To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. — Thomas Campbell

• ALIEN RESEARCH STATION, SOUTH POLE, MARS · 08 JANUARY 2180 •

Heather Gonzales had been assigned the task of cataloging the excavated fragments from dig site 'Theta'. Most of the recovered items from this area were small, flat and generally no more than 10 to 15 centimeters across, consisted of some unknown type of polymer, off-white in color on both sides. Some appeared to have been in the middle of a larger whole, as all their edges were irregular; others looked to have been part of an outer edge. A very few had micro-connectors along the edges, with circuitry sandwiched within, visible as ghostly shadows when held up to a strong light source. General consensus was the fragments were the remnants of a shattered computer display panel. All of the shards discovered thus far were estimated to be only a third of the entire panel.

Heather's job, after photo-recording each piece front and back, was to seal them in clear poly bags and record the location where each had been found. Once placed in the bag, the open ends were simultaneously sealed and date/time stamped. All of these bags were then sorted by type of relic and date recovered and filed away in containers to be stored on site.

While the job itself was not difficult, it also was not challenging. After two days of such monotonous work, Heather felt like her brain was turning into mush and was in danger of oozing out of her ears if she wasn't assigned another task.

The project leader for this section of the dig site was an archeologist from North America who had been recalled from the excavation of ruins discovered on Eden Prime; Doctor Delbert Wright's discoveries there had been linked to some of the items being recovered here, all of which had been computer analyzed to have been created between fifty to fifty-one thousand years ago.

As had been discovered on Eden Prime, Mars had yet to yield any organic remains. Admittedly, excavations at both sites were still in their early stages, but based on discoveries made at human sites on Earth, prevailing wisdom held that a population of advanced people would hold ceremonies and bury their dead locally, but no evidence of that had been discovered at either site.

Saturday was a scheduled half-day for work; not wanting to waste the day's limited time, she made quick work of her breakfast then hastened down to the office beside the dig site. As she approached the main entryway, she felt the tingling on the back of her neck that usually indicated something wasn't quite right. Pausing outside the sectional hatch, she listened for a few moments; where there should have at least been noises associated with two or three people moving about and conversing as they worked, there was nothing but dead silence.

Taking a deep breath, Heather entered in her key code for the door lock. The 'error' code she received was unexpected. She tried again—same result. Wishing her friend Traynor was here, she used her omnitool in an attempt to hack the lock. After several seconds and a couple of false starts, she succeeded in forcing the electronic lock to unlatch the door. Standing to one side of the door frame she waved her arm past the center-mount latch and was rewarded by the door segments parting and receding into their slots on either side of the opening.

She remembered Traynor's tactics when confronting Joesiar and Hobe in the hallway at the moon base, and employed one of them now. Activating her omnitool, she started it recording audio of her surroundings as she used it to hack into the main security computer. Viewing video from the camera in the main work area just inside revealed nothing except the same mess she could glimpse through the open door, which she assumed to be the result of an apparent struggle or a bungled attempt by someone to find something of value.

Carefully entering the room, she saw research notes and clipboards scattered all over the tables and floor, computer monitors lying about broken, overturned chairs and wall hangings askew. She closed the main entrance door and relocked it, using an encryption code she'd purloined from security when she hacked the camera feeds.

The mess appeared to be worse towards the rear, down a short hallway to Doctor Wright's office. She carefully made her way down the passage, hugging one wall as she silently moved closer to the door; a standard pocket door, it was made for privacy, not security, and was partially open, as if it had been jammed in its tracks.

She changed the signal source from the security computer in order to gain a clandestine view of Doctor Wright's office before entering. She recorded the video from the lone camera in the ceiling as she had it pivot through 180 degrees to 'look' into all four corners of the room. What she saw on her monitor sent chills up her spine … Doctor Wright was lying on the floor next to the wall behind his desk, and there was a man with a hood over his head going through the doctor's electronic files in an apparent search for … something.

