Notes:

AI - Artificial Intelligence

FTL - Faster Than Light travel

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

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

Machinations

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

Linas Valern leaned back in his chair and his eyes lost focus as he thought back to the call he had received from Esheel; he then proceeded to explain what she had offered. "The call came from nowhere. I had received no indications Dalatrass Esheel was contemplating an actual overthrow of the Linron family as Chair-holders of the Dalatrass Circle. It has been a long time since such a move had been made."

His eyes returned to a laser focus and he learned forward, glancing quickly between the two seated around the table with him. "Kirova Esheel offered my family third position, behind only Baon and Gurji. In return, she asked that my family and our allies on Sur'Kesh speak against Linron; to stir dissent. Esheel had others doing the same on various Salarian worlds and, while fully realizing the risks involved, I did what was asked. Unfortunately, all of us, including Maedri Linron, were outplayed by her own daughter, Ereda. She somehow… convinced… her mother to commit suicide to salvage what was left of the family name."

"I knew it!" Liara huffed in aggravation. "I just knew something along those lines happened, but there was no evidence… not even a hint that Maedri did not act on her own. You have proof of this, Linas?"

She was answered by a quick laugh. "Of course not, my dear Liara. You simply need to be Salarian to know this is how these things work." Valern gave a quick shake of his head before continuing, "Maedri was much too proud and sure of herself to carry out such a selfless act in the name of her family. To be completely honest, I would be surprised to discover that Ereda did not have to force the poison upon her, after Maedri refused to commit the ritual suicide."

Shepard's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Ereda would murder her own mother?"

"Without question." Valern met her eyes without a blink. "It is all about family standing… and Maedri put the entire family at risk. Ereda would simply see it as her familial duty."

"So, how did Linron's death ruin your plan?" Shepard frowned with her lack of understanding of Salarian politics, realizing this was the exact reason they needed Valern as part of their team.

"Simple." Valern blinked once and proceeded, "Ereda's act proved her commitment to their alliance… that she would not allow her mother to weaken their collective position by taking actions that were not approved by the group. To our surprise, her elimination of Maedri actually cemented the Linron position in the alliance and strengthened their cohesion, leading to nothing but an even greater resentment between the two sides."

Liara actually smiled as she said, "So this request on our part is a welcome one… as it provides you with a possible route to break the stalemate and gain the upper hand."

"Yes." Valern flashed a grin. "It is time for the Salarian Union, as a whole, to truly welcome Kirova Esheel… and a new era of Salarian leadership."

"So, what's our first step?" Shepard looked to Valern for his expertise. "Do we approach Esheel, Baon and Gurji independently?"

"Not yet. I would think to keep your… active…participation a secret for as long as we can for this scenario… indefinitely, if at all possible. Besides which, any interstellar communications would likely be intercepted." He suddenly frowned, "Which means I need to act as go-between… and necessitates that I travel to Mannovai, to speak with Esheel."

"Alone?" Liara looked concerned and her eyes shifted to Shepard as she asked, "Would it be possible to escort him aboard the Knight Shade? I don't want to put his life at risk unnecessarily… especially so early, in only the planning phases of this operation."

"On Mannovai, I would not need to fear for my life." Valern's eyes brightened as he continued, "But I would be foolish to turn down such an offer of direct, risk-free transport, Liara!" He paused and looked at the couple, asking, "I know from experience your schedule is rather unforgiving. What timeframe would we be looking at?"

"It would have to be soon… but we'll have to be extremely careful." Shepard looked at Liara. "I just told Wrex we couldn't attend his victory party because we had a lot going on… and, because he just received an update from Jara, he immediately assumed it was Salarian in nature. I told him we wanted to stay close to Thessia for Gabby… and that Ken's birthday should have been at the end of the month. So, whatever we do, we have to be back here before then."

"Should be easy." Valern snapped his head down and up in a lightning-quick nod. "Mannovai is only a two-day FTL trip from Pranas, which is only a single relay trip from here… round trip being only five days plus however long our discussions with Esheel. I am sure she will happily agree to your assistance in this matter… and happy to rally her alliance to delay my removal as Councilor." His gaze landed on Liara as he added, "That even gives us a few days to prepare. Do you have anything in particular in mind?"

