Rebirth The Mass Effect is old. part 17

Chapter 17: The Pass

After leaving Anoleis' office, Nihlus abruptly slowed down his pace, glanced at me, and activated the mental channel on his OWN:

""What did you find out?""

""Anoleis won't go against Saren. Your mentor inspires the old bribe taker with animal horror. You're practically terrifying him now.""

""Because I mentioned a mentor?"" The Turian was genuinely surprised.

""You have very similar habits when you want to impress someone... It's a frightening experience. Associative connections appeared instantly, connecting you and Saren in the brains of this toad. Did you notice that he didn't dare refuse you?""

""It's no use anyway.""

""Shuttles really won't fly in this weather. We need ground transportation.""

""Go back?""

""There's no point. Let's just alert him.""

""Won't he pass?""

""The bookmark won't allow it. He'll forget about you if the conversation turns to Saren, Benezia, or their people.""

Nihlus looked at me in surprise.

""What did you expect? I'm a mentalist, and I don't have much respect for other people's brains. To me, only the intelligent ones from the inner circle are untouchable.""

""I'm even embarrassed to ask..."" Nihlus drawled somewhat uncertainly.

Too bad for me. She's shy... Rather, he is afraid to hear the answer.

""yeah. I could have guessed it myself.""

""Guessing and finding out for sure are somewhat different... things."" a storm of emotions swept through the communication channel.

Sending him a sense of irony, I ended the connection, but I was in no hurry to end it. What for? He'll get used to the mental connection and, lo and behold, the mentalism will come through. It's quite possible. Or at least empathy.

The hotel we were looking for was located directly opposite Anoleis's office at the other end of the huge lobby: after skirting a stone wall that stood in the middle of the lobby for some reason, we turned right, where we found the entrance to this establishment under a glowing holographic sign. The elevator quickly took us up a couple of floors and released us into a short rectangular hall leading to the hotel bar and, in fact, to the hotel itself for the guests of the planet. Behind the reception desk, a smiling Asari stood in a tight black dress and radiated outright boredom and fatigue in her mind. Our armed company was followed by interested glances, but there was not a single attempt to approach and ask who we were. Apparently, everyone already knew everything.

""Nihlus, let's go to the bar."" I barely moved his elbow, turning him toward the right door.

The Turian reacted instantly, immediately turning the whole company around. Liara did not interfere with what was happening at all, quite naturally playing the curious Asari maiden and moving her slightly snub-nosed nose around. Garrus and Rex played the role of living furniture and did not shine at all, but I clearly felt their wariness and muffled discontent directed at others. Their port was annoying too.

Cheerful music rang out unexpectedly, as soon as the airlock doors opened in our faces. Irritation flared behind his back and subsided, bubbling dully on the verge of sensitivity: Garrus was annoyed by the loud sound.

""Who are we looking for here?"" a thought came to me-a question from my partner.

""We need the Turian Lorik Ki"In. He is a representative of Synthetic Insights on Noveria and he has some problems with Anoleis. It can help with the pass.""

What can I say about the bar? The feeling is a damp two-story stone sack with dim greenish lighting, rhythmic music in the style of the unforgettable "Drum and Bass", full of diverse people huddled at low round tables. It was also quite cool and humid, so I didn't turn off the shields.

""Send Tali and Rex to the second floor.""

In response, there is agreement and no surprise or questions.

At the entrance to the bar, we had an easy castling: I walked around Liara and grabbed her elbow, Nihlus put his arm around Azari's shoulders, Garrus stood next to me.

"Rex, Tali. You can rest for now." After taking a critical look at the bar, Nihlus added: "There are still tables available on the second floor."

Rex met Nihlus gaze. Literally a second of staring was enough for the Krogan to appreciate the essence of what was said. With a grunt, he grabbed the thin hand of the Quarian and went up the wide stairs, and we slowly crawled into this nest of intriguers and sharks of local business.

"Lady Liara, may I have your attention for a few minutes?"

A soft deep voice announced the beginning of a chain of events. Nihlus turned abruptly, frowning at the tall Asari in a gold formal dress sitting at a small table in a shaded corner. Liara blinked in surprise, but I squeezed my fingers on her forearm twice, and the girl nodded graciously to her compatriot.

"Why not?"

