A/N: No Femshep/Liara, sorry. But there's no tag for the characters. One is OC, an invented little sister to a side character from ME3. Please, forgive me for lying about the pairing and give the story a chance. If you like any of my other stories, you will love this one, I promise. Brownie points for whoever guesses what the retelling is!

Rose Vines

Chapter One: Erenya

If there was one thing Erenya Kurin could be grateful for, it could be that her fighter crash on a suitably habitable world. She had wandered through the jungle for days, living off the land as her commando training had instructed her. If only big sis Lieutenant Kurin could see me now, she thought grimly. The ship had been slagged in the crash, not even her back up communicator had survived. Stranded with no hope of getting home, sounds like a typical mission for me. Erenya had never been the best commando in her squad. Her sister stationed on Thessia easily out-performed her in all areas. In all honesty, Erenya could probably find some form of civilization if she kept trekking. The planet Lesuss was well within asari space to be colonized, but her short-range scanner had picked up nothing so far.

After a few more miles, she stopped and sat down on the jungle floor. The commando armor she wore felt more like a trap than protection anymore. It stifled her against the humid jungle, but she dare not remove it. As ridiculous as the notion seemed, it felt like the last barrier she had against total defeat.

She pulled the last of the fruit she had scavenged that morning and bit into one of the orbs. The juice dribbled down her chin and she sucked at the contents. It was sweet and sustaining, but left her face and hands sticky afterwards. She remembered the first creek she had run into. She had stripped all her armor off and ran into it like she was in her first century again. Thankfully, she had refrained from sucking up gulps of the freshwater and had separated a reservoir to add purification drops to.

Erenya tossed the pit aside after she stripped it clean. Her stomach still grumbled and she had rations in her supply pack, but she needed to make the food supply last, and that meant waiting before eating again. She got to her feet and began walking again. The ache in her muscles had long since faded. It felt strange if she sat still for too long.

As she walked, she pulled up the short range scanner on her malfunctioning omni tool and started it up again, a regular habit she had gotten into. The program let out a low hum as it worked. Erenya found it helped to look at the foliage and local fauna as she trekked. Thankfully, she had not run into any large predators. Most of the beasts seemed to be birds and small mammals.

The scanner let out a small beep, indicating it had finished. Erenya brought it up and looked over the results. It showed the beginnings of a mountain range several kilometers away. She zoomed in on this and looked over the new region. The graph on the side spiked and she sectioned off a corner of the map.

There.

The scanner showed a mixture of alloys and solid metals found only in the density of an asari-made structure. Civilization at last.

Erenya's first instinct was to take off running towards the structure, but the journey was at least a three day hike, and she did not know if edible foods grew in the mountains. She set out to stock up on fruits and edible plant-life before beginning her journey.

After cramming her pack full, she marched out to the mountains. She felt a renewed confidence with the confirmation of an actual structure. When she had been separated from her squad, she thought she would eventually die from exposure, but it seemed the Goddess had other plans for her. The shot alone from the reaper scouter should have killed her. The crash impact should have killed her. Dying just had to be one more thing Erenya could not do properly.

The self-loathing had worn off a few days after her crash. At first, she felt guilty for not being able to help her sisters in combat. She had been worthless in the fight. Commando work was not something Erenya excelled at. But Kurins were the best commandos around. Every Kurin was remembered for some amazing feat of heroism or leadership. The fact that Erenya had failed to achieve that stung a little, but after living for days in the jungle, she decided that surviving would make any Kurin shut their trap about her being weak-willed and clumsy. Then, it became more than a mission to survive. It became a way to stick it to her pompous family one more time.

And so Erenya walked on, determined to make a dent in the mountains before sundown. She would have to stick to the low valleys as much as possible. She did not trust her suit's thermal linings after days of no upkeep. One of the indigenous life forms joined her for a while. She looked down at the small, furred creature and smiled. "You want to get out of this jungle too, hmm?" she asked. At first, it darted away when she spoke. But the creature came back after a few minutes. She winked at it. "I knew you couldn't take the solitude, either."

It cocked its head at her and made a slight growl from the back of its throat. It looked like a creature one of her human friends had shown her on a trip to an intergalactic zoo. What had she called it? A lemur.

