Notes:

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

CIC - Combat Information Center

CPO - Chief Petty Officer

Shaari - Asari fruit, unlike any known Human ones, relatively sweet with a single central seed; grows in multiple temperate locations across Thessia and contains enough eezo to make it inedible except by persons with biotics

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

XO - Executive Officer

Challenges and Solutions

T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 29 Jan 2189

Shepard and Aethyta sat at the table discussing the results of the two-day selection competition, along with the individual House Captains Lyria Tremi and Nayla Axoni. Nayla smiled, albeit sadly because of the circumstances surrounding the new hiring, as she commented, "It will be interesting to have another Sentinel in the house, in addition to Livos."

"And not just another Sentinel, but a Valkyrie!" Shepard nodded both in understanding and agreement. "I've never had the opportunity to work with one, so I'm very much looking forward to adding her to our team, no matter why we needed to do so."

"As will I," Aethyta huffed in appreciation. "That damnable Annihilation Field is an extremely hard skill to master, which makes it extremely rare… The ability to kill attacking enemies while still protecting the teammate sitting at your side has always amazed even me. In all my years, I have never managed to achieve that level of skill; it takes a particular talent I do not possess. We are privileged to have her interested in House T'Soni."

"Just as she is, to join this House." Shepard glanced around the table to see the approval reflected on everyone's face. "House T'Soni was already a Great House… Our contributions and sacrifices during the Reaper War only enhanced that standing across Thessia."

"Agreed, but we're not going to simply sit back and rest on our laurels," Aethyta groused. "Don't you Humans have a saying, 'Pride comes before the fall'?"

"Yes, yes we do," Shepard chuckled. "And you are, of course, correct. We need to maintain our strong presence on the Matriarchal Council and the various committees…" She paused and smiled at Aethyta as she continued, "…for which Mozia, and the assistance you provide her, is invaluable. As for Sentinels and Valkyries, the Alliance has something very similar… the N7 Paladins and the Fury Adepts… specialties which I had only limited opportunity to work with during my years in the Navy. My loss, I suppose, if the performance of Telyna Phura is any indication as to their potential level of skill."

All business, Aethyta looked to the Captain of House T'Soni. "Phura is definitely above average, Shepard, and an exceptional example of Valkyrie capabilities. More to point is that the path to such mastery is difficult, so such a choice of career is rare… thus, the pool to choose from is very limited. We should consider ourselves lucky that she chose to apply for our position instead of the vacancy at House T'Lura."

"Come, Aethyta," Livos responded with a smirk. "Seriously? T'Lura?" She let out a little chuckle and shook her head. "Have you not heard any of Matriarch Maisha's latest rants? She is the longest living Asari I've ever known of… and she honestly needs to step down and let her daughter take over before her mental degradation runs that House into the ground. No one of any merit wants to join a house whose future is so uncertain."

"No, I hadn't heard that." Aethyta's eyes narrowed. "I'll pass that on to Mozia… see if she knows anything about it. We're still recovering from the war and can't afford the confusion and in-fighting that would follow the fall of a Great House."

Livos nodded in agreement before continuing their primary discussion. "Anyway, to keep us on track, I do believe Valkyrie Phura to be an excellent choice, as well as Vanguard Thoria. Having a Vanguard added to our Armali contingent will also be good; it will add depth to our skill set." Glancing at Shepard, she teasingly added, "Especially since a certain Spectre keeps whisking off with the only two Vanguards in our House."

A grinning Shepard countered, "What are you complaining about? You're our only existing Sentinel, and you're 'whisking off' right along with us, Livos!"

Aethyta finally cracked her first smile since the selection process began. "True enough… but Lyria and Nayla do just fine while you vagabonds are out and about, saving the galaxy."

"Vagabonds?" Laughing quietly, Shepard stood from her seat. "So, we're agreed, then; Phura and Thoria are our final selections. Let's go make the announcements and end the prospective candidates' torment of the wait."

Aethyta rose with her and nodded. "Yes… as soon as we inform Mozia and, more importantly, Liara, to make sure they agree."

