Notes:

Bosh'tet - curse/insult, similar to "son-of-a-bitch" or "bastard" (Quarian/Mass Effect Wiki)

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

Edessan - Major Turian colony, located in outer regions of Turian space, among oldest and most populated worlds, holds significant strategic & sentimental value (source: CDN)

FTL - Faster Than Light travel

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

STG - Special Tasks Group

Calm Before the Storm

CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 11 Dec 2188

"So, it is agreed." Flexing his mandibles in the Turian version of a smile, Quentius nodded at Jara, who grinned back wickedly at the result of three days of intense discussion and negotiation.

"Yes." Jara practically glowed in anticipation over the promise of the upcoming battles. "I will have Urdnot Grunt reserve First Platoon for the battle of the Far Rim… but you can have Second and Third Platoon to set traps at the remaining food depots." The chuckle that rose from deep within her massive chest sounded malevolent. "The next few raiders will have no idea what hit them… and I guarantee they won't get away with any more supplies to take back to the rebel fleet!"

"The full six patrols of eight?" Quentius – eyes shiny at the prospect – was practically drooling over the damage he knew the Krogan would wreak upon the unsuspecting Quarian raiders.

"Of course, you idiot. Any we left behind would tear Tuchanka apart in their frustration…" Jara rolled her red reptilian eyes. "We can't have that, now… can we."

Quentius was instantly prepared to be irritated by her brazenly labeling him an idiot, but her tone as she finished her statement made him realize she was actually joking with him. Surprised, he simply responded with what counted as a grin, his voice flanging in humor. "No, I suppose not. I imagine they'd leave quite the mess in their wake."

"You got that right." Jara rose from her seat as she continued, "I'll pass this on to Urdnot Wrex and ask when Grunt will be ready to go. You'd better have those transports ready… a fight like this is one they will eagerly embrace, so it won't take them long to prepare for pick-up."

As Jara walked away, Shepard looked to Quentius. "She's right, you know. You'd better make the call and get those transports enroute. It wouldn't surprise me if Grunt has his warriors packed and ready within the hour. They've rebuilt Aralakh Company based on a concept of rapid deployment; always ready, always eager for a fight… so you'd best be prepared to give them one."

"Well… I can get them to the necessary locations, but it will depend on the rebels as to when they show up for the unexpected fight." Quentius sneered as he added, "What I wouldn't give to see their faces when they're met at the doors by an eight-squad of very eager and angry Krogan Warriors… especially if those warriors are made to wait for any length of time."

Shepard chuckled. "That's for sure… If they're forced to sit around for too long, you may just have to find them something to kill. Otherwise, the Quarians may find nothing more than a bunch of drunk Krogan guarding your storage facilities."

"We have plenty of games with which to keep them busy… our simulators are extremely good; good enough to keep them on their toes with a variety of enemies." Quentius laughed. "We even have a couple of scenarios that feature Thresher Maws!"

"Why in the galaxy…?" Shepard started to ask, then realized she knew the answer to her own question and somberly continued, "Because you figured you'd likely run into one if you spent too much time on the ground on Tuchanka… So, you needed your soldiers to know what they were and how to fight them."

"Yes." Quentius' laughter died with a quick sigh. "It was necessary… then… so I don't regret us ever doing it… but I sincerely hope we never feel the need to do such again. The Krogan have actually proven themselves worthy allies and I want them to remain so."

"Good." Shepard's smile returned and she reverted to the subject of the negotiations. "As for me, I'd like some help from the Turians."

Quentius was immediately curious. "In what form?" he asked earnestly.

"The Guard Captain at Pinnacle Station." Shepard paused for a moment and added, "Former-Guard Captain, that is… Captain Vidinos. We've been friends for some time, and I'd like to have him and his Blackwatch team join me on the Knight Shade, along with Aralakh First Platoon A-Squad, as my second and third boarding teams for taking control of the Moreh… and to help me eliminate Daro'Xen."

