Notes:

AI - Artificial Intelligence

CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation

FTL - Faster Than Light travel

Grá mo chroí - love of my heart (Gaelic)

Ru'shan - "Child of my Blood" (Krogan)

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

SILC - Synthetic Intelligence Life Codes (previously known as Geth)

UDI - Ultra Defense Intelligence

VI - Virtual Intelligence

XO - Executive Officer

Risks and Rewards

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 11 Feb 2189

"I still cannot believe what Councilor… ex-Councilor… Valern said!" Liara heaved a heavy sigh. "I mean… we knew the Dalatrasses to be rather irksome, but for this attitude to be so ingrained it amounts to treason against the Council?" Her brow knit with consternation as she shook her head. "It is nearly unfathomable!"

"If they are honestly acting as double-agents and turning restricted Council information over to their respective Dalatrass, then yes… I honestly believe we could go so far as calling it treason." Shepard leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "I must admit to some surprise on my part, learning about the true depth of their disdain for the rest of the Council members. My real question, now, with all suspicions confirmed, is what in the galaxy do we do about it?"

Liara chewed on her lower lip for a second before responding. "We need to speak, in private, with Valern. Perhaps invite him for a short vacation at the Estate?"

"What? Why?" Shepard looked suspiciously at her bondmate and asked, "What do you have up your sleeve, T'Soni?"

Liara sucked in a deep breath before beginning. "You remember your conversation with Dalatrass Baon? About how a Salarian Civil War would play out should it come to pass?"

"Yes?" Shepard's answer was hesitant, wondering where the Asari was headed. The questioning tone of her bondmate's response encouraged Liara to continue.

"They assumed the election of Kirova Esheel as the new chair of the Salarian Union Leadership Circle, along with her treaties and agreements with various other Dalatrasses, would take care of most of the Salarian issues… that the lines of power would shift and find a new alignment, presumably in our favor. Obviously, based on Valern's statements and his subsequent resignation, that did not happen as expected." Liara huffed in disgust. "After Escheel moved the capitol to her home city of Ilhänl, it was not long before the excitement of her new position waned and, apparently, the two sides found themselves again in a stalemate."

"I don't really care about an internal stalemate between the Dalatrasses, Liara." Shepard crinkled her brow in confusion. "What I do care about is how our Spectres are being used as Salarian spies. How does this stalemate pertain to our problem?"

"The Dalatrasses are using Council information for leverage… and we both know just how powerful information can be, Shepard…" Liara looked at the floor, suddenly unable to meet her Siame's penetrating gaze. "Do you remember when we took over the Brokerage? What I said?"

Shepard's brow raised in surprise, thinking that, just perhaps, she knew the specific statement to which Liara was referring, but wanted to make no assumptions. "Maybe… but why don't you remind me."

Liara dropped her shoulders and sighed as she brought her eyes back up to meet the anticipatory gaze of the Spectre standing before her. "You remember correctly, Shepard. I said, 'Give me ten minutes and I could start a war.' That still holds true… and we, most definitely, could use the Broker's influence to decide exactly who wins this one."

Her suspicions confirmed, Shepard sat quietly as she thought the possibilities, unsure of how she could possibly respond to such a… What? Unethical? Like using Spectres to spy against the Council? For those same Spectres to act in direct violation to Council directives... suggestion. She blew out a quick breath, quietly muttering, "Damn, Liara," before falling silent once again, in quiet, troubled contemplation.

A suddenly anxious Liara, sensing her lover's disquiet through the link but unable to determine the exact cause, couldn't stand the subsequent, prolonged silence and blurted out, "Do you hate me for suggesting such a thing? Especially after witnessing the results of the Atlas-LEAP conflict two years ago?"

Without hesitation, Samantha immediately answered, "I could never hate you, Liara… not even for a moment. You are myGrá mo chroí." She huffed quietly and smiled. "I will always love you, without reservation. And, you can't possibly forget how adamantly I insisted on helping you take down the Broker… and then relied on you and the network to help me win the Reaper War. The Brokerage can be used for good… and I trust you implicitly to use it for exactly that."