"As you want to keep our direct involvement a secret, it won't be 'our' discussions with Esheel. We'll transport you, but you'll be on your own." Liara's voice dropped as she answered, "So, while you meet with her, we'll be making discrete contacts, asking questions and digging up every bit of data we can on our adversarial Dalatrasses. We need to find information that will pit them against one another and break their alliance."

"That will likely be much more difficult than you make it sound." Valern blinked rapidly, showing his skepticism at Liara's simple statement.

"Both during and after the war, we made a great number of contacts… including within the STG." Liara smiled in a way that suddenly made Valern very glad this particular Asari was on the Council's… and his… side – a smile that did not reach her eyes as she continued, "There are many who owe us for their very survival… and when we share what certain Dalatrasses have been doing to destabilize Council authority? I imagine we will have no problem getting what we need."

The Barn, Calpamos, Zeta Reticuli – 14 Feb 2189

With Roshida staring expectantly, Celia replied in a quiet voice, "I've extracted all the data from their records that even hinted at Lazarus. Unfortunately, virtually all of their nanite research was forwarded to something called Project Phoenix… and all the local records were wiped soon as confirmation was received from this Phoenix program."

Roshida shook her head in frustration. "Goddess be damned! All this work… Joy getting shot? For nothing?"

Celia shook her head sympathetically. "No, Captain… we discovered where we need to go next, and learned we'll need a larger force to deal with the probable threat. It's been four years since Shepard was returned to the galaxy, so the many pieces that made up the projects for Lazarus are at least that old, or older. We need to track all of it down, before it is irretrievably lost to us… and Spectre Shepard. We just need to get off this station alive."

"Then let's get it done."

While Roshida and Celia were speaking, Erinna had been humming a little ditty as she worked; after a number of minutes spent probing the many defensive avenues available to UDI, her quiet exclamation of 'Goddess! I've done it!' told everyone she had finally succeeded… at something.

Roshida looked at her Infiltrator for several moments, but Erin was so focused, she didn't even notice the others staring at her, awaiting an explanation. Finally, B'Sayle had waited as long as she was willing to wait, under the circumstances. "Erin!"

Thyria looked up sharply at the harsh, impatient exclamation. "Captain?"

"What in the name of the Goddess did you do?"

Suddenly realizing the entire team was staring at her, expecting her to find them a way out, Erin nervously cleared her throat before replying. "Well, I told you earlier that UDI is an AI… a shackled AI… so, what I did is a bit risky… for us… but it's the only way I can think of to shut it down." She dropped her eyes to the deck at her feet.

Roshida, though used to her infiltrator's withdrawn reticence, was exasperated under the current circumstances, so impatiently growled out, "Erin, what exactly did you do?"

Returning her gaze to her captain's eyes, she explained, "I introduced an extremely corruptive program into UDI's OpSys. It will disable the interior and exterior defenses by wiping its IFF memory, which'll make the system 'see' everyone and everything in and around the station as an enemy."

"How in Hell is that going to help us?" B'Sayle asked unhappily. "Sounds like our escape just became that much more difficult."

The infiltrator suddenly grinned, saying, "The AI is shackled! That means it can't take any actions that would harm friendlies, nor allow automated weaponry to harm friendly organics! Without the ability to tell friend from foe, UDI can't tell who the defenses are firing on… and will be forced to shut down all the automated defenses, including the damned Mechs, or risk having all the Cerberus researchers and soldiers killed just to eliminate six intruders."

Roshida's expression gradually changed to one of hope. "That's… brilliant, Erin! Simply brilliant! Soon as it sees its own people being targeted, it'll give up!"

Erinna's frown from before returned. "Not entirely. I haven't been able to blind or muzzle the damned thing… it'll still be able to direct the troopers to wherever we happen to show up, so we'll be fighting our way back to the hanger."

Roshida silently thought about that for several minutes before asking, "But if the station's external defenses are also down, won't the Kirkliston will be able to approach and use its main weapon… open up an exit for us up here in the tower?"

Celia, following the discussion as she continued to search the records, turned and added, "There are backup troops on the ship, Captain… two full squads of Krogan, itching to bust some heads. We just need to request their deployment as soon as the hull on this horror palace has been breached."

"What about programming the reactor to blow, Erin, to help us make sure we totally destroy this facility?"

