Author's note: This chapter introduces my only semi-original charcter of any consequence, so please don't let him scare you away. Also, I reference an obscure Citadel mission that is easily missed in the game. If you don't remember meeting a holier-than-thou Hanar on the Presidium, the beginning of this chapter might confuse you. Anyway, please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and Microsoft. I'm saving for an HDTV, so please don't sue.

Rise Above or Sink Below

Chapter Two

"This one was merely trying to teach the wisdom of the Enkindlers, but an honorable C-Sec officer took offense to its words. He attempted to prevent this one from speaking."

"You say that the Commander gave you a great gift?"

"Yes. The one you call Shepard used her own credits to purchase an evangelical license for this one. She blessed this one with the power to spread the joy of the Enkindlers to others"

"Well, there you have it. Another life touched by the Savior of the Citadel. I'm Ed Wyland, back to Kalisah in the studio."

Thanks a lot, Ed. Welcome back to the Al-Jilani report, everyone. We've got breaking news from the Citadel. The Normandy is missing! According to our sources on the station, the ship left its dock sometime late last night. No public flight plan was filed, but we've got the inside scoop into where it might - "

Leonard Jenkins keyed off the monitor, and took another sip of his coffee. The room fell into silence, save for the steady ticking of a grandfather clock. The first hints of sunlight streamed in through the kitchen window, signaling the end of another long night. Soon, the house would fill with the reddish glow of the Eden Prime sun, and Leonard would have to struggle through another day without any sleep. Rising from the kitchen table, Leonard grabbed hold of a chair to steady himself. Years of farming on the new world had taken its toll. His sixty year old frame wasn't nearly as strong as it once was, and he often had trouble keeping his balance.

The grandfather clock hit the top of the hour, and six crisp tones rang throughout the house. Leonard glanced back to the monitor. The time glowed in the bottom left corner.

5:58

Making his way over to the antique timepiece, he absently brushed his hand along a family portrait that hung on the wall. Reaching up to adjust the ornate dials of the clock, Leonard abruptly stopped. "What's the point?" he asked the empty room.

In the distance, a familiar noise caught Leonard's attention. It was the unmistakable sound of someone walking up the gravel pathway in front of his house. Leonard shook his head in disgust. "Who is it this time?" he asked, walking towards the front door. "How many times do I have to tell my so-called 'friends' that I'm fine?"

He swung open the door.

A Salarian stood on his front porch. He had a microphone in his hand, and a camera pod hovering behind him. Leonard was so surprised; he nearly jumped out of his slippers. "What in hell fire?" he shouted.

"Mr. Jenkins?"

"Yeah?"

The Salarian held up his hands, trying to calm the old man. "I apologize for startling you. Are you the father of a Corporal Richard Jenkins, recently deceased?"

"What is this about?"

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"This is…" Annika Shepard nervously rubbed the back of her neck, "…problematic."

Her honor guard stood in the empty cargo bay, their heads hung low. The palette of supplies that they were using as a practice casket lay broken on the floor, having been accidentally dropped a few seconds earlier.

"Look…. We don't have to be perfect, but we have to be better than this." Shepard gestured at the pile of boxes in front of her. "Let's… let's practice folding the flag again."

Shepard couldn't let herself get too upset with her honor guard. They were, in actuality, just two security guards and her requisition officer. None of them had much experience with military funerals. After two hours of practice, however, she expected them to be farther along than this. She stood with her hands on her hips, and watched as the three men began to fold and shape the flag.

Out of the corner of her eye, Shepard caught the elevator door slowly open. The figure that stepped out took her breath away.

Liara had changed out of her casual lab attire, and was now wearing the most striking gown Commander Shepard had ever seen. It was almost entirely white, save for a strip of silver that lined the edges of the fabric. The gown clung tightly to Liara's figure, hugging her subtle curves in all the right places. A slit ran up the side of the gown, ending just below the knee, which afforded a teasing glimpse of Liara's legs.

"Ma'am? What do you think?" the requisition officer asked.

"Incredible…" she replied.

"Really?" one of the security guards asked, incredulously.

