Notes:

AI - Artificial Intelligence

Arashu - Drell Goddess of Motherhood and Protection

DMZ - DeMilitarized Zone

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

Kalahira - Drell Goddess of Oceans and Afterlife

Siha - the name of a warrior-angel of the Drell goddess Arashu, used as a term of endearment for someone who can be described as "fierce in wrath" and a "tenacious protector"

Spinning Wheels

Citadel Presidium, Serpent Nebula

Shepard was torn. She wanted to speak to the Matriarch, but almost felt as if she needed Liara's permission first and it wasn't something she was simply going to blurt out through the link... it was too personal. Talking about Aethyta would have to be face-to-face so she could read Liara's body language. Shepard was frozen by indecision, standing in the middle of the staircase on the Presidium Commons and feeling like she was twelve years old. This is ridiculous! Refusing to potentially lose the opportunity, Shepard shook herself free of her paralysis and walked over to the bar. "Got any Elasa back there, Matriarch?"

Aethyta gave an abrupt nod and pulled out a bottle and tumbler. She glanced up as she poured, "I remember you. Shepard, right? Heard you're fighting the Reapers."

"Matriarch Aethyta. You were working on Illium. How'd you end up here?" Shepard picked up her glass and took a big swig, the sharp, cold bite tingling her taste buds pleasantly.

"Anh." Aethyta made an odd, nasally grunt and tsk'd. "With the Reapers making noise, I figured it was time to get somewhere safer, so I moved here." Aethyta made herself busy, wiping down the bar.

Shepard set her glass back on the counter and focused all her attention on the Matriarch, wanting to see even the slightest reaction to her next statement. "I'll put up with a lot of shit, Matriarch, but I'm not a big fan of people lying to me. I've seen video footage... of you... watching Liara."

Aethyta's hand holding the bar towel froze and her eyes came up to meet Shepard's. Seeing the look on the commander's face, she sighed, "Yeah. Uh huh." She tossed the towel down and leaned her hip against the bar, staring down at her feet. "Matriarch Benezia was... uhm... her mother and... uh, well she doesn't know it but... I was her father."

Shepard raised her eyebrows, thinking the matriarch had divulged the information a lot easier than she had expected. "You mean you are her father. Once it's done, it's not like you can take it back."

Aethyta shook her head. "Not my right to call myself that. Hell, she's more than a hundred years old and she's never even met me."

Shepard thought she detected a sense of resignation in Aethyta's voice, as well as a touch of sadness mixed with regret. "You're not dead yet; that can be remedied."

Aethyta gaped at her, not believing what Shepard had just said. After a brief pause, she only half-jokingly queried, "What can be remedied? Me not being dead or her not having met me?"

Smiling at what she hoped was Aethyta's version of humor, Shepard pressed on. "I'm betting Liara would love to meet you."

Aethyta instantly got surprisingly defensive, "Why? She doesn't know me from a hole in the ground! It wasn't what I wanted, but Benezia didn't give me any choice! She ran off before the kid was born. Besides, this isn't charity work! She's one of the biggest intel brokers in the galaxy... and she's got some shady connections." Aethyta's eyes turned hard and she glared at Shepard. "Like a girlfriend... who used to work for Cerberus?"

It was Shepard's turn to get defensive and she slapped her left hand down on the bar while pointing at the matriarch with her right. Her voice carried a threatening edge as she glowered at Aethyta. "I only worked with those bastards to stop the Collectors!"

Aethyta put both hands up as if she thought Shepard was preparing to come over the bar at her. "And you're not with them now... I know! Otherwise, you wouldn't get within a light-year of Liara."

Shepard dropped her right hand, picked her drink back up, and took another swallow, trying to sooth her rattled nerves. "For thinking your daughter doesn't even know who you are, you're mighty protective of her."

Aethyta was quick; Shepard had to give her that. "What do you mean, 'thinking' she doesn't know who I am?"

Shepard chuckled at their rapidly shifting repartee. "Relax, Matriarch. Like you said, she is one of the biggest intel brokers in the galaxy; we've known who you are for months now. Almost a year."

"Well. Shit." Aethyta took a deep breath. "If she's known and hasn't contacted me, what the hell makes you think she'd want to meet me?"

"We've been a little busy... and you fell off the map when you left Illium. She didn't exactly have free time to go find you. We've had more pressing concerns." Shepard frowned at Aethyta's reluctance. "Besides, you're her father! Why the hell wouldn't she want to?"

