Notes:

Siame - "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian)

STG - Special Tasks Group

Dreams Torn Asunder

Eden Prime, Utopia, Exodus Cluster

The team moved quickly to the second lab and, once again, Shepard narrated the recording. Liara felt surprise through the link just before Shepard said, "They had intended to sleep until the Reapers returned to dark space... and then awaken a million strong." She spared a quick glance to Liara before her eyes refocused on the screen. "Hate to say it, Blue, but I fear they may not have been as benevolent as you believed. Their leader was military... the avatar called him Commander Javik... and he referred to their civilization as the Prothean Empire. That screams military dictatorship to me."

"That makes no sense." Liara's face reflected confusion. "If that was the case, why would they waste resources uplifting the other species?"

Wrex's guttural laugh echoed in the small room. "To use them. Exactly like the Salarians did with the Krogan."

Shepard frowned. "Yeah, well... when push came to shove, he sacrificed all those who hadn't made it to the bunker yet. He ordered the doors closed and simply said, 'their sacrifice will be honored in the coming empire'."

Before Liara could recover from her disappointment and utter any type of reply, Shepard's mood shifted to one of relief. "Got it! They passed the code for the stasis mode!"

Liara's shock changed to hope. "Excellent! We have what we need. Let's get back to the pod!"

"Roger that." Shepard's glance roamed across the team. "You heard her, people. Let's move."

When they emerged from the lab, it was immediately obvious Cerberus had arrived in force. A shuttle hovered a short distance outside the lab and Liara immediately launched a singularity into the doorway, keeping any troops from deploying. Wrex laughed as he launched a warp, blowing the inside of the shuttle and all those Cerberus troops inside to smithereens. The shuttle shook violently and attempted to limp off, but barely cleared the next row of buildings before plummeting to the ground like a rock. Shepard was not concerned; she doubted anyone inside had survived the explosion.

She had other things that drew her attention. A couple of Guardians with shields were slowly approaching and an engineer was in the background setting up an automated turret. Vega lobbed out a grenade and shouted out, "We've got the Guardians!"

Shepard had already thrown out a biotic pull, ripping the shield from the hands of the foremost Guardian; he took the brunt of the first grenade blast and was quickly finished off by a warp from Wrex. The second Guardian was quickly dropped by Edi; her enhanced targeting programs easily calculated the required trajectory for a perfect shot through the vision slot of his shield. The projectile from her pistol easily penetrated his skull through his left eye.

Once they heard Vega's shout, Shepard's team concentrated on the rearmost target, the Engineer and his turret. Liara stopped him in his tracks with a stasis and Beth took great pleasure in ripping him to shreds with her assault rifle. Shepard heard her grumble, "That's for Sarah, asshole. She's here in spirit."

They advanced quickly toward the elevator platform and as the team came around a corner, Shepard almost ran into another Engineer. She immediately cussed and slammed him with a Nova shockwave, knocking him backward off his feet. Being the only Cerberus member currently in their sights, he didn't stand a chance. He was immediately blasted by every other team member present and never regained his feet.

They encountered the most resistance they had faced yet as they moved toward the main courtyard. Cerberus had dug in and had two Engineers with three turrets, along with a number of Guardians. It was a tough fight, but still nothing the Normandy team couldn't handle. However, as they moved forward, they encountered yet another obstacle. Liara's voice rang with frustration as she called out, "They've retracted the bridge! We have to find another way across."

Shepard was standing at the edge of the chasm and smiled. She glanced at the Asari as she spoke, "No worries, Dr T'Soni. The bridge was merely for convenience. We can hop down these ledges over here and climb the ladder on the other side. It'll be a little slower, but nothing difficult." With that, she turned and jumped off the ledge, vanishing from sight.

