A/N: I've written it about a year ago (right after release of ME3), but wasn't sure if I wanted to share it. I think I suck at sci-fi. But since I don't have much time to update my stories, I decided to post it, so that my profile doesn't lie dormant. The good news is, I'll post another update for the Prince of Serpents this week.

Anyway, it's something like a Self-Insert... and I don't really remember what it was about. I'll be thankful for reviews anyway :)

P.S. The title of the story has nothing to do with the film.

Codex :o)

Galactic Standard Date: Month/Day, Year (H:M).

Year 0 GS is the year of the founding of the Citadel Council.

A Galactic Standard Year comprises of 15 months.

Each month comprises of 23 days.

A day comprises 20 hours.

Each Hour comprises 100 minutes.

Each Minute comprises 100 seconds.

Each second is half as long as a human second.

Consequently a Galactic Standard Year is about 10 percent longer than a year on the Earth.

Thessian Date: Week/Day, Year/Month (H:M).

Year 0 is the year of the entering the informations age.

A Galactic Standard Year comprises of 6 months.

Each month comprises of 7 weeks.

Each week comprises of 7 days, except the last week of the year that comprises of 5 days.

A day comprises 20 hours.

Each Hour comprises 100 minutes.

Each Minute comprises 100 seconds.

Each second is half as long as a human second.

Consequently a Thessian Year is about 10 percent shorter than a year on the Earth.

Asari names.

In this story asari don't have surnames. T'Loak, T'Soni aren't surnames.

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by CreatorZorah

Chapter 1

You like video games and want to earn 10000$ for answering simple questions? Then come to us! The offer is limited!

Of course it's SPAM. Still, here I am, standing before the entrance. I feel stupid for coming here. I'm hesitating only because I fear they're some criminals that will drag me into some shady business. The building looks very respectable though. Besides, I really need money. So, I take a deep breath and open the door.

Not shady at all. A normal office building. Besides I notice logos of quite serious companies, so I decide to give it a try. I see a young female receptionist and head over to her. She seems to be busy and doesn't notice me.

"Hello?" I say.

"Oh, hello! I'm sorry," she says. "What can I do for you?"

"I came here because of the email about video games and questions," I say.

She smiles. "Ah, of course. Please take the elevator to the second floor."

"Thank you."

I shake my head and go to the second floor. Almost all offices are empty, but a single one seems to be occupied.

Before I have a chance to go there, a man rushes out of the office and greets me, "Hello! I'm glad you came. Strangely, you're the first." He looks genuinely confused. "I'm not sure why people don't come."

"Well, the email didn't look... very reliable," I say.

"Really? Well, I wasn't the one to compose it." He shrugs. "Anyway, I'm James Belmy."

"Alice," I say warily. He looks like a normal guy I wouldn't be opposed to date, not creepy at all. The situation is still kind of... creepy.

"It won't take much time. What's your favorite video game by the way?" he asks moving to the office.

"Ah... Mass Effect?" I say following him.

"Great! It's my favorite too." James exclaims as we enter the room with a computer and two chairs. A helmet lies on the table. "Please take a seat and put on the helmet."

"Why do I need the helmet?" I ask as I do as he said.

He scratches his head blushing, "I've no idea. They pay me for doing this."

"Well, what should I do now?"

"Ah... Mass Effect was it?" He turns the display on and selects the game. "Well, it will ask you three weird questions, you have to answer them truthfully."

I sigh and look at the display.

If you had a chance to live in the Mass Effect universe keeping all your current knowledge what race would you prefer?

Asari

Batarian

Drell

Elcor

Hanar

Human

Krogan

Prothean

Quarian

Salarian

Synthetic

Turian

Volus

Vorcha

Yahg

...

Curiouser and curiouser. I would like to live as long as possible and I wouldn't want to be a machine. So, it's asari or krogan. Krogan live longer while asari are much more beautiful. Besides asari have much more comfortable life. Asari. Click.

Assuming you start a new life as a 100 years old asari, keeping all your current memories, what year would you like to live in?

What's with these stupid questions? A psychological test based on the game? Doesn't matter. Well, it would be great to fight the Reapers, but... I'd rather live peacefully. Besides, even if I'd wanted to fight, it's impossible to change anything unless I start a few hundred years before the events of the game. 700 years before the Battle of the Citadel. Click.

Choose:

a) Wealth: you're one of the wealthiest asari.

b) Information: you're a very good information broker.

c) Power: you're one of the most talented biotics.

Hard work beats raw talent. Information is the true power. However, information can be bought. Besides, I already have a lot of information in my head. Wealth. Click.

Thank you for participating in the experiment. You may take off the helmet now. Have a good day.

"Here is your money and the document," James says suddenly handing over promised sum of money.

"That's it?" I ask taking the money.

"Yeah. Don't ask me, what's the point of this. I've got absolutely no idea," he answers laughing.

Once outside I breathe a sigh of relief. It went well and I'm 10000$ richer.

Wealth. Click.

Thank you for participating in the experiment.

The world disappears in a bright flash of light. I can't see anything, everything is white around me, I can't feel my body, I can't move or even close my eyes.

Searching for a matching individual. An individual found.

Name: Alisia

Date of birth: May 11th, 1371 AD (2/7, 1685 GS)

Date for transfer: August 4th, 1483 AD (12/5, 1787 GS)

Starting the transfer...

What does this mean? I don't even know how I perceive these words. I neither see or hear them. Suddenly I see some visions... no, these are memories. A life of a pureblooded asari, born to Tamalia M'Reli and Pal'fera. Her early years, school, commando training, university and, at last, death of Tamalia and Pal'fera. And then I realize that I can feel my body again. My eyes are closed and I lie somewhere. I open my eyes and see my blue-colored hand. What the...?!

