Joint Venture

CHAPTER 1: PRESIDIUM

"I get off in ten minutes," Val said, Simon grinning at her pixellated face on the holographic display of his Omni-tool. The resolution wasn't great, but he could just about make out her mandibles moving as she spoke.

"I'll be there to meet you," he replied, "our shift ended early today."

"Well, aren't you lucky?" she chuckled. Her voice had a flanging quality, making it oddly musical, like she was singing in harmony with herself. "Are we still on for tonight?"

"Always."

He closed the connection, the glowing projection shrinking back down into the housing on his wrist. Adjusting the collar of his suit, he walked over to the wall-length window of his sparsely furnished apartment, looking past his reflection and out over the Ward. Before him was a view that resembled the densely-populated cities of Earth, towering skyscrapers looming over the winding walkways below, their innumerable lights glittering in the twilight. The quality of the light here was very different from back home. The yellow glare of Earth's sun was absent, and there was a pale glow in its stead, the light diffused by the presence of a deep-space gas cloud. There was no day or night here, the city was in a state of perpetual gloom.

As he turned his gaze toward the sky, he marveled at the great arms that made up the alien megastructure, like the blades of a giant ceiling fan. They could open up like a blooming flower, but they were currently closed up into a rough cylinder, each one attached to a giant ring known as the Presidium. Every arm was a metropolis in its own right, covered in the checkered patterning of a city viewed from space, small vessels darting between them.

The suit was a little stuffy, he wasn't used to dressing so formally, but he wanted to make a good impression on his date with Val. Simon checked himself over one more time, brushing off one of his sleeves, then headed for the door. It slid open with a whoosh, and after a short walk down the corridor, he was speeding toward the ground floor in an elevator.

When he stepped out onto the street, he was met with the familiar bustle of the city. Pedestrians of all shapes and sizes clogged the walkways, aliens of a dozen species brushing shoulders, the sky above him clogged with skycars that ferried their occupants to and fro. They were in open space, there was no ceiling to protect them from the vacuum, but the station's arcane technology maintained a pressurized atmosphere up to a height of about seven meters.

He set off towards the C-Sec building, where his date worked, almost walking into a lumbering Elcor as he rounded a corner. The creature was about nine feet tall, a massive, hulking alien with elephantine skin. It walked on four stout legs, its gait not unlike that of a gorilla, its beady eyes peering down at him from a face that was otherwise bereft of features.

"Excuse me," Simon said, dodging around it.

"Surprised and apologetic," the alien replied, its voice droning and monotone. "Be careful where you tread, little one."

The Elcor did not express emotion in the ways that humans did, communicating their feelings through pheromones and infrasound. As such, they tended to preface their speech by simply stating their intended tone when they interacted with other species.

Simon continued on, arriving at the C-Sec building before long. He sat down on a padded bench in the waiting room, watching with amusement as an angry Volus argued at length with the Asari who was manning the front desk. The squat creature was hissing and puffing through his bulky environment suit as he described being pick-pocketed by a Quarian vagrant. The Asari was resting her blue face in her hand, trying not to roll her eyes. What did he expect her to do, go out and look for the thief? Quarians always wore pressure suits, there was no description to go on.

C-Sec, or Citadel Security, was a police force that had jurisdiction over the Wards and the Presidium. They handled everything from station security to petty crimes. Simon activated his Omni-tool, checking the time, shifting his weight impatiently.

He had been dating Val for a couple of weeks now, and things were starting to get serious. They were going on another date tonight, and he had been building up the courage to ask her if they could take things to the next level.

Just as Simon was considering giving her another call, Val stepped out from a side door, the panel closing behind her automatically. Her emerald-colored eyes met his across the room, and the bony plates that made up her face rearranged into a smile.

Turians were an avian species native to the planet Palaven. They had a basically humanoid body plan, with two arms and two legs, all where one would expect them to be. Much of their slender bodies were covered in layers of natural armor plating that protected them from their native sun's radiation, their skin scaly in the places where it was exposed. Val's carapace was covered up by her wide-collared C-Sec uniform, but he could still make out her figure, her slim waist pinched into a narrow hourglass. Her people lacked breasts, but there was still something alluring and feminine about them that had always appealed to Simon.