Even though Shepard couldn't see her, Liara smiled in return, feeling the rush of childlike glee emanating from the commander as she plunged to the ledge below. The team quickly followed, easily covering the ground at the bottom of the gulch and ascending the ladder on the opposite side. The journey led them to the top of the buildings on the far side, making the path to the elevator platform an easy one. Surprisingly, no more Cerberus troops interrupted their progress and Shepard approached the pod. "I'm transmitting the signal to end stasis.

Liara stepped up beside her and scanned the pod again. Her eyes glittered with excitement as she spoke. "Perfect. It'll take a few moments for the pod to process it... so we'll have to wait until it's ready before you can enter the code to open it."

"Roger that." Shepard stepped back and looked at the crew. "Defensive perimeter. Not going to let Cerberus stop us now."

James shouted out, "Let's hope not, Commander! Lots of bogeys inbound!"

The first shuttle dropped an Engineer supported by a couple of Guardians and a few Assault Troopers but Bethany immediately cut loose with the Arc Projector, stunning the lot of them. The rest of the team wasted no time taking them down before they could recover. A second shuttle came to a hover and Liara quickly planted a singularity in the doorway, which Shepard happily detonated. It didn't take long for Cerberus to figure out what was happening, and the next two shuttles dropped their troops off at the backside of the shelters, where the Normandy crew couldn't dispose of them before their feet hit the ground.

A couple of Guardians came around the corner, quickly followed by two Assault Troopers and an Engineer. Shepard quickly shouted out, "Vega! Focus on that Engineer... I don't want to have to worry about a damn turret!"

"On it, Commander!" Vega turned to his squad and called out, "Edi... overload his shields!"

The minute the Engineer's shields sparked, Wrex smashed him with a warp and Vega buried him with incendiary ammo. Once they no longer needed to worry about the potential for a turret, the teams were able to separate and flank the incoming troops. While Shepard, Liara and Bethany stayed put to defend the pod and await the stasis termination signal, Vega's team moved back through the cover of the buildings to the side of the Cerberus approach corridor. Vega took a hard shot and went down but as Edi began to transmit his status over the comm, he interrupted with, "Don't worry about me, Commander. It's nothing a bit of medigel won't fix. I'm still fit to fight."

Even though he was out of sight, Shepard nodded as she responded. "Careful, James. I want everyone back on the Normandy in one piece!"

Suddenly Shepard's arm stung and she glanced down in puzzlement. Her barriers were still rock solid but it felt as if someone had just stuck a knife in her bicep. She instantly realized what had happened and called gently through the link as she blasted away the last of the Cerberus Assault Troopers. {Liara? Talk to me, Love. How bad?}

Liara's tone reflected disgust as she growled back. {It wasn't even a clean shot! It was a damned ricochet!}

{That doesn't answer my question, Doctor. I can tell it hurts, so it's more than a scratch. Where are you?} With the last of the hostiles down, Shepard stood and spoke to the squad. "Looks like we've got a second to catch our breath. Collect some clips and reload... Be ready for the next surge."

Shepard's eyes found Liara and she jogged over to kneel by the Asari, concern etched in her features at Liara's refusal to answer her question. "Hey, Blue. Let me see."

"I'm fine, Shepard." Pain was evident on her face as she spoke. "I will have to go visit Karin when we get back aboard... it didn't pass through, so the round is still in my arm. I've sealed it with medigel, so I'll be fine for now. The pain is fading; it's not bad."

Shepard raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You have a bullet in your arm and you're telling me it's not bad?" Shepard smirked slightly as she looked over the wound. "And you were worried about being a Spectre's right hand?"

"You know I was joking." Liara started to smile in return before her omnitool chirped. Her expression turned serious. "The pod is ready to be opened."

"But we are not ready to open it, Shepard." Edi pointed to the horizon as she added, "More Cerberus shuttles are inbound."

"Rest break over, folks. Let's get through this last wave and get off this planet." Shepard's glance returned to Liara. "You ready?"

Liara nodded resolutely. "As ready as I can be."

