With a start, Shepard realized she had been lost in thought for some minutes while staring at Liara. She forced herself to tear her eyes away, and instead directed her attention to her omni-tool. She had quite a few items waiting for her attention and she decided to use some of the travel time to her advantage.

The first, and most surprising item was a report from Lt. Pressly. Apparently the Turian ambassador to Thessia had requested a tour of the Normandy - and Pressly had granted it! Shepard was both proud and amazed at the same time. She certainly understood some of Pressly's attitude towards non-humans. He had been a non-com during the first contact war, and had only been commissioned after his involvement in the Skyllian Blitz. To be able to overcome the impact made by both experiences, and to act as a gracious host to the Turian ambassador was more than she ever would have expected of her XO. Working closely with their band of irregulars had definitely had a positive impact on the officer, and she let him know that in her reply.

Second was a fleet wide inspection order from the Alliance for all units operating the M35 Mako. Apparently there was a potential for steering over response issues when operating the vehicle on rough terrain. She had never noticed any problems. In fact, in her opinion, the mako didn't steer responsively enough. She sent a quick note to Garrus asking him to perform the necessary inspection with an eye for any "calibrations" that he might like to perform.

Captain Anderson requested a mission report on Noveria, as well as a status update on the Normandy. The message was phrased in the lightest tone she'd ever heard from the man. Obviously he was aware of current events, and this was his way of asking if she was all right. She filed the request with the intent of following up on it when they returned to the ship.

There were several procurement requests from various departments requiring her approval. Those were all easily taken care of.

Several of the crew had copied her on consolation messages to Liara. She made a note to relay the condolences the next time they were alone.

Then there were messages from the squad. Kaiden had performed a surprise inspection on the marines, which had gone well. He also informed her that two of his marines had been part of this quarter's supplemental promotion process. Shepard quickly sent out congratulatory notes to the marines in question. Ashley had made a second trip to Armali, this time to extradite Joker from what she called a "local issue". Shepard hoped he hadn't offended too many Asari. Tali also had enjoyed her time in Armali, but not to the level where someone had had to be called to make bail. Garrus had been caught up in the Turian ambassador's visit, and was unhappy with having been tasked with escorting the ambassador during her entire tour of the ship. Wrex found the Asari foods that Sergeant Crosby was serving to be superior to the human rations they had been eating and wanted to know if that would now be standard fare given her "change in status". Shepard rolled her eyes at that one.

Shepard let her eyes scroll through several news updates in which she was mentioned, and then scanned though more than few requests for interviews. Some were from local news agencies, but many were from the Thessian offices of galactic news bureaus. She paused and reconsidered instead of deleting them all. It might make sense to ask Liara if giving an interview or two might do some good given their current situation.

That was enough. She had cleared the backlog to a reasonable level. Liara was still reviewing whatever was on her datapad, so Shepard turned to study the view out the skycar window. The ocean was long behind them, and there were hills and forest as far as she could see. It reminded her of Elysium, which was not necessarily a good thing. At least they weren't flying over terrain like the rolling farmland of Mindoir or the jungles of Rio de Janeiro. She saw no vehicles other than the skycar that carried Denai and Liara's honor guard.

Finally, she could see the city in the distance. She turned to Liara. "Where are we going first?"

"We are heading to the Mosoth Tower. That is the location of the offices of Dedris Partners."

"Which is where we'll find Matriarch Cylenia."

"Correct. She is a senior partner at the firm, and has been in charge of the team that manages T'Soni finances for just over two centuries."

"That's quite a while. She must be doing well."

Liara thought for a moment. "She has done acceptably Shepard, yes. However, all Benezia ever asked of her was to maintain a low level of risk, and a reasonable return. The principal in question is so large that Benezia could fund her operations from interest alone even given an exceedingly low yield."

Shepard considered that. She knew now that Benezia's (Liara's!) net worth was extreme, but still didn't know what that meant in terms of credits, and didn't want to be crass enough to ask. She may be family now, but she wasn't in this for money. The only concern she had was who might try to take advantage of Liara to get to some of that wealth.

