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Blue: Cerulean: Six

The elevator dinged, announcing their arrival on the third deck of the Normandy. Shepard and Liara stepped out.

"Okay," Shepard voiced her thoughts, "here we go."

"Calm," Liara coached. "Do what you've always done."

"Run away?"

Liara smiled, not allowing the slight tremor of pain the words evoked be seen, "You've never run away from anything in your life."

"Then I'm overdue," Shepard said lightly.

Liara placed a gentle hand on her human's shoulder, "It will get better," she said.

"Promise?"

"Yes," the asari replied. "I do."

"Commander on deck," the man in uniform bellowed; instantly the whispered conversations throughout the mess hall were silenced. As one, every man and woman within turned to face the front of the room. The collective sound of hundreds of boots clicking together punctuated the sudden silence that followed.

Into the expectant space strode Shepard with Liara close behind her, Shepard forced herself to take long, powerful strides, keeping her eyes up and her shoulders straight. Through conscious effort she made herself look like she knew what she was doing; her asari stepped off to the side and also came to a position of attention. After a few paces Shepard looked at her crew; just over a hundred men and women. All wearing the alliance blues, even those who strictly speaking were not alliance. Her crew, who had cast aside career, family, friends and loved ones to come to her aid and she didn't know what to tell them.

"At ease," Shepard said and as one everyone settled into parade rest, feet spread, hands behind their backs.

"First you should all know that the system alliance has declared us all traitors," no one blinked, "we've been accused of a terrorist attack on the headquarters in Japan that resulted in the deaths of fifty-five servicemen and women."

That got a reaction, not much of one but a few people stirred, shifting their weight but no voices of outcry arose.

Shepard continued, "We all know that's a crock. EDI has confirmed that there were no deaths which makes the implications," she paused and grimaced, "unpleasant."

"As of now we're on our own. According to the systems alliance we're all guilty of treason and are probably going to send everything they have after us," she paused and forced herself to make a wry smile. "I wish them luck."

There were a few rumbles of approval.

"But there's another problem as well, a new threat is out there," Shepard continued. "Perhaps some of you have heard but new group, an unknown faction, has been attacking members of the alliance, all member races have been targeted and whoever these hostiles are they have advanced technology and that's is what's scaring the hell out of our former illustrious leaders. People are dying and maybe the systems alliance has forgotten what it was supposed to stand for but I haven't so one of the things I'm going to do is find them and stop them," Shepard again forced herself to smile. "I suddenly have lots of free time."

Shepard started pacing back and forth in front of the assembled crew, "So that's how it is boys and girls. We're apparently traitors, the entire mights of the galaxy is hunting for us and I'm going to go pick a fight with a completely unknown enemy that has our own military terrified. The one that wants to kill us at the orders of a leadership that wanted to kill me," she turned to face the men and women in front of her, "I for one do not intend to take this lying down. Something has gone very wrong with our home and I plan on finding out what it is and killing it."

A few of the crew seemed to stand a bit straighter at her words.

Shepard drew herself upright. "And if the absolute worst has come to pass, if somehow, when no one was looking our system alliance has become some...thing- an organization that has turned its back on the principles that it was founded upon then I'll kill that as well."

She paused, closed her eyes and counted to three in her head, savoring those few, few moments of black and quiet peace. Then she opened her eyes once more and said, "As it stands now we have been betrayed somehow and if that is what the systems alliance is I shall not be a part of it any more!"

Shepard reached up grabbed an edge then with a savage yank tore the systems alliance insignia from her uniform and flung it on the floor.

There was a collective intake of breath from her crew; some were staring at the symbol where it had landed, others glanced at the those standing next to them, still more did not move at all but stared straight ahead- their expressions unreadable.

From one side of the room Shepard heard Joker muttered, "Shit, now I'm going to have to buy a new cap."

Shepard could feel her decision, her choice that was not her choice because she had never had one to begin with. Events beyond her control had forced this upon her; it had been this or death- again. Her head felt heavy; a sodden, wet grey lead weight pressed on her heart because it was happening again. It was always happening over and again and again and it never let her go. Her words stuck and like everything else that got in her way she forced herself to drive right over it.

"We're on our own," she pressed on. "This is no longer a Systems Alliance vessel. I am not a systems alliance officer and none of us are members of the system alliance. I have no authority over any of you. So... that means we have to decide on how this is going to work if there is going to be a we at all. I know what I'm going to be doing; I already told you all as much but I cannot order you or even ask you to go with me because," Shepard paused and took a deep breath, "I am not your commander."

At this a shudder passed through the crowd. She could see a few people whispering to each other. She raised her voice.

"The most important thing though..." Shepard stopped. It all felt so hollow. It wasn't enough but it was all she had, "...the most important thing though, something that must be said is this: Thank you. For saving me. You didn't have too, part of me even thinks all of you are crazy but I just want to say that your sacrifice- Okay who's laughing?"

And there was laughter. A rich, warm feminine chuckle was coming from somewhere in the crowd. The crew in the front peered over their shoulders or turned around trying to see who would dare be amused in the face of Shepard. The lines parted and a short woman stepped into view. Her skin was a rich, healthy chocolate color; hair black hair hung just slightly longer than Shepard herself remembered it being. Large dark eyes swam with expression and emotion. She was trying to stifle her laughter by pressing the back of one hand over her mouth and failing at it badly. As she stepped forward stumbling slightly; she was having trouble staying upright having difficulty muffling herself.

The woman staggered forward, her other hand reached up and clung to Shepard for support as she fought to bring her laughter under control.

"Traynor?" Shepard stared down at the smaller woman.

"I'm- I'm sorry," Samantha Traynor gasped between giggle fits. "It's just so funny!"

Liara stepped forward, frowning, "I hardly see what's so humorous about the situation, specialist."

Appearing to have her breathing under control but still clinging to Shepard, Traynor held up her free hand, "No, no. You're right. This is serious I understand that, really."

Shifting her weight slightly, Shepard stepped back out of Traynor's grasp. She folded her arms across her chest, waiting.

The specialist straightened, regaining some semblance of composure. "Yeah. Well...," she said. "But..." her voice drifted off and she stared up at Shepard. "You...you're thanking us?"

Shepard cocked her head to one side, puzzled, "Yes."

Traynor's smile widened. "You're thanking us?" she repeated. "You, Commander Shepard. The one woman in the entire galaxy who shouldered the burden of a threat millions of years old, who believed and fought and bled for every thinking being in all of space, the woman who put herself right in the path of the end of everything for over five years while at the same time going up against the worst humanity had to offer and never once asked for anything in return save for support which was denied so many times, you, who never ever gave up on any of us when most of us were never prepared to even dare to hope- you are thanking us?"

Traynor stepped forward suddenly and gently cupped Shepard's face in her hands, "You don't owe us a god damned thing, commander," she said. "Every second we have, every bit of life that everyone, every where has is because of you. Leaders have been described as having followers ready to follow them through hell. I've already followed you through hell, ma'am and come out the other side. I'm not going anywhere. I don't care what the admirals say, I don't care what even you say."

Releasing Shepard the younger woman snapped a perfect, crisp salute, "You are my commander and I will follow you anywhere you go."

And as one every other member of The Normandy crew, her crew, snapped to full attention.

