Chapter 2: A New Home

December 15, 223

Erebus System, Pioneer Station

Kerensky sighed, running his hands across his eyes both to rub the sleep away and to help ground himself. If he had been told a few years ago that he'd be doing this, he would have laughed it off as a strange joke… yet here he was, stepping off the shuttle onto one of the largest space stations in Confederate space.

With the recent 'official' first contact, Parliament had finally come to a decision on just how to deal with the thousands of aliens that had found themselves in their care. Those who wished would be given passage to the nearest safe Council world of Illium. Any who chose to remain would be granted resident status, and allowed to rebuild their lives in the Confederacy… or build them in the first place in some cases. He wasn't sure how many had fallen into either camp yet.

He paid the salutes little mind as he absentmindedly waved them off, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead to keep the tension in his gut from making him rethink his decision. "General, sir..." The middle-aged woman in sterile white scrubs offered him a warm smile as he approached. If she saw the tension in the relatively young general's body, she didn't comment.

"Anything new?" Kerensky offered his best attempt to return the smile as he adjusted his grip on the small case under his arm.

"She's cleared quarantine, no major health concerns other than these 'biotics'." The military doctor offered, gesturing for him to follow. "We still don't understand them fully, but the Asari we have here have been helpful in addressing any issues with their implants. Liara was too young to receive the implants, but… well, she might wind up getting the occasional static shock."

Kerensky did his best to follow along with the doctor's explanations, but he quickly found himself overwhelmed as she went into a tangent about these biotics. By the time they arrived at the door to the medical wing of the station, she had apparently finished her little lecture. "She'll be inside, in room 131." The doctor offered, gesturing for Kerensky to head on alone.

Kerensky thanked the doctor for her time before stepping inside and finding his way. He stopped outside the door with '131' etched into a small plate on the wall, steeling himself for a moment before keying the screen beside the door and allowing it to slide open, revealing the same Asari he had found on Aeia, huddled atop a bed and reading something on a datapad. Her piercing blue eyes shot over to Kerensky as the door slid open, with the look of surprise soon replaced by a small smile. She certainly looked better; her features were a bit less gaunt, and her skin was a more uniform blue rather than pale blue in the face and hands. "Feeling better?" Kerensky asked, stepping inside and pulling a chair over from its position by a desk.

"A lot better." Liara nodded, placing the datapad down by her side and sitting upright. "Did you find her?"

Kerensky sucked in a deep breath, trying to filter out the thousands of thoughts rushing through his head at the moment. "We haven't had any luck, I'm afraid..." He offered, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched Liara's smile fade. Her eyes immediately shot down to her hands, and she started fidgeting. "It's not all bad news, though." Her eyes darted back up to meet his. This girl was pretty damn bright. Just her eyes alone were alive with a sort of intelligence that Kerensky had never really seen before. "Rather than going to the relief facility that I'm sure the doctors have mentioned… I'd be more than happy to take you in."

Liara's eyes widened at the general's offer. She was just expecting a visit from the man who had caught her red-handed with a Confederate field ration, she wasn't expecting something like… this. "I… I'd like that." She smiled.

Kerensky let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he broke out into a smile himself. A mere moment later, the young Asari was a blur of motion again as she darted over and wrapped him in a hug. He couldn't help but return the gesture. "Good to hear... now c'mon, gotta sort the paperwork out with the docs."

The whole process was surprisingly simple, only taking about a half-hour before Liara was officially cleared to depart Pioneer Station. Given that it had taken nearly two weeks of constant legal maneuvering, the half-hour spent was a godsend. Liara was surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal… right until they boarded a shuttle that would take them back to Tessera.

"Whoa..." Liara gawked at the small flotilla of Confederate warships jumping back into Erebus. It was a carrier group from the 1st Fleet that had been tasked with laying new comm buoys and navigational beacons for military traffic patrolling beyond the nebula. It might have only been a half-dozen ships, but it packed considerably more firepower than just about anything in the Terminus if Vasir's explanations were accurate. The group was organized around protecting one of the single largest investments that the Confederate Military could make: The Liberty-class supercarrier CSV Stefan Rowecki. It was a goliath of a vessel, measuring at just over a kilometer in length.

