Shepard and Valya are on their way to the apartment Kasumi saw Nala using. They hope to find something that will lead them to where Nala took Arelia. Day three of Arelia missing is quickly approaching. Shepard knows that the more time that passes the less chance they have of finding her.

"Think we will find her?" asks Valya.

Shepard glances at her as she flies the sky car. "Yes." Shepard hopes she sounds confident.

Valya huffs a little.

Shepard looks at her, "You don't?"

"If we don't find anything at this apartment I think she is as good as gone."

Shepard cannot help but agree but still wishes Valya was not losing hope. "Well then let's hope that we find something."

Valya remains quiet for the remainder of the trip.

"Miranda can you check this please, I am not sure I am reading it correctly," says Liara. She has a hand to her head, it has started to throb. She and Miranda have been sifting through data for awhile now. Liara has found information regarding a certain shuttle class. She thinks it may be one Nala used.

Miranda walks over to check Liara's screen. Shuttle class SV98. Looks like there have been seven shuttles of this class in and out of the docking bay for the last six days.

"That class of shuttle is the perfect size Miranda. I was thinking perhaps Nala used that one. The other shuttles I have seen are too big. I have ruled out the large ships. What have you come up with?" asks Liara.

"I think you may be on to something Liara. Let me try something," says Miranda. She quickly moves to her work station and types in a few commands.

Liara slowly stands up, she is a bit dizzy. She walks over to Miranda's station and looks over her shoulder at the vid screen.

"I checked the camera outside of the docking bay before, but let me recheck. Oh my God, I can't believe I missed this." says Miranda

"What?"

"Look there," Miranda points to the corner of the screen.

Slightly out of focus Liara can see that it is two asari just outside of the docking bay. The camera angle is not the best, it only shows the top portions of their bodies, but it is obvious it is two asari based on the shape of their heads. They both watch in horror as they see one asari suddenly slump in the arms of the other; then they walk off camera.

Liara places her hand on Miranda's shoulder. "This is good Miranda we are on the right track." Liara hopes her words bring comfort to Miranda.

Miranda puts her hand over Liara's and gives it a pat. She stands up from the work station, "I will call Shepard and give her an update." Miranda looks at Liara. "Liara you need to lie down. You look a little pale."

"I..I think you are right Miranda, can you help me please?"

Miranda feels a pang of guilt on how Liara is pushing herself. She is thankful for the help, for everyone's help, she is just not sure how to express it.

Miranda leads Liara into the master bedroom. Liara sits on the edge of the bed. Before she can do anything Miranda is kneeling down and taking her shoes off.

"Thank you Miranda."

"You're welcome Liara. Do you need anything?"

Liara looks at her glass on the nightstand, "Some water please."

Miranda follows her eyes and grabs the glass and fills it.

"Thank you Miranda."

"You rest now. I will see you in a bit." Miranda turns off the lights and closes the bedroom door.

Shepard and Valya arrive at the apartment. They have no trouble finding the right door, Valya easily hacks the lock.

The apartment is pretty empty. In the main room is one chair with an end table and one vid screen, a small kitchen, one bedroom and separate bathroom.

"I'll check the bedroom," says Valya.

Shepard starts in the kitchen. There are a few items in the refrigerator, something in it smells. Looks like it may be old take out. She checks the drawers and finds nothing. "Nothing in the kitchen!" she yells hoping Valya can hear her.

Shepard moves to the small family room area. There is one end table next to the chair, it has a small drawer. She opens it and finds nothing. She checks the cushion in the chair, again finding nothing. She hopes Valya is having better luck.

The bedroom contains a queen sized bed, a dresser with four long rectangular drawers and a closet. Valya starts with the closet. She opens the doors and finds two empty hangers. She moves to the dresser. Each drawer is empty.

"Find anything?" asks Shepard.

Valya turns to her, "Nothing, you?"

"No."

"I haven't checked the bed yet," says Valya.

They lift the covers off the bed; check under the blanket, under the bed sheet…nothing. They each check a pillow…nothing. They lift the mattress…nothing.

"You have got to be kidding me!" yells Valya as she lets go of her side of the mattress. "This is bullshit! We are never going to find her!"

