A/N: Bioware owns all. I'm just having a little fun

"Human"

I, can hold my breath

I, can bite my tongue

I can stay awake for days If that's what you want... Be your number one

I, can fake a smile

I, can force a laugh

I can dance and play the part If that's what you ask

Give you all I am

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it

But I'm only human. And I bleed when I fall down. I'm only human. And I crash and I break down

Your words in my head, knives in my heart You build me up and then I fall apart 'Cause I'm only human~

I can turn it on

Be a good machine

I can hold the weight of worlds If that's what you need

Be your everything

I can do it, I can do it, I'll get through it

But I'm only human. And I bleed when I fall down. I'm only human. And I crash and I break down. Your words in my head, knives in my heart.

You build me up and then I fall apart 'Cause I'm only human~

I'm only human I'm only human

Just a little human

I can take so much

'Til I've had enough

'Cause I'm only human ...And I bleed when I fall down I'm only human And I crash and I break down Your words in my head, knives in my heart

You build me up and then I fall apart

'Cause I'm only human

"Oriana, it's good to finally meet you." Liara says with a smile as she opens the door to their prefab home. The Asari had been anxiously awaiting Oriana's arrival even though it had only been a twelve-hour shuttle ride. Even with the short amount of time between disconnecting the call and Oriana arriving Liara became impatient as soon as she found out the young human was on her way during her vid chat with Karin Chakwas and Miranda Lawson.

It was hard to hear the two humans speak about Shepard's deteriorating health and lack of a cure. But the Asari was more worried about the lack of assistance she was going to receive. Some of her worries on the matter were satisfied when EDI offered any help the AI could provide but Liara could only hope it was enough. It would have to be with the different occurrences that seem to be popping up with each passing moment but with Liara's network and now having Oriana to assist as well, her nerves begin to subside.

"Doctor T'Soni, it's an honor. My sister has spoken very highly of you and Shepard over the past few months and I'm just happy you two are finally able..." Realizing she was about to say something that might upset the Asari she simply smiles and motions for Liara to lead the way. "it's good to finally meet you." She finishes, so not to seem rude.

As they both walk through the prefab dwelling Oriana couldn't help but steal a few glances around the savior of the galaxies home. It was small, nothing like she would've imagined. There weren't anything on the walls or anywhere else to indicate anyone was even living there, and other than a few small adornments, namely a picture of the two smiling at each other sitting on the table in the living room, there was nothing in the home. It only had the normal furniture you'd find in a prefab with the exception of the sealed medical bed the Commander was lying in. Minus one room that had a secure entrance to it and her patient, everything about the home was just...normal.

Oriana had figured they would have lived in a secure compound that housed an entire platoon of marines for security, or quite possibly an entire squad of Asari commandos but this was not the case. It seems the simple life was wanted by the both of them and the more she thought about it the more it made sense. With everything that had happened over the course of the past few years it wasn't surprising they both wanted seclusion and to be left alone for the time being anyway.

She had been a little nervous when she first left the Normandy especially since her sister wasn't helping. She had thought Miranda was being paranoid when she told her she was leaving with an escort. The more Oriana thought about it the more she realized the security precautions were not just for her. It wouldn't take much for their location to get out and their secluded planet to become a mad house of hero worshipers and press. Smiling a little as her sisters words echo in her ear that she should regard the two as who they are; an Asari doctor/ archeologist and a human N7 alliance soldier/ Spectre, not living legends.

She had heard what Miranda had said to Chakwas while leaving her sisters office. That Oriana was upset about Miranda's recommendation to medically discharge Shepard because she felt the Commander needed to continue with her military and Spectre duties so she could help others, just like she helped her and her sister. It was true for the most part but the more she thought about it the more she realizes how unfair of an expectation it is to place on one person. Shepard had done remarkable things over the course of her lifetime and if everything went well she'd have plenty more opportunities to save others across the galaxy. But how much responsibility can Oriana and the galaxy place on the shoulders of one human that has already been expected to perform miracles? Maybe this is why Miranda was trying to force the issue of Shepard leaving the military life all together.

It was too much for any one sole to be plagued with the title they had given her. Looking at the Asari in front of her she can only see one thing that is wanted besides her lover awake and that is solitude and a sense of normalcy. Maybe not forever but at least for the time being, Liara seemed content with being alone but only time would tell; they both needed to recuperate and at the very least be allowed to have their child without the galaxy interrupting them. Everyone deserved a break but everyone who was acquainted with Shepard also knew that if the Commander was up and able, she'd be helping.

Having to shake her current thoughts from her mind so she can get back to the task at hand, Oriana can only smile and roll her eyes a little. What would Miranda and even her parents say about her current thoughts? Her parents would say how proud they were but she was still their little girl and not to do anything that could get her hurt. And Miranda would tell her to not embarrass her; to stop acting like a school girl with a crush. She hoped one day that her family would soon take her seriously and for the most part they did if this mission was any indication, but she still felt like a child in everyone's eyes.