"And you're no longer satisfied with a low return on your investments."

"Shepard, the markets on Thessia are much less volatile than those of the planets in Alliance space. Asari tend to invest conservatively and for the long term. We then let our lifespans be the means by which we accrue wealth. We will not have time to use that investment strategy given how soon the Reapers may arrive. I am willing to accept much higher levels of risk than Benezia would ever have allowed for the potential of a greater return ."

"And we have to go in person for that? I would think this could be handled by a call."

"Cylenia has sworn no oaths to me or to House T'Soni."

"And that's a problem?"

"Alaya believes so, and she is in a better position to know than I am."

"But you have a plan."

"Several, actually. However, I expect that there are only two from which I will have to choose."

Shepard waited for Liara to expound, but she never did. The maiden's talent for keeping secrets was almost as strong as her talent for unearthing them. They were flying over city now, so she changed direction. "Where is the tower, Liara?"

"Near the center of the city. They have reserved parking for us at the top."

"Do we have to park on the tower? I was hoping to at least SEE Armali while we were here."

Liara made eye contact with Shiala through the security screen, and nodded her head. Shiala called Denai and both cars started descending into the city.

"Where are you having them take us?"

"The tower is near the center of Armali, on the edge of Tiusra Square. If we park on the opposite side of the square we will be outdoors for nearly a kilometer as we cut a chord across it. You will be able to see quite a bit of the financial district from there."

The cars settled in a parking lot at the edge of what Shepard assumed was Tiusra Square. The square was enormous. It was mostly grass, with fountains, paved walkways and benches. There were a number of Asari walking through it. There were not enough people to make the square look crowded, but they were sufficient in number to prevent any part of the square from appearing vacant.

Denai and four commandos exited the other car before Shiala released the locks on theirs. Two commandos moved to intercept the approaching lot attendant.

The attendant stopped trying to avoid the commandos when she saw Liara and Shepard exit their car. Instead she activated her omni tool and started taking images. Shepard watched as Liara sighed and motioned to Shiala to pay the attendant.

Shepard turned to look at the Mosoth Tower. It was easily 500 meters tall, but the sweeping design didn't dominate the Armali skyline. It blended perfectly, like most Asari architecture. A very esthetically focused race, the Asari. As Shepard's eyes swept the skyline, Liara and the rest of their entourage walked up behind her. "Are you ready?" Liara asked from Shepard's left.

"I am."

"Then we should get started. This was a good idea. It is a beautiful day."

The pair started walking in the general direction of the tower. Shepard noticed how Liara positioned her people with a pair of discreet hand motions. Hand motions Liara had learned from being a member of her squad. She glanced at Liara's face and saw a small "Yes I knew you would notice" smile. Shepard looked at their group. All four commandos were maintaining their distance. One commando was walking ahead of them, one on either side, and the last was following Denai and Shiala who were perhaps half a dozen paces behind Shepard and Liara. Shepard looked at the commandos in more detail, regretting that there had not been a proper introduction before their departure. All four commandos wore charcoal colored armor. Three of them had green rings on their armor at the throat, the same shade of green as Liara's seemingly never-ending supply of science jumpsuits. The fourth commando, the one on Shepard's right, had a red and white stripe down her right arm.

Shepard sighed and leaned slightly to Liara. "That really wasn't necessary."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"How are you feeling? Pride wounded?"

Joker didn't turn around. "Ha ha ha. I was fine. They would have let me go you know. I'm a sympathy case. No Asari would lock up a guy in a wheelchair who was only in town for a funeral."

Ashley recognized the self pity, but didn't let Joker get away with wallowing in it. "Then why did you call? Those officers looked pretty serious to me."

"Maybe I like the attention?"

"From them or from me?"

"Uh, hey! Look - the commander is on the news again!"

One of the monitors in the cockpit was showing a vid of Shepard and Liara in Armali. They seemed to be walking through a park. Joker moved the broadcast to the largest screen, and activated audio.