"Spirits, Shepard!" Quentius flared both his crest and fringe in unexpected enthusiasm. "I can think of no reason Vidinos would not be honored to join you. My only regret is that I'm not a soldier and can't join you on that venture, myself! What I wouldn't give to see the expression on that smug Quarian's face when she finally realizes her death is imminent!"

Shepard understood the councilor's sentiment, so simply responded, "Don't worry. You may not be there in person, but you'll get to see all of the recorded combat footage once it's all said and done."

"And I'll make sure that footage goes into the Council Archives, Shepard. Perhaps, this time, the Quarians will actually learn that they need to stop messing around when it comes to Council law! We do not take disobedience lightly; we never have, and we never will."

CGC Communications Center, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 12 Dec 2188

Once all the arrangements and agreements had been finalized, Shepard got a good night's sleep, then rose early the next morning in order to place a secure call to the Far Rim. Having utilized the Council's QEC-Normandy node, Shepard offered up a reserved smile to her fellow Spectre's three-dimensional projection. "Hey, Ash… Surprisingly enough, the Council has agreed to our plan." Shepard knew her announcement would be welcome in its own peculiar sort of way… assuming 'welcome' was the right word for starting an unwanted conflict that had become absolutely necessary in the name of galactic peace; like it or not, they had run out of options.

"Well, shit," Ashley sighed. "I guess it was too much to hope they'd come up with an alternative solution for us, huh?"

"Would have been nice, but I'm not surprised. You and I already ran through all the reasonable scenarios, each of which I explained to them in great detail." Shepard's lips were a reserved straight line as she continued, "But, as it is, they didn't change a thing. So, I need you to get me the specs for your Marines so I can place the order for the upgraded N7 armor for them, including the low-profile jetpack propulsion system and grav-boots."

"Already on it; I'll send them as soon as we're done talking." Williams barely paused before asking, "Did we get the go-ahead for all eight teams for the op?"

"Yup. Sure did." Shepard nodded her head as she answered. "You'll have the Aralakh squads you requested… and Kas, Tali and Spectre Bau will be joining you as part of your infiltration unit. Jon said he'll grab three of his best STG friends to round out his team."

"And you're getting the Blackwatch team you wanted?" Ash figured she knew the answer but asked anyway.

"Yes, along with Grunt." Shepard grinned like a child let loose without adult supervision in a candy store.

Laughing, Ashley replied, "I didn't doubt that for a second. That's why I didn't bother asking about him. I assume your new friend Moises T'Dura also agreed to join you for this?"

"Yes. She'll go with Livos and her team, minus Allia Vasia. I see no reason to assign a sniper to this one… not like we'll have any long-range shots we'll need to make."

"And, if absolutely necessary, both you and I are more than capable of picking that up…"

"Not this time, Ash; at least not me. I'm not dragging that damned sniper rifle along on this one. Too much weight." Shepard shook her head. "Going light and fast into this fight."

Ashley thought about it briefly before nodding in agreement. "You're right. We'll mostly be in close quarters combat, so it doesn't make much sense to carry the damned thing. And, seeing as everything is a go, we've got just over three weeks to prep for this… so, we need to head back to Earth with the Normandy to get my squad properly outfitted with all their new gear; can't risk something not fitting right if we're going to be rocketing through the void for a space-infiltration."

The Normandy's captain looked at her notes before continuing, "Also, Greg Adams received the specs for Tali's new 'destructive interference emitter' and has already started moving things around in preparation for installation of the new transmissions equipment."

"Excellent. We can only hope it works," Shepard replied with a sigh. Glancing to her side for a brief moment before turning back, she continued, "Alright. We've gotta run, so I'll finish with this… I know you plan to stay on Earth for Christmas and New Year's, but I want to reiterate that you and the crew of the Normandy are still invited to the Estate, if you care to spend any part of the holiday with us."

"Thanks, Skipper, but no." Ashley smiled. "Been a while since we've all been back home… and knowing what we're headed into? People want to spend the entire holiday with their families. I don't think I need to explain the reasoning."