She may have been young and not have her medical degree yet, but she did everything to the best of her ability and this was no different. She was tasked with this one objective and she would not fail. Oriana also knew she had to be as impartial as she could be in this instance. Her sister was too close to all of this and had reminded her numerous times to please apologize; that her outburst about the Commander's condition to Liara was stress related but Oriana could tell it wasn't necessary. Liara just wanted her bondmate awake and healthy, so Oriana pushes everything else out of her mind and focuses on her patient.

Reaching the side of the sealed medical bed Oriana begins her examination."Have you noticed any changes on the beds monitors since the Commander became unconscious?" When the Asari shakes her head no, she continues. "Good...That's a good sign...so I'll just be a moment and I should have the results shortly."

When a hand touches her own she pauses and looks to see Liara smiling at her. "Thank you."

Not knowing exactly what to say until she sees the Asari's expression turn somber, Oriana says the first thing that comes to her. "Hey, it's alright she'll get all the help we can give her. She's a fighter and will get through this."

"It's not that." Liara says, with a slight nod of her head. "I know you all are here for us and she will fight to the end to survive this but...I just wish I knew if I was doing the right thing. I never had to worry about anyone else's well-being before and now I am responsible for two lives...I had been alone for the last forty years, either on my digs or doing research by myself. I've never had to take responsibility for anyone else before...I guess I'm just nervous with the baby and all and...I'm sorry." She blushes a little, realizing she had been talking to Oriana as if she was a life long friend. "Listen to me opening up like this to someone I barely know. I guess my social interactions still aren't the greatest." The Asari embarrassingly admits. "I must feel more comfortable talking with you because you remind me of your sister."

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted with that last remark." Oriana says succeeding in lightening the Asari's mood. "But it's quite alright I assure you."

She wasn't sure if she should continue on with the conversation but with the seclusion the Asari had found herself in and the one person she wanted to talk to being unconscious, the younger human figures she needs someone to listen to her. "If you don't mind me asking...what are your concerns with regards to Shepard?.. I mean other than the obvious."

Taking a deep breath Liara tells the human all about the fears she has been having over every decision she's had to make since before being reunited with her lover. As Oriana unpacks and starts her scan, Liara continues to go over all of her fears, including the conversations she had with Miranda and Doctor Chakwas on whether or not she was making the correct choice and moving to a secluded area. And if she had chosen to stay in the public eye and allow Shepard to be treated at an actual hospital then would any of this be happening? And lastly, should she be pushing for this cure with all the uncertainty surrounding the Cerberus project...was she just being selfish?

After a moment of going over the blood results and scans she had just taken, Oriana looks up and smiles. "Do you love her?"

"Of course I do." Liara answers immediately.

"Then it is all worth it...the other stuff can be worked out later. Part of being in love with someone is being selfish. You want to spend as much time with them as possible and when you're not by each other's side then you feel like you're half of the person you used to be... I may be young doctor T'Soni but seeing my parents grow old together, having the relationship they have...well I guess it gave me a lot of insight on how relationships should be. Granted not all are like theirs, but from what I've heard from the two blabber mouths, Chakwas and Miranda, death didn't keep you apart so something like this won't either."

"I assure you, everything you have done and continue to do will be alright." Oriana continues on. "You have her best interest at heart when your making these decisions so it does not matter if you have the experience or not, you're doing the right thing. Everything you're doing is all on instinct... It'll be the same when you have your baby... Do you think saving the galaxy or being an archeologist or a Spectre will help you learn how to change a diaper in the middle of the night? You do what you can with the knowledge you have at the time...and if its not right, you learn from it and move on...Trust me, if you two love each other as much as I think you do then no matter what decision you've made or will make in the future it won't matter cause she won't complain about anything... and if she does give you crap send her to me and Chakwas and we will straighten her out... She's definitely like Miranda, the pain in the ass." Oriana finishes with a smile. The mood in the room seems to lighten finally and Liara had obviously relaxed after hearing the young humans words.

"Yes Miranda and Shepard have been known to be quite stubborn. Karin seems to be the only one able to deal with it but she has learned how to cope with it from the best." Liara says laughing a little. She appreciated the younger humans words even if she was a bit long winded. She didn't want to ruin the mood she currently found herself in but the question needed to be asked.

"Did you find out anything that may help us?"

X

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X

X

"Tali you must calm down!" Chakwas yells at the thrashing Quarian. It is taking every bit of strength that the six people, including Garrus Vakarian and Ashley Williams has in order to hold her still enough to get the sedative administered. This had been the second time since being back onboard the Normandy that Tali had to be restrained and Garrus could only wonder what happened on the Quib Quib to make his lover act like this.