Two shuttles worth of Assault Troopers dropped on their doorstep and just as the Normandy team got back into their battle rhythm, a heavy mech dropped out of the sky into the middle of the fray. "Edi! Overload!"

The AI responded promptly and the mech's shields sputtered and failed, leaving only its standard armor. The team scrambled for position, attempting to flank the mech while remaining in cover from the Troopers. Shepard contacted Liara through the link. {Stay in cover, Love. I'm going to use my charge to get behind them.}

Liara sighed in resignation, understanding the tactic while wishing it wasn't Shepard performing the flanking movement... even as she realized no one else with them could do the biotic charge. {Please be careful, Siame.}

After a quick push of affection across the link, Shepard pulled on her biotics and flashed across the battlefield, smashed into a Trooper and finished him off with a point blank shot to the center of his chest. She kept moving and quickly found cover; she hadn't made it completely behind their line, but had gotten far enough that the Cerberus troops were now caught in a crossfire. Liara and Bethany stayed back to protect the pod, while Wrex stood strong, front and center, and drew their fire. James and Edi had also maneuvered, moving to the opposite flank, so their small team of six had Cerberus boxed in on three sides. Even with a heavy mech on their side, the enemy had nowhere to hide and nowhere to run.

The Normandy team concentrated on the mech and, when it exploded, it took a number of the troopers with it. It had been a hard battle, but after the mech was gone, the remaining troops didn't last long. Once it was over, Shepard called the team together near the pod and looked at each of them. Cerberus had been rather determined and had thrown some seasoned troops at them... and it showed. Liara had a bullet in her arm, Wrex was bloodied though Shepard couldn't really tell whose blood it was, and Edi had a number of score marks and dents on her chassis. Westmoreland looked like she had gotten into a serious hand-to-hand melee somewhere along the way and even James had a slash across his cheek.

Shepard blinked a couple of times and swallowed hard as she looked at her squad. She finally let out a huff of amusement and smirked as she queried, "So is this what it's going to be like every time I hold back and let you guys do some of the work? You all look like Hell."

Wrex let out a loud laugh. "Not everyone can look as good as you after a fight, Shepard."

"Some of us like to get down and dirty, Commander." James grinned. "We don't have to be spit-shined and smiling to talk to the brass after the mission's complete."

"Alright, I get it." Shepard gave them each an appreciative glance. "How about we see what Mr Prothean can do for us?" She paused briefly before continuing. "Thanks, everyone, for a great effort. Now, defensive perimeter while Liara and I open this pod."

Liara stepped up to the pod next to Shepard as she entered the code and, even without the link, the commander could feel the excitement radiating off the Asari. She couldn't help but smile as the pod started to open and Liara blurted out, "There. You got it!"

Shepard stared down into the interior of the pod in wonder. A being, as different from the Collectors as the Humans were from Husks, 'slept,' lying on his back in a cradle. She could see the resemblance, but 'Javik' appeared to be covered in a sheen of ice that was rapidly melting. Actually, no... It's more like it's simply evaporating away... there's no liquid forming. The commander stepped back and glanced at Liara, a smile of delight playing on her lips as she watched the Asari stare at the marvel within the pod. Tangible evidence representing decades of work studying the Protheans was literally within Liara's reach.

"Goddess." Liara's voice reflected awe as she continued, "It may take him some time to fully regain consciousness..."

Shepard's smile turned to an expression of concern. "I hope it doesn't take too long. I'm not sure how much of a respite we'll get from Cerberus."

Before Liara could form a response, Javik's eyelids fluttered open and he looked groggily about as he woke and attempted to focus his long unused eyes. Shepard recognized the sudden alertness of a warrior, but she was too late in issuing a warning as he snapped fully awake and blasted both her and Liara with a shockwave, throwing them backwards off their feet.

His muscles unresponsive from eons of nonuse, Javik struggled to rise from the pod and his slowness was the only thing that saved him. Liara stood quickly and intercepted Wrex as he stepped forward and leveled his shotgun. "Wrex! Give him a moment! He's dazed and confused."