Heather sent an emergency call for security personnel as she carefully retraced her steps back up the passageway to the main room and continued to monitor the hooded figure with video on her omnitool. As she moved into another short passage leading to the restrooms, it appeared the mystery person had finished the search … a gloved hand activated an omnitool, apparently to download whatever information had been discovered on Doctor Wright's personal server; after several seconds, the mystery person entered several commands, then closed the tool as Heather's video feed went dead. 'Damn! He's hacked the security cams,' she thought. Before closing her tool, she sent another urgent message to security and included everything she had recorded. Leaving the tool set for audio recording, she reset it for combat mode, just in case she was discovered in the restroom.

As she silently backed through the door into the room, a bare hand covered her mouth while a muscular arm encircled her waist and pulled her bodily backwards into the darkened compartment, allowing the door to close silently after her.

"Don't scream, Gonzales!" a familiar voice whispered harshly in her ear. "It's me … Marianna. I was in here when all the noise started in the workroom." The woman took her hand away from Heather's mouth as she spun her around to face her. "What the hell is happening out there? Did you see Doctor Wright?"

Heather took a deep breath to calm herself before whispering a reply to Marianna Walsh. "He's face down on the floor in his office. Someone was in there ransacking his computer files, looking for god only knows what." She looked nervously over her shoulder at the sound of someone walking past the door. There was enough light coming under the door to see the intruder's shadow as it slowly went past. Gonzales continued, "I called security and locked the main entrance door with one of their algorithms. Hopefully they'll get here before … "

She wasn't able to finish her thought, as the thief came slowly back down the hall. They could hear the door to the men's restroom slide open; after a number of seconds it closed. "Into the stall, Walsh. Stand on the toilet and crouch down … move!" In the dark, Heather and Marianna each went into a stall and hid, waiting for the trespasser to enter their hiding place. Heather continued to watch their door from above the privacy wall. The shadow stopped in front of their door. Heather ducked down just as the door slid open and the overhead lights came on.

"I know you're in here," a deep, gravelly voice said. "Come out before I have to waste my time looking for you. Maybe I'll let you go after we have a bit of fun together." There was no doubt in Heather's mind about the 'fun' this jerk intended to have. What she couldn't fathom was how he could know she or anybody else was in here.

Heather was in the first of the two stalls in this restroom; readying her omnitool and taking an offensive posture, she waited as she prayed Walsh would remain silent.

Without warning, the door to her stall slammed open with a kick; Heather straightened her legs and leaped like a predatory feline. Diving forward from the rim of the toilet, she used her right hand to grab his throat, shoving the surprised intruder violently back with the weight of her momentum. He spread his arms wide in a vain attempt to regain his balance as he came up against the sinks and mirrored wall, which allowed her to fold her arm down so she could put her upper torso hard into his chest; as the wind was knocked out of him with a WHOooooffff, her left fist connected with his right shoulder, allowing her omnitool to propel the instantly fabricated blade through his body just under his collar bones. He screamed in agony as the super-heated ceramic pierced his scapula, shattered the mirror and embedded itself in the wall behind him, pinning him in place like a giant insect in a collector's case. His attempt to reach around her with his left arm was quickly aborted as the motion sent more waves of agony coursing through his body.

"Gonzales!" Walsh exclaimed as Heather backed right into her; Marianna put her arms around her as she bumped backwards into her roommate.

Heather suddenly understood how dire her situation was as the edge of a curved blade was placed hard against her throat. She started to struggle to free herself, but stopped instantly when she felt a sharp pain where the blade was placed on her neck. "My god! Marianna! What the hell? … " Gonzales could feel something—blood, she guessed, slowly trickling down her neck below the knife blade.

"I'm really sorry you had to get involved in this, Heather." Marianna said, her tone suggesting she was anything but. "We had hoped to avoid any casualties. You should have listened to Darius. We could have had a bit of fun … well, it might not have been fun for you, but … ," she left the thought unfinished. "Now, we have a mess on our hands, and I'm afraid I need to finish you so I can leave."