The next-largest vessels in the formation, flanking the carrier on either side, were both cruisers. The carrier easily dwarfed them, but they looked strangely elegant and sleek to the young Asari that was staring in wide-eyed amazement. One was the Fortitude-class guided missile cruiser CSV Lexington, while the other was a Union-class electronic warfare cruiser CSV Argonne. Of the final four vessels, two were destroyers and two were frigates. The two Endurance-class destroyers, CSV Desmond Doss and CSV Aleksandra Samusenko, were smaller screen vessels that looked somewhat like downsized cruisers. The two Majestic-class frigates, CSV Hunter's Rest and CSV Chitea, were dedicated almost entirely to screening duties, with only a modest offensive armament.

"That's incredible..." Liara smiled, seeing all of the colorful livery painted along the rear of the warships clash with the gray metal and faint lights. She was getting a few looks of amusement from the few other passengers on the shuttle. She didn't get much of a chance to see the Confederacy's ships when she was first transported to Pioneer Station. "What's that one?" She asked, pointing to the carrier.

"That's the Stefan Rowecki, an aircraft carrier." Kerensky explained, leaning over to point out a few details on the ship before it faded out of view. "I remember growing up, watching that ship get built in the drydock just outside Tessera. My dad was part of the construction crew that put her together."

"What's that mean?" She pointed to the colorful livery covering the rear engine nacelles of every ship in the small fleet.

"That's an old tradition." Kerensky smiled. "Whenever a ship is put in service, the colors of the nation that built it are painted on the aft.

Before long, the carrier group faded from view as the shuttle drew closer to Atreus, eventually setting down in the spaceport at the very edge of Tessera's city limits. Liara barely had time to take in the sight of a massive coastal metropolis backed by mountain ranges and forests before she found herself able to admire the oceanside drive from Kerensky's car.

Being from Thessia, the idea of wheeled transport was a strange one for Liara. She was so used to skycars that the idea of a 'traditional' car was strange to her. Right when she was getting used to feeling every bump on the road shake the car a bit, she found herself pulling up to a rather simple home on the outskirts of the city.

"Welcome home, Liara." Kerensky smiled, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

She had no idea what to expect when she walked inside her new home. It was strange to even think about that, but all of those thoughts left when she saw the small collection of three other humans that were evidently waiting to meet her. All of them were sat on a large sofa that faced a simple viewscreen, all of their heads turning as the door clicked open. Liara suddenly felt even smaller when she had all of those eyes looking at her. She only recognized one face, and it was the tall brunette woman with her hair up in a ponytail. Liara had already spoken with Kerensky's wife Katerina on a vid-call right after she settled in on the station. The older man who looked to be roughly Kerensky's age and the teenage girl were both new to her.

Katerina stood up and quickly wrapped her husband in a hug, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Sorry, Meredith let it slip that you'd be coming back today."

"I'm not even surprised anymore, Aaron." Kerensky chuckled, hanging his coat up by the door.

"C'mon, I had to see this." Aaron laughed, pushing his longer hair back.

Kerensky gave an exaggerated sigh as he sent a joking look towards his old friend. "Liara, this is Aaron Schmidt, an old friend of mine."

"Uncle Aaron works too, kiddo." Aaron quipped, prompting Kerensky to send another joking glare his way.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot." Kerensky smirked, seeing Liara manage a small laugh. "You've already met Katerina." At his words, the brunette woman knelt down and wrapped Liara in a quick hug.

"We're all glad to have you here, sweetie." Liara couldn't help but return the hug. Katerina had been nothing but sweet to her, even over the vid-call.

"And that's Meredith, your sister." Kerensky smiled, seeing Liara perk up at the mention of a sister.

Kerensky watched as his daughter darted over, wrapping Liara in a bear hug. Given how energetic she usually was, he was surprised she contained herself this long. "Always wanted a sister." Meredith happily stated, happy to have Liara returning the gesture. "You're so… blue and adorable!"

"And you're really… pink?" Liara attempted, earning a soft chuckle from Kerensky.

December 17, 223

Erebus System, Tessera (Parliament Hall)

"Good morning, General." Kerensky acknowledged the staff sergeant standing guard by the entrance to Parliament Hall with a quick salute, setting him at ease as he stepped inside. Normally, he would've dreaded committee meetings and politicking like this, but he actually found himself looking forward to this. Now that formal diplomatic channels had been opened with the Citadel, Parliament was working overtime trying to hash out trade, recognized borders, and even potential immigration between the two powers.

It didn't take long before Kerensky found the conference room that the meeting would be held in, finding the First Minister and several members of her cabinet already preparing for the discussion. Spectre Agent Vasir was even present, and she had been invaluable in giving insight into the cultures of the few species that the Confederacy had yet to make contact with formally. "Good to see you, Aleksandr." First Minister Bailey offered a smile, setting a datapad aside. "Settling in alright?"