"Because she probably thinks I abandoned her... and she'd be mostly right. Not like I hounded Benezia to let me see her. But I've kept my eye on her; always knew where she was and if she was safe... until that shit at Therum anyway." Aethyta glanced around as if looking for someone before leaning over the bar and lowering her voice. "Plus, I'm sure she knows I've been monitoring her since after you disappeared, so she's probably pissed as all get out. You combine her work with Benezia's and... well, let's just say the Matriarchy sat up and took notice. What do you think I've been doing all this time? Hell, I'm watching her so the Matriarchs are reassured that she's not going down the path her mother took. Otherwise..."

Shepard put both hands down on the bar and leaned in to meet the matriarch, face-to-face, their foreheads almost touching. Her voice was low as she growled, "That's not gonna happen!"

Aethyta jerked back up straight to put some distance between them. "No argument here! I only took these crap jobs to keep the matriarchs happy that Liara's under control."

"And they better stay happy." Shepard's voice was hard, leaving no room for any misinterpretation of her words. "Because if anything happens to Liara and I find out the Matriarchy had something to do with it... the Reapers will be the least of their worries."

Aethyta relaxed a little and let out a chuckle. "Maybe you're good enough for her after all."

"Of course I am. There's no one better for her in the whole damn galaxy and no one who loves her more." Shepard relaxed and wondered if Aethyta had said that just to test her. She smiled gently and prodded, "So how 'bout it, Aethyta? Fears of rejection aside... do you want to meet your absolutely wonderful daughter or not?"

"What? You going to get me an appointment?" Aethyta scowled.

Shepard answered earnestly, "Can't promise you that, but if you're seriously ready to start a relationship with her... I'll talk to her for you. But it can't be for some one time good deal, 'Hi I'm your dad, now have a good life' bullshit. That would hurt her more than it's worth and I won't let you do it, not purposely anyway."

Aethyta remained silent, studying Shepard and trying to decide how to answer, until the commander's patience ran out. "I've got shit I need to get done, Matriarch. Yea or nay? You want to meet your daughter or not?"

Slowly, her voice having deserted her, Matriarch Aethyta nodded in the affirmative. Shepard nodded back. "Good. Won't be this trip. Normandy's leaving as soon as I finish up some business with General Oraka, but I'll talk to Liara and, if her answer's 'yes,' we'll come visit next time we're here. If not..." Shepard shrugged, "I won't leave you hanging, so I'll come tell you in person."

Shepard scooped up her drink and tossed back the last bit of Elasa before slamming the now empty glass back down on the counter. The strong, bitter aftertaste put a bit of sting into Shepard's words. "Don't be running off now, Aethyta. If Liara decides to meet you, I don't want you breaking her heart by turning up missing in action when we get back here." She paused for effect. "You do that... I swear by the Gods, I will hunt you down."

Aethyta actually smiled. "Yup. You just might be good enough for my Little Wing."

Shepard turned and walked away without looking back, ignoring Aethyta's last comment; her entire focus shifted to the Turian general in her sights. Oraka was well aware of everything going on around him and greeted her as she approached. "Commander Shepard."

"General Oraka. Seems you've come a long way since the Normandy crew talked to you in Chora's Den. You were pretty miserable, from what I heard."

Oraka let out a chuckle. "Yes. Neck-deep in drink just before I retired. Your Marines reminded me of what it meant to be a soldier. I owe them both a debt of gratitude. How are they doing?"

Shepard grimaced. "Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko died on Virmire in the war against Sovereign and Ashley Williams got injured in her first battle of the Reaper war. She's here in Huerta Memorial recovering." Shepard's grimace was replaced by a light smile. "If you want to repay your debt, stop in and see her; remind her of the good she's done and tell her to get her butt out of bed and back into the fight."

Oraka nodded. "Those two soldiers are the only reason I saved both myself and my reputation. If it hadn't of been for them, I wouldn't be reinstated now... I'd be stuck on the sidelines of what will probably be the most important fight of our lives. My condolences on the loss of your Lieutenant and I'll make sure to stop in and see Williams."

Oraka gestured to the seat next to him. "Now, Commander. I expect you're extremely busy. I'm sure you're not here to check up on an old Turian general and rehash the old days. What can I do for you?"

Shepard sat and got straight to the point. "I hear you're taking on the Blue Suns."

