Author's Note: The description of the Rebekah borrows heavily from the depiction of an Asari Corvette by my favorite ME3 artist, Euderion. His visions of space vessels in the Mass Effect galaxy, as well as Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Galactica, Babylon 5 and others can be found on the Deviant Art website at: euderion/art


Be patient. Your voice will find its way into the world, not in one loud instance but a steady trickle that turns into a deluge. – Lang Leav, Love Looks Pretty on You


Irin – Pronounced similar to the girl's name 'Erin' – Zaeed Massani's shortened form of 'Iringù-Eßizkur'
Kaffe equatorial Thessian vine, the seeds of which are used to produce a non-alcoholic beverage of the same name,
· · · · · · the taste described as a mix of coffee and chocolate. (Thessian/Source: CDN)


• OMEGA STATION · OMEGA NEBULA, SAHRABARIK SYSTEM •

Squad Leader Roshida B'Sayle hefted her shoulder bag, stepped through the open hatch of the Harashi and quickly glanced around the dark, dingy freighter berths in which the ship had docked. With a muttered, "Let's move," into her open comms mic, she proceeded to lead her companions to the nearby exit hatch.

Once all six of them were through and standing next to a broad walking path, populated by a few scattered batarians and a sprinkling of turians, she whispered, "Spread out, but stay in sight. I'll contact the Talon, see where we have to go."

Her companions began moving in a casual manner … Cat and Del moved to the right, Celia and Joy went left, while Erin stayed within a few meters of her captain. B'Sayle used her omnitool to send a message to Tulana Varinian informing her they had arrived and were awaiting directions to their next transport.

It quickly became apparent the Talons had eyes in many places on Omega—certainly to be expected, given who ruled the station—as a turian female, dressed in dull black armor with a small, white circle overlaid by a vertical red stripe supporting three red crossbars on her upper left chestplate silently approached Roshida, who quietly asked, "You Varinian?"

"I am. No need to ask who you are … you and your friends stick out like shining beacons of lethal violence down here. Come on … I'll show you to your transport."

B'Sayle fell into step beside the unobtrusive turian, asking as they walked towards a group of access hatches, "Do you have any more information for us? … anything additional to what we were told by our employer?"

Tulana produced an OSD from a thigh pocket and handed it to the asari. "This disk may have more … my captain handed it to me just before you docked … said to make sure I gave it to you before you boarded the transport." Roshida silently pocketed the disk as they continued to walk. The turian continued in a quiet voice. "I need to tell you about one special requirement for this job, Captain."

She came to a halt in front of an access hatch that looked no different than the others on either side. "The transport will remain docked in Nos Aedelos until you're assignment is complete." Tulana reduced the volume of her voice until it was barely a whisper, nearly lost in the flanging sub-harmonics. "Your primary target is to be returned here in the stasis container on board the transport. My boss wants a trophy … leaving that target behind is not an option."

Hearing this made B'Sayle's hackles go up, and in spite of herself, her entire body was momentarily wreathed in a shifting, translucent blue glow. "Most people believe me when I tell them I've completed an assignment," Roshida hissed through clenched teeth. "Why the fuck would your leader need a damned body brought back?"

"We question neither instructions nor motives, Captain. It makes all our lives easier. "

Roshida B'Sayle had learned at a young age that arguing with the messenger was an exercise in futility. With a heavy sigh, she motioned to the hatch in front of where they were standing and asked, "Transport through here?

"The Desorspar is docked at the end of this passageway. It's a bit small, but it sleeps eight, so I expect it will serve your needs quite adequately."

Copper-flecked violet eyes studied the turian's opalescent-greens. A heavy sigh, then, "Okay. We'll contact you when we're on our way back."

"It's been requested that you send regular progress reports."

Roshida shook her head. "Not going to happen, and attempts to contact us will not be successful, understand? We're the best at what we do because I won't allow a client to micro-manage our contracts. You will be notified when we leave the planet to return here … not before."