They had been searching for hours through the wreckage and had nearly given up but Admiral Raan had made the suggestion to expand their search to the moons around each planet in the system. That the escape pod may have gotten trapped in the gravitational pull and be sitting among other debris left over from the war.

After landing on the first moon they came to, Garrus received an alert on his Omni tool informing him of another piece of wreckage that had been sending off a signal of sorts. It was larger than most of the other pieces that were around and they were able to follow the signal from the beacon and eventually find the escape pod that Tali was in. Being in desperate need of medical attention but alive just the same, she was immediately transported back onto the Normandy. Once in the Med bay Chakwas was able to treat her for minor injuries, seal her suit and stabilize her vitals. Everything had been calm up until Tali woke up a few hours later.

She began to scream at them all, saying she should have died with the rest of her crew and that it was her fault she couldn't save anyone. She had appeared to calm down after a moment when Garrus spoke to her but as soon as Ashley walked into the med bay to check on her friend the Quarian began to cry uncontrollably. She began to yell at everyone again, calling them all Boshtets, that she should been allowed to go down with her ship and she'd never get the image out of her mind of Chief Harris's face when he pushed her into an escape pod. That he died saving her life and the young Quarian Admiral did not want to live with any of it.

For a moment everyone who had been on the SR-1 was brought back to the exact time when the Collectors attacked and their beloved Commander was killed. The screams of anguish from Liara after they had reached the last escape pod that only held Joker. The look of absolute disbelief on the Normandy pilots face and the months of therapy he had to go through, the images he saw in his sleep of the Commander being sucked out into space as the Collector beam ripped through the hull of his ship. How he could barely look at anyone from the crew at her funeral, especially Liara, even though they all tried to console him.

Even after Cerberus brought her back it still took a long time for Jeff to get over what happened that day. Blaming himself for all of the deaths and he still doesn't talk about it much and there were only a handful of people lost that day. Garrus knew that Tali would have a harder time dealing with this. The casualty rate of the Quib Quib disaster was the same as the initial few moments of the Reaper war. This was something that would haunt the young Quarian for a long time and Garrus can only pray that she could recover; would allow herself to recover.

Vakarian knew this was going to be devastating blow to the stability of the galaxy and how hard it would be to recover from once word got out about this tragedy. It was already feared that the entire Human race may not be able to recover and withdrawal from all galactic affairs. That they would refuse help and shut out the rest of the galaxy for fear of what plight may affect them next. That they were better off disconnecting themselves from the rest of the galaxy and go back to being self sufficient, just like they were before they found the relays. It had already been talked about by other scientists and a few Human leaders, some of the same people who agreed that Shepard should have allowed the harvest to happen. They each went onto the Galactic News Network and stated that now that the Reaper war is over we should sever all alliances with each race and go back to being cut off from the galaxy around them. Become oblivious to the galaxy's problems, siting that Humans nearly became extinct because of our involvement in galactic affairs, we can not afford to continue on trying to be involved in anything outside of our own problems. Stop assisting other races and only focus on our own needs.

Everyone standing in the med- bay knew this would be a devastating blow to the Humans once it was made public, but especially to Tali and the Quarian people. It was realized that this incident would only give more of a backing to the argument that humans should cut everyone else out and quite possibly want the loan survivor and captain of the Quib Quib tragedy be brought to trial. But at this moment they can only focus on helping their friends, to include a grieving Ashley Williams.

Initially stunned by what Tali had said, Williams only has a moment to react before Tali begins to try and push her way past everyone until Chakwas is finally able to sedate her. After a moment Tali begins to relax but not before apologizing to the Normandy's commanding officer. Williams didn't know what came over her but holding onto her Quarian friend and hearing her apologize for her lovers death as well as the rest of the Marines under her command, she soon was able to process what had happened and something finally broke and she lost all of her composure. Whether it was the fact that Tali survived, stress from the entire situation, or the fact that she had let herself open up to someone again only for them to die just like Vega, it was too much for the new Spectre to handle.

Hearing the cries of anguish from the ships commander the Normandy's doctor gently leads Ashley to the back of the med bay and administers a low dosed sedative so that she could get some much needed sleep. Walking back through her office she passes by everyone currently standing there staring at her with worried expressions, including Admiral Raan.

The Quarian Admiral had made it through the relay successfully and had docked with the Normandy while the search party was out looking through the wreckage. She had been in contact with the leader of both parties since Williams had separated them, with her and Garrus leading their own party; telling them what they should be looking for. Without Raan's assistance Tali may not have been found as quickly and could have possibly died from the lack of oxygen and tears in her enviro-suit. Now though the elder Quarian can only stand and watch helpless as her niece falls apart.

Chakwas can only offer a forced smile to them all before exiting her office, calling upon the ships AI while she enters the ships elevator.

