[Citadel] An Offer You Can Refuse

Albert, dressed in a gray costume worthy of being called bureaucratic bland sat forward in the couch, his elbows on his thighs, while his hands were folded with his index fingers steepled and resting against his lips. Albert blue eyes piercing through the fidgeting red drell across the room, watching the priests every move.

Hadas meanwhile was busy sending a message to Kayana;


Albert had chosen the time to show up adequately; late enough for Kayana to be on her way back home, early enough for her not be at home and slam the door in his face. Hadas had, in vein, tried to do that, but Albert somehow managed to talk his way inside.

Kayana sprinted the last three blocks, hit on the elevators button (eleven times), nearly went insane waiting for it to reach her floor...shoved her way out before it opened all the way...

That diplomat. And he'd wormed his way into her apartment-when she wasn't there! He could certainly hear her coming. She slammed her hand down on the door pannel.

"Hadas! You okay?" She spun to face the intruder. "Albert."

“I'm fine,” Hadas said, already standing up... “he didn't say anything, just looking at me. You know I remember every second of that table, every cut and injection...”

Albert, whose eyes were now firmly on Kayana didn't even look at Hadas. “You wanted implants, you got the best, including the best genemods and other upgrades there are, all done so by one of the best doctors out there. For free, under full anesthetic where possible. You should be thankful I didn't take that attempt of blackmail dead serious. Now get out of here.” It was the calm in his voice that was the annoying part, the smug, I'm in control attitude. Hadas just walked out the room.

“Kayana,” he finally said to Kay, as if he had just noticed her enter the room. “It's been too long. How would 5,000 credits a week plus all expenses paid sound? Bodyguard duty, with some general assistant busywork on the side.”

"Albert." She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at him. It took a couple seconds-and exasperated sighs-for her next sentence, but when she started it came out in a rush. "You are trying to throw me off balance and it...it is working! I am not discussing anything while you are invading my space and terrifying my husband. Bar. Cafe. Walking down the street. I will listen then. Get up get up get up!" She pointed at the door.

Albert looked towards the door, “It's either here or my place, the matter I'm here to talk you about is too sensitive to discuss in public.” He stood up, “but clearly you have strong feelings about this. Pity though, I guess the Rachni's first's impression of drell will be that of servants of the hanar. See you later Kay.” and he walked, slower than needed towards the door.

"Your place then." She grabbed a black jacket off the rack, pulling it on over her work shirt. She still had a computer key card hanging on her belt. "Or even better, the aircar you brought over. ... I have stong feelings about you."

Stubborn as ever, and not quite knowing how to play.

Albert shook his head, “we start in the aircar, if I get home before we are done it's in my place,” He glanced at her, “I'm not going to be sitting in my garage, when there's a comfortable couch less than fifty meters away.”

The aircar that Albert opened was a less conspicuous model than his Avigento, but the inside still screamed luxury. “Please take a seat.” He offered with a smile.

'Will you walk into my parlour?' said the Spider to the Fly,

Kay stalked over to the car, throwing her weight down and refusing to make eye contact. "And you pay me for the taxi back."

"...The rachnai? Albert, what is going on? And why me?"

Albert pushed the accelerator as soon as the door was closed, only once he was on the main thoroughfare did he engage the autopilot and turned towards Kay.

“I'm assuming you have been following what's going on in Ninmah? The talk at X-19 are proceeding well enough, and now a larger conference is being planned, nothing is set in stone just yet, but some feel it's a matter of days. If that happens every major player will sent a small army of diplomats and adjuncts towards it, and seeing how Ninmah is virtually on the Alliance doorstep. We plan to have a big presence.”

“There's a high chance that I'm going to be one of those diplomats and I'm not planning to go there alone, I need an entourage.” He grinned at Kay, “it's a human thing, it stops us from flashing our dicks in public. I think it's appropriate for me to have a competent bodyguards and not just the platoon or whatever they assigned us for security detail.”

“As to why I specifically chose you, because I know you have a sense of self preservation.”

"Like, actually talking to the actual queens...?" She exhaled. "Stuff happens around me, Albert...I am underqualfied. I am underequipped. The armour I had during the war-literally-cut off me. The wage would barely cover it."

She turned her head to face him. "Is this a bedwarmer thing? Wouldn't that distract you from your quest to be the first human to bang one of every species?"

“All expenses will be paid on top of your wage, so basically you can get yourself top of the line Colossus or Titan armor and the Systems Alliance will gladly pay for it. Same goes for weapons although you probably will just be able to take something from the armory. You can think on your feet that's enough qualification, besides there will be a second person doing security, you need to sleep after all.” The aircar accelerated and was now travelling high above the Presidium.

“As for the whole things happing around, well I know the feeling, it never kept me down, and it shouldn't keep you down either. Stuff will probably keep happening no matter where you are or how much you try to hide, so better just face it and kick it right in the balls.”

He had to chuckle next, “no, it's not a bedwarmer thing. Although some of the rachni do look attractive, it's not my intention to bang them... Well maybe if things turn out really well, always keep your options open but that's not the plan. Nor is having you end-up in my bed, although once again, I always keep my options open.”