Tulana looked as if she was preparing to argue the point, but quickly decided that pursuing it wouldn't be wise; with a nod of her head, she entered a code in her omnitool to unlock the hatch. "Safe travels, Captain B'Sayle. May the Spirits protect you and your team."


• T'SONI COUNTRY ESTATE, ARMALI REPUBLIC · THESSIA •

Rather than return to my room after dinner, I had re-entered Iringù-Eßizkur to check my messages.

On the Shadow Broker side, there were only two; one from Roshida B'Sayle confirming her arrival on Omega and subsequent departure for Illium, and another from Zus'kann Solban telling of his success in tracking down a number of former researchers. The salarian said he'd bring them together on the Citadel, with the expectation the Broker would transport them to wherever they needed to go.

There was only one personal message waiting for me … I was delighted to see it was from Oriana Lawson. After checking local time on Eden Prime, I placed a return call, hoping I wasn't too late. When the connection completed, I greeted her as her image resolved itself on my monitor. "Oriana! I'm glad you called me! What news do you have for me?"

She gave me a smile with her reply. "I'll be needing a ride, Sammy, if it's not too much trouble. I want to come work for you—on a trial basis—for six months. I believe I can accomplish a lot in that amount of time, but I feel I need the option of being able to walk away if being cooped up inside a tin can becomes too onerous for me to endure."

I attempted to keep my disappointment at her time limit from showing on my face or in my voice. "I'm glad you're willing to give me a chance, Ori. When will you be ready to leave Eden Prime?"

"Three days. I don't have much to bring with me just clothes and some personal things. My apartment here is furnished, so nothing big or heavy to move." Her brows knit together as she thought about furniture. "You never said. Is there a bed and a place for my clothes?"

"Of course there is. You'll have private quarters, including a small lounge area with a viewport." With a slight frown, I added, "We would like to initiate a slow, longitudinal rotation of the station, just so the view outside would be constantly changing. Unfortunately, practicality dictates we maintain a constant attitude in order to keep our sails—our solar collectors—directed towards the sun. A static view of the stars isn't as interesting as watching the blue-shifted light-show outside an FTL starship, but it's all I can offer … for the time being." I smiled while concluding, "And actually, the timing will be perfect. I'm currently attending to some business on Thessia. I'll be departing day after tomorrow local time, so I'll swing through Utopia on my way back to the Nebula."

"Sounds perfect, Sammy. Do stay in touch during your trip I'll be ready to leave with you as soon as you touch down."

"Thanks, Ori. I'll talk to you soon." I terminated the connection and sat back in my chair as I thought about Lawson and the new research people coming on board. Looks like things are finally beginning to come together. With the additional people on the station, I'll have to see what can be done to improve the environment perhaps some plant life. Griff should be able to see to that. While it was on my mind, I composed and sent a text to Buchanan asking him to begin checking into creating a hydroponics area … one on our own deck, and one on the station's newly redesignated deck two.

Knowing my presence would be missed if I slept within Iringù-Eßizkur, I returned to the ground beneath her and strolled back to the main house. It was late enough in the evening that there was not much activity; seeing only a few commandos, I climbed the stairs to the second floor and went to my assigned room, there to take a quick shower before climbing into a bed that seemed as big as some small countries.


I rose early, got dressed in my crop top and shorts, then placed a few items in a small bag and made my way down to the commando's exercise room. Other than a couple of 'good mornings' to the few asari in the space, I ignored them as I began my Tai Chi movements; I noticed a couple of them watching from the sidelines and whispering to each other as I finished my third rep of the series. Nothing unusual … Xiùlán and I had regularly drawn an appreciative audience on board the Ionsaí during our time on the asari corvette.