"Nothing I do will prevent UDI from countermanding my instructions, especially any breaching of the reactor safeties … damned AI is just too fast." Shaking her head in defeat, Erin admitted, "That damned machine can outthink me without breaking a sweat… we're lucky we've made it as far as we have. The longer we stay, the more time it has to direct troopers this way… and the more difficult UDI will make our exit."

Roshida nodded in recognition of what Erin was saying. Feeling disappointed at their constantly decreasing odds of success, she said, "Okay, then. Celia, get on the comms to Specialist Aldaberto… request an immediate deployment of our reinforcements as soon as they open up the hull on this station… we'll go up through the main living areas and offices… kill everyone in our way, then set an emergency beacon on an exterior wall to provide a target for the ship's cannon."

B'Sayle took point, leading her team to the nearest staircase heading up into the tower above them. Erin followed close behind, while Cat and Del assisted the injured Joya S'Raxia; Celia brought up the rear, guarding their six. It was plain to all of them that their lives were really on the line now; UDI, the station's shackled AI, sounded an alarm and changing the lighting to emergency red as soon as the six Asari had reappeared in the access corridor leading through the Research Division.

Fortunately, Erinna's introduction of a program corrupting the IFF of the station's automated defense network had resulted in the electronic destruction of every Grad Turret that emerged from the ceiling panels; additionally, the few Orcus Mechs they passed on their way down the corridor were seemingly frozen in place, each with a bit of acrid smelling smoke drifting out of their arm and neck joints. Huntresses Catalina and Condella didn't trust them to not reactivate, so used AP rounds to explode their heads after passing them by.

After carefully ascending four flights of stairs, the team – helmets on and sealed against vacuum – emerged into what their purloined station map identified as a Maintenance Corridor. Erinna moved quickly to plant a transmitter roughly ten meters further down the passage. She returned to the group while typing away madly on her omni and, with her comms to the ship open, she quickly blurted out, "I have the externals down, but it won't last long! We need the Kirkliston to breach the exterior hull at the emergency beacon location – the station AI will respond by erecting a kinetic barrier, and our backup should be able to fly right on inside."

B'Sayle added with a hiss, "Do it quick!" as a few bullets whizzed past them. "Troops are on the move behind us… ahead of us too."

Roshida crouched as she faced forward and punched the air in front of her, generating a biotic Warp that seemed to suck the air from the narrow passage as it soared towards a squad of troops. Their clumsy response was to scatter and drop to the floor, only to be decimated by the detonation caused by a well-timed Throw into the dark energy field that soared above them.

Their ability to move freely was almost instantly checked by troopers closing behind them, all firing their weapons while crouched behind portable barriers that had tilted up from the deck. Erin quickly enabled several similar barriers for them to duck behind while Cat and Del tossed a number of Pulls and Throws at the entrenched troops.

An explosion ahead of them shook the deck under their feet, forcing them all to take cover once more. Erinna said, "That's our exit. Our backup will be along shortly."

Celia said, "They're already here."

The unmistakable outlines of Krogan troops exited from a now-destroyed conference room and Celia recognized their team lead, Raash Strogar. The massive male waved his M-22 Eviscerator back and forth in front of him before moving; spotting the Asari squad, he waved his teammates onward, while directing the second team to head the other direction to ensure their exit didn't get cut off by rapidly approaching heavy troopers. "Hold that line… at all costs."

The first group's footfalls shook the deck and rattled loose items, causing Roshida to wonder if the station's walkways would stand up to the pounding of several soldiers weighing from 325-360 kilograms each – she didn't believe even the Mechs weighed as much. The Krogan squad stomped on by, stopping just beyond Roshida to set a defensive perimeter. One of the Krogan, apparently one of Strogar's lieutenants shouted, "Get yourself gone… we'll complete a cascading retreat and try to keep these guys off your ass as you go!" As the sound of shotgun fire began mixing with the reports from assault rifles, the pained screams from several of the Cerberus troops reached their ears.

Wincing at the screams, Roshida replied, "One of my team is wounded, but still able to move. We'll be slower than I like... but we'll go as fast as we can. Glad you're here!"

A grin could be heard in the Krogan's reply. "Wish you had called us sooner, B'Sayle. We've been itching to bash some heads… although, these squishy Human troops don't provide much of a challenge."