"About as well as I can." Kerensky nodded, taking a seat at his assigned position at the table, right between the Defense Minister and Trade Minister. It was still surreal to be sitting at a table like this, surrounded by his boss, and then their boss.

It wasn't long before six red holograms fizzled into existence at the far end of the table from Kerensky and the Confederate delegation. It was far too dangerous for the Councilors and the heads of their respective states to make the journey to Tessera in person, given the tumultuous state of the Terminus, so they'd have to make do with telepresence. It wasn't long after the initial introductions that Kerensky got a picture of the three most powerful species in the known galaxy… or at least how their governments functioned.

The Asari were similar to the Confederacy in many ways, made up of dozens of individual republics on their homeworld of Thessia. That fact alone granted common ground, and the Asari were easily the most receptive to the Confederacy as a result. Councilor Tevos was evidently far more… respectful than the matriarch that Thessia had chosen to represent them. The matriarch had a sort of arrogance to her, like she was talking to a species that had just crawled its way to sapience.

The Salarans were probably the least receptive to the Confederacy during the initial stages of the discussion. Councilor Mesu seemed reserved and thoughtful whenever the First Minister or her cabinet attempted to push something like a free trade agreement through, but the Dalatrass was evidently having none of it. They seemed like a profoundly paranoid people, seeing potential threat and subversion around every corner. The… distrust was finally given some context when the Dalatrass mentioned a Special Tasks Group operative embedded in Eclipse, one that was quite likely currently held in Confederate custody on Aeia. It took the combined coaxing of Councilor Mesu and the First Minister to get the Dalatrass to agree to privately disclose the agent's identity so he could be released to the Salarian Union.

The Turians were the hardest to get a read on at first, neither Councilor Sparatus or the Primarch saying much at first. Both of them were sizing up the situation, much like Kerensky was. It didn't take long for the conversation to drift towards military matters, and that was when the Turians started adding to the conversation. Kerensky already knew that the Turians were the single largest military power in the galaxy, and had taken up the role of galactic peacekeeper, but he certainly wasn't expecting them to 'recommend' the Confederacy become the signatory of some sort of naval treaty. Thankfully, both the Defense Minister and First Minister quickly shut that idea down, citing their location in the Terminus as necessitating a capable fleet-in-being. Even the Turian Councilor acknowledged the concerns as legitimate, while the Primarch simply clamped his mandible shut, almost looking like he had to stop himself from saying something.

"I have to admit, Minister Bailey, I'm impressed." Tevos nodded, allowing a moment for the time lag to compensate in case any of her compatriots had anything to offer. "For such a young species, you've come quite far. Normally, we'd offer membership to the Citadel Council as a client state, but your location in the Terminus puts us in a… precarious position. Even if you were willing, extending Council space so deep into the Terminus would inevitably provoke a war."

Minister Bailey had to very carefully choose her wording. "I certainly appreciate the gesture, and I understand your situation. I can't say the thought of becoming a 'client state' to the Council is an especially enticing one, especially if what Miss Vasir told me about the Vol Protectorate being a client of the Council for centuries, and still lacking representation on the Council, is true. I don't mean any offense, but my chief concern is the well-being and sovereignty of the Confederacy."

"I understand, Minister." Tevos nodded. "And no offense taken. Yours is the first species that has ever made first contact with the Council on anything resembling equal footing, so that alone is already a sure sign that offering client status would be… untenable. If we're all in agreement, an exchange of embassies would be a good first step forward." At the hums and words of approval from everyone present, Tevos continued. "Then it's settled, the Confederacy is free to dispatch an ambassadorial team to the Citadel."

"And the Council and its member states are free to establish embassies here in Tessera." Bailey nodded.

"I am curious, Minister Bailey..." The Turian Primarch began. "You mentioned your world… Atreus, as your 'capital world' rather than your homeworld. Which world is the Human homeworld, exactly."

"That's a… long story, but I suppose there's no better time to tell it." Bailey sighed, clasping her hands together atop the table. "Our homeworld is… lost to us. We began as a multinational colonial mission to a star system roughly five hundred light years from Earth, our homeworld. Based on our arrival vector in the Erebus system, we have a rough direction for Earth, but not an exact location."

A stunned silence settled over the diplomatic proceedings as the alien delegates shared a shocked look. Even Vasir looked stunned. "How long ago was this?" Councilor Tevos asked, concern heavy in her tone.

