A/N: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware, I'm just playing in the sandbox. There were many conversations/scenes I would have loved to expand on/feature in Better Angels, but couldn't because there just wasn't room in the plot. That hasn't stopped me from writing them/thinking about them (sigh). This will be infrequent in updates, as I have other stuff on the boil, but hopefully will keep me ticking over for now. Suggestions are welcome, though I can't promise anything... Again, having read Better Angels will give insight, but is probably not necessary...

Major Karin Chakwas, Chief Medical Officer, Systems Alliance

"Name, rank and posting, please."

"Karin Chakwas, Major, Chief Medical Officer, SSV Normandy."

"Welcome aboard, Doctor. It's good to see you again."

"You too, EDI. As it were." Karin smiles warmly as she steps across the coaming and onto the Normandy's CIC deck, savouring her first breath of recycled air, enjoying the dull metallic clack of her boots on the deckplates, the dark, sombre lighting of a starship's nerve centre, the low-pitched hum of internal power working at minimum draw. "Ahh, that's better. My word, it's good to be home."

"You have been cleared for access to all systems, all databases, and all areas of the ship, Doctor, including the Captain's quarters, XO's cabin, war room, and main engineering drive core," EDI informs the elegant medic as she makes her way down the CIC. "The medical records database requires a master codeword reset keyed to your biometric markers before being made available. A full inventory and crew status report has been downloaded to both your omni-tool and personal terminal. Finally, Private Westmoreland has just finished brewing a fresh pot of coffee."

Karin laughs appreciatively. "I've missed having you around, EDI, I must say. The VI at the clinic on Shalta ward wasn't nearly as efficient, nor as friendly. Thank you."

"My pleasure, Dr. Chakwas. As I said, I am pleased that you have rejoined us."

Chakwas steps into the elevator, riding down to the crew deck and crossing the familiar space to the door of her domain. The retrofit crew have been hard at work, and Karin's keen analytical gaze takes in the differences to the old Cerberus medical bay in one swift glance. The Alliance layout is a well-worn, familiar pattern as comfortable as the uniform she wears. Settling into the seat that has known no occupant but her (but has nonetheless been refitted and re-upholstered), the Chief Medical Officer of the Normandy sets her battered, much-used field bag at the side of the desk. Her duffel is lying on the bed nearest the door, and on the desktop, a small reinforced transport crate bearing biohazard warning glyphs rests next to the terminal; the personal stocks she has had forwarded from the clinic. Activating the terminal, Karin checks the inventory, employing particular scrutiny in inspecting the supplies for dealing with trauma and hardsuit combat support systems. Sufficient stocks are in place for human patients, but if Karin knows Shepard, the crew of this ship will not remain exclusively human for long. Acquiring military grade turian and asari supplies will be difficult, but adding them to the human medications would allow at least baseline trauma care for most races. Huerta Memorial will not open its stocks to anyone, not even for trade; none of the Citadel clinics will. Mulling over the problem, it takes her a moment to realise she has a visitor. There's an asari standing just inside the door, a broad smile lighting her familiar, lovely features. "Hello, Dr. Chakwas."

"Liara!" Pleasure bursts through the doctor at the sight of Commander Shepard's young asari lover. "Shepard didn't say you were aboard."

"I think she wanted to surprise you." Liara walks forward, opening her arms and Karin accepts the welcoming hug.

"It's so very good to see you safe and well, my dear, though I suppose I shouldn't be particularly astonished at your presence. How did Shepard find you so quickly?"

"I was on Mars, at the Prothean Archives," Liara explains. "Cerberus stormed the facility and stole most of the data, killed nearly all of the staff. I was lucky - I managed to hide during their first sweep, and then, well, guess who showed up to save the day?" The asari's lips quirk up into an affectionate grin.

"A certain Spectre who happens to worship the ground you walk on?" Karin suggests, smiling as the asari blushes. "What an astronomical coincidence."

