Notes:

Amantia - lover (Thessian)

ANN - Alliance News Network

LEAP - League of Earth Alliance Patriots

Mo cheann geallta - My promised one (Gaelic)

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


A Few Deep Breaths

Thoreau Mesa, Intai'sei, Phoenix System

The day had started earlier than it should have, when their sleep had been disturbed in the wee hours of morning – not by dreams of the ashen forest, but by a living, real-life nightmare – they had received a serious warning about a new LEAP assassination plot against Liara. It was only made worse when Shepard realized what else the 10th of October was – or, at least, should have been – a celebration of James Vega's birthday at the N7 school in Rio. It dawned on her as she made final preparations for her memorial speech to be delivered that afternoon.

Liara immediately reacted to the tumultuous thoughts coming through the link, shutting down the Broker terminal and walking calmly while suppressing the nearly overwhelming desire to run to the loft. She said nothing as she flew in through the hatch, simply moving through their private space and down the stairs to stand behind Shepard as the captain sat tensely at her desk. It was only then that the Asari spoke, as she placed her hands comfortingly on Samantha's shoulders. "Siame. I am so sorry. The day started out so crazy, I haven't thought about anything else." She paused as a tear rolled down her blue cheek. "James was a good soldier and an excellent friend... and I owe him my very life from that fateful day. I will never forget his sacrifice."

Shepard carefully pushed her chair back and stood to turn and wrap her arms around the being who was the single-most important person to her in the entire galaxy. "I know, Liara... and I'll never be able to thank him for what he did that day. The best I can do is make sure his Uncle Emilio and Ann Bryson are taken care of for him. We owe him that much."

"Ann. Now there's someone who hasn't crossed my mind in a while. I wonder where she is." Liara breathed out a soft sigh. "That's an excellent idea, Shepard. I'll use the broker network to locate her and make sure she receives any research grants she requires... Or, perhaps she would allow the head of House T'Soni to sponsor her research directly. Maybe she would even be willing to work with us after you retire and I return to archaeology."

Shepard's face held a reserved smiled as Liara rambled on, before finally cutting her off with a kiss applied to beautiful blue lips. "Thank you for the visit, Liara, but I really need to get back to my speech." As she watched a shadow settle into Liara's normally bright eyes, the captain pulled her back into a hug. "Hey. You gonna be okay?"

Liara shivered and snuggled into Shepard's warm embrace. "Yes. It's just that... I would have been crushed by that Mako, Sam. James gave his life to save me… and Riana... and it's our responsibility to not squander the opportunities he has given us."

Wrapping her arms tighter around the Asari, Shepard whispered, "I know, Liara. I know."


Over the next couple of days following the memorial ceremony, which had gone refreshingly well, the colonial mayor, Todd Guldin, took them on an extended tour of the operational wind farms and geological research stations that dotted the arid planet. He was obviously proud of their accomplishments as he stated, "The wind technologies we have developed here lead the industry. Our efficiencies and levels of production are unmatched across the galaxy... We have proven that eezo is not the end-all and be-all of energy production. Wind, unlike eezo, is an unlimited resource."

The primary mission of one research station in particular, focusing on solar winds, grabbed Liara's attention. The lead scientist, Violette Dixon, was an energetic young woman who was obviously thrilled with the attention as she explained her life's work. "Every sun releases a stream of charged particles from its upper atmosphere. Obviously, the density of that stream changes... but a predictable, and therefore useable, stream exists in every system with a stable sun. Harnessed properly, that charge can be used to power small, unmanned craft throughout the galaxy."

"But the charge is negligible." Liara looked at the woman questioningly. "How is there enough power to do anything with it?"

The scientist's eyes lit up as she started the explanation, comparing it to sailing on Thessia's oceans, with the stream itself being equivalent to the ocean's tides while the charge could be harnessed like a tidal generator, but by static condensers instead, to power ultra-efficient electronic sensors. As the discussion became more technical, Shepard rolled her eyes and smiled at their guide. "Mayor Guldin. Care to take a walk outside?"

