The response to the call for evacuation craft stunned Tanda. She watched as the Mass Relay activated. Again, and again, and again. It seemed half of all ships in human space were arriving. From the tiniest ships that could go through a Relay to the very largest of bulkers, they were all arriving, a parade of ships that were all asking Thunderflare for instructions.

Soon the Admirals and starfighter Generals found themselves traffic control officers, trying to route the ships to where they were needed, as quickly as possible. This time, there were no sudden Reaper reinforcements. First Fleet reappeared, and shortly enough Admiral Lindholm and her ranking surviving subordinate were aboard Thunderflare.

And one of Tanda's more legendary subordinates was, for a moment, speechless.

"My turn to be back from the dead!" Hannah Shepard offered, and bounded up to her much taller daughter to hug her, very tightly. "We burned through the Relay to escape when it was clear we couldn't do more."

"As the Rear Admiral says," Lindholm added, softly, the Scandinavian woman moving to the far side of the flagbridge, and letting the two be alone for a moment. "I confess, Moff Pryl, I wish I had been able to visit your flagship in kinder circumstances."

"I quite understand. I wish I had been able to visit Terra in kinder circumstances, Admiral. But if I had come sooner..."

"The circumstances wouldn't have been kind?" Lindholm offered.

"Yes, that's so."

"Well, that's water under the bridge, now."

"I agree," Tanda answered, looking down to Terra through the screens. "How long will it take?"

"Forty-six hours at current rates, Moff Pryl. What about Earth?" She picked up a cup of coffee from one of the attendants, and Kesea answered for her Moff.

"Admiral," the Asari shook her head. "Our weapons will superheat the atmosphere. We could destroy the Reaper fleet, but we'd destroy the planet, too. The only hope is... We got a fair number of them on the ground the first time with snubfighters, going in low and close and using shaped charge homing missiles to destroy the Reapers' legs, topple them before they could take off again."

"Try again?" Ines took her coffee heavy with milk, and gazed below with the others.

"I am fairly confident the Reapers are waiting for it as we speak, Admiral," Tanda answered. "We need... Something to force them to come up to fight."

"Then I will help finish the evacuation, and hope that you can come up with it, Moff Pryl."

Tanda glanced to the other Asari who had come up with Atarah Shepard. "Doctor?"

"That is my area. I may have discovered some information of considerable utility, and I will need to speak with Admiral Hackett about it, Admiral Lindholm," Liara was as composed as ever.

"Sounds like a good escort mission for the Normandy," she answered. "...I never thought I'd just stand here in orbit watching Earth be occupied knowing I can do nothing."

"Oh, we're doing something. The drones and the destroyers are being held back to fight our snubfighters at the moment, so the Reapers are holding some LZ's and not even advancing past them. That's giving plenty of time for resistance to mobilize, and we've been deorbiting containers of weapons when we have the chance. Don't feel helpless, Admiral." Tanda's visor was inscrutable, but her voice sincere. "Don't."

"I... You're right. Commander Shepard...?" She caught the Imperial rank squares, though. "Ah... Captain Shepard."

"Yes, Admiral?" Atarah turned, her mother's arm still around her. The gesture made Liara grin.

"I want you to see Doctor T'Soni to her meeting with Admiral Hackett. She says she has critical information for the war effort. Ah, Admiral Shepard..."

"Admiral?"

"Take the Orizaba with the Normandy. We don't need her to screen the evacuation with the Imperials here, and Hackett is much worse off." Her smile was very soft.

"Understood." Hannah pulled herself free and saluted. "C'mon, kiddo. There's been worse."

-

Two nights later, Tanda sat, disconsolate, looking at the reports. There was so much to do, and all of it seemed pointless while they were helpless, watching Terra below them and unable to intervene. She tried to remember her own words to Admiral Lindholm. They seemed to drift away in the breeze she could no longer feel on her skin, so she adjusted her outer scarves like it was there, anyway.

Tali finished a smoothie and moved to sit beside her. "I can feel your moroseness. Not just in how you're acting. In the force. Not good, love..."

"No, I suppose it isn't. Everyone will be concerned about me again, and worry about my falling back to the Dark Side."

Tali shoved her head against Tanda's with a clunk of their helmets. "Not like this, dear. We will win."

"We will win." Tanda laughed, lamely. "If I just had an Executor..."

"... Got any ideas? Other than that one." Tali got back up, and rubbed her wife's shoulders.

"We suffered very few losses. If we can do this repeatedly... We just wear them down until they have to abandon Earth to have the Reapers left for space operations. "

"Well, the problem is that the Reapers won't get caught like that again. So the next time we do this we'll take very heavy losses," Tali replied, uncomfortably.