SSV Orizaba, Arcturus Stream – 30 Jan 2189

The ship's captain watched with a great deal of interest as her pilot skillfully brought the patrol craft into the massive docking bay of the Systems Alliance Fifth Fleet command ship, SSV Orizaba.

Commander – and Spectre – Ashley Williams heaved a sigh as Joker reported, "We're on the deck, Commander. CPO Jasmin Dahl is standing by to escort you to your meeting with Admiral Lindholm."

"Thanks, Joker." Turning slightly in her chair, she directed her attention to her XO, Lieutenant Commander Leon Rensch. "Ship's yours, Mr Rensch. Keep the engines warm for now. I'll text you if we'll be staying longer than the hour-or-so this meeting is supposed to last."

Leon smiled in return. "As you wish, Ma'am… just try to not get lost in there." With a small chuckle, he added, "I'm not keen on the Nalotir staying inside this oversize beast of a ship any longer than necessary."

"I wouldn't let any of the Orizaba's crew hear you referring to their ship as a beast, Mr Rensch," she grinned as she stood from her command chair. "They might take it as an insult." Turning, she left the flight deck and made her way down to the cargo hold, there to stride down the deployed loading ramp; standing easy at the foot of the ramp was a young woman whose appearance put the Spectre in mind of a very young Kahlee Sanders.

The blue-eyed blond snapped to attention and smiled as Ashley walked up to stand in front of her. "Chief Petty Officer Jasmin Dahl, at your service, Ma'am."

"Relax, Chief." Ashley offered her hand, which the young woman took after a moment's hesitation. "Nice to meet you, Dahl. You here to escort me to the Admiral's office?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The admiral is looking forward to meeting with you." The young woman looked down momentarily, then returned her gaze to the Spectre's eyes. "Normally, her personal aide would be here to accompany you so you could be briefed on the way; Fleet Command Master Chief Petty Officer Quinn Tyberg ran into some last-minute problems that required his personal attention, so asked me to meet you."

Ashley wondered briefly if having CPO Dahl meet her was meant as a slight, intended to put her in her place before she even entered the admiral's office. With a mental shrug of her shoulders, she said, "Understood, Chief. Best get to it then… sooner I can meet with the admiral, sooner I can be on my way."

"Yes, Ma'am," came the cheery response. "Right this way."

"Spectre Williams! Welcome to the Orizaba! Please, come in… have a seat." Fleet Admiral Ines Lindholm, after greeting Ashley in the small outer office, paused long enough to direct her attention to CPO Dahl, saying, "Thank you, Chief. You're dismissed."

Ashley followed the admiral back into her rather expansive office. Lindholm moved to a side table and asked over her shoulder, "Would you care for something to drink?"

Williams replied with a smile. "A cup of tea would be most welcome, Admiral." Ashley stood beside the chair in front of Lindholm's desk while the admiral poured them each a mug of the steaming beverage. Carrying the pair, she handed one to her guest as she said, "Please, have a seat, Ms Williams." She carried her own mug around to the front of the desk, casually leaning back against its leading edge as Ashley took a seat.

After a careful sip, she looked into Ashley's eyes and asked, "So, what's this about needing a couple of new crewmembers for your Spectre ship?"

Ashley carefully sipped from her own mug as she thought about what she needed to say, then wrapped her hands around the mug as she brought it down to her lap and replied, "First off, I'm here today as a commander in the Alliance Navy, Ma'am; since the crewmen I lost were naval personnel, I felt it was imperative I speak with you regarding replacements that will be critical to the safe operation of the Normandy, once major repairs are complete." Ashley offered up a shrug and a smile. "Besides that, I'm still Alliance, through-and-through, and I like knowing it's our troops who have my back."

With an appreciative smile, Lindholm stated, "I read your report on the Quarian situation, Commander. It would seem Normandy survived, but took enough damage to need an emergency overhaul… severe enough that you couldn't even make an FTL jump, much less transit a Relay." Her gaze raised from her mug to meet the eyes of Ashley Williams. "I am sorry for the loss of your crewmen; they were fine people."