Oraka growled. "Those mercs are raiding C-Sec weapons shipments in the trading lanes. We'd be naive to think the war won't eventually come here and we need those weapons for the defense of the Citadel. So, yes, I aim to stop the Blue Suns from taking them."

"Have you looked at alternate acquisitions sources?" Shepard glanced around the Presidium shops. "There are a lot of weapons dealers right here that you could use."

"You don't think I've tried?" Oraka sat up angrily. "There's only one dealer here that has the quality of weapons we need... and he's not selling!"

"Every dealer has a price, General, or they'd go out of business." Shepard's eyes narrowed. "You tell me who it is and I'll get you your guns."

Oraka leaned back and relaxed into his chair again. "I'd appreciate your help. Maybe the hero of the Citadel can convince him, when a tired old Turian general doesn't have the influence anymore."

Shepard laughed, "Don't sell yourself short, Sir. There are a lot of retired old generals who are headed for the hills hoping to wait this one out. I don't see you running anywhere."

"You've got that right." Oraka smiled as he pointed across the marketplace. "The dealer works for Cipritine Armory; his name is Kannik. Let me know how you do so I can develop an alternate plan of action if things fall through."

As Shepard walked through the various small shops on her way to find Kannik, she ran across Edi's mobile platform. "You look like you're gathering data, Edi. What's up?"

"That would be a correct assumption, Commander." Edi glance over to Jeff, sitting on a bench across the wide aisle. "I was running scenarios in my head to analyze Jeff's behavior."

Shepard noted with interest that Jeff waved at the mobile unit when Edi glanced his way. Edi continued, "I believe he has a strong affectionate attachment to me, but he has not stated it to anyone yet."

Shepard's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa. Now that's news. What makes you think so?"

Edi actually... hesitated... before responding. "His attitude toward me has changed significantly since I acquired use of the mobile platform. Shepard, you have firsthand sexual experience with Dr T'Soni. How do you know when someone is romantically invested?"

"Geez, Edi! That's not something you just blurt out like that!" Shepard's face immediately went bright red and she looked around anxiously to see if anyone had overheard the question. Comforted that no one was paying particular attention to their conversation, she looked back at Edi. "That kind of question is something you normally ask in confidence... quietly! Not out in the middle of the shopping sector of the Presidium."

"I am sorry, Shepard. I was unaware such a question would be cause for embarrassment. Forget I asked." Edi actually sounded contrite; Shepard thought the AI was really starting to get the hang of organic voice inflection.

"No, it's alright, Edi. Since it's already out there and no one seemed to notice, there's no harm in me answering." Slowly recovering from her embarrassment, Shepard sighed. "Anyway, they, uh, usually show signs that they can't stop thinking about you. They come by and visit often, try to spend a lot of time with you, maybe give you presents or ask you out?"

"I lack material wants other than hardware and software upgrades, but Jeff did say my presence on the bridge was good for his morale." Edi glanced over at the pilot again, "And he did ask me to accompany him here today. He said I could serve as his 'mobility assistance mech' that he is permitted to have due to his Vrolik Syndrome. Given that you arranged for his bone weave procedure, he no longer requires assistance, so perhaps it was an excuse to keep me at his side."

"I think you're right, Edi." Shepard laughed. "I do believe Jeff asked you out on a date. He may not have called it that, but..."

Edi seemed very taken with the idea and interrupted Shepard before she finished. "Perhaps we could discuss how to provoke Jeff into openly stating his emotional commitment."

Shepard grinned and shook her head, "That's not how it works, Edi. Things like this take time. If things are working out, Jeff will probably talk to someone else about it first... before he ever mentions it to you. He needs to work up his courage."

Edi's visor flashed a bit brighter. "Jeff has spoken before about something called 'liquid courage.' I believe he was referring to alcoholic beverages. Perhaps I need to convince him to take me to Purgatory."

Just thinking of Edi and Jeff at a bar made Shepard grin so widely her cheeks hurt. "That sounds like a great next date, Edi, but not today. Why don't you round up Mr Moreau and head back to the Normandy. I have a weapons dealer to visit and we'll be headed out as soon as we can recall all personnel for departure. I'll swing by and explain when I get aboard."

"Thank you, Shepard. I appreciate your assistance. We will see you on the Bridge." With that, Edi turned and started walking toward the pilot.