"Yes-then we won't be able to do it again. On the other hand the Reapers are liable to be considerably more cautious-each one is somewhat individualistic as far as we can tell. I imagine many of them are upset that so many of their 'nations' ceased to exist today."

"That means they're likely to be trying to... get rid of us, as far as I can tell... good news, they hate Shepard less than you now."

"Good. I have a battle fleet. And they don't know about the geth, yet... I think they'll try to subvert us before anything else at this point."

"Probably... which means... indoctrination? And... turning us into Cerberus Mark II. Fun, really..." She sighed and flopped over.

Tanda wrapped her arms around Tali, pulled her gingerly close. The door alarm trilled, and she sighed. "Who is present?"

"Jedi Tasiele."

"Come in, Jedi." She used her suit comp to unlock the door, her sigh echoing through her helmet to Tali's, but dissolving when the Quarian woman giggled up at her and made faces with her mask polarization off.

It made Tanda smile when she faced Tasiele. "May I help you?"

"Yes. I want to go to the surface. People are suffering and dying there, and..."

She drew herself up. "..And I can give them hope. That is the way of the Jedi."

Tanda shook her head. "How would we... Recall you, if we needed you?"

"There is another. Your former pupil, Kesalia. She has learned to follow the Good path from the Asari Justiciars. I think they were founded by a force sensitive, who found that path on her own... A very long time ago. That doesn't matter, though. What does matter is that she can do what you need. I, on the other hand, need to be down there. I need to make the spirits of that people, of Terra, ready for resistance, instead of submitting to their fate."

Tanda looked sharply. "You are not afraid of me falling to the Dark Side when you are on the planet, or even slain?"

"No. Tali'Zorah has come far. She will keep you on the path of righteousness. She will keep you on the path of righteousness, and together... I think there is something yet undiscovered here that may help our cause."

"What would that be, Jedi Tasiele?"

She smiled. "A Purple Transect."

"Gree." Tanda gasped. "Oh, we'll look, then. Go to the surface, then, Jedi. If that is what you must do..."

"Oh, it is."

"Then may the Force be with you."

"Thank you, Tanda Pryl. I never thought I would hear that from the Empire. Your Empire is really the same as the one I fought, though it is masked in cold efficiency and Core world law. Still, I know it is sincere. You will make something of it, in time. May the Force go with you as well, Tanda Pryl." She turned, and was gone.

Three hours later, the comm buzzed urgently over Tanda and Tali, tangled together in their suits.

"Captain?"

"Admiral Lindholm sends from Arcturus that a large concentration of Reapers is converging on the Relay to Earth, Your Ladyship."

"Is Jedi Tasiele safely on the surface?"

"...She is on the surface, Your Ladyship. I am not sure I would call it safely.."

Tanda brushed a hand idly over Tali's softhelm and headscarf as she awoke, and laughed softly. "Fair point. Sound General Quarters, and ... Stand by to evacuate the fleet."

"Destination, M'lady?"

"The Citadel. We need a unified front, or else we're all doomed."

She stayed in Tali's embrace. Tanda Pryl, in truth, could not bear to see Earth disappear in a flicker of pseudomotion, at the retreat of her fleet after all it had won and all it could still do. But it could not save the planet. Not yet. Not any way she knew how.

And every time she thought she had a handle on the number of Reapers, more arrived. Their conventional force was not spent, not by a longshot. The war... Had just begun.

-

As they travelled through hyperspace and tried to relay into the extranet, it quickly became clear that communications were useless, and coordination was doomed, thus far... Couriers would be needed to pass messages as the Reapers seemed to interfere with comms at will. And then Thunderflareburst out into the Nebula... ahead was the Citadel. There would certainly be answers now.

In return, the Citadel would see her war fleet for the first time. The true strength in ships swept through space, converging with the great station steadily. "Confirm approach codes, Quarian military," Tanda ordered.

They were given approach vectors for a parking orbit in the confirming message... the Citadel Fleet was notably weaker than it should be, but still present, and flashed recognition codes at the "Quarian" ships as they settled into orbit.

"Prepare my shuttle at once," Tanda turned from the bridge. All she could say about the trip was that she had managed to sleep a lot. While the repair crews went out for battle damage and leave was drawn up, she went with her wife to face the Council. It had been a rough operation, even if the absolute losses were small.

They were, for once, given enough shuttle slots to actually have real enough leave for the crews. Being a Council "race", they had their own docks now, and that meant a Quarian voice came over the comms to guide them in. It was... different than the last few times they'd been here, at least, even if they still had to use transfer tubes when docking.

