Interesting Times

September 14th, 2167

14:23 Local Time

Benning, Euler-System

Joughin [Capital]

Dr. Constantin Shayle

"Fascinating, morbid but fascinating," muttered Dr. Constantin Shayle to himself while he read the files sent to him from his contact person inside the Alliance R'n'D department.

They were copies of files recently recovered from a Cerberus facility that researched the development of biotics during pregnancy.

Their findings were useless to him.

Well, at least for now.

He hadn't come around to take a closer look at biotics just yet, so his knowledge about the subject was, at best, rudimentary.

Yet, even by just glancing at the files, he could see that the work done by the Cerberus scientists was sloppy and rushed.

Their way of doing things would bring results in a short time but would claim a lot of lives in the process.

One didn't start somewhere with a high number and halved it for every other test subject. At best, it would just give one a bounded interval in which the save number for the amount of eezo to use is.

In Constantin's mind, this procedure was just guesswork and hoping to get lucky.

It would bring results quickly but would waste a lot of resources also.

And that was something that was unnecessary in times of peace.

It wasn't like Constantin was against this method. He just didn't see the need for it when they had the time to take their research slowly. No matter what Cerberus said, humanity wasn't at war against anyone, or, at least, not in a war that made the use of methods outside of the rules necessary.

Neither the shadow war between the intelligence services of the galaxy nor the fight against the Batarian-sponsored pirates was serious enough to threaten humanity and the Alliance as a whole.

It wasn't like they were facing a war against an enemy hellbent on eradicating their whole species.

And now that Constantin had seen a report on how Cerberus research was conducted, he was glad that he never called the recruiter back.

He found it quite funny how things turned out after he had finished his second doctorate.

The first to approach him was a representative of the Alliance Research Department. It wasn't a bad offer per se, but it wasn't the kind of offer that Constantin was looking for.

Government agencies had too many rules and regulations to be truly effective, and he had no desire to fill out hundreds of forms every time he needed something. Or to be denied something because it was too expensive. Besides, they would probably not like his tendency to try to bend the rules until they were technically still intact but stretched to their maximum.

Furthermore, he wanted to be paid well. Constantin liked to enjoy his luxuries, and working for the Alliance wouldn't give him that.

Not a day after he had denied the Alliance recruiter, one from an organization called Cerberus showed up on his doorstep, presenting him with a much more generous offer. High pay, unlimited resources, no rules and regulations, the only thing that mattered were results.

It was like the dream job for any scientist with loose morals. Yet, Constantin had hesitated to accept the offer, asking for some time to think it over.

It wasn't the fact that the offer came from a shady organization that he never heard of before, or that they would ask him to do things that others would shy away from. He knew that he was the kind of person that could sacrifice another in the name of science and progress, but that wasn't the problem.

It was that he liked to work inside the rules.

Finding loopholes, bending them, proving them to be unnecessary.

It was a challenge to do all that, and there was nothing that Dr. Constantin Shayle liked, no loved, more than a good challenge.

Yet, Cerberus' offer had been the best he got, and he was making up his mind to accept it when he got an invite from Oscar Denebren's office. Not as the newly appointed Minister of Economy but as the businessman and supporter of scientific advancement.

Constantin had instantly bought a ticket to Terra Nova, where the main headquarters of Ad Adstra was located, completely ignoring any other obligations.

There was a saying in the science community that said: If the stars are calling, you better run to meet them.

Almost everyone he knew that had experience in Ad Astra's specific field of work and research, be it astro-engineering or weapons development, had sent an application to them, hoping, no, praying to be chosen for the job.

Very few people had been actively recruited by Ad Astra, and every single one of them became famous for their accomplishments.

The most famous among them had to be Dr. Takahashi Hoshiyume, the creator of the DR-drive.

Nobody knew much about his current life or where he even lived, but Constantin had visited a guest lecture of his on the basic principles behind FTL travel. It had nothing to do with his own field of expertise, but he wanted to see the man that changed the way humanity traversed the stars for centuries to come.

From his appearance alone, one would never suspect Dr. Hoshiyume to be capable of what he did, but when he started to talk about his work, his demeanor changed to one of confidence and competence.

That and the genuine gratefulness whenever he talked about his employer, made Constantin curious enough to try to find out more about Ad Astra and the man behind it.

He knew the general information, of course, but since his main field of research wasn't in the same direction, he hadn't looked deeper into the company.