"No, you don't." Shepard slowly drew a deep breath before blowing it out quickly. "Well then, give my best to Sarah. I assume she's still coming in from Amaterasu to join you and Andreas in London?"

Her smile blossoming into a wide grin, Ashley replied, "Yes, she is. It'll be good to see her."

"I imagine so." Shepard gave a quick wave before dropping her hand toward the haptic interface. "Enjoy the time you have, Ash… and say hello to Falk for me, when you see him."

"Will do, Skipper. See you soon."

Liara had entered the room and was standing quietly off to the side, waiting patiently until her bondmate finished her conversation with Ashley. As the QEC call terminated, Shepard turned to her and smiled. "All right, Blue. Let's go home."

T'Soni Country Estate, Armali Republic, Thessia – 16 Dec 2188

"Where, in the Goddess' name, did you learn that little trick, T'Soni?" Shepard wheezed, lying flat on her back, staring up into the smug eyes of her Ionúin Álainn. She was finding it hard to catch her breath, barely able to squeeze enough air past her vocal cords to form words.

Liara lifted herself up and off her bondmate to ease the pressure on Samantha's chest, answering coquettishly, "Wouldn't you like to know!"

Shepard pushed up into a sitting position; finally able to draw a deep breath without it making her cough, she answered, "Truthfully? Yes, I do, Liara, but this isn't a 'like' to know… I feel an urgent need to know." The woman bent her knees up and dropped her head between them, still not having fully recovered.

Liara sat down before her, cross-legged on the practice mat; taking her siame's hands, she leaned forward to place her head against Shepard's. While possible to pass energy through the link, as they had each done numerous times, they still found it much more efficient to do so through physical contact. As Shepard drew from her energy, Liara explained, "I learned the basics from Kaddi, and augmented it with biotics." As realization lit in Shepard's brain, Liara corrected, "No, it's not her technique. I know you'd expect such a thing from a Drell assassin, but she actually picked it up from Len'Dazza."

Surprise colored Shepard's words as she blurted, "It's a Quarian Marine thing?"

Pulling her head back, Liara answered, "Yes, it is. He took Kaddi down while sparring, and she had him show her… The mechanics of the move were a little odd because of their differing leg structure, so Kaddi worked it out for us forward-bending knee types." She showed her teeth in a wide grin as she finished her brief explanation. "Very effective, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes… and frightening at the same time." Shepard released her grasp on the warm blue hands in hers and stood slowly from the mat, contemplating the implications. Sensing a little bit of confusion through the link, she felt compelled to explain. "Liara… We're about to go after a whole fleet of war ships which, once we arrive, we plan to board and fight our way to both Weapons Control and the Bridge…"

Catching the line of thought, Liara finished for her. "So, we need to learn the counter to that particular move, as well as any other trade secrets Quarian Marines may have tucked away that could threaten our success. Goddess! Why didn't I think of that?"

Shepard stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the Asari's waist, pulling her close and planting a quick kiss on blue lips. "Because you're an intellectual at heart, not a soldier… and, as I have told you before, I absolutely love that about you; I hope you never change, because if you did, you would no longer need me to do the tactical thinking, and I'd be out of a job."

Liara began to rebut the statement but then noted the lopsided grin spreading on the Spectre's face. "Oh, you! You still catch me when you joke at the most unexpected times!"

Laughing, Shepard retook one of Liara's hands and started to walk toward the exit. "Come on. We need to find Len and Kaddi, to set up some training. We need to practice in our new assault groupings anyway, since we're shifting a few folks around for this, so it will be a great time to integrate whatever new techniques Len thinks important and Kaddi cares to share."

Neema, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 18 Dec 2188

"Stick to the plan, Daro!" Han'Gerrel growled. "We need those greenhouses online as soon as possible if we are to be truly self-sustaining… and I have a feeling our luck it about to run out."

"Why would you say that?" Daro'Xen scowled at the ill-tempered Gerrel. "You're always so negative about our chances. If you felt the risk was so great, why are we even here?"

