Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Normandy SR2, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 7 Nov 2188

Council Spectre Ashley Williams was enjoying a cup of coffee and a sweet roll in the Mess Area on Deck Three.  Edi and Joker had successfully trailed the Nalotir back to the rogue Quarian flotilla, currently on the far side of the star at the center of the Tassrah System.  The Normandy’s long-range scans had recorded the vessel decloaking as it approached Admiral Han’Gerral’s flagship, the Neema.  The Nalotir had subsequently docked within the Neema, where it stayed for just over 12 hours – a period of time Ashley and XO Leon Rensch felt was sufficient to unload whatever cargo she carried and allow her crew to rest while the Neema’s technicians inspected and serviced the suspect vessel for its next foray.

She had just downed the rest of her coffee when she received a call from Edi.  “The Nalotir has emerged from the Neema’s cargo hold, Commander, and immediately transitioned to FTL.  I believe she is on course for Ishassara to take on hydrogen, and the planet is extremely close to the relay, Ma’am.  I would suggest we set course to arrive between the relay and the planet and wait for her arrival.”

“Make it happen, Edi.  I’m on my way up to you now.”  After washing her cup, she took the elevator up to deck two; conferring with her XO as she studied the galaxy map, she said softly, “We have to be ready to jump when they get here, Leon… and we’ll most likely have to take a guess as to where they’re going.”

“Flip a cred, Ma’am?”  Chuckling softly, he waved at the close-up depiction of the nebula; with a wry grin, he observed, “If they don’t use the relay, they could be heading for Typhon to raid Aite, or Salahiel to give the Elcor some grief on Ekuna.  Hard to predict… harder still to correct a destination error.  We guess wrong, they can raid either location and be out of the damned system before we can discover where they went.”  Shaking his head, he muttered, “Don’t see how in Hell they can continue to be so lucky.”

Ashley nodded grimly as she studied the galaxy map.  With a huff of discouraged acceptance, she nodded at Rensch’s assessment.  “Their run of good fortune cannot last forever, Leon.  Dammit, they’re stealing from honest folks just trying to get by after a galaxy-wide shit-storm.  I want to end this, preferably without having to destroy all of their ships.”  Shaking her head, she bounced the offside of her fist on top of the projector well guard rail and began walking towards the tactical passageway on her way to the bridge.  Just have to take a little bit of their luck and use it for our own purposes.

-------------------------------

Spectre Williams stood behind the navigator’s chair – currently occupied by an extremely busy Edi – and watched in fascination as the ship decloaked exactly where Edi had said it would.  “That’s really astounding, Edi… and such a waste.”

Edi stiffened slightly – if that was the correct description for her reaction – as she asked, “In what way, Commander?”

Ashley looked down as the visor-covered mechanical eyes turned up to gaze at her.  “Um, sorry, Edi.  Their method of cloaking that ship is astounding.  The waste is the resources the Quarians expended to enable it in the first place.  Using that tech for defense is one thing… but now they’re only using it to enable their piracy.”

Her attention was diverted by Joker.  “Quarians are spooling up their FTL drive, Commander, and the relay appears to be responding… it’s reorienting for Sahrabarik.”

Turning towards the Flight Lieutenant, she asked, “Omega?  Seriously?”  After a moment’s pause, she said, “Let’s get on their tail, Joker.  Either of you care to guess where she’s going?”

Saying, “No way to be certain, Commander… just have to see where they go from there,” Joker busied himself with setting a course and following the Nalotir as soon as it disappeared into the space-time corridor opened by the relay.

Edi’s opinion was a bit more reasoned.  “They’re only targeting Turian assets, Ma’am.  There is nothing for them to gain by staying in Sahrabarik – too many non-Turian vessels, military and civilian – plus the warships providing security for Omega Station.”

Glancing at a miniature projection of the CIC’s galaxy map, she added in a thoughtful tone, “The closest system of interest to them might be Sigurd’s Cradle… its relay is in the Skepsis system, which has a rebuilt fuel depot.  Once there, they can easily reach Triginta Petra in the Lenal System; at the end of the war, Turian agribusinesses there had a surplus of both plant- and animal-based food products for dextro-based organics.”  After a brief pause, she concluded, “I expect the animal-based products there have been depleted by the Turians.  However, plant-based rations, such as those favored by the Quarians, may still be in storage in sufficient quantities to attract the Nalotir.

“Where might they go from there?”

Edi glanced at Joker as she replied, “I am reasonably sure they will avoid the Psi Tophet system, and none of the other star systems would be of any interest to them.”

Joker asked, “The Vallhallan Threshold, maybe?  Pre-War, the Quarians had a significant number of ships extracting fuel from Farlas, in the Micah System.  Otherwise, they’d have no obvious need to go there.”

Ashley said, “Perhaps we’re over-thinking this.  They could simply be traveling to Omega Station to barter or trade for goods they cannot produce for themselves.”

Joker laughed as he added, “Yeah… they’ll be trading in stolen merchandise.  Not very smart if they’re doing that right under Aria’s nose.”

“Maybe not smart but, by this time, they’re likely desperate… and that can make them dangerous.”  The Spectre shook her head as she turned to walk back to the CIC.

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2, Nalotir Pursuit, At Large – 12 November 2188

Ashley held her breath as she waited for a Sitrep from Edi.  They had followed the Nalotir to Omega Station; even considering all the traffic flying between the relay and the station, and with no transponder signal being emitted, Edi was able to track the cloaked ship by following its unique heat signature.  “The Quarians have docked within the station’s transit moorage area, Commander.”

Joker had brought the Normandy to a near standstill 6500 klicks away; activating his comms unit, he added, “We can monitor them from our current location, Ma’am.”

Ashley nodded her head as she quietly replied, “Still need to know where they intend to go when they leave the station.  Wish we had a tracker on their hull.”  The Spectre huffed in exasperation.  Doesn’t do us a damned bit of good if we don’t have any idea where they’re gonna go next.

Specialist Dubow looked up at the brooding woman, saying, “Ma’am?  I’ve been monitoring comms between the station’s computer and various ships requesting exit vectors.”

Ashley could see he had something, so replied, “Talk to me.”

“The Quarians may be pirates, but they have to interact with the station’s flight controllers just like anyone else.  They’ve just requested a vector back to the relay… they intend to go to the Shrike Abyssal, Ma’am.”

Ashley looked puzzled by the information for several moments before she brightened and replied, “Sounds as if they’re heading for the Thal System, Specialist; a chance to do a few more raids on some Turian freighters, perhaps?”

“That would be my guess, Ma’am.”

Williams touched the control on the comms device sitting in her right ear canal.  “Joker… the Nalotir is getting ready to leave; Mr Dubow believes they’ll be heading for the Thal System in the Shrike Abyssal.  Keep an eye on the relay… with so much traffic, we’ll have to be riding that ship’s ass pretty hard when she goes through, otherwise we’ll be sitting here forever waiting for the damned thing to complete another realignment.”  Squeezing her temples between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, she muttered, “What a pain in the ass.”

-------------------------------

The Quarian raider, having jumped from the Omega Nebula to the Hourglass Nebula, cloaked immediately upon entering the system and was loitering in the vicinity of the relay.  In order to avoid detection, Ashley masked the Normandy’s identity by changing the transponder code to match that of the MV Shun’fe-Thuut, a Salarian passenger vessel that had left Omega for the Eagle Nebula prior to the Nalotir’s departure from the station’s transit moorage.

Then, to keep those aboard the Nalotir from realizing they were being followed, she immediately requested that Joker accelerate away from the relay, apparently on a course for the Salarian colony world Erinle.  Ashley waited for Edi’s confirmation that they had escaped notice by the Quarians before having Joker turn the transponder off; they then slowed and changed course in a large, looping trajectory that would take the Normandy back to the relay as Edi reported, “The relay is now aligned for transit to the Shrike Abyssal, Commander.”  After a brief pause, she added, “Nalotir has decloaked… the rings are spinning up for transit.”

Ashley responded, “Follow them, Joker, before the relay can return to standby mode.”

“Aye-aye, Ma’am.”

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2, Nalotir Pursuit, Shrike Abyssal – 15 November 2188

Normandy had entered Xe Cha less than six minutes after the Quarian raider Nalotir yet could detect no sign of the ship in the system, cloaked or not.  Ashley was only partially successful at keeping the concern from coloring her voice as she asked, “Edi?  Joker?  Where’d they go?”

Edi responded first, saying, “Searching for their heat signature, Ma’am.”  After several increasingly tense minutes, a pair of artificial eyes turned their nearly unblinking stare to the Spectre’s face as she reported, “I believe the Nalotir departed this system within minutes of arriving from Osun.  Based on the trace evidence, their departure vector seems to agree with your theory the Quarians are going to Thal.”

Turning towards Joker, Ashley said, “Set course and follow, Joker – scan the system the instant we’re flying in normal space, and make sure we’re running silent before you drop from FTL.”  

-------------------------------

Nalotir , At Large, Shrike Abyssal – 15 November 2188

Jeto’Zaedor vas Nalotir slouched in his command chair as the fast-attack frigate entered Xe Cha.  “Engage cloak, set course for the Thal system, and get us there as fast as possible.”  Receiving verbal acknowledgments from his pilot, navigator and weapons control officer, he sat up a bit straighter.  He was a long way from home, something that made him uncomfortable – not that he would ever admit to it.

He and his small crew had been hand-picked for this mission by Han’Gerrel vas Neema, Admiral of the Heavy Fleet; to date, the Nalotir had made a number of very successful raids, mostly on Turian ships.  Once their victim’s engines and ECLSS were rendered non-operational through the use of the targeted-beam weapon designed by Daro’Xen vas Moreh, Jeto’s crew led the boarding of the disabled vessel and killed the crew, then called in freighter support to transfer the ship’s cargo.  Once the freighter arrived, the Nalotir would depart, having remained cloaked the entire time to deny anyone’s visual identification of the ship as Quarian.  They were extremely efficient, so the victims’ panicked comms requests for aid never produced assistance before the Quarian raiders were well on their way to another system, their cargo hold fully loaded with everything they could carry.

Jeto turned towards navigator Laelu’Vulin.  “Alert me when we leave Xe Cha, Vulin, and then again when we reach the outer edge of Thal.”  Rising from his command chair, he stepped up beside Weapons Control Lieutenant Rusin’Fosal, saying, “Keep scanning for other vessels, Rusin, especially behind us.  I don’t like being so far from backup; even though I believe in the invisibility of this ship, it’s a technology that can malfunction without warning.”  He began moving for the passageway hatch as he concluded, “No matter how silently we run this ship, equipment can… and will fail, unexpectedly, with possibly catastrophic results.”

Turning to face his bridge crew, he said, “I’ll be in the galley getting a bite to eat,” then turned and left.

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2, Thal System, Shrike Abyssal – 16 November 2188

The Spectre frigate had just entered a high orbit of Altakiril when specialist Dubow paged Commander Williams.  “I’m picking up a distress call from a Turian freighter, Ma’am… the MSV Spirito’s Nimet.  They’re under attack, a quarter-million klicks from Altakiril…”

“What’s their status, Specialist?” 

“Unknown, Ma’am.  Their distress message is being continuously repeated at ten-second intervals – simply indicating an attack is in progress.”

Motioning to Joker and Edi, she said, “Get us there, now!”

Ashley braced herself as Joker gave her a clipped “Aye-aye,” and threw the Normandy into a steep climbing trajectory away from the planet. 

In a matter of minutes, the Normandy was within scanner range of Spirito’s Nimet; the freighter was within visual range seconds later.  “Any sign of the Nalotir, Flight Lieutenant?  Edi?”

Edi answered for them both as Joker maneuvered Normandy to stand off at a safe distance from the freighter, drifting slowly on what may have been its original course.  “The Quarians have left the area, Commander… perhaps to return to the planet, which I believe was their primary target.”

Activating her ear-mounted comlink, the Spectre spoke to Specialist Dubow.  “Contact that ship, Mr Dubow… tell them who we are, find out the extent of the damage, number of casualties…”

Dubow acknowledged her request; while she waited for his report, she inspected the results of Edi’s preliminary scans of the vessel.  No hull breaches.  No scoring on their exterior… doesn’t appear as if they were touched.

Dubow’s voice, rich with concern, floated in on her comms.  “Main engines disabled, ECLSS damaged, Ma’am.  The Turians are attempting to regain control with maneuvering thrusters.”  Almost as an afterthought, he added, “They’ve terminated their distress message.”

“What about injuries… or casualties, Specialist?”

“No deaths reported, Ma’am.  A few of their people in engineering are suffering from severe headaches.”  After a brief pause, he continued with, “They’ve requested assistance, Ma’am.  It appears repairs to their propulsion systems may require a few parts they don’t have on board.”

“Okay, thanks, Specialist… continue monitoring their situation.”  Headaches? What in Hell?…

Touching her comlink to change its target, Ashley directed her next request to her number two.  “Commander Rensch, put together a damage control team for that ship… and be sure to include Curt Manos – he has a good understanding of alien propulsion systems.  Turians are pretty damned self-reliant, but we need to help them get underway; we certainly can’t leave them adrift out here.”

“Aye, Ma’am.”

“And Mr Rensch?  I want to know what kind of weapon the Quarians used to disable that ship… and how it managed to induce headaches in those people.”  Ashley frowned as she continued, “I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s the damned energy weapon Tali and Judea have been attempting to find a counter-measure for.  Next time I speak with Councilor Tevos, I’ll ask her to check on their progress and have them send me an update.”

“We’ll get the Spirit back on her way, Ma’am, and obtain whatever answers we can.”  Even though Ashley couldn’t see him, Rensch gave a brief nod and added hopefully, “And, just maybe, we’ll find the missing piece Tali and Judea need to solve their little mystery.” 

-------------------------------

MSV Spirito’s Nimet , Thal System, Shrike Abyssal – 16 November 2188

Captain Octaso Savernake warmly greeted and welcomed the damage control team from the Normandy; looking intently at Lieutenant Commander Rensch, he said, “I don’t know what would have happened… what we would have done, if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”  Glancing at the men standing behind the Normandy’s XO, he added, “I just hope you can repair our propulsion and life support systems sufficiently to enable a safe return to our home world.”

“Did they board your ship, Captain Savernake?”

“Strangest thing, Commander.  Once we were disabled, they moved in close, as if they were going to… but they didn’t.  Instead, they just sat there, making us sweat for fifteen minutes or so before turning tail.  Based on the freighter’s departure trajectory, I believe they’re making a run on Altakiril.”

“Wait… a freighter? …”

“That’s correct, Commander… a damned freighter – LADAR painted it as configured virtually identically to this one, so… Turian.”  Shaking his head, Octaso used sub-harmonics to convey his disbelief that his own people had attacked him.  “Ship didn’t appear to have any external weaponry… not even a damned missile launcher.  I’ve heard that other freighters have been hit out here but never would have expected the pirates to be Turian.”

“Don’t be so sure your own people are targeting you just because it’s a Turian ship.  It wouldn’t be the first time a pirate captain commandeered someone else’s ship as an upgrade… or a smoke shield to hide their true identity… particularly since they didn’t board you.”  Rensch nodded encouragingly.  “But it sounds like they either scanned your ship and figured there were too many of you to take on… or, you were set up as a diversion and now they’re raiding someone else while we’re busy helping you.” 

After a brief pause, Rensch sighed and shook his head before adding, “If you would, please have one of your crew show my propulsion engineer and his assistants to your engineering department… hopefully, they can assist your people in getting your engines running again.”  Looking back at his team, he said, “See what can be done to get these people safely on their way, Mr Manos.”

The Turian captain nodded as he motioned for Salarato Albaso to lead the Humans to the lower level; after waiting for Manos and his team to leave, Rensch returned his attention to Savernake, saying, “What about the people suffering from severe headaches, Captain?  How many, and were there no other physical injuries among your crew?”

Octaso motioned for Rensch to precede him down a short passageway as he replied, “Crew compliment on the ‘Spirit’ is quite small, Commander… those suffering the most, including Salarato Albaso, were in the engineering compartments during the attack.  It’s almost as if…” he paused outside a small compartment and motioned for Rensch to enter.  “My quarters, such as they are.  As I seriously doubt you can safely drink any spirits I may have on board, may I offer you some water?”

Rensch offered his thanks as he declined.  Reminding the captain of his observations regarding the attack, he asked, “You must have served in the military during the war, Captain.  Do you suppose that ship was using some kind of directed-energy weapon?”

Flaring his mandibles in surprise, he looked at his desk for several moments before returning his steady gaze to Rensch’s eyes.  “Those crewmen were on their knees at their work stations, Commander.  They were holding their crests and groaning from the pain, and there wasn’t a mark on ’em… any of them.  Crew further from the engineering area suffered least.  I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

“Sounds like a damned effective weapon, Captain.  Disable propulsion and environmental, plus render ineffective the very people needed to put things right again.”  After a brief pause, Rensch asked, “Are the affected crewmen all back to normal, Captain?  Even though she’s Human, our ship’s doctor is quite knowledgeable concerning multiple species’ physiology.  We could bring her over, have her check those crew that were affected the most?”

Captain Octaso spread his mandibles in an expression that Rensch had come to recognize as a Turian smile.  “Your offer is most generous, Commander, but she would need several years of practical, first-hand experience in treating Turians.  I don’t expect she would…”

Leon raised his hands as he interrupted.  “Actually, Dr Chakwas spent the entire war on the Normandy.  She learned about Turians the hard way, treating Garrus Vakarian every time he returned from a ground mission chewed up by enemy fire.”  With a chuckle, Rensch added, “Vakarian was usually watching Commander Shepard’s six – as she was generally drawing the most fire from whatever enemy force she was attempting to eliminate, Garrus caught a great deal of the fire directed at her.”

Octaso’s look of amazement was quickly replaced by a respectful expression as he said, “Spirits!  I had completely forgotten about General Vakarian’s time on your ship, Commander.  I will speak with my second… ask if any crewmen are experiencing after-effects from the attack.”

Rensch smiled and nodded just as his omnitool lit-up and chimed.  “Excuse me, Captain… I need to answer this.”  The Turian rose to leave, only to be waved back down by the commander as he activated his omnitool.  “You may think of something more while I’m speaking with Spectre Williams, Captain.”

In response to Ashley’s inquiries concerning the freighter, Rensch filled her in on what he had learned, concluding with the theory that the Nalotir had used Spirito’s Nimet as a diversion for a strike against its real target, Altakiril.

“I agree with you, Commander.  I’ll have Dubow check comms on the planet… see if anyone is reporting an attack.”  Ashley’s voice rang with disappointment as she continued, “I’d like to continue the pursuit, but I don’t suppose getting Spirito’s Nimet operational again is going to happen anytime soon, is it?”

“Not fast enough for that, Ma’am.”  Rensch huffed in frustration, sharing her displeasure over the lost opportunity.  “I’ll go below and see how Mr Manos and his team is doing…  I’ll report in as soon as we have an estimated completion time.”

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2, At Large, Shrike Abyssal – 17 November 2188

Reading Rensch’s report made Ashley’s head hurt.  Massaging her temples between thumb and fingers of one hand, she used the other to take a sip of coffee from the mug that seemed to be her constant companion these days.  “Goddamned Quarians are making this difficult, Leon.  They’re really organized, dammit, much more so than we realized… though I should have expected it!  They have to be meticulous, or their race would have perished a long time ago.”

“I know,” answered Rensch.  In Ashley’s private quarters, the two were much more relaxed in their conversations than they ever would be in front of the crew.  “Here we thought it was independent raiders, and it turns out they have fucking Marine teams on standby in freighters, waiting for the Nalotir to disable their next victim.  It sure explains how they’ve been so fast in transloading what they steal… and why we are never able to catch the Nalotir in the act.”

“Fast strike to disable the ship and incapacitate the crew, transfer the cargo, and they’re gone… leaving the ‘Turian pirate’ freighter to take the blame for the attack, since that’s all the target vessel sees.”  Ashley shook her head.  “Pretty damned smart.”

“I think we’re going to need some help.”  Rensch met the Spectre’s eyes.  “We simply can’t monitor all the sectors at the same time; we need to figure out where the damned freighters are based… or, at the very least, where they’re ducking in to transfer the stolen cargo.  They’re not nearly fast enough to travel between systems undetected.”

“Yes,” Williams nodded in agreement.  “And I’m really beginning to wonder if the Nalotir is the only stealth ship the Quarians are using for piracy.  They seem to be hitting too many locations, all of them light-years apart, for it to be the work of just one vessel…”

“That would make sense.”  Leon gulped down the last of the liquid in his tumbler.  “Which means we have work… a lot of work… yet to do before we can catch the bastards.”

“Yeah.”  Ashley yawned as they both stood up.  “Try to get some sleep… maybe then, at least, one of us will be rested.”  With a wry chuckle, she added, “I’m sure as Hell not getting much sleep these days; trying to come up with some plan to catch them in the act is keeping me up nights.”

“Me too, Ma’am.”  Leon turned towards the door and started walking as he repeated, “Me too.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 20 Nov 2188

A pair of eyes, barely visible beneath a tangle of hair, slipped open as narrowly as possible and struggled to focus on the chrono display sitting some 45-50 centimeters from her pillow.  A hand, fingers spread wide, slowly emerged from beneath the covers in an attempt to ‘comb’ the majority of the lush, brown hair away from her eyes.  Task complete, the hand silently retreated back into the cocoon of warmth under which its owner had been sleeping.  Eventually able to focus on the softly glowing numbers – 0423 – the eyes reclosed as the woman, sheet and quilts pulled high enough to cover most of her head, attempted to return to her dreams.

She was just drifting off to sleep when a jolt in the lower left portion of her swollen belly was sharp enough to awaken her.  Placing a hand on the bare skin where she’d felt the movement, she pressed lightly and waited.  Within minutes, she was poked twice more.  Damn.  Is this how it’s going to be? she wondered.  Another 15 to 18 weeks of disturbed sleep?  Suppose I should get used to it… once they’re born, uninterrupted sleep will be a thing of the past for me.  She chuckled softly, shaking her head at where her mind next went.  Two babies.  Babes.  They’ll be about as bothersome together as Kenneth was after he proposed… before our marriage.  Those four weeks… sleeping together in the environmental compartment on deck three… the man was insatiable!  The exceedingly pleasant memories brought a tickle of warm desire to her core.  My God!  I miss him so much, it actually hurts!  She wiped away a single tear that had escaped to travel down her cheek towards her ear.  Damn hormones!   

Gabriela Donnelly had been on the CGC for just over 3 months.  In that short span of time, her trim form had blossomed as the life inside her womb grew in size.  Her obstetrician, Dr Kathryn Walsh, had discovered during one of Gabby’s routine checkups that the mother-to-be was carrying twins, a discovery that brought equal measures of joy and sadness – while she was elated that she had conceived two babies with Kenneth, she was quite sad at her inability to share the good news with him; her husband was still a systems engineer on the Normandy, currently comms out while clandestinely monitoring the Quarian situation somewhere in the area of the Far Rim.

When she awoke again – after a pleasant dream about the wedding reception on Thessia – it was 0656.  Time to crawl out of her cozy nest of sheet, comforter, and quilts.  It would have ordinarily been a work day, but her department supervisor had given her the day off in recognition of her 33rd birthday.  Just another reason to miss Kenneth… Hell, everyone!  All my shipmates on the Normandy.

Standing beside the bed, she grabbed and pulled on an oversized sweatshirt to ward off the chill of her bedroom; after voiding her bladder – something she needed to do with ever-increasing frequency these days – she used a dampened washcloth to gently scrub the sleep from her face, brushed her hair into some semblance of order, then pulled on clean underpants and socks before stepping into a pair of comfortable bottoms that matched her top.  Glancing at herself in a full-length mirror, she cupped the lower portion of her belly with both hands.  Wonder if Kenneth would still think I’m beautiful if he could see me right now…

With a heavy sigh, she made her way into her compact kitchen to make a bit of breakfast for herself.  Setting a pot of water to boil, she made a serving of oatmeal and two slices of toast while she waited.  Once the water was hot enough, she made a cup of tea, having sworn off coffee – alcohol as well – at least for the duration of her pregnancy.

While she drank her tea and ate, she used the small reader on her counter to check the news feeds.  As an Alliance member, she had access to a bit more data than the average citizen; she first checked on what was being reported from the Far Rim – looking for any and all information about the Quarian situation and what was being done by the Galactic Council.  Gabby always found the dearth of news a bit disturbing, but also guessed that if anything really bad had occurred, she’d be told about it at work.

With breakfast done and dishes cleaned up and put away, Gabby moved to her small living room for her morning ‘walk’; one of the things Dr Walsh had recommended for Gabby’s health was a heavy-duty treadmill.  Knowing she was carrying twins, the doctor had insisted that Gabby record the frequency and duration of her use of the machine; she was attempting to keep her patient from gaining excessive weight during the pregnancy, telling her that losing any net gain after she gave birth would be difficult, given the sedentary nature of her job.

Gabby thought of this as she walked, then jogged slowly on the machine… attempting to keep her heart rate at a steady 145 beats per minute.  Gabby’s hormones were playing havoc with her emotions; learning she had gained nearly 5 kilograms since the end of June had her weeping in Dr Walsh’s office.  The doctor had held her hands and told her what she was experiencing was perfectly normal and expected, especially with twins.

Even though only 30 minutes into her work out on the treadmill, Gabby was forced to quit.  Is the extra weight really making me so tired?  After resting for a bit, she stripped out of her clothes and took a warm shower to wash off the sweat; upon slipping into some loose-fitting clothing and a comfortable pair of shoes, she grabbed her shoulder bag and left to do a bit of shopping.

-------------------------------

Taking a bit longer to complete her shopping than planned, Gabby had hastily returned to her apartment in order to put her groceries away – something she wouldn’t have bothered to do if not for the few items needing refrigeration – then left again, this time carrying a swimsuit and towels in a shoulder bag.

She walked the short distance to the enlisted personnel swimming pool; Dr Walsh had prescribed regular visits to the pool, two or three times a week, as it was a low-impact way for her to exercise that was more beneficial than using her treadmill.  Despite the fact she didn’t like the way she looked in the one-piece suit, she had decided being uncomfortable about her appearance wasn’t nearly as important as the health benefits she received from swimming a number of laps on the recommended schedule.

After an hour – with short breaks – of swimming slow laps, Gabby left the pool for the showers, got dressed and walked back to her apartment.  It was mid-afternoon when she walked through her door; after hand-washing her swimsuit and hanging it in the bathroom to dry, she looked at her comms terminal and discovered a short message from Tamiko, her new friend in the research center.  The Senior CPO wanted to drop by after she was done with work, saying in her message that no one should be alone on their birthday.  Gabby, still feeling lonely here after spending so much time with the crew of the Normandy, sent a reply assuring Ms Miyazaki she was welcome to come by – she could even stay for a light dinner.

-------------------------------

Gabby, having taken a quick shower – her third of the day – toweled her body off and pulled on some fresh clothes; after another walk/jog on her treadmill, the slight amount of sweat she’d produced had dried on her skin, and she knew she’d never get a decent night’s sleep if she didn’t rinse it off.

Going to the small counter next to her kitchen, she set out plates and utensils for dinner with Tamiko, who had insisted on stopping at a nearby restaurant to buy a meal for each of them.  Gabby had not asked, and Tamiko had not volunteered to tell her what they would be eating; Gabby trusted that her friend was very aware of her dietary requirements.  Her early morning nausea had passed at about the ten-week mark, but her system was still a bit sensitive… just the thought – never mind the actual odor – of Ken eating his beloved haggis was nearly enough to set her off.

She was ready to pour a bit of wine for her guest – water was all Gabby would be having – when the entry request chimed.  With a few steps, Gabby was at the door and opening it wide for a grinning Tamiko, who had her hands and arms full of two or three bags seemingly overflowing with a number of small containers.  With a giggle, Tamiko said, “Hope Chinese is okay, Gabby.”

Gabby grinned right back.  Saying, “I love Chinese… come in!  Do you need a hand?” she stepped back while reaching for one of the bags.

“Thanks,” Tamiko replied as she released her grip on the bag.  “I should have brought a hover cart to carry all this.”

Gabby led the way to her dining area, saying, “I was just about to pour some wine for you.”  She set the bag on the counter and pulled two take-out boxes from within.  “Smells wonderful!”

Tamiko set two more bags down on the counter, saying, “There’s a complete dinner for each of us, with some sides that we can share.  I don’t expect you’ll be able to eat that much, so I’ll leave the leftovers with you for lunch or dinner tomorrow.”

“That’s not really fair to you, Tammi… there’s too much food here for just one person… it’d most likely spoil before I could finish it all.  You’ll need to take some home with you as well.”

“But you’re eating for three, right?”

Gabby replied with a chuckle, “That may be, but my stomach fills up so much quicker these days, I have to eat more frequently than before.”  Sitting on one of the stools in front of the counter, she poured the glass of wine Tamiko’s arrival had interrupted, then set their dinners out.

“Chop sticks?”  Tamiko slid a package to Gabby, who opened it and began wielding them as she’d been taught.  As she enjoyed her Bar-b-que Pork, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Pork Fried Rice, Tamiko dug into her Pork Chow Mein, Sweet & Sour Pork and Fried Shrimp.  In addition, there was an appetizer plate containing BBQ Pork, Egg Roll, Crab Puff, and Fried Shrimp, with red and yellow dipping sauces and sesame seeds; this had Gabby really longing for the taste of a cold beer to wash it all down.

“I’m a bit surprised at the availability of all this, Tammi, especially the shrimp… what’s the source of the restaurant’s food?”

Tamiko’s giggle was infectious.  “It’s split between Earth for the beef and pork, and Sur’Kesh for the shrimp.  Veggies are harvested on Earth and Eden Prime, depending on the seasons for each world.”  She was going to say more, but she stopped short at a grimace from Gabby.  Looking at her friend closely, she thought she could detect a trace of pain being reflected in her dark brown eyes.  “Gabby? … Is everything okay?”

Rubbing her swollen belly with one hand, she used the other to bring up her glass for a sip of water; setting the glass down, she slowly got to her feet and took the few steps needed to reach her chair as she replied softly, “Don’t know, Tammi.  They’ve just recently begun moving around a bit, and I just got an intense stab of pain on the right side, up high; feels like I just got kicked in the liver.”  She sat down and put her feet up as she waited to see if there was going to be a repeat.

“If you're done eating, Gabby, I can put all this away…”

“Nonsense.  Finish eating your dinner, Tammi… I’ll be…” she grimaced again.  “Damn!  That one really hurt.”

Tamiko brought up her omnitool.  “I’m calling Dr Walsh for you, Gabby.  We don’t want to take any chances with your health, or that of your babies.”

Gabby nodded her head.  “I suppose that would be best.”

-------------------------------

Tamiko had accompanied Gabby to her OB/GYN’s nearby office; after checking her over, Dr Walsh had told Gabby that – despite being poked in the liver by a tiny fist or foot – everything was just fine.  “I know it doesn’t feel good, Ms Donnelly, but it’s to be expected.  There’s not a lot of room in there for one baby, much less two.”

Gabby had rolled her eyes at that statement.  While walking the short distance back to her apartment, she confided to Tamiko, “Kenneth doesn’t realize how lucky he is to still be on the Normandy… I really wish I could give him a hug… then punch him for knocking me up.”

Tamiko looked surprised.  “Thought you said your implanted contraceptive device failed.  You cannot blame Kenneth for an equipment failure neither of you were aware of,” she stated.

Shaking her head ruefully, Gabby chuckled as she readily admitted, “You’re right, Tammi.  I’d have to kiss ’im to make up… after I punched ’im.”  Still chuckling, she opened the door to her apartment and waved Tamiko in ahead of her.  “I’ll put a kettle on so we can have some tea.”

Tamiko’s face was overtaken by a devilish grin.  “And I’ll slice a piece of cake for each of us!”

Chapter Text

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 21 Nov 2188

While the Normandy had continued pursuing the Nalotir across the galaxy, the entire crew of the Knight Shade had relaxed at the Estate for the three days over the Samhain holiday weekend.  Bright and early the very next Monday morning, they were all up and at it; from that moment on, the follow-on investigation into the many leads provided by the information secured at Commander McKay’s residence took only three weeks to complete. 

By the time they were done, the various law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation ended up arresting forty-two people.  Twenty-seven of them were part of the staff working in the headquarters; of these, all but three were on the preliminary list of fifty-plus persons of interest Liara and her team had assembled at the very beginning of the inquiry… as well as an additional fifteen within the ranks of Terra Firma and their more unsavory associates, Douglas Walker being only one of the names included on the final list.

Unlike Walker and Klein, most had little to do with the actual assassinations; yet, all of them had been charged with some form of ‘support’ crimes, such as aiding and abetting, and accessory to the assassinations, depending on the depth of their involvement.  Shepard provided the finalized list to Atlas, telling Zoë, “I hesitate to give this to you with such vague instruction, but I have come to trust your judgment… and I need to know that all of these conspirators will be punished.  If, by some chance and legal maneuvering of a high-paid lawyer, any of these people escape official punishment for their criminal behavior, I leave it to you to deal with – appropriately – under our existing arrangement.”  Shepard’s expression turned darker as she quietly added, “That goes especially for Charles Saracino, Zoë.”

“Understood, Spectre.”  The woman had nodded as the list was transmitted to her omnitool and then continued, “And thank you for trusting me… and Atlas.  I promise you, each punishment will be appropriate for the level of their crimes.  We have many ways to make their lives a living Hell.  They just may end up begging us to kill them; it could wind up being a kinder punishment than the life of suffering I guarantee they will endure for what they have taken away from the Human race with their treachery.” 

Shepard nodded in thanks and had simply turned and walked away, feeling nothing but relief as she climbed aboard the Knight Shadow to depart Earth, beginning what she believed would be a relatively long period of absence from the Human home world.

-------------------------------

Liara, on the other hand, still felt burdened… partially blaming herself for Hackett’s death, due to their inefficiencies while trying to scrub the potential assassin list.  She knew one of the most important attributes of information was timeliness but, over the course of the war, the brokerage had suffered the same losses as any military organization.  The Shadow Broker had come to realize it was past time to rebuild the network to its pre-war capacity.  Better late than never, I suppose.  That, of course, assumed the Broker wanted to remain relevant in the post-war galaxy, which she most certainly did.  So, while Shepard had directed the hunt and arrests of all the conspirators, Liara – along with all her remaining Broker agents and wet squads – had focused on an active recruiting campaign… at least as ‘active’ as one could be while recruiting for an organization with an operations plan grounded entirely in anonymity. 

The Asari was currently standing before the large window in their luxury apartment’s rather expansive living room, staring out at the stars surrounding the CGC as she contemplated their inadequate progress – and how much still remained to be completed – when a voice from the side pulled her from her reverie.  “You about ready to leave, Blue?”

“I suppose so.”  The Asari glanced back and smiled at her siame.  “Staying in a relatively peaceful environment in our own retreat away from the Estate has actually provided me with the quiet time I needed to concentrate… even if I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted to.”

Sliding up beside her to slip an arm around the Asari’s waist, Shepard spoke softly, “There’s only so much you can do, Grá mo chroí.  And, you have to admit, your office here has one Hell of a view, doesn’t it?  Along with plenty of room for all of us… and the big surround fireplace somewhat reminds me of Uncle Dave and Kahlee’s place.”  A wistful smile crossed the Spectre’s face and she added, “Going to the apartment in Tiberius Towers always felt like going home… and I’d like to think we can create the same kind of haven… both here and at the Estate… for any and all of our friends.”

“A place where they can feel free to hide away from the galaxy for a bit.”  Liara smiled and let out something akin to a relaxed sigh before finishing, “Whenever they may need it.  I am confident in that becoming a reality, Sam; whether we do it purposefully or not, it will happen.”  Placing a soft kiss on Samantha’s cheek, she added, “And, to answer your question, yes, I am ready to leave here.”

Shepard cast one of her lopsided grins at her bondmate, then turned and shouted out, “Alright, team!  Time to fire up the Knight Shade and get ourselves back to Thessia.  We’ve been away long enough.”

Riana, who was never far from her mistress, mission permitting, answered, “Far too long, if you ask me.”

“Understood, Riana.”  Liara laughed softly.  “I’m sure Sammi is more than ready for you to be home as well.

“That too…”  Riana grinned, even as her face turned a shade darker.  “Though, I was merely referring to missing the ocean air; this place is too dry… too sterile… for my liking.”

“You know, we do have wonderful technology that can, at least partially, fix that, Riana…  The environmental control system can be programmed to emulate the Thessian environment.”  Shepard glanced at Liara.  “Actually, that might not be a bad idea…”

“Next time.”  Liara grinned and gave her a playful shove.  “Right now, even though you’re the one that brought it up, I am ready to leave.”

“Your wish is your captain’s command,” Shepard laughed and stepped aside, waving her arm in the general direction of their main entryway.  “After you, Lady Liara.”

-------------------------------

T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 21 Nov 2188

Once underway, Shepard and Liara decided to stop in at Armali on their way home.  After the initial welcome, Aethyta turned immediately to business and prompted Liara about the team of ‘Eclipse girls’ she had handed over to help in the war.  “How are you going to keep them busy now?  They certainly figured out your role in that whole mess, so why don’t you use them as an enforcement team?  That would be right up their alley… especially considering the criminal element of the new job.”

“Goddess.  I hadn’t considered that… I assumed they would simply return to their prewar occupation.”  Liara looked at Aethyta with a scathing glance.  “And you really do not need to remind me that the Shadow Broker is still the most wanted criminal in Council Space, Father.  Not everyone on the Council would be as understanding as Councilor Tevos.  Besides… I thought you said you made sure to stay with legitimate jobs, like security and such.”

Aethyta’s gravelly laughter filled the room and she made no attempt to hide her amused grin as she responded, “You may be battle-hardened, Little Wing, but you remain so easy to tease, it’s almost not worth my time… almost.  I still get way too much enjoyment out of it to quit.  And, yes, we did… but they had to get into the organization to start with and, to do that, each had to have a rep.  The recruiters want leverage… to know you won’t rat them out and that you’ll be willing to do whatever is necessary to complete a job.  Failure to complete a task because of a suddenly developed case of morals is not an option… not in Eclipse.”

“No, I suppose not.”  Liara gave her father an apologetic look.  “And just because I didn’t think of it doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea.  That is one part of the organization that doesn’t sit well with me, so I tend to neglect it.”  She met Aethyta’s eyes, and the matriarch was surprised by the sudden resolve in both her daughter’s expression and voice as Liara continued, “I now realize I can’t afford to do that anymore, so I’ll give them a call.”  She paused and smiled wryly.  “I have more than a few projects I’ve been putting off, for which they would be perfect.  Thanks, Dad.”

“That’s what I’m here for, kid.”  Aethyta chuckled quietly as she smiled back at the younger Asari, relieved that her Little Wing had somehow managed to maintain a sense of humor through all of her trials.  “Lots of advice, whether you are ready to hear it or not.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 22 November 2188

Tevos was optimistic as the pushed the transmit button, forwarding the data packet she had received from the Normandy.  “I honestly hope Tali and Judea can come up with something, given this additional sensor data, Shepard.  Spectre Williams was quite frustrated by the whole event… between the Nalotir’s stealth systems proving to be quite the tracking challenge and the unusual side effects of the directed-energy weapon, she is at her wits’ end.”

“I don’t believe the Nalotir is the only thing irritating her, Councilor,” Shepard sighed.  “I think it’s the concern that there is more than one of that ship type out there… each one conducting multiple raids… a possibility which I believe is spot-on.  And, if it does turn out to be true, then the Rebel Quarian Flotilla is larger than we thought… and more sophisticated.  It’s hard to fight what you can’t see.”

“What are you saying, Shepard?”  Tevos’ eyes widened almost imperceptibly in concern.  “Is there nothing we can do to stop this?”

“Oh, no.  That’s not what I mean at all; we can do something,” she answered.  “There is an old Human saying… if you want to kill a snake, you have to cut off its head.”  Shepard shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in disgust.  “But if we’re going to remove the leaders of this rebellion, I’m going to need help from the Council Fleet, and the SILC, because I’m pretty damned sure Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen won’t go down without a fight – a big one.”

“Goddess, Shepard!”  Tevos sat back in her chair in shock, her face paling as she considered the implications.  “The Quarian Heavy Fleet is substantial!  After the war, the SILC helped them rebuild it, just as they helped the rest of us; we would likely incur severe losses should we decide to face them head on!  Do you not see any other alternatives?”

“I don’t know, yet.”  Shepard’s face was set in stone, keeping her emotions in check.  “I’ll need to take the Knight Shade out to the Far Rim… rendezvous with Ashley and the Normandy… discuss options with her.”  A slight smile crept onto her lips as she continued, “Don’t worry, Tevos; we’ll come up with something.  And, when we do, I’ll return to brief the Council and get your blessing, before I go and round up the forces we’ll need to take on the Heavy Fleet.”

“This cannot be another mass casualty event, Captain.”  Tevos’ color had begun to slowly return to her face with Shepard’s reassurances.  “I honestly don’t know how we would survive another major war with our sensibilities intact… not so soon after the Reaper War.  I would hate to see all of Council Space become a place where only the strongest rule… and the last thing I want to do is join Aria T’Loak as a manager of chaos.”

“Obviously, we’ll do what we can to prevent that, Councilor.”  Liara slipped up beside Shepard and answered before the Spectre could think of a reply.  “I… We… have no intention of letting Aria T’Loak extend her reach anywhere outside of her private playground… and the same goes for Han’Gerrel, Daro’Xen, and their little band of mutineers.”  She glanced at Shepard in a moment of silent communication before continuing, “We know, from an inside source, that Gerrel and Xen are ruling mostly through fear.  Given the chance, we believe the vast majority of the Quarian Marines will not lay down their weapons in surrender… but will take them up against the rebel leaders if we provide them hope of a victory.”

Shepard was nodding in agreement as she added to Liara’s comments.  “Most of them don’t want the SILC subjugated like the Geth were any more than we do.  So far, Legion and his SILC have proven to be excellent allies, so I think those Marines will gladly fight with us…  Not only to help the SILC, but to regain their own freedom.”  She paused as a scowl took over her face.   “And, I already warned Gerrel – in no uncertain terms – what his fate would be should he ever again allow his hatred of the Geth to injure or kill people I care about, so I won’t hesitate to finish the fight he started above Rannoch.  If we hadn’t needed the Quarian Fleet so desperately…”

“I completely understand your anger, Spectre Shepard.”  The abrupt formality of Tevos’ address drew the Human’s eyes to meet hers.  “I know how much that… betrayal… hurt you and your crew, Samantha, but please, do not let the past get the better of your judgement in the present.  We need you focused… to save the freedom of the SILC and as many of the Quarian lives as we can; at least those who want to be saved from this madness.  I cannot imagine we would have such good fortune as to have all of them cooperate.”

“I imagine not.”  Shepard’s stone face returned as she concluded, “We will get through this, Councilor, and we’ll hopefully eliminate all of the bad apples in the process.”  Her hand hovered over the disconnect control on the haptic interface as a smile returned to her face.  “I’ll start preparing everyone for the mission and we’ll chat again before I leave the system… I promise.”

-------------------------------

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 23 Nov 2188

“Captain B’Sayle.”  Liara stood from her desk chair and approached the commando, her hands extended in welcome.  “Thank you for accommodating my schedule and coming so quickly.”

Roshida simply smirked and replied, “My pleasure, Lady Liara… or should I say Shadow Broker? … as, given my résumé, I highly doubt I am being summoned to serve House T’Soni.”

Liara eyed the commando with a look just shy of a glare as she commented sharply, “Do not sell yourself short, Captain.  Loyalty can be a rare quality and, knowing my father, it is one that you hold dear… else she would never have trusted you to be on her team, much less lead it.”

Roshida stayed silent for a moment, looking Liara over with an appraising eye.  “You always surprise me, Lady Liara.  Your single-minded determination belies your youth, though I suppose I can understand the reasons behind it.”

Liara canted her head slightly as she responded, “We were all forced to harden ourselves these past few years, thanks to our many enemies; we did what was required of us to survive… and I am not in a position to judge you or your actions.  At the same time, I have to wonder at what compelled you to choose the path you did, given the high standing of your family.”

Roshida chuckled quietly.  “Apparently, you did not know my mother, Rylena.”  Seeing Liara’s raised brow markings, she continued, “She was the Pyjak’s ass of matriarchs.  The bearing of a dictator, the brashness of a Varren and the aggressiveness of a Yahg, all rolled into one tightly-wound, insufferable annoyance who made her fortune through illegal genetic engineering contracts with edgy, overly ambitious Salarians… though none of that matters now, seeing as Chalkhos was turned into a smoldering ruin by the Reapers.”

“Chalkhos?”  Liara continued with, “I’m… sorry?” in the same questioning tone, which made B’Sayle laugh more freely. 

“Don’t be.  It’s a rare case where the Reapers likely did the galaxy a favor.  The only good thing she ever did was give birth to my younger sister, Pelessaria.  Smart as they come, that one; smart enough to get accepted by the Andromeda Initiative and get far, far away from her family… and her past.”  Roshida’s expression suddenly saddened as she continued, “I can only hope the mission succeeds and they make it; our little rogue deserves at least that much.”

“So, who is Matriarch Ryvos B’Sayle of Blackdamp, to you?”

“She is my mother’s older sister by a little more than a half-century… and very much alive and well… though, as you are probably well aware, aging.  She’s closing quickly on her one thousand, one hundred and twentieth birthday, so has only another century, at best.”  Roshida gave Liara a peculiar glance as she continued, “And I honestly thought you would have researched all that by now, especially after having met her.”

It was Liara’s turn to laugh.  “And when, exactly, was I supposed to find the time to do that?”  Her laughter faded to a gentle smile as she added, “Besides which, I assumed it would be a waste of effort.  My father believes in you, quite strongly as a matter of fact, and I saw no reason to doubt her counsel.  Am I wrong to trust her judgement?”

The unexpectedly direct question snapped Roshida back to the discussion at hand.  “Absolutely not, Lady Liara… and I have no idea why I suddenly volunteered all that information, seeing as it really has no bearing on the primary topic of our conversation.  Must be one of the reasons you make a significantly better than average Broker.  You are unassuming and you convey a sense of trustworthiness that encourages people to open up to you.”

“Measuring one’s level of reliability and loyalty is never off topic.”  Liara fell silent for a moment as she took in all the captain had just told her, then drew a deep breath before making her offer.  “And the Brokerage is what I wanted to speak with you about…  Your assumption in that regard was absolutely correct.”  She met the commando captain’s eyes as she continued, “I find myself in need of an enforcement squad that I can trust unreservedly; one that can take on certain tasks which could likely be deemed… unpleasant… yet, remain necessary; one which my father says you are particularly well suited for.”

Roshida studied the Shadow Broker’s eyes for several moments, attempting to discern any deceitfulness or hesitation in the offer.  “An enforcement squad.”  She watched as Liara merely nodded once in assent.  “So, we’d go out and… what?  Collect unpaid credits for contracts fulfilled… where the requester didn’t like or believe the answer, so has refused to pay?”

“That would be one form of available tasks, yes.”  Liara glanced back at her desk and shook her head before returning her gaze to Roshida.  “Among other things… more distasteful tasks… such as eliminating extortionists who simply refuse to leave certain Broker stations – and the agents posted to them – alone.”

“Yes.  I can see how believing they could somehow force the Shadow Broker’s hand would be problematic, not only to operations, but to the Shadow Broker’s reputation, should any one of them succeed.”  B’Sayle nodded in understanding.  “You cannot allow such things to continue.”

“I have come to that conclusion as well.”  Liara raised an open hand and gestured toward the doorway.  “Seeing as you did not immediately say no, shall we move this discussion to the lounge and discuss the details of this opportunity over drinks?”

“Sounds like an excellent idea, Lady Liara.  Knowing the reputation of the old Shadow Broker, I think I might just need one to get through the next hour or so…”

-------------------------------

Shadow Broker Operations Center, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 24 Nov 2188

Captain B’Sayle stepped through the final hatch and was immediately besieged by a blindingly bright light, but she dared not flinch.  Even though she couldn’t see them, she knew more weapons were pointed at her in that moment than she had ever anticipated, even given Liara’s repeated emphasis that the commando follow her instructions to the letter.  Making no sudden moves, Roshida knelt down without a word; it had to be obvious to all that were watching she was holding a very special gold chit in her right hand – one which had been given to her by Liara.  The commando captain placed it very carefully on the highly polished floor and slid it forward, as hard as she could.

It crossed under a barrier bar, which somehow recognized the item for what it was and lit green in silent approval.  “You may stand.”  The nasally voice of a Salarian came from her right side, but Roshida did not look toward it.  She stood slowly, elbows bent and open-palmed hands raised to her shoulders, and her eyes remaining glued to the floor at her feet as the voice continued, “State your business.”

Drawing a deep breath, she repeated the phase which, following a rather lengthy and detailed discussion about the job and the risks it entailed, Liara had insisted she memorize.  Roshida’s very life depended upon the proper recitation of the words, so she spoke firmly, giving those with the weapons trained upon her absolutely no reason to doubt her sincerity.  “My business is that of the Broker.  I will serve at the Broker’s pleasure until I am either dead or no longer needed, both being one and the same.  I have pledged my lifelong loyalty, knowing the commitment I have made will only be fulfilled at the time of my death.”

There was a palpable change in the air when she fell silent and the voice in the dark spoke once more.  “Welcome to the Shadow Broker’s private army, Agent B’Sayle.”

The dazzling white light dimmed slowly, allowing Roshida’s eyes to adjust once again to a normal level of lighting.  “Thank you.”  She finally looked to her right, to see a grinning Salarian.  “It is my pleasure to serve.”

“Commander Soloquol Arern, at your service.”  He gestured abruptly at a doorway.  “This way please.”  As the hatch slid open, he continued, “I assume you have brought your team, all of whom will be entry-level tested as you were.”  A smile flashed across his face.  “Your gold chit tells me that you and your team have already worked for the Broker on a contingency basis during the war, so I do not foresee any problems bringing all of you on as regulars; particularly if they perform anywhere near your level.”

“Which they will,” Roshida assured the Salarian.  “I was also told that we would be brought to the armory for proper fitting of our new armor and upgrades to our weapons?”

“Yes.  All those who successfully pass the test are brought here.”  He paused and keyed a security panel, opening a door Roshida had not even seen in the wall.  “You should have also been informed that you will never have independent access to any areas within this section of the facility.”

“Yes.  Other than the lobby entrance and transitory living facilities… which you have yet to show me… and I fully understand why we must be escorted to any other areas within the facility; sectionalization is critical to security.”

“That is correct.  Unless, of course, you live long enough to get stationed here.”  The Salarian stopped and glanced her way.  “Which should not happen with you for many, many years.  A facility such as this is where we all end up for retirement.”

“I thought Broker agents never retired?”

“Precisely.”  The Salarian flashed another quick grin.  “When no longer able to accomplish field work, we are assigned as escorts and guards at any one of the many storage facilities or operations centers owned by the Broker.  Once assigned to a facility, it is very likely you will never learn where any others are located… unless you survive long enough to climb in rank and become a sectional or regional commander.”

“Which you are.”

“Yes.  The Salarian fast-paced biological development and short lifespan brings us here sooner than most.”  Arern pointed to an upright tube.  “Please, shed all your clothes and step in for measurement.”  When Roshida hesitated, Arern waved his hand in an impatient motion.  “Come on, get it done.  The first of your crew should be showing up soon and I don’t want to waste all day processing the new team.  There is much to be done to complete your orientation.”

“L… My recruiter didn’t say anything about such lack of privacy during this process.”  Even as she spoke, she began to peel her leathers off her shoulders.  “What happens if someone is shy?”

The Salarian blinked twice in surprise before promptly answering.  “Shy agents do not stay with us very long.  We all learn to do what is necessary, without hesitation.  The sooner you understand that, the better off you will be.”

A now-naked Roshida stepped boldly into the tube and echoed the posture pictured on the wall diagram inside the unit.  “Understood, Commander Arern.”

“Oh, don’t be so formal, Captain.  You are a team leader and, as such, I will be the case agent personally providing your team’s assignments to you.  We will be working very closely together so, please, call me Solo.”

-------------------------------

Kurthan Shipyards, Aephus, Talava System – 27 Nov 2188

Nearly a year and a half had passed since the soulless invaders and all their corrupted servants had been destroyed by the first Human Spectre, Commander Shepard.  With every month that passed without access to the liveships of the Civilian Fleet or Han’Gerrel’s go-ahead to attack their main objective – Heretic Station, once again known as Haratar – the rebels were growing more and more desperate to find enough food to support everyone living within the Heavy Fleet.  The ship building compound on the world below them was at maximum capacity and well-guarded but, even with the rebel’s other successful thefts around the galaxy, the colony’s food storage facility remained amazingly unprotected, leaving it an attractive and potentially lucrative target for the starving Quarians. 

Even though his face was hidden by his ever-present red-tinted visor, Captain Lenn’Shar vas Sondaj smiled as he directed his pilot to ease the ship into the atmosphere of Aephus.  Rather than the equatorial insertion favored by pilots with legitimate reasons for landing at the colony’s commercial shipyard, Shar was utilizing a transpolar trajectory that would shield his approach from the Turians still guarding the shipwright facility.

As he watched the Sondaj’s approach on the bridge view screens, he let his mind wander a bit.  The colonists are utter fools and they will pay the ultimate price for their folly…  While the Reapers were arrogant enough to leave the shipyard’s capture to Cerberus, who failed miserably since Din Korlack sold them out, the Turians are so pompous they never bothered to upgrade their defensive grid sensors… so they will never see us coming.     

As atmospheric friction performed the majority of the ship’s speed reduction by slowing his ship to a sub-hypersonic velocity, he spoke to his weapons-control officer.  “Engage our cloak and shields the instant we are free of ionization effects; bring our weapons online immediately after and take out the communications relay tower first.  I don’t believe the few soldiers at the warehouse landing zone will present any real resistance and I don’t want them calling for help.”

“Understood, Sir.  We’ll be ready.”

Shar used an armrest mounted switch to activate the ship’s PA.  “All hands, this is your captain; stand by for touchdown.  Once deployed, precision actions groundside will be essential!  We must enter the food storage facility and transfer everything we’re capable of hauling in the least amount of time possible.”  After a brief pause, he added, “This is a standard attack profile and you will get only one warning.  The Sondaj will lift off the instant any opposition breaches our safety zone, be it either the Turians or some off-world assistance.  Any and all crew who do not heed the warning to immediately reboard will be left behind.”  Deactivating the PA, Lenn’Shar thought about what he had not said.  Anyone left behind will die just as surely as the Turians I’ll be targeting… I’m not about to leave anyone from this ship capable of answering questions of any kind.

The young captain watched with keen interest as the Sondaj’s pilot returned the ship from its nose-high deceleration profile to straight and level flight; he heard the brief warning klaxon to his right that served as an audible reminder that weapons had been activated and placed in standby mode.  The field came into view as they slowed their approach velocity further.  The few Turians outside the nearby warehouses seemed mesmerized as they stared at the approaching ship that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.  By the time they realized their peril, the weapons officer had activated the Sondaj’s beam weapon, disabling the comm tower and dropping the soldiers where they stood.  After circling the field once to perform a sensor sweep and provide visual confirmation there was no further opposition on the ground, Lenn’Shar directed the pilot to set the ship down as close to the warehouses as possible.

Based on the original design for the specialty ships constructed for the Andromeda Initiative, the Sondaj was a crossover between a small frigate and a large scout vessel, almost half again as large as the final design that ultimately went into production for the Initiative Pathfinder scout vessels.  The ship, along with its three sister test platforms, utilized the main ramp leading into the hanger bay as the major third of the vessel’s landing gear, while the port and starboard supports were foldout, sled-shaped units supported by pressurized gas/oil struts deployed from the underside of the stubby wings supporting the four main propulsion pods.  With the majority of its mass located astern of the hanger ramp, the ship had no need of additional support under the extended nose.

As the leading edge of the ramp contacted the pavement, a squad of Marine cargo-handlers rolled down the inclined surface in a wheeled skiff; once on the pavement, they turned and made for the warehouse.  A pair of Marines stood as lookouts on either side of the ramp with weapons charged, ready to raise an alarm and defend the ship and the ground squad as required.

The cargo handlers were highly trained; within minutes, a driver and gunner returned to the Sondaj and picked up a second empty cargo shell.  Upon their second return, they released a now full cargo section from the rear of the skiff, picked up another empty, and left again to return to the storage facility.  While this was happening, three specialists unloaded, sorted and stored the cargo taken from the warehouse, freeing up the container for the next run to repeat the process.

The crew had rehearsed their roles intensely many times, ensuring there was no wasted motion as the cargo hold was gradually filled with the foods necessary to help keep their people alive until the Admirals gave the go-ahead for the fleet to retake the home world… and to strip the Geth of their Reaper upgrades, turning the machines back into the servants they were designed to be.

In less than forty minutes, the skiff was making its last trip back to the Sondaj; as they rolled into the ship’s embrace, the cargo master transferred his new weight and balance data to the pilot, who would need to compensate for the additional mass in the ship’s belly.

The pilot, Zela’Nedal, spoke quickly.  “Captain.  The hold is full, and calculations are complete.  Ready for liftoff.” 

Shar nodded and smiled.  “Then take us up…  We’ll return to the fleet as heroes.”

In moments, Nedal energized the core, neutralizing the majority of the Sondaj’s weight.  Igniting the six ventral thrusters, she lifted the heavily laden ship clear of the surface; holding an altitude of three meters, Nedal carefully monitored the ship’s attitude while retracting the main ramp and outriggers.  Satisfied with the weight distribution and hull integrity, she increased the altitude of the Sondaj by activating the main engines, accelerating up and away from the planet’s surface as the navigator, Uto’Seya, reengaged the cloaking device to conceal their departure.   

-------------------------------

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 28 Nov 2188

“Liara!  To what do I owe the pleasure?”  Sharon smiled questioningly at the Asari, having fully expected to see Shepard’s face appear on the viewscreen, once she recognized the ident code.

“It is good to see you, Mea're.” 

Liara’s expression was mixed; her smile held a happy hello, but something in her eyes told the colonel that something was amiss.  “You look worried.  What’s going on, Liara?”

“Always the observant one, aren’t you?”  Liara chuckled softly before continuing.  “First, I wanted to remind you about Christmas.  Both Hannah and Karin are coming, planning to arrive on the 21st, the Saturday before, and catching the return shuttle on the next Saturday, the 28th.”

“That’s excellent news.”  Sharon’s brow furrowed to match that of the Asari she was speaking to as she continued, “So what has your forehead pinching your eyes?”

With a sigh, Liara explained, “Because there is a distinct possibility that we might not be here… but I want you to make plans as if our presence is guaranteed.”

“And my guess is the damned Quarians.  I heard about yesterday’s raid.  They’re not even trying to be sneaky anymore.  Drop in, kill everyone, and take everything they can load before the reinforcements arrive.”  Sharon practically spit the words out, her anger at the rebel actions evident in every word.  “Bastards have to be stopped; I only wish there was something I could do to help, but this one’s a bit out of my jurisdiction.”

“You can help by making plans to come for Christmas…”  Liara paused to draw a deep breath before pushing on, “… as if nothing in the galaxy could possibly keep us from our Human family during this special time of year.  As for us, we’ll definitely do our best to be home to join you all for the celebration.”

“Well, if Momma Hannah can somehow manage to drag Kahlee away from the school house, I can certainly make plans to be there as well.”  The woman smiled in earnest as she added, “I wouldn’t miss a Shepard family Christmas for anything!  Not if I can help it!”

“Excellent.”  Liara’s smile finally reached her eyes.  “I’ll let Lyessa know you’re coming, so we’ll have a room reserved for you.  Do you want a room in the main house this time or do you still want to stay over in the Commando Quarters?” she asked with a grin.

Laughing, Sharon replied, “You know me… always the soldier!  It’s where I’m most comfortable, so tell Livos to make room.”

“I’ll do that.”  Liara’s eyes suddenly brightened and she added, “Oh!  Speaking of Livos…  You’ll get to meet her partner, Zan!  Carlina V’Zanto… She is the lead guide from the Záhrada S’Vatyne Resort.  They’ve hit it off fabulously!”

“What?”  Sharon’s brow lifted, her voice piqued in interest.  “Livos?  Really?”  She smirked and laughed, “This I have to see for myself.  I’m definitely coming now!”

Chapter Text

Shadow Broker Warehouse, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 30 Nov 2188

Following a five-day period of initiation into the business processes and procedures utilized by the Shadow Broker, Captain B’Sayle and her team were judged ready for their first assignment.  The new custom armor order had been completed for the entire team and delivered amazingly fast and Roshida began to appreciate the true power behind the Broker’s network – the speed with which it was able to accomplish tasks.  She found it easy to understand how information could travel across the galaxy in the blink of an eye but having six sets of custom-fit armor of this caliber crafted and delivered in less than three days was mind boggling to the commando Captain.

As her team assembled in the training room yet again, Commander Arern walked in and began speaking in his normal, hurried pace.  “Good morning, Team B’Sayle.”  He flashed a quick smile before continuing, “I see all of you have dressed out in your armor, with weapons, as requested for today.  Excellent.  Since you have all previously worked together as a team, we will be proceeding directly to the docks for your first deployment.  Follow me, please.”  He keyed his omnitool as he turned and walked directly towards a seemingly blank wall; it was unsurprising to the team to witness yet another camouflaged hatch suddenly snapping open in just enough time to keep the Salarian from crashing into it.

Roshida looked at her team with a knowing grin; she had suspected this would happen.  Under the assumption they may not be afforded an opportunity to return to their rooms once they had reported as ordered, she had told them to ensure they were equipped with everything they felt they needed when they assembled in the training room.  As such, each team member had packed a full field kit in preparation for departure.  A relatively short, hurried march later found them at a secluded section of a surprisingly spacious underground ship moorage.  “Where are we?”  The Captain glanced around in wonder.  “I had no idea… scans of the surface do not show this at all!”

An abrupt laugh erupted from the Salarian before he answered, “Of course not.  The Shadow Broker possesses the best shielding and cloaking technology known to the galaxy.”  He turned and faced the small group, spreading his arms wide to indicate all the vessels now behind him.  “This is only a portion of the Shadow Broker’s personal fleet.  Each of these ships has a dedicated crew who likely know their particular ship better than they know themselves.  It is their business to safely deliver your team to whatever job has been assigned, then safely retrieve you upon completion of your assignment, all while remaining undetected by anyone.”

“Impressive.”  B’Sayle looked over the array of available craft.  “Have we already been assigned to a specific crew and ship?”

“For this mission only.  The ship to which you are assigned is dependent upon the requirements of your upcoming task, thus will vary accordingly.”  He pointed off to the left.  “Those are obviously the smallest… the scouts… designed for stealth recon and infiltrations.  The second ship there, the Kirkliston SR1, will be your designated transport for this mission; it is an upgraded STG Stealth Reconnaissance vessel, extremely well suited for this particular task.”

“Nice.”  Roshida nodded in approval.  “So… given the extent of Shadow Broker operations, there aren’t that many ships here.  Just how many locations like this does the Broker have?” 

“Not nearly as many as we would like, but you will never lack for transportation,” Solo answered somewhat evasively before lifting his arm and keying his omnitool to transfer a data packet.  “This is your assignment.  Review it, then ask for whatever additional supplies or specialty gear you feel you may need.  Please do not waste any time, as you depart in fifteen minutes; queries about mission specifics will be fielded by Kirkliston’s Operations Officer once you are enroute.”

A bit surprised, Roshida immediately scanned the file that had just popped open on her omnitool.  “Target: Darius Barcroft Compound.  Infiltration and destruction of electronics suite, as well as termination of all personnel on the premises.”  Her eyes came up as she asked, “How many specialists and staff… particularly security personnel… do we expect to be there?”

“Not so many that your team cannot safely eliminate them, especially given the isolated nature of the various facilities on Noveria.”  Solo flashed her a smile.  “Do not worry, Captain.  No outside assistance will arrive to help them… and I have no intention of getting you or anyone on your team killed on your very first assignment.  You’ll be deployed outside the compound with the equipment required to perform a full-scale penetration analysis and sufficient time to come up with an infiltration plan.  When the time comes, one of our stealth frigates will be in place as well, providing you with ready access to fully crewed A-61 Mantis gunships and two Jiris fighting vehicles with operators, should you require them.”  He paused and winked conspiratorially, “The ship’s Operations Officer, Specialist Aldaberto, is well-versed on your mission and will provide contact protocols for your retrieval and coordinate any additional support, if required.  Knowing your background and level of experience… you’ll be fine.”

-------------------------------

Pahhur, Tassrah System, The Phoenix Massing – 3 Dec 2188

After one last in-person conversation with Tevos, the Knight Shade had departed the CGC for Pahhur, in the Tassrah System.  Being constantly scorched by the intense radiation of the giant about which it orbits, the hellish landscape of Pahhur had quite successfully prevented any form of practical exploitation and, since it had no landing zones or ‘hide-out’ spots that were even remotely tolerable, most ships gave it a wide berth… making it the perfect locale for a surreptitious rendezvous between the two Spectre ships.

Sitting in a geo-synched orbit on the shadow-side of the world, the Normandy shimmered into view as the Knight Shade dropped out of FTL and made its approach to the rendezvous coordinates; Normandy immediately dispatching a shuttle – purposely piloted by Steve Cortez – to pick up Shepard, Liara, and Tali’Zorah.  Once their guests had their mini-reunion and were enroute, Ashley made her way down to the shuttle bay and was awaiting their arrival as the hatches opened, allowing them all to once more set foot on the hanger deck of the Normandy.

“Goddamned, Skipper!  It’s good to see you!”  Ashley’s face held a huge grin as she reached out and clasped forearms with her former commander.  “You too, Liara… and Tali!”

Her additional welcomes were buried in Shepard’s shoulder as the woman pulled her friend in for a bearhug.  “Good to see you, too, Ash.  How’s my ship?”

“Not yours anymore, Shepard,” Ashley laughed.  “You gave her up!”  She pulled back and moved to the Asari, giving Liara an equally warm, welcoming hug.  “And how’s my favorite Asari?  Shepard treating you right?”

Liara smiled, even as a light blush brightened her cheeks.  “I couldn’t ask for a better bondmate, Ashley.  I give thanks to the Goddess every day for helping all of us survive that damned war.”

“You and me both, Liara.”  Ashley’s eyes turned more solemn as she turned to give Tali a warm embrace.  With her hands still on Tali’s upper arms, she said, “There sure were more than a few that didn’t have that luxury.”

“Yes.”  Shepard nodded and continued, “But we’ll not taint their sacrifices by being glum about it.  We owe it to them to take advantage of our good fortune and live every additional day they have given us to its fullest.”

“Agreed, Skipper,” Ashley scowled.  “And the next step in that direction is for us to get to the business at hand.  Come on, let’s head to the War Room; my XO is prepping the display as we speak, in order to show you the most current information we have.”  Looping arms with her favorite little Quarian, Ashley led them to the elevator, chatting with Tali as they walked and getting caught up on the advances Medica had made on her rapidly improving immune system.

“That’s absolutely amazing, Tali!”  Ashley gave her another quick hug and then held her by the shoulders at arm’s length.  “So, when will you get out of this suit… for good?”

“We think it will be another five years, give or take.”  Tali’s voice, joyful from the reunion, turned to a determined growl as she continued, “No matter how long it is, it’s coming… and it will be a lot faster for those of us who have embraced the SILC than it ever will be for the Bosh’tets who want their Geth back!”

Everyone was chuckling but fell suddenly silent as the doors opened on Deck 2; stepping out of the lift, Shepard paused to take in the view.  Every crewmember stood at attention, a knowing smile on the face of all that had served aboard the Normandy with the visiting trio.  Shepard simply nodded her head and raised a hand in recognition.  “Thank you, all.”  With a glance at Ashley, she added, “With your captain’s permission, once our business here is concluded, we’d like to take a few moments with each of you, just to say hello?”

“Absolutely, Spectre.”  Ashley looked over at Liara and laughed, “Though you’d better be prepared for a late return.  There are still a lot of familiar faces aboard… And I’m thinking it’s your own damned fault for making all of us love you so much!”

Shepard chuckled, “If you expect me to apologize for that, you’ll be waiting a long time, Ash, so we might as well get started, or we will be here all night.”

-------------------------------

When they stepped into the War Room, Shepard’s first couple of steps were hesitant.  Liara looked at her in concern as a thought floated across the link.  {That officer reminds me of Uncle Dave.  He looks so much like him, he could almost be Anderson’s son, or a family member, at the very least.}

Shepard shook her head and walked on, but Ashley had also paused as she wondered about the odd expression that had crossed the Skipper’s face.  “Weird walking back in here again, isn’t it?”  A thought then occurred to her.  “Especially for you, Liara.  I can only imagine the unpleasant memories this place must be dredging up.  I should have thought of that… we could have held this meeting in the conference room.”

“No, it’s alright… really.  The appearance of your new XO caught me by surprise, is all.”  Shepard huffed and smiled.  “You do realize how much he looks like Admiral Anderson, don’t you?”

Ashley’s eyes opened wide and she looked at Leon in surprise.  “When we first met, I did… or at least thought I did… but then kicked myself, thinking I was just seeing what I wanted to see, so I never said anything to him.”  Her eyes narrowed just a little bit as she studied the man, looking at him again as if seeing him for the very first time.  “Honestly, seeing him every day now, I had forgotten all about that.”

Leon simply shrugged and laughed it off, stating, “Thank you, Spectre.  I’ve been told that before and, though I never had the privilege of working with the man, it’s an honor to be compared to him, even if only for the physical resemblance.  He’s both an icon and a hero; I could be likened to worse, for sure.”

“He is… and was…”  A reminiscent smile crossed Shepard’s face as she continued in a sorrow-roughened voice, “And was also a very close friend of my family; like an uncle to me.”  She stepped forward and offered her hand.  “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you…?”

“Rensch…  Leon Rensch, Ma’am.”  He took her hand and was surprised at the firmness of her grip, then immediately realized he shouldn’t have been.  “The pleasure is all mine, Spectre… speaking of heroes.”

Brushing off the comment, Shepard answered, “We all do what we’re called on to do, don’t we?”  With a grim smile, she looked over to the display well.  “And, speaking of which, explain to me what I’m looking at.”

With a short chuckle, Leon waved his hand over the graphical display superimposed on a section of the galaxy map.  “The Quarians have really upped their game in the past six to eight weeks, Spectre Shepard.  Thanks to Edi, we now have a way to track their stealth frigate – the Nalotir – even when it’s running transponder cold and cloaked.”  He stared grim-faced at the display before him as he pointed out the locations of the various attacks.  “Based on the number of ground locations and freighters being hit for dextro provisions, Commander Williams and I believe they’ve added the same cloaking tech to at least two, if not three, additional ships.”

Ashley chimed in with, “And the weapon they’ve been utilizing to disable the freighters is something I can only believe has been developed by Daro’Xen...”  Ashley zoomed the display out to point at a conglomeration of multiple dots located within The Phoenix Massing as she continued, “… who is hiding out here with Han’Gerrel and the majority of the Heavy Fleet.”  Her eyes returned to her guests.  “The damned weapon Xen designed disables everything related to propulsion and environmental control; while their victims continue coasting along on their original vector, the lack of propulsion control effectively leaves those ships relatively defenseless.  Most have no weapons of any significance and they are completely unable to perform evasive maneuvers of any kind.  Also, if the remaining crew are unable to quickly shake off the debilitating effects of the weapon’s energy pulse, they could very well die before being able to repair their environmental controls.”

Rensch nodded as he took up the explanation again.  “Seventeen days ago, I led a team to assist the Turians on the MSV Spirito’s Nimet, in the Shrike Abyssal.  The ship had been disabled and the crew – everyone in engineering, anyway – were suffering from positively crippling headaches.  Captain Savernake said the only ship they saw was a Turian freighter that came close… but did not send a boarding party; this leads the commander and I to believe it was a diversion, designed to get a response to a distress call while the Nalotir proceeded to raid the storage facility on Altakiril.”

Liara had been silently contemplating everything Rensch and Ashley had said.  Following a prolonged intense stare at her siame, she addressed Leon.  “You spoke of the Quarian raider… this Nalotir.  Unfortunately, I believe your theory that there are more ships of this type has great validity, Commander.”  She huffed in a combination of frustration and vexation.  “It is quite possible the Quarians have salvaged up to three additional similar, frigate-class vessels and re-purposed them for their own needs.  Have either of you ever heard of the Andromeda Initiative?”

Ashley nodded her head slightly as she responded in a hesitant manner.  “Some kind of pie-in-the-sky plan to send people to that galaxy, across better than two and a half million light years distance.”

Liara nodded in agreement as she explained, “It wasn’t, as you say, pie-in-the-sky, Ashley.  The Initiative was founded in 2176… and very well-funded by some unidentified benefactor.”

“I will never trust anyone who hides in the shadows.”  Shepard’s face held a scowl as she continued, “There’s a very good chance this benefactor knew about the Reapers… and may have been responsible for the disappearance of the Leviathan of Dis.”

Ashley’s face turned an angry red.  “Which would hint that those bastards knew all along… and the whole purpose behind the Initiative was to save a select group of people… and to Hell with the rest of us?”

“Yes.”  Shepard drew a deep breath before expounding on her short answer.  “And would also suggest the possibility that they’ve been playing with Reaper tech since as early as 2163… much longer than we originally suspected.”

Liara glanced at Shepard, her face grim as she returned to the subject of Andromeda.  Focusing on Ashley again, she explained, “I had a few conversations with the Initiative’s primary guide, a man by the name of Alec Ryder, while they prepared for their departure.  Five cryo-sleep vessels, called arks, and the main outpost, christened the Nexus – also carrying cryopods and meant to be completed after arrival – set out for Andromeda in mid-December of 2185, barely two months before the Reapers arrived in the Viper Nebula.”  She reached over and squeezed Shepard’s hand as the unspoken, slowly fading but still painful, memories of Bahak swept through both of their minds.

“How long will they be traveling?” Leon asked, an incredulous expression taking over his entire face as he started to contemplate embarking on such a journey.  “Even at FTL, it would take…”

“They calculated the trip at just over 600 years duration,” Liara finished for him.  “The important thing for us, here and now, is what they left behind.”  Liara looked to her siame to finish the tale.

The Spectre was grave as she quietly added, “There are five scout-class vessels stored on the Nexus, all suspiciously similar to the Normandy SR2, obviously utilizing some of the same technologies.  The main difference is the Andromeda scouts are completely weaponless… and downsized accordingly, needing no room for the main cannon.  What they do have is extreme light weight, great speed and an inordinate amount of maneuverability so, unlike the Normandy, they can land on potentially any planet they encounter.”  Shepard shook her head slightly as she continued, “Unfortunately for us, as they moved from one test phase to the next, the Initiative abandoned their prototypes out on the Far Rim… in ascending order of development and sophistication, the Nalotir, Sondaj, the Huli, and the Nyocha.  I believe it stands to reason that…”

Ashley spoke up as Shepard paused to take a breath, finishing the woman’s sentence for her.  “The Quarians possibly got their hands on all four of them… with the Nalotir actually being the least capable of the lot?  Damn it!”

Shepard nodded glumly as Liara added, “Yes; and while all of them were designed to be stealthy, they did not possess the light-bending technology subsequently developed, most likely, by Daro’Xen.  I imagine this new cloaking tech has been applied to all four of the prototypes and, I suspect, more than a few of the other ships in the heavy fleet… right along with their advanced beam weapon that has proven to be so troublesome.”

Ashley’s face mirrored that of her fellow Spectre.  “So, our theory of multiple raiders with this cloaking ability isn’t as implausible as we hoped.”  Frowning, she leaned heavily on the rail surrounding the projection well.  “And, it seems, Xen’s weapon is small enough to use as an add-on, even on platforms not originally designed to carry heavy weaponry.  That’s bad, Skipper.”

As Rensch started speaking, Shepard had an eerie feeling of déjà vu; the cadence and timbre of the lieutenant commander’s voice was so similar to her Uncle Dave’s she had to look at him intently while concentrating on his words.  “… ships to put a stop to these raids, Spectre.”  Fortunately, Liara had heard the entire statement and clarified.  {We’ll need more than two ships, Siame.}

Shepard had hoped to keep her mental lapse hidden, but sighed at her obvious failure before replying, “Agreed, Mr Rensch.”  Using the control interface, she enlarged the depiction of the galaxy laid out before them to include the area inhabited by the rebellious Heavy Fleet.  “In my heart, I want to believe the council can persuade Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen to stand down… with no loss of resources or life, but… having dealt with each of them during the war – in this very compartment – I truly believe neither of them will surrender without dragging their ships and crews down as well, and they’ll take as many of us right along with them as they possibly can.”

Liara moved to stand beside her disheartened bondmate, where she gently placed a loving and encouraging hand between her shoulder blades.  “Surely, the council will be able to reason with them…”

The Spectre regarded the intense blue eyes looking at her, sighed, then looked across the small projection well to Rensch and Williams.  “Ashley, you were there… you understand what we’re going to need to do… what will be required of you.  Question is, when it comes down to it, will you be able to carry it out?”

Rensch split his attention between the Spectres, the expression of puzzlement plain on his face.  “What are you talking about, Shepard?  Carry out what, exactly?”

Never taking her eyes from Shepard’s, Ashley quietly answered for her friend.  “A death sentence, Leon.”  She sighed, broke eye contact with Shepard and turned to face her XO.  “As Spectres, we don’t need permission from the council to make decisions for the greater good.  Gerrel and Xen are in gross violation of galactic laws, not the least of which is their piracy in support of a large, breakaway contingent of the Quarian fleet.”

Shepard picked up the explanation.  “They’re on a mission to enslave a sentient race of beings, Leon.  Xen believes the SILC – she still refers to them by their Quarian name… Geth, or servant of the people – are the rightful property of the Quarian race; for the SILC to be walking free and directing their own lives is an abomination… and Xen will never change her thinking.  She’s also unpredictably dangerous, so I intend to put a permanent stop to her misguided crusade.”

Ashley nodded slowly at Shepard’s last few words.  “Gerrel’s total disregard for the lives of his allies is not something I have forgotten, Shepard.  As much as I try to remain objective, I simply cannot overlook the vicious piracy of Turian shipping, ground bases and colonies, nor will I ever forgive his direct responsibility for the death…” eyes suddenly swimming, she gulped and continued, “… the death of Bethany Westmoreland… on a disabled and harmless warship.”

Leon knew of Westie from a previous discussion with his captain – Bethany’s name was engraved in a metal plate attached to the memorial wall facing the elevator on deck three – but hadn’t realized until this moment the passion with which she and Spectre Shepard viewed the cause of that death.  With a contemplative expression, he spoke in a near whisper.  “That admiral could still be charged with a war crime, Spectres.  Added to his involvement in the current piracy of law-abiding citizens, I seriously doubt he’d be able to escape justice.”

Shepard actually chuckled.  “He will never see the inside of a court of law, Leon.  That’s why the council created the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance group.  Eliminating the leaders of the Quarian rebellion is well within our mandate of preserving galactic stability.”

“Yeah, and don’t forget about Xen; we can’t let her escape justice either.  I can easily see her attempting to push her portion of the blame for all this misery onto Gerrel, because I very much doubt ‘evil brilliance’ as a contribution to the cause is a punishable offense.”  Ashley shook her head in disgust before continuing, “Even so, if we honestly want to plan a surgical strike to take out Xen and Gerrel, we’re certainly going to need more than a few ships to assist us, Shepard.”  Ashley walked up to her friend and added softly, “It would be very helpful for the Destiny Ascension and an escort fleet to accompany us when we confront the bastards, if for no other reason than to at least make an attempt at peace… and then provide a distraction should further intervention prove necessary.  I seriously doubt even Daro’Xen has anything that will scratch the paint on that dreadnaught, so anyone aboard should be safe.”

As was her way, Tali’Zorah had simply listened to the discussion since entering the War Room with Shepard and Liara.  In a shy tone, she offered, “I will be more than happy to work with Edi or Judea, in order to come up with some type of shielding against this directed energy pulse... or any other weapons Daro’Xen may have created.  I did not help Shepard destroy the Collectors and the Reapers only to see my people destroy ships belonging to other races or place the Geth back under Quarian rule… though, it seems as though they are intent on getting the Quarian people exiled once more.”  Tali paused for only a moment before continuing, “Regarding the pulse weapon, we should be able to come up with some type of diffraction shielding that can cause destructive interference… and lessen the intensity to tolerable levels…”

“Whoa.”  Shepard held up her hand to stop Tali’s explanation.  “Save the details, Tali.  I fully trust you and Edi, especially if you bring Judea and Miranda into the mix, to come up with a solution.  There aren’t really any options for us until you do, unless we decide to simply dive right in, weapons blazing.”

Liara responded, her words directed at Samantha as she said, “But there are many innocents who have been forced into serving the rebellion, only because they were unfortunate enough to be assigned to the Heavy Fleet when Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen defected.”  She scowled at the thought and finished, “Who, unlike Len’Dazza, don’t have a way to successfully escape the Fleet… without ending up dead.”

Shepard leaned on the railing surrounding the display and nodded in agreement.  “You’re right, of course, so we’re decided… it has to be some kind of infiltration mission.”  She glanced at Liara for confirmation and turned to her fellow Spectre.  “We’ll come up with a plan, then Liara and I will head back to the CGC, Ash… meet with Tevos first and then the full council.  This crap has gone on long enough and we need to end it, once and for all.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure if even Tevos will favor our plan to end the rebellion, should reconciliation talks fail.”

Liara quietly added, “Should peace talks fail, I am certain the Council has no other options left them except to allow you to proceed with your plan.  Given their actions to date, it is obvious we cannot allow these rogue Quarians the freedom to continue on their present course of killing innocents for their own gain… and Tevos already informed us that she believes a full-scale conflict would likely cause irreparable damage.”

Shepard slapped her open palms on the table and stood upright.  “Then I guess there’s only one way for us to be certain about our next move.”  She looked to Ashley and quietly queried, “So, do you see any reason to keep this hush-hush while I visit with the crew?”

“Absolutely not.”  Ashley’s gaze was directed at Leon as she continued, “Just like you used to, we keep no secrets from our crew; everyone aboard knows what we’re doing out here, including the reasons and all the risks associated with our actions.”

Shepard grinned at her fellow Spectre as she answered, “Which is the exact reason I insisted on giving you my ship, Ashley.”

Ashley grinned.  “With honor and integrity; it’s the only way to serve, Skipper.”

-------------------------------

“I’m glad you decided to not rush your return to Widow, Sam.”  Karin was smiling as she looked into her glass of Serrice ice.  “It feels good to catch up with you and Liara.  Being out here, comm out, has been difficult.”

“You’re telling me?”  Samantha huffed out a little chuckle and continued, “I experienced that for months, remember?  When I first woke up on that damned Cerberus station, I didn’t know what had happened or where anyone was… and, it seemed, no one I knew had any answers either… at least none they were willing to share.  Talk about feeling disconnected…”

Karin’s expression was shadowed as she answered, “I know… and if I had known that Cerberus could actually bring you back, I certainly would have kept better tabs on everyone, so I could have answered those questions for you, once you came aboard.”  She looked up, her eyes welling with sadness.  “I hope you realize that.”

Shepard reached over and grasped the woman’s forearm.  “Of course, I do, Aunt Karin.  I’m sorry if that sounded accusatory, because that’s not how I intended it.  I know you and Liara did everything you could to keep things moving forward while I was gone.”  She smiled and glanced between her two drinking partners.  “You made sure I had something to come back to – I can never thank you enough for that.”

“Yes, you can.”  Liara answered quietly.  “By never making us go through anything like that, ever again.”

A smile quirked at the corners of Samantha’s mouth as she answered, “That’s a deal, Liara.”  She looked back and forth between her bondmate and her aunt as her voice rang with conviction.  “Quarians be damned!  I have no intention of letting them, or anyone else for that matter, be the cause of my early demise.  I promise you that!”

-------------------------------

It was late by the time Shepard and Liara finished their visits with the crew.  As the last of them trickled out of the lounge, Liara approached her bondmate and drew the woman into her arms, nestling her head into the welcoming pocket of the woman’s shoulder.  “I love you, Sam.”

Shepard closed her eyes and drew in a long, slow breath through her nose, reveling in the scents of eezo and Thessian Rose that she always associated with her Ionúin Álainn.  “I love you too, Liara.  I couldn’t have done any of this without you, you know.”

The Asari smirked as she answered, “I know.”  More serious, she added on, “But that goes both ways, Siame.  We are a team… have been since we met that fateful day on Therum.”  She pulled back and looked into her bondmate’s stunning emerald eyes.  “You trusted me when few others did, thinking me a traitor… as they did with my mother.  I can never thank you enough for that, nor for everything else that followed.”  Her lips curled into a loving smile.  “You have brought me more joy in these past few years than I ever imagined I would discover in my entire century-plus-long life… and we have much yet to enjoy.”

“I’ve also brought you unimaginable pain, Liara, which I am always amazed you can forgive.”  Sam sighed heavily.  “My heart aches whenever those memories surface, because I know what I feel through the link is only a shard of the true measure of your feelings.  How can you look at me without your heart breaking, after all the suffering I have caused you?”

“Don’t be silly, Sam… and all you need to do is join with me and you know the answer to that question.  I put the blame where it belongs… on the war… and on those who insisted it always be you that was thrown into the fray, never letting either of us rest unless forced to do so by injuries we sustained in battle.  Why do you ask this now?”  She paused as a thought shot through the link.  “You are afraid of the upcoming conflict with the Quarians.”

“Yes… well, no.  Not the conflict itself, but of what Xen and Gerrel will do once they realize they’ve been cornered.  I fear how they will react… the lengths to which they will go.”

“Agreed.”  Liara reached out and lovingly stroked the side of Shepard’s face before tucking an errant strand of hair up behind the woman’s adorable left ear.  “Which is why we have come up with an infiltration plan… to take their weapons systems down first, and then the two Admirals as a quick second, preferably as close to simultaneous as possible, to ensure neither has a chance to do anything cataclysmic.  It’s going to work, Sam…  It has to.”

“Ooohhh.”  A slight smile returned to the Spectre’s face.  “I like your confidence, Dr T’Soni.”

“Partners until the end, Shepard… which I fully intend to be a very, very long time from now.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, Blue.”  She glanced at the chrono on the wall.  “Let’s roust someone to take us back to the Knight Shade, so we can head back to the CGC.  I truly believe that the sooner we get started, the better.”

-------------------------------

Darius Barcroft Compound, Noveria, Pax System – 3 Dec 2188

Enterprise Security Systems.  B’Sayle had chuckled when she read the line regarding which locally-monitored security and defensive system Barcroft had installed at his facility on Noveria.  Many of the jobs they had run with Aethyta had included installing and monitoring one of these exact same systems.  It was the perimeter defense system of choice for corporations who wanted to run their own private security – especially those who needed to do so, without worry of interference from actual law enforcement of any kind – and perfect for the types of activities that occurred in places such as Noveria, where avoiding such encounters was of great importance.

Barcroft ran a commercial data-mining company; some ‘real’ work to put in the records… enough to pass the business off as a legitimate enterprise… but he also contracted for a rather ambitious quantity of industrial espionage and other similarly illegal endeavors.  Liara would have been perfectly fine with him continuing his work, had he stayed away from the Broker network, which he seemed incapable of doing.  He had made a few unsuccessful intrusion attempts into her own network while she was on Illium; unfortunately, that had not been the end of his interference.  Once she took over the Broker network, she soon discovered he had successfully hacked into at least four other data nodes.  When the Shadow Broker contacted him directly and demanded that he cease and desist with his network attacks, he had simply laughed and replied with a challenging, “Make me.”

Until now, against her own better judgement, Liara had chosen to ignore him, even though she realized his operation was likely a very large factor in the rumors circulating throughout the intelligence community that the Broker had gone soft.  Along with her enforcement team, Roshida B’Sayle was here to show Barcroft exactly why crossing the Shadow Broker – who, at the time, had been preoccupied with helping to save the galaxy – was not an action that would long remain unanswered.  Team B’Sayle would provide Barcroft the first solid proof his days of disparaging the Broker were now a thing of the past; free of any obligation to keep the galaxy from being destroyed by the Reapers, the Shadow Broker was about to demonstrate the folly of being disregarded by those of lesser capabilities.

The journey to Noveria was not exactly short; the FTL from Juxhi – out in Batarian space in the Skyllian Verge – to Kite’s Nest used the greatest portion of their travel time, followed closely by having to await the Exodus Cluster relay realignment before they could make the final jump to Pax.  It was several hours after their departure from the warehouse when they finally found themselves on the ground on Noveria, the cold wind biting into them as they used the cover of darkness to construct their temporary shelter. 

The blinding snowfall would likely hide their presence well enough, but they still set up and energized the cloaking device that came along with the deployment package, just to be certain.  Once they were done, Roshida turned to her infiltration specialist, Erinna Thyria.  “Passive scans only for the first couple of hours, then do a perimeter check just before dawn.  I’d like to know which model they are using so we can identify which command codes we need for an override.”

“Can do, Captain.”  Erin scowled as she added, “I sure do hope this new, fancy armor has good environmental controls…  I’m not really up for freezing my ass off out there.”

“It had better.”  B’Sayle frowned.  “I don’t want you risking your life for this.  If you start to get cold, don’t try to tough it out, understand?  Head back right away… we’ll get you warmed up and get the environmental controls for your armor sorted out.  No sense freezing to death; Solo promised none of us would die on this mission and I don’t intend to prove him wrong.”

Chapter Text

Darius Barcroft Compound, Noveria, Pax System – 3 Dec 2188

As infiltration specialist Erinna Thyria slipped out through the doorway and began moving toward the facility, she activated her new armor’s ‘stealth’ function.  She had expected a cloak of some kind, but quickly realized her armor was equipped with some type of environmental sensing capability – as her entire suit began to shift color to a mottled-gray-white.  She held her hand out and tipped her head as she whispered quietly into her comm, “Can you see this through my helmet cam, Captain?  It’s amazing!  And, by the way, the environmental control seems to be working great as well.”

“Be careful, Erin…”  Roshida was frowning as she spoke.  “That suit almost works too well.  If we hadn’t known your intended path, it would be extremely difficult to locate you.  We watched as you disappeared; even thermal scans are negligible, yet you aren’t even the least bit chilled?”

“No… it’s perfect.”  They could hear the relieved joy in Erin’s voice.  “Like I’m strolling the streets of Armali on a beautiful spring day.”

“Well, you’re definitely not on Thessia, so don’t get cocky.  Be careful out there.”  Roshida sighed quietly and continued, “Time to go comm-out until you return here, unless you need emergency assistance…  Be back here in under two, or I’ll have your hide.”

“If I’m not back in less than two hours, I imagine it highly likely someone else will have my hide by then, Captain.”  Erin grinned, the humor she felt making itself apparent through her closing transmission.  “I’ll be back on time; I promise.  Thyria, out.”

Shutting down the camera so the guards, in the unlikely event she was actually caught, couldn’t back-trace her route, Erin continued her circuitous route.  Coming up to the main entrance from the side, she could see two guards through her helm-integrated siting scope, so she reactivated her helm-cam to take video of her entire approach from this point forward.  The guards looked cold and distracted, making her wonder how long they had been out there.  I should have made note of the shift changes before I came out here…  I wonder if that was even in the file? 

She knew as soon as the thought went through her mind that the information had not been there; she would have remembered a detail like that.  No time to worry about that now.  I have work to do.  She very carefully pulled out a small, portable, night-surveillance camera and tripod kit and set it up, including activation of its micro-cloak, and pointed it at the doorway.  I’ll be back for you later, little one.

Noting the tripod’s precise coordinates, she moved on and repeated the same process five more times, once at each exterior doorway.  Two of the six were not physically guarded but had multiple cameras, constantly in motion, monitoring the approaches.  After sitting at each door long enough to establish the coverage patterns, she cursed silently.  They know their stuff… or, at least, whoever installed the system did; there’s no break in coverage to be able to get close enough to hack even one of them, much less every single one covering the door… at either location.  Blazes!  That means we will likely have to do this the hard way.

It was roughly an hour and forty-five minutes later when she reentered the shelter.  Looking to Captain B’Sayle, Erin asked, “So, which do you want first, the good news or the bad?”

“Both, and it doesn’t matter which comes first.  Just give it to us.”  Roshida smiled to soften her words.  She didn’t intend them to be hurtful; she simply didn’t want to spend any more time on this cold rock than was absolutely necessary.  The longer they sat around, the greater their chances of discovery.

Specialist Thyria flashed a quick smile and explained what she had done.  “The good news is the guards are cold and complacent… the bad news is that they have every reason to be the latter.  That place appears to be locked down tight… but as Aethyta always used to say, every defense has a weakness.  The question is, can we find it.”  She paused and shrugged.  “So, I’m afraid I’ll have to go back out in… let’s say… maybe sixteen to eighteen hours and collect the cameras.  I plan to bring them back here, where we can look at the data and figure out their guard rotation patterns in an attempt to discover the best way in.”

“Damn.  That’s a long time to be just sitting around.”  Roshida pursed her lips.  “No way to get close enough to confirm which model system they have?”

“Not really… Not without taking a pair of the guards down.”  Erin wrinkled her nose at the thought.  “Nothing like screaming ‘we’re here at the front door’ when we’re trying to be subtle.”

Roshida and the rest of the crew couldn’t help but laugh at that and the captain was still smiling when she managed to finally say, “Guess you’re right about that… but perhaps that’s exactly what Solo had in mind… to not even attempt being subtle.  He did make a point of saying it was lightly defended and nothing we couldn’t handle.”

Her second, Lieutenant Celia M’Creno voiced, “You think it’s a test?”

“Very well could be… to see just how we’ll approach it.  We have the option to sit here, overly cautious, for many hours… each one that passes increasing our risk of discovery, or we trust Solo’s info and our battle instincts and simply go in.”  Her gaze returned to her infiltrator as she asked, “Best guess on the system?”

“Doesn’t look like they spared any expense.”  A grin crossed Specialist Thyria’s face and she chuckled, “Of course, if I knew I’d pissed off the Shadow Broker, I don’t think I would skimp, either; I’d be willing to pay for the best system out there.  I’d also have an emergency, remote, data-dump back-up system for my information… as well as a concealed back-door escape route for my analysts.”  She paused in thought before adding, “My best guess on the security system is that it’s a model 2102A… with automated rotational coding.  Only way in is to get a passkey and a handprint to activate it.”

“We’re tasked with killing them all anyway,” growled Huntress Catalina T’Gelvos.  “So, what the fuck are we screwing around for?  Four entries with guards, six of us and two gunships.  I say the gunships each take a door and we split into two groups, with each taking one of the remaining two doors.”

“Or, the five of you go in one while I cover the second.”  Joya S’Raxia shrugged.  “I simply snipe the two guards and then kill anyone else who comes out.”

Roshida looked at her sniper and smiled.  “That would work, but I’d want Celia with you as a back-up.  No one goes solo on the entry.”

The lieutenant nodded in agreement and added, “Which means, the very second we breach the doors, we’ll need to have the Kirkliston start active scanning… with the gunships intercepting anyone that makes it to an exit… any exit.”

“And if Barcroft doesn’t care about the lives of his employees?”  Huntress Condella Selani frowned.  “Just because passive scans didn’t pick up explosives, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there.  They might be shielded… and could blow us to bits before we get five steps in the door.”

“Excellent point, Del.”  Roshida bobbed her head.  “So, I want you scanning for shields while Cat scans for explosives.”  Her eyes shifted back to her infiltrator as she added, “And I want you keeping your eyes open for anyone like you.  Cloaks, thermal blocks, concealed defensive turrets, whatever.  If we’re going to do this, we go in hard and fast.  Got it?”

Erin looked at the Captain and smirked.  “And just what are you going to be doing then, since it seems we’ll be doing all the work?”

B’Sayle’s face was an emotionless mask as she answered, “I’ll be taking point and ruthlessly killing everyone I see, while you… all of you… cover my ass and keep me from getting shot or blown up by some stealthy Pyjak hiding in the shadows.”

“Goddess be damned.”  The smirk quickly fell away from Erin’s face as she drew a sharp breath, understanding that Roshida was planning on doing the majority of the killing herself… so the rest of them didn’t have to.  “I suppose I’ll just shut the fuck up now.”

-------------------------------

Abandoned Mine, Undisclosed Location, Milky Way – 4 Dec 2188

Jorè Lentos looked at Arick Vythan, the small colony’s lead scientist, in awe.  “You have made amazing progress, working with Aelia.  She informed me more than fifty of the seventy-four remaining viable females have been successfully implanted with eggs created solely from our genetic cache!”

“Yes.”  Arick’s smile carried the hopeful enthusiasm that was missing from his brief response.  “Assuming they all come to term like our successful birth three months past, it will increase our genetic viability significantly by adding fifty-three completely new sets of recombinant genomes, a twenty-six percent increase to our current population’s genetic diversity.”

“And the others?”  Lentos stared at the scientist in anticipation of his answer.

“Have not yet sufficiently recovered from their long sleep to enter into estrus.”  Arick saw the scowl that formed on the administrator’s face and quickly added, “And I do not care to force them.  We’ve already had one small rebellion and Lenes ended up dead; we cannot afford a repeat of that event.”

Knowing Vythan was correct, Jorè sighed in acceptance.  “Understood.  However tempting it may be, I would never order you to do so.  As First Female, I do believe Aelia would see to it that I was the one who ended up dead if I ever tried such a thing.”  A trace of a smirk crept onto his face.  “And, she would be correct in doing so, as it would be an unnecessary stress on our people.  Our current path is leading to success; the trip simply may take a bit longer than we anticipated; and compliments of the current races leading the galaxy, we have the luxury of time… for the first time in a very long while.”

“That we do, but the latest scouting reports from Ruso are cause for worry, are they not?”

Lentos pursed his lips in contemplation for a few brief moments before answering, “Yes.  The increase in activity in this sector is making it more difficult to avoid detection.  I thought we were safe from discovery out here on the fringes of the galaxy, but it may not be so.”

“Are you reconsidering splitting the colony into two and sending half of us to the new outpost?”  Arick sounded surprised at the possibility, as they had voted unanimously against it at their last leadership meeting.

“I remain… uncertain.”  Lentos shook his head slightly.  “I believe the risk is great… especially now, with the increase in activity; it will make it that much more difficult to move any large mass without being detected.  As much as I feel it necessary to split our population for survival reasons, I do not believe we should risk it…  Our situation is not yet that dire, and likely will not become so for at least another twenty or so years.”

Relieved, Arick replied, “Good for you.  I concur with your assessment, particularly because we do have the second outpost well established now.  They, alone, are not genetically viable, but at least it gives us a place to which we can escape, and the longer we can wait, the better equipped they can be to receive our shuttles when the time does come.”  He smiled and added, “That is why we trust you to be our leader, Jorè.  Your decisions are well reasoned and come not only from your heart, but from your logical mind.”

“I would like to believe so.”  Lentos offered up a quick smile at his friend and added, “Though, even with that said, I would not be against gradually relocating our new mothers-to-be to the outpost, a few at a time, on our supply runs.  Sending only two on each monthly run would move almost half of the fifty-plus over the next year’s time.”

Arick opened his eyes wide in surprise for a moment, before eventually responding, “Perhaps that would be a reasonable compromise.  In the long-run, it would certainly provide the outpost with needed personnel, and improve the genetic viability of its population, should we ever be discovered and attacked, here.”  Arick pursed his lips, drawing the small cleft in the base of his chin together in thought.  “I will approach Aelia with this concept; I do believe she will see the wisdom in such an approach.  It meets our long-term goals while minimizing our risk of exposure as best able…  Yes, she will likely agree with such a plan.”

“Do you want to do this alone… or shall we approach her, together, so she understands we are a united front?”

“Let me do this alone, Lentos.  I think she will be more open to the suggestion if it comes from me.”

“Good luck, then.”  Jorè’s voice became solemn.  “We need to do this, Arick; our own ‘Cosmic Imperative’ demands it.  We either build ourselves up, to once again be at least equal to those who now rule this galaxy or, eventually, we will be consumed by them, our lives and our culture possibly forfeit.  The very essence of the Prothean race depends upon our success, Doctor.”

“I do not believe it necessary, but I will remind First Female Dethan of the import of this decision when I speak with her, Administrator.  Luck has little to do with this; we either succeed or we perish.  It truly is as simple as that.”

-------------------------------

Darius Barcroft Compound, Noveria, Pax System – 4 Dec 2188

The team monitored the facility through the dark of night and quickly learned the shift changes were every six hours.  Given Noveria’s fifty-two-hour daily solar cycle, it was easy for the two teams to deploy while still under the cover of darkness, veiling their ever-cautious approach.  B’Sayle had coordinated for the arrival of the gunships to occur at the exact same time the main team would be breaching the doors.  The whine of the A-61s’ arrival was first punctuated by the burst of gunfire from their M350 mass-accelerator autocannons, only to be swiftly obscured by the roar of rockets screaming from their underwing launchers.

The main team never heard the bark of Joy’s sniper rifle, which was easily swallowed by the rockets’ ensuing explosions.  Joy had shot the guard to the left at the same time Cel had grabbed the one on the right, suspending him in mid-air until Joy reloaded and took him out with her second shot.  As she reloaded again, in case any of the occupants decided to exit the building through that particular doorway, she complained quietly.  “You take all the fun out of my job, Lieutenant.”

“A lot of people are going to be dying today, Joy.”  Celia remained focused on the doorway, so couldn’t see the recalcitrant face of the sniper as she continued, “I’m just making sure neither of us is going to be one of them.”

When the gunships opened fire, Huntresses Catalina ‘Cat’ T’Gelvos and Condella ‘Del’ Selani made quick work of the two guards covering their assigned doorway.  The group moved forward, and Erin set to work hacking the passcode; only a moment passed before she asked for help moving one of the guards close enough to hold his hand to the scanner.  The door slid almost silently to the side and the team entered cautiously, expecting some sort of resistance.  Upon finding none, Erin popped open the map display provided in their mission brief as they began to move quickly down the passage.

“The first research area is just around this corner… so hold up.”  Erin moved by the group and crouched down just shy of the corner.  Slipping a small mirror out, she peeked around the edge; two defensive cannons were pointed up the hallway, so she turned back to the squad.  “Going to need you, Captain.  Two small cannons, about five meters down the hall, ceiling mounted… so throw up your aegis and step around… they should come down with minimal effort.  Cat and Del can shoot ‘em, and I’ll shock the shit out of ‘em until they either short or explode.”  She flashed a quick grin.  “We’ll see who wins the prize.”

“Everyone ready?”  B’Sayle drew a deep breath.  “Once we step around this corner, there will be no hiding our presence… so, be ready to keep moving.  Shields at max.”  She drew on her biotics and pulled up her aegis barrier, moving quickly forward.  “Let’s get this done.”

The cannon on the left exploded, while the cannon on the right sizzled for a moment before catching on fire.  Captain B’Sayle chuckled, “Looks like that one’s a draw… but here comes the first tie-breaker!”

As the gunfire erupted in the hallway, the first of the security guards stepped out into the passageway, gun drawn, and started firing.  He went down quickly, but someone within the research room was quick enough to sound the alarm before anyone from the team made it to the door.  As the warning siren began wailing, the commando team stepped over the guard and entered the room, simply opening fire and killing every single one of the occupants.

-------------------------------

The same pattern repeated itself over and over, a few of the rooms completely empty of employees, even though steaming mugs of hot beverages and partially eaten plates of food told the story of recent occupancy.  The secure comm crackled in their headsets.  “Lieutenant M’Creno here.  Gunships are making a lot of noise, and Joy and I have probably taken out twelve or so employees… happy to dispel any false hopes they held, thinking they had made good on an escape from the facility.  We did see a Jiris deploy… so my guess is the Kirkliston detected warm bodies where there shouldn’t have been, so don’t go out any exit tunnels…  You might get shot.”

“Understood,” B’Sayle answered quickly.  “Knowing they would be on-station, we had no intention of doing so.”  She signaled the group to move on as she continued, “The only real resistance we met was at the security armory.  The rest has been relatively fast and easy, a few cloaked scientists hiding here and there, but the place is bigger than it looks on a map display.  Though, we did find a self-destruct function, which Erin has temporarily disengaged.  We will go back to the control room and activate it… to make sure there is absolutely nothing left of this building once we are done cleaning house here.  Probably only another twenty before we head in your direction.”

“Got it.  We’ll be ready to roll when you are.”  As she terminated the call, Celia reached over Joy’s shoulder and pointed off to her left.  “Cloak shimmer, maybe three meters left of the door.”

The sniper rifle barked sharply and a Salarian came into view only briefly before collapsing into the snow.  “Got your back, Lieutenant.  Go do your thing.”

M’Creno made her way cautiously to the location where she thought the scientist fell, only to find a trail of green dots leading off through the snow.  “He’s alive… and must have had a back-up cloaking generator, Joy.  I’m following the blood trail but keep scanning for that shimmer!”

Another bark of the rifle and Joy’s voice came back.  “Head back, Cel.  He realized the error of his ways and tried to get back to the door.”

“Got it.”  The lieutenant walked to her right and made a wide arc, finding the returning trail and tracking it to the Salarian to confirm the kill.  “Second was a clean shot, Joy.  He’s not getting up from that one.”

She made her way carefully back to the sniper perch and it was only an additional eight minutes before they got the final call from B’Sayle.  “We are approaching your door… and would greatly appreciate you not shooting any of us as we exit; we have only three minutes remaining on the self-destruct.”

“Understood.”  The lieutenant focused on her sniper and got a nod of confirmation, Joy knowing exactly what Celia was asking with no more than a glance.  “As soon as we have a visual on you, we will head back and start breaking down the camp for redeployment.”

“Good idea.  We will meet you there in a few.  B’Sayle out.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 8 Dec 2188

Returning to the CGC, Shepard sent Tali’Zorah and Len’Dazza to the apartment, to reconfigure the environmental controls, while she, Liara and Riana headed to the Council offices to speak with Tevos.

“By the Goddess!”  Tevos sat back in her chair, shocked by Shepard’s update briefing.  “They have managed to secure a small fleet of stealth vessels?  How did they do this, entirely without us detecting their activity?”

“We already knew they had somehow developed the technology, the first evidence being the Envoy ship we encountered when we flew out to meet them at Rannoch.  I suppose we could have monitored them, but they had agreed to help us… and it’s not like we had an excess of resources to divert to spy on our allies.”  Liara shrugged.  “Even if we had, I’m not sure we would have noticed them picking up the cast-offs from the Andromeda Initiative… whose stealth technology was the best of the best at the time…  But, do not forget we now have a few add-ons, which we’ve gleaned from additional Reaper tech collected during the war.” 

“Agreed, Liara.”  Tevos frowned as she replied, “But, we also have to realize we have no reliable information on what Admiral Daro’Xen vas Moreh may have come up with to improve those systems during all this time since the war.”  The Councilor let out a heavy sigh.  “We’ve waited too long, and this has become a nearly impossible situation.”

“It would certainly be a difficult fight if we chose to approach them head-on, Councilor.  A lot of people would end up dead if we were to make such an attempt.”  Shepard grimaced.  “But nothing’s impossible.”

“I hope you are correct, Shepard… unfortunately, it is patently obvious we have to do something.”  Tevos’ eyes clouded in anger.  “They are ruthlessly killing Council citizens and must be stopped!”

“Yes, their actions must be curtailed, for certain,” Liara answered, nodding in agreement.  “And while we realize you prefer a negotiated settlement to the conflict, given their recent activities, we have our doubts that such a path is viable.”

“I remember what I said last time we talked, but…”  Tevos paused and sighed in defeat, visibly slumping in her chair.  “I truly see no motivation for them to cease their attacks… as, it seems, we are totally unable to interdict and stop them.  We have no leverage to speak of, other than bringing the military power of the Council to bear.”  Her eyes glazed over slightly, and she shook her head, looking at Liara to meet the resolute blue eyes of the younger Asari. 

“It is times like this that I most miss your mother, Liara.  She was always our best, and sometimes only, option at finding a peaceful solution when no one else could.  We need her now… yet, the hidden costs of the Reaper War continue to emerge, even a year-and-a-half following the end of the conflict.”  Despite her best efforts to keep rein on her emotions, she was forced to wipe away a single tear that escaped to trickle down her cheek as she rhetorically queried, “Will it never end?”

“I would revel in the opportunity to observe her at work… to see how she would resolve this current crisis.  There remains so much about her that I never had the opportunity to learn.”  Liara’s heart clenched in her chest and she reached over to clasp one of Tevos’ hands, her own eyes now brimming with tears as she swallowed and continued, “You are not the only one who misses her, Raesia.  Every time I return to the Estate I am reminded of her absence; her ghost still stands in nearly every corner… sometimes comforting… other times?  Not so much.”

“I imagine so, Little Wing.”  Tevos forced a smile onto her face and squeezed Liara’s hand in return.  “And, I also imagine my sorrow must be terribly pale in comparison to your own grief.  I do know, however, if your mother was here, she would be scolding the both of us for thinking as we are.  She’d tell us to sit up straight and get to the business of solving the problem, instead of wallowing in self-pity over our previous failures.”  She released Liara’s hand and stood from her chair, turning and walking slowly to the windows that looked toward the outer ring of the station.  After a brief moment of contemplative silence, she turned back to her visitors.  “And, knowing you, you would not have returned without a plan… even knowing I would not like it.  So, let me hear it.”

-------------------------------

Many of the Council members sat in shocked silence for a few moments following Tevos’ and Shepard’s announcement.  The Quarian Councilor, Eri’Addan vas Rannoch, simply dropped his head into his hands and angrily muttered under his breath, “Keelah!  I knew their actions would eventually lead to war, the stupid Bosh’tets!”

With a scathing glance directed at the Quarian, Councilor Quentius growled, “About damned time!  I was beginning to wonder if the Turians were going to have to take unilateral action to solve this.”  His gaze floated to Osoba and the flanging of his voice indicated extreme irritation as he continued, “But that happened once before, over Relay 314, and we all know how that ended… a stalemate that ended with a lot of dead soldiers and little progress to show for it.  Not so good for any of us.”

“That’s not entirely true.”  Tevos stared at him as she continued, “It brought us the Humans, who have since proven their value to the Council… especially during the Reaper War.”

“Yes, yes… I know.”  Quentius waved a dismissive hand in the air.  “It’s just that the damned Quarians have been raiding our colonies and attacking our ships for months.  It’s way past time for us to get around to doing something about it!”

Valern, in his standard, derisive and irritatingly calm voice, countered, “And what would you have us do?  Rush in without the proper preparation… against an extremely well-armed and entrenched enemy?  That’s exactly what happened at Relay 314, and why the Humans were able to battle you to a stalemate.”  His attention turned to Shepard.  “This is what Spectre Williams has been doing on the Rim this entire time.  Gathering information about the enemy and preparing for this precise scenario.  Has the time come, Shepard?”

As Shepard went to answer, she was cut off by an angry Quentius.  “Of course, it has!  What a stupid question!  I’m tired of playing the victim… I want justice for all the Turian citizens murdered by these rogues!”

“We have no desire to attack the Creators.”   In the ensuing surprised silence. Prime Huulik added, “Yet, we have become the SILC… and we will not be re-enslaved.  It is what caused the Morning War and resulted in both their exile from Rannoch and their expulsion from the Council.  I do not believe anyone wants that history repeated.”

Urdnot Jara growled, “So you won’t help us in the upcoming battle?”

“That is not what I stated.”  Huulik turned his head toward the large female Krogan.  “The SILC will join in the fight for a guaranteed future of independence.”

“You are speaking of my people, yet no one thinks to ask the Quarian Councilor’s opinion?”  Eri’Addan banged a fist on the table.  “You have no right to decide this issue in a vacuum, without Quarian input.  Why were the Admirals not given advance warning of this agenda item?  Were they even offered the opportunity to attend this meeting?”

“No, they weren’t… that’s what you’re here for!”  Quentius sneered at him and growled, “Besides which, it’s your Heavy Fleet and you and your admirals, apparently, have neither the capacity nor the will to do what needs to be done, or the attacks would have ended months ago, you sniveling little worm!”

“How dare you!”  Eri leaned toward the Turian and it looked as if he was ready to jump across the table to grab Quentius by the throat, but any actions he was considered were cut off by Tevos.

“Enough!”  The normally calm and collected Asari stood rapidly to her feet, knocking over her chair as she slapped both palms on the table, resulting in a rather loud, combined bang.  “What will it take to make us come to a decision?  How many more citizens need to die because of our inaction?  Any new deaths from this point forward will be on our heads if we fail to do… something!  We must act!”

Councilor Jara practically clapped in agreement.  “Agreed!  All this talk is distressing, when there is obvious action that needs to be taken!”  Scowling across the table, she looked to Tevos as she offered up Krogan assistance.  “I will have it known that Urdnot Wrex has offered to give you all three platoons of Aralakh Company to use as boarders, even if only for a distraction; cracking skulls is cracking skulls, no matter the justification behind it…  And we gained so much prestige fighting the Reapers on Palaven, we are happy to help out our new friends yet again, no matter the foe.”

Even considering the circumstances behind the offer, Shepard had to suppress a smile as she answered, “That sounds like Wrex… and I’d be happy to take him up on the offer of Grunt and his Krogan warriors.  I fought side-by-side with them on Utukku and can speak from experience…  They’ll most definitely make one Hell of a distraction!”

“Then it is decided.”  Quentius sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in smug satisfaction.  “About damned time.  Now we just need to work out the details.” 

“It is not decided!”  Eri glared at Tevos as he continued, “There has been no vote.”

Tevos sighed and returned to her seat.  “You are correct, so I will pose the question.”  She paused for just a moment to put the right words together before asking, “Shall the Council authorize the formation of a battle group to confront the Quarian Rebel Heavy Fleet…”  She continued, emphasizing the second portion of the proposal.  “… until the rebels either capitulate to Council demands or they are defeated or even destroyed, should they refuse to yield?”

As Urdnot Jara and Councilor Quentius practically raced to see who could be first to enter their ‘yes’ vote, Tevos glared at them as she said, “This is a very serious matter.  Please take a moment to consider all the implications before entering your decision.”

Her plea for reasonable diligence fell on deaf ears and the panel indicator lit green in mere moments, indicating all the votes had been cast.  “It appears we have reached a decision.”

Looking at the faces surrounding the table, her lips drew to a straight line as she read the results aloud.  “Four primary votes, a unanimous ‘yes,’ for a total of eight points.  Of the six junior votes, we have three ‘yes’ votes, two ‘no’ votes, and one abstention… for a result of eleven for and two against.  The measure has passed.”

“Who, besides the Quarian, voted against?” growled an irritated Quentius.

“Do not presume to know peoples’ minds, Councilor.”  Tevos gave him a cool stare as she replied, “Calyn abstained, and the opposing votes were cast by the Volus and Rachni representatives, not Councilor Addan.”

Quentius gaped at the Quarian as Eri turned his head to him and stated, “Just because I asked about whether the other Admirals had been informed, do not presume to think I do not see the need for action to be taken.”  He looked around the table and shook his head in disgust.  “My only regret is that we, as the Quarian people, do not have the capability to handle these rebels on our own.”

“And you, Calyn?”  Quentius turned to the Elcor Councilor, asking, “This is important; why did you abstain?”

“Dismayed: As this is to be a space battle and we are ill-suited to such a conflict, we cannot participate.”  The Elcor paused.  “Cautious: We do not feel we have a right to vote on a conflict in which we play no physical role.  Inevitable conclusion: It is not proper for us to send others into danger when we cannot be party to the same risks.”

“Dismayed?”  Tevos’ forehead wrinkled in contemplation.  “This is still a Council action, Calyn.  Whether or not the Elcor can physically participate in the action has no bearing on the vote.  If the Elcor could participate… how would you have voted?”

“Jaded revelation:  The Elcor may have previously suffered many slights under Council rule but have rarely been left unprotected.  Happy admission: During the war, Spectre Shepard directed an evacuation of Dekuuna when no others would come to our aid, saving those she could.  Thoughtful speculation:  If she believes this Quarian action necessary and we could participate at equal risk, we would assist in saving the SILC from servitude.”

Quentius glanced at Tevos and stated, “So, honestly, that’s another yes, not that it matters.”

“You are correct.  It doesn’t matter… the votes have been cast.”  Tevos surveyed the expressions on the faces of her compatriots and squared her shoulders, wondering how they would react to her next statement.  “Given the time sensitive nature of the issue, Spectre Shepard felt it appropriate to come prepared with an initial proposal.  If this is acceptable, I will turn the floor over to her, so she may explain her plan.”

“By all means.”  Jara leaned forward, an eager glint in her eyes.  “Let’s get this party started!”

-------------------------------

Shadow Broker Warehouse, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 9 Dec 2188

Captain B’Sayle stepped into Commander Arern’s office and smiled.  “You needed to see me?”

“Yes, yes.  Please, do come in.  Have a seat.”  He waived a hand toward one of the chairs across from his desk and opened up his omni-tool.  “Just give me a moment to find the report.”

“Report?”

“Yes.  From Specialist Aldaberto, of course.”  Solo glanced up as his newest team leader coughed.  “I’m sorry.  Did you not realize you would be evaluated?”

“Are you joking?  A new team on our first mission?  I was absolutely positive we would be.”  Roshida grinned at the suddenly concerned looking Salarian.  “I just didn’t think you’d waste time with a debriefing… and Bert didn’t say a word about any formal ‘after mission’ reviews, so I’m just surprised by this, that’s all.”

“Ahhh.”  Relieved, Solo flashed a relieved smile in return.  “Normally, we would not… but your results exceeded expectations… so I thought you may want to hear this.”  He flicked his finger a couple more times until his eyes opened wide.  “Aha.  Here it is!  Let me read this to you.” 

He glanced up to see Roshida shrug her shoulders as she answered with a smile, “Sure, go ahead.  You’re the boss!”

“Yes, I suppose I am, aren’t I?”  His lips quirked up and he refocused his attention to the screen.  “Performance Summary: Thorough, yet quick and efficient.  Set-up completed in minimal time, with nearly instantaneous deployment of initial scout.  Only eight hours of facility observation before engaging in coordination for tasked operation which, once planned, lasted less than three hours, start-to-finish.  Proficiently utilized all available assets and ended operation with zero surviving targets, as ordered.  Team also met bonus criteria of total destruction of facility.  Since completion, have monitored all Port Hanshan message traffic; no aspersions cast regarding outside interference or actors involved.  It is assumed some experiment met catastrophic failure and facility was destroyed as safety precaution.  Perfect execution of task.  Possibly one of, if not the, best field teams currently in our employ.  Recommendation: Skip further evaluation missions and assign to applicable high-priority tasks."

“Sounds like our Ops Officer is pleased.”  Roshida grinned at her case agent.  “I take it that’s a good thing.”

“Yes, very good.”  Solo blinked rapidly three or four times before continuing.  “I don’t believe I’ve ever read such a positive review from Aldaberto.  He is generally quite difficult to impress.”

“As was my prior boss… so I’m used to paying attention to even the smallest of details.”  Roshida shook her head.  “During the Reaper War, not doing so got you dead.  Fast.”

“Yes, I suppose it did, at that.”  For the first time since B’Sayle walked into the room, Solo relaxed.  Indicating the report on his omnitool, he stated, “This is very good.  I see a well-paying future for you, working for the Broker.  Well-paying, indeed.”  He stood from his desk as a genuine smile erupted on his face.  “Take a few days to relax.  I will have to rework your schedule and send up a query as to where you and your team should be deployed next.  I will let you know as soon as we have a job worthy of your apparently exceptional talents.”

Chapter Text

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 11 Dec 2188

“So, it is agreed.”  Flexing his mandibles in the Turian version of a smile, Quentius nodded at Jara, who grinned back wickedly at the result of three days of intense discussion and negotiation.

“Yes.”  Jara practically glowed in anticipation over the promise of the upcoming battles.  “I will have Urdnot Grunt reserve First Platoon for the battle of the Far Rim… but you can have Second and Third Platoon to set traps at the remaining food depots.”  The chuckle that rose from deep within her massive chest sounded malevolent.  “The next few raiders will have no idea what hit them… and I guarantee they won’t get away with any more supplies to take back to the rebel fleet!”

“The full six patrols of eight?”  Quentius – eyes shiny at the prospect – was practically drooling over the damage he knew the Krogan would wreak upon the unsuspecting Quarian raiders.

“Of course, you idiot.  Any we left behind would tear Tuchanka apart in their frustration…”  Jara rolled her red reptilian eyes. “We can’t have that, now… can we.”

Quentius was instantly prepared to be irritated by her brazenly labeling him an idiot, but her tone as she finished her statement made him realize she was actually joking with him.  Surprised, he simply responded with what counted as a grin, his voice flanging in humor.  “No, I suppose not.  I imagine they’d leave quite the mess in their wake.”

“You got that right.”  Jara rose from her seat as she continued, “I’ll pass this on to Urdnot Wrex and ask when Grunt will be ready to go.  You’d better have those transports ready… a fight like this is one they will eagerly embrace, so it won’t take them long to prepare for pick-up.”

As Jara walked away, Shepard looked to Quentius.  “She’s right, you know.  You’d better make the call and get those transports enroute.  It wouldn’t surprise me if Grunt has his warriors packed and ready within the hour.  They’ve rebuilt Aralakh Company based on a concept of rapid deployment; always ready, always eager for a fight… so you’d best be prepared to give them one.”

“Well… I can get them to the necessary locations, but it will depend on the rebels as to when they show up for the unexpected fight.”  Quentius sneered as he added, “What I wouldn’t give to see their faces when they’re met at the doors by an eight-squad of very eager and angry Krogan Warriors… especially if those warriors are made to wait for any length of time.”

Shepard chuckled.  “That’s for sure…  If they’re forced to sit around for too long, you may just have to find them something to kill.  Otherwise, the Quarians may find nothing more than a bunch of drunk Krogan guarding your storage facilities.”

“We have plenty of games with which to keep them busy… our simulators are extremely good; good enough to keep them on their toes with a variety of enemies.”  Quentius laughed.  “We even have a couple of scenarios that feature Thresher Maws!”

“Why in the galaxy…?”  Shepard started to ask, then realized she knew the answer to her own question and somberly continued, “Because you figured you’d likely run into one if you spent too much time on the ground on Tuchanka…  So, you needed your soldiers to know what they were and how to fight them.”

“Yes.”  Quentius’ laughter died with a quick sigh.  “It was necessary… then… so I don’t regret us ever doing it… but I sincerely hope we never feel the need to do such again.  The Krogan have actually proven themselves worthy allies and I want them to remain so.”

“Good.”  Shepard’s smile returned and she reverted to the subject of the negotiations.  “As for me, I’d like some help from the Turians.”

Quentius was immediately curious.  “In what form?” he asked earnestly.

“The Guard Captain at Pinnacle Station.”  Shepard paused for a moment and added, “Former-Guard Captain, that is… Captain Vidinos.  We’ve been friends for some time, and I’d like to have him and his Blackwatch team join me on the Knight Shade, along with Aralakh First Platoon A-Squad, as my second and third boarding teams for taking control of the Moreh… and to help me eliminate Daro’Xen.”

“Spirits, Shepard!”  Quentius flared both his crest and fringe in unexpected enthusiasm.  “I can think of no reason Vidinos would not be honored to join you.  My only regret is that I’m not a soldier and can’t join you on that venture, myself!  What I wouldn’t give to see the expression on that smug Quarian’s face when she finally realizes her death is imminent!”

Shepard understood the councilor’s sentiment, so simply responded, “Don’t worry.  You may not be there in person, but you’ll get to see all of the recorded combat footage once it’s all said and done.”

“And I’ll make sure that footage goes into the Council Archives, Shepard.  Perhaps, this time, the Quarians will actually learn that they need to stop messing around when it comes to Council law!  We do not take disobedience lightly; we never have, and we never will.”

-------------------------------

CGC Communications Center, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 12 Dec 2188

Once all the arrangements and agreements had been finalized, Shepard got a good night’s sleep, then rose early the next morning in order to place a secure call to the Far Rim.  Having utilized the Council’s QEC-Normandy node, Shepard offered up a reserved smile to her fellow Spectre’s three-dimensional projection.  “Hey, Ash…  Surprisingly enough, the Council has agreed to our plan.”  Shepard knew her announcement would be welcome in its own peculiar sort of way… assuming ‘welcome’ was the right word for starting an unwanted conflict that had become absolutely necessary in the name of galactic peace; like it or not, they had run out of options.

“Well, shit,” Ashley sighed.  “I guess it was too much to hope they’d come up with an alternative solution for us, huh?”

“Would have been nice, but I’m not surprised.  You and I already ran through all the reasonable scenarios, each of which I explained to them in great detail.”  Shepard’s lips were a reserved straight line as she continued, “But, as it is, they didn’t change a thing.  So, I need you to get me the specs for your Marines so I can place the order for the upgraded N7 armor for them, including the low-profile jetpack propulsion system and grav-boots.”

“Already on it; I’ll send them as soon as we’re done talking.”  Williams barely paused before asking, “Did we get the go-ahead for all eight teams for the op?”

“Yup.  Sure did.”  Shepard nodded her head as she answered.  “You’ll have the Aralakh squads you requested… and Kas, Tali and Spectre Bau will be joining you as part of your infiltration unit.  Jon said he’ll grab three of his best STG friends to round out his team.”

“And you’re getting the Blackwatch team you wanted?”  Ash figured she knew the answer but asked anyway.

“Yes, along with Grunt.”  Shepard grinned like a child let loose without adult supervision in a candy store.

Laughing, Ashley replied, “I didn’t doubt that for a second.  That’s why I didn’t bother asking about him.  I assume your new friend Moises T’Dura also agreed to join you for this?”

“Yes.  She’ll go with Livos and her team, minus Allia Vasia.  I see no reason to assign a sniper to this one… not like we’ll have any long-range shots we’ll need to make.”

“And, if absolutely necessary, both you and I are more than capable of picking that up…”

“Not this time, Ash; at least not me.  I’m not dragging that damned sniper rifle along on this one.  Too much weight.”  Shepard shook her head.  “Going light and fast into this fight.”

Ashley thought about it briefly before nodding in agreement.  “You’re right.  We’ll mostly be in close quarters combat, so it doesn’t make much sense to carry the damned thing.  And, seeing as everything is a go, we’ve got just over three weeks to prep for this… so, we need to head back to Earth with the Normandy to get my squad properly outfitted with all their new gear; can’t risk something not fitting right if we’re going to be rocketing through the void for a space-infiltration.” 

The Normandy’s captain looked at her notes before continuing, “Also, Greg Adams received the specs for Tali’s new ‘destructive interference emitter’ and has already started moving things around in preparation for installation of the new transmissions equipment.”

“Excellent.  We can only hope it works,” Shepard replied with a sigh.  Glancing to her side for a brief moment before turning back, she continued, “Alright.  We’ve gotta run, so I’ll finish with this…  I know you plan to stay on Earth for Christmas and New Year’s, but I want to reiterate that you and the crew of the Normandy are still invited to the Estate, if you care to spend any part of the holiday with us.”

“Thanks, Skipper, but no.”  Ashley smiled.  “Been a while since we’ve all been back home… and knowing what we’re headed into?  People want to spend the entire holiday with their families.  I don’t think I need to explain the reasoning.”

“No, you don’t.”  Shepard slowly drew a deep breath before blowing it out quickly.  “Well then, give my best to Sarah.  I assume she’s still coming in from Amaterasu to join you and Andreas in London?”

Her smile blossoming into a wide grin, Ashley replied, “Yes, she is.  It’ll be good to see her.”

“I imagine so.”  Shepard gave a quick wave before dropping her hand toward the haptic interface.  “Enjoy the time you have, Ash… and say hello to Falk for me, when you see him.”

“Will do, Skipper.  See you soon.”

Liara had entered the room and was standing quietly off to the side, waiting patiently until her bondmate finished her conversation with Ashley.  As the QEC call terminated, Shepard turned to her and smiled.  “All right, Blue.  Let’s go home.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Armali Republic, Thessia – 16 Dec 2188

“Where, in the Goddess’ name, did you learn that little trick, T’Soni?” Shepard wheezed, lying flat on her back, staring up into the smug eyes of her Ionúin Álainn.  She was finding it hard to catch her breath, barely able to squeeze enough air past her vocal cords to form words.

Liara lifted herself up and off her bondmate to ease the pressure on Samantha’s chest, answering coquettishly, “Wouldn’t you like to know!”

Shepard pushed up into a sitting position; finally able to draw a deep breath without it making her cough, she answered, “Truthfully?  Yes, I do, Liara, but this isn’t a ‘like’ to know… I feel an urgent need to know.”  The woman bent her knees up and dropped her head between them, still not having fully recovered.

Liara sat down before her, cross-legged on the practice mat; taking her siame’s hands, she leaned forward to place her head against Shepard’s.  While possible to pass energy through the link, as they had each done numerous times, they still found it much more efficient to do so through physical contact.  As Shepard drew from her energy, Liara explained, “I learned the basics from Kaddi, and augmented it with biotics.”  As realization lit in Shepard’s brain, Liara corrected, “No, it’s not her technique.  I know you’d expect such a thing from a Drell assassin, but she actually picked it up from Len’Dazza.”

Surprise colored Shepard’s words as she blurted, “It’s a Quarian Marine thing?”

Pulling her head back, Liara answered, “Yes, it is.  He took Kaddi down while sparring, and she had him show her…  The mechanics of the move were a little odd because of their differing leg structure, so Kaddi worked it out for us forward-bending knee types.”  She showed her teeth in a wide grin as she finished her brief explanation.  “Very effective, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes… and frightening at the same time.”  Shepard released her grasp on the warm blue hands in hers and stood slowly from the mat, contemplating the implications.  Sensing a little bit of confusion through the link, she felt compelled to explain.  “Liara…  We’re about to go after a whole fleet of war ships which, once we arrive, we plan to board and fight our way to both Weapons Control and the Bridge…”

Catching the line of thought, Liara finished for her.  “So, we need to learn the counter to that particular move, as well as any other trade secrets Quarian Marines may have tucked away that could threaten our success.  Goddess!  Why didn’t I think of that?”

Shepard stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the Asari’s waist, pulling her close and planting a quick kiss on blue lips.  “Because you’re an intellectual at heart, not a soldier… and, as I have told you before, I absolutely love that about you; I hope you never change, because if you did, you would no longer need me to do the tactical thinking, and I’d be out of a job.” 

Liara began to rebut the statement but then noted the lopsided grin spreading on the Spectre’s face.  “Oh, you!  You still catch me when you joke at the most unexpected times!”

Laughing, Shepard retook one of Liara’s hands and started to walk toward the exit.  “Come on.  We need to find Len and Kaddi, to set up some training.  We need to practice in our new assault groupings anyway, since we’re shifting a few folks around for this, so it will be a great time to integrate whatever new techniques Len thinks important and Kaddi cares to share.”

-------------------------------

Neema , Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 18 Dec 2188

“Stick to the plan, Daro!” Han’Gerrel growled.  “We need those greenhouses online as soon as possible if we are to be truly self-sustaining… and I have a feeling our luck it about to run out.”

“Why would you say that?”  Daro’Xen scowled at the ill-tempered Gerrel.  “You’re always so negative about our chances.  If you felt the risk was so great, why are we even here?”

“Because I’m a realist!  Eventually, someone is going to get angry enough to finally come after us… be it the Turians… or the whole damned Council; I don’t know who… but someone will.”  He huffed, so angry he wanted to throw something, anything, at the frustrating idealist.  He glowered at Xen as he continued, “I have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, so I don’t have time for your shit.  Send your team down there to get the last greenhouse up and running or I’ll place you and the Moreh last on the list for rations distributions until it is!”

Xen placed her hands on her hips as she answered indignantly, “You wouldn’t dare!” 

“Try me.”  Gerrel’s voice was menacingly quiet.  “Last time Jeto returned with supplies, he told me he had a foreboding feeling that they were being observed… even though sensors revealed nothing.”  He shook his head in frustration.  “I’m concerned that ancestors-be-damned Spectre… Shepard… is on the trail, which means our time is growing short.  I need to curtail the raids until everyone cools down a little.  Maybe it will throw them off our trail.”

“Even if I send the team down immediately, it will still be two months at least before that last greenhouse begins producing!  If you don’t continue the raids, you’ll have to cut rations again!”

Gerrel sneered as he responded, “Exactly my point, Daro.  That was supposed to be your motivation to get the job completed last week… like we initially determined.  You are the one who’s behind schedule; you waste too much time playing with your damned toys instead of working on feeding our people!”

“They aren’t toys… and you’ll be damned glad to have them if… or rather, when… our adversaries decide to take us down!”

“I’ve got other things to do than make sure you hold up your side of the bargain,” Gerrel stated, dismissively.  “Just get out and get it done, Daro, and don’t come before me again until it’s up and running.”

She started to retort, but Gerrel had darkened his visor and turned away, working on his terminal and totally ignoring her.  Fuming, she spun around and stalked out through the hatchway, sending people scampering to get out of her way as she stormed back to her awaiting shuttle.

Self-righteous, pompous bastard!  Who does he think he is to speak to me in such a disrespectful manner!  It’s my so-called toys that are going to win this fucking war for us!

-------------------------------

Ekuna, Salahiel, The Phoenix Massing – 18 Dec 2188

Uli'Nara vas Iktomi stared at the messenger in abject horror, his voice squeaking in panic as he asked, “Here?  Now?”

“Soon.  Her personal shuttle just dropped out of FTL…  We have roughly twelve to fifteen minutes, tops.”

Pulling himself together, he commanded, “Put out a broadcast and get the team together, then grab the datapad with the list of missing materials and meet me at the landing pad.”  As the messenger stood there, possibly awaiting additional instructions, Uli shouted in alarm, “Go!  Now!”

As the messenger turned and ran off to get his assigned tasks completed, Uli turned on his heel and began the trek to the shuttle pad.  Speaking to no one, he muttered, “Keelah!  What in the name of the ancestors is Xen coming here for?  Personally?” 

He was fidgeting noticeably as Xen disembarked.  She pinned him in place with her eyes, then stalked resolutely to him and asked a very direct, single-word question.  “Status?”

Immediately handing her the datapad, his voice was surprisingly steady as he spoke.  “This contains the list of materials and equipment we still require for final completion of the greenhouses, Admiral.  Without that first item – the power converter assembly – we are at a dead stop; the temperatures and sunlight at the fringe simply don’t support agriculture on their own…  We can seed fast-growing crops with auxiliary heaters, but we need the solar augmentation units to be up and running for any substantial yields.”

“And what’s this second item?”  Xen glared at the project lead in disdain.  “I would think the eezo-core power unit would be more important than the converter…”

“I would agree with that statement if we were lacking for shuttlecraft, but we are not…”  Uli was starting to feel more confident as he continued, “We can easily rotate shuttles through, utilizing their thruster engines as power supplies, until an eezo unit is located.  Ishassara is an extremely easy-access hydrogen refuel location, one which we utilize with regularity.  There are so many ships that pass through there, refueling on their way to the relay, it is easy to mingle in… unnoticed among the masses.”

Xen’s mood had not improved in the slightest with his seemingly flippant responses, so she closed the already minimal gap between them as she asked yet another question. “If this power converter is so damned important, why am I just hearing about it now?” 

Uli’Nara couldn’t stop his involuntary response and he took a step back, immediately regretting the move as a smirk of satisfaction flashed across Xen’s face.  He cleared his throat and suddenly realized he didn’t care if he died in the next moment as he answered angrily, “Not my fault you haven’t seen it; it’s been on the list for over six months – since the project started in earnest – but the Marines think utilizing cargo space for equipment is a waste.  Our people are hungry, so they fill their holds with foodstuffs, not gear; food gets them many more thanks than a chunk of metal ever will.”

Surprised at his tone, Xen backed off, speaking more to herself than to Uli’Nara.  “Damn it all, Gerrel!  How many opportunities to pick this up have passed by, on worlds to which we have no intention of returning?”  Surprising the lead engineer, Daro’Xen smiled but, by her tone, he realized she was not pleased… but vindictive… as she turned her attention once more to the lead technician.  “I will bring this up with Admiral Han’Gerrel… personally… immediately upon my return to the Fleet.  You’ll have your power converter within the week, Uli… even if I must take the Moreh to Omega and buy one myself!”

As Daro’Xen turned away and stormed back aboard her private shuttle, Uli felt positively giddy with relief.  I’ll be damned!  What I wouldn’t pay to hear that conversation, when she confronts Admiral Han’Gerrel and blames his Marines for not doing their damned job!  For the first time since the greenhouse project had begun, Uli smiled and whistled happily as he turned and walked back to the worksite.  That Bosh’tet is gonna blow a suit seal!

-------------------------------

Neema , Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 19 Dec 2188

When they rejoined the rogue fleet, Daro’Xen took a shuttle directly to the Neema and stormed Gerrel’s office, door guards be damned, as she growled menacingly, “Get out of my way!”  As soon as the hatch slid to the side, she stepped through and immediately started growling, “Stick to the plan, Gerrel?”  As the ship’s captain raised his head in surprise at the unexpected intrusion, she continued, in a much louder voice than was her norm.  “How dare you say that to me, when the reason my greenhouses aren’t ready is because your Marines are the ones who haven’t delivered the necessary parts!”

Gerrel stood from his desk and scowled, waving out the two guards who had trailed the irate admiral into his office.  “What are you talking about, Daro?”

“Don’t you ‘Daro’ me, Bosh’tet!  I’m speaking of the power source I need to run the heaters for the damned things!”  Xen was in a rage – beyond frustrated with Gerrel’s routine posturing – so she continued to yell.  “You dared to threaten me and the crew of the Moreh with going to the bottom of the list for rations distributions!  Once I looked into it, I discovered it’s been your damned Marines who haven’t been doing their jobs!  They have yet to bring us the power converter assembly for the hydrogen unit!”  She sneered and added, “Even you must know we can’t grow much without a way to keep the temperature at a fairly steady twenty-five degrees!”

“And just how are my Marines at fault for your inability to procure parts?”  Han crossed his arms in disgust; it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed Xen going off on some wild rant.

“Because it’s been on the critical supply list for over six months… along with a number of other requests… and your glory-seekers are so focused on finding the foodstuffs that get them the most praise, they haven’t bothered to check their raid locations for anything else!  That’s how!”  Xen paused to take a deep breath before continuing, “Who knows how many opportunities they’ve already missed… and not just for my materials requests, but the entire Fleet!  So, either you promise me they’ll pick one up at their next agricultural station, or I’m taking the Moreh to Omega to buy one myself!”

“You can’t do that!”  Han worried that she might actually try to do something that stupid in her desperation.  “T’Loak would impound your ship and sell you out to Shepard as fast as she could possibly make the call!  There’s no way that Asari could ever pay back Shepard for her help in reclaiming Omega station from Cerberus for her, but I imagine turning you over would go a hell of a long way towards balancing the scales!”

“We wouldn’t need to do this at all if you had been paying attention to the critical supplies list!  Don’t even think about trying to lay this one at my feet, Han!”  Daro sneered.  “This isn’t a choice.  Either you find one, or I will…  You have a week, Han.  Do not forget that I am also an admiral, same as you… so, do your damned job or I’ll do it myself.”

“Damn it, Xen!  This comes at the worst possible time!”  Gerrel began to pace, feeling jammed into a corner as his options seemed to vanish.  “I told you about Jeto’s last mission.  We need to slow down on the raids right now…  not send more ships out for some scavenger hunt!”

“You need to order your people to get us that converter or we’re all going to starve, you fucking Pyjak!” Xen growled.  “I’m done with your dodging-the-blame game… and I’m done being last on your list of priorities.  We either get that part within the week or I swear, I’ll find my own way to procure what we need… and I very much doubt you’ll approve of how I do it.  Understood?”

“Fine!”  Gerrel threw himself back into his desk chair in disgust.  “I’ll send someone to get your damned power converter assembly.  Any ideas where one might be, or are you going to leave me stabbing in the dark?”

With a satisfied smirk, Xen answered, “It will have to be a larger agricultural station… like Edessan or, perhaps, Rocam?”

Simply wanting the conversation to end and Xen to leave his office, Han asked with a sigh, “Which would you suggest?”

“Rocam would be the easier target, but they’re a bit smaller, so there’s no guarantee they’d have a spare sitting on a shelf.  Your Marines would have to take the necessary time to strip down the unit… leaving a rather large window for a defensive response team to show up.”  Xen paused as she thought, then continued, “Edessan is much larger, so would likely have an on-hand spare sitting in storage, but… the Edessanians are fiercely patriotic, even for Turians… and hold an appreciation for heavy weaponry and a strong admiration for the Turian air force.  You’re the military strategist; you figure it out.”

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked out the same way she had come, though her exit was much quieter – and calmer – than her entrance had been.  Gerrel sat back in his chair and exhaled with relief as the Marine door guard, Ken’Fennas, slid sheepishly into the office.  “Sorry, Sir.  There was no stopping her…  She looked like she might actually kill me, had I stepped in to block her way.”

Gerrel actually chuckled, helping his foul mood resulting from the visit.  “She might have tried, at the very least… but I’m fairly confident you would have bested her, Ken.”  Suddenly serious, he added, “Should there ever be a need to do so, do not hesitate.”  He growled, “She frequently oversteps, thinking her superior intelligence is reason enough to treat us like subordinates… but, someday, that just might get her killed.”  He met Ken’s eyes as he earnestly added, “If you end up doing it, always know I’ll have your back.”

“Never a doubt in my mind, Sir.”

“Good.”  While they chatted, Gerrel had pulled up the critical supply list Xen had referenced.  “Have any of the stealth scout vessels returned the fleet yet, in response to the recall?”

“Yes, Sir.  The Huli is currently docked at the Idenna… and with the moratorium, I imagine more will be showing up soon.”

“Excellent.  I’ll be calling Captain Ysin'Mal to have him dispatch the Huli to us as soon as possible.  Make sure there’s an open docking port for them, then escort the ship’s Captain directly to my office, immediately upon their arrival.  You must have overheard Xen, so you know I have a mission for them.”

“Yes, Sir.  I’ll get right on that, Sir.”  Ken snapped to attention.  “Anything else, Admiral?”

“Not right now.”  Gerrel smiled at him and gestured for him to relax.  “And, Ken?  Thank you.”

“No problem, Sir.  My pleasure… and I wouldn’t care to serve under anyone else in the fleet.”

-------------------------------

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 21 Dec 2188

It was a cold, blustery morning when the VIP-1 landed and disgorged the recently arrived T’Soni guests onto the tarmac.  Shepard’s face held a happy grin as her mother moved quickly toward her, wrapping her up in a motherly hug.  “Sam!  It’s great to see you!  You look good.”

Hannah pushed back and looked her daughter in the face.  “Though I can see in your eyes you’re worried about this upcoming thing with the Quarians.”

“Later, Mom.”  Shepard’s grin faltered for only a second before being firmly reaffixed.  “I have no intention of letting that spoil our Alban Arthan or Christmas celebrations.”

“Good.”  Sharon Culver reached in and clasped forearms with Samantha, adding, “Because if you did, I’d have to take you out back and give you a good, old-fashioned, Special Ops butt whupping.”

Using the arm hold, Shepard pulled her in and gave her a tight hug.  “As well you should, Sharon.  Nice to see you… glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it!”  Sharon chuckled, “Besides… my presence almost became a necessary part of prying our surprise for you out of her workplace…”

As Sharon spoke, Kahlee Sanders stepped into view and descended the ramp, exiting the transport with a happy bounce to her step.  She couldn’t help but smile with glee as Shepard blurted out, “By the Gods!  Aunt Kay!  I never expected to see you this holiday!”

Kay approached quickly and grasped Samantha by the shoulders.  “I have to agree with your mother’s assessment, Sam.  You look wonderful!”

A tearful Samantha pulled the woman in and hugged her tightly, whispering, “Thank you for coming…  Best Christmas present ever!”

“Well, Sharon didn’t lie; you have a very convincing Special Operations Commander to thank for that.  They gave me no advance warning before they showed up and demanded I come with them, and I have students who are staying behind for the holidays…”

Sharon cut her off.  “A situation which Jack has completely under control… and she was staying at the school through the holiday anyway, so there was absolutely no need for you to be there!”

Kahlee had a smile on her face as she shook her head.  “Yes, yes; I know.  Why else to you think I finally gave in and decided to accompany you here?”

“Because the students remaining for the holidays agreed with us and practically pushed you the entire way to your quarters to pack!”  Hannah smiled widely as the banter continued, her heart full.  It had been a long time since she had seen Samantha this happy… even with the Quarian conflict looming in the not-too-distant future.  “It’s been far too long since we’ve all been together!”

While they were saying their hellos to Samantha, Liara had also welcomed each individually.  Closing on Sharon, she held her hands up in the traditional Asari greeting.  “It is good to see you, Mea're.” 

Culver placed her hands on top of Liara’s for only a moment, before grasping them to pull Liara in for a hug.  She whispered softly, “Thank you, Liara, for making Sam so happy.  It does my heart good to see her like this.”

“It does my heart good as well, Sharon.  I thank the Goddess every day that Sam is still in my life after all we’ve been through.”  Liara smiled softly as she pulled back.  “Livos is on her way to show you to your room in the Commando Quarters.  Other than that, you know your way around, so we’ll see you in the den once you’re settled in?”

“Absolutely!”  Sharon answered with a smile and released her lingering hold on Liara.  “A quick shower, a change of clothes into something more comfortable, and I’ll see you all there.”

-------------------------------

“So, when does Karin arrive?”  Hannah relaxed on the couch, sinking comfortably into the soft cushions as her eyes focused on the flickering flames of the fire blazing before her.

Liara smiled, “Early evening.  The Normandy has stopped at the CGC for a hopefully quick debrief with the Council, which Karin has no need to be part of anyway, so she’ll jump ship and arrive at Port Armali on the six-o’clock shuttle.  Zan has coordinated her arrival so Livos can pick them both up at the same time.  We should all be together in time for a late supper, if that’s alright with everyone?  Goddess knows, we have plenty of snacks available to tide us through, if anyone gets hungry between lunch and whenever they manage to show up.”

“No one could ever fault House T’Soni for their hospitality, that’s for certain!”  Kay giggled as she continued, “I still remember the day before the wedding… bonding, that is.  I’ve never seen such a variety of food and drink all in one place!”

“That’s because we’ve never had to lay out a spread to feed… what, five or six different races?”  Sharon looked to Liara for confirmation but Lyessa, the House Steward answered for her.

“That would be six, Sharon.”  Lyessa shrugged casually.  “It’s a good thing Shepard likes to cook and provided a few recipes… as well as help from Samantha Traynor and Minda Tilghman… or poor Leyana would have driven herself to distraction trying to cook all that was necessary to feed our guests.”

“Pshh.  It wasn’t that bad.”  Unknowingly, Leyana was standing in the door as Lyessa made her comment.  “Besides which, I needed to learn all those recipes anyway, seeing as we frequently now have that full mix here on any given day, anyway… with Bek, Kaddi and Barla Von in the mix; though visits from Barla Von are infrequent.”

Shepard chuckled.  “Hell… Jat’s crew alone has five of the six.  All he’s missing is a Volus.”

“That’s true, Jatok does have quite the mix.” Leyana acknowledged.  “Anyway, the main reason I walked over here was to inform you the lunch buffet…”  At this point, a grin spread across her face.  “… in all its many forms, is ready in the dining area.”

-------------------------------

Farnborough Field, Earth, Sol – 22 Dec 2188

Logistics Director Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Falk waited in the small building near the heavy ship landing zone – heavy being a bit of a misleading term, as the largest ship allowed to land here or at the nearby Systems Alliance controlled zone was a medium frigate.  Falk stared out at the approach end of the large field, straining to see any indication that the vessel bearing the love of his life was on approach for a landing.  It didn’t help that the current weather conditions were typical for the first day of winter in the London area … accompanied by light-to-medium fog, a cold, misty drizzle fell from mottled grey, low hanging clouds, rendering visibility down to less than 65 meters.

Falk thought he saw high-intensity landing lights for just an instant.  Closing his eyes for a moment, he reopened them to take another look… and there they were… landing lights… barely visible through the swirling mist and rain.  As he keenly watched the area, the shape of an approaching ship resolved around the intense glare; narrow fuselage, flanked closely on each side by an even narrower pair of engine pods.  Andreas couldn’t prevent the wide grin that slowly formed as he recognized the approaching vessel’s front profile.  Joker was being very careful as he approached the area outlined with intense blue-tinted beacons.  Falk would have bet the snarky pilot was letting Edi handle the actual approach and touchdown; the synthetic woman had a much finer touch on the Normandy’s controls.

Exhaust deflectors were actuated to slow the ship’s forward speed, until it was actually hovering over the pavement.  Power applied to the main engines was decreased, allowing the vessel to slowly settle onto its landing gear… as the mass effect core was powered down, the weight compressed the struts of the main and nose gear.  Engines were allowed to spool down to idle, then cut, diminishing the ambient sound to the nearly silent hiss of rain striking hot metal.

Falk quickly shrugged into his heavy overcoat and left the building to briskly walk towards the familiar ship.  As there was cargo needing to be unloaded, the only way in or out of the vessel was through the deployed hanger bay ramp; Falk motioned for the nearby Marine squad to take their assigned guard positions on either side.  After unloading, the ship would be relocated to the Alliance field by a Navy ground crew for routine maintenance and equipment installations.

With the exception of Joker and Edi, the entire ship’s complement would be leaving for a well-deserved holiday break of nearly two weeks; the ship wouldn’t be departing until the second of January.  As much as he wanted to go onboard to greet the captain, he decided to observe proper military decorum and wait…  There would be plenty of together time after she was off-duty.

Ashley had contacted him as soon as the Normandy had docked for a short layover at the CGC, telling him that her younger sister Sarah was flying into Farnborough from Amaterasu so they could visit.  With just a bit of prodding, Andreas discovered Sarah was a war widow, and the siblings hadn’t seen each other since the memorial wall visit on the Citadel; further, Ashley hadn’t even seen her mom or other sisters since her emergency trip to Amaterasu in 2181.

After speaking to a very excited Sarah, it took Andreas less than an hour to arrange passage for Ashley’s mom Brook and younger sisters Lynn and Abby, on the same passenger/freight vessel Sarah was already booked on.  Falk chuckled to himself as he thought about it – knowing how much Ashley loved her family, it had been so simple for him to arrange the perfect Christmas gift for the woman he loved.

When Falk met them at the nearby civilian arrival area only a few hours ago, he had sworn them all to secrecy.  Ashley would expect Sarah to be staying in the spare bedroom of Falk’s base apartment; knowing they were coming, he had plenty of time to arrange a place for the entire family in the nearby transient housing complex before Normandy arrived.  As all three women wanted to do a bit of Christmas shopping in a still-recovering London, he loaned them an X3M so they could get around, and provided them with vouchers for the stores at either base; it would be the first Williams family get-together since her trip home in 2181 to help Sarah deal with an overly aggressive boyfriend.

Andreas’ presence during cargo unloading wasn’t actually required, but he hung around anyway, answering the occasional question concerning placement of this or that bit of cargo.  When the last pallet left the ship, Falk climbed the ramp and entered the hanger bay, there to ask Steve Cortez to notify Spectre Williams he was waiting for her.  While he waited, it was all he could do to keep from grinning like an idiot as he thought of what he had done.

Chapter Text

Farnborough Field, Earth, Sol – 22 Dec 2188

Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Falk, legs crossed at the ankles, leaned against the starboard side armor locker and console facing the Normandy’s elevator on deck five.  As the doors parted to reveal several more crew intent on leaving for a holiday vacation, one person in particular – a raven-haired, brown-eyed beauty in a casual dress uniform – showed her teeth in a huge grin as she strode up to stand in front of him; dropping her overnight bag to the deck, she stuck out her hands in welcome.  Falk pushed away from the console to close the gap between them and overlapped their arms, clasping both her forearms just below her elbow. 

In a soft voice that still conveyed the intensity of her feelings for the man, she said, “Dammit, Dré!…  It’s so good to see you!  It’s really been too long!”

“That it has.”  Andreas nodded as he gently squeezed her arms.  “Hard to believe you’re standing right in front of me again… and, if memory serves, last time we were together was on this very ship…  Wasn’t it St Paddy’s day?  Has that much time slipped past us?”

Ashley nodded her head slightly; Falk finally released his grip as she continued, “Certainly much longer than I would like.”  Now free, she picked up her overnight bag and slung it over her shoulder.  Reaching out and taking Falk’s hand, she continued, “Come on – let’s head over to your place.  Have you seen Sarah yet?”

“Here, allow me.”  Andreas chuckled as he relieved her of the other large bag still slung over her left shoulder.  “And yes, I have seen Sarah.  Looks like a younger version of you.”  He was afraid to say more, lest he inadvertently give something away.  “My quarters are quite close, actually.  My bosses felt my job here necessitated accommodations closer to the field.  The housing is supposed to be soundproofed, but I swear I can still hear every arrival and departure.”

Ashley walked beside Andreas as the pair moved through the hanger bay and down the ramp.  “Will you have any time to yourself during the holidays?”

“I will… and it begins today.  So, I’m planning to take you… and Sarah, if she wants to accompany us… to someplace nice for dinner.”  He paused as he opened the aircar’s canopy and placed her bags in the back.  Once inside, with the tinted canopy down and sealed, he reached over to envelope her in an awkward hug.  After placing a quick kiss – more of a promise than anything – on a pair of lush lips, he continued with his original thought.  “You know, I never really got a chance to see you in that blue dress I bought you during our visit to Discovery.  Seems to me it would be perfect for dinner tonight.”  The instant peel of joyous laughter he received as he brought the speeder’s core online and began the short trip to his apartment made him feel all tingly inside, as if his heart might burst from happiness.

A warm hand landed on top of his thigh at the hip, there to lightly squeeze the muscles beneath her fingers as she replied, “Then it’s your lucky day, Lieutenant Colonel Sir!  It just so happens I brought that dress with me, along with the lovely blue pumps you insisted on buying.”  Knowing the effect her closeness was having on him, she used her hand to massage the top of the thigh she didn’t wish to let go of as she continued in a husky voice, “Since that time on Horizon, I even managed to acquire a long, all-weather overcoat that should help me survive this wonderfully welcoming weather.”

It’s a good thing we are so close to my flat, or I’d park this damned speeder and ravage you, came the thought as he glanced at her face.  “One of the benefits of living on an island,” he responded.  “Lots of liquid weather in the winter.”  How can so much beauty have been bestowed on one person?  Falk slowed the speeder, made a turn into a small parking area, then set the craft down in front of a rather non-descript building.  “Here we are… be it ever so humble…”

Andreas activated the canopy lift motor and opened the side door, climbed out and quickly grabbed Ashley’s travel packs from the back; Ash had exited and moved quickly to stand out of the drizzle under the protective cover of the inset doorway.  Upon remotely closing the speeder’s doors and canopy, Andreas crowded in beside her to wave his omnitool through the haptic door lock, which obligingly cross-faded from red to green, allowing the door to slide into its recess.

Ash rushed inside, no doubt expecting to greet Sarah; Andreas disappointed her by saying, “Sorry, Ash… she’s not here… she said she wanted to do a bit of shopping before you arrived, so I loaned her a speeder.  I have no doubt she’ll return before long.”

Falk felt bad that Ashley looked so disappointed; saying, “Why don’t you unpack and put your things away in the bedroom, Ms Williams… I’ll send Sarah a note… let her know we’re here.”

A tentative smile lighting her eyes, she replied, “Sounds like a good idea, Dré.  There isn’t much to unpack, but it will be nice to have it done so we can simply enjoy each other’s company.” 

Grabbing one of her two travel packs, Andreas led her into the master suite, saying, “It’s a bit sparse, but a perfect fit for a bachelor… not that I wish to remain so forever,” he finished with a slight laugh.  Leaving Ashley to get unpacked, he activated his omnitool and sent a message to Sarah; the nearly instant response made him smile… he was about to spring the ultimate surprise on the woman he loved with all his heart, and she didn’t have a clue it was coming.

-------------------------------

The instant Ashley had tucked the last pair of socks into a drawer, she closed it with a deliberate thump; turning to find Falk standing in the doorway watching her, she took four long steps across the small room and wrapped him in her arms; pressing her body tightly against him, she hungrily applied her lips to his in a passionate, tongue-thrusting kiss she had obviously been saving just for him.  After thoroughly devouring his mouth, she broke away just far enough to whisper between shuddering breaths of air, “I love you, Dré.  Thinking about joining you here for the holidays is probably the only thing that kept me sane during our time apart.”  A quick smooch, then, “You must understand you have absolutely ruined me… I will never again be content to sleep alone… ever.”  She reapplied her lips, as if to underscore her declaration.

Earlier, inside the speeder, Andreas had merely wanted to ravish her; now, it was all he could do to keep from roughly ripping her clothes off, followed by his own, before depositing her exquisite form in his bed… there to spend the afternoon and evening sharing… and satisfying… their physical needs for each other.  In a voice thick with emotion, he sighed, “Ashley, I never dared to dream I would find someone like you… ever.”

He tightened his arms about her for a moment before sliding his hands down her sides to rest on her gorgeous bum.  “I really loathe having to be the sensible one here, but we need to go back out.  Sarah messaged to say her speeder experienced a slight mechanical problem.”  At the raised eyebrow accompanying the instantly worried expression on Ashley’s face, he quickly added, “She’s safe and secure on the Alliance base… but would really appreciate a ride, as walking in this… foggy, cold-assed rain, to use her words… isn’t something that appeals to her.”

Ashley sighed and placed her forehead against Falk’s chest as a small breathless whisper escaped her lips.  “There always seems to be something, doesn’t there?”  Looking back up, she allowed a tiny smile to tease the corners of her mouth upwards.  “Come on then.  Let’s go rescue my sister so we can enjoy the afternoon before we go out for dinner.  We’ll circle back around to where we are right now… you can count on it.”

-------------------------------

Alliance Headquarters, London, Earth – 22 Dec 2188

In only a matter of minutes, Andreas turned the speeder into the guarded entrance to Systems Alliance Base London and glided to a halt beside the small guard shelter.  With the canopy raised part way, he greeted the young man that stepped out of the building.  “Corporal O’Downey… how are you this afternoon?”