Just as he said that, a missile of some type screamed in, and the two Krogan in the most advanced position suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke from the resultant explosion.

The lieutenant immediately shouted, "Move your ass!" He then turned to the fight and threw an entire belt of grenades down the passageway before lighting up the smoke-filled passage with his Chakram Launcher, sending the exploding, shrapnel-generating discs toward the enemy as fast as the rifle could produce them.

To the sound of multiple, pained screams, Roshida turned to her squad. "Let's move!" Their retreat toward the ragged hole blown in the station's hull was interrupted by yet more gunfire from behind them. One of the remaining Krogan soldiers, spinning about on his heel to take out the troops behind them, took an AP round in his left arm, causing him to howl in rage.

As he fired blindly down the passage, Condella, who had an arm around Joy's back, stumbled and fell from an answering Cerberus bullet in her left thigh; worse, Joya cried out and fell to the deck like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Roshida was at her side in an instant. "Joy!" Knowing she had no time to lose, she simply lit with biotics, scooped up her fallen sister-in-arms, and started moving as quickly as her legs would carry her toward the hole in the station's outer hull.

Cat glanced at Del, only to see her tossing an empty tube of medigel away as she stood, moving quickly to catch up. Cat grabbed ahold of Del's arm, assisting her toward the exit, where Strogar was impatiently waiting for them. "Come on! They're working to bring the exterior guns back online and we're running out of time!"

Erin was squatting down behind the big Krogan and muttered, "I'm slowing the reboot best I can… but, I agree – we can't waste any time!"

As the Asari team arrived, Strogar grabbed each in turn and gave them a hard shove through the breach. "Go, go, go!" Roshida brought up the rear and Strogar stopped her. "Leave your friend. Your mission has priority, so there's no sense in you dying too, just to carry your dead comrade home." Seeing the Captain about to protest, he shook his head. "No. She's too heavy… I'll make sure both she and your infiltrator make it across, Captain!"

Roshida gave him a hard stare, then nodded in reluctant acceptance as she replied, "Alright, but don't be long… I'm ready to watch this damned place burn," just before she launched herself through the breach toward the Kirkliston.

With that, Strogar roared out, "Team Jhekt! Time to go! Let's move!" He surveyed the two squads as they rolled out the exit. In addition to Strogar, thirteen had entered the station… at the end of the mission, twelve departed with him, but that number also included both the infiltrator, Erinna Thyria, and the lifeless sniper, Joya S'Raxia. Team One had lost two, while Team Two has lost one to a Trooper in an Atlas Mech. "A good death," he mumbled to himself as he pushed off the station, Joy tucked under one massive arm. Speaking of his own dead team members, he muttered, "You'll burn with the station and enjoy your feast with Vaul!"

Kirkliston SR1, At Large, 14 Feb 2189

Standing in one of the ship's smaller storage bays, Roshida B'Sayle dug the heels of her hands into her eye sockets while massaging the front of her scalp with her fingers. Because of the lack of intel, Roshida had known the mission was risky… but it had turned out to be more costly than she ever imagined. Down deep, she knew she had taken much more pleasure in watching the Barn's destruction – with everything and everyone inside being transformed into nothing more than ripped apart pieces of organic matter, chunks of flaming metal, melted thermoset plastics, broken quartz viewports, glittering particles of eezo and amorphous clouds of H3 – than she should have but, with the body of her sister-in-arms, Joya S'Raxia, lying in the stasis chamber before her, she refused to feel any guilt over that fact.

Ship's doctor Corlan Tolus had solemnly explained the fatal bullet had struck in the worst place possible… the flexible section of her armor, between the backplate and helmet, right at the base of her skull. The enhanced alloy had shattered a vertebra and severed her spinal cord, thus taking her legs out from under her. Its impact with the bone shattered the bullet into several small pieces; these did further damage as they traveled through her neck, puncturing her esophagus and damaging essential nerve clusters – all required to let Joy move and breathe.

"That single shot eliminated any chance we may have had at saving your sniper's life, Captain. You have my deepest sympathy for your loss – the loss to the team. I imagine a sniper as longstanding as Specialist S'Raxia will most definitely be missed."

