The Black Lion - Asari Delights Part One. (Patreon)

Liara T'Soni, the Citadel – Veridian.

The terrans negotiations are...strange, at least in Liara's opinion, she was expecting a serious, long and boring conversation about culture, borders and demands.

Just the way it was done in the Nexus.

However, Terran diplomacy was...fascinating and strange, all around the enormous room, Liara could see that her sisters, maidens of the highest birth, with the most expensive education Thessia can offers.

Clinging to Terrans, either male and female, with a Varren pup expression of admiration and love, giggling at whatever the imposing aliens were saying.

Though, to be fair, the terrans were extremely culture, well-read and with a refined sense of humor, and they knew how to party.

All around the place, Lord Harrison's queens were leading the meeting, one of them was talking to the young heiress of the most important Logistics company of Thessia, very interested in Asari goods, while another was talking about conservation Laws and their duty as the superior species to preserve all life they met.

The sight was amazing, and Liara knew that the Terrans were leading this show, however, she couldn't continue with his observations thanks to the Emperor, who was talking to Lady Tevos.

"What do you think?" the handsome and mysterious Human Emperor asked as he projected a section of territory within the galaxy which, in her opinion, was... far too small, at least compared to the rest of the galaxy.

And apparently, she had not been the only asari to notice it.

"It's... smaller than I imagined," Matriarch Tevos said with elegance and caution, not wishing to offend the humans, although judging by Lord Harrison's reaction, they had nothing to worry about.

"Small? The entire Orion Arm spans ten thousand light-years, more than enough space for us. We even plan to establish a commercial colony right here, near Relay 314. It will serve as the direct connection between Nexus and ourselves. What concerns me is... the asari's limited spatial capabilities, to be honest," the human said solemnly, surprising Liara and her sisters.

"Limited? I'm sorry, my Lord, but you must be mistaken. The asari have walked among the stars for more than two thousand years. We have explored much of the galaxy, and we are founding members of the Nexus Council," Lady Tevos said with evident pride and a touch of indignation at the human's words.

The Emperor's response?

He simply raised his hands in a calming gesture before answering.

"Oh, I don't doubt the asari's adventurous spirit or political sense, my Lady, but rather their technological capabilities. Athame has shared everything about your people with me, including your fragile dependence on primitive Prothean technology," the human said with complete sincerity.

Liara couldn't help but frown, not because she considered the Emperor's words arrogant. The young archaeologist had still not recovered from witnessing the marvelous and terrifying technology capable of creating a wormhole with frightening precision, one that allowed instantaneous interstellar travel without requiring a single ship.

For the past seven days, Thessia's greatest minds had been theorizing and speculating without pause, trying to find a way to explain the phenomenon they were experiencing. And although the investigations would continue, one thing had become perfectly clear.

They did not have the slightest idea how such a thing was even possible.

"The territory you've outlined isn't really a problem, although it's far too close to the Batarians for our liking," Tevos admitted with a sigh, and Liara could understand the Matriarch's concern.

The Terran Emperor, however, did not seem... concerned in the slightest.

"Don't worry about that. We despise slavery. We'll deal with the Batarians one way or another. What's important are the negotiations between our peoples," Lord Harrison said as he raised his hand and gently caressed the Matriarch's cheek, who, much to Liara's amusement, simply leaned her face into the enormous hand of the handsome alien, the difference in height was very notorious and very attractive to Liara and her sisters.

Oh, Liara understood her perfectly well, to be honest. It was just like those erotic novels she had read a decade ago, where a mysterious male asari appeared out of nowhere on Thessia and swept all of her sisters off their feet and make himself the King of Thessia.

Well, Lord Harrison was not an asari, but he was something even better, a vigorous, masculine, and delicious alien specimen who seemed like the perfect complement to them.

The Terrans were... Goddess, irresistible. Both the men and the women. Taller and stronger than a krogan, yet sophisticated and refined. They were dangerous, of course; that much was obvious considering the nature of their soldiers, but apparently they were not a species that lived for war.