I had decided to omit the blades from my physical training regime today; there were a pair of heavy exercise machines, similar to the one I had obtained for our own exercise compartment on Ahn'Kahar Station. After I went for a fifteen-minute jog around the room, I sat at one of the machines and did a set of leg presses, followed by a full set of lying leg curls. Wide-grip lat pulldowns came next, followed with a set of butterflies. I finished the series with a set of triceps pushdowns, machine biceps curls and machine shoulder presses.

Soaking wet in sweat, I grabbed my bag and went back to my suite, there to take a lukewarm shower before donning my clothes and strolling back downstairs to have breakfast. Once I had a tray of food and a mug of Kaffe, I took a seat at the end of the closest table and began eating. In short order I was joined by General Park, who greeted me with a smile. "Almost missed seeing you, Sammy. You're a bit late arriving."

"Actually been up for nearly two hours, RaeLee. Did my exercises, then took a shower and changed. I'm going to borrow a shuttle for a flight to Dassus … need to visit T'Sere Shipwrights for a meeting concerning repairs and upgrades for the patrol craft I inherited."

This was met with a look of surprise. "I wasn't aware you owned a vessel, Sammy. If I may ask, how long have you had it? Are you planning to fly it back to Earth?"

I chuckled. "It's a 25-year old asari patrol craft—the Rebekah—long retired and needing a lot of attention. When I discovered it, it had been in storage for at least ten of its 25 years. T'Sere most likely built it as the class leader for a series of patrol craft the asari military used before the war. I need to speak with their engineers about needed modifications and repairs, plus upgrades to the latest in nav-aids and crew amenities." I took a sip of Kaffe from my mug as I concluded, "It won't be flying again until I'm sure it's as reliable as a newly-constructed vessel."

Park's expression indicated a bit of disappointment. "Too bad. I would have enjoyed a ride back to Vancouver in a two-decades old ship …" she chuckled wryly, "… rather than in a machine that's several millennia old."

"I'm hoping it will have a bit more room inside than Spirit's Rage … won't know until I see it in dry-dock." Park actually laughed at my mention of the turian corvette Buchanan and I had used during our assignment to discover how Cerberus intended to destroy the Anixara. "It was adequate for our needs back then, but Griff wasn't happy with the lack of privacy inside. I'm hoping the Rebekah will be a bit larger."

Park laughed again. "Nude asari all look alike … I expect the Rebekah will disappoint you in that regard. Having separate facilities for the privacy of men and women on board a warship doesn't concern them."

I laughed at her 'take' on mixed gender personnel serving together in the confines of a space vessel. "Griff actually looks embarrassed any time he sees me in my exercise outfit … he'd most likely have a heart attack if he ever caught sight of me totally nude. We always refrain from wandering around our common areas in the buff." I had a thought and voiced it aloud. "Maybe I ought to show him what I look like in just my skin … clear up the mystery for him."

Ignoring my last statement and seeing that I had finished eating, she stood as I rose to take my tray to the collection station, saying, "I'll be meeting with Spectre Shepard and Garrus this morning in order to further discuss the methods we'll use to take Garrett Sutton down for treason. Still don't know how Shepard plans on springing all this on Admiral Hackett … should be an interesting conversation."

"I don't envy her that task, RaeLee. I suppose telling the admiral uncomfortable truths can't be avoided, and I want to see Sutton pay for his treasonous dealings with Cerberus; just wish I could see his face when he's convicted. By the way, have you had any success at compiling a list of Sutton's enemies?"

She frowned for a moment, then cocked her head slightly as she looked at me. "It's not complete, Sammy, but I do have one started. Need to add a couple more people before I let you have it."

"Okay then. I'll see you when I return from Dassus this afternoon."


• T'SERE SHIPWRIGHTS, DASSUS REPUBLIC · THESSIA •

Operations Director—and company owner—Matriarch Tralis met me as I stepped out of the T'Soni shuttlecraft. "Samantha Traynor … it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She held her hands out palms upwards; I gently placed my open palms on hers as I replied, "As I am honored to finally meet you in person, Matriarch. Please, call me Sammy … or Sam."

