Notes:

STG - Special Tactics Group (Salarian Special Forces)

XO - Executive Officer


Coming Together

Normandy SR-2, Galactic Fleet, Arcturus

"Stand down, Dr T'Soni!" Liara whirled to see a somewhat annoyed Commander Williams standing in the entry to the bridge, hands on her hips. "Joker initiated the beacon recovery as soon as possible and the engineers are working as fast as they can. Using the flight lieutenant as your whipping boy will not make the relay repairs happen any faster!" The expression on Ashley's face was carefully controlled, but Liara could tell by the tone of her voice that the officer would not tolerate any disobedience in regards to the matter at hand.

"Goddess, you're right, Ashley. I'm... sorry. I just discovered..." Liara stopped and took a deep breath as she blinked very slowly in an attempt to control her emotions. Even so, water accumulated and leaked out of the corners of her eyes as she continued, "May we speak somewhere in private? Please?"

Taken aback by the Asari's tears, Ashley's eyebrows rose in concern. "Certainly, Liara. Let's go to the loft. I'm sure it's the most private location on the Normandy at the moment."

Liara apologized profusely to Joker before leaving the Bridge, and once they arrived on the upper level, Ashley's face paled when Liara stopped immediately outside the elevator and explained what she and Hannah had discovered. "Holy... fucking... Hell! Does that man have no soul, whatsoever?" Her face went from white to red, in anger. "If that slimy bastard is still breathing, I'm going to use my Spectre status to rip him apart with nothing but my bare hands and a combat knife, one piece at a Goddamned time!"

Liara almost smiled at the response, whispering softly, "You may have to beat Admiral Shepard to him if you want that honor. She expressed the same… sentiment... when she learned of it."

"Oh, that's right! I forgot she's on board... She still is, isn't she? So, you're not alone up here."

"That's why I stopped out here. Hannah stayed here, in the loft, packing up her things while I headed for the Bridge. Admiral Hackett sent her a message; she has just been assigned as the Alliance Liaison for Interspecies Coordination for Post-War Recovery."

Ashley nodded. "That makes sense. Folks will look at her and immediately see the family relationship... and even if they don't realize it, they will be more predisposed to help... but, I would think that's a position the Commander herself should hold... not her mother, as proxy." Ashley paused and looked down at the floor, realizing she was making an assumption that had absolutely no corroborating evidence... at least not yet.

"Should Samantha still be alive." Ashley's head snapped back up as Liara finished the thought for her. "I realize it is a distinct possibility that Samantha did not survive, Ashley, as does Admiral Hackett... which is why he made the decision he did. I simply... I have to believe and act as if she has, or I... I..."

When Liara choked on her words and stopped speaking, her tears could no longer be held back. Ashley stepped up and wrapped strong arms around the distraught Asari, cradling her tightly as Liara wept inconsolably into her shoulder. "Hey! Shepard's one tough cookie, Liara. Just like she did after Sovereign, she's going to come bouncing out of the rubble, staring at us like we've all gone mad, and questioning why we would ever lose faith in her." After a few more moments with no response from the Asari, Ashley spoke again. "I'm calling Hackett to see if I can delay Hannah's return to the Orizaba. I don't think you should be alone right now, Liara."

The Asari pushed slowly back and took a deep, shuddering breath. "No. Please don't. I'll be fine... and Hannah needs to get back to work. She plans on personally briefing Admiral Hackett on the development; I've also drafted a priority message for Miranda, including all the pertinent data and files. Assuming Shepard is..." Liara's voice broke as she continued, "... still alive, then Miranda will need the information we discovered so she can figure out how to remove the amp from Sam's body while avoiding any tamper actuators or other traps Wilson may have left behind. She is going to request that Admiral Hackett approve it as the very first message to go out after a successful test."