"We agreed on our path forward." Shepard reached over to squeeze her lover's hand in assurance as she continued, "What ended up happening to LEAP was nothing less than they deserved. How many times did they try to kill you and I?" Her brow wrinkled as she continued, "But this… interfering with a sovereign power's political system? That's a bit sketchy… and I'm not so sure it would have any lasting effect."

Resigned to the necessity of finding some path ahead, Shepard changed her tone and answered more decisively, "Then again, we'll never know unless we speak with someone who knows the system inside and out, so I think you're right. I'll call Valern and invite him to spend the weekend, starting with dinner Friday night, before he leaves the CGC for good. In the meantime, we need to think about how we want to approach this… and just what, exactly, we need to ask him."

The Barn, Calpamos, Zeta Reticuli – 14 Feb 2189

Roshida glanced at her omnitool's chrono and sighed. The FTL portion of their flight from Juxhi to Kite's Nest – as during their trip to Noveria in December – had taken a seemingly major portion of their travel time, considering the lengthy amount of time the Exodus Cluster relay had taken to realign for a transit to the Sol system. It was only upon reaching the Charon relay and setting out on the final leg of their journey, that the reality of a non-relay assisted crossing to a relatively nearby star system had made a real impression. A three-day-long FTL passage from Sol through dark space had been necessary to reach their destination… the Barn, a former Cerberus research station – still occupied, if the reports were true – near the desert planet LV426.

Their transport, the Kirkliston SR1, had been traveling in full-stealth mode since just before entering the small system. They were approaching the massive station slowly, their presence partially masked by the many chunks of debris – inhabitants of the asteroid belt in orbit about the distant binary star. The station, situated in an area surrounded by mostly empty space, apparently had an impressive array of repulsion shields, preventing virtually any of the many thousands of space rocks from getting within two-to-three kilometers of the structure.

Specialist Aldaberto entered the strike-team's ready-room, saying, "It's time, Captain."

Roshida's eyes swept over her squad as she said, "Okay, team… let's get this done."

She had been told the station still had a Cerberus presence aboard, but how many people still survived on the station was unknown, as was nearly all of the details concerning its construction.

"You'll be on your own once you're inside, Captain," Aldaberto said softly. "We'll be monitoring the station from a discrete distance… and will likely be able to do a direct retrieval, but only once your team has successfully completed your assignment. Should you fail…" Aldaberto blinked once as he slightly shook his head. "Should you fail, you will need to jet from the station, with either boosters, via an escape pod, a stolen shuttle… or any other method you may exploit to your purpose. Otherwise, it is likely we will be forced to abandon you, as we cannot risk discovery."

The Salarian actually appeared to be embarrassed as he added, "So many unknowns, Captain. I don't like sending you… your team… inside that place, completely blind to what may be waiting for you. Cerberus was involved in some of the most horrific, twisted research and experiments one can imagine, the results of which may still be roaming around inside that place to this day."

"We'll be looking for the unexpected, Specialist. Our cloaking shields should help keep us out of trouble, and we've always been good at keeping each other safe. I don't intend for any of us to have to return home in a body bag… but I also plan on calling in the backup forces should the need arise." She paused a moment before adding, "But only if I know they'll make a difference. I'll not sacrifice their lives in addition to those of my team, should things truly go badly for us."

"I will trust your judgement, Captain; if you call, I will send them in. Be safe."

The Barn was a cylindrical tower, unlike any space station she had ever seen. It appeared as though the main level contained two hangar bays with four approach and departure pathways - each delineated by a 500-meter long series of guide lamps and lighted directional arrows projected from the kinetic barrier guarded entrances. The visual approach aids had been rapidly rendered obsolete by improvements in automated approach controls that linked a ship's flight controls to the station's computer. Roshida had noted that each entrance was also protected by a pair of shielded, heavy-duty sentry turrets, most likely controlled by an enhanced VI.