"...the commander can be seen here walking with Dr. T'Soni in Armali's Tiusra Square. Shiala Adolin has invoked Privacy on behalf of both Commander Shepard and Dr. T'Soni. Shiala, seen here, is a commando formerly of the T'Soni House, and a known associate of Commander Shepard. Commander Shepard has made no official statement since arriving on Thessia, so we don't know what her business is in Armali today. However, since both she and Dr. T'Soni are each wearing the T'Soni sigil, they are likely here on official House T'Soni business..." Joker turned the sound down a bit.

Ashley looked at her commander on the vid. It certainly wasn't an image that she would ever have pictured of her. Shepard was always a tomboy like Ashley herself, so an Asari cut dress was not a typical look. Ashley had to admit though, the look was striking. Green was definitely a good color for her even if Ashley didn't approve of the message the dress was sending. The local news agencies also seemed to find the commander's attire worthy of note. The cameras all seemed to be focused on Shepard, with almost no mention of the others in the party, other than how they related to the spectre.

"Privacy is a pretty important thing for the Asari, isn't it?" Joker finally turned to Ashley.

"It must be. They'd be swarmed by reporters if they were on an Alliance world, or even on the Citadel."

"Do you know what they're in Armali for?"

"No, she replied to a message from me this morning," Ashley left the contents of the message unspoken. "But she didn't say anything about going into the city."

They continued to watch the vid while Shepard and the company of Asari continued to walk across the park. The camera angles changed from time to time, and it was apparent that none of the cameras were close to the group. No reporters attempted to meet with Shepard, but the commentary never stopped, as unchanging as it was.

Ashley wasn't comfortable with some of the changes she'd observed in the commander over the last few months, and this new development was another. She'd tried to discuss her concerns with Dr. Chakwas, and had been shocked when Karin had almost bitten her head off. She knew the doctor approved of Liara, but the vehemence of the doctor's response had surprised her. After the doctor shut her down she couldn't imagine anyone else she could discuss her thoughts with. Tali and Garrus approved of all things Shepard. Wrex wouldn't see the problem, and Kaiden had carried a torch for the commander ever since she'd casually mentioned that he reminded her of a boy she'd liked as a teen on Mindoir.

Ashley was conflicted. What did Shepard think she was doing? The Asari were "allies" in that they were a Council race, so keeping them happy wasn't a bad idea. However, did that justify this amount of time off mission? She could perhaps understand bringing Benezia's body home to Thessia, for Liara's sake if for no other reason. Ashley didn't actually dislike the kid. She had become a dependable squadmate even though she had turned out to be just a poor little rich girl. She also liked the effect the maiden had on the Commander without liking the cause of it. It was funny to watch the two tiptoe around each other on the Normandy, even though she considered whatever they had going on to be inappropriate fraternization. Still, when the CO wasn't happy, nobody was happy.

All in all, she thought this would have been best handed by only having the Normandy stay long enough to drop off Benezia and Liara. There had been no need to remain for the funeral. Liara could have rejoined the Normandy later... or not. Even before the funeral Ashley had thought that Shepard and Liara had grown too close, and were in danger of getting closer. The events during the funeral had only reinforced that. Shepard was a member of Liara's family now? What did that even mean? And that display of dedication in the rain had been playing on the news ever since yesterday. Shepard and Liara had each been staking some very public claims on the other, and Ashley didn't like it. This wouldn't end well, and she was positive it would have a negative impact on the unit. Liara obviously had the commander wrapped around her finger, and that was something Ashley intended to address once this mission chasing Saren was over.

"How does she do it?"

For a moment Ashley had forgotten Joker was even there.

"What?"

"How lucky can one person be? It's amazing. She becomes the first Human spectre, then is granted command of the most advanced Alliance ship, and now she's a celebrity. I'd be jealous if she wasn't so successful at every one of them."

Ashley snorted. People make their own luck. "She's lucky alright, but she's good too. She was the first recipient of the Star of Terra to not get it posthumously, and the mission she was on? Shore leave. You can't argue with results like that. She might as well have "hero" stenciled on her armor."