"Because I'm a realist! Eventually, someone is going to get angry enough to finally come after us… be it the Turians… or the whole damned Council; I don't know who… but someone will." He huffed, so angry he wanted to throw something, anything, at the frustrating idealist. He glowered at Xen as he continued, "I have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, so I don't have time for your shit. Send your team down there to get the last greenhouse up and running or I'll place you and the Moreh last on the list for rations distributions until it is!"

Xen placed her hands on her hips as she answered indignantly, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me." Gerrel's voice was menacingly quiet. "Last time Jeto returned with supplies, he told me he had a foreboding feeling that they were being observed… even though sensors revealed nothing." He shook his head in frustration. "I'm concerned that ancestors-be-damned Spectre… Shepard… is on the trail, which means our time is growing short. I need to curtail the raids until everyone cools down a little. Maybe it will throw them off our trail."

"Even if I send the team down immediately, it will still be two months at least before that last greenhouse begins producing! If you don't continue the raids, you'll have to cut rations again!"

Gerrel sneered as he responded, "Exactly my point, Daro. That was supposed to be your motivation to get the job completed last week… like we initially determined. You are the one who's behind schedule; you waste too much time playing with your damned toys instead of working on feeding our people!"

"They aren't toys… and you'll be damned glad to have them if… or rather, when… our adversaries decide to take us down!"

"I've got other things to do than make sure you hold up your side of the bargain," Gerrel stated, dismissively. "Just get out and get it done, Daro, and don't come before me again until it's up and running."

She started to retort, but Gerrel had darkened his visor and turned away, working on his terminal and totally ignoring her. Fuming, she spun around and stalked out through the hatchway, sending people scampering to get out of her way as she stormed back to her awaiting shuttle.

Self-righteous, pompous bastard! Who does he think he is to speak to me in such a disrespectful manner! It's my so-called toys that are going to win this fucking war for us!

Ekuna, Salahiel, The Phoenix Massing – 18 Dec 2188

Uli'Nara vas Iktomi stared at the messenger in abject horror, his voice squeaking in panic as he asked, "Here? Now?"

"Soon. Her personal shuttle just dropped out of FTL… We have roughly twelve to fifteen minutes, tops."

Pulling himself together, he commanded, "Put out a broadcast and get the team together, then grab the datapad with the list of missing materials and meet me at the landing pad." As the messenger stood there, possibly awaiting additional instructions, Uli shouted in alarm, "Go! Now!"

As the messenger turned and ran off to get his assigned tasks completed, Uli turned on his heel and began the trek to the shuttle pad. Speaking to no one, he muttered, "Keelah! What in the name of the ancestors is Xen coming here for? Personally?"

He was fidgeting noticeably as Xen disembarked. She pinned him in place with her eyes, then stalked resolutely to him and asked a very direct, single-word question. "Status?"

Immediately handing her the datapad, his voice was surprisingly steady as he spoke. "This contains the list of materials and equipment we still require for final completion of the greenhouses, Admiral. Without that first item – the power converter assembly – we are at a dead stop; the temperatures and sunlight at the fringe simply don't support agriculture on their own… We can seed fast-growing crops with auxiliary heaters, but we need the solar augmentation units to be up and running for any substantial yields."

"And what's this second item?" Xen glared at the project lead in disdain. "I would think the eezo-core power unit would be more important than the converter…"

"I would agree with that statement if we were lacking for shuttlecraft, but we are not…" Uli was starting to feel more confident as he continued, "We can easily rotate shuttles through, utilizing their thruster engines as power supplies, until an eezo unit is located. Ishassara is an extremely easy-access hydrogen refuel location, one which we utilize with regularity. There are so many ships that pass through there, refueling on their way to the relay, it is easy to mingle in… unnoticed among the masses."

Xen's mood had not improved in the slightest with his seemingly flippant responses, so she closed the already minimal gap between them as she asked yet another question. "If this power converter is so damned important, why am I just hearing about it now?"

