The rumble of conversation had declined to a low murmur.

Most of the Normandy crew had already left the party. Some departed alone, previously made plans calling them elsewhere. Some left in pairs, in a quest for another kind of companionship. Some, like Lieutenant Pressly, had chosen to accept the company of one of Sha'ira's acolytes. Despite their sharply diminished numbers, Shepard was enjoying some long overdue relaxation in the company of her crew.

Considering how poorly her day had begin, the spectre was in a remarkably good mood. Exceptional food, pleasant company, and cleaning out some of her colleagues at poker had all combined to lift her spirits. The maelstrom of frustration she'd experienced throughout the day was a swiftly receding memory. The Consort had outdone herself. Despite Liara's assurances, the commander had been hesitant to accept the invitation, but knew it wouldn't be fair to her crew. Most would never have the opportunity to experience the Consort's hospitality. She grinned at the thought. She might have faced a mutiny at declining the invitation.

Regardless of her expectation, Shepard was willing to admit that the evening had gone well. It had even been enjoyable. Certainly the occasion had come with none of the tension she'd experienced the first time she's met Sha'ira. Unusually for her, she'd felt no desire to withdraw, to keep herself apart. In fact, she'd never so much as touched her second scotch, still sitting before her.

Not that things couldn't be better, mind you. For example, if Liara had elected to sit beside her on the couch. That would be an improvement.

Liara however had elected to sit in the chair to the commander's left. The high backed, duchess style chair fit her like a throne. The maiden looked regal against the deep red fabric, even with her legs tucked up under her. With Liara occupying one, Shepard finally understood the design of the seat's curling back; to accommodate an Asari crest. The commander's eyes swept the room in lazy curiosity. She realized the duchess chairs were the only seating with high backs. The rest of the furniture were of similar styles, in the prevailing color scheme of royal reds and deep purples, but none rose so tall as to interfere with a crest. It made sense, she acknowledged. Experience had taught the spectre that the crest wasn't rigid, but one had to be careful. It only had so much give, only in certain directions, and it was incredibly sensitive. She smiled at the memory.

Regardless of how well the chair fit the young scientist, looking at the maiden only intensified her awareness of the empty spot on the couch. Now that her crew was cognizant of the nature of her and Liara's relationship, Shepard wanted to make up for lost time in spending time with the attractive Asari. She cast about for ways to indicate Liara join her, without seeming too obvious.

"Where will you go now?" The dulcet tones of Liara's voice brought Shepard back into the moment. She blinked as she tried to catch up with the conversation. Fortunately, the maiden wasn't talking to her. That meant Shepard was saved from embarrassment of having to admit she's been staring at Liara but not listening. The Asari was holding her tea up to her lips, but her eyes were on Wrex. The Krogan was reclining on the chaise lounge across from Shepard, one of Sha'ira's acolytes collecting the assortment of empty ryncol shots piled in front of him.

"Omega." If the Krogan was drunk, it didn't show in the firm resonance of his voice. Then again, it had taken a four day bender to put him down the last time. "I took a contract. There's someone I have to take care of there."

That focused Sarah's attention. "What? Wrex, please tell me you're not taking hits."

"Ha!" The playfulness in his voice was genuine. God, she never thought she'd find a Krogan so adorable. "No, Shepard. Don't worry your altruistic head. When I said I have someone to take care of, I meant it. It's a protection contract, not a hit. I took it when I found out that the Normandy wasn't going back out for a couple of months. Thought I'd need the money. It never occurred to me that I was actually going to get paid for this job." He raised his glass to the commander. "I've had more than a few contracts where the client tried to renege on their commitment." He threw his shot back, and slammed the glass on the table between them. "This is the first time I've ever been unexpectedly paid."

Shepard grinned at the Krogan. "You're welcome, but it wasn't me. I couldn't afford a long weekend at your rates." She pointed at Liara, slightly disappointed when she received an acknowledging nod in return, instead of the hoped-for blush. "Liara took care of it with her money,"

"Our money, Shepard," the maiden interjected, before taking another sip of tea.

"T'Soni money," Shepard corrected, "when it became apparent that getting the Alliance to pay everyone as a contractor was going to be more trouble than it was worth. You've all done so much, and there's still so much to do. If paying everyone for their time makes the difference in keeping our team together, I'd have robbed a bank if I'd had to."