So saying, she pulled the knife savagely across Heather's throat, severing both carotid arteries and her windpipe. Gonzales attempted to cry out as her body sagged; Marianna released her, allowing the dying woman to collapse to the floor, then turned towards the entrance as security arrived in the form of two marines, a Gunnery Sergeant and a Corporal. Both had their pistols up as they came in and stopped short. "You Gonzales?" the sergeant asked.

"Marianna Walsh," she replied weakly. "These two," she indicated the moaning Darius and the dying woman bleeding out on the floor, "work for Cerberus. They were trying to steal Doctor Wright's notes on the progress of the excavation here."

Keeping his pistol pointed at her, Gunnery Sergeant McBride said, "You, Ma'am, are a goddamned liar. Put the knife down, slowly. Set it on the floor."

"I don't understand. I barely managed to … "

"Put the weapon on the deck now, Serviceman!" McBride's demeanor left no doubt in Walsh's mind he'd shoot her if she did anything other than what he'd ordered. She slowly crouched and set the knife on the floor next to Heather's body.

"Now, turn towards the far wall, get on your knees, spread your feet apart, place your hands on the back of your head and interlace your fingers"

"You're arresting me? What the hell for?"

"I'm pointing a gun at your head. You're asking questions I'm not going to answer until I have you in binders, Ms Walsh. Now shut your goddamned mouth and do as I said."

Marianna slowly complied with McBride's instructions. Corporal Phillips came up behind her, kicked her feet further apart before stepping between them; she quickly grabbed her right hand and jerked her arm down and around behind her back, stopping when she heard a grunt of discomfort from Walsh. Holding onto the binder she'd placed on Walsh's right wrist, she grabbed her other hand and treated her left arm in a similar fashion. "Get up, Walsh," Phillips growled as she tugged upwards on her binder restrained wrists.

Once Walsh was on her feet and facing McBride, Phillips carefully patted her down for hidden weapons before shoving her back against the wall to the side opposite the sinks. Placing her hands on Walsh's shoulders, Phillips pushed down hard, forcing Walsh to bend her legs and slide down the wall until her butt was on the floor. "Sit here. Don't even think of moving."

As Marianna stared resentfully up at Phillips, then at McBride, the corporal went over to check on the injured Darius. Because the omni-blade had been white-hot when it had pierced his shoulder, there was very little blood from the cauterized wound. Darius was moaning in pain and unable to do anything except hang there at an uncomfortable angle. McBride called for backup to assist them in getting the man off the blade pinning him to the wall, before turning to Walsh.

"Your little act was not very convincing, Walsh. The summons we received came from Heather Gonzales."

McBride looked down at the body on the floor as Corporal Phillips knelt beside her. "The serviceman also forwarded everything she recorded with her omnitool as she recorded it, including her conversation with you, up to and including when you cut her throat."

He stepped aside as two more people arrived from security to assist in clearing the room. "Truth of the matter is you are the one working for Cerberus. Gonzales didn't kill this idiot … " pointing towards Darius, " … even though she had the perfect opportunity. Too bad she didn't get the chance to end you."

McBride moved to stand in front of Walsh, where he grabbed her uniform at the shoulder and yanked her to her feet; shifting his grip to the cloth at the middle of her chest, he pulled her towards him as his frown turned grim. "You murdered an Alliance recruit for no other reason than she was doing her job," he whispered in a menacing tone. "Personally, I hope you try to make a run for it. I'll be happy to save everyone the expense of a trial. The only thing left to discover is how many years you're going to spend in a 3x3 meter cell."