Drifting past the station at the limit of the Kirkliston's scanners had revealed the presence of a heavily-shielded fusion reactor; this occupied the level below the hangars, as far from the apparently inhabited areas as possible. If the station's design was true to form, the living and research areas were on a number of levels above the hangars, in what B'Sayle thought of as 'the tower'. She expected that elevators would be clustered in the central core of the towering structure, with emergency staircases close by, but would have to wait until she was in the hanger to discover the truth of the matter. We'll be using the stairs to access the upper levels; once up there, we might be able to relax… if only slightly.

All of this flashed through her mind as she watched their approach to the main hanger level on the monitors inside the airlock compartment. She was a bit surprised to see the station appeared mostly dark; the one picture on file depicted a construct brightly lit from within. At least the lights are still on inside the hangar, she mused.

Looking at her team, she said, "I cannot begin to calculate how many ways this assignment can go sideways. We're going in virtually blind, with no real knowledge of the level of opposition we might expect, the level of automated defenses or how the station is arranged; and as much as I hate this, we'll just have to assume our scrambled suit comms are secure."

With a nod towards her Lieutenant, she continued, "Celia… Cat and Del are on your six." Locking her gaze on her infiltrator, she added, "Erin, you and Joy are with me. We'll leave here at the maximum safe distance for free-flight and jet over to the station. Get to cover the instant your feet are on the deck inside that hanger! We leave here randomly and fly through that kinetic barrier in the same fashion. After Erin's had a few moments to reconnoiter, we'll gather at the entry to the stairs – providing they even have stairs – then proceed from there. If not, then we'll just have to make it up as we go." With an unexpected grin, she added, "Just like we usually do, anyway."

Everyone nodded as they pulled on their helmets and checked their internal systems. Roshida cycled the airlock, opened the hatch and gazed out at the empty space between her feet and The Barn, before carefully climbing out of the ship; she held onto one of several safety bars attached to the hull as she waited for her squad to join her. The Kirkliston continued its drift through the void; when the ship was at the optimum distance from the station, Specialist Aldaberto came on their comms and simply said, "Launch."

B'Sayle, having already oriented herself to jump, immediately released her grip on the rail and pushed off with her legs, then closely monitored the readouts projected on the inside of her visor. Of special interest was her drift rate from an optimal path to the station's hangar. Using her suit's computer, she activated the automated inertial controls that would keep her flightpath centered on the middle of the kinetic barrier guarding the massive opening to the station's hanger bay.

She felt the push between her shoulder blades as the attached rocket pack fired in short pulses to keep her on track to touch down inside the hanger. The view of the station had completely filled the view in her visor when her in-suit computer fired the rocket pack's maneuvering thrusters to pitch her feet towards the barrier, then fired the main thrusters to slow her approach. She flew through the barrier feet-first, her suit's kinetic barrier responding to the station's barrier with a sparkling, yellow-green display that disappeared the instant she was inside. She was moving the instant her boots contacted the metal surface; in moments, she was safely between a pair of massive shipping containers.

Within minutes, her other five teammates arrived safely; Roshida and Erinna walked around the massive hanger bay entrance and peered inside; after several minutes of silent observation, B'Sayle said, "Come on, Erin… let's get inside." Erin acknowledged her captain by engaging her cloaking shield; Roshida grabbed her backplate and shoved her towards the kinetic barrier. She waited for a full minute before she herself flew through the opening, her shield sparking around her as it met the energy of the kinetic barrier.

In less than ten minutes, the other squad members were inside and hidden among the many shipping containers and crates lining both sides of the main approach/departure lane for cargo shuttles. B'Sayle was surprised there was no opposition encountered after multiple entries through the kinetic barrier. This hanger – surprisingly deep, as if it spanned the entire diameter of the station – was devoid of life; there also were no shuttles or other spacecraft docked within. Lieutenant M'Creno's voice came over the comms. "Looks as if they simply unloaded their supplies and didn't put any of it away."