"Well, we all appreciate it." Garrus' comforting rumble came from Shepard's right. "Again, you've proven that even when the rest of the galaxy couldn't care less, we can count on you to have our backs."

"Yes, thank you Shepard," added Tali. "That fact that you've done so much, and afterwards were still concerned enough to make sure that we were taken care of..."

"Whoa there. Slow down a minute." Shepard put her hands up to ward off the appreciation fest. "Like I said, it was the least I could do, the least we could do." Shepard waved her hand indicating herself and Liara. "The Alliance should have done more for each of you, or in their absence, the Council could have gotten off their ass. Unfortunately, while being a spectre has some undeniable perquisites, a generous compensation plan isn't one of them. Anything I don't get from the Alliance I have to scare up on my own. If it weren't for Liara, all I could offer would be my gratitude."

Wrex threw back another shot of Ryncol. "You kept me supplied with food, weapons, and any number of worthy adversaries. I've done far more dishonorable work for much less in return. I was already going to come back to fight with you. You have strong enemies."

"Hear, hear," Kaidan raised his glass from his position between the commander and Tali. "I get an Alliance paycheck, but that's not why I'm here. I'm with you all the way Shepard, however it turns out."

"Where are you going for now, Lieutenant?" Liara posed the same question as to Wrex earlier. "How will you spend the next two months?"

Kaidan paused for a moment before responding. "Earth. I want to see my parents, and I haven't been home in a while. Hopefully my dad can get some leave and we can spend a little bit of time together." He took a drink of his water. "After that, the Academy has a class in xeno poli-sci that I'd like to audit. It's only 6 weeks, but the timing would let me get back to Arcturus before the Board of Inspection releases the Normandy to the commander."

"Is that Major Berg's class?" asked Shepard.

"It is. Have you taken it?" Kaidan answered.

"No, but I've audited it too. He's an incredible lecturer, but the research load..." Shepard trailed off. "Let's just say that when you take it for credit, don't take any other classes, and take it while you're on leave."

Kaidan considered. "It sounds like I might want to take it for credit now. I may not get another opportunity like this one." The lieutenant appeared concerned about his original decision.

"I would. If you need a letter from your CO to facilitate an override, just let me know. Berg's a hardass, but he knows the score. He'll let someone override into a full session if he knows they're active duty."

"Thanks Commander. I might have just eliminated the possibility of any fun until we're back to the fight, but if he's as tough as you say, I'd better make the most of the opportunity."

Liara had watched the two Alliance officers go back and forth about Kaidan's plan. The look on her face told Shepard that the Asari had never imagined the spectre in the contextof an educational setting. Shepard allowed herself a small smile. 'And here I thought she'd done all her research.'

The discussion about Kaidan's plans seemingly drawn to a close, Liara continued her inquiries. "And you, Garrus? How will you spend your downtime? Will you remain on the Citadel?"

Garrus' flaring mandibles indicated the humor behind his words. "As much as I'd like to continue to have my daily debriefings with the councilor and the ambassador, I'm headed to Palaven. I want to spend some time with my mother and sister. Unfortunately, my father has already set up more debriefings with several officers in the Hierarchy. Just a waste of time, of course. Since no one on the Citadel believed me, I don't expect anyone on the homeworld to. The ambassador didn't and she could see Sovereign by looking out a damn window."

Liara nodded. "Yes, the council has done a remarkable job of influencing opinion without specifically denying the Reaper threat. It does not hurt that the reality of the situation is so outlandish. The Geth are a known quantity, and it is easy to convince the populace that the Geth are the true threat, even though most people have never actually seen a Geth."

"It isn't helping my people either, Liara," chimed in Tali. "Not that Quarians have ever really been welcome on the Citadel, but with all the destruction being blamed on the Geth... Let's just say that with no Geth present to be the target of everyone's anger, we've become a convenient scapegoat."

"That's one of the reasons I worked to get her to stay at the embassy," added Garrus. "Unfortunately I couldn't get her granted asylum. Her government isn't the problem, it's ours. So I played the 'do we really want to be responsible if one of Shepard's crew gets beat up on the Citadel' card." He hummed to himself in satisfaction. "Thank the spirits the ambassador's an honorable woman even if she does refuse to believe her own eyes. She knew what I was doing, but let me get away with it anyway."