"Welcome to T'Sere Shipwrights … Sammy. If you will accompany me, I'll give you a brief tour of our facilities before we take a look at the Rebekah."

"Sounds good, Ma'am. Lead the way."


Subsequent to being shown where their designs were finalized on immensely powerful computers, Tralis led me through the fabrication and assembly area on an enclosed, overhead walkway. "We're usually working on at least four ships—all in various stages of completion—at any one time. The really large companies crank them out on an assembly line. That's not us. T'Sere prefers to build quality space vessels, so our yearly output is much lower in comparison."

After spending a few minutes watching a number of technicians working on one ship, I observed, "All your assembly people are asari … do you employ any of the other races?"

"For final assembly? No, we do not. We do employ some salarians in structural design, and a few former Systems Alliance affiliated humans as propulsion and defensive weapons designers, but the majority of our workforce are asari. That's not from any conscious desire to exclude those who may wish to relocate here for employment … we simply have very few non-asari job applicants."

Tralis smiled as she continued, "You must understand, T'Sere rarely introduces new designs … demand for our products has always been high, especially since the end of the war." We stepped into an elevator, which took us down to ground level. As the doors parted, a graceful wave of her hand accompanied her next few words. "We have arrived at the reason for your visit."

She led me onto a wide, raised walkway that formed a U-shape around an elegant looking relic from the pre-war era of asari space travel. "Is that disappointment I detect in your expression?"

I looked at her briefly, then returned my gaze to what could only be the Rebekah. The ship resembled a sculpture in jet black and midnight blue metal, complete with the gaping, forward facing 'mouth' reminiscent of a manta ray, a creature that lived in the subtropical and tropical oceans of Earth. "No. I'm actually surprised at how lovely a 25-year old ship … especially one that's capable of FTL flight … appears after sitting in storage for ten or more years. Is it? …"

"One of ours?" she finished for me. "It is, and I'm proud to say it was the class leader for our entire run of 45 patrol craft of this design." She continued to speak as we strolled around the ship. "The design is the forerunner to that of an Oseros-class corvette, but smaller … 155 meters long, 138 wide. When new, it was capable of 16.4 million Km/sec for short bursts … normal FTL cruise speed was nearly 51 times light speed … about 50.7 billion Km/hour."

I did some calculations in my head. "Pretty impressive for 25-year old tech," I said.

The Matriarch preceded her next statement with a throaty chuckle. "Try 29 years, Sammy. Our builder's plate is affixed to the bulkhead behind you …" she indicated by inclining her head in that direction, "… just to the left of the hatch. The Rebekah was launched on 13 June, 2160 … saw active duty as a patrol craft in the Parnitha System and Athena Nebula until its decommissioning and sale in late 2175."

I asked with a nervous chuckle, "Do you know who purchased it?"

Tralis entered a few commands into her omnitool; after a moment, it responded with a name. "Shade Microsystems Limited. Small company, based on the Citadel. Closed down after the geth attack in 2183, but the ship had been in storage since 2179 or so."

"Shade Microsystems? Sounds like a data processing outfit." I almost said aloud what I was thinking - Wonder why the Broker would even need a fifteen-year old patrol craft.

Walking up to the starboard airlock hatch, she opened it, waved me in ahead of her and said, "Possibly. Lots of small companies with big plans and not enough creds opened and closed in the seventies." She led me through a corridor to the flight deck. "Take a look around, Sammy. The ship appears to have been well maintained … no signs of abuse while in private hands."

I gazed around at the various control stations in the compact area—flight controls, navigation, propulsion, weapons, environmental—as she continued speaking.

"Navigation and flight controls are where we'd be able to do the most good for you, Sammy. Integral VI controls can be installed quite easily … enabling one trained person the ability to navigate and fly this ship."

"Weapons?"