"Absolutely, Captain!" The man had a look of relief in his eyes as he answered. "And please, call me Todd. Nobody uses titles around here. For a scattered colony of roughly 150,000, we're all still pretty reliant on one another because of the harsh conditions... so we're all friends."

"In that case, drop the captain." She chuckled as she continued, "It's just Shepard; that's what most of my friends call me. Pretty much, it's only members of my family who call me by my given name of Samantha... or Sam."

Todd grinned. "Alright then, Just Shepard. Let's get out of here before my head explodes!"

They had been outside for almost a half-hour by the time Liara realized Shepard was no longer in the facility with her. She quietly excused herself and went on the hunt, stepping out of the geothermal-cooled building into Intai'sei's hot breeze and bright sunshine. It didn't take long for her to track down her siame, as the terrain surrounding the facility was relatively barren except for the low-lying solar panels and the turbines that seemed to thrust themselves above the dunes to catch the wind.

When she first caught sight of the wandering pair, Liara's breath caught in her throat and she felt her heart jump in her chest. Shepard's athletic form was highlighted against a bright blue sky; she stood atop a dune as the waning sun, a distance off her left shoulder, cast an ethereal glow about her. The soldier's back was ram-rod straight as she faced into the wind, but her hands were tucked casually, palms out, in the back pockets of her pants as her loose-fitting, long sleeve, emerald shirt fluttered softly in the desert breeze while serving its simple purpose of protecting the Captain's sensitive skin from the sun.

A dreamy smile crossed the Asari's face and her expression softened as she simply stood and observed Samantha for a few moments, wanting to imprint the stunning vision firmly into her memory. With all the chaos and danger swirling around us, somehow, she manages to appear relaxed and at peace. She is the eye of our hurricane... and her calm instills a faith that all will end well.

Shepard must have sensed her presence, for the captain suddenly turned her head and looked directly at the Asari, a warm, welcoming grin spreading across her lips. {Hey, Blue. Join us?}

Smiling shyly at being so obviously caught in her musings, Liara dropped her eyes to the ground and started her trek up the shifting sands to link up with the two humans at the crest of the dune.


T'Sere Shipyard, Thessia, Parnitha

"Nobody flies with the test pilot." Judea frowned and stood on the landing with her arms crossed, unmoving and blocking the doorway to the new vessel. "That's standard safety protocol."

"Don't be so stubborn, Maiden Voni." Miranda scowled at her amantia, continuing, "I'm an excellent pilot and these aren't the ship's initial trials, so the risk is minimal. I'm going with you." Her scowl transformed into a smirk, "Besides, if you honestly think I'm going to let you get away solo with this sexy machine, you've got another thing coming. I'm not leaving you alone with this gal... she just might steal your heart... and that's something I'm simply not going to give up on without a fight."

The firm expression on Judea's face cracked and she couldn't stop the smile that crept onto the corners of her lips. Conceding the point, she rolled her eyes and huffed, "Alright. Fine, you can come... but she's my ship... and if I say jump, you jump."

Judea took a step back from the doorway, allowing Miranda entrance, and the Human kissed her gently on the cheek as she passed by, followed immediately with a whispered, "Aye aye, Captain."

Once they were underway, Judea flew the ship through the standard paces before Miranda commented softly, "She flies like a dream, Babe. You did well."

Judea glanced over and smiled as she tipped the yoke, taking the ship through a slow, graceful roll. "Ready to break atmo and test the FTL initialization?" She brought them back to level flight as she continued, "On the last test, the transition was a bit jumpy. I made some adjustments to the thrust conversion rates, so I'm hoping it's been smoothed out."

"How jumpy are we talking?" Miranda cocked an eyebrow as she tightened her harness straps.