"Two hundred and twenty four years ago, almost to the day." Minister Bailey clarified. "The fourth planet from our star, Mars, had ruins buried beneath the surface. We didn't have a name to attach them to at the time, but we're now reasonably sure that they were Prothean in origin. They seemed to be a data vault of some kind, but most of the information was corrupted. What was recoverable was… well, schematics for a more… rudimentary Mass Relay."

"Wait… your species built a Mass Relay?" Mesu asked, genuinely looking stunned.

"It wasn't quite to the same scale as even the minor relays, but yes." Bailey nodded. "We're not quite sure why, but when the Stark Flotilla interfaced with the Relay, we wound up here, rather than our actual destination. Even stranger was that every automated probe we dispatched through the relay arrived precisely where it was intended. Our best guess currently is user error or some sort of fault from overuse of the relay that caused it to link to the relay here in Erebus."

"Not to accuse, but… I don't suppose you have proof for this?" The Asari matriarch asked.

Wordlessly, Minister Bailey swiped a few commands into the haptic interface before her, uploading an image taken from one of the old vessels of the Stark Flotilla, showing the small, human-made Relay orbiting over Mars. The thin, winding lights of the Martian colonies dancing on the red planet below.

"Incredible..." Sparatus muttered to himself. The achievements of the Confederacy started to look even more impressive to the alien delegation. They had managed to carve out a home from an uncharted system, redevelop spaceflight, and establish just over three dozen colonies all in just over two centuries. "Do you know where this 'Earth' is?"

"We have a vector, and that's about it." Bailey added. "If you'd be willing to share any starmaps with us, it'd be greatly appreciated."

"I think that can be arranged..." Tevos nodded, looking to her compatriots in turn. "Though I should warn… opening any currently inactive relays might prove… troublesome. We've started taking every possible precaution after the Rachni encounter some seven centuries ago. We haven't opened any new relays since then to prevent any further… disastrous encounters. While I can't promise anything at the moment, exceptions might be made if concrete evidence of your homeworld's location is ever uncovered."

"I understand, Councilors." Bailey lied. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to argue for a Confederate effort to search uncharted relays, but this was neither the time nor the place to start pushing for that. There'd be time for that later.

January 28, 224

CMS Answered Prayers, FTL Transit

Kerensky made his way through the halls of the old hospital ship that had been rapidly refit for diplomatic use. The visit to the Citadel was short for the general, but it was a spectacular sight. The five arms splayed out against a nebula, swarmed by so many ships of various make that it almost didn't seem real. As much as he might have wanted to hop aboard a shuttle and walk around the station, he was here for work.

When he finally reached the deck that had been set aside for the ambassadors and their staff that would be taking up residence in Tessera, he was greeted by a recreation deck that was filled with the soft hum of conversation. Ironing out all of the details on the embassies was a bit of a nightmare, even more-so now that the actual number of required embassies was known.

He was familiar with most of the species taking up the various benches, tables, and sofas lining the recreation hall, but there were a few that were entirely new to him. The Elcor and the Hanar were by far the most interesting to him. He had a passing conversation with the Elcor ambassador a day prior, and was still a bit taken aback by how they spoke. The Hanar were… interesting to say the least, due in no small part to their strange way of 'speech' with other races. They used bioluminescence to communicate, and machine translation was an absolute requirement to understand them. Thankfully, the Hanar had come prepared and offered translation software to the entire Confederate envoy team that was dispatched to the Citadel.

The Volus were another interesting addition to the voyage that Kerensky didn't expect. They were apparently a client race to the Turians, deferring completely to the Turians in all matters, including foreign policy. Despite this, they still shared an embassy on the Citadel with the Elcor. Kerensky had been there to watch the Foreign Minister inform the Volus ambassador that their embassy in Tessera would be considered their sole sovereign territory, something that was evidently a pleasant surprise for the Volus given the surprisingly firm handshake and chortle he had given just about every Human he had come across so far.

To little surprise, the Batarians were hesitant to host an embassy in Tessera, and outright refused to allow a Confederate embassy on their own homeworld. Kerensky certainly didn't mind, given what he had learned about the Batarians from the people they had rescued or the diplomats aboard the vessel. Their government was apparently highly isolationist, outright barring foreign traffic through their relays. They weren't technically part of the Council, or even truly under their umbrella. They hosted a token embassy on the Citadel, but it was apparently rarely staffed to capacity, and the staff seemed to rotate out quite often.