"The offensive weaponry was removed before it went into private ownership. Defensively, it can still pack a good punch, and installing nearly thirty years of improvements to its defensive weapons suite, including the latest in stealth technology, would make it nearly untouchable."

She smiled as I nodded my head and replied, "The best offense is always an overwhelming defense. How about propulsion and the drive core? I can't imagine upgrading that will be anything but expensive."

She sat in what I presumed to be the pilot's chair. "Spectre Shepard and Lady Liara have made some unusual friends. The turians granted us a license to build and install … and retrofit … Tantalus drive cores in the ships we manufacture … or rebuild, such as the Rebekah. In turn, the asari government has licensed the use of Silaris hull armor to those interested in such … the turians can't retrofit their warships fast enough."

I nodded as I thought about all she had told me. "May I see the rest of the ship? I'm particularly interested in crew accommodations."

"Certainly, Ms Traynor. Please, follow me."


• NOS AEDELOS, ILLIUM · TASALE SYSTEM, CRESCENT NEBULA •

Roshida B'Sayle stepped out of the Desorspar and paused to study the area around her … that is, the little bit she could see. Unlike Omega and the Citadel, this place actually experienced day/night cycles, and it was the middle of the night here in Nos Aedelos.

Feeling a bump against her left shoulder, she turned to her lieutenant and whispered, "Sunrise in about ten hours, Celia. Let's get our asses out of sight. I don't like the itchy feeling in the small of my back. Eclipse is here … I can feel it."

Although Roshida couldn't see her, Celia nodded, hefted one of her two travel packs and began sauntering towards the customs check-in area. Roshida turned and walked towards the Desorspar's stern; once hidden by the shadows obscuring that portion of the docks, she activated her tactical cloak. Effectively invisible, she quietly moved back towards the ship's nose; here she picked up Celia's other travel bag and tucked it up under her long leather duster.

There was a 4.5 meter high energy barrier separating the docking platform from the rest of the city, placed so as to force all arriving passengers to submit to customs inspections. It wasn't intended to stop a determined person from going over it in order to bypass customs, but was there to keep honest people honest; B'Sayle wasn't honest, and had no intention of having her weapons and specialized equipment confiscated by the authorities. The area near this section of the barrier was partially hidden in shadows, perfect for her next action.

Using a mass reduction generator to negate her weight, she jumped straight up 5 meters and used her gloved hands to grab onto the top of one of the narrow, upright generators between which the energy barrier curtain was energized. Once she'd made a quick inspection of the other side, she deftly swung her legs over and lightly dropped to the surface. After quickly stashing Celia's bag, along with her own, she returned to the docks side of the barrier in the same manner. In the meantime, Catalina and Erinna had each made a similar trip over the barrier and returned.

The team's weapons and other equipment were all safely stashed away from the prying eyes of customs inspectors, and Celia, already through the inspection with her shoulder bag of traveling clothes, had walked along the path and secured the six travel bags in order to keep everything safe until the rest of the team cleared customs, something they absolutely needed to do in order to keep the port authorities from initiating a search for six passengers missing from the Desorspar.

In less than 55 minutes, the entire squad—all protected from prying eyes by tactical cloaks—was moving towards their first goal … places where they could stay and meet unobserved.


• T'SERE SHIPWRIGHTS, DASSUS REPUBLIC · THESSIA •

After thoroughly inspecting the Rebekah, I accompanied Matriarch Tralis to a small luncheon facility near her offices. As we enjoyed a leisurely meal, accompanied by a small glass of Elasa each, she spoke of what T'Sere would be able to accomplish over the next four-to-seven weeks.

"Retrofitting the propulsion system will, of course, consume the most time … and credits, but the new drive core, accompanying heat sinks and new fusion reactor will grant the Rebekah a major advantage over ships her own size, and larger … as large as a turian or Alliance frigate. Its defensive systems and weaponry will be updated; we'll install the latest salarian-designed GARDIAN anti-missile and anti-fighter laser turrets … these will utilize near-ultraviolet frequencies, with seven times the range of the best infrared lasers."