Shepard chuckled lightly and contacted Liara though the link, letting her know she was approaching her last stop and should be back on the Normandy shortly. She hadn't gone two steps before the all-hands recall notification came across her omni-tool. As she approached the service counter Oraka had pointed her to, Kannik started speaking before she ever reached it. "Look, Commander, I don't want any trouble. I'm authorized to sell here and all my arms are legal, see?"

Kannik must have been getting harassed by C-Sec because he had his merchant's license and his inventory listing ready to display on a moment's notice. Shepard leaned on the counter and sought to reassure the Salarian that all was well. "Relax, Kannik, I'm not here to hassle you. This listing is your normal stuff. Where's your military-grade inventory?"

It had the opposite effect and Kannik's mood took an immediate downturn. "Shit. You slumming for C-Sec, too? I already dealt with the shake-down by the old Turian with the bad attitude." He pulled the unwanted inventory list and tucked it back under the counter with a huff. "Sure. I got much better stuff, but it's not for sale. Credits won't be worth anything when the galaxy goes belly-up from the Reapers."

"You're right. People will be more concerned with where their next meal comes from... and with war shortages, prices will skyrocket. A thousand of today's credits won't be worth shit if that happens." Shepard stared at Kannik. "But you can't eat guns either. What will it take for me to get access to that inventory?"

Kannik's eyes popped open wide. "My best stock only trades for hard goods and artifacts that will have barter value. I told that to the Turian and he just kept waving a credit chit in my face. I'm happy to share my top stock with you if you collect a few rare pieces for me while you're out and about; doing whatever it is you do to save the galaxy."

"Listen, Kannik. I'll get you your pieces, but we're fighting a war here and General Oraka's simply trying to get weapons to defend the Citadel for when the Reapers come knocking. The Blue Suns are intercepting C-Sec shipments so, if he can't lock in an alternate secure source for weapons, he's prepared to start interdiction runs against the mercs. You know how much that would screw up the trade routes."

Realizing how bad that would be for business, Kannik frowned and his eyes narrowed to slits. "What's your point, Commander?"

"I'm just saying... you're not moving your top-shelf and sales from your regular inventory are going to get caught in the cross-fire if you're not careful." Shepard glanced over her shoulder, looking back across the shopping commons toward where the general was sitting, before returning her gaze to Kannik. "Do us all a favor and drop a couple of crates to the old guy. Tell him it's a good faith offer and that C-Sec will get the rest when I deliver the artifacts. What's a couple of crates compared to a trade route war that will completely shut off resupply to the Citadel? It will buy me some time to get out there and find you something good."

Kannik thought about it for a moment before responding. "Alright, Commander. But I'll need collateral. Not that I don't trust you to deliver, but it is the Reapers..."

Shepard pulled a credit chit out and keyed her omni-tool. "So, what are you talking, Kannik? 20,000 credits?"

Kannik laughed. "Commander, a single crate of ten guns is worth 50,000, not including upgrades, and you want two crates?"

"Shit. Come on, Kannik. Work with me, here. I've only got 70,000 in my account and the Normandy is headed back out... I can't go out broke, and we will come back with your artifacts. Can you give me two crates for 50,000 credits collateral?"

Kannik rolled his eyes. "Alright, Commander. I trust you to keep your word. The chit will be untouched for one week before it goes into my account as non-refundable."

Shepard keyed the amount on her omni-tool and transferred it to the chit. "Thanks, Kannik. You're saving a bunch of people a whole galaxy of hurt. Oraka gets his guns, Citadel trade stays alive, and I promise you'll get some good pieces."

She dropped the chit on the counter and headed back to the Normandy, updating Oraka on her way by and catching Aethyta's eye for one last wave as she headed up the steps toward the elevator to head back up to the docks and the Normandy.

SSV Normandy

Back aboard the Normandy, Shepard's first stop was the Bridge. She quickly explained to Jeff and Edi about the need for artifacts to barter with Kannik and asked for suggestions. Edi volunteered several options, listing off several leads they had consolidated from their various sources. Shepard was encouraged. "All of that sounds great, Edi. We'll only need a couple of pieces to start the ball rolling, but we've got a lot of shit piled up at Tuchanka that we need to get done. I need you to pass the latest consolidated list to Dr T'Soni; we'll pass that off to one of the Broker ships while we focus on tidying up the DMZ."

Shepard glanced at her chrono. "We need to head to Aralakh and run a full sweep. I don't want anybody surprising us once we're groundside. After the sweep is done, our first stop is the crash site coordinates I passed you earlier; we've got what's left of a Turian platoon to extract."