"EDI, please inform Lieutenant Moreau that he is the acting CO and get me in contact with Admiral Hackett." Not waiting for a response she enters the lift and heads for the war room so she could talk to the Alliance Navy leader. Something needed to happen especially after seeing two more people she had come to care about over the course of the years, fall apart due to this war and its aftermath. The current and future condition of the crew along with the safety of the remaining Humans on the other ships still waiting to come through the relay left her with no choice.

"Doctor Chakwas, what do I owe the honor." Hackett smiles at his long time friend, relieved he isn't on some diplomatic vid call. Forced to listen to their ramblings and having to deal with their political requests. He'd grown tired of the political aspect of his new position and was hoping a replacement would be found soon but it hadn't been decided who would fill the position. Either way he was happy to hear from his friend, for the moment.

"I must apologize in advance Steven but this is important so if you could please spare with the pleasantries... I have an entire ship of Marines that are on the verge of having a psychotic break and if they are not given leave, care and proper rest I will be forced to medically disqualify them from active duty. I don't want to, and I know what's going on with Earth but my hand has been forced and I have the authority to do so...I've already had to sedate Commander Williams and I'm sure I'll have to do the same to part of the crew once it is known that their fellow Marines died on the Quib Quib...And before you say anything I do understand that the Alliance military is filled with some of the strongest Marines to drudge through the mud but there is a point that every person reaches and they no longer can perform and they fall apart...I think now is that time...They have each had to endure constant horrors and continue on reliving them even with the war being over. I discussed this with you in my last message, that help will be needed whether it's asked for or not...I don't think we have a choice anymore."

The current Human Councilor stood silently contemplating what had just been said to him. He made sure he looked at all the reports that crossed his desk from each medical officer attached to every Alliance ship or platoon of ground troops. After the war ended and the recovery effort began he knew he needed to see to it personally that the well-being of the remaining troops was a top priority and each report he looked at had detailed lists that dealt with the current moral, physical and mental health of his troops on a daily basis, along with current supply shortages. He knew the signs and what to look for when a soldier was suffering but hoped the limited man power of the Alliance could hold on for a little longer with the amount of work that needed to be done. Apparently losing an entire ship of a half a million people, some of them fellow Marines including his former assistant and friend in Chief Harris, could possibly be the last straw and as much as he did not want to have this conversation, it is one that was inevitable.

"I understand doctor... Anything you need will be authorized within reason." Sighing a little at what he knew the answer might be he asks. "Karin, is the situation on the Normandy really that bad?"

"Not as bad as it could be." Chakwas begins. "But all the signs are there... I've had more soldiers in my med bay in the last couple of days looking for sleep or anti anxiety medication as well as treating them for injuries caused by accidents, than I've ever had, and I've treated Shepard! I can only do so much Admiral and the meds will only work for so long...I think that these marines have been pushed to their breaking points. They just got back from rescuing Tali and the amount of body's and what was left..." Having to pause for a moment, not knowing how any of the soldiers who left to go out for the search could not have an issue with what they had to have seen. The explosion may have been massive and the debris field had taken up nearly the entire system but the Normandy doctor had seen crash sites before and knew what it was like to be a first responder to a disaster...disturbing was an understatement.

Rubbing her face in frustration she looks back towards the screen and continues her rant.

"Not everyone is Shepard, Admiral, we all can't be given impossible tasks and expect to do them at a moments notice, then move on to another one after its done. We are not all robots!"

The anger in the doctors voice was clear and for as long as Hackett had known her, she'd never spoken to him this way. He could see it in her eyes and facial features that this war had aged the Normandy's doctor. He recognized it as soon as he saw her on the vid comm. The first words out of her mouth weren't characteristic of how the elder woman carried herself and this latest outburst was just another sign that the doctor was at the end of her emotional rope. He could only think back to the war and the exhaustion he felt and how draining the war had become.

He saw it in Shepard and Anderson, how much they had been pushed, as well as every other soldier he had the privilege to meet but they were still willing to go that much further to see it through to the end, and they did. He was honored to be able to introduce himself to each soldier along the way, knowing that each one was possibly laying their life down in order to save the many; it made him proud.

The Admiral knew that the fighting was just the beginning and if they survived the war then a long hard road to recovery was still ahead of them and the possibility of pushing them all too much was high. Apparently now was that time and the normally hard-shelled Chakwas was among the ones to begin show signs that the stress from the war was catching up to her.

It was only a matter of time until the doctor finally reached her breaking point. Hackett had seen it and made it a point to talk to her after they came back from the Omega four relay and their fight against the Collectors. Shepard had mentioned in her report that the crew had been abducted while she was on a mission and Chakwas was among those that were taken. The first human Spectre made it a point to put into the report that she felt Chakwas would need some much needed 'forced R and R' after everything was done. Hackett had mentioned what Shepard had suggested and the doctor agreed to taking the leave but it only lasted a few days.