"And he's been kind enough to take me with him when he goes to Palaven," added Tali. "Not that I really want to impose, but I can't stay here. Without somewhere to go I'd have to return to the flotilla."

Shepard leaned forward at that. "If you don't want to go Tali, you're welcome to come with us. We're probably going to be fairly busy, but at least you'd be safe."

"I can only imagine how 'busy' you're going to be Shepard," Tali practically purred through her suit, as she indicated both the commander and Liara, "but I'll be fine. Besides, I've never been to Palaven." She sat back, afraid she had offended. "Not that Thessia wasn't nice Liara, it's just that when we were there, everything was so depressing... I'm going to shut up now."

Shepard smiled disarmingly at her uncomfortable friend. "I just want to make sure you're going to be taken care of. If that's on Palaven, great. I hope to make it there myself someday. Just remember that no matter what happens, you'll always have a place with me." She swept the group with her eyes to include them all, "And that's not just Tali, that's everyone. We have a long way to go, but we're going to get there together."

Tali's voice carried her obvious relief. "So, is Thessia your plan then Shepard?"

The commander glanced back at Liara before answering. "Looks that way. Neither the Council nor the Alliance seems to be willing to listen to us, but we're going to do what we can to at least get Armali somewhat prepared for the Reapers. I can't imagine what we could do in the way of defenses, but maybe we can get at least some people to a safe place. The galaxy's pretty big and there are a lot of unregistered colonies out there."

"Actually," added Liara, "I was hoping I could convince the commander to take a small detour before we went back to the estate."

Shepard chuckled. "Are you still thinking about that? Intai'sei just doesn't seem all that interesting to me Liara, but if you really want to go, I guess a couple of days in the middle of nowhere aren't going to hurt."

Tali clapped her hands. "Shepard! I can't believe that you were going to deny Liara a romantic getaway."

"There's nothing romantic about sand in my boots Tali, but if Liara wants to go that badly..."

"You should make recordings for a travel VI, Shepard," Liara teased the commander. "As appealing as you make Intai'sei sound, they'll be flooded with tourists in no time. However, that was not the destination that I had in mind."

"Oh?" Shepard wiggled her eyebrows. "Someplace more romantic than a prefab in the middle of the desert?"

Liara's voice was softer this time, with a touch of yearning. "I was hoping, that since you have seen where I grew up, that I could see..."

"No." The word passed from Shepard's lips with as much thought as breathing. There was no consideration at all.

The maiden took as deep breath, having prepared for this response. "Shepard, it is part of who you are."

"Part of who I was, and that part died a long time ago. I don't miss it. I haven't been back to Mindoir since I was old enough to sign the paperwork to take over the farm. I never planned to go back again." Shepard's tone was as rigid as the posture she had assumed.

"Shepard..."

"I think I'm done for the evening." Kaidan stood, obviously not wanting to be around for what looked like might develop into a stunning argument. "Commander, everyone, it's been a wonderful evening. I'll see all of you in 8 weeks." The lieutenant drew himself to attention, and saluted the commander before leaving.

The commander waved off Kaidan's salute before returning her attention to the Asari. "Liara, I understand why you want to do this, why you think I need to do this, but I don't. That part of my life is behind me. Completely."

"Shepard," Liara's tone was firm, even as she lowered her voice. "It is not behind you. That part of your life is why you resent the Alliance so, why you dare your colleagues to strike out at you."

Shepard's voice was a blast of ice. "If you think I'm angry at the Alliance because of what the Batarians did, you're mistaken. I'm mad at the Batarians for that. I'm angry at my parents for putting us on a colony in the Traverse and then pretending it was safe. Trust me Liara, the Alliance earned my resentment all by themselves."

"Goodnight everyone!" Garrus added a false cheer to his voice as he stood. "We have a long way to go tomorrow. Can't be out too late! It was great to get everyone together." He made quickly for the door, Tali hurrying after without having a chance to articulate her own farewells.

As one Shepard and Liara turned to face Wrex, who grinned as he looked back in return. "Don't worry about me. It'd be worth getting caught in the crossfire. I always wondered who would win between you two." He took another shot as he looked the pair over. "No armor? Only a sidearm? Biotics or no, my credits are on Blue."