Shepard stared around her, tiny impulses to scream at them, to tell them to go home, have the life that some twisted aspect of reality was denying her, do all the things that she had fought so hard to save, Another part from someplace deep and quiet woke back up and she felt it unfolding inside her, releasing a tension that she didn't even know she had been holding onto. Her crew, her life.

It was enough.

Shepard's knees shook, she didn't falter. She felt her lips pull back in a full, heartfelt smile that surprised her, "I'd say thank you," she said to the room, "but apparently that's not appropriate. How about instead I- here we go again."

And with a roar the crew responded; fists pumped the air, others began tearing off their own system alliance symbols of rank or station. Some of them took turns assisting each other. Someone grabbed Joker's cap and threw it across the room.

"That's alright," Joker said watching his own personal icon sail away. "I never really liked the color."

Liara approached Shepard and Traynor who was still at attention, "I apologize Specialist," the asari said. "I did-"

And she was cut off by Traynor launching herself at her in a fierce hug, "You got her back!" the young woman cried joyfully. "Damn if you didn't get her back, I'm so happy for you!"

Shooting a pleading look shot at Shepard who only shrugged in response, Liara tentatively returned the embrace.

"You may not think you deserve it," she said quietly, "but thank you for that Samantha."

"Oh!" The specialist said suddenly stepping back. "That was far too forward- I mean- that..." she sighed. "You're welcome, Liara. Chess is so much easier."

She turned to face Shepard and said in a much more formal tone, "Glad to have you back, commander."

Shepard smiled again, saluted the specialist and said, "Good to be back," and to her surprise, she meant it.

"Crew dismissed," The commander shouted over the noise and the gathering split up. Some of the crew split off to return to their duty stations while others drifted off in the direction of the elevator or lounges. A small handful grabbed some chairs in the mess hall intent on their conversations. Shepard overheard a few snatches of words here and there; concerns about resources, missions specifics, duty rosters and of course complaints. And it was all very much alive. Confidence, pride and a sense of rightness pervaded the actions of her crew.

Broken snatches of conversation floated through the mess hall. Some she was able to pick out.

"...nah, a renegade's life ain't that hard," she could hear Joker saying. "I've done it already myself. Dropped the alliance like a hot potato after the first Normandy was destroyed. Joined Cerberus, not to thrilled with the group themselves but..."

"Yes Jeff," EDI said. "But even under Cerberus you still received a steady paycheck. That is no longer the case."

Shepard just picked out Joker's "Oh shit!" before the group moved out of earshot.

She turned to leave, eyes panning across the room to pick out Liara when from behind her a familiar drawl said, "Excuse me, commander?"

She turned back to face an older man. Weathered skin crinkled in smile lines around the eyes and the corner of his mouth. Weathered skin and thick callouses across the knuckles of both hands indicated a lifetime of work, struggle and the grey hairs in combination demonstrated enough intelligence to get through all those years without being too stupid. Though older in appearance to the rest of the crew he somehow still fit in- an old soldier who isn't quite ready to quit.

"Rupert?" Shepard gaped slightly.

"Thas' right, ma'am," the old chef drawled, his accent still as strong as ever. "Just wanted to reintroduce myself. Lot happened since The Omega Relay. Saved my bacon' there."

"A reintroduction is hardly necessary, Rupert," Shepard replied shaking the man's hand. "I can't tell you how much I missed your cooking after The Normandy returned to Earth before the war."

"Yeah," the older man scratched the back of his head. "But I couldn't stay; the systems alliance wouldn'ta been thrilled to see me after how we parted ways a while back. An what with me hookin' up with Cerberus wouldn't done me any favors either."

Shepard smacked him roughly on the shoulder, a gesture of camaraderie. "We were all fooled. Even me, and I had prior experience with Cerberus that should have clued me in. It's not your-"

"Beggin' your pardon ma'am, but yer' dead wrong. I made the call so it was my fault I helped them bunch of murderous...aww... t'hell with it," he sighed, glanced around the room and continued. "The point bein' is that's all in the past now'. When that young filly Mz Lawson called-"

"Filly?" Miranda Lawson asked, entering into the conversation.

"I ain't apologizin' for my idioms," the older man said stubbornly. "It's a compliment from my youth. Now, as I was sayin' when Mz Lawson gave me a call I hustled right on up to join, someone has to keep you folk well fed."

"Provided you have the right supplies," Shepard added.

"Ain't that the truth," Rupert sighed scratching the back of his head. "As it stands our departure was a mite bit hasty and we weren't exactly bustin' at the seams in terms of goods and the like. Now we're goin' to have to restock soon; currently we're havin' to resort to spam in a can and I'm guessin that in about a week or so the crew will be down to those ration brick doo-dads some madman with money on his mind and no sense of actual taste figured would be a good idea."

"They are a bit hard to swallow," Shepard agreed thinking back on her own experiences with battfield rations.

"That's more than a bit of an understanment ma'am; they'd make fine eatin' if we were dead first."

Shepard couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"That issues has been discusses already Sergeant Gardner," Miranda interjected smoothly. "Current plans are to purchase supplies on our arrival at Omega."

"Omega?" the mess sergeant snorted disdainfully. "Might be better off just bringin' in all the rats from that station on board. I'm bettin' they'd be a bit healthier than any supplies we might get from that galactic asshole."

"No chance of that," Shepard replied. "The vorcha ate them."

"Point," Rupert agreed nodding sadly. "Well, just wanted to tell ya' how I felt bein' back on the Normandy, Ma'am."

"So should I thank you?" Shepard said, making sure she didn't smile.

"Naw," the older man shook his head, "that even younger' filly had said it properly: You're owed, ma'am. Owed in the worst way and I say the universe is doin' a piss poor job of shoulderin' its due. I figure I can even that out a bit. In my own way."

"Good to have you back than, sarge," Shepard snapped off a salute which the chef returned muttering as he went, "Back to work."

"Ma'am?" Another voice said.

Turning Shepard held offered her hand to someone else she knew from more recent times, "Lieutenant Gregory Adams, can't say I'm surprised."

"Thought you'd remember me telling you about my regrets," the former engineer from the SR1 replied, accepting the handshake.

"Donnelly and Daniels as well?" the commander asked.

"Aye ma'am, they're all here."

And so it went. Former crew members that she hadn't seen since the original Normandy had gone down, to former members of the now defunct Cerberus; all of them greeted their commander warmly. Some she remembered from experiences past, others she knew as familiar faces in the CIC or engineering but had never had actually spoken too much. Even the two marines who had stood guard in the doorway between the war room and the CIC had come back.

"I never understood why they bothered," Shepard told the two women who she had passed multiple times every day during the war, even overhearing some of their conversations but had not joined in.

"Neither did we," said the first marine who Shepard remembered standing by the door.

"But orders were orders," added the second with a shrug. She had been the one manning the scanner.

"It was boring," the first one continued. "But at least my partner and I had lots of interesting conversations."

Shepard's eyebrows shot up, "Partner?"

The second women nodded, slipped a hand around the waist of the other woman and pulled her close. "Something good came out of those days watching a door."

Shepard pursed her lips, nodding, "Apparently. Well, we don't listen to those orders now. I want you two to assist Ms. Lawson with onboard security. Tell her what you need to get the job done and we'll pick that up as well on Omega."

"So...instead of watching a door we watch some screens?" the marine who had scanned Shepard more times than the commander had looked in a mirror.