"What did they do to me?!"

I jump to my feet and examine my body. I'm a bloody asari! Just like in my memories... The memories! With a feeling of dread I realize that I have a second set of memories. They stuffed me into the new body! They put me into the Mass Effect universe! What a madness! Or worse, they put me to sleep and currently... No!

It takes me about ten minutes to calm down. And then it downs on me: I really am an asari in the Mass Effect universe. It can't be anything else: everything is too real, the asari's memories are too vivid. On the one hand it terrifies me, but on the other I'm excited. I have a few hundred years to live, I'm a biotic, I have lots of money, I have time to make a difference... and have some fun.

I don't care about getting dressed, instead I rush out to the terrace. I live in a large penthouse on the roof of a very tall building. The view on Thessia is breathtaking.

"Damn, this is awesome!" I exclaim.

"Alisia... you're naked."

I look to the source of the voice and see an asari. If I were a human, I'd blush madly. Thankfully, asari don't blush, and, fortunately, my stunt wasn't out of place for the old Alisia. In fact there were dozens pictures of naked me on the extranet. And, probably, there will be more now. Damn it, and here I thought that paparazzi were a human thing.

"Ah... thanks for reminding me, Fy'ela," I say. Oh my goodness, I'm talking in Thessian language.

"You seem to be unusually happy today."

"I'm just in a good mood today," I say, going inside to put some dress on.

"Any particular reason?"

"No."

Using Alisia's memories, I find my wardrobe. As I open it, a happy grin finds its way to my face. Shoes! And dresses!

"You forgot about the meeting at eight o'clock, didn't you?" Fy'ela asked.

A meeting? Oh, damn it. I'm the main shareholder of the Deoris Systems and have to attend meetings. "I... eh... did."

"Alisia, you should take your responsibilities more seriously," Fy'ela tells me in a worried voice.

She's six hundred years old and worked for my "mother" since she was of my age. Apparently Alisia's mother didn't have much time for her child, so Fy'ela was the one to take care of Alisia. She's my most trusted assistant and friend now. Gah! It's so confusing to think about Alisia's memories!

I activate my omni-tool to check the time: 4/6, 2352/1 (7:76). The device looks almost like in the game, by the way. According to Alisia's memories omni-tool had been developed almost thousand years ago and didn't change much for the last centuries.

"I know," I tell her, trying to sound apologetic. "It's just... well, I'm not sure how that happened."

"I'll notify the board that you'll attend the meeting remotely."

"Thank you."

She bows to me slightly and leaves. As I put the dress on, I think about the meeting. The last thing I want right now is to attend it, but apparently I'm obliged, because I don't have a reasonable excuse to skip it. I don't have to participate in the discussion, but I have to hear what other shareholders have to say.

Listening to my fellow shareholders, I find myself wondering if choosing wealth was the right thing to do. It's boring! Something I completely agree with the old Alisia. Before someone messed with us, giving me her body to use, she was playing with the thought of selling all her shares and leaving for some club to work as a dancer. That's something I disagree with her. What kind of masochist would do something like this?

"What do you think about it, Alisia?" asks one of the asari, obviously trying to point everyone at my disinterest.

Thankfully despite my disinterest I was actually listening to the conversation, so I answer, "I don't think that we should bother with it. We're starship manufacturers, not a research center for shielding technologies. We won't be able to compete with Thettalla Technologies, while they have the leading scientist working for them, therefore the proposed division would be unprofitable."

"Perhaps you didn't hear..."

"I heard everything you were talking about... Kydilla," I interrupt the unspoken leader of the board. "We need these technologies and they're working with our competitors. So... let's purchase the Thettalla Technologies and make them... and make them our..."

I find myself missing the word in the asari language, so I use another term, even if it's unknown to asari, "...our daughter company. We would kill multiple birds with a single stone. We'd get their scientists, the technologies and the leverage against our competitors. It would cost us a lot of money, but eventually we'd get everything back, because we'd recapture the leading role in the starship construction and additionally we'd get control of the best shielding technologies for centuries as the best scientists of the Thettalla Technologies are young asari. Do I even need to tell you that these young asari are graduates of Thettalla University controlled by Thettalla Technologies?"

An utter silence follows my proposition. Looks of disbelief on the faces of asari are hilarious and I allow myself to smile. I can tell why they're stunned. Though Alisia was the main shareholder, she has never contributed in any positive way before. She neither was interested in nor understood economics. All she really wanted to do was dance. Furthermore Asari are mediators and diplomats, and so the shareholder wanted to negotiate with Thettalla Technologies or to establish a new division, but didn't even consider such an "aggressive" approach. Aggressive, my arse.

"But we don't have enough liquid assets," Kydilla protested weakly.

"I'm sure the Bank of Irune will happily agree to provide us with necessary liquid assets. Volus will see the potential advantage of the deal."

"What about Matriarch Menella? I doubt she will be happy to lose control over the company," Damia T'Sefa said.

"She doesn't matter," I say knowing that it was risky to talk so dismissively about one of the very important Asari leaders. Alisia's memories were telling me that Menella was one of the most important Matriarchs of the generation. Just like Alisia's mother had been before she and Pal'fera were killed by some mad krogan. "She'll be powerless once we purchase other shares. We'd have the controlling interest. It's not like we'd do anything unethical or illegal. Should we vote?"

Not all are in favor, but enough to do it my way. And after the voting I receive a nod of approval from Kydilla. Something Alisia would never get.

A/N: To all those who want updates (I'm not sure if there will be any. If you want, please review, so that I know that there is an interest in the story), please be patient. I've got a publishing contract for the original novel I'm writing in a different language, I'll need a month or two to complete it, before I get to write anything else. I've still got 2 chapters of this story, but I'll post them later :)