Roshida scanned the area ahead and to the sides and compared the results to the rudimentary map that had been provided for her team; quickly finding the elevator and staircase entrances, she called her infiltrator. Erinna quickly moved up to her captain's position and rubbed her shoulder with her own.

Roshida's voice was quiet, "Elevators and staircase, Erin. Scan for organics and mechs. I don't want to go upstairs blind."

Erinna whispered back, "You got it. See ya in a few."

Roshida nodded… not that Erinna could see her; the slight pressure against her upper arm and shoulder vanished as the infiltrator eased away from her captain's position. B'Sayle watched as the slight disturbance in reflected light that was Thyria moved away from her – not unlike water… No, the element mercury! …a virtually invisible solid that emulated the way the metal effortlessly flowed over and around the numerous obstacles between her position and the stairs that would allow access to the rest of the station.

After fifteen-to-twenty minutes – a seeming eternity – Roshida's ear-mounted comms unit came to life. "Our comms should be undetectable, Captain, and I have disabled the motion trackers. All security cameras are offline, and the staircase is accessible. The security office, if it's even manned, is now receiving a recorded loop of all the stairs, elevators and maintenance corridors, showing the empty space that existed before our arrival, but…"

The pause in Erinna's report stretched out long enough for Roshida to prompt her. "There's always a 'but'. Just tell us so we can get going."

Erin prefaced her next comment with a heavy sigh. "The station isn't controlled by a VI, Captain. It's a full-on AI – referred to as UDI… short for Ultra Defense Intelligence – not nearly as capable as the SILC, but self-aware, nonetheless. Any security measures I override will no doubt be detected… and corrected. Once that happens, I fear our blue asses will be totally exposed."

Roshida echoed Erin's sigh before responding. "Nothing for it, Erin." Using the location tracker displayed on the inside of her visor, she said, "Lieutenant, you heard her. We could be discovered at any second. All of you move up… make your way to Erin's location."

Huntresses Catalina T'Gelvos and Condella Selani had 'leapfrogged' each other as they led the rest of their team up the stairs, finally coming to rest beside the hatch that opened out to Level Four. B'Sayle nervously looked at the ceiling panels concealing what they had learned were fully-rotational Grad Turrets; these could target either up or down the stairs, including the landing on which they were all standing, should they be unfortunate enough to be detected.

Erinna commented, "The security program controlling those turrets went down when I took out the motion detectors… but remember, I have no idea how long that will last."

"What about this access corridor?" Roshida asked.

"Unfortunately, there will be people moving about up here, all wearing identity badges linked to UDI. Nothing we can do about that, unless we steal six badges from among the Humans."

"Might not be a bad idea. For now, let's just keep low and start our sweep. I'm hoping the records we need will be an easy find, once we find the research center." Roshida paused and took a deep breath. "We'll split up; Celia… you take Cat and Del to the left, Erinna, Joy and I will go right. Hopefully we find what we're looking for before we meet on the other side of this damned station." She grinned, which her team couldn't see, but could hear in her tone of voice as she added, "I don't want to find out we've searched the wrong floor and have to start all over again on another level." As a couple of her team chuckled in response, she whispered, "Let's go."

With Joy watching their six, B'Sayle and Erinna were silently – and invisibly – moving slowly forward. The path they followed was the outermost loop of the station, and multiple passageways cut in toward the center, like spokes of a huge wheel. They had to search each and every passage, to make sure they didn't bypass either the Research Center itself or, better yet, the data storage center. The latter would be the perfect discovery… where Erinna could get to work and download every piece of data they had time for. B'Sayle huffed quietly. I'm sure Liara would love any additional info we could get her on what they've been doing here the last couple of years.

Many of the rooms were storage areas for various pieces of scientific gear, but they had also located a few empty living quarters and a mech assembly and repair center, including a back-up power generation system. Erinna, quite enthusiastically, mechanically disabled the system, so UDI could not repair it remotely. If they wanted it fixed, they would have to send a team… and Erin very much doubted they would detect the fault unless the Level Four power actually dropped and the backup didn't activate.