A promising precedent.

Even now, Liara could not help but shiver from being so close to the Emperor and his wives, rubbing her thighs together beneath her elegant dress in quiet need, something that, apparently, Lord Harrison noticed immediately, judging by the look of amusement and veiled desire the young asari received from both the Sovereign and his consorts.

"I was thinking of a hundred-year plan: private communication and trade between the asari and the humans. Judging by the promising reactions, it will be a tremendous pleasure for my people to begin a cultural and academic exchange between our civilizations, we can even start hosting Asari citizens in the Citadel, I plan to transform it into a galactic cultural hub, we can even start with a joint archeologist program, there is a lot of Prothean Data still to uncover after all"

At those words, both Tevos and Liara straightened their backs and smiled brightly, although for very different reasons. Liara, at the mere possibility of losing herself in the greatest Prothean site she had ever seen, could only tremble as she imagined all the secrets hidden on this marvelous planet.

Although Liara was certain that Lady Tevos was far more concerned about the expansion of asari commerce, influence and power across the galaxy.

"A hundred years is quite a reasonable period of time! We're accustomed to the pace of the Nexus species, but the asari tend to think in terms of the long game, you know? Something that, apparently, the Terrans do as well. It's refreshing to meet a species as promising and long-lived as yours," the ambassador said with complete sincerity and a radiant smile, one that, to be honest, Liara shared.

The species of the Nexus Council were valuable allies, but there had always been a gap between asari superiority and the rest of the races, one that Liara now knew was due to the presence of Athame's Beacon on Thessia.

One that the humans also possessed, apparently, if the Codex Lord Harrison had shared was correct, a some sort of brother of Athame, Prometheus, its name was.

Suddenly, Lord Harrison focused his gaze on Liara, expectantly, as though he were waiting for an answer.

"What do you think, Lady Liara?" he asked again, causing Lady Tevos to frown while Liara blushed a deep shade of purple.

"I... I'm sorry, Lord Harrison, but... could you repeat your question? I was... somewhat distracted," the young maiden said with a blush, prompting Lady Tevos to respond firmly.

"Concentrate, young maiden. Remember that we are guests, and that..."

Liara watched in astonishment as the ambassador was silenced by Lord Harrison in a manner that was... both exciting and daring. The Human Emperor gently took Lady Tevos by the waist, who instinctively molded her body against the imposing figure of the Emperor, as though that had been her destined place from the very beginning.

"Easy, my Lady. Liara was only distracted. There's nothing wrong with that," the Emperor said calmly, completely in control of the situation, causing Lady Tevos to softly bite her lip and nod while her hand continued to wander across the Terran's powerful chest, to Liara's incredulity and envy.

"I asked whether you would be interested in speaking with Prometheus, the asari equivalent of Athame, who apparently has complete access to all Prothean history and records from before their fall," the Emperor asked with amusement on his face, making Liara's eyes widen more and more at the golden opportunity he was offering her.

"All... all... all of Prothean history?" she whispered, trembling with an excitement she could barely contain.

The Emperor nodded calmly before replying.

"Yes. I've read some of your work. The study of the Protheans is your passion. You'll be working side by side with my daughter during the excavation," the Lord said with complete calm, surprising both asari.

"Your daughter?" both asari asked in utter surprise, unaware of that small detail about the Emperor. He simply laughed softly and raised his left wrist, causing a green omni-tool, far more advanced and sophisticated than anything Liara had ever seen, to materialize.

"Hermione, my dear, introduce yourself to our guests," the King said gently, causing the omni-tool to glow softly before projecting the image of a young Terran girl dressed in an elegant long gown and holding an... ancient book in her hands.

Her digital face was filled with excitement and curiosity as she looked directly at the astonished expressions of Liara and Tevos.