Ashley jumped in when Lindholm paused. "As were the 1600-plus from the SSV Dhaka, and our additional casualties from all our other ships." After a sip from her mug, she continued, "Including the other races, the death tally at final count was just under 8000 people. It's a damned shame some of the Quarians felt that returning the SILC to servitude was something worth killing for – I believe they deserved everything they got… and then some. I'm surprised the Council didn't renew sanctions against the Quarians, but who's to say they're done with the discussions yet. Even working for them, I'm honestly not exactly sure how their decisional process functions."

Lindholm nodded slowly and added softly, "The Council was foolish to believe diplomacy would change such fanatical thinking, Ms Williams. I, too, will be interested in learning what – if anything – will happen once the dust settles." After a brief pause, she continued, "What of the Normandy? How are the repairs at Haratar station progressing? What kind of timeline are we looking at for your replacement personnel?"

Ashley leaned back in her chair and replied with a sigh. "The original repair timeline had to be extended. The SILC identified concealed damage that must be corrected before they'll release her back to me." With a slight chuckle, she added, "It'll be better than new when we do get it back… it'll just take longer for them to complete the repairs."

Lindholm nodded before finally moving to take her own chair behind the desk; setting the mug on a handy coaster, she steepled her fingers on the polished surface as she observed, "That didn't answer my question, Commander. How many weeks are we looking at?"

Ashley's slight smile disappeared at the implied criticism. "Sorry, Ma'am. At a minimum, eleven weeks… possibly twelve."

"Okay, then. And even though I've reviewed your after-action report, I'd like you to tell me exactly what skills you need for those positions."

"Yes, Ma'am. Propulsion engineer's position is most critical… a total understanding of mass effect physics would be the main requirement, along with the ability to diagnose and repair any problems, either with the drive itself or the sub-light engines and their systems."

After pausing to finish her tea, she continued. "The systems engineer needs extensive knowledge of every aspect of a starship's internals… control systems, including weapons controls, heating and ventilation, water recovery, communications, artificial gravity, inertial dampeners, sensor arrays… and both positions require people that can think on their feet. Being able to solve problems in an unconventional manner would be a big plus for Normandy, as we tend to operate comms-silent for extensive periods of time."

The admiral chuckled as she replied, "Systems engineers are relatively easy to find, but a propulsion engineer with all the attributes you desire? That's a rarity. Sounds as if you need a clone of Gabriella Donnelly, Commander."

"Yes, Ma'am." Ashley sighed before quietly adding, "I'd give up ten years of my life to walk into Engineering and see Gabby and Ken back at their consoles."

Nodding in understanding, Lindholm picked up a datapad; after a quick perusal of its display, she handed it to the Spectre, saying, "Petty Officer Oksana Yakovna. Studied applied mathematics and physics at Saint Petersburg University… earned an engineering degree, graduated with honors, then enlisted in the Alliance Navy spring of ´75." The admiral paused as she thought about Yakovna. "She's been in fourteen years, has an exemplary record, is currently posted on the Nairobi… and I've been looking for an assignment worthy of her promotion to Chief Petty Officer." She gave a knowing smirk and added, "I think she's just the person you're looking for, Williams."

After briefly studying the information display, she looked up at the Admiral and said, "She sounds perfect, Ma'am."

"Good. I'll put in the promotion and transfer orders… let her know what she's in for. And now that you're done with helping to stop a Quarian civil war, what's next for you? Just where are you going to take her, or any of the other Alliance personnel I give you?"

Ashley quietly replied, "Pirates, Ma'am. While the Council Fleet was focused on keeping the Quarians from killing each other and enslaving the SILC, pirate activity increased in the systems we had been patrolling for the Council. After that, who knows… other than whatever the Council needs us to do."

T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 1 Feb 2189

Practice runs to integrate the new team members began the very next day, under the close supervision of the command team who had selected them. After two full days of evaluations had been completed and training programs established for the new recruits, Shepard decided to take a break for some sparring and practice of her own with the first team from the Knight Shade.

It was late morning when Liara bolted upright in her desk chair, a hand going immediately to the side of her head, the sudden pain nearly as excruciating as it was mysterious in origin. She went to stand but discovered she couldn't find her balance and had to sit back down again, immediately realizing there could only be one source. Shepard. Blocking the link so she could move, Liara stood and flew down the hallway, anxiety eating at her insides.