After pausing to take a bite or two of cheese—I believed it was Uloth—she continued. "We'll also fit multicore shielding to the hull after installing our Silaris armor plating."

"Won't that make the ship a lot heavier?" I asked, before taking a sip of Elasa.

"It will," came the thoughtful reply, "but the new ME core will more than make up for the slightly greater weight penalty. Additionally, we'll install improved maneuvering thruster modules. By the time our engineers have completed all the installations and upgrades, you'll have a ship with the power-to-weight ratio and maneuverability of a fighter craft."

I finished my Elasa and said, "We haven't spoken of crew facilities. We'll need partitions in the lavs and showers on the crew decks. My usual traveling companion is a human male—Griffen Buchanan—who breaks out in an embarrassed sweat anytime there's a possibility one of us might see the other without any clothes, or using the toilet."

Tralis grinned. "I've often heard that humans are extremely shy where it concerns nudity … their own and others." Taking the last sip of Elasa from her glass, she set it on the table and picked up her datapad. "Are you sure this needs to be done, Sammy? It's something an asari would never consider."

She appeared to be joking, but I responded anyway. "Even with partitions, he'll have a difficult time. He'd prefer a solid, sound-proofed tiled wall between the restrooms. I don't much care one way or the other, but most men seem to have a real hang-up with women seeing their genitals in any setting outside of their bedrooms. Having a thin partition between the male and female areas of the facilities will be something he'll just have to get used to." I didn't mention that I had once seen Griff's genitals up close and personal; that fact still caused his cheeks to flush anytime I mentioned it.

Tralis laughed aloud. "I've been alive for centuries, Sammy, and I learn something new every time I speak with a human, of either gender. We'll fix the restrooms and shower areas for you."

"One other thing … on the side you choose to designate for the males? I'd like you to install at least one of these … two would be better, if there's enough space." I used my omnitool to send a picture of a wall-mount urinal to her omnitool. "Since men generally pee standing up, one of these installed in the men's lav will make things a lot easier … and possibly less messier."

She looked at the photo, looked at me, then looked back to the photo. Her only comment was, "That must be really convenient when one is in a real hurry … or has to go really, really bad!"

I chuckled. "Tell me about it. It's one of the reasons there are at least twice as many toilets in women's lavs—human lavs, anyway—in places such as transport hubs and sports complexes."

She rose to take her tray to the collection stand. "Okay, Ms Traynor … we'll get started on the Rebekah. I'll send a detailed estimate for expenses as soon as I have it worked up."

"Thank you, Matriarch. We followed Spectre Shepard's recommendation in bringing the Rebekah to T'Sere; after meeting you and touring your facility, I'm more than convinced it was the correct choice. I appreciate you taking the time from your busy schedule to meet with me."

"You are most welcome, Sammy. It has been my pleasure to speak with you today." We had walked to the exit from which I could walk back to my shuttle; turning to face her, I raised my hands waist high. She set her palms on mine as she said, "Go with the Goddess, Samantha Traynor." After we parted, I could sense her eyes on my back as I walked to the shuttle. Not every day she sees a human, and I bet having a human visitor with credits to spend is even rarer.


• T'SONI COUNTRY ESTATE, ARMALI REPUBLIC · THESSIA •

I had finished enjoying a relaxed dinner with Shepard, Liara, General Park and Garrus, along with the several commandos that always seemed to be hovering nearby wherever T'Soni and Shepard happened to be. Shepard paused to grip my shoulders and whisper in my ear as she passed me to leave the dining room. "Come find me in the study before you retire for the evening, Samantha." The hands gave a gentle squeeze before trailing down across my back as she walked away.

After leaving the dining room, I went outside and rode the null-grav tube up to Iringù-Eßizkur's habitat compartment, where I placed a call to Buchanan. "How are things going, Griff?"