"Hello! I'm Hermione! A first-generation True Smart A.I. It's a true pleasure to meet you, Doctor T'Soni! I've read all of your work, and I have so many questions I'd love to ask you!" the young A.I. said with excitement and hope.

"A self-aware A.I.? By the Goddess..." Lady Tevos whispered to herself, staring at the Emperor's wrist with absolute wariness and even fear, although Liara paid little attention to that particular detail, feeling deeply grateful for the young girl's words.

"OH! I... thank you for your kind words. My work isn't particularly appreciated by the Nexus Council. I receive funding for my expeditions in the hope of discovering sources of Prothean technology or clues regarding the location of the Citadel, but no one really care about the history and legacy of the Protheans, a lot of them think of them as a Galactic democracy of benevolent creators" the young asari said, completely focused on the conversation.

The young A.I. left the Emperor's omni-tool, appeared on Liara's wrist, and immediately began talking without pause, just like a little girl.

"That's... so Wrong!! The Protheans were an empire—expansionist and arbitrary. Their ships are extremely primitive and weak, and fossil evidence from their bodies indicates that they weren't particularly long-lived or physically strong. Oh, you absolutely have to visit the Prothean ruins! You'd have the time of your life among the ships, the Prothean corpses, and the remains of the city!" the A.I. said with obvious excitement, speaking so quickly that Liara struggled to keep up.

At least until the Emperor intervened.

"Let Doctor T'Soni breathe, my dear. Once our conversation is over, I'll make sure her quarters are equipped with a terminal so the two of you can talk as much as you'd like."

At that promise, the young A.I. nodded quickly and replied,

"Yes, Father! I'll let you get back to work." Hermione said, saying goodbye to Liara and Tevos before disappearing, leaving the omni-tools and withdrawing from the conversation.

"Was that truly an A.I.?" the ambassador asked with intrigue and caution. Centuries of propaganda were not going to disappear overnight.

The Emperor nodded and answered.

"She is. A very young one, created a couple of years ago from my own neural patterns. I... thought her into existence, for lack of a better adjective," he said with amusement at his own little joke, failing to notice the astonished looks shared by the two asari.

"That... I can't even begin to understand the basic concepts behind such a technological feat. I'm certain we have much to learn from one another, Lord Harrison. Our own attempts at designing Artificial Intelligence have been... disastrous," the ambassador confessed with a sigh as she felt the Human Emperor's hand.

Lord Harrison sighed and replied,

"Oh, I understand. I read about what happened with the Geth and the quarians. A true tragedy," Lord Harrison said solemnly.

Around them, the atmosphere had transformed into a celebration in every sense of the word. Liara did not know whether this was the human way of negotiating, but... in her opinion, it was an extraordinarily effective one.

The Ambassador was about to respond when a new message arrived on the Emperor's omni-tool.

"Lord Harrison, the Pioneer has arrived at Veridian and is beginning its approach vector toward the planet's surface," a masculine voice said with the utmost respect toward the Sovereign.

"Understood, Captain. Alter your approach vector. Have the Pioneer fly over the Presidium of the Citadel. Let's give our guests a show," Lord Harrison ordered.

The captain acknowledged the order and ended the transmission, while the Emperor looked directly at the two asari and spoke.

"You're going to like this. Colony ships are spectacular."

Liara straightened her back at those words, remembering the advice from her mother's... friend, Lady Aethyta, to gather as much information as possible regarding the firepower and tonnage of human ships. Apparently, they were about to see one up close.

"Let's head to the observation deck. It'll be quite a spectacle while we wait for our other guests to arrive" the Emperor said as he walked toward the rear window of the Throne Room, revealing the beautiful and lush world of Veridian, the very same planet that, only a few days ago, had been nothing more than a dead, barren world.

"What you've managed to accomplish in only seven days is remarkable, Lord Harrison. This... is a garden world, perfect for colonization. The Republics are more than interested in this technology, or at the very least, in the services of the Terrans to terraform their worlds," the ambassador said, once again demonstrating her political versatility.