During their sweep thus far, they had needed to dispatch five persons unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Three were staff members, but the last two were a security sweep team. Roshida tapped her comm and whispered quietly, "Heads up folks… We had to take out a security team. I'm not sure how long they have between reports, but it's only a matter of time before their absence is noted."

"Roger that," replied Celia. "We encountered a couple of repair mechs, which we disabled… made it look like they crossed wires and electrocuted themselves. That will hold until someone who actually knows how they work gets curious and takes a good look at them." She paused only briefly before adding, "We've also had to take out a couple of researchers… We stuffed them in a closet and their badges in our packs, so if UDI looks, they're still moving around the station. We searched the two small labs they were working in but didn't turn anything up. Even so, I think we're definitely in the right section of the station, Roshi."

"That's great news, because we've found mostly storage rooms and empty living quarters… along with one backup generator that we took out of service. Good to know we might be on the right level after all… I was starting to worry." As an afterthought, Roshida added, "Stay sharp… Don't be in a hurry and get careless, just because you think you're close."

"You got it, Captain." Celia smiled at her Captain's concern. "Business as usual, be it the start or the end of a mission."

It wasn't much later when Roshida silently cursed as she ducked into a doorway; UDI had detected the breach on the hangar deck and the hack that Erinna had so skillfully committed before their ascent to this level. The intruder alarms had sounded for nearly half-a-minute before being shut off. Now, a mechanical voice was insistently commanding the intruders to turn themselves in to the nearest security station. Yeah, like that's gonna happen!

B'Sayle had just figured their mission had turned to shit because of their discovery, when suddenly Celia's voice came over the comm unit. "We've got it! Passageway 23, third door on the left!"

"Excellent! Start the search and we'll be there as soon as we can." Roshida smiled and muted her comm, turning to her team. "We might just get off this station before they actually find us!"

The team returned to the outer loop and started moving as quickly as they dared. After passing through a fire control bulkhead hatch, Roshida nearly had her head taken off by an AP round fired by an Orcus Mech, a Cerberus enhanced version of the LOKI Mech. Growling, "Goddess be damned!" she pulled back and hugged the wall, motioning her team to tuck in behind her. "I have a feeling we just found the security station missing their two patrolmen. Combined with the damned announcement by UDI, the security mechs are on-station and at full alert."

After encountering – and disabling – six Orcus Mechs in the repair center, Erinna had accessed the non-secured station logs. She had warned the team that the damned things were equipped with enhanced visual receptors, rendering their cloaking shields useless. She had also informed them that the mechs were most easily destroyed with headshots, a theory which the group then proceeded to test after biotic Lifts kept the mechs from firing on them.

Unfortunately, the resultant explosions drew the attention of a group of Assault Troopers; these were a bit more troublesome to eliminate but were nothing B'Sayle's team hadn't encountered before. Joy split her attention between covering their six and popping the heads off the troopers slowing their forward progress, while Erin and Roshida used biotic combos of Pull and Throw to obliterate them.

With the immediate threat eliminated, the trio ran down the corridor to the Research section. Unfortunately, they had not thought about the likelihood of the Grad Turrets being brought back online once their presence had been detected; nor had they considered the possibility that such defensive systems would be installed in the ceilings of these populated areas. To their great misfortune, a turret rotated down from concealment and began firing at them before they could get the hatch open.

As she was bringing up their rear, several rounds hit Joya S'Raxia in her back before Roshida could erect a barrier to protect her. While Erin worked feverishly to bypass the reactivated security protocols, the pulse machine gun continued to rake them with bursts from its twin barrels. The hatch miraculously opened to reveal Huntress Catalina, who quickly helped to drag Joy through the opening and out of harm's way. As the door closed behind them, Erin immediately set to work to lock the hatch and set her own local security algorithm, to slow any pursuit.

Roshida was at Joy's side as she collapsed to the deck; Cat went to her knees on the sniper's other side as B'Sayle asked, "How bad?"

