English Bay Blues: A Mass Effect Prequel (Shenko)

Chapter 18

Milky Way/Arcturus Stream/Arcturus Station/SS Huntress

Earth year: 2173 CE

They opened their eyes as one, their breath coming in deep exhalations of pleasure as the energy of their exertions trickled away.

"Holy mother of crap!" Kaidan choked out. "What the hell was that?"

Aryana smiled up at the ceiling, revelling in the pleasure their joining had brought. "That was awesome." She giggled.

Kaidan turned to look at her. "That's not what I meant." He said, a smile tugging at his mouth.

Aryana laughed, a deep throaty sound, tinged with lingering pleasure. "I know." Meeting his gaze, he saw a new tenderness reflected there.

"That is how asari join with another. We share our consciousness, our essence, our thoughts, memories and feelings. We send and receive electrical impulses through our skin and when joined, through our partner as well. It's how we show affection to another, or if we desire it, how we mate to create life."

"Create life?" Kaidan echoed, slightly alarmed.

Aryana laughed again as she reached up and placed a kiss firmly on his mouth. "No. Creating a life with another is the ultimate act of love and commitment for our species. It is not something we dol ightly, nor without our chosen partner's consent."

"So what was that then?" Kaidan asked, trying to understand. "Was that what making love is like? For asari I mean."

Stretching pleasantly, she nodded. "Yes. By what little I know of human mating rituals, it is."

"Okay." Kaidan said, satisfied. "One more thing though. Are all joinings like that? I mean, do you ever get undressed first?"

"I swear Alenko," Aryana sighed. "You just ask whatever pops in your head don't you? But no, they are not alwaysl ike that. And yes, we do remove our clothing - it just depends how much time we have."

"Time?"

"Yes time." Aryana teased. "If there's time to remove our clothes before a joining, we remove them. If not, well..." She trailed off, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

Blushing, Kaidan looked away. "Right. Of course."

"Don't worry about it." Aryana said rising from the bed. "I've never joined with a human before. But if you're any indication of what human joinings are like, I've been missing out."

"It was definitely something." Kaidan agreed, as small waves of pleasure continued to dance over his skin.

"I can see that mind of yours working." Aryana said, watching him. "You really need to work on not being such a tight-ass."

"Sorry." Kaidan said, his voice soft. "That was something very special. I'm honoured you shared it with me."

"Goddess." Aryana sighed. "You are going to break someone's heart someday."

Kaidan highly doubted that but kept the thought to himself. Aryana looked thoughtful as she retrieved two drinks from a panel on the wall and passed one to him.

They drank in companionable silence for several minutes. As Kaidan sipped the whisky Aryana clearly favoured, he enjoyed the heady aroma of the delicious liquid even as it warmed and relaxed him.

"So I have something I need to say." She began, downing the last of her drink.

Kaidan caught her serious tone and looked at her.

"You don't see it yet but you are the most compelling, attractive and talented human biotic I've ever encountered. Ever since I met you on Earth you've fascinated me. After what happened at the coffee shop I couldn't stop thinking about you. I thought you might have picked up on it, but you seemed awfully distracted by Anderson."