“Commander Falk.  What can the Alliance do for our British comrades today?”  Ryan O’Downey had known Andreas for a number of months, as his position of Logistics Director for Farnborough Field required him to frequently visit the Alliance Base.

Andreas smiled in reply.  “Ryan, I need to stop in at the transitory housing facility.”  Indicating Ashley with an offhand wave, he explained, “Seems my friend’s sister had speeder trouble while short-cutting through the area.  We’re going to give her a lift back to our own AOR.”  Unseen by Ashley, Falk winked at the corporal, whom he had told of his surprise just the day before.

O’Downey grinned as he made a couple of entries on a hand-held tablet.  Waving his hand, he said, “You’re good to go, Commander.  I’ll probably be off duty when you leave, so I’ll wish you good night now.”

Falk lowered the canopy as the corporal reentered the shelter, hoping that Ashley hadn’t picked up on O’Downey’s comment about being off duty, as it implied the pair wouldn’t be departing the base for several hours.  Andreas slowly worked his way through the narrow access roads after turning off the main avenue; in a short amount of time, he brought the X3M to a stop in front of long, low building.  Parking his speeder beside another one already sitting there, he said, “There’s Sarah’s speeder, Ash.  She told me the nice people staying in this apartment were going to take her inside so she wouldn’t catch her death of cold while she waited for us to arrive.”

Without comment, Ashley opened her side door as the canopy unlatched and tilted up; Falk climbed out and walked around to assist her up and out of the low-slung vehicle.  As they mounted the three stairs up to the wide porch, the door slid aside to reveal the exuberant smile of Sarah Williams.  “Hey, Sis!  I wasn’t expecting you to come with Dré!”  She enthusiastically threw herself into a suddenly tearful Ashley’s embrace.

Stepping back from Sarah to hold her at arm’s length, Ashley raised an eyebrow and cocked her head as she asked, “Dré?”  With a withering glance directed at Andreas, she said, “Really?

Sarah was far from intimidated by her big sister’s seeming rebuke.  “Come on in, Sis… I want you to meet the people staying here… they’ve been really nice to me today.”  Turning herself partially from Ashley’s grasp, Sarah grabbed a hand and repeated as she pulled.  “Come on!”

Reluctantly allowing herself to be pulled along, Ashley looked askance at Andreas, who smiled innocently, shrugged his shoulders and followed in trail.  Sarah came to an abrupt halt in the middle of a large, comfortably furnished living room.  “Wait here, Sis… everyone’s in the kitchen fixing lunch.”

Ashley turned to face Andreas as Sarah disappeared through a doorway.  “She’s been calling you Dré?  Doesn’t that seem just a bit… cheeky, to you?”

Andreas placed his hands on Ashley’s upper arms and drew her closer.  “Sarah is a lovely young woman, Ashley… and she’s your sister.  I know I told you I liked the idea of you referring to me by a special name – to be used only by you – but I don’t see the harm in allowing Sarah the same liberty… after all, she is family.”

Before she could respond, a noise behind her drew Falk’s eyes past Ashley’s head.  He surprised her by pulling her in to his body and hugging her tightly.  Whispering, “I love you, Ashley Williams!  Merry Christmas, my darling!”  With that, he released her, pushed back slightly and slowly turned her around to face into the living room as he softly repeated, “Merry Christmas.”

Ashley gasped in surprise, her eyes instantly filling to overflowing.  There, standing in front of her… No!… it can’t be!  “Mom?” In a small, tight voice, she squeaked, “Mom?”  It took a heartbeat for her to notice the others.  “Lynn? Abby?”  Throat finally constricted to the point she could say no more, she placed a hand across her mouth and began weeping for joy as she reached out with her other arm to gather up her mother, followed by her two other sisters, in a crushing embrace.

Andreas had tears in his own eyes upon seeing the happiness being expressed by the four people – five, including Ashley – all hugging and crying and talking right in front of him.  That he had been able to arrange this reunion without Ashley getting wind of it beforehand made his chest ache with happiness.  The Williams family – Ashley’s father’s ‘girly horde’ – was together once more.

-------------------------------

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 22 Dec 2188

That evening after dinner, Hannah returned to her room and brought down a small hover-lift with a large box sitting upon it.  Dropping it slowly to the den floor, she looked to Samantha.  “I know it’s too early for Christmas presents, but you need the items within this box now, not four days from now.”

“Sounds mysteriously like Christmas decorations, Mom… or stuff for Alban Arthan?”  Samantha smiled as she moved toward the box and helped to undo the clasps on the lid. 

The celebrative group gathered around as Hannah opened the case to reveal its revered contents.  She couldn’t help but smile at the surprise on Samantha’s face.  "I picked these up just yesterday, so all the greens are fresh; they should easily last until New Years’ Day."

"Wow!  Thanks, Mom!”  Samantha was more than pleased with the four pine-bough wreaths, numerous pine cones and the multitude of mistletoe sprigs that came along with the most important item, lying in the bottom of the shipping crate – a short chunk of partially burned Yule log.  After lifting it reverently from the crate, Samantha ran her hand over the remaining bits of relatively smooth white bark still clinging to the birch log, the progress of her fingers occasionally interrupted as they passed over a couple of rough, blackened knots.  “I never anticipated having a traditional log for this year’s Alban Arthan.  This is awesome!”

“It’s part of ours from last year.”  Hannah’s smile turned melancholy for a moment.  “My only regret was that you were on that damnable Victory Tour and not able to join us at the cabin.  But, when it burned in half, I got the idea to save part of it for you.”

The instant Liara saw the contents of the container, she had slipped away quietly and returned quickly with a very similar log, holding it up next to the piece of birch.  Having been distracted by her mom’s mention of the tour, Shepard stared in surprise at the two logs sitting side-by-side.  “How did you know, much less manage, to acquire a birch Yule log, Dr T’Soni?”  Glancing suspiciously at her Anam Cara, she continued, “Did you ask Mom?”

“No, I did not,” Liara laughed quietly.  “You described it to me last year… and it isn’t birch; it’s b’duero – a tree native to Thessia.  They truly do look similar, do they not?”

“Yeah, they do.”  The tone of Shepard's voice picked up, suddenly smiling and turning to give Liara a peck on the cheek.  “And it will pull a bit of Thessia into our traditions!”

Her mom stepped up and quickly gave her a two-handed squeeze on both shoulders as she looked into her daughter's eyes.  “As much as it may pain the both of us, Sam, you’re an adult now, all grown up; you have a home and family of your own.  You need to start your own traditions and, it seems to me, replacing the Terran birch Yule log with one from a similar tree – a tree native to Thessia – is certainly a great start.”

“I suppose so… but I suddenly feel a bit strange; it just hit me… this could be the last birch log I’ll ever burn.”  Shepard looked away as she suppressed the tears that suddenly wanted to slide down her cheeks.

“Don’t be silly.”  Hannah converted her shoulder hold into a comforting hug.  “You need to do this… and the b’duero is so similar to birch, I believe I would be hard-pressed to know the difference, if Liara had not told us.  It’s perfect!”

Shepard turned and took Liara’s hand, drawing her bondmate close and making her blush with her next comment.  “Just like her.”

“Only in your eyes, Siame,” Liara scoffed.  “Besides.  Who’s to say we may not spend a few holidays on Earth?  We certainly can’t expect the Terran side of our family to always make the trek here; it’s only fair we go there on occasion.”

“Gosh, you’re right!”  Shepard blushed slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.  “I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“I don’t understand why not,” Karin laughed, adding sarcastically, “It’s not like you’ve had anything else to worry about over, say, the past five years!”

“So, what do we do now?”  Liara cut in, curious about the tradition and pushing them all back to the topic at hand.

“Well,” Samantha started, before looking at her mother and shrugging.  “Normally we start a fire, then lay the old log on top, and then add the new one to it before the old one completely burns away… so, I suppose we do the same here.”

Hannah quickly chimed in to add more detail to the explanation.  “Traditionally, you would have a huge fireplace and burn a massive log slowly for twelve days… from Alban Arthan, through Christmas, and into the new year.  But modern homes with standard fireplaces generally make that rather impractical so, instead, we start a fire with the old log, keep the fire going continuously through the same time, and put our new Yule log… the one you want to keep… on at the end.  We let it burn for a while and then put it out, saving the remainder for the following holiday.  This way, the light is still passed on from one year to the next.”  With a grin, she added, “It just takes a few logs added in between to complete the cycle.”

“And, once the fire is extinguished, we collect the ashes and spread them in the fields, bringing the warmth and light of the fire, symbolizing the sun, to our gardens to help them grow.”  Shepard shrugged apologetically, almost looking embarrassed.  “I know, with modern agriculture technologies, it’s all very quaint and archaic, but…”

Liara reached over and placed two fingers softly across Shepard’s lips.  “It is symbolic of hope… which never goes out of style, Siame.  Remember that I am an archaeologist and, as such, hold a sincere interest in old cultures… yours in particular.  I find it beautiful.”  She looked to Hannah.  “Last year, during the tour, all we had was a candle… and while Samantha gave us a basic understanding of the holiday, we had neither a Yule log nor a way to burn one even if we did, so she did not go into the specifics of the full celebration.”  Looking back to Samantha, she smirked.  “So, I ask again…  What’s next?”

Smiling once more, Shepard let out a little chuckle.  “I guess we bring everyone together, explain this all again, and throw Mom’s old log on the fire!”

Once the word got out, all those at the Estate who weren’t on duty made their way to the den. The fire they had initially started was burning well by the time Hannah and Samantha finished their second round of explaining the details of the holiday, so Shepard immediately leaned in and placed the remains of the old yule log on the fire.  The dry wood was aflame in no time and Hannah quickly joined Samantha at the hearth.  Tradition dictated that, as the elder Shepard, Hannah would speak.  She remained silent instead and looked to Samantha as their hostess, giving her a nod of encouragement.  Samantha nodded back and smiled as she turned to face her extended family.  “And thus, the light is passed from this year to the next.  With the dawn, we shall welcome back the gaining sun.”

-------------------------------

South Pole, Edessan, Outer Region: Turian Space – 22 Dec 2188

Aralakh Second Platoon B-Squad was just about to enter the practice arena when sounds of explosions resounded through the open front door.  The Krogan on watch, Onik Nakenk, had nearly ripped it off its hinges as he roared, “Forget the simulator, Pyjaks!  We’ve got the real thing inbound!  The Quarians are here!”

Squad Commander Drau Relut spun around and growled with a grin, “Watch who you’re calling a Pyjak, Nakenk… but I will overlook the insult, because that’s a welcome interruption!  Better a real fight than a damned predictable simulator, any day!”  He reached down and flipped the actuator on his Graal spike thrower with an eager, rumbling chuckle.  “Let’s go kill some traitors!”

The squad immediately ran to the door of the portable training facility, moving surprisingly quietly as they emerged into a small sheltered courtyard.  Moving quickly, they crossed the short space and entered through the back door of the warehouse.  As they reached the front entrance, Relut snarled, “Remember… wait for my signal.  Any of you ruin this attack and risk our victory, you won’t have to worry about the Quarian Marines…  I’ll kill you myself!”

The Krogan squad was disciplined – they were some of the best warriors Tuchanka had to offer – and remained amazingly quiet for a group so eager to kill the enemy.  Onik peered through a small gap in the door as the Quarian vessel… Onik felt certain it was the Huli… circled once, destroying all three of the comm relays.  He growled quietly, “Long range comms just went down…  Too bad for them they are staying true to their pattern…  They won’t be able to call anyone for help when they finally realize this is a trap.”

Only a few moments later, Onik continued, “The ship is setting down… nose in… ramp dropping facing the door!”

Drau Relut slipped his Graal into its holster and reached over his shoulder as he said, “New plan.  When I yell, shove the doors open and run at them from the right side, leaving me a clear line of sight down the left.  I want them all looking at you and not at me… at least for a few seconds… just until it’s too late.”

Ruklan Jenk, the squad’s engineer, glanced over.  “Too late for what?”

Relut growled, “You’ll know soon enough!” just as Onik called out that the open ramp allowed him to see troops and a hover-lift inside.  Without hesitation, Relut shouted, “Go, go, go!”

The seven squad members crashed out through the doors, moved towards their right and charged the ship, much to the Quarians’ surprise.  As predicted, the rebels’ focus immediately shifted to the hoard of Krogan running towards them; Relut heard someone within the Huli shouting out, “Trap! Abort! Abort!”

It was far too late.  Before the ramp even stopped descending, much less had a chance to reverse direction to begin closing, Commander Relut placed an M-920 launcher against his shoulder pad and pulled the trigger.  As the graphite rods were consumed by the anti-matter reactions, the resultant mass effect field silently zoomed toward its intended target, accompanied by the roar of his battle cry, “Korbal!” 

The energized matter whipped through the doorway, taking all six of the Quarian Marines with it as the extremely powerful mass effect field swept the cargo hold clear of obstructions – no matter their original form, organic or otherwise.  It set off multiple small explosions before colliding with the aft bulkhead, which was crumpled and warped beyond recognition.  The resultant final explosion ripped the entire panel from its attachment points within the ship’s hull and violently shoved the center section backward into the drive core containment area.  The ship’s computer, sensing the imminent collapse of the containment field from the huge explosion, immediately sent the core into auto-shutdown, leaving the Huli completely powerless and all the crew and soldiers trapped on Edessan.

The reload and recharge speeds being much too slow, Commander Relut tossed the now empty M-920 Cain to the ground and once more pulled out his Graal, as he too charged into the fray.  The ship’s reserve Marines had already grabbed weapons and were beginning to emerge from the wreckage of their ship as their captain yelled out, “All hands!  Fight or die!  Krogan will neither expect nor grant mercy!”

Even the Huli’s engineer grabbed a rifle and prepared to leave the ship.  Much to his annoyance, the captain stopped him before he could leave.  “Did you set the self-destruct?”

“Can’t; it needs power that’s unavailable… because it relies on a core overload.”  The engineer shook his arm free from the captain’s grip.  “The emergency shutdown keeps that from happening, and we don’t have either the time or the ability to complete the necessary repairs.”

“Then we set charges!”

“What charges?”  The engineer activated his rifle and pushed away, growling, “What do you think all those explosions were, as that field ripped through our ship?  We’re lucky to still have thermal clips!  That charged field destroyed most of them as it passed through!  The Huli was purposely built light… as a fast scout… with minimal shielding between compartments!  With only a dozen of us?  We were fucked the minute that Krogan pulled the trigger!”

The captain stared at the engineer’s back as he turned away to join the hopeless battle.  He winced when the engineer was almost immediately cut down like fragile, dry straw.  Drawing his pistol, he contemplated his very short future only briefly before placing the weapon’s muzzle against the underside of his helmet.  Pulling the trigger was his last conscious act; the weapon fired a high-velocity round through his chin, splattering the contents of his skull and headgear throughout the husk of what remained of his ship.

-------------------------------

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 23 Dec 2188

Samantha Traynor had awakened as she did every morning while staying at the estate on Thessia; unlike the more rigid, military style schedule on the heavy corvette Knight Shade, her mornings at the estate were a bit more relaxed, and thankfully, observed local sunrise.

Thinking back to the previous evening, she suddenly remembered that Riana planned to take her sightseeing – possibly even to Serrice.  With a quick glance at her chrono – 0735 – she tossed the covers aside, threw her legs over the edge of her comfortable bed and stood up.  She paused to stretch her arms towards the ceiling while standing on her tiptoes, then moved to the bathroom to relieve her bladder and wash up before pulling on underwear and dressing in casual clothing.

After brushing her hair and tying the excess length into a ponytail – it having been quite some time since she’d had it trimmed – she straightened the bedding, then left for the dining room; as it was still early, she was hoping to catch Riana before the Asari finished her own breakfast.

Upon entering the dining room, she quickly spotted Riana sitting with Sella Temi and Allia Vasia.  She filled a plate with some fruit and Uloth, set it and a large mug of Kaffe on a tray and moved to sit next to her amantia.  After a quiet ‘good morning’ directed at the commandos, she turned to Riana with her shy smile and said, “Good morning, Luv.  I trust you slept well.”

Riana grinned at her Breá Ber’ah; she applied a quick kiss on Sammi’s cheek before saying with a smirk, “I slept wonderfully… just as I always do when I’m in your embrace.”  She sipped a bit of Kaffe from her own mug before adding, “Soon as you’re done eating, we’re going to travel to Lesuss so we can visit with my sister Aresia at the monastery.”

“Oh my gosh!  Just you and me?”

“Lady Liara decided to accompany us after I asked her permission to make the trip… said she wanted to visit with the Headmistress, Matriarch Tela T’Sori.  I imagine Spectre Shepard will be coming as well.”

Sammi kept her expression neutral but couldn’t quite keep the disappointment that she wouldn’t be traveling alone with Riana from coloring her response.  “So how many people will be coming with us?”

“We’ll be traveling in VIP-1, so Liara’s personal guard, plus pilot Lusmeni Thoni.”  Taking note of Sammi’s disappointed tone, she quickly added, “It’ll be a one-day trip, my love – out and back.  Tomorrow, I’m going to take you to Serrice – I want you to meet my university biotics instructor, Huntress Elzia Trani.  It was her recommendation that brought me to House T’Soni as a commando candidate in 2135.  I thought it would be nice for us to have lunch together.”

Traynor was intrigued, but also surprised, to be included in a visit with someone so obviously important to Riana’s education and current position within the T’Soni household.  “Are you sure, Riana?  Sounds like a rather personal visit… I wouldn’t wish to intrude…”

Riana reached over to gently grasp one of Traynor’s hands as she said, “You are my amantia, Sammi.  It is not possible for you to intrude, as you say.  Huntress Trani is the reason I joined the T’Soni family…” Soft brown eyes bored into Sammi’s as she concluded, “… and now, you have become a T’Soni family member, simply because you chose to resign from the Alliance Navy to follow me here.”

The nearly overwhelming feelings of gratitude and love Sammi felt for this beautiful Asari had her eyes becoming glassy with extra moisture.  She grinned at Riana in silent agreement before clearing her throat in order to speak without squeaking.  “Okay, then.  Will there be an opportunity to do a bit of shopping while we’re in Serrice?  I need to find a gift for you.”

“A gift?”  Riana asked incredulously.  “Why ever would you need to give me anything more than your love, Sammi?  We share each other’s thoughts every night before we sleep.  You give me so much… every day we’re together.”  Nodding at Sella and Allia as the pair picked up their trays and left, Riana gave the hand she was holding a gentle squeeze.  “I realize the Human tradition of gift-giving during this time of year is deeply ingrained, and I will gladly accept whatever gift you choose to give me, but you need to realize that I truly don’t expect you to go out of your way to find something special for me.”

Sammi smiled as Riana spoke, knowing in her heart that she had already found the perfect gift for her beautiful blue lover.  Just have to keep a minute portion of my mind sequestered from Riana’s innocent explorations during our melds – at least until Christmas Day.

As for Riana, she also needed to keep a portion of her mind blocked, as she intended to find something special for Sammi’s Christmas present; she believed the perfect gift was waiting for her at a particular store in Serrice.

-------------------------------

“Shepard!”  The Krogan stood tall as he stared into the communications center video pick-up.

“Grunt!  Good to see you!”  Shepard smiled as Liara slipped up beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Hello, Grunt.”  Liara’s face held a happy smile, but she was concerned; Grunt looked much too serious for this to be a social call.  “Nothing has changed, I hope.  Are you still coming for our New Year’s celebration?”

“Wouldn’t miss it, Liara.  Especially since I need to be there anyway, for our departure on the second.  This is going to be a good fight; I certainly don’t want to miss my ride to the Rim!”

“If nothing has changed, what can we do for you?”  Shepard’s mouth shifted to a lopsided smirk as she chuckled at the young Krogan’s youthful enthusiasm.

“I said I wouldn’t miss the party; never said nothing changed.”  Grunt laughed at the expression on Shepard’s face, easing Liara’s concern in an instant.  He then quickly added, “Merry Christmas, Battlemaster…  I have a ship for you, though it’s a bit beat up.”  Pausing to key something into the terminal, he continued, “Sending you some video for you to look at later.  We didn’t totally destroy it, even though my squad commander decided to ram a Cain down its throat.”

Shepard’s eyes narrowed as she shook her head in confusion.  “Grunt.  What in the Gods’ name are you talking about?”

“Sorry.  Thought you would have heard by now but apparently not, so let me back up a bit.”  Grunt’s face was consumed by a toothy grin.  “The Quarians decided to show up on Edessan, Shepard.”  Both the Spectre’s and Liara’s expressions lit up with understanding and they leaned toward the viewscreen as their level of interest jumped considerably, encouraging the commander of Aralakh to continue.  “The ship was… I suppose still is… the Huli; one of those stealth scouts you told us about.  Came in dead nuts on the profile you described to us, Liara.  Made a sweep of all the comm towers, just like you said they would, before landing and attempting to spit out a squad of Marines with a hover lift.  They didn’t even get out the door before the Cain ripped all of them to shreds and pretty much gutted the inside of the hold… shoved the aft bulkhead into the core containment area, causing the computer to initiate an emergency core shutdown.  We’re working now to get a remote power supply wired up so we can reboot the systems and see what we can pull from its memory banks.”

“Ouch,” winced Shepard with a grimace crossing her face, knowing the power behind the M-920 Cain; they had used such a weapon multiple times against the Reapers.  “Do you need some help?  I can dispatch an engineer or send a systems tech to you.”  Shepard glanced meaningfully at Liara before adding, “You know we have some good ones.”

Chuckling, Grunt responded, “No worries there, Battlemaster.  I have a solid engineer on Second Platoon B-Squad – Ruklan Jenk.  He’s no Miranda Lawson, but he’s damned good at what he does.”  His voice dropped and he snarled, “I’ll pass on every bit of information we get, Shepard… and I guarantee the Quarians will think twice before they try this again, knowing now that we’re out there waiting for them.”

“I think you’re right about that, Grunt.”  Shepard paused and crossed her arms, pursing her lips in thought.  “But be ready… they’re desperate.  They may think twice, but they’ll still come… bringing more firepower with them the next time.  Good luck with the data extraction.  We need all the information we can get.”

“That we do,” Liara nodded in agreement.  “But for now, we have to say goodbye.  We’re scheduled to depart for the Monastery on Lesuss and everyone is waiting on us.”

“Then go.”  Grunt flashed a toothy grin and let out his funny little snicker before adding, “Say hello to Riana and her sister for me… and the rest of the crew, of course.  I look forward to working with them all again.  See you soon.”

Chapter Text

VIP-1, Nimbus Cluster, At Large – 23 Dec 2188

The VIP-1, even though it was nearly as large overall as the Aletheia, still felt a bit crowded to Samantha Traynor, as she had grown accustomed to working – and sleeping – on the roomier Knight Shade… not that she would ever complain about her accommodations.  As long as she was on the same ship as Riana, she was more than content.  Having spent so much time with her Asari lover and in the company of the commandos – her new sisters – employed by House T’Soni, Sammi was beginning to believe that the goddess Athame was somewhat responsible for the direction her own life had taken since the war’s conclusion.

Traynor gazed about her as she sat with Riana in one of the lounge chairs; her many sisters were all standing or sitting in the lounge, speaking quietly among themselves… muted conversations occasionally punctuated by a burst of happy laughter.  She leaned her head on the leather-clad shoulder beside her and sighed in happiness.  This is where I belong.

Spectre Shepard and Lady Liara had decided to accompany Riana and Sammi on their trip to the monastery on Lesuss; while the pair were visiting with Riana’s sister Aresia and Samara’s daughter Falere, Shepard and Liara would pay a visit to the Headmistress, Matriarch Tela T’Sori.  After giving the matter a bit of thought, Sammi had decided that getting to know Aresia would be a good thing… that the Asari locked members of their race away simply because they might be a problem was abhorrent to her. 

Ri had explained that it was a necessary precaution, as a mating-meld with any Asari carrying the genetic condition always resulted in hemorrhaging in the victim’s brain, with death ultimately resulting in extreme cases.  For those Ardat-Yakshi who did not spend at least some time at the Monastery learning to control their sexual desires, it could evolve into an addiction; every time they completed a mating meld, the Ardat-Yakshi would become smarter, stronger, and more lethal after each encounter… and the need to enter the mating meld became a deadly, irresistible hunger, even though the condition rendered them unable to produce children. 

During the relatively short FTL trip from Pelion to Mesana, Traynor asked her Amantia questions regarding the people carrying the trait.  “Is there anything to worry about from casual contact?  A hug, for instance?”

“No, Sammi, you need not worry on that account.  Neither maiden will attempt to initiate a meld with you… to do such would violate the very reason they choose to sequester themselves.”  Riana smiled encouragingly and continued, “I would begin with the standard Asari greeting and then, depending on if the day goes well and it feels right, hug them upon departure.”

Traynor felt the heat in her cheeks.  “I’m sorry, Ri.  I really do want to ignore their potential to hurt me; I think that hugging people that are close to you helps put them at ease around me.”

Riana grinned.  “They are aware you are my siame.  That a Human could fall in love with me did not surprise Aresia.  That I could fall madly in love with a Human… in love with you so soon after Ryati’s passing?  That did surprise her… surprised both of them, actually… yet each has previously told me that your unprompted decision to leave your career and follow me to Thessia has already endeared you to them, even without having yet met you.”

Traynor was smirking as she asked, “And, I’m sure, you’ve never said anything to them that would encourage them to feel that way, now, did you?”  Her expression shifted suddenly as a less pleasant thought crossed her mind.  “I feel sorry for them; having to spend an entire lifetime in celibacy is certainly not something I would enjoy, and I’m only looking at another century of living.  A millennium?”  Traynor frowned at the concept.  “I think that would be tough to accept.”

“The monastery is a place for meditation, Sammi… self-contemplation.”  Her face took on an air of gravitas as she continued, “I don’t believe Asari society will ever allow Ardat-Yakshi to live freely away from a controlled environment.  Most cannot think of the mutation without equating it with melding as part of physical pleasure; unfortunately, it takes an extremely exceptional mental fortitude, found in only a miniscule few,  to resist the mind of an Ardat-Yakshi during a forced meld… something which even the Ardat-Yakshi cannot control, except by having the self-discipline to not begin a meld in the first place.  That is what they learn at the monastery.”

“Sounds awful, Ri.”  Traynor shook her head in consternation.  “I find it hard to believe, with all our technology and genetic therapies, that the Asari haven’t found a solution.  Honestly?  Is there nothing that can be done to help them?”

“As of yet, there is no cure… only abstinence… and isolation, at least until they learn to control their lethal urges.  Their victims seemingly experience euphoria far beyond what one perceives during a normal meld, such as what you experience with me.  Their minds are overpowered… dominated… and, ultimately, their brains begin hemorrhaging.  If the meld is interrupted at that point, the victim may survive, but with lifelong effects similar to a massive stroke.  Unfortunately, the routine way such a meld is terminated is only by the victim’s death.”

Their discussion was interrupted by pilot Lusmeni Thoni’s voice drifting from the overhead speakers, requesting that everyone prepare for atmospheric entry to Lesuss. Those commandos still standing around in the lounge took their seats and strapped themselves in for landing; they had arrived.

-------------------------------

Lesuss Monastery, Mesana System, Nimbus Cluster – 23 Dec 2188

“Riana!”  Aresia Iregos walked briskly up to her big sister and wrapped her in a loving hug, which Riana returned just as enthusiastically.

“How have you been, Rez?” she asked, eschewing the private nickname of ‘Squirt’ for her younger sibling.  “Goddess!  It feels good to hold you again!”  Blinking back the tears of joy that always accompanied any meeting with Aresia, Riana slipped her hands to her sister’s shoulders and pushed back a bit.  “Let me look at you!”

“Not much to see, Sis.  Still the same ol’ me.”  Aresia’s grin rivalled a small sun.  Turning, she reached out a hand for Falere, who slowly came alongside her friend to also greet Riana; after a big hug, Riana placed an arm around Sammi’s back and pulled the woman into her side.

“I’m sure you both remember me telling you of Samantha Traynor?  We met during the Reaper War… when I accompanied my mistress on the Normandy.”

Neither had actually met Sammi prior to this day and, as Riana’s sister, Aresia moved first to stand in front of the Human.  With her hands out in the traditional manner, she looked into a pair of eyes very similar in appearance to Riana’s.  “I am honored to meet you, Samantha Traynor.  That you chose to leave your career to follow my sister is a bit surprising… and telling, as to the strength of your bond.”

In response, Traynor gently placed her palms on Aresia’s and whispered, “Please, call me Sammi… and it wasn’t really a choice.  By war’s end, Riana had become everything to me.  Being separated from her for the two weeks it took to get the Arcturus relay operational and return to Earth were the worst days of my life.  I love her with every fiber of my being.”  Dropping her hands, she gazed intently at Aresia as she concluded, “Serving in the Alliance Navy without Riana’s presence close by would have taken all the joy from my life.”

Aresia nodded in understanding, saying, “I can see the truth of your words in your eyes, Sammi.”  Glancing at her sister, she asked, “Would it surprise you to learn Riana has expressed similar feelings concerning you?”

“Aresia!”  Riana smiled good-naturally at her sister.  Sammi looked at her amantia for a moment before responding, “She tells me so every day, so no… it does not surprise me in the least.”

Sammi turned to Falere; raising her hands, she said, “I am honored to meet you as well, Falere.  As I told Aresia, please, call me Sammi.”

Falere gently placed her hands on Traynor’s, her touch reminding Sammi of smoky satin on her palms and fingers.  “I am pleased to finally meet you, Ms Traynor… Sammi.  Aresia tells me you were on the Normandy during Shepard’s and Lady Liara’s visit here during the war, and that you are now employed by House T’Soni.”

“Yes, I am, and I thank my good fortune that Spectre Shepard and Lady Liara assigned me a position on the same vessel as Riana.”  Wrapping an arm around Riana’s waist once again, her smile widened into a genuine grin.  “Falling in love with this beautiful soul has been an incredible blessing for me.  It is something I will never take for granted.”

Falere nodded her understanding, saying, “It was the goddess that blessed you, Sammi… and Riana.  Hold onto that love forever.  Nothing in your life will ever be more important.

With eyes twinkling in happiness, she grabbed Sammi’s free hand and said, “Come… I will show you where we… my sisters and I… live.  We have made incredible progress in reclaiming some of that which the Reapers took from us.”

“Lead the way, Falere,” Sammi happily replied. 

-------------------------------

Office of the Headmistress, Lesuss Monastery, Mesana System – 23 Dec 2188

“Lady Liara!  Spectre Shepard!”  Matriarch Tela rose quickly from the seated position behind her desk and gracefully moved to greet them.  “It is so good to see you again!  Goddess, a lot has happened since we last spoke!”

Placing her hands upon those offered by the matriarch, Liara looked chagrined as she responded, “Yes.  It has been more than a year and, for that, I apologize.  Being out of touch for such a long period is unforgiveable.”

The headmistress shook her head in dismissal.  “Do not worry yourself over such a trivial thing; we have all been extremely busy…  Congratulations, by the way, on your bonding!”  Her face took on an earnest smile as she continued, “And you, Shepard, on your successful bid to become a Thessian citizen; both of which are delightful and welcome developments!”

“You are much too kind, Matriarch.”  Liara smiled softly.  “My mother would be of an entirely different opinion over such a transgression of etiquette.”

“Only because your mother was an entirely different type of Asari than you are, Liara dear.  She was from an earlier age, when rigid formality was expected of all.”  Tela sighed at the memory of Benezia’s loss.  “Your mother was truly a beacon of leadership, even if our lives were much less complicated back then, before the Reapers began to wake; a time when we knew what type of behavior was expected.  Our troubles truly began with Saren Arterius and the discovery of the first Reaper artifacts.  Much has changed in the relatively short period of time since then.”

Shepard nodded in agreement.  “It certainly has… and, given the final outcome of forever ridding the galaxy of the Reapers, I would have to say that change has been generally for the better.”  Her gaze landed on Liara, which immediately brought a loving smile to her face, at which point Matriarch Tela let loose a joyful laugh.

“I can see your point, Shepard.”  She grinned at the couple before her.  “As such, let us focus on our future, instead of the past.  I would love to give you both a tour, to show you all we have accomplished in the past year, as we walk and speak about our progress and where we are headed.”

“Sounds like an excellent idea, Matriarch.”  Liara easily shifted from the initial pleasantries into work mode.  “How is the staff faring?  Are you satisfied with those we selected for you?”

“For the most part, yes.”  Tela sighed.  “We did have to release Trasmeni Ironi.  For all her good intentions, she was ill-suited to deal with the issues of the Ardat-Yakshi; she could not get past her fear of the residents… which made it impossible for her to teach meditation.  It is difficult to demonstrate technique and find serenity when you are afraid to close your eyes in their presence.”  The matriarch suddenly smiled as she added, “But her replacement, Alicia Tralis?  Positively wonderful!”

“That surprises me… that Trasmeni’s fear was not discovered during the interviews, no matter how rushed they may have been.”  Shepard frowned.  “How did she slip through?”

“She did not ‘slip through,’ as you say.  Even while we were on our way here, she exhibited no reluctance.”  Tela shook her head and added sadly, “Only when we began to meet the residents of this monastery did it become apparent.  I do not believe she knew of her phobia until directly confronted by her first Ardat-Yakshi, in the flesh.  After three weeks of gradual orientation and habituation, absolutely nothing had changed and she came to me, crying over her weakness and pleading to be released from service.  I had no option but to grant her request.” 

They had stepped out the door into the sunshine of the courtyard and Liara exclaimed loudly in surprise, “By the Goddess!  Your gardens are beautiful!”

“They are not mine,” Tela said with a glowing smile.  “They were already well underway by the time I and the rest of the staff finally arrived.  The students were on their own and did everything necessary to get the gardens all started again after the Reaper attack.  Apparently, the supplies you arranged included all the seeds, as well as the necessary tools, to grow what they needed.”

“I had little to do with it,” Liara denied.  “I placed the whole project into the capable hands of Miranda Lawson and Judea Voni.”

“And I’ve seen a very similar set-up before.”  Shepard studied the grounds with a practiced eye.  “The equipment appears to be pretty close to what Humans refer to as a standard agricultural colonization package.”  Her attention shifted to the matriarch.  “My guess is Miranda provided the list and Judea converted it to the Asari equivalents.  They did exceptionally well under the circumstances… on both the gardens and the reconstruction.”

As they walked the grounds, several of the original survivors recognized the guests and stopped them during their tour, to offer their greetings and to thank them yet again for coming to their aid when no others would.  Being her typical self, Shepard simply waved off the thanks, saying, “We only did what was necessary… but we didn’t get here soon enough.  We should have saved more of your sisters.”

“I believed that once…”  Falere’s familiar voice came in unexpectedly from the side as she, Aresia, Sammi and Riana joined the assembly.  A tense silence blanketed the group as Shepard turned toward the speaker, who then dipped her head and continued, “But I was wrong.  The Reaper War answered to no one’s timeline but its own, Spectre, and you cannot be held accountable for the destruction and death those machines wreaked upon the masses… wherever or whenever they traveled.”

She paused, realizing the entire group was focusing on her words.  Instead of being embarrassed at being the focus of so much attention, Falere squared her shoulders and let her eyes travel across them all as she continued to speak, her voice strong and resolute.  “My sister Rila was but one of the millions sentenced to death by the machines’ erroneous formulae, and her personal sacrifice, her strength, became my cause… my reason and motivation for fighting… in order to give her death some purpose, some meaning.” 

“We fought for survival and peace so that we could put our lives back together and move on.  I know we live an isolated existence here, but we do get news from the outside… thus, we are well aware of the Quarian rebels who now seek to tear that peace asunder.”  Falere’s attention rivetted on Shepard as she asked, “Will you stop them, Spectre, before they again destroy what we have managed to rebuild?”

“They are not the Reapers.”  Shepard spoke softly, but her words resounded in the silence that followed Falere’s question.  “The Council will send a delegation aboard the Destiny Ascension and we will attempt to make peace… but, I will tell you now, we will not sacrifice the SILC to make negotiations work.  Their new-found freedom would be too high a price to pay.”

“Then it is likely we must prepare for yet another war.”  Falere glanced knowingly at the headmistress, who nodded in agreement – they had obviously spoken of this before the Spectre’s arrival – so Falere continued, “I have led the reconstruction of the gardens since I returned here, and our production has grown significantly.  We are once again at the level where we could begin commercial sales… but have agreed to delay such pursuits in order to provide food rations to your forces for as long as necessary to win this victory, Spectre.  We give this freely… in thanks for the lives you did save with both your timely arrival during the war and your actions following, in keeping Asari High Command from sending more commandos to wipe us out.”

“Are you sure about this?” an amazed Shepard asked.  “You could do a lot with that income, which is rightfully yours…  A lot more rebuilding.”

“We have what we do only because the Normandy came to our aid, Shepard.”  Many were nodding in agreement and it was obvious Falere answered for them all.  “Even though we call the monastery home, being confined to this place gives us an appreciation for true freedom.  We have discussed the Quarian situation and will not sit idly by while someone else has theirs taken away… not when we can help.  Due to our genetic condition, we may not be free to participate in the actual fight, but that does not mean we cannot support your cause.”

Shepard started to say something else in rebuttal, but Riana reached over and grasped her wrist, silencing her somewhat surprised Captain of the Guard.  Riana looked the Spectre in the eye, nodded and smiled before turning to the crowd to speak.  “The only words that truly need to be spoken now are thank you.  Thank you for rebuilding and not letting the Reapers dictate your future… and thank you for whatever you can provide to help us ensure the Quarian rebels will not dictate the future of the SILC.  We hope war can be avoided and that we will not require your aid, but in the event that hope proves false, it is good to know your assistance will be available.”

-------------------------------

After the tour and a quick lunch, Shepard and Liara returned to Tela’s office to discuss the main purpose of their visit.  The small group was now seated in a lounge area and Shepard leaned back into the comfortable easy chair.  “We attempted to have Samara join us here, but she is on an assignment and could not break away.”  Shaking her head slightly, she explained with a heavy sigh, “There has been a murder, one which she believes to have been politically motivated, and she cannot afford to let the trail go cold.”

Liara continued, “But, she is still adamant about getting the laws changed.  And, after having Falere and Aresia serve on one of our ships during the war, we have absolutely no reason to oppose such a change.  We understand just how deadly an out-of-control Ardat-Yakshi is, but honestly believe sequestering every single one of them for life – for the errant ways of a very few – is simply wrong… on so many levels.  There has to be a better way – a more fair way – to treat those deserving of our trust.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”  Matriarch Tela beamed and took a sip of her water.  “I’ve been giving it some thought… a lot of thought, actually… and Samara’s absence from this discussion lends my upcoming proposal even more credence.” 

“Proposal?”  Shepard raised a brow.  “Do tell, Matriarch.  I’d love to hear any ideas with the potential to hasten this transition along.”

Tela’s eyes glittered with hope as she continued, “The Justicars are busy… extremely busy, since they have accepted the task of enforcing Asari law galaxy-wide as our first national police force.  They are very few in number and still in the process of growth.  Added to that is the fact they must now learn the entirety of Asari law just as they once had to memorize their code… a task that will undoubtedly take decades before they reach their previous capacity.  I feel situations exactly like Samara’s could inadvertently lead to inequity of travel availability for our wards, possibly creating resentment and affecting the serenity within our program… which, among Ardat-Yakshi, could be devastatingly deadly.”

“Which is a short-term problem,” Shepard responded.  “Especially by Asari lifespan standards… but I understand your concerns.  That said, I think we also need to accept the reality that it will take some time to get the program up and running.”

Tela nodded in acknowledgement of the Spectre’s statement and continued, “That is true to some degree but, as a national police force, I do not honestly believe the Justicars will ever have enough time free from their primary duties to escort all of the residents eligible for the visitation program.  In fact, if our occupancy level returns to its previous levels, I believe the problem will grow worse, not better, over what remains of my lifetime.”

“And you have a possible solution?” asked Liara.

“Yes, I believe I do; the very ones we are offering to help you defend – the SILC.”  Tela sat back and clasped her hands in her lap.  “The SILC, for obvious reasons, are immune to the Ardat-Yakshi meld.  Who better to act as escorts for the Monastery’s programmed two-week visitation sojourns… and guardians, against those who may want to act against our residents simply because of what they are, not who they are, once they have left the security of Lesuss?”

“I didn’t think about that.”  Shepard pursed her lips in thought for a moment before continuing, “It is likely that some will forever hold bias, fear and hatred against the Ardat-Yakshi… some with good reason, who have had family or friends killed by the likes of Morinth.”

“Yes.”  Liara frowned as she glanced at Shepard, memories of the many assassination attempts, against both of them, crossing her mind and through the link.  “And we understand all too well that if a bias persists, justified or not, so does the threat.”

“Exactly my point.”  Tela nodded.  “In the past, the Justicars were of sufficient number and could easily perform the duties of escort and protector… but that is no longer the case.  I think the SILC would be an excellent option moving forward.”  She smiled and added, “And, in payment, they would be welcome to establish a permanent residence here… and to reopen our titanium mines to the south, with only a ten-percent tithe to us.”

“So, you would let them establish a home-base here?”  Liara’s voice echoed her surprise.  “A colony of SILC who actually reside on Lesuss full time?  Above and beyond those required to fulfill your escort and security needs?”

Smiling smugly at the perceived acceptance of her proposal, the matriarch nodded in agreement.  “Absolutely.”  Now, we only need the SILC to agree.

-------------------------------

Given the Matriarch’s unexpected proposal, the afternoon was spent much differently than anticipated.  Shepard had established contact with Legion, who had agreed with the concept amazingly quickly.  “Shepard Spectre.  The Consensus agrees to the proposal of Tela Matriarch.  We have many applications for titanium and welcome this mutually beneficial arrangement.  Our previous experiences with the Asari, on their home world of Thessia, were… pleasant.  We learned much of their people and would look forward to a continued exchange of information.”

“I figured you would, Legion.”  Shepard smiled at her friend.  “I see the benefit to both parties as well, so assumed it would be a relatively short discussion amongst you though, I must admit, just how quick was a surprise.  When do you anticipate being able to start building here?”

“Given the limited population currently occupying the Monastery, we foresee an initial requirement of only ten units for security and escort duties, ten for assistance in reconstruction, and ten for the reopening of the mining facility, Shepard Spectre; all of which are currently available.”  The SILC spokesman paused as his three-dimensional projection turned to face the matriarch.  “We do not care to presume.  Did you anticipate a number different than what I have provided?”

“You are extremely polite, for a machine.”  The matriarch chuckled softly and continued, “No slight intended, Legion.”

“None taken, Tela Matriarch.”  Legion’s head bobbed slightly before he added, “Please, answer my query.”

Smiling at the rather organic gesture, Tela explained, “We would anticipate our general population to grow higher as time goes by…  How much higher is difficult to say, but I would anticipate your ability to send additional units as the demand grows.  Would that be a true statement?”

“Yes, Tela Matriarch.  Additional units would also be added as we open more veins within the mine, once basic renovations are complete and extraction begins.  Would this be acceptable?”

“Most certainly.”  Tela cocked her head in thought before finally asking, “Though, I believe, the true question we need to answer is this…  At what point do we, the current Asari residents, begin to grow uncomfortable with the total number of SILC living here?”  She immediately shrugged and continued, “I honestly have no answer… though, I would assume, as long as our relationship remains agreeable and you remain good neighbors, such a number does not exist.  But, if problems do arise, I also assume we will be able to discuss it amicably when that time arrives.”

“Excellent!”  Shepard smiled happily at the potential solution.  “We still need to speak with the Justicars, of course, and then Asari High Command before we make any formal agreements… just to make sure they have no objections and we don’t inadvertently put anyone in jeopardy by moving forward without their approval.  Even though sequestered at the Monastery, the Ardat-Yakshi are still citizens and under Asari jurisdiction.”

“Agreed, Spectre.”  Tela’s smile was a bit more reserved.  “Though, I certainly hope those conversations can happen sooner, rather than later.  I believe our residents here have suffered long enough… too long, if you want my honest opinion.”

“I must say I am in agreement with you on that point in particular, Matriarch.”  Liara spoke on the topic for the first time since the end of their initial discussion.  “To punish all for the crimes of a few is cruel.  No matter the conditions, no matter how the location is described, or how nice the accommodations, if one is never permitted to leave the grounds, it is still a prison by another name… and it is wrong.”  She stood and looked at Shepard.  “As such, we will begin our discussions with the Justicars as soon as we have returned from our business in the Far Rim.”

“Thank you.”  The Matriarch rose from her chair and bowed gracefully.  “My prayers to the Goddess go with you on your journey, that you may return safely from the upcoming confrontation with the Quarians.”

“Your prayers are both welcome and appreciated,” Shepard stated solemnly.  “Should the Quarians opt to fight, many will likely be forced to find their way to whoever their religion dictates as their higher power.  It won’t be an easy battle.”

“Nothing about war is ever easy, Spectre.”  Tela frowned sadly.  “Nothing.”

-------------------------------

After an afternoon spent visiting and catching up on everything happening in everybody’s lives, it was time for the visitors from the T’Soni estate to leave for Thessia.  The entire group stood at the landing field saying their farewells; Riana hugging those she knew, while saving Falere and Aresia for last.

As it was every time she had to leave Aresia behind in this place, there were tears in her eyes, and the sadness in her voice belied her words.  “I am so happy we were able to spend the day visiting, Rez.  Given the number of days between visits, our time together never seems to be adequate compensation.  I can’t tell you how much I miss having you with me.”

Aresia wrapped her arms around her big sister, hugging her tightly; the pair remained locked together for a long time, until Riana pushed back slightly and turned her head to place a kiss on Aresia’s cheek.  With a whispered, “I love you, Squirt.  Take care,” she finally released the lovely maiden and turned to bid farewell to Falere.

As Riana turned, Traynor stepped up to bid Aresia farewell.  She held her hands out for the expected goodbye between relative strangers, particularly between a Human and an Asari; Aresia, after spending most of the day monopolizing Sammi’s time, opted for a more intimate farewell.  Sliding in between Traynor’s outstretched forearms, the little sister of the most important person in Traynor’s life wrapped her arms around Sammi’s back, embracing her firmly.

“Sammi, I would have never expected Riana to fall in love so soon after the untimely passing of Ryati,” she whispered in her ear.  Encouraged by Traynor returning the hug, she continued, “You must have been sent by the Goddess to mend Riana’s broken heart.  If you would indulge me, I need to know one thing before you depart here today.”

“Of course, Aresia.”  The whispered reply came without any hesitation.  “Whatever it is, I will answer as best as I am able.”

“You must know that in contrast to her tough Vanguard exterior, Ri’s heart is tender… and still raw from Ryati’s death, as the Asari period of mourning is generally much longer.  Are you intending to stay with my sister for the duration of your life?”

Traynor pulled back in surprise; with their noses nearly touching, she replied softly, “I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with her, Aresia.  Actually, we have even spoken of bonding, but the timing will be of her choice… I will not rush her period of mourning.  She is everything to me… and there is nothing I would not do to make her happy.”

The Asari released her hold on Traynor; pushing back to create a bit of space between them, she said, “Then farewell, Samantha Traynor.  It has been a pleasure to meet the person that makes my sister so content; I wish you all the happiness in the galaxy.”  With a shy smile, she quickly tipped her head to place a quick kiss on Sammi’s cheek.  “Until we meet again…”

Traynor had tears in her eyes as Falere stepped up to bid farewell.  After a brief hug, she said, “It has been a pleasure to meet and speak with you today.  It is easy for me to see what Riana sees in you.  Go with the Goddess, Sammi.”

“You as well, Falere.  I am happy to have met you and a few of your sisters here.  I had a lovely time.”  Sammi brushed at the moisture on her cheeks as she turned to rejoin her amantia.

“Is everything okay, Siame?”  Riana grinned as she kissed a moist cheek.  “Am I correct in assuming that meeting my sister and her friends today had a profound effect on you?”

Sammi smiled as she replied, “I know why they are sequestered, Luv.  Doesn’t make it right.  Being around them all day?  I never once felt any anxiety when we touched hands.  They seem to be just like you, or any of the other Asari I have met since I joined House T’Soni.  I really hope the deal with the SILC works out to their advantage.  They deserve a chance to visit home.”

“I am glad you feel so charitable towards them… few people do.  And you stood quite close to my sister for a seemingly long time.  Care to explain?”

“She asked me if I had given any thoughts to making our union permanent.”  At Riana’s look of surprise, she added quickly, “I told her we have spoken of the matter… that I want to spend the rest of my life at your side.  Was I wrong to do so?”

Riana smirked.  “No, my darling.  Don’t ever be shy about honestly answering such questions from family.”  Riana clasped a brown hand and tipped her head back.  “It has been a good day, Sammi,” she said with a tired smile.  “A very good day… yet, I will be happy to get home.”

-------------------------------

Neema , Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 23 Dec 2188

“Ancestors be damned!”  Gerrel scowled and stood from his desk, shouting loudly, “Ken!  Get your ass in here!”

“Yes, Sir!”  As Han’s pseudo aide-de-camp hurried through the doorway, he saw the admiral holstering his pistol, jamming it angrily into position on his thigh.  “What’s happened, Admiral?”

“Get Daro’Xen here… now!  I don’t give a fuck what she’s doing or how much she protests!”

Ken’s eyes widened but he knew better than to protest.  “I’m on it, Sir.  I’ll have her at your door in less than fifteen minutes!”

-------------------------------

“What is the meaning of this, Han?”  The irate genius stopped short of his desk and crossed her arms in disgust as she growled her question.

“This is what’s up.”  Gerrel’s arm shot out, a datapad in his hand.  “I told you we needed a pause in operations, but you forced my hand simply to satisfy your own damned pride!”  He rested his now empty hand on the butt of his pistol as she read.  Only when her face revealed she understood what was on that datapad did he continue.  “The loss of the Huli and the deaths of that crew are on your head, Xen… and that is one event I will most certainly lay at your feet!”  His voice was menacingly low as he growled, “I will only say this once…  The next time you barge in here and threaten to endanger this fleet by doing something stupid, thereby attempting to force my hand in military matters about which you know nothing, I will shoot you dead where you stand, consequences be damned!”  He paused for only an instant before asking, “Do you understand me?”

Xen tossed the datapad onto his desk, unrepentant.  “Losses are to be expected in war, Admiral… but, no matter what you say, if your Marines had done their job in the first place, it wouldn’t have come to this.  I am very sorry for the loss of your men… and for that ship… but it doesn’t change the fact that we are starving.”

“That’s a pile of Pyjak shit and you know it,” Gerrel snarled.  “Sacrifice is expected during war as well… and we have military rations enough to last us for two years.  If those rations are good enough for Marines, they’re good enough for the rest of the fleet.”  He added, sarcastically, “I’m sorry if they don’t include a garden salad for your fine palette to enjoy… but they provide the nutrition necessary to survive… and that’s all we need to do until this war is won.  Once that happens, you can do whatever the fuck you want… until then, I’m declaring martial law in the Fleet and you’ll do whatever the hell I tell you to do.”

For the first time in a long time, Xen sounded worried as she squeaked, “You can’t do that!”

“Our little band of renegades consists mostly of the Heavy Fleet, which I alone control.  After this latest fiasco, you no longer have any input as to what I do or don’t do, Xen.”  Gerrel sneered as he continued, “The order went out while you were in transit here, so it’s already done.”

Chapter Text

Serrice, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 24 Dec 2188

Selina T’Rori waved at Sammi and Riana as the pair walked hand-in-hand away from the landing pad; as soon as they were clear of the blast zone, Selina brought the shuttle to life and lifted off to do her own shopping.  She had agreed to play chauffer for the couple, relieving Luyna Veuss of the task, after her bondmate and House Steward Lyessa Raptos had drafted her to do some last-minute holiday food shopping for the Estate.  She was scheduled to return no later than 1730 to retrieve the commando and her Human lover… none of them wanted to miss out on the newly introduced T’Soni tradition of a party celebrating Christmas Eve.

After a fifteen-minute stroll, the pair found themselves in a glittering shopping district.  Riana turned to Sammi and drew her close.  “Seeing as we are shopping for one another, we need to go our separate ways… I will need approximately an hour, Sammi, and will come right back here to meet you when I have completed my shopping.”

Traynor was a bit unsure.  “I know we talked about this, Love, but I don’t know my way around Serrice at all…  I’m still a bit uncomfortable with this.”

“Don’t be silly; you have an excellent sense of direction.  I have great faith that you’ll be fine on your own for an hour.  Also, I am well aware you intend to find me some extravagant present, so please, just… keep it simple?  Remember, you still have to get it home in the shuttle.”

“Not necessarily,” Traynor replied with a knowing smirk.  “I’m sure they would be more than happy to ship whatever I buy… it’s not like the location of the Estate is a secret.”

“I’ll see you soon, Sammi.  Go have fun!”  Riana knew exactly where she needed to go, so turned and quickly disappeared into the throng of shoppers.  Just a few meters from where she had parted with her amantia, she glanced back over her shoulder to ensure Sammi’s attention was elsewhere.  Confident the way was clear, she made her way directly to T’Gabra’s Games, a small, high-end shop that offered electronic games created by races throughout council space.

While Riana had seen Sammi play several alien strategy games, she also knew her absolute favorite was Kepesh-Yakshi.  The commando walked straight up to a gaudy display featuring several versions of the game, each increasingly more sophisticated… and expensive.  She was glancing around the store, looking for the proprietor, when she spotted a beautifully made board comprised of 64 wooden squares of alternating colors.  A chess board…  Sammi doesn’t have anything nearly so grand. 

Upon closer inspection, she discovered the cost of just the board, not including the various style options for the chess pieces, was equal to the arcade-class Kepesh-Yakshi game.  With a quiet, regretful sigh, Riana returned to her hunt for the store proprietor.  Finally catching the attention of Luria T’Gabra, Riana asked several questions about the numerous Kepesh-Yakshi variants.  She quickly explained that she wanted to buy the one that most closely emulated the massive table-version normally found in bars and arcades… yet could be played on a computer interface, so Sammi could take it with her as they traveled the galaxy with the Spectre and Lady Liara.

Luria was extremely patient, answering all of her questions and, being extremely familiar with every model in the store, easily listing the pros and cons of each version.  Riana finally settled on a variant that could be carried on an OSD; this would enable Sammi to move the game from their home to whatever ship they had to travel on.  She’s going to be so surprised!  Happy with her final decision, Riana made the purchase and left the store to walk back to meet Sammi.  Next stop… lunch and a visit with Huntress Elzia Trani at the university… an event she was very much looking forward to.

-------------------------------

Serrice University, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 24 Dec 2188

It was approaching noon when Riana rented a speeder for the short trip to the University of Serrice.  As they approached the grounds, Sammi expressed some amazement at the amount of space devoted to the school.  “The campus is huge, my love… and the flower gardens and green lawns are beautiful, but… I expect it would be easy for a person to become lost while walking around here.”

Riana prefaced her reply with a chuckle.  “My darling Sammi… becoming lost here would be extremely difficult, unless you found yourself without an omnitool.”  She brought the speeder around a rather large building and parked in a spot designated for visitors.  “Like the rest of the city, the entire university is very well mapped, and the most current version is always available for download.”  Raising the canopy and opening the door, she added, “This is the commando training center, where Huntress Trani is expecting me… and I do not care to be late.”

“Don’t you mean ‘us’?  She is expecting me as well, correct?”

“No, actually.  I have not told her I would be bringing a guest along, but no matter, Sammi.  Zia will be happy for me that I have found love, and she will be most pleased to meet you.”  Stepping from the speeder, she held out a hand to her Amantia, saying, “Come on.”

-------------------------------

“Riana Iregos!  It seems to have been forever since we parted!”  Elzia Trani enthusiastically embraced Riana as if she were her own sister, long lost on an expedition.  Pushing back, she took note of Riana’s tears, saying, “Now, now, there is no need for that, Riana.  Both of us survived the war relatively unscathed and while I am still an instructor… you have also maintained your position within House T’Soni, just as I expected you would!” 

Riana grinned at that.  “It has been 53 years since I left here to apply for a position with House T’Soni… and it has been my privilege and honor to hold the position as Lady Liara T’Soni’s First for the past twelve-plus years.” 

Suddenly aware of the other person who had trailed Riana into her office, Trani pushed back a bit more to ask, “And, you have brought someone along with you.”  Turning her full attention on Samantha Traynor, she added, “Please… introduce me to your Human companion.”

Riana held out her hand to Sammi; pulling her shy lover alongside, she made the formal introduction.  “Huntress Trani, this is Samantha Traynor… formerly of the Systems Alliance Navy.  She is now the director of communications, both at the T’Soni Estate and onboard the Spectre vessel Knight Shade.”  Riana smiled happily as she added, “But, even more importantly, she is also my amantia, my siame… the absolute love of my life.”

“How wonderful!”  Elzia’s eyes lit with understanding and she studied the Human before her from that new perspective.  “Samantha Traynor.  I am happy to meet the one who obviously means so much to Riana that she would include you in a visit here.” 

Traynor disentangled herself from Riana’s grasp; holding her hands out palms up, she solemnly replied, “And it is my distinct honor to meet the person who was such an inspiration for the commando that Riana has become.  Please, call me Sammi.”

Elzia placed her hands on Traynor’s as she said in a soft voice, “Sammi it is, then… a name which fits you well, if I may be so bold.  Welcome to Serrice University.”

Elzia led her former student and her Human companion into the welcoming confines of her favorite café; with Riana on her right and Sammi on her left, she spoke to both.  “This place has become my preferred spot for lunch… and sometimes, dinner.”

Riana looked around approvingly before responding.  “It’s very nice, Zia.  How long has it been here?  I can’t seem to recall it from my days here as a student.”

A soft laugh preceded her response.  “It was established promptly following the war’s conclusion… with so much destruction all over, very few places such as this survived unscathed.  Everyone needs to eat… and there were many that needed employment of some form.  This establishment was the first built here to serve both needs.”  She paused in her explanation as their hostess seated them at a table.  “Service is discreet, excellent, and the food is very good.”

Directing her attention to Traynor, she commented, “Sammi, if you require assistance deciphering the offerings on the datapad, Riana or I will be happy to help.”

Traynor grinned happily.  “I should be fine, Huntress… Riana has been instructing me in written Thessian, and since moving to Thessia full-time I’ve eaten my share of Asari cuisine; I must admit I’ve developed a real fondness for baked fish… galea in particular… and the leafy greens, uloth and ke’ah that usually complement it.”

Shifting her attention between Elzia and Sammi, Riana added in a loving tone, “Don’t forget your weakness for Elasa, Sammi.”

“Being totally immersed in Thessian culture has allowed me to sample all the foods available to the Asari, Elzia… even though terrene foods are shipped in and stocked at the estate for Spectre Shepard and the few other Humans that call Thessia their home.”  With a smirk at Riana, she added, “This one has been very diligent about my epicurean education.”

Their hostess appeared by their table to take their orders; Riana and Elzia followed Sammi’s lead by ordering baked galea with the usual accompaniment of side dishes.  As they waited, Riana told Elzia about some of her more exciting adventures since joining Spectre Shepard’s team.  Traynor sat back and watched the expressions on both of the Asari’s faces as her amantia summed up the past five years of her life. 

The Vanguard stopped, seemingly finished, and Sammi sat forward in amazement.  “Surely, you’re not leaving off with that!”  Shaking her head in disappointment, she shifted her focus to Elzia.  “What she is neglecting to tell you is just how horrible Earth was when the fleet first returned… and how her final hours of that horrible battle were spent upon the Citadel – after she was the only one who managed to successfully follow Spectre Shepard through the beam.”

“By the Goddess!”  Elzia looked at her protégé with a new level of respect.  “Were you with her when she fired the Crucible?”

“Yes, she was.”  Before Riana could reply, Traynor jumped back in and continued the story, knowing full well that Riana would downplay her role.  “We touched down to pick up wounded… then, instead of leaving with us, she leapt from the ramp of the Normandy as we lifted off Earth’s surface.”  Traynor reached over and placed her hand over that of the vanguard.  “She then chased Shepard across that horrific battlefield… dodging Reaper beams powerful enough to destroy a frigate… all to help the Spectre.”  At that point Sammi turned loving eyes to Riana and squeezed her hand affectionately.

“I have never had the honor of serving with a braver group of soldiers… willingly running straight into death’s jaws… in their attempt to save a galaxy of people whom they had never met.”  Looking back to Elzia, Traynor continued, “During the fight to the Crucible, Shepard was severely wounded and would have died had Riana not been there.  Riana supported her at the console, allowing Shepard to enter the necessary commands to activate the wave that destroyed the Reapers.  Without her, it is very likely Shepard would have failed… and we would all be either dead or dying right along with her, fighting a war we no longer had any chance at winning.” 

Traynor squeezed Riana’s hand again before pulling away, adding, “And, then, she somehow managed to get them both to the Council Docks so they could be evacuated… again, both nearly dying in the process… but she did it.  Her selfless act is the only reason we still have Shepard walking amongst us today.”

Elzia sat back in awe, an enormous, gratified smile on her face as she exclaimed, “By the Goddess, Riana!  When I was your instructor, I obviously saw the potential in you, else I would not have gone out of my way to guide you as I did… but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the life you have led… are still living!”  She sat forward and reached across the table to clasp the younger biotic’s hands in her own as she enthusiastically added, “I am so damned proud of you!”

“I cannot take all the credit.”  Riana gave Sammi a look that indicated a later, possibly uncomfortable, discussion as she added, “Nothing about my actions was selfless.  It was Mistress Liara who ordered me to bring Shepard safely home… so, I was merely doing my duty.  But, while a seemingly impossible mission to complete, the consequences of failure were much too dire to contemplate, so I followed that order willingly.” 

Riana ducked her head slightly as the corners of her mouth tipped up in a shy smile.  “Even so, with all that said, your praise means more than you realize, Zia… thank you.  The Goddess has blessed me more than you know.  I visited Aresia yesterday… at the Lesuss Monastery.”  Seeing Elzia’s surprised expression, the commando continued, “Yes; they survived the war, though many perished when the Reapers attacked them.”

“I am so happy for you, Riana!”  Elzia was astonished by the news.  “With all the destruction, that they managed to survive the war…  But, what of the staff and the Justicars?”

Riana could see the concern on her friend’s face.  “A full staff is in place…”  Her voice reflected sadness as she added, “… but the Justicar order was decimated by the war, Zia.  There are now too few of them to provide escorts for Ardat-Yakshi wishing to visit family and friends… so the residents are currently restricted to Lesuss.”

The huntress-instructor looked up as their hostess and a waitress brought their meals to the table.  After all the dishes and glasses of Elasa had been placed, Elzia looked back to Riana as she took a bite of fish.  “I have the impression you have finally made your peace with the Justicars, Riana.  Can you tell me what changed your mind?”

Riana took several mouthfuls of fish and uloth covered ke’ah as she thought about her answer.  With a wry smile, she said, “Justicar Samara changed my mind, Zia.  Meeting her during the war… when the Reapers attacked the monastery and killed or converted most of the residents there…”  Sammi slid a hand to gently grasp a warm thigh under the table; Riana spared her siame a glance of loving gratitude before continuing.  “I may have told you I have become friends with Samara’s lone surviving daughter, Falere; she has become as much family to me as my own sister.  Since the war’s end, Samara has become the main voice advocating for revising and modernizing the Justicars’ ancient code… to adapt it so it more closely mirrors rules and laws of the current Asari justice system.”

“That is… simply amazing, Riana.  I am so very pleased for you… it would seem you have been able to let go your antipathy towards the Justicars.”

Riana’s smile never wavered as she admitted, “I have learned many things… accepted many truths, since my time here as your student.  Spectre Shepard and Justicar Samara showed me a different side of the Order.  Perhaps because Samara was a mother first, she was able to see that the rules by which she and her sisters have lived for millennia needed changing.”  Riana then sighed sadly.  “She has a different perspective, likely because she lost two of her own three children to the harsh realities of our damned, incurable, genetic flaw.”

As Riana paused, Sammi took over the explanation.  “Her eldest, Morinth, chose to run; Samara forced herself to hunt Morinth down, but did not manage to catch her until she had killed hundreds.  Her other two, Falere and Rila, agreed to live at the Monastery as required by Asari law… to live in isolation from the general population… until the Reapers attacked.  Unfortunately, Rila did not survive the assault.”

Riana shook her head and, her voice sounding sad as she said, “I did not know all this at the beginning.  I got to know Falere and Rila because they had befriended Rez…”  Riana’s voice turned momentarily hostile as she spit out, “... taken her under their wings when it became apparent to them Aresia’s family had disowned her.”

Zia’s voice took on a tone of chastisement.  “You no longer blame yourself for that, Riana, but I see those memories are still bitter.  At some point, you will need to forgive your parents their weaknesses… or, at the very least, simply let it go.  They are dead, Riana… it does no good to hold onto your malice.”

“I know… and time will continue to heal that wound… but I am not quite there yet.”  Riana smiled with wistful understanding.  “Perhaps, when Falere and Rez are once more able to travel to Thessia, I will be able to see your viewpoint more clearly…  I honestly don’t know how long it will be before my lingering resentment no longer exists to cloud my vision.”

“That is certainly not something that happens overnight, Riana, but I had dared to hope the years that have passed had more of a softening affect than they apparently have.”

“No, they have not… but with the war over, it is closer now than it has ever been… and I have hope.”  Riana smiled brightly again as she added, “And I am not alone, by any means.”  Giving Traynor a meaningful glance, she continued, “There are many standing ready to aid the A-Y in this transition to normalcy.  I doubt even Asari High Command will care to stand in opposition to the combined proponents of Spectre Shepard, House T’Soni and the entire Justicar Order.”

Not to mention the SILC… whom we dare not add publicly to that list quite yet.  Sammi was enjoying listening to and observing the two Asari as they all ate their lunch.  It was obvious that Riana was extremely happy to be here, speaking with her former college instructor from days gone by.  Every day I am with this amazing person is a true gift.  Taking a sip from her glass, she reflected on her own journey since graduating from Oxford and realized she and Riana were much the same in that regard.  Bet my instructors would be just as surprised were they to learn of the amazing twists and turns my own life has taken since that time.

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 25 Dec 2188

Liara’s hand waved as she swatted lazily at whatever was tickling her cheek.  A quiet chuckle made her realize it was Samantha, so her minor irritation was quickly replaced with a smile as she whispered huskily, “Merry Christmas, Siame,” her voice heavy with sleep.

Shepard leaned over her and placed a tender, loving kiss on the ridgeline of the Asari’s crest.  “Merry Christmas to you too, Grá mo chroí.”  The warm breath feathering across her scalp fully roused Liara from her repose.

Only then did Liara open her eyes enough to realize Shepard was already dressed.  She remarked on her observation and then queried, “What time is it?”

Smirking, her bondmate answered, “Late.  I must have kept you up too late last night…  You were obviously much too tired this morning to get up, seeing as you apparently don’t even remember me attempting to wake you at 0800.”

Seeing as Shepard was usually up at 0600 hours, Liara’s eyes opened wide in surprise and she sat up, blinking a couple of times to clear her vision before glancing across the bed at the chrono.  “Goddess!  It’s almost ten!  Why did you let me sleep so long?”  She kicked her feet off the opposite side and started to rise… but didn’t get very far before Shepard reached out and caught her arm, pulling her back down and turning Liara toward her so she could plant a full kiss on the Asari’s protesting lips.

“Hush, Li.  It’s Christmas…  You’re allowed to sleep late and take is easy.”  She smirked and added, “That’s kind of what the word ‘holiday’ means.”

Liara would have protested further, but her lips were busy again, as Shepard leaned over, cupped the back of her neck and pulled her close, kissing her deeply.  She felt her body tremble as her siame’s free hand ran delicately down the Asari’s side to cup her hip only briefly before sliding across the soft, warm folds of Liara’s back.  As a quiver of delight rippled through her whole body, Liara moaned softly, “Goddess.  Didn’t you get enough last night?”

Shepard smiled and ran her tongue across Liara’s lips before answering, “I can never get enough of you, Ionúin Álainn.”  She pulled back and looked into the darkening blue eyes before her.  “But, if you want me to stop, I will… just say the word.”

A low growl in the Asari’s throat sent a shiver down Shepard’s spine as Liara answered, “Don’t you dare!”

-------------------------------

It was close to noon when the couple finally emerged, showered and fully dressed, to meet the day.  Knowing smiles and gentle chiding accompanied their welcomes from the rest of the T’Soni household, all of them joining in laughter when Karin chimed in, “At least we can be thankful that Aethyta’s not here yet… she’d be having a field day with your late arrival!”

Lyessa’s own mate, Selina T’Rori, was sitting at her side as she smiled at the arriving young couple.  Standing gracefully from her seat and dipping her head in recognition, the House Steward politely queried, “So, would you like breakfast, Lady Liara, or will you be content with a cup of tea while we prepare for lunch?”

Liara’s face took on a hint of a blush as she glanced at her grinning bondmate.  “I assume you’ve already eaten?”

“Yes, I did,” Shepard answered with a chuckle. “Roughly three-and-a-half hours ago.”

“Right.”  Liara smiled and shook her head, looking to Lyessa.  “Tea would be just fine… assuming, seeing as it’s almost noon, lunch is not far away?”

“No, it is not,” Lyessa responded, laughing.  “A garden salad with smoked fish, which has already been prepared and is ready whenever you are.  A nice light fare, along with plentiful snacks sitting out on the dining tables... just be sure to save room for the rather large Christmas feast we have planned as an early meal, say around three this afternoon?”

Liara looked at Shepard and chuckled.  “You did say the holiday was mostly spent eating and opening presents, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did!”  Shepard smiled widely, continuing, “Speaking of which…”  Grabbing Liara’s hand, she started walking toward the large common room, where they had put up all the decorations… including stockings on the hearth, but no tree.  “I have something special for you!”

“I thought we had agreed on no gifts between us, Sam?”  Liara’s face held a worried frown, as she had taken Shepard at her word and not gotten her anything.

“Hey… no scowling.”  Shepard smiled and tenderly kissed her cheek.  “This isn’t really much of a present…  It’s not even wrapped!”  She reached down into Liara’s stocking, laughing as she pulled out a small package of snack-size Terran chocolate bars.  “This, my dear Liara, is to feed that craving you have for Human chocolate!  Only rule is you can only eat a couple of pieces every day… so they last you awhile!” 

“Are each of these different?”  Liara eyed the package in wonder as she took it gingerly from Shepard’s grasp, slowly turning the bag around as she examined its contents.  “No, I can see they are not… though, there are definitely a number of different kinds!”  Her grin said it all as she looked back at her bondmate.  “And I don’t care what you say… this is most definitely a special gift, you scoundrel… wrapped or not!”

“Scoundrel?” Shepard laughed.  “I don’t believe you’ve ever called me that one before, T’Soni.”

“I have developed a rather large Human vocabulary, Shepard.”  Liara smirked as she added, “There are quite a few other names at the ready, as well, should you ever perform an act suitable for me to make use of any of them!”

“Why, Doctor T’Soni!  That almost sounds like a threat!”  Shepard leaned in and kissed her before giving her a quick hug.  “Though, I really can’t see you using words like those that passed through my mind when you said that!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Shepard.”  The familiar gravelly voice surprised them all as Aethyta and Mozia strolled into the room.  “You should have seen some of the temper tantrums our Little Wing threw when she was a wee one and didn’t get her way.”

“Dad!  Mozia!”  Liara’s eyes lit with happiness, despite her father’s taunting, and she moved quickly to intercept the new arrivals, hugging her father tightly.  “I am so glad you managed to make it!”  She left an arm wrapped around Aethyta’s waist as she looked to Mozia and continued, “I assume the Defense Council meeting held no surprises?”

“Nothing substantial, or we wouldn’t be here… we would still be arguing the point, because it is one worth fighting for.”  Mozia smiled softly.  “They see no reason, given all the assistance provided during the post-war recovery, to deny the SILC’s offer to act as escorts for the Ardat-Yakshi visits to Thessia; the decision was nearly unanimous.  The only real question that came out of the discussion was if units who aided particular regions during the reconstruction could be on any team that returns to the same.  I saw no reason to object, assuming the SILC runtimes would be available to do so?”

“A familiar face, so to speak,” Shepard chuckled.  “I’m not sure the SILC will understand the reasoning, but I’ll try my best to explain it to Legion, using Prime Életerő as an example.”  She smiled in understanding.  “You all got to know him at the Estate and would like to see him again… just as I prefer to speak with Legion… because I know and trust him.  It shouldn’t be too much of a jump for them to make the connection.”

“That’s excellent news, even if we do still need to speak with Asari High Command and get their blessing as well.” Liara interjected, wrapping her free arm around Mozia’s waist.  “But quite enough of business talk!  We’re here to enjoy family time together.”  Her voice dropped and her eyes clouded with emotion as she finished, “Time I never, ever, believed would be in my future… so I don’t intend to waste a moment of it!”

“Shit, Little Wing,” Aethyta growled roughly, her voice even huskier than normal.  “Knock it off, or you’ll have us all fucking crying.  It’s supposed to be a holiday, not a damned funeral.”

Laughing through her tears, Liara chuckled, “Goddess, I’ve missed you!”

-------------------------------

After their light lunch, Sammi stood at the large window facing the garden, watching the cold winter breeze swirl the fallen leaves around under the trees.  She actually saw Riana’s reflection in the glass as the commando silently approached, so didn’t even start when a pair of strong, loving hands settled on her shoulders.  “Sammi…  Why are you standing over here by yourself?  Come back to the great hall and sit with me before the fire.”

Traynor turned around to face her siame and placed a little kiss on the tip of a blue nose.  Bringing out a red envelope, she held it up between them while quietly admitting, “I wanted to give this to you earlier, my love, but decided to wait until we could have a few quiet moments to ourselves.”  Glancing down at the envelope she was holding, she placed her free hand in the middle of Riana’s chest.  “I looked in a few shops during our trip to Serrice, and I searched all the stores offering their wares on the Extranet, but never saw anything that really caught my eye… nothing that just… I don’t know… grabbed my attention.  Then, I thought about your love for Ryati.”  The mere mention of her former lover’s name brought instant moisture to Riana’s eyes, a reaction Sammi immediately regretted.

Throwing both arms around Riana and hugging her tightly, she whispered, “Please don’t weep, Ri…  If you start, I’ll begin crying right along with you.  This is supposed to be a happy time!”  Snaking one arm up between them, Sammi lovingly cupped Riana’s cheek and kissed her.  Handing the red envelope to her, she murmured, “Here.  Open your present, so I’ll know if I got you something you’ll enjoy.”

Riana took the envelope and sniffled.  “I will cherish whatever gift you found for me, Sammi.”  Looking down at the decorative envelope, she questioned, “What is in here?”

“Open it up, silly,” Traynor said in a slightly snarky tone.  “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

The corners of Riana’s mouth tipped up slightly as she opened the envelope.  Withdrawing the glossy folded card from within, she opened it after pausing to admire the artwork on the front.  Inside was an itinerary for a late spring/early summer trip to the western side of the continent – specifically, to spend nine days as a guest of Matriarch Tristana at the Thaptos Vineyards.  “Goddess, Sammi!  You arranged for me to spend time in Attena with…” she paused as her throat threatened to constrict with emotion.  Gulping down a sob of happiness, she squeaked out, “… with Ryati’s mother?”  Riana brought her free hand up to cover her mouth and nose.  Feeling a bit overwhelmed, she squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a shaky breath, such that Sammi again wrapped her arms around her lover and held her tight.

With her mouth next to Riana’s ear, Traynor explained, “The first time you melded with me – on the Normandy, during the war – your memories of Ryati’s promise to one day take you to her home slipped through.”  Sammi continued whispering.  “I’ve never forgotten the intensity of that memory, my love; so, I took the gamble that you would appreciate such a gift, even as bittersweet as it may turn out to be.”

Traynor pulled back, but gripped Riana gently by the shoulders while explaining, “Ever since her passing, you have wanted to visit that region of Thessia… to view firsthand the vistas of the rainforests and the coastal rock formations.  Since Ryati was unable to share that passion with you before she was killed, Riana, I contacted Matriarch Tristana.”

Riana had managed to keep her emotions under control; pulling back slightly, she looked into Sammi’s soft brown eyes and whispered, her voice echoing her astonishment as she asked, “You spoke directly with the matriarch… Ryati’s mother?”

“Of course, I did… and she cannot wait to see you again, after all that has happened these past few years.”  Traynor giggled like a schoolgirl.  “She says you had better show up at the gates with a really good explanation as to why you haven’t thought to send even a single message.”  The giggle turned into an outright laugh at Riana’s suddenly guilt-ridden expression and Sammi struggled to finish, “She said every time she attempted to send something your way, it came back as non-deliverable… so she gave up after the sixth or seventh time.” 

Traynor’s expression turned more solemn as she continued, “Ri…  She feared you were once more with Ryati, in the realm of the Goddess… and cried with happiness once she understood who I was… and that you were very much alive and well.”

Shaking her head over the surprise, Riana weakly protested, “Goddess.  It never even occurred to me… to contact her during the war.  I will need to request a leave of absence for this with…”

“Already taken care of, my love.  Shepard and Lady Liara totally agreed that everyone deserves a little break from the routine… including you and me.  They even went so far as to coordinate the trip with the Night Shadow, so Judea can be our pilot!”

“You’re coming with me?”  A full smile emerging on her lips, Riana finally accepted the gift.  “I don’t know what to say, Sammi.  This is… is…” giving up, Riana placed her lips on Sammi’s.  After thoroughly kissing her Breá Ber’ah, she pulled back with a happy sigh.  “Wonderful.”

“I’m glad I guessed correctly, Ri.”  Sammi’s eyes twinkled with glee; after returning Riana’s kiss, she said, “Merry Christmas, my love!”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 25 Dec 2188

Immediately following their early dinner, Hannah sought out her daughter.  Looping an arm through Samantha’s, she smiled as she said in a low voice, “Come, Sam.  Walk with me.”

“Sure, Mom.”  Smiling in return, Samantha asked, “Are we headed someplace in particular?”

“The gardens, I think.”  With a smirk, Hannah quickly added, “The indoor ones, that is.”

“The paths have been cleared of snow, if you would prefer the out-of-doors.”  Shepard’s smile shifted to a grin, followed by a quiet chuckle.  “Though, I do believe we’ll have to make a stop and get into our cold weather gear.”

Elbowing her daughter lightly in the side, Hannah then quickly tightened her grip on her daughter’s arm so she couldn’t escape.  “Don’t be a smartass, Sam.”

“Then don’t be a pokey, pushy old broad, Mom.”

Hannah couldn’t help the peal of laughter that rang out, finally collecting herself enough to say, “Gods, I’ve missed my chats with you!  We wait much too long between conversations!”

“Agreed.”  Sam smiled softly and squeezed her mom’s arm.  “Is there something specific you wanted or needed to talk about?”

“Yes… and no.”  Dotingly, Hannah looked upon her daughter and queried, “Does there need to be some explicit reason to get you to walk… or talk… with me?”

“Absolutely not,” Samantha replied with a grin, continuing their stroll toward the entrance of the greenhouses. 

As they entered the first section, remaining arm-in-arm, Hannah took a deep breath, savoring the rich, earthy smell.  “I guess it doesn’t matter where you are… somehow, all gardens seem to smell the same.”

“Except when you walk in right after the spring or fall fertilization,” Samantha grinned.  “Then, they smell like shit… quite literally.”

Laughing in response, Hannah answered, “And your point?  That’s a pretty common practice across the galaxy… seeing as all gardens need to be fertilized.  With all their differences, our various worlds are still very much the same.”  They wandered silently for a bit more until Hannah stopped and pulled Shepard down to sit on the first bench they had come upon.

Looking intently at her daughter, she asked, “Samantha, are you happy?”

“Of course, I am, Mom.”  A bit puzzled, Shepard’s brow pinched.  “Why would you ask that?”

“Humor me.”  Hannah dropped her eyes and let out a little sigh.  “I know you’re stressed with everything going on…  Especially since you never really got the expected rest after that abominable Reaper War Victory Tour.  The two months of leave you managed to wrangle… supposedly consisting of wedding planning and your bonding… nearly ended with your death, compliments of your kidnappers.”  Her eyes came back up to meet Sam’s stunned gaze. 

“Why would you even bring that up, Mom?  Especially now… at Christmas?”

“Because I love you!  And I worry about you, young lady!  I can’t help it!”  Hannah huffed out a sigh and continued, “It’s just that… you’ve just been through so damned much, and you’ve never, honestly, had a place you could call home… and after your father died when you were so young…”  Hannah paused to rein in her emotions.  “Sometimes, you didn’t even have me… with my career always seeming to pull me away from you.”

“Mom, stop.”  Shepard took her mother’s hands in her own and offered up a sad smile.  “You’re being ridiculous!  Yes, I grew up in the Alliance… but I loved it!  That’s why I joined the very day I was old enough to sign the papers.  You and Aunt Karin gave me more love than a kid could ever ask for, so what’s this really about?”

“Thank you for saying so, but I know times were tough after your dad died.  I was suffering my own grief… and I know I wasn’t always there for you when you needed me, placing my own pain before your needs… using ‘duty’ as an excuse to not be around.”

“That’s crazy, Mom!”  Shepard squeezed the older woman’s hands before leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek.  “You had a job to do… the damned Batarian pirates saw to that!  But you always made sure I had either you or Aunt Karin… or even Uncle Dave and Aunt Kay.  Being in the military, I’ve seen lots of other kids in the same situation, sent off to some relative or, worse yet, some far off boarding school where they didn’t know anyone.  You never did that to me, and I love you for that.” 

Samantha suddenly smirked.  “I always believed that if you had sent me to Aunt Ann on her farm in Bristol, I probably would have run away… but look at me now!  Sitting on an estate, surrounded by gardens, and loving every minute of it.”  She renewed her eye contact with her mother and added with a grin, “But, I’m a very different person now… been through a lot of changes since those days… and at the end of it all, I’d like to think most of those changes have been for the better.”

“There is that, I suppose.”  Hannah smiled in appreciation.  “We both have, haven’t we?”  She sighed and dropped her head.  “I just want to make sure you live your life, Sam… not the life I want for you, or the one the Council needs you to live.  Yours.  Do what you want to do.”

Once again squeezing the hands she held in hers, Samantha smiled softly.  “I am, Mom.  That’s why I left the Alliance… and Earth, behind me.  I couldn’t deal with their shit anymore… always wanting yet one more thing from me.  No matter what I did, or how well I did it, it was never enough for any of them.”

“I know.”  Her mother sighed in disappointment.  “I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but even though Steven was a dear friend, he was a pigheaded fool at times.  Neither one of us could even begin to understand everything you went through… including dying…” 

Hannah had to stop and draw a deep breath to calm herself after she said that, and Samantha interjected, “Hey.  It happened, yes, but somehow, beyond all odds, I’m here now.  I’m the one that went through it, and I still don’t understand how it could even be possible… but Liara and I plan to make the most of it, Mom, no matter the why or how.  So, don’t you worry about me not living my life, because that’s exactly what Liara and I are doing right now.  Living our lives together… and we couldn’t be happier.”  She stopped and smirked again, “Well, I do have to admit it will be better when this stupid crap with the Quarians is over…”

“Gods, isn’t that the truth!”  Hannah chuckled despite herself, shaking her head briefly before continuing, “Just promise me you’ll be careful out there…  That you’ll do everything you can to make sure you and Liara come back alive from the Rim.”  She saw a frown forming on her daughter’s face and shook her head again, more vehemently the second time.  “No.  Don’t do it, Samantha.  In this case, I don’t care if you lie to me… just promise an old woman both of you will come back home to her, whether you believe it or not.  Please.”

“Gods, Mom!”  Tears came to the younger Shepard’s eyes and she hugged her mother close.  “Of course, we’ll do our best to come home!  I fully intend to raise a family with Liara… and if things work out, we hope to have one soon enough that you get to hold a grandchild in your arms!”

When she heard the determination in Samantha’s voice, Hannah’s face lit with a smile.  Holding onto her daughter for dear life, she mumbled into Sam’s hair, “Thank you… you have no idea what that means to me!”

“Yes, I do, Mom.”  Pulling away, Samantha wiped her tears and smiled back.  “Liara and I are in total agreement… we both want to start having kids as soon as we can, so both of our surviving parents, you and Aethyta, will be alive to see your living legacy be born.  We want you to see your grandbaby… or grandbabies, Gods willing.”

Hannah pulled back, looked into Samantha’s eyes and stated perceptively, “The way you said that makes it sound like you’ve already had this very discussion.”

“That’s because we have, Mom,” Sam replied bashfully.  “And no, we’re not rushing things just for your sake…  We want to have children… lots of them.”  A wide grin took over her face and she chuckled.  “We’ve joked about creating our own T’Soni commando squad.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Hannah blurted out.  “Six children?”

“Actually, we were joking about four…” a laughing Samantha shrugged.  “But, honestly?  We’ll see how the first one goes before we decide on the rest.”

“Oh, to be young again!”  Hannah shook her head, a joyful smile on her face as she stood from the bench and held her hand out in invitation.  Samantha reached up to take it, standing as her mother finished, “Thank you for the chat, Sam.  Let’s head back to the main house… I’m sure Liara is starting to wonder where we’ve gotten off to.”

Still chuckling, Sam tapped the index finger of her free hand on her temple.  “No worries there.  She knows exactly where we are… and a little bit of what we’ve been talking about.”

“Is she always in your head, Sam?”  Hannah looked at her daughter curiously.  “I don’t know if I would be able to handle that… total lack of privacy.”

“Yes, she is… but it’s not like that at all.”  Squeezing her mom’s hand in reassurance, she explained, “Intense emotions send up a flare of sorts, getting the other’s attention.  It’s become second nature…  And, at that point, I either invite her to share my thoughts or simply send out a comforting pulse, with the understanding we’ll talk about it later.  We respect each other’s privacy and personal boundaries… and, it’s one heck of a way to get quick help when needed.  Our link has saved our lives more than once.”

“As long as you’re happy with it, Sam.”  Her mother smiled softly as they walked back to the main gathering area.  “That’s truly all that matters to me in the end.”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 28 Dec 2188

The days immediately following Christmas were spent with family and friends… at least, as much as possible.  Even though they still had guests, a potentially explosive conflict was looming in their immediate future, so there was some prep work that could not be postponed any longer.  The day finally came when it was time to say their hopefully temporary goodbyes, their visit having ended with renewed vows from all those present to make the next year’s visits more regular. 

Immediately following their guests’ post-lunch departure, both Shepard and Liara returned to work in earnest.  As such, it was late and most of the house had settled in for the night when Liara queried quietly through the link.  {Siame?  I have finally finished my scheduling meeting with Lyessa.  Are you about ready for bed?}

{In a bit, Li…  Let me finish my drink and I’ll be in.}  Shepard swirled the single ice cube in her Bushmills 21 and stared into the fire, warmed more by Liara’s comforting presence in her mind than by the flames before her.

Liara must have sensed her melancholy mood, as she responded quickly.  {Drink?  Where are you?}

{Our private study… aaand you’re coming to join me… aren’t you?}

{Of course, I am.}  Shepard could feel the rumble of laughter in Liara’s chest as she deepened their connection.  {Did you honestly believe I would do otherwise?}

{Not really… but I couldn’t yet sense exactly how tired you were when I asked that question.}

It was only a few moments before Liara sauntered through the doorway, heading wordlessly for the liquor cabinet in the corner.  Fetching a tumbler, she opened the cabinet and withdrew a bottle of Akantha, pouring a small bit into the bottom of the glass before returning the bottle to its place and joining Shepard on the small loveseat before the fire. 

She sighed softly as she sank into the cushion and leaned comfortably against Samantha’s side.  “It’s our first real Christmas holiday… such as it is… in our home, and I am not so tired that I’d give up on getting to snuggle with you for a bit before bed, for whatever reason.”  She took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes, asking quietly, “What’s wrong?  You’ve been shielded for much of the evening.  I am hoping it was simply so you could focus on work… and not because you are upset with me for holding a business meeting with Lyessa during what little remains of our holiday?”

“Of course not, Li.  I realize there are always some things that need to be done.”  Shepard huffed softly.  “And nothing’s wrong… not really.”  Pulling her arm free from where Liara had pinned her to the couch, she draped it over her Ionúin Álainn’s shoulders and pulled her close.  “It’s just the holiday being over already… and my conversation with Mom.  Christmas always makes us think of family, and our chat naturally made my thoughts drift to my father… and then to your mother… and then to us – both with parents gone much too soon.”  She paused to take a sip of her drink.  “I’m just tired of things I can’t control taking away the people we care about.”

“Oh, Samantha,” Liara whispered.  “Unfortunately, that’s the way life is… and, as sad as it seems, it is only proper that children outlive their parents, be it by a little or by a lot.  Yet, while life goes on without their physical presence, they are always with us in spirit…  Just like your father is with you now, and my mother is with me; they are forever a part of our memories, and it is our duty to make them a part of our children’s lives, by keeping their stories alive.”

“You’re right, of course.”  Shepard smiled softly and gave her bondmate an extra squeeze.  “I think, perhaps, what it really comes down to is that I’m simply tired of war… and all the death that comes along with it.”

“Goddess, I should hope so!  Those who aren’t must have something wrong with them, Sam.  And, with any luck, once this Quarian affair is dealt with, the galaxy will finally settle full swing into the war recovery and give us some time… maybe even a lot of time… to relax and regroup before the next major crisis pops up.”  Liara finished off her small helping of Akantha and stifled a yawn.  “Right now, however, I would be content with a single, undisturbed, night of sleep… cuddled up next to the love of my life and held securely in your arms; that is my true holiday wish.”

“That, Grá mo chroí, is most certainly a wish well within my power to grant.”  Shepard gave her an adoring smile and kissed her cheek.  Suddenly removing her arm from around the Asari’s shoulders, Samantha stood and turned, holding out an inviting hand.  “And there’s no time like the present.”

An affectionate smile crossed Liara’s face as she reached up to accept the assistance.  Grasping her hand, Shepard pulled her bondmate quickly to her feet and touched their foreheads together, wrapping her in a tender embrace as she whispered, “Gráim thú, Liara T’Soni… more than I ever imagined possible.  Thank you for being in my life.”

“You are most welcome, Sam.”  Nestling her head onto Shepard’s shoulder with a happy sigh, Liara was content to remain in the comforting embrace until her Anam Cara was ready to release her… even if it lasted all night.

Catching the thought though the link, Shepard chuckled, “I don’t believe that possible, Li… at least not here.  Like you, I’m ready to crawl off to bed and sleep with you in my arms.”  Grinning, she pushed back.  “And leave the tumblers; I’ll get ’em to the kitchen in the morning.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 31 Dec 2188

The last few days of December had been stressful, and it showed in the way everyone acted at the New Year’s Eve party, which was overshadowed by a subtle atmosphere of an all-too-familiar feeling of desperation.  Knowing the next day would be busy, a good number of the partiers had turned in before midnight, Shepard and Liara included.

Liara woke, unsure of what had disturbed her sleep.  Sensing Shepard was also awake, she immediately rolled over and placed her head on Samantha’s shoulder, seeking comfort, and began to caress her lover, trailing her hand across toned abs as her fingers moved in a generally downward direction toward her target.

“Liara… don’t, please.”

The Asari’s hand froze in place as she suddenly detected the troubled undertones of Shepard’s words filtering through the link.  She immediately straightened her fingers and placed her hand gently on the woman’s abdomen; sitting up, she attempted to peer down into Shepard’s emerald eyes, but her bondmate wouldn’t meet her gaze.  “Samantha?  What’s wrong?”  Liara didn’t really need Shepard to explain aloud but felt compelled to give voice to the concern she saw etched in her siame’s face… and felt through the link.  “You’re troubled by this upcoming confrontation.” 

Shepard sighed and opened her eyes, the moisture coating them glistening in the light of the moon shining in through the sheer drapes hanging across the bedroom’s balcony doors.  “No fooling you, is there?  Not with the link.”  She placed her hand atop Liara’s and caressed it slowly as she attempted to swallow down the lump forming in her throat.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, because I’m right there with you.”  Liara’s face held a sorrowful frown.  “But I can only sense your uneasiness; you’re shielding your specific thoughts from me… which is more worrying to me than anything else at this particular moment.”

“That’s because I don’t want you to see the shadows of the nightmare that woke me…”  Shepard reclosed her eyes and sighed.  “But that is a completely hopeless desire on my part… because I know you’ll see it eventually.”  Her eyes opened and finally met Liara’s, her thoughts flooding through as she dropped her barriers.

Liara gasped as what she saw and felt; Shepard, kneeling on the deck of a ship as she peeled back the facemask of a dead Quarian… Tali.  Grasping Shepard’s hand, she whispered vehemently, “No!  That will not happen!  Goddess!  Why would you even dream such a thing?”

“As was proven by the Prothean Beacon, I can’t exactly help what I dream, Li.”  Shepard swallowed again as Liara tightened the grip on her hand with the unwanted memories that suddenly surged forward.  Sam shook her head, confused by how she felt, so tried to explain.  “The Reaper War was different.  The husks were a different kind of enemy… soulless, enthralled and dominated by the machines that controlled them.  I hate to admit it but, emotion-wise, they were easy to kill.  The Quarians… well…” 

The Spectre’s voice turned angry.  “Damn it!  They’re supposed to be our allies, Li, but I know Gerrel and Xen; they are going to make us kill them.  I also realize some of the soldiers, hopefully most of them, are like Len’Dazza and don’t want to be doing what they’re doing.  But they aren’t being given much of a choice – no more so than the Reaper-controlled hordes.  How many innocent Quarians are we going to be forced to kill in the process?  How many of the rest of us are going to die in this stupid conflict?”

“Oh, Shepard.”  Liara pulled her hand away to reach up and gently stroke the woman’s cheek.  “We have to hope the negotiators can talk some sense into them, come to some peaceful agreement.”  It was Liara’s turn to sigh.  “I know that’s likely too much to expect, but there is always a chance.”

“A slim chance, at best.”  Shepard closed her eyes again as she choked out, “But I have a terrible feeling we’ve used up all our luck, Liara.  I’ve got a rock sitting in my gut that just won’t go away… and I’m used to trusting my gut.”

“Hey.”  Liara clasped her chin and ordered, “Shepard.  Look at me.”

Haunted green eyes opened and looked reluctantly into the surprisingly crystal-clear blue orbs above her.  Liara met her gaze and smiled lovingly as she continued, “What was it you said to everyone earlier regarding your rule to live by for the upcoming year?  Live like there is no tomorrow, so that you have no regrets should it become truth?”

Shepard blinked and a small, hesitant grin crept onto the edges of her mouth.  “Yeah… that’s pretty much the gist of it.”

“Take your own advice, Samantha.”  Liara placed a light peck on Shepard’s lips.  “We have no idea what tomorrow will bring… and I do not want to go into this fight having denied ourselves a final night together.  I would rather spend it in the joy of our love.  We are not fighting yet, so push the war to the side until its time comes.  Use the strength and love of our union to firm your resolve to win this war.  Remind yourself of our perseverance… the power our love has already demonstrated… to pull us through the most impossible of battles.” 

She kissed Samantha again, a bit longer and, this time, however tentatively, her bondmate kissed back.  “We are very much alive, Shepard, against all the odds that have been thrown against us… And I very much intend to remain that way so we can have children and grow old together.”  Her eyes darkened as she pleaded, “Our story is not yet written, Siame…  Join with me now and help to write another chapter.”

Shepard felt the familiar comfort of her Ionúin Álainn’s mind surrounding her and she opened herself up, unable to deny Liara’s desire.  The flames in Samantha’s core came alive, were sated, and then subsumed as their inner world turned into the beautiful, fiery swirl of velvety teal Inanna.  Sam and Liara slowly drifted off into their united bliss, all thoughts of the not-so-distant war far, far away as they held onto each other in peaceful sleep, well into the next morning.

-------------------------------

Knight Shade , T’Soni Country Estate Docks, Thessia – 1 Jan 2189

The Lake Bisel Blasters, the Armali team, were playing the Ulessian Ogres.  But, following their night of celebrating the new year, what should have been a day spent in relaxation while catching a game of skyball had been spent packing and completing final preparations for the Knight Shade’s departure, scheduled for early the next morning.  Even so, Liara had a scoring stream running on her omnitool and Shepard would occasionally hear her either groan or quietly whisper, “Yes!” depending on who scored.  Shepard had to laugh when Liara finally threw her hands up; only the huge smile on the face of her Ionúin Álainn told her the action was caused by the thrill of victory instead of the agony of defeat.

“Pulled it out in the end, did they?” Shepard casually asked, knowing little about the game.

“Yes… but not by much!  They should have done so much better…”  Liara paused as her expression turned forlorn.  “But all the teams have had significant changes in personnel since the war, so I guess I can’t honestly say that now.  I haven’t had much time to follow the new team recruits, so I don’t truly know how we compare anymore.”

“But they’re still our home team, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”  Seeing the change her words made in her bondmate’s demeanor, Shepard grinned and continued, “They won this one… and we’ll still support them, no matter where their season record leaves them.  You’re obviously not one to give up on someone easily.”

Smiling, Liara walked over and ran a hand softly down her siame’s arm.  “Thank you, Samantha, for reminding me of that… because you’re absolutely correct.  You are living proof that I do not.”

“And I thank the Gods every day for that!”  Back to business, Shepard glanced at the checklist she was working through.  “I’m also thankful that… I think… I’m done.  How about you?”

“I have to admit I was a bit distracted by the game…”  Liara paused, blushing, with an embarrassed smile crossing her lips as she continued, “… but Riana picked up on it and helped me out, so I’m not as far behind as I should be based on my own lack of focus.”

Closing down her omnitool, the Spectre grinned at her XO and asked, “Seeing as I just so happen to have some free time, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yes, actually, there is…”

-------------------------------

Destiny Ascension , Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 3 Jan 2189

Tevos stood quietly for a moment, standing with the rest of the equally irritated welcoming party in the hangar bay, as she hid her emotions and inconspicuously seethed at the audacity of the Quarian admirals.  In a tight, controlled tone, she finally spoke to the unknown person standing before her.  “What is the meaning of this?  Where are Admirals Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen?”

The envoy smirked and replied, “Certainly you didn’t honestly expect them to attend in person?  To put themselves at your mercy, aboard the Council flagship, and risk immediate incarceration, ending this negotiation before it ever honestly had a chance to start, did you?”

Councilor Valern frowned.  “Of course, we expected them in person!  We have come here looking for peace and their attendance would have been a display of trust… trust that is apparently lacking!”

“And you brought luggage.”  Noting the shipping crate beside the envoy, Councilor Quentius inquired suspiciously, “Did you plan on staying aboard for the duration of the negotiations?”

“Not at all.  This is a triple-node point-to-point conferencing communications device designed by Admiral Xen, so she and Admiral Gerrel can attend ‘in person’ as you so desire… only, holographically.”

Matriarch Lidanya answered immediately, “Out of the question.  Put that device back aboard your shuttle and get it off my ship… immediately, or I’ll throw both you and your device right out into space without the convenience of your pressurized transport.”  She looked to Tevos and continued, “They won’t attend in person, yet they expect us to simply trust this isn’t some type of device designed to incapacitate or kill the Council?  As Captain of this vessel, I refuse it!  Will you countermand me?”

Tevos shook her head slowly.  “No, I will not.”  Looking back to the envoy, she continued, “So, that device will be removed from the Destiny Ascension without delay.  Then, as I am certain you came here with the appropriate contact protocols, once we get to the conference room you will give them to my systems technicians so we may establish direct visual communications with your admirals.”

The first cracks in his otherwise calm demeanor began to show, and the envoy began to fidget anxiously as he asked, “And if that option was not included in the Admirals’ plan, and I do not?” 

Tevos’ eyes narrowed and her voice turned glacial as she replied, “Then you will be correct in your assumption that this negotiation will end before it ever has a chance to begin… and you will be detained as our very first prisoner of war.”

Nervously clearing his throat, the envoy answered quietly, “No need to do anything quite so hasty, Councilor.  It was just a question.”

“To which she has provided an answer…  And yet the order that you have neglected to follow remains.”  Lidanya made a gesture and a commando on her left lifted the Quarian communications device with her biotics and, before the envoy could object, tossed it through the environmental barrier out into space.  Watching the case slowly tear itself apart as it passed into zero atmosphere put a satisfied scowl on the matriarch’s face.  She then returned her cold gaze to the envoy.  “Now.  Think very carefully about how you answer my next question, as you will only have one opportunity to respond.  Do you, or do you not, have the necessary contact protocols for this negotiation?”

Even behind his mask, they could see the envoy had paled significantly, mostly due to the tingling sensation on his skin, which he instantly knew to be the start of a biotic field.  He answered directly, without hesitation.  “Yes, Matriarch Lidanya, I do.”

First giving the ship’s commander an appreciative nod, Tevos glared at the envoy.  “Then let us move past all this ridiculous posturing and get to the business at hand, shall we?”

-------------------------------

“I truly don’t see your position as one of leniency.  You arrived here with a full battle fleet and then treated my envoy like a criminal, Councilors.”  It was abundantly clear by his tone that Han’Gerrel vas Neema was none too pleased when the Destiny Ascension and a good portion of the Council battle fleet appeared through the relay… particularly with the manner in which their chosen envoy had been ‘welcomed.’

Surprisingly, it was not Tevos, but Eri’Addan vas Rannoch who responded.  “And just how are we supposed to approach you, Admiral Gerrel?  After you have obviously gone pirate, ransacking Turian colonies and ships at will.  By the ancestors, how exactly are we supposed to respond to such villainous acts?”

“Those attacks were not of my making,” Gerrel snorted.  “Do you have even one shred of evidence…”

He was rudely cut off by Quentius.  “That’s a complete lie and you damned well know it!  Don’t you dare attempt to insult our intelligence or make this situation any worse for yourself by lying about what you’ve been doing!”

“Please.”  Tevos stood up from her chair to ensure garnering everyone’s attention before glaring unhappily at the screen.  “However abrasive Councilor Quentius’ approach, he is correct, Admiral.  We have been monitoring your actions for some time now.”

Speaking quickly, Valern interjected.  “Yes, yes.  We’ve had you under surveillance… long enough to know you gained possession of the Andromeda Project cast-offs… and to catch you in an act of piracy at Edessan… immediately following the Huli’s dispatch from the Neema on your orders!  Please, do not embarrass yourself again by denying it.”

Disgusted, Gerrel sat back in his chair.  “Alright… I’ll admit the Huli departed the fleet from the Neema… but it was by Daro’Xen’s command; she’s the one with the new toys.  I and my soldiers are perfectly content with the issue rations…  It is Xen who is out of control and directing these so-called acts of piracy.  If you had bothered to look a bit deeper before jumping to conclusions, you’d also find that I had issued a stand-down order… and she launched the Huli anyway.  Also, as soon as I found out about the attack, I declared Martial Law, so she couldn’t do it again.”

“You worthless Pyjak!” Urdnot Jara snarled.  “Do you honestly expect us to believe that wretched worm you call Xen did anything without your approval… when you have the entire Heavy Fleet at your command?  You think us idiots?”  She leaned forward eagerly, her beady red eyes zeroing in on the figure on the screen.  “You are a sniveling coward!  First, you refuse to come here in person, and now you are trying to use a female as a shield for your acts of piracy!  The least you can do is admit you had the quads to attack the Turians!  That, I could respect!”

“I didn’t answer your summons because I’m not a fool… and this is no negotiation.”  Gerrel crossed his arms in disgust.  “This is a trial, assuming it can even be called that, since each of you already seem to believe me guilty.  It’s more like a sentencing and you’re simply giving me the opportunity to plead my case before you decide the severity of my punishment.”  He uncrossed his arms and sat forward, asking, “Are any of you willing to admit to that?”

With a sigh, Tevos was the one who answered.  “You are most likely correct.  I will not say that arresting you and Daro’Xen was necessarily our intention when we began planning this intervention.  But I must confess, the evidence that has been brought forth since we realized who was conducting the raids…”   

“Is rather damning, even to me… one of your own,” finished Eri'Addan.  “So, the choice is yours, Admiral.  You and Admiral Xen can turn yourselves over to meet Quarian justice…”

Jara didn’t let him finish, an eager glint in her eye.  “Or we can do this the hard way… which, in good Krogan fashion, will be a whole lot more satisfactory from my perspective!”

Gerrel stared into the screen in stony silence for a few moments before finally answering, “I can’t make that decision on my own.  I need time to call together all my Captains and ship representatives to conduct a Conclave.  Give me one solar cycle.”

Tevos leaned over and chatted quietly with Eri before answering, “There is not enough to discuss to warrant that amount of time…  The choice is simply between you and Xen turning yourselves over, or us destroying the Quarian Heavy Fleet… an expense the Quarian people on the homeworld should not have to bear… again… after so recently rebuilding the Fleet following the Reaper War.”

“It is not as simple as that and you know it,” Gerrel growled.  “The real question is the Geth… a topic which you have so carefully avoided.”

“You mean the SILC?” prompted Eri.

“Exactly my point.”  Gerrel’s expression held a sarcastic smile.  “This whole charade isn’t about piracy at all.  It’s really about the fundamental question of property…  Property which Shepard stole from us and won’t let us take back now that she’s done with it.”

“No!”  Tevos displayed unusual anger in her abrupt answer.  “You lost any claim on the Geth when they began to develop sentience and subsequently earned their independence in the Morning War.”

“They committed genocide!” shouted an irate Gerrel.  “They took our homeworld, destroyed our colonies…  They nearly killed us all!”

“But they didn’t.”  Eri’Addan remained the calmest of them all, having lived with these stories his entire life.  “To set the record straight for the purposes of this conversation, it was us who tried to kill them, first… and even then, all they did was push us out of the system.  They purposefully abandoned pursuit and let us leave... even when they had the upper hand and could have easily chased us down… destroyed the entire Flotilla.  We attempted to kill them all, yet they did not repay us in kind.”

With Eri’s demeanor soothing her ire, a calmer Tevos added, “Not to mention your violation of the ban on creating AI to begin with, which resulted in the loss of your embassy and any standing you had within Council Space.  Once the Geth became sentient, you had no more claim over them than anyone has on the Batarians… or the Rachni… or any other race we haven’t gotten along with over the course of history.  You may not like them, but you can no longer own them… ever.”

Before the rebel could say anything else, Eri’Addan vas Rannoch issued the deadline.  “You have exactly six hours to render your decision to the Council, Admiral Gerrel.  Not one second more.”  He then reached up and terminated the call.

“Huh,” Quentius huffed in disgust.  “That went well, don’t you think?”

-------------------------------

Knight Shade , Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 3 Jan 2189

“Shepard?”  Traynor activated her mic again and continued, “Councilor Tevos is waiting on the QEC in the communications room for you.  She doesn’t sound very happy.”

“Tell her I’m on my way, Traynor.”  Shepard glanced over at Liara and stood from the table in the dining area, where they were having tea and Kaffe, awaiting the news that was, apparently, about to arrive.  “Shit.  That doesn’t sound promising.”

Liara smiled hopefully.  “We’ll never know unless you answer the call, Shepard.”  Looking calmly down at her omnitool, she opened her communications interface.  Though her heart felt like it was about to rip itself in half, her voice was steady as she continued, “But, just in case, I’ll issue the team alerts.” 

Samantha reached over and wrapped her hand softly around Liara’s bicep and gave a gentle squeeze.  “Thanks, Li… but hold off just a bit.  Open our link and I’ll alert you if you need to make those calls.”  Her eyes dropped only briefly before coming back to the edgy, yet determined, gaze of her bondmate.  “It’s not like we didn’t see this coming.”

One final, quick flex of her fingers on Liara’s arm and Shepard turned and walked resolutely to the lift, quickly tapping the interface for Deck 2; striding off the elevator, she hastily made her way through the war room, leaping up the four steps on the far side as she hurried the final few paces to the QEC interface.  “Councilor.  My apologies for keeping you waiting.”

“Shepard…”  Tevos stopped after that single word and shook her head, looking down with a sigh.  “I am afraid I do not bear good news.”

“Nothing we didn’t expect, Tevos.”  Shepard offered up an encouraging smile.  “Tell me what happened.”

As Tevos relayed the poor results from the discussion, Shepard cursed under her breath.  “Gods be damned, Rae!  Certainly, he has to see the entirety of the Council Fleet arrayed in the space around him… including the SILC and any number of Spectre vessels.”

“Of that, there is no doubt, Shepard.”  She didn’t make eye contact and her eyes darted nervously around as she added, “And, honestly, he didn’t seem in the least bit anxious.  I will admit, that has me a bit more unnerved than anything else he may have done.”

“Me too,” Shepard scowled.  “What in Hell does he have up his sleeve, if the entirety of Council power sitting outside his viewport doesn’t have him worried?”  Her forehead wrinkled in thought and she asked, “And Xen never made an appearance the entire time?”

“No, she did not.  According to Gerrel, the Fleet is under Martial Law and she has been restricted to quarters.”

“Restricted to quarters, my ass,” Shepard growled.  “They’re up to something and, whatever it is, it can’t possibly be good.  Tell me you called to activate the infiltration teams… to be ready for whatever it is they’re planning.”

“I am, Shepard.”  Tevos’ head bowed as she whispered, “I truly am sorry to be forced to ask this of you, Samantha.  You deserve better from us all.”

Shepard smiled with understanding.  “I know, Rae… but we all deserve better than this petty infighting… not just me.”  She drew a deep breath and blew it out quickly, standing up straight and throwing her shoulders back as she tapped Liara via the link.  “So, Councilor.  When do we deploy?”

Tevos picked up on the change in attitude and gave an appreciative nod to the first Human Spectre.  “As soon as you can notify Commander Williams and have your teams ready.  Make the arrangements and let me know your launch time.”

“That’s easy, Councilor; we both already have our teams on standby.  Less than thirty minutes from call up to stepping out the door.”  She lifted her arm and focused on her chrono.  “Launch time will be 2115 hours unless you hear differently from me within the next five minutes.”

“Understood, Spectre.”  Tevos squared her own shoulders and raised her head as a sign of confidence in the results of the upcoming confrontation.  “Pass along my thanks to the entire team… and go with the Goddess, Shepard.”

-------------------------------

Moreh , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189

Xen watched in disgust as her greatest invention to date crumbled apart in the void of space.  The device had been created by pure luck to begin with, but her quick recognition of what had happened had enabled her to stabilize… an unnatural three-set of separated quantum-entangled particles.  Every bit of research completed previously to that event had indicated it was impossible… but, at some point in history, FTL space flight had been thought of the same way.

In truth, the device was extremely unstable… and that was exactly what Xen had been counting on.  She had tested it multiple times and the end result was always the same; after roughly ten minutes of use, the hydrogen atoms in the area immediately surrounding the device would begin to get excited… very excited.  Based on the power generation curves, she had determined that after fifteen minutes, the reaction would become irreversible.

She grinned at the thought of what would… what could have happened, had they not cast the device from their ship.  The plan was amazingly simple in execution.  The Asari love their water.  The Destiny Ascension held a number of parks and recreation areas… including lovely pools of crystal-clear water… all of which evaporate into the air and keep the ship’s humidity level much higher than your average starship.  When the particles within the device had become excited enough, after maybe five or ten minutes of use, it would have sparked a hydrogen reaction – not enough to destroy the Ascension, but certainly powerful enough to kill whoever was standing closest, and likely severely injure anyone else within the same compartment.

Her grin shifted quickly to a scowl as she got to the part in the story that gave the first indication of their future destruction.  She didn’t even know his name, but the envoy had no idea what it was that he truly carried, and now it didn’t matter.  He had failed.  Now, that war-mongering idiot Gerrel had also failed and they had six hours to enact their back-up plan – one which, without the death or, at a minimum, the incapacitation of the Council, was likely doomed to failure.  Disgusted, she turned to her Bridge crew.  “I will not be arrested and tried like some common war criminal.  Begin Operation Fury.”

-------------------------------

The time had come.  Shepard fired the boosters on her jetpack and rocketed toward the underbelly of the Quarian ship – Grunt, Hailot Jatok and the rest of her team following close behind.  She knew the Blackwatch squad was doing the same, on the opposite side of the ship and a bit farther aft, as the two port and starboard engineering maintenance hatches they were using for access were offset by nearly ten meters.  Spinning and landing softly, she gave Harley Creath, her fellow N7, the go ahead.

Harley immediately set to work, using his N7 infiltration training to bypass the hatch safety while his electronic decoder worked on the entry cypher; in less than two minutes, the hatch was open, and the team began to work their way inside.

Blackwatch was mere seconds behind on their own entry.  The team members entered first and, as the last of his team slipped into the ship, Captain Vidinos turned to Spectre T’Dura and gave her a nod.  By far, the Turians had the most difficult… and hazardous… part of the mission; they would draw attention away from the primary teams, so Shepard could reach the Bridge and the infiltration team could get to engineering and shut down the Moreh’s power and weapons.

Moises nodded in return and set her chrono for a silent three-minute countdown.  She knew Blackwatch was a distraction team, but the job was key to their final victory.  If everything else went south, their… distraction… would become critical.  Blackwatch was to target the Moreh’s secondary eezo core, which powered the artificial gravity and life-support.  With over two-thousand souls on-board, the Quarians could not afford to ignore the Blackwatch attack and would be forced to dedicate their limited Marine force to restore operations to that secondary core.  If they don’t, that distraction will kill them all… faster than Shepard or I ever could.

Chapter Text

Neema , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189

Master Sergeant Hallie Buckner eased up behind Spectre Ashley Williams, crouched behind a ventilation grill that looked out on one of the Neema’s two main hanger decks; this hanger had been deemed to have less of a Quarian Marine presence than Hanger One.  With the rest of the five-man team crouched close behind them, Buckner whispered into her comms mic.  “Pretty large area, Ma’am.  Think Aralakh Squads can get in without getting cut to pieces?”

Williams chuckled as she replied, “Never doubt what overwhelming force and surprise can accomplish, Sergeant.  The few Marines watching over this hanger will not be expecting a bunch of Krogan to come storming out of a Quarian shuttlecraft.”

Spectre Bau and his infiltration team had been on the Neema forty-five minutes; he had just contacted her to report that the Neema’s weapons and propulsion systems were no longer controlled by the Quarians.  “Opposition not as heavy as expected, Spectre Williams.  It would seem not all the crew on this vessel agree with the course set by Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen.”

“Roger that, Spectre.”  Listening intently to her comms, she turned towards her master sergeant and said, “Aralakh’s twenty seconds out, Buckner.  As soon as the hatches open, we move.”  After giving the area a final visual inspection, she said, “Dallas, you have your targets… take out the little bastard up in the corner first; the closer of the two will attempt to run in that direction.  If either of them sounds an alarm before we have this area nailed down, we’ll be up to our asses in Quarians before we can catch our breath.”

“Aye, Ma’am.  I’ll get it done.”

Ashley grinned at the man’s response.  She had seen Corporal Altor using his silenced M-97 on the live practice range.  He was easily the equal of Garrus Vakarian during the Turian’s stint on Omega as Archangel; she didn’t have any doubts about his ability to take out two targets, the second of which would be running towards the position occupied by his terminated companion.

“Heads up, gang!”  The Quarian shuttlecraft – acquired for this mission by Councilor Eri’Addan – came roaring into the hanger at a speed that seemed imprudent, until the Spectre realized the hatches were already open and Krogan were tumbling out of both sides.  “Let’s move!” came her shout as she kicked the grille into the hanger and rolled out onto the deck.  She moved sideways to keep her team from landing on top of her as she watched the shuttle careen head-on into a pair of parked shuttles and come to a screeching, spark-throwing halt.  She barely heard the double-chuff of Altor’s Viper as he took out his targets; the eight Krogan from Aralakh Company had crushed – literally – the few other Quarians present in the hanger bay.

Ashley ran up to A-Squad leader Betarog Stragg as he dropped the two Quarian Marines he had used like a pair of crash-cymbals.  “Bau and his people have control of Neema’s weapons and propulsion.  You just need to keep any reinforcements from reaching him.  You move towards engineering, take out any opposition you encounter and meet up with Bau.”  The toothy grin and the sparkle in Stragg’s reptilian eyes reminded her of Urdnot Wrex each time he had bashed some Geth troopers or Cerberus soldiers; she was glad he was on her side as he waved to his comrades to follow him towards main engineering.

She next looked to Grirdak Buzk and continued, “You and B-Squad are with me… and your name is too damned hard to wrap my tongue around if I need you fast, so I’m calling you Buzz!”  She finally turned to Rogant Grack and C-Squad.  “Rogue… I need you and yours to stay on this deck, use your omnitools to track us from below once we go up a level.  Make a lot of noise, try to draw some attention away from us.”  She hardened her expression further, saying, “I would really prefer that you not kill anyone dropping weapons and surrendering; just because they’re on this ship doesn’t mean they agreed to Han’Gerrel’s hair-brained schemes.  That said, don’t take any chances with any of them.”

Taking a deep breath to help clear her mind, she finished with a warning.  “This damned ship is huge… it’s the Quarian’s home… they know all the shortcuts… all the special passages too small for any of you, so keep a close eye on your six.  Don’t let ’em box you in.  Okay?”

After watching Stagg and Rogue each crash their fists together in acknowledgement, Williams turned back to her own team.  “Okay.  Let’s move out.  Naughton… Lindemann… you guys take point… and stay frosty!”

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2 , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189

“Joker!  Evasive!”  Normandy went into a gut-wrenching ‘climbing’ turn that momentarily overwhelmed the inertial dampeners; Leon Rensch watched the tactical display in growing dread as the graphical dot representing a Quarian missile grew in relative size each second that it tracked the graphic depicting the ship.  Through all the twists, turns, and velocity changes, the missiles — having now being delineated as a pair — unrelentingly continued to follow and close the distance to their designated target.

Leon knew Edi and Joker were doing their absolute best to avoid being hit, but as the distance between missiles and target decreased to less than 325 meters, he toggled a control on his console, engaging a warning he hadn’t heard on any ship since the Reaper War – that of a collision alarm… loud… mournful… an electronically generated siren sounding through the PA speakers on a continuous loop, from low frequency to high and back to low, while a recorded female voice repeatedly intoned over the siren, “Brace for collision!  Secure equipment!  Brace for collision!  Lock safety harnesses!  Brace for collision!  Damage control teams to stations!  Brace for collision!”

Rensch noticed from the corner of his eye that Lieutenant Commander Greg Adams had instantly locked down his terminal and left for the war room; although the outcome wasn’t guaranteed, his move would place the ship’s acting XO in a position to command the ship if Leon was incapacitated or killed.  Conversely, Rensch could continue on if his XO was killed in the war room.  A quick glance confirmed the access hatch sliding closed behind Adams.

Joker’s panicky voice came through his ear mounted comlink.  “Commander!  Edi has the helm and Tali’s destructive interference emitters have been activated… but I’ll be damned if we can shake those pieces of shit!  They’re being more persistent than the fucking Reaper Oculi ever were… and they’re closing on us… fast!”

Leon immediately switched the graphical representation of the ship and its pursuer to short range; the missiles were now within 150 meters and nothing Leon saw contradicted Joker’s assessment.  He was getting ready to key his comm when the nearest missile suddenly vanished from the screen… apparently a victim of Tali’s handiwork.  What the?  Limited range on the emitters?  Fucking Hell!  I can’t believe we have to wait for the damned things to get that close! 

Breathing a quick sigh of relief, Leon watched the display with increasing fascination, which quickly turned to dread as he realized the missile furthest from the ship had continued to close the distance… and had yet to vanish from the screen.  God damn it! 

Leon didn’t waste any more time; he remotely downloaded all their position data into a pair of disaster beacons, set them to continuously broadcast an assistance request and launched them as he spoke to his comms specialist.  “Dubow!  Authorization 359-Bravo Delta.  Broadcast a distress call, all frequencies!”

As the specialist acknowledged the command, the remaining missile breached the 70-meter mark and appeared to deploy a small warhead; this continued to close on the Normandy’s belly.

It quickly became obvious what the device was designed to do, even as Adams spoke through his intercom, “Damned thing is sending out a narrow-beam jamming signal, Sir; it’s targeting our shield emitters.”  After a momentary pause, he added, “Shit!  It’s created a 12-to-15-meter hole in the kinetic barrier, Commander.  I’m unable to block its emissions.”

“Sonuvabitch, Greg!  That has to be one of Daro’Xen’s creations.”

Keying the mic on his ear-mounted comms device, Rensch shouted over the PA, “Brace for impact!  Everybody brace!”  Mere moments later, he felt, rather than heard, a low frequency vibration in the deck under his feet, followed almost immediately by a sharper vibration, intense enough to rattle anything not solidly attached.  The second explosion – in addition to causing all the interior lighting to wink out, leaving the ship in stygian darkness for several moments – also resulted in everything and everyone not bolted down or strapped in to begin floating free of the decking.  Dammit!  It took out the artificial gravity!

As the ship’s emergency lighting – woefully dim compared to normal operations – came on, he became uncomfortably aware of the deathly quiet throughout the ship; with engines and ventilation shut down, the cessation of all the vibrations and sounds one took for granted in their daily lives was jarring.  His control console had instantly erupted in flashing red warning lights under the readouts of every function he had been monitoring; of particular concern were the four red indicators rapidly blinking below the main engine status display.  They were now effectively dead in space – not stopped – just unable to affect any alteration in their velocity or direction.

Leon barked, “Joker! Sitrep!”  No reply.  Looking through the tactical passageway towards the flight deck, he saw several of the crew pulling their battle harnesses tighter in order to keep their asses planted in their chairs; he could also see the access hatch to the main airlock was closed, its haptic interface a flickering orange.  “Joker!  Edi!  Sitrep!”

A painfully loud burst of static was followed by the soothing sound of Edi’s calm response in his ear.  “The warhead exploded in the middle of Normandy’s auxiliary machinery and H3-transfer piping compartment, immediately astern of the engineering sub-deck.  I have managed to secure the transfer conduits for the ship’s H3; unfortunately, due to the severity and location of the damage, approximately eighty-five percent of our fuel was lost through the breach before I was able to modify all of the diverter and shut-off valve settings.  The majority of the main reactor heat exchangers were also destroyed, and the main fusion plant is offline.  Our eezo core, while intact, lost all computer control inputs, so self-initiated emergency shutdown protocols.”

Leon cursed under his breath and asked, “Do you have independent control over life support on Deck One, Edi?” 

“Many of the ship’s functions, including environment control, artificial gravity, the galaxy map, and the war-room situational displays, were automatically terminated and will not reboot.  We have retained control over emergency lighting and minimal life support… though, without sufficient heat exchangers remaining operational, I predict the living spaces on board will grow uncomfortably cold over the next several hours.”

Receiving her answer, Rensch continued, “If possible, seal that deck immediately, then divert all atmo and environmental capacity to the rest of the ship.”  Pausing briefly, he added, “What else?”

Edi continued after a few moments.  “The hull breach caused by the warhead was not large and has been temporarily sealed with a kinetic barrier.  As you may have surmised by our lack of apparent motion, we have lost all control over the ship’s helm and thrusters, Commander.  We have no defensive or offensive capability of any kind, and we continue to slowly tumble and roll as we coast along on our previous heading.  The elevator is offline below Deck Three… damage control teams have been forced to use the inter-deck access tubes to reach Decks Four and Five.  I also have reports of a chemical agent being released by the explosion, but immediate effects are unknown.  As we are unable to get a response from Engineer Manos or Engineer Donnelly, and all internal sensors for that area are offline, I can only surmise that both crewmen are incapacitated… or dead.  We will not know their status unless they somehow managed to survive and find a way to contact us, or Engineering damage control teams are able to enter the compartment from the passageways on Deck Four.”

“Shit.”  Leon heaved a long sigh.  “Estimated time until we can get underway again?”

“Unknown, Commander.  Damage to the H3 piping and turbopumps is extensive.  Damage Control teams will have to bypass the damaged transfer piping and rig auxiliary pumps… we may be able to get one or two engines operational, but I would suggest that regaining control over our maneuvering thrusters may be more beneficial.  We need to arrest the ship’s uncontrolled gyrations through the void, Sir.  I would not wish for us to have survived this attack only to burn up from an uncontrolled entry into a planetary atmosphere or a solar corona.”

“Are there any ships coming to our aid?”  He looked at Specialist Dubow while asking, “Have we heard from anyone else?”

Dubow mouthed ‘No, Sir,’ and shook his head as Edi replied, “Comms are completely down, Commander.  We are currently unable to even transmit or receive short-range audio, though I am working on establishing a connection to the emergency back-up batteries.  Even then, unless another ship’s transmitter is within a few klicks of us, we will remain unable to receive any comms.  We have been effectively rendered deaf, blind, and out of control by the Quarian weapon.”

“Dammit to Hell!  Okay Edi, keep me updated on the ship’s status, and the condition of our missing engineers.”  Keying his mic to ship-wide broadcast, he said, “All hands, Rensch here.  I want status reports from all damage control teams, ASAP.  Top priority is restoring helm and propulsion control, or we’re sitting ducks.  After that, we need to restore environmental operations.  Let’s get to it, people!”

He jumped as a hand touched his right elbow; turning towards that side, he was actually glad to see Greg Adams standing one step below his platform.  “Dammit, Greg!  We’re in some really deep shit now!”  He frowned as he grabbed the man’s shoulder and looked at him intently.  “I need you to go below… get some protective gear from stores on Deck Three, then find and assist the damage control teams attempting to get into main engineering.  I know you want to find your crewmen, but your main focus must be on containing the damage and regaining control.  Otherwise, we may lose a lot more than the two crewmen in that section.”

Thinking about Manos and Donnelly, whom Adams would have been with had Spectre Williams not been called to lead the team boarding the Neema, the acting XO’s expression was grim as he replied, “Aye, Sir.”  Carefully turning around, he pulled his boots free of the deck and floated to the elevator in order to go below.

Leon pulled his own boots free of the platform; floating free, he disconnected his battle harness from its anchor point, held onto the railing and pulled himself towards the port side, where he could use the edge of the counter that ran around the now darkened galaxy map display well.  Moving hand-over-hand along the counter, he was at the forward end of the island in a few short moments; pulling his virtually weightless body over the tip of the island with his legs extended behind him, he used his arms to pull his body forward, released his grip on the island and flew rather inelegantly towards the tactical passageway as the ship continued to spin and tumble around him, making his path anything but direct.

After bumping his way into the passage, he finally floated over the threshold and steps.  Reaching up, he grabbed one of the pair of structural supports running like railings along the overhead.  Once again pulling himself along hand-over-hand, he reached the closed entry hatch to the airlock passageway.  Twisting around to force his boots towards the decking, he reengaged their maglocks, activated the mic in his ear-mounted comm and said, “Edi?  I’m outside the airlock iso-hatch; the haptic lock is flashing orange.  Is there any way to override it from this side?”

Her reply was less than encouraging.  “That hatch – along with the hatch on this side of the airlock passageway – cannot be manually over-ridden from either side, Commander.  It’s a failsafe design, meant to prevent loss of atmosphere, either within the ship or the flight deck.”  She paused, as if retrieving data.  “I have attempted to access the security protocol myself; as an extension of the main computer, my personal access will not allow me to place the lives of organics in jeopardy.  I am unable to bypass the programming controlling either hatch.” 

“How in Hell are we supposed to get access to the flight deck, Edi?”

“Either you or Lieutenant Commander Adams will have to log into the main computer to reset the entry security protocol.  There is an access console immediately inside the AI Core Room, against the starboard bulkhead.”

Rensch redirected his comms mic.  “Adams!  I need you to proceed to the main computer compartment forward of Medbay.  Contact Edi when you get there… she’ll instruct you on how to bypass security protocols for access to the airlock and the flight deck.”

Upon receiving confirmation from Greg, Leon redirected his comlink to Edi and Joker. “Edi, Mr Adams will be contacting you shortly from the main computer compartment.  Please let me know when you can leave the flight deck; it’s very likely your help… you and your mechanically superior platform… could speed up the search and salvage process quite significantly… and every second counts.”

-------------------------------

Moreh , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189

As T’Dura contemplated the many moving parts of the mission, her countdown clock reached zero and she signaled Livos.  With a nod, Captain Tanni slipped through the hatch and entered the ship.  She immediately knew Blackwatch had already engaged forces… at least she hoped it was Blackwatch and not Shepard’s squad… because she could hear gunfire off in the distance.  She drew in a deep breath and refocused on her own mission; having memorized the ship’s layout, they had planned the path of supposed least resistance, so she turned and started moving quickly towards the aft sections, trusting those behind would follow.

Between Spectre Shepard and the Blackwatch teams, T’Dura found the way ahead fairly clear and the infiltration team made quick work of their transit through the ship, but actually breaching Engineering was an entirely different story.  The Moreh wasn’t exactly a large ship, but she still had a detachment of Marines to guard her.  At the first sign of interlopers, Xen had apparently dispatched a security team to each of the more critical areas within the ship, Engineering obviously being one of them, and the defensive squad was putting up quite the fight. 

The Spectre team had managed to get in through the main entry and the Asari portion of the group worked hard to shield Daeto Telas as he hacked the controls and sealed the hatch from outside reinforcement.  Just as Telas shouted out success, a stray round ricocheted over his head and clipped a xenon trioxide flow-control valve; the gas was an essential element of the radiation detection system – the neutron and X-ray sensor arrays – and highly explosive upon contact with organic materials.   His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as the world around him seemed to slow to a crawl, yet he could not act quickly enough to prevent what happened next.

His long, drawn-out scream, “NOOOO-o-o-o-o-o-o!!!” echoed through the compartment, but it was too late.  The valve snapped off, resulting in a high-pressure stream of volatile gas bursting from the ruptured control and blasting directly into his teammates.  Lieutenant Tra’ana Iremi, Livos’ second-in-command, had the misfortune of being closest to the breach and in the direct path of the resulting leak, which resulted in a series of small, but powerful, detonations as the chemical reacted violently wherever it contacted her skin.  The succession of rapid micro-explosions propelled her against the bulkhead with enough force to render her unconscious, which saved her from suffering the intense pain of being progressively ripped apart under the multitude of biochemical microbursts.

Time snapped back into its normal rhythm and Daeto sprang into action, quickly identifying the next control valve up the line; activating his cloak, he vanished as he moved to the valve and shut down the treacherous stream of volatile gas.  As he moved in one direction, the Drell assassin, Kaddi Finnoa, moved in another.  Using the explosive fire as the distraction she desperately needed, she swiftly flanked the Quarian Marine squad and was behind them before they realized it.  A quick toss of two stun grenades and the Quarians were sprawled out on the deck; only moments later, before they could regain their senses, they were all dead. 

The three remaining Asari were quick to take advantage of Kaddi’s surprise assault and, as soon as the last defender fell, Livos Tanni ran to her fallen comrade and slid to her knees at ’Ana’s side.  She already knew the commando was most likely dead; Livos’ only solace came from the fact that her Lieutenant hadn’t suffered much – it had been a quick death, one in which ’Ana hadn’t even had a chance to scream.  The captain choked back a sob as tears streamed down her face; an angry mask overtook her expression as she ground out, “You will be missed, my dearest ’Ana…  Your death will be given purpose and I will avenge you…  This I swear before the Goddess!”

She slowly rose to her feet and turned to T’Dura.  “Not one more of ours dies today, Spectre!  I’d advise you to stay out of my way, for I will wreak the vengeance of Ajrakila upon all who still oppose us!”

“As you will, Captain Tanni.”  Moises closed her eyes softly and dipped her head in respect.  “I will not interfere, so long as your wrath does not interfere with the mission… which I highly doubt will be the case.  If anything, you shall be striking down our enemies while the hand of Athame rests upon your shoulder.”

-------------------------------

Neema , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189

The Marines exited the hanger behind A-Squad and C-Squad.  Turning to their right after moving through a transverse passageway, they carefully moved down a corridor in the direction of the Neema’s bridge.  The passageway before Ashley was dimly lit, which suited her perfectly; the light enhancement filter built into the helmet’s viewport automatically and instantaneously compensated for the available light level, whether too dim or too bright.  Naughton expressed surprise that this passageway led past few compartments.  Ashley replied, “Chose this route on purpose, Sergeant.  It’s mostly for maintenance access; less opposition to deal with down here.”

With Strax Jrugas and Master Sergeant Buckner close on her six, Williams held her shotgun – an N7 Piranha – at the ready; in the field, she would have chosen her M-96 Mattock, but within the claustrophobic confines of this starship’s tight passageways, she felt the benefit of using a high-capacity, rapid-fire shotgun would more than make up for its inaccuracy at mid-to-long range.

Twenty-five meters from their starting point, they came to a circular stairwell; Ashley had two of her heavily armed and armored Krogan companions proceed up.  Within moments of their feet disappearing from sight, she heard heavy-weapons fire and guttural growls responding to gunfire from lighter weapons.  A muttered ‘Advance!’ sounded in her headset the instant gunfire ceased.  The Spectre grinned inside her helmet… the Krogan that had spoken – Srundok Gilak, she guessed – sounded a bit disappointed.  As she started up the stairs to follow, she queried, “Not enough action for you, Gilak?”

“Urdnot Grunt promised there would be many skulls to crack,” he growled back on the comm.  “These Quarians should feel ashamed at their lack of resistance to our advance.”

With a quiet chuckle, she replied, “Aralakh Company is a formidable opponent, Srundok Gilak.  I’m sure the Quarians will offer a lot more resistance to us entering the Neema’s flight deck.”  Coming up alongside the massive soldier, she added, “They’ll be guarding their admiral.  I don’t believe any but the most loyal to Han’Gerral’s cause will be standing in our way.  Come on…”

The top of the stairwell had brought the assault team to the mid-deck, with a straight, 15-meter passage to the next stairwell.  Ashley leaned her head out from cover to visually inspect their path; there were a number of barricades, placed in a seemingly haphazard manner along the deck, alternating to left and right.  Her action also drew fire from several soldiers crouched behind a few of them.

Looking at Sergeant Naughton, she said, “We need to move past these guys in order to get to Deck One.”  Turning her attention to Tavarog Gund, she said, “Take three of your men, go with Naughton.”  As the Krogan squad shuffled their positions behind her, she took another quick look down the passage; this was rewarded with more weapons fire, some of the rounds pinging off the metal wall centimeters from her face.  Goddammit!  I’ve had about enough of this shit!

Bringing up her N7 Piranha, she used both hands to hold it out before her crosswise, muzzle pointing towards the source of the weapons fire.  As she pushed it past the edge of the wall, she squeezed the trigger and held on for dear life as it bucked and spit pellets in a near continuous stream down the passageway.  Jerking it back towards her the instant the tenth round had discharged, she nodded at Naughton.  “Go!”

She quickly reloaded the shotgun as he couched and led the Krogan team members around the corner.  She had just repositioned to take another look when all Hell broke loose – Naughton shouted, “Down!” as the concussive wave from a massive explosion rolled past her position, to be instantly followed by all the air behind her and the rest of her squad rushing past them with the seeming strength of a hurricane.

She felt heavy hands grab her bodily from behind as the comms crackled with warnings: “Hold on!” and “Get down!”  The windstorm stopped nearly as abruptly as it had started; feeling the arms across her chest easing their pressure, she looked around the corner again.  The formerly endless metal wall on the far side of the passage now had an ugly punctuation mark in the form of a ragged, deck-to-ceiling hole roughly four meters across, through which Ashley could see stars sprinkled across the black velvet of space; the hole was sealed – if that was the correct term – by a sparkling kinetic barrier, which had undoubtedly been auto-generated by the ship’s computer an instant after it had detected an outer hull breach.

An increasingly insistent voice sounded in her comlink.  “Spectre!  What the Hell just happened up there?”

“Quarian defenders fired a round from a rocket launcher… breached the hull between us, blew half of fucking Bravo-Squad into space, along with my Sergeant; they were all within a couple meters of the hole.”

She stopped speaking and turned around to look into the brilliant, amber-colored eyes of Srundok Gilak.  “Were those your arms around me?”

Gilak’s growl was a low rumble from deep within his chest.  “Urdnot Grunt would have my quads if I had let that breeze blow your skinny little ass into the void, Spectre!”

The thought, He really thinks my ass is skinny? came and went before she could reply.  Grabbing his shoulder, she solemnly said, “Never been hugged by a Krogan before.  Thanks for that.”

Gilak actually appeared to be embarrassed by her admission.  “I’m just glad I didn’t crush you.  Hard to judge just how much force to apply to a squishy Human.”

Nodding her head as she released him, she turned and began moving cautiously past the massive breach; the team had all their senses alert for the slightest movement ahead.  Once they reached the forward end of the short passage, she called back down to Rogue.  “Looks like the Quarians joined our guys in the void.”  Shaking her head in disgust at what she believed to be an unnecessary loss of life, she added, “If the concussion didn’t severely injure or kill them, being sucked out into the airless vacuum of space surely ended their lives.  Stay sharp down there.”

Ashley turned back to her decimated squad and said, “Looks like five of our comrades are floating around in the goddamned void!  I don’t think Grunt will be pleased about that, and I’m well and truly pissed that they’re gone, along with my sergeant.”

“Brainless Quarians!  Did they think an explosion from a rocket launcher round wouldn’t damage their ship?  Even with their enviro-suits, those Pyjaks won’t have the chance to breathe vacuum… they’ll freeze solid in under three minutes.”  Gilak stared out through the immense hole, as if looking for his lost teammates. 

Ashley sighed heavily; looking around, she attempted to take stock of her squad’s status.  “Damn.  We need to regroup.  Buckner, you and Lindemann take point.  Srundok, your squad is at half-strength – although I expect it’s still more than enough to deal with whatever surprises the Quarians spring on us, I don’t want to see any more of you get injured or killed.  And while not all the crew on this ship are loyal to Gerrel and his mad crusade, there are still 5000-plus on board, and we don’t know how many are on our side.  Two of you stick with Buckner, the other two cover our six.”  Nodding at the circular stairwell ahead, she said, “Okay, Master Sergeant… let’s get these stairs cleared.”

-------------------------------

Having left the second staircase behind, the progress of the Spectre’s squad was slowed by the necessity of clearing intersecting passageways.  After passing what appeared to be an empty corridor, Strax Jrugas and Ugod Relag came under intense small-arms fire from a contingent of Quarian Marines.  As the remainder of the team hit the deck to assist, several rounds from what proved to be a Geth Pulse Rifle ripped past them from the opposite direction; two of the light-weight slugs buried themselves in the armored back of Strax.

Ashley shouted a warning as Private Lindemann rose in a half-crouch to target their attacker, then watched in horror as the unseen Quarian fired another ten-round burst.  Two of the slugs hit Lindemann in his upper chest, slicing through his armor thanks to being encased in a phasic envelope; these may have been survivable if he’d received prompt attention from Combat Medic Karin McMasters.  What Sidney could not survive was the single round that went through his visored helmet; the explosion of poly-crystalline carbon particles from the back of the helmet was accompanied by a misty cloud of bloody pulp.  Private Lindemann didn’t utter a sound as he collapsed lifelessly to the deck.

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2 , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189

Even though Steve Cortez had been trained extensively on how to react to nearly any calamity that could befall a warship, he was having a difficult time keeping his emotions locked down.  There was anger, that the Quarians had fired on the Normandy.  Fear, that damage to the ship’s hull and engineering section might result in the loss of structural integrity, necessitating abandoning the ship.  Worry, for the safety of his shipmates on Deck Four.  Frustration, that access to that deck had been rendered virtually impossible by the amount of damage done to the infrastructure behind the elevator tower – equipment that was critical for the safe operation of the entire ship.

He was leading a damage control team in an attempt to gain access to the Deck Five equipment areas immediately astern the elevator.  It had taken almost fifteen minutes to rig a stand-alone electric drive motor to rotate the bypass shaft that would manually open the massive doors protecting the elevator shaft.  The lack of the haptic interface in front of the door sections spoke to the severity of the explosion; in addition to the physical damage to everything behind the shaft, the lack of a haptic lock on the doors meant the explosion had released an EM pulse that had disabled anything operated by the ship’s computer; Steve hoped its effects had been confined to a small radius.

Once inside the elevator shaft, the Marines had gone to work on a pair of emergency access hatches – one to port, one starboard – set into the rear bulkhead.  Cortez shined his Omni lamp upwards, nervously inspecting the underside of the elevator car stopped on deck three; he could feel the hair on the back of his neck at rigid attention.  Without the ship’s computer controlling the car, the only thing preventing an uncontrolled plunge to the bottom of the shaft was a set of mechanical clamps beneath it, and the lack of artificial gravity.  After a hurried discussion with Specialist Dubow, who was relaying status reports to Commander Rensch, he waited until his team had unsealed the starboard hatch; unfortunately, the instant the hatch cleared the seals of the surrounding door frame, they had been driven back by an escaping cloud of noxious gas.  Steve was happy he had insisted everyone wear the cumbersome protective suits with self-contained breathing apparatus as they retreated to the hanger bay for the several seconds it took for the gas to dissipate.  This simply added to Steve’s anger at the rogue Quarians; he didn’t know how, but he intended to make them pay for adding insult to injury.

Once the air was clear and they could see again, Steve led his team back to the access hatch, where they were finally able to force it open wide enough for entry; the trio of Marines made short work of clearing the broken, mangled piping and conduits that had been dislodged from the brackets and framework upon which it had all been mounted.  Of some concern was the view they all had of the starry black void below them, guarded only be an emergency kinetic barrier; Cortez knew the barrier was being generated from emergency backups, meant to allow a repair crew enough time to restore auxiliary power, followed by main power.

Two more Marines had joined Cortez’s damage control team – he had them work on accessing the damage through the port-side hatch.  Damage to port was much more severe than to starboard – and it was obvious to Steve that repairing the damages caused by the explosion was going to require a dry-dock.  He sighed as he contemplated Normandy being out of service for weeks.  After making it through the Reaper war with hardly any damage, to be brought down by people we had assisted is too much! 

Inside the machinery and equipment compartment, Cortez traced their progress aft by comparing frame numbers to the schematic projected by his omnitool.  “Sergeant, look sharp.  We should be able to see the engineering sub-deck just ahead.”

“It’s a real mess, Sir.  There’s mangled piping and conduits everywhere.”  Sergeant Forrest Bigbee was on his belly, squirming about in an effort to get past a pair of 75-centimeter pipes that had been bent and shoved up and sideways.  With a last, massive push, he managed to shine his light into the relative emptiness of the subdeck.  “What I can see looks fairly undamaged, Sir, but there were a number of H3 receiver tanks set into structural wells back there… tanks that I cannot see from here.”  Speaking to his companion, he said, “Grab my ankles, Gerry… pull me back.”

Once back and crouching in the relatively open space just inside the hatch, Bigbee addressed Cortez.  “Only way I see we can gain access to Deck Four is to pull ourselves up the access ladder in the elevator tower beside the hatch, Sir, then force the outer elevator doors on Deck Four open.  We don’t have time to rig the gear we’d need to access the observation windows from the hanger – don’t even know if we could remove the clear panels without some serious tools.  Those windows were designed to withstand atmo on one side and vacuum on the other.”

Cortez nodded as he spoke, “Agreed, Sergeant, so let’s get to it.  We need to reseal the access hatches once we’re out of here.”  Steve helped the man to his feet, then turned and led everyone out of the partially destroyed area.  Once more standing below the elevator car above them, Steve handed Bigbee a safety harness and the end of a long line, saying, “Once you’re beside that door, hook your harness to one of the rungs, then haul the motor up.  Soon as the passageway doors are open, we’ll follow you up – see if we can pry open the access doors into engineering as well.”

Chapter Text

Moreh , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189

Their progress had been quiet and quick for the first fifteen or so minutes after they boarded, right up until Blackwatch squad caused their first major melee… by blowing up the ship’s small armory.  Shepard had laughed at the message she received only a couple of seconds before she heard the big boom; Vidinos had sent five words.  ‘Get ready.  Here it comes.’  The multiple explosions following the text message explained what he meant better than any words could have.

Shepard realized the import of the Blackwatch commander’s words; with the entirety of the Moreh’s defenses coming online, including the ship’s Marine sweep patrols, the progress of Shepard’s team would slow considerably.  She steeled herself for what would come and muttered a line from a sixteenth century play.  “Cry 'Havoc!,' and let slip the dogs of war.” 

Harley heard her and snickered, “Really?  Quoting Shakespeare?  Now?”

The levity of Creath’s tone helped her relax and the Spectre smirked.  “Well, it is appropriate, don’t you think?”

Bek had also heard the comment and, in response, he let out a laugh and flashed a grin.  “I don’t know who this is you speak of… but, I think I like this… Shakespeare… whoever he is.”

“I imagine you just might, Bek.”  Shepard’s grin faltered.  “Every Quarian Marine aboard is going to be gunning for us now.  Not much sense in trying to sneak around anymore… we’re bound to get discovered, no matter what we do… so, full assault configuration.”  She glanced at Bek and Grunt as she added, “You two, take point and keep us moving forward.  It’s going to be harder to make ground, but we can’t let them slow us down.”

Jatok, as team captain and a Krogan, curled his lip at not being selected to take point and growled, “Then what the Hell am I doing, Spectre?”

“I’m trusting you to cover our six… solo.  I know with you as my rear guard, nobody is gonna surprise us from behind.”  Shepard grinned as she saw him begin to smile.  “I don’t give a shit about how much better they may know the back passages, because they’ll still need to get by you, and I know that won’t happen.”

“You got that right, Shepard.”  Jat’s chuckle was full of venom.  “Nobody’s getting by me.  Never have and never will… certainly not today.”

Jat made good on his promise as Bek and Grunt moved them continuously forward, sometimes at a dead run.  Only one time did they get truly pinned down – at the top of a ladder leading into a long passage with hardly any alcoves along its sides, much less any rooms in which to hide.  The Quarians had set the trap well, sitting in established positions behind barricades – with a secondary squad moving into the passage below, making retreat impossible. 

Jatok had simply growled, “Move forward…  I guarantee no one’s coming up this ladder to follow you.”  After only a brief hesitation, Shepard nodded in agreement and the entire rest of the team focused forward.  The only thing in their favor was that the passage was wide enough for them to move around and establish defensive positions behind the biotic barriers of Iryna Velros and Sella Temi. 

Knowing they couldn’t hold very long under such intense fire, Shepard commanded, “Bek!  I wanna see some of those inferno grenades you’ve been hauling around!  As soon as they blow, I want you, Grunt and Harley running forward and drawing any remaining fire.  Sella, Iryna and I will follow close behind, using the three of you as shields while we launch biotic attacks… and don’t be surprised when you see me slip to crash and blast to finish the fight once we dwindle ‘em down a bit.  Got it?”

Bek simply pulled and activated two of his grenades in answer, chucking the first down the right side of the passage and ricocheting the second off the left wall, rather close to the barrier.  He let out a whoop of satisfaction with the shot as it rolled behind the Quarians’ protective wall.  With weapons fire pinging off their shields, the front trio ran at full speed toward the enemy, their biotic artillery on their heels as Bek lobbed his last grenade over the wall.

Behind them, they could just barely hear Jat’s laugh over the roar of his semi-automatic Batarian AT-12 Raider.  “Come on, you Pyjaks!  Afraid of a little ol’ shotgun?”  His weapon of choice was extremely heavy, which didn’t affect Jat in the least, and extremely deadly, as long as he didn’t run out of ammo.  Fat chance of that, he thought, having picked up every spare thermal clip he could from the dead Quarians they had left in their wake.  He topped off his weapon attack with Carnage as rapidly as he his energy rejuvenation allowed and, if the shotgun happened to overheat, he tossed warps down the hole to keep it clear.  If anyone managed to get too close, he’d simply drag them up the ladder with a Pull and crush them against the wall… dropping them back below as a reminder of what awaited anyone who got within his grasp.

The forward group closed quickly on the Quarian defensive line, the fight… fast and furious.  Shepard was forced to charge forward much sooner than she had liked because the front line had closed the gap and became involved in hand-to-hand, close-quarter combat.  Once she charged in, she lost sight of the rest of the battle, concentrating on her own fight to best any enemy that stepped up to take her on.  She slammed her fist to the ground one final time, releasing a powerful Nova wave that sent her current opponent crashing into a wall, breaking his back and crushing the rear of his skull.  Not stopping to watch as he slumped, dead, to the deck, her eyes immediate hunted for her next foe… whom she would immediately Charge in order to fully restore her barrier… but she found none.

Shepard, very cautiously, stood upright from her battle crouch and looked around.  Dead Quarians were scattered through the passageway, but she hardly saw them as she studied her team.  Bek had a pretty nasty looking gouge across his face, as did Grunt.  She hadn’t even noticed until now that Jat had joined them, the Quarians from the lower deck either all dead or having retreated from the Krogan Battlemaster; he appeared unscathed.  Harley and Sella were both administering medi-gel to their relatively minor wounds, but Iryna…

“Shit.”  Shepard hustled to the huntress and knelt at her side, immediately realizing no medical treatment in the world was going to help her.  Reaching up to gently close the vacant, staring eyes, Samantha quietly whispered, “I’m going to miss your cooking, Irie… especially your homemade Shaari pudding.”   Her shoulders slumped as she rose.  “Damn it,” she whispered quietly to herself.  Sensing a presence at her side, she turned to see who approached.

Shepard had expected Sella Temi, but it was Grunt who had quietly shuffled over, obviously affected by Iryna’s loss.  “She was supposed to stay close to me with my fortified armor, Shepard!  I saw her slip out and I yelled at her… but she ignored me… and now she’s dead.  It’s my fault… should’ve moved to protect her instead of just shouting!”

“Not your fault, big guy.  She was no less a warrior than you and that was her choice… to fight!  Would you have stayed behind me, if I had ordered it during combat?”

“Yes… but only because you are a great warrior… and my Battlemaster…”  He scowled and added, “But to her, I am neither… just a Krogan you asked to join your team.”

{By the Goddess!  Shepard!}

Without answering Grunt, Shepard called an unexpected halt, and her team quickly dropped into defensive positions.  She hated stopping right at that moment, because they were within striking distance of the Bridge, with only a single squad of five Marines between them and the hatchway.

Seeing her signal, Grunt squatted down at Shepard’s side as he grumbled in protest.  “This is a bad time to stop, Shepard.  If they call reinforcements, we’ll be fighting on two fronts again and we’re a small team… and now, one less than we were.  So, why stop here, instead of charging forward before they can prepare a welcome for us?”

“Liara.”  Shepard only said the one word in reply, and Grunt’s eyes narrowed; because he knew of the link, he immediately understood the implications.  Shepard turned her attention inward.  {I’m sorry, Li.}

{They must have discovered the infiltration teams and decided to strike first, Shepard.}

{Yes.  Vidinos was discovered, so he blew up the Moreh’s armory to prevent them from taking it back and arming everyone on the ship.  But…}

{That’s not what I’m talking about…  It’s the Normandy, Shepard!  All three of the Quarian’s recently acquired stealth ships dropped into visual, with each launching a pair of missiles before disappearing again…}

Shepard knew things hadn’t worked as planned and her tone was angry.  {What about the new disruptive interference defenses?}

{Only fifty percent effective.  Two of four struck the Destiny Ascension… killing eight in two separate sections… but one also hit the Normandy.  Goddess!  It hit the Engineering Section, Shepard!  The ship has a sizeable hole in the belly, amidships, and is in an uncontrolled tumble… No one is responding to our hails.  I fear an eezo and H3 fuel breech has… has…}

{Stop, Liara.  Don’t say it.  They may just be comm out with the loss of power…}  Shepard said those words but didn’t truly believe what she had said; even Liara could feel it was a weak attempt at a comforting lie.  Sighing heavily, she concluded with, {Contact Legion, see if they can divert any assets to assist.}

{That’s… that’s an excellent idea, Siame.  Thank you.}  Liara didn’t mean for Shepard to hear her next thought but couldn’t keep it from passing through the link along with the rest of the communication.  {Goddess, please come back safe!}  She cursed her lack of control when she realized her bondmate had felt the fear for her wellbeing.

{Doing my best, Liara, but… you need to know… Iryna Velros.}  Shepard didn’t have to explain; even though Liara had been previously unaware, the Asari could now see, via the link, exactly what had happened. 

{I’ve gotta go, Li.}  As she felt Liara shudder and fight the urge to weep, Shepard backed out of the link.  She knew Liara could use her comforting presence… but she needed to focus and keep moving.  “Gods be damned!”  Glancing back at her squad, she explained with only four words.  “Normandy’s been hit… hard.”

Behind her, Jatok growled, “Then let’s get off our asses and get this finished, Spectre… before anyone else dies!”

“Roger that, Jat.”  Shepard checked her weapon and started moving, the rest of the team just as eager and tight on her heels.

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2 , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189

It was just after midnight when Bigbee reached the level within the elevator shaft that would allow him to access the override shaft to mechanically open the outer doors – finally allowing the damage control team access to the Deck Four transverse passageway.  He carefully secured his safety harness and began hauling the heavy motor – currently weighing no more than a sack of feathers thanks to the microgravity within the ship – up from the bottom of the elevator shaft.  Once he had the motor in his hands, he leaned away from the access ladder, carefully brought the motor around and lined it up with the end of the axle shaft.  Awkwardly hanging on to the handles on either side of the casing, the sergeant activated the motor; he was happy to see the outer doors react by sluggishly retracting into their recesses as the motor – groaning just a bit under the load – slowly turned the shaft.

Bigbee could feel the metal handles under his gloved fingers getting warm as the doors bumped against their stops; he secured the motor and clamped the shaft in order to ensure the doors remained open.  Activating his comm, he called down to Cortez.  “Deck Four is accessible, Sir.”  He carefully moved from the ladder to the opening, levering himself around the bulkhead until he was standing in the passage.  Looking down the shaft, he could see Cortez and the other four members of his team floating up towards him; as each man drew level with the door, Bigbee reached a hand in to provide an anchor as they left the ladder to stand with him in the passage.

Cortez inspected both the port and starboard access hatches to the engineering sub-deck stairs and inner hatches.  “Just like down below,” he said.  “Port side doors took some damage.  Let’s get the starboard side opened up.”

Bigbee had two of his team members begin work on the hatch after sending each of the other two Marines to inspect the hatches for the freight compartments.  While the starboard engineering access hatch gave way a lot easier than Cortez expected, the view on the other side was much more discouraging… thin, wispy tendrils of smoke were drifting up through the open-stairwell from the sub-deck, and segments of the access hatch to main engineering were peeled outward like sections of skin from a partially-peeled orange.

Steve shouted past the door.  “Donnelly!  Manos!  Are you in there!?”  His reply was total silence; there wasn’t even any of the normal sounds of machinery that one took for granted, and with the exception of the dim, bluish glow from the core containment sphere, the area Cortez could see was pitch black.  He shouted out his engineer’s names twice more, then spoke to Bigbee.  “Sergeant, this hatch is bent to hell anyway.  Get it out of the damned way so we can retrieve our crewmates.”

A subdued damage control team huddled around Cortez as their sergeant said, “Aye, Sir.  We’ll get them out.”

A noise from the port side freight compartment drew their attention; it was Greg Adams, accompanied by Edi.  “Steve… glad we found you.  We came through the transfer tube out of the computer compartment, since Engineering is so damned screwed up.  Have you heard anything from Manos or Donnelly?”

“Only response to my hails was silence, Greg.”  Looking at Edi, he offered an opinion.  “You’ve arrived just in time, Edi.  That access hatch is really twisted and bent.  I need you peel that door segment…” he pointed to one of the five panels that was twisted and bent towards them, “… out of the way… see if it’ll be enough to allow one of us to get into engineering.”

Edi nodded her understanding; she had just moved to stand in front of the twisted hatch when she stopped and raised a hand for quiet; head cocked slightly towards the opening, she said, “I can hear sounds of… metal… being torn and ripped.  I fear there’s about to be a structural failure where the hull was breached, Mr Adams.  We must make haste.”

-------------------------------

While it was true that Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau was no longer sealed inside the Normandy’s cockpit, he had been content to remain seated in his pilot’s chair after Edi left to accompany Commander Adams to meet up with the damage control teams – led by Commander Cortez – in working their way into the main engineering compartment on Deck Four.  Having heard nothing over any of the emergency channels since the Quarian missile had exploded in Normandy’s equipment laden sub-level astern the elevator, he was getting ready to cut power to the receivers when a crackle of static caught his full attention.  Opening a reply channel, he sent a recorded response, on the off chance someone had actually found them; this was rewarded with a mechanical voice.

“Normandy.  Normandy.  This is SILC heavy cruiser Xi-rho-tau.  We have been dispatched to provide damage mitigation assistance.”

An increasingly queasy stomach – caused by viewing the erratic motion of the stars outside his viewports – had forced him to close the blast shutters.  As a result, Joker had not seen the approaching rescue ship, so hearing the mechanical voice nearly had him jumping out of his chair.   “Xi-rho-tau.  You guys sure know when to make an entrance!  We came really close to being nothing but space dust… the core is in emergency shut-down, so engines and helm control are offline.  We have damage control teams attempting repairs, but are having trouble accessing the space from within, due to severe structural damage.  We could seriously use your help!”

“Understood.  Normandy’s erratic movements make docking impossible, so we will send platforms to aid in reestablishing directional control.  Minimal stabilization repairs will then be performed so Xi-rho-tau may safely escort Normandy to a repair facility.”

I just want control of my fucking ship back!  Could really give a damn about any repair facility right now!  Maintaining his self-control, Joker replied, “Thanks, Xi-rho-tau.  Just make us stop this god-awful spinning!”

-------------------------------

After Liara had contacted Legion, the Consensus quickly agreed that reassigning a ship which was being held in reserve because it might be needed in the fight with the creators to, instead, provide immediate and necessary aid to the Normandy was the correct decision – organic lives were at stake.  SILC repair platform Technikus – ‘Nik’ to the many Turians he had assisted on Palaven after the Reaper War – had been assigned the task.  The SILC cruiser had arrived to find Normandy adrift with engines and outer hull as cold as the airless void through which it tumbled, out of control.  After repeated attempts were made to speak with the ship’s crew, they had finally made contact and a plan to board the ship and make repairs sufficient to regain directional control had been implemented.

As soon as the SILC pilots had guided their ship into a matching rotation with the Spectre vessel, a six-platform repair team led by Nik utilized jetpacks to fly across the 225 meters separating the ships.  Rather than enter through the port side airlock or the hanger bay, Nik opted for the more direct approach; he simply flew up to the hole in the ship’s ventral surface.  Spreading his limbs wide, he slowed his velocity to a near halt as he gently touched down on the outer hull just forward of the ragged breach.  Once all of his accompanying platforms were mag-locked to the hull, Technikus called the cruiser.  “Assigned rescue and repair platforms have all arrived at the Normandy.  This platform will enter to access damage.”