Walsh responded by raising her knee, hitting McBride hard in his crotch with the top of her thigh. As he cried out in pain and bent over, she head-butted him, knocking him to the floor. Marianna attempted to get past the hulking gunnery sergeant, only to get struck full in the face by Corporal Phillips. She grunted in pain as her nose and lips began bleeding. Phillips wasn't done; she hit the hand-cuffed woman twice more, causing her to land hard on the floor as she tripped backwards over McBride's prone body. She groaned in pain as she spit out a tooth and a mouthful of blood.

"You're real goddamned brave against someone that can't fight back," Walsh sputtered.

Phillips answered by kicking her hard in the ribs. "Why should I give a murdering bitch like you any opportunity to fight back, when you didn't allow Gonzales the same privilege? Now get your miserable ass up off the deck so we can escort you to your new accommodations." Phillips was ready to hit Walsh again as she struggled to regain her feet without the use of her hands.

McBride was standing bent over, hands on his knees as he spoke softly to the corporal. "Stand down, Claudine. I don't think this little Cerberus flunky will offer us any more resistance."

Speaking to the techs working to extricate Darius from where Heather had pinned him to the wall, he offered, "Don't worry about injuring that asshole when you extricate him from that blade. Make sure you do treat the young woman on the floor with the respect she deserves." Pushing Marianna roughly out the door ahead of him, he motioned to Phillips. "Come on, Corporal. Let's get this prisoner to the first-aid station so she can get cleaned up. Can't tell which bloodstains are from her and which are from her victim."

Yuán Xiùlán entered her room and walked toward the kitchen. "Sam? Where are you?" The apartment she shared with Samantha Traynor was absolutely still. Her roommate … her lover … should be here. Saturday afternoons were usually quiet times, and Traynor normally didn't leave for anything unless she had no other choice. "Traynor!"

Xiùlán walked back to their bedroom and bath— empty. Nothing was disturbed, indicating that Traynor had been out most of the day. With a feeling of apprehension, Xiùlán opened her omnitool, entered an inquiry and sent it. Traynor always answered her text messages, no matter how busy she was. Xiùlán closed her tool down and eased her tired body into one of the chairs in their lounge area.

Eyes closed, she willed her mind to relax as she concentrated on her breathing. 'Slow, even breaths … center yourself … ignore all distracting thoughts … concentrate on your breath … clear your mind … center … breathe … ' One could be forgiven for thinking Xiùlán was asleep. Her body was at rest, her mind at peace, her breathing slow and regular, but she was totally aware of all around her. She grimaced inwardly as the entrance door opened, allowing her lover to enter. Outwardly, she was the picture of calm, but she knew without opening her eyes that Sam was extremely upset. She whispered, "Sà mi? [薩米 - Sami] What has happened?"

Samantha Traynor was nearly in tears. "She's dead, Xiùlán. Heather …" her voice hitched as she said their friend's name, "Heather … she's … oh god! She was murdered, Xiùlán. Some woman … at the excavation site … killed her … cut her throat. Why would … anyone want to … want to hurt Heather?" The tears were cascading now, overwhelming Traynor's best efforts at preventing them from flowing down her cheeks. In one fluid motion Xiùlán's eyes opened as she stood and pulled Sam into a tight embrace, whispering calming words as she massaged Sam's back and shoulders. "What happened, Samantha? Settle yourself. Tell me what you know."

Sam took a shuddering breath, then another, before she attempted to speak. "There was a break–in where she was assigned to work. She recorded it … on her omnitool, Xiùlán … the whole thing is recorded, including … " Sam placed a hand across her mouth as she tried to rein in her emotions. "Security has her murderer in custody … woman named Marianna Walsh." Traynor could speak no further as her emotions overwhelmed her control; she clung to Xiùlán as she wept for the loss of their friend. Xiùlán held her tight, gently rubbing her back and shoulders until Traynor's sobs slowed and she was able to once again regain control.

Xiùlán moved her hands to Sam's upper arms and pushed her away slightly so she could look into her eyes. "Sammy, come over here. Sit down." She moved Traynor to one of the chairs in their small lounge. "Let me make a few calls, okay?" She grabbed some tissues from her desk and handed them to her distraught companion.