Down in the sparring room of the commando wing, Shepard lay on the floor growling in pain, unsuccessful in her attempts to find some degree of equilibrium. Knowing full well she was down on a stable surface, she still couldn't help but feel as if her world was spinning about. It was as if someone had jabbed an icepick into her ear as she sat in a spatial disorientation training gyro-chair. Her sparring gloves crushed to the sides of her head were totally ineffectual at stopping the sharp pain and she groaned, tears running down her cheeks as she squirmed in agony, exacerbated by her lack of stability.

The Personal Guard team leader bolted from her office when she heard the scream. "Goddess!" shouted Livos. "Someone get Corrina down here… Now!" She fell to her knees beside the stricken Spectre and grasped her arms, beginning to untie her gloves. "Shepard! Concentrate on my voice. I'm getting your gloves off and the doctor will be here soon. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Don't know…" She shook her head, causing a wave of nausea to engulf her; she turned away quickly so as to not vomit on her attending team leader, which only worsened the spinning sensation. She mumbled, "Fuck," and vomited a second time.

"Oh, Goddess," mumbled a surprised Livos. "Where in the blazes is Corrina?"

Sella Temi, who was hovering extremely close by, answered immediately, "She should be here any second… I called her as soon as Shepard went down."

Allia Vasia was standing off to the side, sparring gloves still on her hands, as she watched everything that was happening with her Captain. "I'm horrible at hand-to-hand! I don't know how it happened!"

Livos glanced up quickly and asked, "How did what happen?" before returning her attention to the Spectre.

"I threw out a jab that should have soared harmlessly over her head… she always ducks faster than I can throw a punch!" Allia started to cry as she continued, "But Shepard seemed slow today… lethargic by her standard… and I should have known better! I should have backed off, but I didn't, and my jab connected perfectly with the ear hole on the side pad on her sparring helmet… hard!"

She stopped, so Sella continued for her, "And Shepard cursed and fell to the floor, holding her head as she started growling in pain… as you see her now."

"That's not good." Corrina had entered as Allia spoke, hearing the explanation. "Get her on the hover lift and get her to the infirmary…"

Corrina stopped speaking and studied the Spectre as they started to move her; Shepard had jerked involuntarily and muttered, "Everything's spinning… I can't…" before throwing up a third time, this time only bile, as there was nothing of her breakfast left in her stomach.

"Stop!" Corrina kneeled down and laid a hand gently on Shepard's shoulder, whispering softly, "I'm going to give you a sedative mixed with an anti-nausea med, Shepard… a very powerful sedative that should knock you out long enough for us to get you transported."

"Just do it." Shepard was breathing rapidly… not from the exertion of the short match, but from the strain of trying to catch both her breath and her balance. "Feels like I was stabbed in the side of my head… Can't focus my eyes… Makes me nauseous." She grit her teeth as another sharp pain shot through her ear. Tears forced their way across her face as she whispered, "Hurts bad, Corrina… just make it stop."

As she administered the sedative, Dr Sidhu glanced at Livos. "Have Derrick meet me at the Med Center as soon as possible."

Glancing at the results of the new scan, Derrick cursed himself. "I know better! After we treated her primary head trauma, I should have run a deeper scan to check for tangential issues, and I didn't!" His attention shifted to their charge. "Your weeks of headaches are all due to my oversight, Shepard. I am so sorry!"

Shepard's grip on Liara's hand tightened as a new wave of motion-sickness swept over her, but she refused to let herself throw up again and suppressed the urge. With Shepard's head injury, Liara dared not renew the link so, feeling helpless, the strain reflected in her voice as she asked, "Exactly what oversight, Derrick?"

"The in-depth scan!" Derrick was truly angry with himself. "Shepard's head injury from that damnable explosion was bad, but the automated medical program scanned and then repaired what it found… apparently, the extent of the injuries prevented it from seeing everything, so it must have focused solely on what it identified as 'critical' damage. Once the repair cycle was complete, I should have run a secondary scan… if not immediately, then certainly before I released Shepard for duty."

He placed his head in his hands, in shame and disgust. "I have come to rely on Shepard's own nanites to do my work and I failed in my job. I'm a doctor and I did not treat my patient!"

