"I am not teaching you how to swim today," Shepard told Wrex as she removed her boots and jacket. Rahu had sent two krogan to meet them at the club and then had them brought to his place of business where they were then lead to the lower level. Wrex knew what that meant and hoped that it was not a sign of trouble but just precaution.

"Just stay close, Shepard," Wrex told her as they walked towards the black water that was between them and Rahu.

This room was where the hanar met those he did not trust. It required the visitor to stand in a pool of water four feet deep as he sat on the rotting throne of Bilgur Rizzuto. As Shepard looked down at the filthy, foul-smelling water she saw something pass by them. "Shit," she said under her breath as she tried to look unalarmed and as casual as one could be walking into something just short of sewage.

As they slowly waded to the center of the pool, Shepard refused to jump as she felt the slimy bottom squish between her toes … or as things moved against her … or at the sounds of creatures splashing somewhere around her. No. She was focused on staying steady and in control. As they reached the middle, Shepard breathing as shallow as she could to limit the amount of smells attacking her senses, a black creature splashed just in front of her, "What are these things?" She whispered to Wrex.

"Dinner," Wrex answered, dunking his face into the water and snapping down on what appeared to be a four foot long black eel. As he brought it up, the eel-like creature twisted and it slapped Shepard in the face.

"No, no, no," she groaned, as she used her turtleneck to wipe off the water and slime from the creature. A part of her wanted to gag as the water ran over her lips but she forced her stomach to stay put.

"Wrex," an asari laughed as she moved to the foot of the stairs leading down to them.

"Pirene," Wrex mumbled as he continued to eat the creature.

"You always did like to eat those wretched things," she said.

"Is this why you made us come to the lower room?" Wrex asked, snapping again at another one swimming by.

"Rahu apologizes for this safety measure," Pirene frowned, "but you have not been honest with us."

Rahu … Shepard had seen hanars on the Citadel but this one was at least four times the size. It was so large that she wondered if it could even stand. It was draped over the throne of the late Bilgur Rizzuto and one of its tentacles curled up and around the asari. "Honest? We are here for information on Ampelius Ovidius … nothing more."

"Is that so?" she almost seemed to purr. "Come, Wrex … Are we to truly believe that you would come to Wetrot … come to Rahu … just for some minion? And you would even bring a SpecTRe?"

Shepard caught Wrex moving a little closer to her as he growled, "This human is with me … she has no other reason to be here except to locate …"

"This Ampelius Ovidius," the asari cut him off as Rahu seemed to tighten around her. "Your presence is the only reason that she is still living, Wrex, but Rahu is not pleased that you withheld this information."

"That was my decision," Shepard broke her silence, "Wrex would have told you if I had not requested my SpecTRe status to be kept private."

"Your decision?" She smiled as she stepped her right leg down onto the step just above the water line. "I've never known Wrex to not do as he pleases. Hmm, Wrex taking orders from anyone ... especially a weak human. Can this be true?"

"Pirene," Wrex growled, "Shepard is not like other humans."

"Hmm," she turned to Rahu and after a few moments looked again at the two. "Well, no matter. This … turian you are searching for … we have bad news. He was last seen hanging skinned on Omega. Something about making an offer to someone there ... Pity. And you offered so much for his whereabouts … Rahu was not happy."

"Skinned?" Shepard asked. "Why? What was the offer he made? And to who?"

"Don't know," she smiled as she moved away and standing next to Rahu again, placed a hand on him, "but whatever it was, offended someone there and now …" she waved her free hand around as if with a knife, "he was peeled, hung and slowly … and I mean slowly … expired."

Shepard could feel the anger rising in her. She had come to the most god-forsaken place in the galaxy, left humans to be auctioned off like cattle, killed an unarmed batarian just because and now she had agreed to wade in foul smelling and murky waters just so this grotesque version of a hanar felt safe … for what? "Nothing," she bitterly said.

"You could have told us this in the club," Wrex said, sensing Shepard's growing anger.

"True," she answered. "But in our inquiry for you about this minion … his master … another SpecTRe reached out to us."