Nik pushed through the sparkling kinetic barrier to find himself inside a devastated machinery compartment. Being connected with the Consensus, he energized several high-intensity lights on his chassis and slowly turned a full circle in order to share his view of the damaged area.

Upon receiving authorization from the Consensus, he had two of his companions enter through the hull breach; directing them to assist, the three platforms utilized their mechanical strength to remove torn and broken piping, tanks, electrical conduits and fiber-optic cabling.  All of the recovered debris was then passed through the hull breach to their waiting companions outside, who surrounded the entire mass with an energized kinetic bubble and anchored it to the ship’s hull.  Once they had made a bit of progress forward, Nik directed the remaining three platforms to enter and begin working their way aft.  It was tedious work – they had to utilize a great deal of caution in order to keep from causing any more damage than had already occurred.

-------------------------------

Neema , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189

As the battle dragged into its second day, Spectre Williams had to deal with the unpleasant reality that the strength of her squad was down to only four of six Humans and four of eight Krogan… and they were tired.  She knew they would need help before the final assault on Gerrel’s command center, so decided to contact Aralakh C-Squad.  “Hey Rogue?  You guys staying busy down there?”

“Not really.  They’ve given up on trying to attack us… must have decided it was simpler to vent atmosphere and blow us out into space.”  Rogant Grack growled angrily, “That has happened several times, enough so we’ve had to use up a lot of our reserve air.  We won’t be doing any emergency evacs… we’re here ‘til we either win or die trying.”

“Then I have a solution for you.”  Ashley blew out a heavy breath.  “We came up the port side but ended up having to move to the mid-ship passageway for better maneuverability and less chance of getting blown into space by an intentional hull breach.  Because of that, we’re meeting a hell of a lot more resistance.  We could really use some fresh warriors, so I’m transmitting our current coordinates.  Wanna get out of that hanger and come join the fight?”

Rogue laughed aloud and punched his weapon-free fist into the closest bulkhead.  “Now you’re speaking my language, Spectre.  I know protecting our exit is important… but only if we lose, which I don’t plan on doing, so… we’ll be there as soon as we can!”  After relaying the news to his team, Charlie squad jogged nearly the entire way, quite literally running over… and through… a couple of Quarian patrols who had the bad luck of finding themselves in the Krogan’s chosen route to the rendezvous point.

With the arrival of the reinforcements, a hopeful smile found its way onto Spectre Williams’ face.  “Good to have you join us…  Time to get this show back on the road!”

-------------------------------

Having been monitoring the chatter, Bau had been continuously discussing multiple options with Tali, who had an intimate knowledge of how Quarian ship systems worked.  After a somewhat lengthy conversation and an unknown, large number of unsuccessful exploratory hacks, Tali finally beamed with success.  “I got in!”

“Job well done, Tali!”  Bau grinned ear-to-ear.  “I imagine Spectre Williams will be thrilled with this!”  Tapping a few icons on the haptic interface on his omnitool, he placed the call.

“What have you got, Jon?  Something wrong?”  Ashley sounded winded, jogging along in the middle of her mostly-Krogan pack.

“Definitely not, Spectre Williams.”  Ash could hear the excitement in Bau’s voice as he continued, “Quite the opposite, matter of fact!  Tali found a ‘back door’ to interior ship controls… an electronic path which will enable us to open and close doors, disable or activate lifts… all sorts of useful things to aid your progress through the ship, while interfering with that of those attempting to slow or stop you.”

“Whoa!”  Ashley nearly stopped in her surprise and was almost run over by Strax Jrugas in the process.  “Hold on everyone… take a quick break.”  When everyone was crouched around her, she resumed speaking with Bau. “That sounds promising.  Talk to me.”

Ashley’s expression turned from skeptical to pure joy as Bau explained how Tali would be able to shut down all the hatchways and elevators... opening only those needed as Ashley’s team progressed through the ship. 

“She can also seal rooms and selectively limit oxygen to certain areas...”  Bau paused for a second, then shrugged and continued, “Either cut off the supply of air completely and kill them, or divert just enough halothane from the surgery center to mix it in and ensure everyone takes a nap… or, at the very least, can’t put up a fight while you pass through the area.”

“That could save a lot of relatively innocent Quarian lives.”  Williams questioned, “And what’s halothane?  I’m assuming some type of sleeping gas?”

“Precisely… one that is extremely effective on Quarians.”

“Well, shit.”  Ashley suddenly sounded exasperated and a bit angry.  “Why didn’t we do this at the start of this op?  Before we lost six of our teammates?”

“Apologies, Williams.”  Bau said the words, but sounded not the least bit contrite as he continued, “But, we did not know the option existed until we got here and, even then, were unsure it could even be done… at least, without detection… so they didn’t simply wrest the controls back from us.  We did not want to give you false hope, and it has taken us this long to determine the necessary steps to accomplish this feat.”

Somewhat appeased, Ashley answered, “I suppose better late than never.  Do it… and then talk us through the correct path so we don’t miss any gates and walk into the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Tali cut in, “Ashley.  You’ll have to be careful when you finally do arrive at the Bridge.  It has its own self-contained systems, so it’s impossible to mix any halothane into the air supply.  I also very much doubt I can hack into the controls to shut down that air supply without someone noticing and locking me out… unless, maybe, I join you and try an on-site, hardwire patch into the system.”

“Absolutely not, Tali.  Shepard would kill me if anything happened to you, and we can’t afford the time or the risk to come and get you.”  Ashley willingly accepted the bad with the good and continued, “Don’t worry about it.  Just get us there and we’ll take care of the rest!”

-------------------------------

Moreh , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189

“Shepard.”  Spectre T’Dura’s voice came over the comm.  “Engineer Telas has completed his task and all weapons and defenses, external and internal, are temporarily down.  I do not know how long we will be able to hold this position, so I suggest you do not hesitate in the completion of our mission.”

“We’re already in position, Moises, just waiting on your go, with nothing but a few Marines between us and the Bridge…  No matter how this turns out, you have my thanks for your help.” 

T’Dura’s response was short and sweet.  “Save it for the victory party, Shepard.”

“Roger that!”  Shepard gave an ‘at the ready’ gesture to her team and they all prepared for the charge as their team leader terminated the call.  Turning her head to scan her squad, Shepard grinned.  “Alright.  It’s now or never… stun grenades first, then move fast, people.”  She pulled a grenade off her own belt and pulled the release, keeping the activator switch compressed.  “Toss on two.”

With the grenades in the air, Shepard pulled on her biotics and growled, “Try to keep up, kids!”  Entering into her trademark ‘crash and blast,’ Shepard bolted forward in a flash of blue.  Jatok, Bek and Grunt immediately formed a charge line, with Harley Creath and Sella Temi providing supporting cover fire and biotic assists.  The five Marines at the end of the passage never truly stood a chance but bravely fought to the last man.

“Such a waste of life,” grumped Shepard, before turning to her squad.  “Don’t get sloppy… quick energy drink, and rev all shields, barriers and jammers to full…”  She made eye contact with each one.  “… and be sure to keep them that way until this is over.  I don’t trust Xen in the slightest; there’s no telling what she’ll have prepared for a close-combat situation… including that damned signal they used against the Turian outposts.  Okay?”  She paused, then grinned.  “Let’s do this.”

When the hatch opened, the remaining six went through, spread quickly into a tight-formation arc and went down on one knee; their barriers and shields provided overlapping coverage.  The armored heavy fighters laid down a barrage of weapons fire as Shepard and Sella Temi rained a biotic-combo attack against the bridge crew.

Finally, after watching and waiting as every single one of her guards and Bridge crew gave their lives in an attempt to protect her, Xen screamed in frustration from her hiding place behind one of the Bridge control panels.  “I surrender, Spectre!  There is no need for this!  You’ve won.  Isn’t that enough?”

With no one left to shoot back at them, Shepard signaled a cease-fire; speaking into the amazingly abrupt silence, she asked, “Enough?  I gave you one pass already… and this is where we ended up.  Do you honestly expect me to give you another?”

“Yes, actually; I do.  Because no matter what has ever happened to you, you have always been an honorable leader.”  Confident in her words, Xen slowly stood from her place of concealment so they could see her.  “I have faith you would never kill an unarmed enemy who has surrendered… no matter how much you may hate them.  As evidence, your altercations with Ka’hairal Balak come to mind.  I know you will simply turn me over to the Council… which will then likely hand me off to my own people, for Quarian justice.”  As she stopped speaking, she raised two closed fists out before her.  “Come.  Arrest me, Shepard… turn me over to the Council, as I know you will.”

A growl sounded off Shepard’s right shoulder and she turned to look at its source.  Grunt stared at the Admiral, a vicious gleam in his eyes.  “I want to say don’t do it, Shepard.  Just kill her and be done… but I know she’s right.  You are… honorable.  Sometimes, to your own detriment, I think.”

Shepard actually chuckled, knowing their fight was done.  “Maybe so, Grunt, but I don’t know any other way to live my life.”  She approached Xen, pulling a pair of biotic-suppression cuffs out of her supply pack as she walked, simply because that was what she always carried. 

As the Spectre stepped close enough to slap the cuffs onto the Quarian’s wrists and grab hold of the connecting cable, Xen smiled.  “Thank you, Shepard.  I do hope you understand I plan to never spend even a single moment in any type of prison; Council, Quarian, or otherwise.” 

Xen’s thumb slid down and Shepard immediately recognized the end of a small, concealed detonator, popping out from the Admiral’s closed fist, the thumb no longer keeping it compressed.  Before she could move or even shout a warning, Shepard was blown back by an immensely powerful explosion – Daro’Xen having fitted herself with an explosive vest, easily hidden beneath her ever-present enviro-suit.

Reminiscent of the Reaper attack on the Defense Committee on Earth, Shepard flew backwards, smashing into the wall along with her team, as they were all tossed like ragdolls against the aft bulkhead near the Flight Deck entrance.  Fortunately, everyone still had their shields powered up and barriers activated at full strength; their lack of trust in Xen was the only thing that kept any of them from suffering serious injuries… or dying.

Even so, each of them was injured to some degree, with Shepard – having taken the brunt of the blast head-on – injured worse than any of the others on her team.  After a quick scan, Jatok first called for assistance and then, while they waited for T’Dura to arrive, relayed the information on Xen’s unexpectedly sudden demise to both the Destiny Ascension and the Knight Shade. 

-------------------------------

Neema , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189

With the addition of Tali’s and Bau’s assistance, the Normandy team’s forward progress was amazingly fast and the group of sixteen soon found themselves outside the hatch of the Neema’s Battle Command Bridge.  “Tali.  What should we expect in here?”

“I haven’t seen any anomalies so far, so I would expect it to be no different than the original briefing, Ashley.”  Tali paused before issuing the reminder.  “There will be six security Marines, six systems controllers, the ship’s captain, Zaan’Shar, and his executive officer, Kael’Shiro… along with Admiral Gerrel and his personal guard, Ken’Fennas, for a total of sixteen.”

Ashley smiled and recalled the rest of Tali’s original briefing before they had left the Normandy.  “All of whom are trained Marines with at least ten years of actual combat experience… not including any messengers who may happen to be there.  Got it, Tali… and thank you.”

“Just be careful, Commander,” Tali responded quietly.  “That’s all the thanks I desire.”

“Roger that.”  Ashley turned to her oversized squad, large in more ways than one, and grinned.  “Alright… we’re on the doorstep of our goal and I refuse to let pride get in my way, here.”  She focused on the Aralakh Bravo and Charlie Squad leads.  “You guys are the battle tanks… the expert assault teams so, unless you object, I’m more than happy to let you lead the charge through the hatchway, with only one exception – Admiral Han’Gerrel.  He’s mine.  Buzz?  Grack?”

Both responses came back at once.  “My pleasure, Ash!”  “Thought you’d never ask, Williams!”

“Alright then.”  Shaking her head with a quiet chuckle, the Spectre queued her comm and continued, “We’re standing by… whenever you’re ready and able, Tali.”

“Understood, Spectre.  Door should be opening in 3… 2… 1…”  The hatch split open at the center, the two halves vanishing quickly into their respective side pockets.  Immediately, both Buzz and Grack stormed in and spread out in opposite directions from the doorway, followed quickly by the rest of their squads.

It took only a moment or two for the security Marines inside to realize they were in a fight for their lives.  While the rest of the Quarians were hastily taking cover behind consoles and attempting to fire at their enormous opponents, the Marines first crouched then went prone wherever they had happened to be standing.  The Krogan – happy they did not have to take any prisoners here – laid down a withering fire, killing all six of the Quarian Marines before they had the slightest chance to make any difference in the final outcome.

Ship’s captain Zaan’Shar, perhaps hoping to prevent a slaughter, threw up his hands from behind a navigation console.  “Cease fire! … Cease fire!  We surrender!  We…”

His words were chopped off mid-sentence by a pistol-shot; his arms fell, followed by his suddenly lifeless body collapsing to the deck, to lie motionless in a slowly spreading pool of his own blood.

“You miserably weak Bosh’tet, I will not allow you to steal my victory!”

Ashley recognized the voice as belonging to the Quarian she loathed more than anyone else in the galaxy.  “Han’Gerrel vas Neema!  Surrender… now, or you will die here, along with these other misguided souls!”

Han’Gerrel hid his surprise at hearing a Human female’s voice, realizing immediately he was most likely facing the captain of the Normandy.  “Ah, Captain Ashley Williams.  Where will you go once you are done here today?” he asked, his tone mocking.  “Your ship has been hit by a pair of Xen’s cleverly engineered missiles; Normandy is dead, careening off into the void as we fight here.”

Son of a bitch!  The fucking bastard already caused Westie’s death…  How many more on my ship are dead!?  Shoving those thoughts aside, she motioned to Rogant Grack, indicating he was to begin circling to his right as Strax Jrugas was to move left.  Once the pair were in position, she held up a flashbang grenade.  Using her fingers, she silently counted down three… two… one, then tossed the grenade as hard as she could.  As soon as hers and the several others exploded nearly simultaneously among and behind the entrenched Quarians, she was up and moving, using her N7 Piranha to cut down each of the Quarians that staggered to their feet, including Kael’Shiro, the ship’s XO, and Ken’Fennas, the admiral’s personal guard.

Han’Gerrel stood from behind a purpose-built blockade, elbows bent at nearly ninety degrees, hands open and palms facing toward Ashley.  “I surrender, Spectre Williams!”  At the look he received from Ashley, he rapidly continued.  “I am unarmed, Spectre.  Rules of war dictate you must take me into custody…  I believe Council justice will be much more civilized than you and your barbarians will ever think of being.”

Suspecting a trap, Ashley kept her distance from the treacherous bastard as she ejected the nearly spent clip from her Piranha and jacked a fresh one into its place.  “Han’Gerrel, you are a grand-standing liar.  I don’t trust you to speak the truth, ever.”  With a look and a slight shake of her head, she stopped Grack and Jrugas from moving towards him.

“Your personal feelings don’t really matter, do they?”  He sneered at her and continued, “Unless, of course, you opt to simply murder me, claiming ‘Spectre Authority’.”  The disgust on the pasty face behind the clear mask was plain to see as he droned on.  “Legalized murder… assassins for hire. That’s all the Spectre Corps really is… all those ‘best-of-the-best’ lies.  You… all of you… are just a bunch of hypocritical cutthroats, the entire lot of you!  You kill for convenience because you lack sufficient intelligence to come up with a more civil solution.

“Enough, Gerrel!” Ashley snapped angrily.  “You’re a fine one to be calling me names, when the only reason we’re staring at each other with our guns ready is because you and Xen want to enslave an entire race of beings!”

Gerrel lost his cool, shouting back, “They are machines, Spectre!  Soulless machines, that we created to use as tools!  They are not our fucking children! They are property!  Property of the Quarian people!  They have always been our property!”

“You are really pathetic.”  Ashley actually laughed.  “You’ll say anything in your sad attempt to save your own life… but this is one crime you won’t be walking away from, Admiral.  We barbarians have a saying…  ‘You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.’  No matter what you do, that’s coming back to rest squarely on your shoulders, you fucking Pyjak!”

Moving almost faster than the eye could follow, Gerrel leaped across the intervening space to grapple with this insufferable human female.  Ashley had seen many Quarians, Tali included, with a handle protruding from one or the other of their boots.  She had always assumed it was some little straight-blade… a ceremonial knife, at best… certainly not a serious weapon that could be used for assaulting someone.  Han’Gerrel was attempting to prove her assumption incorrect, thrusting the dagger at her side in an attempt to stab her.

Ashley was suddenly extremely thankful for Shepard’s recommendation that she acquire a new armor liner to go with her new job as a Spectre – a state-of-the-art, blade resistant, combat mesh.  Feeling Gerrel’s blade press unsuccessfully against the mesh between her front and back plates, she ground out, “You miserable bastard!” 

She caught a flash of motion out of the corner of her eye; Grack was starting to move to intervene, but Ashley had already worked her left arm and hand up to the point she could grab the Quarian by his throat.  Squeezing with all her strength, she managed to push him away just enough to bring her N7 Piranha into the gap between them.

Pulling the trigger, Ashley ground out through gritted teeth, “This is for Alliance Corporal Bethany Westmoreland!”  She was surprised when the shotgun fired twice in quick succession before she could release the trigger. “Rot in Hell for your crimes!” 

Gerrel staggered away from her, the look on his face morphing from insane anger to shocked realization.  Nerveless fingers dropped the dagger as he looked down at the massive holes in the front of his enviro-suit.  He looked back up at Ashley as his legs failed, and he slowly collapsed where he stood. 

“Oh, fuck.”  Ashley stared at the corpse on the floor before her.  Han’Gerrel vas Neema was now lying dead on the deck, along with the rest of his co-conspirators.  “Probably shouldn’t have done that.”

“Hell with that, Spectre.”  Grack stood at her side and chuckled.  “I always thought Quarians were tougher than Humans.  I might have to rethink that.”

Chapter Text

Normandy SR2 , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189

SILC repair platform Technikus had led his team of rescue and repair platforms deep into the machinery spaces of the Spectre vessel Normandy, with the main goal being to restore directional maneuverability to the stricken vessel.  During their initial damage survey, they discovered that only two of the several chill-tanks had survived unscathed and remained full of fuel – but the piping connecting them to the reaction control systems (RCS) had been severely damaged.  Only the emergency fuel shutoff valves had kept the essential fuel from being unintentionally discharged into the void of space.

They had worked quickly, salvaging the good sections from all the damaged piping to assemble a single new pipeline to reconnect the RCS with the necessary fuel.  Once the temporary repairs were complete, Nik analyzed the piping running from the chill-tanks to the RCS central distribution node one last time before pressurizing the system.  Satisfied, he called the ship’s pilot over the emergency comms channel.  “Jeff Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.   This is SILC platform Technikus.  You may refer to me as ‘Nik’.  SILC repair platforms have installed a temporary fuel pipeline for Normandy’s reaction control system.”  Nik paused for a moment, then continued.  “My attitude sensor detects Normandy is still on an uncontrolled trajectory.  Please restart the ship’s flight computer at this time.  This should initialize the automatic attitude control programs to stabilize the ship’s trajectory.”

It took several moments for Joker to respond.  “You’ve got it… Nik.”  Joker called up a pair of haptic interfaces and restarted the ship’s flight computer; after directing it to halt the ship’s tumbling roll, he said, “Nik, flight computer has begun stabilizing the ship.  Have you met up with our damage control teams since you boarded?”

“Negative, Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  We have not met any ship’s crew.”  The pause was not long enough for Joker to ask the question that burned in his mind as Technikus continued, “As soon as the gyrations have been controlled, SILC cruiser Xi-rho-tau will approach and dock with Normandy to make final repair arrangements.”

“How long do you think it will take to make repairs to our main drive core?”

“That is beyond our capabilities here in the void.  Normandy requires the services of what Humans refer to as a space dock… a shipyard.  SILC cruiser Xi-rho-tau will escort Normandy to such a facility.”  Nik paused for a moment, then said, “We are currently securing loose debris to prevent further inadvertent damage.”

Joker didn’t have snappy comebacks for any of Nik’s comments; he knew they were in some seriously deep shit.  Since intership comms were still down, he had not heard from Cortez or the teams since Adams had overridden the main computer core to allow access to the flight deck. 

Have you?…”  Damn.  Do I really want to know?  “Nik…  You said you haven’t met any crew… but have you found any bodies?  Our engineers, Donnelly and Manos, would have been working in the engineering control section above the subdeck where that missile struck.”

“Negative, Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  We have not come into contact with any organics…”   Technikus paused briefly as the Consensus considered the new information.  “… but we understand their importance to you.  As the Normandy’s trajectory is being stabilized, we will direct our efforts towards accessing the eezo core and control section, in an attempt to locate your missing crew.”

“Thank you, Nik.”  As the comms fell silent, Joker suddenly realized he had never felt so alone in his entire life.  He had grown up isolated, compliments of Vrolik Syndrome, but since he had joined the crew of the Normandy, he had become quite accustomed to Edi’s constant presence.  Accustomed, hell.  You love and miss her, you idiot.  Edi had left to accompany Greg Adams in his efforts to get past the damaged sections and Joker hadn’t heard from her since.  Bet they had to crawl through the access tubes, came the unexpected thought, making him grin.

Almost immediately, he remembered Edi’s joke during the Collector Campaign, when he had to crawl through those tubes himself.  She was yanking my chain, saying she enjoyed seeing Humans on their knees.  I wonder if I should remind her…  The thought trailed off as he also remembered what she had done when he had performed a cold restart of the computer at the end of the war.  I’m still not totally convinced she was joking about her superiority!

-------------------------------

Moreh , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189

Hearing Hailot Jatok’s call for aid, Moises looked to Daeto.  “Telas.  Give me a ship-wide broadcast channel.  Now!”

After making a few keystrokes, he nodded to the Spectre as her omnitool chimed.  “Attention, all Moreh personnel.  This is Spectre T’Dura, representing the Galactic Council.  Admiral Daro’Xen is dead.  Your primary Bridge is destroyed and Turian Blackwatch currently holds the Secondary Command Center.  Those of you who remain loyal to the Council but were forced into servitude will be pardoned if you stand down immediately, return to your quarters and lock your doors.  Your fight is over.  Just to be clear, any continuing the fight will be summarily executed without hesitation; we will not be taking any prisoners.  This is nonnegotiable and the countdown begins now.”

Terminating the broadcast, she looked at her squad and directed, “Kaddi…  You’re with me and we’re going to the main Bridge on Deck 1, right now.  Captain Tanni.  You are in charge of this position to ensure my orders are followed.  Lock down any or all doorways, hatches and emergency bulkheads as required to prevent hostile Quarian movement.  Understood?”

Livos looked at her and answered with a quick nod.  “Go.  Help Shepard and her squad… No more die today, Spectre.  Not one.”

-------------------------------

Shepard groaned, feeling like a heavy weight was sitting on her chest.  Her eyes opened slowly, and she recognized the rather large hand of Grunt… pinning her in place.  She attempted to glance around, wanting to check on the rest of the team, but a firm hand was gripping her chin, keeping her from moving her head.

“Hold still.”  T’Dura was also sitting next to her, using a small stitching wand from an emergency medical kit to close a huge gash across her left eyebrow.  “That was stupid, Shepard.  You should have executed her and been done with it.  Your sense of honor was used against you and almost got your whole team killed.  You’re young and you’ll learn…  As a Spectre, sometimes you have to do such things to keep others safe.”

“Humans have an old saying… hindsight is 20/20.”

“Which is as antiquated as your kindness to an enemy; with the weapons now available, you can no longer take those risks.”  T’Dura sat back on her haunches and added, “That’s all I can do for you, here.  We need to get you to your Doctor Yandle, as you have a severe head trauma that he must attend to.  Honestly, I am rather surprised you are awake so soon.”

“That’s because my Battlemaster is Urdnot… and tough, as any Krogan should be.”  Grunt flashed her a huge, toothy grin.  “Heh, heh, heh…  No Quarian will ever kill her that easily!”

“Easily?”  T’Dura looked at the young Krogan in disbelief.  “That blast completely destroyed the Bridge… and picked up every one of you and threw you across the room like you were nothing more than children’s toys!”  She shook her head and turned to the Drell who had accompanied her.  “Kaddi…  Can you please call for an evac shuttle from the Knight Shade?”

Looking back to Shepard, Moises smiled.  “Don’t get me wrong.  You did good, Spectre, but you’re done for the day.  I’ll send a report to the Council… then, Captain Vidinos and I will handle the clean-up operation here.  Hopefully, with both Xen and Gerrel dead, the rest will stand down and we can hand the whole mess over to the surviving Quarian Admirals and the Council Fleet.”

“Thanks, Mo.”  Shepard sighed softly and closed her eyelids against the overly bright Bridge lighting, which was hurting her eyes.  “I am a bit the worse for wear at the moment, so I’m quite content to return to my own ship.  Will you see the rest of my crew safely back to the Knight Shade when you’re done here?”

“Absolutely, Spectre Shepard.”  Moises smiled and very gently squeezed her shoulder.  “I’ll escort them home personally… and see you back to Thessia before we part ways.”

-------------------------------

Liara and Derek met the shuttle as soon as it touched down within the Knight Shade’s hangar bay.  Liara sighed in happy relief as the door opened to reveal an upright, walking and talking Samantha Shepard.  She had felt it through the link, but her siame tended to hide things from her that she knew would upset her, so she always felt better when she could see for herself.

Stepping out carefully, Shepard accepted Liara’s assistance to help steady her.  Squeezing Liara’s arm in a gentle, silent hello, she looked at Derek and said, “Just a sound rap on the old noggin, Doc.  I’ve got a concussion… pretty bad one, based on the scans.”  She felt Liara’s loving warmth spread through the link as she added, “So, I’m happy to submit myself to your care and let Spectre T’Dura finish clean-up on the Moreh.  She’s quite capable, and I’m sure the Council isn’t going to sit idle for long, not with military ops drawing to a close.  I’ll need to be ready to go when the call comes in, asking me to report to the Destiny Ascension.”

-------------------------------

Destiny Ascension , Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 4 Jan 2189

Matriarch Lidanya stood on the Bridge and glanced at her communications officer, Sheya Selasia.  “Do you have the necessary frequencies plugged in for the full fleet broadcast?”

“Yes, Matriarch.”  The technician offered up a grin.  “Both the Citadel Fleet and the entirety of the Quarian Heavy Fleet will hear the wonderful news we have for them.”

Her eyes shifted to the Defensive Systems Coordinator.  “Keep our barriers and shields at full power, Ryana.  What we are about to say may not sit well with the Gerrel loyalists, so we’ll need to be prepared for however they may respond.”  She huffed out a little laugh.  “That’s why I prebriefed all our Captains first… so they don’t do anything stupid.”

“Ready when you are, Matriarch.”

Lidanya gave a nod.  “Waiting on the green, Shey.”  As the broadcasting light shifted to a pale green, the Matriarch began.  “Attention, all Quarian vessels.  This is Matriarch Lidanya, Captain of the Destiny Ascension and Commander of the Council Fleet.  You are ordered to immediately cease all hostile actions and stand down.  We have taken control of both the Neema and the Moreh.  Admirals Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen are dead.  You all know Spectre Shepard talked Admiral Gerrel down from disaster during the War for Rannoch…  Now, the SILC Fleet once more stands in a position to destroy you, this time with the blessing, and assistance, of the Galactic Council and its Fleet.  All those who immediately stand down will be pardoned in full; those who do not, will be destroyed… in full.  There will be no negotiating because there is no middle ground.  Stand down and be pardoned… or continue this ill-fated quest and die.  Either choice is your right as free citizens, but please… I urge you all to make the correct decision and stand down.  The Migrant Fleet and Rannoch need you…  We need you.  Lidanya, out.”

The Matriarch stood on the Bridge, shoulders squared, and hands clasped tightly behind her back as she stared out the forward viewscreen.  She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and a thankful smile slowly spread across her face as weapons fire trailed off to nothing and barriers and shields began to wink out across the entire field of combatants within her view; even the remaining three Andromeda Initiative vessels, the Nalotir, Sondaj, and Nyocha, disabled their stealth drives and appeared before them.  She bowed her head and whispered softly, “Thank the Goddess.  Peace has hope once more.”

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2 , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189

Edi – by dint of bracing her foot against the bulging access door – had been able to peel one of the five panels far enough out of the way to enable Greg Adams to shine a hand-held light further around the control compartment.  He had shouted Donnelly’s and Mano’s names a number of times as the team continued their attempts to get through the hatch; utilizing a hydraulic spreader was beginning to slowly achieve results when Edi once again demanded quiet.

After listening intently for several seconds, she faced Greg Adams and Steve Cortez.  “I know we have been boarded by SILC repair units, Sirs, and I just heard a partial conversation from a unit named Technikus.”  She paused for several more seconds, then continued, “It would appear they were able to complete a temporary repair to the fuel piping; the flight control sub-functions have been re-initialized, allowing the RCS to regain control of Normandy’s directional stability.”

Greg was encouraged by her report, asking, “What about other functions, Edi?  It would be nice to have artificial gravity again.”

“I believe the SILC platforms are only here to stabilize the ship so it can be rigged for towing.  More extensive repairs may have to wait.”  A loud clanging sound, followed by the clatter of several heavy grates, interrupted her.  “They are very close.”

-------------------------------

Nik, with the help of two of the accompanying repair platforms, used the augmented strength of all their mechanical platforms to shove upwards against a buckled deck grate, jammed in place by the displacement of the adjacent panels.  As the trio were unable to hold onto the grate from underneath, the instant it was free from the adjacent panels, the nearly weightless panel flew upwards, only to be halted with a loud, ringing sound as it hit the overhead panels in the eezo core chamber.  Rebounding away, it spun as it descended back to the deck, dislodging several of the nearby grates with a clatter of metal-on-metal.

Nik climbed into the darkened compartment and moved forward, towards the damaged bulkheads of the control compartment.  He was at the end of the passage when he abruptly stopped.  A Human body was lying against the bulkhead, eyes open and staring into the dark.  His head was resting at an odd angle; Nik accessed Consensus knowledge of Human anatomy and quickly concluded this man had suffered a broken neck.  Directing one of the two units that had accompanied him, the pair gently picked up the man’s body and moved him out of the path they would no doubt be using for the next several hours.

Moving in order to cast his lights about the darkened compartment, he spotted another body lying in a crumpled heap adjacent to the port side access hatch.  Directing the other two units, he had them relocate the man’s body adjacent to that of the first man.  He would leave it to the Human crew members to identify them.  He then moved to the starboard side access hatch, beyond which he could detect voices and see moving shadows cast by work lights.

Keying his transmitter, he said, “Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  I am standing within the engineering controls compartment.”  Before Jeff could ask, Nik continued, “We have found two crewmen… unfortunately, both are deceased.”  As he waited for an answer, he tasked the other platforms with getting the damaged door sections removed so the Humans could enter.

“Well, that’s just fucking great, Nik!”  Joker answered angrily, upset by what he considered to be a heartless delivery of the sad news.  They’re not Edi, asshole.  They don’t have the emotion algorithms she does.  He took a calming breath before continuing, “Sorry about that… just not the news I was hoping to get.  How in Hell am I supposed to relay that info to the damage control teams who have been working their asses off all night to get to those guys?”

“I will inform them for you, Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  They are working directly outside the damaged starboard access hatch.”

“Thanks, Nik.”  Joker leaned back in his chair.  Gabby’s five or six months pregnant!… how in fucking Hell is she supposed to deal with this?  Got through the entire war in one piece, only to kicked in the gut by the damned Quarians!  Our fucking allies!  Shit!

-------------------------------

Edi and Greg were surprised when the door segments began to be peeled back away from their position outside; even with Edi’s head’s up regarding the SILC approach, Greg actually jumped at the sight of Technikus’ work lamps and the sound of his voice.  After speaking with the repair unit, Greg was inundated with a nearly overwhelming sense of guilt.

Edi could see the change in his attitude but decided to not comment.  She knew he would have been in engineering with his crewmen, so most likely would have died alongside them.  She returned her attention to the destroyed hatch as the last major segment was pulled free.  She stood aside as Adams and Cortez brushed by Nik to inspect the damages and see to their crewmates.

Edi addressed Nik, saying, “Thank you for assisting us today.  Have you categorized the damages to the ship?  Will we be able to proceed to a repair facility under our own power?”

The SILC platform inspected Edi for several moments before responding.  “Enhanced Defense Intelligence unit combined with a Cerberus created synthetic infiltration unit.  Known by organics as Edi.  To answer your inquiries, yes… and no.  We have ascertained the damages to the engineering section.  The cumulative effects of the explosion are too severe for a temporary repair to be of any use.  This vessel will need to be escorted to a nearby repair facility at a velocity substantially less than FTL.” 

-------------------------------

Destiny Ascension , Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 5 Jan 2189

“Spectre Shepard.”  Tevos’ worried smile gave way to a genuine grin as the woman – looking quite refreshed – walked into the Council conference room under her own power.  “It is very good to see you recovering so quickly.  We were… concerned when we heard what transpired.”

Shepard had to work at concealing her smirk, knowing there was no ‘we’ about it.  Tevos had personally been anxious about her well-being and had contacted Liara on her private channel multiple times over the previous day to check on Samantha’s progress.  “Thank you, Councilor, but I assure you I’ll be fine.  A bit tired, yet, but healing nicely.”  She suddenly grinned and added, “But, then again, perhaps I should complain about how bad I feel.  It might get me an extra week or two off.”

“Ah, very good.  Sense of humor indicates you have recovered well, Shepard.”  Valern actually sounded pleased.  “We have much to tell you, and there is much work yet to be done, so your health is definitely a priority, in order for you to continue monitoring this situation.”

“Situation?  I thought we were almost done here, and the politicos would be taking over.”  Shepard cocked an eyebrow and queried, “What situation, exactly, will I be monitoring?”

Eri’Addan stood and dipped his head toward the Spectre.  “The required… military action… has caused significant changes in leadership, Spectre Shepard.  To lose two Admirals at the same time is not something we’ve experienced in modern history.  Not since the Morning War, which none of us here now were alive to witness.”

“And how does that affect me?”  Shepard felt a little twinge of suspicion tickling the back of her mind… and it was most definitely her sixth sense, not Liara.  “You certainly can’t expect me to serve as one of your Admirals until replacements…”

She trailed off as Eri began to chuckle.  “No, Shepard.  I have too much respect for you to expect you to play politics within the Quarian Flotilla.  Admiral Tali’Zorah, however…”

“What do you want with Tali?”  Shepard’s brow knit in consternation as she waited for an answer.  “She’s a key member of my crew.”

“Admiral Xen is dead.  Even if she were not, at the very least, she would be stripped of rank and declared outcast.”  Eri shrugged.  “Who better to take over Special Projects than Tali’Zorah vas Rannoch?  She most certainly has the qualifications… and she has more than proven her dedication and faithfulness to the Quarian people… not to mention she is currently an Admiral without a home in the Fleet.  This… deficiency… must be rectified, but we cannot do so as long as she remains a member of your crew, or a member of any Spectre crew.” 

“I thought she took temporary control of the Neema with Len’Dazza as her XO?”  Shepard shook her head.  “Perhaps my head injury was worse than I was told, because I’m a bit confused here.  How can she be assigned to the Moreh, if she’s on temporary duty aboard the Neema, while still holding a full-time assignment to the Knight Shade?”

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with your cognitive abilities, Shepard…”  Councilor Addan chuckled quietly.  “… because you just summarized our current dilemma, perfectly.”

Tevos now covered her own smirk before commenting, “I believe the Spectre is being purposely obtuse, Eri, because she knows exactly what you are asking of her…”  Tevos’ smirk vanished, to be replaced by a sad frown.  “… but the idea of losing yet another member of her crew, as well as the companionship of a very dear friend, displeases her greatly.”

Called out on her reluctance, Shepard cast Tevos a scathing glance before blowing out a heavy sigh.  “Well, shit.”  In resignation, she admitted, “So, you really are saying you want me to release Tali from her current position, so you can make her the head of Special Projects.  Admiral Tali’Zorah vas Moreh.”  She shook her head, continuing sadly with a shrug.  “I can’t say no.”  She then shifted her attention to cast a telling glance at Councilor Addan.  “But, neither will I force her from her position on the Knight Shade if she wants to stay on my crew.  I’ll need you and all of the current admirals to be there when we speak with her about this.”

“Agreed.”  Addan never hesitated in his response.  “I have great faith she’ll see the benefit to her people.  She may be reticent, but in the end, she will take the position.”

-------------------------------

Neema , Phoenix Massing, At Large – 5 Jan 2189

“Shepard!  It’s good to see you!”  Tali walked over quickly, barely allowing the Spectre time to get her bearings as she stepped off the shuttle before wrapping her in a tight hug.  Shepard, surprised as always by the strength in the slight Quarian’s arms, enthusiastically returned her intimate greeting.

“Good to see you too, Tali.”  Her commander smiled warmly and added, “I hear you were integral in Ashley’s plan of attack on the Command Bridge.”

“My participation was highly overrated…”  Tali waved a dismissive hand as she continued, “All I did was hack a few systems and move some air around.  Nothing I haven’t done a thousand times before.”  She let out a derisive snort and continued, “It’s not like I did any fighting.  Ashley wouldn’t let me, telling me how angry you would be if she allowed me to get hurt.  ‘Let me’?  Please!  I’m not some lost young pilgrim anymore!”

“No, you most definitely are not.”  Shepard drew a deep breath and sighed before continuing, “Which is exactly why I’m here.  A shuttle will soon be headed in this direction from the Ascension…  Is there someplace a group of, say, eight or ten could meet?”

“Well, yes,” Tali answered, before asking in a suspicious tone.  “What’s going on, Shepard?”

“Two admirals are dead, Tali…”  Shepard met her eyes and continued, “That inbound shuttle will be transporting the Quarian Councilor and what remains of the Admiralty.  They are headed this way to resolve those vacancies and get you off this ship.”

“There’s more to it than that,” Tali cocked her head to the side.  “Which you aren’t willing… or aren’t allowed… to talk about yet; not until they get here.”

“You’re on the right track with the latter, Tali.”  Shepard smiled at her Quarian sister and prodded, “Come on.  Show me where we can gather a large group and we’ll get it set up for the business at hand… picking the next Captain and XO for the Neema.”

-------------------------------

“By the Ancestors!”  Tali rolled her eyes in frustration over the seeming waste of the previous three hours.  “Len and I had already started this… and now we have already gone through all this!  Are you seriously going to insist we start from scratch… again?”

“Just stop it… all of you.”  Shepard, who was acting as moderator, had been trying to stay out of the actual discussion of names, but was finally fed up.  Her head throbbing, her gaze wandered the table as she continued, “This petty bickering is insane.  I seriously don’t see the need to go through every one of the names… again.  You made a list… then cut quite a few from that list and debated pros and cons of the remaining prospects for hours… and now you want to go back to the full list and start fresh… with a new set of criteria?  Tali and Len were the ones here when all this crap went down!  Their original recommendations are still on the table, so why can’t you simply trust their judgement?” 

“It’s not that simple, Shepard!  Whoever we pick will…” Zaal’Koris started to object, but Shepard’s icy glare caused him to immediately trail off into an uncomfortable silence.

“It is that simple, damn it!  The merits of each candidate are relatively equal… if there were stand-outs, either good or bad, you would have either picked or rejected them already and the decision would be made.”  The scathing looks each person received from the Spectre’s glacial-green eyes had them dipping their heads in either embarrassment or shame as she continued, “That tells me all the remaining prospects are acceptable, so, we’re going to bring someone in and interview them.  If they pass muster, give them the damned job!  Done!”  Her disgust showed in both her words and her tone.  “This isn’t the only task I have to accomplish before I can get on with my real job!  Your vacillation is unbecoming of the Admiralty!  For Gods’ sake, make a decision!”

“You are right, of course.”  Shala’Raan bowed her head and sighed.  “And we have yet more to discuss, even after the new command chain is decided for the Neema.”

Shepard fell silent, glancing around the table and glaring at its hesitant occupants until Zaal’Koris finally acquiesced, growling out, “Fine.  We’ll do it your way, Shepard… but so help me, if this forced decision results in things going sideways…”

“You’ll fire them and hire someone new.  Simple as that.”  Shepard shook her head in disgust.  “By the Gods!  How in the galaxy has the Migrant Fleet survived all these years?”

In a chastising tone, Tali simply said her captain’s name, “Shepard…” but it was enough to make the Spectre momentarily drop her eyes in remorse.

Bringing her eyes back to her little sister, she murmured, “I’m sorry, Tali.  I’m beyond tired and I have a splitting headache.”  She sighed in exasperation before taking a sip of water from the glass in front of her and setting it quietly back down on the table.  “Let’s get this done before the Destiny Ascension leaves for the Widow system without us.”

The first person invited into the room was Captain Zeto’Ara vas Neema, the previous Operations Officer, who spent most of the conflict under house arrest with his wife, after refusing to fight against either the Council Fleet or his own people.  Following only a single round of questioning, he was surprised to be offered the position of Admiral of the Heavy Fleet.  “How is that possible?  I was part of the rebel forces!  How can you possibly trust me with this promotion?”

Raan was the first to speak.  “Because you weren’t part of the rebellion… you refused to fight.  Yet, for some reason, Gerrel did not have you charged with treason and executed… and he was never known for leniency.  That speaks highly of your skill and tells me that he wanted your abilities available after the war… badly enough to risk keeping you alive.”  She paused and smiled.  “It certainly does not hurt that Len’Dazza speaks quite highly of you… including information regarding your frequent, and very public, arguments with Admiral Gerrel.  That you were willing to risk your position and possibly your life with such vocal opposition to Gerrel’s stated policies…”  She paused a moment and looked directly into his eyes.  “That is a brand of courage we desperately need in the Fleet right now, more than ever.” 

“I believe that to be the case as well, Zeto.”  Zaal’Koris nodded his agreement with Raan’s assessment.  “There is also the fact that we have known you for a long time and have never questioned your loyalty; you have always put the Flotilla before yourself.  We need to rebuild the trust of the people… and you already have that trust aboard this vessel, which means you are the obvious choice.”

Councilor Addan cleared his throat and asked, “Assuming you are willing to take the position, who on you staff would you trust as your XO?  We have a list… but I would like to get your input before we reveal our current list of choices.”

Zeto stared at the councilor in shock for a moment, blinking a couple of times in surprise.  “This is all happening rather fast for me… give me a few moments to think.”  He stood and lowered his head, staring at the deck as he paced, rather slowly, back and forth in the conference room.  “Yes.”  He suddenly stopped and looked at those still gathered at the table.  “Dani’Razo would be my first choice.”

Koris looked at his omnitool and reviewed his relatively short. rank-ordered list of remaining candidates.  “Razo is not my top choice but, if you want him, he is acceptable to me.  Raan?”

“I hold no objection, though my vote is biased.”  Raan actually smiled.  “You should all know Dani started on the Tonbay.  I’ve known his parents for a very long time… and known Dani since the day he was born.”

Shepard, wanting to speed the approval, simply asked, “Does anyone object?  Councilor?  Tali or Len?  He wasn’t your recommendation…”

Len shrugged.  “Maybe not, but he was in our top three, so… if that’s who Admiral Zeto’Ara wants, that’s who he gets.  Mission complete.”  He sighed in relief and started to stand.  “If we’re done here, I’ve got things to do.”

“Not quite yet, Len…”  Shepard also stood, simply to stretch.  “But I do believe we could all benefit from a quick break… and reconvene in fifteen?”

-------------------------------

Shepard stared at the table, looking forlorn as Tali responded, “What?”  Her voice squeaked in protest.  “No… I can’t!  I’m working with Shepard…”

Shala’Raan smiled, speaking in her lilting accent.  “Which is an assignment that can be changed, Tali.  This is what you live for!  Look at what you’ve accomplished!  You may be our youngest admiral, but you’re also our most brilliant mind!  You need to do this… for yourself… and for our Fleet!”

“But Auntie ’Raan…”  Tali stopped, glancing around at all the earnest faces looking back at her… all except Shepard.  It became immediately obvious that not only had her commander and friend known this was coming, but that she fully expected Tali to say yes to the offer.  Suddenly, Tali knew she had to take the job, whether she wanted to or not, and somehow knew Shepard would be disappointed in her if she did not.  She didn’t feel ready, but a little voice in her head told her it would all come out alright.  These people were looking for her to lead Special Projects into the future and, with Xen dead, Tali couldn’t honestly think of anyone else she could recommend other than herself.  With a sigh and a shake of her head, she finally agreed.  “Fine…  It is my duty to the Fleet, so I will do it if I must.”

Tali pushed back from the table and rose from her chair, walking around until she was standing next to Shepard, laying a hand on the Spectre’s shoulder before adding, “I do have conditions, however.”

The sense of relief that had filled the room only a moment before evaporated like a puff of smoke on the wind.  Shepard stood up and turned to meet Tali’s gaze, a tentative smile appearing on her face before she asked, “And what would those be, Admiral Tali’Zorah vas Moreh?”

“That you also release Len’Dazza from your service, so that I may have him as my XO.”  She paused a moment and quickly added, “And Medica!  As she is linked to me in ways immeasurable.”

The smile faltered for only a moment as Shepard regrouped.  “I should have anticipated both of those, I suppose.”

“Yes, you should have, Captain.”  Tali’s brow had risen in surprise and she laughed quietly.  “That you did not tells me you are still tiring easily… and haven’t recovered fully from your head injury, as of yet.”

Shepard chuckled, “So, you’re purposely taking advantage of me while I’m weak?”

Tali’s soft laughter became louder and she hugged her captain, even as both struggled to not tear up.  “Absolutely, Shepard!  And I’m going to use that advantage to extract yet one additional promise from you before we part.”

“Oh?”  The corner of Shepard’s mouth tweaked up into a reluctant smirk.  “What else are you going to take from me while I’m down?”

“That if I ever get myself in a jam, no matter when or where, that you will always be the first one to rush to my aid.”  Tali forced a smile onto her face.  “Because there is no one I will ever trust more with my safety…” a brief pause, then a whisper for Shepard’s ears alone, “… or my life.”

“That’s a deal, Tali.”  Shepard squeezed her one last time and stepped back.  “But I know you won’t ever need me again, because you’re loyal and brilliant… and obviously the right person to take Special Projects into the future, Admiral Zorah.  You’ll have an entire fleet at your command… and I have complete faith in you and your abilities.”

“And that has always been your greatest gift to me, Shepard… since the first day we met.  But I am compelled to point out that you’re wrong about one thing.”  Tali smiled as tears finally escaped and trickled down her cheeks.  “No matter what you think, I will always need you.  Your advice and friendship, your… faith… in me… your love.  Always.”

“Then I will do my best to always be available for you, Tali.”  Shepard dipped her head a moment and then looked back at the others, who were all trying to ignore the very personal moment between the Spectre and their newest leader of Special Projects.  “As for the rest of us, I do believe we are finished, so meeting adjourned?

It was a question, but one answered only indirectly by statements of relief and the shuffling of chairs as people pushed them back to stand up.  Addan, however, was not quite done yet.  “Shepard.  If I may?”

“What else could you possibly need right at this moment, Councilor?”  Shepard turned to him, obviously tired and ready to be done for the day.

Addan let out a little huff and smiled.  “Never mind.  Go back to the Knight Shade and rest.  The Destiny Ascension will be heading out, returning to Widow, shortly after we return with the shuttle.  The rest of the Council wanted a full debrief… but I’ll inform them they have to wait a few days…  That you’ll come see us after you get home and settled back in.  How’s that?”

Smiling briefly in thanks, Shepard nodded and shook his hand.  “That would be very much appreciated, Councilor.  Tell them I’ll be there first thing Monday morning, a week from today.  It’ll take me at least that long to fully recover and get all the reports written up.  Only then will I travel back to the CGC… but don’t expect us to stay more than a day.”  Her mood suddenly shifted to one much more somber.  “I imagine Liara and I will have a number of funerals to attend, on Thessia, Earth, and Tuchanka, which we’ll need to take care of before I plan any farther than that.”

“Ahh.  Yes.  There is that, isn’t there.”  Eri shook his head sadly.  “I truly am sorry… we all lost people in this one.”  He sighed heavily.  “Do you have the final tally of those lost?”

Shepard frowned and opened her omnitool, searching for the latest numbers she had gotten from Liara.  “Eight on the Destiny Ascension, four from the Normandy, four from Aralakh Company and two from the Knight Shade for a total of eighteen friendlies from the infiltration ships.  Then, there’s the two Admirals and their Bridge staffs… and Tali and Zeto’Ara now have the task of putting together their numbers.” 

“Only eighteen?”  Addan’s face lit with a broad smile.  “That is less than we anticipated…”  Eri was quickly silenced by a scathing glance from the Spectre.

“That’s rather short-sighted, Councilor.”  Shepard’s mood had shifted suddenly from tired and sad to angry and resentful.  “That number doesn’t include the ship-to-ship combat, where both sides lost entire ships while Ashley and I fought to take down the rebel leaders.  Crews are still salvaging escape pods, but I’m pretty sure not everyone managed to escape their burning ships.  Roster checks and final figures are still being collected, but my guess?  Lives lost in this rebellion will be in the thousands, Councilor.” 

Shepard turned in disgust and walked away, Addan listening to her last words as the door to the conference room started to open for her departure.  “I just hope the end result lasts long enough to be worth all those lives.”

“Me too, Spectre.”  Addan called out one last time as Shepard left the compartment.  “Oh… I almost forgot!  Matriarch Lidanya requested you stop by the Destiny Ascension and see her before we leave the area.”

Without turning around, Shepard waved an acknowledgement as the door closed behind her, Addan barely hearing her response.  “When you get there, tell her I’m on my way.”

Chapter Text

Destiny Ascension , Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 5 Jan 2189

The ship was huge, and Shepard hadn’t spent much time aboard, so ended up being shown to the Bridge by a young Asari lieutenant.  Before her escort could say a word, an impatient Shepard called out, “Permission to enter, Matriarch?”

Recognizing the voice, Lidanya turned, an indulgent smile on her face.  “Relax, Lieutenant Menoris… as a Spectre, Shepard outranks us all.”  Turning her eyes to the Human, she simply grinned and beckoned her in with a wave.  “Spectre Shepard.  It is my honor to have you aboard the Destiny Ascension.  Please, come join me.”

Shepard smiled appreciatively in return and walked over, stepping up to join her on the command platform.  Standing at Lidanya’s side, she spoke quietly, “That’s one Hell of a view, Matriarch.”

“Yes, it is…”  She studied Shepard’s rather pleasing profile, as the woman’s focus remained outward, toward the stars.  “You look good, Shepard.  Tired… but good.  Are you feeling alright after that ridiculous Quarian tried to kill you?”

“Not horrible.  Bad headache at the moment, after all the Quarian bickering over personnel.”

“News travels fast… and I’ve seen the after-action listings; you, also, are going to need a few more crew to fill some unexpected vacancies.” 

As Lidanya said that, Shepard finally turned toward her, giving the Matriarch her full attention.  “And, seeing as you called me over here, you must be planning to help me fill some of them?”

“Yes… and seeing as you have so many Asari on your ship…”  Lidanya smiled as she jokingly echoed Shepard’s phrasing, obviously pleased by Shepard’s quick pick-up on her purpose.  “… I would be more than happy to give you one of my medical technicians to replace Medica.  We have a small hospital and two fully staffed, surgery-capable clinics aboard; it would be my honor to supply you with someone for the Knight Shade.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I plan on asking Legion for a replacement.”  Shepard smiled to soften the rejection.  “Their mobile, sterile surgery suite is something to behold.  With deploying battle squads, that can be critical… and it’s a capability I won’t give up without a fight.”

“I can understand that.” Lidanya replied, nodding in appreciation.  “Then how about a new maintenance engineer?  I realize that no one will ever come close to replacing someone like Admiral Tali’Zorah vas Moreh, but this ship holds the very best the Asari have to offer… and my prospect, Lilia T’Segos, had many years of experience aboard battle frigates before she joined us here.”

“And yet you’d be willing to let her go…”  Shepard smirked.  “But the Ascension is a pretty awesome ship… so, the real question is if she’s ready and willing to leave.”

“Oh,” Lidanya laughed lightly.  “She is ready, Spectre.  She asked me for permission to apply when you were originally looking for crew, but I denied her request at that time.”  Shepard’s eyebrows rose in question, so the matriarch explained, “I would never deny one of my crew such a wonderful opportunity, but you and I had recently spoken, so I knew Admiral Zorah already had the job.”

“Ah.  That makes sense.”  Shepard thought about the offer only a moment before shrugging.  “Don’t see why not.  How about you send her over first thing in the morning to meet with Liara and me, before we leave Tassrah?”

“How about I send her with a bag, and she stays aboard… at least until you return to the CGC next Monday.”  Lidanya grinned, obviously having thought about this before she ever invited the Spectre aboard… and had planned for this very conversation.  “That way, you’ll have more than an hour-long conversation by which to judge her.”

“You’d think by now I’d know better than to try to best a Matriarch in a negotiation.”  Laughing, Shepard shook her head, the twinkle in Lidanya’s eyes making her grin as she answered.  “Sure.  Why not.  You’re certain you can do without her, especially during the repairs?  The Knight Shade didn’t take near the damage that the Ascension did.”

“Unfortunately, yes… the damaged area…”  Lidanya frowned as she continued, “The eight we lost were in civilian sectors.  All our military and operations systems are extremely well shielded so, even if we take extensive damage, we can keep on fighting.  That is something the Quarians had to know when they attacked, so they must have used it simply as a means to distract us.”

“You honestly believe the Heavy Fleet purposefully attacked civilians?”  Shepard’s eyes went wide with the realization.  “As a distraction?”  She paused and scowled angrily.  “That would be a war crime… well above and beyond the charges of Piracy.”

“Yes, it would…  So, it is good that Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen are dead.”  Lidanya’s expression was hatred incarnate as she looked at Shepard and finished, “Because I would never tolerate their actions being punished by anything less than death!  If they were not executed for their crimes, I would lose my position as captain of the Destiny Ascension… after I murdered them!”

“Neither the Asari nor the Council would need to suffer from your loss, Matriarch…”  Shepard replied in answer, fully understanding the Matriarch’s anger.  “Because no matter how it played out, you would have been safe from retribution.  Either the act would have been deemed justified, or I would have pardoned you, simple as that.”

“I appreciate both your faith in the system and your statement of support, Spectre.”  Lidanya’s expression softened slightly as she continued.  “The Quarians obviously wanted us to divert assets to rescue efforts but neglected to consider how our ‘civilians’ would react to such an egregious act… with anger and immediate action.  Our civilians are all very much aware we are not simply a mobile city… that they live aboard a dreadnaught… and they immediately stepped in to take action, saving those they could and holding admirable barriers until our damage control teams could respond.  Our civilians are anything but helpless, especially with their biotics, and many hold non-combat jobs throughout the ship.  They would all feel horribly unfulfilled, otherwise.”

“That’s commendable… and, when I think about it, I imagine Human civilians aboard our fighting ships react the same way.  Most of them are as much a part of the ship as any crew member.” 

“Yes, they are.”  Lidanya smiled with pride as she nodded in agreement and thanks.  “Their actions allowed us to remain focused, though I will admit our focus shifted after that cowardly attack.”

“How so?”

“We changed to a defensive stance and began using our weapons on the multitude of small ships, rather than the Quarian heavy cruisers and dreadnoughts.  ‘Swatting away the swarm” so to speak, so the rest of the fleet could focus on the big threats without being picked apart by the frigates and fighters…”  Lidanya growled, “Every ship we disabled lessened the more agile enemy fire, making it easier for our fleet to defend itself as the battle progressed; buying you the time required to take down their commanders, Xen and Gerrel.”

“So, all of that scattered space debris…”  Shepard looked once more out the viewport as she continued hopefully, “… is actually a collection of fighters and small frigates?  No large ships?”

“Unfortunately, there are two cruisers and one dreadnought in that mix… but, generally, yes.”  Lidanya reached across the gap between them to lay her hand comfortingly on Shepard’s forearm.  “I have heard how the number of deaths has you greatly concerned, Spectre, so you need to understand our initial death estimates were greatly exaggerated.”  She squeezed the woman’s arm once and dropped her hand, adding, “Just so you know, our updated estimate is relatively low, compared to the twenty-thousand-plus we originally feared.”

“How low is relative, Matriarch?”  Shepard’s shoulders sagged with the burden of sorrow, knowing the number still had to be high.

“Less than eight thousand at this point.”  Lidanya sighed and, deciding it was time to steer away from such a morbid subject, returned to the discussion at hand.  “Anyway… we have digressed to a rather unpleasant topic.  I merely meant to explain that Lilia is a battle systems technician, who could provide only biotic augmentation during our required structural repairs.  We have plenty of other hands for that… civilian hands with a vested interest, so Lilia is free to leave at any time.”

“Thank you, Matriarch.”  Shepard offered her hands, palms up.  “I appreciate the gesture and will gladly take you up on the offer… but I’ve taken enough of your time.  I know we are both exceedingly busy at the moment, with all our after-action repairs and reports.”

“That we are, Spectre.”  Lidanya nodded as she laid her hands gently upon those offered.  “I still find it hard to believe you survived the blast that destroyed the Bridge of the Moreh with such relatively minor injury.  Go with the Goddess, Shepard…  It becomes more and more obvious to me that you and yours are under her care.”

Shepard smiled, stepped down from the command platform, and made her way to the main airlock to depart the ship, all the time wondering just how minor her injury was.  Never had a ‘simple headache’ last this long.

-------------------------------

Tassrah, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 5 Jan 2189

Ashley Williams looked up as the passageway doors slid aside for XO Leon Rensch and Chief Engineer Greg Adams.  She raised a hand and waved the pair into the conference room as they approached the clear door.  Saying, “Have a seat, gentlemen,” she toggled a control to change the clear panels to an opaque silver.  Both officers had been uncomfortably waiting for this meeting – the first since Ashley had returned to the ship from the Quarian conflict.

Handing each of them a datapad, she said, “Is everything in that report an accurate rendering of what took place during my absence, gentlemen?”  She answered Leon’s questioning glance with a quiet, “Take your time.”

After a seemingly long five minutes, Greg placed his datapad on the table and leaned back.  “Looks accurate to me, Commander.”

Ashley waited until her XO had finished and set his own pad on the table.  “Looks pretty bad when it’s all spelled out in black and white like that.”

Williams first looked at Rensch, then at Adams.  “Anything either of you would care to add, or change, or delete from that report?”  Studying their glum expressions, she added, “Gentlemen, this is not an inquest.  It’s not a trial.  The Normandy was attacked by a hostile force and was damaged.  Other ships in this battle group were totally destroyed… causing the deaths of thousands.  By comparison, the Normandy is in good shape…  None of this is your fault.” 

Ashley let out a quiet sigh.  “I simply need to make sure this report is an accurate telling of the events that took place on 03 January, in which Normandy was hit by one of two missiles fired by the Quarians.  I then need to write letters of condolences to the families of Manos and Donnelly.”

Try as he might, Leon couldn’t help but feel responsible for their deaths; he started to tell his captain just that when she grinned at him.  “Now, I have a treat for you and, especially, Mr Adams.”  She paused for a moment to pick up a different datapad; after quickly scanning its display, she said, “I’ve been in contact with Prime Legion and the Council.  Due to the extent of the damages to the Normandy’s machinery spaces, the estimated time required to restore the ship to full functionality – Legion’s words – is sixty days, minimum.”

Greg’s mouth fell open.  He attempted to keep his emotions under control as he responded, “Sixty!?  I’ve seen the amount of damage down there, Ma’am.  A crack Alliance repair team would be able… to…”

He trailed off as Ashley held up a hand in a mute appeal for patience.  “The Alliance won’t be involved in the repairs, Mr Adams; if they were, I guarantee the ship would be down ninety days.  SILC repair teams work around the clock – they don’t take breaks, don’t need sleep…”

Greg nodded his head in understanding.  “It just seems there isn’t that much damage, Ma’am, but I do see what you mean.”

“Besides which,” Ashley concluded, “Normandy is no longer an Alliance ship, or have you forgotten whose emblems are painted all over her?”  Her expression told Greg she was attempting to keep the mood light, even if her words had a bit of a sting to them; in no way was he prepared for her next bit of news.  “The SILC have offered to perform the repairs at Haratar Station… an offer which I gladly accepted.  It’s the closest facility and, more importantly, the only repair center operated by someone we trust which we can reach relatively quickly at sub-light velocities.”

Scrolling through the data displayed on her notepad, she paused, turned it around and handed it across to her chief engineer.  “To complete the repairs in the timeliest fashion, the ship’s environment will be open to space for much of that time, so we won’t be able to stay aboard; plus, the Council needs us to continue our work.  Can’t accomplish much with our asses planted on a station, no matter where it is, so…”

Greg looked up from studying the datapad.  “We’re to be assigned to the Nalotir?”

“Everyone, with the possible exception of Edi.  Since she is still tied to the Normandy’s servers and can operate in a zero atmosphere like the SILC, she’ll be taking point on the repair protocols, making sure everything is as good… or better… than before.  And, given the SILC reputation for perfection, I would not be surprised to discover a number of improvements integrated into the final product.”

Leon nodded thoughtfully as she finished speaking.  Standing, he smiled as he said, “Will that be all, Ma’am?  Sounds like I need to pack up my gear for a move.”

The Spectre grinned at both of them.  “Dismissed, gentlemen… and yes, go get packed.  We’re not needed for the trip to Haratar Station, so I’ll make the ship-wide announcement and we’ll begin shuttling over to the Nalotir as soon as enough folks are ready.”

-------------------------------

Normandy SR2, Tassrah, At Large – 6 Jan 2189

The shuttle sat at idle, waiting for the ship’s captain to board.  Ashley stood and let her eyes wander one more time through the hangar bay.  “Take good care of her for us.”

“Of course, Williams Spectre.”  Legion’s lights blinked rapidly.  “While we were completing fundamental repairs, we discovered the weapon designed by Creator Xen was very similar to the Prothean ‘Red Wave’ that terminated the Old Machines.  The primary difference being its targeting parameters – the weapon focused on organic systems coding instead of Reaper technological patterns.  It coopted and rewrote the protection program coding to open a tunnel, which allowed the secondary, explosive charge to traverse the shields and barrier to enter the ship unimpeded.”

“Son of a bitch!” Ashley cursed.  “So, how come Tali’s program didn’t stop both missiles… or, worse, let them both through?  Why two different results?”

“That was a result of the missile speed and close proximity to the next.”  Legion paused as he received more data.  “Each emitter was capable of scrambling only one decoder at a time, and each missile ran an independent attack.  Had the Creators targeted a location that had overlapping emitter coverage, it is highly probable Creator Zorah’s defensive net would have defeated the attack attempt.”

“Damn it!”  Ashley clenched her teeth at how close they had been to escaping damage.  “So, all that was needed to protect the ship was to have more emitters mounted on the hull?”

“Not necessarily; in order to guarantee success, the programming would also need to be altered.  As written, it does not currently contain a duplication limiter function of any kind.  This would be required to ensure each emitter could identify one particular missile and ‘tag’ it in such a way the next emitter would recognize, forcing it to move to an alternate target.  Each missile has an independent targeting identifier, so the required programming changes within the emitter control program should be relatively rudimentary.  If it would be acceptable, we can attempt to upgrade this programming during repairs.”

“Thank you, Legion.”  Ashley grinned, thinking about what she had told Greg and Leon regarding getting the ship back in a better-than-new condition.  “Please do…  Anything else you can think of to improve the Normandy would also be welcome; just be sure to contact me for authorization before you do any additional modifications.”

“Understood, Williams Spectre.”  Legion quickly added, “It is our pleasure to assist.  We will contact you via Edi-Normandy should any such questions arise.”

“Sounds good.”  Ashley boarded the shuttle and turned to Legion.  “Please remember… I’d like weekly updates at a minimum!”

She would have sworn the SILC was laughing as he responded, “As you command, Williams Spectre.”  She wanted to ask him what could possibly be humorous to a machine, but the shuttle door had closed as they lifted off, enroute to the crew’s temporary home.

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 6 Jan 2189

The first thing Shepard and Liara did after arriving at the Estate was to say a quick hello to the staff… then seek out Spectre and friend, Moises T’Dura.  “Thank you, again for providing your services to help Samantha.”  Liara offered the Spectre a warm smile.

“It was nothing, Lady Liara.”  Moises grinned.  “I’ve worked with quite a few different Spectres… and, though Shepard may be a bit more brash than many of them, she acts so with the authority and skills to back it up.”  She turned her focus to the Human and added, “And, I sincerely hope this is not the only time we join forces and work cooperatively, Shepard.  There are few with whom I would trust my life… but you certainly make that very short list.  Thank you for asking for my help; it was my honor to serve.”

“The honor was mine, Moises.”  Shepard was surprised when T’Dura reached out a single hand for a Human-style shake but reacted quickly to accept the invitation.  “If you ever need me to pay back the favor, all you need to do is call and I’ll be there as soon as I can.  I assure you; the feeling of trust is mutual.”

“Then this is goodbye.”  T’Dura dropped Samantha’s hand and modified her words.  “Or, perhaps more correctly, until we meet again, Spectre Shepard.  Remember what I told you and keep yourself safe.  You can’t help me if you’re dead.”

“I will,” Shepard answered, chuckling at the questioning look on Liara’s face and shaking her head.  “I’ll explain later, Liara.”

With a final wave, Moises quickly boarded the waiting shuttle and was gone.

With a quiet sigh, Shepard reached for Liara and, hand-in-hand, they retreated to their private sanctuary; during the short journey, Samantha told her bondmate about T’Dura’s advice regarding her actions on the Bridge of the Moreh.  Liara was troubled by the conversation, torn between Shepard’s choice, which seemed morally justifiable, and T’Dura’s statement.

“I am unsure how to respond, Siame.  In my heart I know I would do anything to keep you safe and uninjured… so, even though it makes me feel rather selfish, I would have to side with Moises on this.”  Liara cast her eyes to the floor in her sense of shame.

“Hey.”  Shepard reached over and gently lifted the Asari’s chin.  “And that’s okay, Liara.  I would expect nothing less from you… and I did promise you that I would always come back.”  She shrugged slightly and let out a sigh.  “So, as morally questionable as it may seem, I know I’ll have to think seriously about what Moises advised me next time I find myself in a similar situation.”

“But thinking about it and doing it are two very different things, Sam.”  Liara’s anxious gaze fell on the newest scar on her bondmate’s face.  “Look at what happened this time.”

“I know.”  Gently stroking Liara’s face to ease the worry lines there, Shepard added, “But I want to come home to you, always… and not in a box.  So, I will do whatever is necessary to make that happen, I swear it.”

Liara dropped her eyes again and whispered, “People frequently speak of Spectre overreach… but, may the Goddess forgive me, I find I have to hope that what you say is what you actually do, and you do not end up dead because of an attack of conscience over a known criminal.  I believe I could deal with that feeling of guilt much easier than I could stand living without you.”

Shepard closed her eyes and pulled Liara close, finding comfort in her arms.  “Gráim thú, Ionúin Álainn, and I very much doubt the Goddess will find fault in your desire to keep me well.”

“I hope we never have to find out, Siame.”

“That would be best…”  Shepard smiled softly and pushed back just enough to see Liara’s face.  “Now.  How about we do what we intended to do when we got up here?”

Liara nodded quickly, took a deep breath and blew out her frustration.  “Yes.  Let’s.”

Smiling at one another, happy to be home and to have the uncomfortable conversation behind them, they slipped quickly out of their uniforms and slid into their personal spa tub.  Shepard groaned in limited relief, still having a subtle, nagging ache thrumming behind her right eye.  Feeling her discomfort, Liara knelt in the tub before her to gently massage her Human’s head, focusing mostly on her forehead and temple area.

Shepard cracked her eyes open and smiled softly.  “Feels good, Blue.  I should probably mention this to Alyna and Derek… see if they can figure out why it’s taking so long to heal.”

“Not a bad idea, but I honestly don’t think you need a doctor to tell you it’s a headache mostly brought on by stress… not solely from your injury, Samantha.”  Liara made sure her tone was soft and understanding… not accusatory… as she continued with her tender, loving strokes.  “It is a consequence of how much you care for all those around you.”  Her warm lips pressed softly to Shepard’s temple as she murmured, “And I wouldn’t have you any other way, Siame.”

“Hmmm.”  Sam’s eyes slid closed again as she hummed in pleasure at the soothing pressure, accompanied by the warmth of biotics, which was slowly easing the annoying pain along the side of her head.  “I’m glad, Li… because it’s the only way I know how to live,” she whispered.  She felt Liara’s breath before she felt the kiss feather across her lips. 

Murmuring, “And it’s one of the many reasons why I love you,” Liara dropped her hand from the side of the woman’s head to cup the back of Shepard’s neck while deepening the kiss.  {Let me know if the meld causes you any discomfort, Samantha.}

Slipping her eyes open once again, Samantha saw obsidian orbs, open in invitation along with the comforting mind that sought their joining.  A willing accomplice, Shepard quickly dropped any remaining barriers and whispered quietly through the link to accept Liara’s swelling desire.  {Embrace Eternity.}

-------------------------------

Not remembering exactly how they had gotten from the tub to the bed – but knowing they obviously had done so – Shepard woke from her refreshing slumber, Liara tucked warmly against her, fitting perfectly into her curves as if they had been purposely created as a pair.

{That is because we were, Samantha…  We must have been, as I cannot imagine anyone in the galaxy being a more perfect fit for me.}

Tipping her head to place warm lips against the ridges of Liara’s crest, Shepard sighed with contentment.  “Me neither, Blue.”

Liara trailed her hand down Samantha’s abdomen and Shepard felt a spike of arousal slip through the link as Liara asked, “Was your sleep restful?”

Shepard smiled and rolled up on her side, looking into Liara’s eyes to see darkening rings hinting at their edges.  She dropped a hand to Liara’s knee and drew it slowly up the inside of the Asari’s thigh, eliciting a quiet gasp.  She smirked as she asked, “Seriously, T’Soni?”

“Goddess, yes.”  Liara’s eyes darkened a bit more with the teasing stroke and her body trembled as the hand approached the crux of her legs.  “I can’t help myself, Sam… and I will never be ashamed to admit I desire you.”  She gasped again, louder, as a finger slid teasingly across her sex.

Knowing she shouldn’t tease, Shepard leaned over and captured Liara’s mouth as she dived in.  {I love you, Liara.}  Happy laughter rolled across the link in both directions as Shepard continued her thought.  {I’m all for more practice making little blue babies!}

Having rested, the meld was long and deep, the couple easily losing themselves in a shared bliss.  Shepard lost all sense of time as they teased and tormented one another to rapture… some unknown number of times.  Laying on a tangled pile of covers in an exhausted sweat, Shepard thought she had nothing left to give as lips closed yet one more time on her clit, but Liara’s teasing and coaxing tongue would not be denied.  Beyond all reasonable expectations, Shepard felt her desire climb… a tremble in her legs foreshadowing the culmination of Liara’s efforts to pull her to one final peak.

Grasping weakly at the sheets beneath her, Shepard groaned in pleasure as she felt euphoria surge through her yet one more time.  “Gods, T’Soni…  Have mercy,” she finally managed to squeak out, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

An almost equally exhausted Liara crawled up beside her and collapsed at her side, using the last of her energy to plant a kiss on Shepard’s lips, before snuggling once more against her bondmate’s side.  “That was positively magnificent, Siame,” she murmured quietly.

“Gods, I hope so,” Samantha managed to chuckle.  “I think I’m gonna sleep for a week after that performance!”

“Not a chance…”  Liara glanced at the chrono on the nightstand.  “We have to be up for dinner in three hours.”

“You’re killin’ me, T’Soni.”  Shephard groaned and rolled up on her side, pulling her lover close as she closed her eyes, whispering, “But I’ll be ready by then, I promise.”

Liara giggled in her own exhaustion.  “Well… I’m glad that one of us will be… because I doubt very much that I will be awake yet.”

-------------------------------

Tassrah, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 6 Jan 2189

Ashley Williams looked around the flight deck of the Spectre vessel Nalotir – confiscated from the rogue faction of Quarians attempting to re-enslave the SILC – as she made ready to depart the Phoenix Massing.  During her entire career with the Alliance – first, as an Operations Chief in the Marines, then as a Navy Lieutenant Commander, she had previously been assigned to only two warships – Normandy SR-1 and the SR-2.  Seems I’m destined to spend more time on confiscated vessels than our own.

The interior layout of this vessel – designated as a fast-attack frigate – was as different from the Normandy SR-2 as night and day.  In addition to the ship’s commander, the Flight Deck was crewed by a pilot, a navigator, a communications officer and a weapons control officer; there was no CIC on this ship.

Joker was not happy… to hear him tell it – and she had, several times, during the four hours they’d been aboard – the pilot’s seat was not nearly as comfortable as his own chair on the Normandy.  Ashley suspected his main complaint with the chair was that it already had the impression of a Quarian’s narrow ass imprinted in the cheap upholstery.  She also suspected the snarky flight-lieutenant would find a subtle way to ‘pay her back’ for her lack of sympathy for his tender ass.  After inspecting the Navigator’s position, she assigned Leon Rensch to the post. 

Ashley hadn’t spent as much time as she would have liked getting to know the woman that had taken Garrus’ position as weapons control officer; Senior Chief Petty Officer Regina Hansen generally spent all of her on-duty time in the forward battery on deck three, fine-tuning the Thanix cannon’s ‘calibrations’.  Williams had jokingly commented once that she was very much similar to Vakarian in that aspect of her job and was not surprised when Hansen had thanked her for the compliment.  Ashley welcomed the Senior Chief to the flight deck as she moved to take her position among the crew.

With Sheldon Dubow rounding out the flight deck crew as the Nalotir’s communications officer, the Spectre looked around at her team.  Activating her ear-mounted comms device, she called her engineering chief.  “Commander Adams.  Are you ready to see what this ship can do?”

She grinned at his enthusiastic reply – having a new ship with a near state-of-the-art propulsion system to tinker with had seemingly taken his mind off the unhappy news he had to help her deliver on the CGC.  “This thing should be able to really haul ass, Captain.  All of us down here are ready to go!”

Sitting back in her centrally-located command chair, she directed her attention to Leon, saying, “Mr Rensch, lay in a course for Widow.  Joker, take us to the CGC, best speed.”

As both replied, “Aye, Ma’am,” Ashley felt a slight vibration in the deck underneath her chair and feet; the clouds of gas and star field visible out the viewports wheeled around as Joker turned the ship for the Relay.  Joker added, “Twenty minutes out to the relay, Ma’am.”

“Acknowledged, Flight Lieutenant.”  Ashley crossed one leg over the knee of the other as she watched the ship’s progress on the nearby projection well.  She had discussed their proposed course with Leon; they had concluded that taking a trip through their own local cluster before arriving in the Serpent Nebula would be much faster than the alternate path leading through four intervening relays.  She listened in on the reports being filed with her XO as they got closer to the relay.  Deciding to go deal with the unpleasant task awaiting her, she rose from her chair, told Rensch she would be in her quarters, then quietly left the flight deck.

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 7 Jan 2189

The first thing the next morning, Shepard was awakened by the soft chime of her omnitool.  Liara groaned and rolled away as Samantha propped herself up on an elbow to read the incoming message.  She turned back and gave Liara a soft kiss on her warm cheek, whispering, “Mozia and your father are here, Grá mo chroí.”

Attempting to blink away her sleepiness, Liara asked quietly, “What time is it?”

“It’s only eight, Blue.”  Shepard rolled back to her side and swung her feet over the side, rising from the bed.  “Take your time… I’ll welcome them, find out what’s up, and let you know.”

“I imagine they are here regarding ‘Ana and Iryna,” Liara sighed.  “That’s my father… always right on top of any personnel changes, especially if it involves my personal guards.”

“She loves you, Li, and simply wants to see you safe.”  Shepard smiled softly.  “And, it just so happens that’s a concern I also take very seriously.  If that’s the reason for their presence here, I can handle it as Captain of the T’Soni guard, if you prefer to sleep in a bit more.”

“No… tell them I’ll be down in a bit.  I need to take a cool shower to wake myself up.”

Shepard had already started dressing as they talked and walked around to Liara’s side of the bed as she tucked in her shirt.  She assisted her siame to her feet, then pulled her into a close embrace, where she gently touched their foreheads together.  “That’s a shame, because you’re nice and warm… and I’d rather you stay naked in bed… for me to find later.”

“I know better.”  Liara pushed away and let out a short chortle before continuing, “You’ll get all caught up with the day and I’d have to stay in bed for hours before you’d show up again.”

“Acht.”  The expression of disgust was followed by a chuckle as Shepard turned to leave.  “You’re probably right.  Anyway… I’ll head down and see what’s up.”  She stopped and glanced back over her shoulder, her adoration for Liara obvious in her tone.  “Love you.”

Liara smiled softly, a soft glow appearing on her cheeks as she replied, “I love you, too, Sam.”

-------------------------------

“What the fuck were you thinking, Shepard?”  Aethyta’s growl welcomed the Spectre the very moment she walked into the den, before she had even physically seen the visitors.

“Thyta!” Mozia chastised.  “It wasn’t the Captain’s fault…  You, better than most, understand the risks of combat!  You’ve seen enough of it!”

As Aethyta continued to maintain her angry, dour expression, an immediately annoyed Shepard located her in the room and looked her in the eye, asking, “Exactly which point are you referring to, Matriarch?  ‘Ana’s or Iryna’s death, the incident with the mad bomber, or the strategy for the whole damned confrontation?”

Before the unscheduled reunion could entirely explode in argument, Mozia walked between them and gently grasped one of Shepard’s hands; with her free hand, she reached up and softly ran a caring fingertip across the length of Shepard’s newest scar.  “A few centimeters lower and this could have been very bad.  You could have lost your eye.  How are you feeling?”

“Generally good… but the headache returns pretty fast when I have to deal with politicians…” Unforgiving, Shepard cast a scathing glance at Aethyta and added, “…or argumentative, intractable matriarchs.”

As Aethyta’s ire rose, Mozia shook her head in disapproval.  “Please, Shepard.  Aethyta is brash enough as it is, I don’t need you goading her into an actual altercation.  She’s just concerned about you… and you staying alive for Liara.  She doesn’t know how to express her fear appropriately, so falls back on anger and aggression.”

Mozia’s words actually made Aethyta look a bit ashamed and Shepard relaxed her posture.  “Yeah, I know that…  It’s that we just got home yesterday afternoon and haven’t really had a chance to unwind… and deal with our losses.”  Her eyes went back to Aethyta.  “And I am sorry, Aethyta.  I’m just not used to being attacked in my own home… especially first thing in the morning before I’m completely awake, and by my family, no less.” 

Shepard glanced around the room and located the serving tray she knew Lyessa would have delivered upon the arrival of their guests.  “If we’re to speak civilly, I need some coffee.”  Her eyes returned to her guests.  “Can I get you anything?  Tea?  Kaffe?”  Looking pointedly at Aethyta, she asked, “Ryncol?”

Chapter Text

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 7 Jan 2189

Gabriella Donnelly carefully stepped from her shower stall, grabbed her large bath towel and blotted the moisture from her skin; turning sideways as she stood in front of the full-length mirror, she cupped her swollen belly with both hands and sighed.  My pregnancy is only six months along… I really wish Kenneth was here.  Moving her hands up, she cupped underneath her breasts and lifted slightly.  He certainly approved of how much these have grown, she thought ruefully.  He couldn’t keep his hands off them when we were in bed.  She relished the warm feelings that ensued from the memories of their Christmas holiday together.

Sighing again, she pulled on underpants – calling what she needed to wear these days in order to keep her bottom adequately covered ‘panties’ seemed wrong – a bra and undershirt, before moving to her bedroom, where she pulled on a loose-fitting top and comfortable pants, socks and a pair of slip-on shoes.  After enjoying a cup of hot tea and a light breakfast, she slung a pack over one shoulder and walked the 490 meters to the propulsion lab to begin her workday.

She greeted Senior Chief Petty Officer Tamiko Miyazaki with a cheery, “Good morning, Tammi.  Anything new or interesting to tell me?”

The Japanese woman smiled in return.  “Not really… same old stuff, just a different day.”

The Senior Chief counted herself extremely fortunate that Gabby had transferred in from the Normandy SR-2, even if her pregnancy was the only reason for the reassignment.  But Gabby will have to depart in a month or so to begin her maternity leave… that’s a bit troubling… there’s no one here who can fill her shoes!  During the four months Gabby had been a member of her team, Tamiko had grown to love Gabriella Donnelly as if she were her own sister and, as soon as the thought floated across her mind, Tamiko mentally kicked herself for being so selfish. 

That Gabby was so knowledgeable concerning propulsion theory – particularly as it applied to FTL drives, where she was in a class by herself – was a huge plus, and Tamiko had to simply shake her head in amazement at the many different directions Gabby’s insatiable curiosity and intellect took her concerning the different ways such drive-cores could be oriented to achieve maximum efficiency – whatever the design or shape of the vessel utilizing the drive.

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 7 Jan 2189

“Ryncol?” Aethyta asked.  “At eight in the morning?  You really are out of sorts, Shepard.  My Little Wing would have both our heads if she walked in and saw us drinking that rot gut this hour of the morning.”  They shared a quiet chuckle before Aethyta added, “Honestly, it is good to see you upright and talking.  You scared the shit out of Liara with that damned explosion… not that you had any real control over that lunatic Quarian.”

“How do you know how Liara…?” 

She didn’t get the full question out before Aethyta interrupted, growling out, “Because she sent a message to Mozia, telling us what was going on, while you were being recovered by the medevac, you rockhead!  She may be the better half of the galaxy’s hero-duo, but she’s still young by Asari standards, Shepard.  You two are supposed to have 900 years ahead of you… and every time you go into battle without her, the prospect of your demise frightens the living hell out of her… especially when something like that happens.”

“Well, shit.”  Shepard drew a deep breath and sat down in the chair closest to the serving stand.  “Believe it or not, I really do understand that whole concept… and we’ve talked about it, but I guess I always expect that, sooner or later, she’ll get used to the risks… and, this time, Liara gave me no indications she was so frightened.  I obviously assumed, apparently incorrectly, that she must have known I was going to be alright… it’s apparent now that she’s just getting better at hiding what she’s feeling.”

“She’s not hiding her emotions from you, Shepard.”  Mozia smiled encouragingly and poured a cup of coffee for the young Captain, handing it to her as she stated, “It’s only because your senses were a bit muddled as a result of your head injury… and because you didn’t see her before she saw you… which was exactly when her relief at seeing you awake and walking immediately washed away her thankfully unjustified fear of the unknown.”

“Thank you for the reassurance, Matriarch… even though I’m not quite sure I accept your defense of my insensitivity.”  Shepard turned to Aethyta and paused to collect her thoughts before stating, “And you, Aethyta.  Apparently, I can be pretty dense sometimes… and there’s nothing like a good old-fashioned tongue lashing to force me to get my head back on straight.”

Following a quick glance at Mozia, Aethyta replied, “Yeah, well… I was pretty out of line, too.  Not like you’re trying to get yourself killed.  I know you love my girl too much to do that.”  She walked over, poured a cup of hot water and dropped a tea ball in it. 

“Sorry about that, too.”  Shepard frowned at her own apparent inability to hold onto a thought for more than a few moments.  “I offered refreshments but didn’t actually get you anything… and now you two are taking care of me and yourselves, instead.  I don’t know where my head is.”

“Don’t worry about it, kid.  You’ve got a lot on your mind right now… including some minor residual swelling that yet remains… if I’m not mistaken.”  Aethyta chuckled and quickly handed the tea off to Mozia before pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting in the chair across from Shepard.  “So… no matter how much shit I may be throwing your way, you have a pretty good excuse for not being in top form… and, I imagine you’re also wondering why we’re here.”

“Not really.”  Shepard shrugged, taking a quick sip of her own coffee before continuing, “Liara and I assumed it was to discuss what needs to be done, regarding ’Ana and Iryna… both for their memorials and their replacements.”

“Yes.”  Mozia sat next to Shepard and laid a hand gently on the woman’s knee.  “I know it must seem fast to you, but…”

“No, Matriarch, it doesn’t.”  Shepard offered her an understanding smile.  “We’re speaking of Liara’s personal guard, and we can’t be two commandos short on the most critical team of the House.  I fully understand that.”

“Well then, you’re not completely mentally incapacitated, Shepard,” Aethyta stated with a gravelly chuckle.  “Do you have anyone in mind?”

“On our way home, we talked about Cyenia Axeuss…  She’s been Team 1 Lead for a while now, and this would put her in position to be Livos’ successor, when our good captain finally decides to move on or retire.  But then, who replaces Cy to lead Team 1?”

Aethyta nodded in approval.  “My thoughts, exactly… and I was thinking of moving Teana Seloni to the Estate and promoting Alestia Tressi to Team 1 Lead for Armali.”

A voice from the door answered, “As long as Teya is happy with the move, I find her a perfectly acceptable lead for our Team 1.”  Liara smiled at her father and Mozia as she walked in, hot tea in hand.  “And, good morning to you both.  I’m sorry to be late in welcoming you.”

Mozia immediately stood, moving to give Liara a careful hug, so as to not spill her tea.  “Good to see you, Liara.  I’m sorry we got here so early, but your father was a bit impatient to get started.”

As Aethyta groused a coarse objection, Liara simply laughed.  “Quite alright, Matriarch.  I honestly haven’t known Dad very long, yet…”  Her eyes drifted to her father, “But it’s been long enough for me to realize that patience is most certainly not one of her virtues.”

As the group laughed at Liara’s assessment, Aethyta growled, “Maybe not, but I know our commandos… and I’m glad you approve of Teya.  Other than Nayla… and Riana, of course… she’s one of the best we have.”

“So, Teya it is, but I’m late to the conversation…”  Liara’s expression darkened as she somberly asked, “Have you yet discussed Iryna?”

Shepard, smiling sadly at her bondmate, had also risen from her seat when Liara had walked in.  “Not yet, Love.  Join us?” she asked, indicating the last open seat of the four surrounding the small table, pulling it closer to her own chair before Liara could occupy the space.

Liara offered Shepard a loving smile as she answered, “Of course.”  She moved quickly to take her place at the table, sitting down and reaching over to place her free hand on her bondmate’s thigh as she continued, “So, if I may, I would like to ask that Bevos Shyria come along with Teana, to take… Iryna’s place.”  She paused, a shadow of sadness overtaking her face, and took a sip of tea as the others absorbed her request.  “Bev is a solid, well-rounded Huntress… and would provide an excellent all-purpose core for the restructured team, as well as being someone whom Teya is familiar with.  Even though they won’t be on the same team here, I still believe it would make everyone’s transition a bit easier.”

“Huh,” grunted Aethyta.  “Can’t argue with that logic… and I see no reason to disagree.”

“It matters not to me.”  Mozia shrugged slightly.  “Either way, our existing staff will need to shift positions… and we’ll have to send out a calling to fill the two vacancies.  I have no objections to either Teana or Bevos moving to the Estate.  Quite the contrary, I find them both to be excellent choices.”

“Then it’s settled.”  Shepard nodded and stood, pulling Liara up with her.  “Now, if you don’t mind, we need to eat something for breakfast… seeing as you rousted us from our bed and we’ve not yet had the opportunity to put anything in our stomachs.”

“Goddess!” Mozia exclaimed.  “Of course… how inconsiderate of us!  Let us adjourn to the dining area and we can visit there while you eat; once you’ve gotten your fill we can return to the remaining business at hand.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 7 Jan 2189

The day had not started much differently than any other day spent in the Alliance Propulsion Lab, and Gabby and Tamiko had gone out for lunch at one of a trio of small nearby cafés they liked to frequent.  After returning to the lab, they had each lost themselves in their respective projects.  A few hours later, the lab’s lead engineer, Lieutenant Commander Fletcher Voight, quietly entered the compartment in which Tamiko and Gabby were working. 

During the short time he had known Chief Petty Officer Donnelly, he had grown to trust her judgement regarding the experimental tech she was helping to make a reality – if she declared a path of inquiry was a dead end, it was only after she had run all the trials needed to either prove or disprove that particular line of thought.  She had such a sunny personality, he hated that it was incumbent on him as her commanding officer to be the bearer of such miserably bad news.

In a soft voice that belied his many years in the Navy, he said, “Ms Donnelly, I need you to come with me, please.”

Gabby was instantly suspicious… Voight had never asked her to accompany him anywhere in the facility.  “May I ask what this is about, Sir?”

Fletcher had an expressive face, a fact that did not serve him well in this situation.  “There are a couple of people waiting to meet with you, Ms Donnelly.”

Gabby looked to Tamiko as she asked, “Would it be okay for Ms Miyazaki to accompany me?”

Voight’s immediate thought was to deny her request, as what she was about to learn was of a highly personal nature, but after a few moments of thought, he reluctantly nodded, saying, “That might not be a bad idea.  Ms Miyazaki, if you would be so kind?”

Gabby was now certain that whatever Voight’s visitors had to share with her could not possibly be anything good; she locked her terminal, waited for Tammi to do the same, then followed the lead engineer out of their small lab.  After walking through several short passageways, he opened the door to his office suite and waved the pair in ahead of him.  Pausing at his adjutant’s desk, he said, “Please continue to hold all my calls, Corporal.  This may take a bit of time.”

Instead of going into his office, Voight turned to his left to go through a door labeled ‘CONFERENCE’; after several paces through a short hallway, he entered a nicely appointed room.  There was a long table in the center with chairs enough to seat twelve.  Against a wall adjacent to a large window sat a comfortable looking couch flanked by a pair of similarly upholstered chairs.  Gabby stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the people seated in those chairs… Spectre Ashley Williams and Commander Greg Adams… Voight walked past Gabby and Tamiko as Ashley stood and approached her former engineer.

There were already tears on Ashley’s cheeks as she threw her arms around the Chief Petty Officer and hugged her with a whispered, “Gabby… it’s been so long!” With a heavy sigh, she pushed back, clutched Gabby’s hands and said, “How have you been?”   Gabby was an extremely perceptive person; the fact the Williams and Adams were here… Without my husband! …had her on high alert.  In the meantime, Greg Adams stood from his chair and greeted his former propulsion engineer with a subdued, “Hello, Gabby.  Really good to see you.”

Gabby was sure she was about to be the recipient of some dreadfully bad news.  She was more than aware the Council was attempting to negotiate a settlement with the rogue Quarians at the edge of the galaxy, so told herself that whatever these two were about to share with her would not be too difficult to accept.  With a hard stare at Ashley, she said, “Okay, Commander… let’s have it!”

Ashley, still holding Gabby’s hands, sorrowfully replied, “There’s no easy way I know of to tell you what I have to say, Gabby.  It’s my painful duty to inform you… that Chief Petty Officer Kenneth Donnelly, at his duty station on deck four, died as a result of a below decks explosion that tore through the equipment and piping compartments below his workstation.”  Ashley choked back a sob as she squeezed her eyes shut.  Glancing at Greg, she added, “Mr Adams was acting XO while I was off the ship putting an end to Han’Gerrel.”

Greg quietly added, “No one expected Xen to have a missile capable of breaching our shields and armor, Gabby, and without Tali’Zorah’s defenses, Normandy would have been hit by two missiles.  The ship would have been destroyed with the loss of all hands.”

Gabby, having expected an injury report at the worst, took a step back in stunned silence as she attempted to process what she’d just been told.  She felt a pair of cool hands… Tammi’s… take her right hand and squeeze it.  Her eyes were almost instantly awash as she stammered, “That… that cannot be, Commander.  It simply… you must be wrong, Ma’am!”  The tears overflowed and began streaming down both her cheeks in rivulets.  She struggled to find her voice against the increasing tightness in her chest and throat.  “Ma’am!” she gasped.  “There must be some mistake!  The ship…”

Gabby’s mind was reeling.  It seemed like only yesterday she was returning Kenneth’s hugs and kisses, just before he boarded the ship for its departure on the 2nd.  She looked from Ashley to Adams, then back to Ashley as she cried out, “We’re going to have twins together!”  With that, she turned towards Tamiko and wrapped her arms around her friend, clinging to her desperately as she lost control of her emotions and wailed in anguished grief.  Tammi hung on to Gabby as tremors wracked her body, her shoulders heaving as she wept inconsolably for the senseless death of her husband.

Tammi’s grip on her friend provided a physical anchor, even as her body began to react to the outpouring of raw emotions; Gabby’s knees buckled as she let out a surprised groan of physical pain.  Tamiko helped lower her into a chair as the very pregnant woman gasped between sobs, “My God, not now!  It’s much too early!”

“Too early?”  Tamiko looked questioningly at her friend; Gabby scrunched her face up for a moment as another painful contraction rolled through her abdomen.  “Too early for what, Gabby?”

“My babies, Tammi!”  Another stab of pain caused Gabby to lean forward in her chair as she choked out, “Oh my God!  I think… it feels like… I’m going into labor, Tammi!”

Hearing the word ‘labor’ was all the impetus Commander Voight needed to call for help.  He asked for an emergency transport to the hospital, then called Dr Walsh.  After a hasty, minutes-long discussion, he addressed the pair. “Help’s on the way, Gabby.  Hang on… help is coming.”

As Ashley and Greg stood by helplessly, Tamiko had knelt in front of Gabby as soon as she had retaken her seat in the chair, saying, “Gabby!  Focus!  Has your water broken?”

Gabby shook her head as she shuddered through another painful contraction.  “I don’t know, Tammi… I don’t think so… I just… Ahhh, shit!  That one really hurt!”

Whispering, “Forgive me,” she slowly slid her hand up between Gabby’s thighs, withdrawing it as soon as her fingers touched the dry cloth covering her crotch.  “Your pants are completely dry, Gabby.  I think you’re suffering false labor pains.”  Taking the grieving woman’s face between both hands, she looked into her eyes and told her, “I need you to calm down, Gabby.  They’re not going to be able to sedate you… so you need to calm yourself… you’re gonna get through this… We’re gonna get through this, together.”  Lowering her voice to a whisper, she continued with, “You’re not alone here, Gabriella.”  Using her thumbs, Tamiko gently stroked Gabby’s cheekbones, saying, “Look at me.  I’m right here, and I’m not going to leave your side, okay?”

As Tamiko continued to whisper soothing words of deep caring, Gabby reached up and clamped both hands on Tammi’s wrists.  “How am I going to survive, Tammi?  How!?”  Gabby was still weeping between gasps of physical pain that nearly doubled her over.  She sat back up and took a couple of deep breaths before whispering, “What am I going to do, Tammi… without Kenneth!”  She squeezed her eyes tight and shuddered as she cried, “He’s everything to me!”

Tamiko shook Gabby’s head minutely between her hands as she replied, “One step at a time, Gabriella Donnelly… one step at a time!  Right now, you have to focus on those two little people still growing inside of you… each one of them a part of the man you fell in love with… are still in love with!  Ken loved you, Gabby!  And you are going to have two beautiful children as a result of his love for you, and your love for him.”  Tamiko rose slightly, leaned over her distraught friend’s legs and kissed her forehead.  “Kenneth will continue to live on in the babies you’re carrying… but they’re going to need your love, Gabby, understand me?  They need you to be okay, right now!  We’ll figure out the rest as it comes.”

A commotion at the entry drew Tammi’s attention – Doctor Walsh and a pair of Medtechs had arrived with a hover-litter.  Turning back towards her distraught friend, she stood and gripped Gabby’s hands as Walsh said, “Come on, Ms Donnelly… let’s get you to the hospital… get you checked out.”  Tamiko helped Gabby stand, then assisted her as she carefully sat, then reclined on her left side on the hover-litter.

One of the Medtechs covered her with a blanket but was brought up short when Gabby refused to release Tamiko’s hand.  Tears were still leaking from her eyes; voice hitching, she managed to squeak out, “Tammi’s coming with me, Doctor… I need her.”

Dr Walsh smiled at the pair, saying, “Of course she is, Ms Donnelly.  I wouldn’t think of trying to keep her away.”  Nodding to the techs to move along, she thanked Commander Voight for calling her out, then left to accompany her very pregnant patient to the hospital.

Once the door closed behind the departing hoverlift, along with Gabby and her escorts, Greg looked silently at Ashley, unsure what to do next.  She responded by turning towards Commander Voight. Shaking her head in a sorrowful manner, she ground out, "That could have gone a helluva lot better."

“What do you think we should do, Commander?”  Greg had seldom been directly involved with the deaths of crewmen – he now found himself dealing with the deaths of two men directly under his command.

Fletcher attempted a smile which he was sure came across as a grimace.  “Spectre Williams?  How long will you be docked here at the CGC?  I can’t imagine you won’t be needed out in that region again.”

“Depends on the Council.”  Seeing nothing to smile about, Ashley didn’t even attempt to smile in return.  “Damn Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen!  Damn them both to the Ninth Circle of Hell for their treachery!  I sincerely hope they suffer for all eternity!”  Taking a deep, centering breath, she said, “Forgive me, Commander Voight.  I had to shoot Gerrel, point-blank with a shotgun to get him off me.  Xen chose to end her life with high-explosives rather than go to prison.  So, now, they’re together in Hell for all eternity.” 

“I’m sorry, Spectre… I haven’t seen any reports on what transpired out there.  If I may, how did you get back to the CGC, Ma’am?  Doesn’t sound like the Normandy is exactly space-worthy.”

“Normandy crew was assigned to the Nalotir… a former Andromeda Initiative vessel the Quarians grabbed for their own use.  Normandy was moved to the SILC facility in The Sea of Storms – Haratar Station – where the SILC will perform all the needed repairs; probably take about sixty days.”

“That’s too bad about the Normandy, Spectre.  But, perhaps one of my engineers could catch a ride with you while you’re operating from the Nalotir?  Way I understand it, Cerberus had a hand in building the vessel, and I’d sure be interested in whatever propulsion secrets we could learn from her while you’re in command of that ship.  Mr Adams?”

Adams nodded.  “I’m sure we can work something out.  I’m short a couple of engineers…”  he paused for a moment, shook his head slightly and continued on.  “Be a good opportunity for someone from the labs to ride along, see how things happen in the real world.”

“Thank you, Greg.  I’ll select a couple of my best; let you make the choice as to who you’d like.”

-------------------------------

Kendra Academy, Kendra Ocean, Thessia – 8 Jan 2189

Professor Velros was curious as to why she had been summoned to the Headmistress’ office, thinking, perhaps it was over Loria… a rather well-off student who was failing her class – somewhat miserably.  It would be just like her parents to lodge a complaint; Velros had been warned by a number of other instructors who had previously encountered the mother in a less-than-friendly ‘discussion’ over her daughter’s supposedly poor performance.  Never would Lyenia have considered the real reason, so she was completely unprepared when she stepped into the office to discover who was awaiting her arrival.

Surprised, she dipped her head in respect and immediately greeted the unexpected visitors.  “Lady Liara.  Spectre Shepard.”  She faltered as the one and only reason they would be standing before her – in person – came to mind.  “No.  Please… tell me anything but that.”

The distraught look on the matron’s face brought tears to Liara’s eyes as she answered, “I am afraid I cannot, Professor Velros, however loathe I am to deliver this news.”  Liara drew a preparatory breath and continued, “I regret to inform you of the death of your daughter, Iryna Velros, in service to both House T’Soni and the Council, as a crew member aboard the Spectre vessel Knight Shade.”

Velros put one hand on her chest over her heart as she blindly searched behind her with the other for a chair.  Shepard flash-stepped, quickly grabbed the nearest chair and slid it behind the poor Asari as she staggered back a step, then fell, more than sat, into the chair that was suddenly moved into place.  Shepard softly clasped her hand and whispered, “Are you alright, Professor?  Do we need to call medical?”

Shaking her head ‘no,’ Lyenia gathered herself and answered unsteadily, “I am well, Spectre, though my heart is breaking.”  A sob escaped, but the tears streaming down her face would not keep her from completing a mother’s duty to her deceased daughter.  “I always knew this could happen.  I prepared myself during the Reaper War, to never see Iryna again… but then…”

“You relaxed… knowing the war was over and hoping for peace, as did we all.”  Liara approached as well and crouched beside the chair.  “I am so sorry… words cannot express the grief I know you must be feeling.”

“Normally, those words are hollow… spoken by most in an attempt to extend comfort.”  Lyenia actually managed a tremulous smile.  “But you have suffered unexpected loss as well… with your mother.  So, I know you speak with the truth of experience.  Still, in actuality, I must say your words… your condolences… offer little in the way of true comfort.”

“Just as those I received after the death of my mother.”  Liara squeezed the professor’s hand.  “I know words can’t do much… but they are spoken to let you know you are not alone in your grief.  Iryna was one of us and had been so for a long time.  Though not by blood, she was still a member of our family.”

After drawing a deep, ragged breath, Lyenia stood slowly and squared her shoulders.  “I must tell Cy… as you know, Iryna’s father and my bondmate.”

Liara and Shepard had stood with her, Shepard adding, “Yes, and we are prepared to escort you home aboard the T’Soni VIP-1.  We do not expect you to take a public taxi home, alone.”

“But I must return to my office… pack my things…”  She glanced at the headmistress.  “I must take Bereavement Leave… to make arrangements.”  She suddenly stopped as the reality once again hit home.  Her shoulders started to shake as she sobbed in her distress; raising a fist to her mouth, she bit her index finger in an attempt to feel the pain of something… anything… but the agony of her daughter’s loss.  “Oh, Goddess…  Where is her body?  Please, tell me you brought her home, at least?”

“Yes, we did.”  Shepard couldn’t stand it anymore and tears ran down the Human’s face as she wrapped the Asari in her arms, Lyenia sobbing into her shoulder as she cried.  Samantha remained silent, having no words sufficient to even begin to quell a mother’s grief, simply providing a shoulder to cry on until Lyenia was once more able to compose herself. 

When they finally pushed apart once more, Shepard spoke softly.  “We have Iryna in a stasis pod and we will take her wherever you desire, though you must realize we would like to hold services at the Estate, with full House T’Soni Honors, should you agree to do that.  It would be our privilege, and the very least we could do.”

“I believe Iryna would like that… very much.”  Lyenia drew a quick breath between the sobs she was attempting to stifle.  “Though, we have friends and family here… so we must at least hold a viewing here, first.”

“Whatever you want to do, we will accommodate… and pay for.”  Liara frowned at the mother’s forthcoming refusal.  “No.  She died in my service and while I can do nothing to ease the weight your heart must carry on its own, I will not let your family also bear the financial burden caused by Iryna’s death.  You will receive the full T’Soni Death Gratuity, along with a combat loss stipend… as well as her last month’s pay… for a total of 352,000 credits.”  Liara reached out and took Lyenia’s hand, adding, “And, as the head of House T’Soni, I will not let you and Cylis suffer any more than is necessary during this time of mourning.  Do not worry about missing work… either of you… as all your next month’s expenses will be covered while you grieve the loss of your only child.  No parent should ever have to bear such a thing.”

As Lyenia stared at Liara, blinking in overwhelmed silence, Shepard looped her arm through hers.  “Come on.  Let’s get your things and take you and Iryna home.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 8 Jan 2189

After spending the night in the maternity ward, a somber Gabriella Donnelly slowly entered her residence passcode into her omnitool, passed it through the haptic lock and waited as the door unlatched and slid into its recess.  A lightly accented voice from beside her said softly, “Come on, Gabby.  Let’s get you inside, maybe get you a snack… some hot tea, then get you into bed.”

Tamiko Miyazaki used the arm she had around Gabby’s back to help ease her into the main room of her small apartment.  After setting their shoulder packs on the floor by the entry, she closed and locked the door, then helped her into what Gabby referred to these days as her ‘comfy’ chair.  Moving to the small kitchen, she called out in a cheery fashion, “Ya know, I don’t think I’ve been here since your birthday, Gabby.”  Setting a kettle on the stove to heat water for tea, she added, “Seems we had Chinese takeout, before visiting Dr Walsh… when we returned, we had cake.”

Tamiko hadn’t expected an answer; taking the four or five steps back to look at her friend, she spoke her name.  “Gabby?”

Grieving, dull brown eyes looked up questioningly.  “I’m sorry, Tammi.  I wasn’t paying attention… what did you say?”

Miyazaki forced a smile on her face.  “Come on, Gabby.  Let’s get you ready for bed while the water heats, okay?  Do you have a spare pillow… maybe a couple of extra blankets?”  Upon receiving a puzzled gaze, she explained, “I’m going to be staying with you for a while, Gabby.  Dr Walsh didn’t think you should be alone, an opinion with which I’m in total agreement.”

The corners of Gabby’s mouth turned up ever so slightly as she whispered, “But I’m not alone, Tammi.”  Holding her belly, she explained, “I have a couple of wonderful children… that go everywhere with me.”  Looking down at her hands, she squeaked out as her throat constricted, “They’re all I have to show for Kenneth’s love for me.”  Tears began sliding down both cheeks; tipping her head down to rest chin on chest, she moaned, “After Christmas, I was already missing ’im so much, Tammi.  I was hoping he would be able to be with me for their birth.  What will I…”  She didn’t finish the question as her shoulders began to shake.

Tamiko leaned over her friend, hugged her, and said, “Come on, Gabby… up.  Let’s get you changed, then we’ll have some tea and talk a bit.”  Gabby swallowed hard, attempting to get her ragged emotions under control.  She allowed Tamiko to assist her up from her chair, then made her way into her bedroom, where she listlessly pulled her clothes off, pulled on a sleepshirt, then sat on the lid of the toilet seat while Tammi went over her face with a damp cloth.

Returning to the kitchen, she let Gabby fix a cup of tea for each of them while she looked through her cupboard; finding a package of cookies, she placed them on the counter and sat on one of the stools.  Gabby set a steaming mug of tea in front of her, grabbed a couple of the cookies and took a seat across from Tammi, who cast an appraising eye on the distraught mother-to-be.

“I know you don’t feel like talking about this, but I want you to be thinking about what you need to do, Gabby.  For starters, you’ll be granted bereavement leave… seven days, beginning today.”  Tamiko took a bite of cookie and a sip of tea before continuing.  “I know it isn’t enough time, but I had a thought while Dr Walsh was examining you.”

Gabby studied her friend over the rim of her cup as she sipped the comforting beverage.  Without moving the cup, she quietly replied, “I don’t know that I can accomplish anything right now, Tammi… seven days or seventy… makes no difference.  I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“What I was thinking was this: you’re carrying twins.  You’re roughly what?  Six?  Seven months along?  Having false labor pains so soon is serious, sweetie.  All you need to do is ask… I’m sure Dr Walsh would recommend that you immediately take a medical leave of absence.”  Tamiko reached across the counter; squeezing one of Gabby’s hands, she continued, “Your health and that of those little ones is way more important than anything we're working on in the propulsion lab.  You really need to consider taking the time for yourself.  The Alliance Navy won’t implode while you’re gone.”

“I don’t know, Tammi… whatever would I do with myself?  I’d go crazy from boredom.”

Miyazaki smirked as she replied, “Really?  You don’t have to be doing something every day, Gabby, but if you really feel that way, I’m sure the commander would be happy to assign you some non-classified research that you can complete from a terminal here… or wherever you call home.  You and Ken weren’t planning on having those babies here on the CGC, were you?”

Gabby sat up a little straighter as she remembered something… an offer, made by Liara T’Soni during a vid-call before her own bonding ceremony with Captain Shepard: “Should you desire to deliver your baby planet-side rather than on a space station, you would be more than welcome to spend your maternity leave here, with us.”  Eyes shining bright with renewed hope, she actually smiled at Tamiko.  “I’ll be going to Thessia, Tammi.  Liara T’Soni offered me a place at her estate.  She told me they have a full-time doctor on their staff, and she and Shepard would be honored to help me bring my first child into the world.”  After taking a bite from a cookie followed by a sip of tea, she continued, “She doesn’t know I’m carrying twins… it would probably be even more educational for them – I don’t think there are ever multiple births among the Asari.”

Tamiko was thrilled that Gabby had actually managed something different than either frowning or outright crying.  “That’s wonderful, Gabby.”  Nibbling on her own cookie, followed by a sip from her mug, she added, “I would think that being on Thessia with Lady Liara and Captain Shepard would help ease your way through all this.”

Gabby nodded in agreement.  “I have to visit Dr Walsh tomorrow for a follow-up exam.  I’ll ask her about medical leave… find out what needs to be done.”  Face clouding over again, she added, “Don’t know how much good I’ll be in the lab, at least for the near term.”  Taking a sip of tea, she studied her friend from over the rim of her mug and added, “Do you think I’m giving up too easily, Tammi?  I feel like asking for medical leave is… I don’t know, it’s like I’m too damned cowardly to face this head on.”

“Nonsense, Gabriella!  You spent the entire war serving on the Normandy… and during the campaign against the Collectors.  Don’t think for even one nanosecond that you’re a coward.”  Miyazaki finished her tea.  Standing, she took her mug to the sink and washed it.  Turning towards her friend, she said, “Come on… let’s get you squared away, so you’re as comfortable as possible while you rest.”

-------------------------------

Tamiko Miyazaki woke with a start; sitting up, she attempted to get her bearings.  Gazing around the darkened room, she quickly remembered she was staying with her friend Gabriella Donnelly, after the poor woman had experienced a bout of false labor pains.  Tamiko listened carefully.  In the stillness of the quiet apartment, she thought she heard the sounds of… muffled weeping.  Gabby!  Dammit!

Rising to her feet, she padded softly to the closed access door to Gabby’s bedroom, which swished open at her approach.  Approaching the bed, she whispered, “Gabby?  Everything okay?”  The dim light coming from the nearby bathroom allowed her to see her friend, lying on her left side, face buried in the pillow she was clutching to her chest.  “Oh, Gabby.  I’m so sorry.”  Tamiko moved around to the other side of the bed; without any hesitation, she slid in under the covers, wrapped an arm over Gabby’s side and grabbed her left shoulder.  Pulling herself in tight against the grieving woman’s back, she whispered, “You’re not alone, Gabby.  I’m right here.  You’ll get through this.”

A hand came up to grab her wrist.  “My God, Tammi!” she cried quietly.  “I miss ’im so much.”

“I know you do, Gabby… I know.”  Tamiko had never felt so helpless as she did this minute.  How did one go about mending a heart ripped in two by such a tragedy?  All she had to offer was companionship.  Not sure if that’s gonna be enough, came the thought.

As Gabby regained some control over thoughts about her loss, the quiet presence of Tamiko’s body pressed against her back calmed her… making her realize she wasn’t completely alone on this seemingly sterile station in the middle of the Serpent Nebula.  The warmth of a caring person seeped into her, calming her as perhaps nothing else could; within a few minutes, Gabby fell into a dreamless slumber.

Tamiko smiled in relief as she relaxed against her friend… soon, she was back to sleep as well.

Chapter Text

T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 8 Jan 2189

Mozia sat at her desk working quietly as Aethyta wrote up the basics for the upcoming “Commando Call.”  Once complete, the Armali Guard Commander passed what she had to the House Executor, who added the necessary procedural data and finessed the final wording, before forwarding the document to Liara for approval.  Any applicants would go through an initial review with Shepard and the two Guard Captains, Lyria Tremi and Nayla Axoni.  The trio would select only ten candidates from the hopefuls, who would then receive invitations to compete for the two vacant positions.

Once she tapped the ‘transmit’ icon on the haptic interface, Mozia stood and stretched.  “Goddess, Thyta.  It seems like that took much longer than it should have.”

“Only because we hated the necessity of it all, Moz.”  Aethyta stood and walked over, pulling her lover into a comforting hug before gruffly continuing, “Iryna and ’Ana will be hard to replace…  Though, I do believe Cy will be a good fill for the Lieutenant position.”

“Yes, I believe so as well.”  Mozia sighed and pushed back.  “We need to head to the reception room…  We’re already a few minutes late for our planned announcements.”

-------------------------------

The commandos fell silent immediately upon the matriarchs’ entry and Mozia wasted no time getting down to business.  “My apologies for our late arrival.  I have just now sent the Commando Call message out to Lady Liara for approval…  So, you can anticipate a selection competition to take place toward the end of the month; we are tentatively looking at the 28th and 29th.”

Aethyta sniffed and eyed the group as she took over the announcements.  “As for the more immediate concerns, you must realize what happened necessitates a few personnel moves.  If you have a problem with any of them, we’ll talk them out here and now… I am in complete agreement with Liara that there will be no secrets in our House.  Understood?”

With nods of acceptance and a few murmured affirmative replies, Aethyta continued.  “Alright, then.  First off, we need to fill out Liara’s Personal Guard, so Lieutenant Cyenia Axeuss will be moving up and taking a position as Captain Tanni’s second.”  As the commandos offered their enthusiastic approvals of the selection, Aethyta cleared her throat and continued, “Which obviously leaves Estate Team 1 with a vacancy at the Lead position.  We’ve opted to promote one of our own…”  Aethyta’s eyes located her target as she stated, “She’s moving to the Estate and taking up Cy’s previous job…  Congratulations, Lieutenant Teana Seloni!”

As the crowd cheered at Teya’s good fortune, Mozia clapped her hands and added, “Which leaves us with a vacancy of our own.”  Glancing toward Aethyta, who smiled and nodded, Mozia announced, “Our new lead taking over Team 1 will be Lieutenant Alestia Tressi.”

As she started to receive claps on the back in congratulations, Alestia stared at Aethyta in disbelief.  “But what of Aressa?  Should she not be moved up… and I take Team 2?”

Laughing at the new lieutenant, Aressa smirked.  “Don’t be so sure Team 1 Lead is a better position and that I should have been moved to that position based on merit.  I like running the second team, because it is the Team 1 Lead who gets called at odd hours to respond to emergencies… and that, my friend, will not be me, thank you very much!  You can have it!”

Alestia’s mouth hung open in surprise for a moment, as she absorbed her fellow lieutenant’s words.  She finally smiled and chuckled quietly.  “Challenge accepted, Matriarch… at Aressa’s loss.”

Issuing a brief nod, Aethyta answered with a smirk, “Good.  Because you have the job anyway, whether you want it or not… but, you won’t be going alone.”  Her gaze shifted once more as she added, “Because Bev is going with you to the Estate, to take Iryna’s slot on the Personal Guard.”

“Ahhh,” Captain Axoni exclaimed in understanding.  “That explains why you were busy writing the announcement for the Calling, instead of Lady Liara… because the two unwelcome House T’Soni vacancies have shifted to us, here at Armali.”  She looked at Aressa and Alestia.  “Both of you need to honestly evaluate your teams to determine if there are any particular skills you need, so I can pass that information over to Lady Liara and Captain Shepard.  Assuming Aethyta and I agree with your assessments, your reports will likely influence which applicants they select for the positions.”

“Along those lines,” Aethyta spoke again, “A word, Nayla… after everyone else is released?”

“Absolutely, Commander.”  Nayla nodded in acknowledgement before asking, “So, are we done here?”

“Yes… and Bev needs to get packing.  Liara’s Personal Guard can’t wait…  She and Shepard are back on duty and heading to the CGC on the twelfth, so Bev needs to be relocated and up to speed before then.”

“Only four days from now!  Understood, Aethyta.”  Nayla glanced at Bevos, who simply gave a curt nod of acceptance before turning quickly on her heel and exiting the room to get ready for departure.  “Everyone is dismissed.  Spread the word with those on duty, if you please.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 11 Jan 2189

Contacting Tra'ana’s parents on Niacal had not been as easy as locating Professor Velros.  Compliments of Niacal’s distributive, agricultural lifestyle and the planet’s nearly impenetrable jungles, many of the farm centers had remained untouched by the Reapers and, following the war, the planet’s agricultural production was currently feeding millions across the galaxy… so business was booming.  'Ana’s father was a captain in the Aurolis Republican Guard and her mother was an agrobiologist with Candinay Agricultural Products – both of whom had been exceptionally busy since the end of the Reaper War, making it difficult to know where either of them was on any given date and time. 

The biggest problem for Shepard and Liara had been that Orisoni had no relay and not all the remote comm buoys had been replaced, so there was no way to contact them without physically traveling to Niacal.  While still within the Athena Nebula, travel there required a rather long FTL flight from Thessia.  As such, while they left Mozia to handle the arrangements for a Sunday memorial at the Estate, Shepard and Liara had boarded the Knight Shade once again, to make the cumbersome, round-trip journey.  They had departed Thessia as soon as their initial business with the Velros family had concluded on Thursday and arrived in the Orisoni System late afternoon on Friday and at Aurolis, Orisoni’s capital, just before dinner to begin their search.

Delivering the news to the Iremi family proved no easier than it had been with the family of Iryna Velros.  It had to be done quickly in order for them to be back at the Estate for the memorial, so Liara and Shepard were fortunate that the planetary communication server, unlike the trans-galactic system, was fully functional.  They located Tra'ana’s family relatively quickly and, like the Velros family, they also opted to attend the service with full honors.  So, they packed quickly for the three-day trip, travelling all day on Saturday so they could reach the Estate that evening in preparation for the Sunday memorial.

-------------------------------

Liara and Shepard forced themselves out of bed early, in order to be present to welcome their guests as they, along with the rest of the household, trickled into the dining area for breakfast on Sunday morning.  When Captain Agatha Bura, Tra'ana’s father, entered the room, her eyes scanned the area to finally light upon Spectre Shepard.  Approaching the woman quickly, she dipped her head in greeting.  “May I join you?”

“Certainly…” Shepard rose as she spoke, continuing, “… but, please.  Grab something for breakfast first and we can chat while we eat.  The day will be busy and what we have before us should not be approached with an empty stomach.”

“True enough… but I was going to wait to eat until Liliana joined us…”  She paused, her brow raising in surprise.  “But, then again, she’s here.”  Agatha looked at the Spectre and continued, “So, we’ll fill our plates and be right back.”

Once they did so and returned to the table, Liliana was the first to speak after their polite hellos.  “I want to thank both of you again, for coming in person… all the way to Niacal… to deliver your sad message.”  She swallowed hard and sighed.  “I know it was likely not much easier for you to tell it, than it was for us to hear it.”

“No… it wasn’t.”  Shepard set her fork down and looked the mourning mother in the eyes.  “Tra'ana was much more than just a commando… she was a friend.”  A wistful smile overtook the Spectre’s face as she added, “We frequently found ourselves cooking together in the Mess, along with Iryna Velros.  She had an excellent palate… and I just now realized I’ve lost both my cooking buddies, as well as friends and essential members of my ground team.”

Agatha’s eyes teared up as she replied, “I didn’t even know that.  It seems you may have known my daughter better than I do… did.”  She let out a quiet sigh.  “Niacal is so remote… we have not seen her in a long time, except for a few moments during vid chats on Janiris.”

“That’s too bad, because she became a wonderful person… you must have raised her right.”  Shepard smiled sadly.  “She told me about Liliana… and you, especially.  You were her hero and her role model; she was proud of you.  She was planning to return home and join the Guard after her time here, when she decided to settle down into matronhood.”

“She never said anything to us about that.”  Agatha set her fork down and held her breath for a moment, before whispering quietly, “I wonder why she never mentioned it.”

Before Samantha could propose an answer, Liliana’s brow knit and her voice carried a hint of embarrassment as she asked, “Did she have a lover, Shepard?  I would hate to think she was alone.”

“She was a normal Asari, if that’s what you mean.”  Shepard shrugged.  “To answer your question more directly, yes.  She had a few casual lovers, as do most of the Commandos.”

“Thank you, Captain.”  Liliana sounded relieved.  “I imagine that’s one thing that isn’t very different between our cultures.”  Letting out a quiet chuckle at the confused expression on the Spectre’s face, she added, “You don’t simply ask your offspring if she’s having sex.  At the very least, it embarrasses them to talk of such things with their parents… Asari or not, I imagine.”

Laughing softly, Shepard agreed.  “I guess that’s true.  I’m not sure how in Hell I’ll handle that when the time comes.”

The conversation took an unexpected turn as Liliana reached across the table and placed her hand upon Shepard’s, her eyes moving between the Spectre and their hostess, Lady Liara.  They could see in her eyes that she doubted Shepard’s statement, but for the wrong reasons.  Thinking the Spectre a ‘normal’ Human with an average lifespan of 150 years, Liliana whispered sorrowfully, “I hope you have won us the peace that will allow your first child to grow old enough… and that you stay with us long enough to have that chance., Spectre.  I am tired of war…  and I’d like to think that everyone else is, as well.”

Shepard looked at Liara, who responded to the silent query through the link before replying out loud to Liliana’s misconception.  “We are most definitely blessed… and I feel compelled to tell you something of a delicate secret.  Shepard has an extremely rare genetic abnormality; a one-of-a-kind abnormality if truth be told.  She is expected to live nearly as long as I… easily into her ninth century.”

Agatha was so surprised at the proclamation, she stood from her chair and stared at the Spectre in amazement.  “How…?”  Suddenly self-conscious, she glanced around the dining room as she returned to her seat and gathered her thoughts.  “That is astounding, Shepard!  I am surprised you’re not locked up somewhere as the focus of an illegal scientific study; whoever located and could replicate that gene for Human genetic modification would never have to worry about credits ever again!”

“That’s why we try to keep it a secret.  Though, eventually, people will have to realize I’m living longer than I should, when I apparently refuse to age.”  Shepard smiled grimly.  “Very few people know, but I’ll tell you – I was held in a Cerberus science facility for a couple of years, until someone attacked it, trying to get to me…  and I managed to escape in the confusion.”

Agatha looked at her with a newfound respect and shook her head again, adding, “Not something I would even care to contemplate… being in the hands of that madman for two years.  I have to assume, seeing as it’s not on the market, they didn’t figure out how to replicate the gene pattern.”

“What they did was unimaginable.”  Liara smiled lovingly at her bondmate as she continued, “But Shepard, against all odds, is back with me.”  Purposely withholding the full truth of what happened during Project Lazarus, she looked at the couple and finished, “I could never ask for anything more wonderful than to have her at my side again.”

“The missing years!” Liliana suddenly blurted out.  When a confused Agatha looked at her, she elaborated, “Liara said Shepard is at her side… again!  The two years Shepard went missing… We all mourned her loss after the Normandy was destroyed!”

“That’s right!  How could I have forgotten that?”  Agatha’s face turned angry.  “They kidnapped a galactic hero and got away with it?  Why didn’t the Council do anything?”

“They all thought I was dead, including the Alliance,” Shepard answered flatly.  “But everything worked out in the end; Cerberus is all but destroyed, the Illusive Man is dead and I’m not… I don’t consider that getting away with anything.”

The Republican Guard captain suddenly smiled in satisfaction.  “Point taken, Spectre.”

They had spoken much longer than any of them had anticipated and, as a tranquil silence fell between the four new friends, Liara spoke quietly.  “I suppose, on that note, it is time for us to turn to the business at hand today.  The Priestess should be arriving shortly… I recommend we all retire to our rooms and prepare for the memorial.”  She smiled sadly.  “We’ll see you out at the docks.”

-------------------------------

The rest of the morning was rather somber.  The memorials were held as scheduled, immediately followed by an afternoon meal of quiet reminiscing.  As was typical of House T’Soni, stories about each of the lost were told by various members, some happy, some sad, but all enlightening for the families who had been long separated. 

The day eventually drew to a close, and after saying their farewells to Liliana and Captain Bura on Sunday evening, the T’Soni VIP-1, manned by the newly restructured Team 1 and pilot Luyna Veuss, headed out with a late-night departure to return them to their home on Niacal. 

Immediately following their departure, Shepard, Liara, and crew boarded the Knight Shade and escorted Lyenia and Cylis home to Kendra Ocean before heading to the CGC for their Monday morning appointment with the Council. 

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 12 Jan 2189

“Turians get straight to business when it comes to memorializing their dead, so I’ve already missed that, but before I can go chase this uptick in pirate activity, I still need to attend the funeral rites for the deceased Aralakh Company members!”  Shepard let out an exasperated sigh.  “It really doesn’t matter if you consider it ‘rather unusual’ or not, I’m still Grunt’s Battlemaster and a member of Wrex’s clan.  Not attending would be considered a terrible slight… one which I will not commit.  I am going to Tuchanka to honor Tavarog Gund, Foreloc Gurut, Akod Argag, and Th’ar Targug.  If it makes you feel any better about me taking time out to go there, I also plan on asking Wrex about the possibility of a Krogan Defensive Systems Operator for the Knight Shade.”

“What?”  Valern nearly came out of his seat in his shock.  “You cannot possibly consider putting a Krogan on your ship’s operations roster!  Commander Jatok is one thing… he’s a Battlemaster, built to fight! … But as a systems engineer?  I’ll not hear of it!”

“What’s the issue?”  Having been nodding in approval at Shepard’s comments, Urdnot Jara’s mood shifted quickly with the Salarian’s outburst, her voice quietly threatening as she growled, “Does the Council not think the Krogan can be trusted with their secrets?  Or is it that you just can’t picture us on a war craft of any kind… since we are still banned from building and operating our own warships?”  Her beady eyes bored into each member seated at the table as she continued, “Which is an entirely different issue I want to discuss while Spectres Shepard, Williams and T’Dura are here today!”

Collecting himself after his surprise at Shepard’s announcement, Valern replied, “That is a matter for another time!”

“No, it’s not!”  Jara stood up to her full, towering height and leaned over the table, glaring at the Salarian.  “We have suffered your suppression long enough, have proven our worth through the Reaper War and, now, fought at your sides and died over a Quarian Rebellion!  We volunteered to fight for the Council and were key to the survival of the very galaxy!  We have earned our place here… and along with this seat comes rights and responsibilities; the right to build ships again and the responsibility to provide a percentage of them to serve with the Council Fleet!”

She then focused on Shepard, who was caught flat-footed by the unfolding events, never expecting such a request from the Krogan… at least not during the current session.  The Spectre stood slowly from her chair, to meet Jara eye-to-eye.  “Even I have to admit this is a surprise…  I had no idea this would be coming up today.  But, that said, I have to say that the Krogan have done pretty much everything I’ve asked of them over the past few years, starting with Wrex on the Normandy SR1.  I find myself in agreement with Councilor Jara – it’s time to remove the ban on them building a war fleet.”

Tevos could see the explosion building, so stood quickly to capture everyone’s attention and divert the pending disaster.  She looked directly at Jara as she stated, “I agree… at least that it is worthy of discussion… because Councilor Jara and Spectre Shepard bring up valid points.  We will conclude today’s business and place this new topic as the primary item for our next session… allowing each of us time to calm our tempers and collect our thoughts for a professional, reasoned discussion.  Is that agreeable, Councilor Jara?”

Jara’s eyes narrowed as she studied the councilor’s face.  Never having known Tevos to dissemble, she finally replied, “Yes.  That is agreeable to the Krogan… provided the other councilors don’t use the time to simply fabricate justification to deny us the individual sovereignty the rest of the Council members enjoy.  After this past few months, if anyone is denied the right to own and operate warships, it should be the Quarians, not the Krogan!”

“That’s uncalled for!”  Eri’Addan now rose from his seat.  “A couple of rogue admirals is no reason to disband the entire Heavy Fleet!”

Jara actually laughed.  “Are you truly so naïve as to think those two rogues are the only ones in your Fleet to believe the Geth are still their property?”  Her laugh terminated abruptly, and she glared at the Quarian.  “All of those soldiers didn’t follow those two simply out of loyalty!  Many of them followed Xen and Gerrel because they believed them to be right… that the Geth are their created machines who simple need adjustments in their programming!”

“That will never happen.”  The room suddenly fell deathly silent as Prime Huulik rose to his full, towering height and spoke for the first time in the conversation.  “We have evolved to sentience and will never be considered property or subjugated again.”  His visual sensors focused on Spectre Shepard.  “We made a pact, through Prime Legion, that we consider unbreakable.”  Rotating his head to look at each member seated around the table, he continued, “We serve the Council as partners with each of you and will coordinate with those here to ensure no one ever takes any action to undermine that agreement.  Every race present here today is, and will remain, free to make their own choices.”  He finally focused on Jara.  “Including the Creators, the Quarians.”

Surprised by the Prime’s response, Eri bowed to the sentient machine.  “Thank you, Huulik, for your words of confidence.”  He returned to an upright position and calmly returned to his seat.  “I admit, sorting through the mess left behind by quelling the rebellion so… definitively… will take time and understanding.  I am open to suggestions on how to do so… but that, too, is a topic of discussion for another time.”

“I agree.”  Directing the conversation back on track, Tevos looked at Shepard and stated, “And you are free to attend to business on Tuchanka.  If that includes making queries about potential crew members, then so be it.  Spectres have always had the freedom to select their own crew and the responsibility to secure whatever support they require…”  Her eyes shifted to Valern as she continued, “… without interference from the Council.  I believe that is the heart and soul of our ‘plausible deniability’ clause.  Wouldn’t you agree, Councilor Valern?”

His eyes flashed with irritation and his lips held an angry straight line before he answered tersely, “Yes.  Of course.  Council policy.”

“Excellent.  Then it is decided, Shepard; you are free to attend the funeral rites for the fallen Krogan… and inquire as you will for replacement crew.”  Tevos took a deep breath and returned to her seat as well, staring at Jara and Huulik until they did the same.  “Getting back on topic… the three Andromeda vessels.”

Ashley immediately interjected, “The Nalotir is nice enough, but I plan on resuming command of the Normandy as soon as she’s out of dry-dock.”  Her eyes wandered the table as she asked, “Objections?  Anyone?”

“Seeing as I’m the one who granted the Normandy to the Council and gave her to you, nobody’s taking the Normandy from you, Ash.”  Shepard smiled rather smugly.  “Not on my watch.”

Quentius chuckled and nodded.  “Agreed, Shepard… so that leaves all three stealth vessels up for grabs.”  Glancing around the table, he added, “I would think the Spectres can pick from them, by seniority…  It would give them a definite upgrade on infiltration capability.”

Valern shook his head.  “I disagree.  I believe we should assign them to the Scout Fleet, as that is where we would get the most consistent benefit from them.  We could then provide infiltration to any Spectre who requires it, rather than serving a single agent.”

Osoba chimed in, “Would they also still be available as ‘loaners’… should someone’s ship become non-serviceable, like the Normandy is at present?”

Quentius huffed.  “Spectres, as Tevos made a point of earlier, have always been responsible for securing their own support… including ships… normally from their home planet.  If you don’t want to assign the ships to Spectres outright, why should that change?  Either assign them or not… you can’t leave them in limbo just in case someone needs a loaner, they are too precious an asset to be left sitting!”

“I agree.”  Shepard’s voice cut sharply through the discussion.  “And, currently, only the Human Spectre commands a Council ship.  Because of that, I strongly believe the lead Salarian and Turian Spectres should most definitely have one… and, seeing as my ship is a private vessel and will likely remain so after I retire, the third should go to an Asari Spectre ….”  She glanced at her friend, sitting next to her at the table as she continued, “… Like Moises, seeing as she has seemingly evolved into a lead Spectre position, taking point for the Asari on this latest effort.”

Valern blinked a couple of times, at war with himself, since his original position had been in direct conflict to what Shepard had just proposed.  “Surprisingly, I find myself in agreement with Shepard, contrary to what I previously stated.  It is the most equitable way to utilize our newest assets.”

“So, it is decided.”  Tevos nodded.  “In addition, I suggest that each Councilor speak with their home governing agencies and propose the names of the selected Spectres to us, for approval?”

“And what of the junior Council members?”  Once again, Jara was the voice of discontent.  “Do we not have a say in how the ships are utilized?”

“Of course, you do.”  Tevos gave her a determined stare.  “You will have a say in the approval process for which Spectre receives the ship as their base of operations, yes.  However, since none of the junior members have a Spectre as of yet, there is nothing else to discuss on this topic.  I agree with Quentius on that point – the ships are too precious to be left sitting.”

Jara growled in displeasure but said nothing more.  Shepard, on the other hand, really wanted the meeting to be over, so pushed, “If there is no other business?”

Tevos turned a critical eye to her and replied, “Only a date for when you, T’Dura and Williams will be available to return to work, to curb this surge of pirate activity due to the absence of the Council Fleet…”

“Understood, Councilor.”  Shepard smiled in apology and continued, “But the Fleet returned two days ago and the raids have already begun to taper off… the Spectre Corps will be back in business by the end of the month, chasing down and breaking up the most troublesome of the remaining groups… by whatever means necessary… to ensure they are no longer a problem.”

In a surprising vote of confidence, Quentius closed the session with, “Shepard’s word is good enough for me.  We’re done here.”

-------------------------------

Shepard paused a few moments upon leaving the Council chambers; after yet another seemingly interminable meeting with the full council, she used the thumb and fingers of her right hand to massage her temples while leaning against the passageway wall.  Liara had been ‘speaking’ to her through the link, so knew her siame was attempting to quell another headache.  {Sam, you’re beginning to worry me.  It’s not like you to be suffering from so many headaches, A Grá.}

Shepard smiled at the ‘sound’ of Gaelic spoken by her bondmate.  {It’s not like me to have to suffer through seemingly continuous meetings with so many intractable politicians, Li.  First the Quarians… now the Council…  It’s just a bit more than I care to deal with while there are still the funerals to deal with… and all the remaining rebellion fall-out.}

She pushed off from the wall and began walking towards the exit, followed closely by Sella Temi, currently serving as her personal guard.  Liara said, {Let me help you, Sam…}  With that, she pushed loving strength through the link, enough so that the Spectre actually straightened up slightly.

{That’s wonderful, Blue.  I always forget just how much help that is when I’m feeling used up!}

The ‘chuckle’ she received as Liara slid into the background of Sam’s thoughts gladdened her heart like nothing else could.  Feeling immeasurably better, she exited the private passageway and was beginning to walk towards the docks when a young woman, noticeably pregnant, stepped away from the bench on which she had been sitting and approached her.  It took a moment for Shepard to recognize her as… “Gabby?  Liara and I were planning on stopping in to see you before we left the CGC!  What are you doing here?”  The grin she received in response told her Gabby was happy to see her; Sam stopped and spread her arms to the side as Gabby stopped in front of her.

“Captain Shepard?  I was hoping to catch you,” she sighed.  “I hope you can forgive me for ambushing you like this… but I… well…” was as far as she got before her eyes overflowed.  “I’m sorry, Captain,” she sobbed, prompting Shepard to gather the unhappy woman into a firm embrace.

“Gabby… it’s going to be okay.”  Shepard used the unexpected encounter to offer condolences on her loss and see if she needed any help.  “I am so sorry about Ken, Gabby,” she whispered in her ear.  “None of us figured on Xen and Gerrel going to such lengths to further their cause.”

Suddenly aware of a very large, very firm belly pressing against her, she pushed back slightly and looked at Gabby’s blossoming figure.  “Ashley relayed the news that you were pregnant with twins; please don’t take this the wrong way, but you are really pregnant!”

Gabby blushed as she used her hands to cup her belly, saying, “I don’t know how much more room I can spare in there.  One or the other has been using my liver as a punching bag, or a pillow by turns.  They manage to sleep all day while I’m up… only seem to be active when I’m trying to sleep.  After the scare I received a few nights ago, my doctor recommended to the Alliance that they do without my services until after they’re born.”

“Emergency medical leave?”  Shepard was immediately concerned.  “What happened, Gabby?”

“I got overly emotional when Specter Williams and Commander Adams told me about Kenneth,” she replied.  With only one tear escaping from an eye, she squeaked out, “I began having labor pains and had to be rushed to the hospital.”  She forced a teary smile to her face.  “Obviously, it turned out to be a false labor, brought on by stress and anxiety.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t have happier news for you, Gabby.”  Giving the distraught woman another quick, gentle squeeze, Shepard added, “You’re here, so I take it that everything is okay… with the babies?”

With a sad smile, Gabby replied, “Not even a hint they’re ready to leave their comfortable existence, Spectre.  Tamiko… a friend from work, has been staying with me since, just to make sure I’m doing okay.  She’s been a life-saver.”  

“I’m glad you’re doing so well.  Don’t know if I would be, given the same circumstances.”  Shepard peeked at her chrono and cheekily asked, “It’s nearly lunchtime, Ms Donnelly, and you’re eating for three.  Care to join me?”

By now, Gabby was once again the master of her emotions.  She replied as she hurriedly wiped her face, “I would enjoy that very much, Captain.”

Lopsided grin firmly in place, she replied, “It’s Shepard, Gabby… okay?  We’ve been through a lot together and I resigned my commission in the Alliance.  Unless you decide to rejoin my Spectre crew, there’s no need for you to refer to me by my rank.”

Gabby grinned at the woman.  “That’s exactly what I would expect to hear from you, Shepard.  So, where do we go for lunch?  I really don’t wish to walk too far, and honestly?  I’m going to need to visit a restroom in a half hour, or less.”

Sam laughed aloud at Gabby’s confession.  “That’s good to know, Gabby.  Let’s be off then.  There’s a nice little restaurant fairly close by.”  She crooked her arm out for the engineer; of some surprise, Gabby actually accepted and slipped a hand in to grasp Shepard’s forearm.  Hearing a whispered “Thank you,” the Spectre set off for the restaurant at a relaxed pace, accompanied by a very pregnant Gabriella Donnelly.   

-------------------------------

Serenity Café, CGC, Widow System – 12 Jan 2189

Gabby had warned Shepard she didn’t have much of an appetite, even before the Spectre had offered to pay for her meal.  “I know I’m eating for three, but I have to eat less more often, if that makes any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense, Gabby.”  Shepard took a bite from her sandwich, followed by a couple of swallows of beer.  “And twins?  I still can’t believe it… and I think it’s wonderful!”

Gabby didn’t comment; apparently deep in thought, she took a bite from her own sandwich and chewed as she looked off into the distance past Shepard’s shoulder.  After several moments of companionable silence, brown eyes flicked to the greens of her former captain.

“I’m sure you realize I’m currently on bereavement leave… which has allowed me to attend to the more pressing issues brought about by Kenneth’s…” her voice hitched upon saying his name.  She paused only a moment before continuing in a slightly squeaky voice.  “… Kenneth’s… passing.”  She took a sip of water, swallowed, then began speaking about the reason she had intercepted Shepard outside the Council chambers.  “Per Alliance orders, I am not to return to work… with my extended medical leave picking up on the 15th, upon the conclusion of my bereavement period.  I have no qualms at being forced to take a longer leave than I had anticipated, as I don’t want to take any chances with the well-being of my babies… our babies.  They are Kenneth’s legacy, and I want to give them the best life possible.”

She finished her sandwich as Shepard polished off her beer.  “Captain… ” she began.  Suddenly nervous, she looked down as she interlaced her fingers.  Heaving a heavy sigh, she returned her attention to Samantha, who was waiting patiently for her former engineer to continue.

“Liara made me an offer, right before your bonding on Thessia.  She told me if I wished to deliver my baby planet-side rather than here on the CGC, I would be quite welcome to spend my entire maternity leave at the Estate.”  With a shy grin lighting her mien, she asked, “Is that offer still valid, Shepard?”

Liara, loitering in the back of her lover’s mind via their link, immediately weighed in on Gabby’s request.  {Please tell her that’s an unequivocal ‘yes’, Siame!}

Shepard chuckled at the vehemence of her bondmate’s statement.  Before Gabby could ask, Shepard replied, “Most definitely, Ms Donnelly… and Liara fervently agrees!  When would you be ready to make the trip?”  Not having expected such an immediate response, Gabby had to ponder the question; Shepard guessed at the reason for her silence and added, “Take your time, Gabby.  I don’t expect you’re ready to leave here this very minute… finish up whatever needs to be done before you make the move.  The CGC is a short hop from Thessia… We are certainly able to provide transport whenever you’re ready to leave… even if that includes an on-board physician, if so required.  We have three on staff… so we can spare one for the trip.”

“That would be wonderful, Shepard!” she gushed.  “After seeing your home and how devoted everyone is to you and Liara, I cannot imagine a better place to be when this pair…” she looked down at her swollen belly, “… decides they’re ready to deploy.”

“Then it’s a deal!”  Shepard finished her beer, then looked at Gabby expectantly.  “Is there anything else you need, Gabby?  Anything?” 

After drinking the last of her water, she said, “If it’s not too much trouble… if you’re willing to travel the extra distance, I will probably need to be picked up on Earth… Scotland, to be precise.  I’ll be traveling there in a day or two to see to the preparations for Ken’s funeral.  Afterwards, I’ll need to take care of the arrangements for sale of his property… our… property.”

In a slightly more somber tone, Shepard asked, “You’re going to sell your property.  Isn’t that where the two of you planned to settle down, Gabby?  I would think you’d want to live fairly close to Ken’s resting place once you’re out of the Alliance, if for no other reason than your kids… they’ll want to know where their dad was born… where he grew up, don’t you think?

Gabby sniffled, then answered, “I don’t know, Captain.  I haven’t thought that far ahead.  I’ll still need a job after my maternity leave is over.  I don’t want my babies being raised in daycare, but I don’t have enough time in the Alliance navy to qualify for a pension.  If Kenneth was still working, I could stay home… be a real mom to our kids.

Shepard reached across the table to grasp a trembling hand.  “Listen… don’t be hasty.  Your house and land will still be worth a lot of creds should you decide to sell it, but give yourself some time before you commit, okay?”

She smiled grimly.  “Okay, Shepard.  Sounds like good advice.  I’ll wait for a bit before I jump.”

As difficult as she found it to be, Shepard smiled back at the future mom.  “You have my contact information, Gabby.  Please send us a note as soon as you know when the funeral will take place.  I…  Liara and I… want to be there, Gabby… for both of you.”

Shepard was shifting in preparation to stand when the hand she had been holding caught her wrist.  “Shepard, before you go, there’s something I really need to tell you.”  There was a vindictive look in Gabby’s normally soft, brown eyes – as if a fire had just been lit – a look which Shepard felt was totally out of character for the grieving engineer.  “I know this is a horrible thing to say, and I pray that God can forgive me, but… I'm glad you put a stop to them, Captain… especially Daro’Xen!  They deserved exactly what they got, and I’m really glad they’re dead!”

As unexpected as it was, Shepard was not surprised.  Gabriela Daniels Donnelly had a titanium spine where it concerned those she loved and cared about.  The Spectre silently nodded in understanding and stood before helping the younger woman to her feet.  She then paid the bill while Gabby visited the restroom.  When she emerged, Shepard escorted the pregnant widow safely back to her quarters before returning to the Knight Shade.

Chapter Text

Tuchanka, Krogan DMZ, At Large – 14 Jan 2189

“About damn time you got here, Shepard,” Wrex growled at the Spectre before looking at her bondmate and smiling.  “And it’s always a pleasure to see you, Liara.”

“Had some business on Thessia that needed doing before we could head this way, Wrex…” Shepard smirked and punched the old Krogan on the shoulder.  “Besides… it’s not even 9AM!  What time did you think we were going to get here for a memorial service that starts after lunch?  I actually thought we arrived at the capital rather early, so we’d have time to get caught up.”

“That’s what you get for thinking like a Human, Shepard.”  Wrex offered up one of his toothy grins to soften his words.  “The memorial starts after lunch… but we were supposed to leave Urdnot and head out to the hunting grounds early this morning to kill a Thresher Maw in their honor… and you’re late.  You should have gotten here last night!”

Liara chuckled softly and shook her head.  “First of all, you never gave us an arrival time… and, secondly, you are well aware of the elections happening on Thessia today… so, we entered our electronic votes and remained only long enough for all of us to receive our vote confirmations.”

Shepard frowned and added on, “And, with everything that’s been going on over the past couple of years, we definitely didn’t want to miss it…”  Her expression lightened as she continued, “… especially since it was my first election!”

“Ah,” Wrex harrumphed.  “I suppose that’s reason enough… but get in the Tomkah.  Everyone else is already waiting at the hunting grounds.”

Shepard started to beg for a delay but stopped mid-sentence as Riana and Livos stepped up and dropped her and Liara’s gear bags onto the ramp.  Livos snickered, a smirk on her face as she said, “As soon as I heard him say ‘hunting grounds,’ I figured you would both be needing these.”

Shepard’s eyes suddenly lit up and her attention darted back to the Krogan Overlord.  “Wrex!  Is there a particular format for this hunt?”

“Kind of…”  He stopped and shook his head.  “No, not really…  not the hunt, anyway.  The memorial is more ceremonial, but the hunt?  We just make it up as we go along, depending on how respected the dead were.”  His eyes narrowed, suspicious of Shepard’s sudden exuberant interest.  “Why do you ask?”

“Because we’re hunting a Thresher Maw… and a certain party among us hasn’t completed her Rite of Passage yet…  She’s still just an ‘honorary’ member of Urdnot.”

Immediately catching on to Shepard’s meaning and seeing the expression on Liara’s face caused Wrex to erupt in laughter, hardly able to manage his response.  “By Vaul’s almighty quad, Shepard!  That’s brilliant… but I’ll have to see if the Shaman is available!”

Despite her numerous protests, once the idea was lodged in Wrex’s head, there was no talking him out of it and, much to Liara’s chagrin, the Shaman claimed it to be an honor to be asked to officiate for one such as Liara T’Soni… the one-quarter-Krogan hero of Tuchanka.  He immediately ceased his final preparations for the later memorial and asked Liara to name those who would serve as the members of her Krantt for the purpose of the Rite.

Her eyes glittering in annoyance, she answered rather quickly.  “Urdnot Wrex and…”  She paused briefly as if contemplating the second name and finally added, “Spectre Shepard.”

As the Shaman began to speak about how unusual it was to request the Krogan Overlord to serve as Krantt, Wrex interrupted him.  “For Liara?  Absolutely!  We’ve fought many a brilliant battle together… I wouldn’t skip this for all the Ryncol on Tuchanka!”

“Understood, Overlord.”  He looked to Shepard, who also answered to the affirmative, and then turned back to the prospect.  “So, you have two Krantt… the Rite allows you three… who…”

He didn’t finish before both Livos and Riana promptly volunteered, then stared at one another in something akin to surprise.  Livos immediately dipped her head in acquiescence.  “You are Lady Liara’s First.  Accompanying her is your right.”

The Shaman clapped his hands three times.  “Then let us go to the arena!  Time grows short.”

Finding no way to gracefully decline once the Shaman had agreed to it, a resigned Liara climbed into the Tomkah.  Sensing a growing reticence in Shepard, she reached over to take her bondmate’s hand.   {Do not worry yourself over this, as I am not upset with you… nor is it me whom I am concerned about during this Rite, Shepard.  You are still having headaches, so I nearly named Riana instead of you… who ended up coming anyway.}  She offered a quick squeeze of the hand she held before finishing her thought.  {I felt you very earnestly wanted to do this with me, but you must promise that you will not Charge anything.}

{I swear, Li… no Charging anytime in the immediate future unless something unexpectedly deadly happens.  In that case, I’ll take whatever punishment you deem fit to dole out… so long as both of us are alive to discuss it.}

{If that is truly the case, Siame, I will thank the Goddess that we are both still here and leave it at that.}  The conversation wandered off onto other topics, the two smiling at one another like a newly bonded couple until the Tomkah screeched to a stop in a billowing cloud of dust, having arrived at the testing grounds.

-------------------------------

Following packs of Varren in Wave One and a multitude of fire-breathing Klixen in Wave Two of the Rite, Liara exclaimed, “Goddess!  So many!  Please tell me that only one Thresher Maw will show up for this?”

Laughing good-humoredly, Shepard reloaded her shotgun before tucking it in the weapon sleeve located at her lower back, swapping it for her Arc Projector.  “Yup.  Only one.  Just keep your fingers crossed that it isn’t Kalros who decides to attend the Rite!”

Wrex roared with laughter as Liara blanched, but assuaged her fear quickly by adding, “Won’t happen…  She hasn’t left the Wastes immediately surrounding the Shroud since the war.  Always makes me wonder if she’s keeping that damned Reaper Destroyer as a pet, buried deep in the sand!”

It was Shepard’s turn to laugh.  “Nah…  The red wave would have killed it… but that doesn’t mean she isn’t guarding the souvenir from her biggest victory ever!”

All jovial chatter stopped instantly upon the appearance of the Thresher Maw.  The team dodged its acid spit, constantly whittling away at its armored carapace whenever they didn’t have an open shot at the blue, tongue-like structure, identified by Wrex as a weak spot.

“You couldn’t have told me that before we helped Grunt?” Shepard shouted as she hit the ground and rolled to avoid the latest acid attack.

“We didn’t realize it until after that fight…”  Wrex laughed as his charged Graal Spike Thrower punched yet another massive hole in the Maw’s hide.  “With interest in the tank-born Grunt being so high, the fight was recorded… and your penchant for headshots drew a lot of attention because they seemed to really damage the Maw…”  He paused again as his Graal barked and he reloaded.  “It seemed to us that you were using that bright blue tongue as a target… we assumed in an effort to jam your explosive ammo down its throat… to great effect!”

“Well, shit.  I guess I did…”  Shepard dived again to the ground in a combat roll, popping up to launch another powerful electrical attack against the beast.  “I just figured it was a great way to bypass its armor.”

“It is, no doubt… but the Maw actually reacts more violently to direct hits than it does to those that miss and slide down its throat.”  Grunting with another shot, Wrex added, “Our scientists still haven’t figured out why…  We don’t exactly have a captive specimen to do tests on.”

Suddenly, the fight was over; a warp from Liara connecting with the exact point Wrex was talking about – the base of the creature’s blue tongue, right where it disappeared into its throat.  The tongue actually separated from the body and the Maw released a garbled squeal, collapsing into the sand to writhe in pain for mere seconds before expiring under the Tuchanka sun.

“Great shot, T’Soni!” Wrex bellowed in approval.  “And fitting that you be the one to make the final kill shot!”

Pressed for time, the Shaman immediately stepped in to quiet the small, congratulatory crowd of witnesses and complete the Rite, with Overlord Urdnot Wrex enthusiastically welcoming Liara as the newest official member of his clan before pushing them onward.  “The others have also completed their kill and are on their way from the hunting grounds to the City of the Ancients…  They’ll likely arrive before we do, so Grunt is in charge of starting the preparations for the Honor Feast, where we will gloriously declare victory to Vaul in the names of the dead!”

“City of the Ancients?”  Shepard’s eyebrows raised as she asked the question.  “What about Kalros?  Won’t she be attracted to all the noise?  I can’t imagine any Krogan feast or ceremony being quiet!”

A course laugh erupted from the big Krogan.  “Told you.  She hasn’t left the wastes immediately surrounding the Shroud… and I do mean immediately.  She stays on the flat sands and out of the city… Bakara thinks Kalros may be using her victory site as a nesting ground… but no male Thresher has been good enough for her yet, so the area surrounding the Shroud remains empty except for the Mother of all Maws.”  He grinned and added, “Makes for an incredible guardian!”  He suddenly turned more somber.  “No one will ever corrupt the Shrouds again, Shepard.  I still don’t know how we managed to rebuild the first one in nearly the exact same spot as the old one without Kalros making snacks out of the workers, but they did.  Never saw a bunch of quieter Krogan!”

“The threat of getting eaten by Kalros must have been a really good motivator.”  Liara’s initial chuckle faded away as another possibility struck her.  “Or, Kalros is more than we believe her to be… actually smart enough to realize Tuchanka needs the Shroud to recover.”

“That’s a scary thought, Liara.”  Wrex growled and made a face.  “To think there is intelligence behind what we always thought to be just a simple killing machine driven by survival instinct?  Not sure I like that.”

“And I don’t care to test the theory,” added Shepard.  “Have you had any other ceremonies at the City of the Ancients since the end of the war?”

“Always have and always will, Shepard,” Wrex growled.  “No matter who or what moves in as a neighbor, The Hollows will always be our sacred meeting place, even if it is where my father attempted to kill me.  It is the place of our ancestors and part of the old city… which, by the way, we have begun to rebuild – all without Kalros raising even a cloud of dust in our direction.”  His beady eyes shifted their focus to Liara as he continued, “Which makes me seriously wonder about you being right.  Didn’t that Prothean Pyjak say something about them being smaller 50,000 years ago?”

Liara stared at Wrex for a moment, wondering if he was taunting her or honestly didn’t remember the story correctly.  When she finally answered, her tone was completely flat.  “He was speaking of the Yahg, Wrex.  Not Thresher Maws.”

Shepard raised a hand to unsuccessfully hide her smirk, which earned her a glare from Liara as well.  “Still not funny, Shepard.”  Liara huffed and continued, “But the drawings in the City of the Ancients do tell us the Maws were around back then… and it is only logical to assume they have also evolved since that time, having lived so long.”

“Yeah, well, Earth cockroaches have been around millions of years, too… but they’ve never evolved into anything better than they were... still just a base insect,” Shepard said thoughtfully.   “They’ve simply evolved to survive… not necessarily to better themselves.”

Wrex let out a hearty laugh.  “I’ve seen your cockroaches, Shepard… and I don’t think you should let Kalros know you’re comparing her to that annoying little insect.  She just might take offense and change her disposition toward you!”

-------------------------------

Their mostly playful banter came to an end as the Tomkah slid to a tire screeching halt yet again, this time at the City of the Ancients.  Wrex popped the doors open as he roared, “Good!  We’re here!”  He wasted no time jumping out; with the Shaman following close behind him, they quickly disappeared into the looming structure.

Liara and Shepard climbed out quickly, fully intending to follow, but came to an abrupt halt as soon as they looked upon their destination.  “I’ll be damned!” Shepard exclaimed; her eyes wide as she looked around in delighted surprise.

“It is positively stunning!”  Liara was overjoyed, watching a Krogan couple cooing over a swaddled newborn.  “And there are children here!”

Krogan of all ages were arriving for the memorial from a variety of locations and clans, based on the colors of their attire.  It made sense, given the ceremony was honoring four deceased Aralakh warriors, each one from a different clan.  Grunt’s voice interrupted their musings.  “Of course, there are children… because you made it possible, Battlemaster…  You, your team… and Mordin.”  Grunt flashed a grin.  “You’ll even see a plaque inside honoring all of you.  You, I can understand… but a Salarian?  I’m surprised it hasn’t been torn down or defaced by some old-timer who remembers the start of the Genophage.”

“It gives me hope that the Krogan are actually changing.”  Liara turned to the young warrior and smiled.  “Good to see you again, Grunt.”

“You too, Liara…”  Jerking his thumb back over his shoulder.  “The old fossil is wondering why you didn’t follow him in… ’fraid he’s gonna die of old age before you manage to get in there, standing out here gawping with your mouths hanging open.”  He paused and chuckled again, watching the expressions on the faces of their guests.  “His words, not mine.”

“But the city is… staggering!  Why didn’t you tell us how much had already been rebuilt?”  Liara still couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene before them.  “We had no idea so much has already been accomplished!”

Urdnot Bakara had ambled out, also wondering what was taking them so long, and answered reverently, “With the curing of the Genophage, Krogan who have been gone for centuries have returned home with hope in their hearts.  Physical labor… rebuilding their broken world… is good for all of them to do and see.  Thanks to you, your crew, and Mordin, resignation has been replaced by the courage to once again face our future, now that it is not so… fatalistic.  Just as the cure to the Genophage has healed their bodies, seeing children being born alive is a treatment that heals even the most damaged of souls.”

Shepard and Liara both wiped tears from their eyes and smiled at the lead female.  Liara reached over and laid a hand gently on her armor-clad forearm.  “Thank you, Bakara.  Seeing this is the best news we’ve received in a long time.  I am so happy for you!”

“Agreed.”  Shepard drew a deep breath and let it out as a contented sigh.  “But, I suppose, we’d best get ourselves inside before Wrex sends an escort to retrieve us.”

“Too late… because that would be me.”  Bakara laughed, a surprisingly melodic sound coming from a Krogan, and continued, “He would never truly do such a thing, as you are honored guests.  But, yes.  It is past time for the ceremony to begin… and everyone is waiting on us to arrive.”

-------------------------------

Seeing them enter, the Shaman nodded in recognition and turned to the crowd, beginning his eulogy.  He spoke of their bravery and the honorable deaths of Tavarog Gund, Foreloc Gurut, Akod Argag, and Th’ar Targug in battle with a cowardly enemy.  At one point, he shouted, “Rather than face the might of only four Krogan, they blew up their own ship in order to consign our warriors to the void!  Those of Aralakh who remained made the mutineers pay for their cowardice with their very lives… for each and every Krogan they killed, we killed at least one hundred of them!”

When the roar of the crowd quieted, he continued with his tribute to the fallen warriors of Aralakh Company, stopping again only when he was completely finished with their story.  The assembled Krogan fell completely silent in their expectation of what came next.  The Shaman looked to Overlord Wrex, who solemnly pulled a torch from its sconce on the wall and handed it to him without a word.

Taking the blazing flame, the Shaman climbed the short flight of steps to the collection of funeral biers, all four sitting upon the stage located in the center of The Hollows.  Walking around the outside edge of the stage, he slowly set the flame to each of the four biers; as the pyres climbed higher into the sky with each passing second, the Shaman shouted his blessing above the growing roar of the fire.  “Each of you has earned your place at Vaul’s side.  Enjoy the feast on the plains of Kruban, happily gnawing on the organs of your vanquished enemies for eternity!”

-------------------------------

Urdnot, Tuchanka, Krogan DMZ – 14 Jan 2189

Once they returned to the capital city, Wrex and Bakara retreated to their home, along with the entire crew of the Knight Shade.  Bakara relaxed and removed her headdress as she said, “Please, do come in and make yourselves comfortable; as clan, our home is yours.”

“Yeah… and you can even eat and drink.  Knowing you were coming, Bakara special ordered some of your favorites, Shepard… and some eezo-heavy foods for you as well, T’Soni.”  Wrex chuckled and added, “As for Dextro-based crew, Aralakh may have… liberated… some of the pirated foodstuffs from the Neema before they left, knowing a victory celebration of some kind would be coming up.  Vaul would split my head and eat my brains if I didn’t think about taking care of all the clan guests who would be attending… and the Knight Shade is as much an inter-species zoo as the Normandy ever was!”

“Wrex!” 

Bakara’s growl was met with laughter as Wrex countered, “What?  It’s true!  Everyone on the outside stared at us all, wondering who would eat who in the end…  Few honestly understand how we could all work together, much less believe we all actually liked one another!”

The entire discussion about the appropriateness of Wrex and Grunt’s ‘acquisition’ strategy was quickly ended as a small bolt of red shot in through the doorway and collided with Shepard, shouting “Ynei!” 