"Hey!" Shepard uses the same tone she uses to command her squad.

Valya looks at her.

"We will find her do you understand me?"

"How Shepard? You tell me that, how?

"By keeping our heads for one thing." Shepard walks back toward the kitchen, Valya follows.

Sighing heavily Valya asks, "You check everything in here?" she gestures to the kitchen. Valya starts opening the cupboards and checking.

"Yeah, but go ahead," says Shepard. Her omni-tool beeps.

"Hey Miranda."

"Shepard. Liara and I found footage of Nala and Arelia outside the Thessia docking bay. Looks like Nala drugged her and they went off camera."

"The docking bay got it. We will head there now," says Shepard she is relieved they were able to come up with something.

She disconnects the call. She looks up to see Valya emptying the contents of a waste bin that must have been under the kitchen sink onto the counter, something she missed.

"Got anything?" asks Shepard.

Valya checks the counter; there are only a few scraps of paper. She smooths out each scrap.

"Not sure yet," she continues to carefully look at each scrap of paper. She sees some sort of symbol on one piece. "Look at this," she shows the torn piece of paper to Shepard.

Shepard looks at it, "What am I looking at?"

"I think it's a receipt," says Valya.

"How do you know?" Shepard can't tell.

"There," Valya points to a code in the upper portion of the paper.

"There what, I don't see what you see?" asks Shepard.

"That code there. And look at that," she points to half of a symbol. "I swear I have seen it before."

"You think it could be from the docking bay?" asks Shepard.

Valya looks at her and shrugs her shoulders, "Not sure."

"Miranda just called. They saw Arelia outside of the docking bay; I say that's our next stop."

For the first time in two days Valya smiles and says "Let's go."

Arelia wakes in the same bedroom to the same scenery. Slowly sitting up the room spins. It takes a few moments for the room to steady. She tries to remember what happened. She vaguely remembers kissing Miranda and how off it felt then she realized it was Nala. She quickly lifts the bed sheet checking to see if she is still clothed and lets out a breath when she is. Checking the other side of the bed it does not look like anyone slept there. Arelia feels the heat behind her eyes. She knows she initiated the kiss, but she was confused, she thought it was Miranda. Miranda I miss you so much.

Arelia slowly stands and notices that the cut on her calf has been bandaged. She remembers now that there was a nail…..a nail. Arelia kneels down and looks for the nail that she cut herself on. All she finds is the empty hole where it once laid. Standing Arelia starts to think as she looks outside the window. She is not even sure she is still on Thessia.

She is drugging me, the food or the water. But I have to eat to keep my strength. What did she say before? She wanted to go for a walk. She is acting like she didn't take me and she gets angry when I ask how long I have been here. I need to play her game in order to get out of here. But what if she continues to drug me how do I not eat? Arelia has an idea.

Feeling steady on her feet now Arelia quickly changes into some clothes. She knows now that Nala must have retrieved them from her apartment. She opens the door.

Nala is sitting in the small room reading something. Arelia approaches, "Hello Nala."

Nala stands up to walk towards her with a soft smile, "Good morning dear, I do hope you are feeling better. You certainly look better," Nala lightly kisses Arelia on the cheek, Arelia lets her. "Are you hungry?"

"Actually Nala," Arelia holds Nala's hand, "I was hoping I could make us breakfast."

Nala studies her.

Arelia continues, "I don't think it is fair that you do all of the work, and I do feel better today." Arelia brushes her hand up and down Nala's arm, something she knows the asari likes.

Nala smiles, "Of course dear. Just let me know if you need any help." She returns to her chair and reads her data pad.

Arelia lets out a breath as she walks into the kitchen. She sees all sorts of items she can use as a weapon. She resists the urge to grab a knife and attack Nala on the spot. She knows she has to figure out where she if first. From what she has seen they are in the middle of the woods. She needs to be patient; she knows she needs to be smart. I love you Miranda, don't ever forget that.

Shepard and Valya arrive at the Thessia docking bay.

As they approach the facility Valya grabs Shepard's arm.

"What?" says Shepard.

Valya points at the facility's sign while pulling out the piece of paper. "Look."

It is confirmed, the symbols match.

