indoctrinated | TAB CONTACT @ thisavrou

[There's a ping, and Saren will find their TAB lighting up with what is, perhaps, the most straightforward birthday invitation you've ever seen.

Clearly made in a template, maybe titled "PROFESSIONAL LINES" or something equally boring, it invites you to a "a small birthday celebration" at a new restaurant/bar opening in Kauto's Region 1.

There is a button to RSVP, and the additional option to add a "plus one".

It is signed off simply with "SHEPARD".

Will you attend this crunk-ass fête, this... space jam??]

[ Saren stared at the text with genuine bemusement, re-reading through it carefully in an attempt to decipher some sort of hidden code. There's none. ]

is this meant to be a joke shepard

if it is i fail to see the humor

Edited 2017-04-13 19:08 (UTC)

[The invitation had been the subject of much discussion between Nihlus and Shepard, until they agreed (grudgingly, in her case) that it would probably do more good than harm just to send one.

After all, chances of him actually showing up were slim, right?]

Olive branch.

you a bioengineer?
acquaintance of your's directed me to you.

who is asking and who referred you?

reaper.
nihlus.
anything else?

"reaper". codename or poorly delivered joke?

what do you want.

[nihlus, buddy, are you trolling him]

[probably. sorry dude.]

maybe both.

something to break down an old enhancement serum.
don't care about the side effects.
i have tissue samples.

let's say i'm familiar with bioengineering.

inform me exactly how i would benefit from committing to this "side project".

depends what you want out of it.
unless you know any other enhanced humans you want out of your business.

can't say I do, but I'll keep that in mind if the problem ever arises.

what are your qualifications? what can you offer?

[This reply takes longer.]

i'm not a scientist, if that's what you're asking.
wouldn't be coming to you if i was.
heavy lifting. silent infiltration. target extraction. target elimination.
potentially impossible to kill.
but i am not looking to test that extensively.

it's not what i was asking, anyhow. simply interested to see what services you could provide. there is nothing i need now, but allies and resources never hurt.

if you're not against owing favors, i'll look into this enhancement serum.

done.
give me a location, and i will deliver the samples.

[ Reaper will receive coordinates to an apartment location in Chioni. he's free to drop them off whenever he likes. ]

Edited 2017-05-04 19:45 (UTC)

Saren.

[ Nihlus sounds and looks pretty ill. There's a grayness to the skin along his neck. ]

Were you at the party?

The one on the Asteroid, you mean? No.

[ Saren notes the grayness coloring Nihlus' skin and his ill demeanor. Saren speaks dryly, covering up concern for his old student. ]

If you're vidcalling me for a hangover cure, Nihlus, I'm disconnecting.

[ Despite himself, Nihlus smiles. It's oddly nostalgic, underlain with something almost bittersweet. ]

No. No, I didn't drink anything with alcohol in it. [ He rubs his neck, closing his eyes. ] Like I said, I can't take anything without it potentially interfering with meds.

There's just... I have a bad feeling about all this. The Asteroid. Everything about them. I guess I'm just calling to tell you to watch out for anything... unusual. Well- 'more than usual' unusual.

I presume you have something to back up your "bad feeling", and you aren't vidcalling me just to share that.

[ Judging from the odd hour and Nihlus' behavior, Saren can almost guess what's bothering Nihlus. ]

Like a dream, perhaps? One more disturbing than usual?

[ Saren's grown accustomed to the nightmares involving the Reapers ever since he arrived here. However, the nightmares usually didn't end with him waking to the urge to vomit. That was an unusual reaction to his dreams. ]

I wouldn't say more disturbing than usual.

[ Considering the fact he's pretty sure his usual 'nightmares' were memories from an alternate timeline- well. ]

But definitely UNusual. And I fell asleep without my meds.

[ A beat. ]

Did you have a nightmare as well?

I always have nightmares.

[ Saren snorted, as if the answer to that should be obvious. ]

The contents of this one were different, however. Unusual is a way to describe it. You think it means something?

[ Something flickers through Nihlus' eyes, but it's there and gone in a blink. He watches Saren wordlessly for a moment before answering. ]

I don't know. Considering it's you and me now, I think there's something going on. There's also woman who'd just posted to the network who seems to have been woken by something similar.

I took some scans and samples from the banquet but if there was anything in the food, it wasn't anything that my omni-tool could pick up. Not too surprising considering any microbiology would be alien and that'd throw off the baseline reading, but...

[ Running his thumb over the curve of his jaw horn, Nihlus closes his eyes. ]

My 'bad feelings' haven't really been wrong very often, have they?

[ Not even on Eden Prime. He'd just... trusted Saren more than he'd ever trusted himself. ]

[ Saren takes a minute to go through the network post Nihlus brings up, scowling slightly as he did so. ]

The humans symptoms' are similar to what I experienced, and I presume you shared that sensation of illness as well.

[ Surprise surprise, Saren doesn't sound too thrilled about having something in common with a human if the displeased tone is anything to go by. Certainly not when it involved a mysterious illness of sorts. ]

I've never doubted your intuition. It's why I opted to not go through with the genetic modifications.

[ He's not going to comment on Eden Prime. ]

Thank you. [ Nihlus' voice is soft, his eyes lit dimly by the glow of his TAB. ] I know it wasn't an easy opportunity to pass up but... thank you.

[ For trusting him. Or at least believing him.

Exhaling quietly, he turns away from Saren for a moment, staring at the network post he'd left open on another screen and gathering his thoughts up. ]

I'm going to see a physician later today. Get a second opinion on the matter.

Inform me of the conclusion you reach.

[ Saren falls silent after that, uncomfortable with the sincerity in Nihlus' voice. ]

Did you really think to send a human calling himself Reaper to me? Was that one of your poor ideas of a joke, Nihlus?

[ He sounds a little tired and wary as he asks. But hey, smooth change of topic. ]

Reaper?

[ Who? What?

Nihlus is sidelined enough that he doesn't think to comment on the subject change, a look of pure bafflement on his face. It's followed slowly by the dawning of realization. ]

Did they ask you for help with a biotech project? Because I swear to every spirit in this hellish universe, I didn't realize that was his name.

Yes.

[ On the screen, Saren could be seen rubbing his temples with his claws, letting out a sigh. Sometimes, he wonders about Nihlus' decision making. ]

Code name, I presume. Dare I ask you're reasoning for sending this project along to me?

Well, I figured you'd appreciate a side-project to keep busy with.

[ Lacing his fingers together, Nihlus plants his chin atop his knuckles before adding, ] Aaaand I kind of want you to keep an eye on things, maybe?

[ Turians don't have puppy dogs, but have some puppy dog eyes, Saren. ]

If you knew exactly what the project entailed beforehand, I suppose you wouldn't have directed it to me in the first place.

[ Saren snorts. ]

In what way?

We've done this scam before, you and I, [ Nihlus puffs with a little Turian wink. ] I direct someone suspicious to you as a resource. Then we yank their little scheme out from under them if it turns out my hunch is right and they're up to something supremely shitty.

[ Stretching his arms up in front of him, the younger Turian grins and takes a moment to properly settle into his seat for the incoming conversation. ]

So, share me the deets and lets work it out?

TAB CONTACT @ thisavrou

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Video: Backdated to after the Asteroid Party

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