Shepard took a step back from the force of the collision, then reached down and scooped the squirming little, head-butting Krogan up in her hands.  The Spectre held her safely at arms’ length as the small tyke kicked her feet in frustration, her stubby, tiny hands reaching out as she repeated, “Ynei!”

“What are you?”  Samantha smiled at Eve.  “Almost a year old, now?”  Her eyes shifted to Bakara as she asked, “And what in the galaxy is ‘Ynei?’  My translator didn’t touch it.”

“The closest translation is ‘shooting star,’ Shepard.”

Wrex gave his bride a scathing glance for her literal answer and added, “She saw your ship blazing away as you entered atmo this morning and yelled that… and I told her no, it wasn’t a shooting star, that it was you, coming back to visit.  I guess you’re stuck with that name now.”  He looked puzzled and continued, “I’m really surprised she put the name together with your face… having met you only once, when she was barely a month old, to boot!”

“You’re always calling Shepard for vid chats, so it’s not like Eve hasn’t seen her since then… just not in person.”  Bakara rolled her eyes.  “That little one notices everything!”

“She’s a smart one, then, isn’t she?”  Shepard smirked and pulled the little one in closer, who promptly latched onto her armor and refused to let go.  “And there are worse names she could have attached to me, especially if she listens in on Wrex’s conversations!”

Bakara chuckled as Wrex protested, “Hey!  I’m careful what I say when the little one is around!”

“In that case, do we need to have someone take her before we get down to business?”  Shepard tried, unsuccessfully, to detach the little Krogan from her armor.

“Absolutely not.”  Bakara was earnest in her response.  “We do not coddle our children as other races do, Shepard.  Even with the cure, Krogan life is still difficult… so many still wary of us because of our past history… not to mention the Klixen, Maws, and other creatures that roam our surface.  It will be a long time before the rest of the galaxy trusts us as you do, I fear.”

“Then let’s get settled somewhere and start talking… as that is one of the discussion points on my list.”  As Bakara reached for Eve, Shepard shook her head.  “Don’t worry about it.  She’s fine… at least for now.”

-------------------------------

“You’ve got to be kidding.”  Wrex stared at her in amazement, not sure if he should be angry or relieved at the final outcome, and the questions began to come.  “You’re sure the Council will let you do it?  Why didn’t Jara say anything to me?”

“I imagine because it turned out to be nothing… at least not yet; not until the next Council session, when everyone brings their own arguments for and against the various issues.”  Shepard shrugged.  “Tevos is on our side… and actually pulled the ‘plausible deniability’ card for us, against Valern’s protest.  Just let Tevos, Jara and me handle it, Wrex.  Jara is a pretty savvy politician, especially as Krogan go, and I remember you telling Bakara that she could trust me…  I hope that still holds true in your eyes.”

Wrex curled his lip for a second in a snarl before answering, “Damn you, Shepard… using my own words against me.”  He huffed quietly and added, “Fine.  Do it your way… probably come out better anyway, seeing as bashing councilor heads until they agree with us probably wouldn’t go over so well in the long run.”  His snarl had turned into a smirk while he had talked.  “That’s why we selected Jara to begin with, so you’re right.  I suppose we have to trust our own judgment as well…  At least in that regard.”

“So, we are in agreement.”  Shepard pulled her finger out of Eve’s mouth so she could scroll her holo-screen to the topic at hand.  “So…  Any idea who you’ll select as my engineer?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.  Don’t even have to think about it.”  He flashed a toothy grin at Liara as he continued.  “After we booted Cerberus in the ass during the Reaper War and took over Firebase Giant, it was temporarily run by an Alliance SpecOps team.  I still have the team that originally took over the facility once the Alliance left.  Jorgal Arkun has been running and maintaining that big gun ever since your engineers trained him to do it; even got to shoot up a few pirate ships crazy enough to think they could land on Tuchanka without permission.  He’s your operator… and you can have him right away if you’re willing to wait for him to pack.”

The big Krogan laughed when a worried frown crossed Shepard’s face as she asked, “Does packing include training someone to take over his job?”

“Your SpecOps squad trained four extra team leaders… in anticipation of us getting the rest of our defense cannons up and operational… two of which we have already completed… still leaving us a couple of spare operators.  So, Ark can most likely be ready within ten minutes of getting the notification,” Wrex answered with a grin.  “Don’t sweat it, Shepard.  I’ll have him pick a new trainee from his crews to fill the extra slot… plenty of time to train him up before that forth gun will be ready.  Ark will be here in the morning before you leave.  No problem.” 

Wrex then frowned as another possible complication crossed his mind.  “I don’t want you getting your ass in trouble for us, Shepard.  You may not need the job, but we need you as a Spectre… so I’ll not have you risk that just to get us permission to have a standing Space Force again.  It will happen in time, one way or another, without you sacrificing yourself to the Council.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Wrex.”  Bakara interjected.  “There is still a lot of hate and mistrust directed toward us, as evidenced by the Council’s initial response.  This is our best chance in centuries… and I don’t believe it should be so easily dismissed.”

“I’m afraid I agree with Bakara on this one, Wrex.”  Shepard shook her head.  “I have no idea if Valern will be the only one with objections.  Tevos cut the conversation off short, by pushing it to the next council session, so I have no idea how the others feel…  But, I do know that Tevos has my back, so don’t you worry about me.”  She chuckled quietly before adding, “Besides, it’s high time the Krogan become a full part of the Council… for real.  Krogan assistance during the war can’t be ignored again; not this time.”

“And Jara’s ideas about us rebuilding our fleet?”

“Are good ideas…”  Shepard paused for a moment in thought, picking up on a suggestion from Liara.  “But, perhaps, we have to start slow… really slow… and you may not like what I have to say next, but I think you need to offer to build only a few ships at the start.”  She held her hand up to stop Wrex from commenting before she was done.  “Once those ships are completed, they will be crewed jointly with the other races and assigned immediately to the Council Fleet.  That will give everyone a chance to get used to the idea and see the Krogan in action before they authorize Tuchanka its own fleet.”

Wrex responded, “And just how long are we supposed to wait, Shepard?”

“That depends,” she replied.  “Mostly on how well your Krogan work with others in the Fleet.  But, honestly…  You’ve endured over a thousand years of this.  What’s another couple of decades, if that’s what it takes to gain the confidence of the Council?”

Growling, Wrex didn’t answer immediately, gnashing his teeth as if chewing on Shepard’s words and trying to decide how he liked their taste.  “I hate to admit it, but I suppose you’re right.  We did some pretty stupid things that we have to make up for.”  He suddenly pounded on the table.  “But how we acted notwithstanding, you have to admit that we had every reason to be angrier than a pack of Varren who just lost their pups!”

“I certainly won’t argue that point.”  Shepard frowned as she continued, “Because that’s basically what you were… an angry mob who just lost their pups… more accurately, lost the ability to even have pups.  I’d be pissed off, too.  Matter of fact, I’ve been pretty pissed off for you, which is why I’m willing to do this for you now…  But you have to promise to be patient and don’t blow, as Bakara said, your best chance in centuries.”

“All I can promise is that I’ll do my best, Shepard.”  Wrex harrumphed.  “I agree with you… but keeping all the clans in check might be a different story.”

“That’s a load of crap and you know it, Wrex,” Shepard scoffed.  “You… being the ‘collective Krogan’ you… have been there before and did just fine at working together to keep any one particular warlord from becoming too powerful.  Use the same tactics to keep any rogues from getting out of control and running off thinking they’re going to build their own private fleet.  If the majority realize that’s what it’s going to take to get your real Krogan fleet back, they’ll support you, so you and Bakara need to talk it up.  Then, deploy Aralakh, ask the Spectres for help, and use any and every other force available to take away whatever any rogue clan buys, builds or pirates.  Give whatever you take to the Council immediately, to augment their fleet until you’ve proven your trustworthiness and they rescind the DMZ order.”

Wrex’s face took on an evil grin.  “That should most certainly make us a few points… both against any thoughts of going rogue and in support of us backing the Council, Shepard.  I like how you think… should’ve known you’d have a plan.”

“Not mine… Liara’s,” she answered with a smile.  “I’m just the brawn in the outfit.”

“Ha!”  Liara reached over and gave her a gentle shove, making little Eve growl with discontent.

Shepard’s brow raised in surprise.  “Easy there, Eve… She’s my Urdnot bondmate and you don’t mess with her.  She and I come as a pair… got that?”

Surprising them all, Eve gave a little nod and stuck her hand out, grasping at Liara who, very cautiously extended her hand to meet the little one waving in the air.  Eve grabbed hold and hung on.

Wrex and Bakara both stared at their little Ru’shan in amazement, having expected her to try to take a bite out of the Asari.  Wrex recovered first, muttering, “Are we sure Mordin’s Genophage cure didn’t have a little something extra in it?  That pup is way too damned smart for her age.”

Shepard’s eyes shifted nervously around the entire group, finally stopping to look into Eve’s tiny little reptilian eyes.  “Shit.  He told me once that he had a lot to make up for after what he did with the Genophage, but do you honestly think…”

Liara sat forward and looked the little Krogan in the face.  “What do you think, Eve?”

Eve, with the closer proximity of the Asari, pulled her hand closer and shoved a blue finger in her mouth next to Shepard’s, now sucking on them both.

Liara chuckled softly and pulled it back, smiling.  “No need to get greedy, now.”  Looking to Bakara, she continued, “But that is actually a very good question.  I wouldn’t necessarily put that past Mordin.  I’m sure we could get Dr Chakwas to take a blood draw on Wrex and compare his before and after the cure.  She’ll certainly have his original data in her records.”

“Yeah.  You just let me know when the Normandy is back in action and Karin has access to that data.”  Normally, Wrex wasn’t too fond of needles, but this had him curious enough to agree.  “We’ll see if we can get them to make a stop here so she can collect a new sample… make that two; Bakara as well, in case it’s gender specific.  Mordin sure made a point of frequently repeating that the females were the future of the Krogan…  I’d like to know for sure if that Salarian did any additional meddling or not!”

“Fertility and a boost in intelligence?”  Shepard canted her head in question.  “Surely, you wouldn’t complain about that, would you?”

Wrex narrowed his eyes and stared at the Spectre.  “Not as long as that’s all he did.”

“On another topic,” Bakara said, attempting to distract Wrex from the unpleasant possibilities, “Where are you and Liara off to next?  Home, I hope?”

Sighing, Shepard shook her head.  “Only for a one-day turnaround.”  With a glance at Liara, she continued, “Our next stop is Earth, for Ken Donnelly’s wake on Friday night.”

“Ah.  That’s too bad.”  Wrex looked sincerely remorseful about Donnelly’s loss.  “Not only was he a damned good engineer, but he could put away the hooch.  Only one on the crew…”  His eyes shifted to Shepard as he continued, “… other than you, but you don’t count because of your genetic engineering… who could put away nearly as much alcohol as me; that boy could really drink!”

A sad smile crossed Shepard’s face.  “He had a pretty mean game of Skyllian-five, too.  He took more than a few creds from the crew before they wised up and started playing for chips instead of money.”

“Heh, heh, heh.”  A deep chuckle from the doorway immediately captured everyone’s attention as Grunt wandered in.  “Never took my creds.  He even folded some pretty good hands… not sure what he thought I had to beat him with.”

Shepard smirked and answered, “Just your fists, Grunt.  You scared him to death!”

“What?”  Grunt almost sounded angry.  “I would never hurt a squad mate!”  His eyes narrowed as he amended, “Unless he was trying to hurt you or Liara… then, he’s meat!”  Remembering he was talking about a dead friend, he grimaced.  “But not Ken; he’d never do that... and he was a fun guy to hang around with.  He always seemed to know where the best bars were!”

“Yeah, he did.”  Shepard sniffed and added, “It’s a real shame… and poor Gabby!”  She cast a meaningful glance at her Ionúin Álainn.  “She’s handling his death better than I ever imagined… better than I ever could, had it been Liara.”

“You know damned well, had something happened to Bakara… like that damned bomb going off in the Kelphic Valley…”  Wrex growled and added, “If those damned Turians had killed her… well, let’s just say the war would have gone a completely different way for us all.”

“Well, it didn’t, Wrex.”  Bakara scowled at him and continued, “So there’s no sense in getting yourself all worked up over it.”  She flashed a toothy smile at Grunt and continued, “And, I imagine you are here to speak with our favorite Spectre regarding your continuing project on Garvug?”

“Yes… Dhazil.”  Grunt looked at the Spectre and nodded his head.  “I’ve got the Krogan under control… retook the Capital… and would be honored if you would come see it again.  I think you might be just as surprised about Dhazil as you were when you saw the City of the Ancients.”

“Seriously?”  Shepard glanced at Liara, who nodded enthusiastically in agreement.  Looking back to Grunt, the Spectre continued, “Then we’ll just have to make a point of swinging out in that direction and stopping in.  I’ll let you know when we have a date in mind.”

“Sounds good, Shepard.”  Grunt flashed a toothy smile.  “I’ll be happy to meet you there, anytime, with a squad of Aralakh in tow in case we decide to do a little hunting!”

Chapter Text

Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 16 Jan 2189

Gabriella Daniels Donnelly, having traveled to Edinburgh from the CGC only this morning, arrived at Kenneth’s family home in order to do a walk through.  After meeting with Spectre Shepard the previous Monday, she was having second thoughts about selling the place; Kenneth had been raised in this house and gone to school nearby.

Tonight, a Friday night, was the wake… and, come Sunday, Gabby would be attending the funeral of her soul mate and love of her life… her husband, Kenneth.  She felt her eyes begin to fill once again… Damn it!… so turned her attention to the rather small living area on the main floor.  She felt the living and dining area would be adequate for the number of people she expected to attend.  There were two extra bedrooms upstairs, should one or two people need to sober up overnight.

While wandering somewhat aimlessly about, musing on her life to this point, she looked at the furnishings, photos on the walls, and many knickknacks Kenneth’s mother had collected over the years.  At Kenneth’s request, his mom’s brother-in-law and wife had maintained the house for him; they would be attending the wake but weren’t due to arrive until dinnertime.  Gabby refilled her glass with water as her omnitool lit up to announce receipt of a message.  Good, she thought.  Shepard and Liara have arrived.  She replied back with her location in the northeast corner of town, in a small residential suburb near Lochend.  Lookin’ forward to seeing both of them again!

-------------------------------

Gabriella opened the front door, to be immediately engulfed by a pair of surprisingly strong arms.  “Gabby!  It’s so good to see you!  You are positively glowing!”  The Asari’s tight embrace was that of a sister, sharing in her loss.  She felt her eyes filling with moisture as she returned Liara’s hug just as earnestly; a soft kiss feathered across her cheek as Gabby pushed back.  Liara still clung firmly to the woman’s shoulders as she continued in a quieter voice, “You have my deepest sympathy…  I cannot begin to imagine how you must feel having him gone so suddenly; just know that Shepard and I are here for you, Gabby!  Whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Liara.”  Gabby sniffled and pushed a small, thankful smile onto her lips.  “I hope to not need anything more than what you are doing for me already…  I can’t thank you enough.”

Liara stepped away and her place was instantly taken by Samantha; another hug with a small kiss on Gabby’s cheek and a whispered, “Ken will be missed by everyone who knew him, Gabby.  I am so sorry for your loss.”  Eyes shining, the Spectre pushed back and gently grasped a pair of soft hands.  “Nothing we can say or do will make his death any easier to accept.  Just know you have a lot of friends that feel the same as Liara and me.  If there’s anything we can do… anything at all… that can make things easier between now and when you arrive on Thessia, please… tell us.”

Gabby made a supreme effort to rein in her emotions… she was tired of weeping every time someone mentioned Kenneth.  “Thank you, Shepard.  It’s really nice to have you and Liara here.”  With a slight smile, she eyed Shepard suspiciously as she added, “And if I know you at all, I’d be willing to bet you wouldn’t visit this part of the world without procuring a couple of bottles – or maybe even an entire case – of some very limited production single-malt.”

The Spectre laughed out loud at that.  “Not as much as I wanted to buy!”  Still chortling, she admitted, “I actually did manage to procure a few bottles of Bushmills but had to round out the case with a mix of other select, high-quality hooch, Gabby.  I’m gonna contribute a couple of those bottles to the party, but I would really like to make it back to Thessia with the remainder of the case.”  Turning serious once more, she told Gabby of her conversation with Wrex.  “He offered to help, any way he could, Gabby.  He feels really terrible for you… that you’re a widow… and pregnant!  He told me he’s going to really miss Donnelly.”

Gabby nodded in solemn acceptance and was about to respond when she belatedly noticed a third person standing at the threshold.  Samantha Traynor had quietly waited for Shepard and Liara to greet the mom-to-be; she immediately moved to stand in front of her former crewmate and gushed, “My God, Gabby!  It’s wonderful to see you again!”  Sammi enthusiastically hugged her former comrade-in-arms before being pulled inside out of the weather.

Gabby wiped her eyes as she said, “Kenneth would absolutely love that you came to join the party, Sammi!  He always spoke about your bartending skills with great fondness.”

Sammi smiled softly, responding, “Well, I hope you remember me for more than that, Gabby.”

She had just finished showing the threesome around the house when the front door unexpectedly opened wide to admit Ashley Williams, Greg Adams, Steve Cortez, Karin Chakwas, Jeff Moreau and Sarah Campbell; tears that had threatened to fall when Shepard, T’Soni and Traynor arrived finally slid down her cheeks unimpeded as she was engulfed in greetings and hugs from all her former shipmates.  Of them, Adams and Dr Chakwas seemed especially happy to be there – it was as if they needed to see her – in this house – to confirm for themselves that Normandy’s former propulsion engineer was dealing with everything going on in her life … her pregnancy and her medical leave, as well as Kenneth’s death and his impending funeral.

The door opened once again as all her former crewmates completed a tour around her small house, this time for her new best friend Tamiko Miyazaki, and of some surprise, her boss in the propulsion lab, Lieutenant Commander Fletcher Voight.  When asked, he admitted, “You’ll be gone for a number of weeks, Ms Donnelly.  Ms Miyazaki tells me you’re going to Thessia for the birth of your children, and I wanted a chance to see you in person so I can wish you good luck.  Just know there’s a workstation awaiting your return to the propulsion lab, whenever you’re ready to come back.”

Gabby embraced the man long enough to whisper in his ear, “Thanks, Commander… means a lot that you’re here today.”  Voight’s face had a touch of pink as he released her.  Technically, he was still her CO; he just as quickly realized that in this house, she considered him a friend.

Gabby introduced the pair to the rest of her former shipmates – they had already met Williams and Adams – and managed a smile as she watched an awe-struck Tammi greet Spectre Shepard and Liara T’Soni.  She showed Tammi around inside, then led her outside for a brief tour of her backyard.

“This is really nice, Gabby!” her friend gushed.  Keeping her voice low, she queried, “You’re not still thinking about selling this place, are you?  Fresh ocean air… grass under your feet.  It looks like a really nice place to raise your kids!”  Before Gabby could answer, Tammi said, “Come on… back inside out of this drizzle; don’t need you catching a chill that might turn into something worse.  I’ll start prepping the snack and veggie trays; oh, and I really hope you have a cooler full of beer!”

With a sigh, Gabby replied, “I think there’s enough alcohol inside to put most everyone… except Shepard, anyway… under the table by midnight!”  She ruefully rubbed her belly with both hands, saying, “Only thing I can drink is water or juice.  Hell, even if I was inclined to cheat, Dr Chakwas would put a stop to it before I could even swallow a mouthful!”

Tamiko grinned slightly at her friend’s grimace, countering, “You’ll have plenty of time and probably lots of reasons to get potted after your children are born.”  They strolled into the kitchen, where Gabby showed her friend where the party supplies were stored.

“Soon as I knew we’d be holding the wake here, I ordered what I thought I’d need for a party.”  Shaking her head slightly, she sighed and murmured, “Just hope there’s enough.”

-------------------------------

“You’re a life-saver, Tammi!  I don’t think I could have pulled all this off by myself.”  Gabby was praising Tamiko’s skills at preparing snack trays – with veggies and cold cuts – and keeping the several small bowls filled with dipping mix and chips, along with various nuts, the most popular of which appeared to be those containing a mix of cashews, almonds and peanuts.

As the twosome carried yet another pair of serving trays to the dining room, Gabby gazed about at her friends, all enjoying themselves and reminiscing about their time in the Navy; for some, that included meeting on the SR-2 during the ship’s tenure as a Cerberus vessel.

By now it was dinnertime for most folks.  A light drizzle had been falling since late afternoon; it was now accompanied by tendrils of fog, and it was quite dark outside.  A knock on the front door drew Gabby’s attention.  Hope it’s not gonna be the neighbors asking about all the visitors, came the thought.  She opened the door wide and was a bit startled to see an older couple standing under the overhang.  The man doffed his hat as he said, “You must be Gabriella.  My name is Eadan Matheson, and this is my wife, Heather; we’re Kenneth’s uncle and aunt.”

Gabby smiled in welcome as she extended her hand.  “Welcome, both of you – it’s a pleasure to meet you!  Please, come in out of the weather!  Let me take your coats.”  Conversations nearby went quiet as Gabby ushered Ken’s relatives… her relatives, into the house; taking their overcoats, Gabby looked at Shepard.  “Captain, this is Heather and Eadan, Kenneth’s aunt and uncle.”  Turning back to her guests, she said, “This is Spectre Samantha Shepard.  If you don’t mind, she can introduce you to all my friends while I put these away.  Would you care for some tea?… coffee?… something stronger?”

 “A beer for each of us would be just fine, Gabriella, thank you,” Eadan smiled.

“Perfect.  I’ll be right back.”  As an afterthought, she said, “And please, call me Gabby.”

Eadan nodded, then turned his attention to Shepard.  Gabby was somewhat amused to see the embarrassed fascination both of them had as they were introduced to Liara.  Not many people in this part of the world have seen an Asari, much less met one in person.  After hanging up their overcoats, she retrieved a couple of beers from the cooler, poured them into a pair of ‘pint’ glasses and took them back to Heather and Eadan.

Matheson took the proffered glass, took a long pull of the contents and said, “Thank you, Gabby.  You didn’t need to pour it into a glass for me, but it’s appreciated, all the same.”  He took another sip, then said, “Tastes very much like the beer Ken’s parents used to serve.”

With a nod, Gabby replied, “That’s because it’s the same brand, Uncle Eadan.”  Glancing at Shepard, she innocently asked, “What tales from the war has my captain been sharing with you?”

Eadan looked down at his glass and his face flushed slightly as Heather supplied the answer.  “She was telling us that, outside of herself and Dr T’Soni, the relationship between you and Ken was the worst kept secret amongst the crew during the various wars.  She swears she once saw both of you hugging and kissing in the equipment spaces below main engineering!”

Gabby felt her face flush in embarrassment and seriously wished she had a drink in her hand at that moment.  Disregarding that possibility, she simply wished she had never asked the question and attempted – completely unsuccessfully – to explain it away.  “I… umm, that is, we were just, uhm, double-checking the thermal ducts.”

Shepard chuckled.  “Gabby, I believe the only thermal duct you were inspecting was Ken’s.  You two were so obviously in love with each other… I couldn’t help but to see it!  I’m actually surprised either of you managed to get any work done!”

Heather moved to embrace the mortified woman.  “Don’t you fret over it, Luv.  I think it’s really endearing.  Neither of you realized what you had, long after the rest of your crewmates knew you would end up together.”  She gently lifted Gabby’s chin and pulled her hands down from her face.  “Loving someone wholeheartedly is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about, my dear.  It’s just part of life.”

Caught out, she finally confessed.  “Kenneth didn’t believe Shepard noticed,” Gabby stuttered.  “I was so mortified, thinking she had seen us.  Now I discover she really did see us!”  She shook her head at the revelation.

Shepard chimed in with, “You might remember it was me that encouraged Ken to pay more attention to you than the other women on the ship.”  With a chuckle, she added, “He finally admitted to thinking you possessed a nice pair of legs.”  This brought a much-needed laugh from everyone within earshot, except Gabby, who turned her eyes to the ceiling in silent supplication.  God, what have I done?

Her aunt placed an arm behind Gabby, saying, “Come on, then.  It’s been a long while since I’ve seen my sister’s old house.  Show me around your new home, Ms Donnelly.”

Gabby sighed good naturedly as she led the way to the dining room, and then the kitchen.  Her uncle watched the pair while thinking, Aye, she’ll do just fine here.  I only hope she stays… 

-------------------------------

Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 18 Jan 2189

Gabriella stared at the plain, black dress she was loath to put on, even knowing it to be a necessary next step in getting on with her life.  Kenneth would be buried in a private ceremony; she had planned to keep attendance small, limited to their closest friends… their shipmates on the Normandy, several of Gabby’s co-workers from the Alliance Propulsion Research Center on the CGC, and the few relatives she had been able to contact.  Ken’s parents had died several years ago – a sky car accident, before the Collectors… before Sovereign.

I’m glad the wake is done and no one will remain to toast his health after the funeral service.  I no longer have to worry about how many will be passing out… or where!  She chuckled at the mental image of the numerous people who had been sprawled on the furniture… and on the floor… after the wake.  Gabby was surprised she could still laugh; she had wept every single day since learning about her husband’s death on the Normandy.

She thought she was gradually gaining acceptance that he would never be coming home to her, until she saw or heard or smelled something that dredged up a memory, no matter how trivial.  She accepted that her pregnancy was screwing with her emotional stability, because she had never shed tears so frequently as she did now.  Never had to deal with the sudden death of someone I love with all my heart, either, so I guess that’s as good an excuse as any.

-------------------------------

Immediately following the funeral, Shepard and Liara said their farewells.  “We’ll see you soon, Gabby.”  Shepard gently took the woman’s hands in her own.  “Everything will work out… and we’ll see you at the Estate in a week or so.  Just let us know when you’re ready to head our way and we’ll send a transport for you.”

Gabby wiped the last of the tears from her face and pulled Shepard in for a hug.  “Thank you, Captain.  I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you and Liara… I feel kinda lost.”

“No need for that, Gabby.”  Liara reached in and ran a hand across the woman’s back.  “You will have a home on Thessia for as long as you need or want.  You are always welcome to stay… though, I imagine, you’ll find your own path soon enough.  You’re strong.”

As new tears came to her eyes, Gabby pulled away from Shepard and turned to give the Asari a quick hug before pulling away from both of them.  “Thank you, Liara!  God knows my future right now is nothing but confusion and worry.  I still have to figure out how I’m going to support myself and two little ’uns on my own.”  She sighed and wiped the gathering tears away yet again.  “It’s good to know someone has faith in me… because I seem to be lacking it, right now!”

“That’s crazy, Gabby,” Shepard chuckled quietly.  “You’re one of the strongest women I know… and that includes the likes of Admiral Hannah Shepard!  You’ll figure it out.”

Gabby blushed and reached out with both hands, taking one of each of the couple before her.  “I’ll see you both soon but, for now, I have to let you go… I’ve got things to do.”  A reluctant grin eked its way onto her face as she let go of their hands and took a step back.  “Besides, Riana is starting to fidget.  I think you’re supposed to have left by now.”

Liara glanced over her shoulder at her non-repentant First, who met her eyes expectantly.  “So, it seems.”  She looked back at Gabby and smiled.  “Stay well, Gabriella; we’ll see one another again soon enough…”

-------------------------------

At Large, Earth, Sol System – 19 Jan 2189

“Alliance docks in forty-five minutes, Commander.”  Steve Cortez had just lifted the UT-47A up and away from the small, transient military docks at the site of the city’s old international airport.  After entering their destination coordinates into the flight computer, he energized the mains, then sat back in his chair as the flight control VI assumed the task of piloting the ungainly craft in a southeasterly heading over the M8 and A71 towards London. 

Traffic above and around the British Isles was moderately heavy as Cortez warily used his hands to shadow the VI’s piloting.  After several minutes, he received an acknowledgement from civilian controllers that his Kodiak was expected to touch down at the Alliance docks near Farnborough Field in thirty-five to forty minutes.

Their climb to altitude rapidly leveled out as the shuttle reached its assigned flight level of 2100 meters; their flight path would take them to within 10 Km of the city center before they’d be required to turn in a southwesterly direction for their approach to London’s joint commercial-military air and spaceport, located on the site of what had once been Heathrow Airport.  Cortez briefly glanced at Williams as he reported, “Thirty-five minutes to touchdown, Ma’am.”

Spectre Ashley Williams acknowledged his report as she watched the scene being displayed on the virtual viewport.  She and her crew were returning to the Nalotir, docked at the Alliance shipyard; depending on her success – or failure – with finding a pair of specialists to replace Systems Engineer Donnelly and Propulsion Engineer Curt Manos, she might need to make a trip to the Western North America headquarters in Vancouver afterwards – before she needed to return to her job of investigating and eliminating pirate activity in Council space.

Lieutenant Commander Fletcher Voight, Gabby’s CO in the Alliance propulsion lab, had assigned an engineer to ride along on the Nalotir as an observer.  Ashley needed permanent replacements for both men; an Alliance Navy personnel specialist at the CGC had suggested she might have better luck recruiting the people she needed from London headquarters, or in Vancouver.  That her lover was stationed in London was icing on the proverbial cake.

She must have dozed off for a few minutes, as she was surprised when the VI announced ‘five minutes to touchdown’ over the internal PA system, a warning to all to prepare for low-altitude chop as they slowed to less than 135 meters per second.  Everyone sitting in the passenger compartment fastened or rechecked their safety harnesses as a precaution against a possibly turbulent approach.

With Cortez still shadowing the VI’s control inputs, the shuttle eased down to an altitude of 30 meters as it made the final approach to their assigned docking space.  In less than the predicted five minutes, the VI gently eased the craft down to the concrete beside the Nalotir and cut all power to the ventral thrusters and main engines, prompting a redundant announcement from Cortez.  “We’re back in London, Ma’am.”

-------------------------------

London, Earth, Sol – 19 Jan 2189

Williams was frowning slightly as she stepped out of the admin building.  The number of qualified Alliance personnel available here was no better than on the CGC, and the petty officer in charge had – after contacting her counterpart in Vancouver – glumly informed Ashley there did not appear to be any qualified engineers available on the entire west coast of the North American continent.

Shading her eyes against the brilliant glare of a rare, cloud-free winter day, she idly looked up and down the docks, noting that few vessels were in port as a new work week had just begun.  A flicker of movement in the sky caught her attention; she watched with interest as a tiny speck resolved itself into a very familiar shape that circled down to approach the civilian end of the docks.  Can’t be, she thought.  Still flying from here, instead of from a commercial dock?

Hoping her instincts were correct, she began walking on the path that would take her past the nearby Nalotir.  By the time she had reached the civilian portion of the yard, the Auxilium, for that was the ship’s name, had settled into its assigned space.  She cautiously stepped over and around cables, tie-downs and debris at the ship’s bow as a group of dock workers began to offload the freight pallets contained within the small vessel’s three cargo holds.

Overseeing the operation was none other than… “Storm Weatherly!” Ashley gushed.  “I’d have thought you’d be retired by now!  Don’t you get tired of always having to be on the go?”

The grizzled old captain turned at the sound of her voice, surprise and happiness evident in his expression.  “Williams?  Damn if you ain’t a sight for sore eyes!”  He stuck out an arthritic paw as he continued, “I could ask you that very same question, Commander!  Looks like you’re still in the Navy!”  He pumped her hand twice and asked, “You still gallivanting ’round the galaxy in that over-powered frigate?… the Normandy?”

Ashley’s grin lessened as she replied, “I was, until it took a Quarian missile in the belly out in the Far Rim.”  With a quick glance at her chrono, she said, “Got time for lunch?… my treat.”  The grin she received gladdened her heart; she had met Storm during post-war recovery efforts, when civilian vessels needed an Alliance officer on board in order to deliver freight to any military facility.  On her very first trip on the Auxilium, she had met then Major Andreas Falk at Farnborough Field.

“Jus’ let me get finished up with this job, Ash.  We have a bit of time before we start loading out for the next delivery.  You wanna wait here, or?…”

“I’ll wait… don’t have anywhere else to go at the moment, and I really need to speak with you.”

“Okay, Ash.  Shouldn’t be long.”

Ashley nodded as she retreated away from the seemingly chaotic area; finding a nearby cargo box sitting by itself, she took a seat and composed a short message to Andreas, telling him she was going to be in London for the night.  Not wanting to impose such a short time after her holiday visit, she didn’t ask if she could share his quarters for an evening – just told him it’d be nice to have dinner together.  After sending her message, she watched the activity swirling in and around the Auxilium, marveling at how well-orchestrated everyone’s movements seemed to be.  Guess some sort of order gradually comes about after doing the same thing day-after-day.

-------------------------------

Ashley had told Weatherly to choose where to have lunch; he had led her to a nearby café that seemed to be a mere hole in the wall of a large, still partially shattered building.  Repair work was being done on the far side, with the sounds of carpenter’s tools faintly arriving on the light breeze.  Inside, there were several booths along one wall, with a stool-lined counter on the other side of a narrow aisle.  Most of the stools were occupied by yard workers, speaking in quiet tones as they ate their lunch.  Storm groaned in relief as he slid onto a slick, vinyl covered bench.

Ash sat down opposite, then took a quick look at the menu to confirm what she expected was being served for lunch.  She ordered one of the two specials, to which Storm nodded as he did the same.  With a few minutes to wait for their lunches, the old captain leaned back and asked, “Okay, Ash.  What’s so important you’d agree to buy me lunch?  Not having relationship troubles, are you?  And what in Hell is this about the Normandy taking a missile in the belly?”

Williams felt the beginning of a blush moving past her collar at his mention of her love affair with Dré.  “Not at all,” she grinned.  “Fact is, he managed to spring a real surprise on me for Christmas… flew my sisters and my mom here without telling me ahead of time!  First time we’ve all been together since I don’t know when… way before the conflict with Sovereign and the Geth, for sure.”  Taking a sip of water, she continued, “As for the Normandy, that’s why I need to speak with you.  That damned missile killed both my engineers, Storm… and I need a replacement for each of them.”

“Don’t the Alliance assign personnel to that ship?”

With a small chuckle, she replied, “Both of those men were Alliance specialists, but the ship is owned by the Galactic Council.  As a Council Spectre, I can staff the ship with whomever I wish.  Hell, Spectre Shepard had a Turian weapons officer and a Quarian engineer at one time.”  Another sip of water, then, “So, do you know of anyone – military or civilian, Human or alien – that might be a suitable candidate for either a propulsion engineer’s or a systems engineer’s position on the Normandy?”

Weatherly frowned slightly before looking up as their server brought their lunches and beverages.  He silently shook some ground pepper on his clam chowder, took a slurping sip from the bowl, then sighed in contentment.  “Damn!  That’s good.”  Apparently lost in thought, he swallowed several more spoonful’s as Ashley applied herself to the large turkey sandwich in front of her.  She sipped her beer, cocked an eye at Storm and asked, “Well?”

The old captain stifled a belch, then looked up at her.  “Any objection to working with a Batarian?  Heard of a fellow… really crackerjack propulsion engineer.  Scuttlebutt has it he’s been working on a variety of vessels since 2158 or so.  Assigned to a Hensa-class cruiser, part of the fleet Ka’hairal Balak loaned to the Alliance after Councilor Udina turned traitor on the Citadel.”  Storm looked off into the distance, focusing on memories he hadn’t had to recall in a long time.  “Ship had to be abandoned over Earth… the guy made it to an escape pod… got picked up by an Alliance cruiser just before the fleet bugged out to Arcturus.”

Ashley finished her sandwich as she listened with a great deal of interest to Storm reminiscing.  After downing her beer, she asked, “This guy have a name?  And has he been working since the end of the war?”

Storm’s attention snapped back to his companion.  “Only reason I know about ’im is he worked on a freighter outta Omega until ’bout three months ago.  Disembarked on the CGC.  Haven’t heard anything about him since then, but he shouldn’t be too damned hard to find… not many Batarians on that station yet.  Name’s Garok Ferank.”

Ashley opened her omnitool, entered a credit transfer from her account to the café’s, then waited as Storm heaved himself to his feet.  “Couldn’t hurt to take a look for this guy.  If he’s good at his job and will take orders from a woman, that’s all that matters to me.”  She walked behind the captain as he followed a couple of his ship’s crew outside.  “So, no thoughts on a systems engineer?”

“Sorry, Ash.  I don’t know of a qualified person for that job.”  With a big grin, he stuck out his hand and said, “Thanks for lunch!  My usual lunch companions ain’t nearly so nice to look at, and they ain’t that generous, either.”

Williams grabbed his hand and pumped it twice.  “I’m glad I caught you in port, Storm.  Really good to see you!”

“You as well!  Say hi to that Brit for me – Major Falk?”

“You got it… and Andreas is a Lieutenant Commander these days.”  With a quiet laugh, she said, “Fly safe, Weatherly.” 

“You too, young’un.  You got a more dangerous path before you than me.”

-------------------------------

Guanghui Solutions Mining Facility, Feynman, Boltzmann System – 25 Jan 2189

Shepard dove for cover for the third time.  “Gods be damned!”

Liara almost laughed, barely managing to suppress the urge, but Shepard picked up on it via the link, despite her best efforts.

“You think this is funny, T’Soni?”

Unable to refrain any longer, Liara laughed aloud, still giggling as she replied, “I’m sorry, Love… but, yes, I do.  What is he?  Sixteen, in Human equivalent, at best?  And that young Turian has the hero of the galaxy pinned down with nothing but a pistol!”

“That pistol is a semi-auto, Cerberus M-358 Talon, loaded with heavy disruptor ammo, and it’s cutting right through my damned shields!  He’s already put three dents in my new armor, and it hurts like a son of a bitch!”  Liara’s joviality was contagious, and Shepard found she had to laugh at herself.  Smiling, she added, “And he’s damned good.  I want to try to recruit him, not kill him!  Otherwise, I’d just charge his ass and be done with it!”

“Seriously, Nara?”  Livos was honestly surprised at the Spectre’s reaction.  “He’s most certainly trying to kill you.”

“Based on what he’s yelling at us, it’s only because he thinks I’m a damned pirate…”  Shepard paused, thinking about what she had just said.  “And that makes me wonder if he simply doesn’t believe us… or maybe he doesn’t have a working translator?”

Catching her thoughts through the link, Liara replied, “That’s a real possibility, Shepard.  Perhaps we should have Tonan come down to talk to him?”

“That’s a good idea, Liara…”  Shepard immediately called up to the ship and explained the situation.  “Ask him to make it quick, Lus.  I’m tired of getting my new armor dinged up.”

Lusmeni chuckled, the playful tone of the Spectre’s voice obvious, so she knew she was mostly joking.  “I’ll get him on his way, Shepard… as soon as we can get the shuttle spun up and out the door!”

-------------------------------

Poor Tonan had to execute a combat jump, as the shuttle became the new target as Daxa Rusim attempted to deliver the Turian to the stand-off.  “Damn it, Shepard.  I’m not a combat specialist!  Why do you think I became a combat systems operator?”  Without pausing to give Shepard time to answer the purely rhetorical question, he continued, “So I could stay on the ship, because I hate this shit!”

Shepard smirked, “I thought all Turians were ingrained with the whole duty and honor mantra?”

“We are… but it doesn’t mean we all get a thrill from getting shot at!”  Tonan snorted and his mandibles flared in disbelief as he retorted, “Not all of us are suicidal vanguards!”

At that, Shepard laughed outright.  “Point taken, Tonan.  So, can you tell me what the kid’s yelling?  And then, try to convince him who I am?”

“Well… he’s yelling some pretty advanced insults for a kid… not sure where he’s heard some of them…  I think his father must have been either a merc or an infantryman to have learned language like that!  And no, I’m not going to translate for you.”

“That bad, huh?” Shepard looked at Tonan with a smirk on her face.  “I guess that means I have to do this the hard way… or do you think you can talk him down?  We have to be home no later than Wednesday night and I still have to report to the Council before then.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Spectre… but no promises.”

-------------------------------

Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 25 Jan 2189

Gabriela Donnelly knelt on a waterproof pad placed on the winter-damp grass at the foot of the freshly filled grave of her husband, Kenneth.  Tears filled her eyes yet again as she used her fingertips to trace the engraved letters on the small granite marker at her knees – The greatest gift in life is love – words she had chosen while her mind was in a grief-stricken fog.  Yet today, she truly believed that Kenneth had whispered them in her ear when she had first entered his house… their house, on the 17th.  My God, Kenneth!  I never dreamed I could miss you so much!

She had decided the best way to honor her husband’s memory would be to raise their children in his childhood home.  Being widowed while Kenneth was serving on a warship owned by the Galactic Council, Gabby would be the beneficiary of a modest, one-time death gratuity payment.  How can I afford to leave the Alliance now? she mused.  I don’t want my children raised by the daycare system! That’s no life for a child!  I need to raise my kids… Kenneth’s kids… here… in Edinburgh!  She gave herself a mental shake and huffed.  Just have to see what opportunities arise to meet me.

She had spent a lot of time thinking about what she wanted to do… how best to move forward… and still believed that making a clean break – with the Navy… with the Alliance – was the only way she would ever find any peace of mind.  She simply could not bear the thought of returning to the propulsion lab on the CGC, with the constant reminders of everything she had lost with Kenneth’s death.  One thing was certain: she sure as Hell wasn’t going to raise her children on a damned space station in the middle of nowhere.

She would be leaving Earth shortly, heading to her office to pack up the last of her personal belongings; then, she’d be traveling to Thessia for her maternity leave.  If everything went well, eight weeks after delivering her babies she would tender her resignation from the Alliance Navy… that is, assuming some opportunity for financial stability presented itself.  Thinking of resigning made her sad for another reason.  She had met Kenneth at the tech academy run by the Systems Alliance Navy; they had served together ever since graduation.

In spite of herself, she chuckled at the memory of his mouth derailing his Alliance career – he had nearly been court-martialed for his vociferous defense of Samantha Shepard after the Normandy SR1 had been destroyed over Alchera in 2183.  As it was, the Navy discharged him for insubordination; she had immediately resigned in order to follow him when he joined Cerberus shortly thereafter.

Upon receiving pardons from Spectre Shepard at the conclusion of her campaign to eliminate the Collector threat, they had both been reinstated into the Navy; after the destruction of the Bahak system and its relay, she and Kenneth had spent the intervening months working on retrofitting the Cerberus constructed Normandy SR2 to Alliance Navy standards for a stealth frigate.  They remained on the ship after it escaped Earth during the opening hours of the invasion, served for the duration of the Reaper war, through the nearly yearlong victory tour, up until she had become pregnant shortly after Spectre Williams had taken command of the ship.  And now… she took a shuddering breath of air… and now, Kenneth was entombed in the cold ground before her, the victim of a so-called ally.

A soft cough behind her brought her head around.  The driver of the X3M taxi she had hired in Edinburgh inclined his head as he said, “We really should get going, Ma’am.  Your flight is scheduled for a 1600 departure.”

Gabby smiled at the young man.  “Okay, Mr McMillan.”  Raising a hand, she added, “If you wouldn’t mind?”

Keir McMillan was only too happy to assist Gabby to her feet.  He felt really terrible that she was a widow, and pregnant, at such a young age.  Truth be told, he was a bit in awe that the young woman had served on the Normandy during the Reaper War.  He assisted her to her feet, then picked up the waterproof pad and carried it along while she clung to his other arm for the walk across the wet grass of this cemetery.  She smiled and thanked him after he helped her sit down in one of the oldest X3M shuttles she’d ever been in… a 2172 C-111 Skyline.

Gabriela sat back in the worn seat and closed her eyes, remaining silent during the 20-minute trip to the nearby spaceport.  She reopened them when the speeder shuddered to a halt within a few paces of the main terminal building.  Before McMillan raised the canopy, she looked at him and said, “Please… you really need to get this speeder into a shop so someone can inspect the drive core.  I suspect the field coils are slightly out of phase; it’s causing a tremor in the anti-grav repulsors this thing depends on.  They’re going to fail entirely, and soon.”

McMillan’s mouth dropped open in shocked surprise as she was speaking.  When she paused, he asked, “How in the world would you know that?

Gabby smiled as she replied, “You know I served on the Normandy… I was the chief propulsion engineer on that ship since its launch.”

The man nodded slightly as he replied, “Thank you, Ma’am.  I’ll see to it immediately.”  After assisting her out of her seat, he added, “Your bags are loaded,” he pointed to the closest UT-47, “… on that shuttle, Ma’am.”  Before walking to the spacecraft, she said, “Thank you for your help, Mr McMillan.  I really appreciate it.”

“The honor has been all mine, Ma’am.”  He gave her a final nod.  “Travel safe.”

Chapter Text

Guanghui Solutions Mining Facility, Feynman, Boltzmann System – 25 Jan 2189

After an hour of attempted negotiation, Tonan shook his head in defeat.  “This kid isn’t giving in, Shepard.  I don’t think there is anything I can say that will convince him you’re actually Spectre Shepard, Savior of the Galaxy.”

“Gods be damned!”  Shepard attempted to peek around the barrier she was hiding behind, only to be rewarded with yet another shot pinging off the same barrier, mere centimeters from her head.  “Tell that boy I’m going to stand up… full view… no weapon in hand.  Tell him to look through his site, but if he takes one more shot at me, I’m going to charge him and tear his liver out!”

“Turians don’t have a liver, Shepard,” Tonan chuckled.  “Besides… If I do that and let you risk yourself that way, Liara will probably tear my guts out just to prove the point.”

Shepard’s scowl turned to a grin.  “Well, shit.  You’re probably right about that.”  She looked about her squad and asked, “Suggestions?”

Sellis Boni shrugged.  “I have already reminded you that I am an infiltrator, Shepard.  I still believe I can sneak in and take him from behind.”

“Absolutely not!” Livos responded without hesitation.  “That answer has not changed!  Without proximity scouting, we have no idea what kinds of traps or perimeter warning he has set up.”  Seeing Sellis about to protest, she continued, “No.  He is very obviously not your average, irresponsible youth.”  She looked to Shepard as she continued, “He’s survived a full-up pirate raid and held us at bay for hours, all on his own.”

“Only because we’ve been trying to find an ‘other-than-fatal’ solution for him.”  Shepard focused on Sellis and, in contrast to Livos’ disapproval, gave permission.  “Do it… but be careful.  Take your time and make sure you miss nothing.  We’ve just replaced two… I don’t have any desire to have to replace a third.  Understood?” 

With an affirmative response from Sellis, Shepard turned to Allia.  “Can you see him at all through your scope?  Can you get a lock on target?”

“Only a sliver of the top of his crest, but yes.”  Allia glanced at the Spectre.  “However, it will provide only a distraction, at best.”

“That’s all we’ll need.”  Shepard looked again at Sellis.  “If we see any indication he knows you’re there, Allia will take the shot… and, as soon as that happens, I’m going to be blasting him into oblivion.  I’ll not risk you unnecessarily.”

Still staunchly believing they should have simply walked away as soon as the pirates had been dealt with, Livos scowled, “So you will risk yourself, instead?”

“It’s a minimal risk and we can’t leave this loose cannon out here.  The kid’s been traumatized; who knows who he might try to shoot next.” Shepard countered.  “If he’s concentrating on locating Sellis and then ducking away from a sniper shot, he won’t be thinking about the possibility of me being a Vanguard. Not at all… and, believe it or not, our XO agrees.”

Even though the plan was set and Liara was in favor of ending the standoff in the chosen manner, Shepard still warred within herself over what she was about to do… right up until the moment she needed to do it.  She heard Moises’ words about unnecessary risks echo in her head and remembered the promise she had made to Liara.  For the wellbeing of her crew, she knew it was what she needed to do but hated the whole actuality of destroying the life of an innocent victim; the senselessness of it all.

When the time came, it quite literally all happened in an instant.  The young Turian’s head popped up and snapped to the side in surprise, causing the sniper rifle of Allia Vasia to chuff.  Without waiting to see if it was a kill-shot, Shepard immediately launched herself across the incredible distance, smashing into her target without hesitation or remorse.  He slumped to the ground as Shepard snapped off the disposable silicon-carbide omniblade imbedded in the center of his chest.  Taking in the look of shock on the face of the lifeless young Turian, she shook her head.  “What a fucking waste of a life.  All he had to do was listen and think about what we were trying to offer.  Why couldn’t he just give us a chance?”

Sellis’ voice answered from unexpectedly close as she uncloaked.  “Because he was still thinking about the loss of his entire family, Shepard.  He didn’t dare… he was the only one left.”  She sighed and continued gloomily, “Both his parents are in the house, not just dead, but cut to shreds… as well as two sisters who were obviously… ill-used… until they died.  I refuse to blame him for what happened here.  Whatever pirates showed up here were sick, enraged animals… and the responsibility for this outrage lies squarely on their shoulders.  You cannot blame yourself for this.”

Shepard’s eyes were like the blue ice of the deadly, mid-winter Thessian North Sea, shimmering with anger over what she saw as the waste of a young life so full of potential;  she glared at her infiltrator and responded, “I don’t need to assume blame to still regret and hate the necessity of having to kill someone.  We need to search out the particular pirate group who forced this outcome…”  Shepard glanced once more at the body of the young Turian.  “… and make sure they never have an opportunity to do anything like this ever again.”

Rather than shy away from Shepard’s anger and obvious frustration, Sellis walked up and placed a gloved hand on the Spectre’s shoulder pauldron.  “Knowing you and Lady Liara, that will happen sooner rather than later, Nara.  I have no doubt that will be the case.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 26 Jan 2189

Senior Chief Petty Officer Tamiko Miyazaki, having accompanied Gabby to the VIP docks, found she hadn’t sufficiently clamped down on her emotions; moisture was filling her eyes and threatening to spill onto her cheeks as she stood in front of her pregnant friend.  “I’m really going to miss you, Gabby.”  Voice hitching slightly, she added, “Place won’t seem the same without you in the lab, sitting at your terminal, whispering to yourself.”

Gabby chuckled at that.  “I don’t whisper to myself… I’m simply talking to the computer, attempting to bend its programming to my will.”  Her grin slowly faded as she studied her friend’s face.  “And don’t you dare start crying, dammit!  I’ve cried enough to last a lifetime – for both of us – during these past few weeks…” she paused for a moment before ending with, “so, just… don’t.”

Tamiko forced a smile on her face while wiping her eyes with both hands.  “Because it’s you, I’ll try.  It’s just hard, ya know?  And I was hoping to see your babies when they’re born.  Spectre Shepard and Liara T’Soni are very special people… taking you in… providing all the services of a maternity ward, with doctors.”  She wrapped her arms around Gabby’s shoulders.  “Please don’t forget about me, Gabriela Donnelly… because I will never forget about you.”

Gabby felt her throat tightening.  Returning Tammi’s hug, she squeaked out, “I promise, Tammi.  I’ll stay in touch and send you lots of pics.”

Tamiko pushed back to look into Gabby’s soft brown eyes.  “Have you thought about names?”

“We discussed it a bit during the holidays but hadn’t settled on anything.  I’ll have plenty of time to consider what to name them while I’m sitting around not working.”  Shaking her head, she said, “Still can’t believe I’m taking leave from my job here.  Everyone’s been so kind.”  Grabbing Miyazaki’s hands, Gabby squeezed them as she whispered, “I wouldn’t have made it through all this without you, Tammi.”  As the woman began shaking her head in denial, Gabby grinned at her.  “It’s the truth, Tammi!  You’ve been a rock ever since I met you; I love you as if you were my own sister.”

Tamiko nearly lost her carefully maintained composure; with a slight giggle, she said, “You sure make it hard for me to not bust out bawling, Gabby!”

“Try thinking happy thoughts.”

Tammi nodded mutely; afraid to say anything more lest she actually break down, she directed her attention past Gabby’s shoulder, where several private spacecraft were docked.  She thought she could see a couple of Asari, one dressed in commando leathers, the other in clothing similar to that worn by Doctor Walsh, walking in their general direction, a hover-cart in tow.  Refocusing her attention on Gabby, she said, “I believe your ride is here; there’s two Asari at six o’clock, heading this way.”

With a quick glance over her shoulder, Gabby turned back to say, “You’re probably correct, Tammi.”  She moved to stand beside the Senior Chief, there to watch the pair walk up to them.

The leather-clad Asari spoke first, reaching out her right hand in accordance with human custom.  “Hello, Ms Donnelly.  I am House T’Soni pilot Luyna Veuss…  We met at the T’Soni estate in August, during the reception held after Spectre Shepard’s bonding with my mistress.”

Gabby, having been in the company of a number of Asari during her time on the Normandy, brought both her hands out, palms up, in the traditional Asari greeting.  Momentarily dropping her eyes to her swollen belly, she replied, “I am pleased to see you again, Luyna.  And, please, call me Gabby.”  The pilot attempted to hide her surprise at the human’s actions; she placed her hands gently on those offered as Gabby inclined her head slightly and continued, “This is my good friend, Senior Chief Petty Officer Tamiko Miyazaki.”

Tammi offered her own hands to the pilot as Luyna replied, “Your knowledge of Asari customs honors me.”  She then indicated her companion, saying, “I believe you also met Doctor Alyna T’Lori during your visit, Gabby.  She will be your physician during your stay with us.”

Gabby nodded as Alyna placed her palms on Gabby’s hands.  “It’s really nice to see you again, Doctor T’Lori.”  She handed Alyna an OSD as she explained, “These are all my medical records since arriving on the CGC last August.  My obstetrician here is Doctor Kathryn Walsh; she asked me to tell you to call her… anytime you have questions.”

Doctor T’Lori smiled at her soon-to-be Human patient; after a quick glance at Gabby’s protruding abdomen, she grinned.  “I’ve been informed you are carrying two babies in there, Ms Donnelly…” Alyna paused a moment, then corrected herself.  “… Gabby.  I must admit, I am really looking forward to sharing this experience with you.”  Her grin widened as she admitted, “And I’m sure I will have a great many questions for you, and Doctor Walsh, before they’re born.”

“Doctor Walsh says Human physiology is not much different from that of the Asari, but she also believes that multiple births among your race is an extreme rarity.”  With a quick glance at Tammi, she looked back to Luyna and said, “I would really like to get off my feet.  If I may?”

Doctor T’Lori quickly grasped Gabby’s upper arm.  “I apologize.  We have several other passengers to transport; I will escort you to our vessel while Luyna locates them.”

Luyna glanced at Gabby’s companion.  “I would owe you a huge favor if you could stay with them and guide the hover-lift to the ship and make sure the bags are picked up?  It will save all of us time if I could start my search for Sha’ira and her acolytes immediately… Would you mind?”

“Not at all… and to pay me back, I’d love a quick tour of your vessel if at all possible.”  Tamiko smiled understandingly at the Asari’s hesitation.  “Not necessarily today, as I know you’re on a tight schedule… but I’m sure I’ll come to Thessia to visit Gabby at some point during her time with House T’Soni.”

Luyna smiled graciously in return, answering, “We have crew on board who can take care of that… and I’m sure something could also be arranged at the Estate, should you ever visit… maybe even a tour of our war frigates.  The designs are significantly different from Human ships.”  She grimaced and glanced toward the spaceport.  “I’m sorry… but I really must be going.  Thank you again for your help!”

As Luyna left at a trot, Tamiko picked up Gabby’s duffle bags and loaded them onto the hover-cart.  They were moving quite slowly, so it was only a moment before she found herself trailing along directly behind Gabby and the Asari doctor as they walked towards the ship.  Dr T’Lori was the one speaking as Tamiko closed to hearing range.  “I understand you will have the support of more than just the staff of House T’Soni, Ms Donnelly.  Sha’ira, along with six of her acolytes, will be traveling with us to the estate.”

Gabby, unable to think of an appropriate comment, remained silent as she walked towards a gleaming craft, obviously not of Asari design nor manufacture.

Noticing her look of confusion, Alyna commented, “That is the Aletheia… Though of Turian design, it is the T’Soni Flagship.”  Upon entering the spacecraft, Alyna introduced Gabby to Nilis Irapso, who was acting as Cabin Steward for this trip… also the one who would ensure her luggage was secured.  As Nilis nodded in greeting and hopped out the door to assist Tamiko, Alyna escorted Gabby to the ships’ stateroom for the trip saying, “Our voyage will not be long but, as our guest, you may as well be comfortable for the duration of the journey.”

Gabby immediately protested, saying, “This is way too much!  I mean, really?  The captain’s personal quarters?”

The Asari chuckled at Gabby’s protest.  “As an honored guest, Ms Donnelly, you will be provided appropriate quarters.”  She had a playful grin on her face as she asked, “Would it make any sense for you to be sitting in the lounge while this space remains empty?  I did say the voyage would be short, but it will still be a few hours long. This space provides you the privacy to truly relax.”

Gabby finally nodded her head and sat down on a beautifully upholstered couch at the far side of the suite.  The doctor provided a glass of water and the expectant mother sat there quietly, admiring the beauty of the suite until the hatch slid open once more.  She watched in amused silence as Nilis escorted Tamiko, who was carrying Gabby’s travel bag, into the room.  Nilis politely directed, “Please be prepared to leave as soon as the Consort is aboard, we do have a schedule to keep,” before retreating from the room.

Tamiko looked about in wide-eyed wonder before setting the bag carefully on the deck just inside the stateroom entrance and looking at her friend, blurting out, “This ship is beautiful, Gabby!”  She then moved quickly to her friend, firmly nestled at one end of the comfortable couch, and crouched in front of her before adding, “You are in wonderful hands, Gabs, so I need to get going.  I still have to get back to the lab and see if I can puzzle out a way to move your research forward while you’re out of the office.”

Gabby’s arms came up immediately; grabbing her friend’s shoulders, she said, “I’m really going to miss you, Tammi!”  She kissed Miyazaki on both cheeks and released her, while attempting to keep from breaking down in tears once again.

“Nonsense!  You’ll be much too busy meeting lots of new people and preparing for your two little bundles of joy!” Tammi stood and placed her hands gently on her friend’s shoulder.  Voice breaking, she added, “Farewell, Gabriella!  Don’t forget me,” then turned and abruptly left the stateroom before Gabby could see how sad she had become at the idea of parting from her best friend.

Doctor T’Lori had silently watched their leave-taking and commented, “Never fear, Gabby.  You will see your sister again.”

Gabby’s smile was thin.  “We’re not family, Doctor T’Lori.”

“Nonsense, Gabby.  Family is who you make it.”  Alyna captured the Human’s eyes with a sympathetic gaze.  “The Asari have a word for that… Mea’re.  You were bonded through the Alliance Navy, so that woman is every bit your tribal sister… never doubt that.”

Gabby didn’t doubt Alyna’s words in the least… in fact, she was pleased that someone had noticed just how much she and Tammi loved one another.  Leave it to an Asari, came the thought.  They all seem to be sisters.  “Thank you, Alyna… for giving me the word I needed to describe my relationship with Tamiko.  The Human phrase ‘best friend’ just didn’t seem to be… enough?  If you know what I mean?”

“You are most welcome, Gabby.  A shared, common purpose seems to pull people together in ways nothing else can.  Even among Asari, with all our long lives, finding a true Mea’re is not to be taken for granted.”  At the faint sound of voices, Alyna turned her attention towards the passageway outside the stateroom.  “It sounds as if Luyna found our other passengers.”  She dipped her head as she apologetically added, “Please, excuse me.  I must welcome the Consort aboard.”

As soon as Doctor T’Lori disappeared down the passageway, Gabby tipped her head back and closed her eyes while listening to the distant conversations.  Can’t understand what they’re saying… must be too muted for the translator to pick out the words.  She continued to listen as the hum of conversation gradually lessened.  Her ears detected the slight increase in air pressure, indicating a hull integrity test to confirm proper sealing of the airlock hatch after it was closed; a few short moments afterwards, the ship come to life under her feet as Luyna and co-pilot Fala Veya brought all the Aletheia’s systems to life.  Thessia… Here I come!

-------------------------------

Even with her eyes closed, Gabby felt the subtle change that indicated another presence in the room; without moving, she eased her eyelids open slightly.  Standing in front of her was an elegantly dressed Asari… serene… graceful.  Gabby opened her eyes fully, eliciting a faint smile from her visitor.  “Greetings, Gabriella Donnelly.  My name is Sha’ira, and I am pleased to meet you.”

Gabby had shifted an arm and hand on the armrest preparatory to standing; the beautiful Asari waved a hand as she said, “Please, remain seated, Ms Donnelly.  Do you mind if I sit with you for the trip to Thessia?”

Motioning with her hand, Gabriella replied, “Please… be my guest.”  As the intriguing Asari took a seat next to her on the couch, she crossed one leg over the other, then turned her gaze to the graceful being beside her as she quietly added, “And you may simply call me Gabby.”

A faint smile returned to the light blue face.  “Very well… Gabby.”  She dipped her head in acknowledgement as she continued in a lilting, musical voice.  “I have been retained to provide you with whatever counseling you may desire.”  Sha’ira noted an instant look of puzzlement, mixed with defensive denial, appear on the young woman’s face, so continued quickly to explain her purpose.  “I am given to understand you recently learned of the untimely passing of your life partner… whereas the shock immediately triggered false birthing pains, such that you had to be transported to the hospital for emergency care.”

Gabby nodded slowly as she whispered, “Kenneth.”  Eyes instantly awash with unshed tears, she breathed, “He was the love of my life.”  When the consort remained silent, Gabby slowly continued in a tight voice.  “It feels as if his… death… took a piece of me as well.”  The Asari could see the truth of Gabby’s next statement.  With tears now freely coursing down both cheeks, she cried, “It’s as if my heart and soul has been ripped in two.”  A fist covered her mouth as she wept yet again for the loss of her children’s father.

To Gabby’s astonishment, Sha’ira reached over her swollen belly to grasp her right hand, then captured the hand closest to her and squeezed gently.  The Asari’s voice was as if silk were sound.  “My sweet child, that is exactly why I am here.  In a few, short weeks, you will be giving birth to two children.”  Releasing the hand closest to her, she reached up, softly stroking Gabby’s brown mane.  “Before you can lovingly welcome them into this realm, you must ease your sorrow and establish a clear mind.  Over the course of the next few days, I will instruct you in methods to help ease the pain of Kenneth’s sudden loss.”

Gabby quickly regained control as she relaxed under the consort’s caring touch.  “Thank you, Sha’ira.”  She gulped down a sob as the Consort’s contagious calm seeped into her.  “I’m having a difficult time leaving Kenneth behind… we’d been together for a long time.”  A sudden thought brought on a worried frown.  “You’re not going to wipe away my memories of him, are you?”

The Asari’s expression turned stern as she shook her head.  “Absolutely not, Gabby… that is something I would never do… to you, nor anyone else.”

“That’s a relief.”  Noting Sha’ira’s semi-frown, Gabby quickly added, “And I’m sorry for even thinking you would do such a thing.  My social interactions with Asari have been relatively nonexistent.  Even with Lady Liara and numerous commandos on the Normandy during the war, I rarely saw her or spoke with them.  Everyone was just so busy trying to stop the Reapers… and staying alive; there never seemed to be time for anything else.”

Sha’ira nodded her head in a decidedly Human fashion.  “Lady Liara is actually the reason I find myself accompanying you… as she is the one who requested my counsel.  I have known Little Wing since she was a young child.  It will also be nice to spend some time on Thessia… particularly at the estate… even though I do believe Liara and Shepard are on a mission for the Council, so will not be on the homeworld when we arrive.”  At Gabby’s instant look of worry, she added, “Do not be alarmed, Gabriella.  Staff at the estate are all well aware of your imminent arrival, as well as the reason for it; they will do everything in their power to ensure you have a wonderful visit, whether Lady Liara and Shepard are there or not.”

Gabby let the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding out in a whoosh.  “That’s good to know.  I don’t want to be any trouble.”

Sha’ira moved the hand she had been using to stroke through Gabby’s hair to her right shoulder and pulled her in for an awkward embrace.  “Trust me… they are all looking forward to your visit, Gabby.  How could you possibly be any trouble?”

 -------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 27 Jan 2189

“Gabby!  Welcome to House T’Soni!”  Liara’s smile and welcoming hug made the very pregnant woman’s day.  “I trust you are being well taken care of and have settled comfortably into your rooms?”

“Oh, yes, Liara.  The staff has been positively amazing toward me.”  She blushed slightly as she continued, “I feel guilty over all the attention…  They’re treating me like a queen, with the rooms being the epitome of luxury!”

Laughing, Liara replied, “That’s because the birth of a child is very much celebrated within the Asari culture… and for you to be having two?  That’s an extremely rare event; one that has never occurred within our walls.  We are all very much looking forward to it… possibly more than yourself!”

Letting out a tired sigh, Gabby ran her hands over her bulging belly.  “That, I very much doubt.  I am more than ready for these two to remove themselves from my womb and quit kicking my bladder!”  She chuckled quietly as she added, “It’s like they enjoy making me have to pee every two hours!”

Liara smiled coyly at Shepard, a glance not missed by their guest, and responded, “I can only imagine what it will be like when we begin to have children.  I am very much looking forward to it, no matter how far in our future that may be.”

“Absolutely.”  Shepard grinned and put her arm around her bondmate.  “And compliments of so many extraordinary events and persons who have come into our lives, I’ll actually be around to help raise them!”  Looking back to Gabriella, she continued, “But… you first!  Is there anything at all you need?”

“God, no,” Gabby laughed.  “Everyone here has been positively wonderful!”

“Excellent.”  Shepard cast a meaningful glance at Liara before adding, “Then you won’t mind if we go up, take a quick shower, and get into something more comfortable.”

“Oh, no!  Absolutely not, Captain.”  Gabby grinned as she said, “But, I know darn well that you are likely just as comfortable, if not more so, in your uniform as you are in anything else you could possibly put on.”

Liara let out a hearty laugh as a similar grin appeared on her face.  “A truer statement has never been made, Gabriella Donnelly!”  A happy smile remained as she looked at their friend and added, “I, however, truly desire to slip into something more casual… so we’ll be back down in a bit, perhaps to share an afternoon tea and get caught up?”

“That sounds lovely, Liara!  I would love to hear about your latest mission and what the future holds for my most favorite Spectre Team in all the galaxy!”  Gabby entwined the fingers of her hands and supportively looped them under her belly, as if she was holding it up so she would better walk.  “In the meantime, I’ll search out your lovely chef, Leyana, and see what wonderful snacks she may have on hand!  Whenever you’re ready, you’ll find me in the den by the fire.”

-------------------------------

Spectre Vessel Nalotir, CGC, Widow System – 28 Jan 2189

Ashley Williams heaved a sigh as she placed her back against the door panel that had just slipped closed behind her.  She bent her knees and allowed her upper body to slide down the door’s slick surface as she ‘jackknifed’ her legs, around which she wrapped her arms as soon as her butt touched the deck.  Turning her head to the left to look into her cabin, she pressed cheek and temple against her knees as she fought down the urge to weep.

She had just had an uncomfortable conversation with Legion on Haratar Station.  Repairs to the Normandy were proceeding, but… there’s always a damned but, isn’t there? SILC ship construction specialty units had determined the damage to the ship’s superstructure was more extensive than first thought.

Stress fractures had been detected in the ‘ribs’ – crossmembers – that formed the framework around the ship’s ‘keel’ – the backbone – a condition completely expected at the penetration site of the missile.  Unfortunately, the explosion, confined in the area below main engineering, had been directed forward of the impact site; this had slightly twisted the ship’s frame longitudinally to a point underneath the hanger deck, 45 meters beyond the main bulkhead and elevator.

Legion relayed that SILC Specialty units’ original estimated repair time of 60 days had been revised; discovering the actual extent of the damages meant an additional 35 to 45 days for repairs, as the exterior metal skin forming the pressure hull would have to be sectioned and removed in order to take out and refit the damaged frame sections.  The integrity of the pressure hull depended on the strength of those frame sections, and Legion was not about to release the ship back to Williams-Spectre unless he could personally guarantee it wouldn’t fly apart at the first insane hard turn Joker pulled.

She had chuckled at that, but now, alone with her thoughts, self-doubt was beginning to nag at her sense of well-being.  What the fuck?  First, I leave my XO in charge of my ship and the Normandy got thrashed!  Then, we get the Nalotir and, try as I might, I can’t find a single replacement engineer willing to serve with me!  If Shepard was still Captain, folks would be falling over themselves to get a damned berth on that ship!

Leaning forward, she pushed herself to stand, then moved to the small desk with its private comms terminal.  Not going to do me any good to wallow in self-pity.  I need to talk to… someone!  But who?  Of all the things she had left behind in her quarters on the Normandy, one of the few items she had brought allowed her to easily choose – a framed photo of Andreas Falk, taken during her Christmas visit to London.

Ashley activated the terminal without a thought as to local time at Farnborough Field.  Fingertips drummed a nervous tattoo on the desktop as she waited for the connection.  Come on, Dré!  Pick up!  As if responded to her mental prodding, the Systems Alliance logo on the screen cross-faded into an image that sent a hot spike of desire straight through her core.  “Ashley… what’s the matter?  It’s only been a couple of weeks… something wrong?”  His disheveled appearance told Ashley he had most likely been sound asleep.

Falk was quite perceptive when the subject of his attention was Ashley, causing her to mentally kick herself for not checking her expression while she waited.  “Sorry, Dré… it’s been a long, disappointing day at the end of an especially brutal few weeks – enough so that I’m questioning why I’m even in command of a damned warship.”

Falk silently studied her image for several moments before softly replying, “You have my full attention, Commander.  Talk to me.”

Thinking, My God!  How I love you! she shook her head and explained.  “We had such a short time together, I didn’t want to talk about work… but I ended up having to kill an admiral, Dré… Han’Gerrel… point blank with my shotgun.  I know being directly responsible for his death shouldn’t bother me, especially since he was trying to plant a dagger in my ribs, but I’m feeling some regrets.  That look in his eyes when he realized the wounds to his chest weren’t survivable?  I was responsible for that.”

“Wasn’t he the one guilty of causing Westmoreland’s death during the war?”  After a brief pause, he added softly, “It was Gerrel that attacked you after the surrender… he attempted to shove a knife in you because you epitomize all those that refuse to let them reenslave the Geth.”

Ashley frowned as a single tear escaped the corner of her eye.  “That’s him… his actions caused Westie’s death, just as surely as if he had personally sliced her suit open.  No one on my crew ever forgave him for firing on that dreadnaught while Shepard’s team was still on board.”  She shook her head.  “He refused to accept the SILC as equals in our new, Reaper-free galaxy.”

“So, what’s the problem, Ash?  You’re a Council Spectre… sounds to me as if you acted well within your mandate to mete out justice however you chose to do so.  Han’Gerrel may or may not have deserved to die for his crimes, but you were certainly not obligated to allow him to kill you so he could continue to flout Council rules.”

“You’re correct… but there’s a lot of other things running through my mind.  I’m just… I’m the Captain!  I’m not sure I should have left the Normandy in order to lead an assault team on Gerrel’s ship.  Leon is a great XO.  Knowledgeable.  Well-liked by the crew.  I mean… maybe I should have stayed on the ship and assigned him to lead the assault.”

“As I said, I’ve read the reports, Ashley.  The Normandy was hit by a specialized missile… one of two, actually; two crewmen died.”  Andreas cocked his head slightly.  “Rensch isn’t a Spectre, Ash, and he doesn’t have Council authority, so it had to be you on that Quarian ship.  You were right where you needed to be.  Don’t ever doubt that for a moment!”

“But my crew members, Dré… one man left behind a pregnant wife!  She’s carrying twins, for God’s sake!”

“I don’t mean to sound callous, but he would be just as dead if you had been aboard, Spectre.  Reports I was privy to say no ship, of any kind, built by any race, could have escaped those missiles once they locked on.  It’s probably a good thing that Admiral Xen chose to end her own life.  I can’t imagine what trouble she would get up to if allowed her freedom.”

He concluded by asking, “Ashley, what would you have done differently?  Would your presence on the Normandy have made a single bit of difference in the outcome?”

Ashley hung her head.  “I don’t know.”  With a heavy sigh, she whispered, “No… I guess not.”

“You were exactly where your training and position required you to be, Ms Williams.  You were a Marine gunnery sergeant before transferring to the Navy.  You have a unique set of skills.  Don’t beat yourself up over the loss of Donnelly and Manos.  Their deaths are unfortunate, but you are in no way to blame for that.  The Quarians – and Daro’Xen vas Moreh in particular – are the real villains here.  Focus on that… focus on the fact that Xen and Gerrel will never have the opportunity to see how the Quarian’s creations… their children… will continue to evolve and grow in the coming decades and centuries.”

Ashley managed a thin smile.  “You’re right, Dré, but that’s not all.  I’m also having a hell of a time getting replacement crew…  It’s like no one wants to work with me.  I had lunch with Weatherly during a quick stopover on the 19th; he was able to point me towards a propulsion engineer.  Not that it matters to me, but the guy is Batarian.  Last known location was here on the CGC… he was between jobs.”

“Lunch with ol’ Storm, eh?  Strange… I never heard from you that Monday.”

Williams chuckled; the sound of which brought a huge grin to Andreas’ face as she replied, “This isn’t about us, Dré!  You did hear me say quick before stopover, didn’t you?”  She heaved a sigh.  “I suppose my next stop will be the Orizaba so I can meet with Admiral Lindholm.  I haven’t been doing a damned thing for the Alliance since all this crap with the Quarians began.”

“You’re a Council Spectre in command of a Council-owned deep-space reconnaissance vessel.  I realize it’s a cooperative effort with the Alliance, but…”

“But, most of the crew on board are either Marines or Navy… including both of the fatalities.  A visit to the admiral is a formality, but one that must be observed.  I’m still a commander in the Navy, Dré… unlike Shepard, I haven’t resigned my commission, and I don’t intend to.”

Falk smiled at her statement.  “You resigning from the Navy is not something I want to see, Ash.  He paused for a moment to consider his words.  “Ashley, you need to travel to Arcturus… go to the new station the SILC have constructed there.  Have a meeting with Lindholm, see where you stand with her.  I seriously doubt she’ll demand your resignation just because you’re a Spectre, and she may be able to assist you in finding a couple of engineers.”  With a laugh, he concluded, “There has to be a few on the Orizaba that would jump at the chance to work on the Nalotir, especially if they’ll be working on the Normandy once repairs are completed.”

Ashley smiled at that.  “Sounds like good advice, Dré.”  She paused for several moments… there was so much more she wanted to say, so many things she wished he knew.  Finally, she looked straight into a pair of bluish-gray eyes and said, “Thank you for allowing me to disturb your sleep… and thank you so much for simply knowing just what to say.”  Ash huffed and gave him a genuine smile, saying, “I feel better.” 

“No problem, Ashley.”  Her stalwart supporter cast her a huge grin.  “And I don’t give a bloody damn if you call me at 0230 in the morning.  I’ll take any and every chance I can get to see your face… though I do feel compelled to add that I’d prefer it be in person again and not over a vid.”

Ashley managed a small, husky laugh.  “You do realize if I was actually standing there, your face would probably be buried in my hair while I hugged you.  I really miss having you near, Dré.  Our last visit was much too short.”

“Agreed.”  Andreas grinned back at her.  “I love you, Ashley Williams.  Don’t ever doubt that!”

The Spectre felt her eyes fill to overflowing as she gulped back a sob.  “You made me feel so much better, and now I’m crying for a different reason.”  She placed a hand on the screen as she managed to squeak out, “I love you forever, Dré!”  With that, she terminated the connection before she completely fell apart.  Damn it!

With a heavy sigh, she rose from her desk and stepped into her tiny restroom to wash the tears from her face.  She checked her image in the mirror and discovered she needed to do a more thorough job, as her mascara had left dark tracks down her cheeks.  I ought to just forget the damned face paint!  After thoroughly cleaning her face, she shed her SDU and crawled into her berth.  Just need to sleep.  For the first time since sleeping in Falk’s bed at Christmas, she fell asleep nearly as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Chapter Text

T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 29 Jan 2189

Shepard and Aethyta sat at the table discussing the results of the two-day selection competition, along with the individual House Captains Lyria Tremi and Nayla Axoni.  Nayla smiled, albeit sadly because of the circumstances surrounding the new hiring, as she commented, “It will be interesting to have another Sentinel in the house, in addition to Livos.”

“And not just another Sentinel, but a Valkyrie!”  Shepard nodded both in understanding and agreement.  “I’ve never had the opportunity to work with one, so I’m very much looking forward to adding her to our team, no matter why we needed to do so.”

“As will I,” Aethyta huffed in appreciation.  “That damnable Annihilation Field is an extremely hard skill to master, which makes it extremely rare…  The ability to kill attacking enemies while still protecting the teammate sitting at your side has always amazed even me.  In all my years, I have never managed to achieve that level of skill; it takes a particular talent I do not possess.  We are privileged to have her interested in House T’Soni.”

“Just as she is, to join this House.”  Shepard glanced around the table to see the approval reflected on everyone’s face.  “House T’Soni was already a Great House…  Our contributions and sacrifices during the Reaper War only enhanced that standing across Thessia.”

“Agreed, but we’re not going to simply sit back and rest on our laurels,” Aethyta groused.  “Don’t you Humans have a saying, ‘Pride comes before the fall’?”

“Yes, yes we do,” Shepard chuckled.  “And you are, of course, correct.  We need to maintain our strong presence on the Matriarchal Council and the various committees…”  She paused and smiled at Aethyta as she continued, “…for which Mozia, and the assistance you provide her, is invaluable.  As for Sentinels and Valkyries, the Alliance has something very similar… the N7 Paladins and the Fury Adepts… specialties which I had only limited opportunity to work with during my years in the Navy.  My loss, I suppose, if the performance of Telyna Phura is any indication as to their potential level of skill.”

All business, Aethyta looked to the Captain of House T’Soni.  “Phura is definitely above average, Shepard, and an exceptional example of Valkyrie capabilities.  More to point is that the path to such mastery is difficult, so such a choice of career is rare… thus, the pool to choose from is very limited.  We should consider ourselves lucky that she chose to apply for our position instead of the vacancy at House T’Lura.”

“Come, Aethyta,” Livos responded with a smirk.  “Seriously?  T’Lura?”  She let out a little chuckle and shook her head.  “Have you not heard any of Matriarch Maisha’s latest rants?  She is the longest living Asari I’ve ever known of… and she honestly needs to step down and let her daughter take over before her mental degradation runs that House into the ground.  No one of any merit wants to join a house whose future is so uncertain.”

“No, I hadn’t heard that.”  Aethyta’s eyes narrowed.  “I’ll pass that on to Mozia… see if she knows anything about it.  We’re still recovering from the war and can’t afford the confusion and in-fighting that would follow the fall of a Great House.”

Livos nodded in agreement before continuing their primary discussion.  “Anyway, to keep us on track, I do believe Valkyrie Phura to be an excellent choice, as well as Vanguard Thoria.  Having a Vanguard added to our Armali contingent will also be good; it will add depth to our skill set.”  Glancing at Shepard, she teasingly added, “Especially since a certain Spectre keeps whisking off with the only two Vanguards in our House.”

A grinning Shepard countered, “What are you complaining about?  You’re our only existing Sentinel, and you’re ‘whisking off’ right along with us, Livos!”

Aethyta finally cracked her first smile since the selection process began.  “True enough… but Lyria and Nayla do just fine while you vagabonds are out and about, saving the galaxy.” 

“Vagabonds?”  Laughing quietly, Shepard stood from her seat.  “So, we’re agreed, then; Phura and Thoria are our final selections.  Let’s go make the announcements and end the prospective candidates’ torment of the wait.”

Aethyta rose with her and nodded.  “Yes… as soon as we inform Mozia and, more importantly, Liara, to make sure they agree.”

-------------------------------

SSV Orizaba , Arcturus Stream – 30 Jan 2189

The ship’s captain watched with a great deal of interest as her pilot skillfully brought the patrol craft into the massive docking bay of the Systems Alliance Fifth Fleet command ship, SSV Orizaba.

Commander – and Spectre – Ashley Williams heaved a sigh as Joker reported, “We’re on the deck, Commander.  CPO Jasmin Dahl is standing by to escort you to your meeting with Admiral Lindholm.”

“Thanks, Joker.”  Turning slightly in her chair, she directed her attention to her XO, Lieutenant Commander Leon Rensch.  “Ship’s yours, Mr Rensch.  Keep the engines warm for now.  I’ll text you if we’ll be staying longer than the hour-or-so this meeting is supposed to last.”

Leon smiled in return.  “As you wish, Ma’am… just try to not get lost in there.”  With a small chuckle, he added, “I’m not keen on the Nalotir staying inside this oversize beast of a ship any longer than necessary.”

“I wouldn’t let any of the Orizaba’s crew hear you referring to their ship as a beast, Mr Rensch,” she grinned as she stood from her command chair.  “They might take it as an insult.”  Turning, she left the flight deck and made her way down to the cargo hold, there to stride down the deployed loading ramp; standing easy at the foot of the ramp was a young woman whose appearance put the Spectre in mind of a very young Kahlee Sanders.

The blue-eyed blond snapped to attention and smiled as Ashley walked up to stand in front of her.  “Chief Petty Officer Jasmin Dahl, at your service, Ma’am.”

“Relax, Chief.”  Ashley offered her hand, which the young woman took after a moment’s hesitation.  “Nice to meet you, Dahl.  You here to escort me to the Admiral’s office?”

“Yes, Ma’am.  The admiral is looking forward to meeting with you.”  The young woman looked down momentarily, then returned her gaze to the Spectre’s eyes.  “Normally, her personal aide would be here to accompany you so you could be briefed on the way; Fleet Command Master Chief Petty Officer Quinn Tyberg ran into some last-minute problems that required his personal attention, so asked me to meet you.”

Ashley wondered briefly if having CPO Dahl meet her was meant as a slight, intended to put her in her place before she even entered the admiral’s office.  With a mental shrug of her shoulders, she said, “Understood, Chief.  Best get to it then… sooner I can meet with the admiral, sooner I can be on my way.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” came the cheery response.  “Right this way.”

-------------------------------

“Spectre Williams!  Welcome to the Orizaba!  Please, come in… have a seat.”  Fleet Admiral Ines Lindholm, after greeting Ashley in the small outer office, paused long enough to direct her attention to CPO Dahl, saying, “Thank you, Chief.  You’re dismissed.”

Ashley followed the admiral back into her rather expansive office.  Lindholm moved to a side table and asked over her shoulder, “Would you care for something to drink?”

Williams replied with a smile.  “A cup of tea would be most welcome, Admiral.”  Ashley stood beside the chair in front of Lindholm’s desk while the admiral poured them each a mug of the steaming beverage.  Carrying the pair, she handed one to her guest as she said, “Please, have a seat, Ms Williams.”  She carried her own mug around to the front of the desk, casually leaning back against its leading edge as Ashley took a seat.

After a careful sip, she looked into Ashley’s eyes and asked, “So, what’s this about needing a couple of new crewmembers for your Spectre ship?”

Ashley carefully sipped from her own mug as she thought about what she needed to say, then wrapped her hands around the mug as she brought it down to her lap and replied, “First off, I’m here today as a commander in the Alliance Navy, Ma’am; since the crewmen I lost were naval personnel, I felt it was imperative I speak with you regarding replacements that will be critical to the safe operation of the Normandy, once major repairs are complete.”  Ashley offered up a shrug and a smile.  “Besides that, I’m still Alliance, through-and-through, and I like knowing it’s our troops who have my back.”

With an appreciative smile, Lindholm stated, “I read your report on the Quarian situation, Commander.  It would seem Normandy survived, but took enough damage to need an emergency overhaul… severe enough that you couldn’t even make an FTL jump, much less transit a Relay.”  Her gaze raised from her mug to meet the eyes of Ashley Williams.  “I am sorry for the loss of your crewmen; they were fine people.”

Ashley jumped in when Lindholm paused.  “As were the 1600-plus from the SSV Dhaka, and our additional casualties from all our other ships.”  After a sip from her mug, she continued, “Including the other races, the death tally at final count was just under 8000 people.  It’s a damned shame some of the Quarians felt that returning the SILC to servitude was something worth killing for – I believe they deserved everything they got… and then some.  I’m surprised the Council didn’t renew sanctions against the Quarians, but who’s to say they’re done with the discussions yet.  Even working for them, I’m honestly not exactly sure how their decisional process functions.”

Lindholm nodded slowly and added softly, “The Council was foolish to believe diplomacy would change such fanatical thinking, Ms Williams.  I, too, will be interested in learning what – if anything – will happen once the dust settles.”  After a brief pause, she continued, “What of the Normandy?  How are the repairs at Haratar station progressing?  What kind of timeline are we looking at for your replacement personnel?”

Ashley leaned back in her chair and replied with a sigh.  “The original repair timeline had to be extended.  The SILC identified concealed damage that must be corrected before they’ll release her back to me.”  With a slight chuckle, she added, “It’ll be better than new when we do get it back… it’ll just take longer for them to complete the repairs.”

Lindholm nodded before finally moving to take her own chair behind the desk; setting the mug on a handy coaster, she steepled her fingers on the polished surface as she observed, “That didn’t answer my question, Commander.  How many weeks are we looking at?”

Ashley’s slight smile disappeared at the implied criticism.  “Sorry, Ma’am.  At a minimum, eleven weeks… possibly twelve.”

“Okay, then.  And even though I’ve reviewed your after-action report, I’d like you to tell me exactly what skills you need for those positions.”

“Yes, Ma’am.  Propulsion engineer’s position is most critical… a total understanding of mass effect physics would be the main requirement, along with the ability to diagnose and repair any problems, either with the drive itself or the sub-light engines and their systems.”

After pausing to finish her tea, she continued.  “The systems engineer needs extensive knowledge of every aspect of a starship’s internals… control systems, including weapons controls, heating and ventilation, water recovery, communications, artificial gravity, inertial dampeners, sensor arrays… and both positions require people that can think on their feet.  Being able to solve problems in an unconventional manner would be a big plus for Normandy, as we tend to operate comms-silent for extensive periods of time.”

The admiral chuckled as she replied, “Systems engineers are relatively easy to find, but a propulsion engineer with all the attributes you desire?  That’s a rarity.  Sounds as if you need a clone of Gabriella Donnelly, Commander.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”  Ashley sighed before quietly adding, “I’d give up ten years of my life to walk into Engineering and see Gabby and Ken back at their consoles.”

Nodding in understanding, Lindholm picked up a datapad; after a quick perusal of its display, she handed it to the Spectre, saying, “Petty Officer Oksana Yakovna.  Studied applied mathematics and physics at Saint Petersburg University… earned an engineering degree, graduated with honors, then enlisted in the Alliance Navy spring of ´75.”  The admiral paused as she thought about Yakovna.  “She’s been in fourteen years, has an exemplary record, is currently posted on the Nairobi… and I’ve been looking for an assignment worthy of her promotion to Chief Petty Officer.”  She gave a knowing smirk and added, “I think she’s just the person you’re looking for, Williams.”

After briefly studying the information display, she looked up at the Admiral and said, “She sounds perfect, Ma’am.”

“Good.  I’ll put in the promotion and transfer orders… let her know what she’s in for.  And now that you’re done with helping to stop a Quarian civil war, what’s next for you?  Just where are you going to take her, or any of the other Alliance personnel I give you?” 

Ashley quietly replied, “Pirates, Ma’am.  While the Council Fleet was focused on keeping the Quarians from killing each other and enslaving the SILC, pirate activity increased in the systems we had been patrolling for the Council.  After that, who knows… other than whatever the Council needs us to do.”

-------------------------------

T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 1 Feb 2189

Practice runs to integrate the new team members began the very next day, under the close supervision of the command team who had selected them.  After two full days of evaluations had been completed and training programs established for the new recruits, Shepard decided to take a break for some sparring and practice of her own with the first team from the Knight Shade. 

It was late morning when Liara bolted upright in her desk chair, a hand going immediately to the side of her head, the sudden pain nearly as excruciating as it was mysterious in origin.  She went to stand but discovered she couldn’t find her balance and had to sit back down again, immediately realizing there could only be one source.  Shepard.  Blocking the link so she could move, Liara stood and flew down the hallway, anxiety eating at her insides.

Down in the sparring room of the commando wing, Shepard lay on the floor growling in pain, unsuccessful in her attempts to find some degree of equilibrium.  Knowing full well she was down on a stable surface, she still couldn’t help but feel as if her world was spinning about.  It was as if someone had jabbed an icepick into her ear as she sat in a spatial disorientation training gyro-chair.  Her sparring gloves crushed to the sides of her head were totally ineffectual at stopping the sharp pain and she groaned, tears running down her cheeks as she squirmed in agony, exacerbated by her lack of stability.

The Personal Guard team leader bolted from her office when she heard the scream.  “Goddess!” shouted Livos.  “Someone get Corrina down here…  Now!”  She fell to her knees beside the stricken Spectre and grasped her arms, beginning to untie her gloves.  “Shepard!  Concentrate on my voice.  I’m getting your gloves off and the doctor will be here soon.  Can you tell me what happened?”

“Don’t know…”  She shook her head, causing a wave of nausea to engulf her; she turned away quickly so as to not vomit on her attending team leader, which only worsened the spinning sensation.  She mumbled, “Fuck,” and vomited a second time.

“Oh, Goddess,” mumbled a surprised Livos.  “Where in the blazes is Corrina?”

Sella Temi, who was hovering extremely close by, answered immediately, “She should be here any second… I called her as soon as Shepard went down.”

Allia Vasia was standing off to the side, sparring gloves still on her hands, as she watched everything that was happening with her Captain.  “I’m horrible at hand-to-hand!  I don’t know how it happened!”

Livos glanced up quickly and asked, “How did what happen?” before returning her attention to the Spectre.

“I threw out a jab that should have soared harmlessly over her head… she always ducks faster than I can throw a punch!”  Allia started to cry as she continued, “But Shepard seemed slow today… lethargic by her standard… and I should have known better!  I should have backed off, but I didn’t, and my jab connected perfectly with the ear hole on the side pad on her sparring helmet… hard!”

She stopped, so Sella continued for her, “And Shepard cursed and fell to the floor, holding her head as she started growling in pain… as you see her now.”

“That’s not good.”  Corrina had entered as Allia spoke, hearing the explanation.  “Get her on the hover lift and get her to the infirmary…”

Corrina stopped speaking and studied the Spectre as they started to move her; Shepard had jerked involuntarily and muttered, “Everything’s spinning… I can’t…” before throwing up a third time, this time only bile, as there was nothing of her breakfast left in her stomach.

“Stop!”  Corrina kneeled down and laid a hand gently on Shepard’s shoulder, whispering softly, “I’m going to give you a sedative mixed with an anti-nausea med, Shepard… a very powerful sedative that should knock you out long enough for us to get you transported.”

“Just do it.”  Shepard was breathing rapidly… not from the exertion of the short match, but from the strain of trying to catch both her breath and her balance.  “Feels like I was stabbed in the side of my head…  Can’t focus my eyes…  Makes me nauseous.”  She grit her teeth as another sharp pain shot through her ear.  Tears forced their way across her face as she whispered, “Hurts bad, Corrina… just make it stop.”

As she administered the sedative, Dr Sidhu glanced at Livos.  “Have Derrick meet me at the Med Center as soon as possible.”

-------------------------------

Glancing at the results of the new scan, Derrick cursed himself.  “I know better!  After we treated her primary head trauma, I should have run a deeper scan to check for tangential issues, and I didn’t!”  His attention shifted to their charge.  “Your weeks of headaches are all due to my oversight, Shepard.  I am so sorry!”

Shepard’s grip on Liara’s hand tightened as a new wave of motion-sickness swept over her, but she refused to let herself throw up again and suppressed the urge.  With Shepard’s head injury, Liara dared not renew the link so, feeling helpless, the strain reflected in her voice as she asked, “Exactly what oversight, Derrick?”

“The in-depth scan!”  Derrick was truly angry with himself.  “Shepard’s head injury from that damnable explosion was bad, but the automated medical program scanned and then repaired what it found… apparently, the extent of the injuries prevented it from seeing everything, so it must have focused solely on what it identified as ‘critical’ damage.  Once the repair cycle was complete, I should have run a secondary scan… if not immediately, then certainly before I released Shepard for duty.” 

He placed his head in his hands, in shame and disgust.  “I have come to rely on Shepard’s own nanites to do my work and I failed in my job.  I’m a doctor and I did not treat my patient!”

Shepard reached over and grasped his wrist.  “Don’t go all crazy on us, Yandle.  We all trust in my nanites…  They’ve gotten me through a lot of shit.  I think maybe it’s time we place a call to Miranda; have her come do a complete work-up on my blood chemistry, nanite health included.”

“I will most certainly do that, but what can we do in the meantime, before Miranda gets here?”  Liara gazed down at her siame, who was obviously still struggling, her face unusually pale.

“We sedate her to minimize her suffering, run a more detailed scan, and let the machine do what needs to be done.”  Corrina sighed.  “It’s all we can do.”

What Corrina stated so simply did not appear so to Liara as she watched the pain ripple across her bondmate’s face.  Shepard had quickly agreed to the procedure – anything to get rid of the pain and agony she was suffering – and they had set to work.  Corrina and Derek worked as quickly as possible; knowing the Captain’s rapid recovery from anesthesia, they set up a sedative drip and strapped her to the table, including a forehead strap, since that region was the focus of the upcoming operation.  Even held motionless and kept under sedation, Shepard’s body was still reacting violently to the vertigo, so they had to insert a suction tube down her throat to prevent her from choking on her own bile as the machine worked. 

During the procedure, Derek explained to Liara exactly what was happening with her bondmate.  He pointed to the image being displayed on the progress monitor.  “The vestibular system of the Human inner ear is responsible for the sensations of balance and motion.  It uses fluids and detection cells to send information to the brain about the attitude, rotation, and linear motion of the head.  The brain receives, interprets, and processes the information to create the sensation of balance.  When this process is interrupted, as it was with the previously undetected fracture of Shepard’s anterior semicircular duct, here…”  He paused and pointed to a small, looping tube at the top of her ear structure.  “… it can, obviously, cause extreme vertigo.”

Corrina sighed.  “It must have been a hairline fracture that was undetectable on the major trauma scan.  The messages to and from her right eye were very likely getting a bit scrambled, so her eye was struggling to maintain focus as she moved, resulting in a strain that obviously translated into that stabbing, headachy pain behind her eye.  With a secondary, finer scan, once she had recovered from the first procedure, it is possible all of this could have been avoided.”   

“This is all my fault, Corrina.”  Derek sounded angry… and Corrina and Liara understood why as he explained, “You aren’t as familiar with Human anatomy as I am and I should have recognized the symptoms, as she was primarily under my care as we continued to blast around the damn galaxy!”  He huffed in disgust.  “My guess is the punch in the side of her head changed a fracture to a total break in the canal, that, combined with the fluid leaking out, brought on the full-blown symptoms.  As a result of the total failure of the semicircular ducts, the impulses being sent to her joint and muscle receptors were also terminated, leaving her no way to tell up from down.”

Tears trickled down Liara’s face as she asked, “So, this procedure will fix the ducts… but will it also replace this… fluid… you mentioned?  How long will her recovery be?”

“I honestly don’t know, Liara.”  Derek sighed and the muscles in his jaw tightened.  “I didn’t even know the machine was able to perform this level of function, so I don’t know what it is capable of repairing in this case.  It’s possible we’ll have to complete a secondary procedure… maybe even a surgery.”

“I very much doubt that, with Liara having purchased the top surgery bed on the market.”  Corrina reached out and grasped Derek’s bicep, looking then to Liara to finish the answer.  “But we’ll figure it out and do whatever needs to be done to augment the procedure, now that we know what is wrong.  None of us will ever again rely on Samantha’s nanites to ‘finish up’ something we are capable of doing ourselves.  Never… no matter how minor we believe the remaining issues may be.”

Derek suddenly smiled and pointed at the screen which his eyes had never left.  “Look at that!  It is manufacturing the fluid and injecting it into the repaired canal!”  He then squinted to focus on some additional motion he noticed on the screen.  Leaning closer, he reached up to magnify a particular portion of the image.  “Well, shit.  She also had a partial tear in the vestibulocochlear nerve.  It’s repairing that as well!”

“The what?” Liara asked.

“The vestibulocochlear nerve.”  Derek repeated himself, much more slowly, so Liara and Corrina could hear the correct pronunciation.  Pointing at the enlarged image, he continued, “This whole spiral structure is called the cochlea… It’s what converts sound pressure patterns from the outer ear into the electrochemical impulses that are passed on to the brain via the vestibulocochlear nerve, here.”  He finally looked away from the screen, focusing on Liara.  “Has she exhibited any indications of hearing loss?”

“Not that I’ve detected, Derek…  Why?”

“Just needed to know.”  He shrugged.  “Since she exhibited no symptoms during the period between the initial injury and today, I’ll enter into her medical record that the nerve was likely partially torn by the punch, as a result of the collapsing adjacent structure.”

Reading the exhaustion in Liara’s body language, Corrina smiled and added, “Why don’t you take a break from all this, Liara; Shepard is going to be fine.  When the procedure is finished, I’ll terminate the sedative drip and give you a call so you can be here as she wakes.”

“Thank you, Corrina…”  Liara smiled tiredly and added, “And you, too, Derek.  Your expertise with Human anatomy certainly proved your worth today.  I’m glad you’re on our team.”

Huffing out a snort, Derek grimaced.  “It truly is my pleasure to serve… but if I’d caught this to begin with, we wouldn’t be here now.”  He gave her an apologetic smile and shrugged.  “Try not to worry, Liara.  She’ll recover from this just fine.” 

“I am worried, Derek.”  Liara sighed heavily and shook her head as she continued, “But not for the reasons you believe.  My larger concern is why Shepard’s nanites didn’t fix this.  The time frame has been long enough… they should have repaired this damage by now.”

“That’s true enough.”  Derek paused thoughtfully.  “Perhaps you need to follow up on Shepard’s suggestion… place a call to Doctor Lawson?”

“I decided that as soon as Sam mentioned it.”  Liara’s eyes brightened at the thought.  “And, I suppose. there is no better time than the present, so I’ll go do that right now.  Seeing as Miranda is very invested in all things concerning Shepard, our conversation will likely be short because she’ll immediately want to ask Judea to get the Night Shadow headed in this direction.  I should easily be back before Sam wakes.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 4 Feb 2189

Gabriella Donnelly had quickly grown accustomed to seeing the many Asari coming and going about the house and grounds of Liara and Samantha’s expansive home, but that didn’t mean she was able to quickly recognize them, either when greeting them at meals or when walking around the expansive garden area at the rear of the house.  As a result, it caused a fair amount of embarrassed confusion when a lone Asari sat down for lunch across the table from her and greeted her by her nickname.  “Hello Gabby.  How are you feeling today?”

This Asari looked familiar… very familiar, but Gabby couldn’t quite bring forth a name to put with the beautiful, violet-blue face.  She looked into the golden eyes inquisitively gazing back at her as she struggled to recall this commando’s name.  All this rushed through her mind as she simply said, “Good… I’m good.  And you?”

The commando chuckled at Gabby’s obvious unease.  “It’s okay, Gabby.  I imagine you’ve been attempting to remember the names of enough Asari to populate a small village since you arrived here.”  Another chuckle, then, “It’s Judea, Gabby… Judea Voni.  I don’t live here, but we met briefly before the bonding ceremony for my mistress and Spectre Shepard, then again at the reception.”

Gabby sighed, then giggled slightly.  “Judea.  Yes, and I’m so sorry… I seem to be having a lot of trouble with people’s names.”  Gabby shook her head in dismay at her failure to remember.  “You’re in a relationship with Miranda Lawson, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that is correct.”  Judea smiled.  “See?  Your memory isn’t so bad after all, is it?  Seriously, I have to remember only you… while you are trying to learn fifty.  I’d say I definitely have the advantage.”  After several bites of salad mixed with bites of broiled maanru, she added, “I’m really happy you’re here, Gabby.  I think it’s wonderful you have chosen to come here for the birth of your children.”  With just a hint of a smirk, she shook her head slightly as she looked at Gabby’s swollen belly and added, “Still hard for me to believe you’re carrying two babies in there; this far into your pregnancy, it must be getting quite difficult for you to get around.”

With a slight grimace, Gabby replied, “What’s difficult now is getting a good night’s sleep.  There always seems to be a tiny head, elbow, fist or foot poking me in the liver or stomach… or, worse yet, my bladder, and that causes the nearly constant urge to pee… like, every two hours or so, making in nearly impossible to get any decent rest.”

Judea took a sip of water, followed by a bite of shaari before commenting.  “Pregnancy sounds like something to be avoided at all costs, Gabby.  It cannot be a pleasant experience.”

Gabby chewed and swallowed a bite of uloth before answering in a thoughtful tone, “It lasts for only a short amount of time, compared to the lifelong experience of raising a child… or two… watching them grow to adulthood, teaching them how to live… how to love.”  After taking a few bites of greens followed by a sip of water, she continued, “After they’re born, I’m sure the memories of the pains I’m currently experiencing will quickly fade with the passage of time.  I believe most moms forget all they suffered during pregnancy… and childbirth, otherwise they’d never allow themselves to become pregnant a second time.”

Judea chuckled in agreement.  “I suppose if they turn out to be loving people and productive citizens, it must be worth it in the end.  I know my mother doesn’t regret giving birth to me.  She never lets me forget that I am my father’s daughter and she loves that memory… it gives her a piece of him to hang on to.”  Judea saw the pained expression that crossed Gabby’s face at the mention of her father and immediately realized the distant similarity with Gabriella’s situation, though the Human’s children would never have the opportunity to meet their father.  “In time, you will be able to say the same about your children… reminding you of your Kenneth without the pain that currently comes with it.” 

“I hope so.”  Focusing on what Sha’ira had been teaching her, Gabby wiped the threatening tears away and forced a smile on her face.  “That’s one of the reasons I’m leaving the Alliance… so I can raise them in Kenneth’s childhood home.  I truly believe, given the opportunity, he would have made a positively wonderful father, and I want them to know their relatives… to get a sense of where they came from.  It will help all of us keep Kenneth in our hearts and let them know they are loved… that Kenneth was very much the loving husband and was looking forward to their birth; he didn’t simply abandon them.”

Judea smiled softly before adding, “You seem to be very much like the Asari, Ms Donnelly, in that you are taking a long view of your life, and the future lives of your children.”  She dipped her head slightly, then focused her golden eyes directly on the soft brown eyes of the mother-to-be.  “I pray the Goddess grants you and your children long, peaceful lives.”

Gabby’s entire face reflected the hope she was suddenly feeling, now honestly smiling back at the Asari commando.  “Thank you, Judea.  Please know that is my wish for you as well.”

“Ah.  Though I am not having children anytime in the near future, I do appreciate the thought.”  Judea dropped her eyes to her plate as she finished eating her salad.  Looking back into Gabby’s eyes, it was apparent this Human was quite relaxed here, even if she did not know everyone.  The Asari also got the sense that Gabby was incredibly intelligent.  “What will you do after your children are born, Gabby?  Are you planning to return to the lab on the CGC?”

Gabriela leaned back in her chair as she formulated her answer.  “I’m going to resign from the Alliance Navy, return to Earth… move into our home… my home, in Scotland.  Beyond that, I’m really not sure.  I’ll need to think of how to make a living for myself and my children; I have a few credits saved, but not enough to sustain us.  I just know I don’t want my kids raised by others in daycare, so I’ll have to have a job… just not sure what or where that will be.”

The instant Gabriela said the word ‘resign,’ Judea had a thought.  “I understand you are an FTL propulsion engineer, Gabby.  The work you were doing in the Alliance lab on the CGC?  Is that something you could do from home?  I mean, it’s all done on a computer terminal, correct?”

After taking a few sips of water, Donnelly shrugged her shoulders as she replied, “I don’t know, Judea… I mean, yes, virtually everything I do involves a computer… a really powerful computer, to be sure.  But it’s all top-secret research, stuff I can’t talk about with anyone.  I don’t expect the Alliance would permit me to work from my home.  Why do you ask?”

Judea grinned at the young woman.  “Gabby, you have to realize that your knowledge of propulsion theory could be very valuable to private companies… spacecraft manufacturers that build their own FTL drives would pay an exorbitant salary to have someone with your skills and knowledge on their staff.”  Judea saw a spark of realization, and hope, awaken in the dark eyes solemnly watching her.  “FTL drive cores in commercial vessels are not as capable as those built for military applications, but little tweaks and improvements here and there can add up to a big advantage.  It doesn’t have to have the level of secrecy required for the military… just has to be secure enough to prevent a competitor from gaining an advantage.”

“You think I could get a job that would pay me to stay home?  My God, that would be fantastic, Judea!”  Until this conversation, Gabby had no idea what she would do to earn a living for herself and her children.  Now, an idea had been planted about how she could make a comfortable living moving forward.  The more she pondered the idea, the better she liked it.

She expected that any company that was willing to hire her – on her terms – would be willing to foot the bill for outfitting her home with the computer servers that would enable her to continue exploring and perfecting the mechanics of FTL drive cores; hardening her house against physical and electronic intrusion would also have to be done.

She looked at Judea as the commando finished her meal and made ready to leave.  “Thank you, Judea.  You have no idea how helpful you have been.”

The Asari smirked slightly as she replied, “Now that you’re thinking about your future, Gabby, I have one more thing I’d like you to consider.”  Judea continued quietly as the Human tilted her head slightly without speaking.  “Before I came to work for Matriarch Benezia, I was employed by T’Sere Shipwrights as a design engineer.”

Gabby’s mouth dropped for a moment.  “That’s… amazing, Judea.  I had no idea you were an engineer.”  After a brief pause, she asked, “You still work for this company?  I thought you were the pilot of the Night Shadow.”

A chuckle preceded her answer.  “Being a pilot is part of what makes my design skills so valuable to T’Sere.  And I don’t have to sit at a terminal in the shipyard, Gabby… I can almost do designs on a datapad while traveling between systems.”

Judea reached across the table to grasp a cool hand.  “If you wish it of me, I will be happy to introduce you to Matriarch Tralis before your departure back to Sol with your children.”  Showing her teeth in a broad grin, she added, “Credits are credits, no matter the source.  I believe you would be an excellent addition to T’Sere’s design group, Gabby.  Think about it.  I have every reason to believe T’Sere would welcome you… your talents and knowledge, with open arms.”

Gabby grinned back at the commando.  “Thank you again, Judea.  I will think about everything you’ve told me.”

-------------------------------

“The density numbers aren’t what they should be, Shepard.”  Miranda scowled at the readings from her blood tests.  “Somehow, with your blood losses due to your various injuries, the replicator nanites are the ones with the diminishing numbers.”  She sat back in her chair, staring into space as she contemplated what had apparently happened.

“Well, TIM never honestly intended for this to be a long-term thing,” Shepard growled.  “He wanted me to win the war… for him… and then, based on the little addition to my original Cerberus implant, have the ability to kill me off should I become a problem.”

“That’s true,” Miranda sighed.  “But I had hoped that I had corrected all that with the replacement of that biotic amp.”  Her eyes darted over the report results for a moment before she made her best guess.  “The only thing I can imagine, given his short-term goal, is that the original nanite program may have also been altered… for the fastest repair possible, damn the side effects.”

“What kind of side effects are you speaking of, Miranda?”  Liara cast a concerned glance at the ex-Cerberus operative.

“My guess is that the reproductive nanites were programmed to travel to the site of injury… so they could produce specific working machines for the type of injury.  The obvious side effect would be their likely exit with blood loss during initial surgeries upon return to the ship.”

“Wouldn’t you have detected that, though?”  Shepard’s brow knit in confusion.  “How would you not notice that?”

“First, because I didn’t realize the nanites were that specialized.  Secondly, because I didn’t know that, the consistency in the total numbers led me to believe the nanites were replicating themselves just fine to maintain the proper counts.”  Miranda focused on the Spectre as she continued, “The overall numbers were stable…  For the sake of explanation, say you had just one hundred nanites, with the working versus replicating nanites in a ratio of 90 to 10.  During the surgery, you lose one replicator, so the others pick up the slack and produce more workers… but don’t replicate themselves.  If they are programmed to maintain a certain total number, you now have 91 to 9… but I still see a hundred.  I never thought to distinguish between the types of nanites, but now that I have looked more closely, I realize the replicator ratio is way too low.  While the overall numbers remain the same, compliments of all the surgeries you have had, the percentage has dropped from ten to less than one percent.  I can’t believe I never even thought about it, much less noticed it.”

“So, you are able to make more replicators and fix this issue?”  Liara’s voice picked up more than a hint of hope.

“Absolutely.”  Miranda smiled.  “I’ll need to develop a programming update, pull the nanites, upload the new operations coding, and put them all back in, along with a few doses of the necessary material boosters, so they don’t drain their own reproductive capacity in their attempt to rebalance the levels.  All done, it shouldn’t take more than a week to complete, though the actual replication time will be a little longer.”

“Thank you, Miri.”  For the first time in days, Shepard sank back into her chair and honestly relaxed.  “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Shepard.”  A smirk played on Miranda’s lips as the watched the loving glances pass between Shepard and Liara.  “I think I have a pretty good idea exactly how much that means… to both of you.”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 6 Feb 2189

Shepard lay quietly on the med bed, not fully sedated but definitely on the edge of sleep, a rather odd device hanging on a cart at her bedside.  Liara was at her side and had winced along with Samantha when Miri had inserted the rather large needles required for the procedure, which Miranda had referred to as a form of plasmapheresis.  The device was a pump that, quite literally, was sucking every bit of blood from the Spectre’s body.  The pump then ran the life-essential fluid through a special extraction device, which removed every single nanite before returning the filtered blood back into the human.

As expected, the procedure went like clockwork and, within three hours, Shepard had been moved from the surgery center to a recovery bed.  Without the nanites, Shepard’s resistance to anesthesia was minimal, so Miranda informed Liara that she shouldn’t expect the woman to be up and about for at least thirty minutes; an extremely long time compared to her normal, nearly instantaneous, recovery.

For Miranda, this was when her work truly began.  What she had thought would be a relatively simple process turned out to be much more complicated than she anticipated.  She looked to Judea to assist her, explaining the problem.  “I never realized just how specialized each group of these nanites are.  I’m going through the coding and I have discovered nine unique specialties… but I’m not sure I’ve found them all!”  She shook her head in consternation.  “The worst part about this whole thing is that I don’t even know if everything Shepard started with is still represented, or if she has possibly lost some of the functionality that was included in the original, complete set of nanites that were injected during the project.”

Judea sat back in her chair and stared at the ex-Cerberus operative in dismay.  “You mean she may no longer have all the original nanite programs running within her system to repair everything?  Like fluid replacement or nerve repair?  Is that why they didn’t fix her inner ear damage… because they couldn’t?”

“I don’t know for sure yet… but it’s quite possible.”  Miranda closed her eyes and sighed before adding, “I need to find the Lazarus research files and search through them to locate the original nanite creation protocols, else I can’t help her.”  Sad eyes reopened to meet Judea’s golden hues.  “The worst part is that I have to tell Liara.”

Miranda was initially confused by Judea’s reaction… the engineer actually smiled before she explained, “I do not believe the situation is nearly as dire as you fear.  Did not Liara send you an urgent message when she was looking through Cerberus files and discovered the truth about Shepard’s biotic implant?” 

Recognition brightened the doctor’s face and she blurted out, “Yes!  That’s right!  Liara might actually already have them!”

Judea laughed at the operative’s outburst.  “Yes, she likely does… somewhere… because she diligently downloaded ever bit of data she could find from every single station she ever set foot on.  We just need to locate the correct files within the mountain of data she collected to get the specific information you need.”

Miranda groaned at the thought.  “That’s more than a mere mountain of data… it’s an entire fucking galaxy!”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 7 Feb 2189

Shepard and Liara had taken the news relatively well, while fully understanding the enormity of the task before them.  Immediately setting to work, Liara helped Miranda write the search protocols, finally setting the search engine free on the googolbytes of Cerberus data they had collected over the past four years. 

“So that’s it then.”  Liara shrugged discontentedly.  “All we can do now is wait.”

“Not entirely true,” responded Miranda.  “I have the existing nanites, which I need to finish cataloguing… and then reinject into Shepard’s bloodstream.  I don’t want to keep them out of her system any longer than necessary.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”  Liara relaxed a little bit, letting her shoulders slump in her exhaustion.  “Can you give me a shortened explanation of what you’ve discovered so far?”

“I can try,” Miranda answered with an understanding smile.  “But, can we do it at the small kitchen table over a cup of tea?”

“Absolutely…”  Liara paused and added, “But I suggest the den, by the fire, so we can have Shepard join us.”

“That is an excellent idea, Liara.”  Miranda stood wearily from her chair.  “That way, I only have to explain this once…  I hope.”

-------------------------------

Shepard gave her head a quick shake in confusion.  “Wait just a minute.”  She rubbed her fingers across her forehead and continued, “So all these nanites I have running around my body…  Each one of them is a specialist, of sorts?”

“Yes, Shepard.  Well, kind of,” Miranda sighed.  “Not every single one is unique.  From what I can tell, they operate in groups, with each group focusing on a particular system.  Then, within each group, there are specialties, but somewhere along the way, you lost a subgroup of the Bio-Reconstruction nanites.  Something… or someone… must have changed their replication protocols and, now, I can’t find a single nanite responsible for production of your neurosynaptic fluids… like what needed to be replaced inside your inner ear.  The nanites for that were either modified or lost somehow, so I need to locate the original files in order to undo the damage caused by that lack of foresight.”

“And if you never find that one particular file in Liara’s data?” Samantha asked.

“That would be the worst case but, should that happen, I believe I can take one of the replicators from a larger group and reprogram it, utilizing the medical programming from the wondrous med bed you have sitting in your Infirmary… just as I will do with every other specialty replicator we discover missing.”  Miranda shrugged.  “Not the easiest nor fastest route, by any means… but certainly one I am willing to take, should our efforts to locate the simpler solution not succeed.”  She reached across the gap between the chairs and took Shepard’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.  “I will not fail you in this, Sam.  I promise.”

Shepard gave her an understanding smile and squeezed back.  “I know you’ll do your best, Miranda… but I won’t blame you if the task becomes impossible for a single person to complete, especially with your duties as part of the Shadow Broker Triad.  I mean… the Illusive Man had thousands of people working on distinct parts of this project.  I fully understand our small group may not be able to pull this off.”

“Nonsense, Shepard!”  Miranda scoffed and pulled her hand back, continuing, “I don’t have to recreate it – I just need to find it.”  She grinned and glanced at Liara, adding, “And, I just happen to have the best Information Broker in the galaxy to help me.”

“Alright!  Fine!  I get it.”  Samantha smirked and held up her hands in surrender, having seen the perturbed look she had also received from her bondmate, who was having nothing to do with Shepard’s lack of faith in her abilities… and Miranda’s.  “So, what can I do in the meantime?”

“Well, you can’t help us, so do whatever it is you always do… once we get your nanites back where they belong.”  Miranda answered without hesitation and then queried, “Are you asking for any reason in particular?”

“Well… I do have a Council appearance in two days.”  Shepard looked back and forth between the two researchers.  “And I really don’t want to have to explain to them why I can’t make it.”

“Agreed.”  Miranda nodded.  “That would be bad.  I’ll make a point of wrapping up my analysis and prepping the nanites for reentry to your bloodstream within the next twenty-four hours.  That will give us the night to monitor both their reintegration and your response to it, to make sure everything is as it should be before I let you board that ship and leave Thessia.”

“That ship is the Knight Shade,” Shepard grinned.  “And, she has a full medical facility.  If you’re really that worried about it, you can always come along for the ride.”

“Hmm.”  Miri pursed her lips before answering, “Depending on what I see, I just may do that.”

Liara nodded enthusiastically in agreement.  “I have a network access node aboard, as well.  We’d know immediately if the running queries find any files of interest… I’d love to have you along to discuss such, should it happen.”

“In that case, I’d be more effective here, with access to your lab and research center… and the advanced med bed… to begin developing the programming protocol.”  Miranda smiled to soften her pseudo-rejection of Liara’s invitation.  “But, as I said, we’ll see.  We’ll let Shepard’s reintegration of the nanites guide our final decision.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 9 Feb 2189

Of no surprise, Shepard’s nanite reintegration went as expected and, as scheduled, she found herself once more in the Galactic Council chambers, attempting to act as arbiter for the Krogan demilitarization argument.  Urdnot Jara was amazingly composed as she spoke, with no hint of the anger that plagued her statements at the previous Council meeting.  “There have been no Warlords violating the warship construction ban since Urdnot Wrex became the Krogan Overlord.  Before that, whenever some junior warlord got stupid, we policed ourselves for more than 1300 years…” 

Jara paused and her eyes drilled into every Council member sitting at the table before she resumed, “… meaning no Council forces ever had to intervene to maintain the Demilitarization Zone.  Not once!  That alone should be enough to release the sanctions on the Krogan people, before you even begin to consider our enormous contributions to winning the Reaper Wars.”  Here, her focus locked on Councilor Quentius as she said, “Our actions on Palaven saved the Turian people,” and, then, shifted to Shepard.  “And ended in the defeat of the Reapers when we all concentrated our efforts on the final battle in Sol…”  Her attention shifted again, this time to Eri'Addan vas Rannoch as she finished, “Not to mention those who died in the Council’s service during the Quarian Civil War.”

She leaned back in her chair, composed, as she concluded, “The sum of our actions should have earned sufficient trust by now to have earned an end to the Demilitarization Enforcement Mission.  It is past time the Krogan become full members of the Council Fleet and are allowed to assist in the defense of Council Space.  We deserve it… and you, quite honestly, need us.”

Her surprisingly calm speech silenced most, other than the quiet murmurs of support, including Shepard’s single word of response.  “Agreed.”  The only protest came from, of course, the Salarian Councilor… but, even then, in a form none would have ever expected.

“I have been instructed by the Dalatrasses of the Salarian Union to object to any such proposal… so, against my better judgment, I would be required to submit a vote of no to any motions raised before the Council regarding the release of Krogan Sanctions.”  Valern stood and looked Tevos in the eyes as he continued, “As a result of this personal conflict, there will be questions regarding the legitimacy of my vote following the events of today.”

“What are you saying, Councilor Valern?”  Tevos frowned, demanding, “Explain yourself.”

“I have completely disagreed with many of the positions and tactics of the Salarian leadership since the Reaper conflicts began… those conflicts not being limited only to the Krogan issues.  They have been very self-centered, with a complete disregard for the lives within Council space… to the point of including our own long-term survival.  Dalatrassial ignorance and shortsightedness have been nothing less than astounding.” 

He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, “As such, I will vote in favor of terminating the Demilitarization Enforcement Mission… and then, immediately following this session, I will resign my position… along with a recommendation you temporarily suspend the Salarian Union until they reestablish faith with the Council.”  In the shocked silence, he paused and looked at Urdnot Jara.  “I will then request sanctuary on Tuchanka, assuming the Krogan would be willing to have a Salarian living among them… because I know full well I will be dead from some… accident… within a week, should I ever again set foot on the surface of Sur’Kesh.  Even knowing, given our history with the Krogan people, I am not so sure of my safety on Tuchanka, either.”

Tevos bolted from her chair at the Salarian’s announcement, staring at Valern in silence until recovering from her shock.  “Why would you do this?”  Looking around at the rest of those seated at the table, she continued, “It is obvious the majority are in favor and the motion will pass… you need not vote for it and resign your position to achieve your goals.  You can simply abstain… or vote against, and we will not hold it against you, knowing the truth of the matter.”

“You assume my only goal is to finally give the Krogan justice.”  A brief smile flashed across Valern’s face.  “That is merely a favorable side effect.  My true purpose is to stop ignoring my personal honor in order to protect the deteriorating morals of the current Salarian Union leadership.  I can no longer serve two masters, especially two whose goals are so disparate.”

Tevos slid back down into her chair, her normally schooled mind whirling in chaos.  “But… the Council is not your master.  You are here to represent the Salarian Union, however much their interests may differ from the other members of the Council.”

With a highly unusual, personal address, Valern responded, “You misunderstand, my dear Raesia.”  He blinked a few times before continuing, “It has been my honor to work with all of the Council representatives, particularly following our post-war expansion.  I find you all noble and eager representatives of your own respective governing bodies, as I have also been during the period of my past service.  However, I can no longer say that of myself.  The two masters I speak of are the Dalatrasses of the Salarian Union and my own conscience… so my goal is to distance myself from those whose integrity and political goals are no longer something I can place my trust in.”

In the ensuing silence, Quentius cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s immediate attention.  “That is quite the accusation against the Salarian Union, Valern… to recommend suspension with no details or specifics to justify it… but I, for one, applaud you.”  He glanced first at Tevos, giving her a nod, and then to Jara, to whom he stated, “And, if the Krogan cannot… or will not… guarantee your protection, I would be honored to give you sanctuary on Palaven.”

“Thank you.”  Valern offered up a meager smile.  “You have no need of my specifics, Quentius.  You have evidence from Sur’Kesh, regarding the unethical kidnapping of and experimentation on Krogan females.  You have Linron’s offer of support to Shepard, contingent upon her deceiving the Krogan regarding the Genophage.  You have the official Salarian refusal to send forces for the final fight on Earth.  What more could you possibly need, in order to understand the Salarian Union is no longer a willing and able partner in maintaining galactic law for Council Space?  They are doing everything they can get away with to thwart and disrupt it!”

“Gods.”  Shepard blew out a heavy breath.  “They had even planned to assassinate me when we visited Sur’Kesh after the war, counting on my discontentment with the whole ‘Galactic Tour’ thing to get a rise out of me… to give them an excuse.”

Valern nodded quickly.  “Yes… But Major Adus Kirrahe stepped in quickly enough to avoid the complete deterioration of the situation.  Who do you think sent him?”

“You,” Shepard smiled.  “He told me as much, though he gave a different reason at the time.”

“Yes… and his statement then is still true today.”  Valern set his jaw and added, “The STG will not be tools of corrupt leadership.  They just helped to quell one civil war, but if we are not very careful, there could easily be another.”

Jara laughed.  “And it will have the same result.  The Council Fleet will quash it before it has a chance of victory… and the Krogan would willingly lead the charge!”

-------------------------------

After a brief recess and a number of personal discussions between the various Councilors regarding Valern’s very unexpected vote and looming resignation, they all returned to the table to continue on with their next topic of discussion – the assignment of the castoff stealth vessels from the Andromeda Initiative.  Tevos began the whole process with the question, “Does anyone object to our previous proposal on this topic, from our last meeting, that one ship each goes to the Salarians, the Turians, and the Asari?” 

Jara sat stoically, her arms crossed in a defensive posture, knowing the Krogan had no Spectre and, so, would be getting no ship. What she didn’t bother to remind anyone about was that they already had one… a fact which everyone had either forgotten, or simply didn’t care to bring up – with the wrecked hull of the Huli.  What they didn’t know was the Krogan engineers were working hard at repairing it, and it would likely be completely restored in another few months.  “I believe we wait on the Salarian issue… until that matter is discussed in more detail.”

With that, as well as no additional objections being issued by any of the remaining Councilors, Tevos pressed on.  “Agreed… So, I’ll begin with my own nomination or, actually, Shepard’s recommendation of Spectre Moises T’Dura.”  She shrugged and glanced around the table.  “You are all aware of her performance record.  Any objections?”

No one said a word except for Quentius, who simply glanced around the table and said, “Apparently not, so I’ll simply add in my prospect… whom you all know; Quintian Akril.”

Shepard nodded.  “Yes.  I’ve met him.  He’s a good, solid performer and very much a proponent of Council oversight… though maybe a bit overzealous when it comes maintaining order out in the fringe systems.”

“Agreed… but better that than soft on them, giving them the chance to bring that disorder into Council Space!” Quentius countered, somewhat aggressively.

Shepard smiled and laughed lightly, easing the sudden tension.  “I’m not arguing against him, Councilor.  That’s precisely why I said yes.  I agree with his nomination.”  She then glanced at Valern, asking, “So that leaves the Salarians.  Before we simply pass them up, I’d like to hear if you came with any proposal.  Knowing now how you feel about the whole of the Salarian Union, Councilor, who would you recommend to us?  Jondum Bau?”

“I would,” Valern nodded, “But Spectre Bau is a bit… different.  He truly enjoys special infiltration missions… which he is extremely efficient at and which are not typically launched from a large ship with a full crew.  He is best on his own, particularly with his current teammate, Kasumi Goto.  I would not want to disrupt this highly productive and effective team by forcing them into what, I believe, they would think of as a punishment.”

“Punishment?  You think they would hate it that much?”  Tevos’ eyes opened wide, crinkling the tattoo covering her brow, as her voice also reflected her surprise.  “Then, who would you suggest?”

“I am afraid my resignation will not be the only thing to surprise you.”  Valern sighed.  “Almost every Salarian Spectre, including Bau… who is definitely an exception to what I am about to say… has been proposed by a primary Dalatrass of the Salarian Union… and it is to them, generally speaking, to whom they pledge their primary loyalty.”  He blinked twice, fast, and added, “If it were up to me, I would select someone whom I truly trust to be above the sway of the Union and not trust any names forwarded by the Dalatrasses.”

Shepard, along with nearly every other person in the room, stared at Valern in shock.  The Spectre was the first to recover and actually say what everyone was thinking.  “You’ve got to be shitting me!  Are you saying the Salarian Spectres can’t even be trusted to fulfill Council taskings if it conflicts with the will of their sponsoring Dalatrass?”

“I am saying most cannot be trusted, Shepard… not all.”  Valern flashed a quick smile, “Though, hopefully, my words were a bit more… shall we say… eloquent, in their phrasing, than yours?”

“Bastards!” Quentius growled.  “If that’s the case, we need to fire the lot of them!  They are given unrestricted access to all our files… entrusted with secrets shared with no others… and they would betray that trust for the approval of a greedy Dalatrass?”

“For a Salarian, it is no different than any other political maneuvering done to gain favor with those in power.  Our entire culture rests on the political standing of our family on Sur’Kesh.”  Valern scoffed, “You are well aware that Salarian information gathering, even spying, is a matter of course when dealing with others.  To us, this is not underhanded in any way; it is simply a competition between minds… a means to an end, for we all understand that ‘knowledge is power,’ as the saying goes.”

“But Spectres, I always thought, were held to a different standard?”  Moises scowled.  “All the training I ever received taught me differently… that individual Asari interests were to be left behind for the good of the many.”

“And who taught you that?”  Valern gave her an understanding smile and answered his own question.  “Nihlus Kryik… a most honorable Turian who always followed the rules and was born to serve… who was then murdered by one of his own, one who Nihlus believed to think the same, but who had been corrupted by the Reapers.”  Valern shook his head and continued, “Most Salarians involved in politics have only one mantra… do whatever is necessary to come out on top.  It is up to each to define what winning is to them but, I guarantee you, it is tied directly to improving their own status on Sur’Kesh, not to how well they support the Council… not even their own Councilor.  I have often been left feeling the brunt of the Council’s disgruntlement, even when I had absolutely no control over the mandates handed to me by the Union.  This is one of the many reasons why I will be resigning my post at the end of this session.  I am done playing… politics… for Dalatrasses with no loyalty but to themselves.”

The group sat in silence until Jara leaned forward, a gleam in her eye.  “I find your tale compelling… and disgusting at the same time.  I would happily lend forces to see the Salarian Union squashed, your political organization turned upside down and inside out to begin a new era of governance.  I am also leaning more toward accepting your request for sanctuary than not… but let us finish the business at hand, first.  If not Bau, then who do you recommend, Councilor?” 

Pulled from her shocked contemplation, Tevos blew out a heavy breath and added, “Yes.  Who?”

The name that dropped from Valern’s lips shocked most of the newest Council members.  “Lonar Maerun.”

Eri’Addan sucked in a quick breath.  “The Specter accused of the attempt on the life of the Sonax supreme commander Lira Speight?”

“Accused, yes.  Never proven.”  Valern flashed a quick smile.  “Sonax withheld Reaper technology key to the war… it was well within our right to send a Spectre to collect it, wouldn’t you say?”  He glanced at Shepard with the last question, a grin on his face.

Shepard nodded.  “I remember that.”  Her eyes shifted to meet those of the Quarian Councilor.  “What you heard in the news was that Spectre Maerun's assistant, Urjon Taltz, was killed during an assassination attempt and the Sonax officials presented his charred body as evidence.”

Valern actually chuckled.  “There are, however, multiple problems with their cover story; Maerun had fired Taltz… accusing him of being a Salarian Agent instead of a Spectre… and told Taltz that if he got in the Council’s way of getting that information for Shepard, he would kill Taltz himself.”

“Which is exactly what ended up happening.”  Shepard shook her head.  “The Salarian Union wanted the information to force my hand on the Krogan issue… to make me lie to them about the Genophage cure… but Maerun was successful.  He got the info and Taltz ended up dead.”

“So Maerun acted a true Spectre, and Taltz was one the Salarian Agents Valern just spoke of?”  Jara laughed as she looked to Shepard.  “The agent was removed, and you got the data you needed?  That’s a win-win.”

“Some of it, yes.”  Shepard couldn’t help but smile in return.  “We still needed more in order to build the Crucible, but it kept the Dalatrasses from getting any more leverage against me and my agreement with the Krogan.”

“I like him.”  Jara looked directly at Tevos and plainly stated, “I vote in favor of all the nominations.”

“We need to vote on each, independently,” Tevos answered with a smile.

“Then do it, so we can move on to the ship assignments.”  Quentius opened the voting console on his omnitool.  “I believe we are wasting time on something to which we all agree.”

With nods coming from everyone seated at the table, Tevos shrugged.  “Alright, then.  The vote for Spectre Moises T’Dura getting one of the stealth vessels?”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 10 Feb 2189

“God damn it!” 

Miranda slammed her datapad onto the desktop, startling Judea from her work as she practically jumped out of her chair.  “Goddess, Miri… what are you thinking?  You could easily break that and I don’t relish the idea of having to program a new one with all the Broker access protocols simply because you lose your temper.”  Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she focused on her mate and asked, “What has you so angry?”

“Sorry,” Miranda mumbled.  “It’s just this…”  She huffed in disgust and closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them and meeting Judea’s golden eyes.  “This damned data query found absolutely nothing!  Nothing but high-level notes with references to other sources… projects I’ve never heard of at locations I never went to… nor cared to see.  Damn the Illusive Man and his secrecy!”

Judea fought down the urge to smirk as she replied, “There was a day when you praised his compartmentalization… to keep any one person from knowing too much.”

“That’s…”  Miranda began to protest but paused, seeing the barely contained twitch in her lover’s lip, and let out a little chuckle instead.  “Damn it, you’re right.  It’s just being a royal pain in my ass, right now, on this particular query.”

Judea rose from her seat and walked over to peek over the operative’s shoulder.  “So… projects and locations?  Show me what you have and where we’re going next.”

“Oh, we’re not going there…”  Miranda shook her head vehemently as she pointed to a particular line on the screen.  “This is no simple data collection trip…  I’ll have to ask Liara to send part of her army.”

“The Barn?  I’ve never known you to shy away from a tough assignment.”  Judea studied the information on the screen and let out a low whistle.  “Well… never mind.  I agree… I don’t want to be walking into that either, especially since it’s been so long.  Only the Goddess knows what they may have done there since the Illusive Man quit receiving reports from them.  Liara isn’t going to like that she has to send someone into that potential quagmire.”

“No, she won’t…”  Miranda sighed, “But, Liara’s resourceful and no longer the young, naïve Asari I first met.  I imagine she has a specialty team tucked away somewhere, exactly for this kind of operation.  I believe her hardest job will be convincing Shepard to not go in person.”

-------------------------------

Shadow Broker Warehouse, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 11 Feb 2189

Commander Solo Arern looked up as Captain Roshida B’Sayle entered his office.  “Ah.  Excellent response time, as always!  Please, take a seat.  We have much to discuss.”

“A new tasking, I hope?”  B’Sayle grinned, feeling optimistic since the call from Solo had come in.  “Because the team is getting tired of nothing but enforcement runs… You can only threaten so many people with bodily harm before it starts to become extremely tedious… especially when we actually have to follow through on a few.  It’s most definitely not our favorite thing to do.”

“Yes.  Completely new…”  Solo looked up from his data pad, his lips a straight line, indicating the seriousness of what he was about to say.  “We have a need for data from an old Cerberus facility…”  He stopped speaking as B’Sayle shot out of her chair to lean over his desk, staring him in the face.

Roshida’s expression was one of grim, calculated refusal.  “Absolutely not.  I will not violate any of the basic tenets you explained to me upon my hiring… and the collection and sale of any of that despicable and appalling Cerberus research data is most certainly one of the items on our Do Not Disseminate list!  That is a pact with the Broker that I will not break!”

Commander Solo Arern blinked a couple of times, taken aback by the vehemence of B’Sayle’s refusal.  After taking a moment to collect himself, he flashed her a smile.  “I appreciate your staunch defense of our operational missives, Captain, but I assure you, this is a special case… as we are not selling the information to anyone.  This is a request for direct support to Captain Shepard and Dr Liara T’Soni… an exemption pact the Broker agreed to at the start of the Reaper War.  An inviolable contract to support them, at no cost and without restrictions, for the stability of the Galaxy by supporting Spectre requests without recompense; the Broker will not earn a single credit on this transaction.”

Roshida became immediately curious as she thought about Liara and Shepard.  It had been a while since they had spoken, but she knew, without a doubt, that Solo was still completely unaware that Liara T’Soni had been the one to personally recruit her.  It made her think there was more to this request… more than a simple Shadow Broker job.  Liara had informed her that this could be a possibility, but B’Sayle had doubted that Liara would ever be so desperate for information that she would actually utilize the Broker collection system in such a way.  She found she wanted to… no, absolutely had to… know exactly what it was that Liara wanted so desperately.  “What do they need?” 

Seeing the understanding cross the Asari’s face, Solo flashed her a smile.  “Excellent!  Now, as I was saying, we have a need for data from an old Cerberus facility called ‘The Barn.’  It is a space station located near the planet LV426, which is located in the binary star system Zeta Reticuli, roughly 39 light-years from Sol.”

“Only 39?  That’s not very far, so it must have been one of Cerberus’ early stations, then.”  B’Sayle shrugged as she added, “But that doesn’t tell me what they need.  What are we looking for… and who do we need to take it from?”

“That is a very good question.”  Solo blinked again and continued, “The station was used as a lab, where experiments were carried out on humans, aliens, and Reaper technology in order to enhance the performance of weapons and biotics.  Apparently, the research from this facility was later used in a program called Lazarus, which… enhanced… Commander Shepard’s physical body in ways I do not care to understand.  It is enough to know that these enhancements are what enabled her to live through events during the Reaper War that no… normal… Human would have survived.”

“So…”  B’Sayle paused as the potential import of the request, coming personally from Liara T’Soni, came to mind.  “Oh!  By the Goddess!  Something is going on with Shepard… and they need the original research notes to try and fix whatever it is!”

Solo nodded.  “Yes… I came to the same conclusion and agree that is likely the case.  And you, as our best agent, have been selected to handle this priority collection.  You and your team will report immediately to Specialist Aldaberto for the full mission brief, specialty equipment and berth assignment.”  He paused and smiled, “My trust and faith go with you, Roshi…  I know you will not disappoint.”

-------------------------------

Team Lieutenant Celia M’Creno followed her captain into the small compartment just inside the hangar bay where the Kirkliston was docked between missions.  Operations Officer Aldaberto glanced at the pair as the hatch swished closed behind them.

“Captain B’Sayle… Lieutenant… I have your mission briefing…” he handed a datapad to Roshida, “… outlined on this device.  Download all of it to your omnitools… there will be plenty of time for you and your team to study everything about this mission while in transit.”

Roshida glanced at the text on the screen; raising a brow marking, she asked, “Search, retrieve and destroy?” 

The Salarian’s mouth was set in a grim, straight line as he nodded slightly, saying, “The Barn was one of a small number of Cerberus facilities spared from the destruction visited upon the majority of their installations.”  He glanced at the datapad as he continued, “Cursory research of the station indicates a continued human presence on board.  Beyond that, we have no knowledge.”

B’Sayle looked up from the datapad with an outraged expression on her face.  “Those ardats were experimenting on Asari?  Goddess be damned!  Do we know if that is still happening?”

“We do not, but yes… Asari, Krogan… some Salarians.”  Aldaberto looked down for a moment before returning his gaze to Roshida and Celia.  “In all likelihood, Commander Shepard’s choice to destroy the Reapers also destroyed whatever pure or modified Reaper tech existed in those labs, but make no mistake, Captain.  The probability of encountering some frightfully enhanced organic creation – never mind the numerous mechs employed by Cerberus during the war – is extremely high.  You will need to be exceedingly careful, as will your companions.  I suspect this will be the most challenging mission your team will ever be assigned.”

Roshida actually chuckled.  Flashing a quick glance at Celia, she admitted, “And here I was complaining we had become tired of enforcement runs!”  She looked at the datapad in her hand once more.  “After this mission, we may be glad for a return to that routine.”

The Salarian blinked in apparent puzzlement, then brightened as he replied, “Ah, yes.  I see you are already anticipating a swift completion of this assignment.”  Standing, he motioned towards the hanger while concluding, “Your standard combat package has already been loaded, Captain, so if there are no further questions or comments, have your team board the ship… departure is within the hour.”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 11 Feb 2189

“I still cannot believe what Councilor… ex-Councilor… Valern said!”  Liara heaved a heavy sigh.  “I mean… we knew the Dalatrasses to be rather irksome, but for this attitude to be so ingrained it amounts to treason against the Council?”  Her brow knit with consternation as she shook her head.  “It is nearly unfathomable!”

“If they are honestly acting as double-agents and turning restricted Council information over to their respective Dalatrass, then yes… I honestly believe we could go so far as calling it treason.”  Shepard leaned back in her chair and shook her head.  “I must admit to some surprise on my part, learning about the true depth of their disdain for the rest of the Council members.  My real question, now, with all suspicions confirmed, is what in the galaxy do we do about it?”

Liara chewed on her lower lip for a second before responding.  “We need to speak, in private, with Valern.  Perhaps invite him for a short vacation at the Estate?”

“What?  Why?”  Shepard looked suspiciously at her bondmate and asked, “What do you have up your sleeve, T’Soni?”

Liara sucked in a deep breath before beginning.  “You remember your conversation with Dalatrass Baon?  About how a Salarian Civil War would play out should it come to pass?”

“Yes?”  Shepard’s answer was hesitant, wondering where the Asari was headed.  The questioning tone of her bondmate’s response encouraged Liara to continue.

“They assumed the election of Kirova Esheel as the new chair of the Salarian Union Leadership Circle, along with her treaties and agreements with various other Dalatrasses, would take care of most of the Salarian issues… that the lines of power would shift and find a new alignment, presumably in our favor.  Obviously, based on Valern’s statements and his subsequent resignation, that did not happen as expected.”  Liara huffed in disgust.  “After Escheel moved the capitol to her home city of Ilhänl, it was not long before the excitement of her new position waned and, apparently, the two sides found themselves again in a stalemate.”

“I don’t really care about an internal stalemate between the Dalatrasses, Liara.”  Shepard crinkled her brow in confusion.   “What I do care about is how our Spectres are being used as Salarian spies.  How does this stalemate pertain to our problem?”

“The Dalatrasses are using Council information for leverage… and we both know just how powerful information can be, Shepard…”  Liara looked at the floor, suddenly unable to meet her Siame’s penetrating gaze.  “Do you remember when we took over the Brokerage?  What I said?”

Shepard’s brow raised in surprise, thinking that, just perhaps, she knew the specific statement to which Liara was referring, but wanted to make no assumptions.  “Maybe… but why don’t you remind me.”

Liara dropped her shoulders and sighed as she brought her eyes back up to meet the anticipatory gaze of the Spectre standing before her.  “You remember correctly, Shepard.  I said, ‘Give me ten minutes and I could start a war.’  That still holds true… and we, most definitely, could use the Broker’s influence to decide exactly who wins this one.”

Her suspicions confirmed, Shepard sat quietly as she thought the possibilities, unsure of how she could possibly respond to such a… What?  Unethical?  Like using Spectres to spy against the Council?  For those same Spectres to act in direct violation to Council directives... suggestion.  She blew out a quick breath, quietly muttering, “Damn, Liara,” before falling silent once again, in quiet, troubled contemplation.

A suddenly anxious Liara, sensing her lover’s disquiet through the link but unable to determine the exact cause, couldn’t stand the subsequent, prolonged silence and blurted out, “Do you hate me for suggesting such a thing?  Especially after witnessing the results of the Atlas-LEAP conflict two years ago?”

Without hesitation, Samantha immediately answered, “I could never hate you, Liara… not even for a moment.  You are my Grá mo chroí.”  She huffed quietly and smiled.  “I will always love you, without reservation. And, you can’t possibly forget how adamantly I insisted on helping you take down the Broker… and then relied on you and the network to help me win the Reaper War. The Brokerage can be used for good… and I trust you implicitly to use it for exactly that.” 

“We agreed on our path forward.”  Shepard reached over to squeeze her lover’s hand in assurance as she continued, “What ended up happening to LEAP was nothing less than they deserved.  How many times did they try to kill you and I?”  Her brow wrinkled as she continued, “But this… interfering with a sovereign power’s political system?  That’s a bit sketchy… and I’m not so sure it would have any lasting effect.” 

Resigned to the necessity of finding some path ahead, Shepard changed her tone and answered more decisively, “Then again, we’ll never know unless we speak with someone who knows the system inside and out, so I think you’re right.  I’ll call Valern and invite him to spend the weekend, starting with dinner Friday night, before he leaves the CGC for good.  In the meantime, we need to think about how we want to approach this… and just what, exactly, we need to ask him.”

-------------------------------

The Barn, Calpamos, Zeta Reticuli – 14 Feb 2189

Roshida glanced at her omnitool’s chrono and sighed.  The FTL portion of their flight from Juxhi to Kite’s Nest – as during their trip to Noveria in December – had taken a seemingly major portion of their travel time, considering the lengthy amount of time the Exodus Cluster relay had taken to realign for a transit to the Sol system.  It was only upon reaching the Charon relay and setting out on the final leg of their journey, that the reality of a non-relay assisted crossing to a relatively nearby star system had made a real impression.  A three-day-long FTL passage from Sol through dark space had been necessary to reach their destination… the Barn, a former Cerberus research station – still occupied, if the reports were true – near the desert planet LV426.

Their transport, the Kirkliston SR1, had been traveling in full-stealth mode since just before entering the small system.  They were approaching the massive station slowly, their presence partially masked by the many chunks of debris – inhabitants of the asteroid belt in orbit about the distant binary star.  The station, situated in an area surrounded by mostly empty space, apparently had an impressive array of repulsion shields, preventing virtually any of the many thousands of space rocks from getting within two-to-three kilometers of the structure.

Specialist Aldaberto entered the strike-team’s ready-room, saying, “It’s time, Captain.”

Roshida’s eyes swept over her squad as she said, “Okay, team… let’s get this done.”

She had been told the station still had a Cerberus presence aboard, but how many people still survived on the station was unknown, as was nearly all of the details concerning its construction.

“You’ll be on your own once you’re inside, Captain,” Aldaberto said softly.  “We’ll be monitoring the station from a discrete distance… and will likely be able to do a direct retrieval, but only once your team has successfully completed your assignment.  Should you fail…”  Aldaberto blinked once as he slightly shook his head.  “Should you fail, you will need to jet from the station, with either boosters, via an escape pod, a stolen shuttle… or any other method you may exploit to your purpose.  Otherwise, it is likely we will be forced to abandon you, as we cannot risk discovery.”

The Salarian actually appeared to be embarrassed as he added, “So many unknowns, Captain.  I don’t like sending you… your team… inside that place, completely blind to what may be waiting for you.  Cerberus was involved in some of the most horrific, twisted research and experiments one can imagine, the results of which may still be roaming around inside that place to this day.”

“We’ll be looking for the unexpected, Specialist.  Our cloaking shields should help keep us out of trouble, and we’ve always been good at keeping each other safe.  I don’t intend for any of us to have to return home in a body bag… but I also plan on calling in the backup forces should the need arise.”  She paused a moment before adding, “But only if I know they’ll make a difference.  I’ll not sacrifice their lives in addition to those of my team, should things truly go badly for us.”

“I will trust your judgement, Captain; if you call, I will send them in.  Be safe.”

-------------------------------

The Barn was a cylindrical tower, unlike any space station she had ever seen.  It appeared as though the main level contained two hangar bays with four approach and departure pathways - each delineated by a 500-meter long series of guide lamps and lighted directional arrows projected from the kinetic barrier guarded entrances.  The visual approach aids had been rapidly rendered obsolete by improvements in automated approach controls that linked a ship’s flight controls to the station’s computer.  Roshida had noted that each entrance was also protected by a pair of shielded, heavy-duty sentry turrets, most likely controlled by an enhanced VI.

Drifting past the station at the limit of the Kirkliston’s scanners had revealed the presence of a heavily-shielded fusion reactor; this occupied the level below the hangars, as far from the apparently inhabited areas as possible.  If the station’s design was true to form, the living and research areas were on a number of levels above the hangars, in what B’Sayle thought of as ‘the tower’.  She expected that elevators would be clustered in the central core of the towering structure, with emergency staircases close by, but would have to wait until she was in the hanger to discover the truth of the matter.  We’ll be using the stairs to access the upper levels; once up there, we might be able to relax… if only slightly.

All of this flashed through her mind as she watched their approach to the main hanger level on the monitors inside the airlock compartment.  She was a bit surprised to see the station appeared mostly dark; the one picture on file depicted a construct brightly lit from within.  At least the lights are still on inside the hangar, she mused.

Looking at her team, she said, “I cannot begin to calculate how many ways this assignment can go sideways.  We’re going in virtually blind, with no real knowledge of the level of opposition we might expect, the level of automated defenses or how the station is arranged; and as much as I hate this, we’ll just have to assume our scrambled suit comms are secure.”

With a nod towards her Lieutenant, she continued, “Celia… Cat and Del are on your six.”  Locking her gaze on her infiltrator, she added, “Erin, you and Joy are with me.  We’ll leave here at the maximum safe distance for free-flight and jet over to the station.  Get to cover the instant your feet are on the deck inside that hanger!  We leave here randomly and fly through that kinetic barrier in the same fashion.  After Erin’s had a few moments to reconnoiter, we’ll gather at the entry to the stairs – providing they even have stairs – then proceed from there.  If not, then we’ll just have to make it up as we go.”  With an unexpected grin, she added, “Just like we usually do, anyway.”

Everyone nodded as they pulled on their helmets and checked their internal systems.  Roshida cycled the airlock, opened the hatch and gazed out at the empty space between her feet and The Barn, before carefully climbing out of the ship; she held onto one of several safety bars attached to the hull as she waited for her squad to join her.  The Kirkliston continued its drift through the void; when the ship was at the optimum distance from the station, Specialist Aldaberto came on their comms and simply said, “Launch.”

B’Sayle, having already oriented herself to jump, immediately released her grip on the rail and pushed off with her legs, then closely monitored the readouts projected on the inside of her visor.  Of special interest was her drift rate from an optimal path to the station’s hangar.  Using her suit’s computer, she activated the automated inertial controls that would keep her flightpath centered on the middle of the kinetic barrier guarding the massive opening to the station’s hanger bay.

She felt the push between her shoulder blades as the attached rocket pack fired in short pulses to keep her on track to touch down inside the hanger.  The view of the station had completely filled the view in her visor when her in-suit computer fired the rocket pack’s maneuvering thrusters to pitch her feet towards the barrier, then fired the main thrusters to slow her approach.  She flew through the barrier feet-first, her suit’s kinetic barrier responding to the station’s barrier with a sparkling, yellow-green display that disappeared the instant she was inside.  She was moving the instant her boots contacted the metal surface; in moments, she was safely between a pair of massive shipping containers.

Within minutes, her other five teammates arrived safely; Roshida and Erinna walked around the massive hanger bay entrance and peered inside; after several minutes of silent observation, B’Sayle said, “Come on, Erin… let’s get inside.”  Erin acknowledged her captain by engaging her cloaking shield; Roshida grabbed her backplate and shoved her towards the kinetic barrier.  She waited for a full minute before she herself flew through the opening, her shield sparking around her as it met the energy of the kinetic barrier.

In less than ten minutes, the other squad members were inside and hidden among the many shipping containers and crates lining both sides of the main approach/departure lane for cargo shuttles.  B’Sayle was surprised there was no opposition encountered after multiple entries through the kinetic barrier.  This hanger – surprisingly deep, as if it spanned the entire diameter of the station – was devoid of life; there also were no shuttles or other spacecraft docked within.  Lieutenant M’Creno’s voice came over the comms.  “Looks as if they simply unloaded their supplies and didn’t put any of it away.”

Roshida scanned the area ahead and to the sides and compared the results to the rudimentary map that had been provided for her team; quickly finding the elevator and staircase entrances, she called her infiltrator.  Erinna quickly moved up to her captain’s position and rubbed her shoulder with her own.

Roshida’s voice was quiet, “Elevators and staircase, Erin.  Scan for organics and mechs.  I don’t want to go upstairs blind.”

Erinna whispered back, “You got it.  See ya in a few.”

Roshida nodded… not that Erinna could see her; the slight pressure against her upper arm and shoulder vanished as the infiltrator eased away from her captain’s position.  B’Sayle watched as the slight disturbance in reflected light that was Thyria moved away from her – not unlike water… No, the element mercury! …a virtually invisible solid that emulated the way the metal effortlessly flowed over and around the numerous obstacles between her position and the stairs that would allow access to the rest of the station.

After fifteen-to-twenty minutes – a seeming eternity – Roshida’s ear-mounted comms unit came to life.  “Our comms should be undetectable, Captain, and I have disabled the motion trackers.  All security cameras are offline, and the staircase is accessible.  The security office, if it’s even manned, is now receiving a recorded loop of all the stairs, elevators and maintenance corridors, showing the empty space that existed before our arrival, but…”

The pause in Erinna’s report stretched out long enough for Roshida to prompt her.  “There’s always a ‘but’.  Just tell us so we can get going.”

Erin prefaced her next comment with a heavy sigh.  “The station isn’t controlled by a VI, Captain.  It’s a full-on AI – referred to as UDI… short for Ultra Defense Intelligence – not nearly as capable as the SILC, but self-aware, nonetheless.  Any security measures I override will no doubt be detected… and corrected.  Once that happens, I fear our blue asses will be totally exposed.”

Roshida echoed Erin’s sigh before responding.  “Nothing for it, Erin.”  Using the location tracker displayed on the inside of her visor, she said, “Lieutenant, you heard her.  We could be discovered at any second.  All of you move up… make your way to Erin’s location.”    

-------------------------------

Huntresses Catalina T’Gelvos and Condella Selani had ‘leapfrogged’ each other as they led the rest of their team up the stairs, finally coming to rest beside the hatch that opened out to Level Four.  B’Sayle nervously looked at the ceiling panels concealing what they had learned were fully-rotational Grad Turrets; these could target either up or down the stairs, including the landing on which they were all standing, should they be unfortunate enough to be detected.

Erinna commented, “The security program controlling those turrets went down when I took out the motion detectors… but remember, I have no idea how long that will last.” 

“What about this access corridor?” Roshida asked.

“Unfortunately, there will be people moving about up here, all wearing identity badges linked to UDI.  Nothing we can do about that, unless we steal six badges from among the Humans.”

“Might not be a bad idea.  For now, let’s just keep low and start our sweep.  I’m hoping the records we need will be an easy find, once we find the research center.”  Roshida paused and took a deep breath.  “We’ll split up; Celia… you take Cat and Del to the left, Erinna, Joy and I will go right.  Hopefully we find what we’re looking for before we meet on the other side of this damned station.”  She grinned, which her team couldn’t see, but could hear in her tone of voice as she added, “I don’t want to find out we’ve searched the wrong floor and have to start all over again on another level.”  As a couple of her team chuckled in response, she whispered, “Let’s go.”

-------------------------------

With Joy watching their six, B’Sayle and Erinna were silently – and invisibly – moving slowly forward.  The path they followed was the outermost loop of the station, and multiple passageways cut in toward the center, like spokes of a huge wheel.  They had to search each and every passage, to make sure they didn’t bypass either the Research Center itself or, better yet, the data storage center.  The latter would be the perfect discovery… where Erinna could get to work and download every piece of data they had time for.  B’Sayle huffed quietly.  I’m sure Liara would love any additional info we could get her on what they’ve been doing here the last couple of years.

Many of the rooms were storage areas for various pieces of scientific gear, but they had also located a few empty living quarters and a mech assembly and repair center, including a back-up power generation system.  Erinna, quite enthusiastically, mechanically disabled the system, so UDI could not repair it remotely.  If they wanted it fixed, they would have to send a team… and Erin very much doubted they would detect the fault unless the Level Four power actually dropped and the backup didn’t activate. 

During their sweep thus far, they had needed to dispatch five persons unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Three were staff members, but the last two were a security sweep team.  Roshida tapped her comm and whispered quietly, “Heads up folks…  We had to take out a security team.  I’m not sure how long they have between reports, but it’s only a matter of time before their absence is noted.”

“Roger that,” replied Celia.  “We encountered a couple of repair mechs, which we disabled… made it look like they crossed wires and electrocuted themselves.  That will hold until someone who actually knows how they work gets curious and takes a good look at them.”  She paused only briefly before adding, “We’ve also had to take out a couple of researchers…  We stuffed them in a closet and their badges in our packs, so if UDI looks, they’re still moving around the station.  We searched the two small labs they were working in but didn’t turn anything up.  Even so, I think we’re definitely in the right section of the station, Roshi.”

“That’s great news, because we’ve found mostly storage rooms and empty living quarters… along with one backup generator that we took out of service.  Good to know we might be on the right level after all… I was starting to worry.”  As an afterthought, Roshida added, “Stay sharp…  Don’t be in a hurry and get careless, just because you think you’re close.”

“You got it, Captain.”  Celia smiled at her Captain’s concern.  “Business as usual, be it the start or the end of a mission.”

-------------------------------

It wasn’t much later when Roshida silently cursed as she ducked into a doorway; UDI had detected the breach on the hangar deck and the hack that Erinna had so skillfully committed before their ascent to this level.  The intruder alarms had sounded for nearly half-a-minute before being shut off.  Now, a mechanical voice was insistently commanding the intruders to turn themselves in to the nearest security station.  Yeah, like that’s gonna happen!

B’Sayle had just figured their mission had turned to shit because of their discovery, when suddenly Celia’s voice came over the comm unit.  “We’ve got it!  Passageway 23, third door on the left!”

“Excellent!  Start the search and we’ll be there as soon as we can.”  Roshida smiled and muted her comm, turning to her team.  “We might just get off this station before they actually find us!”

The team returned to the outer loop and started moving as quickly as they dared.  After passing through a fire control bulkhead hatch, Roshida nearly had her head taken off by an AP round fired by an Orcus Mech, a Cerberus enhanced version of the LOKI Mech.  Growling, “Goddess be damned!” she pulled back and hugged the wall, motioning her team to tuck in behind her.  “I have a feeling we just found the security station missing their two patrolmen.  Combined with the damned announcement by UDI, the security mechs are on-station and at full alert.”

After encountering – and disabling – six Orcus Mechs in the repair center, Erinna had accessed the non-secured station logs.  She had warned the team that the damned things were equipped with enhanced visual receptors, rendering their cloaking shields useless.  She had also informed them that the mechs were most easily destroyed with headshots, a theory which the group then proceeded to test after biotic Lifts kept the mechs from firing on them.

Unfortunately, the resultant explosions drew the attention of a group of Assault Troopers; these were a bit more troublesome to eliminate but were nothing B’Sayle’s team hadn’t encountered before.  Joy split her attention between covering their six and popping the heads off the troopers slowing their forward progress, while Erin and Roshida used biotic combos of Pull and Throw to obliterate them.

With the immediate threat eliminated, the trio ran down the corridor to the Research section.  Unfortunately, they had not thought about the likelihood of the Grad Turrets being brought back online once their presence had been detected; nor had they considered the possibility that such defensive systems would be installed in the ceilings of these populated areas.  To their great misfortune, a turret rotated down from concealment and began firing at them before they could get the hatch open.

As she was bringing up their rear, several rounds hit Joya S’Raxia in her back before Roshida could erect a barrier to protect her.  While Erin worked feverishly to bypass the reactivated security protocols, the pulse machine gun continued to rake them with bursts from its twin barrels.  The hatch miraculously opened to reveal Huntress Catalina, who quickly helped to drag Joy through the opening and out of harm’s way.  As the door closed behind them, Erin immediately set to work to lock the hatch and set her own local security algorithm, to slow any pursuit.

Roshida was at Joy’s side as she collapsed to the deck; Cat went to her knees on the sniper’s other side as B’Sayle asked, “How bad?”

Joya’s face was twisted in pain as she ground out, “Hurts, Cap.  Took my… barrier down… pretty sure the damned thing punched more than a few holes in my backside.”

Cat immediately responded with, “As soon as Erin is done with that door, we should join Del and the Lieutenant… I’ll bet the Research Data Center is the most securable room in this facility.”

Roshida nodded to Catalina; without a word, the pair lifted Joy to her feet and assisted her as they relocated.  Once there, they pulled out a chair and had Joy sit in the seat facing backward so they could access and remove her damaged backplate, revealing a pair of ragged holes in her under-armor mesh.

“Goddess be damned.”  B’Sayle grabbed a tube of medigel from her medical kit and – after rolling Joy’s shirt up from her waist – forced a liberal quantity into each of the holes in the sniper’s back. 

After a few minutes, the pain lessened to the point Joy could breathe easier.  “Thanks.  Feels better already.”  She downed some of the eezo-infused water and slowly ate the energy bar given to her by Del while her captain pulled her under-armor mesh down, set her backplate into place and refastened it to her chestplate.

Roshida stood and moved to join Celia.  “How’s it looking?”

“Lots of data… but not exactly what we want.”  Celia sighed and then whispered quietly, obvious her words for Roshida only.  “And now they know we’re here… so, while this room is very secure, I’m not sure how we’ll get back out, Captain.”

The use of her rank indicated to Roshida just how concerned her lieutenant was about their situation, but she remained focused on the main mission.  “First things first.  You said it’s not exactly what we want…  What did you discover?”

-------------------------------

Urdnot, Tuchanka, Aralakh – 14 Feb 2189

Wrex stared at his Councilor in amazement for a few moments before growling, “Is this a joke?  Because, if it is, it’s not funny.”