"Yes, she will be… and she'll be hard to replace." B'Sayle shook her head, her gut churning over what yet lay in their future. "Especially in time to complete this current mission."

"Not as difficult as you think, Captain." The doctor shrugged. "The friendship and team familiarity will be lacking in the short term but will be rebuilt over time. Speak with Commander Arern when we return to base. The Broker has many talented snipers available, so you will need to review the available files and select a new one. The mission must continue."

Roshida had simply nodded in acceptance before asking where they had put the body. That had led to where she was now, staring down at her lost sniper… and friend. I always knew it was a possibility… to lose someone. But you? You're a damned sniper, Joya! You're supposed to operate as top cover, in the background… at distance from the action! What in the blue blazes was I thinking, bringing you into a close-quarters fight?

With a plan forming in her mind, the captain spoke aloud. "I'll swear this to you, Joya S'Raxia. Your death is on my head and I'll not let such happen again. This next mission? I'm going to demand a recon team go in before we do… to know what we'll be facing and to make sure we're damned well ready for it!"

Roshida heaved a sigh as she entered the living quarters set aside for her team. Where there had been five, now there were four. She fixed each of her sisters in turn with a sympathetic gaze, ending up with an intense look at Condella.

Clearing her throat, she addressed her sisters in a soft tone. "We're heading back to the Ops Center. The travel time will allow Del to continue healing from her injury while I study the qualifications for a successor…" the thought of having to replace Joya – the reason for replacing her – forced her to pause to collect herself. "… a replacement for Joy. Before we arrive, I'll select two or three candidates I feel show promise, then Celia and I will interview them, see what they're capable of doing out on the range, and select one to join us for our next assignment."

"Are we going to have a service for Joy? Give her remains to the Goddess before we are forced to leave again, to continue the mission?"

B'Sayle noticed Erin's downcast expression. "I'm not entirely sure we'll have time to conduct a proper service for her, Erin… and it's not something I want to rush through. Once we've completed the immediate tasks the Broker has for us, we'll take her to Thessia so we can give her a proper sendoff."

Catalina nudged Condella's shoulder as she wondered aloud, "What about Del, Cap'n?"

Roshida focused on Selani and smiled slightly as she spoke. "The prognosis concerning your injury is excellent, so there's nothing to worry about, as your wound only affected the 'short head' of your biceps femoris. The Goddess was looking out for you, it seems; the bullet missed all the arteries supplying blood to the muscle." She chuckled slightly as she concluded, "Dr Tolus told me the surgery was relatively easy and after a bit of time spent under the tissue regenerator for each of the next few days, that leg will be almost as good as new."

Everyone nodded as Del observed, "Dr Tolus has me on a rehabilitation regimen, not only the regen, but a series of exercises designed to promote healing and strengthen the injured muscle, as well. My plan is to be released from light duty by the time we need to leave for our next destination."

Lieutenant Celia M'Creno had been silent to this point, preferring to listen rather than speak. Standing, she took the few steps needed to join her captain and asked, "So, where is our next destination, Captain?"

"Orestes Station… the location for Project Phoenix. Thanks to Celia, we've learned all the tech for creation of the nanites was transmitted to Orestes before the source files were deleted from the servers at The Barn. Orestes station is similar in design, so we have some knowledge concerning its layout but, once again, who exactly resides within is terribly vague." Roshida placed her fists on her hips and huffed. "Of one thing I'm certain; we're not entering that facility until a scouting team goes in first. I want to know the true nature of the opposition we'll be facing before we set foot in the place, and when we do go in, if necessary, we're bringing Raash Strogar and his squad with us… as part of our strike force, not as later back-up."

She looked at Celia, then returned her attention to her sisters, painfully aware of Joy's absence. "Our sniper was killed and a huntress wounded; our gains were painfully small, given what the assignment has already cost us, and that's on me, so… I swear, with the Goddess as my witness, I will exercise more caution as we continue to search these places. I was overconfident, and we all clearly under-estimated the possible numbers of surviving Cerberus personnel. I don't even understand why they are still operating… and I'm sure that's something the Shadow Broker may find extremely curious as well."