The Prothean climbed out of the pod and fell to his knees, quickly regaining his feet. He glanced at those assembled before him and stumbled off, tripping and falling his way to the edge of the platform. Once he got there, he stopped to stare at the unfamiliar horizon as realization slowly set in; he had been sleeping a very long time for things to have changed so much.

Shepard had followed Liara to her feet and warily walked toward the Prothean, readying her biotics in case Javik lashed out again. Liara trailed behind and issued a reminder, "Remember. It's been fifty thousand years for us, but for him it's only been..."

Shepard reached out and tentatively laid her hand on his shoulder. The rest of Liara's words vanished as an overwhelming surge of memories flooded into Shepard's mind, very similar to the sensations from the beacon. She cringed as she listened to the conversation between Javik and a type of Prothean hologram, whom he referred to as 'Victory.' She didn't know if it was an AI or some type of communication device between the commander and a headquarters, but they were preparing a neutron bombardment to kill off the Collectors and other Reapers that were attacking the facility. Everyone not safely ensconced in a life pod would be instantly killed.

Shepard shuddered and went to her knees as Javik obeyed Victory and ran to his pod, sacrificing all but a few hundred of his people. Liara hovered powerlessly nearby, wanting to help but not daring to forcibly break the meld or link between Samantha and the Prothean. Still connected, Shepard heard Victory tell Javik he would most likely be the only survivor; he would be the sole voice of the Prothean people. Javik glared into the growing darkness as the pod entered stasis mode and he growled out, "I will be more than that."

Those were the last words Shepard heard before Javik stumbled forward and broke the connection between them. He also fell to his knees but surprised them all by speaking in Galactic Standard. "How many others?"

Liara stepped up quickly to Shepard, prepared to defend her if necessary, and spoke in answer, "None that we know of. I'm... sorry." She fell silent as both Shepard and the Prothean regained their footing, stood and turned to face one another.

Shepard gaped at the Prothean in amazement. "How can you possibly speak Galactic Standard?"

"I read your physiology, your nervous system... and learned from your memories." Javik did not blink as he measured the reactions of the Human before him.

"So you were reading me as I was seeing..."

She didn't get to finish as Javik interrupted her, "Our final moments. Our failure."

Shepard could well understand the soldier's perspective and sought to lessen his feelings of guilt. "Your people did everything they could, Commander Javik. They never gave up... and I could use some of that commitment now."

Traynor, who was monitoring the mission from aboard the Normandy, suddenly cut in over the comms. "Commander. You've run out of time; Cerberus has regrouped and a rather large force is headed your way. ETA three minutes."

While the commander listened, Javik turned and studied the odd group before him. "Human, Asari, Turian, Krogan. I am surrounded by primitives." His eyes suddenly narrowed and he rapidly drew his weapon; Liara was still keyed up and reacted instantly, yanking it from his hands with a biotic pull.

Javik growled, "You have an artificial intelligence with you!"

Shepard's eyes turned into green ice as she glared at the Prothean, "Yes, we do and she is an essential part of my crew. I suggest you stand down immediately... unless you want me to complete the extinction the Reapers started."

Javik turned to her and sneered. "I am in no position to do otherwise... at least at the moment." He looked at each member of the team and there were no exceptions; all of them had their weapons trained on him. "It appears I am your captive."

"That's yet to be determined." Shepard kept her expression and her voice as neutral as possible as she continued. "It's not safe here. Cortez is bringing the shuttle in and we're returning to the Normandy. I'd... appreciate it... if you would accompany us willingly and without any further threats to my crew."

Javik's sneer finally fell off his face. "I saw in your memories that you fight the Reapers... as well as this group called Cerberus... who are traitors to your people. We had a similar group within our Empire and they were our downfall. I will not stay and help them do the same to you, so for the interim, I will go with you peacefully. As for whether or not I will help you... we will see."