"Not exactly," Shepard went on. "You'll keep an eye on the ship, manage any guest we have on board, maintain control of small-arms and the arsenal and also be coordinating with EDI regarding cyber-security and make sure anything that comes through requisitions is clean as well. That should take some of the pressure off those departments." Shepard broke off.

The two marines saluted, "Aye, aye ma'am" they said in unison.

Liara's fingers slid between Shepard's own and she returned the gesture with a squeeze.

"You're done here," Liara leaned forward and whispered; Shepard could imagine those deep, blue lips almost touching her ear.

"Almost," she said quietly back. "There are just a few more thing that-"

"You're. Done. Here." And each word was punctuated with hot breath that slid over the back of Shepard's neck. She curled her toes in her boots.

"Commander." EDI's voice cut through the noise from the PA system.

"Shit," Shepard muttered. "Report EDI."

"We're receiving a communications over the quantum entanglement communicator."

"What? Who's on the other end."

"They have not identified themselves," EDI replied.

"I'm on my way," Shepard replied moving toward the elevator.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Liara asked. "What if the systems alliance has found us?"

"Even if that were the case, Doctor. T'Soni, it is impossible to track a signal through a QEC. That is one of the reasons The Illusive Man used it so extensively," EDI explained.

"We won't know standing here talking about it," Shepard exclaimed. "I'll be right there, EDI."

Shepard fingers suddenly ached under the increased pressure coming from Liara's now much firmer grip, she glanced over at her asari to see the other woman glaring at her fiercely, "We will be right there," the asari said firmly.

The two of them entered the QEC through the war room. Whatever else had happened during Shepard's nearly two years in a coma at least The Normandy's refit had been completed. Where there had been exposed paneling and tubing snaking around ever corner and hanging from the ceiling in great loops now there were a pristine, finished near work of art. Overhead lighting reflected off rounded, smooth contours of the circular room. Behind the fully restored master-panel, itself an onyx black with holographic controls, the QEC itself hummed, a counter rhythm to the near silent power of the ships engines just hovering on the edge of hearing.

Shepard didn't spare a glance at the changes since her last time in this place. The room where she had held her final mission briefing with Anderson before landing on earth; the final battle with the Reapers, hell itself. A slight tremor ran through her, something was edging itself over the precipice of her memory and she mentally shrugged herself; driving back a sense of nausea.

"All right EDI," she said out loud. "Accept the broadcast."

A sound of rushing water filled the room as the holograph projectors whirled into life. Motes of light spun into life over the receiving end of the QEC, some spiraling about, others appearing stretched, like thousands of tiny meteorites blazing in the same direction at the same time, only backwards. Shepard tapped two fingers on the railing impatiently. The cloud of illumination coalesced first into a humanoid shape and, as more, but smaller motes sprung into existence, the shape grew in detail, complexity and finer resolution until the image was complete.

Shepard recognized the holographic image that had sprung into life in front of her; closing her eyes she let her head fall forward groaning, "Oh God, not you."

"It is good to see you again as well Commander Shepard," replied Councilor Tevos. She was tall for an asari. Her image held itself upright, with no wasted movements, not a raised eye ridge, or casual hand gesture. Her fingers hung in mid-air, presumably the control panel of her own QEC device. She did not look directly at either Liara or Shepard but instead stared straight at nothing directly in front of her, slightly over their heads.

"I think I'll wait outside," Liara said calmly to no one in particular; she spoke very calmly but there was the same intensity as of someone who was trying to get out of the blast radius of a particularity large explosive.

The other asari turned slightly to regard the younger member of her species, "Doctor T'Soni, it pleases me to see that you are well. I would ask you to remain for what I have to say involves you both."

"Hear we go," Shepard said. "Come to find if what you've heard is true? That I've suddenly gone bad guy? What are they saying exactly? Maybe I'm suffering from a psychotic break or...oh that'd be good. Yes, long term retroactive indoctrination. How's that?"

Shepard's grin was nothing pleasant, far too many teeth.

"Actually," she continued, "I kind of like that one. I just made it up. What do you think, councilor? No, wait. I don't care. So, what's this about then? I'm sure you're all fired up at the idea of getting to hunt me down though I have to say," and at this Shepard bared her teeth again, "this is a hell of a lot of effort for an 'I told you so'."

The other asari smiled a small, sad little thing. Her head dipped suddenly and one hand came up to brush at nothing across her eyes. "Councilor," she said. "No one has called me that in quite some time."

Shepard pulled back a bit, "You've lost your position?"

Tevos shook her head slightly, "Not...exactly. With the loss of the citadel there was no real reason to maintain the council as it had been established. When a new body of representatives was chosen for the cementing of this new alliance the matron mothers made it very clear that I was not welcome to participate. So while I am still a councilor there is nothing to be a councilor of."

Shepard snorted disdainfully but said nothing, turning her back on the asari as if to walk away.

"The price of my hubris was my homeworld, Shepard," Tevos said sharply, the desperation in her voice was clearly audible. "We- I should have listened."

Shepard paused and turned back around, and she said very clearly, very slowly drawing an edge along each word like a serrated blade slid across the gum-line, "A. Bit. Late. For. That. Councilor."

Tevso flinched at each punctuated word, "Believe me, commander I am all too aware."

"You've addressed Shepard as 'commander," Liara said stepping forward. "Does that mean you still have not received word that she has been stripped of her commission?"

"I was foolish, Doctor T'Soni and did not heed the commander twice over and Thessia burned. I saw first hand how she fought and what she did to protect and preserve the galaxy from The Reapers. I will not be so foolish as to blindly believe what I am told regarding the commander again."

Shepard slowly clapped her hands, staring at the holographic asari with a flat glare, "Well, that means we can be friends then."

"Commander...I..."

"No." Shepard cut off the other woman.

"No," she repeated, her tone cool, polite and precise. "Those were very pretty words, Councilor; where were they to assist me when I needed them? Always demanding we did not have enough proof when your entire damn species had been sitting on it for over a millennium. In light of all that I'm afraid that whatever assistance you require, you're not going to be getting it from me," she shrugged helplessly. "Sorry."

Liara's surprised stare was a weight, an itch, right between Shepard's shoulder blades. Shepard understood it; she'd prided herself on her willingness to help others, even those she didn't really like. Her crew had come to her rescue probably for that very reason- because of her commitment to them. And now here she was out and out rejecting another without knowing the situation. Maybe someone was in trouble. People might be dying. Or even some huge threat was looming on the horizon and it was thought Shepard was their only hope.

And she told them no.

She liked the feeling.

It was good.

"You speak with great justification," Tevos said slowly. "And it is not undeserved but you do not realize my intention. I have been sent by the matriarchs, not to ask for assistance but instead to offer it."

Shepard raised one eyebrow, "Meaning?"

"Meaning that the whole of asari space is open to you, that at your word we will reject the system alliances request for assistance in your arrest. We will offer you safe haven and place to rest and replenish yourself. The asari government would even provide you and your shipmates a world of your own. Or your own choosing. You could remake your lives here, protected and valued by us. Build homes, raise families, perhaps even start your own human colony inside our boarders. On the other hand should you require it you would be free to make what use of our armed forces you could in your efforts to prove your innocence so as to one day return to earth."

Shepard strode forward, placing both hands on the curving bannister separating her from the hologram and leaned forward. "You believe I'm innocent?"