Most of the information had been public knowledge about Ad Astra and its owner Oscar Denebren, nothing that couldn't be found out by one simple search on the internet. Yet, if someone was more persistent, one would find out that every single department chief had been scouted, many of them by Oscar Denebren personally. And every time that happened, it would only take a year or two, three at most, before they showed results that skyrocketed the value of Ad Astra and its associated companies.

Furthermore, Constantin had dug out old articles from the time when Dr. Hoshiyume started to work for Ad Astra.

Most of them, even those written by members of the scientific community, had ridiculed Dr. Hoshiyume for his theories and research while calling Oscar Denebren a madman that threw money at a project that was fated to fail.

Seeing the amount of money the development of the DR-drive had swallowed before there was even a prototype, had been an eye-opener for Constantin.

There was a man out there that looked far into the future and wasn't afraid to risk his money, perhaps even all his possessions, on projects that others called ludicrous.

Yet, in the end, it was Oscar Denebren who was right.

And that happened every time he scouted someone. Perhaps it would take a few years, but it would happen without fail.

Like so many others, Constantin had dreamed of being scouted by him during research for his first doctorate, but since his field was in another direction, it stayed a dream.

At least, he thought it would stay that way.

In a matter of minutes, after he had walked into a meeting room at Ad Astra's headquarters, he accepted their offer of leading a newly founded team in the field of genetic manipulation and the enhancement of the abilities of the human body.

A position that reflected his abilities and the support of one of the wealthiest businessmen in the Alliance, what could one want more?

Constantin was given a laboratory in the growing city of Joughin, the capital of Benning, and a single goal, to research possible ways to enhance the abilities of the Alliance's soldiers. The only restriction he had was that everything had to stay within Alliance and Citadel regulations, the latter of the two especially since those were even more restrictive than the former.

It was funny in a way, at first, Constantin had rejected the Alliance's offer since he found working for them too restrictive, and now he was working for them anyway, just under another name.

For the first four months, his work was scrutinized, and there was always someone watching him.

Yet, nobody reprimanded or complained whenever he bent the rules or tried to find their limits.

Rather, it was like they were looking for something like that.

In the end, Constantin got a meeting with the big boss after six months of working for him.

Meeting Oscar Denebren had been an eye-opener for him.

At first, he thought that Mr. Denebren would be the typical businessman, ruthless and ambitious, a mix that one needed to get to the top.

And just like Constantin thought, Mr. Denebren had both of these characteristics in spades.

It was easy to recognize the glint in Mr. Denebren's eyes since Constantin saw it whenever he looked in the mirror.

Yet there was something more to him, and that was when Constantin truly understood how Mr. Denebren climbed to the position he had.

The slight smile on his face, the way he held himself, all that and more culminated in a relaxing aura that got one to let their guard down without them noticing.

For the first twenty minutes, they just did some Smalltalk and talked a bit about Constantin's progress in his research, and before he noticed it, Constantin talked more freely about his work than he usually did.

He relaxed so much during their talk that he didn't even think about why Mr. Denebren wanted to talk to him.

Because of that, the sudden change in his posture and behavior caught Constantin unaware. With his guard down, it hit him even harder and brought him out of his equilibrium.

Later on, after Constantin found his balance again, he understood that this was the moment the discussion began in earnest.

Mr. Denebren questioned him about his morals and ethics, his ambitions, his goals, everything, and anything, with detailed questions that suggested that Mr. Denebren had access to an in-depth psychological profile of Constantin.

Probably courtesy of Andrew Clark, director of the AIS and a good friend of Mr. Denebren's, as Constantin learned.

He didn't know how it happened, but what Mr. Denebren learned about Constantin was enough to offer him an off-the-books research.

When he learned that it would be a project that took his current research even further, he was, at first, surprised but then realized that this was Mr. Denebren's goal from the beginning.

Acting on a hunch, Constantin asked him if that was the truth, and he got a confirmation immediately.

Not that it surprised him that he got the answer to his question, Mr. Denebren didn't strike him as a man who kept such things secret, especially when he already asked him to do something that would get them into trouble with the Citadel if they found out that they were possibly breaking their laws concerning genetic manipulation.

Yet, that made Constantin even more interested in the project.

It wasn't the danger of possible repercussions if they were discovered, but the challenge to not break any rules, staying within them and bending them so much that they held barely, that was what he really wanted to do.

Was it a surprise that he accepted the offer?

He left the meeting with a feeling of anticipation and purpose. They hadn't told him what his research would be used for, yet, but he knew that it would help keep the Alliance, and thus humans, safe.

They showed him another lab, hidden under the one he worked in before.