"Isn't it?" Liara agrees with an almost straight face. "She does seem to have a knack for rescuing damsels in distress. Not that I wasn't pleased to see her, of course." She peers over Karin's shoulder at the inventory on the interface. "Do you have everything you need, Karin?"

"I have everything I would need for a human crew, but given that this is the Normandy, I'm going to need at least some baseline supplies - asari and turian - for other races. Trauma and combat injuries, general surgery, that sort of thing. But I have no way to get any of the clinics on the Citadel to release military-grade meds."

Liara nods purposefully as she activates her omni-tool. "Glyph?" she murmurs.

"At your service, Dr. T'Soni."

"Can you cross-reference combat trauma and surgical supplies from asari and turian military protocols with current shipments at the Citadel on our watch-list? Then have any material that matches rerouted to the Normandy on highest priority."

"One moment, Dr. T'soni... Done. The shipments are en route, delivery ETA two hours."

Karin stares incredulously as the asari lets her omni-tool die away. She fidgets slightly under the doctor's scrutiny, and shrugs self-consciously. "The advantage of being the Shadow Broker. I can access supply lines the Alliance and the Council can't reach."

"Those supplies aren't intended for distribution to colonies or combat zones, are they?" Karin asks uneasily.

"Goddess, no!" Liara exclaims hastily. "They're black market shipments, stolen from cargo freighters or colonists by merc groups and pirates. My network tracks them to provide chart data on likely locations of bases and favoured target routes in the shipping lanes. I then make that information available to law enforcement or private security firms - for a handsome fee, of course. Running the Shadow network isn't cheap, after all."

It's Karin's turn to blush. "I'm sorry, my dear, I should know better than to believe you capable of theft."

Liara smiles wryly. "I am perfectly capable of theft; I'm one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy. I'm sorry to shatter your illusions, Karin, but I'm not as innocent as I look."

"I'll vouch for that," a new voice chimes in slyly as the door hisses open. Karin looks back over her shoulder to see Shepard approaching. "Trust me, Doc, I have personal experience on the subject."

Liara dips her chin, looking adorably flustered as Shepard saunters over and wraps an arm around her waist, tugging the asari into a familiar, possessive hold and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "So what's up?" the Normandy's skipper asks easily. "Got everything you need, Doc?"

"Thanks to Liara, I will have in two hours or so."

"Great. We'll be leaving tonight, so the sooner we're locked and loaded, the better."

"Oh?" Liara arches her eyebrows at her lover. "Did Udina have orders for you?"

"Nah, he was mostly interested in blowing off steam, but Sparatus dropped by and essentially suggested circumventing the Council, going straight to the leaders of each race. I'm not sure it's the right track, but it's something, so we're headed to Palaven to find ourselves a Primarch."

Liara nods slowly. "Actually, that's a very good strategy. If Fedorian can be persuaded to join an alliance, you build pressure on the asari and the salarians. But more importantly, you also get the volus and their not-inconsiderable financial backing. And money will open far more doors for you than pleas for charity." She nods again, eyes narrowing as she contemplates the idea. "Yes... yes, that could work very well."

"Glad you approve," Shepard retorts dryly.

Karin studies her two friends as Liara hip-bumps the Commander in rebuke and the Spectre snags her in a boisterous hug, laughing. Liara is much changed from the shy, naive archaeologist the Normandy's crew plucked from Therum three years ago. Her peripheral involvement in the Collector mission means Karin has not seen her much in the past year, but the confidence and competence the young asari now displays is striking, even if she is still somewhat shy regarding her personal relationship. And it is clear that she is very much in love with Shepard, judging from the way she cannot take her eyes from their dashing Commander.

