Chapter 49

Lia sits in the back of the cab with all of her senses hyperaware of everything around her. She had been out of her exosuit for just over a week now but was still surprised to noticed how dulled her senses were in her past ten years, possibly even before on the flotilla as well. Even now she could better identify the hum of the engine, the buzz of traffic, and even the faint smell of vomit masked by layers of antiseptic. It was strange, not quite overwhelming, but it was all new. Something else for her to keep her mind on instead.

She catches a glance of herself in the rearview mirror. She really does pass as a human with her simple disguise. Maria had followed through on her promise of getting her ear prosthetics and fingers, so it only took a little bit of makeup to complete the transformation. With a collection of long loose skirts she was relatively undetectable as a Quarian.

The taxi stops at the embassy. She transfers her credits from her new account and looks around to see the completely unobstructed view of the Presidium. The colors seem so much brighter now without a tinted shield obstructing. She sighs and simply turns around to approach the human embassy.

"Hello, I have a meeting with Councilor Shepard-Vakarian." She says to the receptionist as if she has no idea who she is looking for, as just another precaution.

The receptionist sighs deeply; "Name?"

"Leah Ganim. She should be expecting me." The fake name was the most obvious precaution, but easy to recover from if she were to start the wrong name.

"Right past the double doors." He says with obvious annoyance, but opens the door with his omni-tool anyways.

"Thank you." She says with slight confusion.

Shepard-Vakarian is sitting on her sofa with a stack of folders dominating her desk instead. She only has a single data pad on her. "Good morning Leah, I'm glad you were able to find the place okay. Your primary role for your internship is for you to go through the files on the desk. See if any of them match the criteria on the data pad. I may throw some more at you over the next two weeks but of these there may only be one or two who meet all of the criteria—although it would be good if you bookmarked the ones that meet all but one or two components in case we don't find any."

"Yes ma'am. What other duties do you expect of me?" The Quarian tries to speak as if she had never spent a night in her new boss's guest room.

"There is nothing else. I know it is boring, but this is our top priority. I am here if you have any questions but unfortunately I have another top priority item that I cannot currently delegate." Shepard-Vakarian tries to hide the exhaustion in her voice but Lia had already begun to notice some of her tendencies.

"Alright then." She starts at the pile. They are all personnel files of various high ranking humans all across the galaxy. The checklist is fairly extensive; no political agenda, no attachments at one particular location, no xenophobic tendencies, no doormat tendencies, as well as having no inclination towards wanting power. Half of the requirements are difficult to determine based on a piece of paper.

By the count, she is on the search for someone who is good at handling tough decisions but does not want to be in the position to have to make decisions as well as willing to prioritize the needs of all people above his own.

It does not take her long to realize that she is looking for a replacement for Shepard-Vakarian. It takes her even less time to realize that she should not bring up why.

The door opens after a while of Shepard-Vakarian and Lia working silently in opposite ends of the room. Lia glances up from her stack to see a high ranking C Sec officer walk in.

"Good day Mrs. Vakarian." He greets with a voice that is surprisingly familiar to her.

Shepard-Vakarian freezes up at the title. "Major General Faust. What brings you here today?"

"I need to verify that you will be attending the Summit in order to finalize the security protocols."

"Yes, I will be there." A tinge of a bite appears in her voice.

"I thought your replacement would be taking over by then? And given your blood pressure, headaches, and dizziness along with your impending due date, you really should be resting at home." He asserts.

"That is none of your business." She says as she puts her data pad aside, resting it on the sofa beside her.

"But as the head of the security for the Summit, I do need to know all variables."

"I do appreciate that, however medical records, in both my culture and your, are private records. Accessing those records was a breach of protocol."

"I needed to assess the risk of you coming. As it is, you are enough of a target and now I also have to evaluate medical staff to be on standby."

"I am aware that I am a target, but as the first human Specter, acting Councilor, and 'hero of the galaxy' I will be there unless I am physically incapable. If my replacement is determined before then, he will also be there." She explains as simply as she can.

"You have not found him yet?"

"No as humans do not have a clear line of succession for these positions. Typically we would vote on such a thing but we have lost our infrastructure to hold such a vote so my assistant and I are personally searching through thousands of candidates for the best man for the job."

"But Mrs. Vakarian…"

She cuts him off before he can get his argument in. "Commander Shepard-Vakarian."

"Mrs. Vakarian, I have to advise against this. You know you are likely to be dead by then, and even if you are still alive I know you be simply waiting for your expiration date." Faust explains emotionlessly.

"Okay. I have been advised. Good luck with your preparations, now please vacate the premises." She says firmly.

He looks as if he is going to say something else, but the glare of the tiny N7 causes him to change his mind.

Lia flinches as she tries to decide if she should do anything about the confrontation, but Shepard-Vakarian simply grabs her data pad and resumes working.

"Let's get back to work Leah." Shepard-Vakarian states distantly when she feels eyes on her back.