In particular, this time, Tanda headed up to the Presidium wing with confidence, her cape billowing and with a guard of stormtroopers. It was time to try and sort out the defence of the galaxy.

The Citadel was tense. Packed with refugees down by the docks and with nobody really helping them, it was chaos, nothing but C-Sec trying to keep order, and the galaxy shuddering under the invasion and manifested in the sapient bedlam. On the Presidium, conversely, a rarefied and odd degree of normality prevailed... everything and everyone there trying to pretend all was normal.

She settled confidently into the Presidium, allowing nobody to stop her until she arrived at the final security perimeter. Then, she maintained her declarative pride, not for herself... But for the Quarian people. "I am the leader of the Quarian Nation here to confer with my ambassador and the Council in General," Tanda commented flatly to C-Sec, standing stiffly as they did the security scan, gave her something of a look... then stepped back to let her pass.

There were still looks from other people as well, at a party of Quarians and Stormtroopers, all masked and indeterminable in their uniforms and suits... The cafes, the shops, all filled quiet talking, with people as far removed from war as possible. The same old ads on the Tri-vids... here, yes, it all seemed normal.

"Welcome to where the galaxy tries to pretend problems don't exist..." Tali tapped up her omnitool. "I assume Shepard's briefing the human Councilor now that she's finished conferring with Hackett, and that should mean she's got the rest of the crew on leave... do you want me to call her up to debrief you?"

A pause. "Or are you more looking for Liara?"

"...Well, either one works. I assume they've shared the relevant information." Tanda paused. "We also must talk with the council, but that will inevitably be harder to arrange."

"Probably easier to get you a meeting with one of the councilors, first..." Tali agreed.

"Tevos first, then the Turian," Tanda snapped. "That much is obvious."

"On it... Don't worry, love. Shepard hates that guy, too..."

Tanda smiled, and stayed close to Tali. She wanted closeness to Tali more than anything right now, really. She let her wife settle out their quarters, and lead her to them, though in truth Tali was not much more familiar with the Presidium than she was, Tali certainly had a better natural aptitude for omnitool based navigation.

Tali was cuddly out of public view, that was certain... The quarters seemed almost unnaturally perfect and opulent, though they didn't have long to enjoy them in peace; Tevos showed up within three hours of their arrival.

"Thank you for seeing us so quickly, Councilor Tevos," Tanda would offer as she rose hastily at the woman's arrival, offering her some table water her flag lieutenant had tracked down and leaving Tali to join her a few minutes later, scarves settled out. "I will be blunt: We were forced to retreat from the Sol system."

"You have my sympathies, Moff Pryl..." Tevos murmured. "From the rumours, however, you have done much already. More than anyone dreamed."

"We reaped of the Reapers. We engaged them in four even contests. And I used the power of my ships to force a few surprises on them. Truth be told, it would be a legendary battle even back in my home galaxy. But the Reapers won't be caught off-guard against my capabilities again. They won't make the same mistakes again."

"You have still provided hope in a contest many would have believed hopeless, Moff Pryl. That is a thing worthy of celebration, even if it may not last."

"That's a kind thing to say to me. The Council... Finally fully understands the threat? Forgive me for perhaps not sharing the enthusiasm, but... Ah, it seems wrong to leave all of those people at the hands of the Reapers. Better off dead..."

"We are aware of the threat, but..." Tevos looked uncertain.

"You need to plan for an attack on Thessia, Councilor," Tanda interjected before she could continue. "You need to make special, extraordinary preparations to coordinate everyone from children up fighting. Let me be blunt, yes, I mean including child soldiers. You have the unique ability of a biotic population... This is something nobody else. You must now prepare to abandon your cities, grow food in your forests and nature preserves, learn to live in caves. I can't guarantee keeping a Reaper fleet off Thessia. But you could... Make yourselves literally unconquerable, with some planning."

Tevos looked to her, and still couldn't find anything to say.

So Tanda just continued. "As for the rest? I'm considering going to Palaven. If the Reapers remain over Earth, I have heard the force at Palaven is a manageable one, so that I may be able to destroy it quickly. At that point, like as not, I'll need to withdraw to my own space, at least to refit and repair. But I will not, not quite yet."

"We have been trying to prepare Moff Pryl... kinetic barriers over our richer cities, and plans from the various republics, but High Command has difficulty... impressing the level of severity when any Matriarch who made such a call might easily be removed."

"Very well, then. I can go to Thessia to speak to your people myself. To show them what I have seen and convince them to cooperate with such plans."

