The horse-drawn carriages that had once been hovercars continued their long march to Thessaly. Delen S'Leya was looking forward to arriving, and as usual was thankful for the human animal imports that had occurred so very long ago.

In another life - one that seemed as far away and incomprehensible as the time of the Protheans - she had been an architect. One dedicated to uncovering the mysteries hidden within the Temple of Athame.

Then the Plague had struck. 99% of asari on Thessia had died within a week, and the homeworld had been quarantined. Only a tiny handful of immune asari survived; the plague still lingered in skeletons. Technology was gradually lost due to the extinction of specialist knowledge required to maintain it. The aliens stranded on Thessia had intermingled with the native asari to produce a strange, primitive cosmopolitanism.

That had all happened three centuries ago.

Delen knew that civilization still existed in the galaxy, but it was as abstract to her as what humans called the Andromeda Galaxy was. Thessia was her world, and it was here she made her fame.

"Hey Delen!"

Delen smiled as her good friend Mark sat next to her on the carriage. The asari had never been able to replicate the wonderful utility of horses with their own animals.

"Hey Mark," she replied. "So, you ready for King Lear?"

"Absolutely! I've been preparing to play the title role since I was a kid."

Delen smiled. "I admire your confidence!"

Suddenly, Mark's expression became inscrutably clouded. He stared off into the distance for a good five minutes before Delen asked "is there something wrong, Mark?"

"Why did this happen?"

Delen frowned. It was the question that ALL surviving asari had contemplated endlessly.

"I don't know, and I don't really think it matters," she finally said. "We're here now, and we've managed to survive."

"Fair enough," Mark nodded. "I think about Earth sometimes. What it must be like to live with all those wonders of technology."

"I don't think we need them."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, look at us!" She smiled warmly. "Here we are sitting in ancient cars that used to fly, just barely scraping by. But I'm pretty happy. Aren't you?"

Mark nodded and returned her smile. "I am! But I'll be even happier if I can get my lines down!"

"Here, let me help you. I'm Goneril…"

-st-

"That was incredible!" The Head Matriarch of Thessaly greeted the actors warmly after the play.

"We're glad you liked it!" Delen replied.

"Liked it? We adored it." She paused. "We do have a question, though."

"Sure."

"Why Shakespeare?"

Delen opened her mouth, then closed it without saying anything.

It was a good question.

"…I think because the asari before the Plague loved other cultures so much," Delen finally replied. "Shakespeare is the best humanity has to offer, and there are a lot of humans on Thessia. It's something that makes all of us happy."

"It makes us happy too!"