Ashley locked eyes with the Asari and saw the pleading dance her pupils were doing, a nervous Liara finding it difficult to maintain the soul-searching direct gaze of the acting commander of the Normandy. "Fine." As Liara exhaled softly in relief, Williams continued, "But... I want you to promise me that if anything happens, you'll come tell me." Ashley's hand reached out and she placed it firmly on Liara's forearm. "And I'm not talking about bringing intel reports to the XO or info on Shepard, Liara. I'm talking about you coming to me, Ashley, as a friend, if you are in need of a sounding board or for comfort. Understood?"

"Thank you, Ashley." Touched by the offer, Liara's lips turned up ever so slightly at the corners as she shook her head and shrugged in resignation. "Deep in my heart, I know she's alive; I feel as though I would somehow know if it were... otherwise. It is simply the waiting… the uncertainty of the relay getting repaired… that is difficult to endure."


Charon Mass Relay, Pluto, Sol

The entire team cheered when a probe almost instantaneously reappeared beside the newly repaired relay; a shuttle quickly retrieved it and delivered it to the Lutaginia for Tali's inspection. She hastily scanned the STG activity log contained in its memory core, rapidly confirming her worst fear – the Arcturus Relay had not yet been brought back online.

She pulled up her omnitool, and then hesitated… perhaps sending a message to Shepard confirming the lack of activity at Arcturus was a bad idea. Making up her mind, she directed the news to the current Alliance commanding officer, Sharon Culver, instead of sending a message to Shepard and Riana. Culver and Miranda could decide together whether or not Shepard should get the news, and when. Sighing sadly, she wondered how Liara was coping and what could possibly be slowing them down. There's no way that Liara isn't doing everything within her power to get back here, Tali'Zorah! Now, stop your worrying and get back to work! There are more relays to test!

As Tali continued through the scheduled test protocols, she met with disappointment after disappointment. By the end of the testing cycle, Tali was forced to conclude that the only other relays they could confirm as operational were Widow and Parnitha. As she collated her reports, the relay activated; her head snapped up in surprise as Lieutenant Durand announced, "Clear the departure zone! I repeat, clear the departure zone! We have unscheduled inbound traffic from Widow!"

Still floating in space where they were positioned to launch drones if they achieved any additional destination locks, the scouting vessels were forced to scatter at the announcement or risk getting caught in the wake of a potentially large inbound vessel. Tali's eyes went wide in realization as soon as she had a visual identification of the ship that materialized and decelerated as it cleared the relay.

"Keelah! By all that the ancestors hold sacred! I've got to warn her!" Tali quickly pulled up her omnitool and placed an urgent call, hoping beyond hope that, even at this late hour, Miranda Lawson would be awake and answer the call.


T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula

Nayla rapped lightly on the door and prepared to wait however long it took. Most likely she and Mozia are otherwise engaged... and I have absolutely no intention of barging into the middle of their... celebrations.

She was mistaken, however, and her thoughts were almost immediately interrupted by the light tap of booted footsteps closing rapidly on the door, just before it was yanked open to reveal a wide-awake and fully dressed Aethyta. "What news?"

Nayla blinked in surprise and answered, "Sol is up and running; both message and drone traffic have passed through the relays via Widow, Aethyta."

Aethyta growled, "About fucking time...," before turning back into the room and shouting, "Moz! Grab my bag! I'm leaving now!"

"Matriarch?" Nayla looked questioningly at the pro tem House Captain, awaiting further instructions. It was obvious Aethyta had a plan, and Nayla guessed they were leaving for Sol... very, very soon.

Her assumption was correct; Aethyta turned back to her, all business. "Alert the on-call pilot and notify Captain Tremi that we're activating Allyna and all of Team 2. We are going to Sol to find Liara and Shepard."

Nayla Axoni's face blossomed with a wide smile as she responded, "As you wish, Matriarch," just before turning and bolting for the commando quarters.


London, Earth, Sol

Sharon Culver and Miranda Lawson, having received advance notice from Tali'Zorah regarding this unexpected arrival, were standing at the secure docks when the Asari luxury transport T'Soni VIP-1 slid into its assigned berth at 0140 hours local. As the shrieking complaint from the turbines faded away, the hatch opened and a team of commandos deployed, quickly followed by Nayla Axoni and Matriarch Aethyta.