“There is a level of risk involved, of course, this is for lack of a better word a first contact situation at least on a diplomatic level. But it also offers big opportunities, especially to you. There's the money, the chance to be part of history, a nice entry on your resume be on the inside. But mostly, and this you will love, the hanar are not invited in these talks. They, just like elcor and volus, will get a later audience. Meaning you will be able to impress to them what free drell are before the hanar can even show them compacted drell. First impressions are important.”

That would easily double her compensation. Still, she had to stay on alert. Albert was trying to flatter her, and she was a sucker for that. She had to find the loose thread.

Kayana couldn't make it look easy. She glared when she was fighting, cursed when she was working on a piece of tech, and chewed on her lips when she was trying to decipher something. She pulled her knee up, leaning her chin on it. "Yeah, I don't think that's how it works."

"Like, one drell? What is that odd exotic thing, who is obviously weird? One drell your bodyguard? That's Albert Lowell's and his latest..." She flicked her eyelids, making a rude gesture with one hand. "He always has such interesting...and I might. I am easy and you are good."

"It's not like the Alliance is hiring a bunch of the drell who stayed behind on Earth rather than return to Compact service. Or Drell-as-independent citizens of C-Space who live up here and have relevant skills. Call Krios Memorial, we'll give you a list."

Albert suppressed a chuckle, “Trying have me hire more drell... fair enough, how many? You probably know the list by heart so you get to choose.”

The aircar slowed down and descended to a slower moving lane. “Are you taking your husband with you or that boyfriend of yours?”

"You are way out of my weight class, Albert, you are indulging me, and ... I am not going to ask for enough. What's the size of this delegation and how many security people are you hiring?"

She bit her lip again. "It would probably do me more good if Krios Memorial picked them. More I'm bringing them an opportunity, less who the hell do I think I am. They're all great though. Like straight up classical bodyguard assassins, any of whom could kick my ass."

She chuckled a little. "I don't want Hadas around you. Itzen would have gone when he was turning tricks but now, probably not...and I don't want them in danger."

“Now who's doing the flattering,” Albert said with a coy smile, the aircar entered one of the side passages and soon enough slowed down to a crawl as it reached a private airlock.

“I have need at least four bodyguards, one on duty, at least one on call, the rest off duty. I need bodyguards who, depending on the situation, are capable of both take charge, or follow orders. Apart from those bodyguards, there's some other jobs too, hmm, you wouldn't know someone who happens to remember and understands the entire codex of treaties? Could be handy.”

Albert stepped out of the car and headed towards the door. “I think Hadas has the least to fear, you coming inside?”

"It's not flattery if you are." She smiled back at him. "I always work on the assumption you're running loops around me. Kind of exhausting."

"Dude, tell them to read it and they'll remember it. They're all drell." She got out of the car, leaning against it for a second. She pointed at him over the roof. "And...no, that's not quite what I wanted. How many security people is the Alliance hiring for this operation. I want like, five percent. Minimum ten hires."

After a moment she followed him. "I have not forgiven you for that. I would have reigned him in if you'd asked me."

“You want 5 percent of the total number of all security hires?” Albert asked with a whistle. “That's about 20 people, I might be able to get some people interested.” He drummed his fingers on his side while waiting for her to come closer.

“I can guarantee 15. Well I have no doubt you would remember it, but understanding it is a different matter, they would need to be versed in legal matters which is more than just remembering the facts.”

The door opened up, the apartment was a 'crash pad,' a place where he went if he needed a quick nap, was too tired or there was another reason why he didn't manage to get to his proper apartment. Many diplomats had them. It was a long rectangular room, with a large sliding window leading towards a small terrace looking out over the presidium. There was a small kitchen area, and work area on separated by greenery, a sunken living room, with a couch and entertainment center. A smoked glass divider divided the room, its sliding door was open revealing the bedroom beyond. Everything except the kitchen had a lush thick carpet.

“Want something to drink?” he asked as he opened the fridge. “You weren't available at the time, besides it was a present of sorts, I could just have given him those implants, instead I gave him the full package. Probably the best tech there was and is for drell.”

"...Yeah? And I should have tried for ten percent. You want a legal person, ask Krios Memorial. I'm telling them what you said, about twenty."

She poked at the carpet with her toe. Crash pad, sure, but the carpet would be a problem if you came in bloody. "...Sure. Surprise me. If we're going to be discussing the very thinly veiled threat you were sending me there, I need a drink."

"...Would it kill you to just admit it? You-the most dangerous person I know-were trying to scare us, it worked, I know that you know that I know.

Albert presented her with a big glass filled with ice, liquid on the bottom of it a straw with umbrella and a piece of lime. He had the same.

“Here, have a margarita.” He smiled and sat down in the couch. “okay, okay I get it I'll call them.”

“The thing is,” he sat down, “I wasn't trying to scare you, at most I was giving a fright to your husband.”

She glared at him over the margarita. "Really? Because it was terrifying, Albert. You could grab my other lover off the street and have him cut up-very neatly demonstrate how much money you could use, casually-and I couldn't do anything to protect him. I was sidelined. It wasn't fair. A building fell on me!"

It had hurt. And being hurt by someone like Albert made her feel stupid for being vulnerable to the manipulation.

With a roll of her eyes, she sat down on the couch, beside him. The drell shrugged, raising her class. "I will never cross you."

She took a drink. "And I'm alone in my own reality again. I mean, that doofy woman named her kid after you."