Shepard has changed too, grown beyond the quietly capable XO of humanity's most advanced warship. She is more of a leader than ever, poised and charismatic, assurance radiating from her like heat from a flame. The trials she has overcome have merely served to temper and reinforce Shepard's already iron resolve, alloying her natural determination and courage with the knowledge that she can and has triumphed over adversity, that she is the right person to be doing what she does. Karin has followed this woman into hell once, and would gladly do so again, because she knows that Shepard does not quit, Shepard will fight to the last breath in her body to protect and defend those she cares for, and Karin is one among that privileged number. When Shepard pulled Karin from that pod on the Collector base, she almost hadn't been able believe it.

"You came for us," she'd whispered, stunned, still woozy from the sedatives pumped through her to keep her quiet and pliant. Shepard had just shrugged as though it wasn't even worthy of comment.

"I'd never abandon my crew," she replied simply, wrapping Chakwas in a solid, reassuring bear hug.

It wasn't till they were safely back on the other side of the Omega Four relay that Karin had begun to comprehend just what a feat even finding the crew, let alone rescuing them, had been. And that was when her loyalty to a good CO and pride in a friend became something more, an unbending resolve to stand with Shepard no matter what, sure in the knowledge that the woman she had chosen to follow was fully worthy of both absolute trust and complete devotion.

"Hey, Doc, you still with us?" Shepard's voice snaps Karin back to the moment. The commander and Liara are both staring at her, wearing matching expressions of concern. Chakwas shakes herself, and nods.

"I'm fine. Sorry, I went wool-gathering there for a moment. Blame it on my age."

Shepard grins cheekily. "You're not old, Doc. Liara's got decades on you."

Liara smacks the Commander firmly on the shoulder, rolling her eyes even as she smirks. "You know, when I said I was pleased to see Shepard earlier, Karin, I of course reserved the right to revise my opinion at any time."

"Of course," Karin agrees with a chuckle. "Are you at all familiar with the word 'doghouse,' Shepard? Because making jokes about a lady's age is a very quick way to learn about it."

"Well, Liara's not technically..." Shepard grins devilishly as she lets the thought hang, clapping her hand over Liara's mouth to forestall the imminent retort as the asari puffs up with mock outrage. "Mmm, on second thought, maybe comparative biology's not the best route out of this."

"Do you need help digging that hole any deeper, or can you manage on your own?" Chakwas laughs.

"Oh, I can make a mess of this all by myself, thanks," Shepard replies cheerily. "On which note, I think a tactical withdrawal is probably in order. Fun as this is, I do need to make sure we're ready to deploy. So, Doc, once you have Liara's supplies, you're good to go?"

"Indeed."

"Excellent. Then I'm headed to Engineering to check our pre-flight. Liara, I'd like to brief you in on the mission before I brief the crew, and I'll need some context - Turian hierarchy, roles and responsibilities, anything you can get me on Fedorian himself. Anything that gives me an edge or a bargaining chip."

Liara nods crisply; the time for play is over. "Give me two hours - anything I don't know about him by then won't be worth knowing."

"Great, thanks. I'll come by your office?" Shepard leans toward the asari as though to kiss her, but Liara leans away, shaking her head and tutting.

"Doghouse, remember, Shepard?" she smiles serenely.

"Ah, damn, yeah. Well, it was worth a shot," Shepard shrugs bashfully as she starts for the door. "OK, I'll see you later. Oh, and Doc?"

"Yes?"

"Speaking of Engineering, there's a certain Chief Engineer downstairs I think would be very glad to see you."

Butterflies erupt in Karin's stomach. "Greg's on board? Really?"

"Really," Shepard chuckles, and then she's gone. Happiness settles in Karin's chest - she has not seen the gentle engineer for far too long. Liara smiles in understanding as she squeezes Karin's shoulder.

"He'll be pleased to see you, I'm sure," she says encouragingly.

"I hope so," Karin agrees. "Thank you, Liara."

"You're welcome. I should go and prepare that briefing material for Shepard. If there's anything else you need to get hold of in terms of equipment or supplies, just let me know and I'll see what I can dig up." The asari pauses at the door. "And one last question, if I might?"

"Of course, Liara, what's on your mind?"

"What does doghouse mean?"