"Tides, Cap'n!" Celia placed a hand on Roshida's shoulder and squeezed. "None of us hold you to blame for Joya's death, or Del's injury. And, while I have no intention of trying to figure out the scientists' reasons for continuing their research… I'll venture a guess that whatever it is, it's not for the rest of us! In the meantime, all we can do is keep moving forward on our current task." She offered up an understanding smile to B'Sayle. "So, let's do that by reviewing our potential snipers."

Knight Shade, At Large, Annos Basin – 16 Feb 2189

"Shepard?" Liara felt the undercurrents of a growing disquiet emanating from her Siame and sought to discover their origin. Walking toward Samantha, Liara queried, "Contrary to what you told me, I'm getting the distinct impression you aren't very happy with being here. What's bothering you?"

Shepard stood from the seat at the small corner desk in the lower deck Brokerage area, turning to meet her obviously concerned Ionúin Álainn. Wrapping her arms softly around her lover's waist, she answered quietly, "I'm still not sure we're doing the right thing here, Liara… My head keeps coming back to the question of whether or not we have any right to manipulate the government of a sovereign race… in this case, the Salarians… simply because we don't like their complete disregard for decisions made by the Council nor their attitudes toward the Krogan… whom everyone else agreed to welcome as junior members."

Sighing, she dropped her arms, stepped back and began pacing back and forth in the small office space. "As Spectres, we have a responsibility to maintain law and order throughout the galaxy… yet, we have absolutely no official power over the independent governments of the Council members… so, I find myself questioning if our current plan is at odds with how we are supposed to accomplish galactic stability." She stopped and met Liara's eyes, shrugging as she added, "It's not like we're fighting the Reapers anymore, and I'm not sure if what we're planning to do is the right way to go about it, Li."

Liara smiled softly and stepped closer, to take Samantha's hands in her own. "In response, I will say this; it is your very thoughtful decision-making that tells me you will keep me from overstepping any boundaries that are not meant to be crossed, Siame. You are a Spectre. A galactic hero… and mine. I trust your judgement and am happy to have you act as my conscience regarding the usage of the Broker network. But, I will add that the Spectres are charged with more than simply maintaining law and order. You are the Council intelligence service, with the authority to pass judgement over those who violate Council Law… up to and including the power of life and death over the inhabitants of the galaxy. I know you do not take this responsibility lightly, Samantha, especially when the potential offenders could be within your own ranks. If nothing else, we must find those who are violating the trust of the Council and eliminate them from your midst… one way or another."

"Agreed," Shepard answered, turning to sit once again in her chair; she then pulled Liara down to sit on her lap as she continued, "On one condition."

"Which is?" Liara cocked a brow marking and waited patiently for the answer.

"That we mete out that justice equally… no matter who the Spectres work for, be it for the Linron family… or Esheel." Shepard squeezed her bondmate's hand. "If we're going to do this, we have to do it for the right reasons… not simply for political expedience."

Liara drew a deep breath and could feel the strong wave of conviction rolling through their link, so immediately knew this was a non-negotiable point. "Absolutely, Samantha… but, we must also keep in mind they will always put their own people before the good of the Council… their primary obligation is to represent their own, so we can find no fault in that. You need look no farther than the start of the Reaper War to recognize that as truth. You had to force them to come together… else all would have been lost."

"Having been exposed to the machinations of the Council members for the past few years, there is no possible way I could forget that, Liara." Shepard practically snorted in laughter before continuing in a more somber tone, "And I'm okay with that… so long as they aren't deceiving the Council or stealing sensitive or classified information in the process."

"Alright, then." Liara smiled and tenderly stroked Samantha's cheek. "So, what is it you need me to do?"

Shepard closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about Liara's question while she enjoyed the sensation of the Asari's pebbled skin against the side of her face. "I think we continue as planned. Vet the current Salarian Spectres…" She paused and opened her eyes, looking into Liara's loving blue orbs. "Then, I want you to vet the Salarian STG… starting with Kirrahe and his crew."

Liara's eyes opened wide in her surprise at the request. "Why in the blue blazes would you want me to look at Adus? He's most certainly loyal to you and the stability of Council space."

"Exactly!" Shepard's face held that lopsided roguish grin of hers as she replied. "If we're going to decimate the Salarian Spectre Corps as badly as Valern insinuates, we'll need a batch of vetted candidates from which to nominate new ones… won't we?"