"Fair enough." Shepard stepped forward and stuck out her hand. "Welcome to the Normandy."

Javik looked at the commander's hand with contempt and abruptly turned away to walk toward the hovering Normandy shuttle.

T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula

Aethyta stood in the foyer and stared into the amazingly... lifeless... townhouse. Never in the 200 years since she had met Benezia had she ever seen it so quiet, so devoid of life. She glanced up the stairs to the hallway that led to their old bedroom and spoke quietly, "I told you she'd raise one Hell of a storm, Nezzie. But don't you worry... Shepard's exceptional and she's got a good soul; she'll take care of our Little Wing. I'd rather be there... with Liara, but she needs me to do this. She needs to know her extended family will be safe. Only the Goddess knows why she'd trust me with their lives, but she has... so I'm going to make damn sure we all survive this and emerge to greet her when she makes it back home after the war. I swear it."

Aethyta jumped slightly when a hand landed softly on her shoulder. "We'll be fine, Thyta."

The old commando turned and looked into Mozia's eyes, which were soft with understanding and compassion. "Heard that, huh?"

The Regent stood looking at her friend for only a moment before pulling Aethyta into a comforting hug. She spoke as she broke her embrace with the only slightly younger Asari. "I've sent all the staff forward to the Estate with the last of our supplies and equipment. It is only you and I who remain... and the Aletheia awaits us, ready for departure."

The trip to the Estate was quick, but informative. Miranda and Judea spoke with Aethyta and Mozia about the rumors they had heard. Judea's face reflected concern as she spoke. "One of the reasons we agreed to do this immediately is because we've heard discomforting rumors of Reapers in the Nimbus Cluster. I realize it is not the Athena Nebula, but it is only a single relay jump away and it has us concerned for Thessia."

Since Mozia had been the one on Thessia, Aethyta glanced to the Regent, expecting her to answer; Mozia closed her eyes and sighed. Her eyes were clouded with conflict when they reopened and she spoke hesitantly. "I probably should not speak of this, as it was mentioned in closed session, but I have become frustrated with the Forums. They are working at the typical Asari pace, where it takes a decade to gather support and get any type of referendum passed... but we no longer have that kind of time. I fear the rumors to be truth. We received a distress signal and subsequently lost contact with the Monastery on Lesuss."

Aethyta stood abruptly from her chair in shock. "What? Riana Iregos has a sister there!"

Mozia looked at her with a reserved calm. "I am well aware of that, Thyta." Her gaze shifted to Miranda and Judea. "The Defense Forum has also seen the Alliance reports sent to Tevos regarding the Reaper-twisted Asari they refer to as Banshees. High Command has sent several commando squads to investigate; none have yet returned... nor have they been in contact to report their success or failure at the Monastery. While Command debates their next move, I fear the worst. I..." Mozia stopped and shook her head. "We should have the full Normandy team investigate, but I fear for Riana if what I believe has happened turns out to be true."

"Goddess!" Judea's eyes were wide with shock. "You fear the Monastery is the source of the Banshees!"

Aethyta's face paled at the revelation as Mozia nodded her agreement. "Yes. And if it's true, it will certainly take more than the four of you to deal with it. Besides which, as much as I fear Riana learning of it, I fear more for her to not be told and be allowed to go on the mission. I am sure she will insist upon it."

Judea growled. "You are correct." She looked at Miranda and her tone softened slightly as she continued. "She would be furious if we went there without her."

Miranda scowled, "If it's true the Reapers are at the Monastery and creating Banshees by the dozens, we would be insane to try; we simply don't have the firepower. It will take a full Normandy ground crew with heavy weapons to handle that situation." Her eyes roamed over the small party as she continued, "They are currently enroute to Tuchanka. Mordin Solus has created a cure for the Genophage and we are soon to have full Krogan support in the fight against the Reapers."