Now it was Tevos' turn to smile grimly, "Oh yes," she said fervently. "I told you I've learned from my hubris. I have centuries left to try and correct my mistake, Shepard. In the doing so I will probably make many more but one mistake I shall never repeat is doubting your word."

"If what the systems alliance is telling you is true that would be a mistake," Shepard replied.

"Perhaps," the asari amended. "But I do not believe so now. What answer shall I take back to the matriarchs commander? Will you accept our offer?"

"Gimmie a sec," she mumbled, turning to Liara she asked quietly, "What do you think?"

"I have no idea," Liara spreading her hands. "This is quite sudden."

"Come on!" Shepard said. "This is your bed and breakfast, you've got this data analysis stuff down to a science. You must have some idea of what's been going on in asari space."

Liara rolled her eyes, "Skipping right past the obtuseness of your choice in idioms and the fact that data analysis is an actual science then I suppose the first thing to say is my information is rudimentary at best. Thessia has been the prime hub for all supplies to and from asari space. True I did use my network to facilitate the distribution of supplies, personal and so on but after they reach the homeworld I lost track of them. I know that several colonies have been restarted while many others have been abandoned. I can tell you what percentage of the asari people died in the war, how much of our military strength has been restored, but the fine details? I'm sorry Shepard. My information has been more focused on the political maneuvering of the alliance races, making sure goods are distributed as evenly as possible and, well, you."

Shepard gave her a quick grin, "Well, let's think about this. As far as I know there are far reaches of asari space that few, if any, humans have seen."

"True."

"The resources would be substantial. Maybe even enough to, as she said," Shepard nodded in the direction of the hologram, "prove our innocence."

"They would be very helpful is pursuing the threat of the forces attacking the rest of the alliance as well," Liara added.

"Wouldn't have to do that. We could just vanish," Shepard said with a shrug. "What was it you said? It'd be easy for a ship this small to get lost."

Liara took both of Shepard's hands, peering up at the woman through her lashes, "To find some place very far away, where you could spend the rest of your life in peace," she leaned forward and kissed her human, "and happiness."

Liara pulled Shepard into an embrace, reveling in the feeling of those strong, pale, healthy and on so alive arms holding her. She rested her chin on one of Shepard's shoulders and murmured into the commander's ear, "But we couldn't have done it then..."

Shepard pulled back and leaned in for a kiss of her own. Breaking off after a moment she replied, "And we can't now, can we?"

"No," Liara whispered, almost sadly. "We can't."

Shepard let go of her asari, mentally arguing her fingers stubborn refusal to comply; she turned to face the councilor, "Thank you, councilor," Shepard began. "but it wouldn't be a good idea."

Teves nodded slowly, as if that was the answer she had been expecting, "May I have your reasons to share with the matriarchs?"

"You've seen those recording of whatever these new bad guys are?" Shepard asked. "Well, I have this idea that they're trying to break the alliance apart. The rest of the galaxy probably thinks of me as a traitor, or a lot of people do and the governments will do what they need to to keep the people happy. If somehow your peoples' complicity was discovered...best case...the asari would be kicked out of the alliance. That'd mean you'd be deprived of a lot of assistance in reconstruction and so on. Worst case, your people might be accused of being behind my actions and attacked. That would probably lead to some more wars breaking out and the bad guys have won. Accepting your offer would play right into their hands."

Tevos look away, she appeared unable to look Shepard in the eye and she was smiling slightly. "You raise points that did not escape us, commander," she said. "But it was decided that the offer must be made nonetheless. In recompense."

"Goddess," Liara breathed.

"I didn't stop The Reapers just so your people got themselves killed for my sake," Shepard snapped.

"Are you sure, commander?" Tevos pressed, raising her head to stare at the human.

Shepard crossed her arms and said nothing.

"I have seen that before," Tevos said, answering her own question. "I recognize it for what it means now. I will give your answer to my government. They did anticipate it of course."

"I'm betting that's the only way some of your mothers were willing to vote for the idea, they knew I'd say no," Shepard replied with a smirk.

"You would not be wrong, commander, but having anticipated that answer another offer was prepared. This one I urge you to accept."

Shepard, arms till folded, canted her head slightly, her curiosity evident, "That being?"

Tevos's hands reached down to the desk not in her image and vanished behind an edge. A moment later she appeared to be holding a data-tablet; her fingers brushed a few keys.

"We are receiving a data stream" EDI's voice reported. "Shall I display the contents?"

"Please," Shepard answered.

A holographic image of a world appeared spinning next to the councilor's own hologram. The world boasted large oceans, and slightly smaller landmasses evenly distributed across the surface. Through the cloud cover, themselves large swirling pattern of white, Shepard could see mountains, valleys, a stretch of desert here and there but the predominant color of this unknown world was the sharp contrast between the bulk of the land being a rich, emerald green and the oceans a dark, deep blue.

"This," Tevos began, indicating the world with a sweeping gesture, "is a small world, a garden world, completely unknown to anyone outside asari space."

"Goddess take you!" Shepard jumped slightly at Liara's sudden burst of anger. She stared as her asari strode in front of her, jabbing at the councilor with one finger while nearly snarling, "It is bad enough that the mothers kept the existence of the Prothean beacon from the rest of the galactic community, from Shepard, but now to conceal the fact of a garden world?"

"Two points in my defense," Tevos replied calmly. "First, I was unaware myself of it until I was briefed a few hours ago. Second it's more of a garden moon. Scarcely bigger than the moons around Thessia; our astronomers believe it once actually did orbit around another world when some force pulled it free where it drifted through before being captured by the star it currently orbits. While it does contain a breathable atmosphere and abundant plant and animal life the lack of size will prohibit true genetic diversity. It could only really be used for a small colony, or military outpost but that is besides the point."

She passed her hand along the globe and the planet spun quickly, then she poked a part of the planet's surface and the camera zoomed in to focus on what appeared to be a large building complex. The scale was difficult to tell but one this Shepard knew was that it was a military installation. A large central building was surrounded by a string of smaller once. Based on positions alone Shepard had a good idea which one was troop barracks, where the armory might be and the vehicle pool. The hangers were obvious. It was the central building, larger than any other by several orders of magnitude that was the puzzle. Far too large to be a factory or laboratory and that much storage space was just a impractical.

"This military outpost," and Tevos did appear a bit pleased with herself at this, "remained undetected for the duration of the war."

Shepard couldn't help but be a little impressed. The Reapers intelligence gathering abilities had been almost preternatural. With their ability to indoctrinate any sentient creature they had found every secret base, military program, strike group or weapon cache anywhere- usually at the with devastating timing.

"The central building is a subterranean naval shipyard," Tevos went on. "Capable of constructing any military space-vessels ranging from corvettes to ships-of-the-line," she paused. "Or that was the idea. It was under construction, nearly finished actually, when the Reapers attacked. Of course in an effort to maintain secrecy all supply runs were canceled and it languished unfinished, of benefit to no one. In the interim resources have been stretched so thin that very little has been available for construction. We barely have enough functioning installations to maintain our current fleet, much less begin rebuilding."

"Okay," Shepard said slowly. "And what exactly am is being offered?"

Tevos brushed one hand across her eyes, "I said resources were stretched, commander, not non-existent. In the time since the war's ending construction has reached a point where serving ships can receive maintenance. We are offering you that service. I imagine you'd like to have the issue of your ships IFF Transponder dealt with as well."