Miranda smiled and stepped up to greet them. "Matriarch. Captain Axoni. Welcome to Earth... and I have to say, it's wonderful to see you! Your team did extremely well getting the relay up and operational in an amazingly short period of time!"

Aethyta scowled as her eyes traveled up and down the docks, searching for a ship that was nowhere to be seen. "Screw the pleasantries, Lawson. Where's Shepard… and the Normandy?" Her eyes came back forward and focused like lasers on the two people standing before her. "And where in blazes is my daughter?"

Culver let out a chuckle and stepped forward. "Well. From all Shepard and Miranda have told me, you must be Matriarch Aethyta... better known as Aethyta or Thyta... or Matriarch, if my goal is to piss you off." Smiling at the appraising look from the agitated Asari before her, Culver stuck her hand out. "Colonel Sharon Culver, temporary leader of this ragtag band of survivors, long-time close friend of Shepard's and an acquaintance to Liara; I can't claim anything more on that last bit, seeing as we've never yet had a chance to be properly introduced because of this damned war. And from the look on your face, I think I'd better stick to Aethyta, because you look like you're already well on your way to being royally pissed off."

Aethyta hesitated for a moment before deciding she just might like this brash Alliance colonel; Culver seemed too much at ease for anything to be terribly wrong, so she took the offered hand. "Aethyta will do just fine, but you still didn't answer my question. "Where is Liara?"

Sharon looked around quickly. "I'm sorry, but we shouldn't talk out here. Would you be so kind as to come with me to my office?"

"Whatever it takes to get the answers I came for." Aethyta nodded. "Lead the way."

As soon as they crossed the threshold into Alliance Headquarters, Sharon started speaking and told the Asari everything she knew, from what she had gleaned from all the reports and then from Shepard directly. "So, I'm sorry none of that answers your questions, Aethyta, but it's honestly all we know... and all we will know until they get the Arcturus relay up and running... and, hopefully, we can actually communicate with the Normandy."

"That's really too bad about Lieutenant Vega." An uncharacteristically solemn Aethyta stared out the window, overlooking a very dark London; power had yet to be restored through much of the city. "According to Liara, he had an ego the size of the Destiny Ascension... but he always took good care of Shepard and my girl. Odd that I know his name better than any of the Asari who died for Shepard... And now, knowing what he did for Liara, he'll be forever honored in House T'Soni." She turned back to those in the office as she continued, "So I suppose there is nothing to be done until later this morning, when I can see Shepard. If it is allowed, I prefer we bunk back on our own ship. I'd appreciate transportation out to the hospital come first light, so I can be there when Shepard wakes up."

"Absolutely, Aethyta." Culver looked across the room to her aide. "Sweets! You're now assigned to the Matriarch for the duration of her visit… Understood?"

The young corporal jumped up from his chair and smiled, his eyes wide with excitement. "Yes, Ma'am! Happy to oblige!"

Culver smirked as she looked back to Aethyta. "Lance Corporal Jeremiah Sweets. He's young, but steadfast and reliable; he'll take you to your ship now and be back at your dock at 0800 hours." Culver walked with them to the doorway. "Visiting hours don't start until 0900... and I'll catch up to you at the hospital as soon as I can wrap up my morning meetings."

The colonel paused for a moment and Aethyta would have sworn she saw a quick flash of worry cross Sharon's face. Her voice was quiet as she looked to the matriarch one last time before they parted ways. "I'm glad you came, Aethyta. Without Liara, Shepard's..." She stopped, huffed and shook her head. "Never mind. You'll see her tomorrow. Draw your own conclusions."