Mozia's eyes flew wide open in surprise and Aethyta's head fell back in joyous laughter. She looked at the group with a broad grin on her face. "That's the best damn news I've heard in a long time!" She suddenly looked sheepish as she continued, "Except for finding out that Liara already knew who I was and was willing to give me a chance, that is. You realize what having the Krogan will do for the war effort?"

Miranda smiled, "As a matter of fact, yes. We've worked with both Grunt and Wrex... and, with them leading the Krogan, we might even have a chance at peace afterward. But, in the mean time, we need to figure out our game plan and let the Normandy know we have a crucial mission immediately following Tuchanka."

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula

When they landed at the estate, they had set down amidst a flurry of activity. Guard captains Nayla Axoni and Lyria Tremi had things well in hand and equipment and supplies were quickly vanishing from the cargo holds of the various shuttles. As each one had its provisions removed and stored, it was flown to an isolated location and hidden within the forests of the Estate. A small skycar was then used to retrieve the shuttle's pilot and return her to the house.

The house stewards, Lyessa Raptos and Aratiana Axeuss also had their staff hard at work; as the new arrivals emerged from the Aletheia, it was easy to see what had already been accomplished. Aethyta felt sick as she looked at the estate, knowing full well its appearance had changed so drastically based solely on her orders.

Its grandeur was hidden behind stained walls, with windows blackened on the outside and covered by heavy drapes on the inside, so no light would be seen from the outside. The once gorgeous gardens had been destroyed; all the hedges hacked to break their even, straight lines, and the residue left lying on the ground. Flowers were left untended and bushes were no longer pruned. The fountains had all been disassembled and stored in shelters and the pools drained... they and their expansive patios were littered heavily with brush and debris. A few of the older storage buildings that were unused and needed to be replaced anyway were burned and left as ruined shells of their former selves; the rest were camouflaged with anything the staff could find to cover them and make them blend into the surroundings. The inside of the main house was still immaculate, but everything outside made it look like the estate had been abandoned for over a century. No one who knew the place would recognize it as the T'Soni Country Estate.

Aethyta sat at the dinner table in gloomy silence, thinking back over what she had asked the staff to do. To the last Asari, they had hated it but had also recognized the necessity. The vid call from the Normandy certainly helped ease their acceptance of the plan; Liara and Shepard had both spoken to them all about their ideas to survive the war and have the T'Soni house lead the rebuilding of Thessia. It gave the commandos renewed purpose and made them all feel better about 'hiding out' during the war to end all wars. Liara's face was grim as she gave them her final words, most of which Aethyta had heard before. "We cannot possibly defeat the Reapers conventionally so we are building a massive weapon to that end. I need you to stay alive until we complete it and forever rid the galaxy of their evil. After that, all of you need to lead the rebuild of Thessia, her comm buoys and her relays. We can't get back home to you without your help... the distances between star clusters are simply too vast for unassisted travel."

Shepard had been standing silently at Liara's side during the doctor's entire discourse and finally spoke. "I wish we were seeing you all again under better circumstances... or, at the very least, that we had time to do this in person, but it's not in the cards. Hopefully that will be the case next time you do see either one of us. I know the task that's been laid at your feet seems extremely difficult, but we have an elite engineering team headed your way. It's a mix of Quarian technicians and Salarian STG members, fully versed on the Relay plans Liara found and bringing a supply of comm buoys with them, to launch as required. You simply need to make sure you save a couple for the rebuild after the war, should the Reapers start destroying them."

Aethyta's gravelly voice was heard throughout the room. "I assume they will adhere to strict launch protocols to avoid detection or revealing our location here?"

"Absolutely." Shepard nodded vigorously. "Under no circumstances can you risk revealing your location to anyone... even someone you think is a friend could be indoctrinated."