Shepard glanced at Liara, "How did she...?"

Liara answered, "I imagine they received reports on our manner of breaking the systems alliance blockage at the Sol relay. From that and a tactical analysis it would be fairly simple to make some deductions."

Tevos nodded in approval, "Astute as always, Doctor. We have something to offer in regards to that as well."

"Cards on the table please," Shepard impatiently snapped.

Tevos glanced at her datapad, and, like someone reading off a shopping list, said, "The matriarchs are offering to refurbish your ship, The Normandy. You will be provided with armaments, supplies, medicines, foodstuffs and data. We will upload the latest star-charts and navigation maps to all our territories and what we know of other areas of the galaxy. Your current weapons and defenses, with your permission, will be upgraded if there is any room for improvement. Finally The Normandy's IFF will be upgraded with chameleon circuitry."

Shepard said out loud, "What's that EDI?"

The blue orb, EDI's holographic icon, when her android body was not present, popped into view, "The systems alliance have reports regarding this. Mostly rumors but the belief is that any ship equipped with such technology would be capable of broadcasting both the radar silhouette and IFF of any ship, of any species in its databanks."

"Correct," Tevos added, a slow smile of the 'cat-that-ate-the-canary' variety, spread across her features. "And we know of a great many ships, commander."

Liara gripped Shepard's upper arm, "Shepard, such a device would be incredibly beneficial to The Normandy."

"No kidding," Shepard agreed, staring at the now quiet councilor. "Fits the idea of this ship perfectly. Even better than hiding in shadows-"

"Hiding in plain sight," Liara finished.

"All right," Shepard said, locking eyes with the other asari. "We'll take your offer, Tevos. Send the coordinates."

If the asari matriarch was offended by the use of her name and not her title, it didn't show. She bowed her head in acknowledgment.

"One last thing," Shepard called. "Can I make a request?"

"Of course, commander. What is it?"

Shepard grinned, brought up her omnitool and sent Tevos a burst transmission. The asari took a moment to examine what she had received and nodded to herself, "It will be ready by the time of your arrival."

"Then we're done," Shepard said turning to leave.

"There is one other matter," Tevos said.

"That being?" Shepard turned back around.

"Doctor T'Soni?" Tevso shifted her attention to Liara. "I also bear a message for you from the matriarchs."

Shepard moved slightly aside allowing Liara to step directly in front of the holographic image.

"Very well," her asari said. "What is the message."

Closing her eyes appearing to collect herself Tevos straightened to her full height, clasped her hands together as if in prayer and opened her mouth.

At first Shepard didn't hear anything, then she could just barely make out a high, pure note. Not exactly audible but more as a pressing awareness of non quite silence; pure absence of sound save for one note...and then it grew. The note swept down, a tone rushing around and through her. Impossibly, she could make out other voices raised in song; deep, heavy; in total contrast to the higher tone...no...now it was several notes, cascading and flowing like a river of music. The deep bass of the contrast: the bedrock of the song; the higher vocals rippling along their path. Shepard realized she was gritting her teeth only as an afterthought. All the while Tevos stood ramrod straight, her mouth open, her lips unmoving.

The music swelled, pushed and Shepard knew there was something...moving...meanings shifting; things changing. The edges of her vision blurred or was the room itself shaking? It was impossible to tell. The chorus echoed and re-choed, doubling upon itself, an onrushing wave that built and heightened in power, ready to come crashing down; a literal tsunami of melody.

She clapped her hands over her ears, willing herself not to scream.

And like that it was over.

Shepard gasped, a swimmer almost drowned, coming up for air. She had just enough awareness to see Liara gazing dumbfounded at the asari councilor. Her jaw hung open in what Shepard could not tell. Fear? Wonder? Something else?

"I..." Liara swallowed, one hand over her heart. "Yes, of course. I understand."

"Then good day to you both," Tevos said calmly and her image winked out.

"Who...?" Shepard gasped. "What...?"

Liara said nothing, staring at Shepard, her expression unreadable.

"Liara!" Shepard snarled. She pointed savagely where Tevos' image had been a moment before. "What the hell did she do?"

Liara brought a hand up ran her hand over her throat, a gesture Shepard had come to know meant her asari was very, very nervous.

"What exactly did you experience, Shepard?"

Shepard's bark of sarcastic laughter made Liara flinch a bit. "What did I experience? How about a one woman choir with a bass that would make seasoned choir singers pant in envy? How about the sensation of my head about to blow clear off my shoulders while it also appeared the room was shaking itself apart!"

As she had spoke Liara's expression changed to one of wonder. Her eyes lit up, a slow beautiful smile spreading across her face like dawn over a calm ocean. Reaching out she brushed the fingertips of one hand over Shepard's cheek, "You will always amaze me, Shepard," she breathed.

Unconsciously Shepard copied the gesture, "Thanks? But..." she took a moment, Liara's touched moved along her jaw and she drank it in. "Still needing an answer, Liara," she mumbled.

Liara lowered her hand, "Of course."

She hooked an arm through Shepard's, "I'll explain on the way."

"Where we going?" Shepard asked, allowing herself to be lead out of QEC.

"I need a stiff drink," Liara answered. "You will too."

Moments later they were in the elevator ascending to 'The Crows' Nest'. The nickname for the captain's cabin on the top of the ship.

"What you heard," Liara began, "was an ancient form of asari language. It is called...well the best approximation would be 'The Words of Shifting Oceans'"

She stopped, chuckling to herself at some private joke. "Language is not quite the proper word. My people's culture is thousands and thousand of years old but the actual spoken language is a bit younger. In fact it did not develop fully until after proof was found that we were not alone in the universe. Note this did happen fairly early in our history comparatively to the rest of current galactic civilizations. Prothean artifacts for example."

"Wait, how on earth did your people develop a civilization before a spoken language?" Shepard asked.

"Not actually on earth, Liara smirked at Shepard's scowl. "Well your idioms are confusing."

"That one isn't," Shepard grumped. "And stop making fun of us primitives."

"There, there," Liara patted her human's hand. "The explination is simple enough. For the most part early asari civilization communicated through sound and mind."

"Ah," Shepard said, clearly not getting it.

Liara huffed impatiently, "The spoken word was not as critical when two people could just open themselves up to direct information, Shepard. The combination of tone, rhythm being used as a vehicle for longer distance mental connections; feeling too. It was a deeper way, not necessarily better than the spoken word but...more. Lying, for example would be very difficult using The Words of Shifting Oceans. The asari still have that capability today but it is not openly used. I've never even heard or been addressed so outside of my lessons. For the most part only the matriarchs use it. Many asari may go through their entire lives without mastering it, or even learning its most basic principles."

The elevator came to a stop but neither of them moved to leave.

Shepard quietly said, "I'm guessing Benezia wanted you to learn early?"

Liara nodded, a shadow passing across her face at the mention of her mother- bringing with it memories of how she had met her end, "Yes, it was one of the few times where my interest in the past and her ideas on what I should be doing were in agreement."

"And how does this make me amazing?" Shepard asked.

"I could write a list," Liara replied, smiling slyly at her human. "But no, what you described is not what most non-asari should have heard. Though I've no direct experience; I was taught that any others hearing the Words would only notice a simple, if elegant, tune. Like someone singing to themselves or someone else. That you were able to …." she paused, at a loss; she tapped a forefinger on her cheek considering. "That you were able to resonate with the Words speaks well for your mind, Shepard."