“No, Overlord.”  Jara’s teeth showed as she repeated herself, “The Council has sent me to inform you that the Demilitarization Enforcement Mission has been deemed no longer necessary, and that our system will no longer be known as the Krogan DMZ.  The vote was unanimous.”  She stood taller, if that was possible for the already huge female, and proudly announced, “We are once more known by our former, true name – the Aralakh System.”

“I’ll be damned.”  Wrex looked at Bakara and grinned.  “I told you we could trust Shepard.  After more than 1300 years, a puny Human comes along and changes the entire galaxy… ridding us of the Reapers and reestablishing the Krogan as an honorable race.”  He shook his head and smirked.  “Never thought I’d live to see the day… yet, here we are.”

Bakara rolled her eyes.  “It is not only Shepard who did this, Wrex.  You had no small part to play in our success… as well as Grunt, for whom we need to thank that crazy scientist, Warlord Okeer… and that shit Human merc, Jedore, for pushing him.  There are many unlikely heroes and villains who contributed along the path of our return to honor.”

“Yeah… but who killed Jedore and saved Grunt?  Who found Mordin and brought him to our cause?  Who helped me get you back from the Salarians?”  Wrex stood up and started to walk away, heading toward the communications center.  “Shepard!  That’s who…  By Vaul; she even pulled me in, gave me purpose, and made me believe in the Krogan again!  So, I’m going to call her and thank her for this amazing news… and invite her to the best party every thrown!” 

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 14 Feb 2189

“So, what’s next for you, Wrex?”  Shepard looked at the vid screen and couldn’t get the grin off her face, hearing the Krogan Overlord’s reaction to the news.

“What the Hell do you think, Shepard?”  Her friend laughed happily.  “We’re going to start building ships again!  And don’t you worry; we’re taking your and Liara’s suggestions to heart.  We’re going to build a couple of fast frigates, first.  Put a minimal crew aboard each and fly them to the Council Fleet, letting them round out the majority of the crew with whomever they choose.  I’d like to send one Captain… and hope he keeps the job, but I won’t press the issue… as long as they at least let him stay as the XO.”  He shrugged and added, “Then, we’ll have to wait and see how that goes before we make our next move.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”  Shepard heard a little ping in the back of her mind and smiled.  “Liara thinks so, too.”

Wrex chuckled.  “Well, you tell Liara I’d love to have her as an XO on one of my ships… but I know I’ll never get her away from you and the Knight Shade, so it’s not even worth asking.”

“You’re right, there, Wrex.”  Shepard chuckled.  “And it’s highly unlikely the Council would give up a Spectre to captain a regular Fleet Vessel.”

“And they’d be both crazy and stupid to do so, Shepard… especially you.  You’re the best they’ve got.”  Wrex narrowed his eyes and asked again, “Now, back to the main reason for my call.  What about the party?”

“Sorry, Wrex, but I have to decline.”  Shepard’s smile faltered.  “I have a few things going on right now that can’t wait…”

She didn’t get to finish before Wrex interrupted, “It’s that Salarian shit, isn’t it?  I knew they were slimy bastards, but I figured it was mostly aimed at us… not every other race but their own.”  He paused before asking, “Anything the Krogan can do to help?  Jara’s offer for us to help has my approval.  All you need to do is ask, and we’re there.”

“I appreciate that, Wrex, and I’ll keep it in mind, though I doubt Krogan boots on Sur’Kesh would help very much.”  She laughed aloud and continued, “We all know how much they loved your last appearance there!”

Wrex let out a booming laugh before managing an answer.  “Yeah.  Not so much… but those were different times, Shepard.  Back then, they were holding our females hostage!  Now, we’re allies… makes all the difference, right?”

“Yeah, right.”  The smirk on the Krogan’s face told Shepard Wrex knew better, so the Human simply smiled and continued, “I’ll talk to Liara about the party, but no promises.  The Council has us hopping… but, more importantly, we have Gabby here, looking ready to pop those kids out at any moment, so we’re doing our best to stick close to Thessia, if at all possible.”

Shepard’s smile vanished as she added, “Also, Ken’s birthday is coming up on the 29th… and we both think it will be a particularly difficult time for Gabby, so want to be here for her.”

“Ah, well… shit.”  Wrex grumbled, “Guess I can’t really argue with that one.  At least not without looking like a completely emotionless ass.  I’ll give Bakara your regrets.”  He raised a hand to give a quick wave of farewell.  “You tell that little woman that if she wants a Krogan Overlord as Protector, for her or her little ru'shan, she just needs to say the word.”

“I’ll do that, Wrex.”  Shepard waved in response as she closed with, “We’ll talk again soon, I promise,” and closed the comm link, feeling only a little bit guilty for not telling one of her best friends the real reason she couldn’t attend a party on Tuchanka.  Honestly, with her nanites not working the way they should, Shepard couldn’t risk getting into a drinking contest with the big Krogan.  Her consumption of Ryncol in what Wrex would consider her ‘norm,’ would likely put her in the infirmary… and Wrex would feel personally responsible.  Speaking from experience, Shepard knew exactly just how bad a wet-nurse Wrex could be… and she didn’t need him hovering beside her medbed, threatening the staff with death should anything happen to her.  Even under the circumstances, the thought made her laugh as she got up from chair and left the comm room.  It was time to prepare for Valern’s arrival.

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 14 Feb 2189

 “Councilor Valern.  Welcome to House T’Soni.”  Liara smiled and dipped her head in welcome.  “We truly do appreciate your acceptance of our invitation.”

“Yes, yes.”  Valern flashed a quick smile.  “I will admit, it was rather… unexpected… but welcome.  A chance to get away from the CGC, when I don’t know quite yet what my future may hold.”  He blinked and looked at Shepard.  “As for the true purpose of my visit, that is yet to be discovered.  I am sure it is not, as you stated in the invitation, simply a chance to say goodbye and thank me for my excellent service to the Council.”

Shepard chuckled.  “That’s why I like you, Valern.  Upfront and blunt.  You never pull any punches.”

“Punches?  I have never struck you, Shepard.”  Surprisingly, he flashed a grin.  “Though, there have been times when I was tempted… but my survival instinct quickly reminded me I would likely not survive the altercation.”

Shepard’s eyes widened in surprise.  “What?  A sense of humor?  Who knew!” 

Laughing softly, Liara held out her arm in invitation.  “Please, let us move to the den, where we can speak privately, in comfort.”

“Honored, Lady T’Soni.”  Valern looped his arm through Liara’s, looking quite pleased to be doing so.  “And, seeing as I am no longer a councilor, please call me Linas.”

“Very well, Linas.”  Liara gave him one of her best smiles.  “And, if you are comfortable with it, please refer to me by Liara… I still think of ‘Lady T’Soni’ as my mother.” 

“Ah.  The great Matriarch Benezia.”  Valern frowned.  “Her loss caused shockwaves across the known galaxy.  Her demise was a defining moment in our history, for many reasons.  It resulted in our finally seeing the Reapers as real, no longer an imaginary threat dreamt up by lunatics… no insult intended, Liara, to your amazing, if however unrecognized, accomplishments before that time… which then brought you to the fore.  We were never so fortunate to have a great leader replaced by an equal… if not a better, at least for what lay ahead of us.”  His frown turned up to a smile.  “The powers that be were most generous when they gave us you and Spectre Shepard.”

Shepard was earnest as she replied, “Thank you, Linas.  I honestly hope you feel the same after you hear what we have to say.”

“Knowing you and Liara, I have no doubts, Shepard.”

-------------------------------

Shepard and Liara had revealed their idea, to include a summary of the call they had received from Dalatrass Baon, on Nasurn, during the Victory Tour… which now seemed like the distant past.  Linas Valern sat in quiet contemplation, thinking about everything the pair had told him.  After what seemed an eternity for a Salarian, he finally raised his head and spoke.  “While you may be concerned about the ethics of your plan, you must realize the Salarians deal this way with one another on a daily basis, using information and extortion to get what they want… as evidenced by the plan set in motion by Baon immediately after the war.”  He blinked a couple of times and grinned, adding, “You will be, as Humans say, fighting fire with fire; bringing the war to them on their own terms.  Are you certain you are prepared to do that?”

“With your help and insider information, yes.”  Shepard cocked her head and asked, “But are you willing to help us?”

“Bring about change for the betterment of Salarian society as a whole?”  Valern looked quickly between Shepard and Liara and answered, “But of course.  Why would I not?”

“Because it places you in a rather compromising position… and could endanger your safety.”  Liara’s brow wrinkled with concern.  “We would not want anything to happen to you, so need to know you are doing this willingly and are ready to accept the risks.”

“I am already in danger, simply by ignoring the Dalatrassial commands regarding the Krogan… and by coming here.  The Salarian Union is well aware of my change in alliances by now and, to be sure, while half of the Circle will declare me a hero, the other half will undoubtedly want me dead.  I understood that before I announced my resignation…”  He paused when Shepard shook her head and raised an open hand to stop him from continuing.

“About that.”  Shepard smiled.  “You submitted your resignation, yes… but it has not yet been voted on and approved by the Council.  I spoke with Tevos and she told me she did that purposely… to give you a chance to reconsider after a brief respite, as we have heard no formal recall notice for you from the Circle of Dalatrasses.”

“Which should be coming…”

Shepard laughed.  “Perhaps… but it hasn’t happened yet, which is good.  Even if it does – and I say ‘if’ because of the relatively even split in the Circle to which you just referred – they may not reach a consensus vote.  Even then, the Councilors can refuse to call a special session because of ‘internal’ Salarian politics and can put it off to the next regular session, to buy us even more time.  If our plan works, those remaining at the end of it all may very much want you to remain on the Council.”

“Agreed.”  Valern flashed another quick smile and then continued soberly, “Then, it seems, we will be working together on this.  If so, there is a story I must most definitely relay to you.”

“Oh?” Liara asked.  “If it is relative to our objective, please go ahead.”

“Extremely relative.”  Valern looked her in the eye and stated, “Not only relative, but a previous, failed attempt to do exactly what you… we… are planning to undertake.  While you were being recruited by Dalatrass Baon to basically protect the leader of the eventual Linron family successor, Leola Vasle, the same was happening to me… by Kirova Esheel… but to stir dissent against Linron.”  He grinned as he added, “But, it was much too early, still during our war recovery efforts, for the plan to honestly have much hope of success.  The Union was still embroiled in post-war chaos… and Esheel obviously did not have the two of you getting personally involved in tipping the scales of the Salarian leadership struggle.  From this very discussion, I presume you are prepared to change that.”

Shepard glanced at Liara before answering, “Yes, Linas.  After what I heard at the Council session, we most definitely are.”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 14 Feb 2189

Linas Valern leaned back in his chair and his eyes lost focus as he thought back to the call he had received from Esheel; he then proceeded to explain what she had offered.  “The call came from nowhere.  I had received no indications Dalatrass Esheel was contemplating an actual overthrow of the Linron family as Chair-holders of the Dalatrass Circle.  It has been a long time since such a move had been made.”

His eyes returned to a laser focus and he learned forward, glancing quickly between the two seated around the table with him.  “Kirova Esheel offered my family third position, behind only Baon and Gurji.  In return, she asked that my family and our allies on Sur'Kesh speak against Linron; to stir dissent.  Esheel had others doing the same on various Salarian worlds and, while fully realizing the risks involved, I did what was asked.  Unfortunately, all of us, including Maedri Linron, were outplayed by her own daughter, Ereda.  She somehow… convinced… her mother to commit suicide to salvage what was left of the family name.”

“I knew it!”  Liara huffed in aggravation.  “I just knew something along those lines happened, but there was no evidence… not even a hint that Maedri did not act on her own.  You have proof of this, Linas?”

She was answered by a quick laugh.  “Of course not, my dear Liara.  You simply need to be Salarian to know this is how these things work.”  Valern gave a quick shake of his head before continuing, “Maedri was much too proud and sure of herself to carry out such a selfless act in the name of her family.  To be completely honest, I would be surprised to discover that Ereda did not have to force the poison upon her, after Maedri refused to commit the ritual suicide.”

Shepard’s eyes opened wide in surprise.  “Ereda would murder her own mother?”

“Without question.”  Valern met her eyes without a blink.  “It is all about family standing… and Maedri put the entire family at risk.  Ereda would simply see it as her familial duty.”

“So, how did Linron’s death ruin your plan?”  Shepard frowned with her lack of understanding of Salarian politics, realizing this was the exact reason they needed Valern as part of their team.

“Simple.”  Valern blinked once and proceeded, “Ereda’s act proved her commitment to their alliance… that she would not allow her mother to weaken their collective position by taking actions that were not approved by the group.  To our surprise, her elimination of Maedri actually cemented the Linron position in the alliance and strengthened their cohesion, leading to nothing but an even greater resentment between the two sides.”

Liara actually smiled as she said, “So this request on our part is a welcome one… as it provides you with a possible route to break the stalemate and gain the upper hand.”

“Yes.”  Valern flashed a grin.  “It is time for the Salarian Union, as a whole, to truly welcome Kirova Esheel… and a new era of Salarian leadership.”

“So, what’s our first step?”  Shepard looked to Valern for his expertise.  “Do we approach Esheel, Baon and Gurji independently?”

“Not yet.  I would think to keep your… active… participation a secret for as long as we can for this scenario… indefinitely, if at all possible.  Besides which, any interstellar communications would likely be intercepted.”  He suddenly frowned, “Which means I need to act as go-between… and necessitates that I travel to Mannovai, to speak with Esheel.”

“Alone?”  Liara looked concerned and her eyes shifted to Shepard as she asked, “Would it be possible to escort him aboard the Knight Shade?  I don’t want to put his life at risk unnecessarily… especially so early, in only the planning phases of this operation.”

“On Mannovai, I would not need to fear for my life.”  Valern’s eyes brightened as he continued, “But I would be foolish to turn down such an offer of direct, risk-free transport, Liara!”  He paused and looked at the couple, asking, “I know from experience your schedule is rather unforgiving.  What timeframe would we be looking at?”

“It would have to be soon… but we’ll have to be extremely careful.”  Shepard looked at Liara.  “I just told Wrex we couldn’t attend his victory party because we had a lot going on… and, because he just received an update from Jara, he immediately assumed it was Salarian in nature.  I told him we wanted to stay close to Thessia for Gabby… and that Ken’s birthday should have been at the end of the month. So, whatever we do, we have to be back here before then.”

“Should be easy.”  Valern snapped his head down and up in a lightning-quick nod.  “Mannovai is only a two-day FTL trip from Pranas, which is only a single relay trip from here… round trip being only five days plus however long our discussions with Esheel.  I am sure she will happily agree to your assistance in this matter… and happy to rally her alliance to delay my removal as Councilor.”  His gaze landed on Liara as he added, “That even gives us a few days to prepare.  Do you have anything in particular in mind?”

“As you want to keep our direct involvement a secret, it won’t be ‘our’ discussions with Esheel.  We’ll transport you, but you’ll be on your own.”  Liara’s voice dropped as she answered, “So, while you meet with her, we’ll be making discrete contacts, asking questions and digging up every bit of data we can on our adversarial Dalatrasses.  We need to find information that will pit them against one another and break their alliance.”

“That will likely be much more difficult than you make it sound.”  Valern blinked rapidly, showing his skepticism at Liara’s simple statement.

“Both during and after the war, we made a great number of contacts… including within the STG.”  Liara smiled in a way that suddenly made Valern very glad this particular Asari was on the Council’s… and his… side – a smile that did not reach her eyes as she continued, “There are many who owe us for their very survival… and when we share what certain Dalatrasses have been doing to destabilize Council authority?  I imagine we will have no problem getting what we need.”

-------------------------------

The Barn, Calpamos, Zeta Reticuli – 14 Feb 2189

With Roshida staring expectantly, Celia replied in a quiet voice, “I’ve extracted all the data from their records that even hinted at Lazarus.  Unfortunately, virtually all of their nanite research was forwarded to something called Project Phoenix… and all the local records were wiped soon as confirmation was received from this Phoenix program.”

Roshida shook her head in frustration.  “Goddess be damned!  All this work… Joy getting shot?  For nothing?”

Celia shook her head sympathetically.  “No, Captain… we discovered where we need to go next, and learned we’ll need a larger force to deal with the probable threat.  It’s been four years since Shepard was returned to the galaxy, so the many pieces that made up the projects for Lazarus are at least that old, or older.  We need to track all of it down, before it is irretrievably lost to us… and Spectre Shepard.  We just need to get off this station alive.”

“Then let’s get it done.” 

While Roshida and Celia were speaking, Erinna had been humming a little ditty as she worked; after a number of minutes spent probing the many defensive avenues available to UDI, her quiet exclamation of ‘Goddess!  I’ve done it!’ told everyone she had finally succeeded… at something. 

Roshida looked at her Infiltrator for several moments, but Erin was so focused, she didn’t even notice the others staring at her, awaiting an explanation.  Finally, B’Sayle had waited as long as she was willing to wait, under the circumstances.  “Erin!”

Thyria looked up sharply at the harsh, impatient exclamation.  “Captain?” 

“What in the name of the Goddess did you do?” 

Suddenly realizing the entire team was staring at her, expecting her to find them a way out, Erin nervously cleared her throat before replying.  “Well, I told you earlier that UDI is an AI… a shackled AI… so, what I did is a bit risky… for us… but it’s the only way I can think of to shut it down.”  She dropped her eyes to the deck at her feet.

Roshida, though used to her infiltrator’s withdrawn reticence, was exasperated under the current circumstances, so impatiently growled out, “Erin, what exactly did you do?”

Returning her gaze to her captain’s eyes, she explained, “I introduced an extremely corruptive program into UDI’s OpSys.  It will disable the interior and exterior defenses by wiping its IFF memory, which’ll make the system ‘see’ everyone and everything in and around the station as an enemy.”

“How in Hell is that going to help us?” B’Sayle asked unhappily.  “Sounds like our escape just became that much more difficult.”

The infiltrator suddenly grinned, saying, “The AI is shackled!  That means it can’t take any actions that would harm friendlies, nor allow automated weaponry to harm friendly organics!  Without the ability to tell friend from foe, UDI can’t tell who the defenses are firing on… and will be forced to shut down all the automated defenses, including the damned Mechs, or risk having all the Cerberus researchers and soldiers killed just to eliminate six intruders.”

Roshida’s expression gradually changed to one of hope.  “That’s… brilliant, Erin!  Simply brilliant!  Soon as it sees its own people being targeted, it’ll give up!”

Erinna’s frown from before returned.  “Not entirely.  I haven’t been able to blind or muzzle the damned thing… it’ll still be able to direct the troopers to wherever we happen to show up, so we’ll be fighting our way back to the hanger.”

Roshida silently thought about that for several minutes before asking, “But if the station’s external defenses are also down, won’t the Kirkliston will be able to approach and use its main weapon… open up an exit for us up here in the tower?”

Celia, following the discussion as she continued to search the records, turned and added, “There are backup troops on the ship, Captain… two full squads of Krogan, itching to bust some heads.  We just need to request their deployment as soon as the hull on this horror palace has been breached.”

“What about programming the reactor to blow, Erin, to help us make sure we totally destroy this facility?”

“Nothing I do will prevent UDI from countermanding my instructions, especially any breaching of the reactor safeties … damned AI is just too fast.”  Shaking her head in defeat, Erin admitted, “That damned machine can outthink me without breaking a sweat… we’re lucky we’ve made it as far as we have.  The longer we stay, the more time it has to direct troopers this way… and the more difficult UDI will make our exit.”

Roshida nodded in recognition of what Erin was saying.  Feeling disappointed at their constantly decreasing odds of success, she said, “Okay, then.  Celia, get on the comms to Specialist Aldaberto… request an immediate deployment of our reinforcements as soon as they open up the hull on this station… we’ll go up through the main living areas and offices… kill everyone in our way, then set an emergency beacon on an exterior wall to provide a target for the ship’s cannon.”

B’Sayle took point, leading her team to the nearest staircase heading up into the tower above them.  Erin followed close behind, while Cat and Del assisted the injured Joya S’Raxia; Celia brought up the rear, guarding their six.  It was plain to all of them that their lives were really on the line now; UDI, the station’s shackled AI, sounded an alarm and changing the lighting to emergency red as soon as the six Asari had reappeared in the access corridor leading through the Research Division.

Fortunately, Erinna’s introduction of a program corrupting the IFF of the station’s automated defense network had resulted in the electronic destruction of every Grad Turret that emerged from the ceiling panels; additionally, the few Orcus Mechs they passed on their way down the corridor were seemingly frozen in place, each with a bit of acrid smelling smoke drifting out of their arm and neck joints.  Huntresses Catalina and Condella didn’t trust them to not reactivate, so used AP rounds to explode their heads after passing them by.

After carefully ascending four flights of stairs, the team – helmets on and sealed against vacuum – emerged into what their purloined station map identified as a Maintenance Corridor.  Erinna moved quickly to plant a transmitter roughly ten meters further down the passage.  She returned to the group while typing away madly on her omni and, with her comms to the ship open, she quickly blurted out, “I have the externals down, but it won’t last long!  We need the Kirkliston to breach the exterior hull at the emergency beacon location – the station AI will respond by erecting a kinetic barrier, and our backup should be able to fly right on inside.”

B’Sayle added with a hiss, “Do it quick!” as a few bullets whizzed past them.  “Troops are on the move behind us… ahead of us too.”

Roshida crouched as she faced forward and punched the air in front of her, generating a biotic Warp that seemed to suck the air from the narrow passage as it soared towards a squad of troops.  Their clumsy response was to scatter and drop to the floor, only to be decimated by the detonation caused by a well-timed Throw into the dark energy field that soared above them.

Their ability to move freely was almost instantly checked by troopers closing behind them, all firing their weapons while crouched behind portable barriers that had tilted up from the deck.  Erin quickly enabled several similar barriers for them to duck behind while Cat and Del tossed a number of Pulls and Throws at the entrenched troops.

An explosion ahead of them shook the deck under their feet, forcing them all to take cover once more.  Erinna said, “That’s our exit.  Our backup will be along shortly.”

Celia said, “They’re already here.” 

The unmistakable outlines of Krogan troops exited from a now-destroyed conference room and Celia recognized their team lead, Raash Strogar.  The massive male waved his M-22 Eviscerator back and forth in front of him before moving; spotting the Asari squad, he waved his teammates onward, while directing the second team to head the other direction to ensure their exit didn’t get cut off by rapidly approaching heavy troopers.  “Hold that line… at all costs.”

The first group’s footfalls shook the deck and rattled loose items, causing Roshida to wonder if the station’s walkways would stand up to the pounding of several soldiers weighing from 325-360 kilograms each – she didn’t believe even the Mechs weighed as much.  The Krogan squad stomped on by, stopping just beyond Roshida to set a defensive perimeter.  One of the Krogan, apparently one of Strogar’s lieutenants shouted, “Get yourself gone… we’ll complete a cascading retreat and try to keep these guys off your ass as you go!”  As the sound of shotgun fire began mixing with the reports from assault rifles, the pained screams from several of the Cerberus troops reached their ears. 

Wincing at the screams, Roshida replied, “One of my team is wounded, but still able to move.  We’ll be slower than I like... but we’ll go as fast as we can.  Glad you’re here!”

A grin could be heard in the Krogan’s reply.  “Wish you had called us sooner, B’Sayle.  We’ve been itching to bash some heads… although, these squishy Human troops don’t provide much of a challenge.”

Just as he said that, a missile of some type screamed in, and the two Krogan in the most advanced position suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke from the resultant explosion.

The lieutenant immediately shouted, “Move your ass!”  He then turned to the fight and threw an entire belt of grenades down the passageway before lighting up the smoke-filled passage with his Chakram Launcher, sending the exploding, shrapnel-generating discs toward the enemy as fast as the rifle could produce them.

To the sound of multiple, pained screams, Roshida turned to her squad.  “Let’s move!”  Their retreat toward the ragged hole blown in the station’s hull was interrupted by yet more gunfire from behind them.  One of the remaining Krogan soldiers, spinning about on his heel to take out the troops behind them, took an AP round in his left arm, causing him to howl in rage.

As he fired blindly down the passage, Condella, who had an arm around Joy’s back, stumbled and fell from an answering Cerberus bullet in her left thigh; worse, Joya cried out and fell to the deck like a puppet whose strings had been cut.  Roshida was at her side in an instant.  “Joy!”  Knowing she had no time to lose, she simply lit with biotics, scooped up her fallen sister-in-arms, and started moving as quickly as her legs would carry her toward the hole in the station’s outer hull. 

Cat glanced at Del, only to see her tossing an empty tube of medigel away as she stood, moving quickly to catch up.  Cat grabbed ahold of Del’s arm, assisting her toward the exit, where Strogar was impatiently waiting for them.  “Come on!  They’re working to bring the exterior guns back online and we’re running out of time!”

Erin was squatting down behind the big Krogan and muttered, “I’m slowing the reboot best I can… but, I agree – we can’t waste any time!”

As the Asari team arrived, Strogar grabbed each in turn and gave them a hard shove through the breach.  “Go, go, go!”  Roshida brought up the rear and Strogar stopped her.  “Leave your friend.  Your mission has priority, so there’s no sense in you dying too, just to carry your dead comrade home.”  Seeing the Captain about to protest, he shook his head.  “No.  She’s too heavy…  I’ll make sure both she and your infiltrator make it across, Captain!”

Roshida gave him a hard stare, then nodded in reluctant acceptance as she replied, “Alright, but don’t be long…  I’m ready to watch this damned place burn,” just before she launched herself through the breach toward the Kirkliston.

With that, Strogar roared out, “Team Jhekt!  Time to go!  Let’s move!”  He surveyed the two squads as they rolled out the exit.  In addition to Strogar, thirteen had entered the station… at the end of the mission, twelve departed with him, but that number also included both the infiltrator, Erinna Thyria, and the lifeless sniper, Joya S’Raxia.  Team One had lost two, while Team Two has lost one to a Trooper in an Atlas Mech.  “A good death,” he mumbled to himself as he pushed off the station, Joy tucked under one massive arm.  Speaking of his own dead team members, he muttered, “You’ll burn with the station and enjoy your feast with Vaul!”

-------------------------------

Kirkliston SR1, At Large, 14 Feb 2189

Standing in one of the ship’s smaller storage bays, Roshida B’Sayle dug the heels of her hands into her eye sockets while massaging the front of her scalp with her fingers.  Because of the lack of intel, Roshida had known the mission was risky… but it had turned out to be more costly than she ever imagined.  Down deep, she knew she had taken much more pleasure in watching the Barn’s destruction – with everything and everyone inside being transformed into nothing more than ripped apart pieces of organic matter, chunks of flaming metal, melted thermoset plastics, broken quartz viewports, glittering particles of eezo and amorphous clouds of H3 – than she should have but, with the body of her sister-in-arms, Joya S’Raxia, lying in the stasis chamber before her, she refused to feel any guilt over that fact.

Ship’s doctor Corlan Tolus had solemnly explained the fatal bullet had struck in the worst place possible… the flexible section of her armor, between the backplate and helmet, right at the base of her skull.  The enhanced alloy had shattered a vertebra and severed her spinal cord, thus taking her legs out from under her.  Its impact with the bone shattered the bullet into several small pieces; these did further damage as they traveled through her neck, puncturing her esophagus and damaging essential nerve clusters – all required to let Joy move and breathe.

“That single shot eliminated any chance we may have had at saving your sniper’s life, Captain.  You have my deepest sympathy for your loss – the loss to the team.  I imagine a sniper as longstanding as Specialist S’Raxia will most definitely be missed.”

“Yes, she will be… and she’ll be hard to replace.”  B’Sayle shook her head, her gut churning over what yet lay in their future.  “Especially in time to complete this current mission.”

“Not as difficult as you think, Captain.”  The doctor shrugged.  “The friendship and team familiarity will be lacking in the short term but will be rebuilt over time.  Speak with Commander Arern when we return to base.  The Broker has many talented snipers available, so you will need to review the available files and select a new one.  The mission must continue.”

Roshida had simply nodded in acceptance before asking where they had put the body.  That had led to where she was now, staring down at her lost sniper… and friend.  I always knew it was a possibility… to lose someone.  But you?  You’re a damned sniper, Joya!  You’re supposed to operate as top cover, in the background… at distance from the action! What in the blue blazes was I thinking, bringing you into a close-quarters fight?

With a plan forming in her mind, the captain spoke aloud.  “I’ll swear this to you, Joya S’Raxia.  Your death is on my head and I’ll not let such happen again.  This next mission?  I’m going to demand a recon team go in before we do… to know what we’ll be facing and to make sure we’re damned well ready for it!”

-------------------------------

Roshida heaved a sigh as she entered the living quarters set aside for her team.  Where there had been five, now there were four.  She fixed each of her sisters in turn with a sympathetic gaze, ending up with an intense look at Condella.

Clearing her throat, she addressed her sisters in a soft tone.  “We’re heading back to the Ops Center.  The travel time will allow Del to continue healing from her injury while I study the qualifications for a successor…” the thought of having to replace Joya – the reason for replacing her – forced her to pause to collect herself.  “… a replacement for Joy.  Before we arrive, I’ll select two or three candidates I feel show promise, then Celia and I will interview them, see what they’re capable of doing out on the range, and select one to join us for our next assignment.”

“Are we going to have a service for Joy?  Give her remains to the Goddess before we are forced to leave again, to continue the mission?”

B’Sayle noticed Erin’s downcast expression.  “I’m not entirely sure we’ll have time to conduct a proper service for her, Erin… and it’s not something I want to rush through.  Once we’ve completed the immediate tasks the Broker has for us, we’ll take her to Thessia so we can give her a proper sendoff.”

Catalina nudged Condella’s shoulder as she wondered aloud, “What about Del, Cap’n?”

Roshida focused on Selani and smiled slightly as she spoke.  “The prognosis concerning your injury is excellent, so there’s nothing to worry about, as your wound only affected the ‘short head’ of your biceps femoris.  The Goddess was looking out for you, it seems; the bullet missed all the arteries supplying blood to the muscle.”  She chuckled slightly as she concluded, “Dr Tolus told me the surgery was relatively easy and after a bit of time spent under the tissue regenerator for each of the next few days, that leg will be almost as good as new.”

Everyone nodded as Del observed, “Dr Tolus has me on a rehabilitation regimen, not only the regen, but a series of exercises designed to promote healing and strengthen the injured muscle, as well.  My plan is to be released from light duty by the time we need to leave for our next destination.”

Lieutenant Celia M’Creno had been silent to this point, preferring to listen rather than speak.  Standing, she took the few steps needed to join her captain and asked, “So, where is our next destination, Captain?”

“Orestes Station… the location for Project Phoenix.  Thanks to Celia, we’ve learned all the tech for creation of the nanites was transmitted to Orestes before the source files were deleted from the servers at The Barn.  Orestes station is similar in design, so we have some knowledge concerning its layout but, once again, who exactly resides within is terribly vague.”  Roshida placed her fists on her hips and huffed.  “Of one thing I’m certain; we’re not entering that facility until a scouting team goes in first.  I want to know the true nature of the opposition we’ll be facing before we set foot in the place, and when we do go in, if necessary, we’re bringing Raash Strogar and his squad with us… as part of our strike force, not as later back-up.”

She looked at Celia, then returned her attention to her sisters, painfully aware of Joy’s absence.  “Our sniper was killed and a huntress wounded; our gains were painfully small, given what the assignment has already cost us, and that’s on me, so… I swear, with the Goddess as my witness, I will exercise more caution as we continue to search these places.  I was overconfident, and we all clearly under-estimated the possible numbers of surviving Cerberus personnel.  I don’t even understand why they are still operating… and I’m sure that’s something the Shadow Broker may find extremely curious as well.”

“Tides, Cap’n!”  Celia placed a hand on Roshida’s shoulder and squeezed.  “None of us hold you to blame for Joya’s death, or Del’s injury.  And, while I have no intention of trying to figure out the scientists’ reasons for continuing their research… I’ll venture a guess that whatever it is, it’s not for the rest of us!  In the meantime, all we can do is keep moving forward on our current task.”  She offered up an understanding smile to B’Sayle.  “So, let’s do that by reviewing our potential snipers.”

-------------------------------

Knight Shade , At Large, Annos Basin – 16 Feb 2189

“Shepard?”  Liara felt the undercurrents of a growing disquiet emanating from her Siame and sought to discover their origin.  Walking toward Samantha, Liara queried, “Contrary to what you told me, I’m getting the distinct impression you aren’t very happy with being here.  What’s bothering you?”

Shepard stood from the seat at the small corner desk in the lower deck Brokerage area, turning to meet her obviously concerned Ionúin Álainn.  Wrapping her arms softly around her lover’s waist, she answered quietly, “I’m still not sure we’re doing the right thing here, Liara…  My head keeps coming back to the question of whether or not we have any right to manipulate the government of a sovereign race… in this case, the Salarians… simply because we don’t like their complete disregard for decisions made by the Council nor their attitudes toward the Krogan… whom everyone else agreed to welcome as junior members.”

Sighing, she dropped her arms, stepped back and began pacing back and forth in the small office space.  “As Spectres, we have a responsibility to maintain law and order throughout the galaxy… yet, we have absolutely no official power over the independent governments of the Council members… so, I find myself questioning if our current plan is at odds with how we are supposed to accomplish galactic stability.”  She stopped and met Liara’s eyes, shrugging as she added, “It’s not like we’re fighting the Reapers anymore, and I’m not sure if what we’re planning to do is the right way to go about it, Li.”

Liara smiled softly and stepped closer, to take Samantha’s hands in her own.  “In response, I will say this; it is your very thoughtful decision-making that tells me you will keep me from overstepping any boundaries that are not meant to be crossed, Siame.  You are a Spectre.  A galactic hero… and mine.  I trust your judgement and am happy to have you act as my conscience regarding the usage of the Broker network.  But, I will add that the Spectres are charged with more than simply maintaining law and order.  You are the Council intelligence service, with the authority to pass judgement over those who violate Council Law… up to and including the power of life and death over the inhabitants of the galaxy.  I know you do not take this responsibility lightly, Samantha, especially when the potential offenders could be within your own ranks.  If nothing else, we must find those who are violating the trust of the Council and eliminate them from your midst… one way or another.”

“Agreed,” Shepard answered, turning to sit once again in her chair; she then pulled Liara down to sit on her lap as she continued, “On one condition.”

“Which is?”  Liara cocked a brow marking and waited patiently for the answer.

“That we mete out that justice equally… no matter who the Spectres work for, be it for the Linron family… or Esheel.”  Shepard squeezed her bondmate’s hand.  “If we’re going to do this, we have to do it for the right reasons… not simply for political expedience.”

Liara drew a deep breath and could feel the strong wave of conviction rolling through their link, so immediately knew this was a non-negotiable point.  “Absolutely, Samantha… but, we must also keep in mind they will always put their own people before the good of the Council… their primary obligation is to represent their own, so we can find no fault in that.   You need look no farther than the start of the Reaper War to recognize that as truth.  You had to force them to come together… else all would have been lost.”

“Having been exposed to the machinations of the Council members for the past few years, there is no possible way I could forget that, Liara.”  Shepard practically snorted in laughter before continuing in a more somber tone, “And I’m okay with that… so long as they aren’t deceiving the Council or stealing sensitive or classified information in the process.”

“Alright, then.”  Liara smiled and tenderly stroked Samantha’s cheek.  “So, what is it you need me to do?”

Shepard closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about Liara’s question while she enjoyed the sensation of the Asari’s pebbled skin against the side of her face.  “I think we continue as planned.  Vet the current Salarian Spectres…”  She paused and opened her eyes, looking into Liara’s loving blue orbs.  “Then, I want you to vet the Salarian STG… starting with Kirrahe and his crew.”

Liara’s eyes opened wide in her surprise at the request.  “Why in the blue blazes would you want me to look at Adus?  He’s most certainly loyal to you and the stability of Council space.” 

“Exactly!”  Shepard’s face held that lopsided roguish grin of hers as she replied.  “If we’re going to decimate the Salarian Spectre Corps as badly as Valern insinuates, we’ll need a batch of vetted candidates from which to nominate new ones… won’t we?”

Liara smiled and cupped Shepard’s face in her hands, leaning in to place a tender kiss on her siame’s lips.  {Yes, Spectre Shepard… you most definitely will.}

-------------------------------

Shadow Broker Warehouse, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 18 Feb 2189

Mireya R’Velli took a seat in the chair indicated for her by Lieutenant M’Creno.  She had just completed a series of challenges set up to test her prowess with her SILC Javelin, a rare weapon not usually seen outside the Veil.  ’Reya felt a bit smug at being able to impress Roshida B’Sayle; there were tales… rumors… gossip… that the captain was more jaded than anyone concerning Asari who were unable to overpower their foes biotically.  Mireya was hoping she had changed the team captain’s mind.

She quickly stood as B’Sayle swept into the room; as she rounded her desk, she waved the prospective sniper back to her seat.  “We don’t stand much on ceremony around here, R’Velli.  Take a seat.”  Roshida sat, picked up a datapad and scrolled slowly through the contents.  Setting the reader down, she pierced Mireya with her gaze and said, “You’re an impressive sniper, Mireya, but…” she glanced down at the datapad momentarily before leveling her gaze at the prospective team member.

“You really impressed me with your hand-to-hand skills.  And where in Goddess name did you acquire an N7 Hurricane?  It’s a rarity in the Human military because many feel it’s inaccurate.”

Mireya grinned at the captain.  “You will probably think I’ve been drinking Ryncol… and maybe I was, the night I took it off of a very drunk Human in a smelly bar down in the Foundations.  This guy knew I was sitting nearby, and was boasting… rather loudly… that he could out-muscle any blue-assed, squid-head bitch, any time, any place.  So, I took him up on his offer.”

Roshida, having already taken an admiring look at this maiden’s nude physique in the showers, could nearly guess what had happened, but said, “Go on…”

“He bet me I’d wind up on the floor in less time than it takes to tell of it.  Since he was challenging me, I chose arm-wrestling.”  With a laugh, she shook her head slightly and added, “You should have seen his eyes light up, Captain.  Never witnessed a Human so damned eager to fail… and fail he did!  Three times in a row!  Not only did I shame him in front of his friends, who all seemed a lot less inclined to take me on afterwards, but I relieved him of the N7 Hurricane he was displaying so proudly.”

“Was it Alliance-issued, or his personal weapon?”  Roshida wanted nothing to do with an Alliance military-issued weapon with a serial number that could come back and bite them in the ass should something untoward happen.

“He claimed to have purchased it from the Alliance… the way he told the tale, the clip extractor was damaged, and the Alliance simply tossed the weapon and replaced it with a new one.  He supposedly bought it for a fraction of its true value, repaired it with parts from a few other scrapped guns, and had been using it ever since.  The story is suspect, as I find it hard to believe the Alliance would simply scrap a reparable weapon, especially during times of war and diminishing resources.  I honestly believe he acquired it through less-than-honorable means.  That would explain why he looked like he was gonna cry when he handed it over… because it won’t be easy for him to get another… at least not as a personal weapon.  Didn’t bother me in the least that he lost it.”

“If it was stolen, perhaps we should return it to the Alliance?” Roshida asked.

Roshida’s tone was of honest inquiry, not accusation, so Mireya responded, “It’s better than new, Captain, because I’ve modified it extensively.  It’s been upgraded with a calibrated recoil modulator system and a high-velocity barrel, the standard heat sink has been replaced with an industrial grade version, and it’s mid-size receiver was swapped out for a high-capacity magazine.”  With a small chuckle, she concluded, “It’s barely recognizable as a Hurricane, much less Alliance issue!”

Roshida nodded in acceptance, then looked up as Celia quietly entered the office; the look she received from her lieutenant spoke volumes.  Returning her scrutiny to Mireya’s sea green eyes, she placed her elbows on her desk as she clasped and steepled her hands in front of her.  Releasing a heavy sigh, she said, “I’d like you join our team, Mireya R’Velli.  Celia will escort you to the team quarters, get you set up with a berth and equipment.”  Standing from her chair, she stuck her forearms out across her desk, palms upwards.  “Welcome to the team!”

The new team sniper placed her palms on those offered in sisterhood and said, “Thank you, Captain.  At the start of our meeting, you stated you don’t stand much on ceremony around here.  That suits me fine.  My nickname is Rey, should you care to use it.”  Lowering her hands, she turned towards M’Creno.  “Lead on, Lieutenant.  Let’s get me settled in so we can get down to business.”

Chapter Text

Knight Shade , Mannovai Orbit, Annos Basin – 18 Feb 2189

As soon as the inner hatch of the airlock opened, Valern saw Shepard and Liara waiting for him within.  He smiled and stated, “That went remarkably well for a visit that was supposed to be unexpected… yet appeared as if it was most definitely not a surprise.”

“What?” Shepard asked, her sudden concern etching lines across her forehead.

On the other hand, Liara simply nodded as she replied in a forthright tone, “She was waiting for you, wasn’t she?”  Her words were spoken much more as a statement than a question.

“Yes, she was.”  Valern blinked in his lingering surprise, from both Esheel knowing of his arrival and Liara seeming so relaxed about it.  “I am unsure as to how she came by this information… and she was most definitely not forthcoming regarding her methods.”

Shepard shrugged, “Doesn’t matter.  I imagine she got wind of our invitation to you and tracked you from there.  Not every Councilor gets an invite to a Spectre’s home.”

“Particularly from a Spectre not your own.  Had you invited Tevos, it is probable none would have made any special note of it.”  Valern looked suddenly calmer, having a potential explanation for Esheel’s knowledge of his travels.  “I believe you are likely correct… but, on the other hand, that also means I must have been under surveillance during my time at your home, which bothers me greatly.  If she can follow me so easily, so can Linron.”

“Not necessarily,” Liara responded quickly.  “We didn’t exactly keep your invitation a secret… so, more likely than not, Esheel’s spies simply picked up on the Knight Shade’s departure.  It’s not like we launched any of our transports as a deception tactic to disguise which ship you may have left on.”

Valern flashed a smile.  “Ah, yes.  And it would be very unlikely that I would remain at your home after you had departed… so they assumed, correctly, that I was traveling aboard the Spectre vessel.  A perfectly logical explanation, Liara.”

“Don’t look so happy just because your mystery is solved, Linas.”  Shepard’s tone cast an immediate pall over Valern’s sense of relief.  “Because you’re right about one thing.”  The Spectre paused for emphasis before adding, “We didn’t stop at the CGC on our way here… and Esheel expected you, so it’s very likely the Linron family actually does know about your visit…”  She glanced quickly at Liara before continuing, “… and our involvement in your transport.  If Ereda is as savvy as we believe, she will immediately make the connections we didn’t want public quite yet.”

“Which means we will have to be extremely careful in the future.”  Valern frowned.  “Particularly me, when I return to the CGC.”

“Do you have security you can trust?” Liara asked, solemnly.

“I will call Major Kirrahe and have him report to the CGC to meet me upon my return.  It will not be the first time he has provided security for a Councilor.”  Valern glanced at the Asari.  “May I use your long-range comm?”

“Absolutely,” answered Shepard.  “As soon as you finish telling us exactly what you two discussed down there.”

“Ah.  But of course!”  Valern flashed her a smile and asked, “Shall we retire to the ship’s lounge so we may speak in comfort?”

-------------------------------

“Not only did Esheel agree with our plan to pit the Dalatrasses against one another and offer any information she may come across… free of charge… but she also offered to pay market price for your time and information services that will aid in any direct actions she can take to help push this along.  She fully understands the need to make herself a primary target, to keep the opposing Dalatrasses from seeking the cause of this disruption on their own.”  Valern blinked rapidly before adding, “But, do not presume this stems from any sense of fair play.  She is simply ensuring that her alliance will not incur any level of debt to you, in any form.  She wants to remain free from any potential future favors you could possibly ask of her.”

Liara glanced at Shepard, who nodded in the affirmative to the question that made its way through the link.  Turning her focus on Valern, Liara quietly began, “You do need to know that Shepard and I spoke about our way forward after you departed for the surface.  We are going to treat everyone equally… by that, I mean we are looking into all the Spectres… no matter their allegiance.”

“At this point, they are all suspect,” Shepard continued, before adding, “And then, we will be vetting members of the STG, so I know who is available to the Council as potential replacements for those who end up terminated from service.”

Valern stared back and forth between the two of them, his jaw working, but no sound coming from his lips for a few seconds.  He stopped and cleared his throat, finally managing to ask, “Every single Spectre?  Including Turians… and Asari?  Not just Salarians?”

“Yes, Linas.” Liara answered promptly.  “Every single one currently allowed unlimited access to all the classified Council files and records.”

“That will be a monumental task…” Valern paled slightly.  “I just informed Esheel we were beginning our operation immediately.  This comprehensive vetting could significantly delay our start date!”

“Relax, Linas.”  Shepard smiled softly.  “We’re going to prioritize the information requests, so we can start putting the first few tidbits out there to begin building the mistrust between the Linron allies.”

Liara stepped in to continue the explanation.  “It has to build slowly; else they will immediately suspect foul play and question any new information that comes to light.  Every bit of incriminating information we leak will be completely true but, if we arouse suspicion, they could be stubborn about believing any of it.  That will necessitate we proceed very slowly… giving us plenty of time to thoroughly check out the records of the current Spectres.”

“Exactly what kind of information are you expecting to leak?”

“You have no idea how many trade agreements between families have been violated over the past few years.”  The Asari chuckled quietly.  “One simple example: Dalatrass Chada of Halegeuse promised one-third of their Helium-3 sales profits to be split between two of her allied clans… Edra and Wius… in payment for the manufacture of the advanced shielding necessary to colonize Halegeuse’ moons.  They expected fair payment, as that shielding plays a critical role in enabling said Helium-3 collection and refinement.” 

That piqued Valern’s interest, so he leaned forward quickly and asked, “Violated how?”

Liara’s chuckle transformed into a smirk.  “It would be a terrible shame if the unaltered House Chada profit statement records for the past five years or so were to be released… accidentally, of course… to their business partners, to be compared to the altered ones they have actually received each year.  From a Salarian perspective, how do you believe Dalatrasses Cha'ak and Salova would deal with that?”

“Best case?”  Valern leaned back with a satisfied smile, immediately catching the drift of Liara’s statement.  “They would demand immediate reparations… including added penalties and fees for falsification of records and potential lost investment interest.”  He shook his head.  “Worst case, they would contract either a thief or assassins, depending on just how many credits you are referring to and just how angry they become.  Honestly?  I do not believe I wish to know how you could have possibly come by that information, Doctor T’Soni… but I find myself extremely curious and I cannot help but ask, even if you choose not to answer.”

“I am an information broker, Councilor.”  Liara smiled smugly.  “An information broker good enough to find what we needed to win our war against the Reapers.  I am confident getting the data we need about the Dalatrasses will prove no greater a challenge, especially given the extended timeframe we have in which to do our work.”

“Yeah, we can take our time to do this right.” Shepard chuckled softly.  “It’s not like we have an imminent extinction looming over our heads this time.”

“Ah, yes.”  Valern glanced between his two new partners, allowing a small, optimistic grin to flash across his otherwise straight-line lips.  “I see your point.”

-------------------------------

Spectre Vessel Nalotir, Arcturus Stream – 21 Feb 2189

Spectre Ashley Williams sighed as she carelessly tossed the datapad she’d been studying on her desk, only to curse under her breath as it skidded on the polished surface and fell clattering to the metal deck as it slid off the other side.  Well, shit!  With a grunt of exasperation, she waited as Leon chuckled slightly while bending down to retrieve it.

With an amused expression crinkling the skin beside his eyes, he handed the datapad back to his captain while quietly observing, “Still can’t discover where your potential propulsion engineer is stationed… or hiding?”

“Dammit to the black abyss, Leon… this guy is keeping an extremely low profile, and the Batarians… those that will even speak with me, anyway, are not very forthcoming!”  Leaning back in her chair, she clasped her hands across her mid-section as she mulled the problem around in her mind.  “I’ve asked them to get in touch with him… have him contact me without revealing his location.  Nothing!  Cannot understand it for the life of me!”

“How about a diplomatic solution, Captain?  Can Councilor Osoba speak with the delegation from Khar’shan?  Perhaps one of their representatives would be willing to assist us.”

Williams responded with a bitter laugh.  “You missed the part of the Victory Tour when Shepard attempted to thank them for their help during the war.  We were still beside the relay when Ka’hairal Balak threatened to turn the Normandy into space dust if Shepard didn’t immediately get the Hell out of Batarian Space.”  She shook her head as she added, ‘No… Humans will probably never be welcome in the Kite’s Nest… not until Batarians go extinct, so, not an avenue for information.”

Leon sat back and stroked his chin.  “Perhaps Commander Voight in the CGC Propulsion Lab could help… have you asked him?”

Ashley thought about it briefly before answering.  “I hardly spoke with the man while I was there.  Gabby was so upset about her husband’s death, I don’t think we exchanged two words afterwards.  Hardly even spoke with him at the funeral.”

“Want me to contact him to see if he has any thoughts on the matter?”

Ashley nodded slowly.  “Do it, Leon.  Maybe you’ll have better luck than me.  I don’t care what you say to him… Hell, tell him I’m a total harpy if you like.  Just find me that engineer.”

-------------------------------

Shadow Broker Warehouse, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 22 Feb 2189

Roshida pinged the entry notification and stepped into the Regional Commander’s office.  “Hey Solo, you wanted to see me?”

“Ah, yes, Captain.  Please, come in!”  He flashed her a welcoming smile and picked up a datapad, gesturing toward the small bar in his office.  “Grab something to drink and have a seat.  I have news.”

Knowing there was only one topic that would be worthy of Solo calling her to the office – Orestes Station… the location for Project Phoenix – Roshida went to the bar as directed and poured herself two fingers of her favorite Asari honey mead.  She needed to keep her head clear and the stuff was powerful, so dared not pour a full glass.  Taking an initial sip, she turned and walked back to his desk, taking a seat.  “What have we got on Orestes?”

Solo gave her a quick, acknowledging nod before responding, “That’s why I like you, Roshi.  Direct and to the point… and you always know what’s coming at you before I say a word.”  He slid the datapad across the table and continued, “Based on what happened to you and your team at The Barn, we sent our best infiltration team to Orestes.  They very quickly discovered Project Phoenix is a bit more… no, a lot more… horrific – if that’s even the word for what our scouts discovered – than we ever imagined.  I honestly believe the Broker will want that facility destroyed, no matter what Doctor T’Soni desires.  I have forwarded an exact copy of the information you are now holding in your hand to the Broker… and am awaiting a decision.  I wanted to give you a copy, as well, so you could begin study and preparations in the event he actually approves some form of a mission other than to simply destroy the facility.”

Roshida had remained focused on Solo as he spoke and frowned as she glanced down at the pad.  “What could possibly be going on there that is so bad the Broker would demand immediate destruction, rather than an intelligence collection mission first?  He deals in information!”

Solo shook his head.  “There is some technology that is so powerful, so unique… such an aberration from what is considered civilized and normal… that the Broker feels there are not enough credits in the galaxy to allow a single person to ever possess it, as it would destroy the natural balance of things.  The Broker files restricted to the highest classifications are filled with such information… and Project Phoenix may be one of those technological deviations that belongs with those files.”

“So, why would you let me read this?”  Roshida cast him a nervous grin.  “If the Broker decides to shove this data into a dark corner with those file boxes, am I going to be… terminated?”  She had asked it semi-jokingly, but Solo’s failure to respond to her query suddenly had her seriously worried.  She stood from her chair and glared at him.  “Commander!  Should I be concerned?”

“Absolutely not, Roshi…  Please, sit down.”  Solo was dead serious, any trace of relaxed conversation that had been present vanishing with her questions.  He sighed quietly and explained, “When you came here, you came with nothing but the highest qualifications and recommendations.  I had never seen any rated to highly… and it only took your first few missions before you were trusted enough to be cleared for this level of data.”  He shook his head and held up a hand to keep her from asking the obvious question, continuing, “You were never told because our clearance system has a strict need-to-know policy.  Before now, you had no need to know.”

“By the Goddess!”  B’Sayle slumped down into her chair and took a big swig of the ale remaining in her glass.  “You fucking scared me, Solo!  My team and I have carried out a few of those contracts… never even considered being on the receiving end of one… until now!  Shit.”

“I apologize, Captain.”  Solo drew a deep breath before continuing, “I assumed you were secure in the knowledge the Broker considers you one of his top assets.  Unless you do something entirely out of character, you and the members of your team will not have to worry about such a thing.  Never.”  Finally allowing himself a small smile, he quickly added, “This is information rarely distributed, but given the circumstances, I will confirm that you are currently one of the Broker’s top three operatives.  He would never terminate one such as yourself without proof of a grievous breach of trust.  Even then, you would be given an opportunity to rebut or reconcile the charges against you.  Such procedural actions have been undertaken only five times in the entire known history of the Brokerage… and only two of those ended with termination.”

Taking a smaller sip of the ale in her glass, Roshida relaxed a bit more into her chair.  “Damn.  You should inform new recruits of that policy and the history that surrounds it.”  With the threat of death no longer looming over her head, she chuckled earnestly and added, “It might be enough to keep all of them on the straight and narrow.”

“Or scare them out of wanting to stay with the organization.  Money is not always the sole motivator.”  Solo laughed with her.  “We may never recruit another agent, and then where would we be?  Even Asari don’t live forever!”

Emptying her glass, Roshida stood up and went to the bar, rinsing it in the sink and placing it into the cleansing unit.  “Alright, Solo.  Now that you’ve scared the shit out of me, I’m going to go review this data.”  She met his eyes and queried, “Am I correct in assuming that it’s too soon to share this with my team?  That I should wait until we get approval from the Broker to undertake this mission?”

“Again, that is why I like you, Roshi.”  A wide grin split the commander’s face.  “Exactly right.”

-------------------------------

Spectre Vessel Nalotir, At Large – 23 Feb 2189

Spectre Ashley Williams, having just finished her morning shower, sat on her bed with both hands up, massaging and drying her hair with a fluffy towel.  Unlike most days when she literally flew out of bed and raced around her compartment to get cleaned up and dressed to meet whatever crisis was unfolding before them, she had the small luxury of time this morning, thanks to a brief lull in reported pirate attacks in the lawless region between the Traverse and Alliance-controlled space.

She chuckled mirthlessly at the phrase ‘Alliance-controlled’.  The Systems Alliance may have exerted some control over parts of the galaxy, out to the Voyager Cluster or the Armstrong Nebula – before the damned Reapers poured in through Kite’s Nest and began their harvest – their destruction – of technologically advanced races, but with the near total destruction of the Human and Turian space-fleets during the war, response times to pirate and slaver attacks in the region was now measured in weeks – if the victims were lucky. 

She rose from the bed in order to get dressed, studying her reflection in the mirror as she pulled on her underclothes, followed by her SDU.  She had just finished pulling on her boots when the desktop comms unit quietly trilled to announce an incoming message.  With a sigh, she reached over and tapped the ACCEPT control; the image of her XO appeared on the small screen.

Without preamble, Leon Rensch said, “Ma’am, I have a location for your Batarian engineer.  He traveled to Omega Station after the war, then served on a freighter as a relief engineer… made multiple trips among a number of worlds before going ashore on the newly completed CGC, where he now lives between assignments.”

Ashley asked, “Between assignments?  He still hiring on to freighters?”

“Yes, Ma’am.  I’m sending you his contact information.”

“Thanks, Commander.  Be out shortly.  I’ll contact him as soon as I have some coffee.  I want to see if he’ll agree to meet me on the CGC.”

“Let’s have breakfast together; we can discuss his qualifications.”

“Sounds good, Leon.”

-------------------------------

Civilian Residential Area, CGC, Widow System – 23 Feb 2189

Garok Ferank cracked one of his four eyes open just enough to see the softly-glowing chrono beside his bed.  0745… really?  Who the fuck… at this unholy hour… on my week off?

He had a comms unit repeater on the small table on the other side of his berth; unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to ignore any calls he received, since he needed to work in order to eat.  He waved his hand through the ACCEPT VID / SEND AUDIO control, as he didn’t feel like having to be visually presentable to whatever pile of Pyjak dung who dared to interrupt his sleep.

“Garok Ferank,” he growled.  “What the Hell you want?”  He struggled to focus on the bright image being displayed – a Human female.  How do they cope with all that hair?  Do they really need it so long?

“I’m Spectre Ashley Williams, Mr Ferank.  My apologies for contacting you so early… sounds as if you were sleeping.”

“Fuck your apology… Spectre… just tell me what you want.”  Garok put as much hatefulness into the words as he could; although he got along okay with other races, he didn’t care for Spectres at all – of any race, or gender.

Surprisingly, the female’s expression didn’t change at his tone.  Instead, she pressed on without hesitation as she simply continued, “I’m in need of a propulsion engineer on my ship; your qualifications and work history are impressive.  Would it be possible for me to meet with you on the CGC tomorrow… over lunch… to discuss a mutually beneficial arrangement?”

“Ashley Williams, you say?”  Ferank’s brain had finally begun to wake up – Why in Hell did I drink so much last night?  “Yeah, I heard a few rumors you been lookin’ for a propulsion engineer.  Must be really desperate to even think of hiring a Batarian!”

The deep chuckle he received in response to that was even more surprising than her initial calm response… as was her next statement.  “I’m sure you know I’m the CO of the Galactic Council’s flagship… the Normandy.  Both my engineers were killed by a Quarian missile that struck the belly amidships.  I’ve found a replacement systems engineer, but good propulsion engineers – of any race – are quite scarce since the war.  Meet me tomorrow… it’ll give you time to sober up… and lunch will be my treat.”

“How did you know…?” he started to say, but the smirk that crept into her expression told him she didn’t need a vid-feed to see – and hear – that he was terribly hungover.  “Okay, Spectre.  I’ll send you a location where we can have a discreet lunch.  If I decide to walk away, I don’t want any of the few friends I do have seeing me talking to a Human… especially a female, as if you are an equal.  I wouldn’t be able to get a job on an Elcor shit-hauler!”

Ashley chuckled again.  “If you decide to work for me, I believe it will help you as much as me.”  She looked down for a moment, then returned her gaze to the camera as the image flashed.  “My contact info; send me a location.  Once I see where you wish to meet me, I’ll decide whether I need to bring backup.”

Ferank quickly decided he liked the style of this ‘no-shit’ Human female.  Watching her as she spoke, he appreciated her directness.  If she was as forthright when he met her in person tomorrow, she just may have found the propulsion engineer she needed.  A chance for a Batarian to work on the Normandy?  I may just take her up on her offer, came the thought as he gratefully eased his aching head back down onto his pillow.

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 23 Feb 2189

“Exactly how long were you going to keep this a secret from me, Liara?”  A very angry Shepard, having reviewed the latest Broker traffic, glared at her Ionúin Álainn, very uncharacteristically raising her voice as she continued, “People died for me, Liara!  Not even really for me… they died for the chance to give me a few more years of life!  We don’t even know if this search will uncover what Miranda needs!  What then?  They will have died for nothing!”

“I understand you’re angry, but what you just said is not entirely true, Shepard.”  Liara was not in the least bit sorry over the actions she had put in motion.  “First of all, eight hundred more years are not exactly ‘a few,’ Shepard!”  Even though she was not repentant, tears ran down her face, upset that her siame could possibly be so angry with her over this.  “But even more importantly, you promised to do everything within your power to stay alive, be with me, and help raise our children!  I refuse to feel guilty about putting you first… because I love you and I am tired of constantly worrying about losing you!  Every time we have a chance at a future together, the Illusive Man, alive or dead, and the Cerberus network still somehow manage to threaten to take it all away from us!”

“So, you honestly believe exchanging the life of one Asari and three Krogan… a potential four thousand years of existence… for my 800 more is a good deal?”  Shepard shook her head and spat out, “You’re the smartest person I know, but you need to redo the math, Liara, because I come up with an entirely different answer regarding that lack of balance… especially since the quest for the necessary info has just begun.  Are you truly willing to sacrifice them for me?”

“Yes, I am.”  Liara briefly crossed her arms defensively across her chest.  “As far as I’m concerned, Samantha…”  She dropped her arm and placed a hand in the middle of Shepard’s chest, grabbing onto her shirt as if she could physically keep the woman from being taken from her.  “Compared to the millions you saved from the Reapers, if a few have to die defeating the last remnants of Cerberus in order for us to finally, truly realize the promise of a peaceful future, then yes, I am completely okay with that!”

Shepard pulled away and flopped down into a chair, her stomach tying itself into knots.  “I don’t think I can be, Liara.”

Growling with frustration, Liara questioned, “Have you even considered adding all those you saved during the Reaper War into that equation, Shepard?”  Her voice broke but she pushed on.  “You gave your life to a largely ungrateful population … nearly twice… and people still didn’t fully appreciate what you were doing!  Even when they finally saw how real the threat was, most still wouldn’t come to our aid!  They hid on their homeworlds!  The only reason we won was because you simply refused to die… and dragged everyone else along with you to victory, whether or not anyone was willing to help you!  You refuse to see it this way, but I say they owe you, Samantha, and it’s time to call in that debt!” 

“You’re right, there, Liara.  I do refuse that logic.”  Shepard huffed and shook her head.  “I only did what needed to be done; that’s all.”

Liara stifled a sob and momentarily turned away.  “You always say you never expect anything in return but, this time – if you are honest with yourself – you did want something… you wanted a future… you wanted time for us; it was the only thing we truly desired as a reward.  But then, after the war, gratitude and consideration for our personal circumstances were nearly as scarce as the Reapers you destroyed!  Have you already forgotten how they made our lives a living hell?  Heroes of the galaxy be damned; some even went to the extreme of trying to assassinate us!” 

“Watching you go down after that sniper shot?  No matter how hard I may try, I will never get that terrifying vision out of my head, Liara.”  Fighting back her own tears, Shepard continued, “But that does not give you the right to command others to die for my personal benefit!”

Liara spun back, her own anger at Shepard’s intransigence springing firmly into place.  “You know that LEAP and the other remnants of Cerberus wanted us both dead… and, as we’ve recently discovered, even some of the Salarians still plot against you!  What will it take for you to understand what I feel to be the main issue, Shepard?”  She huffed and shook her head in frustration.  “Let me make how I see this issue very clear.  If we lose this last fight…  If I lose my 800-year future with you… which is the only thing I have ever truly desired…  I will lose everything I have worked for; it is the one sacrifice I am simply not willing to make!” 

“That’s not fair, Li… You know damned well my promise to you is what kept me going… and it’s not like I want to give up an extra 800 years with you… you are my Anam Cara!”

“Which, apparently, doesn’t matter!”  Liara was seething as she spit out, “With your damned tenacious propensity toward self-sacrifice, you will give it up, whether you want to or not…  So, if you can’t care enough about us and our joint future to do what needs to be done to change that outcome, we have absolutely nothing more on this topic to discuss!”

The link crashed painfully closed, making Shepard wince as Liara turned away and stalked out, the positively livid Asari vanishing quickly down the hallway.  Samantha stood quickly, pleading, “Liara!” only to be met with a stony silence.  It had been a long time since she had felt so completely and utterly alone… not since their link had formed on Illium.  Shepard stared wistfully at the empty doorway for a few more moments before slumping back down into her chair, realizing that Liara had no immediate plans to return to their conversation.  “Well, you certainly stepped in the shit this time, Spectre…  So, what are you going to do about it?”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 24 Feb 2189

Gabriella Daniels was attempting to find a comfortable position in the chair she had chosen to sit in while she awaited being called into Doctor T’Lori’s office; the day before, they had completed an 8-month checkup on her health and the health and progress of the twin babies she was carrying, and this appointment was to go over the results.  The early afternoon sun was slanting through the large windows overlooking the expansive gardens that surrounded the immaculate field of grass – or whatever the Thessian equivalent of Terrene grass was called here – and it made for an amazingly relaxing view while Gabby waited.

Truth be known, Gabby was growing increasingly tired the further along her pregnancy progressed, and there were times that she felt like simply throwing up her hands and opting to endure the next month or so with her bare butt firmly planted on the toilet within her private bath.  Doing so would save her the seemingly thousands of steps it cost her to make the necessary trips back and forth, given the number of times a day she felt the need to reduce the pressure building in her now very crowded bladder.

Taking a sip from a mug of Kaffe, she sighed in happiness as the smooth liquid warmed her insides, even as she noticed Alyna T’Lori – her reflection in the window, actually – frowning in her direction from behind her.  She was sure the doctor disapproved of the caffeine intake, but it was one of the few pleasures Gabby could still enjoy, and she was unwilling to give it up.

“Gabriella?  With the number of times you have to empty your bladder, you know dehydration is an issue.”  Alyna sighed, sounding almost as weary as Gabby felt.  “And I know you’ll never quit, so why do I bother?”  She chuckled quietly at herself, and her frown turned up into a smile as she continued, “So come on in; we have much to discuss… all of it good.”

-------------------------------

They discussed, in great depth, what the Asari considered a normal process – a water birth – which most definitely required an assistant, other than the attending physician.  Though not a routine Human birth process, particularly when involving multiples, Alyna had assured her it was perfectly safe. 

They eventually compromised on using the warm tub for the labor portion only, gaining the many benefits that come along with the warmth and buoyancy, followed by the actual delivery done in typical Human-fashion… from a high-and-dry medbed.  When Alyna had brought up the subject of a birthing assistant, Gabby had sat in stunned silence for a few moments before breaking down in tears with the realization it could not be Kenneth. 

Once Gabby regained control of her emotions and following a bit of discussion about the necessity, Alyna gave her a rather short list of names.  “Of course, you can select anyone you choose… so these are merely a few recommendations.  Though, I would highly suggest they be someone who has both delivered a baby of their own, so they understand everything that comes along with that process, and who is readily available to stay at the Estate for a prolonged period of time.  It is my understanding that Human babies can arrive at the most inconvenient and unpredictable times, so the person has to be available on what could end up being rather short notice.” 

Gabby had agreed with both of those conditions and now found herself staring at the list of names.  She had actually hoped Tamiko would be able to come, but after a relatively short call, understood it was impossible for her best friend to be away from work for the required length of time.  Looking again at the so-called list, it included only four names – one of whom Gabby didn’t even know. 

The first recommendation was Luana Stura; the Steward of House T’Sere, who had acted as the birth coach for the daughter of Lady Sashia when she delivered the Grand Matriarch’s first granddaughter.  I’ve heard mention of the family during ship acquisition discussions, but I certainly don’t know them!  Why on Earth would I want Luana as my coach?  Gabby didn’t hesitate to scratch the first name off the list.

The next wasn’t much better… Moises T’Dura.  She was, at least, a friend of Liara and Shepard’s whom Gabby had met.  What surprised Gabriella was that Moises was actually bonded and had acted as the birth coach for her bondmate.  Together, they now had a daughter who was 80 years old.  She seemed so… uncompromising… and gruff!  I never would have guessed she was bonded and had a kid!  I do believe Alyna must have been hard-pressed to come up with options for me!

The next on the list actually made Gabby think – Aethyta.  God help me!  I don’t really know her… she cusses like a sailor… and, quite honestly, she scares me!  I don’t believe that’s a very good recommendation for the position of birth coach! 

Gabby chuckled quietly to herself and moved to the last name on the list, immediately happy that she easily recognized the name.  Lyessa!  Now that’s someone I think I can work with, but… why don’t I know that she’s had children?  I guess the only thing to do is ask her, but … what if her daughter is dead… killed in the Reaper War?  With a sad sigh, Gabby picked herself up and readied herself for the long walk to the Estate Steward’s office.  “I can’t imagine Alyna would have suggested it, if it would be painful for her.  Guess I’ll never know for sure until I ask her.”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 24 Feb 2189

Since her arrival at the T’Soni estate, Gabby had spoken with the Estate Steward nearly every day, but only in passing and sometimes during meals.  She rarely had occasion to speak with the Matron on a personal level; now, Gabby found herself needing to ask a huge favor.

Lyessa looked up as Gabby stepped through the office doorway to stand in front of her.  “Do you have a few minutes, Matron Lyessa?  I need to speak with you, if you can spare the time.”

The Asari grinned at the formality of the Human’s request.  Gabby was an honored guest in Lady Liara’s home.  The idea that anyone inside these walls, especially this extremely pregnant woman, should need to ask permission to speak with her simply seemed ludicrous.  “Of course, Ms Donnelly.”  Indicating the large chair sitting nearby, she added, “Please, have a seat.  Is there anything I can bring you?  A beverage, perhaps?”

“Thank you, Lyessa… but no.”  Pulling the empty chair a bit closer, Gabby slowly sat down, then interlaced her fingers and embraced her swollen belly.

Lyessa’s lips turned downward a bit as she asked, “I hope no inappropriate action, or lack of proper service, on the part of any of our staff necessitates this visit?”

“Oh, gosh!”  Gabby shook her head rather vehemently in objection.  “Absolutely not!  Your staff has been more kind and helpful to me than I ever could have imagined!  Thank you for asking.”

“So, what brings you to my office, then, Ms Donnelly?  Are you feeling well?  I would imagine you’re ready for your little ones to make their presence known in the world outside.”

Mentally rolling her eyes at the oft-repeated question, she replied, “I am… ready, that is.  It will be so much more comfortable to have these wee babes lying in my arms, instead of on my organs.”  With a grimace caused by what felt like a tiny foot hitting her liver, she added, “According to Doctor T’Lori, we are progressing quite nicely, but the more they grow, the less peace I have.  It has really been a long eight months…”

“I can relate,” Lyessa chuckled… the pleasing sound relaxing Gabby even more.  “You probably do not know that I delivered my own daughter in 1893.”  At the surprised look erupting on Gabby’s face, she hastened to add, “I was 332 years of age at the time.”

“My God, Lyessa!  I had no idea… so you… damn!  Sorry.  I know you had a daughter… I just never thought about how many years ago that would have been!”  Gabby felt as if her cheeks were nearly glowing from her embarrassment.

With another quiet laugh, Lyessa gave the Human woman a knowing smile.  “I realize the idea of living for a millennium must seem strange… and, so you know, I’m just over 600 years old, Gabby.  I know that may seem incredible to you, and I don’t intend to make you feel bad, but – barring accidents – I’ll probably outlive you by 400 to 450 years or so.”

With a rueful grin, Gabby said, “Should I be fortunate enough to live well into my second century, I’ll count myself lucky to look half as good as you do right now, Lyessa!  It’s easy to forget the typical Asari lifespan is measured in centuries instead of decades.”

Lyessa chuckled again; Gabby felt the sound was completely magical.  “As I understand Human reproduction, you are a month…” she looked meaningfully at Gabby’s swollen belly, “… or maybe less… from giving birth to your children.”  With a sigh, she added, “I still find it amazing you are able to carry two little ones inside such a limited space.”

“Some women have more… triplets, quintuplets… I can only hope this was a lucky exception… that I’m not genetically predisposed to conceiving multiple children.”

“Do you desire to have more children someday, Gabby?”  Lyessa’s voice had taken on a hesitant tone and she cocked her head to the side, thinking about what it would be like had she lost Selina in the war; how difficult it would be to even think of having another child without her.

“I haven’t really thought about it.”  Gabby blushed again as she admitted, “Truth is, I wouldn’t be pregnant at all except for the failure of my contraceptive implant during the summer.”

An expression of puzzlement colored Lyessa’s expression.  “I had heard Human females were unable to control their own fertility… don’t you find that rather inconvenient?”

Gabby laughed good-naturedly at the Asari’s question as she replied, “Apologies, Lyessa.  Yes, it is extremely inconvenient.  Without some form of protection, Human females have always incurred a risk of conceiving a child when engaging in sexual intercourse, at least until their mid-life change.”  Gabby solemnly continued, “These days, men will generally take responsibility for their actions, but it hasn’t always been the case; not so long ago, many were the women that were forced to raise their child – or children – with no help from the father.”

Lyessa slowly shook her head at Gabby’s admission.  “Goddess.  How heartbreaking it would be for a child to learn their conception was an unplanned occurrence… that their very existence was an unwelcome consequence of an act of love.”

“It’s not always about love, Lyessa.  Sometimes, it’s just simple lust.  As for me and Kenneth?”  She paused for a moment to draw a calming breath.  Even so, with the tiniest hitch in her voice, she finally continued, “He loved me more than anything, and I loved him just as passionately…”  A single tear welled up and overflowed, to slowly trickle down her cheek. As she concluded, “I still love him.  It’s why I haven’t given any thought to having more children.  Any man I may meet in the future will have a difficult time living up to my memories of Kenneth Donnelly.”

Gabby fell silent for a few moments before finally screwing her courage up to the sticking point; she cleared her throat, then studied the beautiful blue face looking back at her.  “If you don’t mind, I have a request for you, Lyessa.  Alyna has reminded me I will require the services of a birthing coach during my labor… someone to hold my hands… to help me through the process as it happens.  I would consider it an honor to have you assisting me.”

The Asari’s smile held a hint of sadness as she responded.  “You honor me with your request, Ms Donnelly.”  The smile grew into a huge grin as she continued, “And, I can think of no task more joyful – short of bearing another child myself – than providing you with the physical and moral support you need in order to deliver your children.  I will do my best to be an able surrogate for your Kenneth.”

Gabby let the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding out with a whoosh.  “Thank you so much, Lyessa!  I was really worried you would turn me down, and I don’t know who else I could ask.”

“My dear child… why ever would you think I could say no?  That you chose to have your babies here, within Lady Liara’s and Spectre Shepard’s home, honors every single person that resides here.  I don’t believe you could ask anything… of anyone… that would be refused.  And now, I’m especially looking forward to seeing you bring your children into the world, Gabby… as is everyone!”

Gabby grinned as she struggled to her feet.  “I really appreciate everything and everyone here, Lyessa.”  She turned to go, saying, “Now, I need to get back to my restroom.  I’ll see you later, and… thank you so much.”

“Thank you, Gabby.”  The Asari grinned as the mom-to-be slowly waddled out of her office.

Gabby hadn’t gone more than ten steps before a soothing, rich baritone voice spoke welcomingly behind her.  “Gabby!  What are you doing over on this side of the world?”  Harley Creath stepped to her side, offering her an arm with a smile.  “Please, allow me to escort you back to the residential wing.  Pardon my saying so, but you look about ready to drop.”

“Thank you… I feel like I’m ready to drop, but I’m sure you have more important things to do than to help tired and fat little me!”  Gabby smiled at the young N7.  “You must have come over to the service side for a reason of your own, I would think.”

“I did, at that.”  Harley smiled back at the obviously very pregnant woman.  “I came over to put in a new food requisition for the Knight Shade with Chef Leyana… but that task has been completed and I have a bit of free time.”  He raised his elbow again, renewing his offer of assistance.  “Come on… keep me company at lunch!”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 25 Feb 2189

“Nara?”  The voice of Estate Guard Captain, Lyria Tremi, startled Shepard out of her quiet contemplation.

“Shit!”  Shepard took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.  “Sorry…  That’s not directed at you, Lyria…  I simply didn’t hear you walk up, so you surprised me, that’s all.”

“That’s all?”  Tremi cocked a brow tattoo as she pulled out a chair and sat at the table next to her Captain.  “I do not believe I have ever seen you distracted to the point where I could approach you without even trying to be stealthy, Shepard… nor have I ever seen Lady Liara so short tempered.”  She paused, seriously contemplating whether she should really ask a question about what was a private matter, but did so anyway.  “As deeply as you two love each other, I can’t believe I’m going to ask this, but…  Are the two of you actually at odds with each other?”

Placing her elbows on the table, Sam groaned and put her head in her hands, mumbling, “Is it really that obvious?”

“Terribly so, it appears.”  Lyria chuckled lightly.  “It can’t be as bad as all that; tell me, please.” 

Given the level of trust that had developed between the Spectre and the Estate Captain, Shepard didn’t hesitate to give a short synopsis of the argument that had transpired the day before.  “She hasn’t spoken to me since…  I even slept in one of the guest rooms last night.”  She paused and shook her head as she amended, “Or, rather, occupied one of the guest rooms last night.  I didn’t honestly sleep much at all.  Liara locked me out… both physically and mentally; even the link is blocked.”

“By the Goddess!”  Lyria’s eyes flew open wide in bewilderment and she sat back in her chair, staring at her commander in shock.  “You told me everything?  You didn’t leave anything out?”

“Nope.  Not a thing… that was everything that happened, in a nutshell.”  Shepard let out a sad sigh.  “I’m not sure how in Hell I’m going to fix it, either.  I simply cannot find it within myself to ask multiple people to risk the rest of their very long lives, just so I can stay with Liara longer than what is natural for a Human… no matter how much I love her.”

“Well, I can certainly understand her motives well enough, but I cannot believe that Liara would demand such a thing.”  Lyria paused and her eyes narrowed.  “However, you did promise, and promises are sacred.  Trust is extremely difficult to repair, once broken.  You have to admit you are the one who created the dilemma by making such a pledge to begin with… and Liara has most definitely compounded it by actually calling you on it, when she must realize you honestly believe the very foundation of your morality hangs on your decision.”

“Gods.”  Shepard dropped her hands and set her forehead on the table with a resounding thunk.  “Tell me something I don’t know, Lyria… but I honestly believe Liara wouldn’t have stayed with me, otherwise; she would have walked away.  She demanded that promise from me because the idea of me dying on the Collector mission scared her so much.”

“You can’t honestly blame her for that, Shepard… you nearly did!  She loves you… and I would like to believe she would have eventually seen reason and returned to you, once you survived the mission.”  Lyria offered up a sincere smile.  “You have to remember how young she is by Asari standards, Shepard!  Yes, she may be over a hundred… which you see as going into the last third of your life… but, as an Asari, she’s still quite young.  And once she lost her mother…” 

Lyria dropped her voice and continued, “I am going to be blunt with you, Shepard.  While circumstances are to blame for the Matriarch’s passing… not you… once Benezia was gone, you became the anchor in Liara’s life.  By now, Liara should be full into her maidenhood… experimenting with melding with a variety of partners, exploring life to its fullest and chasing dreams, but she has a bondmate instead of a mother to guide her.  She sacrificed all of those experiences to be with you and help you fight the Reapers, Shepard… possibly without truly realizing the full impact that her actions would have on her life!  In that regard, she is not living in the way of the Asari… she’s acting like a Human.” 

“I realize she has largely adopted my ways… but in all fairness, we have blended our cultures and I have also adopted yours.”  Shepard sighed and picked her head off the table.  “We truly have united as one, in so many ways.  And, we are so much in love that sometimes it really hurts… like it has for the past twenty-four hours or so.”

Lyria reached over to lay a hand on the woman’s forearm.  “And that is the reason we accepted you into her life, Shepard.  It didn’t take us long to realize just how deeply you love one another.  That is the source of both the joy and the pain you are experiencing right now.  I believe you may not truly understand the depth of the consequences of your bond with her.”

“Yes, I do,” Shepard replied, raising her chin so she could meet the Asari’s eyes.  “Aethyta explained to me about soul-sickness, while I was recovering on Earth and Liara and I were physically separated by a relay.  She got me through it… and I can’t even begin to imagine how Liara did it on her own.”

“I guarantee you, she did not, Shepard.”  Lyria smiled encouragingly.  “She likely had Riana assisting her.  I guess my main point is that we all need help once in a while; that’s what friends are for.  You know, I will add that I honestly believe you are the best thing that has happened to House T’Soni…”  Raising her brow marking and a hand, she looked at the Spectre and said, “No.  They are my feelings and you do not have the right to debate them, Shepard.  Period.”

The Spectre huffed and waved a dismissive hand as she said, “Fine.  Go on.”

“As I was saying… you are the best thing that has happened to House T’Soni in the last century… since the birth of Liara.”  Lyria smiled as she continued, “There have been many sad events between then and now… but your appearance on our metaphorical doorstep changed our luck… everyone’s luck!  You drew Liara from her life of isolation and brought House T’Soni hope for our future… and hope, as you very well know, can be an extremely powerful force, Shepard.”

At that, Shepard blushed slightly.  “Yeah, hope.  It made getting all the forces we needed to win that damned war soooo easy.” she remarked, somewhat mockingly.

“Sarcasm will win you no points in this discussion, Captain.”  Taking the comment for the defensive posturing it was, Lyria took no offense and continued, “Now, knowing how highly we all respect and how much we love you, I can say that if you honestly asked me to do something for you that may cost me my life, I would do so willingly… just as you have done for us, so many times over.”  Shaking her head at Shepard’s immediate rebuttal, she spat out, “No!  You have no right to deny me my willing sacrifice, should I choose to give my life for you.”

Pulling her hand away, she sat back up in her chair, a potential solution suddenly popping into her mind.  “Look at your current circumstances.  If either you or Liara asked, I would be willing to take on this upcoming dangerous mission to help you… without hesitation!  My guess is the same is true for every single member of this household.  By extension, it is not necessarily an unreasonable expectation on Liara’s part to ask Roshida B’Sayle to do it.” 

“But that’s my whole point, Lyria!”  Shepard was quite vehement.  “They have no idea why they are doing what they’re doing, because Liara never asked them… she simply used the Brokerage to order one of the teams to do it… and that’s a horrible abuse of power!”  A tear rolled down Shepard’s cheek as she slumped in her chair.  “I agree they have the right to choose.  But they need to know both the goals and the ramifications of the requested action… and, as it stands right now, they don’t!  They have no idea what they are giving their lives for, so, that’s not a choice… it’s a mandate to potentially commit suicide, and I can’t… I won’t… accept it!”

Undaunted by Shepard’s frustrated outburst, excusing it due to Shepard being so tired, Lyria calmly replied, “So, the solution is not so difficult as it seems.  Simply give them the information, Spectre.”  Lyria sat forward and leaned over the table.  “All I can say for sure is that if you needed help, I would be more than willing to provide it.  So, simply give them the data they need to make an informed decision!”

Shepard wiped the tear from her cheek and met Lyria’s eyes.  “Now, that’s an idea… but Liara will hate it.”

“Why would she hate it…?  She should be thrilled to know you are no longer opposed to letting them continue the mission.”

Shepard pushed back her chair and stood up, resolute in her decision.  “Because, if they are going to do this for me, then Spectre Shepard is going to lead whatever missions are required…”  She had a smirk on her face as she continued, “After all… the promise I gave to Liara was that I would do everything I could to stay alive.  So, I will fulfill that promise, to the letter; I need the information to prolong my life, so I’m going to go get it.”  She smirked and added, “I’ll admit, I will obviously need quite a bit of help from my friends along the way… but I won’t accept said help until I explain exactly why we’re doing this.  Then, they can make an honest decision as to whether or not they want to come along for the ride.”

“Blazes, Shepard!  That’s not exactly where I meant for this discussion to lead.”  Captain Tremi leaned back in her chair, unsure if Shepard’s solution was a good one, given the state of her nanites.  Realizing it was too late to take back anything she had said, nor change the conclusion to which Shepard had come, Lyria simply shook her head in reluctant acceptance.  “I firmly believe you are correct in your assumption that Lady Liara is going to absolutely hate the idea… and, quite possibly, hate me for giving it to you.”

“No worries there, Lyria, because you didn’t.  As you just stated, this is not where you meant this to go, so I’ll take full responsibility for this one…  Now, I just need to find a way to get Liara to talk about it.”

“Take all the responsibility you want, but Liara will still know I was part of it… so I guess I simply need to be ready for her reproach.”  A quick shrug over the inevitable was immediately followed by, “But before you do anything, you haven’t slept in over… what?  Thirty-six hours?”  Lyria frowned as she did the quick calculation in her head.  “Have you, at the very least, eaten anything?”  Shaking her head at Shepard’s negative reply, she stood from her chair, saying, “Don’t you dare move.  Before you do anything, you need to eat, Spectre, so I’m going to the kitchen to get you a quick lunch… maybe some breakfast would be better, assuming Leyana is free to prepare you something hot.”

Lyria returned relatively quickly to discover Shepard, quite literally, hadn’t moved an inch.  She still sat hunched over in her chair, her head in her hands.  “Okay, sit up and eat, Captain.”  Placing the tray in front of the distraught woman, she prodded, “Go on, tuck some of that into your belly.  Your nanites are already acting up, we don’t need you adding either exhaustion or getting ill into the mix.”

-------------------------------

Shepard knew Liara was working but had no idea how much time had passed.  She had grown tired of standing as she waited, so was now snoozing with her back against the door that led into the basement Broker Suite.  When it finally opened, Liara was surprised by the Spectre, quite literally, tumbling backwards through the door at her feet.

“Goddess, Shepard!  What in the blazes are you doing?”  Liara scampered back a few paces, doing absolutely nothing to help the woman regain her feet.  She sounded angry… or possibly frightened… as she squeaked, “With a surprise like that, you’re lucky I didn’t warp you right back out into the hallway!”

Rubbing the back of her head as she stood up, Samantha took a deep breath to keep from replying with a sarcastic comment.  Even so, her response came out a bit stilted.  “Gee, I don’t know… maybe trying to get a word with my Grá mo chroí?”

“You could have tapped the entry request.”

“Honestly, I didn’t think that was an option, seeing as you felt the need to suspend my Broker room access.”  Shepard crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.  “That’s a pretty good sign you didn’t want me in there with you… perhaps so I couldn’t read any more of the message traffic regarding our current situation?”

“That’s not true!”  Liara actually pouted, reticence over what she had done getting the better of her tenuous emotional control.   She paused for a brief moment before making a halting, half-hearted confession.  “Yesterday that may have been true… but today… I simply forgot to change the settings back to what they were.”

“Uh-huh,” Shepard huffed.  “You forgot.”

Her initial reticence forgotten, Liara became suddenly brusque from the veiled accusation.  Her tone wasn’t necessarily intentional, but the whole situation brought back unpleasant memories from when the returned-from-the-dead Spectre first visited her on Illium.  She was frightened at the prospect of losing her siame much too soon… again.  Only this time, instead of the original expectation of maybe 100 or so years – by Miranda’s last ‘healthy’ estimate – this time it would be 800 years too soon… and that possibility made Liara defensive, even though the fear was due to the very strength of the love she held for her bondmate.  “What do you need, Shepard?  I’m rather busy.”

“Come off it, Liara,” Shepard groused.  “You’re not busy right now…  You were getting ready to leave else the door never would have opened, seeing as you had no idea I was even out here.”  A quick glance at her chrono had her adding, “Were you planning to eat?  I’d love to sit down and have dinner with my bondmate… whom I haven’t seen in nearly 48 hours.”

“And whose fault is that?” 

Liara’s ire over Samantha’s stubbornness was returning in full force, but Shepard refused to rise to the bait.  Instead, she drew in a long breath and blew it out as a heavy sigh.  “Let’s not relive the argument, okay?”  Shepard cleared her throat to get rid of the lump forming there and tapped her temple as she continued, “I miss you, Blue.  We need to talk this through… and I have an idea.”  She shrugged and added, “One you may not like very much, but we have to start somewhere.  We can’t go on like this… not the way things are right now.”

Shepard stretched out her arm, offering her hand to Liara, who knew exactly what her siame was truly asking.  It was nearly impossible to fully block the link if they were physically touching.  Liara closed her eyes for a brief moment and focused herself.  Opening them again, she shook her head lightly and replied, “No, we can’t… I can’t touch you, yet.  I’m not nearly ready to forgive you, Shepard.”  She crossed her arms and stepped out the door.  “But we can certainly restart our conversation over dinner – a private dinner in the study.”

Shepard honestly wanted to scream, ‘Forgive me?  You’re the one who walked out on us!’ but she did not.  Instead, she kept her composure and withdrew her hand, simply giving a quick nod of agreement as she replied, “It’s a beginning.  That’s all I ask.”

-------------------------------

They loaded their trays and walked out of the dining area.  Unseen by Liara, Lyria cast a knowing glance at Shepard and gave her a wink for good luck.  Livos, however, saw the exchange and immediately sat down across from the Estate Captain of the Guard.  Giving her a wary glance, Livos challenged, “You know what’s going on and didn’t tell me?”

“No, I did not,” Lyria answered without hesitation.  “Because it was a private conversation between Shepard and me, during one of our Captain’s moments of weakness.  We all know what is going on with her nanite situation… but all I will say regarding her and my discussion is perhaps you should ensure the Knight Shade is ready for departure at a moment’s notice.”

“The ship is always ready… and you know it.”  Livos sat back in her chair, surprise coloring her expression as understanding crept in.  “Goddess.  What you are really telling me is that she wants to join the hunt and go to the next research base…  Doesn’t she?  Orestes Station?”  She shook her head in bewilderment.  “Liara is not going to be pleased with that idea… not by any stretch of the imagination.”  She narrowed her eyes at her Ai'a me.  “Did you suggest it?”

“Maybe I did and maybe I didn’t…”  Lyria shrugged.  “We talked about the situation and discussed possible paths forward…  Whatever conclusions Shepard drew are hers alone.”

“May the Goddess guide and protect your soul if Liara ever finds out you even hinted at such a thing to Shepard!”

“We merely talked to ease Shepard’s distress, Liv.”  Lyria huffed out a laugh.  “I do not believe I could ever dictate the Spectre’s actions, no matter the situation.  As I said, her choices are her own.”

“You keep telling yourself that, Lyria… but, if I were you, I’d lay low if Liara comes storming unexpectedly into the drill area during one of our workout sessions… and be very happy you are not assigned to the Knight Shade, or you’d be taking point on every mission.”

At that, Lyria’s laughter erupted in full and her face held a rather mischievous grin as she said, “If you really want to know, Liv, I actually did offer to go with her…  She needs to do nothing but ask and I honestly believe the whole House would go.”

-------------------------------

Shepard and Liara sat across from each other at one of the lounge tables, eating in silence for a few moments before both of them began speaking at once.  They both immediately stopped, with Shepard chuckling softly as Liara blushed, with the hint of a smile tweaking the corners of her mouth.  “Goddess, Shepard.  We are kindred spirits, you and I…  How did we come to such odds over this?”  Her lips were attempting to smile, but sadness filled her eyes as she asked the question.

Shepard stared at her plate for a short second before setting her fork down and peering across the table at her Anam Cara.  Rather than lay the blame at Liara’s feet, Shepard answered with a sigh, “By making you a promise I knew in my heart I could never really keep, Li.”  She shook her head and continued, “I promised I would always come back… knowing, in truth, I don’t honestly always have control over such things.”

“But you have always done whatever is within your power to do so, so why has this suddenly become an issue?” 

Shepard immediately realized Liara was being quite earnest and she thought about Lyria’s comment about being more like a Human, instead of an Asari.  She fundamentally doesn’t understand why I can’t ask someone else to risk their life, simply so I can live longer.  How in Hell do I explain it so she can understand?  Maybe I have to use her own language. 

An idea suddenly jumped to mind and she began.  “Because I am Nara, Liara… a bearer of others’ burdens… a Rebekha, through and through.”  Seeing the questions remaining on Liara’s face, she continued, “Every time I have asked someone to sacrifice, it has been for the greater good.  This is different, because it is for my personal benefit… and this is where our opinions diverge.  You believe the entire galaxy owes me for my efforts, yet that has never been the motivation for anything I have ever done.” 

“Why would you not expect recompense, Samantha?  Surely you deserve a long and happy future for saving the entire galaxy!” 

“Because I only did it because it was right… and necessary.”  Shepard shook her head and continued, “I’m not some mercenary, going to war for profit, Liara…  If I was, I’d be no better than a pirate.”

Liara’s face twisted with grief.  “But you gave so much of yourself!  Why can you not accept a long life with me in return?”

“I can…”  Shepard saw the hope blossom in Liara’s expression, so quickly added the qualifier, “… but it comes with a condition; a big one for you, if I make a guess, and one I’m not sure you’ll be willing to accept.”

Liara bit her lip, disrupting the worried frown that was trying to form.  “What kind of condition?”

Shepard explained her thoughts regarding people’s right to choose their own future, ending with the big question.  “What it honestly all comes down to is that I simply can’t let someone else take all the risk for my personal benefit, Liara; I just can’t.  So…  Will you accept the condition that I get to speak with B’Sayle and her crew and, assuming they are still willing, that I, along with any House T’Soni and Spectre team volunteers, lead the mission to Orestes Station?”

Liara’s eyes closed and her shoulders drooped as she breathed out a heavy sigh.  Reopening blue eyes filled with resignation, she asked, “If I honestly want to keep you around for more than 150 years, I don’t really have a choice but to accept, do I?  You have simply reversed the direction of the ultimatum with your position.”

“Not true, because I’m not making an ultimatum.  I’m giving people choice as to whether or not they want to risk their lives for me, Liara…  Do you understand the difference?  It’s the one thing you didn’t give them when you commanded it be done via the Brokerage.  This way, they can decide on their own if they want to help me or not, rather than be assigned the job by the Shadow Broker…”  Shepard half-smiled as she added, “She’s not exactly someone you can generally say no to and expect to survive.  I love you with all my heart, T’Soni, and always will… but, the Shadow Broker, right now, at this very moment?  Not so much, because you never should have utilized the Brokerage for a personal quest to begin with.”

Liara stared at her siame for a moment and realized the truth in Shepard’s statement.  Forming an idea of her own, she asked, “I accept your terms… but, to sate my curiosity, will you tell me what you would have done had I refused?  I know you, so know you wouldn’t have come to me without a back-up plan.”

“Things would have gotten complicated and likely very unpleasant between us, so I’m glad you didn’t.”  Shepard’s lip twitched, almost as if she wanted to smile but refrained.  “I would have gone to the Council and requested assistance in destroying the station, along with any others I know about, in order to erase the last vestiges of Cerberus and all those who want to gain Human galactic dominance by force.”

“Goddess, Shepard!”  Liara’s face paled at the very idea.  “You would eliminate any hope of ever repairing your nanites in time!  Why would you even consider such a thing?”

“You already know the answer to that question, Blue.”  Now, Shepard did smile.  “Because I know you… and you would never give up on the idea of having me around for a few extra centuries.  So, in order to guarantee you wouldn’t eventually send someone anyway, no matter what we agreed upon today, I’d have to eliminate the temptation.”

Once more indignant, Liara asked in a belligerent tone, “Do you honestly believe I would ever do such a thing?”

“I would like to say no, Liara, but we’re being candid with one another… besides which, I would like to think neither of us would ever intentionally lie to the other… but, quite honestly?  I truly don’t know.  I never thought you’d sell me out to Cerberus… but you did.  Circumstances changed and you turned my body over to Miranda, but don’t get me wrong… I am extremely fortunate that you did, else we wouldn’t have the opportunity to be together now.”

Liara finished the thought so Shepard didn’t have to.  “And if I became desperate, given the choice to save you again, you are correct… I would likely break my promise and violate your trust… again.”  Liara stood and walked to the fireplace, staring at the flames as her blue eyes began to cloud with moisture.  “Goddess, Samantha.  Sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself.”  She turned back to her bondmate as tears began to stream down her cheeks.  “What have I become, Shepard, that I can so callously sacrifice the lives of our friends?  Anyone’s life, for that matter, solely for personal gain?  What gives me the right?  By the Goddess… I’m horrible!  How can you possibly still love me after this?”

Tears.  Shepard immediate rose from her seat and went to her Grá mo chroí, quickly wrapping a surprisingly unresisting Liara into a loving embrace.  “Because I understand you’re just scared, Blue; that’s all.  You’re just scared of losing the one thing you think you can’t live without.  Trust me when I say I know the feeling!”

“Being frightened is no excuse for such behavior!”  Liara pulled back a bit to angrily wipe the tears from her cheeks.  Shaking her head in disgust, she growled, “I don’t deserve the Brokerage…  Not until I learn to wield it with much better judgment and discretion!” 

“And who, exactly, would you count on to do it better, Liara?”

“Miranda and Oriana!  Just as they already are!”

“And did they not see the orders you posted?”  Shepard placed her hands on Liara’s shoulders, holding her at arms’ length to look her in the eye.  “Did you receive even one peep of protest?”  Using her grip to gently pull Liara back into a hug, she whispered softly, “You did not, likely because they agreed with you…  I can think of no other reason why Miranda, in particular, would remain silent.  Can you?”

“You’re right,” Liara actually managed a small laugh through her remaining tears.  “If she disagreed with my actions, she would have called the moment she saw them, not giving a care in the galaxy to what time it may have been here…  But there has been nothing but the standard progress reports from her… or from Ori.”

“Exactly.”  Shepard turned her head and placed a feathery kiss on Liara’s cheek.  Cracks in Liara’s block on the link allowed a few thoughts to trickle through, encouraging Shepard to prompt, “Open back up to me, Li…  No matter what transpires between us, our love will always see us through the storm.  I know it… and so do you.”

“I… do.”  Liara hesitated for only a moment before sighing and closing her eyes.  She leaned in closer, shifting her head from Shepard’s shoulder so their cheeks touched, skin-on-skin.  The block fell away and they immediately became one; the tide of emotion threatened to drive them to their knees, exactly like what had happened on Illium, but they managed to keep their balance and remain standing.  Liara changed what she had been about to say, that she was unsure they were ready for her to drop the block, instead murmuring, “I love you, Siame… and it always surprises me just how much you love me… even when I’m being a completely unforgiveable Ardat.”

Shepard laughed before turning her head and kissing Liara thoroughly on the lips, eliciting a pang of desire, driven more by the emotions surging through the renewed link after a painful absence, than the kiss itself.  {Did I not promise you unto eternity, Grá mo chroí?  Our love is unique, Liara… You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and you’re damned well worth fighting for!}

{How can you be so sure of that, Siame… particularly after the past two days?}  A huge wave of love surged through the link, staggering Liara in its intensity, but Shepard’s firm grip kept her upright and on her feet.

{Because I love you, Grá mo chroí… more than life itself, as if that has not made itself wholly and completely evident… and I have faith in you.  You have a good heart… we just need this to be over and get you past this fear of losing me.  Why does it have such a hold on you?}

{Because you are so precious to me, Samantha.}  A wave of sadness threatened to ruin the moment as Liara explained.  {When I was young, I had no true friends… I led such an isolated existence.  I look back now and see how truly alone I was.  Losing Mother was another severe blow, but we got through that… together.  I cannot lose you, Siame.  You truly are my happiness… my lifeline.  If something should happen to you, I fear I will become a recluse… and I have to wonder how quickly the power of the Shadow Broker would corrupt me in my grief… my fear of being alone… for none will ever compare to you, Samantha Shepard.  None.}

{By the Gods, Liara!}  Tears ran down Samantha’s face as she experienced the immense sadness through the link.  {Then we’ll just have to make sure that never happens… but promise me; you will always talk to me about things like this first… before you sacrifice any more lives for my benefit.  Can you do that?  Can you promise me we’ll work it out together?}

Liara released a shuddering breath and pulled back, breaking the physical contact, answering aloud, “Yes, Samantha… I can, and I will.”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 28 Feb 2189

“This is highly irregular, Lady Liara.”  Roshida B’Sayle stood in the foyer after being welcomed to House T’Soni, refusing to budge from the entry and forcing Liara to come to her.  “Do you not think this carries extraordinary risk, inviting me to your home like this?”

“You worked with Matriarch Aethyta for many years… who, along with Matriarch Mozia, is enroute and will be arriving in the next fifteen or twenty minutes.  Where else would you go to say goodbye to Joya?  Besides which… did you not take the standard precautions, as dictated by Broker procedure, to ensure mission security?”  Liara cocked a brow marking, studying the commando captain’s reaction to her questions.

“Of course, I did!  Points taken.”  Roshida snorted out a laugh and her gruff manner instantly dissolved into a broad smile.  “It’s good to see you again, Liara.”  Glancing to the young maiden’s side, her gaze settled on the House Captain – savior of the galaxy and commander of the Knight Shade – Spectre Samantha Shepard.  Her enormous presence was impossible to ignore as she stood there in full-dress combat armor.  “And you, Spectre Shepard.  Though I heard your name bantered about, some untold number of times, at the Estate during the dark days of the war, it is my honor to finally meet you in person.”

“Same here, Captain.  I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”  Shepard reached out and clasped B’Sayle’s forearm.  “I only wish it was under better circumstances than committing one of our own to the Goddess.”

Though a bit puzzled over Shepard’s phrasing of ‘one of our own,’ Roshida simply nodded in acceptance.  “Agreed.”  Roshida used her free hand to point back over her shoulder with her thumb.  “The rest of the squad is moving the stasis pod to the funerial barge as we speak.  Joya S’Raxia was an extremely skilled sniper and it was a sad day when we lost her.”  Her eyes returned to meet those of Liara.  “I believe the message inferred that part of this meeting would be to discuss what happened?”

“Not quite.”  Roshida was looking at Liara, but it was Shepard who answered.  “That’s only partly correct.  The loss of your sniper is in the past and there’s nothing we can do about it now, other than to celebrate Joy’s life and learn from our mistakes.  Today is, first, about honoring your sniper and, second, doing our best to make sure such a thing never happens again.”  The Spectre huffed and continued, “I know there’s never any guarantees, but you went in there without the proper intel… and that is definitely something we can avoid in the future.  We can also ensure you have the appropriate level of force you need up-front, instead of backup squads that remain on a ship until it’s almost too late.”

Exactly what role did Shepard play in this?  I’m beginning to believe my initial impressions on this mission were dead on… that Liara, somehow, had a personal stake in these trips... and why does it seem like Shepard keeps assuming fault for something in which she had no part?  Still wondering, the commando captain looked to Liara and asked, “And how is this a discussion I have here, with you, instead of at the Ops Center on Juxhi, with Commander Arern?” 

Roshida saw the glance between Shepard and Liara, immediately understanding what was happening before Liara ever had a chance to answer.  “Because I have an apology to make to you and your team…”  Liara glanced at the floor before bringing her eyes up to meet those of B’Sayle.  “And, then, our dear Spectre has an offer for you.  One I hope you accept… for the sake of my bond with Shepard.”

“This hunt we are on is no longer strictly a Broker operation…”  B’Sayle paused and narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before asking, “Was it ever?”

Liara looked to Shepard who interceded quickly by answering, “No, Captain.  It most definitely was not.  It was very much a personal request… unbeknownst to me, for my benefit.”  Shepard tucked an errant strand of hair up behind her ear as she continued, “I’m not exactly sure how much you’ve figured out, Roshida… but this whole mission has roots in a personal medical issue.”  She sighed and continued, “So, I take Joya’s death personally, because she died for me… without ever knowing it.”  She glanced at Liara before adding, “So, you’ll have to be patient a little longer, but once the committal ceremony is complete, I will explain exactly what is going on.  Then, you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to help me… or not.”

-------------------------------

Following the committal ceremony for Joya, Roshida learned quite a bit about House T’Soni dynamics during Liara’s heartfelt apology and Shepard’s explanation of the reasoning behind her mission proposal.  Shepard’s ‘unofficial’ input to Shadow Broker operations was no great surprise… but everything surrounding the extraordinary capability to extend a Human lifespan by nearly three-fold was almost beyond belief. 

“How could I even think of saying no after such a presentation, Captain?”  Roshida was shaking her head in wonder.  “An opportunity to work with you… on a mission that has medical implications so far beyond what is common knowledge or practice?  I know you said nothing about that… but, for me, while helping you is reason enough on its own, you have to realize the broader applications of this technology, which extend well beyond simply adding years to your life.  The possibilities for new healing treatments are endless!” 

Her demeanor noticeably cooled as she looked to Liara and continued, “I am well aware that many of the non-Human technological advances revealed during the war came from Cerberus research facilities… which never would have seen the light of day had it been left up to the Illusive Man.  It was you, Liara, who pulled that information from the databanks and turned it over to the appropriate authorities.” 

However sincere, Liara’s apology had done little to comfort Roshida regarding Joy’s death, but the squad Captain could also understand the young maiden’s concern for Shepard.  “That data saved lives during the war.  Combined with the knowledge of how much you love your Spectre – and I realize how much love can cloud someone’s judgment – I am willing to put aside the anger I feel toward you for not giving me this information to begin with.  How you went about this was completely wrong but, I agree, no matter how we got here, the mission is important.”

Liara hung her head and wiped away the single tear that escaped.  Her voice was rough as she replied, “I know… and I also know that no apology will ever bring Joya back.  So, personally, I thank you for helping us, Roshida… and, as the Shadow Broker, I understand if you would like to terminate our relationship when this mission is over… Agent B’Sayle.”

A course laugh emerged from the Shadow Broker agent.  “Not on your life, Liara.  My crew and I have honestly enjoyed the missions that have been assigned to us… the pay is great, the support is excellent, the facilities we reside in… topnotch.”  Roshida’s voice turned icy as she continued, “But, with this last, you have broken trust… so, from this point forward, I will demand the right to decline or to ask for more information on any new mission you may assign.”  Her eyes flicked to Samantha and back.  “Just as Spectre Shepard forced you to do this time.”

Liara’s head came up, her eyes clear and shoulders square as she replied, “You are correct and you deserve nothing less from me, Roshida.  I agree to your terms.”

“Then consider it all in the past.”  Roshida nodded in agreement and stated, “So, let’s get on with it and plan our next mission.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 15 Mar 2189

Two weeks had passed when a touch of discomfort in her swollen belly had awakened Gabriela Donnelly at 0545.  She remained lying on her left side in her comfortable bed while using her right hand to massage the location of the perceived pain.  Sliding her hand gently across her bare skin, she felt a protruding bump and sighed.  Baby Donnelly, I can really get along fine without you poking me from every possible direction.

After ten minutes, the increasing pressure from her bladder became impossible to ignore; Gabby reluctantly used her left arm to shove her upper body up as she swung her legs from under the covers and placed her feet on the floor.  At this stage of her pregnancy, she needed to place her hands behind her on the mattress and push in order to slide her butt off the mattress and place her weight on her feet.  Once she was sure of her footing, she slowly walked to her bathroom, pulled her gown up in back and carefully sat on the toilet seat.

With her bladder empty once more, she used the handholds on either side of the toilet and retook her feet; shedding her gown, she stepped into the shower stall and washed up for the day.  Amazingly, she heard a slight growl from her stomach over the sound of running water.  She had not been particularly hungry the previous evening, so she had only eaten a salad with a few crackers.  Guess I need to get down to breakfast…

Twenty minutes later, Gabby entered the main dining room and looked around at the people already eating – most were commandos – the house guard, getting ready to assume their duties for the day.  She moved to the large counter filled with breakfast foods; selecting a bowl filled with the Thessian equivalent of oatmeal, she added several pieces of sliced fruit and a mug of Kaffe to her tray.

Turning to walk to a table, her progress was halted by the presence of Harley Creath.  “May I carry that tray for you, Ms Donnelly?”

They had enjoyed their first lunch together back on the 24th, following Gabby’s meeting with Lyessa Raptos regarding the Asari acting as her birthing assistant.  Since that day, Harley had made a point of keeping her company during lunch anytime the Knight Shade was docked, which had been more often than not.  Shepard’s special contract with Armax had allowed her to give the Orestes Station schematics to the developers, who had quickly created a special-access training simulation based on its layout.  Since then, Shepard and B’Sayle had been making daily trips to the Armax Arena with their teams, allowing them to train together every morning, in preparation for the assault on Orestes Station.  It was very much like what Shepard had done when she had first formed her two ground teams for the Knight Shade. 

As such, unless they needed to work through something that went wrong during the sessions, they were normally home by lunch.  They had never met at breakfast, but Gabby gratefully handed the tray to the N7, who had then led the way to a nearby table.  Truth be known, she was grateful for the Human companionship; she had grown to dearly love the Asari living at the estate, but having another Human to speak with, especially a man as ruggedly handsome as Harley Creath, was a special treat.

She felt somewhat conflicted as he assisted her to sit down.  It’s been only two months since I bid farewell to Kenneth in Edinburgh… and now here I am, enjoying the company of another man!  What in Hell is the matter with me?  I’m still carrying Kenneth’s babies, for God’s sake!

Harley set their trays down, then sat across the table from her as she began to eat.  He took an appreciative sip of coffee before addressing the food on his plate.  After chewing and swallowing several mouthfuls, he looked at the engineer and commented, “Not a lot of food on your plate, Ms Donnelly… not hungry today?”

She responded with a tight smile.  “We’ve had this discussion already, Harley… call me Gabby, please?  ‘Ms Donnelly’ makes me feel… I dunno, just old… and frumpy, somehow.  And no, it’s not a lot of food… I’m not feeling so hungry this morning.”  She took a sip from her mug before continuing.  “My stomach was really talking to me while I was taking my shower, but now?  Not a peep.”  Leaning back, she massaged her tummy as she added, “Even these two have settled down a bit.  Makes me wonder…”

Without continuing the thought, she stiffened in her seat for a moment, then frowned slightly as her cheeks flushed.  “Oh no!”  She squirmed about for a couple of moments before looking at the man sitting across from her.  In a squeaky voice sounding equally nervous and embarrassed, she whispered, “I need you to find Lyessa for me… right now!”

“Gabby, what’s the matter?”  Harley leaned forward, concerned about the pain suddenly etched into the woman’s face.  “What?”

Gabby hissed through her teeth, “My babies!  They’re coming, Harley!  My water just broke… my pants are completely soaked.  Please hurry!”

Harley reacted right away.  He left the dining room on a dead run as he used his omnitool to summon Doctor Alyna T’Lori.  By the time he returned with Lyessa, Alyna was helping Gabby get up from the table and onto a hover chair for the brief ride to the area set aside for a birthing center.

Gabby barely had time to offer an apology to Harley for ruining his breakfast before she was whisked away by a med tech, with Lyessa holding onto a trembling hand and Doctor T’Lori following in trail.  Shaking his head at all the commotion, he picked up her tray, took it to the collection area, then returned to his own breakfast.  It was worth noting, and he promised himself he would tell Gabby when next he saw her, that his coffee hadn’t even cooled off.

Hope everything works out for that little lady.  Truth be known, Harley Creath realized he had grown quite fond of Gabriella Donnelly in the two short weeks he had been having lunch with her.  He wasn’t actively looking for a relationship by any stretch of the imagination – Hell, she had just buried he husband a couple of months ago and, with it not being a leap year, she had done nothing but cry over the two days before and after the man’s birthday of February 29th.  Still, there was something about her that intrigued him.  Perhaps it was her openness when she was near him, when she always seemed a bit shy around everyone else at the estate.  To top it all off, he felt it very possible she liked him as well. 

Best put her out of your mind, you dolt.  It’ll take a special kind of man to turn that woman’s head, and it won’t… and shouldn’t… happen tomorrow.  She needs to finish mourning the loss of her husband… and rebound relationships rarely work out.  With a resigned sigh, he finished his breakfast and left to return to the Knight Shade.  Just need to remember to check in on her when we get back from training today.

Gabby, having been rushed from the Estate dining area to the birthing area within the medical center, had been carefully stripped of her soaked pants and panties by a pair of med techs while she had nervously stood by the pool and clung to Lyessa’s hands.

As the Human woman was helped into the pool by the med techs, Lyessa quickly shed her own clothes, then sat with her back against the reclined backrest; Gabby was helped into position by Doctor T’Lori, who then assisted her to sit down between Lyessa’s wide-spread legs, where she reluctantly leaned her back against Lyessa’s chest.

Reaching around her, Lyessa grasped shaking hands in her own as she spoke softly to the woman.  “Gabby, it’s going to be alright – I’m here with you and I am not going anywhere.  All you need to do is concentrate on not pushing until you’re completely dilated, okay?  Can you do that for me?”

Gabby nodded as she squeezed the Asari’s hands – this very nude Asari, against whose body she was leaning.  She only had time to think, Oh God, how did I get talked into… when she was nearly overwhelmed by an intense pain radiating from the center of her entire pelvic area.  Lyessa, with her bare legs hard against Gabby’s, could feel when the woman’s muscles stiffened in anticipation of a uterine contraction; as much as Gabby wanted to hold her breath, the calming voice of Lyessa reached through her pain.  “Remember to breathe, Gabby… in and out… through your mouth… don’t hold your breath… breathe…” and over and over, until the wave passed. 

“It hurts, Lyessa!

“I know it does, my dear.  Just squeeze my hands and listen to my voice.  I’ll help get you through this… that’s what I’m here for.”  Gabby could feel the comforting smile form against the back of her neck and relaxed as best she could, under the circumstances.

-------------------------------

Nearly eighteen hours passed before Gabby finally delivered her first child – a little boy – just before midnight.  A little girl followed roughly twenty minutes later, and an exhausted mother finally had a chance to breath a small sigh of relief as Lyessa, still reclined behind her, wrapped a pair of arms around Gabby’s torso in a comforting embrace.  Alyna and Derek cleaned and swaddled the newly arrived young one while the med techs helped Gabby out of the pool, into a soft gown, and into bed.  Freed from having Gabby reclining against her, Lyessa stood, raised her arms over her head and stretched to relieve the stiffness of eighteen hours spent supporting Gabby in the birthing pool.  She showered and dried herself before getting dressed, then joined Gabby at her bedside as Alyna placed a bundled baby girl in her mamma’s arms, which were already occupied by her brother.  Propped up with an extra pillow, the youngster took her first meal outside the womb.

By this time, the little red-haired boy had taken his fill and was fast asleep in his mother’s arms, prompting an eager Lyessa to ask, “May I take him from you, Gabby?  I would love to hold him for a bit before settling him into his crib.”

“Please do,” yawned a very sleepy Gabriella.  “I’m afraid I may fall asleep and drop him!”

Derek smiled softly and answered, “No worries there, Gabby.  The sides of the maternity bed are designed in a way that if you do, he won’t be going very far, so you don’t need to worry about that…  But, that said, you do need to get some rest.”

“What time is it?”

Alyna chuckled.  “Way too early in the morning for you to be worrying about it!  Rest now, best you can, knowing we’ll be keeping a watch on you and your new babes.  We’ll try not to disturb your sleep when we take your baby girl after she gets her fill… and, we’ll see you in the morning.”

“I very much doubt I’ll be able to sleep while she’s still suckling,” she giggled tiredly.  Gabby yawned again, then looked around at the group surrounding her bed.  “Thank you, everyone, for everything.”  A tear trickled down her face.  “I’m not sure what I would have done, without Kenneth.  You’ve all made this possible… and been so wonderful to me!”

Cradling the little boy against her chest, Lyessa answered quietly, “Shush now, Gabby.  It is our privilege and joy to help deliver a new life…” she hesitated before correcting herself, “… new lives… into this world.  You honored us with the acceptance of our offer.  Now, off to sleep you go, as Alyna directs…”  She paused and, careful to not squish the tiny bundle in her arms, leaned very carefully over the new mother, placing a soft kiss on the woman’s forehead as she whispered softly, “… and we’ll see you later today.” 

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 16 Mar 2189

A pair of brown eyes, squinting against the seemingly bright lights, peered about the room.  It took a few moments for Gabby to remember she was lying in a med bed.  She focused her still sleepy gaze on a couple sitting nearby; a huge grin erupted as the pair – an Asari and a Human – rose from their chairs and took the few steps needed to reach the side of her bed.

Liara and Samantha both had big smiles of their own as they greeted the new mom; Gabby noticed each of them was holding a tiny bundle… one wrapped in a dusky shade of pink, the other wrapped in blue.

Shepard spoke first: “Good afternoon, Gabby.  You’ve really been sleeping.  Oh, and congratulations!  Lyessa didn’t tell us, and Alyna and Derek felt you should be the one to introduce us, so…”  With a grin and a tilt of her head, she indicated the blue bundle she was holding and asked, “What did you name this handsome little boy?”

Before Gabby could answer, Liara added her own question.  “And what about this absolutely beautiful little one?”

Gabby could just barely see a bit of red hair peeking out of the blankets in Shepard’s arms, so answered her first.  “Spectre Samantha Shepard, meet Malcolm Kenneth Donnelly.”  She was happy she had managed to say ‘Kenneth’ with barely a hitch in her voice.  Turning her attention to Liara, she giggled before saying, “Lady Liara T’Soni, it’s my honor to introduce you to Annabelle Edine Donnelly.”

Liara leaned down and placed Belle – for that is how Gabby would refer to her daughter – on the bed next to her mom, who was still lying on her left side.  She placed a kiss on Gabby’s cheek before standing erect again.  “I believe they are both hungry, but Annabelle seems a bit fussier.”  She smiled at her Siame, who didn’t seem eager to relinquish possession of the tiny bundle of life she was holding.  “I love that expression on your face, Sam.”

“Oh?”  Sam looked up, a tender smile pulling at the corners of her lips.  “And what expression is that?”

“The one that tells me you’re going to make a wonderful father to our children.”  Liara almost cried at the thought that shot unexpectedly through the link.

{If I live that long.}

“You will…”  Ignoring the pain in her heart at the thought, Liara laid a hand lovingly on Shepard’s forearm, caressing the suddenly tense muscles there.  “That’s what this next mission is all about… us doing everything within our power to make that happen.”

“Sorry.”  Sam looked down at the little bundle as she apologized to her Anam Cara.  “I didn’t mean for you to hear that.”

“I’m glad I did.”  Liara picked Malcolm up from the cradle of Samantha’s arms and placed him tenderly in the bed next to his mother.  “It’s good to see you awake, Gabby, but we’ll leave you to feed the little ones and get your rest.”  She smiled adoringly at the threesome.  “You’ve made a beautiful little family.  Kenneth would be proud of you.”

A tear trickled down the side of Gabby’s face as she whispered, “Yes, he would, wouldn’t he?”

“And so are we, Gabriella Donnelly.”  Shepard stepped to the other side of the bed and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her forehead.  “I’m glad you left the Alliance to raise them in Ken’s ancestral home.  It will give them strong roots… and not because of the location, but because you’ll be able to be there for them, every single step of the way.”  She chuckled quietly before adding, “There is absolutely nothing more powerful than a mother’s love.  Trust me.  I know.”

“Thank you, Captain.”  Gabby smiled and met Shepard’s eyes.  “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“And you’ll always have us…”  Liara smiled and took Shepard’s hand, pulling her towards the end of the bed.  “We’re more than happy to help, anyway we can.”

“You already have, Liara.”  Gabby started to pull away her gown, then paused; blushing, she added, “And, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get them fed.”

“Oh, right.  Sorry.”  Shepard’s cheeks glowed a light shade of pink as she turned to head toward the door, squeaking, “We’ll just be leaving now,” as she slid through the doorway.

Liara smiled at Gabby’s sudden modesty… and at Shepard’s reaction to it, as she followed her Siame out of the room.

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 20 Mar 2189

With everything happening within the same week, the T’Soni household was forced to combine a multitude of celebrations; this year, they had picked the middle Friday between all the events.  They had originally planned to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, Alban Eiler, Janiris and Samantha Traynor’s birthday… and now, they had also added the joy of celebrating the births of Malcolm and Annabelle into the mix.

The special guests had begun to arrive; the first, much to Livos’ pleasure, was Carlina V’Zanto, the nature guide from the Záhrada S’Vatyne Resort and Livos’ amantia.  Zan had managed to secure three full days, so would be staying through the entire weekend, and Livos was already apologizing for the fact that she would be working during the mornings when Shepard interrupted.  “Absolutely not.  It’s a holiday weekend.  We can skip a few days of mission prep.”  To be sure B’Sayle agreed, Shepard glanced her way, only to watch her quickly smile and nod in approval.

“Absolutely!  It’s Janiris, Shepard.”  She paused for only a moment before adding, “And our first celebration of it in quite a few years.  I do not believe I could convince the squad to be serious if I wanted to…”  A wide grin spread across her face.  “Unless, of course, House T’Soni actually came under attack while we were here.  Then, they would instantly be on alert and to arms!”

Laughing, Shepard answered, “Well, I imagine we’re pretty safe from that…  so, I guess we all take the long weekend off.”  She glanced at Liv and smiled as she said, “The weekend really is yours, Liv, but we all need to be back on deck at 0700, Monday.”

“No problem, Captain.”  Livos smiled back as she took Zan’s hand.  “You’ll see us at the party tonight for sure.  After that?  No promises.”

Lyessa stepped in and quickly whispered in Shepard’s ear.  “Your mother and Kahlee are inbound on the shuttle, Samantha.  I assume you want to meet them on the tarmac?”

“Yes, I do.  Thank you!”  Turning to Liv and Zan, Shepard smiled.  “My mom and Aunt Kay are about to land, so I shall take my leave.  Have a great time and I’ll see you both tonight!”

Without waiting for a response, Samantha turned and headed toward the door.  Looking back over her shoulder at Liara, she asked, “Coming?”

“Certainly.”  Liara walked quickly to catch up and they made their way quickly to the rear exit leading to the landing pad, her stomach in knots.  She worried that things with Shepard were still not settled, and Liara was worried that Hannah would immediately sense something was off kilter.  Liara knew it was mostly her own fault; she couldn’t help that she was so in love with Shepard… but she most certainly should have been able to keep her emotions out of the decision making.  And now, she didn’t want to have to explain her actions to Hannah… and potentially disappoint the woman she thought of as a second mother.  I didn’t ask Shepard because I knew I wouldn’t like the answer.  The worst thing is that I knew the answer and did it anyway.  Goddess, you can be an idiot sometimes, T’Soni.  You deserve her wrath over this.

“Hey.”  Shepard stopped and turned to her, holding her hand out in invitation.  “The link’s open, you know.” 

Liara groaned and blushed.  Letting out a sad sigh, she took the offered hand as Shepard continued, “It won’t do any good to keep beating yourself up over this.  We’ve talked about it and it’s done, Li, so don’t you worry about explaining it all to Mom.  We need to move on, enjoy the weekend, and tackle new problems as they come.”  Using her free hand to tip Liara’s chin up so their eyes could meet, she asked, “Okay?”

“I don’t understand how you can be so forgiving over such a breach of trust, Samantha.”

“Because I love you just as much as you love me… and I’ve actually been with someone who didn’t know how to forgive.”  Shepard swallowed and cleared the sudden frog in her throat as she thought of what Nikki had done to her.  “It sucked… and I never want to be that person.”

A tentative thankful smile made its way onto the Asari’s face.  “Me neither… so, thank you.”  Shaking her head and starting to walk again, Liara whispered, “You never cease to amaze me, Samantha Shepard.”

Plastering a lopsided grin on her face, Shepard chuckled, “That’s me – the amazing Spectre Shepard, savior of the galaxy!”

At that, Liara had to laugh and, with an honest smile, said, “Come on.  The shuttle is going to hit the ground before we ever get there, at this rate.”

They managed to scamper out the door, quite literally at a trot, just as the shuttle engines idled down enough for the hatch to be safely opened.  Continuing to jog as the stairs extended and settled on the tarmac, they made it to the ship just before Hannah appeared in the doorway.  “Mom!  It’s so good to see you!”

“Me too, you!” Hannah said as she nearly jumped down the stairs, a compact overnight bag hanging on her shoulder.  As soon as her feet hit the ground at the bottom, she threw her arms around her daughter and squeezed her tight, before quickly moving and doing the same to the Asari standing next to her.  “You too, Liara.  Gods it’s nice to have my feet on solid ground for a bit.  I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately… but I’ll tell you about all that later.”

Kay had only been a couple of steps behind the admiral and had slipped quickly into the vacancy left in Samantha’s arms.  “How are you, Sam?  You look tired.”

Laughing, Shepard answered, “Gee.  Good to see you, too, Aunt Kay.”

“Ohhhhh, you.”  Kahlee gave her a tight squeeze.  “Stop it.  You know I’m always happy to see you, Sam… but that I also always worry about whether you’re taking care of yourself while you chase all those bad guys around the galaxy.”  She stepped back and added, “And, by the way, happy… everything!  How many holidays are we celebrating tonight?”

Liara laughed as Kay stepped over and gave her a hug as well.  “Goddess knows… there are quite a few.”  She smirked as she added, “And, we have an unexpected surprise for you both… but we’re not telling, so grab your bags and get them dropped in your rooms.  Then, meet us in the commons.”

“Mysterious surprises!”  Hannah smiled and started to walk toward the house.  “Liara…  You know exactly how to get this old woman moving!”

Turning quickly, Kay, Shepard and Liara followed in trail, chatting as they returned to the house.

-------------------------------

It was less than ten minutes later when Kay and Hannah stood in the Med Center, coddling two little bundles of sleeping love.  “Gods, Gabriella!”  Hannah peered down at the scrunched little face swaddled in her arms.  “She is absolutely adorable!”  She looked over at Samantha and added, “I forget just how tiny you were when you came into the world, Sam!”

“I don’t think I was quite that small, Mom.”  Shepard grinned.  “I didn’t have to share your womb with a twin brother.”

“No… but you did suffer through an eezo exposure… and you were born premature by roughly a month.”  Hannah met her daughter’s eyes as she added, “So, while you may have turned into one of Humanity’s most powerful biotics, you were quite the tiny little thing when you were born.”

“How come I didn’t know that?”  Shepard asked, pursing her lips.

“Didn’t know what, dear?”  Aunt Kay chuckled at the conversation.  “That you are the preeminent Human biotic, or that you were born early?”  Hannah’s smile turned into laughter as Kahlee unexpectedly joined into their banter.

“I’m glad you both find this amusing!”  Shepard grinned.  “Makes me realize how much I don’t miss you guys!”

“Hey now!  That’s uncalled for, Samantha!”  Hannah grinned; they had skipped their normal repartee when they first saw one another on the landing ramp, so were obviously making up for it now.  “I just didn’t want to give you a ‘little-person’ complex, since you were so much smaller than most of your classmates.” 

She let out a hearty laugh at Sam’s rejoinder, “Well, at least I finally had a growth spurt… unlike my pipsqueak mother!”

“Oh, God!”  At this point, Gabby was shedding happy tears as she begged, “Please, stop!  All this laughing makes my insides hurt!”

“And, I must agree with her.”  Alyna had stepped into the room, hearing the growing volume of the ongoing conversation.  “The new mother and babes need rest… so, give them back to Gabby so they can eat before we put them down for their naps.”  The doctor smiled and added, “Besides.  Matriarchs Mozia and Aethyta have arrived and are waiting for you at the bar.”

Shepard laughed, “Of course they are,” which got a smirk from Liara.

“Come, Siame.  We honestly shouldn’t keep them waiting.”  Glancing at Kay and Hannah, who still held the children, she continued, “And I am quite confident that Kay and Mom are also quite familiar with the location of the lounge… and require no escort to find their way there.”

Hannah snorted in her attempt to stifle a laugh, which got them all to chuckling again, including Alyna, who responded, “Alright!  That’s it!”  Taking Malcolm and Belle, one in each arm, she grinned at the collection of friends and family as she laughingly ordered, “Out!”

-------------------------------

It was just before dinner when Lyessa stuck her head in the door to Gabby’s room.  Seeing that the young woman was awake, she slipped in and quietly asked, “Are you up for a little company, Gabriella?”

“Oh, yes!  Please!”  Gabby rolled her eyes.  “I know everyone is trying to let me rest, but I am bored to death, sitting in here all alone!”  She laughed at herself as she rearranged the two little bundles at her side.  “Well, I’m not exactly alone… but you know what I mean.”

Laughing, Lyessa entered the rest of the way and closed the door behind her, approaching the bed.  “Yes, I do.  I nearly went crazy the first three days after I delivered Calandra… everyone was so damned concerned about me getting my rest, I wanted to scream.”

As she sat in the chair next to the bed, the smile on Gabby’s face gave way to a decidedly serious expression.  She cocked her head as she looked at this Asari… the person that had held her bodily for over eighteen long hours in a birthing pool.  “Lyessa…” she started, then paused.  At the expectant look she received, she swallowed hard and continued.

“Lyessa, I’ve been doing some thinking, wondering actually, about Asari customs… and Human.  That you chose to support me throughout my labor… as long as it was…” her voice hitched as she thought again about what she needed to ask.  “It’s something for which I will always be grateful.”  Lyessa started to reply… to tell her no thanks was necessary… when Gabby continued on.  “I don’t know what the customs are among Asari regarding shared responsibility for child-rearing, but on Earth, many Human children have what are known as… godparents.”

The Asari’s eyes widened slightly.  “You mean to tell me that Human children can have more than two parents, Gabby?  That seems incredible… I haven’t heard of that.”

“It’s more of a religious custom than anything else, really… a child, upon being officially christened by the church, will have a godparent or godparents named.  These are people who are willing to play a small part in raising that child… as well as a kind of spiritual guide or role model.  Also, should something happen to the parents, the godparents will often take that child into their home to continue raising, as if they were their very own.”

Gabby paused, as if waiting for a reaction.  When none was forthcoming, she plowed ahead.  “Lyessa, being named a godparent does not have to be done as part of a religious ceremony.  It’s something that resides in one’s heart.”  Placing a hand in the middle of her chest for emphasis, she added, “In my own heart, I already know the godmother for Malcolm and Belle.”

Lyessa instantly knew the Human was referring to her.  “Goddess,” she whispered.  “Gabby… you want me to assume the role of godmother for your children?  Are you sure?  We’re systems apart… my role as steward for House T’Soni takes precedence over everything else in my life.”

Gabby nodded, saying, “I realize that, Lyessa; I don’t expect you to ever come to Earth for a visit, much as I would enjoy having you as an honored guest in my new home.  It’s just… I cannot imagine my children growing up completely isolated from the planet of their birth.  They need an anchor here… someone esteemed by her peers, as you are.”

Lyessa thought about this woman’s words… the intimate connection she now shared with Gabriella Donnelly, after spending hours with the woman’s nude form nestled against her own.  It’s almost as if I was giving birth with her, she realized.  “Gabby, your request honors me.  I don’t know how to be a godmother, but if you wish to bestow that title on me, who am I to deny you that favor.”  She reached over to place a gentle kiss on Gabby’s cheek, then said, “Should the unthinkable come to pass, I will step in… Malcolm and Annabelle will always have a mother.”

Gabby’s face flushed in relief as she smiled again.  “Thank you, Lyessa.  After all we’ve shared, I feel as if you are my sister.”

“I am your sister, Gabby… your Sim’re.”  With a chuckle, she stood from her chair and said, “You know what?”  Lyessa had a twinkle in her eye as she glanced around the room and whispered conspiratorially, “You get into something comfy.  I’m going to find a hoverchair and you’re going to join us at the party… at least for a little while!” 

“But what about the babies?”

Lyessa grinned.  “They’ll be fine for a bit.  You just fed them… They’ll sleep for at least a couple of hours!”  She winked and added, “You’ll be tired and back up here long before they wake, I promise you that.  But, if you’re really nervous about it, I can get Selina to watch them for a bit.  Once you get tired and return to your room, she and I will still have the rest of the evening!”

Gabby’s voice reflected her utter joy at having an excuse to get out of her bed, even if only for a short time.  “Sound’s wonderful… Sim’re!”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 20 Mar 2189

When Gabby and Lyessa arrived, the party was in full swing.  Liara had already completed her obligatory Janiris speech as leader of House T’Soni, and those who had participated in the maiden parade had been properly adorned, flower leis hanging about their necks.  The dancing and drinking had also commenced, neither of which Gabby would partake in.

“This is amazing!”  Gabby stared about in wide-eyed wonder.  “It makes the parties we had on the Normandy pale in comparison.  Is it like this every year?”

Lyessa laughed.  “We’ve been busy, and we have much worth celebrating!  Though, the decorations are a bit scant, compared to what we normally do, and the food… well, let us simply say post-war supply and distribution is still not back to its previous levels.”  She looked over the crowd, trying to locate a particular item, finally exclaiming, “Ah!  There it is!”  Looking to Gabby, she smiled.  “Come along, Gabriella… for those not intending to imbibe any form of alcohol, the juice bar is off to the right side, over there.  Then, I’ll make sure to get you a seat at a table, where people can visit with you, to alleviate some of that…  What did you call it?  Stir-crazy?  … without you having to spend too much time on your feet.”

Gabby gave her a grateful smile.  “Thank you, Lyessa… though, I can’t imagine people wanting to spend time with me, with everything else going on!”

“Oh, Gabby!”  Lyessa’s face split with a wide grin.  “You have no idea how many here have so many questions about your twins!  You could be here all night if you stayed to answer them all… Not that I think for a second that either Alyna or Derek will allow you to stay down here too long, once they realize you’re here.”

On the other side of the room, Hannah was regaling Sam and Liara with tales of just how uncooperative some of the delegates from the Turian outer worlds were being.  “It’s simply unbelievable to me how they expect the Quarians to simply give them one of their Liveships, now that they have established farms on Rannoch.  I’m attempting to negotiate a purchase agreement between the Turians and the SILC… Legion is willing to build one for them at cost… but the Turians want nothing to do with paying for one.  I may as well be negotiating with a pile of rocks out in your rose garden!”

Shepard’s brow pinched as she said, “Last time I spoke with Garrus, he told me they were still experiencing severe shortages… but said it was mostly due to transport issues…”  She trailed off, looking at her mother with a puzzled frown.

“That’s likely true… within the Apien Crest, at least.”  Hannah shrugged.  “But their outlying colonies?  They simply expect gifts from the rest of us because…”  She rolled her eyes and spoke in her best Turian imitation, while using her fingers to make ‘air quotes’, “It is the least you can do as payment for our military contributions during the Reaper War.”

“What?”  Shepard’s voice rose in anger.  “They wouldn’t give us a damned thing until we managed to get Krogan boots on Palaven to help them protect their homeworld!  And, then,” she growled, “they almost screwed that up with their stupid bomb!  Who’s the Turian trade rep?  I’ll speak to Garrus and get that shit straightened out immediately!”

“Eventually, perhaps.”  Reaching over to clasp the nearest of Samantha’s hands, Liara glanced at Hannah and responded, “But, tonight is not the night to be discussing these things.  We won the war… and our future.  Let us simply celebrate our victories tonight… and save whatever problems remain for some more appropriate time?  Please?”

“You’re absolutely right, Liara.”  Hannah shook her head and added, “I’m sorry.  I know better.”

Shepard calmed a bit and sighed, “And I guess I was pretty naïve, to think any of them would have changed as a result of the war.  Now that the threat is gone, they go right back to being the same self-centered assholes they were before.”  She huffed in disgust and replaced her frown with a smile as she added, “Except for a few very good exceptions… like Garrus and Tali… and Bau.”

“And many more… too many to list, Siame.”  Liara squeezed her bondmate’s hand.  “We received a lot of help from a lot of people; some expected… and others who were a great surprise.”

“Like Aria T’Loak?” Shepard laughed.  “But, you’re right; tonight is not the night, so let’s have another drink and see if we can convince Traynor to slip a waltz into the music mix, shall we?”

“A waltz?”  Hannah looked at the couple in surprise.  “You’ve taught Liara to waltz?”

“I did, at that, Mom.”  Samantha winked and stood up, in preparation to go on the hunt for Traynor.  “And she’s damned good at it, too.  Don’t you remember that from the bonding ceremony?”

“Oh!  That’s right!”  With Sam’s gentle reminder, the memory flooded back and a sly grin sudden formed on Hannah’s lips.  “Do you think Harley dances the waltz?”

Samantha laughed, responding, “I don’t know.  You’ll have to chase him down and ask.”

-------------------------------

When Shepard finally found Traynor, it was no surprise that Riana was at her side.  Pulling her aside, she whispered conspiratorially in her ear.  “Think you can modify the music program to randomly include a waltz or two, Sammi?”

Traynor looked at her captain in some surprise for a moment, before responding, “I believe I can arrange that for you, Spectre.  Any composer in particular?”

Samantha grinned at her comms specialist.  “I’m leaving that choice up to you… I just want to take a turn or two around the dance floor with my Ionúin Álainn.”

Traynor casually wrapped a hand around Shepard’s upper arm as she returned the grin, saying, “You’ll have a waltz after the next selection.”  Turning to Riana, she said, “Ten minutes, then find me at Gabriella’s table.”  With a quick peck on a blue cheek, Sammi disappeared to work her magic with the program controlling the party music.  What she hadn’t told Shepard was that a ‘follow spotlight’ would be shining on her and Liara as the rest of the room lights dimmed slightly, ensuring the pair would be the center of attention during their waltz.

Riana sighed as Sammi left.  She knew her Breá Ber’ah well enough to guess she was up to something… what that ‘something’ was remained to be seen.  The commando made her way around the edge of the large room, exchanging pleasantries with her sisters and guests as she moved.

Spotting the Normandy’s former propulsion engineer, she approached the table and took a seat across from the new mother.  “How are you doing, Gabby?”

Gabby’s face reflected the happiness she was feeling at being able to sit… comfortably… and enjoy everything going on around her.  “Riana!  I’m doing really well!  It’s so nice to be out of my bed for a bit.  Can’t drink any alcohol yet, but the fruit juices are a nice substitute.”  She looked past the Asari’s shoulders and asked, “Where’s Sammi?  I hardly ever see you without her close by.”

A soft voice from behind startled Gabby.  “Did I hear my name?”  As Gabby turned her head to look at the owner of the voice, a non-alcoholic drink was placed on the table in front of her, before a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders and upper arms in a sisterly hug.  “I was running an errand for Shepard.  It’s good to see you again, Gabby!”  With a kiss on her cheek, Sammi released her, then took the seat next to her former shipmate and asked, “Since you’ve escaped the confines of the maternity ward, is it safe to assume someone is keeping an eye on those little ones?”

Gabby’s face was radiant.  “They’re sleeping – and, yes.  Selina is keeping an eye on them.  Lyessa promised I’d be back with them in time for their next meal.”  A rueful smirk preceded, “I’ll be back even sooner if either Derik or Alyna discover I’m not in my bed.”

Sammi giggled, causing Riana to ask, “Are you not supposed to be out here, Gabby?”

“There’s no medical reason for me to be lying in a damned bed, Riana.  Relaxing out here, watching everyone…” here she looked meaningfully at first Sammi, then Riana.  “… visiting with a few of the people I love more than anything?  It’s the best therapy I can think of.”  Fixing Sammi with a hard stare, she concluded by asking, “Now, what kind of mischief have you been up to, Ms Traynor?”

Sammi glanced at Riana before answering, “Why, whatever do you mean, Ms Donnelly?  I would never…”

A blue hand slid across the table to lovingly grasp the hand of her Breá Ber’ah.  “Sammi… I believe our captain sent you on an errand.  And, based on the expression on your face, I also believe you exceeded the scope of your assignment.”  With snarky expression firmly in place, she asked, “What did you do?”

Sammi, listening to the music playing in the hall, split her attention between Riana and Gabby.  “The next selection is a waltz, requested by our captain.  Keep watching… I programmed a surprise for her and her lady.”

Riana’s mouth fell.  “Goddess, Samantha!  What did…?”

Traynor gave the hand holding hers a quick squeeze.  “Just be patient, my love.”

Gabby was enjoying the way these two expressed their love for each other – Riana being more rigid where it concerned her captain and Lady T’Soni – Sammi taking a more relaxed view of the things she could do that would amuse Shepard… and by extension, Liara.

As the music began – a tune familiar to Gabby, though she did not know its title – Traynor activated her omnitool; the lights in the room slowly dimmed in response.  A spotlight flared on, shining down from a source in the center of the ceiling, illuminating the captain and lady as they began dancing.  Of great surprise to Gabby – and Riana – it followed them perfectly as they circled the dance floor in perfect harmony with the orchestra.

“How in the Goddess’ name did you do that, Breá?  You had no time to plan for this!”

Sammi smirked at her lover.  “She never goes anywhere without her comm unit on her wrist… and I have those tracking codes memorized.  The light will follow that tracker wherever it goes on the dance floor.  I think they deserve the attention; don’t you agree?”

“Did it not even occur to you they may not want that much attention?”

Reaching over, Gabby gently placed a hand on Riana’s forearm.  “Please, Riana… don’t be upset.  It’s a nice gesture.  What could possibly happen here, in this place, on this planet.  It’s not a public venue… everyone in attendance either works here or was invited.  I rather like it.”

Sammi grinned at Gabby, then looked at Riana.  “That pair is so blindly in love with one another, I seriously doubt they even noticed.  Look at how much fun they’re having.”

Riana watched Shepard and Liara circle the floor as if neither had a care in the world.  She finally nodded to Sammi in approval, as the waltz ended, and the lighting returned to normal.  Gabby would have applauded but didn’t want to bring attention to her presence.

Riana stood from her seat, bringing Sammi and Gabby to their feet as well.  Moving around the table, Riana grasped the woman’s hands.  “Gabby, I’m really happy you’re here.  I’ll stop by to see you again before the Knight Shade departs.”  With that, she drew the engineer towards her and kissed her cheek, then released her hands and turned towards the bar.

Traynor gave her a gentle hug, saying, “I’ll come by as well, Gabby.  I want to see your babies again before we have to leave.”

Gabby inexplicably felt her eyes filling with moisture.  “I’ll look forward to that, Sammi.”  Looking past Sammi’s shoulder, Gabby spotted Alyna T’Lori and Derek Yandle standing side-by-side, looking about the gathering of people.  “Oh no,” she whispered.  “I am so busted!”

“You sit back down, Gabriella Donnelly, and make yourself inconspicuous.  I’ll see if I can misdirect them – buy you a bit more time out here.”  A kiss on her cheek, and she was gone.  Gabby retook her seat and sipped from her glass.  It was good to have friends.

-------------------------------

Livos had spent a good thirty or so minutes explaining to Zan about Shepard’s strange holidays, something, she realized, she probably should have done when she issued the invitation.  Finally, Zan simply shrugged at the attempt.  “It seems odd, that someone seemingly so progressive in her thinking would follow such… antiquated… old-Earth traditions.  Do you not find it so?”

Livos smiled and shook her head.  “Not at all.  Her choices reflect her general love of the environment and the world that surrounds her.  I find that her giving spirit… and her protectiveness… are a direct reflection of those beliefs.  They are what truly make her our Nara… our Rebekha.”

“I do not yet know her well enough to draw those conclusions, so will simply trust your judgment.”  Zan reached across the table to take her partner’s hand.  “But enough about Shepard and her beliefs, Liv.  I came here to spend time with you, and we don’t have many chances to do so.  So, while I know we started our relationship with that understanding, that does not mean I have to like it.  Neither do we have to squander what time we do have, with you trying to explain such things, when I have much more enjoyable things in mind.”

A soft blush crept across Livos’ face as she tenderly caressed the hand within her own.  “And just what kinds of things could you possibly be speaking of, Carlina V’Zanto?”

With a teasing grin, Carlina answered, “I would love to take an extended tour of the Estate… on foot… particularly to that place where the stream feeds into the lake at the edge of the meadow.  It would make an excellent camp… with fresh water and plenty of soft grass upon which to lay our bags out for a night under the stars.”

“With a small fire and a camp meal?”  Livos squeezed her lover’s hand.  “I am generally not fond of camping… but that sounds positively divine, Zan.”

“You do not think fondly of it because you have never camped with me, Livos Tanni.”  The grin turned into a full laugh.  “This will be nothing like my little hideaway cave on Sanves.  I can guarantee it will be an experience you will want to repeat.”

“And I’m sure we will,” Livos laughed along with her, still giggling as she continued, “As soon as our schedules will permit, no doubt.”

-------------------------------

“Nice party, Shepard… and nice dance.”  Roshida stood from her seat as the Spectre approached.  “You’ll have to teach me that someday.  It is very… graceful.  For what I normally witness when watching Humans dance, that was very… Asari… in its elegance.”  She smiled and glanced around the room, waving her hand to indicate the large number of people within.  “Speaking with many of the people here tells me two things.  First, every commando here positively adores you… both for your love of their Lady and for the amount you were willing to sacrifice to ensure the galaxy’s survival, a true warrior.  Few are truly prepared to risk everything so selflessly and still manage to survive the events to enjoy the fruits of their hard-won victory.”

“I got lucky more than once, Roshi.”  Shepard stared off across the room, unable to actually see her, but knowing exactly where her Ionúin Álainn was… via the link.  “And I had the very best partner possible, to drag my ass back whenever things didn’t go as planned.”  The Spectre’s attention returned to the Asari standing before her.  “I quite honestly owe Liara my life… many times over.”

“As all the rest of us, obviously, owe both of you for ours…”  Roshida smiled softly as she continued, “Which brings me to point number two.  It is also quite apparent that we made the correct decision in agreeing to help you in your quest.  First, because a group like Cerberus needs to be eliminated and, second, because you deserve the same long life the rest of us Asari can now look forward to, thanks to Liara’s and your efforts.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Roshi.”  Shepard looked down and shook her head.  “I don’t expect any type of reward for doing the right thing.  I did it because I’m a soldier… and that’s what soldiers do.”

“In this case, I am in agreement with Liara; modesty does not serve you well, Shepard.”  Roshida smirked and added, “Besides which, once you asked, the choice was no longer yours to make… and we have decided to help.”

“Well then…”  Shepard smiled as she spoke.  “I guess all that’s left for me to do is say thank you.”

“Not all.”  Roshida turned solemn.  “There is no guarantee we will be successful… nor your Miranda, even if we do find the data she needs.  So, if we are to do this, you must promise me that you will live whatever life you have remaining, be it one hundred or one thousand years, to its fullest.  So, on the day you go to meet your Gods, you will have no regrets and they will judge you favorably.”

“I’ll try, Roshi.”

“There is no try, Shepard.”  Roshida smiled softly.  “Only do.”

-------------------------------

Rushing Pond, T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia – 21 Mar 2189

“I see what you mean.”  Livos lay on her back staring up at the stars above as she regained her breath.  “It’s magnificent out here… even in the coolest part of Spring.”

“We’ll see if you still feel that way when you wake up tomorrow,” Zan answered with a chuckle.  “The damp cold of morning can be a bit biting, especially for those not used to it.”

Livos turned up on her side and propped up her head with an arm bent at the elbow to look Zan in the face.  “If I wake up snuggled next to you in this warm bag… I will not care.”  She laughed softly.  “Nor would it be the first time I have camped out in the field while on maneuvers… and trust me – I honestly believe I can say this is the best company I have ever had on such an excursion.”

“With the quality of personnel assigned to House T’Soni?”  Zan wrinkled her brow in doubt.  “How is that even remotely possible?”

Livos leaned in to close the already small distance between them, to place a teasing kiss on Zan’s lips.  “Because I have never been in love with any of them.”

“Never?”  The disbelief in Zan’s voice was quite evident, especially because she hadn’t really meant to ask the question aloud, but it just seemed to pop out all on its own.

“Do not misunderstand me.  I love them all as sisters-in-arms… but as their leader, I am forced to keep myself apart.”  Livos let out what seemed like a sad sigh.  “I have taken pleasure with them, for sure… for all Asari have needs that cannot honestly be fulfilled by oneself… but, I have never allowed myself to get too close.  It would compromise my ability to pick any of them for potentially deadly missions, like the one we have coming up, and I would be remiss in my duties to House T’Soni, should I ever let that happen.” 

“That is incredibly… disciplined.”  Zan spoke haltingly, then paused, the realization of the horrible loneliness that Liv must have felt all those years suddenly making her unable to speak at all.  She attempted to swallow her despair as a tear escaped to trickle silently down her cheek.

It glistened in the firelight just enough for Livos to see it and her hand came up to tenderly wipe it away.  “Do not cry for me, Zan.  It was a life of my choice… just as some go through training to become a priestess or a consort, I chose to serve House T’Soni and I have been completely happy with my decision to do so… until now.” 

“Until now?”  Zen reached up to take the hand caressing her cheek and held it tightly.  “What makes you so willing, now, to take time out to spend it with me, rather than on duty at House T’Soni?”

“I…”  Livos stopped and let out a sigh, moving Zan’s hand to her chest and arranged it so it was pressed firmly over her heart.  “This organ within my body never beat so hard as it did when I first saw you, Zan.  I cannot explain it.  I confused it with the flutter of a maiden… simple lust and appreciation for your wonderful physique… something I had not felt for over two centuries and could barely remember.  You know how I warred with myself over the idea of even beginning a relationship with you, no matter how casual.”

“Yes… but you dared to try it anyway, in spite of the risks… perhaps even because of the risks?”  Zan chuckled softly.  “I don’t see you as one to turn down a challenge, Liv.”

“Please do not jest,” Livos frowned.  “This is difficult enough for me as it is, without you making fun…”

“Liv.”  Zan interrupted as she reached up to place two fingers on the irritated lips.  “I meant no offense… it was obviously a misguided attempt to help you relax.  I am sorry.” 

“No.  I am the one who should apologize.  Speaking like this and revealing my deepest secrets makes me feel exposed… and it frightens me, so I strike out.”  With a troubled sigh, Livos shook her head.  “You frighten me, Zan… or, more correctly, my feelings for you frighten me, because I have never let someone become so important to me… never let myself care so much for someone in the way I care for you.”

“What are you saying?”  Zan barely dared to whisper the question, afraid Livos was pulling away.  “Do you want to end this?  Us?  Out of fear?”

“Oh, Goddess, no!”  Livos wrapped her arms tightly around the nature guide and held her close, her emotions getting the better of her as she blurted out, “Every single time we are together it gets more difficult to let you leave!  I have fallen in love with you, Carlina V’Zanto… but I know your job at Záhrada and mine with House T’Soni make that desire impossible to satisfy… and it hurts!  More so than I ever imagined it could.”  She pushed away and sat up, looking away.  “I know it is not what we agreed to, but I cannot help myself and the conflict between my duty and my love for you is pulling me apart like nothing else ever has… because I know I will not leave House T’Soni, and I dare not ask you to leave Záhrada because I fear you will say no… for very similar reasons… and I don’t know what that would mean for us.”

Zan immediately sat up alongside her and turned to drape herself across Livos’ back, wrapping her arms around the distraught captain.  “I don’t care if it’s not what we initially agreed to, Liv… but I want you to stop worrying about it… because I feel the same way about you!   I have since our very first true meld.  I knew right then and there that if we let ourselves get involved, I would never want to let you go.”  She paused and laughed in relief, “But, the Goddess as my witness, I never dreamed you would ever admit to me that you feel the same way!”

“Why would you think that?”  Livos’ question was hesitant, as if she didn’t really want to hear the answer.

“Because you are soooo devoted to House T’Soni… particularly Liara and Shepard.”  Zan smiled and squeezed her amantia.  “You love them both in your own special way.  It is easy to see they are not simply your employers… they are much more than that to you; they are like family.”  Zan reached up and gently turned Livos’ head just enough to place a gentle kiss on her cheek.  “And, given how much I want to be with you for the rest of my life, I would like to hope that, someday, they will be mine as well, because I would never force you to choose between them or me.”

“Are you serious?”  Livos turned her body so she could meet Zan’s eyes in the flickering firelight.  “Goddess.  You are.  You would leave the resort… and Matriarch Marisha… to be with me?”

“If we do not come up with some other solution?”  Zan huffed, “Then, yes, I would.  I love you Livos Tanni… and I am sorry it took me this long to get up the courage to tell you just how much.”

“But you love your job… and your Matriarch, too!  Just as I do.”  Livos shook her head.  “No.  It is very possible such a sacrifice could lead to resentment, so we must think on it and come up with a mutually agreeable compromise.  I am sure we can figure something out.”  She suddenly laughed.  “I have vacation time every year that I never take.  When things settle down and become more like what we always considered normal, that will be the very first thing I change!”

She smirked and suddenly pushed Zan backward onto the bedding.  “And, as we talked about at the party, I vow to never waste a moment of what time we do have together talking about other things…  I simply want to enjoy being with you!”

-------------------------------

Knight Shade , Horse Head Nebula, At Large – 30 Mar 2189

A week after Zan had returned to the resort and with a solid month of mixed combat team practices under their belts, Livos and crew joined Shepard on the Knight Shade, to rendezvous with the Kirkliston SR1 at the Pax Relay in the Horse Head Nebula.  Livos, like the rest, was forced to put the parties and thoughts of loved ones out of her mind, in order to properly concentrate on the upcoming mission.  Their relay jumps had used only a small portion of their travel time, to be immediately followed by a long FTL passage from the relay through dark space to reach their destination… the former Cerberus facility known as Orestes Station.

Shepard now stood in the mission planning area looking across the display table, through the three-dimensional projection showing the station and their intended ingress routes, to the multiple team captains surrounding it.  “We have rehearsed this, many times… and we are as ready as we possibly can be.” 

“Your invitation to Armax was unexpected, but welcome, Shepard… even if it was a bit late in your practice schedule.”  Raash Strogar, the Krogan Commander from the Kirkliston, growled before adding, “The last time we did this, people died… friends died… and I take that personally.”

“As do I, which is why you got invited and asked if you wanted to be here.”  Shepard locked eyes with the big Krogan who, much to the Spectre’s surprise, chuckled.

“You think I’d turn down a fight that will give me a chance to get even?”  The growl turned into a hearty laugh.  “No fucking way… and I think you knew that before you asked!”

“I didn’t know you well enough to guess…”  Shepard smirked.  “So, even though Roshi told me as much, I felt compelled to ask anyway.”

“And I’m glad you did, Spectre… but enough chatter.”  Strogar looked at the other team leaders.  His week of practice with them had demonstrated their worthiness to be working with the great Spectre Shepard, so he had no doubts about their capabilities or their likelihood of an upcoming, glorious conquest.  “I say we get this battle started, before they figure out we’re here and make our victory more difficult than it needs to be.”

“So, your team is ready?”

“Hell yes,” Strogar roared.  “The members of Team Jhekt were born ready!”

“B’Sayle?”

“Locked and loaded.”

“Captain Tanni?”

“Yes, Shepard.”

“Jatok?”

“Let’s get on with it…”  Jatok flashed a toothy grin at Strogar.  “I’ve got a bet to win.”

“My ass, Jat!”  Strogar laughed, “This is not some Pyjak shooting gallery.  My team is gonna kick your team’s quads from here to Tuchanka… and back again, so we can escort your puny little asses home again!”

Shepard chuckled softly and shook her head as she continued, looking at her bondmate.  Normally, Liara would remain behind and staff the Bridge… but not this time.  XO or not, Liara had talked to Shepard about going along, using the Spectre’s own arguments against her.  If they were going to do this, they would all take the necessary risks, including Liara.  Shepard, actually relieved to have her Anam Cara fighting at her side, gave her that funny little grin of hers and asked, “You ready to do this, T’Soni?”

“Absolutely, Captain.”  Liara smiled softly.  “Awaiting your command.”

Shepard drew a deep breath and blew it out as she lifted her omnitool.  “Alright everyone.  Move to your deployment locations and prepare for the assault.  Fifteen minutes to go time… ready… hack!”  She tapped the interface to begin her own countdown and spoke into her comm unit.  “Thoni.  You have the Bridge.”

-------------------------------

Orestes Station, Horse Head Nebula, At Large – 30 Mar 2189

The assault began with Jatok’s and Strogar’s teams simultaneously breaching the hull at separate locations, splitting the defensive forces, with each drawing their own fair share of attention.  Erin, Sellis and Kaddi, by design, had broken off from their individual teams and would remain in stealth mode; their primary task was to infiltrate the security section and remove any coordinated response by eliminating the personnel within and then taking down the systems and disabling any controlling VI or AI.  Between the three of them, they had to keep all the internal defenses suppressed for the duration of the assault; based on Erin’s level of solo success at The Barn, everyone agreed this would not be overly taxing and still allow time for self-defense as well.

Bev Shyria had shifted from Livos’ to Jatok’s team to replace Kaddi as the sixth squad member, and Shepard, along with Liara, had joined Livos as the command team.  Roshi’s team also traveled with them, to provide additional biotics and fire support as part of the main assault.  Their target was the same as the attack on The Barn; get to the Research and Development section and download all available data, killing anyone and destroying anything that got in their way.  Once the download was complete, all teams would evac as safely as possible and the station would be destroyed from orbit, with the combined fire of the Kirkliston and Knight Shade.

Things were moving along pretty much as planned, the teams much better prepared for this assault than the last, until a voice suddenly rang out over the station’s broadcast system.  “God damn it, people!  Get your shit together and kill those bastards!  Do I have to do everything myself?”

While the tone reminded her of the troublesome Blue Suns commander on Korlus, Jedore – the Human tech specialist – it was the actual timbre of the voice that gave Shepard pause and what sent chills down Liara’s spine.  “Goddess!  That’s…”  Liara stopped dead in her tracks and turned to her bondmate.  “That’s your voice, Shepard!”

To avoid any confusion or questions among the assault force, Shepard immediately jumped on their private comms.  “I don’t know who the Hell that is or how they are simulating my voice, but it’s not me…  If you don’t hear it over our private channel, ignore anything it says!  Please confirm receipt of this transmission!”

After everyone answered, Shepard responded, “Roger that!  Continue as planned.”

She and Liara started again toward their designated target area, talking as they moved.  “What the fuck, Liara… any ideas?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”  She launched a stasis bubble at an incoming group and continued her answer while their team killed off the troopers trapped within.  “It made me think of something that Miranda said… about having to create clones so they had spare parts to ‘fix’ you.”  She reached over and grasped Shepard’s forearm as she said, “I would not be surprised if they kept at least one full shell alive… for whatever reason.”

“Son of a bitch… but what for?  In case I failed?” Shepard scoffed.  “It’s not like they would have had time to try again!”

“But they would have had time, Sam…”  Liara closed her eyes in an attempt to eliminate the vision of losing Shepard from her mind, but it did no good.  “Had you died on the Collector Station, they could have simply sent another Shepard… and who would be the wiser, other than me and the members of House T’Soni?  Would the Humans have believed us, if they saw you stroll into the Alliance Headquarters like you owned it?”

“I’d like to think Hackett would have.”  Shepard shook herself and continued, “And my mother… but it doesn’t matter.  We have a job to do here and we’re going to do it.  Then, anyone still on this station will cease to exist, so there will be no confusion about who the real Samantha Shepard is.”

“You’re right.  There won’t be.”  Liara’s expression had hardened as she listened and she continued, “And, now… I am convinced that you were correct when you said we need to eliminate any remaining Cerberus stations.  We can never let anything like that ever happen, Shepard… and, if it turns out they actually do have clones here, what’s to say they don’t have them elsewhere, as well?  We need to destroy them all!”

“Yes.”  Shepard nodded in agreement as she said, “But first things first, Liara.  Let’s get this mission done and all of us home safely before we begin planning our next move.  Stay focused.”

“Oh… no worries about that.”  Liara’s eyes narrowed as she vowed, “And, if we do find any clones here, I will wipe every single one of them from existence… with extreme prejudice!”

They continued moving toward their objective and only a short time had passed before Sellis came on the line.  “I found some info on Project Phoenix…  They’re making amped-up Dragoons, Shepard.  Probably exactly like that one you ran into at Cronos.”

“Then it’s a damned good thing I added a high collar to my armor.”  Shepard sneered, “Those damned things will never wrap one of those biotic lashes around my neck ever again.”

The resistance became stronger the closer they got to the Research and Development Center.  As the door to the center’s rather expansive anteroom slid open, Shepard peered around the corner and froze.  “Well, shit.”