Sam wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "Thanks, Linn. It's … I can't believe she's gone." She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. "We need to find out why, Xiùlán. There cannot possibly be any justification for this. We need to find out who the hell did this … who felt that killing someone … hell, a student … at an archeological dig site … was necessary."

"We'll get some answers, Sammy. Let me make a few calls … "

After a mostly frustrating hour and forty minutes, Xiùlán leaned back in her chair and cursed. Looking over at Traynor, she frowned as she said, "No one was really forthcoming as to exactly what happened there. I finally did manage to talk with a Gunnery Sergeant … " Yuán looked at her notes before continuing, "Barton McBride. He and a corporal … a Claudine Phillips … were first responders, caught the people involved. Woman that killed Gonzales was from our own unit, name is Marianna Walsh. Recognize it?"

"No. But then, there were a number of people in our class we never met. Might recognize her if I saw 'er. The only reason we knew …" Samantha's voice hitched yet again. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she continued with "Heather … was because she was being harassed by Joesiar and his friends. You don't suppose that's what got her killed, do you? She wouldn't be targeted because of me helping her to stand up for herself, would she? Oh god, Xiùlán! Am I the reason she's … dead? How the hell am I to live with that?"

Yuán moved quickly to kneel in front of Sam. Taking her hands, she looked up at her friend and replied, "Sammy, you have to believe me when I tell you that Heather's death is in no way your fault. Gunny McBride told me Walsh and the man Heather stopped, some mudsack assigned to the maintenance department named, ummm, Darius Holden, were working for some syndicate called Cybaru … no, Cerberus."

"What kind of group is that, Xiùlán? Who in 'ell are they?"

"Some kind of human-centric organization— believe humans should be the supreme force in the galaxy. They're looking for whatever edge they can buy, beg, borrow or steal in order to further their anti-alien agenda." Xiùlán gently rubbed the backs of Sammy's hands with her thumbs. "McBride said the general consensus among the scientists at the dig site is that it holds an immense wealth of information concerning the race of people that had spread galaxy wide—the information doesn't just concern the relays and FTL travel, it hints at the actual cause of their extinction. They were obliterated as if they never existed … just a few traces left here and there. They've barely even scratched the surface of what's buried there."

Xiùlán brought Sam's hands up, kissed her fingers, then stood and went to their kitchen, where she set a kettle of water on the stove to heat for tea, then returned to her desk and activated her extranet terminal. "I'm going to make one more call, Sammy. After we have some tea, we'll see about getting a ride over to the dig site."

Samantha sniffled as she looked sorrowfully through the clear cover of the stasis pod at the body bag containing her friend. Heather was going to be taken back to the main facility for an autopsy—cause of death wasn't in question, but the procedure was routine in any murder case, and the aid station here didn't have the necessary equipment, or even a medical examiner. "Will we be able to see her back on the base, Xiùlán?"

"You wouldn't want to look at her right now, Sà mǐ. The ME will get her body cleaned up and dressed for the trip back to Earth." Xiùlán looked at Traynor as she continued, "Heather's in a better place now, Luv. She would not want us to cry at her death, untimely as it was. She'd rather we smiled because she lived, and because it was our good fortune to know her, to be a part of her life, however short that time was."

"I want to see her murderer, Xiùlán," Traynor said through clenched teeth. "Just five minutes alone with her, no witnesses. I can guarantee she'll be in a much better place when I'm done with 'er."

Corporal Claudine Phillips happened to be walking by and stopped short when she overheard Traynor's comment. "You her friend, Serviceman?" Phillips looked intently at the pair standing by the stasis pod.

"Both of us, Corporal," Xiùlán answered as she introduced herself and Traynor. "Been together since the course began on Luna."