"Saren," Shepard didn't like where this was going.

"Saren," the asari's eyes lit up. "It seems that he desires you … not surprising. You are delicious looking … he offered quite a bounty on your head. But he lacks imagination ... his bounty does not include alive."

Wrex moved in front of Shepard as a tentacle of Rahu's moved out into the water and started to wrap around Wrex's waist. "Rahu, you would betray me?"

"Betray you?" Pirene looked hard at Wrex, "You know that he has been faithful to you. You have always been a loyal ally … but this silence … this lie by omission has Rahu concerned, Wrex."

"If Rahu is to be angered," Shepard said, trying to keep her temper in check, "then take it out on me. Wrex is not to blame for this information being withheld."

"Silence!" Wrex glared at Shepard.

"Listen to the krogan, human," the asari said in a serious tone. "You are but a child at the table of the adults … do not think that gives you the ability to participate in this game."

"I'm not here for games," Shepard answered. "Just answers."

The asari looked away from her and at Wrex and then motioned for him to come closer. Shepard bit her tongue as she watched him begin moving towards the steps leading up and out of the dark pool. She hated feeling lost in this game … wished that Wrex had explained what the hell was going on and if she should relax her hand on her knife. But he had given no inclination on their present situation.

As Wrex and Pirene began to talk just low enough that Shepard could not hear, she felt something bump against her right leg. Shepard had hoped it would move along, but as the think continued to bump against her, she reached down to push it away. The head of a dead batarian bopped up as she began to push … "Gobble-smack freak!"

"Lucius!" Pirene could be heard to say as Shepard took a few steps to her right, "Thought he could betray us to this Saren … last thought he had."

Shepard looked over at Wrex, wanting nothing more in the world than to be out of that pool and asked, "Where was he supposed to take me ... or my body, if he was successful?"

"Is anything that simple, human?" Pirene asked with a condescending tone and then turned back to Wrex. "Stay here … Rahu has a project that will yield great wealth."

"Once Shepard has completed her mission," Wrex told her. "I have committed to it ... to her."

"Committed?" Pirene seemed displeased. "So your allegiance has changed."

"Pirene," Wrex moved closer to her, "you know that I finish what I start … Once this is done, I will return."

Pirene looked at Rahu and then sighed, "Rahu is not happy … but understands." She then turned to Shepard, "He is also sorry that he could not help you … SpecTRe."

Shepard, without saying a word, turned around and headed for the exit … as she grabbed her boots, jacket and weapon, Wrex looked at Pirene, "What do you think?"

Pirene smiled, "Headstrong … but knows when to hold her tongue. A rarity in the humans that I've had the displeasure to meet. You were not exaggerating … she is very in control of herself. Why, she is only in a handful of people that managed the dark pool … not that she didn't flinch on occasion."

"Can you help us?" Wrex looked at Rahu.

The hanar shifted, "This one will assist where possible."

"In the meantime," Pirene smiled, "You need to catch up with your companion. If we hear of anything we will contact you." As Wrex began to wade back across the pool he heard Pirene say behind him, "Next time we meet … I will seduce her. You have my word on that, Wrex."


As Liara dropped her peach colored evening shawl on the end of the bed she tapped through her iMuse until she came to Sarah McLachlan's Ice Cream. She had heard Shepard humming this tune one evening on the Normandy at dinner time. She had asked Shepard what she was humming and to her surprise, the Commander began to sing it to her. Now listening to this other woman's version, she wished to hear Shepard's voice instead. She had remembered how everyone had clapped when Shepard was done and she giggled as she saw the Commander's smile and curtsy. Shepard's moments of entertainment and playfulness always caught her off-guard and now they made her miss the Commander even more.