After she finished explaining exactly what she needed them to do in preparation for the mission, Shepard went immediately to the elevator and dropped down to the crew deck. She walked directly to the Broker's office, only to see Liara on a vid call, so she stopped immediately to stay off screen. Once she realized it was Livos, Shepard stepped into the picture and waved. "Don't mean to interrupt, but it's so unusual to actually see you guys, I had to take advantage. Hope all is well?"

Livos smiled broadly as she spoke, "Yes. Everyone is healthy and ready for action. It is good to see you, Shepard. We have been discussing your need for relics. This arms dealer does not have a very positive outlook for our future." Livos' smile faded a bit as she spoke of Kannik.

"No, he doesn't, but he's probably dead on. As the Reapers spread out, moving supplies will get more and more difficult. Speaking of which, make sure you stock up on essentials and don't tap into them until absolutely necessary. Once our supply lines are cut, we'll need to have as much in the bank as we can." Shepard frowned. "Can't have the Reapers starve us out. That'd be a hell of way to go."

Liara cut in, "Fortunately, they are focusing on population and industrial centers. I know that sounds odd... and cruel, because of the great number of people that are suffering and dying as a result, but it means that so far the Reapers are leaving the garden worlds and our food sources alone. Of course we can't count on that lasting forever. We need to end this before it gets to the point where that's all the Reapers have left to destroy... or we'll win the war only to die a long slow death of starvation anyway." Feeling the commander's dismay, she glanced at Shepard with concern as she finished, "I'd prefer to avoid such an ending, thank you very much."

Shepard tried to smile again as she joked, "No pressure," but failed miserably. "Alright. I'll let you finish up. Just wanted to check in." Shepard stepped away and moved to the upgrade terminal to see if anything worthwhile had been turned up.

As she logged in and picked up a shield upgrade and medigel effectiveness booster, Liara finished her conversation with Livos and stepped up behind and wrapped loving arms around her, whispering softly in her ear. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I know that wasn't the happiest conversation but I also hope you know none of that was directed at you. It was merely a statement of our harsh reality." Liara squeezed her tightly. "We are in this together. You and I."

Shepard logged out and turned around within the arms that encircled her. "I know, Love." She was already focused on the next mission, so Shepard reached behind her back and clasped Liara's hands, pulling them apart and breaking the hold Liara had on her. "We need to eat some dinner. We're headed to Tuchanka. We're going to do a system sweep to make sure nothing surprises us and then we have to hit the ground running. The Primarch had a full platoon on the ground... and they got hit by Reapers, so we need to extract whoever's still alive."

Liara stepped back. "A platoon? On Tuchanka? Whatever for?"

"Good question. He won't tell me; says it's 'classified' but essential to galactic peace." Shepard shook her head. "And his son is leading the platoon."

"Goddess. We need to talk to Garrus; see if he knows anything." Liara's face paled. "Wrex doesn't know, does he." Liara didn't need the answer, her intonation that of a statement, not a question.

"Bingo. The Primarch was very hush, hush about it, making sure Wrex didn't overhear. I don't know how we're going to keep it a secret from him. We're going to Tuchanka for Gods' sake. He'll demand to be on the ground team if he figures out where we are. I've told Joker and Edi to keep the notifications private... at the earliest, he won't know we've deployed until the shuttle has left the bay. I'm hoping to solve whatever the hell is going on and be able to brief him after the fact."

Liara's voice was both concerned and chastising, "Shepard."

"I know! Wrex trusts me and this is really going to stretch that. I have to hope it doesn't break." Shepard ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "I'm no politician, Liara. I hate this shit. Wrex gave in on Virmire... but I don't know that he'll forgive me for keeping secrets about his own damn planet. I'm horribly tempted to tell him, but I don't know what's really going on, so what the hell would I say? I'd be opening a Pandora's Box with no way to get it closed again."

"Come on. You're right; with no information to give there is no sense in speaking with him yet. We do need to eat. This could become even more exciting than our usually frantic ground missions." Liara shook her head in bewilderment. "And what, by the Goddess, is a Pandora's Box?"

Shepard laughed lightly and a small smile managed to climb onto her face, no matter the situation. "By the Gods, actually." She took Liara's hand and started walking out to the Mess as she explained, "It's a story from Greek mythology. A woman by the name of Pandora was given a box..."