The Normandy's doctor had come back to duty early saying she was going stir crazy with boredom but at the time her ship had been dry docked and she had been forced to move to the Citadel, serving at Huerta. The short break seemed to work but after only six months the Reapers attacked and the war to end all wars began.

"Admiral I apologize...that was out of line and none of this is your doing. Dammit, this is the second time I have had to call my professionalism into question." Chakwas begins to explain her outburst, referring to how badly she handled everything with Shepard and what was going on with the Commander. "I can't lose her again Steven. Between her and Liara they are the closest thing I will ever have to my own children." As she tries to swallow back the tears that are threatening to fall the doctor hears her long time friend reassure her.

"Karin its alright...I have faith in you that you will find a cure for Shepard." Hoping his friend believes his words he continues. " Look, I know all of this has been a lot for everyone to handle...we all need a break. It feels like we jumped from one war to another, except now where not shooting at an enemy but we're still fighting for our lives. I wish there was something else but with Earth's atmosphere deteriorating we are forced to continue on with this mission of relocating the remaining Human population. Even if it were possible to turn around the remaining Quarian ships we would not be as successful in obtaining the amount of people we were able to get off of Earth. Once someone finds out about the Quib Quib and goes public, no one will trust getting onto a Quarian ship...so this has to continue. The one thing I can do is make Horizon a mandatory area for shore leave after this is complete...for everyone. It's the best I can offer."

X

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X

"Tevos we need to talk!" Aethyta nearly yells, walking past the Councilors assistant, ignoring the Maiden telling her she couldn't go in the office...that the Councilor was on a vid chat.

"Matriarch Aethyta, what can I do for you?" Tevos calmly says. She had been friends with the elder Asari for years and knew how brash she was. She didn't mind the intrusion into her office in the least but knew the other Asari she was on a vid call with would be less than amused at the interruption. Aria always wanted their conversations to be private for obvious reasons and she normally disconnected immediately if someone tried to come in but she currently didn't have enough time to do so.

Tevos was happy that the rift between Aethyta, Benezia and Aria didn't hurt her and Aethyta's relationship much but seeing the look on the elder Asari's face of pure anger now starts to bring that statement into question. At least they could be in the same room together and act as civil as possible. It had been hard for both of the Asari initially to work together with the memories it brought about but both knew that neither one was really responsible for the past. Before Aethyta can continue, Aria speaks up.

"Ah Aethyta, Athame must be looking down upon me... This is twice in less than a month I've had the privilege of seeing you. And to be working with my bondmate...oh how blessed I feel." Sarcasm lacing the queen of omegas words. She had planned on disconnecting when the unknown Asari came barging into her lovers office until she heard the voice of her former friend. She initially became amused at how aggravated her old friend seemed to be and was hoping for a show.

"Aria, blow me." Aethyta retorts, then turning her attention to the councilor who is trying in vain to keep a smile from forming. "You mind telling me why I'm finding out after the fact that the shipment of solar power converters and water treatment systems that the Alliance was supposed to deliver got canceled?"

Before the question could be answered by the Councilor, Aria interrupts again and quickly tries to end her call.

"Well, I know when I'm being ignored and bored...so ladies I must take my leave... I have a meeting soon and..."

"You disconnect that call and I'll come to Omega and break your one rule. I'm not done with you yet."

"Oh, now this is exciting...threats, drama and intrigue. My three favorite things behind murder, money and sex. Get on with it then you old crone."

"Again, blow me!" Aethyta stares daggers at T'Loak. Turning her attention back to Tevos she continues. "I'm waiting councilor!"

Not wanting to have this discussion with Aethyta mainly due to the fact that the shipment and the reasons behind its cancellation had nothing to do with the highly agitated Matriarch. Still, though there was a mutual respect and the councilor figures Aethyta would find out an answer eventually.

"Aethyta, while I appreciate your concern, this matter is not apart of your job description. I have made the decision and the Matriarchs agree with me. We have the opportunity to be as self-sufficient as we can be. Other races are hurting just as much as we are if not more and this is a time when we should rise up and rebuild Thessia on our own. To show the other races that we are still as dominant as we once were and allow the other less fortunate to use the resources instead of... "

"It's happening again isn't it? You assholes are worried about our secrets getting out and your not going to accept the help the humans are offering!" She pauses for a moment in order to try and relax to no avail, she takes a deep breath and continues. "Do I have to remind you what happened the last time you morons did this!" Aethyta was beyond pissed at this point. Not only did she have to look at Aria but the Asari leaders were apparently repeating the mistakes of the war.

"It has nothing to do with what you are saying. We have other avenues we are looking into with regards to the assistance we are accepting."

"What does that even mean?" The matriarch asks completely dumbfounded. "Why would we look elsewhere when help is..." As realization struck the anger Aethyta continues to feel grows that much more and it takes all of her restraint to not flip over the desk. Looking at both Asari quickly her emotions erupt and she can feel a blood rage coming to the surface.