The Terran Emperor nodded gently, thoughtfully stroking his chin.

"Our schedule is rather tight, but I'm sure we could make room for a couple of planets for our allies" Lord Harrison said shrewdly, and both Tevos and Liara immediately understood exactly what he was doing.

The bait had been laid.

This technology... the ability to terraform planets... would be a complete game changer in galactic politics.

And if Liara, who was still a rather young asari, understood that, then Lady Tevos certainly did as well. Lord Harrison had laid his cards on the table, and now he was waiting for the asari to make their move.

The inevitable offer.

One in which, for the first time in their history, the asari would be at a disadvantage.

And to make that imbalance even more apparent...

"This is the ISV Pioneer approaching Veridian on its designated approach vector."

The human captain's words echoed throughout the room at the very same moment an immense, monstrous human vessel flew over the Presidium Tower, giving the asari their very first glimpse of a Terran ship.

And what she saw...

"By the Goddess," Lady Tevos whispered as she watched the Behemoth move slowly yet steadily across the immense station.

For several long seconds, Liara simply stood frozen. The young asari maiden's mind refused to accept the dimensions of that thing. It was not a ship; it was an entire city suspended in the void. Its black hull, polished like obsidian, seemed to draw all attention away from the imposing station itself, while thousands of tiny windows glowed as though each one concealed a different life within.

Its design was extraordinarily clean, with continuous curves and an almost complete absence of exposed structures, very organic. From an engineering standpoint, that suggested extremely advanced composite materials and some form of gravitational or inertial propulsion system capable of moving several million tons without any apparent effort. The humans had to possess an extensive understanding of the laws governing the mass effect to construct such a colossal vessel.

That thing was, at least, thrice bigger that the most advanced Dreadnought of the Republics.

Both Tevos and the rest of the maidens and envoys stared in stunned silence as the ship flew over the station before heading toward the planet, escorted by dozens of smaller vessels serving as support craft.

"It's... enormous..." Tevos said in complete amazement, utterly captivated by the sheer immensity of what she was witnessing.

Lord Harrison nodded with obvious pride as he answered.

"Three kilometers in length, redundant Class-Zero kinetic barriers, ultra-resistant ceramic armor, fully self-sufficient, and equipped with Class-A Mass Effect engines, which translates to... roughly one hundred light-years of autonomy per day. Rather slow, we won't be reaching Andromeda with her, but she's functional for short jumps" the Emperor said with complete calm, as though he were discussing the weather.

Liara's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she did not even need to look at Lady Tevos to know that she too had been left completely speechless by the human's words.

"One... one hundred light-years per day?" she whispered to herself, dumbfounded by the very notion of such technology. Asari vessels were the fastest ships within Council space, capable of fifteen light-years per day. To think that ships existed which could travel nearly ten times faster... was utterly unbelievable.

And terrifying.

This news would not please the Matriarchs of Thessia, and Liara was certain it would become... a major point of consideration when welcoming the Terrans into the galaxy and onto the Council.

Goddess, with the level of technology they possessed, the humans ought to be granted a seat on the Council from the very beginning, in her opinion. Their terraforming technology and the capabilities of their ships alone justified such a decision.

Liara looked around, watching as every maiden and matron had been... claimed, in a sense. Every one of her sisters was in the company of a human, talking or chatting. There was considerable physical contact, something common among the daughters of Thessia, but which usually made the Council species uncomfortable.

Not the humans, however, who apparently shared the same tendencies. The asari clung gracefully to the powerful human arms, while the humans, in a protective and somewhat territorial manner, rested their hands upon the waists and hips of the daughters of Thessia.

The chemistry between the two species had been strong and intense, something Liara herself could confirm, considering the overwhelming desire she felt to touch the Emperor, a desire that, apparently, the Ambassador also shared.

"Emperor Harrison," Tevos said with her characteristic elegance, but there was something else in her voice... a kind of restrained desire, that instinct so many asari spent their entire lives suppressing.

