria existed, and decided to reunite."

"And the Imerians were bitter about being abandoned?"

"The Imerians hadn't kept up with the latest in asari ship design. So when a whole fleet of modern asari ships appeared..."

"They mistook it for an invasion."

"Aye, and the Republics mistook the Imerians' panicked reaction to be a rebellion. It gets worse, of course. The Republics feared there might still be a lirrax presence on the planet, so they brought some extra protection."

"Turians."

"Aye. Fuckin' turians. As you might expect, the results were bloody. The Queen at the time, Gwalga, died in battle."