Shepard reached over and grasped his wrist. "Don't go all crazy on us, Yandle. We all trust in my nanites… They've gotten me through a lot of shit. I think maybe it's time we place a call to Miranda; have her come do a complete work-up on my blood chemistry, nanite health included."

"I will most certainly do that, but what can we do in the meantime, before Miranda gets here?" Liara gazed down at her siame, who was obviously still struggling, her face unusually pale.

"We sedate her to minimize her suffering, run a more detailed scan, and let the machine do what needs to be done." Corrina sighed. "It's all we can do."

What Corrina stated so simply did not appear so to Liara as she watched the pain ripple across her bondmate's face. Shepard had quickly agreed to the procedure – anything to get rid of the pain and agony she was suffering – and they had set to work. Corrina and Derek worked as quickly as possible; knowing the Captain's rapid recovery from anesthesia, they set up a sedative drip and strapped her to the table, including a forehead strap, since that region was the focus of the upcoming operation. Even held motionless and kept under sedation, Shepard's body was still reacting violently to the vertigo, so they had to insert a suction tube down her throat to prevent her from choking on her own bile as the machine worked.

During the procedure, Derek explained to Liara exactly what was happening with her bondmate. He pointed to the image being displayed on the progress monitor. "The vestibular system of the Human inner ear is responsible for the sensations of balance and motion. It uses fluids and detection cells to send information to the brain about the attitude, rotation, and linear motion of the head. The brain receives, interprets, and processes the information to create the sensation of balance. When this process is interrupted, as it was with the previously undetected fracture of Shepard's anterior semicircular duct, here…" He paused and pointed to a small, looping tube at the top of her ear structure. "… it can, obviously, cause extreme vertigo."

Corrina sighed. "It must have been a hairline fracture that was undetectable on the major trauma scan. The messages to and from her right eye were very likely getting a bit scrambled, so her eye was struggling to maintain focus as she moved, resulting in a strain that obviously translated into that stabbing, headachy pain behind her eye. With a secondary, finer scan, once she had recovered from the first procedure, it is possible all of this could have been avoided."

"This is all my fault, Corrina." Derek sounded angry… and Corrina and Liara understood why as he explained, "You aren't as familiar with Human anatomy as I am and I should have recognized the symptoms, as she was primarily under my care as we continued to blast around the damn galaxy!" He huffed in disgust. "My guess is the punch in the side of her head changed a fracture to a total break in the canal, that, combined with the fluid leaking out, brought on the full-blown symptoms. As a result of the total failure of the semicircular ducts, the impulses being sent to her joint and muscle receptors were also terminated, leaving her no way to tell up from down."

Tears trickled down Liara's face as she asked, "So, this procedure will fix the ducts… but will it also replace this… fluid… you mentioned? How long will her recovery be?"

"I honestly don't know, Liara." Derek sighed and the muscles in his jaw tightened. "I didn't even know the machine was able to perform this level of function, so I don't know what it is capable of repairing in this case. It's possible we'll have to complete a secondary procedure… maybe even a surgery."

"I very much doubt that, with Liara having purchased the top surgery bed on the market." Corrina reached out and grasped Derek's bicep, looking then to Liara to finish the answer. "But we'll figure it out and do whatever needs to be done to augment the procedure, now that we know what is wrong. None of us will ever again rely on Samantha's nanites to 'finish up' something we are capable of doing ourselves. Never… no matter how minor we believe the remaining issues may be."

Derek suddenly smiled and pointed at the screen which his eyes had never left. "Look at that! It is manufacturing the fluid and injecting it into the repaired canal!" He then squinted to focus on some additional motion he noticed on the screen. Leaning closer, he reached up to magnify a particular portion of the image. "Well, shit. She also had a partial tear in the vestibulocochlear nerve. It's repairing that as well!"

"The what?" Liara asked.

"The vestibulocochlear nerve." Derek repeated himself, much more slowly, so Liara and Corrina could hear the correct pronunciation. Pointing at the enlarged image, he continued, "This whole spiral structure is called the cochlea… It's what converts sound pressure patterns from the outer ear into the electrochemical impulses that are passed on to the brain via the vestibulocochlear nerve, here." He finally looked away from the screen, focusing on Liara. "Has she exhibited any indications of hearing loss?"