Val made her way over to greet him, her gait graceful. She reached out with a three-fingered hand and ruffled his hair, Simon making a show of fighting her off.

"Hey!" he grumbled, "I just got that all straightened out!"

"You're dressed like you're going to a funeral," she chuckled, exposing her sharp teeth in a grin. The tough plates that made up her face almost made it look like she was wearing a mask, but it was all articulated, her heavy brow and the long mandibles that framed her jaw moving as she talked. It gave way to scaly skin on her neck and the back of her head, the females lacking the sharp horns and crests sported by the males. Her face was painted with red streaks that went across both cheeks, making it look like she was blushing, along with two tapering lines that went up the plate on her forehead. Her mandibles were dyed with faded, crimson ink, as were the plates above her eyes. They were traditional Turian tattoos that denoted her colony of birth.

"Why so formal?" she continued, Simon rising to follow her to the exit. "You didn't dress up like a barefaced politician the last time you took me out."

"I guess I just...wanted today to be different," he replied.

"Oh? Is there a surprise in store for me?" she asked as she took his arm. "Did you get me that new Rosenkov Materials sidearm I've had my eye on? You really shouldn't have...but I hope you did."

"It's nothing like that," he chuckled, the pair stepping out onto the Ward.

"So, where are we going?" she asked impatiently. She was a few inches taller than Simon was, so he had to look up at her, those emerald eyes reflecting the glittering neon of a nearby sign. He led her over to the nearest skycar station, tapping a command into the console and waiting for one of the automated craft to arrive.

"I figured we'd do something a little different tonight," he said, Val cocking her head at him curiously. "We've eaten out together the last few times."

"And you're getting tired of footing the bill for dextro food," she added wryly, "I see how it is. I keep telling you, the male paying for the food is a Human custom, but you won't listen!"

"It's not that," he chuckled, watching as one of the skycars broke off from the formation above. It flew down toward them, its engine humming, the cockpit opening to reveal a pair of padded seats. Simon helped Val inside, then sat down beside her, the canopy closing over their heads as the vehicle rose from the deck. She peered out of the tinted glass as they soared over the Ward, the skyscrapers tall enough that they still rose above the skycar as it weaved through the traffic under its own power.

"I wasn't being serious when I made fun of your suit," she said, "it's just unusual to see you out of your uniform. It looks good on you," she added with a smile.

"I can't very well take you out to dinner dressed as a medic," he replied.

"I dunno," she added coyly, turning her eyes back to the cityscape. "Turian girls like a man in uniform, we're all about that civic duty. Responsibility is hot."

Simon laughed at that, but he knew that she wasn't joking. Her people were obsessed with duty and honor, it was mandatory for them to enroll in the military from age fifteen, and they weren't even considered full citizens in their society until they finished boot camp. The majority of the Turians on the Citadel worked in security jobs, like Val, as soldiers and police. Simon was also a civil servant, but he was a medic who worked for an ambulance service. It was his job to respond to accidents and to try to get people out of harm's way in a crisis.

"Where are we going?" Val asked, noting that they were veering away from the Ward. The ten-kilometer ring that was the Presidium rose up before them, Val clapping her hands together excitedly. "Oh, Simon, are we going to the Commons?"

"You guessed it," he replied, his companion practically bouncing with anticipation in her seat. "I got us a couple of passes for the evening. Well, it won't be evening on the Presidium, but you get the idea."

"I haven't been there in months," Val continued, "it's so nice to take a break from the gloom of the Wards. You really know how to treat a girl, Simon."

"I try."

The skycar entered the ring-shaped structure through one of the docking ports, emerging into an environment that contrasted sharply with the dingy city that they had left behind. The kilometer-high skyscrapers and the colorful neon was replaced with whitewashed architecture, a blue sky, and scenic lakes. The Presidium was where all of the embassies for the various member species of the Alliance were located, along with offices for the Citadel Council, and other such official functions.