It had been over a week since Liara had been on the Normandy and every time that she tried to forget her … forget the Commander … something always pulled her back. Just this evening she had escorted the Councilor to the Nijinsky Theatre in the Kithoi Ward. The Hamburg Ballet had come to the Citadel to perform Giselle and the Councilor Tevos had accepted Ambassador Udina's invitation to sit in his private box overlooking the stage. Matriarch Lidanya was on a month long tour on the Destiny Ascension so Liara was asked to stand in for her. As the ballet was performed, Liara imagined Shepard as the lead … she wondered what their lives might have been like if they had met in that type of setting. Instead of Liara stuck in a trap she had personally set. If Shepard had been a ballet dancer instead of a soldier … would she have noticed her that night? As Liara watched the woman move onstage she wondered if she would have really felt the same herself. Desiring a human.

But she pretended that Shepard was there … dancing for her and when they went backstage she fantasized that Shepard was waiting for her. The ballerina disappointed her as the woman fawned all over the Councilor … Shepard would not have ever acted in this manner, she thought. But until that moment she had let her imagination run away. Now as she began to step out of her dress in her room, she began to pretend that Shepard was with her and was telling her how she had missed her. What would that be like? She wondered. The Commander desiring her, wanting to spend time with her … to touch her. No, Shepard had been clear and Liara had even went on-line and looked for this human that had her affections. It hadn't been hard to find that she was with a Mr. Liam Serafino. She only had to pull pictures taken of Shepard while on the Arc and there he was … her hand draped through his … him holding a door open for her … the two smiling at the cameras.

If she couldn't please Shepard intimately then she began to go back through her research notes. She knew that if she could at least shed light on this conduit then at least the Commander would see that she had value. That she needed her. If she could help in the understanding of what Saren … and her mother … was doing then maybe she would see Shepard again. As she opened her netbook she heard Shepard tease, you aren't going to work this late … are you? She looked up as she imagined Shepard shutting her netbook and singing Ice Cream again. She knew that she was being silly but this was better than thinking of Shepard out there … possibly no longer even alive.

No, Wrex would protect her, Liara quickly thought when she saw Shepard hurt or … or … worse. She had seen the way the krogan had yelled at Shepard on Therum for jumping in the middle of the two battling krogans and it told her that he cared for her. She didn't understand why the old battle master had connected to Shepard … she would not have believed such a thing possible … but then she had also fell under Shepard's charms. She thought of the times that she had desired someone and none of them compared to what she felt now. If only she could talk to her mother about these new feelings … tell her about Commander Shepard.

When she closed her eyes at night to sleep she couldn't help but try and reach out with her soul and feel for Shepard. She told herself that she did this just to make sure that the human was still alive … still breathing. The thought of this vivacious and at times aggressive woman silenced … no! Nothing could stop her from existing … no one could stop her heart from beating. Liara had to believe that or she would feel the panic begin. She would feel a darkness start to move within her. Stop it, Liara! She told herself as she went back to her netbook … You will solve this and help Shepard!


It had been a few hours since the team had returned to the Normandy and even though it was now midnight to her internal clock … she could not sleep. So she roamed the quiet, dimly lit and semi-sleeping ship. She had visited the bridge and chatted with pilot Robert Felawa and his crew for a half hour and then headed down to the gym. A stock room there had been converted into a bedroom for the resident turian and as Shepard passed by she heard a guitar very out of tune being strummed. She saw that the door was slightly open and so she knocked … the noise stopping.

"Come in," the turian called out.

Shepard opened the door to see the turian sitting on his cot, holding a Martin guitar while another string instrument was leaning on the wall across from him. "You play the guitar?"

"Ha, not quite." He said embarrassed. "I play the sassub," he motioned towards the other instrument.

"Do you mind?" Shepard smiled as she pointed at it.

"No." He stood as she entered. "Do you play?"

"Not this," she smiled as she picked it up and looked at its design. "I use to play the guitar when I was younger."

"Then let's switch," Garrus held out the guitar to Shepard.

"That's okay," Shepard put the sassub down and as she turned to go she had to ask why he had a Martin guitar.

"Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan …" Garrus rattled off various artists that had played on a Martin and then told her the history of the C.F. Martin company and she found herself sitting down on a chair across from his cot, as he shared his respect of the Martin guitar. After going on for half an hour, Garrus stopped, "Sorry, Commander."

"No need to apologize, Garrus," she smiled as she finally took the guitar from him. "I love guitars … and this is a beauty."