"Not that I've detected, Derek… Why?"

"Just needed to know." He shrugged. "Since she exhibited no symptoms during the period between the initial injury and today, I'll enter into her medical record that the nerve was likely partially torn by the punch, as a result of the collapsing adjacent structure."

Reading the exhaustion in Liara's body language, Corrina smiled and added, "Why don't you take a break from all this, Liara; Shepard is going to be fine. When the procedure is finished, I'll terminate the sedative drip and give you a call so you can be here as she wakes."

"Thank you, Corrina…" Liara smiled tiredly and added, "And you, too, Derek. Your expertise with Human anatomy certainly proved your worth today. I'm glad you're on our team."

Huffing out a snort, Derek grimaced. "It truly is my pleasure to serve… but if I'd caught this to begin with, we wouldn't be here now." He gave her an apologetic smile and shrugged. "Try not to worry, Liara. She'll recover from this just fine."

"I am worried, Derek." Liara sighed heavily and shook her head as she continued, "But not for the reasons you believe. My larger concern is why Shepard's nanites didn't fix this. The time frame has been long enough… they should have repaired this damage by now."

"That's true enough." Derek paused thoughtfully. "Perhaps you need to follow up on Shepard's suggestion… place a call to Doctor Lawson?"

"I decided that as soon as Sam mentioned it." Liara's eyes brightened at the thought. "And, I suppose. there is no better time than the present, so I'll go do that right now. Seeing as Miranda is very invested in all things concerning Shepard, our conversation will likely be short because she'll immediately want to ask Judea to get the Night Shadow headed in this direction. I should easily be back before Sam wakes."

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 4 Feb 2189

Gabriella Donnelly had quickly grown accustomed to seeing the many Asari coming and going about the house and grounds of Liara and Samantha's expansive home, but that didn't mean she was able to quickly recognize them, either when greeting them at meals or when walking around the expansive garden area at the rear of the house. As a result, it caused a fair amount of embarrassed confusion when a lone Asari sat down for lunch across the table from her and greeted her by her nickname. "Hello Gabby. How are you feeling today?"

This Asari looked familiar… very familiar, but Gabby couldn't quite bring forth a name to put with the beautiful, violet-blue face. She looked into the golden eyes inquisitively gazing back at her as she struggled to recall this commando's name. All this rushed through her mind as she simply said, "Good… I'm good. And you?"

The commando chuckled at Gabby's obvious unease. "It's okay, Gabby. I imagine you've been attempting to remember the names of enough Asari to populate a small village since you arrived here." Another chuckle, then, "It's Judea, Gabby… Judea Voni. I don't live here, but we met briefly before the bonding ceremony for my mistress and Spectre Shepard, then again at the reception."

Gabby sighed, then giggled slightly. "Judea. Yes, and I'm so sorry… I seem to be having a lot of trouble with people's names." Gabby shook her head in dismay at her failure to remember. "You're in a relationship with Miranda Lawson, aren't you?"

"Yes, that is correct." Judea smiled. "See? Your memory isn't so bad after all, is it? Seriously, I have to remember only you… while you are trying to learn fifty. I'd say I definitely have the advantage." After several bites of salad mixed with bites of broiled maanru, she added, "I'm really happy you're here, Gabby. I think it's wonderful you have chosen to come here for the birth of your children." With just a hint of a smirk, she shook her head slightly as she looked at Gabby's swollen belly and added, "Still hard for me to believe you're carrying two babies in there; this far into your pregnancy, it must be getting quite difficult for you to get around."

With a slight grimace, Gabby replied, "What's difficult now is getting a good night's sleep. There always seems to be a tiny head, elbow, fist or foot poking me in the liver or stomach… or, worse yet, my bladder, and that causes the nearly constant urge to pee… like, every two hours or so, making in nearly impossible to get any decent rest."

Judea took a sip of water, followed by a bite of shaari before commenting. "Pregnancy sounds like something to be avoided at all costs, Gabby. It cannot be a pleasant experience."