The ground below was designed to resemble a terrestrial park, with terraced fields of grass and verdant trees, water features reflecting the artificial sunlight. The walls of the structure were lined with buildings that resembled upscale hotels and resorts, long walkways bridging the two sides at intervals. The ceiling was actually a huge digital screen that displayed rolling clouds, the formations sliding their way lazily along the length of the structure until they curved out of view.

Their vehicle banked, breaking away from the formation of identical skycars as it headed for a terminal in the Commons below. It gradually slowed, touching down on one of the high terraces that overlooked a sparkling lake, the tinted canopy opening to expose them to a cool breeze.

Simon offered Val his hand, helping her out her seat. She didn't need his assistance, she was probably stronger and more resilient than he was, but she seemed to enjoy being pampered. Perhaps it was a novelty to her, Simon couldn't imagine a male Turian affording her the same courtesies.

She made her way to the nearby railing without missing a beat, leaning over to gaze at the Presidium. They were really high up, and there was a great view of one of the lakes from up here, magnificent fountains erupting into the air from its otherwise calm surface.

"Come on," Simon said, "let's go for a walk."

***

They made their way along one of the walkways beside a shimmering lake, the breeze rustling the carefully tended trees to either side of them. Simon hadn't brought Val here to do anything, necessarily. It was enough to get out of the gloomy Ward, to feel the heat of artificial sunlight, to be reinvigorated by the sights and sounds of nature. Living in the Wards could be disorienting, as there was no day and night cycle, no sunrise or sunset by which to set one's biological clock. It was twilight all the time, never-ending. They both worked a lot, too, and they rarely had time to just stop and appreciate something as simple as a blue sky or a meadow.

They paused by one of the many Rachni war memorials, a giant sculpture of a Krogan warrior towering over them, and Val pointed to a cafe by the waterside.

"Let's get something to drink," she said, leading Simon along by the arm.

They sat down at one of the tables, a Salarian waiter bringing them a pair of laminated menus, delightfully quaint. They ordered some drinks and cakes from the fast-talking alien, who scurried off, returning with remarkable speed. He placed a pint of foaming beer and a large chocolate muffin before Simon, then set a flute of sparkling liquid and a slice of cake in front of Val. She carved out a piece of the soft, blue-tinted sponge with her spoon, making sure to scoop up a generous serving of the cream that topped the confection.

Had she been a Human, Simon would have asked for a taste, but food was something that complicated inter-species relationships. Many of the species in the Alliance shared similar chemistry and could consume one another's food without any serious danger, but Turians and Quarians were an exception. Their species' body chemistry was based on dextro-amino acids, rather than the levo-amino acids used by Humans. What resulted could be anything from the food merely passing through their systems without providing any nutrition, to indigestion, to severe allergic reactions that could be potentially life-threatening. As such, he and Val could not share a meal in the traditional sense. She had to order dextro, and he had to order levo.

"So," Val began, getting his attention as she waved her spoon at him from across the small table. "Are you going to tell me why you're treating me to an evening on the Presidium, and why you're dressed as a personal injury lawyer?"

Simon choked on his beer, sputtering into his glass as he struggled to suppress his laughter. She watched curiously as he recovered, wiping his mouth on a napkin.

"We've been dating for a little while now, right?" he asked.

"A little over two weeks," Val replied with a nod of her head, taking another bite out of her cake. "I dunno if I'd consider that a while, but it's certainly more than a fling. Who would have thought that going out with a squishy mammal would be so entertaining? My friends all advised against it, and who knows what my parents would say if they found out," she added with an exasperated roll of her eyes. "But I didn't transfer all the way out here because I wanted to play it safe."

"So..." Simon continued, Val picking up on his hesitation. "I don't know how much you know about Human courtship, if such a thing can even be quantified, but there's a kind of progression to it. You start off getting to know one another," he said, gesturing with his free hand as he held his muffin in the other. "You date for a little while, and once you've decided that you get along well, you take things...further."

"Further?" Val asked, sipping at her flute.

"I don't know much about how relationships work in Turian culture," he continued, resisting the urge to tug at his tight collar. "But I feel like me and you are at the point now where we should consider things like...cohabitation, y'know, sleeping in the same place...together?"