Laughing, Judea smiled and answered, "Not that jumpy." She made the call to T'Sere control and plugged in the coordinates to Janiri. When Miranda questioned the location, the Asari shrugged easily. "With the time of year, it's actually the closest planet to us and her magnetic field is a great place to dump any static buildup from the trip... especially since we'll just turn around and jump right back to Thessia." She paused a moment and her tone became more thoughtful, almost reverent, when she continued, "The armada used the planet for the exact same thing during the war; it allowed much quicker turn-arounds on their hit-and-run attacks against the Reapers... at least until the damned machines figured out what we were doing, anyway. Then, they stationed three Reaper destroyers in Janiri's orbit... and that was the end of that."

Miranda released her harness and stood from the copilot's chair to walk over and place a gentle hand on Judea's shoulder. "How long is the flight?"

"Couple of hours. Plenty of time to run the system diagnostics, maybe even with a little bit of slack time somewhere in the middle." As Miranda's hand stroked slowly upward on the shoulder, Judea felt a tiny tremor of anticipation course through her body. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I think you... we... need to test the autopilot VI."

"That system was validated and passed during the second test series. We don't..." Judea stopped speaking, almost choking on her words as she let out a low moan. Miranda had leaned down and gently grabbed a neck fold between her teeth, running a warm tongue teasingly along its ridge. "Goddess," Judea whispered. "That is positively, not even remotely, fair, Miranda Lawson. My hands are a tad busy; I have no way to defend myself."

She felt the woman's hot breath against her neck as Miranda whispered, "You need to activate the autopilot, Jude, because I swear to you... in another ten seconds you're not going to be able to concentrate on much of anything, much less flying a spacecraft as advanced as this one."


Arriving back at the shipyard later that afternoon, Judea and Miranda were giggling as they repacked the emergency supply kit. Judea grinned wickedly. "I can't believe you busted the kit open just so we could use the blanket!"

"We needed something between us and that scratchy new mattress... and you didn't have any better ideas. What else were we going to use?" Miranda quirked an eyebrow at the Asari, Judea's face still a bit flush from their activities. "Maybe next time, you'll make sure your ship is better equipped."

Judea threw her head back in laughter. "Goddess, Miranda! You have to admit, that is not standard protocol for a test flight. Testing the spacecraft is one thing... testing the reflexes of the pilot is normally done under very different conditions!"

Miranda stuffed the final pack of rations back into the emergency supply box and snapped the lid closed before turning to the Asari at her side. Wrapping her in a loving embrace, Miranda whispered quietly, "We haven't exactly spent a lot of time together lately, Jude. Between you running the final engineering installs on our soon-to-be new ship and me digging up all I can on LEAP, I've felt a bit... detached... and I haven't liked it." She used a forefinger to gently trace the tattoo lines on the face of her amantia as she said, "I've missed you."

"And I, you. I've missed your touch." Judea closed her golden eyes and sighed in contentment. "And judging from both of our reactions, we must have needed this." Her eyes opened again at the sound of the hatch chime. "But, it seems, duty calls and the day must go on." She pulled back, one hand trailing teasingly down Miranda's arm, unwilling to break all contact any sooner than absolutely necessary. "I love you, Miranda Lawson."

Miranda smirked, "I know," before grabbing the emergency kit and stowing it away in the closet. They walked, hand-in-hand, back to the midsection of the ship to open the entry hatch, just as it began to chime multiple times, the person outside obviously getting impatient.


Talat, Sur'Kesh, Pranas System

"This is completely unacceptable! Shepard wields too much influence if she can get us sanctioned so easily!" Linron was livid as she practically shouted her words across the circular table. "And Valern? He is totally worthless to us; something must be done!"

Each of the ten Union district representatives was agitated for one reason or another and the Linron cronies were happy to add their opinions to the discussion. Their comments ranged from blaming the weak will of Valern and his inability to stand up to the other councilors to the Human devil who would so willingly shove the entire galaxy down the path toward disaster. Dalatrass Guraron practically growled, "Shepard will be the end of us all, releasing the uncontrollable blood rage of the Krogan onto the galaxy! The Humans don't truly understand the severity of their action... They did not live through what happened before and are impetuous as a rule... Shepard, in particular, ignored your warnings and must be made to account for her reckless actions!"