"Can I talk to you in private?" The Asari asked cautiously, cautiously squinting at the armed and angry Turians.

I squeezed my fingers again.

"Sure." Liara sat down lightly on a chair. "Nihlus, if you don't mind..."

Nihlus nodded coldly and walked away, politely pulling me along with him. The bar turned out to be filled with people, and there were no completely empty tables, but we found a fairly large table near the water wall, at which a lonely, upset Turian sadly nested. Lorik? Maybe.

Suddenly, a signal came from Tali and the Quarian's voice was heard in the miniature headphones:

"There's something interesting. I'm turning it on from the recording."

There was a click of the broadcast switch and the Salarian's voice sounded in our ears:

"An older brother? It's me. I'm on Noveria right now. I can't take long. The call is ten credits per minute. A straight line from the Traverse. Do you think it's cheap? I need information. About Synthetic Insights."

Nihlus, Garrus, and I exchanged glances, and the voice continued to rattle off the information we needed:

"The manager, Lorik Ki'In. He was caught by the arm. The Hanshan administrator has closed the office. I need you to take a look. What can I find out about... writing down a name?" pause. "Rannadril Ghan Shwa Fulsooom Karaten Narr Eadi Bel Anoleis."

The length of the Salarian's name made me a little skewed. Even the high elves with their sick ego didn't come to this! And the unknown Salarian continued to mumble:

"No. This is the administrator. The administrator of Hanshan. Well, think about it. A Turian will not risk closing the office. He won't let his "team" down. They teach them this in the army, so be healthy. I think the administrator is using this Ki'In to keep the flies away from his nest." a pause, indignation in his voice. "Of course I can find out everything myself! But how do you think I'll get this information through Noveria's networks? And the search results from other systems will go here for a hundred years!" a pause, and relief. "Thank you, big brother. It's time for me to go. Yes. I'll call you back soon."

The message beeped off, and Tali asked:

"Is it important?"

"Yes," I replied softly.

The connection was lost, and as if on cue, we stared at the sadly hunched Turian.

""Shall we check?""

Instead of answering, Nihlus silently pulled us along. Lorik, and it was him, noticed our company only when Nihlus literally loomed over him. The Turian blinked in surprise, shifting his puzzled gaze from his kin to me and back again. Something purred softly... He perked up.

"Good afternoon. Have a seat. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"You've already helped us." I smiled at Loric, who was visibly relaxed. "There are practically no places."

"O!", Lorik looked around the room intently and nodded in agreement. "Will you join me? He cocked his head questioningly and tapped the clinking bottle with his claw."

Nihlus nodded benevolently. We sat down, and Kraik tapped the order on the menu bar built into the table.

"I am Lorik Ki'In. Glad to meet you, Spektr."

Nihlus blinked in surprise.

"Do you know me?"

"Everyone here knows you." Lorik's grin was veeery much like a snarl. "Immediately after your arrival, EVERYONE received your description and... a ban on communication."

"That's how." Nihlus frowned. "I see that you are not embarrassed by this ban."

"Ah" Lorik waved his hand listlessly, flushed with despondency. "Talking to you is unlikely to worsen my situation."

"Something happened?" Garrus asked, having sniffed out problems on our asses with an investigator's keen sense.

"I am the manager of the local Synthetic Insights office. For now..." The mandibles twitched in annoyance, and the Lorik drooped slightly. "Anoleis closed my office."

"We've heard a lot." Nihlus studied his kinsman with interest. "What is the essence of the conflict?"

"Allegedly — an accusation of corruption against me." The Turian grumbled.

Garrus's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"And what do you say?" The insinuating rumbling voice made the frustrated Turian look at the young kinsman with interest.

"The administrator is interesting and reasonable. He's gotten very rich since he took over the rent."

"What an interesting one... connection." Our sniper grinned.

"Exactly." Lorik bowed his head.

"What did you do to annoy Anoleis so much that he had to close your office?" I asked.

Lorik stared at me with such an expression in his dark gray eyes, as if he had just seen me. Or rather, unexpectedly discovering that a pretty doll, it turns out, also knows how to talk. A slight effort, and I slipped completely unnoticed into someone else's mind.

A brief analysis: the state of protection is much better than that of Nilus, the natural shield... ooo!! The shield is practically in good condition! Great, great. However, I'm not going to get into the personal core. I just need to peek and eavesdrop.