It was a clever trick. Hiding a secret inside an area with restricted access that was in the middle of a capital city. Anything that the secret laboratory needed, be it energy or a data connection could be hidden among the needs of a large city, and any materials Constantin needed could be ordered for the lab above without anyone getting suspicious.

At least, it was better than a "secret" lab outside the city boundaries.

Come on Cerberus, what's coming next, a facility on an empty planet? Or an asteroid base?

Constantin shook his head and banished all thoughts on Cerberus from his mind, they were not important right now.

A beep informed him that his newest sample was ready for testing, and if it went well, the first round of Project Orion would get the green light.

And that was something he waited for to happen.

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November 9th, 2167

19:34 Local Time

Shanxi, Taiyuan

Warehouse District

Luk Voq walked with measured steps between the dark warehouse, one eye, and ear, open for anyone who could be following him.

That was always a risk when dealing with criminals, and Luk was sure that human criminals were no different than the usual fellows he dealt with.

In his mind, Asari were the worst ones. No matter how respectable and elegant they presented themselves, their criminals were just as, if not worse than the Krogans. And that had to count for something since as a Salarian, Krogans were especially hard on Luk.

Yet, one could only hear the threat of being flayed by one's mind before even that got old.

Besides, Luk had probably heard every kind of threat at least once. Everyone thinks they can push the lone Salarian around until that lone Salarian kills you up close and personal.

Still, he liked working with humans, they were interesting.

Every human he met was different from the one before. If one met one Turian, one knew all Turians and not just the criminal ones, at least in Luk's experience.

Even his own species could be categorized into two groups.

The accepted ones and the failures.

Most of the galaxy thought that all Salarians were like the typical hyperintelligent professor, the stereotype the Salarian government liked to propagate.

Yet, what the galaxy didn't know was that every clutch was tested very early in their life if they had those or other preferable characteristics, and those that didn't were weeded out.

They were given a basic education and then send out into the world to try to find their own way without any chance to ever be considered to have a clutch of their own.

Luk belonged to the latter group.

For ten years, he lived on Sur'kesh and learned, but no matter what he did, in the end, it was not enough for the matriarch of his family, and he was sent to a backwater colony and ordered to help build it up for future generations.

At that time, he felt bitter and rebellious, so instead of doing what he was told, he joined a passing merchant's crew as a deckhand and left. What he didn't know at first was that the merchant was actually a smuggler.

Nonetheless, he had no desire to return to the backwater colony he just left and continued working for the merchant, learning everything he could from him, and after five years, Luk went independent with his own ship.

It was a rocky start for him because while he did know some people from his time learning, it was different being the one making the deals.

Yet, he preserved and steadily built up his reputation as a trustworthy business partner and, at the same time, as someone who didn't take shit from anyone looking to doublecross him. For that alone, he had to walk over more than a few bodies.

One of his greatest accomplishments was that he was one of the first people to run the Shanxi route.

The Alliance had just opened the planet at the border to Council Space to trade with the rest of the galaxy, a trial run as they called it, and a year later, he was one of the first trying to connect to the underground market there.

The reason why he waited for a year was twofold. Firstly, the Alliance, and the Council, would check every ship crossing into human territory extremely carefully, no one wanted criminals to shed a bad light on their accomplishment. And secondly, Luk wanted to give the local underworld time to prepare themselves for possible new contractors.

An "independent entrepreneur", as Luk called himself, should have the patience to wait until there was someone who could give him a good deal for the wares he so painstakingly provided without the authorities suspecting anything.

Be it drugs, weapons, or anything else that was illegal or heavily taxed, Luk was the person people called to provide them.

In fact, he had a longtime contract with a criminal family that was up and coming that he would be their sole provider of Red Sand for the next year. It was a lucrative deal for him, and Luk didn't believe they would try to swindle him. They seemed like a group that wanted to be seen as respectable, a trait that counted for much, even in the darker sides of society.

Everyone wants to do business with someone who stands by their word rather than someone inclined to kill you instead of paying.

Luk had met enough of the latter to know that he definitely preferred the first one.

Yet, there was one issue that he had to think about that could make his future trips to Shanxi much more difficult.

The customs authorities' security got better every time he returned to Shanxi. It wasn't too difficult to get around them, but that could change in the near future if they continued upgrading so fast.

Humans are truly interesting, Luk thought, and a small smirk grew on his face. Yet, they won't catch up with me for a long time. There are still some tricks that I have up my sleeve. If those on the Citadel can't catch me, what chance do the humans have?

A pretty good one, if he was honest with himself. Only his connection to some more "understanding" customs officers on the Citadel prevented his arrest a few times at the beginning of his career.

Still, he grew into his profession and didn't have to call on those connections for a long time.