"I was hoping to learn how to play it," he admitted as she began to tune it.

"Well, first you must have it in tune," she smiled.

"Yeh ... well," he sounded embarrassed again.

Shepard wanting to get his mind elsewhere, asked, "So if you don't mind me asking, why did you become a C-Sec officer?"

He watched her as she continued to tune the instrument and answered, "Probably the same as most officers ... I wanted to fight injustice and help people."

"Were you the first in your family to join the C-Sec?" she asked as she turned the E string key.

"No," he answered, "My father was C-Sec … I guess he had something to do with it, too."

"Your dad was C-Sec?" she looked up.

"One of the best," he answered with pride. "I grew up hearing about his accomplishments or seeing his picture on the vids after a big arrest."

"That must have made you pretty proud of your dad," she smiled.

"It did," he answered, picking up the sassub. "But I'm afraid that I can't say the same for him. He's taking my resignation from C-Sec pretty hard."

"I'm sorry," Shepard knew that it must not be easy on the turian. "It's rough when you feel as if you've let your parent down."

"Yeh," Garrus began to tune the sassub. "My father's a C-Sec man to the bone ... Do things right, or don't do them at all, he always tells me."

This made Shepard laugh, "My mother always said, do not embarrass me … It had the same effect. That fear of embarrassing her made me always give everything my best."

"Parents," he gave a small laugh. "He thinks I'm being too rash ... too impatient."

Shepard stopped tuning, "I thought all you turians were cold and …"

"A stick up our ass?" he finished. "That is how you humans put it?"

"Well, yes," Shepard laughed, "But I was going to add reserved."

"Oh," he seemed to smile.

"So why is your father worried?" Shepard began to strum the Martin.

"He's worried I'll become just like Saren," he answered, listening to the sound an in tune Martin made. "He actually talked me out of becoming a SpecTRe when I was younger ... for the same reasons."

"You were chosen to become a SpecTRe?" Shepard asked.

"Not chosen," he answered, "Targeted as a possible SpecTRe candidate ... Me and about a thousand other turian military recruits."

"Hmm," Shepard frowned. "Humans trying to get just one in and here they are lining you guys up."

"Jealous?" he asked.

Shepard laughed, "To be honest, this was a shotgun wedding for me."

"You didn't want to be a SpecTRe?" Garrus couldn't hide is surprise. The thought of someone not wanting to be a SpecTRe, well outside of his father, seemed impossible.

"No," Shepard shook her head. "Ignorance is bliss and being a SpecTRe is ripping the veil off the galaxy."

"Wetrot," Garrus nodded.

"Wetrot," Shepard frowned. "I have a feeling that there are other places not only as bad but …"

"Worse," he cut in.

"Worse," she agreed. "I'm not sure that I want to find those places … see those people. How does one keep that type of filth off your own soul? To not become what you are surrounded by?"

"I think that was part of my father's worries," Garrus said. "When I was offered the special training … my father said no. He didn't like it. He despises the SpecTRes, hates the idea of someone having unlimited power with no accountability. He wouldn't like you, Commander. No offense."

"None taken," Shepard smiled. "And I can understand why it would worry him."

"You can?" Garrus was finding Shepard different then he expected.

"Lord Acton once wrote a letter to a Bishop Creighton that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Shepard said, remembering it from one of her mother's lectures.

"But Saren's not going to play by our rules," Garrus countered, "Not by C-Sec's rules. If you want to nail someone like Saren, you need to send someone who isn't restricted by policies and procedures."

"Careful, Garrus," Shepard smiled, "Careful that you don't become the very thing you hunt."

Before Garrus could say anything, Shepard began to play a song that she used to play with her father … Merle Haggard's Mama Tried. As the music filled the room, Shepard singing how mama tried to tame a rebel child she could feel her father move closer to her. It had been too long since she had used music to enjoy the day and as Garrus tapped his foot she couldn't stop smiling as she sang to the country music loving turian … Wetrot gone. Saren gone. Just a Martin guitar, Merle Haggard music and an easy audience of one.