The reaction to our trio is quite expected: the Asari Maiden's guard, the Turian Spectr with... hmm... Why can't he figure out my status? My first impression of me is that I am either Nihlus lover, or the Asari who came with him, or both at once, which, as it turned out, is quite common in a multi-species Galaxy and no one is surprised. I wonder why that is? I hooked an associative chain and reached for my memories. OH, WOW! Yeah... Well, you're a good guy... removing my mental probe from the layer of memories that had been disturbed by my curiosity, I switched to my jumping image, which did not want to acquire integrity and completeness in any way. And what's stopping you from believing in your first impression?

The associative connection arose suddenly: a blurred visual image surfaced from long-term memory, awareness passed, caught on the imprint of strong surprise and memory, and ... and here it is: the news about the appointment of the first human spectrum, my physiognomy in an article on the extranet, read by the case about fifteen days ago.

Nihlus and Garrus watched their kinsman's face with sadistic interest, while Lorik stared intently at my face, and gradually a clear and uncluttered dumbfoundness appeared on his face, and recognition appeared in his eyes. The memory that surfaced passed awareness and got into the layer of short-term operational memory. Lorik Ki"in recognized me as a Spectr.

"I have collected materials about... not entirely legitimate activities of the administrator." Lorik finally said, waking up from his stupor. "To find them, Anoleis hired thugs and turned my office upside down."

"Am I right, he didn't find anything?" I chuckled, shaking my head slightly at the suspicious gleam in the Turian's eyes.

Lorik lifted his upper lip, grinning contentedly for a moment, nodded, confirming that he understood me. I like that ALL Turians have gone through army training and understand sign language with a bang.

"You got me right, lady." The Turian called me a rather curious Turian term, which my omny-tool translated as "lady," and my mind flashed with a complex chain of associations.

The drinks Nihlus ordered were brought to us. In front of Lorik's surprised eyes, Garrus peeled off the lid with his claw, turning the bottle into a glass, and silently handed it to me.

"Is the data still in the office?" I asked, calmly sipping a Turian drink under Ki'In's surprised gaze.

"Yes".

I removed the mental feelers from Lorik's mind. I've already found out what I need to know. He will help us voluntarily and will be glad to have a mutually beneficial deal. It won't deceive. That's enough for me, but I didn't really want to find out the secrets of this individual: the Turian's life was stormy, and in his youth he absolutely did not deny himself... an insatiable curiosity and a desire to try everything that his wild imagination and sick imagination pushed him to.

"Do you need them? — Nihlus looke the conversation.

"yea"

"We can get them." I said, swinging a narrow glass with a lilac drink. Lorik squinted, with some excitement and ... hope, looking from the imperturbable Nihlus to me and back again.

"Perhaps... I believe that the Spectrum will be able to get this data. Especially so much... famous." The dark gray eyes lingered on me for a moment and shifted to Nihlus.

"Do you have... an assumption about how we can satisfy our desire... get this information?"

"Undoubtedly, lady". that strange word again, flashed through my mind like a flash of images. "However, there is one... What does that sweet earthly expression sound like? "A fly in the ointment in a barrel of beer?""

"Honey." I corrected him gently. A fly in the ointment. "So what is this vile substance that threatens to spoil the sweetness of having such valuable information?"

Lorik was enjoying our conversation, savoring the phrases and the wordplay. I'm a fan of damn catchphrases, wordplay, and turns of speech.

"The administrator hired thugs from the Hanshan security service."

"He pays them from under the floor. Miss Matsuo doesn't know about their work on the side. There is a high probability that force will have to be used against them."

Garrus flashed with contempt and disgust, on which a wave of rage slowly rose.

"Are the ERKS fighters working as a banal racket?"

"Some." I think we'll solve this problem somehow.

Lorik met Garrus' gaze full of kindness and understanding, shuddered, turned his gaze to Nihlus' face, equally full of love for his neighbors, positively radiant with forgiveness, and shook his head.

I suspect that you didn't come here just to admire the administration building?

Nihlus nodded.

"So your target is outside the port." Ki'in twitched his mandibles in silent annoyance. "Analeis will not allow you to travel freely around the planet. If you can get me the data, I'll give you my pass."