Asari Nights: Book Two 3/?
anonymous
November 21 2013, 21:33:21 UTC
“I suppose you’re right,” Miranda sighed. “Oh, here’s one. An asari by the name of Shiala, Matriarch Benezia’s protégé.”
“Matriarch Benezia?” Shepard repeated. “Now, that name definitely sounds familiar.”
“As it should. She’s one of the most powerful matriarchs in all of Thessia. Honestly, I’m surprised her daughter isn’t on this list,” Miranda said, pausing as she flipped through the papers. “She’s about the right age… I’m afraid I don’t remember her name.” Finally, she shrugged and gave up. “If you are looking for a political connection with Thessia, Shiala might be a good option for you.”
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Shepard said reluctantly. “Who else?”
“Diana Allers. Nobility from Earth. There isn’t much to know about her other than the fact that her father is very, very rich, and she happens to be a horrible gossip.”
Shepard blinked. “How do you find out all this stuff, anyway?”
“Some of it is personal experience. I’ve met Diana before. It wasn’t exactly stimulating conversation, but if you can tolerate her…”
“We’ll see,” Shepard said, leaning back further in her chair.
Miranda returned her attention to the documents. “You know,” she said casually, “if you really don’t want to deal with all of this, you could always extend an offer of marriage to Urdnot Bakara. An alliance with Tuchanka would certainly give the nobles on Earth and Thessia pause.”
“Oh, stop being a smartass,” Shepard muttered, rolling her eyes. “If you don’t start taking this seriously, I’ll tell Wrex and Bakara what you said when they arrive for the party.”
Miranda set the stack of papers down and placed one hand on her hip. “Shepard, you are the one who needs to start taking this seriously. You’ve put this off for far too long already. The other Kingdoms are getting restless.”
Shepard sighed and sat up straight in her chair. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I guess I just don’t want things to change here. And if I make the wrong choice, I’ll just piss everyone else off.”
“You’re going to piss someone off either way, Shepard,” Miranda said, not letting the Sultana hide behind such a flimsy excuse. “They all want to make a strong alliance with you, and only one of them will be getting their wish. You can handle it. You’ve done very well so far.”
“Yeah, I’ve done so well that they’ve finally cornered me into making a decision I had absolutely no desire to ever make,” Shepard grumbled unhappily.
Miranda just rolled her eyes and continued on like Shepard hadn’t even spoken. “There’s one more person who might be of interest to you. Maya Brooks is a human from Earth that I haven’t been able to find a lot of information on, but she’s definitely interested in becoming your queen. She’s part of the new nobility and seems to have even higher aspirations than what she’s achieved so far. Honestly, I like the stories of her ambition.”
Shepard quickly filed away all of the information that Miranda had given her to recall when she met all of her eligible suitors at the party. But she did have one more important question for her opinionated advisor. “Who would you suggest I make such an alliance with?” Miranda was the person she most trusted with this answer, because she was well versed in the political maneuvering between the kingdoms.
Miranda gave it some thought before answering, even though she already knew what her choice would be. “Everyone knows that you fancy asari, and in this case, I actually think it would be smart for you to stick with that preference. An alliance with Thessia would benefit you the most. Choosing an asari would also allow you to produce an actual biological heir, which would please the people of Normandy the most.” Miranda paused for a moment as she watched Shepard process the information. “I don’t know who you’ll be most attracted to, but choosing Shiala looks to have the best outcome if you’re indifferent.”
“Matriarch Benezia?” Shepard repeated. “Now, that name definitely sounds familiar.”
“As it should. She’s one of the most powerful matriarchs in all of Thessia. Honestly, I’m surprised her daughter isn’t on this list,” Miranda said, pausing as she flipped through the papers. “She’s about the right age… I’m afraid I don’t remember her name.” Finally, she shrugged and gave up. “If you are looking for a political connection with Thessia, Shiala might be a good option for you.”
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Shepard said reluctantly. “Who else?”
“Diana Allers. Nobility from Earth. There isn’t much to know about her other than the fact that her father is very, very rich, and she happens to be a horrible gossip.”
Shepard blinked. “How do you find out all this stuff, anyway?”
“Some of it is personal experience. I’ve met Diana before. It wasn’t exactly stimulating conversation, but if you can tolerate her…”
“We’ll see,” Shepard said, leaning back further in her chair.
Miranda returned her attention to the documents. “You know,” she said casually, “if you really don’t want to deal with all of this, you could always extend an offer of marriage to Urdnot Bakara. An alliance with Tuchanka would certainly give the nobles on Earth and Thessia pause.”
“Oh, stop being a smartass,” Shepard muttered, rolling her eyes. “If you don’t start taking this seriously, I’ll tell Wrex and Bakara what you said when they arrive for the party.”
Miranda set the stack of papers down and placed one hand on her hip. “Shepard, you are the one who needs to start taking this seriously. You’ve put this off for far too long already. The other Kingdoms are getting restless.”
Shepard sighed and sat up straight in her chair. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I guess I just don’t want things to change here. And if I make the wrong choice, I’ll just piss everyone else off.”
“You’re going to piss someone off either way, Shepard,” Miranda said, not letting the Sultana hide behind such a flimsy excuse. “They all want to make a strong alliance with you, and only one of them will be getting their wish. You can handle it. You’ve done very well so far.”
“Yeah, I’ve done so well that they’ve finally cornered me into making a decision I had absolutely no desire to ever make,” Shepard grumbled unhappily.
Miranda just rolled her eyes and continued on like Shepard hadn’t even spoken. “There’s one more person who might be of interest to you. Maya Brooks is a human from Earth that I haven’t been able to find a lot of information on, but she’s definitely interested in becoming your queen. She’s part of the new nobility and seems to have even higher aspirations than what she’s achieved so far. Honestly, I like the stories of her ambition.”
Shepard quickly filed away all of the information that Miranda had given her to recall when she met all of her eligible suitors at the party. But she did have one more important question for her opinionated advisor. “Who would you suggest I make such an alliance with?” Miranda was the person she most trusted with this answer, because she was well versed in the political maneuvering between the kingdoms.
Miranda gave it some thought before answering, even though she already knew what her choice would be. “Everyone knows that you fancy asari, and in this case, I actually think it would be smart for you to stick with that preference. An alliance with Thessia would benefit you the most. Choosing an asari would also allow you to produce an actual biological heir, which would please the people of Normandy the most.” Miranda paused for a moment as she watched Shepard process the information. “I don’t know who you’ll be most attracted to, but choosing Shiala looks to have the best outcome if you’re indifferent.”
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