"That's what this is... isn't it?" She asks in disbelief, voice getting louder with each word. "This isn't a private call at all, is it?" Receiving no answer she screams out her next words. "Do not fucking tell me you two are having secret back door deals so Aria can make money and Tevos, you can what exactly!? Save face with those old bitches on the hill that managed to survive this goddess forsaken war? So when the time comes you can continue to hold your spot on the council? Goddess, why the fuck did Shepard save you?"

"Calm down Aethyta!" Aria yells back. "Why are you getting so mad at this when for centuries you were the one to suggest we pull away and be self-sufficient and build our own Mass Relays every time the matriarchs had a meeting? Everything isn't black and white like you see it...the humans are being compensated so don't get your panties in a twist. The remaining matriarch leaders are still stuck in the old ways just like you were and will never allow our people to be helped by outside sources, not officially... We have been the dominant race for centuries, so allowing a new race like the humans to aid us will be considered beneath us. You know this... This will give us the opportunity to help ourselves and then be there to assist other races... And as far as where the money goes, what do you care?"

"I was wrong, Aria. I was obviously wrong to think that we could survive without assistance." Aethyta says as she begins to think back to how upset she used to get at the meetings with the other matriarchs all those years ago. What Aria had said was true and it distracted her for a moment and the elder Asari commando needed to get back to the topic at hand.

Feeling her anger grow again she continues. "There are two things I don't do." Aethyta begins. "One, is I don't get hangovers from drinking ryncol and two, I don't listen to anyone who tells me to calm down and then says something as idiotic as what I just heard. Now you both listen to me...this conversation between you two didn't happen and neither did the deal you have, because if I hear of anyone else's assistance being turned away, I swear to Athame I'll pull all the commandos from your security detail and allow all of those contracts on your head to be carried out, councilor. And then I'll find the biggest ship I can steal and turn Omega into a fucking dust cloud." The matriarch finishes turning her attention to Aria.

All of her stress, frustrations and emotions coming out with each word and for the first time in a long time she felt... better. The two Asari's in front of her needed to hear what she had to say, both needed to be taken off of their pedestals. Now it was just a question of how to convince the rest of the Asari leaders or simply have them removed.

"Aethyta my hands are tied with this." Tevos begins to say. "The help we did receive from the humans was unknown to our matriarch leaders, initially. They got wind of it and in order to save face I had to come up with an excuse as to why I allowed it...like Aria said we are still allowing outside help as well as offering what we can." Tevos explains to the Matriarch trying to get her to see what was happening and if she was lucky, drop the subject all together.

She wasn't normally one to pull rank but Aethyta had crossed the line with what she had just said and needed to be reminded who she was talking to. "And as far as threatening me, it was entirely uncalled for and I don't know where this is coming from or what has gotten you so upset but if your going to stand here in my office and make idle threats I'll remove you from..." Tevos tries to say.

"I told her everything." Aethyta growls out, interrupting the Asari councilor.

Receiving a confused look from the other two Asari, Aethyta continues. "I just got done telling Liara all about what happened with us all those years ago, just so she would take her mind off of the fact that Shepard may be dying so I'm in no mood to deal with your shit. And before you ask, no I don't know what is wrong with her, but if nothing else you owe her...You both do...You owe it to Liara and especially Shepard to continue what she did to save all of us, and that is to continue to stay united. She united the galaxy and squashed century old quarrels and saved your worthless asses." The matriarch pauses for a moment to allow her words to sink in. "We need help not whatever you two are doing, so if our elders are still blind to that fact then maybe all of our leaders need to be removed because we won't survive long enough to try and dominate the galaxy." Her last words said in order to mock the Omega Queen and for a moment a flash of sadness crosses over Aria and Tevos's features at the mention of that time. Aethyta can only hope that what she has just said makes a difference as she walks out the door.

X

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"Oriana, what have you found?" Miranda asks as the vid chat connects and her sister's face becomes visible. It had only been a few hours since she arrived at the Shepard/T'Soni home and Miranda was happy to hear from her younger sister. She had been worried that the shuttle travelling away from the Normandy would have attracted attention but luckily Oriana was not followed.

Knowing that her sister was safe the older Lawson had been deep in her research in order take her mind off of everything. Her and EDI had been looking for a location of where the signal ended that had been sending the information on Shepard. They had also been looking into the whereabouts of the experiment the Cerberus doctor had been conducting to save her child. Eventually her and EDI were able to find an entire cache of information regarding the Cerberus project that doctor Gallagher had started in some old Cerberus files that they uncovered. It seemed to be an odd coincidence that the information she was looking for had been so easily accessible but Miranda was too tired to argue. She was relieved in a way that there was anything to find at all but that did not make any of it easier. They still needed to find the exact location and see if it even worked.