"Excited: Greetings, Human. It is a pleasure to see you again." Kerensky was stopped by the Elcor ambassador, speaking in the monotone that he was still slightly unsure of. He couldn't tell if the Elcor ever lied about the 'vocal tone' they had. "What brings you here today?"

"I'm here to speak with a member of the Asari delegation.." Kerensky nodded.

"Tensely: I understand that your kind may not be migratory as mine is, but would you happen to have an observation deck? The claustrophobia is unnerving to me."

"Of course, head up to Deck 3." Kerensky nodded, gesturing for the large bay elevator. "It'll be near the stern of the ship."

"Happily: Thank you, Human. Have a pleasant day." The Elcor ambassador offered what Kerensky could only assume was a courteous nod before slowly padding off towards the elevator.

Thoroughly confused, Kerensky continued on his way towards the section of the deck that had been set up for the Asari delegation. He sent a courteous nod to the pair of Asari Commandos that were acting as security for their delegation. "Need something, General?"

"I just have a question for Matriarch Irissia, if she doesn't mind." Kerensky offered.

"Go right ahead." The pale blue commando nodded towards the door.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Kerensky nodded, stepping up to the door and swiping his clearance card against the reader mounted to the wall. As the door hissed open, Matriarch Irissa's piercing blue eyes darted up from a datapad she was staring down at, meeting Kerensky. Based alone on how she was practically sizing him up, Kerensky could only assume that this woman had spent some time in the armed service. Her eyes reminded him of a predator's, looking for even the smallest opening to score the quickest, cleanest kill possible.

"General Kerensky… what can I do for you?" Irissa asked, placing the datapad down on the small table in the center of the room before sitting down in one of the chairs, gesturing for him to have a seat across from her. As Kerensky sat down, he was even more sure that she was sizing him up, her eyes darting to the series of medals neatly arranged on the right side of his dress uniform's jacket.

"I was hoping you could help me with something..." Kerensky began, hesitating slightly as he tapped at the computer mounted to his wrist. "I don't suppose you know a Matriarch Benezia T'Soni?"

The Asari ambassador's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed at him. "That's an old name… not necessarily a beloved one either. Why do you ask?"

"Her daughter was one of the people we rescued on Aeia." Kerensky brought up an image of Liara on his commpad, placing it down on the table. It was one taken of Liara right when she was brought to Pioneer Station. The image still made Kerensky… nervous, seeing the girl's features so gaunt and pale.

"And you're looking for her, on the girl's behalf?" Irissa surmised, taking the device and examining it a bit more-closely. She wasn't sure if Kerensky noticed her expression soften a bit. She couldn't help but sympathize with both the General and the girl's situation. It was one she was all too-familiar with. "I'm afraid I won't be of much help if you didn't find her on that Terminus backwater. She just… well, uprooted from Thessia about four months ago."

Kerensky let out a sigh, gingerly accepting his commpad back as Irissa held it out to him. "I appreciate the help."

Irissa sighed, searching for something to add. "Where's the girl now?"

"On Atreus, our capital world." Kerensky nodded towards the datapad resting on the table, showing the first contact packet that the Confederate Diplomatic Corps had forwarded to each of the envoys. "I… took her in for the time being."

That got the closest thing to emotion that Kerensky had seen out of the ambassador so far. Her jaw tensed as she glanced back to her hands. "You took in an alien that you'd never met?"

"I'd met her on Aeia." Kerensky shook his head, running a hand across his cropped hair before letting out a long sigh. "Found her with one of our field rations clutched to her chest. She had managed to slip out of sight of the relief camp guards, sneak into a storage unit, and grab one of our MREs."

"Still doesn't explain why you adopted her." Irissa added. She wasn't accusatory, she seemed genuinely curious.

Kerensky sucked in a deep breath, leaning back into the chair. "She has my daughter's eyes."

"What?"

"When she looked at me with that MRE pulled up to her chest… She had the exact same blue eyes as my, well, biological daughter." Kerensky explained, leaning forward again and resting his chin on his clenched fist. "I didn't see an alien looking up at me, terrified… I saw a little girl who needed help. She wasn't on Aeia long, thank Christ… but I still can't imagine the hell she's been through."

"You know, General..." Irissa began, leaning forward and mirroring Kerensky's posture. "I wasn't sure if your people were even worth my time. Usually, getting assigned to a Terminus posting isn't something anyone actually wants as a diplomat. I didn't expect this from such a… young species. Color me impressed."