"Claudine Phillips," she responded. "Word of advice, for both of you. You want to avenge her death? I understand that, and I totally sympathize. But you need to go up the chain. Two people we have in custody? … bottom of their chain." Phillips gently reached out, placed one hand on Sam's shoulder and the other on Xiùlán's. In a low voice she said, "Satisfying as it'd be to kick the shit outta Walsh and Holden, it'd get us no closer to apprehending their handlers … the people that sent those two here in the first place. That's who we need to bring to justice."

Samantha placed a hand on top of Phillips's hand on her shoulder as her eyes bored into the corporal's. "Word of advice for you, Corporal Phillips. Don't turn your back on either one of those people you're holding, especially Walsh. I did a quick bit of research on my way over here. If those two truly are employed by Cerberus, they'll die before giving up anything useful. You need to have someone watching them every minute of every day they're in your custody, or they'll be dead, or you'll be dead, either by their own hand or by someone tied to them."

"We'll be careful," Phillips responded. "We want to see them answer for their crimes just as much as you do, Serviceman." Pulling her hands back down, Phillips thought for a moment, then asked, "The bastard Gonzales stopped before she was killed … he was impaled on some sort of ceramic blade. Recovery team had a helluva time getting him down. I think they did more damage to his shoulder in the process. Any idea what she used?"

Xiùlán looked at Sam before responding. "Omnitool blade. Can be fabricated and launched from atop our omnitools. Edges have micro-teeth … tipped forward on one edge, backwards on the other. Very difficult to extract from whatever it's imbedded in."

Phillips nodded her head at Xiùlán's explanation. "Team said they had to break the blade off between the wall and his back. We're going to take him to the base for surgery to remove what's left. Went through his shoulder blade like it was tissue paper. Can't simply pull it out."

Sam grumbled, "Too bad it wasn't coated with vorcha toxin. All the pain-killers in the galaxy wouldn't be enough to quiet the screaming."

"Speaking of omnitools, did you or the gunny recover Heather's omnitool?" Xiùlán showed her bracelet to Phillips. "It doesn't look like a standard tool—very limited production … each one is bio-keyed to the individual wearing it, so it's of no use to anyone else. The organic key cannot be changed once it's set."

Claudine looked at Xiùlán's bracelet with a great deal of interest. "I wouldn't want to have that come out of my pay. I'll check … see if it's among her personal effects. It may even still be on her wrist."

"Serrice Council's rep, Mallene Calis, is still at the base with several huntresses. I'm sure she would appreciate having Heather's omnitool returned so the company can evaluate its performance; that said, I have to believe any data retrieved will ultimately be perceived as not being worth the cost of a person's life."

The corporal nodded in agreement as she replied, "I'll do some looking, see if we can turn it up. If we can't, I'll let you know so you can ask the ME to look for it when the autopsy is performed." Phillips looked at her chronometer. "Shit! I have to get going. Good to meet you Traynor … Yuán. Remember what I said about going up the chain … and good luck."

• ALLIANCE BASE, MARS · WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, 12 JANUARY 2180 •

A solemn Samantha Traynor sat in the outer waiting room of the Alliance ME assigned to perform the autopsy on Heather Gonzales. She was still somewhat in shock at the sudden death of her friend, and even though she had read and reread the incident report a number of times, she felt like she was not seeing everything, as if something had been left out of the report.

Now she just wished to see Heather one last time before her body was transferred back to Earth for burial. She could not imagine the anguish Heather's parents must be feeling about the death of their only daughter; Traynor started to tear up at that thought and quickly shifted her thoughts elsewhere, anywhere but the here and now. She had learned the ancient aliens responsible for all the artifacts discovered on Mars were called 'Prothean'; it was thought the site here at the Martian south pole had been used to clandestinely observe human progress on Earth, although 'modern' humans were thought to have only appeared about 100,000 years ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the unexpected entrance of a visitor. Mallene Calis walked into the waiting area and quietly asked, "Am I disturbing you, Ms Traynor?"