They quicken their pace to the main office.

Seeing an asari behind the counter Shepard punches a few key strokes on her omni-tool, while Valya gets her attention.

"Excuse me," says Valya.

The asari worker approaches, "Yes what can I do for you today?"

"Have you seen this woman?" asks Shepard, she shows a holo picture of Arelia.

The asari worker purses her lips and shakes her head no, "Can't say as I have, what's this about?"

"How about this one?" asks Shepard showing a holo picture of Nala.

Recognition crosses the asari's eyes, "What is this about?"

Valya steps in, "I am a commando and the woman you recognize is suspected of kidnapping commando Arelia T'Jala."

The asari is nervous, her grey eyes darting between asari and human. "I-I didn't say I recogn…"

"I know you recognize this asari. When did you see her?"

"Ah…about….about two or three days ago I guess."

"Did she dock a shuttle?" asks Valya, Shepard remains quiet. Valya hands her the torn scrap of paper.

The asari worker checks her console, "Yes. A SV98 class shuttle."

"What's the capability of that shuttle?" asks Shepard.

The two asari look at her with furrowed brows.

"Can it fly off planet?"

The asari worker looks something up on her console, "Let me check."

Shepard and Valya exchange glances. If Arelia is off planet their job of finding her has just exponentially increased in difficulty.

"Ah here it is the SV98 class shuttle. No. It looks like the fuel capacity is low. It would need to refuel if it left Thessia."

"Is there a refueling station in range?"

"Let me check…ah ….not quite it appears."

"What does that mean?" asks Valya.

"Well according to this map, the fueling station is out of range. The shuttle would have to drift perfectly into the station; it would run out of fuel before reaching it. These shuttles are mainly used to fly around Thessia. You can get a wonderful view of the planet, but to leave the atmosphere, you would need a bigger vessel. Many people rent them for day excursions, that type of thing."

They both feel relief at the realization that Arelia is still on Thessia.

"Is her vessel rented?" asks Shepard.

"No. It has an owner. It is under the name ….well that's odd."

"What?" asks Valya.

"You said commando Arelia T'Jala?"

They both nod.

"It says here that she owns the shuttle."

Shepard and Valya exchange looks. Not sure what to think.

"Can we talk to the dock worker that helped them leave?" asks Valya.

The asari worker punches a few buttons on her console, "There. You can talk to Kat. She was in charge of the slip two days ago, she may know something."

"Thanks," says Valya. They head toward the slip where Kat is working.

"Why would the shuttle be under Arelia's name?" asks Valya.

"Makes it harder to track Nala I suppose."

Valya stops Shepard with a hand to her arm.

"What?" asks Shepard.

"You don't think ….no it can't be."

"What?"

"You don't think Arelia is in on this do you? That she really wasn't taken?"

"What?" Shepard never thought of that. She shakes her head no, "No. She loves Miranda. She wouldn't just leave. She wouldn't leave making us think she was taken. Remember the note she left for Miranda? No..No she is not in on this. Nala is smart. She is not going to leave bread crumbs for us to find her. It is just a way to cover her tracks is all."

Valya suspects the captain is right. It is a fleeting thought anyways, one she doesn't really believe either. "You're right. Let's check with this Kat person."

The pair approaches the asari. When she turns to greet them she has a big smile on her face. "Hi there, what can I do for you two? Going out on an excursion?" she winks.

"Are you Kat?" asks Valya.

"I am, the one and only. And you are?"

"I am Valya and this is Shepard."

Kat turns to Shepard and appears to blush. "Oh yes…hello. It …it is captain now yes?" She nods her head in respect.

"Yes nice to meet you," Shepard mimics the action.

"So an excursion then? This is a fine vessel."

"No," says Valya, "Actually we were hoping you could help us with something."

Shepard shows Kat the holo picture of Nala. "You helped this asari a few days ago with her shuttle."

Kat looks at the picture. "Oh yeah. I remember her, she was hot." Kat looks up, the pair does not look too pleased. She clears her throat, "Uh. .yes I did see her."

"The asari that she was with?" probes Valya.