Kerensky shrugged before standing upright and straightening out his uniform. "I like to think your people would've done the same for us. Thank you for your time, Ambassador."

February 12, 224

Atreus, Tessera (Parliament Hall)

Kerensky glanced around the large conference room that had been set aside for the Confederate Defense Committee. He still had yet to be informed as to why exactly he had been called before the committee, along with several other members of the Confederate general staff. Stranger yet, this was one of the rare few times that members of the press were expressly forbidden from attending a committee meeting.

"Admiral Carlsen, you've personally faced down a sizable force of these 'Eclipse' mercenaries over Aeia." One of the Valkyrite committee members began, bringing up a projection of the small fleet that had made contact with the Confederate fleet over the backwater world. It was barely a picket fleet by Confederate standards, with only a single cruiser-weight vessel joined by nearly two-dozen screening vessels. "We were fortunate enough to avoid a prolonged conflict with the sizable number of 'nations' to our counter-spinward border, but it would be foolish to assume that we can avoid conflict beyond our borders forever." She leaned forward, glancing between the assembled officers before her. "The tumultuous state of the Terminus presents a… uniquely difficult situation for us. We do not currently possess the means to defend every system on the border, especially given our direct relay link with contested Batarian space in the Attican Traverse."

"Hence why there has been a… recent amendment to the defense budget." A Canopian committee member added. "As a stopgap, we need something to keep potential adversaries in the Terminus off-balance until we can adequately expand the Navy's numbers. General Kerensky, at the request of this committee and General Reyes, you are being directed to organize a volunteer special forces unit for operations beyond the Confederacy's borders.

Kerensky was quite taken aback by his new orders, surprised to find himself suddenly tasked with creating a whole new arm of the Confederate army. "And the primary objective of this unit is?"

"This unit will be tasked with several doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare, direct action, special reconnaissance, information operations, counterproliferation, security force assistance, and discrete humanitarian assistance missions." The Valkyrite member answered, clasping her hands together atop the conference table.

That was a tall order, least of all because this unit was effectively going to be equipping and training foreign guerrilla fighters. Kerensky was running through a dozen different ideas in his head as he considered the committee's request. "Understood, ma'am." He nodded.

The rest of the committee meeting boiled down to the allocation for the Navy's sudden influx of funds, the development of new long-range stealth interceptors and strike fighters, and laying the groundwork for plans to make the Confederate military a bit more… uniform. The meeting wound up running nearly an hour over-time, with Kerensky returning to his home just before ten in the evening thanks to the hellish traffic heading out of the city.

As he stepped inside, he was pleasantly surprised to see Meredith actually doing her homework without him pestering her about it. "Hey, dad." Meredith offered, glancing up from her computer for a moment before returning to staring at the screen.

"Are you actually doing your homework? Without your mother or me asking? On a Friday no less?" At Meredith's nod, Kerensky smiled. "Who are you, and where the hell is my daughter?"

Meredith scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I wanted to go into town with some friends tomorrow, and I knew you wouldn't let me go without getting at least some of this done."

Kerensky jokingly clutched his chest, letting out a 'shocked' sigh as he sent his daughter a smirk. "Oh my god, she figured it out." She rolled her eyes again as he walked past, tousling her short brown hair as he went.

Seeing the door to the room that he and Katerina had set aside for Liara was just slightly open, with a bit of light seeping out, he tapped his knuckles against the doorframe as he pushed the door in. The same pair of brilliant blue eyes darted up from a datapad, joined by a small smile. Just like usual, he let out an exaggerated grunt as Liara wrapped him in a hug. "Good to see you too, Liara." He smirked, returning the hug. "Any more issues?"

"Nope!" Liara smiled proudly, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "Didn't shock anyone today."

"Good to hear." Kerensky smirked, grabbing the chair by her desk and sitting down. "What're you reading there?"

"Oh, a book about the Protheans." Liara smiled, picking the datapad back up and holding out an image of a ruin that had been uncovered on one of Atreus' moons just last year. There were dozens of spires sticking out of the rocky surface, the occasional light from a shuttle or rover just barely visible against the bleached white surface of the moon.

"Hmm… I guess this explains the holes in the backyard." Kerensky chuckled, handing the datapad back to Liara. "Tell you what, I'm probably gonna have to drive Mere into town tomorrow… why don't you come with us? There's a museum in Tessera I think you'd like." Liara's eyes lighting up was the only answer Kerensky needed.

A/N:

Damn, thanks for all the love on the first chapter, guys. It really means a lot.