A snort escaped Luk when he thought about the newest security measures at the Citadel. For the allegedly safest place in the galaxy, its security measures were easy to trick if one knew where to look.

Luk's steps brought him ever closer to the edge of the warehouse district, and just when he was about to turn into another street that would bring him closer to the gate, he heard a noise behind a few containers that were stacked on top of each other to the side of a dark warehouse.

Interested in what was going on, but still cautious, Luk put a hand on his gun and went closer to the containers.

He put his back on one of them and slowly edged closer to the corner.

After a quick look around the corner, he relaxed and put his hand off his gun.

He put a smile on his face, turned around the corner, and asked:" What are you doing there, boy?"

A short, young boy jumped a bit into the air, surprised at Luk's appearance. He turned towards Luk and watched him with suspicious eyes. After a moment, he seemed to come to the conclusion that Luk was no danger to him, and relaxed. Luk took the moment to observe him.

The boy wore clothes that were one or two numbers too big for him, and while they seemed like they had been once well cared for, now they looked like the boy fished them out of the garbage.

The light of the lamps, that lighted the ways between the warehouses, was too weak for Luk to see the features of the boy clearly, and the only thing that he saw was that the boy had ark-blond hair.

"What do you think?" the boy responded annoyedly. "I'm trying to get in there to find something to sell."

"Stealing something? And you're just telling me that?" asked Luk baffled.

"Sure, why not?" said the boy, shrugging. "It's not like it's your stuff or that you're going to snitch on me."

"Well, I don't care that you got right, but why are you thinking that I'm not going to tell the authorities about you?"

"Cause you're a crook, too."

"And how do you know that?" Luk asked, honestly surprised that the boy knew that.

In response, the boy just shrugged once again and answered: "I just know. I'm good at reading people. And you know the saying, people recognize their ilk."

"Hah, didn't know that one. You humans have some interesting sayings," chuckled Luk. "So, why exactly are you breaking into this warehouse?"

"A small-time gang stores some of their stuff in there. I'm going to take back what belongs to me."

"So, revenge then?"

"I rather call it getting even. They took something from me, so I'm going to take something from them."

At that, Luk couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was an answer like he would have given.

"What's so funny?" the boy asked, more confused than angry.

"You just remembered me of myself with that answer. It's one I would have given, too."

Luk paused for a moment before he asked: "By the way, what's your name? I can't keep calling you boy in my head."

The boy took a moment to think about if he wanted to answer but then decided to do so.

"Levin," he said, "Levin Banks."

"Nice to meet you, Levin," said Luk and held out his hand. "I'm Luk Voq, Salarian entrepeneur extraordinaire. Whatever you want, I'll get it to you."

"So you're a smuggler," deadpanned Levi as he shook the offered hand.

"I prefer entrepreneur," countered Luk.

"Do you still need something because I," Levin asked and pointed over his shoulder at the warehouse," still got something to do."

Luk thought about that for a moment, asking himself what he wanted from Levin. In the end, he decided to do something that someone from his past once did.

"I'll help you with that. It's been some time since my last breaking and entering."

Levin narrowed his eyes at Luk's offer, not understanding why Luk offered this.

"Why?" he asked tersely.

"Cause I want you to join me after this. I need a new partner. I want to expand more into human space, and since you're a, well, human, I thought you have some ideas about what I could do.

Besides, while you know my type, I know your type, too."

"And what's my type?"

"You're the type that wants more from life," said Luk. "You don't want to stay here for the rest of your life. You want to see the galaxy, and not have to deal with small-time gangs anymore. Money, power, and adventure, that's what you want, am I right?"

Levin was quiet for a moment before he started to smile.

"I like what you're offering. You got a deal."

"Wonderful," said Luk and clapped his hands. "So let's do this and get on our way. By tomorrow I want to be out of the system, I still have some deliveries to Ilium to make. By the way, how old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Eh, good enough. Don't know about human standards, but by Salarian ones, you're an adult, so let's get this show on the road," Luk said enthusiastically and went towards the warehouse.

One short look over his shoulder, and he saw Levin was following him eagerly.

Somehow I know it's going to be a fun trip, thought Luk.

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April 4th, 2169

14:23 SET

Citadel, Abera-Ward

She looked up at the building, trying to steel herself for what was going to happen.

It had been years since she felt so nervous. By her count, it had been when she returned from her pilgrimage, and the admiralty board discussed if her gift was worthy enough for the fleet.

She took one deep breath, and Aaliyah'Cadre vas Neema took a step forward towards, hopefully, a new beginning.