"Drunk. She could hardly stand. That woman," she points to the holo picture of Nala, "said that she had too much to drink, some sort of celebration or something. I thought it a bit odd since it was the middle of the day, but who am I to judge."

"She wasn't drunk," says Valya her tone is not too nice. "She was drugged. It's commando Arelia T'Jala."

Kat recognizes the name instantly, most asari are familiar with the chief commando. "What? Are you sure? I …I didn't recognize her at all. In fact," Kat thinks about it, "I don't think I even saw her face, she was slumped over. Are you sure?"

"Yes we are sure," says Shepard. "Did she happen to mention where she was going?"

Kat puts her hand to her head in thought. "We did joke with each other. If I had known it was Arelia I wouln't…"

"…It's okay Kat," says Valya.

"Umm I did ask if they were taking the shuttle for a daily excursion and the woman said something like that. I didn't realize at the time that she owned it. I usually deal with rentals."

"Anything else?" asks Shepard.

Shaking her head, "No in fact, I did think it was a bit odd how evasive she was. She really didn't answer any of my questions. I usually get people to talk ya know. They like to tell me where they are going. It is usually for romantic reasons if ya catch my drift. There are lovely places to visit, secluded places."

"Do you have a list of those places by chance?" asks Valya. She and Shepard exchange excited glances. Perhaps one of these secluded places is where Nala and Arelia are.

"Sure. We actually have it available on the extranet. Here ya go," Kat punches a few keystrokes; her and Valya exchange the information.

"Anything else you can remember?" asks Shepard.

Kat looks a little sad, "No. I …no. I just wish I had known."

Valya pats her shoulder, "You had no way of knowing. Thank you for your help."

Kat smiles and nods, "Good luck."

"Hmm this is very good Arelia thank you," says Nala as she eats her food.

"I am glad you like it Nala. I was not sure I remembered how to make it, is it still one of your favorites?" asks Arelia.

"It is very good Arelia and yes, though I have not had it for some time." Nala is enjoying this but she knows Arelia is just playing her. She wants it to be genuine but she knows it will take time before Arelia will love her again.

Arelia smiles, "I would love to go for a walk today. It looks very nice outside."

Nala returns the smile, "I would like that."

They finish their meal. Arelia feels strong, not as sluggish as before. She knows this probably won't last so she needs to make her move soon.

Nala leads her outside. Arelia stops to breathe in her surroundings. The bright sun heats her face. There is a slight breeze but she is not cold. She can smell the pine from the trees. For the first time in what feels like days Arelia smiles.

"You are beautiful Arelia," says Nala.

Arelia looks at Nala a smile still on her face. She extends her hand hoping Nala will take it. "You are too Nala," she says.

They walk hand in hand away from the house. Arelia is careful to look for routes of escape. They seem to be located in a valley. The denseness of the trees makes it hard to determine just how low the valley is. Arelia does not see any roads; she doesn't see much of anything as a means of escape. Without knowing how she got there it will be difficult to find a way out.

Nala guides her to a slight path that meanders up a hill. "It is peaceful here don't you think?"

Arelia is a little out of breath, "Yes it is. Where are we?" She hopes Nala does not get angry at the question.

"Home," is all she says as she gives Arelia's hand a slight squeeze.

They reach an area that levels off to even ground. It overlooks the house and the creak below. Arelia wonders how far the path goes, but does not ask. She knows she must be patient. Getting out of here is going to take stamina and strength, two things she is sorely lacking at the moment.

There is a nearby log that Nala sits on. She gazes out at the view. Trees can be seen for miles. Arelia feels a chill up her spine at how secluded they are. She joins Nala on the log for a much needed break.

"Are you alright dear?"

Arelia smiles, "Yes thank you. I am just a little tired."

"You will get stronger in time."

Arelia inches closer to Nala and lays her head on her shoulder. She hopes to gain Nala's trust, but she knows it is a fine line that must be tread carefully. Nala wraps her arm around Arelia's waist and just sits there.

Nala's resolve is starting to crack and she knows it. She loves Arelia, longs for her. It means everything to her that Arelia is showing her some affection even though she cannot trust it. She pushes her logical thoughts away to savor the moment. This moment feels real and she is going to hang on to it for as long as possible.