They'd had an incredibly long day, so when they got back aboard the VIP-1, the commandos all crawled off to their bunks, but Aethyta sat at the small table in the lounge and stared into her drink for a long time, wondering what it was that Culver almost told her... and fearing it was nothing good. She glanced up when she heard someone clear their throat, to see Nayla standing beside the table. "Care if I join you?"

"No, please. No one should drink alone... especially with the reason I'm drinking." Aethyta promptly leaned forward and casually flipped a second tumbler off the small bar tray, picked up her bottle of Noverian rum and expertly poured two fingers worth for Nayla as she sat down at the table, across from the matriarch.

"It is obvious you are worried... I imagine mostly about Liara, but also over Shepard." Nayla scooped up the glass as it slid toward her across the table, swirled the dark liquid within and took a small sip, humming in satisfaction before speaking. "They both survived, Aethyta, and all will be well, once they are reunited."

Aethyta sighed softly. "I honestly never thought Nezzie's little one would find anything even remotely close to what she has with Shepard... she was always so damned shy. And the way Shepard looks at her? For being so damned smart, Liara can be pretty dense in some areas... but the commander positively worships Little Wing... so much so that even Liara sees it. I did not think it possible for a Human, but with this... Inanna... that they share, I almost fear it may be something akin to soul sickness."

Nayla's face paled slightly and she set her glass down on the table. "But Liara is not dead! Or is that what you truly fear?"

"Goddess, no!" Aethyta's head snapped up and she stared at the Asari across the table in shock. Recovering quickly, she continued, "No. But they are separated by a tremendous distance. I know their link is strong, but it is also still relatively young, so to expect it to reach that far is ludicrous... What I fear is that it's literally tearing Shepard's soul in half, not knowing the fate of the Normandy... and not being able to connect with Liara."

"And the same would then be true for Liara, would it not?"

Aethyta fell silent and didn't answer, instead taking a big gulp and barking out a single cough as her body trembled with the aftereffects of the rum burning its way down her throat. In her churning mind, neither the sensation nor the distraction it provided lasted long enough. "Goddess be damned! Liara best get her ass back here, sooner rather than later."

Nayla reached across the table and laid her hand atop the matriarch's. "We'll know more about her state of mind when we see Shepard in a few hours. We both need sleep, Aethyta. Come on."

Aethyta stood slowly, feeling every bit of her 982 years with the concerns for her rediscovered family weighing heavily on her shoulders. "Yeah. I guess I should know better than to jump to conclusions. Thanks, Nayla."


Royal London Hospital, Earth, Sol

Riana's head lifted from the datapad she was reading as the outer door to Shepard's room opened. She sat in numb shock for only a moment before springing from her seat; in two long strides her arm was extended and she was clasping forearms with the most welcome sight since seeing Shepard after defeating the Reapers, alive and breathing after her first surgery. "Goddess be praised! Captain Axoni! You are a sight for tired eyes! I did not know the relay was yet operational! You are good news in more ways than one!"

Nayla chuckled softly and backed Riana up, allowing room for Aethyta to come in and get the door closed. "Good to see you too, Ri. Hope all is well here."

As they dropped arms, Riana dipped her forehead. "Matriarch! You are both indeed welcome arrivals. Do you know? Is the Normandy inbound as well?"

Aethyta frowned. "Sorry, kid. Only Widow and Parnitha are up, that we know of. Haven't received a single ping from Arcturus yet... but don't you worry. They'll be on their way soon, I'm sure of it." She jerked her chin in the direction of the second doorway. "How's the commander doing?"

"Honestly? I do not know." Riana sighed. "Neither Miranda nor Dr Michelle can determine what is amiss, but her eezo keeps depleting, even though she is not using her biotics. They've had to put her on full battle rations merely to keep her level stable... but it is still low, and no matter what they do, outside of a blood infusion, they cannot keep the level up at her normal ratios... and being restricted to her bed, she does not possess the appetite to eat all they give her."

"Damn." Aethyta gave Nayla a knowing glance before looking back to Riana. "Is she awake yet? I need to see her. Alone."