Liara made a noise of exasperation as she stood and grabbed Shepard by the wrist. "We can finish this back at the ship."

The commander remained obstinate even as she was pulled to her feet. "It's already finished Liara. I'll go anywhere else you want. Anywhere at all, but I am not going to Mindoir."

Wrex's eyes followed them as he started to stand. "Wait!" he bellowed.

Human and Asari turned as one, Liara still holding Shepard's wrist.

The Krogan shook his glass. "Does that mean no more drinks?"

Liara put her free hand to her forehead as she closed her eyes in frustration. "We have the suite all night Wrex. You can drink until dawn."

He sat heavily back into his lounge. "That's all I needed to hear. Enjoy your fight!"

"We are not fighting, Wrex. We are having a discussion."

"And we are not going to Mindoir!" added the Commander.

"Yes you are," murmured the Krogan as he watched Liara pull Shepard out of sight. He raised his empty. "Hey! Thirsty Krogan here!"

An acolyte swiftly came with more drinks.

o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"Alien vessel, you have entered Mindoir space. State your business."

Zelana looked up at Shepard from her flight couch. "They can hear you, Commander."

Shepard looked down at the pilot and nodded. The commander had taken care to not let her annoyance with Liara influence her interaction with the crew of the Petite'aile. The effort required to do so had lessened greatly during the journey. Her irritation had faded nearly to nothing over the four days it had taken to travel to Mindoir. She had to admit it to herself, she just couldn't stay angry at the maiden. Not that she had really tried. "Mindoir control, this is the private vessel Petite'aile, en route to DuBois spaceport."

The response was immediate. "Negative Petite'aile, you are not cleared. Alien ships are to land at the Alliance garrison in Rousseau for search and customs."

Shepard shook her head even though the controller couldn't see her. "Mindoir control, this is Commander Shepard aboard the Petite'aile. This is a private vessel and we have nothing to declare. Please confirm clearance to DuBois."

"Denied Shepard, if that's really who you are. The Petite'aile is an alien vessel, and our procedures are not subject to debate."

The commander felt Liara's hand on her shoulder even as she kept herself calm. The man was just doing his job, although he seemed to be throwing the rudeness in for free. "The Petite'aile is a private vessel, albeit of Asari design. Is there a reason why you would make a citizen, resident, and landowner on Mindoir lose a day to unnecessary protocols? Rousseau is on the other side of the damn planet from our destination."

"If you're really Shepard, then you know why."

Shepard drew her thumb across her throat, eliciting a confused look from Zelana. Liara stepped up from where she had come up behind Shepard, reaching beyond Zelana and touching a control. "She meant for you to mute the transmission."

Sarah gave the maiden a grateful look even as she turned her attention back to Zelana. "Is there much traffic in system?"

A quick glance at the sensors allowed the pilot to provide Shepard the answer she sought. "Very little Commander. I detect a handful of sub orbital shuttles, a few private yachts, perhaps two dozen freighters. Typical levels for a colony this size."

"Any Alliance traffic?"

Zelana returned her attention to her sensors. "I read SSV Dunkirk in low orbit, just over the planetary horizon, 34 degrees from current course."

"Thanks Zelana. Could you turn the mic back on?" Shepard waited while the pilot did so. "Mindoir control, this is the private vessel Petite'aile again, this time requesting permission to rendezvous with the Dunkirk." Zelana transmitted their desired vector of approach.

The silence was longer this time. "Granted Petite'aile. Dunkirk has been informed and approves. I hope you don't think they're going to override civilian control on your behalf."

Shepard laughed. "I'm counting on it. This system is still under Alliance strategic interdiction. They can supersede you any time they want, and I plan to ask very politely. Petite'aile out."

Liara waited until her pilot had cut the transmission. "He was not very nice."

Shepard sighed. "It isn't any worse than I expected. Nonhumans aren't all that popular on Mindoir."

"I understand. I would be surprised if they were. Do you believe the Dunkirk will approve a landing at the civilian spaceport?"

"They'd better. The Alliance doesn't have any issue with reaching out every time they need someone to fix their problems. They can do me a favor for a change." She turned her attention back to the pilot. "Zelana, could you please make your way to the Dunkirk? Open a tightbeam once we have line of sight."