Uli'Nara couldn't stop his involuntary response and he took a step back, immediately regretting the move as a smirk of satisfaction flashed across Xen's face. He cleared his throat and suddenly realized he didn't care if he died in the next moment as he answered angrily, "Not my fault you haven't seen it; it's been on the list for over six months – since the project started in earnest – but the Marines think utilizing cargo space for equipment is a waste. Our people are hungry, so they fill their holds with foodstuffs, not gear; food gets them many more thanks than a chunk of metal ever will."

Surprised at his tone, Xen backed off, speaking more to herself than to Uli'Nara. "Damn it all, Gerrel! How many opportunities to pick this up have passed by, on worlds to which we have no intention of returning?" Surprising the lead engineer, Daro'Xen smiled but, by her tone, he realized she was not pleased… but vindictive… as she turned her attention once more to the lead technician. "I will bring this up with Admiral Han'Gerrel… personally… immediately upon my return to the Fleet. You'll have your power converter within the week, Uli… even if I must take the Moreh to Omega and buy one myself!"

As Daro'Xen turned away and stormed back aboard her private shuttle, Uli felt positively giddy with relief. I'll be damned! What I wouldn't pay to hear that conversation, when she confronts Admiral Han'Gerrel and blames his Marines for not doing their damned job! For the first time since the greenhouse project had begun, Uli smiled and whistled happily as he turned and walked back to the worksite. That Bosh'tet is gonna blow a suit seal!

Neema, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 19 Dec 2188

When they rejoined the rogue fleet, Daro'Xen took a shuttle directly to the Neema and stormed Gerrel's office, door guards be damned, as she growled menacingly, "Get out of my way!" As soon as the hatch slid to the side, she stepped through and immediately started growling, "Stick to the plan, Gerrel?" As the ship's captain raised his head in surprise at the unexpected intrusion, she continued, in a much louder voice than was her norm. "How dare you say that to me, when the reason my greenhouses aren't ready is because your Marines are the ones who haven't delivered the necessary parts!"

Gerrel stood from his desk and scowled, waving out the two guards who had trailed the irate admiral into his office. "What are you talking about, Daro?"

"Don't you 'Daro' me, Bosh'tet! I'm speaking of the power source I need to run the heaters for the damned things!" Xen was in a rage – beyond frustrated with Gerrel's routine posturing – so she continued to yell. "You dared to threaten me and the crew of the Moreh with going to the bottom of the list for rations distributions! Once I looked into it, I discovered it's been your damned Marines who haven't been doing their jobs! They have yet to bring us the power converter assembly for the hydrogen unit!" She sneered and added, "Even you must know we can't grow much without a way to keep the temperature at a fairly steady twenty-five degrees!"

"And just how are my Marines at fault for your inability to procure parts?" Han crossed his arms in disgust; it certainly wasn't the first time he'd witnessed Xen going off on some wild rant.

"Because it's been on the critical supply list for over six months… along with a number of other requests… and your glory-seekers are so focused on finding the foodstuffs that get them the most praise, they haven't bothered to check their raid locations for anything else! That's how!" Xen paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "Who knows how many opportunities they've already missed… and not just for my materials requests, but the entire Fleet! So, either you promise me they'll pick one up at their next agricultural station, or I'm taking the Moreh to Omega to buy one myself!"

"You can't do that!" Han worried that she might actually try to do something that stupid in her desperation. "T'Loak would impound your ship and sell you out to Shepard as fast as she could possibly make the call! There's no way that Asari could ever pay back Shepard for her help in reclaiming Omega station from Cerberus for her, but I imagine turning you over would go a hell of a long way towards balancing the scales!"

"We wouldn't need to do this at all if you had been paying attention to the critical supplies list! Don't even think about trying to lay this one at my feet, Han!" Daro sneered. "This isn't a choice. Either you find one, or I will… You have a week, Han. Do not forget that I am also an admiral, same as you… so, do your damned job or I'll do it myself."

"Damn it, Xen! This comes at the worst possible time!" Gerrel began to pace, feeling jammed into a corner as his options seemed to vanish. "I told you about Jeto's last mission. We need to slow down on the raids right now… not send more ships out for some scavenger hunt!"