Liara smiled and cupped Shepard's face in her hands, leaning in to place a tender kiss on her siame's lips. {Yes, Spectre Shepard… you most definitely will.}

Shadow Broker Warehouse, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 18 Feb 2189

Mireya R'Velli took a seat in the chair indicated for her by Lieutenant M'Creno. She had just completed a series of challenges set up to test her prowess with her SILC Javelin, a rare weapon not usually seen outside the Veil. 'Reya felt a bit smug at being able to impress Roshida B'Sayle; there were tales… rumors… gossip… that the captain was more jaded than anyone concerning Asari who were unable to overpower their foes biotically. Mireya was hoping she had changed the team captain's mind.

She quickly stood as B'Sayle swept into the room; as she rounded her desk, she waved the prospective sniper back to her seat. "We don't stand much on ceremony around here, R'Velli. Take a seat." Roshida sat, picked up a datapad and scrolled slowly through the contents. Setting the reader down, she pierced Mireya with her gaze and said, "You're an impressive sniper, Mireya, but…" she glanced down at the datapad momentarily before leveling her gaze at the prospective team member.

"You really impressed me with your hand-to-hand skills. And where in Goddess name did you acquire an N7 Hurricane? It's a rarity in the Human military because many feel it's inaccurate."

Mireya grinned at the captain. "You will probably think I've been drinking Ryncol… and maybe I was, the night I took it off of a very drunk Human in a smelly bar down in the Foundations. This guy knew I was sitting nearby, and was boasting… rather loudly… that he could out-muscle any blue-assed, squid-head bitch, any time, any place. So, I took him up on his offer."

Roshida, having already taken an admiring look at this maiden's nude physique in the showers, could nearly guess what had happened, but said, "Go on…"

"He bet me I'd wind up on the floor in less time than it takes to tell of it. Since he was challenging me, I chose arm-wrestling." With a laugh, she shook her head slightly and added, "You should have seen his eyes light up, Captain. Never witnessed a Human so damned eager to fail… and fail he did! Three times in a row! Not only did I shame him in front of his friends, who all seemed a lot less inclined to take me on afterwards, but I relieved him of the N7 Hurricane he was displaying so proudly."

"Was it Alliance-issued, or his personal weapon?" Roshida wanted nothing to do with an Alliance military-issued weapon with a serial number that could come back and bite them in the ass should something untoward happen.

"He claimed to have purchased it from the Alliance… the way he told the tale, the clip extractor was damaged, and the Alliance simply tossed the weapon and replaced it with a new one. He supposedly bought it for a fraction of its true value, repaired it with parts from a few other scrapped guns, and had been using it ever since. The story is suspect, as I find it hard to believe the Alliance would simply scrap a reparable weapon, especially during times of war and diminishing resources. I honestly believe he acquired it through less-than-honorable means. That would explain why he looked like he was gonna cry when he handed it over… because it won't be easy for him to get another… at least not as a personal weapon. Didn't bother me in the least that he lost it."

"If it was stolen, perhaps we should return it to the Alliance?" Roshida asked.

Roshida's tone was of honest inquiry, not accusation, so Mireya responded, "It's better than new, Captain, because I've modified it extensively. It's been upgraded with a calibrated recoil modulator system and a high-velocity barrel, the standard heat sink has been replaced with an industrial grade version, and it's mid-size receiver was swapped out for a high-capacity magazine." With a small chuckle, she concluded, "It's barely recognizable as a Hurricane, much less Alliance issue!"

Roshida nodded in acceptance, then looked up as Celia quietly entered the office; the look she received from her lieutenant spoke volumes. Returning her scrutiny to Mireya's sea green eyes, she placed her elbows on her desk as she clasped and steepled her hands in front of her. Releasing a heavy sigh, she said, "I'd like you join our team, Mireya R'Velli. Celia will escort you to the team quarters, get you set up with a berth and equipment." Standing from her chair, she stuck her forearms out across her desk, palms upwards. "Welcome to the team!"

The new team sniper placed her palms on those offered in sisterhood and said, "Thank you, Captain. At the start of our meeting, you stated you don't stand much on ceremony around here. That suits me fine. My nickname is Rey, should you care to use it." Lowering her hands, she turned towards M'Creno. "Lead on, Lieutenant. Let's get me settled in so we can get down to business."