Riana's eyes flashed with concern. "You are not to blame her for whatever may have befallen Mistress Liara. That responsibility is..."

Aethyta waved her hand dismissively and interrupted, "Don't worry, Riana. That's not what I'm here for. I know how headstrong Liara is, and I already heard the story about how she basically threw you off the Normandy to chase Shepard down... and she was right to do so. The woman lying in that hospital bed is Liara's lifeblood and you needed to protect her or it is very possible they both would have perished."

"Both?" Riana looked at the matriarch in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Aethyta looked at Nayla. "You explain it to her while I go in and talk to Shepard, would you?"

With a nod of agreement from the commando captain, Aethyta turned and walked into the back room, closing the door behind her. Shepard was pale and her hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat; Aethyta approached the bed and her forehead knit with concern as she reached out and softly grasped a sleeping Shepard's shoulder. "Hey, Commander. Come on, join the waking world and talk with me for a bit."

Blurry green eyes cracked open at the touch and her head turned toward the shape at the side of the bed, rasping, "Holy Hell. Aethyta?" Shepard's voice was rough with sleep, but her eyes opened wider, instantly shocked into a soldier's alertness. "The relays! They're open?" Her eyes darted about the room, seeking a different face.

"She's not here yet, kid." Aethyta gave a gentle squeeze with the hand still on the commander's shoulder. "Arcturus isn't up yet, but Widow and Parnitha are open, so I came as quick as I could. Figured to meet her here as soon as Arcturus comes online again." She could see the visible fade in Shepard's eyes and the color drain from her face, leaving her complexion even more pale than when Aethyta had first entered the room.

"Shepard. You need to listen to me." Aethyta waited until the commander's eyes settled on her own. "Has Liara ever explained to you about soul sickness?"

"Yeah." Samantha groaned as she reached over her head for the remote, slowly tipping the back of the bed up so she could more easily talk with the matriarch. "After Sovereign... and Benezia. More than one of the commandos lost a bondmate at Noveria. I didn't understand the true depth of their mourning, until Liara explained about the bond... and what happens when it is abruptly severed." Her eyes suddenly lit with understanding and her voice dropped to a deathly whisper. "Oh, Gods. Sha'ira warned us about Inanna being similar to a bond... Are you... are you saying... that... Liara..."

"No!" Aethyta squeezed Shepard's shoulder a bit harder than she meant to and saw the commander wince, causing her to drop her hand immediately. "Shit. Sorry, Shepard. That's not what I'm saying at all! It's simply the separation! But yes, I think the effects of the broken link can be very similar... and I believe you are burning eezo because, while you sleep, your mind is out wandering, pushing its limits, trying to find the other half of your soul."

"So I'm sleeping, but my mind is running full speed all night long? Then I'm not really resting..." A tear slipped out of the corner of her left eye as she continued, "No wonder I'm so fucking tired and feeling like I'm making unusually slow progress... especially for me."

"Yeah. So, listen. There are very few treatments for it but I can help you, if you'll let me." Aethyta pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down, Shepard's questioning gaze following every move she made. The matriarch reached onto the bed and took one of Shepard's hands. "We had Liara as a buffer, but we have melded before... so if you're comfortable with the idea, it's possible for me to guide you..."

"No."

Aethyta fell silent and pursed her lips at Shepard's quick refusal, waiting for some sort of explanation from the commander. When none came, she was compelled to continue where she left off. "I can guide your energy without actually entering your mind. You're burning eezo like there's no tomorrow and you're going to go into eezo shock if you're not careful, supplements or not. I'm not worried about the quantity so much as the exchange rate. It's way too high, even if you were Asari." She squeezed Samantha's hand to get her undivided attention. "Shepard, look at me. I can carry the load and keep you from burning yourself out. Liara will be mad as Hell at you if she finds you pale and wasting away like I saw you when I walked in. Don't fool yourself; you cannot do this on your own. You need help... and I'm offering."

Shepard's eyes closed and she whispered quietly, "What exactly would it entail?"

