A/N

Welcome to my fic! To keep it brief, there are some OC in this work, but likely it's not what you think or expect. There's some mythological themes, some insane gods, a bit of relationship drama, a few love scenes that I hope are appropriately tasteful, and a whole lot of FUN.

I had started this work long before the reveal of Liara's father, naively thinking that Bioware was going to leave that open ended as fodder for our imaginations... but such was not the case. So I have an entire world built around the identity of Liara's second parent in this work that does not follow canon, but in part II and III I will be using Aethyta. Don't worry, I figured out a way to make it work. I also felt that Sha'ira should have had a more prominent role, so I gave her one and used her quite extensively.

I will not be following the dialogue word for word (though at various times I do cherry-pick quotes I liked) and at one point I do skip ahead to the place where Jane meets Liara on Therum, but I will be following the general storyline, developing their relationship, and taking breaks from it when appropriate to put the characters in unique situations. That's part of the reason I use OC, so that I can create these situations for Jane and Liara that otherwise wouldn't exist.

My Shepard is unapologetically female, a soldier with the war hero background, Earthborn. I kept the default name, because for some reason I just like the name Jane, and think it suits her.

I hope that you enjoy the work. It is now complete, and I am taking a couple of months off from writing to immerse myself in ME2 once more. I will then continue this story.

~JW

Prologue

-Heavens, Undisclosed location

He smiled to himself, as he gazed at her over the game board. She was sitting across from him, as was customary, thoughtfully twirling two figurines in one of her left hands: a youthful maiden with light facial markings and an older, heavily robed matriarch. He knew what she wanted to ask of him, but she was searching her own side of the play board for any opportunities she may have missed. She always tried to pair off her daughters among themselves first. He wasn't insulted though, as he was not a petty god. He merely waited for her to make her decision, and place the figurines on the board, or ask him for one of his to match. He had always valued patience, and so he gave her the time she needed. He sensed that the two figurines she held were very close to her.

"Neither of these has shown any interest in any of my other daughters." She looked up from the board.

"Indeed?"

"Indeed." She stopped twirling the figurines, and leaned forward. "This one, is ready. She needs to be paired off so that the bloodline may continue." She indicated the older figurine she held, placing it in the center of the board. "This other one, I can hold off for a short time. She is young, and though she too needs to be paired, I can let her enjoy what fleeting happiness youth will bring her... for now. We haven't come to the time yet, where she will be needed."

He narrowed his eyes at her, knowing what she was playing at. She had created... things... within her daughters, that could only be released under certain circumstances when they became of age. He didn't approve of the things she had created, but then again, he couldn't be hypocritical, either... considering the gifts he was bestowing upon his own children. They had bigger things to worry about, anyway, and with the machine-gods returning once more to destroy their creations, he was willing to overlook her... extra-curricular actives.

He leaned back in his chair and gazed over the board, looking at the faces of his own children. When the gods had split during the dawn of this civilization, and decided to go their separate ways, they all agreed to stay out of each others' business. And so it was that for the first time ever, since time began, each had their own race, and their own rules. Each made their own children, in their own images, and each stayed in their own remote corner of the universe, until such a time that their creations had advanced enough that they started discovering each other. He was a little late to the table, but he was proud of how far his humans had advanced in such a short time.

"What do you ask of me?"

She considered for a moment, then placed the younger figurine over to the side of the board, where it was still in play, but not yet in the forefront. "For now, I am interested to see how this one," she indicated the robed matriarch, "would respond to your kind. Do you have anyone suitable?"

He looked at the board and nodded. "I have one soul that is nearly through all my trials, and it has taken her only one millenia. I expect her to complete them this lifetime, and take her place among my platinum sons. This one is strong, and will be a good match for your child." He reached to his right, and picked up a dark haired and eyed figurine, speckled with platinum. She had not fully attained her status as a member of his Silver Hand, but she was close. She would be suitable.

She looked up at him in shock, as she took note of the chiseled features and pale complexion. "Is she...?"

He merely nodded, and set the figurine next to hers. She sat back in her chair, stunned. In all the years they had known each other and been friends, never before had he...But it wasn't her place to make petty commentary. This child would be suitable.

"She will do nicely. We must get them together, now. Do you have any ideas?"

He smiled, and reached below the table to remove the Book of Ages. "I do, and I think even you will like this one."

She stood and walked over to him. She took a seat on the arm of his chair and leaned against his massive shoulder as he opened the book, and together they read through the ancient pages and selected a scenario with which to create an opportunity for their latest experiment.

-Citadel, Human Embassy

The cunning and powerful man sat at his console looking over some intelligence logs. He rubbed his temple, and closed his eyes, wishing that he had listened to his mother and become a neurosurgeon instead.

There is no more stressful job in the galaxy than politics.

The sound of the door sliding open caused him to look up. He nodded, and stood as Captain Anderson entered the Embassy hall. He had never particularly liked the captain, but he respected the man and the crew that he trained and commanded. Anderson was a capable officer, and an asset to the Alliance. For a mission of this importance, there was no other that Ambassador Udina could trust.

"I don't need to tell you how important this extraction is, Captain."

Anderson nodded, and clasped his hands behind his back as he stood at attention in front of the human diplomat.

"Ambassador Udina, don't worry. I'm sending Commander Shepard in, and I've procured a little extra firepower to help her out."

Udina inwardly groaned. The captain's idea of 'additional firepower' usually included unscrupulous hired talent that always made a mess of things and got expensive equipment destroyed at best, casualties galore at worst. He hadn't forgotten the last fiasco in which the captain had apparently decided that a bounty hunter would be a good choice to accompany a covert operative into a deep cover operation investigating a breach of security at a secure research and development facility on Earth. They had received word that operatives linked with Cerberus had been seen within the perimeter, and Udina had tasked Anderson with finding out what happened.

By the time Anderson's team was done, the entire facility, including the infiltrators, had been sanitized.

"This had better not be another one of those renegade mercenaries you've become so fond of. This matter is too delicate to be trusted to those with no loyalty to anyone or sense of preservation," the ambassador stated, bringing his fist down into the palm of his other hand. "The asari are our greatest and most formidable allies and the fact that one of their most respected matriarchs has been captured and ransomed by thugs led by our own race…" He waved his hand in finality. "This matter must be swiftly and cleanly dealt with. No mistakes."

Captain Anderson nodded.

"Ambassador, we are sending the best in the galaxy after Matriarch Terriana L'Niari. Jane Shepard is a born leader, and this sort of mission requires a specific set of talents… as well as someone who can work outside the system, if necessary."

Ambassador Udina narrowed his eyes. "Just watch how far outside the system you work, Anderson. We can't have a galactic incident with the asari just because you thought one of your bandits could do the job better than our trained military personnel."

Anderson opened his mouth to speak, but Udina waved him off. "No, I don't want to know the details. Just get it done. No mistakes, and retrieve the matriarch alive at all costs. Dismissed."

The captain saluted, and then turned on his heel and walked out of the office. He knew better than anyone the capabilities of those under his command, and those… not so under his command.