"Just because I'm talking to you doesn't mean I'm crazy, by the way," she said. "It's a coping technique. You find something to talk to and you don't go as crazy as fast."

The animal blinked up at her before darting for a tree.

Erenya sighed. "Yeah, I probably am crazy."

The animal climbed back down with a fistful of berries. She recognized them as some of the ones she had picked. After it ate through the ones it had foraged, she removed one from her pocket and rolled it along the jungle floor to the creature. It approached cautiously, sniffed, and then plucked the berry from the ground. It ate then stared up at her expectantly.

"You can go find more if you're hungry," Erenya said. "You're probably better at finding food than me." To her surprise, the creature accompanied her all the way to the base of the mountain range. She walked along the hills until she found a stream flowing down from inside the mountains. She occasionally dropped a small berry for the creature to snatch up. It followed her along the riverside and found bushes for both of them to forage through along the path. "I knew you'd be good to keep around," she said.

After the sun dipped below the horizon, Erenya stopped to make camp for the night on a patch of thick grass. It would be better than sleeping on dirt. She sat down and ate a small meal of the local foods, occasionally flicking a berry towards the creature. It nibbled through whatever she gave it quickly then ran off to find more. Erenya sighed and lay down. The stars shone brightly without the canopy of the jungle, and the night air dropped down a few more degrees without the insulation. Still, her exhausted body found sleep quickly, dreamless, deep sleep.

She awoke to warmth; something that had not happened since she landed on Lesuss. She opened her eyes and saw the sun had just risen over the mountain tops. When she tried to sit up, a weight on her chest made her lay back down. The weight moved, and the little creature lifted its head and yawned. Erenya smiled. "Good to know I'm still of use to someone," she said. The creature scurried off her and left to forage through some nearby bushes. She pulled her pack over and grabbed her own breakfast. After eating, she stood and shouldered her pack. Erenya looked up at the ascending peak. According to her omni tool, the structure lay beyond several more peaks. The small creature cooed from down by her ankle. "I hope you're in for a long climb."

Falere

The monastery remained quiet after Commander Shepard left. The human had swooped in with Falere's mother and that asari scientist in tow, beaten back the banshees, and then left. Rila had sacrificed herself, Samara had almost blown her own brains out, and despite promises to return to Falere the asari could not help but feel cynical about her mother's impending doom against the reapers. As the war raged on, this monastery would lay forgotten to the reapers and allied forces. The detonation had triggered the monastery's emergency protocol. All long range communication would be shut down for the next three months, power or no power, a failsafe to keep rogue ardat-yakshi from luring in unsuspecting civilians and hitching a ride off planet in the event of a cataclysmic failure. If the reapers had not been invading, someone would have been dispatched to investigate. But it was wartime and the Goddess had a sense of humor. She received Commander Shepard and her mother.

Falere would have to wait until her mother returned to attempt any major reconstruction. Even after the three-month radio silence, she doubted she could contact people. The monastery had technically been destroyed, and any law enforcement besides Samara might just shoot her.

Thankfully, she had been able to restore the back-up generator powered by the dam, and the monastery garden would provide her enough food to last a lifetime if she tended to it. The fish in the lake would more than meet the needs of her diet. Even if every soul in the galaxy forgot Falere, she could keep on living, just to spite them all.

She spent her first few days removing what debris she could from the upper floors and making it habitable once more. She dared not go down to the lower sections. Nothing remained anyways. The only other place she avoided was the dormitory where she had Rila had spent their days. Instead, she took up residence in what used to be the monastery leader's room. The bed was larger than anything she had slept in and the space wide and open. It felt strange.

After she had power restored, she brought up a suitable VI program and left it running constantly. A few fried circuits even seemed to help give it a personality, or at least enough run-time errors to fake a good one. The chattering device kept her from dwelling on things.

