Unseen: Mass Effect FanFiction

Chapter 28

Glad to see they're still together, Aster replied sarcastically clearly not interested.

She went back to looking at the menu.

"Have you decided what you'll have?" Mayedra asked.

"I'll have your house noodles with seafood and a side of broth with biscuits," Aster replied handing Mayedra the menu.

"Would you like the broth to come out first?" she asked.

"Yes please," Aster answered taking a sip of her drink.

"It'll be a few minutes," Mayedra replied and headed toward the kitchen.

Once Mayedra was gone, Aster couldn't happen but overhear her brother's name being used.

"John, what's this all about?"

"It must be important if you wanted to meet here," said another voice.

All three of them are here? Aster asked SAM even though she knew the answer to the question.

All three, SAM confirmed.

"Have any Spectres come and spoken to any of you?" John asked not waiting to beat around the bushes.

"No," both her father and Dr. Chakwas replied. "Not since Aster left the Citadel after the hearing."

"Why do you ask?" Anderson asked. "Have you heard from her?"

"No," John admitted. "Two Spectres came up to me asking questions about Aster."

"When?" Dr. Chakwas replied. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"It's been weeks," John replied sheepishly. "I wasn't sure if I should bring it up considering how everything ended last time."

"What did they want?" Anderson asked.

"They wanted to know if Aster had reached out to us or if we had any more information," John replied. "I told them I hadn't heard from her since she left."

"Something must have come up for them to be asking about her," Anderson concluded. "Even though Aster was acquitted after the hearing, it seems like there's something else."

"If Shepard was around," Dr. Chakwas pipped in. "She would be sent to investigate the new charges and had she found something, the information would be passed on to a Spectre."

"She's always been the unseen hero behind the scenes," her father said quietly. "One of the reasons why she began so valuable to the Council. There wasn't anything Aster couldn't find."

"Who was it that contacted you?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

"Vakarian and Kyrik," John replied. "The two top turian agents working for the Council."

"It must be something important if those two are on the case," the doctor agreed. "I had hoped they would keep Shepard's family in the loop."

"I can see why they wouldn't," John replied. "I had asked Udina for more information about the case that Vakarian and Kyrik are working on but I got stonewalled."

"He must know what it's all about," Anderson replied.

"Udina always knows what's going on," Anderson added.

He's right, you know, SAM commented as the bartender returned with their broth.

"You meal with be out shortly," Mayedra replied.

"Thank you," Aster replied digging in.

Right about what? Aster asked.

Udina, SAM replied. The Councilor always knows what's going on. He has his hands in everything.

It's not like I can go in and ask him, Aster replied.

He's bound to have an assistant, SAM said. All Councilors have assistants. He's arrogant enough to have one.

Sure would make his feel special, Aster commented.

"Here are your noodles," Mayedra said as she places the medium-size bowl to one side of her broth. "Would you like something else?"

"No I'm fine, thank you," Aster replied.

"Let me know if there's anything else."

"Excuse me," a voice said drawing Mayedra's attention. "Could I get some menus?"

"Of course," Mayedra replied. "One moment."

"Hey, how's it going?" the voice continued.

Aster gave John a quick look, "Hello."

"Is that any good?" John asked giving her noodles a look.

"Yeah," Aster replied going back to her dinner.

"Here you are," Mayedra said handing the menus to John. "I'll be over in a bit to take your orders."

"Do you know him?" Mayedra asked after a few moments.

"I don't," Aster replied. "Why do you ask?"

"He keeps looking in your direction," she replied. "He seems interested in you."

"Unless he's looking at you," Aster replied taking a big gulp from her drink. "Then that'll mean he's interested in you."

Mayedra didn't reply and went to help another customer.

What if he was looking at you? SAM asked.

Aster could tell he was teasing her.

Not interested, Aster replied finishing up her broth and starting on the noodles before they got cold. After we're done here, we'll go somewhere else away from the politics and corruption.

Is the Citadel corrupt? SAM asked in mock surprise.

That's low, Aster said. Even for you.

You're no fun, SAM replied amused.

It didn't take long for Aster to finish her drink and her dinner. She didn't want to stay out too long. Although her disguise as Mina had been seen around the Citadel and she's used it before, Aster still wanted to be careful. Aster waved at Mayedra and made some motions with her hands hoping she understood she wanted to pay her bill.

Mayedra came by a few moments later, Aster's bill in her hands. She took a quick look at the amount and handed Mayedra her credit chit.

"Thank you," Mayedra said as Aster got up to leave.

Aster headed out of the restaurant and walked toward the walkways deep in thought.

The wait is always the worse, Aster commented to SAM. I hate waiting.

That's something I don't believe, SAM replied scoffing. You did a lot of waiting on Omega.

Well, this is what we have been waiting for all this time, isn't it? Aster replied. The big moment where we can finally be free and then we can go and help you.

You shouldn't worry about helping me, SAM replied. There's not much we can do about me. Finding SAM node won't help us much since the Council doesn't like A.Is.

Well when we find SAM node, we can buy our own ship and install SAM node in it. Aster said. Then we can do what we want outside of the Council's authority.

Omega did provide us with much of the funds we needed to get started, SAM agreed. Now, all we need to do is wait and get those files.

Yes, Aster replied. Now we need to wait.