One on the opposite side of the issue, Jaralla Gurji, eventually spoke, her voice as cold as Noverian glacial ice. "You dare call Shepard impetuous? It was your impatient need to enact revenge for your loss of face that has caused this, not Shepard's decision to cure the Genophage! Even if we agree with you, which I am not saying is necessarily the case, we could have approached the problem quietly, as is generally our way. Instead, your open rebellion has put all of us unwillingly into the spotlight! You had best hope no one else decides to take action, for if they do, your impulsiveness will lead to us being the first ones accused!"

The polarizing debate lasted for another half-hour before one of the more senior members finally stood up in aggravation. "Enough of this useless squabbling! You all sound like a group of Vorcha in a blood pit! Where is your reason?" Kirova Esheel shook her head in disgust. "You should all be embarrassed... and if you are not, I am embarrassed enough for all of you, listening to you bicker amongst yourselves like hatchlings!"

Linron stood up, glaring at her detractor. "You have been quiet the entire morning; from that, I assume you desire to simply accept such treatment from Shepard and the Council, unchallenged. Do you hold an opinion on the matter, or are you simply concerned for your reputation?"

"I do have an opinion... and it most certainly does not agree with yours." Esheel's hooded eyes narrowed even more. "You are the one who should have been quiet, instead of confronting the current darling of the galaxy in such a public spectacle!"

"Shepard is an illness that cannot be allowed to spread!" Linron huffed before continuing, "I'll not let her taint our homeworlds with her poisonous politics."

"Poison?" Esheel looked at the current chair of the Salarian Union Leadership Circle in utter astonishment. "Every world Shepard has set foot on has made incredible leaps in their recovery speed. She has either brought all the necessary building blocks upon her arrival or ensured they would arrive within a week of her departure; blocks for housing, water purification, disease control... The planets she has visited are out-building us in the areas of reconstruction by at least three to one! If you call that poison, I guess I'll be dead the day after she visits Mannovai... because when she arrives... if she arrives at Mannovai, thanks to you... I'll be drinking anything she cares to offer!"

"Watch your tone, Dalatrass Esheel, before you find yourself without position. I lead the Salarian Union and will not be talked to in such a manner!"

"Since when?" Esheel snorted with derisive laughter. "You chair the Dalatrass Circle, Linron... and such political posturing as what you took against Shepard should have come to a vote, not been decided unilaterally... and then acted upon as you did. You do not dictate Salarian policy to any of us, and come a time when you honestly believe you hold such authority, you can expect there to be serious words between us."


Discovery, Horizon, Iera System

Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Falk stepped through the outer hatch of the Alliance heavy corvette that had brought him – along with a large contingent of Marines – from their base in London. Falk, after seeing some rather disturbing intel concerning Captain Shepard's visit to the planet, had taken a week of leave in order to catch this flight and be on the ground a day before the Normandy's arrival; after what had happened during the ceremony in Vancouver, he was damned if he was going to miss this ceremony, or miss a chance to spend time with the loveliest Spectre he had ever had the pleasure of meeting. As Horizon was only a one-relay jump from the Sol System, it was a relatively short flight before and after the relay transit, and he fully intended to be standing outside the Normandy's ramp when Shepard and Liara were followed off the ship by his raven-haired beauty.

The extra Marine contingent had deployed on Hackett's orders; after the events they had already experienced, the Admiral was taking no chances once he got wind of the warning... no matter the source. Falk, however, was just along for the ride and his real purpose for being here, of course, was unrelated to Shepard's official visit; he intended to have a visit of his own – an exceedingly intimate visit, if he could arrange it – with the other Human Spectre on the frigate, Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams. That she was not aware he would be waiting for her would make the surprise that much sweeter. He had only been able to see her briefly in Vancouver, as she had been tasked with leading the squad to track down and capture or kill the person that had attempted to kill Liara T'Soni; injuries she had sustained during the mission had put her in the Normandy's Med Bay overnight, meaning their meeting in Rio had been their last intimate encounter.