Aside from making the monastery livable again, Falere spent a good deal of time in the archives. Many of the monastery's files and vids had been stored in hard copy or on local disk drives to allow access without going through the extranet. She had even uncovered a cache of old hardcover books, actual books! She spent some time reading one, enjoying the novelty of something so old and outdated. It felt odd to move about the monastery and do as she wished. For 400 years she had lived under the constant grind of a rigorous schedule. She found herself rising around the same time every day, eating at the same time, even meditating, but her studies did not engulf her life anymore. She needed time to see to her survival: weed the garden, water the vegetables, fish from the lake. After two weeks, she found herself falling into the rhythm of her own comfortable schedule. Then Minerva, the nicknamed VI, approached her while she meditated one evening.

"Master Falere," it said, "my scans have detected two life forms scaling the mountain."

She broke from her meditation immediately. "What?" she said, rising from the ground. "What are they, who are they?"

"A kapsecat and an asari, master." The VI flickered, its features twisting. She had programmed it to take the form of an asari.

"Are you sure?" Falere moved to the entrance hall and out to the upper balcony. Minerva followed, the image seeming like it walked along the ground.

"Quite," said the VI. "I refrained from telling you earlier because I wished to be sure it was an asari life form and not a large quantity of kapsecats."

"How is this possible?" Falere leaned over the railing and stared down the mountainside, searching for movement. "What does she mean by coming here? Is she an assassin?"

"That would be unlikely, Master," said Minerva. "An assassin would not approach so obviously from the southern route. It is more likely a downed commando from the initial reconnaissance attempt by the military." Falere immediately ran to the southern edge of the balcony and stared over. "Either way, Justicar Samara gave me orders to keep you safe. I will not reveal your identity if it is an agent sent to exterminate any ardat-yakshi."

"Hush" Falere searched the mountainside. She thought she saw movement, but it proved difficult with the winds pushing around the scrub plants clinging to the rocks. She listened for something, anything.

"If you intend to meet this asari, I would suggest retrieving her. Vitals signs suggest she is weak from exposure."

"How far down the mountain is she?" Falere still searched, unable to catch the movement of another form.

Minerva moved up to the railing beside her and pointed. "Approximately three kilometers in this direction."

Falere stared. Finally, she caught the faint movement of someone crawling over the rocks. "Goddess, she looks exhausted." She leapt over the side of the rail before she could heed anymore tactical advice from Minerva. She propelled herself over the scree, keeping herself in check with her biotics. She made short work of the distance, crossing to the asari within minutes. As she approached, she saw the asari more clearly: a commando wearing a shredded survival pack, nearly empty. Her armor was battered, her body bruised. She crawled along the mountain slowly, a young kapsecat scampering beside her. It flattened its ears as Falere approached and backed up, but it would not leave the asari.

"Help," the asari called out. She reached a hand forward and tried to look up. "Please, help me." Her voice was weak. It wavered and did not carry far. Falere rushed to her side as she collapsed into the rubble. She knelt by the other asari and turned her over. She was young, like her, maybe just past the maiden stage. Her skin was a dark aqua color, different from the standard pale blue. Faded red markings covered the top of her crest and ran down the side of her neck. She seemed to have passed out.

Falere paused a moment as she scooped down to pick her up. She's beautiful. The thought struck her in a dangerous way. Finding someone attractive was not grounds for punishment in the monastery, but no one remained to watch over her anymore. She'll die for sure if you do not take her in. Falere leaned down the rest of the way and lifted the light asari easily. The kapsecat scampered into the commando's lap, curling itself protectively over the asari's chest.

"Help me," the asari whispered again. "Please."

"I will," answered Falere. "You are safe now." She stood and began her walk back up to the monastery. She saw the faint orange flicker of Minerva waiting for her at the top. She looked down again at the asari in her grasp. Was she truly safe with Falere? If I have not mastered myself in four hundred years, then I should have died with the rest, Falere thought. Yes, she will be safe. Still the feel of the other asari burying her head into the crook of her arm sent a jolt through Falere. She pushed the feeling down. She had learned long ago that allowing such feelings to linger only proved pointless.

Back at the top of the mountain, she pushed them up over the rail and walked back to the entryway. Minerva followed. "A commando, then?" the VI asked.

"She has endured much," said Falere. "Prepare medical treatment immediately. She looks half-starved."

"And the creature, master?"

Falere looked down again at the kapsecat. It looked up at her and growled. "It looks to be juvenile. It must have imprinted on our guest. Give it a dish of water and food."