"Oh," Val replied, pausing her sipping as she raised her tattooed eyebrows. Her response wasn't a negative one, she was just surprised. "You're talking about making love."

Simon's cheeks reddened enough that they almost matched her own, and he nodded.

"Simon," she whispered, lowering her voice so that the other patrons couldn't overhear them. "Maybe we should talk about this somewhere a little more private?"

"You're probably right," he conceded, bringing up his Omni-tool and paying their bill.

"Let's go walk down by the lake," Val suggested as she rose to her feet, giving him a reassuring smile.

***

"I knew this would come up eventually," Val said as she clung to Simon's arm, the pair wandering along a walkway beside one of the water features. "I don't know what I expected to happen when we started getting serious. I wasn't thinking that far into the future, I was only thinking about how much I liked hanging out with you after work."

They stopped beneath the leafy fronds of a tree, Val watching a fountain spew a jet of water high into the air, the falling vapor catching the light to create a brief rainbow effect before raining to the lake below.

"Me neither," Simon replied.

"My friends felt the need to keep reminding me that I'm not an Asari," she scoffed, "that the relationship couldn't really go anywhere. They said that I was setting myself up for heartbreak if I really fell for you."

Simon began to speak, but she wasn't done, continuing after a contemplative pause.

"They're just like my mom. Like, not everything has to be forever, you know?" She covered her face with her hand for a moment, realizing how that had come out. "Listen to me, I'm terrible," she muttered. "I didn't mean it that way."

"No, no," Simon added hastily. "I get what you're saying. You don't have to go into every relationship expecting marriage and kids, and nor should you. Hell, you're only twenty-six."

"She just wants me to go to Palaven and pop out a brood of little Turian soldiers because it's my civic duty," she grumbled, leaning against the trunk of the tree and crossing her arms stubbornly. "I get that, and maybe one day I might, but not right now."

"So, did you?" Simon asked.

"Did I what?" Val replied, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Fall for me?"

She snorted, giving him a playful shove.

"The fact that I'm even considering this should make that obvious enough. We're both independent adults, we've both done this before, right? Just...not with another species," she added with a nervous chuckle. She began to pace, Simon watching as she walked back and forth beneath the shadow of the tree. "You know that this isn't going to be as simple as the two of us sharing a bed for the night, right?"

"Yeah," Simon replied, "that's why I haven't made a move yet. I guess I was waiting for you to initiate something, but there's no reason that you should know any more about it than I do. We haven't even kissed yet, but you didn't complain, so..."

"I didn't complain because you didn't complain," she replied, the two of them sharing an awkward laugh.

"I figured we might have to take some precautions, do some research," Simon continued. His embarrassment was fading now, he felt emboldened knowing that he and Val were on the same page.

"It's not like this kind of thing is unheard of," Val said. "I don't know anyone who's done it, but it's something that people talk about. I don't know what the...mechanics are like, how compatible we'd be, but I feel like I want to try. Are you...attracted to me?" she asked hesitantly. "I guess you must be, right? Or you wouldn't have brought it up."

"Of course I am," Simon replied without missing a beat. "How could I not be?"

"It's just...well, I don't share many features with Human women. I don't have those flesh sacks that they have on their torsos," she said as she mimed breasts with her scaly hands. "I don't have hair, I'm not soft like your kind are."

"I'm not exactly sporting an attractive set of crests and mandibles," Simon said with a dry chuckle. "I can't really put it into words, I just...want to be closer to you. I want to share the same experiences with you that I would with someone of my own species, and I don't see why we shouldn't be able to do that."

"I feel the same way," she said, seeming relieved.

"Then...should we set a date?" Simon asked. "It's kind of hard to be spontaneous under these circumstances."

"Tomorrow night," Val blurted, Simon's heart skipping a beat. "We've waited long enough, right? We'll both do some research, and then...jeez, I make it sound like we're studying for an evaluation. We'll see what information we can find out, get as prepared as we can reasonably be, then we can figure out the rest as we go."