"The Asari don't seem quite as unified in their love of her."

"But they are. She's been on the news non stop since we arrived, and she hasn't even done anything spectacular. She's all they're talking about. The matriarchs may not like her much, but that isn't surprising. She's very non traditional, and they're all about tradition. The rank and file? They think she's a great as you do."

"She's not all I think is great."

"What's that?"

"Nothing."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

There wasn't much heroic seeming about Shepard at the moment. She felt like a kid taking her first trip off world. Her face was practically pressed against the glass as the elevator inched up the curved side of the tower. Dedris Partners' offices were near the top (of course) and Shepard admired the view of Armali even as she pondered the fact that she had never encountered a fast elevator in Citadel Space. Maybe nonhumans didn't have the tolerance for fast elevators? That couldn't be it. Eezo was so prevalent on Thessia that they could put mass effect generators in every elevator if they wanted to. Probably they just weren't in a hurry. Most Citadel races commented that Humans were always rushed. Perhaps this was one of the ways they meant.

Shepard stepped back from the glass and turned to look back at her companions. Shiala and Denai were standing by the door engaged in a quiet conversation. Liara was standing impassively, like a statue. Her gaze was fixed on the horizon, and she had just the touch of a smile on her lips. She looked magnificent, almost regal. Every time Shepard looked at Liara lately it was like she was seeing a new side of the maiden. Granted, she was in her element, but Shepard liked the confidence she saw, with barely a hint of the shy archaeologist peeking through. Shepard wondered how much of it would remain when they were back on the Normandy, or in battle, or on the Citadel. The Citadel. Shepard knew Liara didn't like the crowds on the Citadel, but there was a great restaurant she thought Liara might like... Shepard shook her head. Was she thinking of a... date? Where were these thoughts coming from? They were close, but not in that manner. Besides, they had absolutely nothing in common! Shepard was getting a taste of the circles that Liara was going to be moving in for the next 900 years, and she was sure there was no room for an unrefined Alliance vanguard in them. Sarah was taken aback by how much that thought saddened her.

The elevator doors finally parted, distracting Shepard from her awkward chain of thought. She had been impressed when they reached the tower. The lobby had radiated a quiet elegance. The lounge where they had separated from the commandos was nicer than most places she'd visited on the Citadel. Even the elevator had the feel of substance without opulence. This floor however, radiated abundance.

Dedris Partners had the entire floor, and the elevator foyer was entirely marble and gold. The elevator was nestled in a wall of glass the looked out over Armali while a receptionist was positioned in front of a row of four doors in such a way that visitors were directed to her to gain access to the offices beyond.

Denai and Shiala hung back while Liara and Shepard walked to the reception desk. The receptionist looked up as they approached. Shepard was still learning to gauge Asari ages, but the very attractive young lady looked younger than Liara and radiated the energy of a teenager.

"Welcome to Dedris Partners! My name is Alesi. How may I be of assistance?

"Dr. T'Soni and Commander Shepard to see Matriarch Cylenia." Liara kept her back straight, and spoke to the space over Alesi's head.

Alesi's countenance lost some of its exuberance, but her tone was unchanged. "Do you have an appointment? The matriarch is exceedingly busy."

"I do not."

"I'm sorry. I don't think the matriarch will be able to see you today. Would you like to make an appointment? She has availability on the nineteenth."

"I will not be on planet on the nineteenth. Just announce us please. We will await the matriarch's convenience."

With that, Liara turned and walked to one of the overstuffed white couches that lined one wall. Shepard followed, not quite sure what their next steps were going to be.

Liara settled into the couch. She pulled out a data pad and inserted an OSD. She then began making notes without looking up.

Shepard paused for a moment, then sat down next to the Asari.

Alesi called out to them both. "Can I get either of you anything?"

Liara looked at Shepard who shook her head. "No, thank you," she replied to the receptionist.