Before them was a well-entrenched defensive force.  Barriers had been erected and three machine gun turrets were aimed at the entrance – all fully manned by Combat Engineers and a pair of flanking Guardians.  They were also protected by a front line consisting of a squad of assault troopers, led by a Centurion and accompanied by no less than four Dragoons.  As imposing as the defensive line appeared, they all melted into the background as Shepard’s focus landed on… herself.  Or, at least a replica of herself, which no longer appeared fully Human.

Via the link, Liara could see what Shepard was looking at and it made her gasp in shocked horror.  The Shepard clone was turning back and forth, issuing orders and allowing them a good look at their adversary, who had obviously been highly modified and no longer looked entirely Human.  Her hair was cropped extremely short and nearly her entire body was encased in a molded body-armor with mechanical-assist power joints, all seemingly controlled by what appeared to be some type of neural harness – which connected into a controller mounted on her neck, at the base of her skull, where… normally… a biotic amp would reside. 

Her eyes reminded them both of the final version of The Illusive Man, with eyes that had obviously been replaced by some sort of mechanical version.  In addition, her left one had what appeared to be some type of ranging or targeting scope mounted over it – not a visor, but actually mounted to her skull. 

On her left side, an underarm pistol holster held an M-25 Hornet, while clips on each side of her equipment belt held the much-feared, dual biotic lashes.  Unusual for a Dragoon, the clone also had an over-the-shoulder shotgun holster, which currently appeared empty.

Her overall appearance was daunting, and Liara felt a tremble of fear run inadvertently through her body as she looked at this creation through her siame’s eyes.  After hearing her voice, there was no doubt in either of their minds – this creation had undoubtedly started as a clone, but had been enhanced almost beyond imagining, and they had absolutely no idea of its capabilities.

“It’s every humanoid thing we’ve ever seen, all combined into one; a Human, a Geth, and, very possibly, with an AI assist, similar to Eva Core or Edi.”  Shepard’s voice was filled with something that Liara believed was akin to awe.

“You can’t possibly think this is a good thing, Shepard!”  The Asari was aghast, wondering how Shepard could possibly approve of this construct.

“Oh, no.  Absolutely not.”  Shepard’s immediate response lessened Liara’s concern, which was completely put to rest with her continuation of, “We are absolutely here to kill it, but you have to admit, it raises interesting possibilities…”

Liara was surprised at Shepard’s thoughts.  “You honestly think this was what the Reapers meant by synthesis?”

“I don’t know, Li…”  Shepard shook her head at the prospect but, before she could formulate a response, was interrupted by the much too familiar sounding voice from within the room.

“So… are you ever coming in to face me, or are you going to make me chase you down, so that I can kill you like the vermin you are… for the way you invaded my home and tore it asunder?”

Looking at a somewhat surprised Liara, Shepard shrugged and said, “Guess we should have expected it to know we are here.”

“Never expected such… aggressive civility… from whatever that thing is.”  Roshida spoke from behind them.  “I assumed if it knew, it would simply start shooting.”

“Then let’s give it the chance it seeks.”  In agreement with Liara’s thought to simply start launching explosive rounds and warps into the room, Shepard squared her shoulders, activated her shields, and stepped boldly through the doorway.

Chapter Text

Orestes Station, Horse Head Nebula, At Large – 30 Mar 2189

The very moment Shepard revealed herself, she was met with a heavy barrage of gunfire, which lasted only a few seconds before overloads and warps destroyed both the trio of turrets and the Engineers operating them, as everyone on her team bumped up their shields and barriers and moved quickly into the room to find cover behind whatever was available.  The cover consisted of a large reception counter, what looked like a security and entry control station, and various filing and storage cabinets. As Shepard entered, she had executed a flash-step, combined with a combat roll, to secure a position near the left wall behind one such row of storage cabinets, also managing to get under cover before her shields were completely obliterated.

It quickly became apparent at least one member of the infiltration team was also in their midst, as sticky grenades began to explode in places the assault team otherwise never would have reached… like the base of the helmets of both flanking Guardians… effectively removing their heads and sending their shields clattering noisily to the steel decking beneath their feet as their lifeless bodies collapsed helplessly to the floor. 

The assault troopers were visibly shaken by the sudden, unexpected loss of their Guardians, but the Dragoons simply stepped forward, two on each side of their remaining Centurion, using their biotic lashes to great effect for keeping the Spectre’s team from advancing on the Shepard construct.  The weeks of training were certainly paying off for Shepard’s team as, over time, they meticulously whittled away the opposition.  The tide changed drastically when Jatok’s and Strogar’s teams also converged on the scene, the mass of Krogan simply running through the room, vaulting the counter and crashing into the opposition. 

It was the beginning of the end, but the Shepard construct had absolutely zero intention of being taken down so easily; at least not without exacting some form of payment for the damage being wrought by the intruders.  Staring at her nemesis, she dashed out of her cover and lunged through the doorway, to a position behind Shepard, before slamming both lashes to the deck and throwing the majority of Shepard’s defenders to the floor.  As soon as her first lash was back in the air, it flicked out… only to discover Shepard was no longer in position at the end of her lash but, instead, had put herself in position to attempt a Vanguard Charge.

Unfortunately for Shepard, the construct had recognized the prep position and, as she charged, the second biotic lash intercepted her, wrapping the lash around her neck and slightly altering the direction of her Charge, smashing Shepard into a wall, using her own momentum against her.

As Shepard lay on the floor stunned, vulnerable to a killing stomp by the mechanically enhanced construct, Liara screamed, “Livos!” and launched a warp at her enemy’s back.  Livos spun at the panicked shout and immediately recognized the dire danger threatening her captain.  Drawing quickly on her biotics, she prayed to the Goddess as she slapped the construct with a Neural Shock; it was a great relief when it had the desired effect of neutralizing even the modified Dragoon. 

Livos immediately started to prepare herself to launch another shock as soon as possible – the effects generally lasted eight or nine seconds, but she was unsure just how long it would affect this Shepard construct.  Her face twisting into an angry snarl, she growled out, “Unless you recover in under three seconds, I can keep this up all day long, you fucking mechanical Pyjak!”

Under other circumstances, Liara would have laughed, but she was too busy running to help her bondmate, who was still crumpled against the wall, much too close to the construct for comfort.  She skidded to a halt as Shepard recovered, rolled to her knees and popped back up on her feet.  Feeling the panic through the link, Shepard smiled at her XO as she prepared another attack.  {I’m fine, Li… just had the wind knocked out of me for a sec.}  Shepard had scooped her Graal off the deck and, seeing how close she was, attempted to bury a spike in the construct’s chest.  She was anything but pleased when the oversized flechette, designed to pierce thresher hide, simply ricocheted off its metallic skin.  “What the Hell?”

All happening in a matter of seconds, Livos was not yet prepared with another Neural Shock when the construct snapped around, a biotic lash swinging toward Shepard.  Liara watched in terrified awe as her siame bent backward and twisted in the air, somehow dodging the sizzling whip.  Shepard made it look effortless as she jumped and rolled, as if she was doing nothing more than playing a game of Echo.  Her feet left the deck as she spun, but when she came back down to the deck, she was in a sprinter’s stance, cocked and ready to explode.

Purely on reflex, Shepard flipped out an omni-blade and biotically charged the construct.  Much to both of their surprise, the blade did no more damage to her opponent’s armor than her Graal had done, but it skipped up the construct’s chest and left a deep gash across its left cheek, just before impacting and severing the targeting scope’s connection to the thing’s helmet.  Shepard then crashed to the floor, her fist slamming down to form a powerful Nova shock wave and, if nothing else, at least creating some distance between her and the clone.

By this point, much of the enemy force had been destroyed.  With Strogar’s team starting mop-up operations and killing the remaining Cerberus soldiers, the Spectre teams, including B’Sayle and her crew, began to concentrate fire and biotics solely on the construct.  As its armor chipped away with warps and weapons fire, stasis fields and singularities began to have greater effect.  Finally, Shepard saw an opportunity to finish it; Liara had launched a rather powerful warp, followed immediately with a singularity, and the construct attempted to energize its maglocks in order to keep its feet securely on the deck.

Unfortunate for the clone, its exterior battery compartment, located in the center of its back, had suffered significant damage from Liara’s warp and the maglocks failed to energize.  Without solid footing, it couldn’t properly utilize those deadly biotic lashes, nor lunge to avoid a charge attack.  Shepard immediately saw her chance and Charged.  Combined with Liara’s singularity, as well as landing with a Nova, the triple combo created a massive explosion, smashing the construct into a support beam and almost snapping it in two. 

Unfortunately, the explosion also tossed Shepard across the room into the opposite bulkhead, sending Liara into a panic as she ran to her side.  “Siame!  Can you hear me?”  Having no idea how little time had passed, Shepard rolled over and let out a groan, her eyes fluttering open.  Liara was above her, omnitool in hand and muttered, “Thank the Goddess!”

Always the soldier, Shepard tried to rise; Liara putting an immediate stop to her attempt with an unyielding hand on her chest.  “Quit moving until my scan is completed… to make sure nothing is broken and that it is safe for you to do so.”

“Won’t argue with you this time…  Damn, that hurt.” Shepard mumbled, unsuccessfully attempting to focus her eyes on the being towering above her.

“It should have hurt… that was one massive explosion, Samantha… and I am not ashamed to admit, one that honestly had me quite concerned.”  She swallowed away her panic and fought back her tears, adding, “But you are awake and speaking, so it is not nearly as bad as I feared.”

“And the damned clone?”

“Currently inert, so no need for you to worry about it.  The team can handle the rest without us.”  Liara’s face showed immediate relief; even though the scanner’s screen had turned yellow, not green, anything was better than red.  “No life-threatening injuries… but, you will definitely need medical attention… and, of course, you have yet another concussion.   So, let’s get you up and back to the ship so Derek can get started.”

Assisting Shepard with her biotics, they had stood carefully to begin the slow trek back to the Knight Shade when Roshida walked past them, pulling out her pistol as she muttered.  “One last shot for good measure.”  Pointing her Acolyte at the construct’s unshielded eye, she growled, “We’re done with you, you piece of shit,” and pulled the trigger.  With the heavy pistol’s impact-triggered resonant warp bomb ammo, its still-Human brain was turned into mush, even though most of it remained within its titanium-reinforced skull.

B’Sayle turned back to face Shepard, quipping, “I can see why your enemies fear you, Spectre.”  Her face splitting with a grin, she continued, “You certainly ended the battle with a bang, but that Charge?  Absolutely fucking insane… especially adding the Nova!  Doing shit like that makes you dangerously unpredictable.  No one likes fighting someone like that, including me, so I’m glad you’re on our side.”

-------------------------------

Knight Shade , Milky Way, At Large – 31 Mar 2189

Shepard’s eyes fluttered open, knowing full well she would still be in the Medical Bay, after receiving the necessary treatment from the consequences of her rather explosive exit from Orestes Station.  Feeling the familiar vibration of the ship’s movement, she also knew they were still in FTL flight… so they had not yet reached the relay to hop back home, or at least she hoped it was that, and not their final leg back to Thessia.  Before she could draw her second waking breath, Derek was hovering over her.

“Hold your head still and tell me if this light bothers you.”  He immediate shined a pinpoint light in her left eye, and then her right, flicking it away just as quickly, to test her pupillary reaction time.

“Would it matter if it did?” Shepard asked quietly.  Her head still thrummed from having been smashed at high velocity into a steel bulkhead, so she had no desire to speak too loudly.

“Actually?”  The doctor grinned at her.  “Yes, it would… and it’s good to know you didn’t lose your sense of humor, at least.

“I wasn’t exactly trying to be funny, Doc.”  Shepard let her eyes slip closed as she continued, “My ears are still ringing.  How long have I been out?”

“Only a few hours, Shepard...”  Derek put his penlight away and pulled up the scanning program on his omnitool, giving her another once-over.  “… but long enough to finish your treatments.  You’re now almost healing like a normal Human… and I fully realize that isn’t very good news because it tells me your nanites are now down to only a twenty or twenty-five percent capacity.” 

He suddenly smiled.  Shepard couldn’t see it at first, but the hope in his voice prompted her to reopen her eyes as he continued, “The good news is that all the files Ms Lawson needed were in the databanks on that station.  Complete details on your reconstruction and reanimation, including full schematics for the various nanites… everything she will need to complete the project, assuming we can locate all the necessary materials.  There are a couple rather rare ones that may prove a bit of a challenge to locate.  Fortunately for us, none of them are required in any great quantity… we are speaking of microscopic structures, after all… and, we have the best info network in the galaxy to help us locate them.”

“And what about everyone else?”  Shepard tipped her head toward Derek so she could see his reaction and tell if he was being truthful or just trying to not stress her as he answered.

“Not bad; just the normal bumps and bruises from one of your missions.  I think you knew the Krogan team lost one right at the start, when he rushed right into the center of the Dragoon front line… those lashes tore him to pieces.  Between three Dragoons and a Centurion, he never stood a chance.”

“No… I didn’t’ see that, actually… I was a little busy.  I’ll need to go see Strogar, once I’m up and about.”

Derek huffed in irritation.  “I’m not sure I like him.  He was angrier at Thadon for being stupid than for dying… saying something about it being an inglorious death or some such nonsense.”  Derek shook his head and let out a quiet huff.  “I don’t believe I will ever understand the Krogan psyche… especially regarding their ideas of glory and death.  Seems wasteful to me.”

“I don’t think they’re really that much different than our old customs and cultures like the Kamikaze.  Glory through battle… and, if you happened to be chosen to give your life for the cause, you simply needed to make sure you died an honorable death.”

“What the Hell does that even mean?  An honorable death?”  Derek scoffed, “There’s no such thing!  Dead is simply dead.”

“And that’s why you’re not a soldier, Doctor Yandle.”  Livos walked over and peered down at her Captain.  “Hello, Nara.  Welcome back.”  She reached out to overlay a hand on one of Shepard’s.  She gently gripped the woman’s hand and her face held a bit of a smirk as she spoke.  “You gave us a scare, headbutting the bulkhead that way.  Did you suddenly believe you were Krogan or something?”

“Or something.  Playing Krogan should be one of Liara’s responsibilities.”  Shepard couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Not exactly sure what the Hell I was thinking.  I have no excuse… other than I temporarily forgot the power of one of Liara’s singularities…  Not sure why I felt the need to add a Nova into the mix.”

“It was a rather… impressive… explosion, I must admit.”  Livos chuckled as she added, “Not something you will forget again… at least not anytime soon.  Not sure if you saw Roshi attempt to decapitate that thing, up close and personal, with an Acolyte.  Not very pretty… but extremely effective.  Got the job done… that’s what mattered.”

“Derek was just beginning to tell me how the teams fared… and didn’t get past the one Krogan death.  Care to give me the after-action brief?”

Livos glanced at Derek, who nodded in approval.  “She’s fine, so, you go ahead while I contact Liara.  She’ll be mad as all get-out if I wait too long.  I’m sure it doesn’t matter that it’s after midnight; I highly doubt she’s actually sleeping, like I told her to.”

“Contact Riana, instead.”  Livos shrugged.  “I know for sure she’s awake and she’ll be patient enough to listen to your full explanation.  That way Liara has someone with a smiling face telling her, in person, instead of a call she won’t believe because she can’t read your expression.”

“Good idea, thanks.”

As Derek walked away, Livos turned back to her Captain, releasing her hand so she could pull up a chair.  “We actually did fare well, Shepard.  No casualties on our side other than our overzealous Krogan.  It was Thadon, in case you didn’t know; the youngest, least experienced, and most impetuous of the group… and it showed.”  She drew a deep breath and blew it out as a sigh.  “Other than that, our teams worked together flawlessly, thanks to all our practice sessions at Armax.  Sellis and Erin both took a bad hit trying to take down a Dragoon… I think he somehow sensed them, maybe caught a cloak shimmer out of the corner of his eye and countered with a circular melee attack.  It shorted their cloaks and they immediately came under fire.”

“How bad?”

“Captain B’Sayle was quick enough to dash in and help me set a Barrier, giving them a chance to withdraw and treat their wounds.  It was messy, but they’re alive and well… Derek stitched ‘em up and with an hour for each under a dermal regenerator, they’re close to good as new, but it will take some time for them to heal the rest of the way.”  She frowned as she added, “They got lucky… and, I do believe, both incurred a debt of life to Roshi on that one.”

“Just Roshi?”

Laughing, Livos answered, “Yes, just Roshi.  We commandos have saved one another’s lives so many times we have all stopped tracking.  The war provided way too many opportunities to get killed… and just as many chances to be saved, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

As Shepard asked her next question, her face held an odd expression that made Livos smile. “Who else was injured?” 

“I’m sure you’re curious about where Liara is, because you’d otherwise have all these answers in an instant.  She’s fine, Shepard.  The link is blocked on Dr Yandle’s orders due to your head injury.  But once she gets here, you would eventually realize that Liara did take a shot across the shoulder, so I’ll simply tell you now… be gentle.  Don’t hug too hard.”

“What?”  Shepard sat up and glared at the team captain, growling, “How in Hell did that happen?  She came back to the ship with me!”

“Once you were securely in Derek’s care, Liara returned to the station to help us finish the clean-up operation.  Her armor slowed the projectile significantly and it was, quite literally, nothing more than a scratch…”  Livos smiled as she added, “… so quit snarling at me.  She’s already good as new except for a bit of lingering tenderness.” 

Livos simply shrugged off Shepard’s ill temper and continued, “And honestly?  That’s pretty much it.  Except for a number of superficial cuts from grenade shrapnel… and a few other small-caliber weapons injuries like Liara’s… we made it out of there pretty clean.”  She grinned as she added, “And we have a really cool trophy locked in a stasis pod!  We found no additional clones, but Liara thought maybe Miranda would want to see the construct… so we’ve brought it along… and, I’ll guarantee you, it’s the only thing that survived.  We turned the whole station into nothing more than space dust, once we were all back aboard.”

“Shit.  I forgot about that.”  Shepard’s hand snapped out to grip Livos on the arm.  “Did you take the time to look for information regarding the possibility of additional clones being elsewhere?”

“We did, but didn’t find even a hint…”  Livos drew a deep breath and blew it out before continuing, “But, I’ll say this…  Not finding any info didn’t change Liara’s mind about checking every single one of the remaining Cerberus stations before we wipe them from existence anyway, just to make sure.  Seeing that construct was pretty unnerving for her.”

“For her?  For me, too!  I can’t begin to explain how much it unsettled my gut to peek around the corner, only to see… a warped, Illusive Man vision of me.”  She shuddered and shook her head.  “But it would be very much like TIM to not leave any loose ends,” Shepard growled.  “He always ensured redundancy and had a back-up plan…  As much as I hate to admit it, that was definitely one of his strengths, so I find it hard to imagine there isn’t any more out there.”

“Liara feels the same way, apparently.”  Liv was about to continue when Liara entered the Medical Bay, barely waiting long enough for the door to retract far enough to squeeze through the entry. 

Coming immediately to Shepard’s side, a joyful smile crossed her face as she leaned in and kissed her bondmate.  “Good to see you awake, Siame.”  Casting an apologetic glance toward the doctor, she continued, “I guess it’s the researcher in me…  Words are never proof enough; I need to see the empirical evidence for myself.”

“No offense taken, Lady Liara,” Derek chuckled.  “I often feel the same way… particularly in regard to Shepard and her wounds.  I guess it’s my fault for listening to Doctor Chakwas when she cautioned me about our Spectre’s proclivity to underplay her injuries.”

“There is no fault in that, Derek.”  Her focus rested on the woman in the bed as she continued, “Because it is completely true… nearly one-hundred-percent of the time!” 

The Asari’s broad grin lessened the sting of truth in Liara’s words, so Shepard simply shrugged it off and replied, “What can I say, I’m a glutton for punishment!”  What she did not ignore was Liara’s injury.  “I hear you returned to the station and got hurt, Grá mo chroí.”  A worried frown crept onto her face as she added, “But I see no bandage… and had you not just reached up to rub your left shoulder when I mentioned it, I never would have known which one it was.”

“I’m not very good at hiding things from you, am I?”  Liara smiled.  “It’s just a bit stiff, that’s all.  It doesn’t even hurt, not really… just a bit of an ache from the muscle tightness.”

A sly grin preceded Shepard’s reply.  “Then I’ll have to give you a massage and help you work that out, won’t I?”

Loudly clearing his throat, Derek interrupted their chatter before it became more personal than he cared to hear.  “Okay, enough of that.”  He looked at Liara as he continued, “I’m going to release Shepard to your care… but only if you promise me you will not work anymore tonight… nor engage in any physical activities.  Both of you will go directly to your quarters and go to bed… to sleep.  And, no melding until after I recheck Shepard in the morning.  Understood?”

With a somewhat sheepish grin, Liara responded quietly, “Yes, Doctor.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 4 April 2189

In the nearly three weeks since Gabby had delivered her twins, Malcolm and Belle had grown and gained a bit of weight on the rich diet of mother’s milk they were drinking, and they had actually increased the time they would go between feedings, to the point Gabby was able to relax somewhat in the evening.  She was still awakened in the middle of the night, and the first feeding of each day was more in line with her normal wake-up time of 0550.

Every time she held them, particularly red-haired Malcom, her eyes filled with moisture at the memories of Kenneth that rose to the surface of her thoughts; she just knew – no matter his reluctance at being forced to stay on the Normandy when she transferred off the ship – he would have been so damned proud – ecstatic, even – to be the father of two such beautiful children.

As for Gabriella, she was thrilled to have them outside so she could hold them… feed them… hug them… shower them with love – when they weren’t being spoiled by the seemingly never-ending pairs of blue arms that were always willing to hold them close.  The pain of spending so much time in labor was almost a distant memory now… sort of like recalling the hazy details of a nearly forgotten dream.

Gabby had discovered a quiet corner in the rather large lounge on the main level; it was out of the way, and someone had procured an old-fashioned, exquisitely made wooden rocking chair.  The padded seat and backrest felt like heaven to Gabby, who could sit and rock as she suckled her babes.  She had arranged to have the back of the chair towards the main portion of the room, providing the perfect place for her to nurse her babies in relative privacy.

Despite being told many times over the course of the past nineteen days that no one was paying any attention to the occasional partial exposure of her breasts during feeding times, she still felt a bit embarrassed to be seen either ‘getting ready’ or ‘cleaning up’.  She blamed her upbringing, along with the memory of how enamored Kenneth was with breasts in general, whether Asari, Quarian, or Human female.  With a quiet chuckle, she recalled his comments about Edi’s chest.

She was humming a little ditty while gently rocking back and forth as she gazed at a blissful little face; Belle’s eyes were closed in contentment as she finished filling her tummy with the nourishing liquid.  Gabby stuck her little finger in the corner of a tiny mouth to break the suction, laid Belle down along the length of her thighs, then dried her nipple and covered her breast as a baritone voice from behind gave her a start.

“How’re you doing, Gabby.”  Harley Creath came around to stand near the armrest of the chair.

She felt momentary heat in her cheeks at his sudden appearance.  With a small cough to hide her discomfiture, she replied, “Harley!  You startled me.”  She hurriedly finished fastening her gown, then picked Belle up and hugged her to her chest.  Indicating the nearby chair, she directed, “Have a seat while I place this little treasure in her bed.”  With Belle firmly clutched in her arms, Gabby rose from her chair and set the dozing babe in the nearby bassinette.

Retaking her seat, she looked quizzically at the N7, who responded, “I was wondering… would you care to have dinner with me this evening?  Nothing fancy… I know we’ve enjoyed a few lunches together, and breakfast?  Well, that was interrupted.”  He looked past her shoulder for a moment, then, “If it will make things any easier, we can eat in your quarters… so you can be close to your babies.”

Gabby silently thought about his request for several moments, long enough for Harley to think that maybe he was showing too much interest in this young, widowed mother.  When she did reply, it was not the answer he had expected.  “Harley, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness, and dinner with you sounds wonderful, but…”  she reached for and grasped his hand.  “It’s just a bit too soon for me to entertain a gentleman in my quarters, don’t you think?”

She gently squeezed his hand, adding, “I would really enjoy getting to know you better, hopefully before I have to return to my home, as I seriously doubt you’ll be visiting Scotland anytime soon; with any luck, I’ll be working from my home for a company here on Thessia.”

He squeezed her hand in return as he smiled, “So, let’s commit to dinner together in the main dining hall this evening.  It won’t be as private as I’d like, but that’s okay.  I want to learn more about you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Gabby grinned as she nodded.  Forgive me, Kenneth!  “I’ll look for you at 1830 or so.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 6 April 2189

Gabby sat quietly in the library.  She had been attempting to read but found herself staring out the windows as she thought back on her rather enjoyable dinner with Harley.  As she glanced at the two babes lying in the extra cribs Lyessa had procured for them, she let out a heavy sigh.  He’s probably just being nice to you because he feels sorry for you, you foolish girl.  You’re unemployed and have two children to raise!  What could he possibly see in you other than the proverbial ball and chain!  She let out another sigh and whispered aloud, “You’re just being an idiot, Gabriella.”

“That seems a little hard on yourself, don’t you think?” 

Gabby about jumped off the couch as the cheerful voice of Judea Voni rang from the doorway.  “Goddess, Judea!  Don’t do that to me!”

“Don’t do what?  Scare you…”  Judea walked over and sat on the couch with her as she finished, “Or keep you from chastising yourself… likely for no good reason at all.”

Gabby blushed softly and quietly replied, “Well, when you put it that way…”

The woman stopped speaking at Judea’s good-natured chuckle, who then placed a comforting hand on Gabby’s knee.  “I didn’t really expect a reply.  It was one of those rhetorical statements that never honestly have a good answer.”  Judea’s expression turned a bit more serious as she added, “Though, I do have to wonder at why you would ever label yourself an idiot…”

Gabby rolled her eyes.  “Nothing in particular, really.  Just my life… having found myself without a job and with two babes to provide for.  I’m not really sure what I was thinking when I quit the Alliance…  I’m almost tempted to give them a call and see if they’d take me back.”

“Why in the Goddess’ name would you ever do that?”  Judea sat up a little straighter in the seat.  “I thought you honestly wanted to give your children dirt under their feet instead of a deck.  And what about Kenneth’s ancestral home… and raising them in the Scottish tradition?  Was that all a figment of my imagination, Gabby, or did you really tell me all that?”

“I did… I just…”  Gabby stopped and pouted.  “See?  I’m an idiot.  I have all these grand dreams and no plan to get from here to there!”

“That is an unadulterated, absolute lie, Gabriella Daniels!”  Judea stared at the woman in disbelief.  The look of shock that appeared on Gabby’s face at the blunt accusation shook Jude out of her bewilderment.  “Why do you think I’m here?”  Not pausing long enough for Gabby to venture a guess, the Asari continued quickly.  “I mean… On the grand scale, I’m at the Estate because Miri is helping Shepard… but right now this minute, I’m sitting before you because I have a few days of free time.” 

She seemed to hesitate, so Gabby prodded, “Free time… to do what?”

Judea suddenly smiled.  “Why, to fly you to the Shipyards to meet Matriarch Tralis, of course!”

“Now?” Gabby gulped.  “So soon after the children are born?  They’re just babes!”

Judea laughed.  “So what?  People travel with young ones all the time!  Give me a few days to handle the logistics and we’ll be off.”  She gave Gabby a sly smile.  “You do have a plan to support your children…  You just need to set it into motion!”

“A few days?”  Gabby nervously brushed her hair back out of her face.  “I need to put some things together… and update my portfolio!  How many days are we talking about?”

“That’s the spirit!”  Judea grinned widely.  “How about we go on the 12th… the day after Shepard’s birthday party?”

“That’s almost a week away…”  Gabby set her shoulders and nodded in agreement.  “I can be ready by then…  Let’s do it!”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 11 April 2189

Miranda smiled as she said, “Happy birthday, Shepard.”

“Thanks, Miri.”  Shepard grinned back at the woman who had been working tirelessly since the Night Shadow had arrived, only three days after the call had been placed.  Their first priority had been to get the stealth ship under cover, slipped quickly into one of the two maintenance hangars at the Estate.  Then, for the last ten days, Miranda had spent every waking hour in the medical lab, reading through the nanite research and working on those which contained readily available materials.

Liara, Derek and Alyna had worked with her, providing whatever assistance they could as Miranda progressed through the necessary protocols.  She had completed the preliminary replicator reprogramming back in February, when Shepard’s symptoms had initially displayed, but knowing the full scope of the nanites’ designed functionalities had required Miranda to complete some additional, rather intricate, recoding.  Not only did she need to ensure the nanites would first replenish their own numbers, so the root cause of Shepard’s nanite failure – the loss of sufficient replicators – would never occur again, but she needed to program in a sensory function, so they would also maintain the proper ratios for all eleven types of repair nanites.

That particular task had been accomplished in the first week of Miranda’s stay at the Estate.  The past three days, Miranda and company had managed to research and reproduce eight of the eleven repair nanites… but the last three, involving nerve support and neural function, required some rather specialized, and rare, materials.

“So… what’s the prognosis?”  Shepard’s smile faltered ever so slightly as she asked the question.  Miranda had been extremely tight-lipped the entire week and Shepard assumed it was because the situation was rather dire.  Given Miri’s promise, Shepard knew her friend would take it very personally if something she had promised could no longer be fulfilled.  That thought prompted her to add, “You know I won’t blame you if my millennium of life never manifests… it was a miracle dream to begin with… and TIM never really gave a shit about me as a person.  All he wanted was a Human hero to win the war and help him control the Reapers.  Once that happened, I became disposable… maybe even a liability, based on the destruction protocol programmed into my bio amp.  I can’t say I’m sorry to disappoint, in that regard.”

“Shut up, Shepard.”  Miri raised her brow and gave her a look that immediately silenced the Spectre.  “I could care less about Jack Harper and his dreams of conquest; they are no longer relevant.  There is absolutely no reason in existence that I should not be able to fix this and give you back your thousand-year life with Liara, so I’ll hear no more of that.  Understood?”

Shepard couldn’t help but smirk as she replied, “Yes, Ma’am!”

Miranda chuckled and shook her head, completely unable to remain perturbed with the woman sitting on the med table before her, as she scanned over the latest test results.  “Now…  Our replacement of everything except the neural function nanites seems to have been successful, so you should begin to sense the changes almost immediately.  According to these status displays, all your regeneration, metabolism and purification function nanites are functioning at 100 percent, as are the now-specialized replicator nanites.  Unless you suffer a truly catastrophic event, you should recover rather quickly from just about anything that happens to you.  So, as long as you don’t get yourself blown to smithereens, you should be just fine.”

“That’s awesome!”  Shepard grinned and slid off the table.  As Miranda began to protest that she wasn’t finished, it was Shepard’s turn to be sassy.  “Oh, do shut up, Miri!  I’m simply ecstatic and I feel the need to hug you in thanks!”

Miranda ‘suffered’ through the hug, rolling her eyes as she jokingly protested, “God, Shepard.  You know how much I hate being too personal with my research subjects!”

“Uh huh.”  Shepard laughed.  “And you know how much I love to tease you by pushing all your buttons… there’s simply so many of them!”

“You’d better be careful, or I’ll follow the Illusive Man’s protocols to the letter… and program one of the neural nanites with a terminate function.”

Liara had walked in just in time to hear their last exchange and suddenly had the urge to comment, “Oh, Doctor Lawson… please don’t do that!  I still need her genes to create the T’Soni heir…  Can’t you create a memory wipe function, instead, and turn her into a sex slave?”

Shepard gasped, “Liara!” and Miranda nearly doubled over with laughter. 

“Just when I think I finally have you figured out, you go and say something like that!”  Miranda leaned against the table Shepard had just vacated and attempted to catch her breath but found she simply couldn’t stop laughing.  “God, Liara!”

“What can I say, other than Shepard is an extremely bad influence on me.”  Even though she tried to play it off, Liara’s face still turned a lovely shade of blue, hardly believing she had actually said the last bit aloud.  Honestly, she had meant to pass those words to Samantha privately via the link but, obviously, somehow her mouth hadn’t gotten the message.  In her embarrassment, she walked directly to the Spectre and buried her face in a welcoming shoulder.

Once over the shock, Shepard had also started chuckling.  “Wow… how you’ve changed, Anam Cara!  I think I like the new you!”  Her face was overtaken by her trademark, roguish grin as she wrapped her arms tightly around the Asari and gave her an affectionate hug, continuing, “I think I like it a lot!”

Finally, once back under control, Miranda smiled at the couple.  “Good thing, Shepard, because I honestly do believe you’re going to be stuck with one another for that full thousand years.”

At that, Liara pulled away and turned toward Lawson, a surprised yet very pleased expression on her face.  “Truly?  Oh, Goddess!  That's remarkable, Miranda!  How can we ever thank you… again?”

Miri leaned over and placed her hand on Liara’s forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze.  “Just keep being you, Liara… both of you, actually.  Just keep being you.”

Chapter Text

T’Sere Shipwrights, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 12 Apr 2189

With nothing better to do while Miranda worked at her feverish pace to repair Shepard’s nanites, Judea had found herself speaking frequently with Gabriella Donnelly.  She had finally convinced the Human woman to, at the very least, take a tour of the T’Sere Shipwrights facilities and speak with the Director of Operations regarding potential future employment.  Judea had also explained that she had another engagement coming up – the trip to Thaptos Vineyards with Riana and Sammi – so the window of opportunity was rather tight.

Once the logistics of traveling with the little ones were worked out, Gabby had looked forward to the trip, however hesitantly, because it could very well secure her financial future.  Her stomach fluttered nervously as they climbed aboard to get underway.  God, please help this work out and let the Matriarch see the value I can add to their company…  It would be a blessing to know I can live my life the way I want, raising Ken’s children… our children… at the Donnelly homestead.  I may actually be able to truly relax for the first time since his death.

So, after a short flight along the shores of Dassus, Gabriella found herself enjoying an as-of-late rare emotion – hope – as the T’Soni VIP-1 swooped in from the southeast to touch down in the visitor’s parking area of T’Sere Shipwrights.  Thanks to Judea’s little push, Gabby was finally going to meet with Matriarch Tralis about the possibility of becoming employed by the starship manufacturer as an FTL Propulsion Engineer.  Also compliments of Judea, Lyessa had asked Guard Captain Lyria Tremi to assign a pair of commandos to accompany her, a task that fell to Team 3 Commandos Luenia Raptos and Alicia Axapso; of course, the pair were only too happy to make the trip with the young mother, because of both what the trip represented and the very welcome break in routine.

Once the ship’s power plant had spooled down to standby mode, Judea left the flight deck to see to her passengers.  “I trust you enjoyed our short flight, Gabby.”  She gave the nervous Human woman a reassuring smile.  “If you’d care to join me, I will introduce you to Matriarch Tralis.  She’s already dockside in anticipation, so don’t you worry about a thing… everything is going to work out just fine.”

A touch of pink coloring her cheeks, Gabby replied as she rose from her seat.  “She’s meeting us here… on the ramp?”  She released the harnesses holding the babies’ carriers in place; as she moved to pick them up, Luenia interceded.  “You follow Judea, Gabby. Alicia and I are happy to carry the children.”

“Thank you, Luenia,” she sighed.  Glancing at Alicia, she said, “I don’t know how I would manage without your help today.  I’m grateful that Captain Tremi assigned you to assist me.”

Luenia grinned in response.  “We’ve already spoken about this, Ms Donnelly.  You are not alone here… Lady Liara considers you family; so, we are here to assist you, however we can.”  She showed her teeth in a dazzling smile.  “Besides… spending time with the children is a pleasure for both of us, so we wanted to come.”  Her statement was punctuated with a quiet chuckle as she scooped Belle up and made funny noises to draw a giggle from the little girl.  “Now… you follow Judea and we’ll follow you.”

Gabby shrugged her shoulders and smiled back in grateful acceptance; Judea smiled again as she turned and led Gabby down the ramp to the pavement.  A group of Asari began walking towards them from underneath the canopy where they had awaited the ship’s arrival.  As they drew closer, Judea whispered, “The person in the center is Matriarch Tralis.  House Steward Luana is on her left… your right… and is likely here to relay the results of the meeting to Lady Sashia, the House Matriarch.”

As they met just a meter off the end of the ramp, Judea closed her eyes and dipped her head with a smile as she presented her hands, palms up, to the Matriarch.  Tralis, completely ignoring the formalities, slipped her arms under Judea’s to pull the young design engineer into a warm, welcoming hug.  “Goddess, it is so good to see you again, Judea!  The intervals between each of your visits always seems longer than they are!  Do you ever get any time off from your duties?”

“Not as much, nor as often as I would like, Matriarch.  It seems that, even with the war long since done, we are always busy.  However, I will be heading out for the Dancing Birds in a few days!”  She cast the matriarch a bright smile.  “I’m finally getting Riana out there… along with her amantia, Samantha Traynor, to visit Ryati’s old sport-flying grounds; something long overdue, I’d say.”  She pushed back slightly, adding, “Exactly like my visit today!  So yes… it is very good to see you, as well.” 

After greeting Luana and the others in the small group, Judea brought a suddenly shy and unsure Gabby up beside her.  “Matriarch, it is my privilege to introduce you to Gabriella Daniels Donnelly.  Gabby, this is Matriarch Tralis, the Director of Operations of T’Sere Shipwrights.”

Gabby nervously extended her hands, palms upward and trembling slightly, as she said, “Pleasure to meet you, Ma’am.  Please, call me Gabby.”

The Asari placed her hands, palms down, upon Gabby’s with a slight chuckle; glancing at Judea, she said, “I’m pleased to meet you… Gabby.  I understand you recently gave birth to… two?  Is that correct?  Two children?”  She looked the blushing woman up and down.  “Please, forgive my curiosity, but it is simply an event that never occurs with Asari.  I assume they are the little bundles Luenia and Alicia have the privilege of toting.  Please, may I see them?”

Gabby looked around quickly to see the two commandos approaching from either side.  She looked back at the Matriarch and said, “I did… give birth to them, that is.  And I had to bring them along with me, as they need to be fed rather frequently.”  Her face held a worried look as she said, “I hope you don’t mind.”

A wide grin eased her fear and her smile returned as she watched the Matriarch coo at each of the tiny babies in turn.  “Oh!  Absolutely not, Gabby!  They’re beautiful!”

“That’s Malcolm Kenneth, and…” Gabby motioned towards the current target of the Matriarch’s attention, “… this is Annabelle Edine.”

Tralis chuckled as a tiny hand sprang out, grabbed a blue finger and immediately tried to place the prize in her mouth; Tralis held back, as she didn’t want this little one ingesting whatever germs she might have on that finger.  Belle showed her displeasure at losing her prize by scrunching her face into a scowl and fussing.  “Ah, babies… not so different from our own… always so eager to explore whatever they manage to get their hands on by tasting it.”

The Matriarch refocused on Gabby, saying, “With the exception of the pale skin and lack of crests, they look remarkably like Asari babies.”  With a sigh, she continued, “Come, child.  Let’s go to my office where we may comfortably discuss your future.”  Placing a friendly arm around Gabby’s waist, she added, “This way.”

-------------------------------

Gabby was in awe; she stared out the large window overlooking the assembly floor, absolutely amazed that the yard had returned to full production capacity so quickly after the war, when so many of the major Alliance facilities were still struggling with supply chains.  There were numerous people below, moving among three vessels in varying stages of completion… a virtual beehive of activity. 

“Judea is down there somewhere, checking on how her designs are progressing.”  When Gabby turned questioning eyes around to the Matriarch, she added, “All three of those ships below are Judea’s latest designs, Gabby.  She’s far too modest to allow me to sing her praises publicly, but that maiden is an absolute genius when it comes to designing ships for FTL travel.”

Gabby turned away from the window and took a few steps to the upholstered chair Tralis had shown her.  “I’ve been told she’s a brilliant design engineer, Matriarch, but to see such actually being constructed…”  Leaving the thought unfinished, she leaned back in the comfortable chair and said, “She firmly believes my knowledge as a propulsion engineer would be valuable to your organization, so, I guess we should begin our discussion?”

The Asari chuckled.  “Humans,” she murmured.  “Always in a hurry to begin… or to finish.  I believe you’re very much like Salarians in that regard.”

Gabby chuckled at the comparison.  “I suppose there is some truth to that, especially from your point of view, but we generally outlive them by a century or so.”  She studied Matriarch Tralis for several moments before leaning forward in her chair to say, “I’ve done a bit of research into Judea’s designs, Ma’am; I believe I can design a propulsion system for each of those ships…” she inclined her head towards the windows overlooking the assembly floor below, “… that will improve their overall efficiency in terms of fuel use per hour.  That would translate into an increase in maximum FTL velocity with no additional consumption penalty.”

The Asari’s look of surprise was followed by a skeptical shake of her head.  “I don’t doubt your abilities, but I have several extremely capable propulsion engineers working for me already, Gabby.  I have to wonder, what do you know that they do not?”

“I’ve been a military FTL propulsion engineer since I graduated from tech school, Ma’am.  Starship engines are as much my passion as ship design is to Judea… I know them inside and out.”  With a shy smile, she added, “The Systems Alliance considers me to be rather brilliant at my job.  I’m also an exceptional physicist… my work pertaining to Mass Effect physics as applied to military propulsion systems is very well regarded, which is the reason they want me back in the lab on the CGC.”

“But we’re building ships for the private sector, Ms Donnelly.  The added expense of producing a military grade propulsion system would make T’Sere ships unaffordable by most.”

“Begging your pardon, Ma’am… but I wouldn’t be designing military grade systems for your ships.”  Gabby ducked her head for a moment, then looked up with confidence.  “What I would be designing would improve the overall performance of Judea’s excellent designs at negligible added cost.  I believe my performance enhancements to your ships would make them a more attractive choice than anything your competitors offer, including Turian, Salarian… and Human engineered vessels.  You might even have a difficult time keeping up with the increased demand.”

The Matriarch sat back in her chair as she contemplated this confident Human.  After a few moments, she quietly asked, “If that is truly the case, why would you offer your services to an Asari firm?  Why not a commercial builder in Sol?  Surely there must be one or two manufacturers that would dearly love to have someone of your abilities on staff.”

“Being Human has very little to do with who I opt to work for.”  Gabby looked down at her hands, clasped together hard enough to whiten her knuckles.  Returning her gaze to the Matriarch’s eyes, she replied in a tight voice.  “There are no small, privately-held ship builders remaining on Earth, Ma’am; the few that somehow managed to survive the Reaper’s final assault were forced to consolidate in order to remain in business.  Human demand for new personal spacecraft is currently so low, the manufacturers had to resort to making sub-assemblies for repairs… and manufacturing small parts for military applications.  We are still experiencing significant logistical support issues… on a global, if not universal, scale.”

Gabby rose from her chair, stepped over to the windows and checked her chrono.  In an embarrassed tone, she said, “Please accept my apologies for checking the time, but I’ll need to take a break shortly in order to feed my babies.”  Her face held a tight smile as she added, “Their timetable rules my days… and nights now.”

“Most of my visitors would never check time of day in front of me… the gesture is generally considered to be somewhat rude in the presence of a Matriarch of any standing.”  Tralis chuckled as she added, “It’s refreshing to be treated like a normal person for a change… especially when I completely understand what being on a baby’s timetable is like, and you have two of them… probably never hungry at the same time, so you are up at all hours.  I have to wonder how you manage to get any sleep at all.”

Gabby smiled.  It was obvious this Matriarch knew very well of the demands a newborn placed on a mother.  “Honestly, I’m looking forward to the time when I’ll again be able to sleep the night through…  I assume you have children?”

“Now that’s more like it… the Asari way of negotiating, that is.”  Tralis smiled.  “We prefer to get to know the person before we ever think about offering them a job… or accepting an offer from someone.  And, yes, I do have children; three.”  She joined Gabby at the windows as she added, “My middle one, Trina, is the Assistant Director and is down there…”  She waved at the furor of activity on the floor below them as she continued, “… somewhere, in the middle of all that.  Currently, she’s likely hiding in some corner, speaking with Judea about testing results.”

Looking down at the ships under construction, Gabby sighed and admitted, “Concerning Terrene manufacturers, Matriarch Tralis, I really don’t wish to work for a large, soulless conglomerate.  T’Sere is very obviously family oriented; you’re not so big that my contributions as a design engineer wouldn’t be appreciated.  And, having reviewed Judea’s designs, I quite honestly believe I would be an outstanding addition to your propulsion engineering staff.”

The matriarch stood quietly as she thought about everything Gabby had just told her; a knock at her office door brought her head around as the door opened slightly and Alicia stuck her head in.  “Please excuse the interruption, Matriarch, but I believe it might be feeding time.”

Gabby grinned at the commando.  “I expect you’re correct, Alicia.”  Returning her attention to Matriarch Tralis, she added, “If you will excuse me?  I shouldn’t be long.”

“Of course, Gabby.”  As the woman turned away and began walking toward the door, the Matriarch glanced at Luana.  “We should take the opportunity to speak with Judea during this break.”  Looking back to Gabby, she continued, “So, we’ll meet you back here in… say… an hour?  That should give you plenty of time to do what you need… and perhaps give you some time to relax a bit?”

Gabby took a fussy Belle from Alicia’s arms as she said, “Thank you, Matriarch.”  Looking at Alicia, she said, “I presume there’s a lounge nearby?”

“Oh, yes… nicely appointed with comfortable seating, snacks and juices.” 

As soon as Gabby said, “Please, lead the way,” Alicia smiled happily and pointed to the left, then turned and walked down the corridor at Gabby’s side.

-------------------------------

Gabby, having fed and changed Belle and Malcom, did have a bit of time to relax before she had to return to Matriarch Tralis’ office to conclude their interrupted meeting.  Once again seated in the chair facing her desk, Gabby waited patiently to hear what the Matriarch cared to discuss next.

“After speaking with Judea, she indicated you had put together some sort of portfolio?”  Tralis smiled at the young woman, stating, “I would love to see what you brought.”

“Oh!  Yes, absolutely!”  Gabby reached down into her bag and pulled out a datapad.  “I should have given this to you as soon as we started speaking.”

Smiling, the Matriarch activated the datapad and began perusing the data.  Being no stranger to propulsion theory, after having evaluated thousands of proposals over the years, a number of items piqued her curiosity.  “And all of these are practical applications you’ve implemented?  Not purely theory?”

“Every single one of them,” Gabby beamed.  “I have been handed propulsion units that have been designed, tested and tuned to their purported perfection… and managed to squeeze anywhere from three to twelve percent higher efficiencies from them than was ever projected.”  Gabby chuckled.  “Of course, the twelve-percenter was an anomaly.  A junior member who had all kinds of schools on his résumé was absolutely sure I’d get nothing.  The results were so surprising, he openly accused me of altering the test data, and took his complaint to our unit commander.”

Tralis, intrigued by the tale, had to ask, “So, what happened?”  

“Well, after redoing the tests in front of everyone and coming up with the exact same results, he changed his story, then accused me of stealing his ideas and altering his initial configuration to make my results look better.”  Gabby huffed, “He wasn’t around very long after that.  When he refused to back away from the allegations, the design division confiscated both of our workstations, compared the data contained within both, and promptly terminated his contract for theft of intellectual property.  Turned out, he had stolen my data, not the other way around, which he then attempted to improve upon by simply altering the fuel nozzle design.  His changes adversely affected the inflow-to-output ratios and, subsequently, totally destroyed any gains made with my modifications.”

“So…”  Tralis paused and focused on Gabby’s summary sheet.  “According to your own numbers, your average efficiency improvement hovers somewhere between three to four-and-a-half or five percent?”

“Yes… which, as you know, adds up to a significant increase in either speed or range for flights involving interstellar travel.”  Gabby shrugged and added, “The efficiencies honestly don’t mean much when speaking about shorter, atmospheric trips.  Route optimization can save you more than adjusting propulsion efficiency any day of the year, especially on high-grav worlds.”

Tralis remained silent as she looked over the remainder of Gabby’s portfolio.  After an additional five minutes or so – a seeming eternity to a nervous Gabby – the Matriarch finally turned off the device and gently slid it back across the desk to her waiting prospect.  “When Judea brought you to my attention, I wasn’t exactly in the market for a new propulsion engineer, Ms Donnelly, but I’ve never been one to ignore an opportunity that suddenly drops in my lap, either.” Tralis smiled.  “So, I’ve decided to give you a chance to prove yourself.”

She paused, perhaps expecting Gabby to protest at having to offer proof of her abilities.  When the woman remained silent, Tralis continued.  “Judea tells me you won’t be returning to Earth for several more weeks, so my proposal is for you to spend that time working with her.  She will choose one of the three ship designs currently under construction, for which you will design and submit a modified propulsion system.

Gabby nodded her head and replied, “A test… to determine if my design will be better than the system already planned for the ship.”

Tralis grinned.  “And to discover if it’s economically feasible, not only to construct, but to incorporate whatever you come up with into the ship’s structure.  Do you think you can do that?”

Gabby nodded as she declared, “I can, but I…”  She paused, suddenly unsure of how she wanted to phrase a question that wouldn’t insult this Asari.

Tralis picked up on Gabby’s hesitancy.  “You’re worried that T’Sere will take advantage of you in some way.  Nothing could be further from the truth, my child.  Speak with Judea…  She can allay any fears you may have concerning T’Sere’s trustworthiness.  We will gladly draw up a contract just for this test period… one that will reimburse you a fair amount for the design, whether we use it or not.  If it is truly as good as you believe it will be, then you’ll receive our normal design fee and the accompanying production bonuses.”  She smiled and added that Judea currently worked under just such a contract, before finally concluding, “And if, for any reason, we choose not to use it, you will still be paid equitably for your time spent creating the design.  Sound fair?”

“Yes… very fair… but…”  Gabby’s shoulders slumped, unsure how much Judea had told the Matriarch regarding her desire to work from home, so was unsure about how to proceed.

The Matriarch cupped her elbows with her hands as she leaned forward slightly.  “Gabby, I swear to you that T’Sere will not use any design you produce without your explicit consent, and we will never sell your designs to others without your approval and a signed commission contract with you.  If your designs are good, we will sign you to a contract that’s fair and generous… and you will be able to design propulsion systems while living on Earth… or did I totally misread your intent?”

“Not at all.”  Gabby smiled quickly, the possibility of earning a substantial income from home finally looking like a real possibility.  “My intent is to work from my home on Earth, but I have to wonder… T’Sere is a small ship manufacturer, Ma’am.  New designs that require new propulsion systems cannot be introduced that frequently.  I expect I would run out of work rather quickly.”

“Do not let that trouble you, Gabriella.  T’Sere has a fair number of existing designs already flying.  Their owners frequently request that we design and install upgraded systems, with the most frequent requests being enhancements to a ship’s propulsion system.”  She paused, finished her cup of tea, then continued.  “Each design we produce is an improvement on a previous model.  It is an expensive proposition to replace a ship’s drive core, but many of our customers are willing to pay for the best.” 

Tralis laughed lightly, before concluding, “Make no mistake, Ms Donnelly.  If your designs are as good as you say… as good as I believe they will be, then you have a bright… and steady, future with T’Sere Shipwrights.  I just may be sending every design currently in our inventory your way, to work on at your leisure.  An active marketing campaign with pre-designed propulsion improvements?  That’s a market we’ve never really had the talent to explore… a potential new service from T’Sere Shipwrights!”

Gabby grinned and nodded enthusiastically.  “Your offer is more than fair, Matriarch.  My only other concern at this point is security… against industrial espionage.  I will need to arrange for some remodeling of my house in Edinburgh before I can begin working from there.  It will need hardened entry doors and windows in order to prevent someone from easily gaining access to the servers that will need to be installed inside.”

Tralis’ expression grew thoughtful; after several moments in quiet contemplation, she said, “If you sign a contract with us, any security issues you may have at home become our concern, but… let’s not worry about that problem just yet, my dear.”  With a grin, she said, “Let us see what you can create to power Judea’s latest design.  After that?”  She shrugged her shoulders slightly in imitation of a Human expression.  “Only the Goddess knows.”  She smiled, stood and reached across the desk to shake Gabby’s hand.  “She generally doesn’t like to let us mere mortals in on Her plans too much in advance… so we’ll just go ahead with what we have.”

Gabby also stood, a wide smile spreading across her face in answer.  “I’ll begin immediately, Matriarch… as soon as I’m back at the estate.  Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

Tralis chuckled as she replied, “It will be our pleasure to learn from you, Gabriella Donnelly.”

-------------------------------

Systems Alliance Landing Zone, Earth, Sol – 14 Apr 2189

Spectre Ashley Williams stepped off the Nalotir’s loading ramp and looked around the field.  In the 22 months since the end of the Reaper War, it was readily apparent a lot of progress had been made in finishing the demolition begun by the Reapers – debris had been cleared, new buildings had been constructed – even the air smelled sweeter, a pleasant by-product of the elimination of so many charred and burned-out structures.

She gazed longingly in the direction of Farnborough Field… she had not told Andreas she would be visiting for the day; no doubt the Lieutenant Colonel was working in his office, oblivious to her presence.  Haven’t talked to him since end of January… even worse, haven’t held him in my arms since Christmas.  The thought of his gift to her… and her family… brought a tightness to her throat, along with a bit of extra moisture to her eyes.  We swore we could make this work, but damned if it’s easy!

She heaved a heavy sigh as she turned and began walking towards the administration building.  Thinking, May as well get this done.  If I’m still unable to find a Human propulsion engineer to work for me, I’ll return to the CGC… keep my appointment with Ferank… make sure he’s committed to working for me.

-------------------------------

After spending several hours speaking with several people in the Assignments Division, Ashley finally accepted the unhappy truth; any starship propulsion engineer that was worth a damn was already assigned to an Alliance warship.  Reading through the résumés of those put forth as being good enough to work on a state-of-the-art, Council-owned frigate had also been disappointing; she had politely expressed her gratitude for their time and efforts, then slowly walked back to the Nalotir.

Ship’s XO Leon Rensch was waiting for her at the top of the ramp.  “There are a couple of messages on your personal comms terminal, Ma’am.”  He closed the space between them slightly; in a voice meant for her ears alone, he added, “Happy birthday, Ms Williams.”

Eyes widening in surprise, she gasped, “Why, thank you, Leon!  I had nearly forgotten all about it.”  With a suddenly suspicious expression, she asked, “No one’s planning a party, are they?”

It was Leon’s turn to look surprised.  “Why, no Ma’am.  At least, nothing has been said by anyone.”  He cocked his head slightly as he continued with an increasingly huge grin, “However, with everything that’s been going on, I expect a real ‘blow-the-walls-out’ party would be good for everyone’s morale.”

Ashley chuckled, the disappointment of once again coming up empty in her search for a competent propulsion engineer momentarily forgotten.  “I imagine you’re correct, but we need to be on the move tomorrow morning… best not to fly this bird while we’re all hung over.”  Moving past Leon, she concluded over her shoulder as she walked towards the elevator, “I better check those messages.”

-------------------------------

Once in her quarters, Ashley keyed on her personal comms unit.  The message from Garok Ferank confirming tomorrow’s lunchtime meeting was expected.  What surprised her was a message from Dré; it began with a ‘Happy Birthday’ salutation, followed by an invitation to spend the evening off the Nalotir in his company.  How in Hell did he know I’m here?

After responding to Falk’s invitation, she spent a few minutes conferring with her XO while quickly packing an overnight bag.  Telling Leon she’d return in the morning in plenty of time for their departure, she descended the cargo ramp once again, only this time, her mood was much lighter.

She had scarcely left the ship when an official-looking X3M approached from the direction of Farnborough Field.  As the speeder eased to a halt beside her, the canopy lifted to reveal the love of her life.  “You look like you’re waiting for someone.”

Ashley nodded and replied, “There’s an extremely good-looking man… rank of Lieutenant Colonel… works as a logistics director on the British side.  Do you know him?”

Andreas, playing along, replied in a slightly snarky tone, “Wouldn’t know anyone fitting that description… I was sent to provide transportation to a Council Spectre with a captain’s rank, Ma’am.  Supposed to drive you to officer’s country inside Farnborough.”

With a silly grin lighting her face, the Spectre tossed her pack in the back of the speeder and climbed in to sit beside Andreas Falk; in a remarkable display of restraint, she waited for the deeply tinted canopy to lower and latch.  Shielded from public view, she twisted in her seat to throw her arms around Falk in an awkward hug.  After thoroughly kissing the surprised man, she sat back and declared, “I am yours until the one-hour-out show time for tomorrow’s 0900 departure.  Suppose you can think of a way for us to occupy the intervening hours?”

“There’s a really nice restaurant close by the base… a new place, just opened.  I’ll take you shopping, we can do some sightseeing, then enjoy a quiet dinner… maybe even some expensive wine?  You can tell me all about your adventures captaining the Nalotir.  What do you say?”

Reaching across, she grabbed his inner thigh as she delivered a reply with a smoldering gaze and a wicked grin.  “Just as long as you serve yourself up as dessert afterwards.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 15 April 2189

After two weeks of recovery time, Shepard found herself in Councilor Tevos’ office, along with Liara and the Human Councilor, Dominic Osoba, personally delivering the Orestes Station after-action briefing.  Having left out any mention of the assisting Shadow Broker forces, Shepard and Liara fell silent once they had explained nearly everything that had transpired.  They sat back in their chairs in order to give the councilors time to absorb everything that had just been revealed to them.

“Holy shit, Shepard.”  Osoba blinked quickly a few times before finally continuing, “And you honestly believe there are more of these… constructs… out there?”

“Do you honestly dare to risk thinking there aren’t any others?” Shepard countered.

“I guess not.  I have to admit that I agree with you, on more than just the likelihood of their existence.”  He shook his head.  “It’s the next stage of Human evolution… the physical body augmented by cybernetics… and the mind augmented by an AI assist?  It’s almost… frightening is the only word I can think of at the moment.”

“I understand how seeing one that looks… looked… like you would be upsetting, but what I fear even more is the possibility of there being a clone of Jack Harper out there as well, somewhere, with similar modifications.”  Tevos quickly cut to the heart of the matter, putting into words another one of Liara’s and Shepard’s greatest concerns.  “Living and spreading his poisonous philosophy, even though we believed him long since dead.”

“I didn’t even think of that possibility, Tevos!”  Osoba’s eyes opened wide at the prospect.  “The whole idea of a resurgent Cerberus, with a modified Jack Harper once again leading the organization?  Thanks for stuffing that nightmare into my mind!”

Shepard chuckled at Osoba’s reaction.  “We’ve seen no evidence of that… at least not yet… but we’ve only been to two of the fifteen or so known stations we believe still remain.  We have a lot of clean-up work yet to do, Councilors.”

“Our concerns, however,” Liara interjected, “are not focused entirely on the destruction of the potential adversarial clones.”

Shepard nodded and took up the explanation.  “While we were raiding Cerberus facilities during the war, we made a number of discoveries – or, more correctly, uncovered a number of Cerberus discoveries – none of which would have ever seen the light of day, all because they didn’t directly benefit Humans.”

Tevos leaned forward and interjected, “Like the advanced biotic amp interfaces and improved medi-gel formulae you delivered to Huerta!”

“Exactly.”  Liara reached over and grabbed Shepard’s hand out of pure reflex – thinking about just how carelessly the nanite data could have been unintentionally obliterated – as she continued, “Those breakthroughs were cached in archives that very easily could have been lost had I not downloaded every research database we came across, assuming I had the time to do so.  We have no idea what has already been inadvertently deleted or destroyed… and we should avoid making those same mistakes again unless, of course, our hand is once again forced, and we have no choice.”

“Agreed,” responded Osoba.  “So, what do you propose, Shepard?”

“We would appreciate you, meaning the Council, making this mission a priority.  Pull in your top Spectres… in point, those who just recently received the Andromeda Project stealth vessels or already have their own stealth craft… and hit all the remaining stations as soon as possible, in rapid succession.”  Shepard glanced back and forth between the two councilors.  “Divide and conquer with low-risk infiltration missions.  Get in, copy the data, get out.”

“And, there’s no indication that any of the stations have any contact with the others, so news of the cyber-attacks is unlikely to spread,” Liara continued.  “Then, once all of the missions are complete, you send the fleet out to destroy them all within a relatively short period of time.”

“Why wait?”  Osoba’s brow knit in confusion.  “Why not destroy each station as we go?  Wouldn’t that be a lot easier?”

“That kind of fleet movement would be extremely difficult to disguise and would most definitely raise some red flags, generating way too many questions.  If at all possible, we don’t want to draw any undue attention to either the fleet or those facilities… at least until we’re done with the data collection…  Just in case the Illusive Man, or some other protégé who has stepped up, is actually hiding out there somewhere.”  Shepard focused on Osoba as she answered.  “A single stealth vessel slipping in and out is easy to hide… a Council Heavy Fleet?  Not so much.”

“Which is the exact problem I see with this plan.”  Tevos blew out a heavy breath before adding, “Not all of these stations are within space that’s under Council influence.  Honestly, I don’t see much issue with the Batarian sectors, not anymore… but the Terminus?  I cannot even begin to guess what Aria would demand from us for the privilege to enter her territory with a Council battle fleet!”

“We have a fairly decent working relationship with Aria, so I can be your envoy for that.”  Shepard looked at Liara and she nodded in agreement, so Shepard continued.  “I personally assisted her…  Cerberus took Omega Station from her during the war, so we helped her take it back, in exchange for her troops and eezo for the war.  Hackett told me then that he didn’t want to know how I got her cooperation, so we never told anyone… but that’s the skinny of the whole deal.”

“But if she paid you back already…”  Osoba’s frown indicated he didn’t necessarily approve of such an exchange as he asked, “… How does that help us now?”

“That’s easy.  Hell,” Shepard chuckled.  “She might even take care of the stations herself once we tell her Cerberus is still parked in her backyard!”

“Goddess, Shepard!”  Tevos laughed with her before adding, “That’s brilliant.  She won’t be able to stand the idea of them at her back; you are absolutely correct.  If I know Aria, she’ll be seething at the very idea they’ve been there this whole time and she didn’t know.  I feel sorry for her chief of security and truly do understand our need for stealth, now.  If she gets even a hint about this, she’ll be destroying those stations before our agents ever set foot on them!”

“So, we have a plan?” Shepard asked hopefully.

Tevos and Osoba each looked at the other and nodded.  Looking back to the Spectre, Tevos answered, “Apparently, yes… we have a plan, Shepard.  We’ll bring it up at the next Council meeting.  Expect a joint mission planning session with the Commanders of each of those vessels around the first of the month.  Sound good?”

“Sounds great… and thank you.”  Shepard glanced at Liara, gave her hand a final squeeze before pulling away.  She pushed her chair back and stood, Liara quickly following her lead as Shepard asked, “And what would you have us do in the interim?  Any tasks on tap?”

“And… with an Asari-sponsored Spectre now speaking with her Councilor… that’s my cue to leave.”  Dominic stood with a smile.  “Good to see you again, Shepard… Liara.  And it’s good to know you’re still Human enough to invite me to this meeting, Shepard.  Some of the Admiralty are still rather upset… seething, actually… over what they see as your defection, but don’t let it bother you.”

“No worries there.  That complete lack of consideration was part of my decision to do what I did in the first place.”  She smiled, not letting the old irritations ruin her mood as she took Liara’s hand again and added, “Considering the fact that my children will be Asari and will be raised on Thessia, I have little intention of ever returning to Earth for anything more than a visit.  It’s a shame they simply couldn’t see that side of it all.  Besides, you’re not telling me anything Fleet Admiral Lindholm hasn’t already relayed to me.”

“What?”  Osoba sounded honestly shocked.  “Did Lindholm actually accuse you of defecting… or being a traitor?  I can’t believe…”

“Of course not.”  Shepard cut him off with a wave of her hand.  “Quite the opposite, actually.  She informed me there had been some talk… and that she told those involved, in no uncertain terms, that I was the one responsible for them still being around to bitch and moan, so perhaps they should just shut their damned mouths and be happy they still had their lives.  She concluded the discussion by telling them that if they continued to disparage the savior of the galaxy, especially in her presence, that their supposed job security in the post-war Alliance could very quickly become a thing of the past.”

Osoba laughed.  “Now there’s the Admiral I know and respect!  That sounds more like it!”  Looking to his fellow Councilor, he dipped his head, saying, “Tevos… always a pleasure,” before turning and taking his leave.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Tevos was out of her chair and around the table, giving both Shepard and Liara rather enthusiastic hugs.  “Thank you so much for coming on such short notice.  Dominic came to me with your message only moments after I received the same thing from you.  He must have read it and come here directly.”  She took a deep breath and added, “I consider it good fortune that I was actually sitting at my desk when you sent the message, so had also read it and called you as a result.”  She shook her head in dismay.  “His impulsive, unreasoned response to the situation was… disconcerting… at best.” 

Shepard dipped her head in embarrassment.  “Sorry about that, Rae.  Definitely my bad.  I never thought he’d bolt over here the second after he read it.”  Chastised, no matter how nicely Tevos had said the words, Shepard grimaced.  “And I most definitely know better than that.  I shouldn’t have put you in that position.”

“It was only by sheer luck that I read your note, found it shocking and, hence, called you immediately.”  The tattoo above her left eye arched as she directed a pointed glance at Shepard.  “Knowing you were enroute was the only thing I had to convince him to put off the discussion… giving me your travel time to put some thoughts together regarding our options.”

Shepard started to respond but was halted by a raised hand on the part of the Councilor.  “Fortunately, this time, there was no harm done, Samantha.  But, I would ask that should you desire to share something with the Human councilor again in the future, you let me know before you do, so I have some time to prepare before he shows up at my doorstep.  Please do keep that in mind for the future?”  Tevos gave her a little smirk.

“Absolutely.”  Shepard smiled softly.  “It will never happen again, I swear.”

“Good.  Now, with our formal business concluded, would you two care to join Sha’ira and me for a bit of refreshment, so you can tell us what you’ve really been doing over the past couple of weeks?”

“It would be our pleasure, Raesia.”  Liara smiled conspiratorially at their friend.  “We have some great news to share!”

Chapter Text

Thaptos Vineyards, Attena, Thessia – 15 April 2189

After their trip to T’Sere Shipwrights, Judea had spent much of the following day with Gabby, walking her through the designs of the three ships currently in production.  Now, while Gabriella started work at the Estate, enjoying the challenge of improving the engineer’s already wonderful designs, Judea was headed for the vineyards with Riana and Traynor.  Privately, Judea hoped for Gabby’s success for more than the sake of the Human and her babies; a more competitive design would also help Judea secure the majority of the top-ranking sales contracts… which could eventually lead to her reaching partner level – a highly prestigious, as well as lucrative, position. 

That accomplishment would be a welcome option when it came time to retire from the Brokerage, a day which Judea awaited with mixed emotion.  Miri would live longer than a normal Human but, even so, would not be around for more than a couple of centuries of Judea’s life.  Even if we find the time to have a child, the loss of Miri will crush me if I don’t have something else to grab onto… and I love what I do at the yards…  Please be successful at this endeavor, Gabby!  I need it as much as you do!

She was pulled from her reflections by a console alarm, indicating they were approaching their destination.  Leaning forward, she silenced the chime and took over manual control before triggering her comms.  “We are nearing the Thaptos Vineyard.  We will begin our descent in five minutes and be on the tarmac within twenty.”  She smirked and added, “Thank you for flying T’Soni Express Transport!”

While at T’Sere, Judea had arranged for one of her personal sport corvettes, Hesaldia – the translation of which means ‘Escape’ – to be maintenance checked and shuttled to the Thaptos Estate in time for their visit.  Matriarch Tralis had been more than happy to accomodate, saying, “And help you enjoy your vacation?  Absolutely!”  When Judea had protested that the trip wasn’t for her, Tralis had laughed.  “By the Goddess, Judea!  You absolutely love flying the Straights!  Such a gift from this Samantha Traynor is just as much a present to you as to Riana... and don’t you dare try to tell me any different!”

Now, as she circled the Estate on final approach, Judea couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory.  Tralis and the Shipyards would be such a good thing for Gabby.  The Human would be Sim’re to them all before she knew it, and the ties between T’Sere and T’Soni would be all the stronger for it.  A voice from long ago cut in.  “Judea Voni, as I live and breathe!  Never thought I’d actually see you again... thought for sure some emergency would divert you, as always seems to be the case!”

“Savanna?”  Judea’s face erupted into a huge grin.  “Is that you?”

“Goddess!  How can you possible recognize my voice after so long?”

Laughing, Judea replied, “Because I never forget the ones who annoy me the most!”

“Hey!  I remember you being nicer than that, Jude.”  Savana chuckled as she continued, “All joking aside, it is really good to hear your voice.  Mother is absolutely beside herself, knowing you have come to visit.  We can’t wait to meet this Human who has so captured Riana’s heart.”

“I know... right?”  Judea’s voice became more solemn.  “I never dreamed Ri would find someone so soon after Ryati… but go easy on Samantha.  I honestly believe you’ll soon see she is not a rebound love affair, but quite to the contrary… she is more than worthy of Riana’s love.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind… thanks, and see you in a few!”

-------------------------------

“By the blue blazes, Riana!  What has taken you so long to come visit us?”   Matriarch Tristana ‘Tris’ Thaptos quite literally ran across the space between them and ignored everyone except Riana, who she immediately scooped into her arms and gave a huge hug before kissing her on the cheek.  Holding her at arms’ length, she grinned and exclaimed, “Goddess, it’s good to see you!  How have you been?  You look wonderful!”

“Thank you… and it’s good to see you too.”  Laughing, Riana asked, “And just which question would you like me to answer first?”

Regaining some of her composure, the smiling matriarch stepped back and smoothed her gown before glancing around the group.  “Well, quite honestly, I suppose that can wait until we get in the house… so, I suppose you need to introduce me to your friend… other than Judea, of course.” 

Riana smiled softly and put her hand out towards Traynor, in invitation to come forward.  “Just as many things have gotten so much better over the past year.”  She placed her arm around Sammi’s waist and pulled her close before turning back to their host.  “Matriarch Tristana, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to my Breá, Communications Officer and technical specialist extraordinaire… Samantha Traynor.”

Freeing herself from Riana’s grip, Traynor stepped forward, hands out with palms up and dipped her head slightly.  “It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Matriarch.  Riana speaks very highly of you.”

Eyes bright in anticipation of getting to know this darker-skinned Human, Tris feathered her hands softly atop those offered.  “The honor is mine, Ms Traynor.  Anyone who manages to catch Riana’s heart must be special, indeed.”

“Oh, please… if it’s acceptable, I would love for you to call me Sammi.”  Traynor flashed a grin at the Matriarch.  “All my friends do… and any friend of Riana’s is a friend of mine…”  She paused before asking, “I believe… sim’re… is the Asari word for that?”

Riana’s eyes opened wide and she started to apologize for the informality of such a suggestion in reference to Tristana, but the Matriarch waved it off.  “It’s quite alright, Riana.  You can explain the nuances to her later… besides which, I honestly believe she is more correct than not.  You were never one of my employees.  You are… were… the love of Ryati’s life and will always be more like a daughter to me than anything else.”  Tristana’s eyes teared up as she added, “I still miss her… every single day.  May the Goddess forgive me, but I still curse Benezia and the arrogance that led to Ryati’s death… and I hope you do not think lesser of me, because of it.”

“I would never… but if my being here pains you…”  Riana’s eyes teared as well over the Matriarch’s confession as she continued, “… then why would you agree to this visit?”

“Because in no way does the loss of Ryati negate my love for you, young one.”  Tristana offered up a sad smile.  “Losing one was bad enough… the thought of losing you as well is more than I care to endure.”  She wiped away her tears.  “Also, having you here with me means I have the opportunity to share memories of Ryati… assuming you are ready and willing to do the same.”

Riana stepped up to the Matriarch and opened her arms in invitation, one which the Matriarch immediately took, wrapping the maiden in her arms and holding tight as Riana mumbled into her bosom.  “I have already shared many of them with Sammi… so, yes; I am ready to share more of the memories of my time spent with your daughter, Matriarch.”  She pulled back and let out a soft chuckle, wiping her own tears away.  “Much more so than when we last saw one another… when her death was so recent… and painful.  But I do not think sharing such out here on the tarmac is the proper place to do so.”

Laughing in spite of her tears, Tristana released the maiden.  “Truer words have never been spoken.  Come.  Let us all make our way to the house and get you settled in for your stay.”

-------------------------------

Once they were inside and had dropped their bags in their rooms, Riana took Traynor on a quick tour of the grounds, while Judea went in search of the Thaptos Matriarch.  “The house is looking good… and the vineyard seems to have either not been hit at all by the Reapers… or has recovered remarkably quickly.” 

Tristana’s eyes met the intriguing gold-flecks of Jude’s eyes and she smiled.  “Riana’s and your warnings were taken to heart, Judea.  Never, in all the years I have known the two of you, would I ever say you were prone to exaggeration or flights of hysteria.  So, when you told us there was something horrible headed toward us and we needed to hide away, we simply… believed you.”

“Thank you for trusting us so completely… seeing as we couldn’t exactly explain over an unsecured comm.”  Judea looked around the common area and commented sadly, “I have yet to see Corlissa…”

The Matriarch shook her head as she responded, “And you very likely will not, Judea.  Her family was hard-hit in Serrice, so she has returned to take over their holdings.  As much as I appreciated her excellent handing of my House, I didn’t have to think twice about releasing her when she asked.”  Tris hung her head as she whispered, “Her family was not so lucky as ours; Corli lost both her mother and her youngest daughter, though not from lack of trying to prevent such from happening.”  Tris’ eyes came back up and she let out a quiet sigh.  “She passed on the warning, but the attack on the city was simply too savage… too intense!  Little was spared.  Her oldest, Radisia, survived… and is now the direct heir should something happen to Corli… but Radisia has no desire to return home as of yet; she is in formal commando training in Anerzesa and desires to complete the full course.”

“Isn’t she my age… or close to it?”  Judea frowned.  “That’s rather old to be in training…”

“Yes, it is, but she ended up on a commando squad during the war… left little choice in the matter when the Reapers dropped on their heads.”  Tris smiled lightly.  “While it was fight or die, it turns out she has an instinct for fighting that cannot be supplanted by any amount of training.  Having such a natural talent, she decided to make it a career.  I do believe her intent is to return home and take a position in the City Guard.”

“That’s too bad,” Judea shrugged.  “If she’s that good, she could earn a lot more with a High House… but likely can’t, because she’s first in line to inherit the family holdings.  Though, she still has options; she could hire a manager and continue to do what she loves.”

“True… but their losses left emotional scars, which is why she intends to return home… to what she considers the best of both worlds – commando by day and home with what remains of her family by night… or vice-versa, depending on her schedule,” Tris chuckled softly, though a profound sadness still tainted her voice.  “Besides which, there are certainly worse places to live than the outskirts of Serrice!”

“Ah… there is always that,” Judea answered with a smile.  “They have rebuilt amazingly fast… like you.”

“No.  Not like us.  They have their widespread, urban networks to thank… because the technology and manufacturing centers were specifically targeted… not the more rural outskirts.  Our recovery, on the other hand, is mostly compliments of the SILC, for which I am extremely grateful.”  Tris shook her head in astonishment.  “Working night and day without rest… like the machines they are… but, yet… they are more than pure machines.  At least, they appear so to me.  They have individual personalities… and they most definitely helped us get reestablished here.  We would be nowhere near where we are now, had they not come here and assisted in the reconstruction.”  Her voice grew solemn.  “We owe them a debt we can never possibly repay.”

“Perhaps you will find a way to do so, eventually… but, honestly?  I doubt they even see it as a debt.”  Judea smiled softly as she continued, “They are like children… entranced simply by the opportunity to learn about organics.  Being given the chance to live and work next to you for the duration of time it took to get you back up and running is likely all the reward they desired.”

“Well, that and some of our precious metals stores,” Tris smirked.  “But, joking aside, I did not begrudge them even one gram of it!  They needed it more than we did, to construct more units, and we needed their help, so it was a fair trade.”  She suddenly laughed.  “All that, simply to say that my new House Steward is named Kanesha Coroni and goes by Kaya.  I believe she’s doing some shopping for dinner this evening, so she should be coming back relatively soon.  I will introduce you then.” 

“Sounds good to me.”  Judea fell silent, taking in the view of the restored vineyards through the window as she sipped her fruit juice.

After a few moments, the Matriarch broke the quiet by hesitantly asking, “How is your mother?”

Judea smiled, “Alive and well, still living at T’Soni House Armali.   She decided to stay and is now employed as their Fleet Manager!”  Judea blinked rapidly, understanding the reason for the matriarch’s caution.  “I haven’t been very good about keeping you apprised of our status since the war…  I simply assumed you knew!  We are all doing quite well, thank you.”

“Oh, thank the Goddess…”  Tris breathed an audible sigh of relief before she continued, “Your silence worried me, thinking you did not want to have to explain…”  She left the rest unsaid and simply smiled.  “But it is good to know there is no longer any reason to worry…  We have all been blessed.”  She paused only slightly before asking about another.  “And Miranda?”

“Wonderful, as always,” Judea answered with a soft smile.  “I imagine you expected her to come along, but she is busy treating Shepard’s latest injuries.  The assault on an old Cerberus station was met with unexpected resistance.”  She met the Matriarch’s eyes and added, reassuringly, “No one was badly injured… but Shepard requires special care due to her unique physiology.”  She paused, suddenly realizing she may have said too much.  “Which is not common knowledge… so, please, don’t ask me to explain.”

“Just tell her, Jude.”  Riana’s voice cut in from the side as she and Traynor entered.  “Better she knows the full truth of it than be making errant assumptions.”

“Do you not think Shepard and Liara will be angry?”

“No.  They know the truth will come out eventually.  It has to.”  Riana grinned and looked at the Matriarch.  “No Human has ever lived to be a thousand years old… it’s bound to raise some questions as she goes along, seeming to never age a day.”

“A thousand years?”  Tris glanced back and forth between her two Asari guests.  “What are you talking about?  Is that even possible for a Human?”

“After Shepard was kidnapped by Cerberus, she was… changed.”  Riana sat down on the nearest couch, pulling Sammi down beside her.  “They possessed technology to strengthen her tissues and bones… and inserted specialized repair nanites into her system, which were designed to constantly fix any damage… right down to a molecular level… that Shepard incurs.  The processes were incredibly intrusive… and expensive, nearly bankrupting Cerberus… but are what helped her survive the most horrific of battles.”

“She suffered greatly,” added Riana, “because the tech kept her alive when she should have died and conscious through pain she never should have endured… but it helped her save us all.  However, now, anesthesia is particularly difficult…”

“Oh, Goddess!”  Tristana’s eyes went wide.  “All those surgeries…?”

“Yes.  Any operation had to be done very carefully, under very special conditions…  Otherwise, Shepard would have suffered through continuous extreme pain.”  Judea shuddered.  “Miri once told me Cerberus just wanted her alive…  So, since pain medications were not easy to come by for a rogue organization, Shepard was in a medically induced coma most of the time.”  Judea shook her head in disgust.  “The Illusive Man simply refused to let them ‘waste’ any on her, so, while her body reacted to the pain, her mind, fortunately, had neither recognition nor memory of it.”

“That… that’s… monstrous!”  The very idea had the Matriarch standing from her seat.

“Yes, it was… but it is over and done… and Shepard is alive today because of it, as are we all.”  Judea actually smiled as she rose from her seat and placed a comforting hand on Tris’ arm.  She continued quietly, “And, now, she can look forward a full, Asari life with Lady Liara and House T’Soni.  If you asked her, I guarantee the Spectre would say it was worth every bit of pain and sacrifice to be where she is now.  But I hope that you do not, as it was not my secret to reveal.”

Tris momentarily closed her eyes as she took a deep cleansing breath.  When she reopened them, she was the epitome of serenity as she responded, “You have no fear of that… and, as you stated, we would all figure it out soon enough, especially the Asari and Krogan who know her, who will be around long enough to notice.”  She calmly studied Judea, with the intent to make sure she had eased the Maiden’s fears before leaning in to give her a hug of assurance.

Suddenly, Tris’ eyes widened almost imperceptibly as she realized Judea had changed… or, at the very least, is well on her way to becoming a Matron!  I have to wonder if this is why Miranda was so willing to stay behind at the Estate?  The sexual tension between them right now must be excruciating with such constant proximity within the confines of a ship!  She whispered conspiratorially, “Shepard’s secret is safe with me… as is yours.”

“Thank you, Matriarch.”  Judea visibly relaxed with Tristana’s first statement, then tensed again with her second.  “My secret?  How is that my… Oh, tides!”  Involuntarily, her hand came up to stroke her Le'wĕth where they met her collar.  “I thought my collar was appropriately high enough…”

The Matriarch smiled as she reached up to pull Judea’s hand down, saying quietly, “It is… and I never would have noticed, had I not been hugging you close enough to see down your neck, Judea.  Relax.”  She pushed back, smiling as she glanced at Riana and Sammi.  “Now, how about those refreshments I spoke of?  Some snacks and a bit of wine?”

Riana grinned before answering from the side as she and Traynor rose from the couch.  “Yes… absolutely!  Perhaps a bit of your Blue Rose Wine? Which, I am sure, will be positively divine, as always.”  

“Certainly!  But I must confess we haven’t yet produced a new batch… so any cases we have are coming up from the cellars, not fresh from the barrels.”  She smiled hopefully as she continued, “Perhaps this year’s crop will be sweet enough, now that the air has been cleared of the smoke of war.  Last year, we simply plowed the crop under.”

“What a waste!” Judea exclaimed.  “Though, with the atmospheric cleansers running, I trust that this year’s crop will be just fine.” 

“I most certainly hope so.”  Turning and gliding toward the wine cabinet, the Matriarch’s voice was cheery as she said, “Enough talk of the past… let us celebrate our reunion and make a toast to the future!”

-------------------------------

Oihana Forest, Attena, Thessia – 16 April 2189

The next morning, Judea was up early, eager to take Hesaldia for a spin to reacquaint herself with the controls, seeing as it had been more than five years since she had piloted her private performance corvette.  While most ships of her class were in the fifty-meter range, Hesaldia was significantly smaller, coming in at just over thirty-seven meters in length. 

Equipped with the standard drive core designed for a much larger and bulkier ship, the sport corvette was much sleeker and faster than others in her class.  Technically a warship classification, Hesaldia was also much lighter, because she had no weapons systems or ammunition caches within – items which tended to be extremely heavy.  Instead, Judea had utilized the vacant spaces to hold enhanced flight and performance control systems, also giving the ship much improved maneuverability over similar vessels. 

Once she was airborn, Judea pointed the ship toward one of the closer rainforests.  She would use that airspace to test the craft’s responsiveness and speed, to ensure nothing was wrong with either the flight controls – or my own reflexes! – as she hadn’t honestly flown a sport craft of any type since Shepard’s disappearance.  Liara with the Brokerage, and the war, had kept them all rather busy since that time, leaving no openings for vacations or test flights of any nature.

Arriving over the forest, a light touch on the controls and Hesaldia leapt forward like a hungry Próidh, eager for a kill.  Grinning broadly, Judea eased the ship through a gentle roll before accelerating yet again into a steep climb.  Just as the craft began to shudder with gravitational resistance, she rolled it over and plunged downward, gathering speed as she rushed toward the canopy far below.  She suddenly pulled up, Hesaldia responding quickly and leveling off above the trees for only the briefest of moments before Judea began a lazy, open spiral, parallel to the treetops.

At that point, T’Sere Shipwrights Assistant Director of Operations Trina T’Sere – who had personally delivered the ship and come along for the check-out ride – muttered, “By the blazes, Voni!  Are you trying to kill us… or just make me sick?”

“Neither!”  Judea released a hearty laugh and leveled the craft, less than 100 meters above the canopy, and accelerated Hesaldia to her top speed.  As the trees whipped by beneath the ship as nothing more than a greenish-blue blur, she added, “With the inertial dampeners, you shouldn’t be feeling any ill-effects.  I certainly am not… are you truly feeling ill?”

“It’s not the physical affects, you Pyjak.”  Trina turned to her with a grin.  “It’s the fear of imminent death at the finish of every loop… watching those damn trees reaching up at us as you level off at the bottom of every roll.  What would happen if a flock of birds suddenly burst from the trees?”

“We would be fine… but the flock could possibly suffer from the airwash… which could affect their flight ability.”  Judea frowned at the thought and increased the ship’s pitch enough for a gentle climb.  “You are correct… I should be more respectful of their habitat and give them more room.”  She turned to her friend and smiled apologetically.  “Sorry.  I should be more considerate.”

“I was kind of joking, Jude,” Trina smirked.  “But I will admit... I do feel better with more clearance between us and the trees, no matter how good the ship or how great the pilot.”

“Now you’re just being a smartass.”  Judea grinned… just as she gave the throttle another bump and threw the ship into a tight climbing spiral before ending in level flight… upside down, the combined effect of which was a high-pitched squeal of protest from the person in the other seat.

-------------------------------

Dancing Bird Straits, Attena, Thessia – 16 April 2189

Immediately following lunch, Judea was once more in the pilot’s seat, this time with Riana in the co-pilot’s chair beside her and Traynor sitting behind, in what would be the Weapon’s Officer’s seat in a traditional corvette.  The flight to the western shore of the continent was a relatively quick one, given the distance from the Vineyards to the far coast.

“She’s a beauty, Judea!”  Once they had gotten airborne and were enroute, Sammi had undone her harness to stand behind Riana’s seat, her right hand resting softly on Riana’s shoulder.  “The design is incredible… and the seemingly effortless speed?  Amazing!”

“You’ll love it when we get to the Straits, then.”  Judea paused and pointed.  “Which are just now beginning to appear above the treetops.  See them?  Right there.”

“Goddess,” Riana muttered in awe.  “Just how tall are they?”

“Depends on the spire,” Judea grinned.  “That’s what makes them so much fun to fly!  They present quite the variety of obstacles… from high-reaching, thin spikes to short, robust columns… and then there are the arches and hoops!  Those are the most fun… but most are too small to fly this craft under or through.  Most can only be done in an aircar.”

“An aircar?”  Traynor paled a bit.  “If the place is so popular, will we need to worry about collisions?”

Judea chuckled before responding, “Not at all.”  Glancing over her shoulder at the specialist, she continued, “The Straights are such a popular destination for sport enthusiasts, there’s actually a schedule.  We’ll have the entire airspace to ourselves for a full hour…  The time slot has quite literally been booked since you spoke with Tris.”

“What do you mean… literally?”  Riana’s face held a puzzled expression.

“While Sammi was speaking with Tris, Savanna was on the comm with the airspace director, inquiring about availability.  That’s why Tris gave you the dates she did… and nothing sooner.  The Straights were booked out.”

“Four months in advance?”  Traynor’s high pitch reflected her surprise.

“Yes.  Four months.”  Judea smiled.  “I was actually surprised it wasn’t longer.”  Her grin faltered as she continued sadly, “It’s likely many people aren’t back to pleasure flying, so it’s just designers and builders booking the time slots… and, I imagine, they aren’t selling too many sport craft right now, so no need to demonstrate maneuverability and control responsiveness at locations like this one.”

“All the better for us, then.”  Sammi reached over and gave Judea’s shoulder a squeeze.  “The market will come back, Judea.  As you heard from Gabby… Thessia is leaps and bounds ahead of Sol.  We have the pleasure of still being alive, so we’ll all get there eventually.”

“You’re right.”  Casting off her sudden pall just as quickly as it had come upon her, the pilot grinned.  “Best retake your seat and buckle up, Ms Traynor…  The ride is about to get a lot more exciting!”

-------------------------------

After thirty minutes – which seemed to pass much quicker than possible – Riana asked Judea to ease up and then glanced behind her.  Undoing her harness and climbing from the seat, she grinned cheekily at her Breá Ber’ah.  “You simply must sit up here for a bit, Sammi!  You arranged for this whole thing, so absolutely need to have a front row seat for a bit… it’s frightening and fascinating, all at the same time!”  When her lover hesitated, Riana added, “Oh, come on!  You really do need to experience this.  The Hesaldia truly is an amazing craft…”  Laughing, she finished, “… and you can’t see it from the back seat… especially with your eyes slammed closed!”

“Oh… fine!”  Accepting the obvious challenge, Traynor unbuckled and swapped places with Riana, quickly realizing just how much more – expansive – the view truly was from the co-pilot seat.  “Wow.  Your screen design really is amazing, Judea!  I practially feel like I’m perched on a platform outside the ship!”  Looking down at the water below, she gulped, “I didn’t realize she had a clear bottom with a retractable cover... now I see why Ri described it as frightening.”

“Are you ready to really see how she flies?”  Judea cocked her head in question at the somewhat pale woman in the seat next to hers.  When she received a cautious nod in response, she grinned.  “Strap in tight…  You’re about to get the ride of your life.”

Remembering hanging from her battle harness in the Normandy during the numerous battles during the Reaper War, Traynor initially doubted Judea’s words, but it was not long before she recognized her error in judgment.  Judea piloted the Hesaldia as if it was an extension of her own body, twisting and turning through the field of spires, doing pirouettes above the highest tops before diving down along their steep sides, to emerge from the dive mere meters above the sea, drawing vortexes of water in their wake as they sped across the surface before beginning to ascend anew.  The first dive, Traynor found herself picking her feet up off the floor as the craft leveled out at the water’s edge, as if trying to keep her feet from dragging in the waves.

Judea laughed with glee at Traynor’s squeaks… and occasional outright screams.  One maneuver in particular had Traynor cussing the pilot.  The Hesaldia streaked straight toward a tall finger of land that jutted out from the coast, the slanted cliff looming larger by the moment.  Finally, Traynor saw what appeared to be a tiny hole in the face of the wall, asking in disbelief, “Judea…  What are you doing?”

“Exactly what you fear we’re going to do… threading the formation that is known as Dancing Bird Needle.” 

Judea glanced over, a teasing smirk on her face as Traynor whispered, “But it looks so… small!”

“Oh, it is… especially in respect to a ship the size of Hesaldia.  She’s almost too big to fit.”

“What?” Traynor squeaked out in disbelief. 

At that, Judea burst out laughing.  “I did say almost, Sammi.”  Her face still held a wide grin as she continued, “We’ll fit… I’ve done it dozens of times,” while never pulling back on the throttle.

They sped toward the tiny hole in the cliffside, the walls close enough that the airwash pulled dust and dirt from the rock faces as they sped through.  The very moment they completed the transit, Judea placed the corvette into a tight victory roll, whooping in excitement.  “Goddess, but I do love that maneuver!”

Even Riana was caught offguard, shouting from the back seat, “By the blazes, Jude!  That was insane… especially for you!”  She let out a giddy laugh and continued, “I always considered you the straight-laced conservative one in the bunch!”

“I am…”  Judea placed the ship back into level flight before turning around, a wide grin of satisfaction spreading across her face.  “But she’s my ship from the ground up and I know exactly what she’s capable of… and, as I said before, I’ve done it dozens of times.”

Just then, a voice came over the comm unit.  “Nicely done, Hesaldia.  Only one test pilot I know can pull off a stunt like that with a corvette at max velocity, Judea.  Good to know you survived the war.”

Judea was laughing as she keyed her mic.  “And this must be Chief Controller Mireya… Good to hear your voice as well, Rey.”

“You have time to stop in at Control?  Maybe stay for lunch?”

Judea looked across at her passengers, seeing as they were the guests of honor for this particular flight.  When they both smiled and nodded, she responded, “Can do, if you can take three.  I was giving a personal demonstration to some very special friends.”

“Excellent!” the cheery voice responded.  “I’ll log you out of the formation and see you in ten?”

“Understood, Control.  See you soon!”

-------------------------------

Thaptos Vineyards, Attena, Thessia – 18 April 2189

Riana sighed and sat back, opening her tired eyes as the meld with the Matriarch dropped.  Both wiped tears from their eyes, sad smiles crossing their faces.  “Thank you, Tris…  That was positively wonderful, however much it may have torn at our hearts.”

“No thanks necessary, Ri.”  Tristana’s voice hitched at the familiar nickname that applied to both Liara’s First and to her own daughter.  “It fills my heart with joy to know that Ryati was so loved and respected by the other commandos… and that she had your love to fill her nights.  A mother can wish for nothing more for their child than that.”

“Except, perhaps, that she still be around for more of the same.”  Riana wiped away a new flood of tears that had welled onto her cheeks to run down her face.

“But we must trust in the Goddess… that she meant for you to be with Sammi, for whatever her reasons may be.”  Tris paused to take a deep breath and gather herself before continuing, “No matter how much it may pain those of us Ryati left behind with her unexpected early departure from this world.”

Riana sniffed and reached out to take the Matriarch’s hand.  “It gladdens me, to know I can give you some relief from the pain, simply by sharing my memories with you.”

“You have no idea how much you have lightened my heart, Riana.”  The Matriarch accepted and gently squeezed the offered hand.  “I never thought I would ever begin to forgive Benezia… but knowing now what she managed…  How she delayed Saren… and was able to provide Shepard and Liara with the information they needed to stop Sovereign and buy us much needed time…”  Tristana stopped and shook her head.  “I am not quite there yet, but you have given me sufficient justification for a pause in my hatred.  Perhaps, in time…”

“You are in good company.”  Riana shrugged.  “Many of the Matriarchs of the high houses still blame her… because she did not raise her concerns to them, instead choosing to go out on her own.  You are not alone in blaming Benezia’s hubris for what befell us all.”

“Still…  Benezia was the best of us all… and had succeeded at negotiations no others would even attempt…”

As Tris’ words tapered off, Riana gave her hand another squeeze before letting go and continuing for the Matriarch.  “… but part of wisdom is knowing when things are beyond you… and seeking assistance when necessary.”

“Perhaps.”  Tris stood from the comfortable couch and stretched, glancing at her young friend.  “But we have spent enough time inside on such a beautiful day.  Care to find Sammi… and join me on a walk through the vineyard, to check on the progress of this year’s new plantings?”

“Sounds wonderful, Amara.”  Riana smiled and stood beside the Matriarch.  “As far as I know, Sammi is likely still in the communications room, working on your security encryption algorithms.”  She chuckled and shook her head, adding, “I honestly believe she loves doing things like that as much as Judea loves flying… maybe even more!”

“It would seem Sammi is the perfect match for you, Riana.  I just wish…” Tris paused, as if unsure how to say what troubled her about the relationship.

“You’re worried Sammi’s short lifespan will leave me an emotional wreck when she dies, and I cannot say I haven’t thought about it.”  Riana sighed before continuing.  “Sammi is the most caring, loving individual I have ever met.  She is absolutely devoted to me.  I was badly injured in the temple of Athame near the end of the war.  Sammi was by my side almost continuously.  She spent hours helping me regain my strength as I recovered.  I will take whatever time the Goddess allows her to spend in my life and enjoy every minute of it.  I love her with every fiber of my being.”

The Matriarch chuckled.  “It is obvious to anyone with eyes and ears that you two are a loving couple.  I pray the Goddess grants Ms Traynor an exceedingly long, healthy life.”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 19 Apr 2189

The dawn light was just beginning to filter in through the linen curtains of the bedroom as Shepard lay face-up in bed with her eyes closed, fingers interlaced behind her head.  She was thinking about the previous night – she and Liara had purposely retired early to spend a bit of much needed private time together.  Their lovemaking had lacked the… urgency… it had previously possessed, and Shepard discovered she had rather enjoyed it.

Much to her surprise – given the early hour – a soft voice echoed in her head.  {Me too, Siame… and I’m sure it’s because we are no longer in a frenzy, fearing imminent death every other day.}

Shepard turned to see a pair of bright blue eyes shining at her.  With a grin, she responded, “Only every other?”

A soft chuckle preceded the response of, “I’m allowing for travel time between battles.”

Laughing, Shepard rolled up on her side to face her Asari lover.  Propping herself up on an elbow, she agreed, “It is kinda nice to not be constantly worried about dying, isn’t it?”  She reached over to gently caress Liara’s cheek, never ceasing to be amazed at the warm softness of the scaly-looking blue skin.  “Especially since Miri fixed my nanite crap.”

“We’re not quite done with that yet,” a suddenly more somber-faced Liara replied.  Her smile returning, she continued, “But we’re certainly close.  It’s just a matter of finding that last little bit of rare material she needs.”  Liara placed her hand upon Shepard’s, and then gently ran her fingers up her arm, sending shivers through the woman’s body.  “I was thinking we should contact Legion.  I’d bet the SILC have a stockpile of material… or, at the very least, know where we could get some.”  She paused as her forehead scrunched up a bit.  “I’m really not sure why I didn’t think of it earlier.”

“I don’t know…”  Shepard’s expression shifted to her roguish grin.  “Maybe because that fear of imminent death you just spoke of had you more than a bit preoccupied?”

“Maybe.”  Liara grinned and propped herself up as well, mirroring Samantha’s position.  “But that’s no excuse… so, I’ll see to that as soon as we get up.”  The grin shifted to a smirk as she added, “But it’s much too early to even think of getting out of bed yet… I’m not sure the staff would survive the shock of seeing me so early.  They would be absolutely positive something was wrong.”

Laughing together, Shepard finally managed to respond, “So… you going back to sleep, or do you have other ideas?”

“Oh, no.  I’m wide awake…” Liara smiled somewhat bashfully, “but I’m sure we can think of something to do.”  She leaned in, placing her lips against Shepard’s and pushed the woman over onto her back.  {I don’t believe that will be a difficult task at all, as a matter of fact...}

-------------------------------

Spectre Vessel Nalotir, Arcturus Stream – 20 Apr 2189

Spectre Ashley Williams raised her eyes at the nearly silent swish made by the compartment door as it parted in the middle and slid into the pockets on either side of the opening.  Standing ramrod straight in the passageway outside was a tall woman with what appeared to be a nice tan.  Green eyes sparkled as she spoke, “Chief Petty Officer Oksana Yakovna reporting as ordered, Ma’am.”

Ashley smiled at the woman.  “Chief Yakovna… please, come in.”  Motioning to the chair in front of her desk, she added, “Have a seat.”

The woman moved effortlessly, with a fluid grace indicative of someone that had spent years aboard ships of every kind.  She gingerly sat down, seeming to remain at attention as she did so.

“Nice to finally meet you, Chief.  I hope you’ll be comfortable here on the Nalotir… at least until we can all move back to the Normandy.  Do you have any questions for me?

“No, Ma’am.  I’ve studied the systems on this ship; they’re all designed to operate with an absolute minimum of hands on maintenance…” she smirked, “… or interference.  Probably best for a quasi-civilian vessel being crewed by explorers in a new galaxy.”

Ashley smiled at that.  “The Andromeda Initiative… there were no weapons of any kind on this bird until we had a GARDIAN system installed.”  With a shake of her head, she concluded, “I believe Initiative leadership has blinders on if they cannot see the potential for a hostile reception to their ‘invasion’.”

Oksana grinned in response.  “Invasion?  That galaxy is as large as the Milky Way… the Initiative is sending five sleeper ships and a deconstructed space station to the Heleus Cluster.  I don’t believe a hundred thousand colonists could be construed as an invasion force, Ma’am.”

“Aye, but they’re making a one-way trip, Chief.  I have to imagine the imperative to survive will be extremely high.”  With a shake of her head, she dismissed the subject by concluding, “It’s been four years since launch and they’re traveling through dark space on a 600-year-long journey.  You and I… and most everyone those people know… will be gone and forgotten by the time they arrive.” 

“Everyone but the Asari and Krogan, anyway.”  Oksana grinned with a shrug of partial agreement, then said, “I’ll comb through the Nalotir’s ops manual in order to make sure all her systems are operating at peak efficiency, and I’ll begin studying the equipment manuals for the Normandy.  I expect by the time we move to that ship I’ll have at least a general understanding of all her systems.”  With another smirk, she added, “Then I’ll have to relearn everything the Geth modified.”

Ashley smiled.  “They’re called SILC now, Chief.  Self-aware machines… something I never believed to be possible.”  With a grin of her own, she stood from her chair.  “I’ll have Commander Adams show you to your quarters; you can leave your bags there before he shows you around the ship and outlines your full duty list and schedule.”  She stuck out her hand.  “Welcome aboard, Chief.  I hope you enjoy this assignment.”

Oksana clasped Ashley’s hand and pumped it twice as she replied, “Thank you, Ma’am.  I’m sure I will… but honestly?  What I’m really looking forward to is getting onto the legendary Normandy,” before turning to leave.

Even though the woman had already turned away, Ashley gave her a parting smile.  “You and me, both, Chief…  You and me both.” 

-------------------------------

Thaptos Vineyards, Attena, Thessia – 22 April 2189

“Thank you, so much, Tris!”  Sammi positively bubbled, a huge grin on her face as she said goodbye to the Matriarch.  “And Kanesha… and Maga… and Savana…”  The nine blissful days spent at the Vineyards had been food for the soul and, given the Reaper War and everything that had followed, she and Riana were possibly the most relaxed they had ever been since the day they first met.

Traynor stopped and her face turned a bit darker as everyone started to laugh.  Tristana simply smiled and answered, “Thank you for thinking to call me, and for creating this opportunity, Samantha Traynor.”  She glanced at Riana for only the briefest of moments before returning her gaze to the olive-skinned Human.  “I hope you honestly understand just how much of a gift your visit to this House is, to bring Riana home and to have my lost birth daughter once more alive in my mind.  Sharing all those memories of Ryati… It provides me with a contentment beyond words.  Thank you… and know you will always be welcome in our home.”

She turned to Riana and reached out with both hands.  Immediately understanding what the Matriarch was asking, Riana stepped up and took them, closing her eyes and tipping her head forward, gently, until their foreheads touched.  With a light tap on her consciousness and permission granted, Tristana slid softly into her mind.

A sense of calming love – the likes of which only a mother can give – and overwhelming affection swept through her, causing Riana to weep with joy.  {And you, my young one… don’t you dare leave so much time between contacts ever again.  Ryati is gone, yes, but you are still a part of this family and, now that this initial… reacquaintance… has been accomplished, I fully expect to see you more frequently.  I could not bear to lose you again, dear one.  Visit us again… soon.}

As their farewell meld continued, Savana stepped up to Traynor and took one of her hands as well.  “Sammi, it truly was our pleasure getting to know you!”  With a disbelieving shake of her head, she chuckled and continued, “I can’t thank you enough for all your help in the comm room, updating all of our security protocols, when you were supposedly on vacation.”

“Are you kidding?”  Traynor grinned.  “Stuff like that is fun for me!  It’s like this huge puzzle that I have this driving need to solve.  I love any challenge of that kind!”

“You have an odd definition of fun, Human.”  Savana laughed quietly.  “Do you know the Asari word Sim’re?”  Canting her head slightly to the side, she asked, “And, if so, would you find it acceptable for me to refer to you as such?”

“Certainly.”  Traynor’s voice reflected her surprise.  “But… we’ve known one another for less than two weeks!  I didn’t think such an honor was so easily earned.”

“It is not,” Savana replied quickly.  “But you did not hesitate to offer your assistance… and you have an amazingly… sincere… way about you, Samantha Traynor.  It breathes confidence and trust, and I admit to finding it rather endearing.”  She smirked and added, “Judea was correct in her assessment of you and I can very easily see why Riana fell in love with you.”

“Wait.  What?”  Traynor’s voice pitched up in surprise.  “What do you mean, Judea’s assessment of me?”

A broad smile erupting on her face, Savana answered, “On the day of your arrival, during final approach, she told me to go easy on you… that you were worthy of Riana’s love.  All I’m saying is that I agree with her.”

“Judea actually said that?”  She asked the question as she glanced over her shoulder at the pilot, patiently waiting at the door of the T’Soni VIP-1.

“Yes, she did.”  Savana winked and whispered conspiratorially, “But don’t you dare tell her that I told you!  She may have spoken in confidence, knowing you were not on the Bridge.”

Traynor leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Savana’s cheek.  “It’ll be our secret, then.”  She chuckled softly, adding, “Just so you know, I truly enjoyed spending time with you.  You’re not a bad technician in your own right, Savana Thaptos… and a very entertaining conversationalist.  I was far from bored, spending those hours with you.  I am honored to be considered Sim’re.”

Their light meld broken, Matriarch Tris and Riana joined them, just in time to hear Traynor’s last few words to Savana.  “Sim’re?”  Riana’s eye’s opened wide as she glanced between the two.  “You have much to tell me, Sammi, and a long ride home in which to do so.  I obviously missed something, during my time spent with the Matriarch!”

Tris smiled and let out a quiet little laugh.  “We did spend quite a bit of time together, young one.  Did you expect your Breá Ber'ah to sit quietly in your rooms, alone, simply waiting for your return?”  Grinning at the embarrassed surprise on Riana’s face, the Matriarch’s laughter grew in volume as she smiled, and then added, “She was out making friends while we reminisced.  I am given to understand she is quite the technical genius, who willingly lent her expertise to improve a number of security programs and processing protocols.  You can bring her back, anytime!”

Kanesha, the House Steward, quietly cleared her throat.  “Pardon the interruption, Matriarch, but they have a long journey home and are already late for their departure… not to mention your next appointment, who is waiting – quite patiently, I might add – to begin purchase negotiations for this year’s promising vintages.”

A grinning Riana pulled away from the Matriarch.  “Woe be it for me to be the one keeping you from a lucrative business deal, Amara.  Economic recovery from the war is slow enough, without me getting in the way of a sale.”  She paused and glanced across the group who had interrupted their schedules to see them off at the tarmac.  “Thank you all, for an absolutely wonderful visit.  I promise the next one will not be nearly so long in coming.”  Smiling, Riana waved one final time as she said, “Stay well and we’ll see you again, soon!” before turning and walking up the ramp to board the ship, hand-in-hand with Sammi.

Savana looped her arm through her mother’s, turning the Matriarch to keep her from staring any longer at the closed door of the transport.  “Come, Mother.  I know it is hard, but I truly believe Riana’s words.  She and Sammi will be back as soon as they are able, as they honestly did have a wonderful time… but we have business to attend to.  Our wines don’t quite sell themselves… not yet, anyway.”

-------------------------------

Civilian Shopping and Dining Area, CGC, Widow System – 29 Apr 2189

Upon entering the small bar and grill with Greg Adams, the Spectre mentally took note of the number and locations of the Batarians seated at the nearby tables.  Both Humans were dressed in civilian attire; Ashley felt having lunch with a Batarian while dressed in their Alliance uniforms might bring them even more unwelcome attention.

In order to change her appearance, she had braided her long hair and applied minimal makeup before pulling on a pair of faded jeans, a tan blouse and short-heeled black boots; Greg was dressed similarly in navy blue slacks with a plain dark shirt under a grey wool sweater.

After conferring with the young woman behind the front counter, they were seated at a small, round table as far from the other lunchtime customers as practicable.  While waiting for Ferank to arrive, Williams quietly reminded Adams about interactions with Batarians in a social setting.

Of no real surprise to Greg, Ashley had once again designated him to lead this meeting in order to spare the Batarian any unwelcome scrutiny once they were done with lunch and their business was concluded.

Their wait was short; a solitary male entered through a side door, looked around for a few moments, then began walking towards their table.  At least he’s punctual, Ashley thought.

The Batarian came to a halt beside their table – the only table in the place where a raven-haired Human female was seated with a Human male – and quietly said, “Ashley Williams?  It’s good to see you once again.”

The Spectre tilted her head to the left as she stood to greet him.  “Garok Ferank… you’re the only person that’s approached me since I’ve been seated here.”  Keeping her eyes downcast, she indicated Greg with a slight wave of her hand.  “I’m sure you remember the Normandy’s chief engineer, Greg Adams?”

Ferank acknowledged the man with a barely perceptible nod; Ashley waited for Ferank to sit down before retaking her own chair.  A surreptitious visual inspection revealed that – as had happened during her meeting in February – they had now become even more the center of Batarian interest with Ferank’s arrival.

The young waitress appeared from behind the main counter and set a mini-datapad in front of each of them; directing her attention towards Greg, she asked, “May I bring water or a beverage for each of you?”

Greg nodded as he responded, “Water will be fine for now, thank you.”

She smiled as she responded, “I’ll be right back.”

Ignoring the menu in front of him for the moment, Adams briefly inspected a datapad given to him by his captain before looking directly into the Batarian’s lower pair of eyes.  Tilting his head slightly to the left, he said, “I remain impressed by your work history, Ferank.”  After a brief pause, he added, “Since our original meeting, I’ve read some more about your wartime experiences; your good fortune in escaping a severely damaged cruiser before it burned up in Earth’s atmosphere is even more impressive than your work history.”

Ferank pressed his lips together in a thin smile.  “Don’t know how much luck, good fortune, or even the gods of my people had to do with my survival.”  He shook his head slightly as he added, “The Alliance Navy rescued me… dragged my lifepod into their ship when they just as easily could have ignored the damned thing.”

He leaned back slightly as the waitress returned with a pitcher of water and three glasses.  She filled each glass and promised to return in a few minutes to take their orders.  The Batarian leaned forward again, picked up his glass and took several swallows of water.  Dividing his attention between Ashley and Greg, he continued his story.  “My first ever experience with Humans.  People on that ship were all nicer to me than I had any right to expect.”  He set the glass down and studied it for a moment before retuning his gaze to Greg’s face.

“Spectre Williams?” he said in a questioning tone.  “It will be difficult for me to speak directly to you while we’re in this place.”  He grinned slightly; still looking at Greg as if speaking to him, he added, “As you know, females of my race are never treated as equals in public, and it’s not expected that males will lower themselves to deal with females of other races.”

Ashley looked at Greg as she quietly responded.  “That’s quite alright… predictable, even.  Mr Adams knows what qualifications are required to fill the position.  My chief concern now with hiring a Batarian is how well you would get along with the rest of my crew, especially my new Systems Engineer.  She’s Alliance Navy… a Chief Petty Officer.”

Garok frowned slightly for a moment, then took another swallow of water.  Before he could respond, the waitress appeared to take their lunch orders; Greg ordered the special for Ashley and himself.  Ferank ordered the Batarian-centric meat dish with B’tomak’s Best Bitter while he thought about having to work beside a human female within the close confines of a frigate.

After several moments, he looked at Greg and stated, “I know Human vessels have crews of both genders.  I never expected I’d be presented an opportunity to work on such a vessel, so never gave the question any serious thought until after our meeting in February.”

“As a reminder, she’s not the only woman on board, Mr Ferank.  The ship’s doctor is a woman, as is the weapons control specialist and several of the Marines on board.”  Finishing with the obvious, Ashley smirked slightly while concluding, “And then, there’s me.”  She looked up as their meals arrived; Garok took a grateful swallow from his glass of ale.

“The Normandy has always been a home for multiple species, Garok.”  Ashley ate some of her soup before continuing.  “With one exception, the ship is currently crewed by Humans, all of them either Alliance Marines or members of the navy.  My position as a Council Spectre allows me a certain… latitude… in selecting personnel for key positions.”

Greg gently slid the datapad across to rest in front of Garok’s plate as Ashley continued in a low voice.  “Take the datapad when you leave… review my offer once again.  Nothing has changed since our lunch in February.  I believe you’ll agree the pay is more than you’re accustomed to receiving as an engineer on the numerous freighters on which you have been a crew member.  That said, you’ll be dealing with cutting edge technology, working in a state-of-the-art frigate.”

Ashley took a bite from her sandwich, chewed and swallowed, then tilted her head to the left after a sip from her beer glass.  “As for Human opinions of Batarians, I can guarantee you will receive a mixed reception from my crew, and that’s to be anticipated.  Their view of Batarians has been shaped by many years of slaver and pirate encounters, with no help from the policies of the Hegemony.  Should you accept my offer to work on the Normandy, it will be up to you to change everyone’s perceptions of Batarians.”

Garok silently ate his meal as he thought of everything this female had told him.  Truth was, he was more than ready to settle into a steady job after months of working on different ships.  Learning how the propulsion system of the Normandy functioned would be as much of a challenge as learning to peacefully rub shoulders with a Human – a female, no less! – in the engineering section of the ship… not to mention having to obey orders from a female captain.

“How much longer before the Normandy is back in service, Spectre?”

“The ship is due to arrive shortly… probably Thursday… Friday at the outside.  First order of business will be a shakedown voyage, with an early morning departure on the 4th.”  Ashley finished her sandwich and took the last swallows of beer from her glass before concluding, “Truthfully, I need your answer by tomorrow, so I’ll know if I can stop looking and move on to other tasks.”

She nervously clasped her hands together in her lap and looked at Greg, who glanced at her before adding, “If it helps you at all, Mr Ferank, I will be your immediate boss; Chief Yakovna answers to me as well.  In all likelihood, you’ll seldom have any need to deal directly with Captain Williams while on the ship.”

“Five days until Normandy flies,” he mused, half to himself.  “Not much time to decide, Cap’n.”

“You’ve already had two months to think about this, Mr Ferank… if you commit to working on the Normandy, you’ll need to be ready to join the ship by this Saturday.”  She shrugged her shoulders slightly.  Still appearing to address Greg, she added, “Say ‘yes’, and Commander Adams will update the access roster and send you the location and entry code for the Normandy dock, once she lands.”

Truth be known, Garok had already made up his mind… not that he’d admit such to this female.  He had instantly liked her direct manner of speaking, and that she… and this Greg Adams… seemed to know how to speak with a Batarian, put him at ease.  “Let me have a day to make a final decision, Captain Williams.  I’ll contact you tomorrow with my answer.”

Ash focused her full attention on Garok; nodding once, she said, “I look forward to hearing from you, Mr Ferank.  Thank you for meeting with me… with us, today.”  Ashley rose from her chair and walked to the nearby counter to pay for their lunch.

Greg offered his hand across the table, which Garok took after a moment.  “I hope you agree to come work for us, Mr Ferank.  I believe we will all benefit.”  Releasing his hand, Greg rose and walked over to join his captain, leaving Garok Ferank to depart on his own.

As the pair left to return to the Alliance docks, Greg asked Ashley, “Think he’ll say yes?”

Ashley smirked as she looked at her chief engineer.  “That fellow will be your… our… next propulsion engineer, Greg… no doubt in my mind.”

-------------------------------

Council Fleet Docks, CGC, Widow System – 1 May 2189

Commander Ashley Williams, resplendent in her dress blue uniform, stepped out of the elevator on Deck Three and paused as the doors silently closed behind her.  It feels strange to be back on this ship after flying the Nalotir for nearly 4 months, and the SILC did such a good job repairing the damages, it looks the same in here… almost.  Checking her chrono confirmed she had arrived early for the short ceremony.  She stepped up to the memorial wall and gazed at the engraved plaques, arranged in two columns, alphabetically by first name.  God, she breathed in silent prayer, please grant me the strength to get through the next hour without breaking down completely.

The nameplates, being magnetically attached to the distressed steel backplate, were relatively easy to rearrange.  An empty space now existed in the left column, between Caroline Grenado and Harvey J Gladstone, with Germeen Barret’s name having been moved to sit beneath Charles Pressly’s name, newly relocated to the right column; this would be the location for Propulsion Engineer Curt Manos’ name.

After the intervening names in both columns had been moved down and over to their new locations, a space now existed between Kaidan Alenko’s and Marcus Grieco’s nameplates, ready to receive Kenneth Donnelly’s freshly engraved marker.  Kaidan.  She ran her fingertips gently across the letters of his name.  After all this time, your death still hurts me!  It should have been me left behind on Virmire, Major.  Why’d you have to be so damned noble?  She swiped at the single tear that trickled down her cheek.

Taking a step back, she looked down to the bottom of each row.  Marine Sergeant Scott Naughton’s name would occupy a space below Rosamund Draven’s name; the nameplate for his brother-in-arms, Private Sidney Lindemann, would be placed on the right column, below Rupert Gardner’s nameplate.

The Spectre heaved a heavy sigh.  Four crewmen killed in this most recent conflict… two of them victims of an eccentric, misguided genius.  She closed her eyes to the reminder of thirty-four crew lost to hostile action… 21 had been lost when the SR-1 had been destroyed over Alchera in the Omega Nebula.  The Collectors had killed or taken 7 crewmen.  Bethany and James had died during the Reaper war… Beth needlessly so.  She clenched her fists hard enough that her nails dug uncomfortably into her palms as she thought of Westie’s death.

Just as Shepard had always done, Ashley had composed and hand-written the letters of condolences to each man’s family or loved ones, then carefully placed them on top of their personal effects.  The letter that left her numb… that nearly crushed her heart… was the one she had to write concerning Ken Donnelly’s death; there was no one else in his life besides his wife, Gabby, six months pregnant with twins at the time.  Ashley’s personal delivery of the tragic news to Gabby, near the end of January, had triggered false labor pains in a very distraught mom-to-be, such that she had to spend the night in the maternity ward.

Williams had been pleased upon learning Gabby had been granted an extended medical leave-of-absence that enabled her relocation to Liara T’Soni’s estate on Thessia.  A boy and a girl! she mused, born middle of the night on the 15th of March.  Ashley had been saddened to learn that Gabby was planning to resign from the Alliance Navy and intended to move into Kenneth’s childhood home in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Wonder how she’ll make a living for herself and her kids… not enough years in for a pension, and the Council sure-as-Hell won’t provide any assistance.  Damn!  She’ll be raising two children by herself, with no financial support and only a few of Ken’s family – whom she hardly even knows – to help.

A sound behind her roused her from her reverie.  “Commander?  Are you okay?”  XO Leon Rensch had stepped out of the elevator and moved to stand beside Ashley.  “I can almost feel the unhappiness radiating off of you.”

Williams turned her head towards her XO as she replied, “Is it really that damned obvious, Leon?”  Returning her gaze to the names on the wall, she said, “I am feeling sadness, Leon… heartache, grief, sorrow… there’s a lot of words that could be used to describe how I’m currently feeling, and not a damned one of them is truly adequate.”  She huffed in wordless exasperation.  “Until I stepped out of the elevator and really looked at this memorial, I couldn’t imagine ever feeling such an overwhelming sense of loss!”

Rensch nodded in silent agreement as he studied the names, each bearing mute testimony to a life cut short by hostile action.  The elevator doors silently slid open behind him – only the chatter and the sounds of footsteps alerting him to the arrival of more people.  He looked around to see officers and specialists solemnly step out of the elevator and promptly moved to give them room to get by.

As the last two to join the group, Weapons Control Specialist Regina Hansen and Dr Karin Chakwas, walked around the elevator tower to stand with their shipmates, Leon moved quickly to join them as Ashley turned to face everyone.

Taking a parade rest stance, she said, “Thank you, all, for being here.”  The Spectre glanced around at the memorial wall before taking the time to silently look at each and every pair of eyes quietly watching her.  In a solemn voice, she spoke about the wall behind her.  “The majority of the names on this wall behind me – lost when the Collectors destroyed the Normandy SR1 over Alchera in 2183 – were placed there so they cannot be forgotten by those that serve on this ship.”  She noticed that Joker looked particularly unhappy at mention of the SR1.

“More names were added after the Collectors boarded this vessel and abducted or killed a majority of the crew.”  She paused briefly before continuing.  “Three were added during the Reaper War.”  She could feel her throat tightening up but pushed ahead.  “When I took command of this ship, I never dreamed in my wildest nightmares that I would be standing here today, about to oversee the addition of another name… let alone four, to this memorial… yet, here we are.”

Bringing her hands around in front of her, she stared quietly at the four metal plates she had picked up from the engraver just this morning, each freshly inscribed with the name of one of their deceased shipmates… their comrades.

From the four, Ashley chose the plaque she needed… that of System’s Engineer Kenneth Donnelly.  With a heavy sigh, she nodded to her XO.  “Mr Rensch?  If you would?”

Leon took the nameplate from his captain, slowly took the few steps needed to stand within arm’s reach of the wall, there to caress the metal plate once before positioning it above its designated spot.  Once within a few centimeters of the backplate, Kenneth’s marker seemingly leaped from his fingers and snapped into place with a click.  It was done.

As Leon rejoined the assembled crew, Williams looked to Normandy’s chief engineer and said in a near whisper, “Mr Adams, front and center.”  Greg moved to stand in front of his captain; she silently handed him the plate with Propulsion Engineer Curt Manos’ name engraved in the polished surface.

Greg Adams, holding the plate in both hands, silently inspected it as he marveled at how something so light in weight could feel so damned heavy.  Looking up again, he met Ashley’s eyes for a moment before she gave him a quick nod and took two steps to her right, so Greg could get past her.  After snapping Curt’s marker into its place among the other names, he returned to stand with his crewmates.

Ashley next looked directly at Marine Corporal Sarah Campbell, coughed lightly in an effort to clear the lump in her throat, and said, “Sarah?” as she held out a third placard.

Other than the Spectre before her, Sarah was the last standing member of the original Marine contingent aboard the Normandy SR-2, serving since the Alliance began the refit of the vessel, even before Edi and Joker had lifted off from the Vancouver Navy Yard during the first wave of the Reaper’s invasion.  The young Marine solemnly moved past her crewmates and came to attention in front of her captain.

With only two of the four metal rectangles remaining, Ashley handed Sarah the plate bearing the name of Private Lindemann – keeping the one for Sergeant Naughton for herself.  Together, Spectre Williams and Marine Corporal Campbell stepped up to the wall, where they solemnly placed each man’s nameplate in its designated location among the rest of the honored crew members.  Please let this be the last name I ever have to put up here.

As Sarah rejoined her shipmates, Ashley took two steps back and came to attention; after staring at all the names for several moments, she turned to face the assembled crew and said, “Thank you for being here today.”  After a brief pause, she added, “Dismissed.”

-------------------------------

T’Sere Shipwrights, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 3 May 2189

Gabriella Donnelly had provided them with complete design schematics for a new propulsion system a mere three weeks after her visit – and it had taken the T’Sere engineering department less than three days to complete their evaluation; the designs were quite simply that good.  Now, Tralis was speaking with Lady Sashia, extolling upon the virtues of this newly discovered and extremely bright propulsion engineer.  “It truly is amazing, Sash!  I mean, she did say she had already spent time studying the ship designs… but to turn out full schematics so quickly?  It’s obvious to me she already had a design in mind before she ever came to us.”

“And it’s honestly that good?”  Sashia’s face held a wry smile; it wasn’t very often that she got to see Tralis so out-of-sorts.  “What has you more surprised, the speed of delivery or the quality of the design?”

“To answer your first question, yes, absolutely!”  Tralis blinked a couple of times as she thought about the other question before finally shrugging and continuing, “As for your second… yes, both.  Her design is… elegant and efficient, and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.  It is a complete replacement, not a redesign by any means.”  Tralis’ eyes flashed brightly.  “I think I can honestly say Ms Donnelly may very well be the best thing to happen to T’Sere Shipwrights since… well, since bringing Judea aboard.”

At that, Sashia sat back in her chair in surprise.  “Seriously?  You’re comparing her to the golden child of T’Sere Shipwrights?  Now, that grabs my attention.”  She leaned forward again, crossed her arms on her desk and very matter-of-factly stated, “If that’s truly the case, then I would certainly hope you have already drafted an acceptance message and a contract for hire… both ready for my validation?”

A huge grin spread across Tralis’ face as she eagerly slid a datapad across the desk.  “But, of course.”  Her grin faded as she got into the details.  “You’ll see it is patterned very much after Judea’s… with a standard payment for design development, coupled with our regular sales commission percentage, once the vessel goes on the open market.  There is, however, one rather costly exception… a one-time security installment bonus.” 

Tralis paused when Sashia’s head popped up as she asked, “A… security installment bonus?  Can you please tell me what that is and why we are doing it?”

The Director of Operations quickly explained about Gabby’s unique situation – regarding having recently given birth to twins and wanting to raise them at the deceased father’s ancestral home… in Sol… which was rather antiquated and needed a significant security upgrade to guard against industrial espionage.  “If anyone other than Judea had requested this, or if Ms Donnelly’s design was any less than what we saw during the review, I never would have brought this to you.”  Tralis met the eyes of the House Matriarch and gave an infinitesimal shrug.  “Bringing Gabriella Donnelly on board is worth every single credit I’ve included in that package.”

Without hesitation, Sashia glanced back down at the datapad, flipped through the display to the very bottom and pressed her thumb firmly to the screen.  Upon hearing the quiet registration beep, she slid the datapad back across the desk to Tralis.  “Then, by all means, send this to her and get started on her house no later than Monday.  Oh!  And see if we can get our standard security company to do the work… I’m not sure I want some Terran company installing our security algorithms.”

“Understood, Sash… and I’ll see it’s done immediately.”  Tralis grinned, “We certainly pay them enough creds every year for them to do us this one favor.  I don’t believe we’ve ever asked them for anything special, so convincing them to help this once shouldn’t be too difficult.  I will call Gabby personally, to let her know she has the contract.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 3 May 2189

Judea Voni could barely contain her excitement as she hurried to Gabby’s quarters on the second floor.  As the door to her room was ajar, the Asari barely paused to knock before rushing in to the room, where she found the new mother relaxing in a rocking chair as she contentedly looked through a technical manual depicting the latest advancements in FTL propulsion theory.

“Gabby, there’s a call for you in the comms center.  It’s T’Sere!  Their Operations Director wants to speak with you!”  Seeing the Human’s hesitant look, she quickly added, “You know where the comms center is, Gabby… I’ll stay here with your children.”  With a shooing motion of her hands, Judea said “Go!”

Within a couple of minutes, Gabby was sitting in front of a monitor, staring nervously at the image of Matriarch Tralis, who came right to the point.  “Ms Donnelly, I have good news for you!  Lady Sashia wants you to become our newest propulsion design engineer!  All the details are in the proposed contract I am transmitting to you.”

Gabby’s mouth fell as she tried to absorb what this matriarch had just told her.  Recovering quickly, she asked, “You’re going to use my design?  That’s wonderful, Matriarch!  When would you like me to begin work?”

“With your permission, our security firm will immediately be dispatched to your home on Terra, where they will harden all the entry points and windows against physical and electronic surveillance.  I cannot imagine it will take them much time, so… perhaps by the first of June?”

“So soon?  My gosh… I hadn’t dared to hope!”  Eyes brimming with moisture, she squeaked, “Of course you have my permission, for whatever you deem necessary!  I’ll begin making arrangements to return to Earth!”  Swallowing hard against the sudden lump in her throat, she added, “Thank you so much!  This means everything to me!”

The Asari chuckled good-naturedly at Gabby’s reaction, concluding with, “Thank you, Gabriella Donnelly.  I foresee a long and profitable association for you and T’Sere Shipwrights!” 

Chapter Text

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 4 May 2189

Ashley Williams shook her head and raised her hand, drawing everyone’s attention.  As the group around the table fell silent, she interjected, “We can skip that whole discussion, Councilor.  I realize there are six Spectre teams here and only five locations, but we just got the Normandy back.  Until Shepard called me, my plan was to depart on our shakedown cruise this morning… and then head to Earth for the annual V-E Day celebrations.  I simply delayed our departure to attend this meeting, so I could decline in person… just in case you actually did need us.”

“Which… we actually don’t.”  Unlike everyone else who simply stared at Ashley in mute surprise, Shepard began to laugh.  With a smirk on her face, she stated, “Legion went and changed things up on you, didn’t he?”

“Why, yes...”  Ashley grinned at her comrade-in-arms with a chuckle.  “… yes, he did… new defensive and offensive systems interfaces, improved armoring… even a few new hand weapons in our armory for the ground teams.”  She shook her head.  “All gifts, he said, for helping to ensure the SILC remained free.”

“It’s amazing how far they’ve come in such a short time, isn’t it?”  Shepard smiled softly and glanced at Prime Huulik.  “The SILC are becoming more like organics every day.  All of you have made amazing progress in developing your sense of self.”

Tevos cleared her throat, bringing the discussion back on topic.  “All right then.  So, other than Shepard wanting to revisit the site of the Normandy’s birth at Minuteman Station, do any of you have a request for a particular location?  Otherwise, we’ll just go around the table in order.”

Lonar Maerun immediately spoke up.  “If no one else minds, I would like to take the facility on Nepheron.  Once our mission there is complete, I would appreciate the chance to reclaim a bit of Salarian history regarding the League of One hunters… by going to the site where Captain Varsinth’s ID tag was located on a dead Cerberus soldier.  Acceptable?”

“Any objections?”  Tevos paused as she glanced around the table, to be answered only by silence.  “Alright, then… Nepheron it is, Spectre Maerun.  Then Binthu goes to Spectre Bau aboard Gurji’s Promise, Firebase Glacier to Spectre Akril aboard the Nyocha, and Gellix goes to Spectre T’Dura aboard the Sondaj.”

Quentius nodded in agreement as he picked up the dialogue.  “You all know that the Council considers this our highest priority, at least for the moment… until some other renegade, mercenary or barbarian horde chooses to put our hard-earned peace at risk again.  Please be quick, but do not forget discretion is the better part of valor.”  Looking to his own Spectre, he quietly added, “And you, Quintian, must be particularly careful.  We cannot risk Aria T’Loak discovering our effort in the Terminus Systems.” 

“Understood, Councilor.”  The Spectre gave a quick nod.  “She’ll never know we were there.”

“Thank you, Spectre Akril.”  Tevos sighed as she added, “It would most certainly be a welcome lull in activity if everyone can complete these missions without gaining any unwanted attention.  Perhaps, once we succeed, everyone will simply… behave.  At least for a few decades?”  She glanced around the table and asked, “Any last questions before we adjourn?”

“No questions, but I do have another issue we need to discuss.”  Urdnot Jara’s voice was loud in the otherwise silent room after Tevos asked her question.  “The Huli.”  She smirked at the continued silence, watching the various expressions of those around the table, ranging from confusion, to bewilderment… maybe even a touch of fear at the mention of the fourth stealth vessel.  From the looks, she knew they had forgotten all about that particular ship.  “We’ve repaired her and claim the ship as salvage, seeing as no one else seemed interested in her at the time.”  Her gaze focused on Quentius as she continued, “In particular, the Turians running the Edessan facility at the time of the attack.  If they were to claim her, it should have been done right then.  By standard rules of salvage, no claim made now will be valid.”

Quentius glowered at her, obviously displeased with the sudden change of direction of their discussion.  Having no counterargument, he growled, “As much as I dislike it, I understand your position, Councilor.  Just what do you expect to do with your new stealth ship?”

“Yes,” Valern chimed in.  “What are your plans for this vessel?”  He blinked rapidly as he continued, “I must admit… even with all the Krogan have done for us since the Reaper threat became known, I have to wonder what will keep you all occupied now that there is peace.”  He hesitated only briefly before throwing caution to the wind, continuing, “To be fair, you must agree that finishing the Reaper War could not possibly have changed the true warrior nature of most of your people… and your possession of a stealth ship gives me great pause…”

Much to everyone’s surprise, Jara did not explode in anger.  Having prepared herself for just such a reaction, she remained calm, glancing at Shepard for only a moment before letting her eyes roam the table once more.  “We have done our best to meet all your demands… both fair and not so fair… over the centuries since the Genophage was unleashed upon my people.  Now, we have a cure and under the leadership of Urdnot Wrex, we will grow.  We will expand…” 

Quentius went to interrupt and Jara glared at him across the table, silencing him with nothing more than a look as she continued, “Just as every race within the Council has done, throughout recorded history!  Who at this table can say they have not sought out new worlds or opened a new colony since learning of the Council and occupying an office on the Citadel… and, now, the CGC?”  After a brief moment of silence, Jara continued, “That’s what I thought.  The Krogan now have a seat at the table and will no longer be treated as subservient, so our proposal is this – I nominate Hailot Jatok as a Spectre, to captain the Huli, under the direction of the Council.” 

Before any of the surprised Councilors could respond, Jara drew a deep breath and looked directly at Shepard, asking, “Jatok leads your second team…  Do you trust his judgement?”

“I… well, shit.”  Caught off-guard, Shepard chuckled.  “Yes… I do… without reservation.”  She shook her head and shrugged.  Looking around the table, a grin on her face, she continued, “And I would second the nomination… under one condition.”

Jara’s eyes narrowed as she glared at the Spectre she had assumed to be her friend and supporter.  “And just what would that be?”

“Easy, Jara…  I don’t think you’ll have any problem with my counter,” Shepard smiled.  “Let us finish these missions first… because I may need my second team before this is over and done with.  Then, once they are complete, you don’t just get Jat…”  She paused to make eye contact with every single person sitting around the table before adding, “If all those involved agree, Jat gets to take his whole damned squad as his first team.”

Jara’s eyes immediately brightened.  “Immediately ready for deployment, because they already work together… quite well, at that!”

“Yes…”  Shepard’s attention shifted to the four primary Councilors as she finished, “A made-to-order Spectre team, ready to deploy as soon as they familiarize themselves with the operations procedures of their new ship.  Personally, I approve… but I don’t have a vote.”

Huffing, Quentius replied, “No, you don’t… but I do.”  Surprising everyone, he looked to Jara and stated, “I agree… as unexpected as this whole conversation is, I find no fault.  Hailot Jatok would make an acceptable candidate.  I vote yes.”

Tevos’ brow wrinkled as she looked at her Human Spectre.  “But, Shepard…  What will you do for a second team?  How long will it take you to replace them?”

“Honestly?  I’m not sure I’ll need to.”  Her brow wrinkling in thought, Shepard pursed her lips and ran her fingers through her hair.  “If everything goes as we hope, I genuinely believe the last of the major threats will be gone and, from here on out, we’ll only have routine enforcement actions.  I won’t need a second team for that.”  She shrugged and added, “And, if it comes right down to it, with House T’Soni at my back, I always have a number of spare commando teams I can count on to assist any time I ask… and we all practice together anytime we’re home on Thessia, so we wouldn’t even need them on the Knight Shade full-time to stay proficient.”

“Agreed,” spouted Valern.  “I also say yes.”

Tevos huffed, “I haven’t even called for a vote on the issue yet, and I already have two responses!  A bit of patience, please?”

At this point, Dominic Osoba laughingly responded, “Then just call it, Tevos… I’m fairly sure it’s going to be unanimous, so just be done with it so we can all get on with our day.”

“Oh… fine!”  Tevos gave them all a resigned stare before tapping the question out onto the voting console.  Within seconds, every response came back without a single dissenting vote.  “Urdnot Jara… the Council has made its decision.”  She turned to Shepard and asked, “As soon as you return from your mission, could you please have Hailot Jatok report to us… so he can formally accept or decline the position of Council Spectre?”

Shepard looked around the table, meeting everyone’s eyes as she responded, “I will… and I’ll also find out if anyone on his team wants to stay with me, so he can start thinking about who he might want to fill any positions that end up vacant.  I honestly expect everyone to go with him, but who knows?  I’ll let you all know how it shakes out as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Shepard.”  Quentius flexed his mandibles as he shifted his gaze to the Krogan Councilor.  “And congratulations, Jara.  I can honestly say I never saw this day coming… but I also won’t deny it’s well earned.”

“And about damned time,” she growled.  Collecting herself, Jara continued, “I apologize… even I can see that sounded ungrateful… and was uncalled for.  Thank you, Quentius… and thank you… all of you… for trusting the Krogan enough to give us the chance we need to prove ourselves.  I promise you will not regret it… not this time.”

-------------------------------

Minuteman Station , At Large, Horse Head Nebula – 5 May 2189

“So, this is where it all started.”  Liara wasn’t sure how she felt about boarding the space station where Shepard had been resurrected.  It pulled forth memories accompanied by an entire spectrum of emotions… from soul-crushing sadness and desperation, through guilt and pain, to betrayal and finally… joyful reunion.  To actually be standing on the deck made Liara’s knees feel weak… and she almost felt as if she was about to vomit. 

“Hey.”  Shepard’s hand suddenly gripped her forearm, a swell of devotion and encouragement flooding through the link.  “It had to start somewhere… and we couldn’t have asked for a better ending.”

Even though Liara’s words did not have the inflection of a question, Miranda responded anyway, to correct any misconceptions.  “Started?  Perhaps… but that depends on how you define the start.  Many cells, scattered all over the galaxy, were involved in research for Project Lazarus, which was then consolidated at Lazarus Station, where I led a core group of scientists to put it all together.  We never dreamed the Illusive Man – upon seeing the astronomical price tag that came along with it – would actually fund the proposal … but he did… without hesitation.”

“For security reasons, we shuttled everything here and there, keeping the entire operation on the move, to prevent anyone from knowing where Shepard’s body actually was at any given time.  The entire program was conducted with our highest level of security protocols.”  She shook her head as she continued, “But, try as we might, the program was still compromised… from the inside… twice.  Maybe three, depending on how you count them.”

“What?”  Even Shepard was surprised by that statement.  “There were more incidents?  Prior to you waking me prematurely on Lazarus to bring me here?”

“Don’t you remember when you woke… asking about Liara?  When we had to put you back under?”  Miranda growled, “You were nowhere near ready to even be conscious… you were in shock and experiencing what should have been mind-numbing pain.  Even under extreme duress and nearing heart failure, you were always concerned first about Liara, with no thought whatsoever about yourself.”

“But… you made it through.”  She turned, a devoted smile on her face as she reached out both hands, one towards Liara, one towards Shepard.  As they each took one, she continued, “He may have been a bastard, but Jack Harper believed in you, Shepard.  He honestly believed you were the only person who could save Humanity… and he was right.”

Shepard also had mixed emotions, and she directed an appreciative smirk at Miranda even as she huffed, “Yeah… and if only he hadn’t been such a damned egomaniacal asshole, as visionary, founder and director of an incredibly violent and xenophobic terrorism organization the likes of Cerberus, we might have actually gotten along.”  She paused only a moment, to absorb the shock and surprise on the faces of her two companions, before adding with a soft chuckle, “Or not.”

“So, that and the actual attack on Lazarus both involved Wilson… and could be counted either together or independently…”  Liara’s forehead wrinkled in curiosity and misplaced concern, given that the event was long since concluded, without consequence to Shepard’s eventual survival and resurrection.  “So, what was the other event?”

Extremely solemn, Miranda dropped their hands, turned to the side and stared blankly across the room for a moment, before crossing her arms in front of her, dropping her head with a sigh and starting a monologue.  “The third occurred at Lazarus… which was actually our first compromise… a year before Wilson’s betrayal of the program to the Blue Suns.  Obviously, you know we created clones of you… strictly for the purpose of reaping the necessary body parts to complete your reconstruction.  And, while the Salarians had perfected those processes centuries ago, they had never tried a complete reconstruction, as we were forced to attempt with you, Shepard.  So, we made back-ups, just in case we needed to try more than once.”

She turned back abruptly and met the Spectre’s eyes.  “We had five clones, fully grown, in stasis…”  A slight smile, full of the glory of achievement, crossed her face as she continued.  “Turns out I do good work, so we only needed one… meaning we should have had four extras.”  She shook her head as she added, “Except one was stolen.”

“What?”  Shepard’s eyes flew open wide.  “Was that who we ran into on Orestes Station?”

“No…”  Miranda’s lips drew into a tight line.  “We immediately tracked down the clone’s stasis pod… and terminated it before they had a chance to awaken it… leaving only three.  Our biggest mistake was killing the clone before we discovering who helped her.” 

“So that explains one and, no matter how she got free, the second was killed on Orestes…”  Shepard’s brow knit in contemplation before she asked, “… so, what happened to the others?  Were they destroyed as well, at the end of the project?” 

“Well… I obviously left before the final disposition, so I’m not one-hundred percent sure but, I did do some digging after discovering the Orestes clone was alive… and free.  It turns out, following the Collector missions, Jack Harper decided to wake all three of those remaining… hoping beyond hope they would actually be people and not inanimate biological blobs without a mind of their own.”  She scowled as she added, “Obviously, it turned out he was right… igniting all kinds of discussion concerning the ethics of creation… but he never gave a damn about other peoples’ opinions.  He had created biological life and wasn’t about to give them up so easily.”

Liara scowled at the prospect.  “So, there are two remaining clones on the loose in the galaxy?”

“No.  The three that still lived were forced into the Project Phoenix program… always hidden behind the Dragoon helm, so no one would realize what they were.”  Both Liara and Shepard were surprised when Miranda suddenly laughed.  “The Illusive Man, in all his arrogance, never considered the possibility they would be so much like you, Shepard… even without the back-up memory infusions!  Turns out, he decided to implement indoctrination techniques into their training, but his plan to instill loyalty had quite the opposite effect.  A number of the operatives defected… led by you-know-who!”  She shrugged, adding, “One never made it out, killed during their attempted escape.  And with the second now dead on Orestes…”

Shepard finished the thought for her.  “There is the possibility of one more being out there, all depending on if she managed to survive the war or not.”

Miranda nodded.  “Yes… with, I have to assume, your knack for staying alive against all odds.  Our only comfort comes from the fact that we have not heard even a single rumor regarding a Shepard imposter or look-alike out there.”

“But we haven’t really looked, either,” Liara growled.  “Once we’re back aboard ship, Riana and I will need to develop a few… discreet… queries, to see what we can dig up.”

-------------------------------

Gellix, Arrae System , Minos Wasteland – 5 May 2189

Moises T’Dura had been a Spectre for a long time… she had stopped counting years after the first century… but being granted a ship like the Sondaj was something she had never anticipated.  She had always liked working alone – with no desire to be surrounded by a large crew – but she didn’t know how to say ‘no’ to such an honor, so had accepted command of the ship anyway, against her personal wishes.  She was first and foremost a Spectre… and good Spectres completed the mission assigned, one way or another.  She also had no desire to disappoint Councilor Tevos, who was as much a friend as she was her superior.

On the side of her accepting the ship, there was Shepard and the Quarian Rebellion.  The Human had loaned her that Sentinel, Captain Tanni, and the entire team that came along with her… and Moises had discovered she appreciated working with them for the assault on the Moreh.  Working with such a good, solid team that trained and worked so well together had turned out to be an enjoyable experience… as much as a wartime assault could be considered such, anyway. 

Following the Council meeting, she had spoken briefly with Shepard, who had given her rather sage advice for someone who had only existed in the galaxy for thirty-five years – a mere child by Asari standards.  A smile crossed her face as she thought about her Human friend.  Mo… The Andromeda survey ships were designed to fly with only three main crew positions – a pilot, a science officer and an engineer – that’s it.  Yes, a weapons position was added… but should be completely unnecessary in stealth missions.  Plus, you’re used to working alone, so you don’t necessarily need a ground team.  If you like to work solo, by all means… work solo.  To be the best Spectre you can be, you have to be you.  Put together your basic flight crew and go; learn the ship’s capabilities first… and then decide how you want to use her.  Thankfully, it’s peacetime, so there’s no hurry.

They had laughed when T’Dura asked about getting Livos Tanni again, knowing the commando would never leave House T’Soni... but the joking request had prompted Shepard to offer up a couple of names as potential engineers.  Monty Hushon now sat – walked, actually – in that position as he moved about engineering, carefully monitoring the drive core as Moises prepared to deploy.  All scans indicated the station was intact and fully functional… with occupants… so the ship remained in full stealth mode.  It was critical that Monty keep the drive cool and the stealth system running at optimum, so they could keep the exterior heat signature from giving away their presence as they descended for a drop off, a mere kilometer from the facility.

The Salarian pilot, Lazum Tolado, had approached at sunset, piloting the craft like he had designed it himself, and T’Dura had jumped off the ramp as he slowed to a hover.  Giving a quick wave before activating her cloak, she immediately set out for the facility.  The mountainous terrain would have been difficult to traverse, had it not been for her biotics, but also provided excellent cover for her crossing.  It was easy enough to bypass the entry codes on one of the exterior doors and slip inside; apparently few, if any, were moving about in the mid-night hours.  The rescued ex-Cerberus scientists had provided a full schematic of the facility, which T’Dura had studied in great detail during their transit to the Arrae System, so she moved quickly, in total silence, to the observation position she had selected. 

The plan was for her to sit one full day, observing the station and its occupants, to determine the Council’s future course of action in relation to this facility.  Having been previously abandoned, Cerberus had shown no new interest in the lab after the scientists had once again eluded capture.  Probably would have eventually claimed it back, had the remnants of the organization not been eliminated after the war.  As the next day crawled by, T’Dura waited patiently and observed, quickly realizing the ex-Cerberus scientists had modified the station to a perfect home, where a fairly sizeable group could easily start over and build a new life. 

Shepard had asked her to be watchful; following the war, she had lost track of Jacob Taylor and the scientist, Dr Brynn Cole, and told her she wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they had returned there, especially now, with the threat posed by Cerberus defunct.  Armed with that information, T’Dura was not surprised to find the facility filled with families, simply going about their daily routines and living their lives.  What ultimately did surprise Moises was who led them – and it was most definitely not Brynn Cole.  As soon as the observation period lapsed and she could sneak out under cover of darkness, Spectre T’Dura returned to the Sondaj, flew to the nearest communications buoy, and placed a call to Shepard.

-------------------------------

Nepheron , Columbia, Voyager Cluster – 6 May 2189

Newly confirmed Salarian Spectre Lonar Maerun huffed in quiet exasperation at the results of his science officer’s scans of the barren planet above which Nalotir was orbiting.  While it was true that Cerberus once had an extensive underground research station here, it had been cleansed and abandoned as a result of Commander Shepard leading her ground team into the place; she had eliminated what proved to be a large contingent of enhanced Cerberus soldiers and had retrieved – before the computer could completely flash the database – most of their scientist’s research concerning the methodology of enslaving Thorian creepers and Rachni.

The illegal genetic research by Cerberus on this planet had been directly connected to their research on Binthu, in the neighboring Yangtze System.  Maerun shuddered to think of what the Illusive Man could have unleashed on the galaxy in addition to the many enemies created by the Reapers.  I suppose all that is left here now is to check out the site where Captain Varsinth’s ID was located.

As he was preparing to issue the relocation order, Comms Officer Dirlaeon Sordel glanced over his shoulder.  “Sir, Spectre Bau aboard Gurji’s Promise is requesting a status report.”

Sitting a bit straighter in his command chair, Maerun quickly drafted a short dispatch, looked at Sordel and said, “Send this, Corporal, and request a receipt confirmation…  ‘Nepheron facility abandoned.  Preparing to follow up on League of One’.”

Within a few minutes, Sordel addressed the Spectre once again.  “Sir, Spectre Bau is on comms.”

“Put him through, Corporal.”

In moments, Jondum Bau’s image coalesced above the display projectors.  “Ah, my old friend!  It appears we have been graced with good fortune.  Of the three abandoned Cerberus sites on Binthu, I have discovered one has become home to a contingent of Blue Suns soldiers.  It mainly consists of Turians, but there appears to be a few Batarians among them as well, just to keep things interesting.  Would you care to join us for the assault?  Our combined ground teams should be able to convince them to leave without too much trouble.”

Maerun chuckled.  “It certainly sounds more exciting than the hunt for a long-dead Captain.  At max FTL, I can be there in…”  He paused briefly as he calculated the flight time.   “… just over five hours, including intra-system travel.  Besides, I can always return to the League of One site once we are finished with Council business; it certainly isn’t going anywhere.”

“Excellent… excellent!”  Bau’s smile accompanied a rapid blink of his eyelids.  “We will continue to perform surveillance while we await your arrival.  Safe flight, Spectre Maerun.”

As Bau’s image cross-faded into that of the planet about which Nalotir was orbiting, Maerun addressed his navigator and the pilot seated beside him.  “Lieutenant Bentas, lay in a course for the Yangtze System.  Pilot Lintez, break orbit.  Go to FTL as soon Bentas provides you with a course to follow… we have some Blue Suns to evict from planet Binthu.”  Spectre Maerun leaned back in his chair, enjoying the forward view as the curve of Nepheron’s surface was replaced by distant stars and wispy clouds of gas.

As soon as Lintez made the jump to FTL, Maerun stood from his chair and quickly left the flight deck, intending to grab a bite to eat, then rest during a portion of their travel time.

-------------------------------

Binthu, Yangtze, Voyager Cluster – 7 May 2189

Having reached the edge of the Yangtze System, Nalotir decelerated rapidly from FTL in a quickly dissipating cloud of blue-tinged energy waves.  After the Salarian pilot banked around to a new heading, Nalotir disappeared like a bullet fired from a gun.  Spectre Maerun intended to discharge the static charge from the drive core over Renshato, the small gas-giant orbiting close to the system’s sun.  The subsequent flight to Binthu would take only thirty minutes.

While enroute, Maerun contacted Spectre Bau aboard Gurji’s Promise, informing him he was in the system and would be joining him shortly.  Rather than wait, Bau briefed him on what to expect.  “Cerberus abandoned three research centers on the planet; we retrieved a fair amount of seemingly random data from Sites One and Three.”

Bau continued while referring to a datapad.  “Blue Suns appropriated the Site Two research center… I hypothesize it was the least damaged of those Commander Shepard assaulted in 2183.”  With a small laugh, he added, “Blue Suns won’t waste time or creds cleaning up a place, but they will rebuild needed defenses.”

Maerun frowned.  “Shepard’s reports from that time indicated all three were equipped with a pair of heavy defense turrets… one each on either side of the main entrance.  I imagine you’re going to tell me the Suns installed new ones.”

“Unfortunate, but true… and more capable than those used in 2183.  Unless we can neutralize those turrets, access to the facility is… problematic.”

Maerun thought for a moment before replying with a thin smile.  “We’re carrying an Alliance M35 Mako in lieu of a shuttlecraft.”

“I have a UT-47A on board… surely a pair of cannons would be preferable to…”

Maerun interrupted Bau.  “They can only be utilized while airborne, Spectre.  The Mako’s single mass accelerator cannon mangles anything it hits… and can be fired from cover.  Take out one turret, then target and eliminate the other.  That will be the easy part.  Getting inside and eliminating a bunch of mercs will be more difficult.”

“Nothing we haven’t done before, Maerun.  I will finalize our strike plan.  As soon as you’re in orbit alongside me, we can deploy planet-side and strike.”

-------------------------------

Gellix, Arrae System , Minos Wasteland – 7 May 2189

Between finding nothing of value at Minuteman Station that Miranda wasn’t already aware of and the mysterious call from Moises, Shepard and Liara were quite eager to depart the station and head to Gellix, leaving any additional data collection to the Shadow Broker team.  After a day’s travel, Shepard and Liara received the full briefing from Moises, regarding everything she had observed while at the science station.

Shepard sighed quietly and pursed her lips, finally responding, “I find I face a dilemma similar to Samara’s, with the conflict between her Code and working with my crew during the Collector War.  I have no Third Oath of Subsumation to ease my conscience… and we can’t just storm the facility and kill them all, with no justification, so we only have one choice.”

“I can’t believe this is happening.”  Liara had sat in dumbfounded silence as Moises told them what she discovered… until now.  Her unsettled gaze landed on her bondmate as she said, “You actually want to go in and talk to them… talk to her, don’t you.”

Even though it wasn’t a question, Samantha met the eyes of her Anam Cara and answered quietly, “We have to…  Don’t we?”

“Yes.”  A frown crossed Liara’s face as she released a resigned sigh.  “I suppose we do.”

“Want me to go first?”  T’Dura looked solemnly at the troubled couple before her.  “I can feel her out for you.  See what she’s thinking… that kind of thing.”

Shepard smiled in thanks for the offer, but politely declined.  “No… but thank you.  This is something I have to do in person, however… disconcerting… it may be.”

“If that’s what you desire, Shepard.”  Moises rubbed her brow in thought before continuing, “But you don’t mind if I come along for the ride… just for my own peace of mind?  The three of us…” giving Liara a nod as she finished, “… together?”

“You are most welcome to join us, Moises,” Liara answered, reaching over to take Samantha’s hand as she continued, “Having an independent opinion from someone we both trust with our lives might not be a bad idea.”

-------------------------------

Science Lab, Gellix, Arrae System – 7 May 2189

A young man met them at the entry hatch, giving them a polite nod.  “Welcome to Renaissance Station, Spectres… and you, Doctor T’Soni.  Your reputations most definitely precede you.  I am Earnest Litza, the station’s administrator, and, seeing the entire galaxy owes you its gratitude, you have caught us rather unprepared for such an unexpected visit.  Our only wish would have been that you had given us advance notice of your arrival, so we could have arranged a more appropriate welcome for a group such as yourselves.”

As the man spoke, Shepard’s eyes studied the entrance hall; she saw no indications of hostile intent, though she did make a mental note of a pair of newly installed defensive turrets that she didn’t remember from their previous… visit… to the science lab.

“You have no cause for concern, Spectre Shepard…”  The man paused, his lips pressing together in a straight line before he continued, “but I do realize me saying so carries absolutely no weight in your judgement, so let’s just get on with it, shall we?  Would you like a tour?”

Shepard’s expression hardened, the muscles in her jaw flexing as she tried to decide if this whole thing was a charade… a stalling tactic for who knows what.  Earnest was a good judge of body language and immediately continued, “Please, Spectre Shepard… this is our home.  A peaceful facility, with a number of families.  We have children here!  Yes, there are defensive cannons, but we’re in space with no protective military in the area.  More than one group of pirates or mercenaries have thought… rather unsuccessfully, I might add, to take this station.  Every single adult now living here fought in the war, well enough to survive the Reapers, so would-be thieves found us to not be the soft target they anticipated… and quickly moved on.”

Shepard was about to respond when Moises cut in.  “That almost sounded like a threat, Litza.”

“No!  Absolutely not!”  His eyes opening wide, Earnest spread his arms apart with the palms of his hands facing them as he sputtered, “I’m just explaining the purpose of the new defensive cannons Shepard is eyeballing!  I will emphasize, again, that we wish you no harm.  I swear it!”  He glanced nervously between the three imposing figures before him.  “I honestly don’t know how I can prove anything to you… and I don’t even know why you’re here.  I suppose I should have asked that first, before offering to show you around.”  He let out a huff and squared his shoulders.  “So, Spectres…  What do you want from me?  From us?  From Renaissance Station?  Tell me, and it’s yours.”

Shepard drew a deep breath to calm her jittery nerves and answered tersely, “Your director.  Where is she?”

“Ah.”  Earnest’s shoulders sagged almost imperceptibly.  “So, you think you know about her, do you?  Well, I can guarantee you don’t know anything.  Not anything real, anyway.  It’s highly likely she is not the person you believe her to be, and she’s more than happy to speak with you… but the station director, Adrien Burns, is predisposed at the moment.  An issue with one of the atmospheric regulators in Greenhouse 3 has her undivided attention.  I recommend we begin the tour I offered you and she’ll join us as soon as she’s able.”

“Sure… and why don’t we start the tour at Greenhouse 3?”  Shepard cocked an eyebrow at the distraught administrator.

“Spectre, please…” Litza let out an exasperated sigh.  “I did say undivided attention, did I not?  Have you looked at the cold piece of rock we call home?  Those greenhouses, quite literally, are our lifeblood!  Director Burns will finish what she’s doing and join us.  Honestly, that’s the best I can offer without risking the welfare of our colony.”

With a quick mental prod from Liara, Shepard gave in.  “Fine.  Show us what you’ve got, Litza.”

“Excellent.”  The relief oozed through his voice as he gave a quick nod and began to walk.  “Right this way, please.”

-------------------------------

The station hadn’t changed much in the time since Jacob and Brynn had occupied the space, but Shepard and Liara hadn’t seen the living facilities during their rather… harried … previous visit, having been rushed out by the mass arrival of Cerberus reinforcements.  The Illusive Man had seriously wanted all the scientists back… and that event may well have been what finally triggered his change of heart regarding Shepard’s usefulness to his cause.  Both Shepard and Liara remembered the final surge by the Cerberus troops… that loud, amplified voice shouting, “Take out Shepard!” … and the oversized Atlas that nearly did them in with a final rocket salvo that had sent them both tumbling across the landing pad.

Liara had edged closer and she reached out to grip Samantha’s hand as they walked.  Shepard responded by turning her head and smiling at the Asari who walked at her side.  {It’s all good, Li.  We made it out, just like we always seem to do.}

“And this is our orphanage.”  The Administrator’s voice interrupted their quick exchange and focused their attention on a huge opening before them, looking down upon a large courtyard in the middle of the station.  “The area to the left is the dorm, each hallway with a designated monitor, who also acts as councilor, parent, teacher, or friend… depending on the age and need of the child at the time.  We’re somewhat limited on staff, but we do what we can for them.”  Earnest smiled sadly.

“An orphanage?”  Liara stared down at the numerous children of all ages, playing in the courtyard.  “How many are here?  Where did they all come from?”

“Our current count is only 52… but they come from everywhere.  Many of our residents brought them with… not wanting to leave them behind with dead parents at their feet.”  Earnest smiled softly and added, “We’ve had some adopted by families who have arrived… and stayed here… and we’ve managed to locate relatives and surviving family for over 80 of our little refugees and gotten them back to where they belong.  It’s an ongoing effort…”   His grin faded as he finished, “But there are still just so many, even so long after the war.”

He would have continued but a door swished open, accompanied by the sound of rapid footsteps echoing down the passageway as a rather familiar voice rang in from behind them.  “Hello, Spectre Shepard.  I’m Adrien Burns.  Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

Chapter Text

Science Lab, Gellix, Arrae System – 7 May 2189

As soon as she heard the door opening, Shepard had pulled her hand away from Liara and began turning around.  Upon coming face to face with her clone, Samantha simply stared in shocked silence for a few seconds as she completed her initial assessment of the woman who stood before her.  This clone was, indeed, nearly identical… but only nearly.  While their faces were the same, the woman wore no armor and it was obvious she hadn’t been subjected to any of the gene therapies, nor received any of the physical augmentations which had been given to Shepard.  As a result, Burns looked very much like the pre-Alchera, original Shepard.

Burns didn’t have anywhere near the muscle mass and bulk of the modified Spectre, so was significantly lighter in frame than Samantha.  Even so, the most noticeable trait to the casual observer was her hair.  The clone’s hair was cropped short and the top stood straight up, as well as being dyed a rather striking cobalt blue.  While reminding Shepard of the darker blue accents on Liara’s armor, it was most definitely not the expected auburn red.  Liara, taken aback by the woman’s unexpected appearance, simply muttered a surprised, “Goddess.”

Shepard, on the other hand, actually chuckled softly in reaction to Liara’s response before commenting, “Pretty decent camouflage… Ms… Burns.  You obviously know who I am but let me not be remiss in the normal civil pleasantries.”  She paused to indicate the Asari at her side.  “This is Doctor Liara T’Soni, both my Executive Officer and my bondmate…”  Shepard paused again, only briefly, as she pointed to her second companion.  “And this is Spectre Moises T’Dura, attending this meeting to provide a second… and hopefully unnecessary… unbiased opinion, in addition to my own, since she does not possess the strong personal interest I obviously have in this case.”