"Hey Miri, yes actually I do have the results. It appears we were correct with what's happening to Shepard. The injections that she was given were supposed to be based on a sustained release system, normally tied to encapsulated pills but this is something I've never seen before."

Oriana went on to say that the serum had been working exactly as it was designed to. It attached itself to her hearts implant and pushed out small doses over the course of the short amount of time into her blood stream but when she was shot it caused an arrhythmia to develop and eventually the shock to her system counteracted the drugs time release technology and pushed a large dose she had been injected with into her blood stream. She continued to explain how the implants that Miranda had designed and surgically installed were slowing the process and that is why she seemed to be getting better. It wasn't until she heard the news of the Quib Quib explosion that there seemed to be another spike and her heart rate became erratic causing another rush of the drug and her to pass out. Oriana had been looking into the drugs chemical make-up and found that in small doses as it was designed to be administered it was harmful but not deadly. Having a large amount introduced into the blood stream was toxic and would have killed most people in an instant so Shepard is just lucky she isn't like any other human. She continued on telling her sister how the drug worked and whomever designed it was a genius. Even with that being true the work her and her sister had done was in essence saving the Commanders life for the time being.

"Like I said the implants and nanites are helping but its not enough. Her brain activity is beginning to be affected and the tissue is beginning to deteriorate...she has more time then we thought but not much. I fear if she has one more episode where her heart rate spikes for any reason it may cause her to fall into a coma that she may never be able to recover from. I'm in the process of creating a treatment to counteract, or I should say slow down the process but even if it works she could still become brain-dead before I can come up with something more permanent."

Seeing the dejected look come over her sisters features she can only shake her head and sigh. Removing herself emotionally from the entire situation had been easy for her, she had no attachment to the patient. Not nearly as much as everyone else involved anyway. Oriana knew this was difficult for her sister but she had to try and move past her friendship she has with her patient and focus.

"Miri, we need to help her as soon as we can so if you found anything please let me know."

She was exhausted and needed rest but her sleep deprivation that had now gone past the thirty six hour mark seemed to be in the process of continuing well past two days. Williams had just been put on quarters by Chakwas and her and Joker were in charge of the ship and with the mission still happening there were no signs of her being able to get some rest.

The remaining Quarian vessels had begun to finally come through the relay with little to no issues. Admiral Raan had ordered all of the remaining Quarian ships shudders and any outside ports to be blocked off and closed and if anyone were to ask about the debris they were told that it was from the war. Everyone was getting anxious about the already long wait and with each ships successful relay jump, Raan didn't want to have a million plus people begin to panic if they saw the wreckage. It was reported that the Quib Quib had returned to Ranoch and a future meeting between all in charge during the incident was called after the humans were dropped off, so an investigation into what happened could be conducted. The second wave of Quarian vessels had begun to return from Earth with more passengers from the dying planet, which took some stress off but nothing was ever as simple as it should be.

Everything seemed to be on schedule with the humans beginning to set up temporary shelters on Horizon. Even though the Alliance soldiers had been granted leave they first needed to do a sweep of the area as well as set up a base camp that surrounded the civilian shelters. Even with the low possibility of threats remaining, caution was taken due to pirates and looters attacking them and since the Alliance soldiers were distracted some over zealous humans took it upon themselves to lay claim to certain prefab homes, without consulting the Alliance first. This was going to happen eventually, each family receiving rights to a home but the Alliance wanted to make sure all of the homes that were there were sterilized and free of anything leftover from the war, namely bodies. Unfortunately fights began to break out between the civilians and the soldiers on the ground had to keep the safety of everyone top priority so the fighting that was happening was not making their jobs easy.

The majority of everyone on the planet had been on edge. Either the Marines because they lost their friends or the civilians who had been trapped on board a cramped ship for the last few hours so tensions were high. This was just one of the different problems Miranda had to deal with while trying to make sure all of the soldiers received their much deserved rest, she just didn't know when it would happen. This along with the research she was doing for Shepard, her lack of sleep and talking to Garrus moments ago, finding out about Tali's condition, all combined to cause the normally unshakeable woman to finally lock her door so she could be left alone for a moment.

She didn't mind the interruption by her sister but had hoped to hear something positive for the first time in a while. Oriana felt confident in her ability to come up with a temporary fix but that's all it was. She wanted to go over what she found but was too exhausted to go into any sort of detail so asked the one thing she could think of.

"Will Shepard wake up again?"

Smiling, Oriana nods and confirms her sisters worry. "She's up now actually."

X

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"God Liara, how many times are you going to have to see me in sealed box?"

Shepard had woken up a short time after Oriana concluded her examination. She was initially groggy and sitting up posed a slight problem but after a moment and with Liara's assistance the Commander was able to move from the Med Bed to her actual bed. After Oriana had gone over what she had found with Liara, the Asari wanted to tell her lover what was happening and what steps were needed to be taken. To the Asari's surprise Kerry didn't want to know, being content with laying in their bed holding each other. After a few moments though Shepard could almost hear the wheels turning in the Asari's mind, wanting desperately to go over everything they knew thus far. As much as Shepard wanted to lie there a while longer in their own private ignorant bliss, she also knew her Bondmate needed to discuss what was wrong.