"Well," Shepard said, feeling a bit awkward. She pointed at her temple, "I've received a couple of upgrades. What did Tevos say? If I can ask."

Liara squeezed Shepard's arm, "I'll keep no more secrets from you, Shepard. Ever."

"Same here," her human whispered.

"I know," Liara replied. "Tevos told me the matriarchs had declared you precious to the asari. That I was to be proud to call you my friend and that if you ever are in need, the asari will assist you. That I too am now considered precious to the race as well."

Shepard frowned, puzzled. "Isn't that kind of what Tevos told me? And just your friend?"

Liara replied, "I remind you- it is very difficult to lie using the words. Additionally it is more of an emotional thing. The gravity and importance of the meaning could not be conveyed using the spoken word. Also there is much more significance. The matriarchs have stated that all asari shall know of you and I. Stories, songs, art, history. The definitive history that all future generations of asari learn shall include us." Liara sighed, "Basically put, Shepard, we are going to hold the same place in modern and future asari society as the goddess Athame did in the past."

"Uhm..." Shepard suddenly was very interested in the ceiling of the elevator. Then the floor, she paid particular close attention to the walls and counted the numbered buttons, making sure they were all there. Twice.

Finally she bit the bullet and said, "That...that sounds an awful lot like The Flock, Liara, and they're nuts."

"Yes," Liara agreed, pulling Shepard out of the elevator and toward the cabin door, "Which is why we are both going to need a large drink."

"And you still haven't told me what Tevos meant by 'friend'!"

The lights were low, most of the illumination came from the giant aquarium that made up one entire wall of the cabin. Rippling waves reflected off models that sat in a glass display case; the case itself acting as a divider between the upper part and lower parts of the cabin. On the desk lay several pads, scattered haphazardly about, next too a photo-display, currently dark. Directly behind the desk, three shelves ran the length of the back wall up to a now closed, heavy door. The shelves appeared made of the same strong dark plastic- in truth a hybrid material of ceramic and light metals- that that all the other furniture was made of yet the top shelf appeared to almost be buckling under the weight of the many books and cases that lined every square centimeter. And these were actual books, a rarity for their time, made of actual paper. Actual trees had been cut down for them.

None appeared to be in very good condition; most were paper backs with cracked spines and dog ears appearing throughout.. There was also no order to how they were on the shelf. Some lay horizontal atop each other, others perpendicular; fiction was next to non-fiction, sci-fi intermingled with comedy with the occasional military book thrown in. Thick, thin, old, new, paperback and hard cover; the only thing all these books had in common were how also seemed to have been thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed by their owner.

The middle shelf gave an exact opposite impression- this one of absolute rigid order while still seeming to groan under its own burden. In this case racks upon racks of data-cases. Each case held a disk, each disk having enough storage space to hold over a thousand hours of video and audio data. The cases themselves were cataloged with military precision, color coded. Horror films were purple, sci-fi, green, comedy movies were given a yellow badge while action fell under the white tag. The titles of the categories were lined up in alphabetical order. Anyone asking where the romance movies were got a bullet to the brain. At the far end of the middle shelf, separated by a divider were five special cases. These were Shepard's pride and joy. Her safety net, her shelter; a place to go when she desperately needed to turn her brain off because they represented the perfect excuse to get mind-shatteringly drunk. They were also a source of fear and nausea for any others who happened to be visiting at the time: This was Shepard's 'So bad they're bad' movie collection.

The best movie to be found there was called Troll 2. It was all downhill after that.

Their tag was a happy face.

The lowest shelf was nearly bare, the only thing on it was a tiny cage with a few plastic tubes running along the inside. At the bottom was a wheel, across from it- a water bottle. Tucked in the corner rested a nest made of sawdust, chewed cardboard and some pieces of cotton. Sadly, the cage was dark, quiet and empty.

The heavy door to the right of the shelves was closed, from behind the door, were one to press their ear against the metal, one would have heard the sound of running water.

The door hissed open and the warmer, humid air from within rolled out into the cooler air of the rest of the cabin carrying great wafts of steam that whirled in eddies before fading away. Liara strode out of the bathroom, wrapped snugly in a large, deep green towel. Moving down the steps she faced her human who was tucked in the corner of the sofa one leg was stretched out, the foot on a small table. Shepard was using her other leg as a rest for a large book she held open; staring at it intently she flipped through the pages rapidly.

The sofa rocked slightly as Liara took a seat at the end.

Leaning her head back, displaying the long lines and soft skin of her throat which gave way to the rising curves, themselves vanishing under the towel's ed- Shepard refocused on the book.

"Goddess," Liara breathed, "I can understand the need for water rationing on earth but it is such a luxury to be able to take a hot shower without having to worry about an alarm."

Leaning forward she stretched her arms overhead, arching her back; Shepard literally forced her eyeballs to remain staring at the words in front of her which, for all she knew, could have been written in Swahili. Liara sighed in satisfaction and lay down; Shepard quickly lowered her leg giving her asari space for her to place her head in Shepard's lap. Rolling over on her back Liara looked up at Shepard, "What are you doing?"

Shepard ran her fingertips along the contorts of Liara's crest; her asari's quiet sigh sent ripples down her spine. "Well," Shepard replied, and she dragged her finger across the tips of cartilage. "Couple of things. I'm trying to find out where I left off in this book," she tossed the text onto the table top, ignoring the loud bang. "Secondly I'm thinking about this naval base we're heading too. Kind of wondering about that."

"You believe it's a trap?" Liara asked.

Shepard shook her head, "No, just thinking."

"What else are you considering?"

Shepard shifted her weight, forcing Liara to sit up. The commander rested her elbows on her knees, and palmed her chin, "I'm thinking I might be a pretty crappy girlfriend," she admitted.

Liara blinked; she looked at Shepard askance, then firmly replied, "If this is more of that self-pity Garrus still has that oven maker-"

"Coffee maker," Shepard corrected.

"Yes, he still has that coffee maker that he can use to convince you otherwise."

Laughing slightly, Shepard shoved Liara's shoulder playfully, "No, I'm good; it's nothing like that."

Liara leaned forward, and Shepard started staring at the fish in the aquarium, "Then what is it, Shepard?" her asari asked.

"It's that I haven't asked about you," Shepard answered.

"I-" again Liara paused. "I'm not quite sure I understand."

"I broke my promise, Liara, I was essentially dead, again, for two years. The last time that happened you had some issues with it. Now I'm up and about and instead of 'yay, alive!' we're so far up shit-creek the damn thing has achieved a density similar to the heart of a sun. Our life is orbiting the crap-star. Yet you've been doing everything you can to hold me together and I haven't even once asked how you dealt with it," Shepard fell back on the sofa with a huff. "Like I said, a pretty bad girlfriend."

Liara crossed her legs, oblivious to how Shepard was studiously ignoring how her doing so caused the lower rim of the towel to rise up several centimeters; they really were lovely fish, before she answered carefully, "It was...it was hard, Shepard. But nothing compared to...to..." her voice drifted off.

Shepard stayed silent.

Appearing to rally, Liara said, "It was not as bad as the first time, I mean you were- technically you were alive. I was of course in a complete panic those first few days but after you were stabilized I felt better."