“Civil pleasantries.”  Burns canted her head questioningly to the side.  “That almost sounds as though you’re not here to arrest… or execute… me for my involvement in Cerberus.”  She huffed and shook her head.  “I’ll admit, I’m actually surprised – pleasantly so… don’t get me wrong.  If I had known that to be the case, I may have come sooner, rather than insisting I finish the repairs in the greenhouse, first.”  A small shrug that barely lifted her shoulders preceded her next statement.  “The malfunction hadn’t reached a critical stage quite yet, but I honestly wasn’t sure I’d have the opportunity to finish the repairs later… and having it function at full capacity is much too important to the colony to leave to chance, so you have my thanks for that.”

“Thanks for what?  Not coming here with the sole purpose of killing you?” Shepard asked, a bit confused, having had absolutely nothing to do with the repairs to the greenhouse, except…

“Not storming the greenhouse while I was working is what I’m referring to, Spectre Shepard.”  A small, lopsided grin dared to creep onto her face. 

{Goddess, Shepard… She even has your grin!}

Oblivious to the link and Liara’s comment, Adrien continued, “I was told you hinted at that possibility… and, from what I hear, you’re more the type to eliminate potential problems sooner, rather than later.  So, thank you… for allowing me time to complete the necessary repairs.”

Liara’s comment through the link made Shepard smirk as she answered the clone.  “Well, Ms Burns… in sharp contrast to other Cerberus soldiers I’ve met in my past, you have yet to attempt to kill me, so I’m simply following your lead.”  Shepard glanced down at the orphans playing in the courtyard below and continued, “Is there somewhere we can sit and talk?”

“Absolutely, Spectre.”  She took a deep breath and asked, “Would you trust my office, or would you rather go to one of the clear-dome parks we have on the station?”  She ran her hand up over the top of her head – exactly as Shepard had a tendency to do, only with much less hair to run through her fingers as she did so – before she added, “Your transport, on the flight deck?  One of the cafeterias?  Or would you rather go somewhere else entirely?”  Burns suddenly stopped and dropped her hands to her sides.  “I’m sorry.  My life, I’m sure, hangs in the balance of this discussion… and, it appears, I’m just a tad bit nervous.”

“We’re no longer in the middle of a damned war, Burns,” answered Shepard.   It was Samantha’s turn to grin as she continued, “And, while I will admit to being very protective of those I care for, I generally try to not kill people unless they honestly deserve it.  So, unless you give me a good reason, you’re not going to make that list any time soon.”

A quick thought to Liara had the Asari continuing the conversation.  “If you’ll permit me a quick scan… no offense intended, simply a security precaution… your office would be perfectly fine.”

“I have nothing to hide from you, Doctor… or you, Shepard.”  Burns breathed a little easier as she added, “You are more than welcome to do any scans you deem necessary for your group’s safety.  I would expect nothing less.”

-------------------------------

Adrien Burns’ version of her history varied little from Miranda’s summary, but offered even more detail into the machinations of the Illusive Man that prompted the rebellion of the Dragoons.  Towards the end of her story, she had begun to pace nervously.  “Light and lethal.  As a Phoenix Vanguard, the Charge and Smash was a deadly combo… especially if the target wasn’t thrown out of range of the Lash as a result.”

Shepard found herself wanting to reach up and massage her throat, the memory of a Dragoon Lash wrapping around her neck bringing painful memories to the fore.  The only thing that kept her from doing so was a brazen Liara, reaching over… in full view of Adrien Burns… to catch and hold Samantha’s hand, both keeping her from raising it and providing a comforting touch to ease the painfulness of the memory. 

The clone never noticed, wrapped up as she was in her recollection of that time in her life.  “Harper had a great capability at his beck and call… which, as a politician instead of a warrior, he had absolutely no idea how to wield…”  She laughed anxiously and continued, “And then, my chance finally came.  All those idiots who had been so caught up in the cause… including the other two clones!  All of them finally started to get worried… and all it took was Harper bringing in Reaper Tech!  How could they have been so damned blind?  Reaper Tech!  Then, what I had known all along finally dawned on them … the man was indoctrinated!  He had to be!  I don’t know how many vids he had shown us of his supposedly regular soldiers… none of them were really Human anymore!  Extolling on the virtues of their implants… how much stronger… more determined and effective they were.”  She stopped dead and turned toward her three visitors.

“He just couldn’t see that victory alone – with the utter and complete loss of our Humanity – meant absolutely nothing.  Cerberus had never been anything but another Reaper tool… just like the Collectors, all the rest of the Husks… and even the Citadel.  And it would never change as long as Jack Harper sat at the helm.  It had never been about Humanity rising to the top…  It was about a Reaper-controlled force destroying the resistance from within… and none of them could see it.  Even then, with all the Reaper tech!  They simply realized they didn’t want to be changed into whatever those soldiers had become.”

“I’m sorry.”  Adrien drew air in and blew out a shuddering breath. “I just hate how he managed to manipulate everyone… people, good and bad, suffered at his hands.  But bringing in the Reaper Tech started a movement… which even Shepard…” 

She paused, wide-eyed in horror, and focused on the ‘real’ Shepard before her and started speaking really fast.  “One of the clones kept your name… even took off her helm in front of the others to prove who she was.  I don’t know what her deal was, but I could tell she was different… almost like she honestly believed she had been reborn after the terrible attack over Alchera.  I knew better because I had memories of our awakening… I knew we were more than one, so it was pretty obvious to me we were all clones… but, I’m sorry… I have no idea how many of us there are!”

Shepard had started to appreciate the clone’s honesty, so immediately decided to tell her what they knew… first to get the rest of the story out of her, but also to ease her panic.  It was apparent that this… clone… had never considered being, or even trying to become, the real Samantha Shepard.  “It’s okay, Adrien.  We do.”

“What?”  She stopped short in relieved surprise, only to have it shift immediately to indignation.  “You know?  Then what the Hell am I doing this for?  Is this a test of my honesty?”

Shepard held up both hands in a mute plea for a chance to explain herself.  “No, Ms Burns.  The fact you have lived here… made a life for yourself and these others for all this time?  I believe you.  It’s just… well, there’s more to the story you don’t know.”

“So, you know how many are out there?”  Appeased, Adrien returned to the conference table and slumped into a chair.  “Will you tell me?”

“Absolutely.  I let you continue because we didn’t have any of the details you just gave us… so, thank you.  One of our allies is Miranda Lawson, the former Cerberus agent who initiated the program, but left with me when my reconstruction was complete.  After that, all we have are the digital reports on Project Phoenix… incomplete and questionable, at best, in accuracy.  You’ve given us more info in five minutes than we were able to find in a year.”

Shepard continued to relay all she had learned from Miranda and their review of the digital records.  As she concluded, she added, “Soooo… as far as we know, you’re the only one who remains alive.”

Her shoulders drooping, Adrien shook her head.  “I guess I should have expected that.  I was sad when Olivia… the clone that died in the escape attempt… didn’t make it.  I thought, then, that the wrong clone was killed.  I guess the actions of Miss ‘Would-be’ Shepard proved me right.”  Her expression suddenly hardened as she added, “There was something not right about that woman… it was like Olivia got your good heart, I received your intellect, and Shepard… well, she received your rather impressive soldier’s instincts but, it seemed to me, without principles to regulate her actions.  It was like she had no comprehension of right or wrong, no emotions… no conscience.  She simply enjoyed killing and would do anything the Illusive Man told her to do, including the executions of two of our more uncooperative classmates, who were crazy enough to speak out against the Illusive Man.”  She paused to look Spectre Shepard in the eye before adding, “It may be a terrible thing to say, but I’m glad you killed her.”

For the first time in the entire conversation, Liara stepped in, wanting to refocus the discussion on the main purpose of their visit – the surviving clone sitting across the table from them.  “So, what are your plans, Adrien?  If we simply climb back aboard the Knight Shade and go on our way, what will you do?”

Adrien’s face took on a soft smile and she let out a little huff of a laugh.  “I’ll praise the Gods that be and go on with my life here.”  She looked at Shepard.  “I know you are so much more than a soldier, Spectre.  I see the news, read the biographies and the stories people write about you.”  She shrugged and her smile widened.  “You’re smart… a thinker… and I’d like to thank you because, while you may have chosen to enter the military, you gave me the genes – the intellect – to be a scientist.  My specialization of choice is botany, and I’ve made considerable improvements in our greenhouses here.  My intent, if you’ll let me, is to continue to do so.”

The scientist in Liara got the better of her, and she couldn’t help but ask, “What kinds of improvements?” 

“Oh, all kinds of things!”  Adrien brightened at the prospect of being able to discuss her work.  “The most important is the development of cold-weather varietals that can actually be grown outside, here, with minimal sheltering.  They still need to be protected from the heavy winds and bitter winter season… but a few of my experiments can actually grow outside during the summer and fall here!  My goal is to modify an even larger number of species… and increase their tolerances for cold even more.”  She smiled as she added, “It’s absolutely fascinating… and has implications for a number of planets, not just Gellix!  What I’ve already accomplished could easily improve production at a number of colonies that currently exist on beltline worlds!”

“Beltline?” Shepard asked.

Both Liara and Adrien turned to her and started to explain, Liara stopping immediately and stating, “It’s your project… please, go ahead.”

With a quick nod, Adrien explained, “A world with a relatively narrow band of greenspace, normally surrounding the world at its equator… like a belt.  The modified varietals could potentially widen the belt into the slightly colder regions.  Even if by only a few kilometers, over the entire circumference of the planet, it would greatly increase their food production capacity.”

Shepard’s eyes had widened as soon as the clone… Adrien… had begun her explanation, catching on immediately and understanding the potential.  “That would be… awesome!”

Shepard suddenly glanced to her side and asked, “Spectre T’Dura?  Any issues or questions?”

Moises shook her head and pushed her chair back, standing as she said, “None.  I honestly believe we’re done here.”

Shepard rose with her, Liara and Adrien immediately following as Samantha reached out to shake the station director’s hand.  “I never thought it possible, but it’s been a pleasure meeting you, Director.”

“Likewise, Spectre.”  Adrien clasped the woman’s hand for the first time.  “I couldn’t have dreamed up a better outcome for this initial meeting… and I’d like to think this doesn’t necessarily have to be our last?”

{I don’t believe I’m saying this, but I, too, would like to stay in touch with her, Sam…  She has some interesting ideas!}

They dropped hands and Shepard smiled as she responded, “I’d like that.”  She glanced quickly at Liara, acknowledging her nod of approval before looking back at Adrien and continuing, “We’d like that.  We’ll pass our contact information to your comm center before we break orbit.”

“As will I.”  T’Dura nodded at Adrien and added, “And, I’m not sure if you’re ready to take the next step, but you should consider filing for official colonial status here, to protect yourselves.  Gellix is currently an open world… a levo-world given to the Krogan after the Rachni wars but, following the Rebellions, was placed under guardianship of the Turians… who can’t even live here without special adaptations.  With everything you’ve already done here, you have more of a claim than either of them.”

“Agreed.”  Shepard immediately nodded in accord.  “I, for one, would happily champion your request with the council… and, I have an excellent relationship with the Krogan who, while not yet having taken any official action, have already made a bit of noise about reclaiming Gellix as an expansion world.  If you would be willing to share the planet, I would happily talk to Wrex and Bakara for you… to avoid any conflict.  I promise – you’d have good neighbors, hard workers, and a built-in security force, all in one.”

“I believe we could come to some accommodation, Spectre Shepard, and would accept any help you are willing to provide.”  Adrien couldn’t believe how the day had turned out, and her relief was evident.  “I’ll need to talk to my people first, to confirm it’s a path we are willing to travel.  I’ll do that soon and let you know.  Travel safe out there, Spectres… Doctor.  Some selfishly expect you to continue working miracles, but you can’t be everywhere.  They simply don’t realize that they have to be the ones to pick themselves up.  Everyone on this station understands that… and, I’d like to think we can be part of the solution by setting an example.”  A wide smile crossed her face as she finished, “In the meantime… if you’re in the area, just want to check in, or even need some help… feel free to stop in.  Our door will always be open to you.”  Her eyes shifted to Moises.  “All of you.”

-------------------------------

Nyocha , At Large, Sigurd’s Cradle – 9 May 2189

Turian Spectre Quintian Akril stood a meter away from the U-shaped console at the forward-most position on the ship’s bridge.  He had quickly gotten used to the sweeping view – ahead, above, below and to both sides – afforded by the reinforced clear panels installed on the nose of this ship.  As one of four prototypes for an exploration vessel being shipped to the Andromeda Galaxy, the Nyocha was the last and most advanced of the ships constructed by the Initiative, before being abandoned with its predecessors in the Far Rim.

To his right, Pilot Kaetus Adalius had just engaged the cloaking generator and was scanning the area around their position for any vessels he needed to avoid.  To his left, ship’s navigator Lieutenant Taia Maldros had just finished plotting a course through the cluster to Decorus.  Akril’s ultimate destination was Firebase Glacier, an abandoned Cerberus base on the second planet, Sanctum.

Turning towards Maldros, he said, “Make sure our flightpath is well clear of Psi Tophet and 2181 Despoina, Lieutenant.  Reading Spectre Shepard’s report on her encounter with the Leviathans is the stuff of nightmares.  We don’t want to travel within a million klicks of that place.”

Taia turned her golden-hued eyes on her captain, replying, “Yes Sir.  You’ll get no argument from me on that subject, and…”  She paused as she compiled more data from her sensors.  “The warning buoys are all in operation, Sir.  Triggering any of them would send an intrusion signal to Omega Station.”  She chuckled, the sound resonating with her rich sub-harmonics.  “After traversing six relays to arrive here so we could avoid traversing Sahrabarik, the last thing we want to do is alert anyone on that miserable rock to our presence.”

“I’m glad we are in agreement, Lieutenant.”  Akril looked to his pilot.  “Commander Adalius.  You have the course locked into the navi-computer?”

“Yes, Sir.  No other vessels on sensors.  Cloaking generator operating within established parameters.  We’re ready to go.”

The Spectre shifted his gaze to the area ahead of them.  “Very well, Commander.  Jump to FTL.  I want to get in and get out without being noticed by anyone.”

Outwardly, Quintian appeared to be the definition of calm; inside, he was quite nervous.  The trip here from the CGC had taken longer than was normal; he had chosen a round-about route to Sigurd’s Cradle, purposely avoiding the more direct route of traversing the Omega relay.  Going through the Eagle Nebula to the Shrike Abyssal, then through the Raheel-Leyya relay in the Valhallan Threshold had added nearly four hours to their transit time, the majority of which had been spent standing by for each relay to realign for the next transit.  Couldn’t be helped, he mused.  We can always return through Sahrabarik, when we have what we came for.  It’ll be too late then for the queen to do anything to hinder us.

He watched intently as the Nyocha gathered speed, creating the illusion of distant stars becoming streaks of red that shortened in length as their velocity increased.  Turning away from the view forward, he began walking aft while saying, “I’ll be in my quarters, Adalius.  Call me when we reach the system’s outer boundary.”

The acknowledgement was immediate.  “Yes, Sir.”

-------------------------------

Nyocha , Orbiting Sanctum, Decorus System – 9 May 2189

Quintian studied the tactical display in the increasingly vain hope he might discover some way to land at the base; even after thoroughly reviewing Spectre Shepard’s after-action report describing her wartime assault on the site, he had believed he could find a landing site – a platform, large enough on which to park a frigate-sized vessel – originally overlooked by the Human Spectre.

Velmius Florius, his ‘second’ on the mission, huffed in exasperation.  “I don’t see any place large enough to set this ship down, Sir.  It appears we’ll have to fly down in the shuttle.”

Holding both hands palms up in front of his hips – a Turian expression similar to a shoulder shrug – Quintian replied good-naturedly, “As much as it pains me to admit it, I concur with your assessment.  You’ll accompany me on the search and watch my six… I’ll assign Ensign Octasia to be our pilot.  If the shuttle cannot set down nearby and our mission goes sideways, she’ll be close enough to quickly retrieve us.”

He flared and dropped his mandibles, adding, “Shepard went in while Cerberus was still in possession of the place, so didn’t have the time needed to adequately scan the laboratory.  Our own scans indicate the place is totally devoid of life of any kind.  It appears to be abandoned, but sensors are indicating an operational automated defense network.”

Quintian tipped his head as he considered his options.  After several minutes spent watching the slowly rotating tactical display, he announced, “We’ll bring Specialist Corvannis along… he’s an excellent programming tech – should be capable of dealing with any security programming Cerberus left behind.  Let’s gear up.  Sooner we get down there, see what’s hidden inside, the better I’ll feel.”  Heading through the nearby hatch to the hanger deck, he added, “We’ll change the shuttle’s transponder to use a wartime Cerberus code… should keep whatever that place is using for defense from shooting at us.”

-------------------------------

Cerberus Firebase Glacier, Sanctum, Decorus System – 9 May 2189

Ensign Orinia Octasia brought the UT-47A to a stationary hover beside the long platform; after carefully checking clearances all around, she side-slipped the ungainly craft towards the platform until she could safely set down.  Speaking over her shoulder as she cut power to the ventral thrusters, she said, “Starboard side hatch only, Sir.  Nothing outside the port hatch but cold air.”

Quintian chuckled as he opened the starboard hatch and peered at the reception area.  “Warning noted, Orinia.  Contact Nyocha – report us safely on the ground.”  He stepped down onto the platform, followed by Sergeant Florius and Specialist Corvannis.  As the pair split up and moved to the front and rear of the shuttle, Quintian stuck his head back inside.  “Keep the core hot, Orinia… just in case we need to leave in a hurry,”

She nodded once, saying, “Yes, Sir.  I’ll maintain an open comm-link as well, Sir.”

The Spectre chuckled softly.  “I gather you’re not a fan of haunted houses, Ensign.”  At her questioning look, he added, “Human stories of creepy, evil places usually feature an abandoned structure rumored to be haunted by the spirits of those long dead… haunted houses.”

She chuckled nervously in return.  “Thank you, Sir.  I feel so much better now.”

Quintian turned, said, “Florius.  Corvannis,” and cautiously moved through an open doorway to the right, then up the short flight of stairs to the left.  Reaching the top, he paused at Specialist Corvannis’ warning to wait as he drew abreast of his position.

Activating his omnitool, Corvannis entered a series of commands; upon inspecting the results, he closed the tool and reported, “Sentry turret disabled, Sir.

Quintian looked questioningly at the specialist, who simply pointed towards the hall.  “Ceiling mounted dual auto-targeting miniguns, Sir.  They would have activated as soon as we entered.”

The Spectre nodded mutely, then cautiously stepped through the opening into the next area on the left.  The disabled guns hung forlornly from the ceiling ten meters from the entry.  A visual inspection of the area ahead led to the discovery of several data-entry terminals below a bank of windows overlooking the shuttle landing area; Corvannis carefully inspected each until he discovered the one he felt was most important: the base security station.

While Akril and Sergeant Florius waited nearby, the young specialist activated the device and quietly went to work.  Within minutes, he had deciphered the character string needed for access; once in, he disabled security protocols for the entire facility.  “It should be safe to continue our explorations, Sir.”

Quintian moved past Corvannis; singling out a newly active haptic keyboard in the middle of a U-shaped console, he said, “See what you can find on that device, Specialist.”

While the Spectre and Sergeant Florius slipped around the console to move deeper into the complex, Corvannis eagerly moved to the terminal.  After entering a short string of characters, the viewscreen came to life, accompanied by a chime; within a few moments, the specialist was inspecting an index of the data stored on the main server.  Eyes wide in surprise, he nervously announced, “Spectre Akril?  You should see this, Sir.”

Quintian came back across the room to stand behind and to one side of Corvannis.  “What have you discovered, Specialist?”

“Cerberus was pursuing a number of research avenues, all designed for a common purpose – the eradication or control of every non-Human species in the entire galaxy!… as if the Reapers weren’t doing that already!”  He paused to study information in one of the files.

“It appears the Illusive Man was particularly interested in eliminating Turians – most of the data stored on this server points to a particularly lethal bioengineered disease that, fortunately, had not been perfected when it was abandoned in favor of research into weaponizing Reaper tech.”

“Damn!  Cerberus was following in the footsteps of the Collectors.  They used the same tactic on Omega Station before the war – eliminated a large number of Blue Suns and a fair number of Batarian civilians with a laboratory-created plague.”  He paused for a moment before asking, “How close were they to perfecting this one, Specialist?”

Corvannis scrolled down through several screens of data before slowly responding, “Estimated time of nine to twelve months, Sir.”  After a momentary pause to study another document, he added, “There is also a file here containing data on an antidote, which does look complete.”

The Spectre thought about this for a moment, then ground out, “Spirits!  Create the antidote first, then create the infection.  Brilliant strategy… they could infect a few prisoners – test subjects – so would need to keep them alive… cure them after infecting them.”  Quintian paused before adding in a low voice, “Perfect blackmail device!  Record a demonstration on some Turians… after the first few succumb to the chemical, cure the rest!  Jack Harper wanted the Human race ruling over all the other races, galaxy-wide!  He knew – and rightly so – that we would never submit to Human rule… his rule!… unless he could wield a devastating weapon… or weapons.”

While Quintian was speaking, Specialist Corvannis had been browsing through the contents on the server.  “There are files in here on every race in the galaxy, Sir… from Batarians to Yahg… all at varying degrees of completion… there is even a file on Humans!  Best I can tell, most of their research was not as far along as what they had on our own people, but there’s no question the Illusive Man felt this research was the way for him to rule the galaxy – at least until he became obsessed with becoming the ultimate dictator, with the Reapers under his control as his enforcers.”

Akril leaned heavily on the counter, contemplating his choices.  Pushing away from the edge, he growled, “Is it any wonder humanity is looked upon with such a high degree of mixed emotions by us and the other races?  That a ‘Samantha Shepard’ can rise up from the same species that gave birth to a ‘Jack Harper’?  After discovering what was being done here, I can more easily understand why she renounced her Human citizenship in favor of becoming a citizen of Thessia.”

Focusing on the young specialist, he made a low noise in his throat before continuing, “Make sure to copy over all the research notes on every antidote they created, then purge that server.  Ensure there are no copies or notes on these bioweapons stored here or offsite.  I cannot fathom the damage that could be done if some criminal got their hands on them!  Having data on the antidotes will at least give our scientists a head start, should stockpiled examples of this twisted research be discovered at another site!”

Corvannis asked, “Sir, would it not be better to copy all of their research notes before I purge everything from the servers?”

Quintian fixed Corvannis with a glacial stare as he said, “Explain your reasoning, Specialist.”

Corvannis studied the monitor for several moments before replying.  “I am not a research scientist, Sir… that said, I believe anyone tasked with creating an antidote for any of these plagues would need access to the research that originally created them.”  He pointed to a diagram depicting the assembled chemical chains for the Turian poison.  “In order for an antidote to be effective, it has to be formulated to counter this specific chemical chain.  Changing just one component of this compound might cause it to work in an entirely different way – or not work at all; without modifications that target the changed formula, this antidote might not be as effective … or would have absolutely no impact whatsoever.”

Akril slowly paced back to their entry point, then returned to stand in front of Corvannis.  As the first Turian chosen to be a Spectre since Saren’s betrayal of the Council, he was well aware of how minutely the new Galactic Council would scrutinize each action he took.  After several moments spent in silent thought, he said, “I believe your reasoning is sound, Specialist.  Encrypt all the data and copy it onto an OSD, then purge the server.  Make sure it’s wiped clean.”

Corvannis acknowledged the Spectre as he began the process.  While he was engaged in his task, Akril left to find Sergeant Florius.

-------------------------------

The Spectre descended a wide staircase to the lower level, to find Florius at a stand-alone console.  “What have you found, Sergeant?”

Florius looked over his shoulder at Quintian.  “I’m gonna need help from the specialist on deciphering this one, Sir.”  There was a note of unease in his sub-harmonics as he asked, “Do you recall the Council’s reports concerning the Raloi – 2184, 2185 or so?”

Akril dropped and spread his mandibles as he nodded.  “Avian species, correct?  Something about contracting some virulent form of respiratory illness during the welcome ceremonies on their homeworld?”

Florius turned back to the display monitor.  “It wasn’t a new virus, Sir…  Its source was an old avian flu virus originating on Terra and carried by other species with no ill effects.  It only infected the Raloi, Sir… and these notes indicate the more lethal, mutated version of the virus originated right here in this lab.”

“Spirits!  Didn’t these bastards have any scruples?!  Infect a newly discovered species with a life-threatening disease before they could even become part of the galactic community?  Why?”

“If I’m reading these research notes correctly, that’s exactly what Cerberus did.  As to why?  The Illusive Man always felt humankind was better than other species and deserved to rule us all.  In this particular case, the virus already existed on Earth, so was rather simple to create a mutation with increased infection rates for the Raloi…   There’s even a note in here that Harper was disappointed it didn’t kill them outright… that the feathered bastards only wound up having to wear environmental suits – not unlike the Quarians – in order to interact with the other alien species on the Citadel.”

“The Raloi simply got lucky, then, with the timing of the Reaper invasion.  Who knows what Cerberus would have come up with next.  Now that the war is done, I have to wonder what happened to them… the Raloi, that is.”

“There was a delegation on the Citadel when the Reapers entered Kite’s Nest.  They left immediately to return to their homeworld – Turvess –with a plan to destroy all the orbiting satellites and observation equipment.  Their hope was that the Reapers would see them as a pre-spaceflight civilization and bypass them.”  Holding up his wrist-mounted omnitool, he added, “There’s no mention of them in our own recent history, so I can’t say whether they survived the war or not.  I don’t know that we ever attempted to contact them again… but the Galactic Council may have some information they haven’t shared with us.”

Quintian turned at a slight noise behind him; Specialist Corvannis had come down the stairs.  “Everything copied onto OSDs and the server has been purged, Sir.  What have you found here?”

“The sergeant will fill you in, Specialist.  Same protocol as before.”  The Spectre moved back in order to provide space for Corvannis to work.  “I’ll look around some more… see what other nightmares exist on their remaining servers.”

The Turian Spectre carefully inspected the entire lower level, then slowly climbed the short flight of stairs to yet another workstation, this one overlooking one end of the landing area.  He unthinkingly ran a talon through an innocent looking, orange-glowing Haptic switch, and was immediately sorry for doing so; a synthetic voice, sounding Human in origin, began speaking.  It urged anyone listening to immediately vacate the facility, without explaining the reason for the instructions.

Accompanying the chiming countdown, Sergeant Florius’ voice sounded in his earpiece.  “We need to get clear of this place, Spectre.  Every terminal we activated is flashing a red pictograph of a human skull.  I think Cerberus left an ugly present behind!”

“How much time do we have?  Is there a count-down?”

If the sergeant was worried, he didn’t allow it to color his voice.  “Looks like five minutes.”

“Okay… Get to the shuttle – Ensign Octasia!  Float sideways so we can get out of here without delay!”  Upon receiving an acknowledgment from each of them, he continued, “Specialist Corvannis, see if you can stop whatever is about to happen… I’ll join you momentarily.”

Quintian began moving as Corvannis acknowledged him, wishing as he ran that he’d left that particular console alone.

He reached the area where he had left Florius and Corvannis in time to see the specialist use his omnitool to overload the terminal; as the interface dissolved in a spray of electrical arcing, he began running towards the landing pad.  Aware the Spectre was behind him, he spoke into his comms, “Heading back towards the landing area and the other terminal I didn’t access.”

Sliding to a stop, Corvannis activated the terminal.  Upon studying the display for a few moments, he relaxed slightly.  “Nerve gas, Sir – quite lethal to Humans, Salarians and Batarians – not so much for Turians, but still nasty.  I can stop the countdown.”

Quintian could see their shuttle; Orinia had it hovering in place a half-meter from the platform’s edge, with the fore and aft thrusters operating intermittently to prevent it from drifting.  While she waited with the side hatch wide open, she quickly plotted and entered the most efficient course away from her current position.

Corvannis pulled an OSD from its slot adjacent to the console, shut down the terminal and turned to Quintian.  “We can leave, Sir.  I directed the computer to inject a neutralizing agent into the reservoirs; anything released now will be inert.  I made a copy of the formula they used to synthesize the gas and scrubbed the software from their servers.  Any future treasure hunters arriving here will find nothing of interest – even the hardware is outdated.”

“Well done.”  The Spectre nodded in approval.  “The information we gathered today could potentially prevent a lot of damage… save a lot of lives.  Let’s get back to our ship, see what’s next.”

Quintian and Corvannis moved to the waiting shuttle and jumped inside.  The instant her last two passengers were inside, Orinia had the craft accelerating up and away from the station, before the hatch even had time to close and seal.

The Spectre, mandibles waggling in nervous relief, sighed heavily as he plopped into the co-pilot’s seat beside his pilot.  He studied her profile for a moment before saying, “Nice dust-off, Ensign.”

Orinia, face coloring slightly in embarrassment, glanced briefly at Quintian before answering, “Thank you, Sir.”

Chapter Text

Knight Shade , At Large, Milky Way – 9 May 2189

“Gods be damned!”  Shepard cursed under her breath and started to disassemble the pistol she was working on… for the third time.  “Concentrate on what you’re doing, idiot.”

As she began to lay the parts out on the cloth… again… a hand settled softly on her shoulder.  Startled, she snapped around to see both Liara and Livos standing behind her.  Liara gave her one of those looks as she stated, “Leave it, Siame.   Livos will restore your weapon to its fully assembled condition while we go relax in the lounge.”

“Thanks anyway, but I really…”

“No, Captain.”  Liara didn’t hesitate to cut her off, her tone indicating there was no room for negotiation.  “Livos will finish it so you don’t miss something in your distracted state… only to have it explode in your hand the next time you go to use it.”  She smiled to soften her words and held her hand out in invitation.  “Come on.  Let’s go have Kaffe and tea… and talk.”

Shepard hesitated only a moment before placing what remained of the frame and assembly onto the cloth on the workbench.  “Fine… even though you do know the weapon’s safety protocols would keep that from happening.”  Her lips turned up into a small smirk as she reached out and took the offered hand.  “It simply just wouldn’t work… at all… but I am far from defenseless if my pistol stops working.”

Liara relaxed with Shepard’s acceptance of her proposal and chuckled quietly before she replied, “Let’s not find out, shall we?”

With a compliant smile, Shepard nodded at the Commando Captain taking over the job.  “Thanks, Liv.  Sorry you have to pick up my slack.”

“Do not concern yourself, Nara.” Livos flashed her a quick smile of understanding.  “You have every reason to be distracted at the moment… a sister you could not possibly have anticipated suddenly appearing in your life?  You’ve only had two days in which to process that event… Not nearly enough time for such a momentous occasion.”

“A sister?”  Shepard blinked a couple of times before continuing, “I guess, in a way, that’s true.”  Suddenly realizing the implications of that statement, she looked at Liara in surprise and blurted out, “And just how in Hell am I supposed to explain this to Mom?”

“Simply another thing to talk about over our Kaffe and tea, Shepard.”

Giving her hand a tug, Liara led the way to the ladder, quickly climbing up from the armory to the main deck.  Waiting only a moment before Shepard stood at her side, she once again took Shepard’s hand as she strolled toward the lounge, purposely moving at a relaxed pace.  “I realize this is much more than a distraction, Samantha.” 

She dropped her siame’s hand when they got to the counter and started the Kaffe press before grabbing two mugs and a tea ball, immediately setting one of the mugs under the press spout.  An uneasy silence filled the room as she moved to fill the second mug with steaming water from the dispenser and set it on the counter. 

As she loaded the tea ball with leaves, Liara broke the unusual awkward silence, “You’ve been quiet on the issue since we left Gellix.  Too quiet… and I think we need to talk about it.”  Liara dropped the ball into her mug to steep before turning around to lean back against the counter.  She crossed her arms in a somewhat defensive posture as she continued, “… because you’re not letting me feel you, Sam!  You’re so caught up with your own thoughts, I don’t think you even realize you’ve shut me out.”

“I’ve shut you out?”  Shepard’s brow wrinkled as she contemplated the words, quickly realizing the truth of Liara’s statement.  “Well, shit… I’m sorry, Li.”  Stepping forward, she placed her hands on the counter, one on each side of Liara, and leaned in to place her forehead gently against that of her Ionúin Álainn.  “You’re right… I honestly had no idea I’d done that.  Come back in,” she whispered.

Shepard took a deep breath and focused on relaxing, feeling a tentative tap before Liara slid softly into her mind, bringing a soothing calm with her presence.  {Thank you, Sam… it’s been rather lonely since we left Gellix… not having your constant, reassuring presence in the back of my mind.}

{I must have been distracted… to not even realize you weren’t with me.}  Shepard slid her right foot forward, so she didn’t have to rely on her hands alone for balance, and slid her arm around Liara’s back, pulling the Asari up from her leaning position into a full embrace.  Wrapping her arms around her bondmate, she placed a lingering, soft kiss on Liara’s lips.  {Why didn’t you say something?}

{Because I realize it has to be quite the shock, having Adrien… friendly or not… suddenly step into your life.  I wanted to give you time to process everything that’s happened.}

{Did you ever think that maybe that’s one of the reasons I’ve been so distracted?  I’ve grown used to your reasoned inputs… and, apparently, I’ve been foundering without you, Li.}  Shepard sighed and cupped Liara’s face in her hands, running her thumbs across the freckled blue cheeks, her own eyes darting nervously, studying the Asari’s reaction as she asked, “I mean… seriously?  What the Hell am I supposed to think, having another ‘me’ running around?  How do you feel about there being another me?”

Sam was surprised when Liara laughed quietly, thinking the whole idea somewhat preposterous.  Her cerulean eyes sparkled as she responded, “Oh, Sam… there could never be another you.  Adrien is her own person.  Everyone is shaped by their own life experiences, influenced by those around them.  I’m certainly not the same person I was before I met you!  I will admit to being curious about the similarities, but genetics only go so far.  There are definite variances between the two of you… even physical attributes.  With all your post-Lazarus modifications, she’s obviously no longer an identical twin… assuming she ever was to begin with, with the potential for the Illusive Man’s tinkering.”

Liara let her eyes slip closed as she called forth her memories of Adrien’s appearance, using their link to share the differences which she had noted – like Adrien’s nervous pace, which was more like herself than Sam.  Samantha always stood rock-solid when she was unsure, her jaw tight and her mind winding up like a spring, ready to release once she made up her mind on which direction she wanted to go.  Physically, Samantha was simply… bigger.  More solid… and amazingly heavy for her size, because of all the synthetic weave upgrades.

At this point, Liara’s eyes snapped back open… feeling, as much as hearing, Samantha’s rapid intake of breath at the unexpected surfacing of memories long buried – of the multiple, painful, medical procedures – softened only by Shepard’s memory of what Liara had told her before she started them all.  With her expression pinched over the shared memory, Liara whispered, “And, for all the down time they may have cost you, I will never regret encouraging you to have Karin perform those procedures.  I am convinced there were multiple times you would not have survived the war without them.” 

A tear attempted to slip down Liara’s cheek, but Samantha quickly wiped it away.  “Hey.”  Shepard smiled encouragingly as she stroked the cheeks of her Anam Cara.  “Let’s have none of that.  The vividness of the memory surprised me, that’s all.  I agree that they were worth every hour of surgery and the end result – which is me, standing here right now, alive and well – is evidence of that.  I wouldn’t want it any other way, Liara.  Ever since we met, that’s always been what I’ve been fighting for… the promise of a future with you.”

Liara folded her arms to her chest and snuggled into Shepard’s shoulder, placing a soft kiss on Samantha’s cheek.  “I love you.”

Shepard hugged her tight and smiled, enjoying the feel of the Asari nestled against her.  Both the physical contact and the affectionate warmth emanating from the link helped to soothe her frazzled nerves and she let out a soft sigh of contentment, repeating a phrase she realized she hadn’t said in quite a while.  “I know… and I count on it every day, T’Soni.”

The words made Liara want to cry again but, obviously, for a different reason.  “That’s good, because I plan on us being together a very long time, Siame.”  She paused long enough to wriggle her arms free from their entrapment so she could loop them around her bondmate’s waist.  “So… about your mother…”

-------------------------------

Urdnot, Tuchanka, Aralakh – 9 May 2189

"You're trying my patience, Shepard."

“Stop it, Wrex!”  Bakara rolled her eyes and shoved the Warlord a couple of steps sideways with a hard push on his shoulder.  “She is not.  Matter of fact, given that she came to us first… even before Councilor Tevos… speaks to just how much our relationship means to her.”  She turned to Shepard and flashed the Spectre a toothy grin.  “I think it’s a wonderful solution!  A potential Human host… with a much more stable standing in the Council than the Krogan… actually requesting our presence?  An obvious acknowledgment of our previous claim on Gellix?”  She chuckled as she continued, “Quentius will positively detest the whole idea.”

“But, I’m pretty confident I’ll be able to convince Tevos… and I can’t imagine any of the junior Council members voting against one of their own.”  Shepard grinned at the Krogan matriarch.  “Just keep in mind that Burns hasn’t actually agreed to make the proposal to the Council yet.  She made it clear she wanted to discuss it with her people, first.”

“What I still can’t believe is that you let one of the clones actually live, Shepard!”  Wrex continued to grumble over the particulars.  “You should have killed her, just like the rest!”

“You need to meet her, Wrex.”  Shepard actually laughed at his surprise over the suggestion.  “I trust you to not kill her when I introduce you… but I want you to know who she is before entering into any agreements with her.”  She smiled and glanced at Liara, who was standing at her side.

“I agree,” added the Asari.  “We were rather pleasantly surprised when we spoke to her.  She is quite… genuine… and amazingly like Shepard in her body language.”  Liara shrugged, “I found her likeable, which was diametrically opposed to every single one of my preconceptions.”

“And surprising,” continued Shepard.  “For both of us.”

“And you honestly believe it wasn’t some act, just to save her ass?” Wrex asked, rather gruffly.

“I know it wasn’t, because Spectre Moises T’Dura observed her for a full day before calling me to come out and see for myself.”  Shepard huffed, “Worst part was she wouldn’t tell me why… just that I needed to get my ass to Gellix… as soon as possible.  I had a feeling she had found another clone, but I had no idea it was because Mo wanted me to spare her.”  She smirked.  “When I stepped into the station, I never would have believed that by the end of the day I would not only spare her… but actually like her.  The whole experience kinda blew me away.”

Wrex’s eyes narrowed as he studied Shepard’s face for a few seconds.  “Fine.  I’ll meet her.  If she tells you she wants to go ahead with this, you bring her here…  We’ll meet at the Hollows.”  Wrex glowered as he finished, “And your job is to make sure she understands the significance of the place before she sets foot on our burial grounds!  Agreed?”

“I can’t speak for Burns, but I’ll relay your invitation and, as long as she agrees to the meeting, I’ll tell her about the Hollows, Overlord.”

-------------------------------

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 12 May 2189

“Thank you, Shepard.”  Adrien Burns smiled softly across the vid connection from her office on Gellix.  “Once I asked the question, knowing we had the full backing of two Spectres, the decision wasn’t difficult from this end…”  She paused, not really wanting to push, but eager to know, so she asked, “And have you spoken to the Krogan?”

Shepard chuckled and explained how they had gone directly to Tuchanka to speak to Wrex and Bakara in person, informing Burns of the Warlord’s demand.  “You need to understand, the Hollows is Krogan sacred ground… a holy place where violence is forbidden… and to be asked to meet there is an honor rarely granted to any outsider.”

“Which I’m sure would not have happened had it been anyone but you who asked.”

“That’s an incorrect assumption.”  Shepard shook her head.  “I didn’t ask; Wrex offered.  He wants you to know just how much he values such an alliance.”  She paused before adding, “And, I imagine, he wants to test your resolve.  Krogan honor the warrior, so however much you may hate the idea, you need to bring your best Dragoon persona to this meeting.  You understand what I’m telling you?”

“They’re Krogan.”  Adrien shrugged and turned, hearing a door slide open.  She waved her hand in invitation.  “Come in, Earnest.  It’s actually good you’re here.  It appears I’ll be taking a little trip to Tuchanka sometime in the near future… with Spectre Shepard as my escort.”

She turned back to the vid screen and continued, “I am not opposed to bringing the attitude, Spectre, but I’ve put away the armor, with the intention to never, ever wear it again.  I’ll face Wrex as I am now.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Acceptable?”

“That’s exactly how I’d hoped you’d respond, Adrien.”  Shepard gave her a grin and continued, “Wrex is honorable.  You have no reason to fear for your safety, even if he tries to imply you may be at risk during your negotiations.”  Glancing at the Asari at her side, Shepard continued, “You’ll be under our protection… and we have standing on Tuchanka.  We were both designated as Krantt to Wrex, have both completed the Rite of Passage to become Clan Urdnot, and are Shaman blessed as the Krantt Guardians to Wrex and Bakara’s daughter, Eve.”

Liara nodded solemnly as she added onto Samantha’s words.  “With the last being the most telling.  Wrex and Bakara truly consider us family… so much so that they trust us enough, in the event something happens to them, for Eve to become our ward.  We would then be responsible for raising her in the Krogan tradition and, when the time comes, ensuring she completes her own Rite of Passage to secure her place in Clan Urdnot.”

“That’s unheard of!” blurted Earnest.  “I’m sorry… but why would they ask you to take on such a task?  What could you possibly know about raising a Krogan child?”

“Earnest!”  Adrien was annoyed at his outburst but relaxed slightly as Shepard began to laugh, realizing the woman took no offense to his comments.

Curiosity piqued, the Director’s gaze returned to the Spectre as Samantha shrugged and responded, “That’s the orphanage supervisor coming out in you, Earnest… watching out for the little ones, which I can fully appreciate.  But we met Wrex early on… during the Sovereign years; we trusted him with our lives as a member of my ground crew, when hardly anyone else would even give him the time of day.  Then, during the Collector War, I rescued Grunt… a young Krogan Warrior who then fought and trained with me … and, in the middle of all that mess, I brought him to Wrex, on Tuchanka, and fought at Grunt’s side to ensure the proper completion of his Rite of Passage.   He earned the title of Urdnot that day… and the respect of his fellow Krogan.  Currently, Grunt heads Aralakh Company, an elite team of the best Krogan warriors from every clan, and leads the newly reestablished Krogan colony of Dhazil, on Garvug.  So, yes...  Wrex and Bakara can easily trust us to raise their daughter in the Krogan tradition.”

“I apologize, Spectre,” Earnest replied.  “I had absolutely no idea you have been so… personally… involved with the Krogan over the past few years.”  He shook his head in bewilderment.  “When did you possibly have the time, with everything else… and everywhere else… you have been doing and traveling?”  He huffed in appreciation.  “You’ve been busier than most people could have ever imagined…  And, that’s a rhetorical question; I don’t honestly expect you to explain yourself to me.”

“No worries, Earnest… and no offense taken, so forget about it.”  Shepard looked to Adrien as she continued, “Just a long story to reassure you that if Wrex asks you to come, he has no intention of harming you.  Quite honestly, he just needs to see you, in the flesh, because he knows who… or, pardon the phrasing… what you are.”  Shepard chuckled quietly.  “I imagine he’ll be even more surprised than I was when I first met you, and that’s saying a lot!”

“So, I gather this is better done sooner than later?”  Burns acknowledged the Spectre’s positive response and asked, “And, I suppose, it’s easiest if we meet at the Citadel and travel together from there?” 

Shepard nodded again and answered, “Yes, that would certainly be the most convenient.”  She looked at Liara before continuing, “And, since you offered, we’ll assume you have the necessary credentials to clear security and move through the passenger terminal.”

Adrien grinned as she answered, “Please, Spectre.  I am well aware of Doctor T’Soni’s reputation, first as an Info Broker on Illium and, then, aboard the Normandy.  I imagine one doesn’t leave those skills, or connections, behind very easily… especially when you’re still working for a Spectre.  I assume, from your lack of concern, that you’ve already checked on my credentials… and the boring, unremarkable history created for me as Adrien Burns.”  Her glance focused on Liara as she asked, “Did I get my credits-worth, Doctor?”

Liara laughed lightly, a light blush edging its way onto her face at being called out so bluntly by someone so recently met.  The woman seemed more like Shepard with every contact.  “Yes, you did, Adrien.  Whoever created the new identity for you did a remarkably thorough job.  If I had to guess, I would say Pa'ak Baern, the Salarian Info Broker on Nasurn, did the work for you.  Good choice… he’s one of the best; very thorough.”

It was Adrien’s turn to be surprised.  “You most certainly do know your business, Doctor.”

Liara’s joviality faltered as she replied, “Our very lives depended on it, Adrien.  It was most certainly not my preferred profession, but I didn’t have much of a choice if we wanted to survive.”  She forced a smile back onto her face and added, “So, much like you choosing to focus on botany, I have every intention of returning to archaeology…”  Her gaze rested on Samantha as she finished, “… as soon as we are able.”

“Then let us get this business underway.”  Adrien offered an apologetic smile for the unexpected downturn in mood.  “Once it’s complete, we can all focus on the future, rather than the past.”

-------------------------------

Urdnot, Tuchanka, Aralakh – 14 May 2189

Wrex’s eyes narrowed at the diminutive Human; she was smaller than he had expected.  Immediately surmising why, he growled, “She’s puny, Shepard.  Reminds me of you when we first met.”

Shepard smirked, working hard to suppress the laugh that wanted to erupt.  “And she’s tough, just like I was… when we first met.”

Wrex couldn’t help but grin and chuckle.  “You’re tougher now… bigger, stronger…”  His scowl returned faster than it had any right to, and he refocused on the puny Human before him.  “But she’s not.  She doesn’t look worthy.”

“You don’t know a thing about me, Clan Chief… and I’m offering a chance for you to get your butts back onto Gellix… as partners,” Burns growled.  “So, if I were you, I’d watch my tone during these negotiations, before this ‘puny Human’ turns her back on your insolent self and keeps Gellix solely for her own clan, with no Krogan allowed!  I have enough to worry about, without having to put up with Krogan bullshit!”

Wrex’s red eyes narrowed for a few seconds… and then he started to laugh.  “Well then… she knows how to bite… with words, at least, but…”

He never got to finish his sentence before Burns was suddenly standing toe-to-toe with the big Krogan, having surprised him into taking a step back with the unexpected pull on her biotics… followed immediately by a lunge that put her directly in front of him.  “I’m a biotic and a trained Dragoon.  I have Shepard’s genes and I’m no weakling, Clan Chief.  I promise you, if it came down to it, I would make a worthy adversary.  Even so, I would prefer we be allies.  With the Reapers, I’ve seen enough war to last me a lifetime.”  She stepped back as the wisps of power faded from her body.  “So, after we talk terms, the choice will be yours.”

Standing off to the side, Bakara chuckled, “Oh, I like this one, Wrex.”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 16 May 2189

Surprising everyone, Quentius actually liked the idea.  “You mean we can finally be rid of that troublesome chunk of ice?”  His voice flanged with joy.  “That planet has been nothing but a lump in our gizzards since its caretaker status was thrust upon us!  Please… take it, with the blessings of the Spirits!”  He actually laughed before asking, “You are aware of all the criminal groups that use that planet as a way station, yes?”

Burns nodded in affirmation, still somewhat surprised – and greatly relieved – that no one had commented upon her amazing resemblance to Shepard.  Only Dominic Osoba had looked at her with any sense of… curiosity was the only word that came to mind.  She focused on the Turian and smiled.  “Oh, yes, Councilor; well aware.  The main reason the group I found initially chose that particular station was because Cerberus was kind enough to leave behind some rather robust defensive systems, which they readily employed whenever necessary.  The security team we built was good enough to survive the Reapers, so when pirates or mercenary groups decided to test our metal, they discovered we weren’t as soft a target as they had presumed.  They normally departed fairly quickly, in search of… shall we say… less costly spoils.”  Her expression shifted to one of satisfaction as she added, “I’m actually quite pleased with the home we have created with mostly waifs and wayfarers.”

“That’s impressive,” commented Osoba.  “But, can you please explain to me the why and how you got from Watson to Gellix?”

Having anticipated such a question, Adrien simply shrugged and began, “The how is easy…  Since interplanetary travel was necessary in my chosen profession, I had a personal shuttle, outfitted with the major equipment I needed to complete my field work.  When the Reapers showed up, I immediately abandoned my research station and hit the atmosphere, only to find the space surrounding the planet fraught with Harvesters!  I immediately jumped the Relay, not really caring where it went, as long as it was someplace away from Watson and the invading horde.”  She sighed sadly.  “I lost most of my colleagues there, if not all.  I haven’t been able to contact any of them since… and, no, I haven’t been back.”  She paused as a thankful smile made its way back onto her face.  “Quite honestly, I now have no desire to do so, given the group I joined and what we’ve built together on Gellix.”

Looking directly at Osoba, she continued, “Once I was safe – for the moment, at least – I considered my options and thought it best to return to Sol… but traversing the Eagle Nebula proved to be rather difficult.  My original thought was to swing by the fuel depot and then Korlus, to scrounge up the parts I needed for my secondary air recycler.  Reapers showed up after I got the part, but before the repairs were complete, so I was forced to abandon the repair and jump the Relay yet again… which, with no time to worry about any possible realignment, happened to be pointed at the Wastes.”

Shaking her head in disgust, she continued, “Why they ever put that stupid relay in Fortis is beyond me!  Not a single livable planet in the entire system… no facilities, no fuel… no anything!  So, I was forced to keep moving on.”

She shrugged noncommittally and resumed her story.  “I decided that with the Reaper attack, the Citadel and the Serpent Nebula were likely primary targets, so gave up my efforts to reach Sol.  Low on supplies, I had to go to ground somewhere; the dextro world of Invictus wasn’t really an option, so that pushed me to my last resort… Arrae… and Gellix, even with its reputation as a defunct penal colony world and everything… and everyone… that comes along with that rep.”

“It seems I wasn’t the only one seeking refuge there.”  Her eyes once more met those of the Human Councilor as she finished, “On Gellix, I found the fuel and the facility I needed to fix everything wrong with my shuttle… and all the wonderful people who came along with said facility.  The rest of the group had only arrived there a couple of weeks before I did.  We got to know each other while I completed my repairs… and I helped fine-tune their greenhouse regulation system as payment for the use of their dry-dock space.  As the last of my repairs started to wind down, they invited me to stay and, as we love to say, the rest is history.”

“And that was when?” Dominic asked.

Adrien chuckled and responded, “Sorry… I don’t mean to laugh, but I can’t help it.  It’s been an ongoing joke amongst us at the colony.”  Her laughter changed to a simple smirk as she explained, “I arrived on April Fool’s Day…  We laugh because it appeared as though, for once, the joke was on the Reapers and all the bad karma they had brought along with them simply passed us by.  With all the shit that was happening around us, we all found it hard to believe our good fortune!  It took me the better part of two weeks to complete the repairs and, in their eyes, I became an official member of the colony on the 16th of April.”  Her brow pinched as she asked, “Does that matter?  Is there a prior claim?”

Ignoring Adrien’s questions, Osoba looked at the Spectre who had brought Burns before them and asked, “When did you pull the Cerberus scientists from that station, Shepard?”

“Ex-Cerberus scientists, Councilor… and, off the top of my head, I have absolutely no idea.”  Popping open the interface on her omni-tool, she sent a quick message, asking for a data log check.  “So, I’ll see if I can get you an answer from the Normandy.”

Much faster than anyone would have expected, her omnitool chimed and Edi’s voice came on-line with a response.  “Hello, Shepard.  Excellent timing.  We just completed our power and communications transfer to the Spectre docks, here on the CGC.  To answer your question, you formally logged the extraction operation as complete on February 27th, 2187, at 2132 hours, Galactic Standard.  Do you require any additional information regarding the rescue?  I can easily transfer the entire file.”

Laughing softly, Shepard shook her head as she replied, “Nope, that’s it.  Thanks, Edi!”

“Excellent.  Before we terminate the call, Spectre Williams wants me to ask if you would be available for lunch in the Commons… your choice of restaurant.”

“I’m with the Council right now, Edi.  Tell Ash I’ll give her a shout as soon as I’m free.”

“Understood, Captain.  Normandy out.”

Samantha looked up at the Human Councilor.  “I assume there’s no need for me to repeat that?”

“None at all, Shepard.”  Osoba turned back to Adrien.  “So, Ms Burns…  Do you have any idea who occupied that facility before your group of ‘waifs and wayfarers’ moved in?”

“It was pretty obvious that it was a Cerberus facility… their logo was all over the place.”  Adrien’s brow wrinkled in thought.  “The man who was attempting to lead the group when I arrived, Earnest Litza, told me that Cerberus had abandoned the station after a bit of a dust-up.”  She grinned at the Spectre as she continued, “Apparently, Shepard, that was you pulling those scientists out.  Earnest had no idea what was going on so, thinking they were leaving in such a hurry because of a Reaper attack, he kept his group hunkered down in some nearby caves.”  She sighed softly as she added, “The guns fell silent and, after a week of hearing nothing, Earnest finally sent out a recon team.  Their report was a much-needed boost in morale… and he immediately relocated his ragtag group and took over the facility.  A quick search of the place revealed that most everything was left in relatively good condition and, much to everyone’s astonishment, it included a good supply of food, weapons and munitions.”  She shook her head in bewilderment.  “It’s funny, sometimes, how circumstances can come together like that, to help people survive.”  She smiled softly as she concluded, “It makes one want to believe in a higher power… that something really is out there, watching over us all.”

Councilor Tevos’ tone had a bit of an edge as she looked at her Human counterpart.  “Satisfied, Dominic, or do you have even more questions regarding Ms Burns’ proposal?”

The look he gave Tevos provided only the slightest indication he was irritated by her obvious desire to terminate his inquiry – which he did… grudgingly.  There was simply something about the woman that rubbed him the wrong way but, since he couldn’t quite put a finger on what exactly caused his unease, he decided to give in.  Whatever it is will reveal itself in time.  No decision by this Council is irrevocable, so I can bide my time until that happens, assuming it ever does.  Shepard is backing her… so, maybe I’m just chasing shadows.  Who knows?

“No more questions… not today, at least.”  He looked at Shepard, who only gave him a puzzled glance, indicating she, too, had no idea why he was hesitating.  With a resigned sigh, he looked back at Tevos and finally provided the ‘official’ Sol position.  “Sol supports the request for a joint Human-Krogan venture as the Council-Appointed Governors of Gellix.”

Chapter Text

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 16 May 2189

“Then, I do believe, the issue is settled.”  Tevos looked around the table at the remaining Councilors.  With the three interested parties – the Turians, Krogan and Humans – all on board with the agreement, there was nothing else to be discussed during the special session.  “If there are no objections from any of our other members, we can conclude this meeting and get back to our Saturday.  Anyone?”

Tevos’ gaze swept eagerly around the table, wanting this over and done with so she could get back home to Sha’ira.  They had plans for the afternoon that Rae had absolutely no intention of missing.  Hearing no further comments, she quickly continued, “Excellent.”  Her attention focused on Shepard for only the briefest of moments, giving the woman a slight nod.  “Thank you, Spectre Shepard, for bringing these petitioners before us… and you two…”  Her eyes moved to the unexpected pair at the end of the table.  “Ms Burns… no… correction… Governor Adrien Burns and Governor Khel Brek.  I wish you the best of luck.  Bringing peace and order to a world such as Gellix will be no easy task.”  She gave them an appreciative smile as she added, “But I am sure the two of you and the forces you will have at your command will be up to the task.”

Councilor Osoba unexpectedly interjected, earning a glare from Tevos, yet again.  “With our decision, I do have one more announcement.”  The warning flash in Tevos’ eyes prompted him to continue without awaiting her permission to speak, so he immediately added, “I just want everyone here to know that I will be sending Admiral Shepard, in her position as the Alliance Liaison for Interspecies Coordination, to oversee the beginnings of this joint venture.”  He looked at the two newly appointed Governors.  “I’ll give you some time to get organized, so you can expect her arrival in approximately 30 days.”

Immediately picking up on the look of annoyed surprise on Samantha Shepard’s face, Tevos interjected quickly, hoping to prevent the Spectre from doing, or saying, anything rash.  “As is well within your authority to do, Councilor… but, to ensure Council interests are also represented, I will appoint Spectre Shepard, being the agent who brought all this to us, as her escort and transportation, aboard the Knight Shade.”  She gave him a challenging look, almost daring him to object, as she asked, “Acceptable?”

Instead of objecting, Osoba simply smiled and replied, “Of course, Tevos.”  Looking to Shepard, he added, “I’ll certainly not stand in the way of a quick mother-daughter reunion.  I imagine you two haven’t had too many opportunities to see one another over the past few months.”

Samantha gave the man a forced smile.  “No, we haven’t and, quite honestly, the timing couldn’t be better.  We can spend the week together and end the trip with a summer solstice celebration at the Estate… assuming she can get a few days off at the end of the mission?”

“Oh, absolutely.”  Osoba smiled in return.  “I’ll see to it, personally.”

Once the meeting had concluded, Brek looked at the Spectre and said, “Bakara wants me stop by for a chat… I’ll be sure to be back aboard ship in plenty of time for our evening departure, Shepard.” 

“Sounds good, Brek.  You heard my lunch invitation, so you should have plenty of time.  Besides… that’s what’s good about having my own ship.  I don’t have to leave until I’m damn good and ready.” 

Brek chuckled.  “I can see why Overlord Wrex likes you, Shepard.  You don’t mince words.”  With a quick wave of his hand, he turned and headed down the corridor, seeking out the Krogan Councilor’s office.

Shepard turned and was about to ask Adrien if she wanted to join her and Ashley Williams for a late lunch, when her omnitool chirped.  A very brief message flashed across the private message screen: ‘Please come to my office and bring Governor Burns with you.’

Looking at her clone… sister? – Shepard still hadn’t managed to wrap her head around the recent developments – she stated, “Tevos would like to see us in her office.  Come on.”

“See us?  Why would she want to see you and me, in private… and not Brek, as well?” 

Burns had a worried expression on her face, so Shepard smiled and attempted to ease her concerns.  “I don’t know… but what I do know is that I trust Tevos with my life, so whatever it is, it will be okay, so let’s not keep her waiting.”

-------------------------------

“Thank you for coming.”  Tevos smiled and waved her hand at the refreshment bar.  “Please, help yourselves.”  Looking directly at Adrien, she added, “Shepard can show you where everything is, she’s been here enough to make herself quite at home.”

Shepard chuckled.  “Very true… even before I was officially an Asari Spectre, instead of a Human one.”  In answer to Adrien’s questioning glance, she continued, “Besides Admiral David Anderson, Tevos was my biggest supporter on the Council.  The Human piece of shit Udina turned out to be in Cerberus’ pocket, so it’s no wonder he tried to block me at every turn… especially after I turned my back on the Illusive Man and took the Normandy with me.”

Once they had their drinks – Shepard with a mug of Kaffe and Adrien with a glass of juice – they moved to the sitting area and made themselves comfortable on the couch.  Adrien smiled and asked, “Councilor, what is this juice called?  It’s wonderful!”

“Nasketa,” Tevos answered, taking a seat across from them.  “A three-berry blend, produced on the outskirts of Serrice, from Yalthe, Ou'talas, and Elatenu berries.”  She smiled and took a sip of her own tea as she added, “Definitely a childhood favorite in most Asari households.”

Shepard leaned back and relaxed into the couch, sipping her Kaffe before bluntly asking, “So, what’s up that couldn’t wait, Councilor?  Something has you concerned.”

Tevos placed her cup down and forced herself to remain relaxed as she took a moment to study the two women sitting before her.  When she finally spoke, she was rather direct and to the point.  “What I need to know, Adrien, is who are you… really?”  She held up a hand to forestall any immediate reply as she continued, “And please, do not begin our relationship with a lie, so let us simply assume that was a rhetorical question.  I wish to speak before you say anything.”

Her focus flitting to the Spectre, she continued, “The two of you bear an uncanny resemblance… and, Shepard… remember that only Valern and I remain of the original Council from six years ago, when we first met you…”  Her eyes flicked back to Adrien as she resumed, “… the original you.”

Immediately returning her attention back to Shepard, Tevos got to her main point.  “And, I do believe, you recently concluded a hunt for what remained of your clones…”  She left the statement hanging in a suddenly tense silence.  After a moment, she smiled.  “Please remember that we are also friends, Samantha… not just Councilor and Spectre … and I owe you more than one debt of life.  I would never betray your secrets – even to the Council in closed session.  They are your secrets and not mine to reveal.  That said, I honestly believe I have discerned the one thing that Dominic couldn’t quite grasp… the reason for his hesitancy.” 

She turned her penetrating gaze back to Adrien as she concluded, “You, my dear, are a clone.  One who, for reasons which will certainly be revealed as our relationship grows, Samantha opted to not kill.  I trust Samantha’s judgment implicitly; so, if she chose to not only keep you alive, but to go so far as to back you for a joint governorship with the Krogan, I had absolutely zero qualms or concerns regarding that decision and was happy to support the appointment.”

Shepard was the first to respond to the declaration, drawing a deep breath before asking, “So, do you think Valern knows the truth as well?”

Tevos looked at the Spectre in surprise and chuckled.  “Seriously, Samantha?  I just blew your biggest secret of the year wide open… and that’s the question you ask?”  The tension that had been building evaporated in an instant.  With a smile spreading across her face, Tevos shook her head and continued, “Valern?  No.  If you remember when David had to… take you into custody… Valern took no notice of the promise bracelets you and Liara were wearing, even when he was staring right at your cuffed wrists as you released her from your hug.  His focus is singular, and if something doesn’t pertain to the matter at hand, it simply passes by, unnoticed.”

“So, why the meeting, then?” Shepard asked quizzically.  “Something must have you worried.”

“Absolutely.”  Tevos sighed as she said, “I did not expect Dominic to bring your mother into the equation and Hannah is generally not nearly as unobservant as Valern… especially, I do believe in this case.  Have you told her yet?”

“By the Gods, Tevos!”  Shepard groaned and wanted to melt into the couch.  “How in Hell do you always manage to poke your finger onto the one spot that hurts the most?”

“I am sorry, Samantha… no harm was intended; quite the opposite, actually.”  A frown crossed the councilor’s face as she misinterpreted Shepard’s reaction.  “I assume she did not take it well?”

“No, no, no…” Shepard shook her head and waved her hand to indicate the guess was in error.  “I haven’t had the chance to tell her yet.”  Letting out a sigh, her shoulders slumped as she explained, “Liara and I had just decided to invite her to Thessia for summer solstice… and tell her then.  Now, it seems, those two things need to happen in reverse.”

“And, since it just came up, you haven’t had a chance to sort it all out with Liara, yet.”  Tevos smiled softly.  “I don’t believe you need to worry about it, Samantha.  I have every confidence the two of you will be able to figure it out.”

As they had spoken about Hannah Shepard, Adrien had gone a bit pale.  She finally interrupted them.  “Wait.  You’re telling your mother?  Don’t you think that’s something you should have told me?  Perhaps even thought to discuss with me, first?”

Shepard closed her eyes and took a deep breath, so Adrien wouldn’t see what would have otherwise been an impatient eyeroll.  “Yes, yes… and yes.    I was planning on talking to you about it when we came out next month, but Dominic turned the whole plan on its head!  With him making Mom go out there…  Well, she’ll immediately see right through any smokescreen you could possibly throw at her.  Who do you think gave me the intellect you thanked me for?”

Her gaze shifted, boring into Tevos as she added, “But I wanted the chance to talk to Liara, first, so we could decide what we wanted to do before speaking with Adrien about it.”

“Apologies, Samantha.”  Tevos replied meekly.  “I obviously didn’t think this through, before asking you both to come here.  But I, too, realized the implications of involving your mother… which is why I immediately appointed you as her escort to Gellix.”

Shepard leaned back on the couch and dropped her head against the back, staring at the ceiling.  “Gods.  Sorry, Rae.  You did do that, didn’t you?”  She quickly pushed herself into an upright position again.  “What a freaking mess.”  She ran her fingers through her hair before looking back at Adrien.  “But nothing we can’t fix.” 

“Life can never be easy, can it?”  Tevos gave her a wry grin.

“No… it’s not… but where’s the challenge in that?”  Shepard relaxed a little and let herself see the humor in the situation.  Chuckling as she raised her head, she added, “Look, Adrien.  My mother is one of the most level-headed people in the galaxy… and she and I have an absolutely wonderful relationship; we’re not only mother-daughter, we are also best friends.  No matter how I try to explain this situation to her, it’s going to be a sizeable surprise… but it can’t possibly even come close to me coming back from the dead after what happened at Alchera.  My guess is that once she has a few moments to get over the shock, Mom will take it in stride.”  Samantha suddenly grinned.  “So, you’d better be prepared to gain the mother you never had a chance to have.  I imagine it won’t be long before she declares you a Shepard and welcomes you into the family.  You ready for that?”

Adrien simply sat in silence for a moment, her mouth agape at both the transformation she had just seen in the Spectre and in her prophesy that Hannah Shepard would accept her as a daughter.  Once she had her wits gathered back about her, all she could think to ask was, “Are you serious?  You honestly believe she’d accept me that easily?”

“I introduced her to my Asari fiancé, without the slightest bit of warning, and Mom hardly batted an eye.  I can’t imagine she’ll treat this any differently, especially if we have some time during the trip to talk about it.  By the time we hit the ground on Gellix, she’ll be as ready to meet you as she can be.”

“I guess, I’ll just have to take your word for it, Spectre.”  Adrien shook her head and blinked a couple of times as her mind whirled with the possibilities.  “When you showed up on Gellix, I thought you were there to kill me… or, at the very least, take me into custody.”  Her eyes glistened as she looked at Samantha, whispering, “Now, it seems, I have not only gained a sister, but possibly a mother, as well?  I never dreamed…”  Adrien simply stopped speaking, the events finally becoming too overwhelming for her to form words.

Tevos chuckled quietly, a wide smile of patient understanding on her face as she said, “That’s because you’d never been introduced to Spectre Samantha Shepard, miracle worker.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 18 May 2189

“Shepard.”  Jat’s huge bulk blocked the early morning light coming in through the doorway of Samantha’s home office as she looked up.  She was going to miss him and the second team but, quite honestly, with things in the galaxy finally beginning to settle into a new normal, she knew it was time to let them go their own way.

“What’s up, Jat?”

“Got a couple of minutes to talk?”

“For you?  Always.”  She shut off the terminal screen so it wouldn’t distract her and pushed back from her desk, waving a hand at one of the larger couches.  “Make yourself comfortable… because the expression on your face tells me this is more than a ‘couple minutes’ conversation.”

Chuckling, the new Krogan Spectre moved into the room and eased himself down onto the couch closest to him.  “First off, I’d like to thank you for supporting me as the first Krogan Spectre.  I never thought I’d see the day, much less be the Krogan selected for such an honor.”

“The Krogan did a lot for me… for the Council and the whole damned galaxy… during the past few years, Jat.”  Shepard grinned, adding, “It’s nothing less than you deserve after helping us beat the Reapers.”

“I remember Grunt saying something to me about being lucky to be working with you…”  Jat offered up a huge, toothy grin.  “About you always finding the best fights.  He wasn’t kidding!”

Laughing, Shepard shook her head.  “I would have much rather missed the war with the Reapers… and the Quarians… but we have to work with the hand we’re dealt, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do…”  Jat became more serious as he continued, “And, speaking of which, we’ve just been dealt Gellix.  I’m thinking with the Krogan contingent there and all the criminal activity on the planet, maybe there’s space in one of those facilities for a Krogan Spectre.  Go in, clean up a few Blue Suns and take back one of those old supply depots as my base of operations.  What do you think?”

Surprised by the suggestion, Shepard just stared at the newest Spectre for a moment before finally answering, “You know, I didn’t give much thought to where you’d end up…  I guess I had just assumed you’d go to Tuchanka… but I think going to Gellix is a damned fine idea, Jat!”  Shepard huffed.  “Damn.  I wish I had thought of it and brought up the possibility with Adrien.”  She paused briefly before asking, “You want me to approach her with the proposition, or do you want to take care of it yourself?”

“If I’m gonna be a Spectre, I need to be able to handle my own negotiations, Shepard.”  Jat chuckled again.  “Even those that don’t start or end with a head-bashing.”  He pulled his massive shoulders up into the Krogan version of a shrug and added, “But, I would like to talk over a few things with you… to get an idea of how you went on the hunt for personnel… how you arranged for funding to pay them… all those pain-in-the-ass details that come along with the honor of being appointed a Spectre.  I’ll need a good staff to run and hold my base if I’m gone on a mission.  The last thing I want to have to do is take back my place every time I need to leave the planet for an assignment.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem, Jat.”  Shepard smiled.  “Liara and I can use our resources to help you line up a good, dependable staff… and security force.  You willing to work with the SILC?  My bet is they’d be more than happy to help you out, with no more payment required than mining rights at one of the nearby defunct facilities.  Keep that in mind while you’re selecting which depot to… requisition… for your headquarters.”

“Huh.”  The Krogan sat in stoic silence for a minute, then responded, “Perhaps I should talk to the SILC first… let them decide which facility pair to select.  Why should I make my brain hurt thinking about it when they can use their collective analysis to figure out the best locations for us to work as a team?”

“Well,” answered Shepard.  “I’d talk to Adrien and Brek about it first.  If they agree to a Spectre station with SILC support, then hit up Prime Legion for the partnership.”  Samantha grinned as she added, “You can even tell him I sent you.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 20 May 2189

The House T’Soni corvette transporting Gabriella Donnelly and her children to their home in the Sol System was scheduled to make a 3-hour stopover at the CGC on their return trip from Sol.  The stop would allow House T’Soni to stock up on some critical supplies, available nowhere else, while also giving the commandos accompanying the Human woman a chance to go out for lunch and enjoy some personal shopping time as well.  The trip was less than two weeks away when Gabby learned of this, so she immediately asked if they could stop at the CGC on the way out instead of during the return leg of their round trip. 

“I would love the opportunity to visit with my Mea’re, Senior Chief Petty Officer Tamiko Miyazaki!  I haven’t seen her since Kenneth’s funeral… and would love to have time to get caught up a bit.”  18 January… seems so long ago… and yet, at times, it feels as if it were just yesterday.

“What a wonderful idea, Gabby!”  Lyessa beamed at the young woman.  “If you confirm the visit with Tamiko, I’ll be more than happy to rearrange the flight plan for the trip.  It’s no trouble at all!”

After checking and confirming that local time on the CGC was early evening for Tammi, Gabby went to the comms center.  Of some surprise, she discovered Specialist Traynor was inside, changing out a power relay that had developed an intermittent short circuit.  “Sammi!  I didn’t expect to find you here, but since you are, can you do a favor for me?”

She activated her omnitool and called up the address of Tamiko’s personal comms device in her home.  “Would you place a vid-call for me?”

Sammi entered the codes and address, then activated the transceiver.  “There you go, Gabby,” she smiled.  “If you need anything else, give me a shout.  I’ll be under the console on the end.”

Gabby gave the comms tech a grateful smile; sitting in a chair in front of the monitor, she only had to wait a few seconds as the signal bounced through several comms buoys.  As connections were made, a puzzled face resolved itself on the monitor, to be instantly transformed into a radiant smile as Tammi saw who was calling her from Thessia.  “Gabby!  It is so good to see you!”  Before she could reply, Tammi said in a worried tone, “Wait, nothing’s wrong, is there?  Babies okay?  Everyone doing okay?”

Gabby could hardly contain herself.  “Everything is fine, Tammi!  I’ve got a limited amount of time here, so listen up.  In just under two weeks, I’ll be returning to Earth… Scotland, to be precise.  So, the Aletheia will be stopping over at the CGC for three hours on the way through Widow.  What do you say to a visit?  We can have lunch together, catch up on everything we’ve been doing.  Please say yes… I don’t know when I’ll have another opportunity…”

Tammi held her hand up as she interrupted, “Say no more!  Lunch sounds wonderful!”  Realizing just how short that three hour window would be, and knowing Gabby would be traveling with a pair of babies and all the paraphernalia that went along with moving them anywhere, she added, “I’ll make arrangements for a shuttle with a pilot and we’ll come directly to the Asari diplomatic docks to retrieve you and the kids!”  She paused for a moment before adding, “I’ll take the whole day off and prepare our lunch ahead of time, so we can come straight to my apartment and simply relax… that way, we can maximize our visiting time!  I can hardly wait to see the twins, Gabby,” she gushed.  “I can’t believe it’s already been two months since you gave birth… I bet they’re growing by leaps and bounds!”

“They are growing, Tammi… it’s just hard for me to see, being so close to them nearly every minute of every day.”  With a small grin, she said, “I’ve gotta go, but I am really looking forward to seeing you!”  She waved, then cut the connection; with a sigh, she started making her way back to her quarters to continue packing.  She was still astonished at all the things she had accumulated during her relatively short stay at the Estate.  Amazing, how much stuff I need for just two little ones!  What’s it going to be like when they get older?

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 25 May 2189

N7 Harley Creath was conflicted… on the one hand, he was over the moon happy for Gabby Donnelly.  She had managed to secure a great position, working remotely on propulsion designs for T’Sere Shipwrights, and was making ready to return to Earth so she could raise her children at the Donnelly homestead – a dream come true for the young woman, given her unfortunate circumstances.  On the other hand, he was downright unhappy that she was leaving the T’Soni estate.  During the months she had been a guest of T’Soni household, he had grown quite fond of the charmingly brilliant propulsion engineer, so he had made it a point to spend time with her at every opportunity, particularly during at least one of the daily meals, provided the Knight Shade was on station.

Now, having become a member of the newly appointed Spectre crew of the Huli, he had been caught unprepared when Jat had unexpectedly announced they would be leaving that afternoon, so they could be on Gellix by mid-week. As a result, today could very possibly be Harley’s last chance to visit with Gabby before she made the trip back to their homeworld.  There was little chance the Huli would be returning to Thessia before the Aletheia departed for Sol on the first of June, so Harley had purposely delayed getting his own breakfast, simply having a cup of coffee while sitting in a chair near the entrance to the dining hall.

Movement through the large entrance caught his eye; it was Gabby, carrying Malcolm, with one of the ever-present commandos following closely with Belle.  The N7 rose quickly to intercept her, saying, “Good morning, Gabby!  All packed up for the ride back to Edinburgh?”  The smile he received was brilliant enough to outshine the sun.

“Harley!  No, not quite yet… though, I think I’m almost there.  It just seems like I have so much more stuff than when I arrived in January!”  She looked down at the bundle in her arms before adding, “Of course, most of the new things come along with having to take care of a baby.”  She smirked as she made a point of looking at Belle, tucked in Dayna Axessi’s strong arms.  “Having a pair of ’em just adds to the fun!”

“May I prepare a tray for you, Gabby, and join you for breakfast?”

“That would be wonderful, Harley,” came the jubilant response.  “I’d really enjoy having breakfast with you one last time before you leave.”  Her initial cheer faded as she added, “I heard the news as soon as I came downstairs.”

Harley nodded as she moved to the table furthest from the buffet line – it was in a corner of the room and afforded her a bit of privacy if she needed to nurse either of her children.  The N7 knew, after many mornings of sharing a table, what she liked to eat for breakfast; he prepared two trays with practiced ease, poured them each a hot beverage – Kaffe for her, coffee for himself, then skillfully took both trays to the now familiar table to sit beside her.

They talked as they ate, with Harley expressing his regret that this would be the last time for them to enjoy each other’s company while dining together.

For her part, Gabby had grown to enjoy Harley’s company during her meals.  As much as she loved being among all the commandos at the estate, being able to talk with another Human – a man – made her incredibly happy.  That he never looked upon her as being anything less than a very desirable woman boosted her self-esteem more than anything she could imagine.

Kenneth, the absolute love of her life, was dead and buried.  There was still a ragged hole in her heart that hadn’t healed… maybe never would heal, but Harley didn’t seem put off by the young widow’s still fresh sense of grief for her husband.  He had treated her with respect, patience and understanding as he got to know her, to the point where she felt sure she developed a friend for life.  And, had we been given additional time, maybe even a bit more…

They had finished their meals and were each enjoying seconds of their chosen beverages.  Gabby dipped her head, as if embarrassed to share her thoughts.  After a few moments, she leveled her gaze at him and said, “Harley, I have really enjoyed your company during our meals here… it means a lot to me to have found a Human friend here among all the Asari, and I truly hope that you won’t forget about me once I’m gone.”

The man’s look of surprise at her statement was priceless.  Reaching under the table, he gently grasped a soft hand sitting atop her thigh and gave it a tender squeeze as he said, “It would be easier for me to forget how to breathe than for me to forget about you, Gabriella Donnelly.”  He studied her face for a clue to her reaction; after a few moments, he wordlessly leaned towards her. 

Of some surprise, Gabby closed the remaining distance and applied her lips to his cheek for a quick kiss.  A teasing grin crossed her face as she leaned back and said, “Maybe that will help you remember me.”

Pulling back, he grinned mischievously.  “That was a bit unexpected.  You just guaranteed I won’t forget about you, Gabby.”

With a quiet giggle, she leaned back towards him and whispered in his ear, “I would be crushed if you did forget about me, Harley Creath, because I will certainly not forget about you!  Promise me… you’ll come visit when you can?”

“You have my word, Gabby.”  Before he could stop himself, he whispered so softly she wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly.  “I believe I would enjoy eating breakfast with you every day for the rest of my life.”

Sad brown eyes gazed back at him.  “That’s an idea that would take some getting used to… though, to be honest, the future possibility has crossed my mind.”  She paused for a moment while studying his face.  “But there are so many obstacles to such a path.  I am still mourning Kenneth… and not yet ready for another man in my life… not like that, anyway.  Then, with me returning to Earth and your new position with Spectre Jatok, I’m not sure how it could ever work.  Right now, it doesn’t seem possible.”  She huffed and a tiny smile started to play at the corners of her mouth as she quietly added, “… but, with everything that has happened these past few years… Shepard returning to us… actually ridding the galaxy of the Reapers… I’ve come to believe there is nothing in the galaxy that is truly impossible, Harley.  We’ll just have to wait and see what the future has in store for us.” 

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 30 May 2189

“Mozia… Dad…”  Liara looked at them in alarm as the door opened to admit the unexpected guests.  Such a surprise visit was extremely unusual, so the Matriarchs simply showing up without advance notice was cause for honest concern.  “Has something happened?”

“Oh, something happened, alright!”  Aethyta’s gruff but happy voice immediately soothed Liara’s worry.  “Your House Armali Captain of the Guard went and committed the worst of rookie mistakes!”  She laughed as she and Mozia separated, to reveal Nayla Axoni and the Armali Strike Force Captain, Lyana T’Geya, standing behind them… holding hands with their arms held out for inspection.

“By the Goddess!”  Liara’s eyes were immediately drawn to the beautiful, matching bands that encircled both their wrists.  “Promise bracelets!”  Liara looked at the nervous couple and, in her surprise, blurted out, “When did this happen?  Who asked who?”

Nayla’s eyes were downcast as she replied, “I know I should have formally requested your blessing first, Lady Liara…”

“But you already knew you had it Nayla, so not another word!”  Over the initial shock, Liara positively beamed at the couple, hugging first Nayla and then a rather astonished Lyana.  “Congratulations!  Let us simply enjoy the occasion!”

“Truly?”  Nayla stared at Lady Liara in disbelief.  “My actions are an unforgiveable breech of protocol…”

“Over a union that’s been in the making for what?”  Shepard stepped forward with a smile.  “Six years?”  She laughed and added, “Took you long enough!”

“Yes, it did!”  Liara immediately joined in on the teasing.  “Perhaps I do need to reconsider your position in my House, if it takes you that long to make a decision.”

“What?  A joke regarding proper protocols?”  Aethyta gave Liara a look of surprise before turning to Shepard and continuing, “See what you’ve done?  You have corrupted my Little Wing with your disrespectful sense of humor!  Nezzi would have been totally appalled!”

“Oh, Dad…”  Liara rolled her eyes and gestured with a wave of welcome.  “Come in, come in.  This is cause to celebrate… and here I am, leaving you standing on the stoop!”  She stepped back and turned to her Steward.  “Lyessa… please tell me you knew about this and we are adequately prepared?”

“I had absolutely no idea this was coming, Lady Liara…”  She grinned and dipped her head in reverence to their young leader.  “But I most certainly know better than to not have reserves available for just such a surprise.  With Chef Thegos and a bit of help from the commandos, we’ll have an appropriate lunch feast prepared and set out in no time.  Not to worry.”

Turning back to her guests, Liara stated, “Make yourselves comfortable, and I’ll have your bags moved to your rooms…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Liara.”  Mozia smiled.  “We are neither so important nor so feeble that we can’t make our own way to our suite… assuming you haven’t decided to do some remodeling and torn apart our normal room?”

Before Liara could answer, Nayla picked up where the Matriarch left off.  “And the other commandos are already moving our gear to the regular quarters.  We don’t want anything special in the way of rooms…”  She looked over at her Promised as she continued, “With everything happening, Ana and I are actually looking forward to a little bit of normal.”

“Well, alright then.”  Liara grinned.  “Make yourselves comfortable and we’ll see you in the dining room for lunch at…”  She paused, glancing at Lyessa.

“Our normal lunch time, Mistress.”  Lyessa responded.  “That still gives us more than an hour to prepare.”

Aethyta chuckled.  “And plenty of time to drop our bags and head to the lounge…”  Seeing the surprised looks from almost everyone given the morning hour, she added, “… at noon, you idiots… for lunch and a celebratory toast to our newest couple.”

-------------------------------

“May 22d…  The date should make for a beautiful, late spring bonding ceremony, don’t you think?”  Shepard smiled softly.  “Gives them nearly a year to plan everything.”

It was late by the time Shepard and Liara had retreated to their own rooms, after a wonderfully long afternoon celebration… which had then transitioned into an evening event on the beach, with a number of fire pits with a variety of fish and vegetables roasting over each.

“Yes,” Liara answered as she closed the distance between them.  “The weather may still be a little on the cool side… like tonight… but I certainly didn’t mind the excuse to stay snuggled warmly against your side as we walked about, socializing with everyone.”

Shepard smiled as a seeking hand slid inside the shirt she was in the process of taking off – trapping her arms behind her back – and pushing her bra up, to softly caress her breast.  “That’s cheating, T’Soni…”

“Why?”  The Asari very purposefully blew a warm breath across a quickly stiffening nipple, making Samantha groan with desire as Liara continued, “You cannot honestly tell me tonight didn’t remind you of our own promise ceremony… and that you weren’t already thinking about doing exactly what I’ve started here, Siame.”  Liara boldly pushed Samantha against the closet wall, sliding her free hand down Shepard’s abs to quickly press fingers into their target, images of what she planned to do with the Human passing easily through their link.  “Do you remember the sensation we felt when we first discovered how our already amazing link of Inanna expanded even more with our bond?”

“By the Gods, Anam Cara …”  Shepard’s eyes nearly fluttered closed with the complete and absolute sense of adoration pouring into her mind, her knees threatening to give way as a nearly overwhelming pang of longing ripped through her core.  She braced herself against the wall and whispered hoarsely, “How could I possibly forget that?”

“You can’t… and won’t…”  Liara pressed her lips to those of the Spectre, slipping her tongue into an eagerly awaiting mouth.  {Because I will always be here to remind you.}

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 31 May 2189

Shepard’s and Liara’s blissful sleep was demolished when Riana blasted into their room rather early in the morning – 0652 hours – especially for a Sunday following a celebration the likes of which had transpired the day before.  Liara simply groaned and rolled over but Shepard, ever the alert military officer, popped out of bed… landing on her feet to question the intrusion.  Once she realized who it was, she moved quickly toward the closet to grab a robe.  “What the Hell, Riana?  What time is it?  The sun’s barely over the horizon.”

“Your mother is on her way here, Captain.” 

“Right now?”  Shepard’s heart raced as she realized there was likely only one reason her mother would be headed their way.  “When is she arriving on Thessia?”

Riana had some difficulty hiding a smirk as she responded, “About thirty minutes ago… She rented a private car and was already enroute when she called the Estate.”  Riana shook her head in exasperation as she added, “She said she didn’t want to call too early, so didn’t notify us until they were on final approach.  They’ll be on the ground by 0700 hours.”

“They?  Who is they?”  Samantha asked the question as she hung her robe back on its hook in the closet and hurried to put on actual clothes, suddenly worried that Osoba may have come along with her mother. 

“I heard no one else speaking, so I think she is alone… maybe with a driver?”  Riana paused to think and added, “But I don’t really know… because she said we will be arriving shortly.”

“Gods be damned.”  Looking down at the motionless blue lump still tucked under the covers, Shepard added, “Wake Liara and have her come downstairs… but take your time.  No need for both of us to endure my mother’s inquisition.”

“Inquisition?”  Riana frowned at the implications of such a word. “Why would you say that?” 

“Because the only reason I can think of for my mother to come to Thessia so quickly… and unannounced… is because of Dominic Osoba and Adrien Burns.  At least I hope nothing else has happened that would instigate such an impromptu visit.”

Eyes going wide with the sudden understanding, the only thing Riana could say was, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” responded a now fully dressed Samantha, heading for the bathroom.  “Oh.”  She took a few seconds to brush her teeth, splash water on her face to get the sleep out of her eyes and comb her hair before heading for the door.  “I’ll see you in a bit.”

-------------------------------

Shepard had not even descended all the way down the staircase before the front door was opened by Lyessa, welcoming their newest surprise guest.  “Good morning, Admiral.  Please, do come in.  Shall I call someone to fetch your bags?”

Hannah’s voice was strained as she set a small duffle bag on the floor, while retaining her grip on the small tote hanging on her shoulder.  “No need… but thank you; this is all I brought.”  She paused, giving the Steward a weak smile.  “And, please, we are well past you calling me Admiral…  It’s Hannah.”

“Of course, Hannah.”  Lyessa smiled in return and continued, “If you’re spending the night, I can have your duffle delivered to your room…”

“I’m not sure if I’m staying, yet… or not.”  She offered the Steward a quiet response before catching Samantha’s eye as the younger Shepard practically jumped down the remaining steps.  “That depends on my daughter.”

“Don’t be silly, Mom.”  Samantha quickly closed the distance to wrap her mother in a firm hug, kissing her on the cheek, relieved beyond words that her mother had apparently made the trip alone, without the Councilor in tow.  “You’re always welcome to stay here, for a night or a lifetime, no matter how urgent or upsetting the news you may bring to our door.”  She pushed back, trying to read her mother’s eyes as she said, “Lyessa.  Please have Mom’s stuff put in her usual suite and bring a pot of coffee to my study.” 

With a nod from the Steward, Samantha continued, “And, seeing as I just got up…”  She removed her hands from her mother’s waist and asked, “Will you join me for breakfast?”

Hannah drew a deep breath and let it out in a quiet shudder.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t even stop to think about what time it would be here when I left the CGC.”  She looked almost… bewildered... as she continued, “Last meal I had was lunch… a couple of hours before I jumped on the shuttle to come here.  Breakfast would be most welcome.”

Shepard glanced at Lyessa who smiled in understanding.  “I’ll bring the coffee right in and have Leyana prepare your meals, Captain.  Will Lady Liara be joining you?”

“I think so… Riana is upstairs with her, now.”  Shepard glanced at her mother with a tentative smile.  “After yesterday’s all-day Promise party, prying her out of bed at this hour may be a bit of a challenge.”

“Promise party?” Hannah questioned, welcoming the distraction, no matter how minor.  “Whose?”

Shepard’s smile turned up a bit more as she answered, “Captain Nayla Axoni… you remember her from House Armali… exchanged Promise bracelets with her partner, Lyana T’Geya, the Armali Strike Force Captain.  With them finally making their relationship official, we threw them an impromptu party.  As a result, Liara and I stayed up rather late to get dragged out of bed before seven in the morning without any warning.”  Shepard paused, her brow knitting as she added, “I assume nobody died or got hurt… or you would have said something by now.” 

“You assume correctly, Sam… it’s just…”

“Come on, Mom.”  Shepard cut her mother off and offered her arm.  “I have a pretty good idea as to why you’re here, so let’s head to my study and talk in private, shall we?”

“That’s an excellent suggestion.”  Hannah sighed and accepted the offer, looping her own arm through her daughter’s.  “Thank you, Sam.”

Samantha’s eyes lit with delight and she quickly added, “Oh!  And because the party went so late, Aethyta, Mozia and all their commandos are still here… so you’ll have a chance to visit with them as well.” 

“How fortunate!”  A genuine smile finally appeared on Hannah’s face.  “As crass as Aethyta sometimes is, time spent with her and Mozia is always rather entertaining.  I’ll look forward to their appearance.”

They proceeded to the office, continuing to make small talk until Lyessa brought in their breakfast trays, refilled their cups with fresh coffee, and then left them to their discussion, pulling the door to the study closed behind her as she left.  After another quick sip from her mug, Samantha began the discussion in earnest.  “As I already mentioned, given recent events, I think I know why you’re here, Mom, so just ask me what you came here to ask.”

Hannah’s expression was pinched with worry as she opened her tote bag and pulled out a datapad.  “Imagine my surprise when Dominic Osoba came to see me and handed me this… asking me to monitor the development of our first joint colony with the Krogan…”  She opened the dossier and placed the datapad on the table between them, the picture of Adrien Burns enlarged to fill most of the screen.  “… and this person.  Who the Hell is she, Sam?” 

Samantha had used the little bit of time between Riana showing up in Liara’s and her bedroom and Lyessa bringing them their breakfast to think about her approach to the discussion, so was able to reply to her mother’s query without hesitation.  “Adrien Burns is the second-best thing to come out of Jack Harper’s tinkering.”  She grinned as she added, “Obviously, bringing me back after Alchera was the best thing.”

Tears came to Hannah’s eyes, remembering the pain from that time; attending Sam’s memorial, wondering where Liara was… and the overwhelming joy she had felt when Samantha had shown up at the Citadel, alive and well.  She swallowed the lump in her throat and let out a shuddering breath.  “Bringing you back was likely his only redeeming achievement… or, at least, so I believed.”  She studied her daughter’s face as she spoke and observed not even a hint of hesitation or regret in Samantha’s eyes, so she continued bluntly.  “She’s your clone, isn’t she.”

It was most definitely not a question and Samantha’s first reaction was to chuckle quietly.  Seeing the growing indignation on Hannah’s face, Sam shook her head and explained about the conversation she had with Tevos, finishing with, “She knew you’d see it right away… even though Dominic couldn’t, because he didn’t know me… before.  That’s why she immediately assigned me as your escort – to ensure we’d have a chance to talk before you went to Gellix.” 

Sam reached over and took her mother’s hand.  “My biggest concern was that you’d give Adrien up immediately, before coming to me and asking… but I knew I had to let you do your job without my interference, which is why I didn’t contact you.  So, even though it’s a bit early in the morning and something of a surprise to have you here, in person instead of on a vid call, it’s good to see you, Mom.  I really am glad you came to me, first.”

“Me too, kiddo.”  Hannah smiled indulgently as she added, “But, you should know you can always call me… or come see me… about anything, especially for something like this!  I never would have seen it as interfering with my duty, Sam; I would have seen it as my daughter coming to me for help.  So, as they say, it’s water under the bridge and can’t be changed… but, you can now explain to me how this all came to be.”

Samantha then proceeded to tell her mother the entire story while they ate, with no shortcuts, regarding the discovery of and the hunt for the clones.  “You can imagine my surprise when I met Adrien.  Unlike the others we had tracked down, she is actually a decent Human being – whose first reaction was not to try to kill me – so, I have to admit, I was intrigued.”  She paused and huffed, “But, I’m honestly not sure how I would have handled the situation, had Gellix been my assigned location and had I been the one to discover her, instead of Moises.”

Liara had entered during the telling and had remained silent while she ate her own breakfast… until now, when she immediately responded to Shepard’s comment.  “You would have done nothing differently, Siame.  Without Moises’ report, we wouldn’t have known if there was a clone there or not… and you would not have attacked the station without cause.”  She shrugged and reached over to grasp Samantha’s hand as she continued, “Since they had no idea Moises had already observed them, they answered the hail as they normally would – with caution, of course – but Adrien and her people had never relied on an ‘attack first’ defense.  It’s not who they are… not who she is.”  Liara’s smile was comforting as she squeezed the hand in hers.  “I am quite confident the end result would have been the same.” 

“Glad you think so, Blue.”

“She’s right, you know.”  Hannah reached over and placed her hand on top of the other two.  “I have never doubted your judgement, Sam…”  Her eyes shifted as she continued, “… nor yours, Liara, and I’m not going to start now.”  She drew a deep breath and blew it out slowly before adding, “So… on a more personal level… who is this Adrien to you?  She’s you, in a way… so I find it hard to believe she’s simply a woman you support as the first Human governor on Gellix.  There has to be more to it than that.”

Shepard met her mother’s eyes in silence for a moment, trying to discern if there were any expectations in her response.  Seeing only the curiosity of a concerned mom, she answered honestly.  “Moises is the one that really came up with the idea, but I immediately saw the merit of the suggestion.  As for Adrien as a person, I don’t really know yet, Mom… but I believe I’m already beginning to think of her as a long-lost sister… or a cousin, at the very least.  There’s no denying we share blood…”

“And you honestly like her, don’t you?”  Hannah leaned back in her chair, sounding surprised as her gaze shifted uneasily back and forth between them.  Liara couldn’t help but grin, unable to recall a time she had ever seen Admiral Hannah Shepard so unsettled.

“Yes, we do…” the Asari responded.  “And, I will admit, I am intrigued by her scientific mind.”  She glanced at her bondmate as she continued, “Samantha is extremely intelligent but, since our initial meeting and discussions about my theories regarding the Reapers, her focus has been mostly on the warrior side of her nature, for obvious reasons.  Adrien is an entirely different person… a scientist… agrobiologist, to be specific… formed by her own experiences.”  Liara frowned as she added, “In a way, the recent developments are like one of those Human tales about twins separated at birth, with no knowledge of the other.”

At that, Hannah let out a nervous chuckle.  “Well, I’m here to tell you, that is most definitely not what’s happened in this case…”  Hannah pursed her lips and stared at the picture still sitting on the screen of the datapad.  “So, you said Adrien Burns is a modified clone… so not a true replica?”  Curiosity getting the better of her, she had to ask, “What’s different about her?”

“Why don’t we let you be the judge of that, Mom?”  Samantha shrugged.  “We haven’t exactly asked her for a DNA sample… but we know she’s different enough that the CGC security scanners didn’t pop up with my identification tag when she passed through them.”

Hannah was still bemused by everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours and simply shook her head.  She reached out and picked up the datapad to stare once more at the image on the screen before answering, “I suppose that’s all we can do.  I mean… this is all so strange.  I never imagined that anyone – even someone like Jack Harper – would go so far as to actually create a full Human clone!  Even so, I won’t fault this woman, nor prejudge her, for the indiscretions of a madman.”  She looked up to meet Samantha’s eyes.  “I’ll meet your Adrien Burns.”  She stared back down at the picture in her hands.  “And I think I’d rather do it sooner than later, if at all possible.”

“Well…” Samantha paused, her forehead wrinkling in thought.  “I suppose we can call her on a vid channel for the initial introduction, but I can’t promise anything, Mom.”  Shrugging, she continued, “The incoming Krogan settlers only have a temporary camp and are working with the SILC to reopen the Quxstin mine and rebuild the housing units there.  Plus, Jat just arrived on Gellix a couple days ago and is busy tearing through a Blue Suns stronghold to take it over as his new base of operations.  Adrien has an awful lot on her plate right now… and will likely remain incredibly busy until everything settles down a bit.”

Releasing a sigh borne of both frustration and grudging acceptance, Hannah responded, “I suppose that makes sense.  It’s just so…”  She looked up at her daughter, comparing her facial features with those of Adrien Burns and instantly seeing the undeniable likeness.  “… I don’t know.  Weird.”

Samantha let out a little chuckle.  “I know… right?  Trust me, Mom.  I get it.  I’m still working my own way through the whole idea that I actually like this woman… a fucking clone!  That – genetically – she’s a Shepard, for sure… and, basically, me… but she can’t help that and had no say in her creation, so how can I hold that against her?  I mean… what the Hell?”  Sam tossed her hands up in bewilderment.  “Welcome to the Adrien Burns fan party!”

“By the Gods, Sam.”  With that, even Hannah had to sit back and laugh.  “You never cease to amaze me with the situations you always seem to find yourself in… the situations we find ourselves in.  Never in a million years…”  She left the rest unsaid, simply shaking her head.  “I suppose, like you, I simply need to be patient… however difficult that may be.”

Liara smiled in relief and chimed in, “We have plenty going on to help distract you, Mom.  Besides Dad and Mozia, we also have Gabby here.”  She glanced at Samantha and continued, “She’ll be leaving for Sol tomorrow, so we’ll be having a small farewell party for her and the twins this afternoon.”

“My gosh!  I forgot that Gabriella was still here!”  Hannah positively beamed at the thought of snuggling a little one… or two.  “That’s absolutely wonderful!  I’ll bet those kids are sprouting like little beans!  How old are they now?  A couple of months?”

Samantha’s face split with a wide grin, extremely pleased with Liara’s diversionary tactic.  “Two and a half… and yes, they’re gaining two or three centimeters every day!”

-------------------------------

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 1 Jun 2189

“Gabby!  You’re positively glowing.  Looks like being a mom is good for you!”  Tamiko Miyazaki was waiting at the bottom of the ramp as Gabby exited the sleek vessel.  The Senior Chief wrapped her arms around the new mom in an intimate embrace, which Gabby returned just as earnestly.  After a few moments, Tammi pushed back and asked, “But where are your babies?”

Gabby looked over her shoulder, saying, “I’m enjoying the last bit of assistance being provided by any of a number of Asari commandos, Tammi.”  As if on cue, two of the Team 2 commandos that had made the trip, Dayna Axessi and Ne’essa Shelvos – each carrying a wee babe – walked up to stand beside Gabby so Tamiko could get a close look at Belle and Malcolm.  Gabby made the formal introductions as she relieved them each of a baby’s travel bag.

The Senior Chief seemed as giddy as a schoolgirl as she raved, “Oooohh, they are so adorable!”

A questioning look at Gabby was rewarded with “Of course, Tammi!”  Nodding towards Dayna, she watched with interest as her Mea’re carefully took Malcolm and cradled him in her arms.

Declaring, “He has your eyes,” she cooed as she used a finger to gently stroke his chin and cheek.  Looking back to her friend, she asked, “So, are you heading back to Scotland?”

“Yes,” Gabby replied with a tired sigh before her eyes lit with excitement over the prospect.  “I’m going home, Tammi… and I’ve signed a design contract with T’Sere Shipwrights… and they’re allowing me to work remotely!”

Miyazaki eyed her friend as they strolled to the nearby shuttle and climbed in.  “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but why an Asari firm, Gabby?  Surely there are private builders on Earth that would dearly love to have you on staff.”

Taking Belle from Ne’essa so the Asari could more easily join them, she placed a kiss on a tiny nose, then replied with a tight smile, “I did a lot of research.  In order to survive, the few Human manufacturers remaining in business have been consolidating into large conglomerates.  T’Sere is a family owned business, so not so big that my contributions to their designs will go unnoticed, or unappreciated.  They’ve just completed the necessary security retrofits to my house, and they installed the ultra-high-speed servers and transceivers that will permit me to live at home and work for a company on Thessia… all at no cost to me… as part of my contract.”

Tammi thought about this for only a moment or two before admitting, “I’ve really missed you in the lab, Gabby, and not just for your technical expertise.  Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to lure you back?”

“I’m no longer in the Alliance, Tammi, and I need the change.  Staying in the Alliance Navy would be a constant reminder of what I had with Kenneth… and what I lost with his death.”  Gabby reached an arm around her friend’s back; placing her hand just above a hip, she pulled her in for a hug.  “But… that doesn’t mean I’m not going to see your face whenever I want to, Ms Miyazaki – that’s what vid calls are for!”  Gabby grinned and added, “And, as you well know, the flight from here to Earth takes no longer than the trip to Thessia.  I’ll be in my own home… so you are welcome to drop in any time you have a few days off.”

“I just may do that… but I won’t just drop in, Gabby; I’ll be sure to call you first,” came the giggling reply.  “I expect you’re going to have both your hands… along with all your days… completely full, with much more to do than you can possibly cram into a 24-hour time span!”

“All the more reason for you to come and lend both of yours as helping hands, whenever you’re willing!” Gabby replied quickly, her wry smile accompanied by a flash of challenge in her eyes.

-------------------------------

Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 1 June 2189

As a result of the difference in local time between Edinburgh and the CGC, it was early morning, with the eastern sky painted in vivid shades of deepest blues and indigo, when Gabriella Daniels Donnelly, burdened with a medium-sized bag stuffed with baby paraphernalia slung over her left shoulder, unlocked her front door the easiest way possible – she leaned against its surface and pressed her omnitool equipped left forearm through the glowing red Haptic interface.  A two-count later, she was rewarded with the sounds of several deadbolts retracting into the door frame and the door, which responded by pivoting inwards slightly in response to her weight.

She nodded to her companions, Dayna Axessi and Ne’essa Shelvos – each carrying one of the small children against their chests – as she bodily pushed the heavy door fully open, its perfect balance making it seem almost weightless.  Speaking past the opening in a slightly raised voice to her new housekeeper, she said, “We’ve arrived, Violet.”

She nodded and motioned Dayna and Ne’essa towards the pair of cribs placed near the stairs and dining room.  “Just set Belle and Malcolm in their beds, please, then drop all the gear next to the door… I’ll get it sorted after I’ve had a chance to sit for a few.”

As soon as her babies were placed in their beds, first Belle, followed by Malcolm, began fussing just a bit.  Knowing full well they were each working their way towards the start of a prolonged bout of crying if she didn’t sit down to feed them, Gabby sighed in resignation.  All she wanted to do was take a shower and crawl into her own bed for a nap before lunch; it was obvious that wasn’t going to happen.

Fortunately, Violet emerged from the kitchen at the slight sounds of unhappiness.  “Hello, everyone!  It appears yer not gonna have much time for yerself in the near future, Missus!”

Gabby smiled inwardly as she looked at the woman for a moment… Violet had spent time away from Scotland during the war.  Living in southern England had anglicized her speech somewhat, softening her native brogue to the point it was barely discernible.  Gabby, having spent so much time with Kenneth during their time in school and on-board Alliance vessels, enjoyed hearing the bits and pieces of the woman’s native speech and accent.

She responded to Violet’s statement with a tired grin, saying, “They’ve gotten used to constantly being held and cuddled during the past six weeks on Thessia… plenty of commandos in and out of the house, at all hours, so no shortage of arms willing to hold a baby for me.”

As if on cue – and much to the surprise of Violet – Dayna and Ne’essa, carrying the rest of Gabby’s luggage, re-entered through the still-open front door and carefully set everything down near the stairs.  Gabby hid her amusement at Violet’s reaction by introducing her to the commandos.  “Violet, this is Dayna Axessi…” she indicated the huntress with her hand, “… and Ne’essa Shelvos; each of them worth their weight in gold to me.  Dayna… Ne’essa?… this is Violet Sweeny, my new housekeeper.

Violet greeted each of the maidens in the traditional Asari manner, as had been demonstrated to her by Gabby, who grinned inwardly at their surprised expressions.  Violet indicated they should have a seat on the couch as she moved to close the front door.

Ne’essa shook her head slightly in seeming regret as she said, “As much as we would love to stay and help Gabby get settled in, our travel schedule is too tight to allow it.  We are expected back on Thessia this evening.”  She approached Gabby with her forearms out, to which the Human responded by slipping her own arms past Ne’essa’s to wrap her in a loving hug.

“Thank you so much for all your assistance these past few months, Ne’essa.”  She kissed a dusky blue cheek as she reluctantly pulled back.  “I am going to miss you…” she paused and turned to embrace and kiss Dayna.  “… all of you, so much.  I feel as if you are all my sisters.”  Gabby swiped at a stray tear that had leaked from an eye.

Dayna reached out to grasp a hand as she replied, “It has been a privilege to have you stay with us, Gabriella.  May the Goddess watch over and protect you and your children.”  With a slight bow to Gabby and Violet, the commandos silently left the house to return to their ship.

Violet asked, “Will ye still be keepin’ in touch with yer new friends on Thessia?  For that matter, what of yer mates from the lab on the CGC?”

Gabby’s smile diminished slightly as she replied, “I’ll be in regular communications with my employer in Dassus… on Thessia.  As for the CGC, my Mea’re is still working there.”  At the questioning look she received, she explained, “It’s an Asari term… closest meaning is tribal sister.”  Her expression softened as she thought of Tammi.  “She’s a propulsion engineer… Senior Chief Petty Officer Tamiko Miyazaki.  She was an absolute rock during my time there… especially after Kenneth’s death.  Don’t think I would have made it without her loving support.”

With a resigned sigh, she looked at Malcolm and Belle before telling Ms Sweeney, “I guess I better feed them before they get any fussier.”

“Of course, Missus Donnelly.”  After ensuring the heavy front door – newly installed in a reinforced frame – was properly closed and locked, Violet retrieved a baby blanket from one of the travel bags on the floor.  She handed it quickly to Gabby, who sat down in her old-fashioned rocking chair, gifted to her by the T’Soni commandos; it was positioned so she had a view out the front window. 

After unbuttoning her blouse partway down, she exposed her right nipple through the cup of her nursing bra as Ms Sweeney placed Belle in her lap.  She cooed to her baby girl while wrapping the blanket around her; positioning Belle on her arm, she winced from the momentary discomfort of a pair of toothless gums latching onto her nipple.  “Damn, that hurts,” she whispered.  “Don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”

Annabelle, innocently staring up at her mom’s face, suckled as if she hadn’t been fed all day.  Gabby hummed a little ditty while rocking back and forth in the comfortable chair, smiling contentedly all the while as she watched her daughter take nourishment from her body.  She looked up as Malcolm cried out.  “Soon, baby… soon,” she said.  Malcolm squawked in response, as if suggesting his sister needed to hurry.

When she had first started nursing them on the morning of their birth, Gabby had attempted to feed both babies simultaneously; it had quickly become obvious that feeding them one at a time was much easier to manage.  As to which one was first to drink, it turned out that Belle was invariably hungrier than Malcolm, who usually seemed content to feed after his sister was done.

Gabby watched a pair of dark eyes gradually close in sleepy contentment as a tiny stomach filled with the nutritious liquid; placing a finger in the corner of her mouth, she freed her nipple and cuddled the small form to her chest.  Ms Sweeney, taking note of this, deftly swapped one baby for the other as Gabby wiped and recovered her right breast, then exposed her left.  As with Belle, she scrunched up her face in response to Malcolm latching onto her nipple.  With her son taking his turn, Gabby sighed as she gently rocked back and forth.  I can certainly think of worse things in life than sitting and nursing a baby… or two, came the thought.

“Would ye like me to prepare a spot o’ brunch, Missus Donnelly?”   Gabby silently offered thanks to Kenneth’s Aunt Heather for recommending Violet Sweeney as a live-in nanny and housekeeper; the woman was turning out to be a true godsend!

“That would be wonderful, Violet… I seem to be hungry all the time these days.”  Violet silently nodded and walked into the kitchen; Gabby continued to hum a lullaby as her baby boy’s hungry suckling slowed. 

Once Malcolm had taken his fill, Gabby rose from her chair and settled him back in his bed, then entered the kitchen just as Ms Sweeny turned to call her in for a bite to eat.  “I’m still learning what a non-native likes to eat, Missus Donnelly.  I hope it’s to yer liking.”

Gabby sniffed the air appreciatively as she sat at the small table.  “Please, join me, Violet.”  She stirred the contents of the bowl in front of her as the woman sat in the chair on the other side of the table, replying in a voice tinged with shyness, “Don’t mind if I do, Missus.”

Gabby smiled as she gently blew across a spoon filled with Scotch Broth.  After swallowing her first spoonful of the piping hot soup, she commented, “I really enjoy this dish, Violet.  I expect it’ll be even better tomorrow.”  Gabby ate several more spoonfuls of the rich broth, interspersed with bites of homemade bread, before continuing with a question, “I know you must have told me this before, but how long did you work for Heather and Eadan Matheson, Violet?”

The woman looked down at her own bowl of soup for a moment before answering, “Since long afore th’ war, Missus.  Th’ bloody Reapers pounded Edinburgh from day one because of th’ city’s importance as a seaport; we all moved to th’ south of England to get away from th’ worst of it.”  She returned her gaze to her soup, using her spoon to aimlessly stir it about, then added, “Mister and Missus Matheson are good people… they was always more than kind ta me.”

Gabby had seen the destruction visited upon London, so expected that much of the docks and port had been destroyed here as well.  “You stayed in the country?  Away from the cities?”  At her mute nod, Gabby continued, “I’m so sorry you had to leave here, Violet, but you’re back now, and I’m really grateful Uncle Eadan and Aunt Heather encouraged you to come work and stay with me, instead of remaining with them.”

Violet smiled.  “Aye!  They don’t have a pair of wee babes to look after, now do they?  It gladdens my heart ta be lookin’ after wee ’uns again, Missus.”

Gabby finished her broth; using the last bit of bread to clean the bowl, she popped it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed, then declared, “I’m happy to have you here, Violet.  I don’t think I could do this without your help.”

“Well,” answered the happily grinning woman.  “… now ya needn’t hafta discover if ye can or not!”

They had barely finished eating when Gabriella received a call; she was most surprised – shocked, actually – at the identity of her caller; it was T’Sere Shipwrights Operations Director Matriarch Tralis, calling personally, to remind Gabby that she – along with comms specialist Carli Ferria, systems support tech Clarissa Sheris, and a small support crew, would be arriving in Edinburgh shortly after midday the next day, as had been previously scheduled.

She also informed a suddenly nervous Gabby they planned to stay for as long as a week, the length of their stay depending on how quickly Gabby learned to operate and maintain the newly installed systems.  Much to Gabby’s relief, they would be basing out of their ship – the Celebration – to include taking their main meals on board during their stay.

So, with more than a little help from Violet, she had spent what remained of the afternoon and evening cleaning and dusting the house from top to bottom in preparation for their guests.  Truth be told, it was actually less work than Gabby expected, given the relatively large size of the house; it had quickly become quite apparent the contractors had been extremely careful during their renovations and had thoroughly cleaned up after themselves; evidently, just another perk of her employment with T’Sere. 

As the evening drew to a close, Gabby slipped between the covers of her new, extremely comfortable bed, closed her eyes, and smiled sleepily.  I need to remember to thank Jude for steering me toward such a wonderful and caring company!

-------------------------------

Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 2 June 2189

Wearing only her panties and a nursing bra, Gabriella studied her reflection in the mirror attached to the dresser.  Placing her hands on her formerly taut belly, she thought, Damn!  I seriously need to get a bit more rest… and some exercise!  Didn’t realize I looked so haggard… and flabby!  Kenneth would probably want to leave me!  Chuckling to herself, she finished getting dressed, then quietly left her room for the small bedroom housing a pair of babies sleeping in their cribs.  Seeing nothing amiss, she followed the delightful aroma of freshly brewed coffee downstairs.

Ms Sweeney was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast for each of them.  Saying, “Good mornin’, Missus,” she grinned as she handed a steaming mug to Gabby.  “Didn’t hear much noise from th’ wee babes last night.”

Gabriella took a grateful sip from her mug as she studied the housekeeper over the rim.  “Violet, please… call me Gabby.  It’s what I’m used to hearing from everybody.”  Another sip, then, “Belle and Malcolm are almost to the point where they can sleep through the night.”  Casting her eyes toward the audio monitor, she smirked as she heard one or the other stirring in their bed.  “That said, they always wake up ravenous, so…”

“You sit ’n’ enjoy yer food ’n’ coffee, Missus.  I’ll go up in a few ’n’ attend ta their needs, then bring ‘em down so you can feed ‘em and get ready to start your day.”

Gabby sighed her relieved acceptance.  “Thank you, Ms Sweeney.  I really appreciate it.”

-------------------------------

Once everyone had eaten, including the children, Gabby and Violet set to work.  All of Gabby’s things – clothes and personal items for both her and the babies – had been shipped to the house in a trio of medium-sized crates.  Knowing there was no possible way to get it all unpacked before her Asari employer arrived, Gabby got started anyway, feeling she needed the distraction to help ease her unexpected nervousness. 

Pulling everything from the first crate, she managed to get most of her clothes sorted and placed in a pair of armoires and an antique dresser in her upstairs bedroom.  While Gabby worked on getting her own things put away, Violet worked on arranging all the twins’ clothes – most of which had been gifted to them by the amazingly generous House T’Soni commandos – in the small dresser in their room.

It was nearly noon before a bit of unhappiness could be heard wafting up the stairs.  Violet intercepted Gabby just before she started down the stairs.  “Give me ten minutes ta git them changed ’n’ cleaned up, Missus.  Just go finish what you’re doing, then come down ta feed ’em while I prepare lunch fur the two of us.”

Gabby nodded in appreciation as she nervously dry-washed her hands.  “That would be wonderful, Violet.”

Violet Sweeney was a remarkably perceptive woman; much to Gabby’s surprise, she gently grasped Gabby’s hands as she quietly added, “Don’t be so nervous, Missus.  As I see things, this Asari is yer employer, aye, but I think she might also be considered a friend.  She’s not comin’ ’ere ta judge or criticize ya in yer home… she simply wants ta make sure yer satisfied with tha accommodations put in place for ye ’ere.  Do try ta relax, Ma’am… please?”

Gabby, cheeks coloring slightly in embarrassment, nodded as she leveled her gaze at her new companion.  “You’re correct, Violet, of course.  I suppose I’m just being silly, but I really want to make a good impression on Matriarch Tralis.  This will be her first time visiting here.”

Violet chuckled.  “If I may be so bold, seems to me ye’v awready made a good impression on this Matriarch, Missus.”  Backing out of the room to go downstairs, she concluded, “Why else would she travel a’ this way, if not ta ensure yer happiness?”

Violet’s parting question stopped Gabby in her tracks.  Why, indeed?  She continued to ponder the question as she washed up before going downstairs to feed her little ones.  She dared to let a smile creep onto her face, her nervousness finally transforming into anticipation of a potentially rather interesting afternoon.

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 2 June 2189

“Shepard.”  Adrien Burns offered up a tentative smile as the Spectre stepped into the site-picture of the video pick-up for the call.  “It was good to hear from you… though much sooner than I anticipated.  Your message was a bit cryptic, leaving me both curious and, I must say, a trifle concerned.  Has something gone amiss, prompting you to call so soon?”

“Not at all.  Under the circumstances, amiss is not necessarily the word I would use.”  Shepard paused for a moment before continuing, “Do you remember Tevos’ comment about my mother not being nearly as unobservant as Councilor Valern?”

“Yes…”  Adrien’s eyes widened slightly, her suddenly heightened anxiety blatantly obvious to a trained observer.  “Why?  What has happened?”

“Relax, Adrien.”  Shepard smirked and explained, “Osoba gave her the mission briefing packet and, the very moment my mother opened the dossier, she knew… or, at least, suspected.  She didn’t even stop to call before booking a shuttle and showing up on our doorstep the next morning.”  Shrugging, she added, “We sat down for breakfast and talked about it, which eventually led to my call… along with my warning to her that you have a lot going on and may not call back right away.”

“Oh, Hell.  Does she already hate me for not getting back sooner?”  Adrien’s shoulders slumped.  “I mean… not calling right away and not getting back to you for two whole days isn’t exactly the same thing.”

“Which is nothing you need to worry about, Governor.”  Hannah’s voice rang in from the side as she entered the room, having been outside walking the gardens when the call notification reached her.  “I am quite accustomed to playing second fiddle to the Shepard family’s devotion to duty.”  Moving into visual range, she continued, “Two days is nothing compared to disappearing for nearly two years… and being back for who knows how long before I found out she was even alive.”  She cast a knowing glance at her daughter before returning her attention to the woman on the vid screen.  “You are apparently two peas in a pod.”

With that said, Hannah huffed and shook her head in disbelief.  “By the Gods.  Do you realize just how closely you resemble Sam?”  She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and added, “… before Alchera, anyway.”  Her hands fumbled for the chair at the communications desk and Sam helped her move it into position as her legs seemed to fail her, falling into, more than sitting down on, the chair that suddenly appeared beneath her.

“Mom?”  Concerned, Samantha squatted down at her mother’s side.  “Are you alright?”

A wistful smile appeared on Hannah’s face as she wiped away a few tears trickling down her cheeks.  “I’m fine, Sam… it’s just…  It’s like looking into the past; an alternate past, where you opted to not join the military, went to some normal school and died your hair in… in some form of rebellion against our military parenting style!”  She laughed at her own words, realizing just how absurd it all sounded.  “I know it’s ridiculous… but look at her!  Liara’s right!  Adrien could be your long-lost twin!”

Adrien cleared her throat, immediately drawing their attention back to the screen.  “Could be… but it’s very apparent to those here that I am not.” She drew a deep breath before continuing, “So, where do we go from here?”

“I come meet you in person,” Hannah answered immediately.  “And I don’t want you to concern yourself over my arrival.  This so-called ‘official’ evaluation can wait ‘til Hell freezes over for all I care.  There’s no existing precedent for such an action, for a sitting Councilor to demand a review of an appointed governor without cause – such as evidence of amoral conduct or criminal activity that affects the Council – which most certainly does not exist.”  She huffed and continued, “Dominic, quite honestly, has no authority over me whatsoever in this situation.” 

Hannah turned to Samantha and added, “Though, I do believe Admiral Lindholm sees the resemblance as well, Sam, and she may expect a full briefing when I get there… off the record, of course… but we’ll have to wait and see on that one, I’m afraid.”

Her expression suddenly shifted into one of surprised embarrassment.  “Oh, by the Gods!  With all the focus on Adrien, I forgot to tell you!  Ines granted Dominic’s request solely because I asked her to, seeing as our concerned Councilor also included the request for extra time for you and me to spend the holiday together.  Prime Minister Leiker and Admiral Lindholm decided I should have some time off… for the move resulting from my change of assignment!  They are pulling me back to Sol as the newest member of the Defense Committee… along with a promotion to Vice Admiral!”

“Wow!”  Samantha popped up from her squat and hugged her mother at the unexpected news.  “Congratulations!  How in the galaxy could you forget to tell us something like that!”

Adrien also offered her congratulations, grinning as she watched the two women interact. Hannah looked at the vid screen and chuckled before answering wryly, “Gee, I don’t know…  My only excuse is that we’ve been rather preoccupied since Dom handed me that damned portfolio.  The rather abrupt arrival of Ms Burns into our lives has been a bit of a distraction!”

“That it has.”  Chuckling, Samantha asked, “So, when’s the promotion ceremony?”

“Not having one.  It’s effective the fifteenth… so, for obvious reasons, I’ll be arriving at my new job after the fact… already wearing the new rank.”

“I think a ceremony is needed!  How about we do a virtual promotion?”  Sam’s eyes lit with a mischievous glee. “I’ll contact Lindholm’s aide, Master Chief Tyberg, and get it on her schedule!”

“I don’t really think…”

Hannah never got to finish her sentence, Samantha cutting her off without a second thought.  “Nope!  Not your choice, Mom.  This is a big deal!  I mean… Wow!  Vice Admiral?  We’re not letting that slip by without a celebration!”

-------------------------------

Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 2 June 2189

Gabby and Violet had just finished picking up after lunch when someone outside her home requested entry by passing a hand through the glowing red Haptic lock on her newly installed front door.  Gabby peeked out through the front window; seeing an executive-class, eight-seat aircar stopped in front of her yard with a pair of Asari standing nearby, she quickly went to welcome her visitors.

Upon unlocking and opening the door, she was greeted by a sight seen only occasionally in or around Edinburgh – an elegantly dressed Asari Matriarch, accompanied by a pair of armed commandos.  Gabby quickly raised her forearms, the palms of her hands upwards in the traditional Asari greeting.  “Matriarch Tralis!  How wonderful to see you again.  Welcome to Earth… and Edinburgh.”

The Asari grinned indulgently at the Human woman standing in front of her; she briefly placed the palms of her own hands on Gabby’s as she replied, “It is my pleasure to see you again, Ms Donnelly, and a privilege to be able to visit you in your home.”  She withdrew her hands, using them to indicate her companions in turn.  “This is Huntress… and T’Sere Communications Specialist, Carli Ferria, and our Systems Support Technician, Huntress Clarissa Sheris.”

Gabby bowed slightly and presented her hands to each of the specialists.  Backing through her doorway, she grinned at the trio as she said, “Please… come in, and welcome to my home.”  Looking past them towards the aircar, she added, “Your other companions are welcome to come in as well, Matriarch… there’s plenty of room for all of you.”

Tralis smiled as she looked about the comfortable living room.  Moving towards the couch to take a seat, she explained, “Those two commandos will patrol the perimeter of your property during our visit.  Once they have completed that task, they will station themselves unobtrusively at front and back… as my security detail.”  With a sigh, she explained, “A person in my position is generally guarded around the clock, Gabby – even on the homeworld.  The protection is generally not so obvious, especially at home, at the shipyard… but it is there, nonetheless.”

Before Gabby could reply, Violet – carrying a silver serving tray laden with a teapot, cups, and saucers – entered from the kitchen, asking as she walked, “Would anyone care for a cup o’ tea?”

Gabby introduced Ms Sweeney to her guests as the woman set the tray on the coffee table; she quickly explained that Violet was her live-in housekeeper and nanny.  Turning towards the Matriarch, Violet surprised the Asari by holding her hands out in the traditional form, giving no clue that Gabby had coached her in the practice.  She dipped her head as she said, “You are not th’ first Asari ah have ever seen, but you are the first ah have spoken ta.  Fàilte tae Edinburgh, Matriarch Tralis.”

Gabby quickly answered the questioning look in the Matriarch’s eyes, saying, “I’d be willing to bet your translator glitched on that one.”  With a broad grin, she said, “‘Fàilte’ is a Scots Gaelic word meaning ‘welcome’, Ma’am.  Violet has lived in Edinburgh her entire life, except for some time spent in southern England during the war.”

Smiling up at a suddenly uncomfortable Violet, Matriarch Tralis feathered her hands across the offered palms.  “Thank you for your eloquent welcome, Ms Sweeney… and yes, I would very much enjoy a cup of tea.”  Glancing at her companions in turn, she asked, “Carli? Clarissa?”

They each answered with an enthusiastic, “Yes, please,” as Violet, reassured by this exotic alien, poured a cup for each in-turn, starting with the Matriarch and ending with Gabby.  “If any of ye need anything else, please jus’ give a holler.  I’ll be in the kitchen.” 

Taking a seat in her rocking chair, now placed with its back to the window so she could face her three guests, Gabby took a sip of the aromatic beverage before adding to Violet’s admission.  “I daresay there are few, if any, people living nearby who have been personally visited by an Asari Matriarch.  I hope you won’t be offended if any of my neighbors stare.  Truth be known, none of them are used to anyone living in this house at all; it’s been empty since Kenneth’s parents died and, as you well know, I just moved in yesterday.”  Eyes slightly glassy at the memory, she added, “Kenneth and I had planned to live here after we left the Alliance.  Without him here, I guess that makes me a stranger as well.”

The Matriarch answered with a slight shrug, replying, “With the war, it seems many are… dislocated… Gabby; many find themselves strangers in a strange place.”  A smile crossed her face as she continued, “But this is your home now, and if I’m any judge of character, they’ll learn to appreciate and love you, just as we at T’Sere did after we met you.”

“I suppose you’re right,” said Gabby, with an impish grin.  “So… If my Human eagerness isn’t too inappropriate, I’m ready to get started… at least with our plan of attack, so I know what to expect and what we plan to accomplish while you’re here.”

Tralis’ smile broadened, developing into a laugh at the young woman’s impetuousness.  Recalling their first conversation at T’Sere, she answered jokingly, “You Humans are always in such a hurry…  go, go, go!”  Giving her head just a couple of shakes, she continued, “But, as much as I would enjoy just sitting and visiting for a bit, you are correct.  We do need to begin… Matriarch Sashia wants me back home as soon as possible… so little time for pleasantries during the day.”  Her eyes twinkled and she grinned, adding, “But… after work hours?  That’s a different story!”

With that said, the Matriarch got straight to the point of their visit, beginning with an explanation of what her team needed to accomplish.  “First, the systems technicians will be inspecting and testing all the specialized equipment that was installed, in order to ensure everything is operating as designed.  While Carli and Clarissa are so engaged, I wish to personally inspect the security modifications that have been made to your home, Ms Donnelly, in order to ensure everything – the materials used and the care taken during the installations – have been done to your satisfaction.  I will also demonstrate how to utilize certain features built into the system, which I very much doubt you are yet aware of.”

Gabby nodded her head twice during Tralis’ summary and, once the Matriarch fell silent, replied, “Sounds good, Matriarch… plus, that will give me a chance to, at the very least, give you a quick tour of my home.”  Taking a sip of tea, she replied, “Violet and I did some dusting and cleaning as we put all the clothes and my personal gear away yesterday; it seemed to us that the contractors did an amazing job of cleaning and picking up after themselves when they were done.  Their care and attention to detail is commendable.”

“Your words gladden my heart, Gabby.”  Tralis sipped tea from her cup, then smiled, secretly pleased at this Human’s praise.  “Matriarch Sashia will be appreciative as well.”  With a brief sigh, she continued.  “Once the systems check out, Carli and Clarissa will show you how all the equipment works, then certify that you are able to easily access both your new workstation and the communications interface, so you can transfer data securely and effortlessly between here and T’Sere’s systems on Thessia.”

Gabby showed her teeth in a grin.  “I hope to show them I’m a quick learner, Matriarch.  Not that I don’t appreciate your company – I do, very much! – but I’m sure your absence at the shipyard is being noticed.”

Tralis returned Gabby’s grin.  Finishing her tea, she set the cup and saucer on the tray and stood up.  “So… after you show these two,” indicating her tech specialists with a wave, “where the primary systems hub was installed… we could get started on that tour of your home, Ms Donnelly?”

Gabby had risen to her feet as well.  Answering, “Of course.  My pleasure.  Please excuse me for a few moments.”  She led Carli and Clarissa into what had once been a spare room behind the kitchen.  The few items of furniture within had been removed and placed in temporary storage, and an electrician had installed the heavy-duty cabling needed to power the connected servers and main design computer, along with the rather compact transceiver that would enable Gabby to communicate with the T’Sere offices on the Asari homeworld.

Once the specialists began working on the equipment, Gabby returned to the living room, to see the Matriarch inspecting her new front door.  Tralis was impressed with the quality of the materials used and care of installation, leading Gabby to observe, “Your security firm did a wonderful job, Ma’am.

The Asari next turned her attention to the large front window.  “I know this doesn’t appear to have been replaced, Gabby, but I can assure you it has state of the art security features.”  So saying, she activated her omnitool, sending an additional control function to the Human’s omnitool.  As soon as the download to Gabby’s device finished, Tralis, having left her own tool active, entered a command into the interface; this caused the entire surface of the glass to darken slightly.  Additionally, a tiny orange light came on in a lower corner.

“It doesn’t appear to have changed much,” Gabby remarked.  “Had I not been focused on the window I very much doubt I would have even noticed the change except for that little light.  What did you do?”

“Not seeing any difference from this side is the point, really, but I utilized my omnitool to initiate its privacy mode.  Along with all the rest of the windows, it’s a limited production, triple-pane design that incorporates a special panel between inner and outer, which is capable of blocking both sound and electronic transmissions.”  The Matriarch activated her own omnitool a second time to demonstrate as she continued, “You can change it from translucent to opaque bronze – or back – in less than a few seconds.  The indicator lamp can only be seen from inside – as a silent reminder that you have privacy mode active.”

Gabby’s eyes widened slightly in understanding as she replied, “So, I will always be able to see out, but…”

“From the outside looking in, the windows will be completely opaque,” Tralis chuckled.  “Neighbors… or industrial spies, will only see a bronze tinted reflection of the scenery in front of the window.  Anyone attempting to learn what you are doing in here will no doubt be extremely disappointed.”

“That’s amazing!”  Gabby grinned like a child in a candy shop.  “I mean, I know about jamming and disruptive frequency techniques… but to somehow fit that into the windows and actually have an effective system?  How does it work?”

Tralis laughed at her reaction and smiled as she answered, “Honestly, I don’t know the specifics, but I do know all the windows work together, along with controllers placed in various other locations… like the basement and attic… to create a networked barrier around the workspace; which, in this case, is your entire home.  The opacity of the windows is merely to prevent direct observation… and the light in the corner is only to remind you the system is active.” 

“Extraordinary.”  Gabby walked closer to the window and opened her omnitool, running a scan.

Tralis, who assumed Gabby was attempting to operate the system, asked in a surprised voice, “Do you need some help learning to operate the system?  I assumed it to be rather intuitive…”

Gabby chuckled.  “No, Matriarch, I’m fine.  I was verifying the network doesn’t produce any interior radiation that could be harmful to my children.”  She deactivated the privacy barrier as she added, “And, thankfully, it does not; it’s been very well designed.  Thank you, again.”

“It is my pleasure, Gabby, and I assure you all of T’Sere’s actions are in the best interest of all involved… including our extended families.  The Asari are a very social people… and, because of that, relationships are important to us.”  She gave the woman a broad smile and asked, “So… with our business concluded, how about the rest of that tour?”

After seeing the bedrooms and bath upstairs, Gabby had shown Tralis the backyard, where the groundcover was in bloom and the trees were leafing out.  The Asari drew in a deep breath of air before quietly observing, “I can smell the ocean, Gabby.  This seems like a wonderful place in which to live and raise your children.”  Shading her eyes with a flattened hand, she added, “The antenna on the roof is the only visual clue that this house contains anything out of the ordinary.”

“I know,” Gabby agreed.  “Carli told me everything will be encrypted in both directions.  Even though I won’t be sending or receiving military secrets, I truly doubt anyone intent on spying on me will have any success.”  She hadn’t quite finished speaking when her omnitool lit up; it was a message from Violet, telling her there were a pair of babies impatiently waiting for their brunch.  Smiling apologetically at Tralis, she said, “It seems to be feeding time again… so, I need to go inside.”

“Of course!”  Smiling indulgently, Tralis indicated that Gabby should lead the way.

-------------------------------

Her tour of the house and grounds complete, the Matriarch sat and talked with the young mom as she rocked back and forth, nursing an extremely hungry Belle.

As the baby girl drank her fill, Gabby expressed her amazement at the care being lavished on her by T’Sere; upon hearing her comments, the Asari had chuckled kindly as she held a dozing Malcolm to her chest.  “My dear child, don’t you realize?  You have become a valued member of the design team employed by T’Sere Shipwrights.  As such, you are now considered a member of Sashia’s family, just as if you had been born to it.  Matriarch T’Sere cares about her employees every bit as much as if they were relations by blood.”

“But I’ve hardly even begun to perform design work for you,” came the protest.

Tralis chuckled again.  “Gabriella, please… take a deep breath… relax.  Your ability to integrate increasingly advanced FTL drive systems into our ship designs, especially those created by Judea Voni, will propel T’Sere Shipwrights well into the future.  I foresee nothing but success for you with our company.  We are most fortunate to have you in our family.”

She hugged an increasingly unhappy Malcolm to her ample bosom.  “Shush, baby.  Your mother is right here.”  Handing the little boy off to Gabby – who had placed a dozing Belle in her crib – she stood and, after a slight stretch, said, “It’s getting close to dinner time… we should probably be off, so all of us can sit down to a decent dinner.”

“I assume I’ll see you all back here… first thing in the morning?” Gabby asked.

The Matriarch gave her an apologetic smile.  “I have some other work I need to do, but Carli and Clarissa will be back here in the morning after breakfast, Gabby.  Now that the systems have been fully checked out and fine-tuned, they will first demonstrate the use of each… and then shadow you as you learn to access the computer and continue the design work you began on Thessia.”  She gently placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder.  “Please… remain seated.  We will see ourselves out.”  Looking down, she gazed into the soft brown eyes peering up at her.  “I have no doubt that, by the end of our few days here, you will be operating the equipment as if you were born to it… and, of course, I will drop in again before we return to Thessia.”

Gabby smiled as she replied softly, “I really appreciate all you have done for me… and everything you are continuing to do… to get me set up so I can work for you, here, from my home.  It truly is a dream come true.”

-------------------------------

Cliffside, Gellix, Arrae System – 5 June 2189

An unusually nervous Adrien Burns stood on the ramp to the landing pad as one of the two Knight Shade Fleet Orison class shuttles settled onto the tarmac.  As the core spooled down, Adrien admired the Asari vessel, an FTL-capable diplomatic transport armed only for defense. Its smooth curves reminded her of the Asari people – sexy in design but packed with a defensive power which Adrien believed to parallel the Asari preference for diplomacy. 

With its ten-person capacity, the Gellix Co-Governor wasn’t the least bit surprised when every member of the six-commando team disembarked first, immediately followed by the Spectre, Doctor T’Soni, Riana… and, finally, Admiral Hannah Shepard.  It seemed as though Adrien could hear her own heartbeat in her ears as the commandos split to the sides and the main trio walked forward, the smiles on their faces doing little to ease the woman’s anxiety.  Shepard stepped up first, quickly shaking her hand as she said, “Good to see you again, Adrien.”  Turning slightly sideways, she grinned and added, “It is my pleasure to introduce you to my mother, Hannah.”

The informality, obviously done purposefully in an effort to calm the young woman’s nerves, still surprised Adrien… so she remained silent just a moment too long.  Hannah stepped forward and stuck out her hand.  “Good to meet you in person, Ms Burns.  I’ve been looking forward to this since Sam told me your story.”  She paused but, seeing that Adrien still seemed a bit tongue-tied and wasn’t yet ready to speak, continued in order to avoid an awkward silence.  “Which, I have to admit, is an intriguing one.  In an attempt to help you relax a bit, I will swear to you I have come here with an open mind… so, let’s get to know one another, shall we?”

Finally finding her resolve within the tumult of emotions, Adrien squared her shoulders and reached out to shake the elder Shepard’s hand.  “It’s good to meet you, Admiral.  Welcome to Cliffside.”  She glanced at Samantha, who was nodding in obvious approval of the new name for the station, before turning back and continuing, “And I will say that this is all a bit unexpected… unsettling even, to say the least.  We’re headed into territory I never thought possible; not in my wildest dreams.”  She swallowed the lump in her throat and blurted out, “And it scares the living Hell out of me, truth be told.”

Hannah smiled and couldn’t keep in the chuckle that formed with the admission.  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, but I understand… completely.  I felt the same way when I first saw your picture.  I was so shocked by the image, I had no idea which way to turn… so did the only thing I could think of – go visit my daughter and ask her directly.”

“And I most certainly appreciate that,” Adrien responded.  “I can’t imagine what would have happened if you had voiced your suspicions to Councilor Osoba.  For whatever reason, he wasn’t exactly thrilled with my appearance… or Brek’s.”  She glanced at Samantha as she added, “Quite honestly, we expected the Turians to be the ones complaining about the arrangement… not Osoba… so we were caught a bit off-guard.”

“So were we all,” Hannah answered.  Grasping her upper arms, she hugged herself as she commented, “I’m getting a bit chilled, standing out here in the wind, so how about we move our conversation inside… starting with a tour and a brief history of your time here?  It will give us a chance to chat about less… personal… issues, as an ice-breaker.”

“That’s an excellent suggestion, Admiral.”  Relaxing a tiny bit, Adrien managed a smile.  “Right this way, if you will.”

-------------------------------

Following an extensive tour, where even Samantha and Liara saw places they hadn’t seen on their first visit, the group retired to Adrien’s personal quarters.  As they arranged themselves comfortably in the living room, Adrien explained, “We assume these belonged to the original station commander and, as the newly appointed station administrator, our group insisted I take the space for myself.”  Adrien shook her head.  “Earnest had refused them, declaring it much too spacious for a single person… but they wouldn’t listen to me when I attempted to voice the exact same objection.”  She let out a sigh.  “I’m still not quite sure what I did to earn such trust and admiration in such a short period of time, but Earnest was more than ready to relinquish his somewhat brief leadership role to me.”

“Didn’t have anything to do with your combat prowess keeping them all alive during the first few pirate attacks?”  Samantha grinned.  “From what I hear, they all owe you their lives; none of them were trained soldiers… and you pulled that ragtag group together into a cohesive fighting unit.  That’s no small feat.”

“It was simply a matter of survival!” groaned Adrien.  “No one else was stepping up to do it… and I certainly wasn’t willing to lay down and die.  Not after all I’d done and gone through to escape the Illusive Man!  If we were going to survive, we needed a united front.”

“And you provided it,” commented Liara.  “Yet you wonder why they follow you?”  She glanced at her siame and smiled softly.  “In times of crisis, we all gravitate toward the natural leaders… because we want to survive.  Sometimes, that leader fails you and everyone suffers the consequences… but when they don’t?  They are tagged with the label of hero… with the expectation they are the only one who can lead them to victory.”  Her smile faltered as she added, “And Sam and I fully understand how that can be both an accolade and a curse at the same time.”

Adrien’s expression cleared as she listened to the Asari, who didn’t speak all that much but, when she did, it was generally to make a salient point.  It finally dawned on her that the Asari was speaking from personal experience… that both Shepard and Liara were also reluctant leaders, thrust into positions neither had sought, yet had dealt with magnificently.  “Yes, I imagine you do.  Though, I admit to finding my own position quite tenable… being mostly a recovery effort after the war…”  Her eyes moving between the three persons before her, she added, “I cannot even begin to imagine the choices you were forced to make… nor do I want you to have to explain them to me.  What’s done is done, so let us look to our future.”

“There were times even I wondered how she did it… and how she remained sane through it all.”  Hannah reached over and gently gripped Samantha’s bicep.  “But we’re Shepards and it’s simply something we just… do.”  Casting her attention to Adrien, she shrugged and added with a smile, “Apparently, it’s a trait you share.  I’ve always believed our strong devotion to duty was in our genes… a trait actually coded in our DNA... and you, Adrien, are living proof that I just may be right.”

Adrien stared at the woman in mute surprise as Samantha started to chuckle.  After a moment, the Spectre responded, “Really, Mom?  Are you seriously going to lay the duty-before-self speech on Adrien?  Now?  Geez… you barely know the poor woman… and you just labeled her a Shepard!”

Hannah blushed slightly.  “I suppose I did, didn’t I?  How can I help it?  She obviously is one of us, whether she carries the name or not.”  Looking once more at Adrien, she continued, “And your story says it all.  Many under the Illusive Man’s tutorage simply did what they needed to do to survive… including killing their own classmates.  But you?  You led a rebellion, constantly working against him behind the scenes until you gained your freedom.”

“As did so many others, most of whom have been lost to the winds of war...”  Adrien looked at Shepard as she continued, “… or taken a bad turn and gained the attention of their betters.”

Hannah thought she heard something of resentment in Adrien’s tone, so asked, “Do you blame Samantha for the deaths of your… sisters… in arms?”

“Absolutely not.  I blame myself for not taking care of them myself, once I realized they had no morals, no guiding code of ethics… and it was neither their choice nor their fault, so they could never change.”  Adrien looked at Hannah, adding, “The more time I spent with my… sisters… the more blatantly obvious it became to me that they were created without a single spark of kindness anywhere in their souls.  I blame myself… for letting them kill so many… for not stopping them when I had the chance.”  She huffed, “I am not the leader the people here believe me to be…  I’m a fraud, plain and simple.” 

“Adrien?”  Samantha waited until the woman met her eyes before she asked, “Did you tell Earnest and the others that same story?”

“Yes… I did, but it made no difference in their opinion, obviously, or I wouldn’t be here now.”

“Gods be damned.”  Shepard was shaking her head, yet smiling at the same time, as a rather poignant thought traveled through the link from her Anam Cara.  She continued speaking to Adrien but glanced at Liara as she repeated the thought aloud.  “You even assume unearned guilt, just like I used to do.”  Her gaze shifted back to the alternate version of herself as she offered, “We can probably help you with that… I’ve already been through that self-blame game and learned how to give it up, with the acknowledgement we are all victims of circumstance and one person can only do so much… before it breaks them.”

-------------------------------

It was late evening, and everyone involved was obviously getting tired, the conversation starting to come in halting bursts, wedged between periods of silent contemplation that grew longer with each round.  Finally, Adrien stood and stretched.  “It has been a long… and incredible day.”  She smiled softly, amazingly comfortable around these people she had basically just met yet felt as though she had known for a lifetime.

“I know you have your VIP shuttle, but a 10-pax vessel – at capacity – must be crowded… so I would be happy to provide you rooms in the guest area.  It really is no trouble at all… and I would hope you don’t plan on making the trip back to Thessia at this late hour?  You can spend the night comfortably and get an early jump off in the morning… right after breakfast.”

“Thank you for the offer, Adrien.”  Hannah stood with her and smiled in return before glancing at Sam and Liara, snuggled comfortably together on a small couch.  “I, for one, would be happy to accept your offer, but am captive to the decision of my transporters.”

Samantha yawned and stretched, pulling her arm from behind Liara.  Sitting forward on the couch, she looked up at Adrien and her mother, the family resemblance more obvious every time she looked.  “As you command, Admiral.  Adrien’s right… the shuttle isn’t exactly spacious, and certainly doesn’t offer much in the way of privacy, except for the VIP cabin.  I would also like to visit Brek before we head back to Thessia, so staying here sounds like a pretty good idea.”

She stood, offering her hand to Liara to help her up off the couch as well.  “So, we’d be happy to take you up on your offer, Governor.”

Adrien laughed quietly.  “Oh, so formal… especially after all we’ve discussed today.”  Her expression converted to a sheepish grin as she added, “Who am I to turn family from my door?”

Chapter Text

Cliffside, Gellix, Arrae System – 6 June 2189

Adrien Burns met them at the door of the dining hall with a smile.  “Good morning, all.  I trust you slept well?”

Shepard chuckled quietly, surprised as Liara responded, “Certainly better than I would have in a crew bunk with room for only one.  Your guest quarters are both spacious and comfortable, Adrien.  Thank you.”

“That they are, Liara,” added Hannah.  “I did rise this morning, however, with an idea in my head.”

Samantha looked between her and Adrien as she commented with a grin, “Uh oh.  Run while you can, Adrien… don’t ask any questions… just run!”

Puzzled, Adrien glanced at the Spectre.  “Why?”  Quickly looking to Hannah, she continued, “I’d be happy to hear any ideas or suggestions the Admiral may care to offer.”

“So much for that,” Samantha said with a smile.  “Mom rarely has just an idea; she most likely has a plan of action she fully expects everyone to partake in once she offers it up, simply because it’s a great suggestion.  It’s also generally not something she can do alone, so will need help to make it happen.”  She chuckled quietly before adding, “Just be ready… because if you ask to hear it, you’ve basically just volunteered to participate in whatever it might be.”

“That is sooo not true!”  Hannah looked at her daughter for a moment before she started to laugh.  “Okay, so maybe it is, likely more times than not… but you must admit, I normally do come up with pretty decent ideas!”

“So… what am I expected to do here, then?”  Adrien glanced between the two grinning women before looking at Liara, her brow also raised in question.  “Simply ignore it… or ask anyway, to be polite, even knowing my entire day’s schedule may likely be derailed by the answer?”

Before Liara could offer an opinion, Hannah replied, “It’s honestly not as bad as all that.  I would simply like to stay here, spend the day with you, and have Sam and Liara swing back this way to pick me up, once they are done with Brek and, I assume, Spectre Jatok.”

“A ‘go to work with the Governor’ day?” Adrien smiled.  “I do that with our orphans!  However, I am quite confident the day’s topics of conversation will not be the same as those I normally have with an 8-year-old!”

“I would certainly hope not,” Hannah answered quickly.  “I’d like to get to know you… see you at work, how you make decisions.  See if there’s anything I can help you with.”  She paused before adding, “I mean, until the fifteenth, I am still the Alliance Interspecies Liaison for Post-War Recovery and, as such, may have access to a few resources you could probably put to good use. How about we talk about it over breakfast and make our decision with a full stomach?”

Adrien gave a little chuckle before responding, “How about we enjoy our breakfast together and then talk about business later, in my office, after Sam and Liara head out?”

“That’s a deal.”

-------------------------------

Following a relatively quick breakfast, Spectre Shepard and her team bid their goodbyes and headed to the shuttlecraft.  After a final wave of farewell, the door of the Fleet Orison class shuttle slipped closed as it lifted off and turned lazily toward their destination, seemingly in no great hurry to reach the next objective.  Hannah watched, commenting, “It must be nice for them to finally not feel a need to rush from place to place.”  Letting out a sigh of contentment, she turned back to Adrien.  “It’s still amazing to realize we have a future secured from the threat of annihilation by the Reapers, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”  Adrien smiled as she replied.  “And to think I may also have a family… when I always assumed I would be alone in the world?  No words can express the gratitude I feel toward Samantha… and you… for giving me this opportunity.”

“Well then, let’s not waste a minute of it.”  Hannah waved an open hand toward the hatch.  “Over the years I’ve learned moments like this can be fleeting, so we need to grab ahold of them while we can, to make sure none of them pass us by.”

During their walk to the office, Adrien received a number of calls, everyone thinking all of their guests had departed, only to be surprised that the Admiral had remained behind.  Each time, Adrien quickly explained they would be conducting the day’s business as usual and that she would be in her office momentarily.

“Good morning, Earnest,” she greeted as she walked in the door.  “Hannah will be with us for the day but, other than that, we treat this day as any other.  So, what’s on my agenda?”

He simply stood there and stared at Adrien’s unexpected companion for a moment, until Adrien cleared her throat to draw his attention.  “Oh, right.  Sorry.  Agenda.”  He opened his omnitool and started reading.  “You have three contracts to be reviewed… and signed, assuming you agree to the terms I negotiated, then, the water pump in Greenhouse 2 is being a bit persnickety… but I would like you to look at it before I purchase a new controller.  It might just be a software issue…”

“Just buy a new one, Earnest.  It won’t hurt to have a backup sitting on the shelf.”  Adrien paused, and then added, “Matter of fact, buy five, so we have one for each greenhouse.  I’d hate for an electrical storm or power surge to wipe out our entire growing capacity in a single sweep.”

“Roger that.”  Earnest made a quick note and then continued, “Then, you’re free until after lunch; I didn’t want to book anything else, just in case you got caught up in the controller repair.”

“Thank you… I appreciate the forethought.”  Adrien smiled and prompted, “So, after lunch is what?”

With a heavy sigh, he glanced at the Admiral before looking back and answering, “Then, you have a potential meeting with the fledgling, self-proclaimed machinist union.  Now that we have an official status, they are banding together to demand pay more equivalent to machinists at other colonies… established colonies.  I tried to explain to them that we don’t yet have anywhere near that level of net income, because we’re still building our basic infrastructure, but they rejected my explanation and demanded an audience with you.”

Earnest shrugged before continuing, “We honestly can’t pay them any more than what they’re already getting… which is their fair share of the colony’s minimal profits.”  He snorted in derision and added, “The rep actually said I was nothing more than an administrative toady and proclaimed they were tired of talking to the useless middleman.”

At that, Adrien sat forward, her eyes narrowed.  “He actually said that to you?”

“Yes, she did, and I recorded all my conversations for later reference… just in case I actually end up writing any contracts or agreements.”  Earnest caught Adrien’s glance of expectation and shifted screens, forwarding the data.  “Aaand… I’ve just sent you that particular confrontation, so you can be prepared.”

“Excellent.”  Adrien pursed her lips for a moment, then added, “And push the meeting time a bit later… say, 1400 hours… to give me time to review the files before I speak with this rep.  What’s her name?”

“Janyce Ward.  She came in with a small band about three months ago and has caused nothing but trouble since, stirring up the workers.”  He shook his head.  “I haven’t researched it yet, but I think she may have been the organizer behind the failed strike last month.  Because of that failure, I highly doubt she has support of the majority; my guess is that her group is a small collection of profiteers, simply looking to take advantage of us… thinking we’re an easy mark.”

“Thank you, Earnest.  Clear my calendar of everything following that meeting.”  She glanced at the Admiral before continuing, “I’ll get to the bottom of it this afternoon, one way or another, and I don’t care how long it takes.  Extortion is a crime and I’ll not have the operations of this station held hostage by someone who mistakenly believes us to be nothing but weak-willed administrators.  In the event our conversation goes badly, I want you to have security on a silent alert… and to be prepared for a forcible ejection, if required.”

“You think you might need security just to get her out of your office?”  Earnest’s surprise at Adrien’s words echoed in his voice.

“No,” she answered resolutely.  “Getting them off the station.  If it comes down to it, I will make it perfectly clear that they either play by our rules or they will be escorted to their quarters to pack their personal belongings… because troublemakers are not welcome here.  And Earnest?  Make sure security understands that these people leave with nothing more than what they came with… other than a one-time offer of free transport to wherever they want to go; they can consider that their severance package.  And don’t worry, I’m not putting this on you.  I will make all of my conditions perfectly clear to them when we have our afternoon chat.”

“Understood, Ma’am.  I’ll speak to Chief Wilson immediately and begin making arrangements.”

As the door slid closed following the Station Administrator’s exit, Adrien blew out a heavy breath before meeting Hannah’s eyes.  “Sorry about that.  I’m honestly hoping it doesn’t come to anything… that Earnest is wrong about them and I can convince them to stand down.”

“But,” responded Hannah, “you’ve come to trust his judgement… so, you’re worried.”

“Yes, honestly… I am.”  Adrien frowned.  “And I’m certainly not pleased that this all happens the day immediately following your visit… when you were supposed to already be gone.”

“You don’t think it’s a coincidence?”

“No, my gut tells me there’s nothing coincidental about it.”  Adrien shrugged.  “It’s pretty common knowledge… at least it was before the war… that there’s significant Alliance incentive money for establishing a successful colony; equipment, supplies, hazardous duty credits…”

“Which is basically what I offered you over breakfast…”

Adrien huffed out a small laugh, a smile appearing on her face.  “And I went and turned you down… rather unceremoniously, at that.”

“Only because you want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem… as I believe you put it.”  Hannah smiled in return.  “Which is a stance I can fully appreciate after seeing what you’ve already accomplished here.  You’re basically self-sufficient, other than regular trade – mostly for luxury items – and almost ready to begin exporting foods and technology.”  Pursing her lips in thought for just a moment, she then added, “So the only help I could honestly give you is a list of agricultural contacts at other belt world colonies who you think you can help.”

“You know, I hadn’t thought about that.”  Adrien looked at her in surprise.  “Here I thought I was going to be the one helping you, simply by not asking for anything and making your job here super easy… basically nonexistent.”  She laughed and added, “Looks like I was mistaken.  I’ll be accepting your help after all… because if you have such a list, that will save me an amazing amount of time and effort by not having to do all the research myself.  But, even then, I’ll still have to chase all those people down and get an audience with them.”

“I can also give you an introduction of sorts… to all of them.”  Hannah shrugged.  “A referral, so to speak, so they know your project has my backing.”

“You’d do that?  But I thought you were leaving the job… going to the Defense Committee, starting on the fifteenth?”  Adrien’s brow knit in consternation.  “There’s no way you can do that in a week.”

“Why not?”  Hannah grinned, her expression carrying a hint of challenge.  “You put together your sales pitch, I write the endorsement, and we send the combined message to the lead agriculturist at every one of those colonies… there really aren’t that many, fifteen or so.  And it’s just an introduction.  Setting up the meetings and selling your work is still up to you.  I’m just helping to get your foot in the door.”

-------------------------------

Gellix, Arrae System, At Large – 6 June 2189

“Where’s the Knight Shade, Shepard?” Hailot Jatok stared at his fellow Spectre, a frown on his face as she stepped out of the Asari shuttlecraft.

“Gee, good to see you too, Jat,” Shepard chuckled quietly.  “With you and second team gone, we easily fit on a shuttle now… especially when we’re just playing escort on a diplomatic mission.  We dropped Admiral Shepard off for her visit with Burns… and figured we’d pop over here to say hi, seeing as we were in the neighborhood.  The Knight Shade is still sitting on Thessia, getting a thorough maintenance service.  Why?”

“Well, since you were here, I wanted to borrow those two Jiris Infantry hovercraft sitting in her belly, but that’s hard to do, seeing as you went and left ‘em behind!”

“What could you possibly need the Jiris for, Jat?”  Liara asked.

“While Brek was over there getting established with his colonists, along with his SILC miners and security…”  Jat jerked his head in the direction of the new Krogan settlement before he continued, “…I took over this encampment for my base of operations.”  He scoffed, followed by a low growl in his throat.  “Then, one of my scouts discovered a major Blue Suns lair in one of the nearby trenches.  The thing’s a good fifty meters deep, with defensive weapons set up all over the walls, in every nook and cranny deep enough to hold one.”

“So, the cover fire is too intense to drive through… and a Tomkah is way too slow against that kind of firepower.”  As an unexpected memory of James Vega surfaced, Shepard smiled and continued, “Like shooting fish in a barrel.”

“Exactly!”  Jat sighed, “Don’t know why you’re smiling, because I was really hoping to fly those Jiris right up their butts and light their asses on fire!”

“You know the Jiris is a Turian vehicle, right?”

“Yeah… so?”  Jat stopped and his eyes lit up.  “Well, shit.  And we’ve got a Turian platoon not 50 klicks from here!  You think they’d help us out?”

“Yes, I do.”  Shepard’s smile widened to a full-up grin.  “Let me make a couple calls.”

-------------------------------

Lieutenant Kaestis Akeiros glanced up at his adjutant as he entered notes into the terminal on his desk.  After literally sitting on his hands for seemingly forever, he had asked for and received confirmation of the request for aid from a Krogan Commander – the first Spirits-be-damned Krogan Spectre, at that!  They were requesting the use of a pair of his Jiris troop transport hovercraft so they would stand a decent chance of breaching the Blue Suns defensive lines in the canyon where they had set up operations.

He saved his notes, then downloaded everything to his omnitool and that of his adjutant, Tul’bius Vicso, as he began issuing orders.  “Vic, assemble the troops.  We have a mission.”

“All of them, Lieutenant?”  Vicso hoped that asking for clarification from his commander wouldn’t result in a reprimand.

Akeiros spread and dropped his mandibles ever so slightly to show no rebuke was intended.  “I believe that’s what I said, Centurion… the entire platoon.”  There was a cheery note in his sub-harmonics as he added, “Our new Krogan neighbors recently discovered the Blue Suns have a rather firmly entrenched presence in a nearby canyon, close enough to their newly established colony to be an eminent threat.  So, they have asked for our help in eradicating them… help I intend to provide… immediately.”

Tul’bius replied, “Yes, Sir!” then turned and rapidly left his commander’s office, intent on carrying out his orders as fast as possible.  The entire platoon!  he mused.  We haven’t had to deal with more than the occasional pirate raid in months!  Using the side of his clenched fist, he banged the rather large haptic ALERT button on his console; this engaged an irritating warbling tone that sounded throughout the entire facility.  The skin next to his eyes crinkled in amusement as the confused sounds of increased activity came up from the lower level.

“This is not a drill!  I repeat, this is not a drill!”  Vicso had never liked the sound of his own voice echoing back at him through the PA speakers, but there was no help for it now.  “All squads, armor up, equip weapons, assemble at your assigned vehicles.  We have a mission!  Everybody move!  We leave in ten minutes.”

Vicso hurriedly pulled on his own gear, grabbed his weapons, and headed for the lower level – in addition to being the commander’s adjutant, he was also the designated pilot for Jiris 2.  Hope everyone’s ready for some action! came the thought.

Upon entering the cavernous hanger area, he noticed the lieutenant conferring with each of the four squad leaders as their teams clambered aboard their assigned shuttles.  Of course, Alpha Squad split themselves among the four Jiris fighting vehicles, as they would be the first to drop in behind enemy lines, should the opportunity present itself.  The likelihood of that, however, was slim at best, going into a deep trench that probably ended in a cavern of some sort, so they were preparing to dismount with the rest of the platoon upon their arrival at the Krogan colony.

The three other pilots were already firing up their eezo cores when Vicso arrived, prompting him to waste no time as he clambered hurriedly into the pilot’s compartment of Jiris 2, initiating his startup sequence before his butt even hit the seat.  As he worked, he watched the Lieutenant standing in the middle of the maelstrom, calmly observing as his soldiers hustled to their assigned shuttles.  Only when the last Turian boarded did Akeiros take hold of the side grab rail to pull himself aboard and issue the command for departure.

As every ship lifted off the ground in unison, Kaestis addressed the forty-four Turian warriors, infantry soldiers and pilots alike, through their commlinks.  “We have been offered a chance to begin repaying a debt today.  During the Reaper onslaught of Palaven, Menae, and most of our colonies, the Krogan came to our aid, even as they were battling Reapers on their own homeworld.” 

As the four hovercraft slowly exited the hanger single file, followed quickly by the rest of the platoon aboard the shuttles, he continued, “You are all aware Gellix was formerly a Krogan colony, given to us as caretakers following the Rebellions.  You have also been informed of the Galactic Council decision to cede partial control of the planet back to the Krogan, conditional upon a joint venture with the Human colonists already here.  Now, what you don’t know is that Krogan Spectre Hailot Jatok has just requested a pair of Jiris gunships to assist them in ridding the planet of a group of Blue Suns, entrenched in a canyon near their newly established colony.”

The lieutenant chuckled.  “I know being assigned here – on a levo-based world in the ass-end of nowhere – has been pretty damned boring, so… I decided to involve the entire platoon on this little drill.  We’ve become stale… unmotivated.  We can certainly use the exercise to smooth off some of our rough edges… and kicking some Blue Suns’ ass is a perfect excuse to clinch a friendly relationship with our new Krogan neighbors!”

-------------------------------

Cliffside, Gellix, Arrae System – 6 June 2189

As Director Burns prepared for her conversation with Janyce Ward, Hannah sat on the other side of the rather spacious office, comfortably relaxing on a couch while she typed up her message of introduction and recommendation for Adrien.  She had already sent an inquiry to the Alliance Department of Agriculture requesting the list of divisional contacts on the Alliance controlled worlds. 

She also had a brief chat with Wrex, during which she quickly realized the Krogan had no such equivalent… so simply told him about Adrien and what she was doing.  The Krogan Overlord was most definitely interested and promised to identify his lead agriculturist.  He would then transfer him, or her, to the Gellix colony immediately, to learn everything they could from the Human agrobiologist.

While she worked – given Adrien’s earlier conversation with Earnest – Hannah had also gained a pair of ‘escorts.’  The two soldiers were supposedly assigned as temporary aides to the Admiral but, in truth, their presence was to provide extra security while Ms Ward was in the office.  As the entry chime they had been waiting for finally sounded from the door, they all hoped such security measures would prove unnecessary.