"Our peoples are very similar. We are heirs to the Protheans, chosen by them to preserve their legacy... My sisters on Thessia were quite clear: secure an alliance at any cost. Together, we can accomplish great things," the ambassador said, her tone overflowing with seduction and restrained longing, her hands gently caressing Lord Harrison's chest with both promise and intent. Everything about Lady Tevos's posture conveyed one thing alone.

Lust.

It was only to be expected, Liara thought. The asari adored power, luxury, and sophistication. They took great pride in their beauty, and hypergamy reigned among the daughters of Thessia.

And when one came face to face with a new and fascinating species, one so similar to themselves, long-lived and apparently just as lustful...

The attraction was inevitable.

The asari of Thessia and the Terrans of Midgard would become close allies; of that she had no doubt. And apparently the ambassador was willing to do whatever it took to achieve that goal, even lose herself between the sheets with the handsome Emperor.

Although, if she were being honest with herself, Liara doubted that would be any hardship for the ambassador.

Liara swallowed hard as she watched Lord Harrison's hand firmly take Lady Tevos by the small of her back, nearly touching her ass, claiming her on the spot, to her evident delight.

"Then I believe it's time to begin the real negotiations. In my quarters, wouldn't you agree, my Lady?" the Emperor asked with amusement and desire before shifting his gaze toward Liara, who froze in place, letting out a small squeak before swallowing nervously.

"Will you join us, my Lady?" the Emperor asked as he extended his hand expectantly, while the young maiden stared at it with conflicting emotions.

Not because she doubted the powerful desire she felt for the Emperor, but quite the opposite. She knew perfectly well that... once she fell into Lord Harrison's web, Liara would never leave it again.

She would be his, to do as the Emperor please.

And that notion was... more exciting than anything the young maiden had ever experienced.

Taking a deep breath to gather her courage, the young asari took the Emperor's hand. He gently pulled her against his chest, wrapping an arm around her back.

"By the Goddess," Liara whispered, trembling with desire, feeling her body burn as she stifled a moan when the Emperor's hand settled against the small of her back.

His intention was unmistakable.

He was claiming them, both Lady Tevos and herself. It was a very human behavior, according to what she had studied—territorial, a display to the other humans that Liara and the ambassador now belonged to him.

And by the Goddess, that feeling was... addictive to the young asari.

An instant later, a brilliant light enveloped the three of them, disorienting Liara for a brief moment. The Throne Room vanished, and when she opened her eyes again, the maiden found herself inside an enormous, spacious chamber with a vast and luxurious bed at its center.

For an instant, Liara wants to know what technology the Emperor used, however, it seems that the ambassador had other plans.

Lady Tevos took the initiative immediately, turning around and passionately kissing the Emperor with unrestrained lust. He effortlessly lifted her by her ass, causing the matriarch—with centuries of experience—to moan like an inexperienced maiden.

"By the Goddess!" Tevos moaned, wrapping her legs around the human's massive torso.

"The asari can become your greatest allies, my Lord. Humans and asari—a partnership of military and political power capable of bringing order to the galaxy," Lady Tevos whispered as she kissed the Emperor's neck. The beautiful matron was completely lost in her fantasies.

"I certainly hope so," Harrison whispered, his eyes glowing with an orange radiance, and Liara gasped as she watched Lady Tevos's dress disappear in an instant, leaving the ambassador completely naked and at the Sovereign's mercy.

Lady Tevos moaned, instinctively pressing herself against the Emperor's prominent arousal, more out of instinct than reason, as though something ancient within her had awakened after a long slumber.

The Emperor turned his gaze toward Liara, who was still dressed, at least for the moment, and with a serene smile, he spoke.

"I'll take care of Tevos first, my dear. Watch what awaits you... and afterward, I'll make you see the Goddess herself," the Emperor promised, making Tevos shiver before nodding softly.

The negotiations had only just begun.

And the night was still young.