Hefting his shoulder bag with one arm, he picked up his duffle bag with the other and started walking towards 'officer's country', a small warren of one and two-bedroom apartments placed like an upside down 'L' near one side of the space ship docks; Falk had been assured all of the available places were clean and relatively soundproofed. The unit assigned to Falk was a two-bedroom, one-bath unit with a small sitting area adjacent to an equally small kitchen; he was fully expecting to have no need of the second bedroom, even if he was fortunate enough to have a guest stay over for one or two nights. After a quick inspection of the place, he dropped his bags on the couch and left, intent on inspecting the venue chosen by the colonial governor for the welcome ceremony.

As expected, the stage was a temporary affair, set up to allow the gathered populous to see and hear Captain Shepard and members of her crew. As a member of the British Marines, Falk was allowed into areas restricted to the general public; he used the access to look for easily usable exit paths, should something happen during the ceremony. Damn. I'm getting paranoid – been hanging around these bloody Yanks too long. He knew that wasn't a fair assessment, but being fair or not didn't change his feeling that something – though he didn't know what or when – was likely to happen when least expected tomorrow.

He climbed up on the stage and walked to the center. Looking around, he realized just how exposed the team from the Normandy would be. With his eye for detail, he easily identified at least five locations where a shooter could get a clean shot; they varied in distance from roughly 300 to 1500 meters. If the sniper was an exceptionally good one and could extend that range out to a three or four thousand meters, that increased the potential platforms from five to a dozen. That many strike points would be extremely difficult to monitor, and Falk found himself wondering just how many teams Hackett had actually deployed.

The colonial defense force could probably cover at least six, the additional Marines... another three. That left at least three locations unmonitored and a very nervous flutter in the pit of Falk's belly. I know Shepard has to be prepared for this. Asari commandos would be way too noticeable in a Human colony... Damn, but I hate not knowing the plan... not with Ashley smack dab in the middle of it all!

Realizing he had absolutely no pathways available before him to assist with the situation, at least at the moment, he retreated from the stage and began making his way back to the residential area. It's Liara who's at risk; there's not a chance in Hell Shepard won't do everything in her power to insure her safety, so I simply have to trust her. He stopped at a small bar and grill and had a quick meal before returning to his apartment to go to bed. He hoped tomorrow would go smoothly.


Destiny Ascension, Widow System, Serpent Nebula

"Valern."

The face that appeared on the vid screen was not the one he expected, but she did not speak his title of councilor, so he assumed the worst. "So. Dalatrass Linron has you doing her dirty work these days? That surprises me."

"Hardly," Esheel growled. "That Dalatrass has taken a step too large and her balance is teetering dangerously." An evil smile replaced the scowl as she continued, "I would like to be the one to provide the final little push needed to send her over the brink." Esheel chuckled at the expression on the councilor's face.

"What, exactly, do you mean by that statement, Esheel?"

"Oh, come now. You're smarter than the rest of them give you credit for, Linas. You don't honestly need me to tell you." Esheel cocked her head. "But, perhaps, you need to hear me say it out loud so you know I'm not bluffing."

"That would be a relatively accurate statement." Valern flashed a smile. "Though, I would understand, should you not desire to commit yourself to any particular path at the moment."

"Of course I'm committed... but I'm not yet confident that you are." Her eyes narrowed as she continued, "So, assuming we both know what I'm talking about, would you be with me?"

"That is a distinct possibility. Shepard actually admitted to trusting me, which is more than I can say about Linron and her assemblage of revolutionaries. It astounds me how they do not realize we cannot afford another war immediately following what the galaxy just went through. Their timing, even if I did agree with them, which I do not, could not be any worse."

"That's... excellent." She flashed a smile. "Perhaps, when this is all done, a breeding contract can be negotiated, solidifying our familial ties. Would that be sufficient payment for your upcoming services?"

Valern immediately understood that Esheel's phrase 'when this was all done' was a misstatement, because the negotiations had just commenced. As such, he spoke very matter-of-fact. "Perhaps, but I would need to know exactly what services we are talking about before I could agree, or disagree, with that statement. All the facts are not yet in evidence."