Shepard let this go on for a few minutes. Denai and Shiala had appropriated a couch further down the foyer from her and Liara. Liara continued to work, but had said nothing after declining refreshment. Eventually Shepard couldn't take it any longer. She turned to Liara.

"How long are we going to wait?"

"For as long as it takes, Shepard."

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't think the matriarch is going let us see her, no matter how long we sit here."

Liara turned to her as she lowered her voice. "We are not waiting to see her Shepard, we are waiting to take offense."

Shepard grinned. "How long is that going to be?"

Liara sighed. "I am handicapped by my age. It will be some time before I can legitimately claim offense. Did you have anything you can do to pass the time? Perhaps paperwork you can catch up on?"

Shepard rolled her eyes. "I'm the commander of an Alliance warship. I always have paperwork I could be catching up on." She turned on her omni-tool and settled in.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Liara maintained her indifferent, almost apathetic composure. Shepard had worked while sitting next to her for some time, but the Human had finally turned off her omni-tool in favor of admiring the view of Armali. Eventually even that could no longer hold Shepard's attention, and she started to fidget. Liara found it endearing. Forced idleness was something the commander never handled easily. She had a bias to action that served her well, but also caused her to become bored quickly. It took effort not to reach over to stoke the spectre's arm to calm her down.

It had been two hours. She felt Shepard's eyes on her as she deliberately removed her current OSD, and put away her datapad. She stood up in a fluid motion while Shepard almost leapt to her feet at her side. She indicated to Shiala and Denai with a glance that they should remain seated and she started moving at a calculated pace towards the reception desk.

As she approached Alesi looked up "I'm sorry Doctor, the matriarch still isn't avail..." The young receptionist's voice trailed off as Liara sidestepped the desk and walked to the last door. She opened the door and walked through it without breaking stride. Shepard followed, right on her heels. "Wait! Stop! You can't go in the..." Alesi's voice was lost as the door closed.

Liara continued walking as Shepard stepped up beside her.

"Are we going after the matriarch now?"

"No. The matriarch had to be given a chance to meet with us for courtesy's sake. We are on our way to whom we came to see."

They were now walking through an open work area. Murmurs started becoming noticeable from the staff. "Commander Shepard", "Spectre", "Human", were among some of the words that stood out in Liara's hearing.

Shepard tired of waiting for her to clarify her statement and asked "Who then?"

Liara led them around a corner and came up behind a matron with a massive number of open screens above her workspace. "Jedis! Jedis Panya!"

The matron nearly fell from her chair as she turned around. "Liara!" She beamed, then stopped. The matron stood and bowed her head. "I apologize Ma'am, I meant 'Doctor T'Soni'."

Liara took the matron's hands. "Jedis, I hope I will always be 'Liara' to you. I would like to introduce you to Commander Shepard." The women exchanged nods, as Jedis seemed too tongue tied to speak.

"Shepard, Jedis was my financial tutor when I was younger. When I went to university Benezia arranged for her to have a position at Dedris Partners as part of the team that manages the financial portfolio of House T'Soni."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Jedis."

Jedis found her voice, "You as well Commander." The matron turned and lowered her voice. "Liara, what are you doing here? You can't be talking to me if you have questions about T'Soni accounts, you need to be talking to the matriarch."

"Cylenia has had her opportunity Jedis, in more ways than one." Liara paused, "You have been here for some time now Jedis. Do you still believe Dedris Partners does an inadequate job of managing T'Soni finances?"

Jedis became visibly uncomfortable. "Dr. T'Soni, Liara, I can't speak out against the partners, I could lose my job."

"This is very important Jedis. When we used to chart earnings together you always had ways to improve earnings far beyond additional incurred risk. Some of why Benezia assisted you in getting this position was due to how well your forecasts would chart. I am surprised you are not yet a partner yourself."

"My positions are not popular, Doctor. Perhaps when I become a matriarch..."

Liara drew a deep breath. "I do not think so."

Jedis was visibly crestfallen.

Liara continued. "What I mean is, perhaps today. What would you do if I gave you complete control in managing all aspects of the investments held by House T'Soni?"