"It's pretty simple. I act like a signal booster." Aethyta leaned back in her chair. "If I sense you searching, I provide you the energy to sustain the hunt, so you don't expend your eezo... You use mine instead. I've had almost a thousand years of practice and can regulate the draw rate much better than you ever could... All part of being a matriarch, kid."

Aethyta released Shepard's hand and stood up to stretch. "What time is breakfast around this joint, anyway?" She looked back at the commander with a worried frown. "I can't order you to do this, Commander, but if you turn me down, we might both get warped into the next century when Liara shows up."

"You're almost right." A small smile flitted across Shepard's lips and she couldn't help but laugh. "Liara wouldn't be mad... She'd be furious!" She let out a sigh of exasperation as Aethyta's expression shifted to one of hope. "Alright, but you need to be aware of a few things, first."

Shepard proceeded to explain about the ashen dreams; they had returned, now with Vega and Anderson added to the mix, along with Legion and several others she couldn't identify. "I thought for sure they'd go away after the war, but no such luck. So, I have no idea when my mind is supposedly running around trying to find Li, because I spend all my time in that damned forest. When... When Liara's by my side, they generally don't come, though they did toward the end of the war, Liara in bed with me or not."

Aethyta smirked, "So you're saying that fucking my daughter provided you with ample... distraction... to keep them at bay... mostly, anyways?"

A suddenly red-faced Shepard spit out, "Geez, Aethyta! I'm talking sleeping! We were both too damned tired to do anything else... and I am not talking about that with you!" She shook her head and ran a hand nervously through her hair before continuing, "I'm telling you this because I occasionally light up with biotics when it happens. I've tossed Liara out of bed onto the floor... Hell's bells... I've tossed us both out of bed, more than once, when that fucking nightmare takes over my subconscious."

"Fair enough warning. And to be totally honest, I'd actually prefer to take you to Thessia; surrounded by an entire environment based on eezo, your body would most likely stabilize a lot faster, drawing on the planet's natural reserves... you know, breathing the air, drinking the water... all that shit; but I know that's not gonna happen. They'd never discharge you into my care; you're too damned important to the Alliance and the Council for them to let you go."

Shepard prepared to offer a retort, then snapped her mouth closed, knowing damn well Aethyta was probably correct, finally answering quietly. "Yeah... Besides, I wouldn't want Liara to have to hunt me down or make any extra relay hops either. She'll find me here, and then we'll figure out what's next. Together."

"Sounds good, Shepard... and I'm serious about breakfast. I'm starving. We left Thessia in the middle of the damned night and I haven't eaten in hours."

An honest smile finally broke through Shepard's dour countenance and she let out a soft chuckle. "Tell Riana to take you to the Field Mess. Trust me; you do not want to eat the hospital food."

Aethyta cocked her head a bit. "Then why are you? It's no wonder you have no appetite, if the food is crap. I brought Allyna Taluri and her whole team here, along with some private stock... just in case. We'll eat at the chow line and make you some decent meals. Real Thessian meals with natural eezo, not that processed shit."

"Aethyta... I couldn't!" Shepard's surprise was evident, but Aethyta was having nothing to do with her protests when it came to good, decent food and the commander's failing health.

"Yes, you will. I'm not having my future daughter-in-law, the promised bondmate of Lady Liara T'Soni, eating junk when we have the capacity to do better." Aethyta scowled at her, daring Shepard to contradict her again. "Not a chance, Commander."

Making the smart choice, Shepard relaxed back into the bed and took a deep breath before speaking again. "Fine. But I expect to share... not take all your stock for myself. I won't eat unless you, at least, eat with me, Matriarch."

Aethyta's scowl deepened with the use of her title. "Don't push me, Shepard. I'm doing this mostly for Liara. I don't want her to come back just to see you looking all puny and weak."

"Hey!" Shepard frowned. "I'm getting better! You should have seen me before Miranda started the first surgery... and I think I liked you better as a bar tender than as my future father-in-law."