He showed his teeth in a huge grin. "Couldn't be better Sammy. I had already been thinking about a hydroponics garden when your text arrived, so did some investigating found someone a couple, actually, that will obtain and set up everything we need."

"Who did you say owned the station?"

With a chuckle, he replied, "I didn't just told 'em the owner was a brilliant, but eccentric former advisor to the Systems Alliance that preferred anonymity."

"And they bought that?" I asked with a bit of incredulity.

Looking wounded for a moment, Griff replied, "I've gotten really good at tellin' lies, Sammy. Some might even say I am an expert at shoveling bullshit!" After a hearty laugh, he cocked his head slightly and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial level. "The really neat thing about this pair, Sammy? They designed and installed the hydroponics systems and plant life on the Nexus, and on ark Hyperion before their departures for the Andromeda Galaxy."

My mouth fell open in surprise at his revelation. "That's … just incredible, Griff! I wonder why they didn't make the trip themselves."

"Don't really know, Sammy. I asked, and immediately got the impression they didn't wish to talk about it. I guess it takes a special kind of crazy to go into cryosleep for a 600-year, one-way trip to an unexplored galaxy my suspicion is they simply got cold feet at the last minute."

"Have you met them? More importantly, do you trust them?"

"They're working down on Deck Three—our newly designated Deck Two—they needed to see the space available before a system could be designed. And I do trust them – hell, Zus'kann Solban even vouched for them." He paused, as if remembering something. "By the way, Solban wants the Broker to get in touch with him … says he has eight former researchers just waiting for transportation. They want to work for us well, the Shadow Broker. Want me to go pick them up?"

I thought about it for a few moments before answering, "I'll contact him as the Broker, tell him I'll send an agent—that would be you—to transport him and his researchers. They can go to work as soon as they're aboard and settled in. I'll be bringing Oriana Lawson with me when I return tomorrow. Is Cordell Webb still aboard?"

"He is … he's supervising our new gardeners in addition to his own crew."

"I'll send you a text as soon as I finish speaking with Solban. Chinami can do her work without supervision, and Mr Webb doesn't really need to know you're gone. Take the second shuttle … it still has all its seats. Shouldn't be more than a few hours out and back."

"Okay, Sammy. I'll get ready to leave while you talk to the salarian. Let me know where I need to go when you text me back."


As soon as I finished speaking with Zus'kann Solban, I texted Griff with the salarian's location on the Citadel. Having two people that could assume the identity of the Shadow Broker was a real plus, one that we were increasingly using to our advantage.

Griff assured me he would leave right away, in order to have everyone back to the station in time for a late dinner. After checking for messages and my data feeds, I used Irin's null-grav tube to descend back to the surface; once there, I strolled through the gathering dusk back to the house, entered, and found my way to Shepard's comfortable study, where I discovered her to be sitting in front of a low fire, sipping from a crystal tumbler.

She raised her glass towards me as I entered. "Sammy … come … join me." She poured a generous measure of what I learned was Bushmills 16 Irish Whiskey into a tumbler that appeared to be a twin of the one from which she was drinking.

I took a sip and ran it around the inside of my mouth with my tongue before swallowing. I enjoyed the honeyed, nutty maltiness and toasted wood flavors, then enjoyed the burn as it slid down my throat. "You're usually sipping Bushmills 21," I said. "I know it's a rare treat for you. What has you drinking 16?"

She chuckled as she motioned me to the empty chair next to hers. "The distiller's entire production run of 16 and 21 sold out in less than four weeks this season; I consider myself lucky to have scored a case of the 16-year old whiskey!" Another chuckle. "Am I to infer from you demeanor that all is okay on Ahn'Kahar Station?"

"We're making good progress on the modifications. I have a quarian programming genius fixing what could have been fatal flaws in the environmental software, and we just hired a married couple to design and install a hydroponics garden on two decks." I sipped from my glass, tipped my head back in satisfaction and sighed.