Liara found herself watching the blue water, the pattern of reflections shimmering across her skin. "But then," her words were barely a whisper, "then you didn't wake up."

Liara put her face in her hands, pressing her fingers along the ridge of her nose, "Then we- I was told that...that..." with a shuddering gasp she straightened, staring at her palms. "Goddess, I'm crying. I'm so sorry Shepard I don't- I don't know..."

Shepard didn't say a word, she barely breathed.

Liara stood up quickly, moving in front of the aquarium; the light outlining her in blue, "I was so angry!" the vehemence of her tone snarling from between stretched lips. "Angry at you, angry at everyone else, angry at the universe. I thought the first time, after the original Normandy was destroyed I could handle..."

She placed both palms on the warm glass, "I thought it would be easier, I could still see you every day. I knew every step of your treatments," Liara stifled a sobbing giggle. "Whenever I saw Miranda I would demand she tell me everything and what I didn't understand I learned, which just made me feel more helpless."

A hiccup, followed by a quiet sniffle, "Then of course there was the work. Goddess, so many requests. You wouldn't believe some of what was asked of me; supplies to be routed or tracked down. Information on pirates or assistance in locating the sources of transmissions. Ships to be found or missing people. Families that were trying to learn what had happened to loved ones; those I did the most I could. On rare occasions," Liara's voice turned wistful, "I even succeeded."

The fingers curled into claws, nails seeking out and failing to find purchase on the smooth, unfeeling glass. "Other times were better," Liara admitted. "I saw Garrus frequently; he would take me out insisting I get back to living, or he'd suggest we watch your films. Always there was copious amounts of alcohol and shared stories of adventures past, I had to pretend to enjoy it. Occasionally the others would stop by; they said they were checking up on you but of course I'm sure they were also trying to asses my own condition. They remembered Illium."

There was a slight hissing as nails were dragged across glass, "Then they'd leave and I'd be alone again, and still so angry!" the curling snarl was audible. "Why couldn't you keep your promise?"

Liara was bent nearly double now, fingers splayed on the glass, the aquarium supporting her entire weight. If she noticed the tears sliding over her cheeks to fall on the cabin floor or her quiet sniffles against the background hum of the aquarium's filter neither her or Shepard gave any sign.

Slowly, very slowly her breathing became more regular. She straightened slowly, still facing the waters. "It was an unfair promise that I forced on you."

Shepard carefully took some air in and let it out. She resting her forehead in her hands, "I'm sorry, Liara. We're both still hurting."

The rustle of falling cloth, the only sound shattering the silence.

"Heal me then. Please?" Shepard looked up to see her standing there; her asari, her Liara, right in front of her.

The distance from one end of the sofa to the bed that dominated the far end of the cabin could be crossed in two short steps. Somehow between those two points Shepard found herself go from being in full uniform to completely disrobed before the two of them fell upon the mattress together. The kiss was succor; there had been no casual building of need, it flashed forward, highlighting the ragged hole she could feel in her chest and the resounding cry from within of exultation brought such relief her eyes pricked. She twined one leg around Liara's waist, her arms, white skin with a crisscrossing patchwork of scars, in gorgeous contrast to the pale blue of her lover, holding on so very tight. She pulled away, ducking her head to run her lips along her asari's neck, to suckle the skin; the shuddering gasp ringing in her ears the only approval and encouragement she needed.

Her lover's hands, flush against her, slid over the small of her back, down following the curves of her body until they pulled and squeezed, her hips undulated; she ground herself against her asari's body and with a growl sealed her lips over the hollow in the blue throat sucking hard, the hiss of air drawn between clenched teeth, a sweet music. A moment more of that heady taste and, ignoring the murmurs of protest she stopped her adorations; her lover's fingers grasped at her desperately but she forced herself to move downward, kissing the inner curve of a breast, the tip of a deep blue nipple, but never stopping in one place for long and to mark her passage she dragged her fingertips along the sides of her lover's body, over ribs, and curving, heaving belly.

And now her asari was not attempting to restrain her, now her lover's hands were on her shoulders, urging her faster, pushing her down with growing urgency. Chuckling quietly she resisted; she would not be rushed. Her lover spread her legs wide, and she took a moment just to savor the moment. Blue flesh glistened in the dim light and the heady scent made her feel dizzy, she moistened her lips and with great care spread her lover. There in front of her, ran a so very soft ridge of dark blue. It completely ran around the edge of her lover's opening, sandwiched neatly between her asari's inner and outer lips- the asari equivalent of woman's clitoris.

"Halo," she breathed and the heat of her words drifted across the sensitive flesh. Her asari's gasp and the clenching of fingers curled in her hair told her what was desired.

"Goddess!" Liara cried out, her muscles ached at her sudden jerk as she nearly rose off the bed. Her fingers tugged at her lover's hair, she loved Shepard's hair. Her thighs clenched down, trapping her human in place, with her legs she embraced her human; sensation rippled up her body to impact within; it was right. Pleasure, love, a warmth that had nothing to do with desire, quiet inside, beside the torrential need that screamed along her flesh, it was all right now. Later might see things change but here, now, it was all right.

Her lower back came up off the bed, she swallowed convulsively, unable to make a sound; the sheer ecstasy more than any possible expression. Her throat ached as great breaths sawed in and out of heaving lungs; then she couldn't breath at all. Her teeth clenched, hands squeezed into fists, her hips hunched forward, her lover's strong, strong arms whipped around to hold her thighs still, to hold her still! It was still not- no- wait- Her lover was inside her, the tip, being dragged along her inner walls. White built up behind her eyes, eyes squeezed shut so tightly her face ached, the vibrations surged up from where her human was loving her and the heat running round and round her halo; the wet, soft heat driving her mad and the scream lodged in her belly that would not co-

She bucked hard, flung her legs apart, reaching down and cupped her human's face, She pulled her up and with a cry of, "Embrace me!" sealed her lover's mouth with a kiss; an idle part of her mind enjoyed the taste.

And then she wasn't.

And then she wasn't.

They were.

It was glorious.

And then they're weren't.

And she slept wrapped in the arms of her lover, the sheets tangled between them.

It was all, all right.

Until someone rang the door.

"God dammit," Shepard said groggily. "I'm going to kill them, that's better than coffee. Morning murder."

Blinking herself awake, Liara spotted the clock. "While technically it is morning," she agreed. "I would have to approve of this particular case of homicide."

The door rang again.

"To hell with it," Shepard grumbled. "Whoever they are I hope they like a good peep show." Liara dove under the covers as her human shouted, "Come!"

The door slid open and Miranda Lawson stepped across the threshold.

While she appeared as she did, full body suit, hair styled to perfection, the confident, measured stride with predatory overtones accompanied by just a enough hip to fall just short of scandalous there was something just off. Her jaw was set a hairs breath too hard, the creak of plastic from the data pad clenched in one hand, her other arm, stiff, as it swung back and forth in counterpoint to her steps.

She locked eyes with Shepard and if there was any discomfort to having literally walked in on her commanding officer and her asari, barely concealed by the covers where the earlier activities were patently obvious, it didn't show.

"Commander," and her voice was the flat, calm tone to be found in the silence before the other side of the hurricane blasts everything apart. "I've found something."