"You need to order your people to get us that converter or we're all going to starve, you fucking Pyjak!" Xen growled. "I'm done with your dodging-the-blame game… and I'm done being last on your list of priorities. We either get that part within the week or I swear, I'll find my own way to procure what we need… and I very much doubt you'll approve of how I do it. Understood?"

"Fine!" Gerrel threw himself back into his desk chair in disgust. "I'll send someone to get your damned power converter assembly. Any ideas where one might be, or are you going to leave me stabbing in the dark?"

With a satisfied smirk, Xen answered, "It will have to be a larger agricultural station… like Edessan or, perhaps, Rocam?"

Simply wanting the conversation to end and Xen to leave his office, Han asked with a sigh, "Which would you suggest?"

"Rocam would be the easier target, but they're a bit smaller, so there's no guarantee they'd have a spare sitting on a shelf. Your Marines would have to take the necessary time to strip down the unit… leaving a rather large window for a defensive response team to show up." Xen paused as she thought, then continued, "Edessan is much larger, so would likely have an on-hand spare sitting in storage, but… the Edessanians are fiercely patriotic, even for Turians… and hold an appreciation for heavy weaponry and a strong admiration for the Turian air force. You're the military strategist; you figure it out."

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked out the same way she had come, though her exit was much quieter – and calmer – than her entrance had been. Gerrel sat back in his chair and exhaled with relief as the Marine door guard, Ken'Fennas, slid sheepishly into the office. "Sorry, Sir. There was no stopping her… She looked like she might actually kill me, had I stepped in to block her way."

Gerrel actually chuckled, helping his foul mood resulting from the visit. "She might have tried, at the very least… but I'm fairly confident you would have bested her, Ken." Suddenly serious, he added, "Should there ever be a need to do so, do not hesitate." He growled, "She frequently oversteps, thinking her superior intelligence is reason enough to treat us like subordinates… but, someday, that just might get her killed." He met Ken's eyes as he earnestly added, "If you end up doing it, always know I'll have your back."

"Never a doubt in my mind, Sir."

"Good." While they chatted, Gerrel had pulled up the critical supply list Xen had referenced. "Have any of the stealth scout vessels returned the fleet yet, in response to the recall?"

"Yes, Sir. The Huli is currently docked at the Idenna… and with the moratorium, I imagine more will be showing up soon."

"Excellent. I'll be calling Captain Ysin'Mal to have him dispatch the Huli to us as soon as possible. Make sure there's an open docking port for them, then escort the ship's Captain directly to my office, immediately upon their arrival. You must have overheard Xen, so you know I have a mission for them."

"Yes, Sir. I'll get right on that, Sir." Ken snapped to attention. "Anything else, Admiral?"

"Not right now." Gerrel smiled at him and gestured for him to relax. "And, Ken? Thank you."

"No problem, Sir. My pleasure… and I wouldn't care to serve under anyone else in the fleet."

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 21 Dec 2188

It was a cold, blustery morning when the VIP-1 landed and disgorged the recently arrived T'Soni guests onto the tarmac. Shepard's face held a happy grin as her mother moved quickly toward her, wrapping her up in a motherly hug. "Sam! It's great to see you! You look good."

Hannah pushed back and looked her daughter in the face. "Though I can see in your eyes you're worried about this upcoming thing with the Quarians."

"Later, Mom." Shepard's grin faltered for only a second before being firmly reaffixed. "I have no intention of letting that spoil our Alban Arthan or Christmas celebrations."

"Good." Sharon Culver reached in and clasped forearms with Samantha, adding, "Because if you did, I'd have to take you out back and give you a good, old-fashioned, Special Ops butt whupping."