"We're in line of sight now Commander. Opening transmission."

The voice was obviously that of a young officer. "SSV Dunkirk. How may we assist?"

"Dunkirk, this is the private vessel Petite'aile. Is Captain Watkins available?"

"One moment Petite'aile." There was a brief pause. "This is Dunkirk actual," an older, deeper voice came across the comm this time.

"Addison! It's Shepard!" The commander filled her voice with joyful overtones for the benefit of the Alliance captain. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor..."

o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Captain Watkins had indeed intervened on their behalf, and Shepard found herself standing alongside Liara's ship looking out at the city she promised she'd never visit again. She closed her eyes as she repeated to herself the mantra that had gotten her through their approach. 'It's just another mission, it's just another mission.' It wasn't, but maybe she could still convince herself. She knew that Liara would be able to feel her uneasiness. Maybe that would keep the Asari from pressing too hard, from looking for too many answers. Maybe they could even be gone from here before very many people knew she was on Mindoir.

Some things had gone her way. She'd called ahead before leaving the Citadel. The house would be stocked and clean. Bobby wasn't on the planet, thank God. That was a meeting she did not need to have. Mindoir lived up to the stereotype of keeping a secret on a small colony. The Foundation had called her before they'd made it as far as the Widow relay, asking if she could come by, perhaps spend some time with the children. She'd promised to do what she could. She was torn between not wanting to visit without inviting Liara, and not wanting to expose Liara to any potential racism she might experience while in DuBois.

The sound of approaching footsteps prompted her to turn in time to see Liara's approach, framed against the low hanging sun. The sky was less lavender than Thessia, perhaps a bit darker blue than the maiden she was looking at. For Shepard however, it was simply "the sky". This is the color the sky had always been to her. Other worlds' skies were more orange or more yellow than "normal". Sometimes their skies were not blue enough. Even Earth's sky hadn't given Shepard the feeling of correctness that came with being on Mindoir. Seeing Liara poised against the horizon in the distance, for the first time in a while Shepard felt she was looking at a sky that was "just right".

"Mindoir is lovely Shepard, although a little cooler than I expected. Is it winter here?"

"You're comparing it to Thessia. It's late summer in the southern hemisphere. They're about two thirds of the way through the growing season on this part of the planet."

"This is summer?"

"You'll feel it later. It's just after dawn, but it's going to warm up soon." She looked appraisingly at the maiden. "Do you need a jacket?"

The Asari shook her head. "I wondered why there were so few people about." The maiden looked around the spaceport. "In fact, I see very few people. Shouldn't there be someone to meet us?"

"Who, Liara?" Shepard shook her head. "This isn't Armali. Almost all the traffic out of Mindoir is bulk freight. This is an agricultural colony." She waved at Eliata and Teseka, visible in the near distance. "Besides, you just had four Asari commandos establish a perimeter around the ship. I'm thinking any curious folks are going to wait for us to come to them."

"It was standard procedure Shepard."

"On Thessia, sure," she paused. "Look, I'm sorry, but aliens aren't all that popular here." She grinned to lighten the message, "Not even the beautiful ones. On the other hand, the Alliance isn't all that popular either. I don't want to stay in the city. The Dunkirk has confirmed my identity. You're all nonresident aliens in the company of a landowning citizen. A citizen who also happens to be an officer in the Alliance. We're about as cleared as cleared can be. We don't need to wait for the customs office to open."

"All right, Shepard." Liara nodded. "Back on the ship then?"

Shepard barked a laugh. "Only if you want to get shot down by the orbital defenses. Mindoir's pretty paranoid about nonhuman ships if you couldn't tell from the welcoming tone of traffic control. We'll need to go to the terminal to rent a couple of cars." She pointed to a low rise building off in the distance, about half a kilometer from the ship.

Liara's gaze followed the direction Shepard pointed. "Cars? Should we not rent a shuttle? We could not fit ten people and our luggage into two cars."

"I don't think the ship should stay here Liara."

The maiden took a step closer to Shepard. "You really believe it is that unsafe?" Her eyes scanned their surroundings for threats.