After the call ended, the commandos had all looked to Aethyta for direction; as a matriarch, her father and the senior commando within the house, Liara had appointed her the interim Guard Captain. Aethyta immediately made Lyria and Nayla her seconds and then explained her plan for the estate to go totally dark for the duration. She kept the secure communications device she had been given by Miranda a secret; the only others who knew about it and how to operate it were Mozia and the two junior captains.

Once the call was over, the relocations to the estate complete and the plans put in motion, Aethyta felt useless. Nayla and Lyria had everything under control; Aethyta's only true purpose was to settle disagreements they were unable to settle themselves... which they had yet to encounter. Aethyta knew the beginning would be easy... but over time, in a closed environment with limited avenues for diversion, that would change. Eventually people would start to argue; the longer the sequestration, the worse it would become. Everyone knew you couldn't have two chiefs; so Liara had purposely placed Aethyta over both of them to cover that eventuality. All they could do was hope Shepard and Liara finished their monumental task quickly.

As she sat and mulled over her limited options, a soft voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Thyta. Have you eaten?" Mozia stood before her with two plates, having already surmised the answer.

"Huh." Aethyta let out a little grunt of laughter. "Looks to me like you already know that I haven't. You offering to join me, or are you simply really hungry?"

Mozia smiled and sat down, handing over the extra plate. "Goddess, no. I haven't expended enough energy in years to drive my requirements that high at a single sitting." She paused only briefly before continuing, "I merely thought you looked like you could use some company."

Aethyta's face instantly filled with concern. "You've done nothing with your biotics?"

"Of course I've used my biotics... but only for standard training regimens." Mozia chuckled softly. "I am surrounded by commandos who take their jobs very seriously and are among the best Thessia has to offer. And I do believe Nayla has programmed the drones to a restricted setting whenever I'm in the training room... to prevent any possibility of me getting even accidentally injured."

Aethyta's eyes sparkled with mischief. "There are more... creative... ways, which are far less dangerous, to utilize your biotics and get your blood pumping."

Mozia's chuckle immediately turned into a full laugh. "I am Regent, Aethyta! I can't show favoritism amongst the commandos, and who else might I have time to dally with? Certainly not any of the stubborn crones at the Forums, and I don't exactly have the time nor the inclination to go to the Armali clubs. I'll leave that to those younger than us."

"Hey! We're not so old we don't deserve to have a good time! A good roll in the sheets never hurt anyone!" Aethyta smirked. "Besides, we're not old... We're experienced. A lot to be said for that. I certainly wouldn't mind a good romp now and then."

"Matriarch Aethyta." Mozia's voice dropped to a whisper and was tinged with incredulity. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just propositioned me."

"Mozia. We've been friends for years. Good friends. You've always been someone I could trust my troubles to." Aethyta's smirk fell from her face. "I'll admit, I was so stuck on Nezzie I never even looked elsewhere except for a quick drunk fuck... But the last couple of years have brought closure to all that. And now? Having Liara back in my life gives me hope for a future. A future I don't necessarily want to spend alone. That doesn't mean I want to run off and find someone to bond with... but a friends with benefits arrangement with someone I already love and trust? I can't believe that'd be such a bad thing." When she stopped talking, her gaze dropped and she stared at the table.

A soft voice responded, "Thyta. I do not believe I have ever heard you speak quite so... expressively... before." Mozia sat and gazed at the matriarch across from her in wonderment, unsure of what else to say. She finally blinked and asked quietly. "You... love me?"

Aethyta turned a slightly deeper shade of blue and growled out, "I said it, didn't I? Ever known me to candy-coat anything? Say anything other than what I honestly believed or felt?"

"No. I haven't." Mozia's head shook slowly. "I... I'm really not sure what to say; other than I am not opposed to the idea. The offer is simply very... unexpected. You've caught me a bit by surprise."

At that, Aethyta's humor returned and she let loose a gravelly chuckle. "Good. Means I get to work on your reflexes."

"Goddess, Aethyta." Mozia couldn't help but smile at the Asari sitting across the table from her. "You really can be so uncouth at times."