Joya's face was twisted in pain as she ground out, "Hurts, Cap. Took my… barrier down… pretty sure the damned thing punched more than a few holes in my backside."

Cat immediately responded with, "As soon as Erin is done with that door, we should join Del and the Lieutenant… I'll bet the Research Data Center is the most securable room in this facility."

Roshida nodded to Catalina; without a word, the pair lifted Joy to her feet and assisted her as they relocated. Once there, they pulled out a chair and had Joy sit in the seat facing backward so they could access and remove her damaged backplate, revealing a pair of ragged holes in her under-armor mesh.

"Goddess be damned." B'Sayle grabbed a tube of medigel from her medical kit and – after rolling Joy's shirt up from her waist – forced a liberal quantity into each of the holes in the sniper's back.

After a few minutes, the pain lessened to the point Joy could breathe easier. "Thanks. Feels better already." She downed some of the eezo-infused water and slowly ate the energy bar given to her by Del while her captain pulled her under-armor mesh down, set her backplate into place and refastened it to her chestplate.

Roshida stood and moved to join Celia. "How's it looking?"

"Lots of data… but not exactly what we want." Celia sighed and then whispered quietly, obvious her words for Roshida only. "And now they know we're here… so, while this room is very secure, I'm not sure how we'll get back out, Captain."

The use of her rank indicated to Roshida just how concerned her lieutenant was about their situation, but she remained focused on the main mission. "First things first. You said it's not exactly what we want… What did you discover?"

Urdnot, Tuchanka, Aralakh – 14 Feb 2189

Wrex stared at his Councilor in amazement for a few moments before growling, "Is this a joke? Because, if it is, it's not funny."

"No, Overlord." Jara's teeth showed as she repeated herself, "The Council has sent me to inform you that the Demilitarization Enforcement Mission has been deemed no longer necessary, and that our system will no longer be known as the Krogan DMZ. The vote was unanimous." She stood taller, if that was possible for the already huge female, and proudly announced, "We are once more known by our former, true name – the Aralakh System."

"I'll be damned." Wrex looked at Bakara and grinned. "I told you we could trust Shepard. After more than 1300 years, a puny Human comes along and changes the entire galaxy… ridding us of the Reapers and reestablishing the Krogan as an honorable race." He shook his head and smirked. "Never thought I'd live to see the day… yet, here we are."

Bakara rolled her eyes. "It is not only Shepard who did this, Wrex. You had no small part to play in our success… as well as Grunt, for whom we need to thank that crazy scientist, Warlord Okeer… and that shit Human merc, Jedore, for pushing him. There are many unlikely heroes and villains who contributed along the path of our return to honor."

"Yeah… but who killed Jedore and saved Grunt? Who found Mordin and brought him to our cause? Who helped me get you back from the Salarians?" Wrex stood up and started to walk away, heading toward the communications center. "Shepard! That's who… By Vaul; she even pulled me in, gave me purpose, and made me believe in the Krogan again! So, I'm going to call her and thank her for this amazing news… and invite her to the best party every thrown!"

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 14 Feb 2189

"So, what's next for you, Wrex?" Shepard looked at the vid screen and couldn't get the grin off her face, hearing the Krogan Overlord's reaction to the news.

"What the Hell do you think, Shepard?" Her friend laughed happily. "We're going to start building ships again! And don't you worry; we're taking your and Liara's suggestions to heart. We're going to build a couple of fast frigates, first. Put a minimal crew aboard each and fly them to the Council Fleet, letting them round out the majority of the crew with whomever they choose. I'd like to send one Captain… and hope he keeps the job, but I won't press the issue… as long as they at least let him stay as the XO." He shrugged and added, "Then, we'll have to wait and see how that goes before we make our next move."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Shepard heard a little ping in the back of her mind and smiled. "Liara thinks so, too."

Wrex chuckled. "Well, you tell Liara I'd love to have her as an XO on one of my ships… but I know I'll never get her away from you and the Knight Shade, so it's not even worth asking."

