N.K.Jemisin

Said’s skeptical expression communicated clearly what she thought of that. She handed the gun to another of her soldiers. “That’s asari-made armor, too,” she said, looking Cora up and down. “You some kind of bluepie?”

“What?”

“Asari fetishizer. Groupie, into the blue? Where have you been that you’ve never heard that, some frontier hellhole?”

Cora resisted the urge to sharpen her voice. Earthers think everybody cares about their stupid pop culture. “I’m from the Traverse, yeah, but I spent four years with an asari commando unit on Thessia as part of a joint program between our government and theirs.”

Said snorted, and Cora suspected she’d just confirmed herself as a “bluepie.”

An Alliance marine, Lieutenant James Vega, received a commendation for his efforts to save the colonists, although those efforts proved ultimately futile. Requests for more information from Councilor Udina’s office have not been answered at this time.

“I guess I should make some kind of motivational speech,” she said, “but I’m no good at that kind of thing. Anyway, there’s no time. You know how this has to go: Run, or you die. Don’t fall behind, or you die. Work together, or you die.”