It took Samantha a moment to remember why the asari was here. She stood and, much to Mallene's surprise, embraced her as she whispered hoarsely, "My god, Mallene! I'm so glad you're here."

Somewhat taken aback by Traynor's greeting, Mallene briefly returned the young human's hug before gently grasping her upper arms and pushing back in order to look at her. "It is never easy to lose a friend, and that difficulty is only compounded when that loss is a result of homicidal violence. You have my deepest sympathy. But why are you here, Ms Traynor?"

Traynor nodded her head as she dropped her arms. "I'm waiting to see Heather before she … ," her voice hitched at the thought, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and continued, "before she's … transferred back to Earth … back to her parents." She returned to her seat, motioning for Calis to sit beside her.

"I will wait here with you, then," she answered as she took a seat. "You should not be alone, waiting here by yourself. If you don't mind my asking, where is Yuán Xiùlán?"

Traynor replied quietly, "Ahhh, I think … well, I'm not really sure, but … ," Sam rubbed her temples with thumb and fingers of one hand. "she may be on a field exercise with Huntress Aglyna T'Sega … she said she'd be here as soon as she could. I had hoped she'd be … " Traynor used both hands to 'scrub' her face.

Mallene placed a hand atop Sam's shoulder. "Your Siame will be here for you, Samantha Traynor. In the meantime, I will wait with you."

Sam dropped her hands heavily in her lap and cocked a quizzical eye at the asari. " Siame? I've never heard that word before. What does it mean?"

"It's Thessian … means 'one who is all' … a loved one cherished above all others. That is how you feel about Ms Yuán, is it not?"

Samantha smiled shyly, still not totally at ease speaking about Xiùlán with nearly total strangers. "She is my … siame … as you say. I've loved her since the first moment I laid eyes on her, my god, just a year ago. It took her a while to see me in the same way."

"You are not at ease discussing your love for another human?"

Traynor looked at the asari for a few moments before understanding the meaning of the question. "What? No, well … yes. It's … damn, how do I explain?" She covered her eyes with her hand as she thought about all the things … all the different ways … she loved Xiùlán.

Mallene was patiently waiting as Traynor looked at her again and hesitantly continued, "You do realize that humans are not like asari, in that we cannot reproduce with others of the same gender. There are still places on my home planet where I … we … could be killed for our love of each other."

"But why should your love for each other be of any concern to others?" Mallene was clearly puzzled by this revelation.

Traynor was starting to answer when the door opened for Xiùlán and Aglyna T'Sega. Xiùlán greeted Traynor with that broad grin she never displayed for anyone else. "Sà mi! I … we … got here as soon as we were done. You haven't been called in yet?" Xiùlán took notice of Mallene Calis and quickly acknowledged her presence. "Ms Calis. Nice to see you again."

Mallene stood and greeted Xiùlán. "You brought Aglyna with you?"

Aglyna answered for Xiùlán. "I asked to accompany Yuán. She said she was going to bid farewell to a fallen comrade. I wish to pay my respects as well, …" here she looked at Samantha, to whom she had not been introduced. "if it is permitted."

Traynor stood and held out her right hand. "Thank you for coming … Heather … would appreciate it." As she clasped Aglyna's hand in greeting, the double doors on the far side of the room swung open. After glancing in that direction, Traynor continued, "Your presence is … " she began tearing up again, but managed to finish, "is … most welcome, Aglyna T'Sega."

The ME approached the group and asked, "One of you Serviceman Traynor?"

"That would be me, Doctor," Traynor sniffled. "Can we see her now?"

The ME frowned as he looked at the four people in front of him. "I wasn't expecting a tour group today, but yes, you may see her, as long as you realize she is not dressed. We have her covered with a sheet, but her wound will be visible … everyone okay with that?" After everyone nodded their consent, he turned as he said softly, "Follow me, then."