"You're right, there, Wrex." Shepard chuckled. "And it's highly unlikely the Council would give up a Spectre to captain a regular Fleet Vessel."

"And they'd be both crazy and stupid to do so, Shepard… especially you. You're the best they've got." Wrex narrowed his eyes and asked again, "Now, back to the main reason for my call. What about the party?"

"Sorry, Wrex, but I have to decline." Shepard's smile faltered. "I have a few things going on right now that can't wait…"

She didn't get to finish before Wrex interrupted, "It's that Salarian shit, isn't it? I knew they were slimy bastards, but I figured it was mostly aimed at us… not every other race but their own." He paused before asking, "Anything the Krogan can do to help? Jara's offer for us to help has my approval. All you need to do is ask, and we're there."

"I appreciate that, Wrex, and I'll keep it in mind, though I doubt Krogan boots on Sur'Kesh would help very much." She laughed aloud and continued, "We all know how much they loved your last appearance there!"

Wrex let out a booming laugh before managing an answer. "Yeah. Not so much… but those were different times, Shepard. Back then, they were holding our females hostage! Now, we're allies… makes all the difference, right?"

"Yeah, right." The smirk on the Krogan's face told Shepard Wrex knew better, so the Human simply smiled and continued, "I'll talk to Liara about the party, but no promises. The Council has us hopping… but, more importantly, we have Gabby here, looking ready to pop those kids out at any moment, so we're doing our best to stick close to Thessia, if at all possible."

Shepard's smile vanished as she added, "Also, Ken's birthday is coming up on the 29th… and we both think it will be a particularly difficult time for Gabby, so want to be here for her."

"Ah, well… shit." Wrex grumbled, "Guess I can't really argue with that one. At least not without looking like a completely emotionless ass. I'll give Bakara your regrets." He raised a hand to give a quick wave of farewell. "You tell that little woman that if she wants a Krogan Overlord as Protector, for her or her little ru'shan, she just needs to say the word."

"I'll do that, Wrex." Shepard waved in response as she closed with, "We'll talk again soon, I promise," and closed the comm link, feeling only a little bit guilty for not telling one of her best friends the real reason she couldn't attend a party on Tuchanka. Honestly, with her nanites not working the way they should, Shepard couldn't risk getting into a drinking contest with the big Krogan. Her consumption of Ryncol in what Wrex would consider her 'norm,' would likely put her in the infirmary… and Wrex would feel personally responsible. Speaking from experience, Shepard knew exactly just how bad a wet-nurse Wrex could be… and she didn't need him hovering beside her medbed, threatening the staff with death should anything happen to her. Even under the circumstances, the thought made her laugh as she got up from chair and left the comm room. It was time to prepare for Valern's arrival.

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 14 Feb 2189

"Councilor Valern. Welcome to House T'Soni." Liara smiled and dipped her head in welcome. "We truly do appreciate your acceptance of our invitation."

"Yes, yes." Valern flashed a quick smile. "I will admit, it was rather… unexpected… but welcome. A chance to get away from the CGC, when I don't know quite yet what my future may hold." He blinked and looked at Shepard. "As for the true purpose of my visit, that is yet to be discovered. I am sure it is not, as you stated in the invitation, simply a chance to say goodbye and thank me for my excellent service to the Council."

Shepard chuckled. "That's why I like you, Valern. Upfront and blunt. You never pull any punches."

"Punches? I have never struck you, Shepard." Surprisingly, he flashed a grin. "Though, there have been times when I was tempted… but my survival instinct quickly reminded me I would likely not survive the altercation."

Shepard's eyes widened in surprise. "What? A sense of humor? Who knew!"

Laughing softly, Liara held out her arm in invitation. "Please, let us move to the den, where we can speak privately, in comfort."

"Honored, Lady T'Soni." Valern looped his arm through Liara's, looking quite pleased to be doing so. "And, seeing as I am no longer a councilor, please call me Linas."