Huerta Memorial, Citadel

"Thank you, Commander Williams, for once again aiding me in my therapy session." Thane stood from his polite bow and smiled at Shepard's friend. She was recovering quickly and would only be in the hospital a short while longer. He had enjoyed her company and was glad that Karin Chakwas had asked him to watch out for her; they had become friends and Thane had very few he would name as such.

"Shit. Thank you, Thane! Some of those moves you've been showing me are better than anything we ever got in Alliance hand-to-hand training. No wonder Shepard is so good... I mean, she always was, but stuff I saw her doing on Mars was pretty incredible. I assume you showed those to her as well, during your time on the Normandy."

Thane smiled lightly, "Very little. Her Asari training already included a large portion of what I could teach her, and we each taught the other. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. But we all did the same, so our skills, as a result of being thrown together on the same ship, are now a blend of many different styles."

Ashley's brow suddenly wrinkled with concern. "Can I ask you something?"

"You may always ask," Thane lost his smile and his face became reflective as he continued, "...and I will answer so long as it does not violate a trust that anyone has placed in me."

"Shepard." Ashley wiped her face with her gym towel and tossed it into the laundry bin. "Do you truly believe she is who she was... before she died?"

"I cannot answer that question." Thane saw the surprised expression on Ashley's face, so explained, "I did not know her... before... so have no basis for comparison."

"I guess that's not really my question..." Ashley hesitated, trying to figure out a way to phrase what she needed to know. "My religion is kind of divided on the idea of reincarnation. But most believe that if it does happen, your soul returns to Earth cleansed, in the innocence of a babe. Not as a full grown... replacement." She shook her head in frustration. "It's just hard for me to believe she's the same woman we saw die over Alchera."

"Ah. I see." Thane steepled his hands against his chin in a contemplative posture, thinking about his response. He suddenly dropped his hands and focused his intense, big black eyes on Ashley. "I know very little about your religion, but the Drell believe the soul and the body are separate, that each can operate independently, though when the two are separated the person is... broken, no longer whole."

Thane clasped his hands behind his back as he spoke, "Shepard is... driven... like none I have ever met before. It is not beyond my ability to believe that when her body was broken, her soul remained intact." He blinked slowly, remembering her fierce determination to survive and defeat the Collectors. "Siha has purpose. And I do not believe she will go easily to the afterlife until her purpose is fulfilled. When Cerberus rebuilt her body, her soul was more than ready to return to the fight. It is her nature. She is a natural protector."

"So you're saying her separated soul simply moved into a new body?" Ashley's head was spinning at the implications.

"Yes." Thane's hands dropped back to his sides and he stared out into space. "If I remember correctly, your religion is very much against cloning because of that very reason... You do not believe man is capable of creating a soul; that such a thing is only within the dominion of your God. So, as such, the body Cerberus created should have been a soulless husk. Yet, the body I met is very much a driven, passionate, and caring Human being; it is not some soulless Cerberus creation by any means. I believe she is Commander Samantha Shepard, returned to the galaxy by Kalahira, who was not yet ready to accept her to the afterlife. Shepard's divine purpose has not yet been fulfilled."

"So you think she's some kind of divine messenger?" Ashley wasn't sure she was ready to accept such an explanation and frowned.

"Not at all; she is all Human." Thane threw his own towel into the laundry bin and stood next to Ash. "With imminent death looming on my doorstep, we spoke of religion. Shepard's parents were Druids so, though she rarely speaks of it, that is the faith Shepard follows. It is very personal to her, so I will not reveal too many details, but you should know that Shepard feels driven by Lugh, her God of Revenge and War... and by Dwyn, the trickster. She blames Dwyn for her two-year absence. She told me most of his tricks are rather mean and spiteful, meant to tease... and to test resolve. She did not choose the path she is on; she experienced her own death and was then forced back into a world that did not want to accept her... and her return was made all the more difficult by those who had once been closest to her."

Thane stopped there and looked at Ashley. "I have perhaps said too much and spoken of things better left for Shepard to tell. I will see you again tomorrow, Commander."

Thane dipped his head politely and walked off, leaving Ashley to stare at his back. He had left her with a lot to think about; the wheels in her head were spinning madly as she searched frantically for traction.

A/N: Thanks go out to AlsoKnownAsMatt for a relatively in-depth discussion on the aftereffects of a galactic war... particularly regarding availability of food supplies and trade viability.