Using the arm hold, Shepard pulled her in and gave her a tight hug. "As well you should, Sharon. Nice to see you… glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't miss it!" Sharon chuckled, "Besides… my presence almost became a necessary part of prying our surprise for you out of her workplace…"

As Sharon spoke, Kahlee Sanders stepped into view and descended the ramp, exiting the transport with a happy bounce to her step. She couldn't help but smile with glee as Shepard blurted out, "By the Gods! Aunt Kay! I never expected to see you this holiday!"

Kay approached quickly and grasped Samantha by the shoulders. "I have to agree with your mother's assessment, Sam. You look wonderful!"

A tearful Samantha pulled the woman in and hugged her tightly, whispering, "Thank you for coming… Best Christmas present ever!"

"Well, Sharon didn't lie; you have a very convincing Special Operations Commander to thank for that. They gave me no advance warning before they showed up and demanded I come with them, and I have students who are staying behind for the holidays…"

Sharon cut her off. "A situation which Jack has completely under control… and she was staying at the school through the holiday anyway, so there was absolutely no need for you to be there!"

Kahlee had a smile on her face as she shook her head. "Yes, yes; I know. Why else to you think I finally gave in and decided to accompany you here?"

"Because the students remaining for the holidays agreed with us and practically pushed you the entire way to your quarters to pack!" Hannah smiled widely as the banter continued, her heart full. It had been a long time since she had seen Samantha this happy… even with the Quarian conflict looming in the not-too-distant future. "It's been far too long since we've all been together!"

While they were saying their hellos to Samantha, Liara had also welcomed each individually. Closing on Sharon, she held her hands up in the traditional Asari greeting. "It is good to see you, Mea're."

Culver placed her hands on top of Liara's for only a moment, before grasping them to pull Liara in for a hug. She whispered softly, "Thank you, Liara, for making Sam so happy. It does my heart good to see her like this."

"It does my heart good as well, Sharon. I thank the Goddess every day that Sam is still in my life after all we've been through." Liara smiled softly as she pulled back. "Livos is on her way to show you to your room in the Commando Quarters. Other than that, you know your way around, so we'll see you in the den once you're settled in?"

"Absolutely!" Sharon answered with a smile and released her lingering hold on Liara. "A quick shower, a change of clothes into something more comfortable, and I'll see you all there."

"So, when does Karin arrive?" Hannah relaxed on the couch, sinking comfortably into the soft cushions as her eyes focused on the flickering flames of the fire blazing before her.

Liara smiled, "Early evening. The Normandy has stopped at the CGC for a hopefully quick debrief with the Council, which Karin has no need to be part of anyway, so she'll jump ship and arrive at Port Armali on the six-o'clock shuttle. Zan has coordinated her arrival so Livos can pick them both up at the same time. We should all be together in time for a late supper, if that's alright with everyone? Goddess knows, we have plenty of snacks available to tide us through, if anyone gets hungry between lunch and whenever they manage to show up."

"No one could ever fault House T'Soni for their hospitality, that's for certain!" Kay giggled as she continued, "I still remember the day before the wedding… bonding, that is. I've never seen such a variety of food and drink all in one place!"

"That's because we've never had to lay out a spread to feed… what, five or six different races?" Sharon looked to Liara for confirmation but Lyessa, the House Steward answered for her.

"That would be six, Sharon." Lyessa shrugged casually. "It's a good thing Shepard likes to cook and provided a few recipes… as well as help from Samantha Traynor and Minda Tilghman… or poor Leyana would have driven herself to distraction trying to cook all that was necessary to feed our guests."

"Pshh. It wasn't that bad." Unknowingly, Leyana was standing in the door as Lyessa made her comment. "Besides which, I needed to learn all those recipes anyway, seeing as we frequently now have that full mix here on any given day, anyway… with Bek, Kaddi and Barla Von in the mix; though visits from Barla Von are infrequent."

Shepard chuckled. "Hell… Jat's crew alone has five of the six. All he's missing is a Volus."

"That's true, Jatok does have quite the mix." Leyana acknowledged. "Anyway, the main reason I walked over here was to inform you the lunch buffet…" At this point, a grin spread across her face. "… in all its many forms, is ready in the dining area."