"Very well, Linas." Liara gave him one of her best smiles. "And, if you are comfortable with it, please refer to me by Liara… I still think of 'Lady T'Soni' as my mother."

"Ah. The great Matriarch Benezia." Valern frowned. "Her loss caused shockwaves across the known galaxy. Her demise was a defining moment in our history, for many reasons. It resulted in our finally seeing the Reapers as real, no longer an imaginary threat dreamt up by lunatics… no insult intended, Liara, to your amazing, if however unrecognized, accomplishments before that time… which then brought you to the fore. We were never so fortunate to have a great leader replaced by an equal… if not a better, at least for what lay ahead of us." His frown turned up to a smile. "The powers that be were most generous when they gave us you and Spectre Shepard."

Shepard was earnest as she replied, "Thank you, Linas. I honestly hope you feel the same after you hear what we have to say."

"Knowing you and Liara, I have no doubts, Shepard."

Shepard and Liara had revealed their idea, to include a summary of the call they had received from Dalatrass Baon, on Nasurn, during the Victory Tour… which now seemed like the distant past. Linas Valern sat in quiet contemplation, thinking about everything the pair had told him. After what seemed an eternity for a Salarian, he finally raised his head and spoke. "While you may be concerned about the ethics of your plan, you must realize the Salarians deal this way with one another on a daily basis, using information and extortion to get what they want… as evidenced by the plan set in motion by Baon immediately after the war." He blinked a couple of times and grinned, adding, "You will be, as Humans say, fighting fire with fire; bringing the war to them on their own terms. Are you certain you are prepared to do that?"

"With your help and insider information, yes." Shepard cocked her head and asked, "But are you willing to help us?"

"Bring about change for the betterment of Salarian society as a whole?" Valern looked quickly between Shepard and Liara and answered, "But of course. Why would I not?"

"Because it places you in a rather compromising position… and could endanger your safety." Liara's brow wrinkled with concern. "We would not want anything to happen to you, so need to know you are doing this willingly and are ready to accept the risks."

"I am already in danger, simply by ignoring the Dalatrassial commands regarding the Krogan… and by coming here. The Salarian Union is well aware of my change in alliances by now and, to be sure, while half of the Circle will declare me a hero, the other half will undoubtedly want me dead. I understood that before I announced my resignation…" He paused when Shepard shook her head and raised an open hand to stop him from continuing.

"About that." Shepard smiled. "You submitted your resignation, yes… but it has not yet been voted on and approved by the Council. I spoke with Tevos and she told me she did that purposely… to give you a chance to reconsider after a brief respite, as we have heard no formal recall notice for you from the Circle of Dalatrasses."

"Which should be coming…"

Shepard laughed. "Perhaps… but it hasn't happened yet, which is good. Even if it does – and I say 'if' because of the relatively even split in the Circle to which you just referred – they may not reach a consensus vote. Even then, the Councilors can refuse to call a special session because of 'internal' Salarian politics and can put it off to the next regular session, to buy us even more time. If our plan works, those remaining at the end of it all may very much want you to remain on the Council."

"Agreed." Valern flashed another quick smile and then continued soberly, "Then, it seems, we will be working together on this. If so, there is a story I must most definitely relay to you."

"Oh?" Liara asked. "If it is relative to our objective, please go ahead."

"Extremely relative." Valern looked her in the eye and stated, "Not only relative, but a previous, failed attempt to do exactly what you… we… are planning to undertake. While you were being recruited by Dalatrass Baon to basically protect the leader of the eventual Linron family successor, Leola Vasle, the same was happening to me… by Kirova Esheel… but to stir dissent against Linron." He grinned as he added, "But, it was much too early, still during our war recovery efforts, for the plan to honestly have much hope of success. The Union was still embroiled in post-war chaos… and Esheel obviously did not have the two of you getting personally involved in tipping the scales of the Salarian leadership struggle. From this very discussion, I presume you are prepared to change that."

Shepard glanced at Liara before answering, "Yes, Linas. After what I heard at the Council session, we most definitely are."