Esheel laughed abruptly. "Of course. I need your family and allies on Sur'Kesh to speak as you have; to stir dissent. I have others doing the same on other worlds. I realize it is risky to those doing so, but I need Linron and her supporters to react badly, as I am sure they will. When they do, we will unanimously call for a vote of no confidence."

"On all the planets? Simultaneously?" Eyes wide, Valern continued, "And what will you be doing while our people risk retribution?"

"I will be building a political coalition to ensure, when the vote comes, that we win." Esheel blinked a couple of times. "And you, personally, will be speaking quietly with Shepard, the STG, the Salarian ambassadors and military attachés... to gain their support and encourage them to also speak out. I am confident you will succeed in your endeavors."

Valern nodded and queried, "Timeline?"

"Starting immediately, Linas. Are we agreed?"

Valern crossed his arms and he scowled. "This will be a terminal blow to the Linron line. She will not only lose her position, but the stature and breeding contracts that go along with it. Others will be quick to realign... I would expect the Valern line to take a first position."

"A primary position, but third." She saw his scowl deepen so hastened to explain, "I have Dalatrasses Baon and Gurji already aligned with me, and I know you comprehend the importance of Line Esheel having a close association with their families. You must also realize that even in third position... the Valern line will be in excellent standing if you end up first in line following such esteemed company." His expression brightened significantly with her argument, so she asked again, "Are we agreed?"

Grinning, Linas Valern replied with one word before terminating the connection. "Absolutely."


Discovery, Horizon, Iera System

The second team deployed, the captain of the squad giving the orders to separate and mix into the crowds, each to find their own, unplanned route to their rendezvous point. "Our success depends entirely on you being unobserved and unrecognized. Avoid anyone who may know you and do not draw attention to yourselves... but be on time! We can't screw this up."

The team members, all dressed in various types of apparel and none in a uniform of any kind, grabbed their gear bags and slowly spread out. Even if their unplanned routes crossed while they navigated the city, they would not acknowledge one another. They all had their own fabricated background story with their own fake final destination. Some were pretending to be tradesmen looking for a place to lay their head while they hunted for employment, others acting as refugees simply killing time while waiting for the next flight toward their home planet.

Above all, they had studied and memorized every street and alley between them and their destination... and then between them and the location of their designated target... and then between their target and their extraction point. Multiple attempts on Dr Liara T'Soni had already been made, ranging from simply trying to scare her off, to kidnapping, to outright assassination. None had yet been successful but, eventually, someone was bound to get lucky.

The new arrivals knew the first infiltration team had arrived the afternoon prior. First Team had their own rendezvous point, but the same mission and all the same rules. However, before either of the teams had deployed, an operational analysis team had worked diligently to study the city for the best sniper placement locations in the city, based on the precise position of the speaking platform. The criteria were strict with multiple factors playing into the final chosen locations. The last assassination attempt had gathered a lot of attention, the sniper had been caught, killed and identified, and then some bastard had somehow pinpointed the organization in a very public format; ANN – the Alliance News Network. Because of that, this operation had to be exquisitely planned down to the finest detail. Everyone involved had to be much more careful to ensure the objective was met and, preferably, they all got out alive.

Potential ingress and egress routes had to be identified, with multiple points of diversion in case a path became blocked. It was essential that every member on the team knew the plan. Those monitoring the security channel chatter had to be prepared to reroute the team members on a moment's notice... and the team had to be prepared to react, trusting the information coming to them and acting on it without hesitation. There was also the planned communications frequency variation; once a message went out, all comm systems immediately tuned to the next frequency in the set, automatically. That way, if someone outside the team inadvertently intercepted a communiqué, it would be the only one they intercepted. They wouldn't be able to listen for additional messages and back-trace the signals.

Timelines were very strict. You made your extraction point... on target, on time... or moved to a designated safe-house. In that case, a new set of orders took effect, because none were expendable and none would be left behind. Each person had their own safe-zone and no one knew the others. Person-specific information was provided in a sealed envelope, only to be opened as a last resort. If anyone got captured and gave in, they could not, even if they wanted to, provide the location of any of the other safe-houses.