Shepard almost said 'this had better be worth it,' as a light, but serious warning to the former operative; but Miranda's grim tone and the quiet, rage behind it made her pause. Instead she sat up, pulled the top blanket to her, wrapping herself to create a makeshift robe and swung her feet over the edge of the bed while saying, "Very well, Miranda. You have my attention."

Miranda's omnitool flared as she flung one hand outward; as if summoned by magic three images sprang into existence all appearing identical superficially. Spinning slowly in mid air were four, three-dimensional, holographic images of a the bones from a human forearm. The one farthest on the right was labeled Sample A with samples B, C and D following accordingly.

"These are from your medical records, commander," Miranda began. "Sample A is from right after the battle with Sovereign, the second is from your last medical before you were assigned to the mission that lead to the original Normandy's destruction. The third scan was made after you were recovered from the Battle of London and finally Sample D was taken several weeks before you woke up."

She slid a finger along her omnitool and in response a glowing line followed the edges of an obvious compound fracture that ran nearly parallel to one of the forearm bones in Sample A. "You may recall that you broke your arm quite badly during your fight with Saren."

"With Sovereign," Shepard interrupted. "I'd killed Saren already. That thing that came back wasn't anything even remotely alive. I fought the machine."

Miranda shrugged, "As you say, commander. The exact injury was to your radius. Here though," again she entered a command into her omnitool, creating another illuminated line in Sample B. "Here is the same injury several months after you had fully recovered. As you can see on the there is a faint marker on the radius."

"Of course," Liara said. "Anyone with casual knowledge of the physiology of any species with an exoskeleton will have learned the body attempts to reinforces points where the bones have been broken. Though later in the species life-span such reinforcements can be the cause of discomfort, even disease."

Shepard eyed her asari, quirking an eyebrow, "Anyone with casual knowledge?"

"Hush," Liara smirked. "Even you know that."

"Commander," Miranda's voice cut across the banter. "I'm sorry, but this...may I just continue? After the battle of London one of the many injuries you received was a shattered Humerus, the bone extending from your shoulder to the elbow."

Sample C's fracture became highlighted. This one was far worse, the bone itself was broken in many places, more resembling the scattered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. "During your treatment the pieces of the humerus were reassembled, the plan originally was to add implants to assist in the healing after the initial surgery. Later it was discovered that would not be necessary."

She held out a hand, indicating Sample D. The bones appeared pristine, unblemished. The humerus spun in lazy circles looking as normal as anyone could hope for, "Do you see?" Miranda asked.

Shepard narrowed her eyes, glanced through the samples again, her stomach began to burn, "Where are the signs of the healed bones?" she asked.

Miranda nodded in approval, "There are none."

Shepard frowned slightly, "Well, you did say to the admirals that you believed I would heal faster because of the implants. Wasn't that supposed to be actually one of the functions of your original design?"

"Improved healing time, Shepard!" Miranda said. "This," and she pointed to Samples C and D, "is not improved healing, this is perfect healing. That doesn't happen, commander. No matter how sophisticated or finely honed the healing process is, there will always be residual damage, even if only on the cellular level. But not you. I checked. The bones in your humerus are as if they were never even bruised, much less nearly broken into several dozen fragments."

"What are you getting at Miranda," Shepard mouthed each word, her tongue dry and heavy. She felt Liara behind her, felt one hand sliding across the mattress seeking out hers but Shepard did not move.

Miranda again swept a palm left to right, the four images of the bones vanished to be replaced by four more images. If there was any difference in holograms, besides again being labeled A, B, C and D, Shepard couldn't see it all.

The four images each showed small ovoids, three-dimensional cylinders with rounded tips, in free fall. Some drifted, others seemed to be connected end to end. All were virtually identical, at least visually.

"These are holographic representations of human chromosomes," Miranda said. The first two are mine, the last two are yours. The first sample C was taken during Project Lazarus. The second, D, again, just a few weeks ago."

"Okay," Shepard said. "Guns are more my speed, or books but fine, we're studying genetics today." Shepard pushed the gnawing in her guts down while trying to ignore the growing awareness that, behind her, Liara was breathing just a little bit faster.

"Commander," Miranda asked. "Do you know what a Telomere is?"

"No," Shepard replied.

Miranda rubbed at her eyes wearily, "In essence they are chemical buffers at the end of the chromosome. When cells divide they protect the chromosomes from deterioration; this insures the new cells are perfectly healthy and the genetic information remains uncorrupted for the next generation of division, but with every such division the Telomeres become weaker. Eventually, they wear out completely leaving the chromosome vulnerable and it escalates ultimately to cell death."

"Miranda," Liara said quietly.

"And?" Shepard spoke over her asari, a knot was tightening in the back of her mind.

"These images from of my own chromosomes are two years apart," Miranda zoomed in on the ends of the cylinders in Images A and B. "Sample A is right after London, I was injured myself and had some blood work done. The second I took a few days ago. Look at the Telomeres, commander."

The zoom increased, bringing the the ends into sharper and sharper focus. The difference between the two samples was very, very slight but there was definitely a diminishing of the highlighted area from Sample B in comparison to Sample A.

"And these are yours," the brunette waved a hand and the zoom of the ends of the cylinders, the chromosomes, repeated itself. The knot became an ache. Even before it finished the meaning was very obvious. The ache became a scream. The Telomeres from two years before was identical, if anything, the Telomeres in the forth sample, the most recent sample, where thicker than the those in Sample C. The scream became howling shadows.

"Goddess," Liara breathed.

Miranda slumped onto the end of the sofa, "This is why they wanted you, commander, this is why they're hunting you. If this gets out, everyone else will as well. I could be wrong, there are some other aspects I need to investigate but if I'm right...I've how it's been done, but," she shrugged helplessly, "you're not aging, Shepard."

'You're immortal."

And the shadows swallowed her.

It always started out the same: A dead woods wreathed in fog. Flickering through the trees shadows wound there way to nowhere; gathering in clearings to let accusatory whispers echo between broken, dead things; words from the dead to the dead. Whispers for her alone.

Black earth crunched underfoot, twisted, bare branches reached through the gloom to pull at her, cling to her; stumbling over roots, flinching away from scratching brambles, the forced herself deeper. The shadows whirled between skeletal trees, congealing in pockets of greater darkness to then spin apart and hunt anew.

With a final push of effort she came to a clearing. Ringed by the dead woods, the ebon, clouds hanging low and fat in the sky. The crackle of dry leaves underfoot, sounding more like the rustle of consuming fire, marked her progress to the middle of the open space.

From above the clouds, was that thunder?

Red light flickered across the ground.

She stared up into the infected, bloated sky.

Sound, the roar of the damned, ripped though the trees, scattering branches and shadows alike; crimson spotlights stabbed downwards from the long burned heavens. The great black shapes descended through the cover, each one landing in the dead-woods with such force the ground shook hard enough to knock her to her knees. One, then ten, a thousand, thousand of them smashing to earth and they came. Great limbs, taller than buildings ponderously lifted their bulks. She lay on her back, spreadeagled, helpless...waiting...resigned.

They surrounded her, looked down on her, bright glaring, hating and then It came into view. Its four eyes blazing with a thousand millenia of tactical, organized slaughter.

She looked at The Reaper.

It looked back at her.

Then the machine said to Shepard, "Greetings, Harbinger."

END: Blue: Cerulean: Six

END: Blue: Cerulean

END: Blue: Book One.

To be continued in Blue: Iris: One