Looking into those blue eyes is something she hopes to never get used to but the sadness in them is almost too much to look at. Guilt starts to overtake Shepard's thoughts with everything that had, and was continuing to happen. Kerry's life may have gotten better since meeting her Asari on Therum but what did Liara's life turn into? Her mother was dead, her career as an archeologist and scholar put on hold with her becoming an information broker and a trained killer, and be responsible for a project that was supposed to destroy the Reapers. She had already mourned the loss of her first and only lover long before most Asari had even begun to settle down.

Kerry wondered how many times did Liara look at her, Miranda or even Joker and be brought back to that time? To have to risk her own life countless times to save a body, only to have to hand it over to the enemy and given possible false hope that she could be brought back. Having to witness the remains of the woman she loved be escorted away with the possibility of never seeing her again, succumbing to the pain that Shepard's loss caused and becoming set on revenge. Now having the possibility of mourning her all over again and when Shepard began to think about it she realized one thing and that all of Liara's pain was because of the human sitting in front of her...all because of her.

Pushing the dark thoughts away for the moment she can see the reaction from her poorly timed joke has hit a nerve and smiles apologetically. "Too soon?"

"A little, yes. How do you feel...are you in any pain?"

"Just a little tired but no pain. So what's wrong with me this time?"

Seeing the somber expression on the Asari's face as Liara explains everything Shepard runs her hand across a blue cheek wiping away a stray tear. Being able to feel her lovers touch again is a blessing for them both, thinking Shepard may die so soon after getting back into each others life again... There had to be a light at the end of this dark tunnel they both found themselves in, but where did it end was another question entirely.

Leaning into the humans hand, closing her eyes softly purring, it takes all of the Asari's restraint to not tackle her lover. They both missed the intimate times they spent together, they couldn't get enough and even though it had only been a few days since Shepard collapsed, following the advice from Oriana about not raising the Commanders heart rate was becoming difficult to listen to.

Watching Liara's reaction to the simple gesture only solidifies her feelings for her blue angel even more. To have this beautiful person sitting here with her, loving her, going to the ends of the galaxy in order to do whatever it takes to help her again, makes Kerry love her that much more. It begins to erase some of the guilt the human had been feeling and only pushes the stubborn human to want to survive that much more so she can give Liara the life she deserves. The more Shepard thought about it the luckier she felt, knowing that it may have been a long hard fought road with death marring most of the memories they each have, but they wouldn't be where they are today if not for the paths they each traveled.

Wanting to be closer and to feel more, it takes most of Shepard's strength as she sits up to kiss her lover deeply. She can feel the fatigue setting in as soon as their lips meet and she quickly and reluctantly pulls away, laying back and taking a few deep breaths.

"Dammit I cant even kiss you!" Anger and frustration laced in her words but she doesn't want to worry Liara anymore than she already is so taking another deep calming breath she takes a blue hand in her own and lightly kisses it, still trying to show as much affection as she can. Knowing Liara did not want to her exert herself too much, she does all that her body is allowing her to do and gently pulls Liara back down to lay with her.

Resting her head on Shepard's chest Liara tenses up after a moment of listening to her loves labored breaths and irregular heart beats. Sitting up in a panic she begins calling for Oriana.

"Liara wait...I'm ok..." Pulling the now visibly upset and shaking Asari back down on the bed so she can look her in the eyes. Holding her hands, Shepard continues. "I don't understand all of the details with what's happening to me but I know you're doing what you can. But so is everyone else so I want you to promise me something."

"Anything." Liara says barely above a whisper, tensing up a little more at what her lovers promise may entail.

"We've already discussed what's happening and hopefully we will no where to go soon so please promise me you won't get caught up in this. I don't want you dwelling on any of this anymore than you already have...I know how you think because I do it too, so stop thinking about the worst scenario...we need to enjoy our time together."

Receiving a nod and a small smile from the enchanting Asari sitting in front of her she sits up and kisses Liara again. She couldn't help how she felt about Liara and to know that they both survived the war, were together and having a child continued to bring emotions out of the Commander that she had never felt before and rather than pushing them away like she normally did, decided to embrace what she felt. Ever since they met each other the Commanders life had changed for the better in every aspect.

Hearing a knock at the door brings them both out of their trance. Turning to see Oriana smiling at the couple they nod when she asks to come in.

"Did Miranda say where we needed to go?" Liara asks before the younger human reaches the side of the bed to look over the machine that was monitoring Shepard's vitals.

"She did...we have to go back to Earth but I think your needed on the Normandy first...Tali survived but it's not good."