The Normandy had arrived during the morning rush, just as they had, and the Memorial Ceremony was scheduled for 1500 hrs. They had just over five hours to be in place and to be ready. Failure was not an option.


Normandy SR-2, Horizon, Iera System

Shepard was unusually silent as she double and triple-checked Liara's armor fastenings. Liara finally reached up and wrapped a busy hand in her own. "Siame. It's fine."

Concerned greens met hers as Shepard let out a long breath. "Gods, I hope so, Liara. I'm still tempted to make you stay aboard."

"We already had that discussion, Shepard, multiple times... and I haven't changed my mind. If we are going to draw them out to show themselves, they need to have their target. If they don't, they may just shoot you, instead, as a secondary... and I've already informed you in no uncertain terms that I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt." She squeezed the warm hand she held in her own. "Whatever we do, we do together. Remember?"

"I know, Liara... it's just..." Her voice faded to nothing as she looked imploringly into the Asari's clear blue eyes but saw nothing but steely resolve. With a deep sigh, she shook her head lightly and said, "I love you, Mo cheann geallta, and I love your courage... but I will forever hate myself for having turned you into a soldier."

Liara's eyes took on a little bit of a glassy shine and she smiled softly. "You never forced me to do so, Samantha. The combination of circumstances that have brought us to this point in time have created multiple chances for me to choose a different path. At each of those points, I chose to follow you, to find you... to love you. For who you are and for who we are... together. No matter what happens today, I wouldn't change any of it. I'd do it all again, just to spend whatever time I have with you. No regrets."

Shepard's free hand gently stroked Liara's cheek and she leaned in, placing a kiss upon welcoming blue lips. "Agreed. No regrets... but let me make this perfectly clear; you are not allowed to die on me today. We still have a squad of blue babies to raise."

They laughed together at the now familiar joke between them, about Shepard wanting their family to be a squad of six. As the tension relaxed slowly into a soldier's confident ease, Shepard pulled away, immediately regretting the necessity of the separation as she started to move toward the hatch. "Come on. They're waiting on us down in the hangar bay."


When Shepard and Liara arrived at the top of the ramp, the entire ground crew was ready and waiting. No one had wasted any time on comfort; they were all locked and loaded, ready for anything that may come their way. Shepard looked them over before saying, "You do realize Hackett has sent us an extra three squads of Marines to ensure our safety, right?"

"Sure thing, Skipper." Ashley grinned at the Captain as she continued, "But their asses aren't going to be standing on the stage... directly behind the primary targets. What the Hell are we supposed to do when those damned wanna-be assassins miss? Blow 'em a kiss?"

Chuckling, Shepard smiled. "Well, they'll be a bit far away for you to be simply lobbing those grenades you have hanging on your belt into the crowd."

"Maybe so, Captain." Sarah Campbell's voice was deadly serious as she responded. "But we sure as Hell can use 'em if we get the jackasses cornered and they're too heavily protected for us to make a frontal assault."

A quiet snort from her side grabbed Shepard's attention. "You think that's funny, T'Soni?" Looking over at the face of her promised, Shepard couldn't help but grin along with the Asari. "Alright, you win; you can keep the grenades." She turned her head to focus on the exit. "Go ahead and drop the ramp, Steve. We have a welcoming committee to visit."

Cortez saluted and quickly punched the entry code into the control terminal. "Be careful out there. I don't want any last minute shuttle scrambles to get anyone to the Med Bay."

"I'll second that, Lieutenant." The concern was visible on the face of Doctor Chakwas as she waved them all on. "Go. Get it done and don't bring me any extra work for a change!"

As they descended the ramp, a government vehicle pulled up quickly at the end of the dock. A gray-haired man with bright brown eyes sprang from the vehicle and walked quickly to join the small crowd already assembled, awaiting the crew's arrival. As the Captain reached the bottom of the ramp, the new arrival took a step forward and stuck out his hand. "Irvin Rehmer, Colonial Governor. Welcome to Horizon, Captain Shepard."