Farnborough Field, Earth, Sol – 22 Dec 2188

Logistics Director Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Falk waited in the small building near the heavy ship landing zone – heavy being a bit of a misleading term, as the largest ship allowed to land here or at the nearby Systems Alliance controlled zone was a medium frigate. Falk stared out at the approach end of the large field, straining to see any indication that the vessel bearing the love of his life was on approach for a landing. It didn't help that the current weather conditions were typical for the first day of winter in the London area … accompanied by light-to-medium fog, a cold, misty drizzle fell from mottled grey, low hanging clouds, rendering visibility down to less than 65 meters.

Falk thought he saw high-intensity landing lights for just an instant. Closing his eyes for a moment, he reopened them to take another look… and there they were… landing lights… barely visible through the swirling mist and rain. As he keenly watched the area, the shape of an approaching ship resolved around the intense glare; narrow fuselage, flanked closely on each side by an even narrower pair of engine pods. Andreas couldn't prevent the wide grin that slowly formed as he recognized the approaching vessel's front profile. Joker was being very careful as he approached the area outlined with intense blue-tinted beacons. Falk would have bet the snarky pilot was letting Edi handle the actual approach and touchdown; the synthetic woman had a much finer touch on the Normandy's controls.

Exhaust deflectors were actuated to slow the ship's forward speed, until it was actually hovering over the pavement. Power applied to the main engines was decreased, allowing the vessel to slowly settle onto its landing gear… as the mass effect core was powered down, the weight compressed the struts of the main and nose gear. Engines were allowed to spool down to idle, then cut, diminishing the ambient sound to the nearly silent hiss of rain striking hot metal.

Falk quickly shrugged into his heavy overcoat and left the building to briskly walk towards the familiar ship. As there was cargo needing to be unloaded, the only way in or out of the vessel was through the deployed hanger bay ramp; Falk motioned for the nearby Marine squad to take their assigned guard positions on either side. After unloading, the ship would be relocated to the Alliance field by a Navy ground crew for routine maintenance and equipment installations.

With the exception of Joker and Edi, the entire ship's complement would be leaving for a well-deserved holiday break of nearly two weeks; the ship wouldn't be departing until the second of January. As much as he wanted to go onboard to greet the captain, he decided to observe proper military decorum and wait… There would be plenty of together time after she was off-duty.

Ashley had contacted him as soon as the Normandy had docked for a short layover at the CGC, telling him that her younger sister Sarah was flying into Farnborough from Amaterasu so they could visit. With just a bit of prodding, Andreas discovered Sarah was a war widow, and the siblings hadn't seen each other since the memorial wall visit on the Citadel; further, Ashley hadn't even seen her mom or other sisters since her emergency trip to Amaterasu in 2181.

After speaking to a very excited Sarah, it took Andreas less than an hour to arrange passage for Ashley's mom Brook and younger sisters Lynn and Abby, on the same passenger/freight vessel Sarah was already booked on. Falk chuckled to himself as he thought about it – knowing how much Ashley loved her family, it had been so simple for him to arrange the perfect Christmas gift for the woman he loved.

When Falk met them at the nearby civilian arrival area only a few hours ago, he had sworn them all to secrecy. Ashley would expect Sarah to be staying in the spare bedroom of Falk's base apartment; knowing they were coming, he had plenty of time to arrange a place for the entire family in the nearby transient housing complex before Normandy arrived. As all three women wanted to do a bit of Christmas shopping in a still-recovering London, he loaned them an X3M so they could get around, and provided them with vouchers for the stores at either base; it would be the first Williams family get-together since her trip home in 2181 to help Sarah deal with an overly aggressive boyfriend.

Andreas' presence during cargo unloading wasn't actually required, but he hung around anyway, answering the occasional question concerning placement of this or that bit of cargo. When the last pallet left the ship, Falk climbed the ramp and entered the hanger bay, there to ask Steve Cortez to notify Spectre Williams he was waiting for her. While he waited, it was all he could do to keep from grinning like an idiot as he thought of what he had done.