Jedis was visibly floored. "Doctor, Liara, it's too much! I could never manage such a large, complex portfolio. I would need staff, offices..." the matron trailed off.

Liara waited to see if Jedis would start up again. When she did not Liara met Jedis' eyes. "That is not a problem. House T'Soni would be pleased to supply you with seed money, as well as assist in locating office space and staff. We would have some conditions."

"And those are?"

"You would be founding, senior, and only partner in your new firm for no less than 100 years. House T'Soni will be your firm's only client for no less than 200 years. You personally would have to swear fealty and remain bound by oath for no less than 250 years. If at any point those conditions become unacceptable, there will be no reprisal, but I will take House T'Soni's business elsewhere."

Jedis watched Liara for indication that more was coming. "You're, you're serious aren't you?"

"I am. The position of House T'Soni has changed on a number of matters, not the least of which is the expected rate of return on our capital. I mean to put you under no undue pressure, but I leave Thessia tomorrow, so I cannot wait for you to make a decision. If you do not accept my terms then we part as friends, but I will need to move quickly to my second choice."

"Are you kidding? This is the chance of a lifetime! Of several lifetimes! It's obvious you're taking your business away from Dedris Partners no matter what I choose. If I stay here my role will be eliminated." Jedis' tone became more formal "I accept your terms Peeress."

Liara turned. "Shepard, will you witness?"

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Liara had just finished accepting Jedis' oath when Matriarch Cylenia approached. Jedis had tears in her eyes, and she embraced Liara as she stood. As the matriarch strode up to the trio she was displeased to observe Jedis taking a position facing her alongside the T'Soni child and Commander Shepard. This maiden was quickly becoming more trouble than she was worth.

"Miss T'Soni."

Liara did not respond. Shepard cleared her throat before correcting "Doctor T'Soni."

"Yes yes, of course. Doctor. I apologize for the delay. I just heard that you were here. Is there something you needed? I'm surprised you didn't call. We're usually a bit more formal for clients of your size."

Liara maintained a tone of detached indifference. "You have no other clients my size Cylenia," Liara deliberately dropped the honorific. "I came to discuss my plans for changing the investment strategy of House T'Soni."

The matriarch tried not to let her umbrage show in her demeanor. "That would be no small affair Miss... Doctor T'Soni. Any major adjustments in a portfolio of your size can impact entire markets, which would have repercussions for many of our other clients."

"Meaning that by informing your other clients in advance they will be able to move into markets before us. This will allow them to benefit from the increases in market capitalization caused by the House T'Soni investment, thereby increasing your fees."

"There is no reason for you to take such a negative perspective Doctor. Portfolio management at this level is quite complex, and best left to experts."

Liara offered the matriarch a small smile. "You and I are in complete agreement Cylenia. I apologize for putting you in this position."

"No trouble at all Doctor, we're here to help."

There was a momentary pause, and it seemed like the conversation was at an end. Cylenia relaxed, one more crisis averted, but then Liara continued. "No, no, I feel I need to do more. It is unfair to you to place your organization in a position where meeting my needs might place you in a conflict of interest with your other clients. That is why, effective immediately, House T'Soni is transferring all of our accounts to Jedis Panya's firm. Please work with her to facilitate a smooth transition. If the changeover takes longer than 30 days, you will be hearing from House T'Soni counsel."

With that, Liara spun on her heel and walked away. Shepard by her side, their movements coordinated as if choreographed.

Matriarch Cylenia was left with Jedis Panya, who had a sheepish look on her face.


A/N: Assumptions here include:
FemShep/Liara (still pre LI, but we can all see it coming)
Later ME1 - after Suspicions and Omissions
After Noveria, before Virmire

Shepard is:
Colonist / Vanguard / War Hero

Great news! We finally made to to Armali. You didn't think we'd actually leave during the same chapter, did you? I promise we'll leave Armali in chapter 9. Maybe. Will we leave Thessia? Possibly. I don't think I have enough story left to make it to a chapter 10, but I might.

As always, feedback is welcome and desired.