Shit, did I just say that? Shepard suddenly realized that she had been staring, and felt a twinge of embarrassment. Shifting her eyes back to the men in front of her, she quickly composed herself. "What was that, ensign?"

"The flag, Commander. What do you think?"

Maybe they didn't notice. The young man held up a triangle of fabric that was so lopsided, it could barely hold itself together.

Shepard felt her anxiety level spike once again. She rolled her head from shoulder to shoulder, and took a deep breath. "As a requisition officer, you have to be a good judge of quality, right?"

"You bet, Commander."

"Then tell me," Shepard gestured at the flag, "does that look like quality to you?"

"Absolutely not, Commander." The young man responded, the hint of a smirk on his face.

Shepard cast another glance back to Liara, who stood patiently by the elevator. "Gentlemen, in less than three hours, we're going to be laying to rest one of our own. I expect you to have this routine memorized before then, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." the three men responded in unison.

Shepard turned and walked away without saying another word. Her gaze fell back upon the young Asari standing in the corner, and she again found herself short of breath. Even though the gown covered her entire body, leaving only her head and hands visible, it made Liara exude a kind of femininity that Shepard had never seen before. The image was intoxicating, and Shepard had to fight a sudden urge to grab Liara by the arm, and drag her off to someplace more private.

Shepard flashed a coy smile as she approached her Asari lover. "You look like you're going to a wedding, not a funeral."

Liara's eyes opened wide, and she nervously looked down at her dress. "What? I am sorry, Shepard. I did not realize that it was inappropriate to - "

"Liara…"

"Yes, Shepard?"

"Relax." Shepard ran a hand down the Asari's arm, and playfully intertwined their fingers. "You look incredible."

Liara met Shepard's gaze, and gave her a warm smile. "As do you. But if you think I will look out of place..."

"Absolutely not." Shepard let her eyes sweep up and down the length of Liara's body. "Don't even think about changing into something else."

"I was hoping you would say that. This dress is traditional attire for an Asari passage ceremony."

"Passage ceremony? You mean Asari don't have funerals?" Shepard gave a quick glance over her shoulder, making sure her men weren't eavesdropping.

"Not in the way humans do, no. Most Asari believe that death is merely a passage; a merging of one's spiritual energy back into the universal consciousness. It is a time of celebration, not of mourning."

Shepard sensed a bit of hesitation in Liara's voice. "Most Asari?"

"Well... I admit, my beliefs are - "

The speaker above Shepard's head crackled to life. "Joker here, Commander. I've got a call for you coming in from Eden Prime."

"Who is it, Joker?" Shepard replied, although she had a pretty good idea of who it was.

"It's Jenkins' dad, Commander. He says it's important."

Damn. Shepard let go of Liara's hand, and stepped toward the elevator. "I'll take it in my quarters, Joker."

"How many are there?" Shepard tried not to let the panic come through in her voice, but she was growing more and more agitated with every passing second.

The man on her monitor didn't look like he was doing much better. "There are five of 'em in my front yard as we speak, Commander. Four humans and a Salarian, and they've all got cameras pointed in my windows."

Shepard cast a nervous glance at Liara, who was sitting across the room. She doesn't know. She looked back at the man on her screen. I should've told her everything, the moment she returned..

"Mr. Jenkins, I…. I don't know what to say."

"An apology would be a good place to start. You told me that nobody knew you were coming. You told me I was gonna get to bury my boy in private."

"I did everything I could to keep my flight a secret, Leonard. This was the last thing I wanted to happen."

"Yeah? Well, tell that to the reporters in front of my house, Commander." With that, Shepard's screen went black.

The room was spinning. Shepard could feel the sweat forming on her brow. All the planning, all the secrecy, it was all for nothing. They had found her, and she had no idea what she was going to do about it. She hung her head low, and rubbed the back of her neck. Slowly, she spun around in her chair to face Liara.

"Shepard, what has happened? What is wrong?"

Shepard leaned forward, and stared across at the woman who had brought such unexpected joy to her life; the woman she would now have to shield from the madness that seemed to follow her everywhere. "Liara, we have to talk."