Xiùlán quickly moved to Samantha's side where she took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze; receiving a sad smile in return, she stayed by Sam's side as they entered the small storage area. The doctor stopped beside an examination table upon which a body was lying; the form under the sheet bore the unmistakable contours of an adult woman. Xiùlán heard Traynor attempt to swallow past the lump in her throat. "It'll be okay, Sà mi. Have courage."

The group of four split into two pairs of two; the asari on Heather's right side, Xiùlán and Sam on her left. The ME looked each of them in their eyes before grasping the top edge of the drape and folding it back over itself, stopping at just above her breasts. Traynor had her free hand across her mouth as she closed her eyes against the sight and squeezed Xiùlán's hand.

"You sewed up her wound, Doctor?" Xiùlán asked. "I expected there would be a 'Y' cut on her chest."

The ME grimaced at this for an instant before explaining, "In cases such as this, we can generally perform all the needed tests without violating the body any further. We use omnitools with specialized software to take all the readings we need. We only make that 'Y' incision when there is no clear cause of death, such as poisoning, heart attacks and such." The doctor paused as he looked at Heather. "Oh, she was wearing a bracelet similar to each of yours when she was brought in. I removed it … saved it for her next of kin."

Mallene Calis spoke up. "Actually Sir, that's a very specialized omnitool, manufactured by the company I represent. Would it be possible for me to regain possession of it?"

The ME frowned as he studied the asari. "Anything found with or on the deceased is generally returned to the family with the body." He shook his head as he continued, "You would need to make a request through Alliance Command."

Xiùlán held her own wrist up as she interrupted. "Serrice Council is the manufacturer of these tools, Doctor. It would be of great benefit to the company if they had the tool back for inspection; it's of no use to anyone else - it's biometrically keyed to the individual wearing it. Are you sure you cannot give the tool back to Ms Calis?

"I'd like to keep my job, Ma'am. I'd need someone way up the chain to authorize me to release a personal item to someone other than next of kin."

Xiùlán thought for a moment. "Can you hold the tool until I get back to you - might be a day?"

The ME thought for a few moments. "We won't be shipping her back home for a couple more days. You have some time yet."

"Thanks, Doctor. I'll be speaking with you soon." She said goodbye to Mallene and Aglyna, then whispered in Sam's ear as she drew her back to the waiting area.

Xiùlán grabbed both of Traynor's hands and brought them up between them. "Sà mi, love. I'm going back to our quarters. I need to make a call, get some help retrieving Heather's omnitool before it's irretrievably lost to us."

Samantha looked as if she were ready to begin weeping again. Xiùlán sighed as she leaned in and gently placed her lips on Sam's. Sam hungrily grabbed Xiùlán's lips with her own for just a moment before pulling back. "Dammit, Linn … this is absolutely killing me. I've never felt so much distress, even when those bitches attacked me in college. Seeing Heather laid out on that table? … that cut on her throat? I keep thinking about her last seconds alive, trying to breathe … trying to live. Shit! We need that omnitool in Mallene's hands, Xiùlán. I don't think she'd deny us a look at the recorded footage. Who are you planning to contact?

"I'll tell you when we succeed, my love. I want to be sure we have the support I'm looking for before I jinx myself talking about it." Xiùlán kissed her again. "I'll see you in a bit. Let's have dinner out. I don't feel like fixing, and I'm sure you don't."

"Okay, Luv." She took a long, shuddering breath. "But I think I'd rather order in if you don't mind … don't feel much like going out. I'll be along shortly … just need to say goodbye to Mallene and Aglyna."

A/N: This was a difficult chapter to write. I didn't want to do it, but could see no way for Heather Gonzales to survive her encounter with a pair of Cerberus agents. I thought about having her wounded and surviving, but a knife pressed hard enough against the skin of one's throat to draw blood is only a careless stroke away from taking life. Cerberus has proved since the early days of their existence that collateral damage does not concern them, and Heather Gonzales death was simply collateral damage.

Thanks to Desert Sunrise for keeping me on course. I wanted to take the easy road. DS steered me down the dark path.