To: C. Shepard
From: M. Lawson
Date: February 22nd, 2168 07:12 SST
Subject: Progress Update

Shepard,

I regret to inform you that there has been an incident on the Normandy.

Grunt took it upon himself to feed your fish.

EDI alerted me to some suspect behaviour occurring in your cabin last night. Once I had gotten there, I found that Grunt had eaten a few of your fish, and was playing with one of your model ships. Fortunately, your model was unharmed. Unfortunately, you are down four fish. I'm honestly quite surprised it was only four, given how much a growing krogan male can eat. Doctor Chakwas assures me he will be fine (Mordin was concerned he might suffer an allergic reaction to non-native food), and he has been brought up to speed as to what a "pet" is.

He has been barred from entering your cabin.

More importantly, we are almost finished with the drive core. Donnelly, Daniels, and Tali all advise that we should be done within the next few hours. Tali has requested to remain with the Migrant Fleet to finalize affairs after her fathers death, while we finish repairs on Omega. With your permission, I will grant her the leave.

I will notify you once we have reached Omega.

M.

To: M. Lawson
From: C. Shepard
Date: February 22nd, 2168 07:32 SST
Subject: Re: Progress Update

Miranda,

Damn krogan and their fish. What is with that? Once you reach Omega, can you please buy Grunt a damn pet fish? Tell him it's from the lakes on the Presidium or something… apparently that's all the rage right now. That'll hopefully keep him from eating everything in sight.

Maybe Grunt should go spend some time on Tuchanka. He can eat Wrex's pet varren and see how far that gets him.

Leave granted.

Shepard.

Shepard shakes her head with a smile. Grunt is a pain in the ass, but damn does she have a soft spot for him. The image of a krogan fishing still present in her mind, she continues her run. Liara has loaned her some running gear, and has told her where to find a little park farther into the heart of Nos Astra. There are wonderful pathways twining through various Thessian trees and flowers, all of which are in full bloom. The rainstorm from the night before has completely cleared by the morning, leaving the air crisp and fresh, instead of the normal humidity that lingers during the day.

As she jogged along, Shepard kept going back to the night before. She hadn't anticipated that her impromptu visit to Illium would net such a positive outcome. 24 hours ago I was a mess of anger and turmoil. Now I'm jogging through a beautiful park in Nos Astra, whole and content. The initial decision to go to Hagalaz was a tough one to come to. On one hand, she didn't like admitting defeat. On the other, it was Liara. And the asari is more important to her than her own pride.

The thought of Liara makes Shepard's heart jump, and she increases her pace in order to get back to her lover.


Shepard gets back to the apartment just as the broker Liara had hired was leaving. A friendly looking turian, dressed smartly in black, nods to her as she passes him in the hallway. She is almost at the door when she hears him speak

"Hey, aren't you Commander Shepard?"

She closes her eyes and sighs. Turning around, she responds, "Yeah, last time I checked at least."

"Huh. I thought you were dead."

"Something like that."

"I knew that was just a ploy. The Butcher can't be killed!" he says with a laugh.

Shepard freezes at the nickname. She hasn't heard it in years, and she has worked hard to make sure it isn't cultivated.

"Well, I'm glad you've surfaced again Shepard." He continues, "There's a whole lot of nasty shit happening out there in the galaxy, and you're the only one who can fix it all." He says cryptically. Shepard nods to him as he gives a friendly wave and continues down the hall.

Well that was fucking weird.

Shepard turns and opens the door to the apartment. As she walks in, she is hit with the faint smell of something cooking. Rounding the corner, she sees Liara standing in the kitchen chopping something at the counter, her back to the doorway. Leaning against the wall, Shepard watches her for a moment, a smile spreading across her mouth. Dressed in shorts and a tank top, Liara looks damn cute as she moves around the kitchen "Me and my dumb luck…" she says aloud, mostly to herself. Liara turns her head at the sound of Shepard's voice.

"Are you watching me, Commander?"

"Yep. Sure am."

"Like what you see?"

"Yep. Sure do." Shepard responds with note of admiration in her voice, as she starts moving towards Liara.

Coming up behind her, Shepard runs her hands along Liara's hips and to her stomach, folding her into an embrace. Kissing her neck and her cheek, she holds Liara close and breathes in her scent. Liara puts the knife on the counter, and leans her head back onto Shepard's shoulder.

"How was your run?"

"It was good. That's a beautiful park. I had no idea Nos Astra had anything like that."

"Well, you have only been here for business. I doubt that would have afforded you the opportunity to enjoy the sights."

"No, it certainly did not." Shepard acknowledges. Placing another kiss on Liara's neck, she hears her sigh in contentment.

"Is this what being normal feels like?" Liara asks after a few moments of silence. Shepard smiles and turns Liara around to face her. Placing a kiss on her lips, she replies, "I don't know. I've never really had a 'normal' life. Plus, it's kind of hard to be normal when people recognize you wherever you go."

"Did some of your fans find you?" Liara asks laughing, wrapping her arms around Shepard's neck.

"No, just that turian broker you hired. He recognized me when he saw me in the hall. Speaking of which, you weren't wearing this when he was in here, right?" Shepard asks in mock jealousy.

"It's so attractive when you get jealous." Liara playfully replies, pulling Shepard's head down for another kiss. Breaking the contact all too soon, Liara gently pushes Shepard back. "Why don't you go shower. Breakfast will be ready by the time you come out."

"Yes ma'am." Shepard states, giving Liara a mock salute as she walks in the direction of the bathroom.


"That was amazing love. Thanks. Sure beats whatever Gardner usually cooks us."

"You're welcome." Liara says with a smile. Shepard and Liara sit at the table in the kitchen, looking out the massive windows and watching the bustle of Nos Astra pass by, enjoying a companionable silence. With breakfast done and a shower accomplished, Shepard is feeling completely at ease. I could get used to this. Knowing though that there's a mission out there waiting for her, Shepard takes the momentary peace for what it is.

"I suppose you're back on the clock soon, aren't you." Liara states as if reading Shepard's mind.

"Yeah. I've got to head out to the Bahak system and rescue a deep cover operative. But you already knew that. Which I guess could work in my benefit. Is there anything I should know?"

Liara pauses for a moment, thinking back to the research she had done once she found out Hackett had asked Shepard to complete the mission. Being the Shadow Broker has its benefits. No one else could have hacked into high-level Alliance military communications without being caught.

"Just that it's a Batarian prison camp Doctor Kenson is being held in. You're likely to run into heavily armed guards, but they won't be expecting a rescue operation, so they should be few and far between. From what I understand, it's a fairly secret prison, known only to high ranking officials in the Hegemony."

"Yeah, Hackett mentioned something like that. What concerns me the most though is the Reaper artifact that Kenson reportedly found. That's some pretty serious shit to uncover, and if the Batarians get a hold of it… well, it'll get real messy real quick."

"Certainly. The risk of indoctrination would be high." Liara responds quietly. "Shepard, I know you're going in alone, and I just want you to make sure you'll be careful. You're well known to Batarians, and if they capture you..."

"I know love. Don't worry. I'll be in and out with Doctor Kenson before they realize what's hit them."