"No, not really, but why risk it?" When Liara's look still indicated confusion, she continued. "I know I'm being overly cautious, but you heard the traffic controller. He wasn't quite hostile, but he sure wasn't happy to see us." She pointed to the Petite'aile behind her on the apron they'd been assigned. "I'd rather not leave our ride sitting here acting as a temptation for someone who has a problem with nonhumans, and I definitely don't want to risk leaving anyone behind to defend it. The ship can be replaced, people can't. We're not going to be here very long. Eliata and her team can come with us, and the ship can wait in orbit with everyone else."

"The ship can still be a target in orbit, Shepard."

"A mobile target, and I doubt anyone is going to do something stupid with the Dunkirk up there. Here, she's a temptation, and a stationary one to anybody with a grudge and a grenade."

"I am starting question my rationale for this visit."

"That's not what I was trying for, but you're right, this was your idea."

Liara straightened, a resolute look settling over her features. "This is your home, Shepard. I defer to your judgement, of course. We should secure transportation. Where would you like to go first?"

"This hasn't been my home in a very long time," Shepard corrected. "There won't be much open this early in DuBois, so I think we should go check on the house."

o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

It had taken longer than Shepard had hoped to rent a pair of aircars, but her caution had proven unfounded. The cars were secured, luggage loaded, and their journey underway with the only delay being that Shepard was recognized by the rental agent. It seemed that the title "Savior of the Citadel" followed her even to a backwater like Mindoir. Shepard realized she should have expected it. The same thing had happened after Elysium. She had been bombarded with requests for public appearances, but the most insistent had come from various contacts on Mindoir. "Mindoir's Daughter" they'd called her. She snorted. They hadn't cared so much when the Alliance dragged her away. She hadn't been important to them then. The first time that Mindoir cared about Shepard had been when the Alliance funding for the Institute dried up. They were happy to claim her as their own then too. 'And now a third time,' she thought morosely as she sighed. 'I've gotta stop coming to this rock.'

Liara leaned over her, assuming the noise Shepard made had been in response to something she'd seen. "We're already over the outskirts of the city."

"Yah. DuBois isn't all that big, maybe 75,000 people. It exists to provide the region with a shipping hub."

"What is that?" A blue arm reached past her, hand pointing to a massive arrangement of buildings in the distance.

"That's the compound."

"Compound?"

Shepard sighed. "Officially, it's the 'Mindoir Foundation for Human and Societal Services'," she glanced at the Asari. "Sorry, the name's kind of anthro."

Liara's smile reached her eyes. "There is no need to apologize, Shepard. I doubt you named it."

The spectre turned away. "Well, I kinda did," she murmured.

"What?" Liara turned Shepard back to face her. "You named it? Why? How?"

Shepard turned away again. "That's where they treated the survivors from the attack. Kids without families, Adults too traumatized to function without therapy. There's less use for that now, but it still functions as an orphanage. It also contains the largest hospital on Mindoir." She paused. "There are still about a hundred original survivors there, people they just couldn't put back together."

"That does not explain how you named it."

'Here we go,' Shepard's anger at coming to Mindoir was starting to resurface. "Because if I didn't name it, they were going to call it the 'Shepard Foundation'. I didn't need my name on something I'm trying to forget!"

Liara's fingers ran down her arm in a calming motion. "Is that where they sent you after your parents were killed? Is that why you are angry? The memories?"

"Ha!" Shepard's laugh was a snarl. "Oh no, they didn't send me there. I was too valuable. It was only later, after I started paying for it that I was useful to Mindoir."

"I do not understand Shepard. What do you mean you were too valuable? Help me comprehend."

Shepard glanced briefly at Eliata, silently driving through what was becoming an emotional exchange. She turned her attention back to Liara. Remorse flickered at the edges of her anger as she saw the maiden blanch at the cadaverous look in the commander's eyes. "It's simple Liara. When the Alliance finds a naked sixteen year old surrounded by dead Batarians, they don't rehabilitate her, they weaponize her."

A/N: Assumptions here include:

FemShep/Liara
Post ME1 ending - after the Battle of the Citadel, before beginning of ME2

Shepard is:
Colonist / Vanguard / War Hero

Well, we made it to Mindoir. For those of you reading and reviewing, thank you as always. I haven't responded to any reviews since Chapter 12 because 13, 14, and 15 are one narrative (and I did not want a 13,000 word chapter). Once chapter 15 is up, I'll go back and respond to everyone, I promise.

As always, feedback is welcome and desired.