Gabby chewed and swallowed a bite of uloth before answering in a thoughtful tone, "It lasts for only a short amount of time, compared to the lifelong experience of raising a child… or two… watching them grow to adulthood, teaching them how to live… how to love." After taking a few bites of greens followed by a sip of water, she continued, "After they're born, I'm sure the memories of the pains I'm currently experiencing will quickly fade with the passage of time. I believe most moms forget all they suffered during pregnancy… and childbirth, otherwise they'd never allow themselves to become pregnant a second time."

Judea chuckled in agreement. "I suppose if they turn out to be loving people and productive citizens, it must be worth it in the end. I know my mother doesn't regret giving birth to me. She never lets me forget that I am my father's daughter and she loves that memory… it gives her a piece of him to hang on to." Judea saw the pained expression that crossed Gabby's face at the mention of her father and immediately realized the distant similarity with Gabriella's situation, though the Human's children would never have the opportunity to meet their father. "In time, you will be able to say the same about your children… reminding you of your Kenneth without the pain that currently comes with it."

"I hope so." Focusing on what Sha'ira had been teaching her, Gabby wiped the threatening tears away and forced a smile on her face. "That's one of the reasons I'm leaving the Alliance… so I can raise them in Kenneth's childhood home. I truly believe, given the opportunity, he would have made a positively wonderful father, and I want them to know their relatives… to get a sense of where they came from. It will help all of us keep Kenneth in our hearts and let them know they are loved… that Kenneth was very much the loving husband and was looking forward to their birth; he didn't simply abandon them."

Judea smiled softly before adding, "You seem to be very much like the Asari, Ms Donnelly, in that you are taking a long view of your life, and the future lives of your children." She dipped her head slightly, then focused her golden eyes directly on the soft brown eyes of the mother-to-be. "I pray the Goddess grants you and your children long, peaceful lives."

Gabby's entire face reflected the hope she was suddenly feeling, now honestly smiling back at the Asari commando. "Thank you, Judea. Please know that is my wish for you as well."

"Ah. Though I am not having children anytime in the near future, I do appreciate the thought." Judea dropped her eyes to her plate as she finished eating her salad. Looking back into Gabby's eyes, it was apparent this Human was quite relaxed here, even if she did not know everyone. The Asari also got the sense that Gabby was incredibly intelligent. "What will you do after your children are born, Gabby? Are you planning to return to the lab on the CGC?"

Gabriela leaned back in her chair as she formulated her answer. "I'm going to resign from the Alliance Navy, return to Earth… move into our home… my home, in Scotland. Beyond that, I'm really not sure. I'll need to think of how to make a living for myself and my children; I have a few credits saved, but not enough to sustain us. I just know I don't want my kids raised by others in daycare, so I'll have to have a job… just not sure what or where that will be."

The instant Gabriela said the word 'resign,' Judea had a thought. "I understand you are an FTL propulsion engineer, Gabby. The work you were doing in the Alliance lab on the CGC? Is that something you could do from home? I mean, it's all done on a computer terminal, correct?"

After taking a few sips of water, Donnelly shrugged her shoulders as she replied, "I don't know, Judea… I mean, yes, virtually everything I do involves a computer… a really powerful computer, to be sure. But it's all top-secret research, stuff I can't talk about with anyone. I don't expect the Alliance would permit me to work from my home. Why do you ask?"

Judea grinned at the young woman. "Gabby, you have to realize that your knowledge of propulsion theory could be very valuable to private companies… spacecraft manufacturers that build their own FTL drives would pay an exorbitant salary to have someone with your skills and knowledge on their staff." Judea saw a spark of realization, and hope, awaken in the dark eyes solemnly watching her. "FTL drive cores in commercial vessels are not as capable as those built for military applications, but little tweaks and improvements here and there can add up to a big advantage. It doesn't have to have the level of secrecy required for the military… just has to be secure enough to prevent a competitor from gaining an advantage."

"You think I could get a job that would pay me to stay home? My God, that would be fantastic, Judea!" Until this conversation, Gabby had no idea what she would do to earn a living for herself and her children. Now, an idea had been planted about how she could make a comfortable living moving forward. The more she pondered the idea, the better she liked it.