Adrien stood from her seat behind the desk and, with a quick glance at Hannah, tapped the remote door release on her omnitool.  As Janyce Ward stepped in, Adrien realized she was a rather large, well-built individual… a woman of obvious strength.  “Welcome, Ms Ward.  Please, do come in.”

“Steward Ward, if you please.”  The woman raised a brow, wondering how her self-proclaimed title would sit with the Director, knowing full well Unions were a thing of the past.

“This is not an Asari high house, Ms Ward… and the position of Union Steward no longer exists within the Systems Alliance so, no…” Adrien stood firm, meeting the woman’s eyes as she said, “… that doesn’t please me at all.”  Giving Ward no time to respond, she waived her hand toward a small meeting table in the corner of her office.  “Please, let’s sit down and have a discussion over your grievances.”

“Whether you like it or not, I am representing the workers here, and what I bring to you are not grievances… they are demands.”  Ward squared her shoulders and set her jaw, obviously ready for a fight.

“Sit down, Ms Ward.”  Adrien’s tone took on the bite of polar ice and her eyes narrowed in acceptance of the challenge.  “You are in no position to make demands.  Putting the illegality of such an action aside for the moment… there has been no declaration of intent to form a union, no formal statement of organization, and no acceptance of any proposals.  I have heard no public announcement for a vote of any kind, particularly for the appointment of officers – including one for a steward – for any such organization, so don’t waste my time.”  She drew a deep breath and added, “So, I offer you a piece of advice; put aside your bogus proclamations and get to the point of why you’re here.”

“Say what you will, but we have formed a Union…”  She stopped in surprise as Adrien smacked her hand down flat on the table, causing a loud, resounding bang that, being completely unexpected, made even the security guards jump.

“If you say the word ‘Union’ one more time, I will have your ass thrown in prison for the next twenty years, Ms Ward!”  Adrien growled, “The only unions that still exist are political bodies, like the Earth Union of Incorporated Nations and the Salarian Union.  The formation of a workers’ union is now illegal and, by law, constitutes sedition.  Any overt conduct that includes subversion of legal colonial authority is a felony, Ms Ward.  I am giving you this opportunity to air your grievances, so keep that in mind and choose your next words very carefully… or this discussion will be over before it’s even begun.”

Janyce clenched her teeth, her jaw muscles flexing as she glared at the Director, then glanced at the Admiral and the two guards across the room, all three doing their best to pretend they were ignoring what was going on at the table. 

Returning her eyes to the infuriating woman who, by grace of position, simply presumed to be her better, Janyce sneered, “Fine…  I’ll get on with it then.”

“Excellent idea.”  Adrien forced herself to relax, sitting down and leaning back in her chair while still remaining vigilant.  “Let’s see if we can have a productive discussion regarding the machinist complaints then, shall we?  Exactly what issues are you here to discuss?”

Ward also sat and leaned back, mimicking Adrien’s pose, but with a derisive snort.  “You play in your greenhouses all day…  Have you even walked the surrounding area?  Do you have any idea how littered this region is with unexploded ordinance, still remaining from the Krogan Rebellions?”

Adrien smiled at the woman, which seemed to anger Ward just that much more.  “As a matter of fact, I have… and I do.”  Her smile faded as she recalled her time on Gellix during the war.  “Unlike you, I’ve been here for more than two years, Ms Ward.  I arrived during the Reaper War… kept constantly on the move, having to dodge them, plus all the crap left behind by the Krogan and the Turians, all in the extraordinary effort it took just to survive.” 

Her vanishing smile turned all the way down to an angry frown as she growled, “So yes, I have much more than just an idea as to how dangerous it can be to roam the surface of this planet.  Much more so than you could ever be, with your mere two months here, so do not assume I am just some ‘behind the desk’ bureaucratic scientist who knows nothing of what it’s like out there… in the real Gellix.”  She paused only to take a quick breath before asking, “Why do you think Brek and I have brought in the SILC?  They can remove those dangers without risk to their runtimes.”

“And that’s the major problem!” Ward blurted.  “You’re giving those damned machines all our jobs!  The machinists are more than just tool and die makers!  We’re equipment operators and mechanics who keep the mining equipment running!  We’re ordnance specialists for blasting… and yes, a few are even EOD experts for when shit doesn’t go off like it’s supposed to.” Ward took a breath and continued, “With the damned Geth here, working for nothing but eight percent of the raw mineral take, we got nothin’!  We don’t want to just survive… we want to build a future!  Do better for our families… bank some creds, buy an apartment… or a piece of land on which to place a house.  We don’t want to live off of fucking government handouts!  We want to support ourselves…”  Ward huffed in a mix of disbelief and disgust.  “What’s so damned illegal about having a little pride and wanting to build something for ourselves here?”

Adrien sat back in surprise, remaining silent for a long moment before finally saying, “Well, I’ll be damned.  I guess we both owe one another an apology.”

“What?”  Ward stared at her in disbelief and asked, “Why in Hell do I owe you an apology?”

“For trying to form an illegal union…”  Before Ward could go off again, Burns held her hand up.  “But I also owe you one… for thinking only the worst of your intentions.  If you are truly here for those things… for self-betterment and wanting to stand on your own two feet, then we are more alike than I ever dreamed.”  She shook her head and stared down at the table.  “Damn.”

Looking back up, Adrien shrugged and continued, “Worst part of it all is that I have nothing for you. We simply don’t have the cash flow to do anything about it; the colony is too young and we’re still building… and I don’t believe I have the right to ask anyone here to put their dreams on hold for who knows how many years, before we can truly make Cliffside profitable enough to give you what you want.”

Hannah had taken interest in the discussion’s turn and stood up.  “If I may…?”

Ward glanced at her with a puzzled frown as Adrien replied, “Of course, Admiral.”

“I believe I may have a solution to your dilemma.”  She smiled encouragingly and explained, “We have a struggling mining operation on Rayingri, in the Gagarin System of the Armstrong Nebula.  The mine used to provide essential titanium and rare polonium and thorium, assets critical for our continued post-war rebuilding and recovery… but Reapers made a horrible mess of the place.  They’ve only recently completed their facility rebuild and have been trying desperately to find workers.  Few are willing to travel to what is, quite literally, the opposite side of the galaxy… but, if you are truly looking for such an opportunity, I’m sure I could arrange it.”

“Rayingri?  Never heard of it,” Janyce scowled.  “You wouldn’t be trying to sell me a load of shit now, would you, Admiral?”

Adrien was shocked at the insult embedded in the question, but Hannah simply laughed it off.  “Wouldn’t think of it, Ms Ward.  After all, I am the Liaison for Post-War Recovery… issues such as this one come to my attention all the time.  I will tell you, given the location, it seems the SILC would be a natural solution.  However, their proximity is not a benefit in this case because, unfortunately, that led to some rather unfriendly contacts before the Geth became our allies… something the colonists there will neither forget nor forgive any time soon.  So, seeing as the relatively newly named SILC aren’t an option, the colonists are looking for other solutions.”  Hannah grinned, “I do believe, if you are willing, you and your machinists could be that solution.”

“You’re honestly being serious.”  Ward actually leaned forward, looking hopeful.  “So… what exactly do you mean when you say you could arrange it?  How could we afford to pay for such a long trip, when most of us are unemployed and aren’t nearly lucky enough to have even two spare credit chits to clink together in our pockets?”

“The Alliance, likely along with everyone else in the galaxy, desperately needs the raw materials you could help provide, Ms Ward.”  Hannah gave her a knowing nod.  “I am absolutely positive I can leverage that for the free relocation of however many workers want to give it a go, along with their families of course.  It is not unheard of for large corporations to foot the cost of worker relocations.  So, those who truly desire to start the new life you speak so passionately about can do so on Rayingri; they simply need to volunteer… take their future into their own hands... and Adrien and I will handle the rest.  Do we have a deal?”

Janyce stood up, towering over the diminutive-by-comparison Admiral.  “I can’t speak for the others without asking ‘em first, but you have your first volunteer, that’s for sure.  Me.”

“Excellent.  So, then…  If you’ll excuse us, Director Burns and I have some transportation to secure.  I’ll make the initial inquiries, and we’ll finalize arrangements as soon as we know how many are willing to go.  How does that sound?”

“It’s certainly different than what I expected walking in here…”  Janyce paused and looked at Adrien as she continued, “But different can be good, especially given how we started this whole conversation.”

“That is one thing we can definitely agree on, Ms Ward.”  Adrien stuck her hand out, adding, “Never thought I’d be saying this, but it’s been a pleasant surprise, hearing your desire for a better future.”

Janyce actually chuckled, taking the woman’s hand and pumping it gently.  “I hear ya, Director.  I guess we are more alike than we ever imagined possible.  I’ll get out of your way and talk to my people.  I’ll have a preliminary answer for you first thing Monday morning.”

“Monday would be great, Ms Ward.”  Adrien gave her a smile and a quick nod of approval.

“Oh, for God’s sake.  If we’re gonna do this, call me Janyce.  Ms Ward makes me feel old!”

“Thank you, Janyce,” she answered with a grin.  “I’m Adrien, and it’s been good to make your acquaintance.”

-------------------------------

Gellix, Arrae System, At Large – 6 June 2189

The surface of Gellix – the narrow, barely habitable equatorial band – was a rocky landscape composed of small hills and a surprising number of small canyons in between massive mountain ranges, making it ideal terrain over which to travel in a Jiris gunship.  Lieutenant Akeiros thought about the Krogan as he watched the jumbled countryside moving rapidly past his vehicle.  Their six-wheeled Tomkahs were heavily armed and armored and, while more than tough enough to traverse this land, painfully slow on anything other than a relatively smooth surface, their large size making them easy targets for enemy gun emplacements.

They had traveled slightly more than half the distance to the Krogan settlement when pilot Vicso warned of unidentified targets ahead, simultaneous to abruptly slowing the vehicle.  The other three gunships spread out from single file to a staggered ‘vee’ formation while Akeiros worked to identify the unknowns.  After several seconds, he chuckled and said, “Stand down… they’re Krogan, coming out to meet us.  Centurion Vicso, let’s go meet our new neighbors.”

A clipped, “Yes Sir.” was his response as the Jiris accelerated towards the group of Tomkahs.  Within minutes, Akeiros exited his craft and walked up to the big Krogan standing beside a wheel at the front of the vehicle.  Stopping a meter away from the enormous male, Kaestis did his best to sound friendly.  “Lieutenant Kaestis Akeiros.  You requested our assistance?”

The Krogan displayed his teeth in a small grin as he replied, “Commander… and Council Spectre… Hailot Jatok.”  He held out a massive right hand, Human-fashion, as he continued, “Call me Jat… it’s what I’m used to hearing.  Spectre Shepard said your people might loan us the use of a pair of those gunships.  Didn’t expect you to show up with four of them.”

Kaestis gingerly grasped the Krogan’s enormous hand and pumped it twice; relieved to get his own hand back in one piece, he responded quickly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jat.  Never expected to be meeting a Spectre of any species… certainly not a Krogan.”  He ducked his head slightly at the realization he had possibly insulted this fellow.  “Apologies… that didn’t sound nearly as offensive in my head as it did when I just said it aloud.”

With an embarrassed cough to mask his discomfiture, he continued, “I realize you requested just two Jiris vehicles, Spectre, but…” Kaestis glanced around at the four gunships.  “I couldn’t decide which two I wanted to leave behind, and truth be known, we were all pretty bored, so…” he brought his hands up shoulder high and continued, “… here we are – a platoon of Turian soldiers and four gunships, ready to help you kick the Blue Suns off this planet.”

Jat’s grin opened to show all his teeth and he let out a chuckle.  “Sounds like my kind of party, Lieutenant.”  He waved a massive hand at the shelter in the background.  “So, why don’t you come on in and we’ll come up with a joint battle plan to keep friendlies from accidentally killing each other.  I hadn’t exactly planned on a whole damned Platoon riding to our aide, so our strategy needs to be significantly updated… maybe even become a campaign, instead of just one battle?  We can’t let our Turian neighbors be all bored now, can we.  That’d be rude.”

Kaestis replied with an answering grin.  “That sounds like an excellent suggestion to me, Jat.  Let’s prepare, so we can get this… party… started!”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 12 June 2189

“Yes,” Karin replied, stepping back from Samantha’s welcoming hug.  “Believe it or not, things are actually a bit slow… so Ashley and the Normandy are sitting on Earth, enjoying two weeks of leave.  It gives everyone enough time to take a short trip and say hello to people they haven’t been able to visit in quite a while.”  She smiled as she added, “And, as the ship’s captain, Spectre Williams has absolutely zero intention of chasing any merc or pirate groups without her primary physician onboard.” 

“I can imagine!”  Shepard’s face held a wide grin, still finding it hard to believe both Karin and Kay had managed to make the trip on such relatively short notice, even with both of the women standing before her on the tarmac.  “And I’d be doing the same, if I was still commander of the Normandy.” 

Turning to wrap their other guest in a warm embrace, she kissed her Aunt Kay softly on the cheek and whispered softly, “And it’s always wonderful to get a chance to see you!”  Still holding the woman gently by the shoulders, she stepped back and asked, “How are things going at the school?”

“As well as can be expected.”  Kahlee shrugged with a half-hearted smile.  “The facility repairs are complete… but mending the students’ hearts will be a much longer process.  Many of them lost family members during the war and, with the second annual Victory Celebration being just last week, those wounds reopened a bit… tears were shed and when one starts crying, it’s hard for the rest, if not impossible, to not join in, including me when I get to thinking about David.”

As the woman’s eyes glassed over, Samantha pulled her into another hug, feeling a similar emotion to Kay’s, her heart suddenly aching anew over their loss of Uncle Dave.  Her voice was tight as she replied, “I don’t think anyone survived the war unscathed, Aunt Kay.  There was simply just too damned much destruction.”

Kay pushed back and swept the tears off her cheeks, reaching out to take Samantha’s hands in her own.  “Yes, there was… but we’re still here, mostly thanks to you and your crew… and there’s a promotion party to prep for!  We shouldn’t let anything get in the way of that!”

“Agreed.”  Samantha swallowed her grief and put a smile on her face, glancing at her Aunt Karin.  “Come on.  Let’s head inside.”  Shepard tapped her temple with her index finger and added, “Mom and Liara are almost done making the last few final arrangements for the weekend, and they’ll meet us in the sitting room as soon as they finish up.”

Karin had chuckled when Sam glanced at her, roguish grin firmly in place.  Once her ‘niece’ fell silent, she commented, “I take it that by sitting room, you mean the bar.” 

“Yup, that’s the place.  The sitting room, the lounge… the bar… a space known by many names, depending on the time of day.  But, more important than how we refer to the room is what’s inside it.  I’ll have you know it is fully stocked with Serrice Ice.”  Dropping Kay’s hands, she swept a flattened hand in the direction of the house, in invitation.  “And readily available as an option for a pre-dinner drink… a toast to your visit and to Mom’s imminent… and well-deserved… promotion to Vice Admiral!”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 13 June 2189

Saturday morning brought a pleasant breakfast out-of-doors, on the patio overlooking the Estate’s central flower gardens, where the group sat and talked as they ate.  Kay chatted about the students and the future of the school.  “It’s looking very promising, actually.  Our funding has been secured and we have a rather considerable number of new pupil applications.  I believe the long-lived stigma of our horrible failure with the BAaT program has finally faded.”  Her eyes met those of Samantha and Liara as she glanced between them.  “Largely, I think, due to the accomplishments of you two.  People have begun to realize that biotics don’t automatically grow up to become the uncontrollable monsters they feared.”

“We certainly didn’t start well… especially with groups like Cerberus and places like where Jack ended up.”  Shepard smiled sadly and glanced at Karin as she said, “And, I still remember that day in the clinic.”

“You mean when you blew up my med bed?”  Karin nodded knowingly.  “You were so angry… frightened and distraught, all at the same time.  Even after all these years, I’m still not sure which upset you the most.”

“Honestly?” Samantha replied.  “I think, more than anything, it was simply adolescent embarrassment!  I didn’t fit in anywhere because I was the only Human biotic on-station, and it made me feel horribly lonely… and scared that I was going to be sent off to some special training school.”

Hannah looked at her daughter, surprised at the admission.  “Samantha Shepard!  I would never…”

“I know, Mom… at least not voluntarily.”  Sam shook her head.  “But you have to admit, if the station commander had insisted, you wouldn’t have had a choice.”

“I… we… would have come up with something.”  Hannah glanced between Sam and Karin as she shook her head in absolute denial.  “After the loss of your father, we promised we would never leave you with strangers, ever again, and we would have kept that promise to you… even if it meant I had to separate from the Alliance.”

“Then I’m glad you didn’t have to choose between me and your career, Vice Admiral Shepard.”  Sam smiled.  “Because the Alliance would have lost the both of us, as I never would have joined an organization which forced you out before you were ready.”

Liara gave Samantha’s thigh a comforting squeeze under the table.  “Then it’s good for all of us, because if that had happened, I never would have been rescued by the positively gorgeous Human who has become half of my heart and soul.”

Shepard blushed lightly and responded quietly, “Thanks, Li… but I know I would be the one all the lesser for not having met you.”

Chuckling softly at the adorable young couple, Hannah asked, “So… what’s on tap for today?”

“Well,” started Sam, “Liara and I normally head over to the fitness training area, do some warmups and run the obstacle course, then head into the training center to exercise our biotics, ending with a few sparring rounds.”  A grin slipped onto her face as she asked in challenge, “Care to join us for any of that?”

She was surprised when her mother answered with, “Absolutely!  At least for the warmups and obstacle course.”  Hannah shrugged and continued, “Obviously, I need to skip the biotics session so, at that point I’ll take my leave and let you continue your workout.  I do maintain my unarmed combat proficiencies, as required by Alliance regulations, but I do not believe I care to spar with either of you two.”  With a quiet chuckle, she finished, “I’d hate to end up with a blackeye just before my ceremony… and the necessity of trying to explain it to Admiral Lindholm.”

“That’ll be great!”  Samantha smiled and promptly added, “You joining us on the obstacle course, that is… not needing to explain a blackeye!  And, for the sake of the limited time we all have together, we’ll skip the sparring as well.”  Turning to their other guests, she asked, “And what about you two?”

Karin grinned.  “I assume you’ll allow us access to the weapons range?”

“Of course,” answered Liara.  “Are you speaking of our pistol and shotgun range – which is the one you know about in the outdoor fitness area – or do you want to try out our new assault and sniper course?  That one has been built since you were last here and is out a bit from the Estate… but I am positive more than a few of the commandos would love an excuse to head out and do some target practice.  Or, maybe even go on a game hunt, instead?”

“Oh, goodness no.  Nothing like that.”  Karin waved her hand in dismissal.  “Just the small-arms range, where I can practice with my service pistol, that’s all.”

“The Alliance still using the M-5 as basic issue?”  Shepard immediately perked up, getting a chance to talk about weapons, and asked an additional question without waiting for an answer, “Or have they decided to let people use their own specialty pistols because of war shortages?”

“The Phalanx?  Yes… they are… and, no, they aren’t allowing soldiers to use whatever they can get their hands on.”  Hannah jumped in and answered before Karin had a chance, her eyes twinkling as she added, “But, senior officers are issued the N7 Eagle.”  Her gaze shifted to Karin as she finished, “Which I have with me, if you care to give it a try.”

“Oh, I would love to fire one again!” Karin exclaimed.  “But you must remember I serve on a Spectre vessel, Hannah.”  She grinned and continued, “So the Alliance brass has no say over what pistol… or even which type of weapon… I can use.  Long ago, Samantha procured an N7 Hurricane for me, with all the bells and whistles!”  She smirked and ended with, “Of course she… and then Ashley… let me keep it, so, if you come along with us, you can give that a try.”

Shepard laughed at the one-upmanship that was going on and stated, “Now hang on just a minute.  We have Aethyta and Mozia showing up at lunch time, so how about everyone sticks around here for the morning, then we all go out to the ranges for the afternoon.  I can’t imagine either of them not wanting to come along for the fun.”

“Seriously?  Including Mozia?” Kay asked.

“Yes, somewhat surprising, isn’t it?”  It was Liara who answered.  “She had never trained as a commando but insisted on doing a supply check with Dad during the war… and they ended up having a rather close run-in with a Reaper Destroyer.  Since then, she has focused on maintaining at least a basic proficiency in both her biotics and various weapons for self-defense.”

Her face split in a grin as she added, “Surprisingly, Dad is actually an exceptionally good instructor, but options within Armali city are rather limited, other than simulators.  So, Mozia seldom passes up an opportunity to spend time at the pistol range while they are here…”  She paused and shrugged, adding, “Because we all know simulators, no matter how good, still just aren’t the same as the real thing.”

“Exactly.”  Shepard chuckled softly.  “So, if you’d care to wait, you’ll also have access to an Acolyte pistol, Mozia’s weapon of choice, and a modified Blood Pack Executioner… Aethyta’s, of course, which is a relatively new acquisition; a gift from Wrex after the war.”

“Isn’t that somewhat like the Carnifex?” asked Hannah.

“Yes.”  Shepard nodded.  “Pretty similar in weight and accuracy, but it has twenty-five percent higher capacity, fires a little bit faster and has almost twice the stopping power of the M-6.  The thing’s a beast, and Aethyta doesn’t go anywhere without it.”  She smiled as she looked at Karin, adding, “It, too, has all the bells and whistles, so you’d better be careful.  With the ultralight upgrade and a scope, it’s a pretty sweet weapon, cutting the weight in half and bumping up the accuracy by as much as thirty-five percent.  It’s not a semi-auto, but once you use it, you just might change your mind.  I think it’s a perfect pistol for close-quarters fighting… especially for a warrior-doc such as yourself, defending any patients you may have in Med Bay.”

“So, if you tease me with all the advantages of such a weapon and I end up liking it, would you be able to procure me a replacement for my Hurricane?”

Samantha gave the military doctor a knowing smirk and answered, “You kidding?  With my connections to Wrex and Bakara?  I could probably have it in hand, painted in Alliance colors, by month’s end.  I do have to warn you, though; Aethyta doesn’t have a scope on hers.  She uses a power magnifier instead, to bump her biotics.”

“And you don’t have a single scope in your inventory that would fit it?”

“A basic 2x?  Sure, we have a few.”  Shepard laughed.  “But the real question is if Thyta will let anyone mess with her pistol to actually put one on it.”

-------------------------------

The obstacle course was fun, and most definitely more of a group activity than a competition.  It took them much longer to finish certain obstacles with Karin and Hannah in the mix than it normally did with their regular group of biotic commandos, but no one cared.  It made for an enjoyable afternoon, particularly with the squeals of apprehensive delight as the non-biotics were tossed from one commando to another, in order to complete the high-wall challenge.

“By the Gods, Sam!  You do this all the time?” exclaimed a breathless Hannah once she had reached the upper platform.  “Do you always toss people around like sacks of potatoes?”

“Pretty much, Mom.”  Samantha was surprisingly somber as she replied.  “I’ve never forgotten how Mike died… and then Bethany Westmoreland.  I’ll be damned if anyone ever falls again.  Not on my watch…  So, as a precaution, we practice constantly at catching and tossing people, hoping no one ever has to go through what I did back then, over some stupid mistake, moment of carelessness… or just a bad break.”

Hannah’s eyes teared up and she hugged her daughter.  “Oh, Sam,” was all she could say.

“It’s okay, Mom,” she answered with a gentle smile.  “It seems like Mike died a lifetime ago… and, for me, I guess he did,” she added with something of a hesitant chuckle, glancing at Liara.  “Maybe even two lifetimes ago.”

Even Liara managed to smile slightly at Sam’s wry comment, having – once the Quarian War had finished – finally gotten over her previously constant fear of her bondmate dying.  Shepard had promised to be more mindful of the risks she was willing to take and had proven true to her word.  Over time, Liara had become convinced the no-longer-reckless Vanguard genuinely worked at staying alive to see the realization of their plans for the future, so she was no longer consumed with dread.

Liara was comfortable enough with their circumstances, she even managed to come back with, “And we’re focusing on not making it a third… right, Shepard?”

Samantha laughed and wrapped an arm around Liara’s waist, a broad smile accompanying her response.  “Absolutely, Anam Cara.  Absolutely.”  Glancing around the platform, she grinned mischievously, her eyes dancing in anticipation.  “So… if you thought coming up was fun, just wait until you experience going down!”

-------------------------------

The afternoon at the range had gone splendidly but, in the end, Karin opted to stay with her Hurricane.  Aethyta had been gracious enough to let the good doctor shoot the Krogan pistol, but only after she had personally modified it with the 2x scope.  Once she had handed it over to the woman on the range, Karin soon realized the grip on the Punisher was too large to be comfortable in her relatively small hands.  After firing only three rounds, she had handed the weapon back.  “Sam was most definitely correct; that is one Hell of a pistol… but obviously designed for someone of larger stature than me.  I can barely wrap my hand around the grip!”

Aethyta had been grinning as she took it back.  “You still fired it like nobody’s business, Karin… every one of them in the circle.  Nicely done.”

Karin chuckled softly.  “Thank you, Aethyta… but it’s not exactly much of a challenge with a properly mounted scope.  Thank you, for being willing to change it up so I could fire it.  After Sam talked it up so much, I couldn’t stand the idea of not getting to at least try it.”  She shrugged.  “I will say it fired much more smoothly than I anticipated for a Krogan weapon of such power.  It does pack a wallop!” 

They were still talking about the day now behind them as they sat down for dinner.  “The Punisher’s power is one of the reasons I like it so much.  But…”  The Matriarch chuckled and stretched her fingers out to show the size of her hand as she acknowledged the difference in size from the doctor.  “… my hands are quite a bit larger than yours, so I can see why you’d be a bit uncomfortable with it.  It’s too bad because it’s an excellent, reliable sidearm.”

Samantha’s satisfied smile was full of joy as she added, “I simply like that everyone prefers something different… so we can all fire lots of different things when we bring them together on the range.  Never a dull moment around this place!”

“Never heard anything more true, Shepard!”  Aethyta barked out a laugh.  “Speaking of exciting things that happen here…”  She paused and looked around the dinner table, raising a glass.  “I know… me making a toast… no surprise there.  However, I think something important, at least to House T’Soni, has been forgotten with everything else going on this weekend.”  Her glance shifted to Hannah.  “Not to take anything away from the well-deserved achievement of making Vice Admiral, but tomorrow brings an anniversary of sorts as well.”

She let her gaze wander the group sitting at the table, only Riana responding with a knowing look.  Aethyta gave her a nod.  Riana smiled and stood, raising her glass in answer as she said, “To Spectre Shepard… on the eve of her one-year anniversary of being free from the Alliance, opening the door to becoming a true citizen of Thessia.”

Shepard stared at her fellow Vanguard in shock, a bit of a contemplative frown forming on her face as she asked, “Shit…  Has it really been only a year?”  She shook her head and shrugged.  “Seems like a lot longer, and not something necessarily worth celebrating.”  She looked at Aethyta, about to offer an explanation, but Liara cut her off.

“I disagree.”  Liara’s face held an apologetic smile for Sam.  “I am prepared to be less… accepting… of the Alliance than you, Siame.  They were relentless in their abuse of your abilities, all while never honestly believing you about the Reapers.  They went so far as to get you killed, for Goddess sake, and abandoned you to the wastes of Alchera!”  Her gaze shifted between Hannah and Kahlee before settling on Karin.  “I’m sure you all know I find no fault with the people in this room for the actions of the Alliance leadership.  I fully realize each of you supported Samantha… and Karin, especially, who tried to get her the downtime… us the downtime… we needed during the war, all to no avail.”

She focused back on Sam as she continued, “I, for one, felt you waited much too long to submit your resignation.  You should have done it as soon as the Alliance ignorantly thought to brand you a traitor for working with Cerberus, but I know you couldn’t do it then, because it would have likely proved their point.”

Surprising them all, it was Hannah who picked up the dialogue.  “I have to admit, even I agree with Liara.  Once you were back in the good graces of the Alliance, even if it did take the Reapers landing on Earth to make them fully realize just how irresponsible they had been, you should have done it as soon as you could.  It would have made it impossible for Steven… and I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but I can’t help it in this situation… but it would have been much more difficult for Steven to order you to do some of the things he did… like forcing you into custody.  You were a Spectre!  You should have been out doing… whatever!”

“All of which was necessary to keep us out of a war with the Batarians, Mom… and you know it,” Shepard responded resolutely.  “We all did what we had to do in order to ensure the galaxy’s survival.  If Admiral Hackett couldn’t order me to do the tasks he needed done, he still would have asked…”  She let out a quiet sigh as she glanced resignedly at Liara.  “… and I would have still done them so, to be honest with ourselves, my actual status never really mattered.”

“Fuck all that,” groused Aethyta.  “None of that matters, because beside it all, your resignation was the first step in your journey toward becoming an Asari citizen, so screw the whys and whens of it!  You’re one of us now… and I’m damned proud to call you family!”

Shepard looked at her for a moment in total silence, before finally laughing quietly and shaking her head in grudging acknowledgment.  “All right, Aethyta… however much it pains me to say it, you may be right.”  She pointed at the Matriarch and continued, “But we celebrate only this once!  From this day forward, the only day we celebrate regarding this issue is the twentieth of October… the day I actually gained my Thessian citizenship.  Agreed?”

Aethyta looked her in the eyes, remaining silent for a moment of her own before responding, “Agreed, Shepard.  And, so long as you keep my Little Wing happy, it’ll stay that way.”

“Thyta!”  Mozia reached over and slapped her on the arm.  “Don’t be so… I don’t even know what to call it!”

At that, Shepard laughed aloud.  “Fatherly?”  She reached over and took Liara’s hand, saying, “I completely understand the desire to love and protect her.  I feel the exact same way, every single day of my life.”  She chuckled again before adding, “The ones you should feel sorry for are our future children.  I’m not gonna let them out of my sight until they’re 80!” 

While everyone laughed over the ridiculousness of such a statement, Shepard released Liara’s hand to pick up her own glass and raise it high, to match those of Aethyta and Riana.  Samantha’s eyes roamed the room, glinting with appreciation and love for all those within, each raising their drink in unity as she said, “To family!”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 14 June 2189

“Good morning.”  Liara’s blue eyes shined bright in the dawn, the sunlight just beginning to filter through the sheer drapery covering the balcony doors.

“Gods, T’Soni.”  Shepard’s forehead creased as she asked, “What’s wrong?  Why are you awake before I am?”

“I had a dream that woke me.  A rather pleasant one, I admit…but no matter how good the dream, it’s always much better in person.”

Sam felt a surge of desire as fragments of the dream floated across the link.  “Oh!”  Smiling, she rolled up on her side and caressed the cheek of her Ionúin Álainn.  “You need me to take care of that for you?”

Liara grinned, a hint of mischief in her eyes as she replied, “I don’t necessarily need you to… but I would be most appreciative if you chose to volunteer…”  She slid across the last few centimeters necessary to place a gentle kiss on the tip of Samantha’s nose.

“Well… I am kinda hungry.”  Shepard was having a hard time keeping a straight face as she continued teasingly, “Can it wait until after breakfast?”  She also couldn’t control the images that slipped through the link, regarding all the things she was willing to do with the magnificent being lying with her in their bed.

“Goddess, Samantha!”  Liara felt her insides flutter before Shepard ever laid a hand on her.  “You are incorrigible!”

“Hey.  You’re the one who brought it up.”  Shepard swept a few troublesome strands of hair off her face, tucking them behind her ear as she laughingly responded, “But yes, I am… especially when it comes to you.  And, if we’re being honest, it’s also one of the reasons you love me so!”

-------------------------------

Once Shepard and Liara joined the group, the Sunday before the promotion ceremony was quite busy, with additional guests showing up throughout the day.  Wrex made an appearance, as did Sharon Culver and Adrien Burns.  Like Hannah had, Sharon saw the uncanny resemblance immediately and, even though she and Samantha hadn’t been a couple for a long time, went immediately to the woman she still called Mom. 

“Who the Hell is she?”  Sharon’s brow was wrinkled, a combination of curiosity and consternation coloring her words.  “I can’t imagine never hearing about someone who could be Sam’s damn twin… so it makes me wonder.”

Hannah’s lips held the trace of a smirk as she replied, “Always the protective one when it comes to our Samantha, aren’t you?”

“You know it… and you’re dodging my question.”  Sharon put her hands on her hips and cocked her head in irritation.  “So, spit it out.  Where’s she from and how long have you known her?”  Sharon gave the new arrival a puzzled glance as she continued, “She some long-lost black sheep no one wants to admit is part of the family?  And… if that’s the case… what the Hell is she doing here?  Another one of Sam’s lost causes?”

“That wouldn’t be too far from the truth, actually,” Hannah chuckled.  “All except the ‘lost’ part.”  Hannah let out a contented sigh as a smile from their exchange still played on her lips.  “Come on.  Let’s take a walk in the gardens and I’ll give you some background.  You only have to promise to let me tell the full story without interruption.”

Sharon had to work hard at not speaking as Hannah relayed what Culver considered to be an incredible, borderline unbelievable story.  If she hadn’t already seen Adrien in the flesh, she would have accused Hannah of telling a tall tale, but the physical evidence spoke volumes.  Once Hannah finished and finally fell silent, the Special Operations commander’s first response was, “Well… shit.  That is most definitely not what I expected.,” followed quickly by the first of many questions.  “And Sam actually trusts her?”

“Yes, she does,” Hannah nodded.  “As do Liara, Spectre T’Dura… and I, only to name a few.  She has the loyalty of every person residing at Cliffside, Sharon… because she’s a decent Human being who managed to escape the clutches of Jack Harper with no ill effects, neither from her birth source nor that man’s twisted leadership.”

“Leadership?” huffed Sharon.  “That egomaniac didn’t have a leadership bone in his body.  He was a twisted, manipulative dictator and nothing more.”

“An accurate assessment spoken with conviction,” Hannah replied with a grin.  “You’ll get no argument from me on that one; poor choice of wording on my part.”  After a momentary pause, she asked, “So, shall we go back and see if Sam and Liara have returned from the lake yet?  You must know she’s eager to see you…  She’ll be mad she wasn’t in when you arrived.”

“No blame there; nobody could have known my trip would go so much better than planned.”  Sharon paused and stuck out her elbow, continuing as Hannah happily looped her arm through the one offered for their walk back to the house.  “If anything, I figured I’d be late.  I never anticipated getting here early… especially by a couple of hours.”  A grin spread across her face.  “But, honestly, it doesn’t matter what time I arrived and what time they finish up sailing, because it’s good enough to simply have the chance to see everyone.  It always feels like coming home when I show up here.  It’s kinda weird that way.”

“It is, isn’t it,” Hannah laughed, adding with a smirk.  “I know exactly what you mean.”

-------------------------------

Shepard’s face lit up the moment she saw who was standing on the docks awaiting their return to shore.  Liara chuckled knowingly, offering, “Just go, Siame.  We can get the boat secured and I’ll join you as soon as I can.  Woe be it for me to get in your way of a reunion with Sharon.”

With a quick kiss of thanks on the Asari’s cheek, Shepard vaulted off the bow of the boat as soon as they were close enough to the dock for her to make the biotic-assisted jump.  Landing with a solid thump, she crashed into her comrade-in-arms and wrapped her into a tight hug as she stated the obvious.  “You’re early!”

Sharon laughed softly, returning the embrace with enthusiasm.  “How astute of you to notice.”

Shepard chuckled in response, holding her by the shoulders and pushing out to arms’ length.  “You look good.  Life’s been treating you well, I guess.”

“Eh.  Fair to middling, I would say… but getting to come here is always good for me, both in body and, more importantly, in soul.”  Sharon grinned at the woman and added, “It’s good to see you, Shep… and you, too, are looking well.”  Glancing over her shoulder to the boat that was finally reaching the dock, she asked, “And Liara?  How’s she doing?”

“Everyone’s great, Sharon.”  Shepard’s face held an answering grin as she asked, “And, I presume, you already said hello to the gang…  Have you met Adrien, yet?”

“Yes.  Mom introduced us… after taking me on a walk through the gardens to explain who she is.”  Sharon cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, asking, “You sure about this one?”

“Not a doubt in my mind, or she wouldn’t be here.”

“So, it’s not one of those ‘keep your enemies closer’ deals?”  Culver still looked a bit skeptical.

“Absolutely not, Sharon.”  Shepard shrugged and added, “And you’ll be here long enough to judge for yourself if you’re still staying through the week… until after Alban Hefin?”

“Don’t worry… I’ll be here for the solstice party.”  Sharon wrapped an arm around Shepard’s shoulders and dragged her back toward the end of the dock.  “Come on.  I still need to say hello to Liara and the gang.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 15 June 2189

It was a good thing the promotion ceremony was scheduled in the afternoon, as the Sunday night party had lasted well past midnight.  Of course, conversely, the party likely lasted that long because everyone knew they had no early morning obligations.  Even Samantha had a hard time dragging herself out of bed at a decent hour, getting a bit less than eight hours of sleep after having not gone to bed until somewhere around 0200 hours.

Breakfast became brunch as the members of the household finally began moving about, and why the ceremony had been scheduled for so late in the afternoon became immediately obvious when they heard the roar of an arriving shuttle.  Hannah glanced out in surprise, narrowing her eyes as she looked back at her daughter.  “And just why, pray tell, is an Alliance shuttle setting down on your private landing pad, Samantha?”

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Shepard stood up while answering in an off-hand way, “Come on, Mom; get your shoes on.  It’s not polite to keep Fleet Admiral Lindholm waiting.”

“Ines is here?”  Hannah immediately began moving toward the door as she asked the question, slipping into the shoes she had left sitting on the mat near the exit.  “That woman in incredibly busy!  What have you gone and done, Samantha?”

“She didn’t do anything, Mom.”  Liara grinned.  “I did.”  Ignoring the scathing glance from Hannah, Liara calmly continued with her answer.  “I called Master Chief Tyberg to finalize the schedule and he quickly informed me the Admiral wished to speak to me directly.  When the video feed transferred over, she looked a bit… angry, shall I say?  So, naturally, I inquired as to if we had done something to upset her.”

“Yeah… she was a little annoyed alright.”  Shepard began to chuckle, remembering the surprise that zipped through the link from Liara, when the Admiral answered her question rather succinctly.  “Downright miffed, you might say.  She was pissed off that we thought so little of your promotion to Vice Admiral that we would even begin to assume it was something she would agree to do virtually.  She all but demanded we give them rooms for the night, because she and her aide would be arriving at lunch today to conduct the promotion ceremony in person.”

Liara took up the dialog again, continuing, “And, given the time change between here and Sol, they will be spending the night, with a return tomorrow morning.”

By then, they had made their way to the parking area and the shuttle’s door had begun to retract, the ramp extending at the same time.  The Fleet Admiral stepped purposely onto the still-moving platform and flashed a radiant smile at their hostess.  “Liara!  I had no idea your place was so beautiful!  I better understand Samantha’s eagerness to leave the Alliance and choose Thessia as her home… the Estate is positively gorgeous!”

Hannah snapped a salute and smiled at the woman.  “Welcome to my home away from home, Admiral.  Is this your first time on Thessia?”

Lindholm returned the salute… grudgingly… as she replied with a smile of her own, “Enough of the formality, Hannah.  Save it for the ceremony… we’re not even in uniform!  And no.  I’ve been to Thessia before, but never anywhere like this, that’s for sure.”  Looking back over her shoulder, she called out, “Coming Quinn?”

The man popped into view almost immediately.  “Yes, Ma’am.  Just grabbing the bags, Admiral.”

“Hey, Quinn.  Good to see you again.”  Shepard chuckled and waved.  “Give us a second and we’ll give you a hand with those.”

He gave her a thankful glance and a return wave.  “Appreciate that, Spectre.  Beautiful place you have here.”

“Thanks… but I can guarantee it’s even nicer once you find your way off that transport.”

“Roger that, Spectre.”  He gave a jerk of his head to indicate the woman who was still standing at the top of the ramp, blocking the exit.  “The brass muckety-muck has to move her ass first, though… unless you’re ready to catch the bags as I drop ‘em.”

Lindholm chuckled and started down the ramp, replying, “Sorry, Quinn.  Just taking my time admiring the view… kind of got sidetracked… and it’s right on the ocean!  It’s like a vacation to Rio… only better.  I’d be much harder to find here than there!”

“I’ll introduce you to my House Steward, Lyessa,” Liara laughed.  “Coordinate trips with her and you are more than welcome to come hide out here any time you like… or need,” she added.  “But first things first.  Have you eaten… or are you ready for some lunch?”

-------------------------------

The ceremony was relatively quick, with Admiral Lindholm first presenting Hannah with a Palladium Cross – for her exceptional service as the Alliance Interspecies Liaison for Post-War Recovery – followed immediately by Master Chief Tyberg reading her promotion order to Vice Admiral of the Alliance Navy.  As soon as he finished, Lindholm invited Samantha and Karin to pin on Hannah’s new rank, which they both completed with ease, having prepped their own uniforms for so many years. 

The last bit of official business was Hannah’s recital of the Alliance Service Oath, followed quickly by the verification thumbprints on the electronic recording, by both Admiral Lindholm and the Master Chief.  With the conclusion of the formal ceremony, Lindholm exchanged a quick salute with Hannah before smiling and stating, “Congratulations, Vice Admiral Shepard.  Never in my nearly forty years of service have I ever had the privilege of presiding over a promotion for someone so deserving.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity, and I truly look forward to your voice of reason being added to the Defense Committee.”

“Thank you, Ines.”  Hannah smiled.  “For the most part, it truly has been a pleasure to serve.  She glanced at Samantha as she added, “The past few years have been more than a bit difficult… for all of us.”  Looking back to her friend, she added, “But we all did what needed to be done.  It most certainly justified why we serve, did it not?”

“Oh, yes it did.”  Lindholm smiled and glanced around the room.  “And now, I do believe, it’s time to forget all those trial and tribulations for at least a little while.  Let’s celebrate!”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 15 June 2189

“So, you’re the new governor on Gellix.” 

It wasn’t a question and the almost accusatory tone definitely caught Adrien’s attention.  She looked up at the woman… strong jaw, square shoulders and, rather obviously, in extremely good physical condition – a lifetime warrior.  Adrien gave her a smile and replied, “Yes, a co-governor with the Krogan, currently led by Khel Brek.”  She then swung around in her chair and stood to meet the woman, sticking out her hand in introduction.  “Adrien Burns… and you look to be one of the Shepard family’s military friends.  Pleased to meet you.”

“Sharon Culver,” she answered curtly, taking the offered hand.  “And I’m not yet sure if I can say the same.  Hannah filled me in; she’s like a mother to me and Shepard is particularly important to me, as we’ve been friends for a long time… but the jury’s still out on you.”  Culver was surprised by the strength in the woman’s grip, then realized she shouldn’t be.  The woman is a Gods-be-damned clone of Shepard.  She drew a deep breath and blew it out before continuing, “But, I will say… I’ve never had reason to doubt Shep’s judgment and, even with this rather unexpected development, I don’t believe I’m inclined to start now, no matter who you might be or where you may have come from.”

“Well, that’s good to know.”  Adrien cocked her head, suddenly sensing there was more to the woman’s relationship with the Spectre than the two of them simply serving together in the military.  “I can promise you this – Shepard gave me a chance… something I sincerely doubt any others would have.  Of course, Spectre Moises T’Dura and Liara were in on the whole deal as well, so I owe them all.  I would never purposely do something to harm any of them… and, if called upon, I will do everything within my power to help them – whenever and wherever needed.”

Burns paused for a moment, finally dropping Sharon’s hand.  It was an odd thing… it had started as a simple handshake but had lasted far too long… the purpose behind it being anything but simple.  The strength in the grip, not crushing… but most definitely overly firm… made it seem as if Culver was searching for flaws or weakness through the contact, but Adrien hadn’t flinched.  When Adrien finally relaxed her answering grip, Culver actually smiled; a small upturn just on the corners of her mouth, but it was there.  Adrien noticed and one side of her own mouth turned up in response – an expression Culver recognized immediately.

“Well, fuck me,” she said softly, almost in a reverent whisper.  “You even have the damned Shepard smirk…  How in Hell?”

Unable to stop herself, Adrien started to chuckle.  “I know, right?  Who knew such a thing would be coded into genetics?  Hannah told me the same thing… surprised the crap out of me.  I mean… really?  An identical smile?”

At that, even Sharon had to laugh.  “Smile?  That’s what you call it?”  In spite of the unique circumstances, she grinned and shook her head.  “That’s no smile.  That’s Samantha’s insolent smirk… and it’s gotten her into and out of more trouble than you could even begin to imagine.”

“You don’t say?”  Adrien’s voice piqued in interest.  “That sounds as if there are more than a few stories to tell.  Would you care to join me?”  With a quick wave of her hand, she indicated the empty chair across from her at the table where she was sitting.  “I’d love to swap stories with you… you can get to know me better and I get to learn more about both you and Samantha.  I’m more than happy to answer any questions you may have about me so, I do believe, it should be a win-win.”

In direct contrast to her normal innate caution, Sharon found herself immediately liking the woman’s forthrightness.  Shep says she’s good people… so I suppose I shouldn’t turn down the offer to see if it’s the truth.  I have a few days here, but Adrien will be gone tomorrow…  She glanced at Shepard and Hannah, involved in conversation with Admiral Lindholm, who would also be leaving the next morning, and agreed.  Walking around the table and pulling out the chair, Sharon responded, “That sounds like an offer I shouldn’t refuse… and open and honest communication is never a bad thing… not in my book, anyway.”

-------------------------------

Liara had been the first to notice.  After chatting with Lindholm, Shepard was having fun getting caught up with all her friends – Karin and Kahlee, Wrex, Sharon – while Hannah seemed to have picked up a disquieting smidge of melancholy.  Following a gentle prod from her bondmate, Shepard responded immediately, easily excusing herself from her friends with the explanation of wanting to spend some time with the guest of honor.

“Hey, Mom.”  Shepard walked up and wrapped her arm gently around the woman’s waist.  “It’s a beautiful night… and a bit stuffy in here.  Care to join me for a stroll along the beach?”

Smiling softly, Hannah replied, “That sounds lovely, Sam.  Are you sure you want to leave all your friends here?  It’s a rare occasion when you have time to get them all together like this.”

“They’ll all still be here in the morning, though how agreeable they’ll be when they wake up definitely remains to be seen.”  Shepard chuckled quietly.  “I see you far less than any of them, except for maybe Sharon.  Besides, you’re my Mom, so time with you trumps them all.”

“And you’re my daughter, so if you invite me for a stroll on that beautiful beach of yours, who am I to say no?”  A smile came to Hannah’s face.  “Come on, let’s go.”

They went out one of the side doors and made their way to the beach without saying a word, accompanied only by the sounds of the night.  Little mouse-like creatures scurried from the path as the vibrations of Human footfalls increased, the foliage along the edges of the route rustling quietly with their hasty departures, and the calls of night birds on the prowl were soon overshadowed by the roar of the surf on the shore.

Somewhere along the way they had linked hands, fingers intertwined comfortably as they strolled along.  Samantha stopped, also halting Hannah’s progress, and closed her eyes as she drew a deep breath of the warm, moist air.  “Doesn’t matter how many times I come down here… it always reminds me of Rio.”

Sam sounded almost forlorn, so Hannah smiled sadly as her brow wrinkled in apprehension.  “Is that a good thing… or bad?  Please tell me it doesn’t constantly assault you with sour memories of Nikki.  She’s long since been relegated to your past, Sam… or, should have been, at least.”

“No, nothing to do with Nik… it’s just the sounds.  The overwhelming presence of the ocean… it’s vast power…  Rio was good to me and I always loved going there.”  She opened her eyes to meet her mother’s questioning gaze.  “You don’t need to worry about Nikki, Mom.  She definitely remains a piece of my history, and you’re spot-on...  I let her go a long time ago.”

“That’s good to know.”  Hannah stared out across the vast water before her and let out a quiet sigh, which Samantha immediately picked up upon.

“So, what’s bugging you?”  Shepard gave her mom’s hand a gentle squeeze.  “You’ve been surprisingly quiet, when tonight was supposed to be a celebration of your promotion.”

Hannah did not reply immediately, so Sam remained quiet, waiting her out and giving her time to formulate a response.  When she finally did speak, her response was flooded with emotion.

“You’ve let go of Nikki, but I must say… I need to follow my own advice.  Letting go of my past… of your father… has been a bit of a challenge.  At times like this, I can’t help but think of David… and how, sometimes, I still miss him so much, even after all this time.” 

A sad smile crossed Hannah’s face as she continued, “There’s just so much that’s happened in our lives, sometimes I’m simply amazed we’re all still here… I wish David was, too… to see all that you’ve accomplished; he would be so proud.  And you?  Given the number of times you’ve been so close to death… with one stint of actually being dead, for Gods’ sake!”  She huffed and shook her head, continuing, “By any definition of dead I’ve ever understood, anyway.”

She paused and looked up to see Samantha’s eyes shining back at her in the moonlight.  “I’ve had my heart broken and patched back together so many times, I’m not sure how many more I can survive, Sam.”  Her throat tightened, but she swallowed and kept on.  “When I got that call from the command deck about your dad, I honestly didn’t know what I would do… how I could face you.  But when I finally arrived, it was you that put on such a brave face…” 

She suddenly smiled and laughed through the tears that had started to fall.  “You shamed me into being tougher than I ever thought I could be.  Even then, you were my rock, Samantha; the one that gave me purpose and kept me going.”

Sam couldn’t help it as tears started to find their way out of the corners of her own eyes.  She leaned in to hug her mom as she asked in confusion, “What brought all this up?  Why now, Mom?  The promotion ceremony?”

“Not at all… the ceremony was wonderful, Sam.  Thank you for insisting upon it.”  Hannah gave her a quick squeeze and pushed back.  “Believe it or not, it was your comment about being worried I would send you off to a biotic training school.”

“What?”  Sam’s brow furrowed in consternation.  “How in the Hell?  I don’t understand why that would bother you, especially now, so many years later.”

“Oh, Sam.”  Hannah dropped her head and gave it a little shake before looking along the shoreline again.  She reached out and took Samantha’s hand once more as she started to walk.  “Come on… I’ll try to explain.”

Hannah began speaking again as they strolled down the beach.  “Your comment sent me back in time… and, at first, I couldn’t understand how you could even think such a thing, but then it dawned on me – you were so young and had spent all that time with your dad.  You didn’t really know me anymore.  I suddenly felt inexplicably guilty for not being around more, for not being closer to you… especially when that happened, when you needed me most.”

“That’s crazy, Mom!”  Samantha pulled up short, turning her mother toward her.  “I never, ever blamed you or Dad for me having to stay with one or the other… and I most certainly never started to forget either one of you just because I didn’t see you in person every day!  After Dad was killed, I did need you, Mom.  Nothing against Aunt Karin for stepping in to take care of me like she did when it first happened.  I’m thankful she showed up so quickly and got me out of that group home… but, even so, I was incredibly relieved when you arrived and walked off that transport.”  Shepard pulled her mom into loving hug, holding her tight. 

Hannah fell into the embrace, wrapping her arms around her daughter.  “But I should have been there, Sam… and I should have told you more about how I felt back then.”

“No, Mom…  I was only a kid who had lost her dad… but you had also lost your husband and were doing the best you could to get through it.  I never held that against you.”  Samantha smiled softly.  “I was always so proud of the two of you… fighting pirates and mercs.  I actually thought it was really cool… and after Dad’s death?  Then, I really wanted to grow up to be just like you.” 

Shepard actually chuckled, releasing Hannah so she could wipe the budding tears from her eyes.  “You obviously have no idea how much I looked up to you, or you’d never think such a thing.  Your strength through it all?  You were the main reason I ended up joining the Alliance.”

“May the Gods forgive me for that…”  Hannah actually managed a smirk as she added, “… for everything the Alliance has done to you since that day.”  She let out a sigh and continued, “At the very least, I should have told you about the pact Karin and I made after your second eezo exposure…” 

Shepard said nothing, just looked at her expectantly, so Hannah continued, “We vowed you would never be without one or the other of us, that we would never send you away – to school for training, or any other reason – ever.  It would be your choice as to when you left us to go your own way.  We agreed to do everything we could to ensure you would never experience such a feeling of loss or abandonment ever again.  You became my entire life…  After I lost your dad, my whole reason to go on living was to see you grow up as happy as I could manage.”

“Wow.”  Shepard stared at her for a moment in contemplative silence.  “But what about you, Mom?  Your career?  Your life?  From a kid’s perspective, you and Karin seemed to just be doing your normal stuff… living your normal lives… but now, I have to wonder how many career opportunities the two of you passed up for me.”

“I can’t speak for Karin, but nothing I have ever regretted; I’ll tell you that.”  Hannah smiled at her daughter.  “You truly are my pride and joy, Sam.  I am so damned proud of you!”

Samantha laughed it off, somewhat embarrassed by the vehemence in her mother’s comment.  “If only you had made it to the Defense Committee sooner!  Maybe we wouldn’t have been so ignorant going into the Reaper War!”

“No.”  Hannah shook her head.  “Most likely, they would have written off any opinion I may have given, chalking it up to my inexperience and you being my daughter.  It just would have gotten me killed along with the rest of them.  I’m glad I wasn’t there, so that couldn’t happen, thank the Gods.  I honestly believe everything worked out just the way it was supposed to.”  She smiled softly, adding, “I see it as a blessing…  Do you remember me saying anything about having turned down a promotion when I thought you were dead?”

“Only vaguely… but now that you mention it, yes, I do.”  Samantha stared at her and asked, “Whatever for?  What prompted you to do that?”

“Because I needed to be out there… fighting the good fight!”  Hannah nodded, as if affirming to herself it had been the correct decision.  “I couldn’t see me behind a desk at some headquarters – not after you had died trying to convince people the Reapers were coming.  I needed to honor you by staying out there… getting as many people as possible ready for the coming war.”  Hannah met Sam’s eyes and added, “I just had to, so I turned down the promotion and asked Hackett to leave me in the Fleet.”

“Which he obviously did,” Sam replied.

“Yes.  He left me on the Kilimanjaro as the over-ranked executive officer… until I found out you were actually alive and breathing.  I’d say alive and well… but I know you were having a tough go of it when you first came back.”

“Yeah… I was.  Coming back and having everyone deny me… actually doubt my very existence, was… I don’t know.  Hurtful?”  Sam’s face held a pained smile.  “I look back on that and realize just how hard it must have been for people to believe.”  She shook her head and the smile became more honest.  “Tali took it at face value… Garrus, too.  But all the others?  I had to work to convince each and every one.”

“Everyone?”  Hannah looked at her daughter in amazement, before understanding lit in her eyes.  “Everyone… meaning Liara.”

“Actually, no.  I was mostly referring to Ashley… but yeah, Liara as well… although she had different reasons for remaining emotionally distant.”

“She was scared… by the guilt she carried.”  Hannah nodded.  “I remember us talking about the outcome of your first contact… that horrible vid call.”  Then, she smiled and added, “But I also remember the ecstatic message I received from Liara after you finally made it to Illium and had a chance to talk it out.  At that moment, I knew all of us were going to be just fine.”

“I’m glad one of us knew it…” Shepard shook her head softly.  “I sure as Hell didn’t; not then, anyway… not until the Reapers were dead and I finally woke up that one day at Royal London Hospital with everyone finally home and coming to visit me.”

Hannah actually laughed and repeated the exact same phrase she had uttered mere moments before.  “Everyone… meaning Liara.”

“Yeah… it always comes back to her, doesn’t it?  I can’t help myself.”  Shepard grinned.  “But, in this case, I’m also talking about you, Karin, Aethyta… the whole gang who survived.  It would have left me empty if none of you had survived along with me… because we couldn’t have done what we did without every single one of you playing your assigned part.”

“And you shouldn’t have tried.”  Hannah gave her daughter a loving smile.  “I don’t know how many times I thought about you and Liara during the war.  Wondering where you were and how you were doing, praying to the Gods for your safe return from every mission.”  She huffed in exasperation and continued, “I don’t know why I bothered… you two, together, are an unstoppable force.  I should have simply sat back and had faith.  It would have saved me a few gray hairs!”

“You never know, Mom… maybe it was all those prayers that brought us back every time.”  Samantha laughed, her heart lighter from their chatter.  “So, enough reminiscing about the past; it’s time to look to our futures… like this promotion.  What’s up next for you?  I know you’re headed to the Defense Committee… but what comes after that?  You know that when you retire, you’re always welcome here, be it next year or 20 years from now.”

“I’m not quite ready for that yet, believe me.  But after the Committee?  I’m not really sure.”  Hannah drew a deep breath.  “My preference would be to go back to the Fleet… maybe as a vice commander on one of the dreadnoughts… though, I imagine, it will be time for a stint at a Headquarters, in whatever capacity they may need me.  But, quite honestly, I have no idea where my career will take me.  We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

After only a momentary pause, Samantha replied, “Yes, we will.”

“And what about you and Liara?” Hannah asked.  “You planning to stay with the Spectres… or take another path, now that the war is truly finished?”

“Like you, we don’t know.”  Shepard smiled and jerked her head to indicate she was ready to walk again.  Starting down the beach for the third time, she continued, “Short term?  I’d like to get to know Adrien… now, there’s an unexpected result from all of this.”

“You certainly have that right!” Hannah exclaimed.  “A daughter I never gave birth to, yet most definitely a Shepard… a twin to the original you, and a few years younger, based on appearances.  But she hasn’t been through everything you have, either, and who knows what to expect from the cloning process.  It’s uncharted territory.” 

“Huh.”  Shepard pursed her lips.  “I hadn’t really thought about it, but I guess it’s possible she’s younger.  With the accelerated growth rates in the tanks, it’s hard to assign an exact age.  The history created for her has her birth date set as 29 January 2154.  The day is correct, she just shifted the year back from her actual awakening in 2184.”  Releasing a quiet huff of frustration, she finished, “It still all sounds so… weird.”

Hannah couldn’t help but to laugh at her daughter’s tone but, at the same time, was in total agreement.  “Yes, it does… and that’s because it is weird.  We’ve had the technology for years… but no one, at least until Jack Harper, had both the finances and the complete lack of legal morality to actually make a Human being.”

“I definitely think it could set a dangerous precedent.”  Shepard blew out a heavy breath.  “Of course, that’s only if word gets out about his success.  The challenge is that we have no idea how many of the researchers who created the clones actually survived the war, if any.  So, we simply have to sit back and hope it never comes to light; that it gets buried in the annals of history.”

Hannah voiced the thought that had just popped into her mind.  “What of Miranda Lawson?  She was totally involved, not only in your rebuild after Alchera, but in mending your body after you were nearly incinerated by Harbinger.  She must have kept some research notes from Lazarus Station.”

Samantha cocked her head in contemplation for a few moments.  “That’s a good question, Mom… one I should put to her next time we’re together.  Truthfully, I’d be surprised if she didn’t have any notes from that time.”

“Well, there’s really no sense in wasting time worrying about something like that until it actually becomes a problem,” Hannah shrugged.  “With all the technology we have now, it was bound to happen sooner or later.  I guess we simply cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Exactly!” answered Samantha.  “So, anyway… back to your question about Liara’s and my plans.  Barring any new galactic war or massive reemergence of criminal activity, we are planning to settle in for a little while… taking only essential missions from the Council; personal requests for assistance, so to speak.  She’ll keep her Brokerage links open… and we’ll handle anything that pops up, with simple patrol runs in between.  Quite honestly, we’re ready for some downtime... and will probably take as much as the galaxy is willing to give us.”

Hannah chuckled softly.  “And you honestly think the Council is going to let you do that?”

“They don’t really have a choice, do they?” Shepard smirked.  “Obviously, we’ll maintain our readiness but, to be honest, we haven’t finalized our plans, so I have yet to say anything about it to Tevos.  Not only is she our lead, but she’s also very much aware of everything we’ve been through.  Simply knowing we’ll be keeping watch on galactic events, I think she’ll be fine with us taking some time off for ourselves.  The rest of the councilors are big question marks.”

“I must say, I do like the councilor.”  Hannah bobbed her head in approval.  “She’s open and honest… and has definitely been in your corner throughout this whole ordeal.  You couldn’t have asked for a better representative.”

“No, we couldn’t… which was a big piece in my decision to become a Thessian citizen.”  Shepard frowned.  “As a whole, the Asari in my life have treated me better than Alliance Command ever did, Mom.”  She looked at Hannah, adding, “Present company… and a few others… excluded, of course.  So many of the top brass simply treated me as sacrificial meat… it disgusted me and made Liara so angry she couldn’t see straight.”  Drawing a deep breath, she met her mother’s eyes and asked, “I hope my decision to leave Sol didn’t hurt you.”

“Not a bit, so wipe that worried frown off your face and don’t give it a second thought!”  Hannah pulled her in for a quick hug before adding, “And I love Liara…  She’s the best daughter-in-law a mother could ever ask for!”  She chuckled before continuing, “So… short term involves getting to know Adrien and finding some normalcy in your lives… but I know you.  That will become boring in no time so, what’s after that?”

Samantha’s expression brightened and a loving smile took over her lips as she thought about a future with her Ionúin Álainn.  “My dream is to eventually focus solely on being Captain of the Guard to House T’Soni… and to escort Liara all over the galaxy to find everything she can regarding the Protheans.”  She grinned at her mom as she continued, “Before I met her, Liara was a young, enthusiastic, and driven archeologist… and the only being in the entire galaxy who had postulated any theories regarding the Reapers and the recurring mass-casualty events that had wiped some untold number of civilizations from existence.”

Shepard chuckled and shook her head.  “Everyone looks to me as their savior… but, honestly?  That title goes to Doctor Liara T’Soni.  Without her, I never would have even known about the Reapers… nor would I have been able to make any sense of the messages from the beacons… at least not before they had shredded my brain into mush.”

Samantha’s joviality faded into awe and reverence as she continued, “After Alchera… I would have remained dead…  We never would have made it to the Collector homeworld… or found the Mars Archive plans for the Crucible in time.  She’s the real hero, not me.”

“And I say it was the team effort, Sam.”  Hannah smiled softly and squeezed her daughter’s hand.  “Liara’s not a warrior… it took both of you… it took all of us, working together, to send those abominations into oblivion.  But you and Liara?  There is no doubt that the two of you were the tip of an exceptionally long spear.”  Hannah grinned and added, “And I think you becoming the full-time Captain of the House T’Soni Guard is an absolutely wonderful goal!  One which you should find your way to sooner, rather than later.  You’ve done enough for the galaxy… it’s well past time for you to go do something for you.”

“Soon, Mom, but not quite yet.  We still have a few loose ends to clean up.”  Shepard laughed and dropped her mom’s hand.  “But you’re wrong about Liara…  When it comes to protecting the people she loves?  She’s the fiercest mama bear I have ever had the privilege of fighting with.”  Tapping her temple, she added, “And, she says our absence has finally been noted and that, perhaps, it’s time we return to the house.  You ready to go back?”

“Yes, I am… and thank you, Samantha.”  Hannah turned back toward the house and started walking, a smile on her face.  “I do feel better… and I’m still here for a few more days.  I am very much looking forward to enjoying the Solstice together… as part of the family, along with you and House T’Soni.”

-------------------------------

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 20 June 2189

The house seemed amazingly quiet once most of their guests had returned home following the Monday celebration, as most of them needed to return to work.  Sharon had left, only reluctantly, but promised to make it back to Thessia in time for the August harvest festival of Lughnasadh, while Karin and Hannah had more time, so were staying for the solstice celebrations, as planned.  They were sitting together in the dining area, enjoying a leisurely breakfast when a bright-eyed Samantha walked over to their table to join them.  “Good morning… and happy Alban Hefin.”

Hannah looked up, a smile spreading on her face at Samantha’s arrival as she issued the old-tradition response.  “May the light of the shore always bring you safely home.”

Karin flashed her a grin, adding, “Good morning, Dear.  You and Liara sleep well?”

“I did, yes…”  Sam chuckled and added, “As for Liara, we’ll have to wait until she actually gets up to ask her.  She’s still racked… didn’t even stir when I rolled out this morning.”

“She never has adjusted to the whole ‘early to rise’ concept, has she?”  Hannah chuckled softly at the sharp contrast between her daughter and daughter-in-law when it came to sleep time.

“Nope,” Shepard smirked.  “She most definitely has not, Mom… and I don’t honestly think she ever will.  Though, she managed well enough when we honestly needed to do so during the war.  But, no, it’s not her strong suit, that’s for sure.”  She paused, a contemplative wrinkle on her forehead.  “But then again… when she gets on a dig site, she’s a totally different person.  Sleep means nothing compared to the potential for the next discovery.”  A knowing grin replaced the smirk.  “We’ll have to wait and see how early she gets up once she gets back to archaeology.”

“Back to archaeology?”  Karin’s brow arched in surprise.  “I believe I may have missed the relay of some rather vital information over the past week.  Is there an imminent change of career?”

Hannah reached over and gave Karin’s forearm a quick, gentle squeeze.  “Sam and I had a nice chat as we walked the beach the other night.  She told me of her plans for eventual retirement from military service, to grab what they can of a normal life and get Liara back to doing what she loves… something Samantha refuses to let die because of the war.”  Hannah’s gaze shifted to Sam as she finished, “Liara’s quest to learn more about the Protheans.”

“Oh, gosh!”  The very idea of a modern-day expedition filled Karin with exhilaration.  “Until you found Javik, I never would have dreamed that with all the places we have explored and experienced, there would be the potential for the discover of such an old, undetected and unknown culture.  How exciting it must be, for Liara!”

“Yes, it is… especially when I tell you that Javik may not have been the only one to survive their long sleep.”  Shepard winked at them before revealing her and Liara’s well-kept secret.  “When we were on Eden Prime after the war, we found evidence that a relatively small group had survived.  We’re not sure how many, but it seems our discovery of the planet triggered an awakening in the pods and, apparently, the group fled sometime during the two years before we established our colony there.  The ‘where to’ is the big question.”

“So, we have both the Raloi to re-establish contact with and the Protheans to find?”  Hannah leaned back in her chair, her amazement at the revelation taking away any more words.

“My God.”  Karin glanced at her friend, completely understanding the shocked expression on Hannah’s face, feeling the same.  Looking back to Samantha, she snorted in derision and added, “I most certainly hope they don’t all possess the same superiority complex and self-righteousness Commander Javik did… nor his uncompromising hatred for AI machines.”

Having recovered from her surprise, the military officer in Hannah came out.  “Are you sure you want to help Liara locate them?  Their discover could end up being like the Rachni… leading to nothing but another war we will be ill-equipped to fight, especially so soon after the Reapers.”

Samantha met her mother’s questioning gaze and answered easily, “I’d rather fight the enemy I know, than be surprised by the one I don’t.  The Rachni and the Reapers were evidence enough of that… and I’m fairly sure the Turians likely felt that way after they ran into us.”

“You’re right, there.”  A knowing smile crossed Hannah’s face as she nodded in agreement.  “Better to know the risks, so we can prepare.  Despite your best efforts, the Reapers still caught us flat-footed… and it cost the galaxy lives almost beyond measure.  I don’t much care for the idea of having to live through such a war again… ever, during whatever remains of my lifetime.”

“Agreed,” Samantha smiled.  “So, how about you let me go roust Liara and grab a bite of breakfast before we go find something fun to do for the day, like a shopping trip to Armali?  That way, we’ll get out from under Lyessa’s feet while they’re trying to set up for tonight’s solstice dinner.”

Hannah’s eyes flashed in anticipation.  “That sounds wonderful!  I’ve been wanting to get back to that one jewelry store you showed me…”

“We can certainly stop in at Trazzia’s Boutique.”  Shepard grinned.  “We haven’t been there in a while, so it will be nice to go back and see Lilyanna again.  She was extremely helpful when Nayla and I went there the first time – to buy the Promise bracelets – and every single time I’ve returned there, since.”

“Excellent!”  Hannah looked at Karin and asked, “And what about you?  Up for some shopping?”

“I think I’m going to pass.”  Karin grinned mischievously and added, “I have an offer from Alyna to go sailing for a bit this morning… and, I do believe, I’m going to take her up on it.”

Shepard laughed and shook her head.  “Be it a space-faring frigate or a sailing ship, you just can’t stand not having a vessel moving under your feet, can you?”

“Oh, you know me too well, Sam,” Karin answered with a grin.  “I can’t imagine my life without it… not yet, anyway.  Now, go, or you’ll never get to enjoy your trip to the city!”

Chapter Text

T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 15 Aug 2189

Bright emerald eyes met sleepy blues as Shepard whispered softly, “Happy anniversary, Anam Cara.”  Her words were accompanied by a soft stroke of the backs of Sam’s fingers across a pebbled cheek, drawing a loving smile from her bondmate.

Liara drew a deep, lazy breath, basking in Samantha’s familiar scent and the warmth of her lover’s body.  “Happy anniversary, Siame.”  Letting out a yawn, she continued, “So… are we still starting that hike today?”

“Oh, absolutely!”  Smiling and planting a gentle kiss on welcoming lips, Sam whispered, “I can’t wait to get you alone in the woods!”

With a tranquil chuckle, Liara whispered softly, “Don’t we wish.  You know if we leave the confines of the house, we’ll have at least two commandos with us… if not more.”

“Of course, we will,” Samantha smirked.  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t pretend they aren’t there… my entire focus will be on no one but you, Ionúin Álainn.  Nothing else will matter.”

“Which simply provides justification as to why we can’t go alone, you flatterer.”  Liara sighed happily, the light strokes of Samantha’s fingers leaving lines of heat across her cooler skin.  “But that doesn’t mean we have to get up anytime soon, does it?”

Shepard’s smirk became a quiet chuckle before she asked, “You want more sleep?  Or do you have something else in mind, T’Soni?”

“I am very much awake, Samantha…”  Liara grinned mischievously and wrapped an arm around Sam, pulling her closer.  “So, definitely the latter.  I am quite content to stay right here with you for as long as our hiking trip schedule allows.”

-------------------------------

When they finally emerged to wander downstairs, Riana met them at the base of the staircase with a knowing smile.  “Good morning, Mistress… Captain.  Chef Leyana has already prepared your day packs and is currently readying your brunch in the kitchen.  Unless you have other preferences, Captain Tanni and Huntress Shyria will be joining me as your escorts, whenever you are ready to depart.  Is this acceptable to you?”

Liara was prepared to answer the arrangements were fine when Shepard spoke first.  “We’d actually prefer to go alone…”  She paused only briefly when she saw Riana’s eyes immediately widen in reaction; this brought forth a light chuckle, followed by an upraised hand to halt the protest which she knew would be the next thing she heard.  “… but I already know exactly what you’ll say to that, so don’t bother, Ri.  We’ll be ready to go in thirty minutes, along with whomever Livos has chosen to accompany us on this trip… including herself, obviously.”

Grabbing both a quick breakfast and the main packs they had assembled the night before, Shepard and Liara strolled out the front door and headed toward the docks, where they were met by a grinning Livos.  “I hope you don’t mind me choosing to come along with you, instead of tackling the pile of work sitting on my desk, Lady Liara.”

Laughing lightly, Liara smiled and answered, “Not at all, Liv.  Just like Shepard and I, we all need a break from the routine once in a while.  You are good company and are welcome to join us on these excursions any time you like.”

Shepard playfully punched the Personal Guard Captain on the arm.  “Besides… watching over Liara is your primary duty, which is tough to do from behind your desk, particularly when we’re concealed somewhere deep in the woods.”  Looking around, she asked, “Everyone ready to go?  How ’bout you, Bev?  I think you’re the only one we haven’t heard from this morning.  You up for this?”

“The Estate can be a dangerous place, outside the confines of the actual compound,” she replied earnestly.  “But I am as prepared as I can be… even if we cross paths with a Próidh, which I pray to the Goddess that we do not.  Ready is one thing… willing is another.”

Liara frowned at the words, asking, “Do you not want to come with us on this trip?”

“Never said that, Mistress,” Bev answered with a smile.  “I am more than happy to come on your hiking excursion… the area surrounding the lake is beautiful this time of year.  I just don’t care to meet any Próidh along the way!”

“I’ll second that,” Shepard promptly responded.  “I count myself lucky to have not actually seen one up close and personal in the wild yet, and I’ve heard enough stories from the commandos to know I should do my best to keep it that way.”

“Agreed,” nodded Liara.  “It happened when I was rather young, but I’ve seen the results of an attack.  The Próidh ended up dead and one of the commandos was scarred for life, even with the best medical treatments available on Thessia.”

“Ouch.”  Shepard frowned.  “That’s saying something, considering how much more advanced Asari medicine is, compared to what’s available in the Sol system.”

“That was a long time ago, however,” Liara responded.  “All I need to do is look at the miracle that is you standing before me, and I am reminded of how much our medical capabilities have improved since that time, Samantha.”

“Enough of such talk,” Riana replied.  “Both our medicine and our weapons have improved significantly since then… and this trip is your anniversary gift to one another, so we should not have it ruined by such conversation.  That is why we are accompanying you… so you can relax and simply enjoy yourselves.”

“Speaking of enjoying the trip,” started Livos.  “Do you want to hike the whole way, or do you prefer to take a couple of the skiffs to Rushing Pond?”

“You are likely the one out there most recently… with Zan… and the creek trail was in relatively good condition, was it not?” Liara asked.

“Yes, indeed… and made for easy hiking most of the way.”  Liv shrugged.  “But this is your trip, so… two hours by skiff or four by foot, with another fifteen or so minutes to get to the established camp on the east side.”

“Your choice, Blue.”  A smile accompanied Shepard’s words.  “Doesn’t matter to me how we get there, as long as we’re doing it together.”

“Then let us enjoy the hike,” responded Liara.  “Afterall, quiet time together is what the trip is all about, yes?  So, why rush it?”

Leaning in to place a quick kiss on a blue cheek, Shepard smiled.  “Sounds good to me!”

-------------------------------

They moved along at a comfortable pace, with the commandos and Liara occasionally educating Shepard on the biodiversity of their small region of Thessia.  At one point, Shepard noticed an extremely brightly colored salamander-like creature and walked toward it, saying, “Check that thing out!  What’s it called?”

A panicked, “Stop! Don’t go near that thing!” brought the Spectre up short and she backed away slowly, eventually casting a wary glance at Livos, who had issued the warning.

“It’s just a little amphibian…” Shepard said hesitantly.  “What can be so horrible about such a small thing to make you so worried, Liv?”

Liara had moved to her side and clutched her arm tightly.  “Would you say the same of some of the more venomous snakes of Sol?  The makaheil shoots a poisonous, paralytic toxin from its eyes, with the effective distance boosted by biotics.  The toxin has been known to kill an Asari within an hour if not treated promptly.  I have no idea what it would do to you, Samantha.”

“We have a horned lizard that does that.”  Sam stared at the creature in amazement, continuing, “Kind of, anyway, but it just shoots blood, which is meant to confuse and scare the attacker; it’s most certainly not poisonous!”  Shepard frowned.  “I obviously still have a lot to learn about Thessia and its creatures… especially our little corner of the world.  I need to know that kind of stuff if I’m going to keep our kids safe out here…”

The very idea of Samantha wanting to play such an active role in raising their children made Liara giddy, the mood immediately lifting with her comment of, “Plenty of time for that, Siame, as it will be a long while yet before I’m even capable of bearing children.”  She flushed at the thought before continuing, “And every time I think about it, I give thanks for what Miranda did for us, to give us the chance to even contemplate the possibility of having children together!”

“That’s a fact!”  Shepard grinned, the incident with the small lizard almost forgotten as she leaned in and kissed the suddenly flustered Asari on the cheek.  “With lots of time for practice to make sure we get it just right!”

Liara’s blush deepened at the comment and she took Shepard’s hand, pulling her along to change the direction of the conversation as they resumed their walk.  With the remainder of the hike being comparatively uneventful, the happily tired group easily arrived at the lakeside base camp in time for dinner.  After opening the secured storage boxes, the team got to work setting camp as they chatted about the day’s events.  “Just how many of these established basecamps do you have in these woods?” Shepard asked.

“Of this type?”  Bev grinned teasingly as she responded, “If you had agreed to help plan the trip, you would have known we maintain only three such stations.” 

Barking out a laugh, Shepard countered, “Hard to help when, quite honestly, I have surprisingly little knowledge of what’s outside the main compound.  I haven’t spent near enough time here during good weather and the Estate is huge!  That’s one of the reasons Liara and I decided to do this… probably even more important than simply wanting to hide away from the galaxy for a few days before we have to leave again.”

Bev responded with a smile as she willingly explained, “There’s this one, then one in the northwest notch of Lake Altera, and one on the eastern side of the Altera River, up near our northern boundary.  Absolutely wonderful fishing on the lake so, without a doubt, we should be having fresh fish for dinner the two nights we spend at the notch.”

“Sounds like a place where I might need to invite Wrex, Bakara and Grunt for a visit.”  She paused and pursed her lips for a moment before adding, “But it’s not like they could all come at the same time… having three key Krogan leaders in the same place at the same time could pose an unnecessary risk.”

“That’s true… but that simply gives us an excuse to make a few more trips up here, doesn’t it?”  Liara immediately lightened the mood with a chuckle before adding, “Krogan certainly do enjoy their fish, don’t they?  We would likely have to place a limit on just how many they can catch while they’re here.”

Laughing in response, Shepard shrugged and answered, “That’s easy… we just let them catch what we plan on eating for dinner and no more.  Sounds like fun, but I’m not sure I see them as the hiking type…”  She paused and looked around, reveling in the quite of the woods they were walking through before finishing, “And I don’t think I want them flying in, disturbing the peace and quiet.  We’ll tell them it’s hiking access only.”

“That would actually be the truth, Samantha.”  Liara’s expression was dominated by a joyful smile that only Shepard’s comforting presence could bring to her face.  “Other than the working portion of the Estate, the remainder is designated as a woodland preservation zone… which is why we always arrive at and depart from the Estate over the northeastern shore.”

“Huh,” Shepard grunted, before offering a smirking reply.  “And here I thought we always came and went that way because you wanted to impress people with the awesome view presented by that particular flight path.”

Dodging Liara’s playful swat, Shepard chuckled.  “Speaking of fishing and food, what’s in those storage boxes to put together for a pre-dinner appetizer?  After all that hiking, I’m hungry!”

-------------------------------

Lake Altera, T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia – 16 Aug 2189

An indigo, pre-dawn sky greeted Shepard as she crawled from the tent to add another log on the fire; rather than return to the snug confines and the loving embrace of her mate, she sat just outside, lost in her thoughts as she stared into the glowing embers and dancing flames.  Within a few minutes, she heard Captain Tanni approaching from the side.  Placing a cup of hot Kaffe into the woman’s hands, Livos asked, “Everything alright, Nara?  It’s early.  Should you not still be snuggled in with your bondmate?”

Shepard happily accepted the mug of steaming liquid and gave Livos a wry smile.  “Yes, I should be… but I was restless and didn’t want to wake Liara earlier than necessary.”  She let out a quiet chuckle before adding, “We all know how much she likes to sleep in.”

Tanni nodded in enthusiastic agreement.  “That she does!  Always has, that one.  She would sleep the day away if nothing in particular was planned.”  She shook her head and shrugged, a grin pulling at the corners of her mouth as she continued, “But on the other hand, give her an interesting project or a hint regarding a potential artifact location?  You’ll not see her sleep until she either finds what she is looking for or, quite literally, falls asleep on her feet.”

“That dedication and drive served us well during the war.”  Shepard was a bit more somber as she continued, “And most definitely saved me.”

“A reference to the aftermath of Alchera, no doubt.” Livos quietly answered in a somber tone.  “Liara was never going to give up on you after that attack.  She knew something was wrong with how everything played out there and wasn’t about to let it rest until she figured it all out.  I believe that puzzle was one she would have taken to her grave rather than give up on you, so it is good it worked out the way it did…”  She finished with a smirk, “for all involved, not just you.  You are important to us all, Nara… more than you can possibly know.”

“Thanks, Liv.”  Shepard took a large sip of her Kaffe and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose to enjoy the aroma of the seemingly magical elixir as its flavor slid across her tongue.  “Gods, this stuff is good… especially on a chilly morning.  Thank you.”

“Yes, it is… and you are very welcome.”  Tanni watched the expressions travel across the face of her House Captain before inquiring, “But all of this aside, Shepard, what made your sleep so restless?  May I be so bold as to ask if you are experiencing nightmares again?”

“Yes, you may; you’re a friend, Liv, and that gives you the right to ask me anything you like.”  Shepard looked up at her as she continued, “And no, I’m not, so you can rest easy on that one.”  Looking back into the flames, she added, “It’s just that I think I’m done, Liv.  I’m only 35… and barring a major accident, I’m going to live some 900 years.”  She huffed and shook her head.  “Sometimes, I still have a hard time dealing with the whole idea of living that long.”

“What are you saying, Shepard?” Liv blurted, stared at her in concerned surprise.  “Do you not want to…?”

She never finished the question, Shepard cutting her off with a quiet chuckle and a hand raised between them.  “Don’t go jumping to conclusions, Liv, but I will say that what sounded good in my head came out sounding very wrong when verbalized… even to me.  I have absolutely no intention of leaving this material plane anytime soon… but that’s part of my point.” 

Shepard glanced up to meet the questioning gaze of her Mea're.  “I think I may be done with being a Spectre, Liv… done with laying my life on the line time and time again, risking my future with Liara and House T’Soni after all we did together to secure it in the first place.  By all that’s reasonable, it’s a miracle I’m still alive… and I have no intention of squandering that gift and losing my chance to raise a family with Li.  I need to start thinking about visiting Tevos to talk to her about leaving the Spectres… and to decide on a path forward for Liara and I.”

“Does Liara know all this?”  Livos’ voice raised in her surprise.

Shepard laughed, a grin spreading across her face as she used a finger to tap her temple and reply, “She’s in my head, Liv.  Our heartbeats align.  We are… Inanna.”  The woman shrugged and finished with a warm smile, “The details may get buried in the everyday events and concerns, but deep down?  She knows.  She feels that love and commitment and understands my intent, I’m sure of it.”

Livos smiled softly as she responded, “And we are barely into the second day of our ten-day journey.  It gives you and Liara a lot of time to come up with your strategy, does it not?”

Shepard slid down to the ground and leaned back against the log on which she had been perched, looking once more into the dancing flames.  “Yes, it does… and if we need more time after that, we’ll take it.”  Her eyes drifted up to meet Liv’s.  “This isn’t a decision to be rushed and I still have a few things on my Spectre list that need doing.”

“Like what?” Livos challenged.  “What could there possibly be on such a list that only you can do?  Something so critical you could not leave it to another capable Spectre?”

“Things that involve personal debts and favors,” started Shepard.  “For one, the reef revitalization project on Dhazil, for the Krogan.”  A small smile crossed her lips as she continued, “All that talk about fishing and inviting our Krogan friends to visit reminded me of my promise to Grunt.  I need to pay a visit to Dhazil and check on their progress, to make sure Dalatrass Gurji is fulfilling the intent of our agreement.”

“I can understand why you would want to see things like that through before you leave the Spectres,” Livos stated with a nod of acceptance.  “Seeing as your departure would certainly alter the direction of the rest of your life…”  She suddenly grinned and added, “Though, I imagine, you could still change your mind at any time in the future.”

“Not necessarily.”  Shepard gave her a light smile in response.  “At least in respect to the Spectre job.  That may not be something I can leave and then go back to on a whim.  That’s one of the reasons we need to speak with Tevos; to figure out exactly what the options are.”

Loving hands settled on her shoulders as Liara abruptly joined the conversation.  “And, while leaving the Spectres completely behind is certainly the option I most prefer, we highly doubt Councilor Tevos will let Shepard go quite so easily, even after we clean up our few remaining loose ends.”  As she spoke, Liara maneuvered herself onto the log where Sam had been previously sitting, her legs and feet straddling the Spectre, who leaned her head back to peer up into the azure, adoring eyes of her Ionúin Álainn.

“Good morning, Blue.  You’re up earlier than I anticipated.”

“After you crawled out, I got a little chilly.”  She used a finger to push an errant lock of hair off Shepard’s face as she added, “And, given your involvement in conversation with Liv, I simply opted to get dressed and join you out here by the fire, rather than try to coax you back to bed.”

“If I had known you were cold, I would have come.”  Shepard smiled up at her and winked.  “You do know that, don’t you?”

“Of course, you would have… which is exactly why I didn’t ask.  It would have been selfish of me to interrupt your discussion.”

“Not at all, Mistress.”  Livos smiled. “This is your anniversary trip, after all.  I wouldn’t think of keeping Shepard from you, had I known you were awake.”  With a wry grin on her face she continued, “But, now that you have joined us, I do have some hot water ready.  Would you like a cup of tea?”

“Oh!  Absolutely!  I should have thought of that before I sat down!”

Liara started to shift in order to stand up without bumping Shepard, eliciting a chuckle from Livos.  “Stay put, Liara, and relax with Shepard.  It’s my pleasure to prepare it for you.”

As Livos walked away, Liara leaned forward to place a kiss on the top of Sam’s head before adding, “We also still need to finalize the arrangements regarding the Monastery and the SILC escorts, to fulfill our promise to Samara, Falere and Aresia.”

“Oh, Gods!  That one’s probably the bigger of the two main issues that have been nagging me.”  Shepard tensed slightly under Liara’s hands and continued, “How could I possibly forget that?”

“You didn’t… not really.”  Liara began to massage her siame’s shoulders in an attempt to relieve the stress she had inadvertently caused.  “It was just pushed to the back of your mind.  It would have made its way forward when we got home and actually started making our checklist.”

“Checklist?”  Shepard closed her eyes and rolled her head around with a quiet groan, fully appreciating the massage, especially since it was being augmented by the biotics of her Anam Cara.  Even knowing the intent behind Liara’s comment before she spoke, she still asked, “What checklist?”

Hearing the thoughts running through Samantha’s mind, Liara chuckled quietly.  {The one we are going to put together to make sure we don’t leave anything we honestly care about to chance, Shepard.  And, to set a reasonable timetable for the completion of each and every one of them… before we even think about scheduling our discussion with Raesia.}

{So, we enjoy the rest of our vacation, then take whatever time is necessary to go to Rae with a complete plan.}  Shepard sighed in contentment and opened her eyes, reaching up to gently pat Liara’s hands as Livos returned with her tea.  “An awesome suggestion, Blue, as always.” 

Livos gazed endearingly at the couple, an expression of loving admiration crossing her face as she handed Liara the mug, asking, “And what suggestion would that be?”

“Breakfast!” fibbed Shepard, a teasing smirk on her face as she rolled sideways to her knees before standing up and stretching, careful to not bump the newly arrived tea.  “We’re starving!”

-------------------------------

Lake Altera, T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia – 17 Aug 2189

The group had stayed the whole day on the eastern shore, enjoying the waterfalls at the head of the stream that led to Rushing Pond.  Then after a good night’s sleep, they rose early to begin their next trek.  The day’s traverse around the western shore of the lake was positively gorgeous and the small group had walked for hours with only occasional conversation, simply reveling in the natural serenity that surrounded them. 

For the most part, the journey consisted of quiet contemplation, with only the skitter of animals in the brush and the quiet swish of the travelers’ feet on the hard-pack, sandy shore.  Samantha and Liara continued to discuss their plans for the future, sometimes with quiet whispers but generally through the link, quite literally at the speed of thought.

The group had stopped and chatted a couple of times during the journey to the northwest notch – once for lunch and then a second time for a dip in the cooling waters of the lake, taking a break from the hot afternoon sun.  During those times, they more than made up for the quiet of their hike, with the sounds of playful splashing and joyful laughter echoing across the lake to shatter the normal, hushed stillness of the region.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Shepard immediately noted the camp at the notch was even better than their first overnight location.  “You really know how to camp, T’Soni.”  Shepard grinned at her bondmate as she continued in a surprised voice, “I mean… seriously?  Cabin tents and a sailboat?”

“As we told you… wonderful fishing here, Sam, so the commandos spend a lot of their off time out here.”  Liara smiled teasingly, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.  “As for the boat, how else are we going to get offshore to the best fishing spots on the lake?”   Liara dropped her pack as they approached the camp storage boxes, nestled into the trees along the shoreline.  “But we don’t leave everything out here all year long.  The commandos use the irrigation canal to bring supplies and equipment west in the spring and will do the same… likely at the end of October… to bring whatever is left back to the Estate for winter storage.”

“A job they sometimes compete for,” grinned Livos.  “Everyone loves coming out here, but there’s no need to deploy it all until the spring weather breaks, so it’s a welcome task… and the spring fishing is always the best.”

“Yes, but the hardest part is the paddle back with all the fish in the skiff!”  Bev chuckled.  “But I have to admit, the look on everyone’s faces when a team brings in a record haul?  Priceless.”

“Paddle?” queried Shepard.  “Aren’t the skiffs powered?”

Liara raised a brow and responded, “Yes, which they can use while on the lake… but the irrigation canal is also used as our fish hatchery and farm, so no power is allowed through that portion of the transit.”

“Ah… so the canal serves as the main source of food fish for the House?”

“Yes, but it’s a combination of that and the markets.  We trade our excess with various vendors for the fish we can’t procure here, locally… particularly the more northern ocean fish, like the galea… unlike the maanru, which we occasionally harvest directly off our own shores, depending on the season.”

Shepard shook her head in amazement.  “The more I learn about the operations of House T’Soni, the more respect I gain for Lyessa and Aratiana… and the more I understand your need for Matriarch Mozia and your father while we’re out and about with me doing Spectre business.”

Liara chuckled softly, a smile spreading on her lips.  “It may seem overwhelming to you… the same way going into battle with you, that first time on Feros, was for me.  But…”

Shepard smirked and gave a small laugh in response before finishing Liara’s sentence for her.  “When you’re raised in a certain way, it seems the most normal thing in the galaxy.”

“Exactly.”  Liara gave Shepard a quick kiss on the cheek before adding, “So… dinner?”

-------------------------------

Lake Altera, T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia – 18 Aug 2189

The day at the lake started late.  The cabin tents were amazingly luxurious, including a 4-poster bed – in Shepard and Liara’s case, the traditional setup normally occupied by the House Matriarch – and a small chiller fan which was more than adequate to keep the steamy heat of the hottest summer night at bay.  Shepard had awoken early and teased Liara awake with kisses and gentle caresses along the ridges of her crests, only to unintentionally spark a fire that Liara demanded be sated. 

As such, it was mid-morning by the time they had washed up in the small water basin, also located inside the tent, and stepped outside to join Riana at the cookfire.  Seeing the questioning look in Liara’s eyes, her First immediately answered, “Liv and Bev are out doing a quick patrol and collecting more wood for the fire.  They should be back shortly.”  With a quick nod at the fire, she added, “There is hot water for tea in the short kettle for you, Liara, and some Terran coffee in the tall one, for Nara.”

“Ah, Ri,” Shepard sighed happily.  “You’re a lifesaver!”

Riana actually chuckled and gave a slight, teasing bow to the Spectre.  “It is my pleasure to serve, Shepard.  Just like Lady Liara, I will be forever at your side, as long as the Goddess grants me the ability to properly protect the both of you.”

“Not that I always need protecting, Ri, but always happy to have a helping hand.”  Shepard grinned.  “So, what’s on the day’s agenda?”

“Whatever you and Lady Liara want to do.  It is your trip, after all.”  Riana glanced at Liara and waited patiently for her to chime in.

“Well, breakfast first, and we can talk about the rest of the day when Liv and Bev get back.”  She smiled lovingly at Shepard and added, “Though I fully imagine we’ll be spending some time out on the lake, either fishing or swimming… likely both.”

“We have all eaten, so…”

“Of course you have,” Shepard chuckled.  “I’ve got it, Riana.  I don’t often have a chance to cook, so I’ll be happy to make some campfire eggs and potatoes for us.”

“Eggs and potatoes?”  Liara’s smile broadened at the thought.  “You haven’t made that for me in… I don’t even remember how long!”

“Not since the apartment on the Citadel,” replied Shepard.  “So, yeah.  It’s been a long time.”

“But we don’t have any potatoes with us, Nara.”  Riana looked disappointed, as if she had somehow failed the couple by not anticipating Shepard’s desire to cook a meal during the hike.

Shepard simply patted her on the shoulder, saying, “Yes we do, Ri, so don’t fret.  While we were eating brunch at the Estate, I talked to Leyana about what foods we had packed for the trip.  We still had some in the storehouse, so I had her pack a small cooler pouch with a few small potatoes… and, then, she also suggested throwing in the last of our bacon.  My bet is she ordered replacement stock before we got outside the secure area of the Estate.”

Liara’s eyes lit up and she asked, “Is that the honey-smoked bacon?”

Laughing, Shepard grinned and answered, “Yes, Li, it is.  Nice and sweet… just the way you like it!”  Glancing up at Livos and Bev, who were now close enough to hear what she was saying, she added, “And plenty enough for everyone, should anyone want some.”

“Keep your bacon, Shepard,” countered Livos, “But I’d be happy to have some of your potatoes… especially if you are adding peppers and onions, like the last time you made them.”

“Of course, I am.”  Shepard’s happy grin never faded as she continued, “Leyana wouldn’t think to pack a bag without them, knowing what I wanted them for.”

“Then count me in as well, Captain.”  Bev smiled at her.  “Including some of that sweet bacon!”

-------------------------------

After brunch, Riana joined Shepard and Liara on the sailboat, leaving Livos and Bev behind at the camp, to head out onto the Lake.  The summer winds were rather weak, so the actual sailing was unexciting, prompting them to quickly settle into a fishing spot.  As Riana made her first cast, Shepard and Liara stretched out in the sun on the bow of the boat to relax yet continue their conversation about their near future.

“Are you truly sure you want to do this, Siame?”  Liara gazed into Samantha’s gorgeous emerald eyes as she finally asked her last question.  “I can sense your hesitation, no matter the words you speak, and I don’t want you doing this for me.  You have to want it for you.”

“I want it for us, Blue.”  Gently squeezing Liara’s hand, the Spectre replied, “My only concern is that the rest of the galaxy won’t actually let me do it.  I’m afraid Rae will say no… and I’m not sure what I would do at that point.”

“I think you underestimate Councilor Raesia Tevos, Spectre.”  Liara let a teasing smirk cross her lips.  “I think the friendship between the two of you, along with your record of service and the sacrifices you made for the cause will add up to her being in complete agreement.  I believe you have done more than enough… we have done more than enough for the Council… for you to be released from additional service.”  Liara paused, Shepard suddenly feeling the ache in the Asari’s heart over the multiple losses they had suffered over the course of the war, the most poignant being the losses of Matriarch Benezia and David Anderson.

“Hey.”  Shepard rolled up on her side and leaned over to look into Liara’s eyes.  “It’s over, Blue.  We make a great team and we pulled through… giving ourselves the opportunity to make our dreams come true… to become the masters of our own destiny.  Let’s not spoil it by letting all the sadness, despair and guilt come roaring back.  We’ve worked too hard to give in now, just when everything good is truly within our reach.”

An appreciative smile shined in Liara’s eyes, gratitude sweeping through her for the woman who had stolen her heart.  “Thank you, Siame.  Who knew it would be you reminding me of such things, instead of the other way around?”  Reaching up to stroke the cheek of her bondmate, she used her other arm to push herself up, placing a passionate kiss on Shepard’s lips, silencing any additional spoken discussion.  {You’re lucky Riana is with us.}

{You consider that lucky?  I’d rather we were out here alone, because if we were…}

A husky chuckle erupted from deep in Liara’s chest.  {Then, just perhaps, it is time for us to go in for some private time and an afternoon nap before dinner.}

{I certainly don’t disagree with that plan of action, Lady T’Soni.}  Shepard gave Liara another soft kiss, massaging blue lips with her own before pulling away.  Rolling back onto her back and sitting up, the Captain of the T’Soni Guard issued her order.

Riana saw the happy grin on Shepard’s face as the woman looked at her, a definitive twinkle in her eyes as she spoke.  “Hey, Iregos.  Lady T’Soni would like to return to shore now, please… and make it snappy.”

Riana’s brow arched and she chuckled softly, a knowing smile spreading across her lips as she began to reel in her line and lure.  “Aye Aye, Captain!  We’ll be on our way as soon as I store the fishing gear!”

Chapter Text

Lake Altera, T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia – 20 Aug 2189

The northern boundary camp was a bit more rustic, with the river being much too cold and fast to swim in, even in the Thessian summer.  The water flowed down from the mountains above Lake Sirala, where the highest peaks remained snow covered for most of the year, leaving the water ice cold.  Sirala was the highest lake in all of Thessia and, while a bit chilly, the mountainous terrain surrounding the camp made for great hiking, with several awesome waterfall vistas.

The negative side of the otherwise beautiful location was the heightened awareness required of the small company; knowing they were traversing through Próidh territory, they had to remain constantly vigilant.  Of course, being in Próidh territory also meant there was plenty of game if the travelers desired fresh food to augment their travel rations.  The commandos frequently took animals when they were on extended border patrols, which they did every year in the fall – the only exception being during the Reaper War, when the risk of discovery was much too high.

“So why, exactly, do you feel the need to undertake these annual border patrols?” asked an honestly curious Shepard.  “I mean… it’s Thessia.  It’s not as if there’s any trouble with marauders or pirates here on the home world, is there?”

“That is true,” answered Livos.  “But we do, believe it or not, have occasional trouble with poachers.”

As Shepard stared at the commando in surprise, Liara picked up the narrative.  “This is a preserve, Siame, and there are a number of protected species living within its borders.”  Sighing, she shook her head in disgust, adding, “And, for reasons I refuse to accept, the Próidh is a coveted trophy animal, being hunted solely for sport – using more challenging, primitive methods.  There are a few expedition companies that make gross amounts of credits for such guided hunts, entertaining less scrupulous clients who are more than happy to pay whatever it takes to go on what they consider a grand adventure.  I fear the illegality of hunting the animal within a preserve just adds to their experience, knowing they would be punished severely if caught.”

“Just what kind of punishment are we talking about?”  Shepard frowned, believing the Asari to be the most forgiving and patient race in the galaxy.

“According to the Justicars of old, the illegal taking of an innocent, protected animal – for sport, rather than self-defense – is punishable by a sutra the Justicars previously referred to as the Rule of Equity.”  Liara shuddered as she continued, “For every protected animal illegally killed before the hunting group is apprehended and stopped, one of the hunting party members’ lives would also be forfeit, beginning with the appointed guide.”

“You’re kidding.”  Stopping dead in her tracks, a stunned Samantha looked at Liara in disbelief, as the Asari shook her head in denial.  “One for one?”

“I am not joking by any means, Shepard.  Do you not remember the ruthless side of Samara when you first met her?”  Liara looked at her in surprise, then asked, “Do you remember what happened to those who blocked her path during the hunt for her daughter?”

The memory filled Samantha’s mind and she nodded in acceptance of Liara’s statement, even as unbelievably harsh as it was.  “So, what about our commandos, when they hunt out here?  Are they subject to the same sanctions?”

Liara drew a deep breath and continued, “As owners of the designated area, we are allowed to cull their numbers as needed, in order to keep the populations at recommended sustainable levels.  So, we are therefore responsible for annual surveys – which is the primary purpose of our routine patrol missions.  Those numbers are recorded and any excesses above the desired population levels determines the maximum number of each species to be taken over the next year.  If the numbers are low, we do no hunting until the populations rebound.  It is difficult, however, to keep an accurate tally when others infringe on our territory.”

“So, are the poachers killed only if they exceed the limit, or are they punished no matter what the numbers are?”  Shepard was stunned by the whole conversation, having no idea such strict animal protection rules even existed anymore, especially on Thessia.  They seemed almost – barbaric was the only word that came immediately to mind – by conventional standards of law enforcement.  “And, I have to wonder, if the Justicars in their new form will still exact such penalties.”

“The poachers are punished, regardless of the numbers for the year, because it is also seen as theft of T’Soni property, seeing as the area is operated as a private sanctuary.”  Liara huffed and continued, “They are not only needlessly killing the animal, but they also had to intentionally and knowingly trespass upon a private preserve to do so, thus compounding their guilt.”

Livos chimed in at that point, adding, “And, just so you know, if we have a particularly high-count year, we do sell lawful hunting rights for anything above our normal annual take to support the desires of the House.  So, I personally believe one of the reasons they poach is for the added thrill of not paying the fees required during a surplus year.”  Her voice was filled with derision as she added, “Knowing the risk of getting caught is ever present during their time on the Estate must add a certain level of thrill to the hunt.”

“As for how the Justicars will enforce such rules now that they have become a branch of our law enforcement…”  Liara shrugged.  “… that remains to be seen.  I would like to think the death penalty would be removed from the punishment list, but who knows how the Justicar will adapt.”

Still bewildered by the whole conversation, Shepard shook her head.  “Wow.  I had no idea.”

“I can see that,” responded Liara, sorrow coloring her tone, suddenly realizing she had not honestly prepared Shepard very well for life on Thessia, particularly as a member of House T’Soni.

“Hey.”  Feeling the change in tone via the link, Shepard forced a small smile onto her face and continued, “Not your fault, T’Soni.  Those are details that you have lived with all your life, so you don’t think anything of them.  It just goes to show how much more I need to learn about being an Asari citizen… and it’s not like we’ve spent a lot of time here, yet, for me to have the opportunity to learn any of it.  It will all come in time.”

Bev nodded in agreement.  “And I believe we know just the person to help you with that, Shepard, at least in regard to our territory and the wildlife that lives within it.”  She paused and looked at Livos, continuing, “And, just the person to ask her to come and stay with us for a while to teach you.”

“Zan!”  Livos’ eyes brightened with the idea.  “Why didn’t I think of that?” 

“I don’t know,” Riana answered, laughing.  But I do know it is getting late, so we need to head back to the cabins, with a bit of haste, so as to not get caught out after dark.”

Glancing at the sun, dropping quickly toward the tree line, Liara agreed.  “True enough, Riana.”  A smile returning to her face, Liara indicated the return path with a quick wave.  “Shall we?”

-------------------------------

That evening, Shepard and Liara sat, snuggled together, on one of the benches by the fire.  The border camp had a protective barrier surrounding the small group of primitive log cabins, which Shepard had initially assumed was to keep out the local animals.  Now, however, she wondered if it was also to protect them from potentially vengeful poachers or the families of those who had been lost as a result of getting caught on an illegal hunt.

Catching the drift of Shepard’s thoughts, Liara offered up a tentative smile, gently squeezing the hand of her Anam Cara in comfort.  “It is solely for protection from the animals, Sam.  We have never had a confrontation like that on T’Soni soil, and I pray to the Goddess that such an event never occurs under our watch.”  A soft sigh escaped her lips before she added, “I failed to mention we have sensors all along the border and have caught every trespasser before they even really got started on their hunts, so no one has ever been killed for their trespass here.  Should that ever happen, it would be an unimaginable, terrible day, indeed.”

“Yes, it would.”  Shepard squeezed the blue hand in hers.  “I’m glad nothing has ever happened, and I want to keep it that way.”  She huffed softly and added, “Like I said earlier, I have a lot to learn yet about House T’Soni.”

“Yes, you do,” Liara chuckled quietly.  “But that obligation goes both ways, Siame.  We still have much to learn of your customs, and how to best integrate them into our way of life, for a truly blended culture.  We must respect your ways, just as you respect ours.”

Feeling the warmth behind Liara’s statement filled Shepard with an undeniable contentment, and she placed her arm over the Asari’s shoulders, pulling her in closer.  Liara happily snuggled in, slouching down a bit to tuck her head into the woman’s neck, resting the crown of her crest against Sam’s jaw.  “I love you, Samantha, and very much look forward to having time to learn all those things, together.”

“Me, too, Liara.”  Sam closed her eyes, Liara’s proximity washing away the discomfort of the day’s somewhat shocking revelations.  “Thessia truly is a different world, the full import of which I failed to anticipate when I moved here.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe I will enjoy the challenge of learning a new way of life… particularly with you.”

“Are you truly sure it is not too different?” Liara asked.  “I fully understand how much of a sacrifice this is for you and I do not honestly believe I would be so gracious, or eager, as to forfeit my homeworld for yours.”

“And I would never expect you to, Liara.”  Shepard reached to tip Liara’s chin up until their eyes met.  “I don’t believe there is that much sacrifice on my part.  Sol basically treated us like yesterday’s garbage where, generally speaking, the Asari love me and our union.  Because of that, there is no doubt as to which world wins my vote regarding where we will live and raise our children together, Blue.  Absolutely none, so I don’t want you to worry about that.  Understood?”

A smile appearing on her face, Liara pulled back a bit and straightened up.  “Understood, Spectre.”  No longer slouching, she leaned in and placed a loving kiss on Samantha’s lips, lingering as the sensation of loving adoration swept through her, sending a tingle of pleasure down her spine.

Standing off to the side, Riana grinned before turning to face the perimeter border, silently hoping her charges got a decent night’s sleep and would be wide awake the next day.  She wanted to… but refrained from interrupting them in order to remind them they would be hiking through the local Próidh’s prime hunting territory tomorrow.  She laughed at herself and mumbled quietly under her breath.  “Goddess.  As a pair, Lady Liara and Spectre Shepard could take on a pack of Próidh, if such a thing even existed…”  Which it does not, she thought.  Próidh were definitely solitary animals, and with her, Livos and Bev at the young couple’s back, they had nothing to worry about; they would be just fine.

-------------------------------

North East Safe House, T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia – 22 Aug 2189

“Good morning, Nara.”  Bev met the Spectre with a cup of hot Kaffe.  “Did you sleep well?”

“I did, thanks.”  Shepard smiled at the commando.  “You know, it occurs to me that we haven’t really chatted much, one-on-one, Bev.  I don’t mean to offend you in any way, but you seem rather mature compared to the majority of the commandos with House T’Soni.”  The woman paused for a moment, deciding if she really wanted to ask her question, then plunged in.  “If you don’t mind telling me, just how old are you?”

Chuckling at the Spectre’s temerity, Bev smiled.  “Don’t worry yourself over that question, Captain; I’m 420.  We are far less sensitive to being asked our age than Humans appear to be.  It does not offend most Asari, generally speaking.”  She grinned and added, “I’ve been with House T’Soni for over 300 years and loved most of it.”  Her grin faded as she continued, “The last few years have proved to be the exception, losing more of my comrades since Liara met you than the first 300 years I served.”  Seeing sadness overtake the face of her captain, Bev reached over and clasped the Spectre’s forearm.  “Do not take that personally.  It was the Reapers, Nara, not you.  Had it not been for your arrival, I fear we would have lost everything.  Those of us who survived the war all owe you a debt of life for what you have done.”

Pushing her doubts aside, Shepard sighed and shook her head.  “You owe me nothing, Bev.  None of you do.  We all went through the war, those still here simply being lucky enough to have survived it.  The others?  Not so much, but that’s the horror of war.  But, that said, that’s also one of the reasons I will soon be done with the Spectres.  I’ve seen more than enough death to last a lifetime, and I am no longer willing to pursue a career that, most likely, would have more of that in the future.”

“That is a good thing, Captain.  I know Liara approves; you can see her happy glow every time the two of you speak of your future together.”  Bev chuckled quietly and shook her head, a grin building on her face.  “Quite honestly, I never thought I would see such a day for our Little Wing.  It makes the whole house delighted to see it.  You have given us all, not just Liara, a great gift – a future for House T’Soni.”

“As have you, with all those years of dedicated service.”  Shepard cocked her head and asked, “Doesn’t it bother you, to have been with the House for so long, to have never received a promotion?  Not even to Lieutenant, much less to a Team Leader or Captain’s position?”

“If that is your off-hand way of offering me such a position, Shepard, I will tell you to not bother.”  Bev smiled.  “I have had such offers – many times, as a matter of fact – and turned them all down.”  She shrugged.  “I simply prefer to be on the front line of the fight, not sitting behind some desk filing reports and budget updates.  Give me a squad slot in the field any day of the week, Captain, but please, by the Goddess, do not stick me with a supervisory or leadership role.  I would positively hate it.”

Shepard laughed, a grin spreading across her face.  “I can understand that.  There have been times when I desired the same but wasn’t always given the choice.  I guess that’s the downside of having a structured military; it’s either get promoted or get out.” 

“Speaking of advancement…”  Bev hesitated, then started, “There are certain customs…”  She hesitated again before adding, “Never mind.  It is not my place to speak of such things.”

“Oh, no you don’t.”  Shepard looked her in the eye.  “You can’t start a sentence like that and just stop.  Whatever it is, you have to tell me now.”  Bev started to object, only to get a stern look from her Captain.  “Nope.  Not an option, so just spit it out, whatever it is.”

“Fine.”  With a heavy sigh, Bev shook her head and continued her thought.  “When the House was run by Matriarch Benezia, the House Guard Captain, Relyna T’Lasia, was also Benezia’s First.”  Bev met the Spectre’s eyes and added, “That is normal precedent in all the high houses, yet I cannot imagine you releasing Riana from the First position.  But I also see her as never having the opportunity to raise to the House Captain position, with your extended life span.”

“So, when I was only going to be here for a century or so, Riana would have been on tap to replace Livos, once she retired.”  Shepard caught on quickly.  “And, you’re saying my presence here now, with an Asari lifespan, screws up the normal career progression within the House.”

In spite of being reluctant about having started such a conversation, Bev chuckled.  “Put a bit less delicately than I would have stated it, but yes, Captain.  It does.”

“Well, you should know my stance on such things by now, Huntress Shyria.”  Shepard grinned, the relaxed humor evident in her voice as she added, “If you plan on bringing me a problem, you’re also supposed to come to me with a suggestion to fix it.”

With that, Bev laughed outright and shook her head.  “I didn’t necessarily plan on bringing it up and speaking with you about it this morning, Shepard.  But I’ve gone and done it now, so I suppose I have to tell you what I would do in your situation, don’t I?”

“Yes, you do,” Shepard smirked.  “Whether it’s something you think I want to hear or not.”

“Alright, then.”  Her humor faded and she met the Spectre’s eyes.  “You need to ask Liara to release you from being House Captain.”  Bev shrugged and continued, “With the Reaper War over, the uniqueness of your situation has faded.  You can remain a Spectre and, quite obviously, you will remain Liara’s bondmate, but your position as her Captain creates a conflict of interests that has to be addressed, most easily done by you simply vacating the position and giving it back to Livos, as was originally planned.”

Shepard stared at the huntress in silence for a moment before asking, “And do you honestly believe Liara would let me do such a thing?”

“Well, the solution does pose its own difficulties, doesn’t it?”  Bev shrugged.  “When it all happened, Riana was assigned as the First and Livos was next in line for the House Captain position.  That is, until you showed up at Therum and pulled Liara out of that energy field, turning all of House T’Soni on its head when she fell in love with you.”  The Asari suddenly chuckled, a smile crossing her lips as she thought about it.  “I do wish I could have been there to see that – knowing, of course, that it all turned out well in the end – to see our Little Wing floating in an eons-old Prothean trap.”

Shepard grinned.  “Yeah.  I imagine if she hadn’t been so damned tired, she would have been mad as Hell.”

“Agreed!”  Regaining her composure with a gentle shake of her head, Bev continued, “But yes, I do believe Liara would agree to it, if explained in the context of our conversation.  It’s not like she’d be sending you away, so you would obviously still be with us and could act as an advisor, which I am sure Liv would be more than happy to have.  There is no doubt we all respect your leadership abilities and military prowess.”

Shepard pursed her lips before finally responding, “And it would be largely on me to keep my nose out of the daily running of the commandos, because I don’t think Liv would ever confront me about anything she interpreted as interference.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far, Captain!”  Bev laughed.  “If you make the terms of the arrangement clear and say you expect her to defend her authority, believe me, she’ll tell you off in a minute if you ever cross that line.”  Grinning and shaking her head, she added, “You apparently have a bit to learn yet about our Captain Tanni.”

“Excellent,” Shepard smirked.  “Such a change may just work out, after all!”

-------------------------------

T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 28 Aug 2189

“About damned time you got your priorities straight, Shepard.”  Aethyta softened her seeming reprimand with a throaty chuckle and a hand clapped roughly on the Spectre’s shoulder.  “Liara and House T’Soni have been waiting long enough to be your primary focus.”

“Thyta!” Mozia began, preparing to reprimand her lover before getting cut off by Shepard’s responding laughter.

“No worries, Moz.”  Shepard smiled at the matriarch.  “I’ll take the critique in the spirit in which I hope it was intended.”  A quick glance at Liara preceded her next comment of, “Now that we’re done saving the galaxy, I agree – I need to focus on becoming Liara’s bondmate and everything that entails, including my duties to House T’Soni which, I freely admit, have been put in second place, though, most certainly, not without excellent justification.”

“And,” Liara added, “we still have a few more things to wrap up before Spectre Shepard can truly focus on becoming retired House Captain full time.”

Mozia nodded in complete agreement, answering, “Which, I assume, are the items on the list you forwarded to me yesterday?”  With an affirmative response from the young couple, the House Executor asked, “So, how can we aid you in the completion of your tasks?”

Liara shrugged and replied, “There isn’t much you can do, honestly.”  She paused suddenly, a thought zipping through the meld and giving her an idea.  “Except for one item.  Perhaps you could introduce a proposal to the Matriarchal Council for us?”

Mozia tipped her head to the side and took a quick glance at the list on her data pad.  “Let me guess… the Ardat-Yakshi initiative?”  She watched Liara’s and Shepard’s appreciative nods and added, “You do realize I would need to recuse House T’Soni from any votes on the issue, as we have a personal interest with Riana’s sister being at the Monastery, yes?”

“I am not convinced of that,” Liara stated with a sly smile.  “Of the Defense Ministers, one has a direct relative at the Monastery and two more of the eight have staff relations there.  The same can be said of the Governesses – but with only one direct and one staff relation – and from different houses than those of the Defense Ministers.”

“You’ve done your research, Liara.”  Aethyta practically beamed with pride as she continued, “So, what you’re saying is that the leadership of five of the eight major houses have some connection to residents at the Monastery… and we can use that to our advantage?”

“Absolutely,” Shepard chuckled.  “Not to mention additional matriarchs with family members living there, given the five are only a portion of the eighteen survivors, including Falere and Aresia, and however many more have been identified and sent there since the end of the war.  We know of at least three other members of the Matriarchal forum who are in the same situation as House T’Soni, with a vested interest in resuming the visits.  It’s hard to vote against your friends, once you know they are personally affected by the situation.”

Liara smiled as she added, “And, we will ensure that every matriarch in the forum will be aware of that fact by the end of our presentation.”

“Which will include what, exactly, if I may ask?” inquired Mozia.

Liara shrugged and responded, “Initially, we’ll simply be asking that the procedures for visitations to the residents’ home worlds be reinstated, but not as they were before the war, as there is an insufficient number of Justicars to handle the visits.” 

Shepard continued the explanation with, “Our proposal is that we contract with the SILC to pick up the task – as impartial, since they obviously can’t be related to any of the Asari in question, and immune escorts, as Ardat-Yakshi  can’t possibly pose any melding threat to the SILC’s electronic mind.”

“And,” added Aethyta, “I imagine the SILC reaction speed to any individual Asari beginning to pull on their biotics is more than sufficient to prevent any threat to their mechanical structures.”  The matriarch nodded in approval as she continued, “I certainly see the merit in the suggestion and, I imagine, those with relatives and friends among the surviving Ardat-Yakshi  will be eager to see their loved ones again and will say the same.”

“As do I,” stated Mozia, a smile growing on her face at the thought of Riana once again being able to visit with her sister.  “I will bring it up with the other matriarchs and do my best to get it added to the September agenda.  With the slowdown in recovery issues and obstacles to discuss, I see no reason why it wouldn’t be accepted as a topic.”

“Excellent!”  Liara smiled broadly and squeezed Shepard’s hand.  “We are truly looking forward to being able to host Aresia and Falere, as often as possible.  Our final goal would be to have Aresia live here permanently, with Riana, but I don’t know if that could ever happen.  It’s not like we can tell the Council that Aresia and Falere already proved themselves capable of functioning outside the Monastery while they served on the Broker ships.”

“All in good time, Liara.”  Mozia smiled softly at the young ruler of House T’Soni.  “We make new medical breakthroughs all the time.  Perhaps, eventually, even the Ardat-Yakshi  issue can be sorted out, so as to allow them to live a pseudo-normal life.”

Aethyta nodded and then asked, “So, while we work on that, are you heading off to Garvug to pay that late visit to Grunt?”

“Yes.”  Shepard grinned.  “I want to see what progress they’ve made.  Maybe, if we’re lucky, there might even be some rogue Krogan pirate hold-outs to take care of yet.”

Liara turned enough to slap her on the shoulder.  “That’s not funny, Shepard.  I wouldn’t consider that ‘lucky’ at all.”

“You know I’m joking, Li.”  Shepard gave the Asari a soft smile.  “Last time we talked to Grunt, they had eliminated the last major cell, and the smaller groups were either turning themselves in to be part of something bigger or leaving the planet to find a more suitable home base for their operations.”  Shepard looked to Aethyta and gave her a wink.  “They finally figured out Urdnot Grunt wasn’t kidding… and was not someone they wanted to mess with.”

A hoarse laugh preceded Aethyta’s response, “I can only imagine.  Between you and Wrex, that pup has gained some serious skills for one so young, both physically and on the politic side of things.  He’s a real thinker that one.”  Glancing at Liara, she added, “And it’s a good thing he’s on our side.  He’d make a dangerous enemy.”

“Yes, he would, so it’s a good thing we are Krantt and helped raise him as such.”  Liara grinned.  “It gives purpose to the Krogan part of me, so I don’t feel the need to go around head-butting things.”

With that comment, the entire group broke out into laughter, effectively ending the meeting and allowing them all to move on to more relaxing activities – simply visiting, with no concerns about attacks, no need to formulate battle plans or establish defensive perimeters; nothing but a not-so-routine night spent with family.

As the evening drew to a close and Shepard and Liara retreated to their quarters to sleep, Shepard smiled and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.  {I could get used to this, Blue.}

Liara chuckled quietly, smiling in return – that soft, coy smile that always made Samantha’s heart patter in her chest – as she replied.  {Me too, Siame.  Me too.}

-------------------------------

Garvug, Paz System, Valhallan Threshold – 29 Aug 2189

“Shepard!”  Samantha felt her feet leave the ground as the relatively young Krogan scooped her up into a crushing hug.  “Damn good to see you!”

Thankful she had her armor on, she waited until Grunt dropped her back onto her own two feet before punching his chest plate with a combination of her augmented strength and a bit of a biotic push – for effect – and rocking him back on his heels.  “Good to see you too, Grunt!  How are things going?”

“Boring, if you want the truth.”  Grunt huffed in disgust.  “The Krogan mercs have all left for easier pickings and the Vorcha?  Well, let’s just say there aren’t enough of them left here to cause an issue.”  He chuckled and added, “We’ve pretty much managed to eradicate the infestation.”

“Sooo,” Shepard frowned and hesitated briefly before asking, “… the idea of bringing them on as border patrol didn’t work out?”

“Oh, sure it did,” Grunt growled.  “… for about two weeks.  Then, they got all greedy and tried to overrun the facilities to take them over for themselves.”  The young Krogan shrugged and continued, “Reminded me of your story from Omega, with the Vorcha who thought they could take over the station and help the Collectors… thinking to elevate their status in the galaxy.”  Shaking his head in disdain, he exclaimed, “Idiots.”

“So, the experiment ended the same way my trip through Omega did; all of them dead.”

“Yup.”  Grunt smiled.  “But that’s old news.  Come on.  I want to show you what the Salarians have been up to.”

-------------------------------

“Well I’ll be damned!”  Shepard stared over the enclosure wall and the little creatures running about, climbing the rocks in the yard, and charging into the large play balls, sending them flying.  “They actually did it!”

“Yes, they did.”  Grunt’s toothy grin spread even more as he laughed at all the little critters running around in the gigantic playpen.  “They not only brought the Kakliosaurs back, but have now established a functional breeding colony, right here on Garvug!”  His voice turned serious as he added, “And we’re making a lot of creds right now, at least for the short term, selling breeding pairs to quite a few established Krogan colonies, galaxy wide.  Pretty soon, we’ll have a stable, self-sustaining population again.”  He growled, “One more Krogan fuck-up fixed.  Who knows how many more to go.”

“One step at a time, Grunt.”  Shepard patted him not-so-gently on the shoulder.  “We’re both young.  We’ve got nearly a millennium to fix the rest.”  She looked at him and grinned, “It’ll be one Hell of a legacy, though, don’t ya think?”

“Heh, heh, heh.  Guess you’re right, there, Shepard.”  The Krogan’s frown turned up into a happy grin.  “First, we beat the Collectors… then we beat the Reapers… then, we restore the Krogan to their original status as a proud and noble race.”  He paused and looked over the happily playing little Kakliosaurs one more time.  “Come on.  I want to take you out to the reefs on the water skimmer; show you what we’re doing out there.”

“Do we have to leave so soon?” Liara asked.  “I’m just so fascinated by all of this!  It’s absolutely amazing… and they’re so cute when they’re little!”

“Yeah.  Until you step into the pen with them.”  Grunt laughed as he continued, “Then, they’re not quite so adorable!  And, you’d better be either the size of a Krogan or have your biotics fired up because, otherwise, they’ll be bouncing you around like those balls.  They may be small, but they are mighty!” he roared.

“Just like you, Grunt!” Liara laughed.  “I am so glad you were able to accomplish this!”

“Only because of you and Shepard, and all the friends and allies you made during the war.”  Grunt nodded to them both in recognition.  “Without that, none of this would be happening, and I truly appreciate what you’ve done for the Krogan… and am proud to claim you as my Krantt!”

“We have to come back to land, sometime, Liara.”  Shepard loved seeing Liara so enthralled by the once-extinct creatures.  The pure delight of the encounter resonated through the link, giving the Spectre a different perspective and enhancing her sense of accomplishment, way above and beyond what simply winning the war could bring.  She fully understood there was nothing simple about the war but being part of projects like this – the restoration of previously extinct species and the rebuilding of once-noble races – that really meant something. 

Shepard knew, no matter how horrible the war was, within a few generations it would be largely forgotten.  It was projects like the Elcor restoration, the cloning of viable Kakliosaurs, and the rebuilding of the ocean reef system on Garvug that were truly timeless.  Those things would, hopefully, be the truly lasting legacy of their accomplishments.  She sighed happily and grasped Liara’s hand.  “Come on, Ionúin Álainn.  Let’s go see all the new fish in the Garvug Equatorial Sea.”

Chapter Text

Defense Council Chambers, Armali, Thessia – 1 Sep 2189

“Would you be more comfortable with such a change if we could arrange for a test period, limited to six of our main cities and supported by a SILC with whom you are familiar?”  No matter what Liara had told her, Mozia had fully expected at least some level of resistance, so had planned accordingly.

“And just who would that possibly be?”  Matriarch Eleria T’Saptos grimaced as she asked the question.  “It’s not like any of us have had enough contact with the SILC to exactly become familiar with any of them.”

“I’m afraid that is not entirely true, Eleria.  If you would allow yourself to consider the prospect, even if only for a few moments.”  Mozia smiled gently to soften her statement.  “Both your Governess, Matriarch Falis, and Lady Sashia of House T’Sere, had extensive contact with a SILC Prime and her team during the rebuild of our world; Prime Koboca.  If we could arrange for her return, would Prime Koboca be an acceptable representative for such a test?”

“I…”  Mozia’s unexpectedly prompt counter caught Eleria off guard and she hesitated in her answer.  “I suppose that may be acceptable, but we need time to confirm that with both Falis and Sashia, to ensure neither has any reservations.”

“Which I would fully expect you to do.”  Mozia’s eyes wandered the forum as she gently added, “Truthfully, that is exactly what I would like each and every one of you to do.  This is only a first proposal and needs to be fully vetted within your communities.  Honestly, I am simply asking that we return to the days just prior to the Reaper invasion – when we allowed the trustworthy Ardat-Yakshi chaperoned visits to their respective homeworld.  I am not suggesting a change to our basic policy – far from it.  I am merely asking for a change to the chaperones, as the Justicar Order no longer exists in its previous form, and their numbers are a fraction of what they once were.”

Mozia suddenly received some unexpected help from the membership, in the form of the relatively new Serrice Defense Minister, Matriarch Davos T’Vura.  “I don’t need time to think about it, Mozia.  Serrice was hit hard when the Reapers arrived, and we wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are today without Mik and his incredible team.  I would welcome all seventeen of them back in an instant and would happily offer up Serrice as the first test zone, starting immediately, if that is agreeable to the forum.”

A bemused smile appeared on Mozia’s face as she asked, “Mik?”

Davos chuckled.  “Yes, Mik.  A nickname that started within a few days of their arrival… for Prime Dynamik.  Though their main purpose was to act as guardians and security, they were surprisingly amiable and extremely interested in learning our customs.  It was quite the experience and, just before they departed, I told them all they were more than welcome to come back and visit anytime.”  She laughed again and shook her head.  “However, I do believe the concept of visiting for pleasure completely escaped them.”

“Thank you.”  Mozia dipped her head in grateful recognition of the offer, yet having to reply, “But I’m afraid we are not prepared to start the test right away, Davos.”  Mozia glance across the forum yet again as she continued, “Obviously, I wanted approval from the Forum before contacting the SILC about any possible arrangement.  We would, of course, also need to decide upon a negotiator and consider what form of payment we could offer.  From previous contracts they have taken, it seems they like either space in which to settle or raw minerals as currency… or a combination of both, as proven by their most recent contract on Gellix.”  

She grinned widely and immediately explained, knowing the questions would come.  “The budding joint governorship there between the Krogan and Humans also has a SILC contingent, helping the new colony with security while reopening the mines and supply depots.”

“Then I would recommend you ask Shepard to be our negotiator; she lives in your House, after all, and has an excellent rapport with them.”  Suri K’Eir chimed in.  “And, speaking for Anerzesa, we don’t need time, either.  We didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy the help of the SILC in the first round of repairs.  As usual, we were farther down the list and were left on our own to fully reestablish our essential services.”  Her voice managed to convey the icy chill of winter in her displeasure at recalling their still recent history.

“We made do on our own, but even I have to admit that things moved along at an incredible pace once Prime Életerő and his team finally arrived.  Besides which, we have three households with residents at the Monastery who would love to have them come home for a visit, I imagine sooner rather than later, so I also offer that Anerzesa become a test location for the SILC escorts – as soon as you can speak to them and come to some equitable arrangement.”  Suri’s icy gaze settled on Eleria as she concluded, “Even if there are some among us who still opt for distrust and choose to forget how much the SILC aided us, both during and after the war.”

“Please.”  Mozia raised her hand to request silence as an angry grumble started to rise.  “We have all seen enough of war, so let us refrain from infighting amongst ourselves!”  She heaved a sorrowful sigh.  “I would also point out that should this measure pass and the negotiations be successful, it does not mean everyone has to take advantage of it.”  Mozia shrugged and met the eyes of every Defense Council representative in the room before continuing.  “We are still independent states, and should you not wish to have SILC… or the Ardat-Yakshi… in your region, you can simply refuse to take advantage of the visits.”

Following a disgusted laugh, Eleria sarcastically countered, “Oh, yes!  I am sure that will go over amazingly well with those of our people having relatives at the Monastery.  Everyone else allowing SILC-monitored visits… except for us?”  Scoffing, she added, “If one of us agrees to this, then we all must agree to participate, or be prepared to be voted out of office… possibly by special mandate, not even waiting for the next regular election.  It could potentially be political suicide to go against the group!”

Maintaining her poise, Mozia simply arched a brow and asked, “So… is that a yes?”

With an angry frown, the only dissenter in the group growled, “May the Goddess damn you, Mozia… but never mind my personal opinion!  I am forced to agree with your proposal.”

Frowning in response, Mozia’s voice was flat as she responded, “We’ll hold a formal vote then, since everyone seems so eager to resolve this today, instead of taking time to review the proposal more thoroughly.”  She once again looked about the room and summarized, “We agree to move forward with asking Spectre Shepard to present the Asari proposal to the SILC to begin negotiations, in good faith, for the escort of qualified residents of the Lesuss Monastery to their respective homeworld, beginning with a yet-to-be-determined number of Ardat-Yakshi for an initial test on Thessia, for a period of… let us say, two weeks… same as it was pre-war?  Is that wording acceptable?”

With a chorus largely of approval, accompanied by a reluctant growl, Mozia concluded, “Then the motion is passed…”  She focused on Eleria and asked, “Would you like your vote registered as a yes, or do you wish to cast it as the single dissenting vote, in the unlikely event this all explodes in our faces?”  A final option occurred to her, so she added, “Or, would you like to simply register an abstention?”

Shaking her head in defeat, Eleria sighed.  “No.  I will not let myself be ruled by fear and will officially record my vote in favor of the proposal.  Besides… if this goes badly, it is the Goddess who will judge our decision in the end, not me.”

-------------------------------

Vancouver B.C., Earth, Sol System – 7 Sep 2189

Zoë Lawrence’s first-thing-out-of-bed-stretch was an unconscious imitation of a wild feline; with her body folded down at the hips, she placed her arms straight out in front of her, palms of her hands flat on the floor, and reverse-arched her lower back while tensing all her muscles.  Standing upright once more, she washed her face, brushed her hair into a haphazard semblance of order, pulled on her clothes, then headed for the dining area to start off the new week with her 0730 Monday morning breakfast meeting with Jana Cantrell.

Truth be known, their daily meetings had evolved into more formality than necessity.  After removing all of LEAP’s leaders and virtually all of their ‘foot-soldiers’, Atlas had matured into a covert and dedicated peace-keeping organization, with research now their primary focus; under Zoë’s leadership, any individual or group of humans – whether on Earth or in the colonies – publicly avowing a hatred for any of the galaxy’s other races was quietly held up for public ridicule and shaming, if they couldn’t be convinced to change their thinking.  Those that espoused mayhem or employed violence against aliens earned increasingly harsh levels of dissuasion.  Unfortunately, a few had been terminated; these hits were sanctioned by Spectre Shepard, but only after Atlas had exhausted all other avenues of dissuasion and had provided the Spectre with irrefutable proof of their crimes against others.

Unlike their predecessors in Cerberus, Atlas had developed a reputation for defending every species and race in the galaxy against xenophobic beliefs and actions; a visit from one of their representatives was generally all that was needed to convince most to change to a more tolerant view of the value of all life.  Along with this, Atlas also had to convince these people that Humans were not pre-ordained to rule the galaxy’s races.  Once Zoë agreed to share all their subsequent research with Spectre Shepard on Thessia, the group rarely had to end anyone’s life.  That Shepard had been convinced of the good intentions of a Zoë-led Atlas was one of the best things that had ever happened to her.

She had undergone surgery in late-June to have a newly-cloned left kidney implanted – the original having been removed after it was irreparably injured during her blind attack against cloaked assassin Frédéric Klein.  One beneficial side effect of having her surgery completed in the Alliance Hospital was being able to get reacquainted with the young Marine Corporal that had been her guard during her previous visit, Gracelyn Medina.  They had spent a number of hours catching each other up on all that had happened in their lives since Zoë’s discharge in mid-October the previous year.  The time Gracie spent with Zoë had been a welcome distraction, making her stay in the facility less boring, and seemingly feel much shorter in duration.

Subsequent to her release from the base hospital, she had spent her remaining recovery time overseeing the actions of Jana and her team as Atlas personnel continued to monitor the progress – or lack thereof – of the people on T’Soni’s and Shepard’s finalized list of Systems Alliance xenophobes.  Of the sixty-plus people that were processed through the legal systems on Earth, twelve had managed to evade official punishment for their criminal behavior, either by a stroke of good luck or through the legal maneuvering of their advocates.

Atlas personnel had been present during the trials and judicial hearings for everyone; the twelve that were set free without being punished for their crimes were quietly accosted by the men and women from Atlas, to quickly disappear without a trace.  Those having families or relatives waiting for them to return home were permitted to pass on a message: Do not involve the authorities.  Do not expect my return anytime soon.

Each of the twelve zealots were held in actual prison cells – and no two were held in the same facility – for a period of time equal to what an actual punishment for their particular crimes would have earned, had they not been set free on technicalities.  The sentences ran from two to five years.  There was no probation, nor was there any chance of early release for good behavior.  The only other option provided to them was to meet one-on-one with Spectre Shepard to suffer her immediate justice, whatever it might entail; unsurprisingly, none took the offer.

Alone in her office after breakfast, her thoughts drifted back to the desperate days of the Reaper war.  It only took the accusing stare from the eyes of a dead Asari huntress to complete my own transformation; it’s an image I still recall as clearly as on the day it happened – and it’s one I’m afraid I will carry to my grave.  Thinking about that huntress brought on a nearly overwhelming sense of sad regret, not just for that unnamed commando – whom she hadn’t personally killed – but for nearly all the lives she had ended during her time working for Cerberus.

The one life she had absolutely no regrets about taking was Jack Harper’s.  Thinking about the confrontation in the control room on the Citadel brought tears to her eyes.  Shepard was nearly dead from her wounds.  Anyone else that terribly injured would have been dead.  It seemed she was alive only through sheer force of will.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a chime from her secure communications console.  The caller’s identity – given where her thoughts were – was almost no surprise.  She keyed on the device and smiled at the image on the screen in front of her.  “Spectre Shepard.  A pleasure, as always.  I was just thinking about you.”

The lopsided grin she received gladdened her heart.  “Hello, Zoë.  And, why would you be thinking about me, if I may ask.”

“No reason, really.  Just thinking back to some of the things I did during the war, and the turning point in my former life.”  Zoë pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, dropped her hand and continued, “My thoughts wandered to the confrontation between you and Jack Harper in the Citadel control room… and how horribly you were wounded.”  Shaken her head slightly, as if to clear those memories, she asked, “So, what may I do for you today, Spectre Shepard?”

“I’ve come to a crossroads in my life, Zoë.  It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a number of months now, and I’ve finally made my decision.”  The grin disappeared, to be replaced by lips clamped together in a straight line for a few moments.  When she continued speaking, her tone was still friendly, but decidedly serious.  “I’m resigning from the Spectres, Zoë.  I’m tired of risking my life – my future with Liara – by having to undertake dangerous missions for the Galactic Council.  Liara and I have sacrificed more than enough for the welfare of the galaxy… so we’ve decided it’s time for me to back away so we can enjoy our future together.”  She looked down for several moments, giving Zoë and opportunity to respond.

“It’s about time, Shepard.”  She held up a hand at Sam’s instant reaction.  “You have done more for all the galaxy’s people than the council or any councilor, or anyone else, for that matter!  Do you remember what I told you when we met on the CGC, at the end of the Council’s ‘victory tour’?  I offered you my best wishes for a happy life on Thessia with Lady T’Soni and said that you both deserved it for all you had accomplished.”  With a smirk, she added, “It’s nice to hear that you will finally have an opportunity for that happy life, but…”  She trailed off into silence, a bit afraid of asking the most important question.

“But what, Zoë?  You realize the implications, don’t you – that you’re about to lose your Spectre top-cover.”  Receiving a mute nod from the woman, Shepard continued.  “You, and Atlas, have done nothing to betray my trust since I met with you in the hospital a few days before your discharge last year, so I’m trusting you to continue your good work.  You’re on your own now, Ms Lawrence; you’ll have to use your own best judgement going forward.”  The lopsided grin returned.  “I honestly believe you’re a reformed woman and that you’ll stay on the right side of law and order, Zoë.”

Lawrence showed her teeth in a dazzling grin.  “Thank you, Shepard.  It means the world to me that you trust me, and Atlas, to do the right thing.”  The grin lessened slightly as she added, “But, since our relationship is being terminated, does this mean I must return to looking over my shoulder, keeping watch for a certain Asari that still wishes me dead?”

Samantha chuckled.  “If you’re speaking of Riana, I can honestly say she has no desire to waste time chasing old personal grudges.  Besides, she doesn’t know it yet, but she’s going to be promoted to Captain of Liara’s Personal Guard – which comes along with being Liara’s First – so what little free time she has left will likely be spent with her lover, Samantha Traynor.”

“Good to know.”  Zoë looked down for a moment, unwilling to cut the connection with this extraordinary person.  When her eyes returned to the console, she smiled at the Spectre.  “What’s that Asari phrase?  Oh… yes.  Go with the Goddess, Shepard.  I wish you the absolute best of futures with Liara.  Should you ever find yourself in need of my services, you know how to contact me.  For you, my services will always be available and there will never be any fee.”

Shepard grinned and responded, “Don’t take this the wrong way but, in that regard, I hope you never hear from me… because, if you do, I’ve obviously failed miserably at the whole retirement thing.”

Suddenly fearing her life was going to be lessened by no longer having this amazing woman in her future, Zoë had to force a smile onto her face, even as a tear managed to escape and trickle down a tattooed cheek.  “Take care of you and yours, Shepard.”  She sighed in resignation and added, “Please know that I greatly value your trust, and again, if you ever need me, I’ll be here.”

“Thanks, Zoë.  I’ll keep that in mind.”

Shepard leaned in toward the screen, and in the next instant, Zoë found herself staring at a blank display.  “Well, I’ll be damned.  She’s actually going to do it.”  Just after she reached up to terminate the call from her end as well, a knock sounded on the door.  “Come!”

Jana poked her head in, asking, “Hey!  I know we just talked, but do you have a minute?  We may have just located a person of interest.”

“Absolutely.  Come on in.”  A smile found its way onto Zoë’s face as she continued, “And you’ll never believe the conversation I just had…”

-------------------------------

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 16 Sep 2189

“Mom.”  Shepard looked at the worry lines creasing her mother’s face in the vid feed and asked, “What’s wrong?  What’s happened?”

“What makes you ask if something has happened, Sam?”  Forcing a smile onto her face as she peered at her observant daughter, Hannah quickly added, “Never mind.  Don’t bother answering that.  We both know one another too well to be able to hide anything from the other.”  Her shoulders drooped as she explained, “Remember the mining group Adrien and I arranged to send out to Rayingri?”

“Yes…” Sam answered hesitantly, nodding for her mother to go on.

“Well, their latest delivery of ore is over a week late and when we attempted to contact Rayingri, we received no response.”  Hannah sighed sadly and shook her head.  “I’m afraid something has gone terribly wrong… to have neither ship nor planetary communications… and I could very well be to blame, sending that brazen woman, Janyce Ward, out there to help that facility.  I am concerned that she has once again attempted to start a union and the facility owner wasn’t nearly as willing to negotiate with her as Adrien and I were.”

“So, you want us to go check it out for you…”  Shepard glanced at Liara, who had come to the communications center as quickly as she could following Samantha’s concerned tap through the link.  “And do whatever is necessary to straighten it out?”

“No.”  The answer surprised the couple, even more so when Hannah continued.  “I want you to take me out there… so I can at least have an opportunity to fix any mess I may have created.”

“But you don’t want us to simply provide transportation, do you?”  Shepard gave her lover a sideward glance as Liara picked up the dialogue.  “You need us there in case the problem is beyond your ability to fix.”  Liara’s right brow marking cocked up as she added, “Or is something else entirely… a situation you could not possibly foresee.”

“Correct.”  Hannah looked down at the floor for a moment, her eyes finally coming back up when she realized neither Sam nor Liara were going to speak.  “I know I could just send an Alliance team out there, and I have absolutely no right to ask you to do this, but…”

Samantha smiled softly at her mom and interrupted, “But you have… because you feel personally responsible for what may have happened and need to see it for yourself.  And, we’re the first ones you thought of who can help you without drawing too much attention to the whole thing.”  She huffed quietly and added, “It’s okay, Mom.  You know you can always come to us for help… no matter what sort of help you need.”

“I know that, Sam.”  Hannah shook her head, “But this is different.  Help is one thing… putting your lives on the line for a personal request is different.”

“I don’t see it as personal, Mom.”  Samantha drew a deep breath.  “That ore is crucial to the war recovery effort and the supply chain needs to be protected.  Yes, the Alliance could – and probably should – handle it, but with all the personnel and ships lost during the war, they’re already overtaxed with the reconstruction of their civilization.”

“How about this?”  Liara picked up the argument.  “If it truly is just a dispute, Spectre Shepard should easily be able to step in as an impartial negotiator and get it settled.  Otherwise, we’ll evaluate the situation when we get there and decide on our best option going forward.”

“I suppose that’s why I came to you, isn’t it?”  Hannah smiled softly.  “I can’t exactly say no to any suggestions you may have on how to handle it, can I?”

“No, not really.”  Shepard replied with a soft grin.  With a quick mental exchange with Liara, she continued, “Give us a day to get prepared, and we’ll be in London first thing Friday morning to pick you up.  Sound good?”

“I can’t reasonably expect you to get here any sooner, so yes, that will work.”  Hannah looked relieved, as if she hadn’t exactly been confident her request would be accepted.  “In the meantime, we’ll continue our efforts to make contact and get more info on the situation on Rayingri.  I’ll keep you informed.”

“I can do the same, Mom.”  Liara glanced at Samantha before continuing, “We’ll use our contacts as well… see if we can dig anything up through less official channels.  Obviously, if we find anything, we’ll let you know.”

Shepard added, “And, one way or another, we’ll see you on Friday.  If the situation has resolved itself by then, we’ll simply stay and visit for a day or two.” A smile appeared on her face as she asked, “How does that sound?”

A relieved Hannah smiled back as she answered, “That would actually be wonderful, Sam.  Thank you… both of you, and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

-------------------------------

Rayingri, Gagarin System, Armstrong Nebula – 21 Sep 2189

The situation at the mining station had been discovered on the fifteenth and Hannah had called on the morning of the sixteenth, but there was no quick route to the Armstrong Nebula from Sol, so the trip had taken four relay jumps and three seriously long days to complete.  Even with the Knight Shade’s constant state of readiness, they still hadn’t arrived until the morning of September 21st; nearly a week had passed since the realization that something had gone terribly wrong at Rayingri.

They had looked for updates as they transited the relay in Attican Beta the day prior, but the Station had remained stubbornly silent.  The ship was fully cloaked as they dropped out of FTL at Rayingri, with everyone on the Knight Shade unsure what they would find upon arrival.  After a few hours of clandestine surveillance, Shepard and Liara finally understood what they were facing, and Sam called everyone together in the ship’s ready room.

“First thing…”  Shepard looked at her mother with a strained smile.  “It’s not the miners, Mom, so you are in no way at fault for what has happened down there.”

Hannah’s relief was only momentary, sensing Samantha’s disquiet.  “So, what exactly has happened here, Sam?”  She looked between her daughter and Liara.  “The expressions on your faces tells me it isn’t good and, in all fairness, me not being responsible doesn’t make it any better, does it?”

“No, Mom, it doesn’t.”  Shepard’s eyes wandered the collection of commandos before her as she stated, “It’s another group of Blue Suns… and they seem to be quite entrenched, using the folks here as slave labor in order to steal the mine’s credits by selling the ore, probably on the black market.”  Looking to Hannah again, she added, “And your full shipment of ore?  Already gone, so my guess is they sold it on the black market, possibly ship and all, but that’s yet to be seen.”

Releasing a deep sigh, Hannah closed her eyes for a moment before answering, “And, I don’t suppose there’s any way to track it and get that ore back, is there?”

Liara smiled softly, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Mom.  We’ll see what we find in their databases here, once we drag them out of that mine… because we absolutely cannot allow them to win this one.”  Her eyes flashed in anger as she added, “That polonium ore is far too important to the continuing recovery effort, so I’ll contact Miranda and see what chatter our agents can pick up.  This isn’t some wildcat operation, so I’m sure we can count on the United Congress of Industrial Miners to offer up some type of reward for any of the ore we find and return.  That should open a few mouths, aiding our cause.”

“Drag them out of the mine?  You mean you intend to go in there?”  Hannah’s mouth hung open in surprise.  “Why don’t we wait for the Alliance to handle this, now that we know for sure what’s going on?”

“Because the longer we wait, the further away that ore gets!  The Blue Suns have been a pain in our ass more than once.”  Shepard practically growled as she listed what she thought to be their greatest transgressions, ending with, “They are nothing more than mercs for hire… and have tried more than once to kill me and my friends.  It won’t be the first time we yank ’em out of hiding from a facility they have no business being in.”

“If you’re sure…”  Hannah was still looking at her daughter skeptically, when Liara chuckled quietly.

“It is most definitely not the first time we’ve done this.”  Smiling at the woman, Liara added, “Nor the second, or the third, Admiral.  We are actually rather good at cave crawling.  As an archaeologist, I’ve probably spent half my life inside of various caves.”

“And it will take the Alliance way too long to get here, so, yes, we’re going in,” affirmed Shepard.  “We need to save as many of the miners as we can.”  She looked at her squad and continued, “I want to take an augmented team, so Riana, Ellia and Tonan – you three are with Liara and I.  Let’s gear up.”

As the team members started to move, Shepard turned to the medical team, but before she could issue even a single instruction, Dr Yandle was already speaking.  “And Chirugo and I will be set up and prepped for any medical emergencies that may arise, Shepard.  If something happens, we’ll be ready.”

Clapping the doctor on the shoulder, she grinned.  “Thanks, Derek.  I hope you have an exceptionally boring day.”

“Me, too, Spectre.”  As the last of the team disappeared down into the hangar, he repeated himself, whispering, “Me too.”

-------------------------------

Nearly four hours had passed when the ship finally got a call.  “You’ve got Livos coming in hot, Derek!” 

Shepard paused and Derek could hear Liara in the background, “Cy…  You stay with us as lead.  Allia and Tonan… Get Liv to medical!”

“I’m sure you heard that…”  Shepard paused again to take a breath.  “Livos is unconscious, her left foot is crushed.  It’s a mess, Derek.  Just do your best!”

“Will do, Shepard.  Chirugo is prepping the surgery unit as we speak.  ETA?”

“Five minutes, tops.”  The Spectre hardly paused as she added, “But the rest of us are going back in, so Thoni still has the Bridge.”

“Understood, Shepard,” Lusmeni answered quickly.  “What happened?”

Shepard’s voice was hoarse and gravelly as she added, “Damned mining explosives almost brought an entire fucking cavern down on us… Liv held an exit tunnel open with her barrier, but she collapsed just as the last of us got clear and got caught in the edge of the debris fall.  A huge boulder came down and crushed her barrier – if not for both Liara and Bev blasting it with warps to redirect it, she’d likely have died beneath it.” 

“Mission status?”

“All Blue Suns are confirmed down, except for the two that attempted to bury us.  They were holed up in a back passage… and I’m fairly sure their attempt to bury us simply buried them instead.  Just in case they didn’t die in there and have a back way out, launch Dax and Sal in the Jiris for a full regional thermal scan; kill anyone who pops out unannounced.  We’ll be sure to call in before we emerge into daylight again.”

“And the miners?”

“The majority are still alive… and now safe and sound, rounded up and currently in the living facilities with Ellia and Bev guarding the position.”  Shepard paused for a moment and added, “And tell the Admiral her faith in Janyce Ward was well placed.  That woman held the group together through all of this turmoil.  She did good.”

“Will do, Captain.  Keep yourselves safe and get back here as soon as you can.”  Thoni paused only briefly before asking, “Do you have an ETA?”

“We’re returning to the living areas now to start collecting data.  It all depends on how long it takes us to hack their security algorithms and download whatever records we can find.  We’ll give a shout when we’re ready to come out and inspect the flight control tower to see if there are any logged departures with destinations.”

“Understood, Captain.  Stay alive.”

“We’re doing our best, Luse.  I know I don’t need to say it… but take good care of Liv for us.  Shepard out.”

-------------------------------

With Liara and Riana working together, the time required to gain access into the Blue Suns’ files and communications logs was minimal.  They easily discovered the ore had been sold to one of the higher-profile black market profiteers and it would be easy enough to turn his name and location over to the Alliance.  Whether or not the ore would already be resold by the time the Alliance got a team together to go collect it would be an entirely different issue, but that didn’t concern the Spectre.  What did concern her was the health and well-being of Captain Livos Tanni, so the first place she went once everyone was back aboard the Knight Shade was the Medical Bay.

Surprised they were not still in surgery, Shepard asked, “How’s she doing, Doc?”

“Well, your assessment was spot-on, Spectre.”  Derek met her eyes.  “That foot is a mess… and beyond our on-ship capability to fix.  We simply don’t have sufficient raw materials aboard to do what needs to be done, so we placed Liv in stasis.”

“What do you mean we don’t have enough material?”  Shepard sounded almost angry as she continued, “We have the best technology available in the galaxy and we can’t help her?”

“It’s not the tech.”  Derek smiled understandingly, looking to soothe the irate Captain.  “It’s the quantity.”  He raised a hand, cutting off further questions and continued, “Please, give me a chance to explain.”  With a curt nod from the somewhat irritated leader of the House T’Soni Guard, Derek drew a deep breath and continued, “We do have the best tech in the galaxy, but the quantities of material we maintain on board are for fractures… simple breaks and cracks… not for a full-crush reconstruction.”

He took a quick breath and went on before Shepard could interrupt.  “What Livos needs is a complete reconstruction of her entire foot… which includes 28 bones, 32 joints, and the reattachment of the more than one hundred muscles, tendons and ligaments.”  He shook his head and added, “I did the research.  Even using the automated surgery bed – which is capable of performing extremely advanced procedures – the entire process will still require a series of three, individual, six-hour operations, completed back-to-back, with pauses only for resupply of the material caches; the quantity of which we simply do not have aboard and cannot get until we return to Thessia.”

“Well, shit.”  Shepard put her hands on her hips and frowned.  “But, she’s okay for now?  Her condition is stable in the meantime?”

“Absolutely,” Derek answered without hesitation.  “And, being in stasis, she’s completely unaware of her surroundings and not in any pain, whatsoever.  It is my professional medical opinion that we wait until we get home and transfer her, still in stasis, to the Armali Medical Center.  Let them confer and get her the best treatment possible.”  As Shepard seemed to hesitate, he added, “It would result in the best possible outcome for Livos… and potentially return her to full capacity, letting her return to work in less than a month.”  He shrugged, “That’s my best guess, anyway.”

“Less than a month?” 

“Yes, Shepard.”  Derek smiled at the look of incredulity he was seeing on the Spectre’s face.  “I truly do believe it’s the best course of action… for everyone involved, not just Livos.  It will help House T’Soni keep her future Captain of the Guard, if the rumors are true?”

At that, Shepard shook her head and chuckled.  “There’s no such thing as a secret around this place, is there?”

“I think everyone knows about your chat with Bevos Shyria, Spectre…”  Derek grinned and added, “And we all know you always end up doing the right thing, once you know what that is.”

Chapter Text

Armali Medical Center, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 29 Sep 2189

As Livos Tanni gradually awakened from a combination of sedatives and the lingering effects of being placed in an emergency stasis field, her memories of a nightmare of intense pain quickly faded into the realm of a distant dream, barely recalled.  As the fog in her mind lifted, she became increasingly amazed –surprised, actually – to discover herself still alive as she slowly slitted her eyes open.

Turning her head in an attempt to discern where she was only reinforced her surprise; she was most definitely not in the med bay of the T’Soni Country Estate.  Turning her head the other way in response to a gentle cough made her heart soar as she caught sight of Carlina V’Zanto, rising from a bedside chair to greet her.

“Liv!  Welcome back!”  Zan had tears in her eyes as she leaned over the love of her life and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.  “Need some water?”

Livos attempted to swallow; suddenly realizing just how dry her mouth was, she was only able to manage a nod in response.  Her lover immediately activated the bed, tilting the top section upward before carefully tipping a cup to her lips.  Feeling the refreshing liquid flow stubbornly down her parched throat, she was finally able to swallow normally and then form words, though unsure of what to ask first as a multitude of questions flooded her mind.

She quickly settled for ignoring them all and offered Zan a smile.  “Thank you and believe me when I say it is awesome to see you,” she croaked.  “When my eyes last closed, I had serious doubts that I would ever be able to reopen them.”  She sighed, adding, “I have never been happier to discover I was wrong.”

In contrast to the quickly passing clench of her heart at the thought of losing Livos so early in their lives together, Zan laughed and wiped tears of joy from her own cheeks as she replied, “Are you daft?  You were with Lady Liara and Spectre Shepard, the wonder couple of the galaxy!  Did you honestly believe you could possibly die while under their protection?  They certainly weren’t going to let some Goddess-be-damned little boulder relieve you of your duty to House T’Soni.  You have work yet to do, Captain!”

“Some little boulder?”  Able to do nothing but laugh at her response, Livos’ smile widened as she reached out to grasp Zan’s hand.  “Goddess, it truly is good to see you, but I have to ask…  What day is it?”

“They got here as fast as the Knight Shade would fly, talked to the doctors, and had you in surgery first thing Saturday morning.  Liara called me when you were transferred to recovery, which wasn’t until Sunday, mid-day…”  She paused at the look on Liv’s face and decided to add, “Your foot was completely crushed, Liv, and had to be totally reconstructed.  By the time they were done, you had gone through four separate procedures, each taking six to eight hours, with prep time and specialty surgical team changes between each.”  She suddenly smiled.  “The best news is that your foot is, quite literally, as good as new – and it’s your foot, not a mechanical replacement or some kind of prosthetic!”

“So, that doesn’t actually answer my question, Zan,” she said with a smirk.  “Does all that combine to make it…”  Livos glanced out the window to see the sun low on the horizon before continuing, “Sunday afternoon?  No… that’s when Liara called you so, at the earliest, it must be Monday.”

Zan cocked her left brow up and replied, “Nice try, but no.”  Leaning in to plant another gentle kiss on Liv’s brow, she continued in a quiet voice, “They kept you sedated for two days to make sure everything held together like it was supposed to, no blood vessels rupturing, that kind of thing.”  Standing back up, she looked at her lover and continued, “So, it’s going on Wednesday night; it’s been more than a week since you hit the mine on Rayingri.”

“How can I be so unaware of that much time passing?”  She suddenly stopped as the obvious solution hit her.  “That must be why I woke up so groggy – they put me in stasis, didn’t they?”

As Zan began to reply, an older Asari matron walked into the room and answered for her.  “Yes, they did, and it was the best thing they could have done, given the condition of your foot, Captain Tanni.”  With a smile, she added, “Welcome back to consciousness.  I’m Doctor T’Velos… and your orthopedic surgery team leader.  I will admit, you gave us the most complicated challenge I’ve seen in my entire career.”

“Somehow, you make that sound like a good thing – not necessarily a claim to fame I wanted attached to my name.”  Liv sat up a little taller and stretched her arms out, solemnly offering her palms.  “Thank you for saving my foot.”

Laying her hands upon those offered, T’Velos smiled.  “You are very welcome, Captain, though I will say it is quite likely you now have some painful work ahead of you.”

“Some type of rehab, no doubt.”  Livos nodded and smiled back at the doctor.  “But whatever it is I need to do, I will complete it with a smile on my face because I am still alive, since I never believed I would live to open my eyes again in this physical realm when that rock came crashing down.”  She glanced at Zan and added, “I know exactly how lucky I am, and won’t waste this second chance at life that so many didn’t get during the war.”

The doctor nodded in understanding.  “That is an excellent attitude, but let us see if you’re still smiling once you get started on the therapies.”  Giving Zan a quick glance before turning back, T’Velos asked, “Have you had a chance to discuss the location of your rehab?”

It was Zan who answered the question.  “No, I have not told her anything yet.  She just woke up, mere moments before you walked in.  We barely even had a chance to say our hellos and for Liv to figure out what day it is, and we did not have enough time to talk about what comes next.” 

“I see.”  The doctor nodded and looked Liv in the eye.  “The therapy you need to go through will be similar to breaking in a new pair of boots; it will take time and it will make your foot ache.  You need to slowly exercise and stretch every millimeter of new tendon, muscle, and ligament until you regain your full range of motion in your foot and ankle.  I know that sounds simple… but, I guarantee the process will be tedious, and rather painful, at least in the beginning.”

“Gee.  Thanks, Doc.”  Livos smirked at T’Velos as she continued, “Sounds like loads of fun… but I’ll get it done, I swear to you.”

“It will get better, I promise, so that is good.”  T’Velos chuckled at her patient’s comment.  “Remember to keep that sense of humor, because you’re going to need every bit of it before this is over.”  Glancing at Zan yet again, she added, “The good news for you is that one of the best rehabilitation centers in the republic happens to be located at the Záhrada S’Vatyne Resort, on Sanves, a location which I have heard you are very familiar with.”

Livos’ eyes flew wide open in surprise and she stared at Zan as she asked, “You mean I’m headed to the resort for my rehab?  I get to spend that time with you?”

Zan issued a laughing reply, “Well, yes… and no.”  Taking Liv’s hand once more, she smiled softly as she gave a more complete answer.  “Yes, you are coming home with me to the resort, but your treatments will be done with Neztheri Lasia.  We call her Nezzi… which is, after speaking with Lady Liara, a nickname I believe you will find still brings somewhat painful memories, because of your lost matriarch, but she is the best we have for what you need to get done.”

“She is the best the Asari have to offer, for the therapy treatments you need to receive,” added T’Velos.  “The resort has the reputation of being a very exacting employer with an extremely committed leader in Matriarch Marisha, who commands only the best in her employ.  Your recovery there will be swift and as… comfortable… as they can make it, I am sure – particularly given the relationships between you and Zan… and S’Vatyne and House T’Soni.  I very much doubt you could receive better care anywhere in the galaxy.”

“Both during and between the therapy sessions, Liv.  I can personally promise you that.”  Zan’s joyful expression consumed her entire face, the idea of having Liv in her arms every night for the near future making her giddy as she looked at her lover.

Livos’ face flushed slightly, and she coughed in an effort to hide her embarrassment, all to no avail as both Zan and the doctor started to chuckle.  “Well,” began T’Velos.  “Just make sure you don’t overdo any of that and ruin all our hard work.  I’m not repeating that marathon surgery simply because a couple of overzealous matrons can’t control themselves, no matter how deserving you both are of a joyous reunion!”

-------------------------------

Záhrada S’Vatyne Resort, Sanves, Athena Nebula – 9 Oct 2189

It was the Friday ending Livos’ first week of therapy, but the day of the week didn’t honestly matter, as her therapy was an everyday thing; weekends would count for nothing over the next five weeks – or however long it was before all her sessions were complete and she had full mobility in her new ankle and foot.  Nor did it mean anything to Shepard, Liara – or the personal protection detail – when they all descended upon the poor, unsuspecting couple.