Aethyta's scowl vanished as a smirk crawled onto her face to replace it. "Goddess be damned, Shepard. Maybe you simply weren't really awake yet." The smirk turned to a light laugh as she finished, "Seems you've got a bit of spunk left in you after all. You're gonna be just fine."


Aethyta spent the rest of the morning making arrangements with the commandos to take turns making meals and sitting with Shepard, giving Riana a break and catching the commander up on all things Thessia. While they were keeping Shepard entertained, Aethyta explained her hypothesis with Miranda and Chloe... and made provisions to spend nights in the room with Shepard, as long as necessary. She was somewhat surprised to find Miranda completely on her side. "Aethyta, it would be wonderful if you could take Samantha to Thessia, if for nothing else than to get her away from this place and everything it reminds her of... but that woman isn't going anywhere without Liara, even if we did manage to get permission to release her."

"She already told me as much... said she didn't want Liara to have to hunt her down or make any extra relay hops to get to her." Aethyta smirked. "Pretty sure what she really meant was that she didn't want to get any farther away from Liara than she already is."

"That may very well be a true statement, however irrelevant it may be." Miranda grimaced heavily as she continued, "I simply know how the 'powers that be' treated her after Sovereign... and after the Collector War. I don't see either the Council or the Alliance changing their approach now, and they'll want to extract every drop of blood and kilo of flesh they can get out of Commander Samantha Shepard before they'll let her go. My only question is if she'll let them."

Aethyta paused and concentrated on Miranda, not only on her words, but her body language as well, and she could tell the former Cerberus operative was not happy. "What aren't you telling me, Lawson?"

Miranda shook her head slightly and shifted in her seat uncomfortably before answering, "Shepard is beyond tired, Aethyta. She died for this war... twice, if you count the time Chloe and I thought we lost her on our table only twelve days ago." She saw the expression on the matriarch's face and explained, "I know. We leave that part out, most of the time, in the telling... We figured Shepard doesn't need to know how close she came to leaving us... again."

"Fuck no; she doesn't need to know that!" Aethyta whispered vehemently, thinking of the crushing blow that would have been to Liara... to House T'Soni. Blazes! The entire fucking galaxy would have been in mourning! "What happened?"

"She'd simply lost too damn much blood; her entire system was crashing and we couldn't fix her fast enough to stop it... When, all of a sudden, a Salarian surgeon just... showed up... out of nowhere... uninvited, but certainly not unappreciated, and started to help. That third set of quick, knowledgeable hands made all the difference in the operation."

A low whistle emerged from her lips before Aethyta cursed quietly. "Damn it all. Mordin is gone, so who was it?"

Miranda shrugged and let out a laughing huff. "We have no idea who he was or where he came from! It was no one on staff here... and he apparently hit the three other ongoing surgeries before simply vanishing out the front door!"

"Sounds like Shepard has... What do Humans call them? ... A guardian angel?" Aethyta narrowed her eyes in thought. "Is that right?"

"Yes," Miranda chuckled. "Yes, that's right. Maybe so. It's as good an explanation as any." Her smile vanished and she concentrated on the matriarch. "So. Tonight. This... bridge thing you are doing tonight. Are you truly prepared to deal with Shepard's demons?"

Aethyta shrugged, "I simply establish a superficial meld with Shepard and try to keep her grounded, so she uses me as an energy source and doesn't burn as much of her own eezo as she has been. It's kind of hard to explain, but it may require waking her somewhat frequently. So, she may be tired but she'll have a larger buffer of eezo left in the morning... Provided it works and she doesn't try to blast me into next week with her biotics if she has one of those nightmares she told me about."

"Oh, she'll have one." Miranda frowned slightly as she thought back over the past couple of weeks. "Only been a couple of nights when she hasn't awakened... and settled down again only after I included a sedative in her eezo infusions." Miranda took a deep breath and pushed out a quick, heavy sigh of resignation as she continued, "So, I'll probably see you later... when I respond to an alarm for increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure."