"I remember asking you if Harbinger would even allow a shooting war to begin between humans and turians. Did you get a response?"

"I did." I turned my head to look directly into ocean green orbs. "Small, regional conflicts are completely beneath their notice, Rachaél. That said, a word from Spectre Shepard would be all Harbinger would require to intervene … against both sides."

"From me? Really!? That seems incredible, Sammy."

"Why should it? You are The Shepard. The Reaper War … their so-called harvest … ended because of your personal sacrifice."

Shaking her head slightly in self-conscious denial, she tipped the rest of the contents from her glass into her mouth, grimaced slightly at the burn from the liquid sliding down her throat and leaned back in her chair to study the flickering embers in the fireplace. My next statement brought her head around instantly.

"Shepard, I feel I need to warn you … Garrett Sutton was able to survive the Reaper's relocation of the Citadel to Earth orbit, and its subsequent return to the Widow System. I believe that points up the fact of how well he had fortified his offices and residence during his brief time on the station." I gazed intently into her eyes as I concluded, "If Sutton has any warning … any warning at all … when you finally come for him, he may just dig in and resist."

"Man like that … having screwed over so many people for so long, it would not surprise me to learn he managed to somehow create a panic room … maybe even an emergency exit."

I nodded slowly as she spoke. After tipping the rest of my tumbler's contents into my mouth, I swallowed as I thought about the snake that was Garrett Sutton. "Soon as I'm back inside Iringù-Eßizkur on my way home, I'll begin researching that for you. Might be a bit more difficult than finding the Blue Suns' hidden passageways, but if he has a backdoor, I'll find it."

Rachaél nodded. "That would be nice, Sammy. No telling how much crap that man could stir up if he was allowed to run free after being ousted from his cushy job." Standing from her chair, she took my glass and set it on the table alongside hers. "I'm going to bed, Sammy. I'll see you and General Park off in the morning after breakfast."

"Sounds good, Rachaél. Sleep well."


NOS AEDELOS, ILLIUM · TASALE SYSTEM, CRESCENT NEBULA

Roshida B'Sayle, after a short walk back from the nearby café where she had enjoyed a quiet breakfast, had just entered the main lobby of the apartment building in which she was staying. Being in a bit of a hurry did not mean she was paying any less attention to her surroundings … her eyes were always moving, looking and taking notice of anything out of place, a person that didn't belong, something that wasn't as it had been when she left.

Infiltrator Erinna Thyria had joined her captain for breakfast; with her back towards the room full of early morning diners, she had covertly filled Roshida in on all she had discovered in the three days she'd been allowed to investigate the Eclipse sisters closest to Jona Sederis. "Suvanni D'Klan has been with Sederis the longest of any Eclipse sister; she's not just her lieutenant, she's her most trusted confidante. Her biotics are formidable … as they would need to be. Sederis would not have anyone less than a completely loyal master adept at her side."

Roshida had chuckled as she asked, "So, no way we can buy her off?" Erin's critical glance at her captain spoke volumes; B'Sayle held up her hands as she hastened to clarify. "A poorly, ill-conceived attempt at humor, Erin … obviously something I have not mastered."

She paused for a moment before continuing, her facial expression dead serious. "What of the others? … her personal guard?"

The infiltrator did not smile as she replied, "A frontal assault on the warehouse Sederis calls home would most likely end with all of us severely injured … and most of us dead. Every sister employed by Sederis is willing to die to protect her; as Jona is unable to run at all … or even walk very far, her survival depends on their fanatical loyalty. We'll need to eliminate every Goddess-be-damned Eclipse sister in that building to have any chance of grabbing Sederis."

Roshida had listened intently to her infiltrator's report; when Erinna stopped speaking, her captain said in a deathly quiet voice, "Get the team together, Erin. We have to get this operation done … the sooner, the better … for us … and the galaxy."