"An open broadcast to try and propel a vote for war measures...? It is worth trying. If your ships made them panic, even that would be good enough. They have not seen them before, after all, and they are half myth to most of the galaxy. High Command believes it has a countermeasure to fight the Reaper dreadnoughts in space, but... cannot defend Thessia proper."

"I will do one other thing when I arrive. As long as I am going to be there, I will evacuate the really young children."

Tevos' face twitched into a tired, guilty look. "Bondmates and children are being evacuated to Thessia right now."

Tanda frowned and shook her head. "Ah, well. That may even make sense, if the preparations are conducted skilfully. But I want to drive home the severity of the situation to all involved. Asari simply have the unique advantage... You don't have a genetically viable population limit. If all else..."

"I can guarantee you'll survive."

"That is not a comforting feeling, even so, Moff Pryl." Tevos spoke simply, plainly. "The Turian Primarch was attempting to coordinate a war summit for our efforts against the Reapers - we have, however, lost contact with him, and the Turians reportedly are wishing to take efforts that the Salarians would find... unallowable." She had the grace to look uncomfortable, and one could tell she was badly, badly overwhelmed by the effort of keeping the Council from killing each other.

"What sort of efforts are you speaking of, Councilor Tevos?"

"Evacuations, assembling resources... the Alliance has apparently decided to throw all their efforts into the device Doctor T'Soni discovered the schematics for, some great Prothean-designed weapon to destroy the Reapers. The Turians are equally supportive of the effort." She had not mentioned herself, or the salarians... Notably. "We are also under pressure from Councilor Udina to send the Citadel Fleet to attempt to save Earth."

"Well if I couldn't do it the Citadel fleet can't." The laugh was very bitter.

"We are aware. He is... most insistent, and is apparently the legal successor to the Alliance government... such as it is."

"I will speak with him about the matter. Still, I confess evacuations and assembling resources are the minimum at this stage... I thought you were going to suggest the Turians were proposing destroying solar systems to cripple Reaper movement. That would be extreme at this stage. Nothing else, Councilor Tevos. Nothing else."

"I am aware..." She shifted her posture. "Moff Pryl... can I... trust you? I would owe you a great personal debt."

She gave Tali a visibly nervous glance, as the Quarian woman murmured; "This is usually what happens right before Shepard gets asked to do something suicidal, just so you know."

"Tell me what it is about, Councilor Tevos. But remember: I have a duty to preserve my fleet, it is the only one that can meet the Reapers on even terms."

"It does not involve your fleet, but knowledge of it leaving this room might well be catastrophic to any post-war peace. I risk much by telling you this much."

"You have my absolute confidence, Councilor."

"We may be able to assist in regard to the information relating to the Prothean device Dr. T'Soni has located. We will need Spectre Shepard for the operation, as well as the good Doctor. With Normandy occupied... I would nominate Thunderflare for the role of the galactic command ship."

"We have the hyperwave transmitters and appropriate coordination capabilities, which I would argue SR-2 actually lacks, so I appreciate the appointment," Tanda squeezed her wife's hands. "I will keep this information of your's in confidence. It is related to the Protheans, and that is where it best belongs."

"Thank you, Moff Pryl." She replied, calmly enough. "The Alliance is again attempting to use Shepard as their errand girl - it is an annoyance, but one that should be borne with the situation on Earth. You still have done very well, Moff Pryl."

"Thank you. I will be conferring with the Turian councilor so as to make preparation to put my fleet over Palaven on the shortest notice."

"Of course. Good luck, Moff Pryl."

"Thank you." She rose. "I assure you, my wife and I would like to see peace as much as the Asari people. It is just not an option right now."

"I agree, it is... just not a war we will excel at. We are attempting to evacuate every smaller outpost we can, that effective resistance can be made, but... you are correct. Perhaps we will again be needed at the peace, if it comes."

"We badly need your biotic abilities. You must turn Thessia into a tomb for its invaders. With your natural talent you have the power to do this, Councilor."

"I hope so, Moff Pryl..." The asari... well. Culturally, everything told them that this was not a fight they should be having, much less one involving this sort of zero-sum war.

"In fact, I politely ask you to divert the refugee ships to a major colony world that normally exports food. You see, you have not answered my prior concern, so let me explain it: It occurred to me that, inevitably, the greatest threat to the spires of beautiful Thessia will be starvation when the Reapers control the spacelanes. As long as the Reapers themselves refuse to engage in planetary bombardment, that is their one way to get you without sticking their graspers into a grinder."

"Population dispersion will be... difficult. You are correct, however... if they regard us as so much of a threat, they would be... hoping to force us to surrender.

"Surrender is worse than death, Councilor Tevos. That, I can say in absolute confidence. The Force be with you..."