"Right away, master," said the VI. The holo-projection terminated and the small orb floated away to begin preparations. The overhead lights flicked on as Falere moved through the monastery. Where to put her? The medical ward had been severely damaged in the initial attack by the reapers. That only left the dormitories and the private bedrooms sectioned off for the caretakers.

Falere dragged her into one of the private rooms she had put back together. She had planned on converting it into a meditation chamber, but it would do well. It still had power, at least. She laid the asari down on the mattress. Thankfully, the sheets were relatively clean. The kapsecat slid off her chest and curled up by the asari's throat. It meant to protect the most vital areas. "You're not going to be happy when we treat her," she told the animal. It growled again. She stood a fair distance from the bed while she waited for Minerva. The VI returned with an automated cart carrying all the necessary supplies. Falere placed the metal dishes with food and water on the floor at the foot of the bed. Still, the kapsecat would not move. "We might have to sedate it," she said.

"Already thought of, master." Falere turned back to the cart and saw a small canister of tranquilizing gas. "It will not cause harm to either of them, but will assure neither wakes until treatment is complete."

Falere administered the gas carefully. It dissipated quickly and the kapsecat slumped against the asari, asleep. She dragged the animal away, setting it down on the floor next to the food. It was only after she released the creature that she realized how filthy it had been, how filthy both the refugees were. She resisted wiping her hands off on her robes. "Right," she said. "Medigel first, I think."

"That would be correct, master." She turned and saw Minerva pointed to the stimulant lying on the cart. She picked it up and studied the injector. "Anywhere on the body will do."

Falere looked at the exposed neck of the commando. A vein would be safest. She tried to remember the classes on first aid the monastery had offered. She rarely attended those, had not seen a use. She pressed the tiny needle into the jugular vein and pressed the button. The applicator beeped when it finished and she pulled it away. She liked to think the asari looked better already. "Next?" she asked.

"A standard IV drip, master," said Minerva. "All other equipment is not performing to high enough standards to entrust a life with."

Falere set up the stand and hung the bag of fluid from it. She looked at the needle with curiosity. Such a primitive instrument. However, she could not attune her nervous system and assist with the healing process, so she would work with what was at hand. "Where does it go?" she asked.

"The vein at the juncture of the elbow is most common," said Minerva. "You will have to remove her upper body armor."

Falere nodded and began undoing the clasps, listening to the hiss as the pieces of plate depressurized. She pulled them apart, revealing the grimy, sweaty torso underneath. The shirt the asari wore had been soaked several times. It smelled awful. Still, Falere removed all the sections of armor, revealing the aqua arm and the vein that she needed to press the needle into. She lifted the arm and paused. "Um, Minerva, I…"

"Understood, Master," said the VI, reading her hesitation. The cart wheeled up next to the bed and a small arm extended from the side. Falere handed it the needle. "Mapping," said Minerva. The arm lowered to the vein and pushed the needle in. "Master, please open the valve to the bag."

"Oh, yes." Falere turned to the IV and opened the flow, letting a small drip move through the line. Their guest would have nutrients until waking, at least. "This should hold her," she said.

"Agreed," said Minerva. "The asari and her companion will wake in approximately thirty hours. I will alert you when they show signs of regaining consciousness."

"Thank you, Minerva."

"My pleasure."

Falere left the room and returned to her own quarters. She had rearranged the room to a more austere look. She would never be used to having possessions. Falere had taken a few books, however. They rested on her nightstand, one of them carefully marked halfway through. She walked over to her bed and fell onto it, closing her eyes. "Goddess," she groaned. "Such a day."

Surprises did not occur in the monastery, though the last few weeks had carried far too many. Falere now saw the wisdom in the peaceful isolation they had endured. On visits to Thessia, under the watchful eye of her wardens, she had never imagined slipping into that dark abyss of wanton hunger. But seeing that asari, holding her in her arms… it had stirred something within Falere. Shadows whispered in the corner of her mind and she pushed them away. I could never harm something so beautiful, so innocent. But still, an impulse lingered, a strange desire to be near the mysterious commando. She turned on her side. The asari had asked Falere to help her. Would she have done the same knowing that she lay in the hands of a beast?