She expected that any company that was willing to hire her – on her terms – would be willing to foot the bill for outfitting her home with the computer servers that would enable her to continue exploring and perfecting the mechanics of FTL drive cores; hardening her house against physical and electronic intrusion would also have to be done.

She looked at Judea as the commando finished her meal and made ready to leave. "Thank you, Judea. You have no idea how helpful you have been."

The Asari smirked slightly as she replied, "Now that you're thinking about your future, Gabby, I have one more thing I'd like you to consider." Judea continued quietly as the Human tilted her head slightly without speaking. "Before I came to work for Matriarch Benezia, I was employed by T'Sere Shipwrights as a design engineer."

Gabby's mouth dropped for a moment. "That's… amazing, Judea. I had no idea you were an engineer." After a brief pause, she asked, "You still work for this company? I thought you were the pilot of the Night Shadow."

A chuckle preceded her answer. "Being a pilot is part of what makes my design skills so valuable to T'Sere. And I don't have to sit at a terminal in the shipyard, Gabby… I can almost do designs on a datapad while traveling between systems."

Judea reached across the table to grasp a cool hand. "If you wish it of me, I will be happy to introduce you to Matriarch Tralis before your departure back to Sol with your children." Showing her teeth in a broad grin, she added, "Credits are credits, no matter the source. I believe you would be an excellent addition to T'Sere's design group, Gabby. Think about it. I have every reason to believe T'Sere would welcome you… your talents and knowledge, with open arms."

Gabby grinned back at the commando. "Thank you again, Judea. I will think about everything you've told me."

"The density numbers aren't what they should be, Shepard." Miranda scowled at the readings from her blood tests. "Somehow, with your blood losses due to your various injuries, the replicator nanites are the ones with the diminishing numbers." She sat back in her chair, staring into space as she contemplated what had apparently happened.

"Well, TIM never honestly intended for this to be a long-term thing," Shepard growled. "He wanted me to win the war… for him… and then, based on the little addition to my original Cerberus implant, have the ability to kill me off should I become a problem."

"That's true," Miranda sighed. "But I had hoped that I had corrected all that with the replacement of that biotic amp." Her eyes darted over the report results for a moment before she made her best guess. "The only thing I can imagine, given his short-term goal, is that the original nanite program may have also been altered… for the fastest repair possible, damn the side effects."

"What kind of side effects are you speaking of, Miranda?" Liara cast a concerned glance at the ex-Cerberus operative.

"My guess is that the reproductive nanites were programmed to travel to the site of injury… so they could produce specific working machines for the type of injury. The obvious side effect would be their likely exit with blood loss during initial surgeries upon return to the ship."

"Wouldn't you have detected that, though?" Shepard's brow knit in confusion. "How would you not notice that?"

"First, because I didn't realize the nanites were that specialized. Secondly, because I didn't know that, the consistency in the total numbers led me to believe the nanites were replicating themselves just fine to maintain the proper counts." Miranda focused on the Spectre as she continued, "The overall numbers were stable… For the sake of explanation, say you had just one hundred nanites, with the working versus replicating nanites in a ratio of 90 to 10. During the surgery, you lose one replicator, so the others pick up the slack and produce more workers… but don't replicate themselves. If they are programmed to maintain a certain total number, you now have 91 to 9… but I still see a hundred. I never thought to distinguish between the types of nanites, but now that I have looked more closely, I realize the replicator ratio is way too low. While the overall numbers remain the same, compliments of all the surgeries you have had, the percentage has dropped from ten to less than one percent. I can't believe I never even thought about it, much less noticed it."

"So, you are able to make more replicators and fix this issue?" Liara's voice picked up more than a hint of hope.

"Absolutely." Miranda smiled. "I'll need to develop a programming update, pull the nanites, upload the new operations coding, and put them all back in, along with a few doses of the necessary material boosters, so they don't drain their own reproductive capacity in their attempt to rebalance the levels. All done, it shouldn't take more than a week to complete, though the actual replication time will be a little longer."

"Thank you, Miri." For the first time in days, Shepard sank back into her chair and honestly relaxed. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that, Shepard." A smirk played on Miranda's lips as the watched the loving glances pass between Shepard and Liara. "I think I have a pretty good idea exactly how much that means… to both of you."