"We'll see about that." Aethyta's eyes shifted down the hallway as she looked toward the doorway to Shepard's room. "I'm hoping to keep her calm enough, that won't be necessary."

"I hope you're right, Aethyta." Miranda's eyes followed the matriarch's gaze. "That poor woman has seen enough pain to last over ten lifetimes. Drugs alone can't seem to accomplish it, so I sincerely hope that whatever it is you're doing, actually works."

Aethyta nodded. "Guess we'll know in a few hours, won't we?"

She expected no reply to her rhetorical question and was already turning to walk toward Shepard's room when she heard Miranda whisper softly, "I'll know in a few hours only if it doesn't work. Otherwise, I'll see you in the morning, Matriarch."


Aethyta was awakened by the bed shaking. They had moved a second bed into Shepard's room and placed it alongside the commander's, with a vibrating activity alarm so the matriarch would know if and when Shepard started to thrash in her sleep as she was doing now. She sat up quickly, placed her free hand gently on Shepard's feverish forehead, closed her eyes and concentrated.

Shepard murmured softly as their consciousnesses bumped, but did not overlap; Aethyta was careful to not intrude into the commander's thoughts and violate her promise to simply support, not engage. The matriarch felt the pull almost immediately and opened herself as a conduit, following Shepard's progress, surprised at the level of demand being placed upon her as Shepard reached, mentally, all the way to Charon and beyond. Fuck. No wonder she's tired; she's stretching throughout the whole damn system! Good thing the relays are material in nature and she can't trigger them like a comm buoy with only her mind... or she would have already died from eezo shock, trying to search the whole fucking galaxy!

After an extended, fruitless search, Shepard's consciousness fell into despair and the relentless nightmare began invading her already exhausted sleep. As the commander began to emit a soft blue glow, Aethyta shook her, gently at first but with increasing intensity, until the Human's eyes popped open along with a rapid intake of breath. "Easy, Shepard." Amazingly, Aethyta's unusual, gravelly voice was comforting and penetrated her semi-awake state and the commander calmed, blinking rapidly to clear her vision.

"Thanks, Aethyta." Shepard cleared her throat to get rid of the sleepy growl before continuing, "What time is it?"

A surprisingly gentle blue hand slid across her brow in a soothing motion. "Only two in the morning, kid. Go back to sleep and try to get some rest."

"Fat chance of that happening." Shepard released a disheartened sigh. "I can never get back to sleep after that dream... not for a while anyway."

"I know I'm no Liara, but I've got you covered, Commander." Aethyta cast her a caring smile. "At least close your eyes and try... for Liara's sake if not your own. We need you rested and recovering when our Little Wing flies home to you."

Our Little Wing. "Guess that means you accept me as part of the family, huh, Aethyta?" Shepard relaxed, somehow comforted by the idea that she had been included into the family.

Aethyta chuckled. "I don't believe I have any say in the matter, Shepard. The Lady of House T'Soni has made your status very clear to the rest of us." The hand swept softly across Samantha's forehead once more, pushing the hair out of her face. "Now. Sleep... before I call Miranda in to increase your sedatives. You've got another surgery tomorrow afternoon and your body needs rest."

"The sedatives make the nightmare worse; I can't wake up from it and I get trapped there." She registered an accepting nod from the matriarch and gave her an easy smile. "Thank you for being here, Aethyta." Shepard reached up and caught the Asari's hand, pulling it down from her head and placing it over her heart. Her voice was quiet as she asked, "You're staying until we get Liara home, right? No matter how long that may take?"

Aethyta let out a quiet laugh. "That's what I'm here for, Babe... and I can damn well assure you I'm not simply talking about getting her to Sol! Liara needs to see the rebuilding happening on Thessia... and it's all because of you two!" She paused and her jovial voice turned to a growl as she finished, "Those two-credit, piece of shit Matriarchs certainly had nothing to do with it!"